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the present invention provides heat exchangers having plastic coils constructed from materials which permit the construction of complex geometries wherein the preferred geometry of the coil would be difficult to produce from existing metal tube and fin constructions . it further provides for specific coils and methods of manufacture of these coils which take advantage of the properties of these materials . in a preferred embodiment air - flow is through the sidewalls of the coil rather than through the faces . one advantage of this geometry is that there is no longer any wasted space in the center , as the fan is now in the center . according to the present invention , instead of winding tube layers concentrically , they are wound helically , like a spring or spiral staircase , starting on a flat plate or ring . the tubes are wound in a loop and when they reach the starting point , they are elevated to the next layer , to begin another revolution , and so on , building a higher and higher stack of tubing . a commercial winding operation could involve building a stack on a rotating disk . spacers are inserted between each layer at several locations around the circumference ( generally at 4 to 12 locations ) and provide the necessary spacing between tube layers . this design offers the further advantage that multiple circuits can be added more easily than with the concentric method of winding . additional circuits can be added , one circuit at a time , to make the stack as high as needed . this method is expected to make it easier to wind multiple parallel circuits , thus facilitating the development of larger prototypes and scale - up to commercial manufacturing operations . the combination of having the fan inside the coil , the use of stackable spacers to hold the tubes in place , and the use of this configuration , in which the coil is wound in a helical fashion , can provide polymeric tubing exchangers which are compact , efficient and relatively easy to construct . another potential feature is that the shape does not need to be circular , but can be , for instance , in a figure eight or racetrack shape or in other desired shapes . it appears that the new method offers much greater flexibility in design . a feature of some of the configurations of the invention may be that the tubes near the outer perimeter are longer than the inner tubes . this will mean the flow of refrigerant will be higher in the inner tubes than in the outer tubes in order to equalize the pressure drop . it is possible to equalize the tubing length by flipping over the tube array after half of the turns are completed , so that inside tubes then become outside tubes . although this difference in tube length could sometimes be a disadvantage , it may also be an advantage in some applications when understood . for example , if warm air is flowing through an evaporator coil from inside to outside , then it will have the greatest temperature difference when it hits the inside tubes , so the inner tubes may be able to make good use of the higher refrigerant flow , thereby improving overall performance . in order to make functional refrigerant - to - air heat exchangers , some means of joining the plastic tubes and connecting them to the copper piping is desirable . this can achieved by sealing the ganged tubes into a copper pipe using a suitable epoxy resin available from loctite or ciba - geigy , such as loctite e90fl toughened epoxy resin , a two part product with an amine hardener ; the copper pipe can then be joined to the expansion or compression device by conventional metal joining processes . any number of tubes may be brought together in this manner , depending on the dimensions of the tubes and the number of tubes required to effect heat transfer with minimal pressure drop . the outer ( surface ) layer of the tubing may be the same as the bulk of the tube , preferably a polyamide , or may be a polyamide modified to improve bonding , coextruded on to the main structural layer of polyamide . additional layers of thermoplastic can be incorporated into the tubing such as by coextrusion , including a layer of thermotropic liquid crystal polymer ( lcp ) to enhance the barrier of the structure . barrier layers could also be formed in other ways from other materials . the tubing structure may also contain layers of other materials , including inorganics , which may include coatings applied by various methods , to improve barrier properties . the tubes can be of any diameter and wall thickness , consistent with the need to separate inner and outer heat transfer fluids and to transfer heat . typical wall thicknesses are 0 . 005 - 0 . 015 in . ( 0 . 13 - 0 . 38 mm ). in general , a minimum inner diameter of 0 . 030 - 0 . 060 ″ ( 0 . 76 - 1 . 5 mm ) is desirable to avoid pluggage in use . the outer diameter is determined by the internal pressure needs of the tube , generally up to a maximum of 0 . 150 - 0 . 250 in . ( 3 . 8 - 6 . 4 mm ). for practical sizes and configurations of refrigerant heat exchangers , it is desirable to use tubes which are quite flexible and able to bend to a defined small radius without fracture or delamination , yet which also provide good barrier properties to keep in contained refrigerant and to keep out air and moisture . also , tubes which can be melt - bonded to the spacers after forming the heat exchangers can be desirable . the spacers can be made of a variety of materials , including nylon 6 or 66 , or of the same or similar materials as the tubes . other optional ingredients may be selected from flame retardants , anti - blocking agents , slip additives , pigments or dyes , processing aids , plasticizers and ultra - violet blocking agents . these may be used in suitable quantities as are well known to those skilled in the art . liquid crystal polymers are preferably used in forming layers in the tubes , including as one of the materials an isotropic thermoplastic ( itp ). it has been found that a layer of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer ( lcp ) used in the heat exchange surface material ( hesm ) often alleviates or eliminates a variety of potential problems . by an lcp is meant a polymer that is anisotropic when tested in the tot test described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 118 , 372 . an hesm is a material which is used as part of a heat exchanger or a component thereof , and which is the material through which the major portion of the heat that is exchanged between the two fluids ( gas or liquid ) is meant to flow . it also performs the function of keeping apart the two fluids between which heat is being exchanged . isotropic herein means that the polymer is isotropic when tested by the tot test described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 118 , 372 , which is hereby included by reference . any itp may be used so long as it meets certain requirements . it must of course withstand the temperatures to which the hesm is exposed , and should throughout that temperature range provide sufficient strength ( together with the lcp ) to the hesm to reasonably maintain its shape and contain the fluids in the heat exchanger , as needed . if it is exposed to one or more of the fluids in the heat exchanger ( or any other adventitious materials that may contact it ) it should be preferably reasonably chemically stable to those fluids so as to maintain its integrity . although various types of heat exchangers made simply of itps have been described , itps sometimes have serious drawbacks when the are the only materials in hesms . sometimes an itp may not be chemically stable to one or more of the fluids in the heat exchanger , for instance , many polyesters hydrolyze or otherwise degrade in the presence of water , water - alcohol , or water - glycol mixtures , especially at higher than ambient temperatures . many itps are relatively permeable to many liquids and / or gases , and therefore allow losses and / or migration of these materials in or from the heat exchanger . some itps may be swollen by one or more of the fluids used in the heat exchanger thereby changing their dimensions and / or physical properties . all of the above are of course problems in plastic heat exchangers . if the lcp layer is placed between a fluid and any particular itp in the hesm it usually protects that itp from chemical degradation by the fluid , and / or also often protects the itp from being swollen by that fluid . in addition , even if the itp is swollen , the lcp because of its high relative stiffness , and the fact that it is not swollen by many fluids , help the overall hesm maintain its shape and dimensions . also , the lcp acts as an excellent barrier layer to many fluids . for instance , in automotive heat exchangers which help cool the engine , the commonly used internal coolant is a mixture of a glycol and water , and the external coolant is air . with many itps diffusion of water and / or glycol is so rapid that frequent replenishment of the water / glycol mixture is needed . if an lcp layer is included , the diffusion is greatly decreased . in order to obtain rapid heat transfer through the hesm , thickness through the material between the heat transfer fluids should be a small as possible . this would be true with any material used for an hesm , but is especially important with plastics since their heat transfer coefficients are usually relatively low when compared to metals . since the lcp is usually the more expensive of the polymers present in the hesm , it is economically preferable to limit its use . therefore , in most constructions it is preferred that the lcp is present in relatively thin layer ( s ) and that layer ( s ) of the itp be relatively thick so as to carry much of the structural load of the hesm ( i . e ., pressure of the fluid ( s ), maintain structural shape and dimensions , etc .). the hesm is made up of one or more lcp layers and one or more layers of itp . if more than one layer of lcp or itp is present , more than one type of lcp or itp , respectively , can be used . in addition other layers may be present . for example , so called tie layers , also called adhesive layers , may be used to increase the adhesion between various lcp and itp layers , or between itp layers or between lcp layers . the number and placement of the various layers in the hesm will vary depending on the particular polymers chosen , the fluids used in or by the heat exchanger , temperature requirements , environmental needs , etc . most commonly , tie layers and lcp layers will be relatively thin compared to the itp layer ( s ). typical constructions are given below , wherein fluids 1 and 2 represent the fluids involved in the heat transfer : in all of the above constructions , tie layers may be present between all , some or none of the various polymer layers . some of the above constructions may be particularly useful in certain situations . if fluid 1 but not fluid 2 chemically attacked the itp , construction ( a ) may be particularly useful , but ( c ) and ( f ) may also be utilized . if both fluids 1 and 2 attacked the itp present construction ( c ) or ( f ) may be particularly useful . if one wanted to minimize diffusion of one fluid to another , a construction having two lcp layers , such as ( c ), ( d ) or ( f ) could be chosen . if a special surface is required to reduce abrasive damage on the fluid 1 side , but great stiffness is also required from the itp , a construction such as ( e ) could be chosen wherein itp - 1 and itp - 2 have the requisite properties . these and other combinations of layers having the correct properties for various applications will be obvious to the artisan . useful lcps include those described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 991 , 013 , 3 , 991 , 014 4 , 011 , 199 , 4 , 048 , 148 , 4 , 075 , 262 , 4 , 083 , 829 , 4 , 118 , 372 , 4 , 122 , 070 , 4 , 130 , 545 , 4 , 153 , 779 , 4 , 159 , 365 , 4 , 161 , 470 , 4 , 169 , 933 , 4 , 184 , 996 , 4 , 189 , 549 , 4 , 219 , 461 , 4 , 232 , 143 , 4 , 232 , 144 , 4 , 245 , 082 , 4 , 256 , 624 , 4 , 269 , 965 , 4 , 272 , 625 , 4 , 370 , 466 , 4 , 383 , 105 , 4 , 447 , 592 , 4 , 522 , 974 , 4 , 617 , 369 , 4 , 664 , 972 , 4 , 684 , 712 , 4 , 727 , 129 , 4 , 727 , 131 , 4 , 728 , 714 , 4 , 749 , 769 , 4 , 762 , 907 , 4 , 778 , 927 , 4 , 816 , 555 , 4 , 849 , 499 , 4 , 851 , 496 , 4 , 851 , 497 , 4 , 857 , 626 , 4 , 864 , 013 , 4 , 868 , 278 , 4 , 882 , 410 , 4 , 923 , 947 , 4 , 999 , 416 , 5 , 015 , 721 , 5 , 015 , 722 , 5 , 025 , 082 , 5 , 086 , 158 , 5 , 102 , 935 , 5 , 110 , 896 , and 5 , 143 , 956 , and european patent application 356 , 226 . useful thermotropic lcps include polyesters , poly ( ester - amides ), poly ( ester - imides ), and polyazomethines . especially useful are lcps that are polyesters or poly ( ester - amides ). it is also preferred in these polyesters or poly ( ester - amides ) that at least about 50 percent , more preferably at least about 75 percent , of the bonds to ester or amide groups , i . e ., the free bonds of — c ( o ) o — and — c ( o ) nr 1 — wherein r 1 is hydrogen or hydrocarbyl , be to carbon atoms which are part of aromatic rings . included within the definition herein of an lcp is a blend of 2 or more lcps or a blend of an lcp with one or more itps wherein the lcp is the continuous phase . useful itps are those that have the requisite properties as described above , and include : polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene ; polyesters such as poly ( ethylene terephthalate , poly ( butylene terephthalate ), poly ( ethylene 2 , 6 - napthalate ), and a polyester from 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane and a combination of isophthalic and terephthalic acids ; styrenics such as polystyrene and copolymers of styrene with ( meth ) acrylic esters ; acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene thermoplastics ; ( meth ) acrylic polymers including homo - and copolymers of the parent acids , and / or their esters and / or amides ; polyacetals such as polymethylene oxide ; fully and partially fluoropolymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene , polychlorotrifluoroethylene , poly ( tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene ) copolymers , poly [ tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoro ( propyl vinyl ether )] copolymers , poly ( vinyl fluoride ), poly ( vinylidene fluoride ), and poly ( vinyl fluoride / ethylene ) copolymers ; ionomers such as an ionomer of an ethylene - acrylic acid copolymer ; polycarbonates ; poly ( amide - imides ); poly ( ester - carbonates ); poly ( imide - ethers ); polymethylpentene ; linear polyolefins such as polypropylene ; poly ( etherketoneketone ); polyimides ; poly ( phenylene sulfide ); polymers of cyclic olefins ; poly ( vinylidene chloride ); polysulfones ; poly ( ether - sulfones ); and polyamides such as nylon - 6 , 6 nylon - 6 , nylon - 6 , 12 , nylon - 6 , 12 , nylon 4 , 6 , and the polyamides from terephthalic acid and / or isophthalic acid and 1 , 6 - hexanediamine and / or 2 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentanediamine . polyamides are preferred itps and preferred amides are nylon - 6 , 6 , nylon - 6 , and a copolymer of terephthalic acid with 1 , 6 - hexandiamine and 2 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentanediamine wherein 1 , 6 - hexanediamine is about 30 to about 70 mole percent of the total diamine used to prepare the polymer . especially preferred polyamides are nylon - 6 , 6 , nylon - 6 and a copolymer of terephthalic acid with 1 , 6 - hexandiamine and 2 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentanediamine wherein 1 , 6 - hexanediamine is about 50 mole percent of the total diamine used to prepare the polymer . included within the definition of itp herein are blends of 2 or more itps or blends of one or more itps with an lcp provided that the itp ( s ) is the continuous phase . one or more of the lcps and itps may be toughened . toughening is known in the art , and may be accomplished by adding one or more or a rubber , functionalized rubber , resin which reacts with the lcp or itp such as an epoxy resin , or other materials . toughened polyamides are preferred . the polymers may contain other materials conventionally found in polymers , such as fillers , reinforcing agents , antioxidants , antiozonants , dyes , pigments , etc . an especially useful material is a filler with high heat conductivity , which may increase the efficiency of the heat exchanger . between the layers of tubing made by coextrrusion , tie layers can be used to minimize the likelihood of delamination . the composition of a tie layer will depend on which two polymers are on either side of it . for instance the tie layer may be an itp functionalized or grafted to provide adhesion between the itp and lcp layers , or may be a blend of one or more itps and one or more lcps . preferably lcp used in the invention will be toughened , especially if it is to be used in tubes which will be wound to a fairly tight radius , such as down to 12 . 5 mm . such a small radius may be found either in the coils themselves , such as in a condenser without a fan in the center , or it may be found in a transition form the coil to the outside connection . lcps can be toughened as is known in the art in various ways , for example by melt blending an lcp with a rubber or other polymer having low crystallinity . in the melt blending it is preferred that the rubber or other polymer be dispersed into the lcp so that the lcp is the continuous phase and rubber or other polymer is present in relatively small particles . it is often preferred that the rubber or other polymer have reactive functional groups on it such as epoxide groups . it is known that this often improves the toughening of the lcp and also may improve the adhesion of the lcp layer to other polymer layers in the tubing . when toughening an lcp a useful amount of rubber or other polymer is about 2 to about 30 percent by weight of the total weight of the lcp and rubber or other polymer , preferably about 5 to about 20 percent by weight . relevant teachings may be found in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 997 , 765 — furuta and yamaguchi ( 1999 ), ep appl . 0 380 112 a2 — izumi et al . ( 1990 ) and pct publication wo 93 / 24574 — heino et al . ( 1993 ) which are all hereby included by reference . typical thicknesses for itp layers will range from about 0 . 025 to about 0 . 25 mm . typical thicknesses for lcp layers will be about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 1 mm . tie layers will usually be as thin as possible , consistent with their providing adhesion between polymer layers . this is usually about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 1 mm . the total thickness of the structure is preferably less than about 0 . 7 mm , more preferably about 0 . 12 to about 0 . 5 mm , and especially preferably about 0 . 15 mm to about 0 . 4 mm . with reference to the drawings , fig1 illustrates the beginning of a process of making a plastic heat exchanger of the invention . a set of tubes 10 is laid on spacers 29 a (- c ) on a base plate 11 . a first end of tubes 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 extend out from base 10 where they can be gathered together in a header 20 , such as a copper tube . the second end of tubes 21 - 26 can be fed through a guide 30 from drums 31 - 36 , respectively . base 11 is provided with additional spacers , 29 b and c . preferably the spacers are attached to a column 27 a at their inner ends , and preferably they are also attached to another column 28 a (- c ) at their outer ends , to hold them in place . in the drawings , the heat exchangers illustrated are in a cylindrical shape , being formed around a surface 12 incorporating an aperture 13 . however , it will be apparent that heat exchangers of the invention can be formed in other curvilinear shapes , depending on where the columns are situated on the base . also , surface 12 can extend above the plane of base 11 in the form of a mandrel or other form , or it can simply be a surface shaped in space without any physical embodiment . if a mandrel is used , it can be removed after forming the heat exchanger , or it could be made of a porous material , such as a mesh or a perforated sheet , so that coolant can flow through it . removal of a mandrel could be done physically or chemically , by etching it away . furthermore , the tubes can be laid down on the spacers by hand or with whatever degree of automation is desired , with reels 31 - 36 supplying the tubes , or even with the tubes previously cut to the desired lengths and fed in by hand . fig2 illustrates a further step in the process of the invention , with the set of tubes 21 - 26 having been wound around surface 13 and columns 27 a and b , then rising above the first layer of tubes at 40 to overlay the first layer in forming the second layer . outer columns 28 a - c are not shown in fig2 to indicate that they are optional . fig3 shows a plastic tube heat exchanger of the invention after the winding of tubes has been completed and headers 44 and 45 have been put in place on the bundles of tubes 46 and 47 coming away from the exchanger . at the center of the exchanger is a fan 41 , to draw air or other gas in from the ends and cause it to flow out through the sides , as shown at 42 . spacers 29 and columns 27 and 28 are indicated , holding apart the tubes which can be 20 or more , or less , in each layer . fig4 shows an elevation of the heat exchanger of fig3 illustrating tubes at 10 , base 11 , spacers 43 , bundles of tubes 46 , and headers 44 . the spacers shown could be for inlet or outlet of coolant which will flow through the tubes . fig5 shows a spacer 29 with grooves 51 and 52 on its top and bottom , respectively , for holding tubes apart . fig6 is a side view of the spacer , also showing holes 53 and 54 for fitting on the columns . the selection of polymeric tubing for heat exchangers containing refrigerants must satisfy certain criteria : a ) it must withstand internal pressures appropriate to containment of refrigerants , including normal operating pressures , test pressures , and safety mandated overpressure capabilities b ) it must prevent or minimize egress of refrigerant and ingress of air or water c ) it must be amenable to coiling tightly without kinking or fracturing the lcp layer d ) the walls of the tubing must be thin enough so as not to substantially impede heat transfer these properties are affected by the tubing diameter , the thicknesses of individual layers , and the modification of the lcp with itp . as an example , the tube structure used to construct a refrigeration evaporator was as follows ; outer diameter 0 . 059 inch ( 1 . 5 mm ) inner layer — 3 mils ( 76 micron ) of a compounded blend of the lcp of example 6 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 525 , 700 — samuels and waggoner ( 1996 ) ( 90 % w / w ), ethylene butylacrylate ( 5 % w / w )( such as is available from chevron as grade 1802 ( 18 % ba ) and elvaloy 3934 - 4 ( 5 % w / w )( ethylene / butyl acrylate / glycidyl methacrylate copolymer ). the lcp is a copolymer of biphenol , hydroquinone , terephthalic acid , 2 , 6 - naphthalenedicarboxylic acid , p - hydroxybenzoic acid and 6 - hydroxy - 2 - naphthoic acid in a molar ratio of 50 / 50 / 70 / 30 / 270 / 50 ). middle layer — 1 mil ( 25microns ) of bynel 4206 ( ldpe grafted with maleic anhydride ) outer layer — 5 mil ( 127 microns ) of zytel 42a nc010 ( nylon 6 , 6 ), containing minor additives including carbon black pigment , heat stabilizer and lubricant . elvaloy , bynel and zytel are trademarks of dupont company , from whom the products are available . the tubing of this example has a burst pressure in excess of 1500 psig ( 10 , 300 kpascals ) and can be coiled to a radius of curvature of 0 . 5 inches ( 12 . 3 mm ) without kinking ( all at 50 % rh ) and is therefore suitable for constructing coiled heat exchangers to handle refrigerants such as chlorodifluoromethane .”
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referring now to fig1 there is shown a schematic of one type of solid state , interference fringe pattern type scanner in accordance with the invention . the scanner includes a solid state body 2 comprised of an n - type gallium - arsenide substrate 4 , an n - type gallium aluminum arsenide light confining layer 6 , a p - type gallium arsenide active region layer 8 , a p - type gallium aluminum arsenide light confining layer 10 , and an n - type contact facilitating layer 12 . a p - type region 14 extends through layer 12 to layer 10 to define therebeneath a straight light wave guide or emitting region which extends from the far face 2 &# 39 ; to the near face 2 &# 34 ; of the body 2 . branching from the region 14 is another p - type region 16 which also extends through layer 12 to layer 10 to define therebeneath a branching light wave guide or emitting region which also extends from face 2 &# 39 ; to face 2 &# 34 ;. electrode 20 contacts the p - type region 14 over its entire length to provide a means for electrical pumping of the straight light emitting region and electrode 22 contacts p - type portion 16 to provide , along with a portion of electrode 20 , a means for pumping the branch light emitting region . contacts 20 and 22 are separated at 23 . regions of electrical insulating material 18 insulate the n - type portions of layer 12 from the contacts 20 and 22 . the far face 2 &# 39 ; and the near face 2 &# 34 ; of the body 2 are cleaved or mirrored to provide a resonant cavity . referring now to fig1 and 2 , the wave guide pattern , as noted , consists of one straight light emitting region or wave guide and one curved or branched light emitting region or wave guide . the wave guides , which , for example , can be 4 microns wide , overlap completely at the far end of the laser for length l 1 . a bifurcation occurs at this distance from the rear face 2 &# 39 ;, the branching wave guide gradually separating from the straight wave guide over one portion of its length and then bending again to parallel the straight wave guide . for example , as shown in fig2 the radius r can be approximately 1 mm and the angle φ can be approximately 9 . 37 degrees . the length of the straight wave guide from the bifurcation to the face 2 &# 34 ; is l 2 , and the length of the branching wave guide from the bifurcation to face 2 &# 34 ; is l 3 . as shown , a pump current i a pumps both l 1 and l 2 via electrode 20 , whereas pump current i b is applied via electrode 22 only to l 3 . the separation between the two wave guides is denoted by d in fig1 such separation d must be sufficient to decouple the optical field intensity pattern in l 2 from the optical field intensity pattern in l 3 . under pulsed operation with i a = i b = 205 ma for a laser with l 1 = 140 um , l 2 = 350 um , l 3 = 351 um , and d = 25 um , the far field radiation pattern of fig3 will be produced by the device of fig1 . the peaks of the far field pattern , which is observed in a plane orthogonal to the plane of the pn junction between layers 6 and 8 , have an approximate angular spacing of δθ ≈ 2 °. a laser similar to that of fig1 but with d approximately equal to 47 um produced far field peaks with δθ ≈ 1 . 2 °. the far field patterns produced show conclusively that the peaks are produced by interference from two separate coherent sources . it is noted here that since the branching wave guide and the straight wave guide have a common portion l 1 , the light is only optically decoupled over portions l 2 and l 3 which occurs due to the separation d between l 2 and l 3 . further evidence that the fringes are produced by interference between two light waves is shown by fig3 . with i a approximately equal to i b , the fringe visibility depicted in fig3 is quite high ; specifically i max / i min . is approximately 10 . there are several reasons for the imperfect null . first , the scanner aperture resolution of 0 . 26 degrees is not infinitesimal . second , the laser output spectrum has a half - power width of approximately 14 angstroms , and the fringe spacing depends on wavelength . thirdly , the output optical intensities and phase fronts from l 2 and l 3 are not identical . obviously , with i b = 0 , no fringes are observed , but when both contacts 20 and 22 are excited and the relative currents varied , the fringes are observed to shift continuously . in effect , the fringe pattern angularly scans . the scanning of the interference pattern results from independently varying the pump current to each of the wave guides , the variation in pump current producing a relative change in refractive index between the straight and branching wave guides . as is well known , the relative change in refractive index induces a relative phase shift between the light in the straight and branching wave guides and that relative phase shifting causes the interference fringe pattern to rotate . it should also be noted that since the phase shifting elements are within the laser cavity wavelength modulation of the laser over a range of about 80 a is observed . this modulation is associated with changes in optical path length of the branched elements because of the index modulation . any laser structure of the type described which has its phase shifting elements within the laser cavity ( inside the mirrors ) will exhibit similar electrically controlled wavelength modulation . there are several ways to produce the relative change in refractive index that produces the relative phase shift resulting in a rotating interference fringe pattern and wavelength modulation . one way is that previously described , wherein electrical charges are injected into the wave guides . these extra charges cause a change in refractive index which is dependent on the number of the charges that are injected . another way to effect relative phase change is to remove electrical charge from the wave guides ; the charge removal occuring when a voltage is applied such that the charges in the wave guide layer migrate toward or away from the biasing electrode . this second effect is implemented by reverse biasing a rectifying junction or by a metal - insulator - semiconductor contact . other methods for modification of refractive index include the application of strain via acoustic waves and thermal effects . any of the described phase shifting techniques and others known to those skilled in the art can be used to effect the relative phase shift between the light in the straight wave guide and the light in the branching wave guide . as noted , the scanning of the interference pattern results from an electrically induced optical phase shift of the light in one wave guide relative to the light in the other wave guide . when i b is increased relative to i a , the interference pattern shifts toward l 3 , so that in effect the refractive index of l 3 has been increased relative to that of l 2 . to study the scanning effect , the far field intensity pattern was plotted ( fig4 ), by means of a split detector placed at an angle of approximately 4 degrees relative to one of the cleaved faces , as the ratio i a / i b was varied with i a + i b held constant at approximately 235 ma . aside from the periodic characteristic of the curve which indicates the movement of the fringes across the detector , the detected intensity also increases with i a . moreover , when i b is decreased below approximately 50 ma , the light intensity emitted from l 3 is so much less than that produced by l 2 that the interference fringe visibility becomes rather low . eventually , all that remains is the far - field pattern of the light in the straight wave guide . although the abscissa in fig4 is labeled with the total currents i a and i b , the current densities differ even when i a = i b , since the contact area for i a exceeds that for i b . specifically , with i a = 100 ma and i b = 135 ma , we estimate that j a ≈ 5 . 1 ka / cm 2 and j b ≈ 9 . 6 ka / cm 2 , and for i a = 150 ma and i b = 85 ma , j a ≈ 7 . 6 ka / cm 2 and j b ≈ 6 ka / cm 2 . the lowest null in fig4 appears to occur with i a = 140 ma and ib = 95 ma . these currents correspond to approximately equal current densities of 7 . 1 ka / cm 2 and 6 . 8 ka / cm 2 in l 2 and 1 3 , respectively . under these conditions one might expect approximately equal light emitted from the two wave guides . the total angular scan depicted in fig4 is roughly 4 . 2 degrees or two fringes . thus , the phase difference induced over this current range is approximately two wavelengths . since l 2 + l 3 = 700 um and this result implies k o δn ( l 2 + l 3 )= 4π , we find that the refractive index change must be δn = 2 . 3 × 10 - 3 . in the device of fig1 the straight wave guide and the branching wave guide have a common or coupling portion l 1 and hence the light produced in section l 1 of each wave guide is coherent . the coherent light source can be a plurality of light emitting regions so located relative to each other that their output radiation patterns overlap resulting in coupling and coherent operation of the plural light emitting regions at the same optical frequency . such a device is shown in fig5 wherein the light emitting waveguide regions of the n - type gaas layer pumped via p - type areas 30 are separated by a distance d 1 which permits the output radiation patterns of the pumped regions to overlap , as shown . accordingly , the plural pumped regions are optically coupled and the pumped regions of the coupling section produces light of the same frequency . in the device of fig1 the distance d separating l 2 and l 3 was sufficiently large that the light was decoupled in portions l 2 and l 3 . decoupling can be achieved by means other than distance , such as the decoupling structure shown in fig5 wherein the uncoupled light is guided by mesa - like structures 32 and 33 which are built up upon the semiconductor substrate and which are surrounded by air . the relatively low refractive index of air causes the light in the mesa structures of the phasing section to be decoupled thereby permitting relative phase shifting by electrodes 36 and 38 and interference pattern rotation . optical decoupling is also provided by the device of fig7 wherein parallel channels 45 are etched into the portion of the substrate 40 within the phasing section prior to growth of layers 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 which can have the conductivity types and compositions indicated . the channels provide mesa regions 46 therebetween . the far face 2 &# 34 ; and the near face 2 &# 39 ; of the device of fig7 are cleaved or mirrored to provide resonant cavities . as explained in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 806 , 395 , filed june 13 , 1977 in the names of robert d . burnham and donald r . scifres , when the structure of fig7 is pumped ( as explained hereinafter ) only the portions of the active region 42 above the etched channels 45 will lase and produce coherent optical waves ; the higher refractive index of the mesa regions 46 attenuate the optical waves above the mesa to provide decoupling of the optical waves at the output face 2 &# 39 ;. a coupling section is formed in the device of fig7 by etching the substrate in the coupling section so that there are no mesas in the coupling section as shown in fig7 a . carrier injection needed for lasing is provided by separate contacts 48 and 49 , each of which covers a segment of each portion of the active region that lases . by pumping electrodes 48 and 49 with currents i 1 and i 2 having different magnitudes , different indices of refraction are provided in the phasing section of the different lasing areas , with the difference in refractive index causing the relative phase shifting that provides output beam scanning in the manner previously described . the laser light sources of the devices of fig1 and 5 are of the double heterostructure type . other laser light sources can also be utilized including distributed feedback , buried heterostructure , single heterostructure and others well known in the art . also , the wave guides can be of a type other than those of fig1 and 5 , such as the graded index type , step index type and the gain type to note just a few examples . the wave guides can be formed by ion implantation diffusion , chemical etching , preferential crystal growth , sputtering , ion beam milling or any other suitable means . in all cases , the coherent light produced is split off and guided in different spatially displaced ( uncoupled ) regions of the semiconductor body . fabrication of the branching strip configuration of fig1 will follow conventional techniques , as will fabrication of the device of fig5 . referring to fig1 the layers 6 , 8 , 10 and 12 are grown on substrate 4 by liquid phase epitaxy or other equivalent growth techniques . after depositing the electrical insulating material 18 , such as silicon nitride , on the top face of the grown wafer , the branching strip pattern is formed in material 18 by photolithography and plasma etch techniques or equivalent techniques . next , a p - type impurity , such as zinc , is difused to a depth of approximately 0 . 5 microns to convert the n - type gallium arsenide top layer 12 to p - type in the region beneath the strip opening to form stripes 14 and 16 . a chrome ( 200 angstrom )/ gold ( 2500 angstrom ) contact layer , or a contact layer of any suitable material , is then evaporated onto the p - side of the device . finally , the portion of the contact layer that defines separation 23 is removed along the entire length of the laser , thereby allowing the contacts 20 and 22 of the interferrometric scanner to be independently pumped . the width of separation 23 can be three microns such that the resistance between contacts 20 and 22 is roughly 80 to 100 ohms for a 500 micron long device . although only a single branching is achieved by the device of fig1 multiple branching is contemplated with the achievement of 3 or more uncoupled light beams as shown in the wave guide array of fig6 which produces five uncoupled output beams when the voltage v 1 through v 6 are supplied . in all cases however , the light beams must originate from a single source or a plurality of sources that are optically coupled . also , the device of fig5 can have more than two mesa structures and more than two coupled light sources . also , the coupling section of the device of fig1 can be used with the phasing section of the device of fig5 and vis - a - versa . in the scanners described heretofore the resonant cavities are provided by cleaved or mirrored faces of the semiconductor body and the phasing section or phase shifting elements act internally of the resonant cavities . another type of scanner is one in which the phase shifting elements are external to the resonant cavities . fig8 shows one embodiment of a laser scanner in which the phase shifting electrodes 50 , 51 and 52 are external to the laser cavities . the scanner of fig8 can have the layer configuration and material types shown . to provide for pumping of only portions of the active region layer 56 and coupling of those pumped portions of the laser active region , the insulating layer 65 is etched to provide a branching contact structure 60 ( as best showing in fig8 and 8a ) and hence a branching laser cavity structure within the active region 56 . feedback for lasing is provided by distributed feedback gratings 57 , 58 , and 59 which are taper coupled at 61 to the active region 56 as shown in fig8 b . optically isolated or uncoupled output waveguides or regions beneath the phasing electrodes 50 , 51 and 52 allow each light beam to be independently phased so that scanning can result . an antireflection coating can be used on the output face 2 &# 34 ; to minimize coupling back into the laser . many variations of the type and configuration of couplers , feedback mechanisms , coupled laser geometries ( such as that of fig5 ), and phasing electrodes can be used to achieve phase shifting external to the light sources . with phasing provided external to the light sources , wavelength modulation is not achieved during phasing . also , with external phasing the pump current is not amplitude modulated ( as is the case with the scanner of fig1 ) and hence the output beams do not have a relative amplitude modulation . accordingly , external phasing is desirable where wavelength and amplitude control are desirable .
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in the following , an embodiment of a control system according to the invention for extraction and injection of steam in a turbine will be described , in which extraction of steam from the turbine and injection of steam to the turbine , respectively , are carried out , by describing , in the example , the function of the control system for two - point extraction and injection . the figure illustrates a steam turbine 1 , which symbolizes two or more turbine stages with a lowest tapping point 2 and a highest tapping point 3 for steam from and to the turbine 1 , respectively . consequently , the tapping points 2 , 3 in the turbine 1 serve as both injection point and extraction point and will be referred to in the following according to their current function . extraction and injection of steam at the tapping point 2 are performed by a lowest servo valve 5 with an associated servo 5a . in a corresponding way , extraction and injection of steam at the tapping point 3 are performed by a highest servo valve 6 with an associated servo 6a . the tapping points 2 , 3 of the turbine 1 for injection and extraction of steam are connected via the valves 5 , 6 to a connecting conduit common to the two valves , so called process conduit 4 , which in turn is connected to a process network . the process conduit 4 supplies steam to the process network during extraction or removes steam from the process network during injection . the steam pressure p3 in the process network is measured at the process conduit 4 by a pressure gauge 7 . the pressure difference between the steam pressure p3 in the process network and the pressure p1 at the lowest tapping point 2 , that is , the pressure across the lowest valve 5 , is measured by means of a differential pressure gauge 8 , which supplies an output signal dp i which indicates if p3 & gt ; p1 . in a corresponding way , the pressure difference between the steam pressure p3 in the process network and the pressure at the highest tapping point 3 , that is the pressure across the highest valve 6 , is measured with a differential pressure gauge 9 , which in turn supplies an output signal dp ii which indicates if p2 & lt ; p3 . the output signal from the pressure gauge 7 which measures the steam pressure in the process conduit 4 is supplied to a first control unit 10 and to a second control unit 11 . the first control unit 10 is active during extraction of steam from the turbine 1 , whereas the second control unit 11 is active during injection of steam to the turbine 1 . the two control units 10 , 11 have a common set value generator svg , which sets a reference value pressure level for the control units 10 , 11 through a dead - band unit db . the dead - band unit db provides a dead band in the control system , which dead band defines a certain small pressure interval within which activation of another control unit cannot take place to ensure for the control system a distinct switchover between the two control units 10 , 11 in dependence on the pre - set reference value pressure and the current pressure p3 in the process network for activation of the correct control unit 10 , 11 depending on whether extraction or injection of steam is called for . the two control units 10 , 11 act on the valves 5 , 6 through a maximum value selector max , which allows the greater of the two signals from the two control units 10 , 11 to be passed on to a split - range device 12 . the split - range device 12 operates according to the sequence a - b when the extraction unit 10 is activated , that is , extraction of steam from the turbine is to be carried out . this causes devices connected to the output a of the split - range device 12 to be controlled , in this case a servo position control unit 13 for the valve servo 5a for the lowest valve 5 , before devices connected to the output b of the split - range device 12 receive control signals from the split - range device 12 . the split - range device 12 operates in a corresponding way but in the sequence b - a when the injection control unit 11 is activated , which means that devices connected to the output b , in the present example a servo position control unit 14 for the valve servo 6a for the highest valve 6 , are controlled before devices connected to the output a receive control signals from the split - range device . switching between the two sequences of the split - range device 12 is carried out by a switching member 15 , which senses which of the control units 10 , 11 , monitoring extraction and injection , respectively , is active . the switching member 15 has a set - reset function , which is controlled by an active control unit 10 , 11 . in extraction mode the lowest valve 5 and the highest valve 6 operate sequentially controlled , the lowest valve 5 being opened first , provided that the pressure conditions are fulfilled , that is , that p3 & lt ; p1 . the highest valve 6 is opened only if the steam flow through the lowest valve 5 is insufficient to maintain the required process pressure p3 . if the process pressure p3 is greater than p1 , opening of the lowest valve 5 is prevented by a member for forced closing comprising the switches s1 , s2 and the and gate 20 , which influence the valve servo 5a to close the lowest valve via a min - value selector min1 . the entire extraction steam flow will then pass through the highest valve 6 . the blocking or forced closing of the lowest valve 5 can only be activated when the control unit 10 for extraction is active . if the lowest valve is blocked and the pressure difference across the lowest valve should change , so that p3 again becomes smaller than p1 , for example because of a change of the stated output or caused by a changed process steam consumption , that is , a change of p3 , sequential control will be resumed automatically , which means that the lowest valve which is first in the sequence opened is again . in injection mode the lowest valve 5 and the highest valve 6 operate sequentially controlled , the highest valve 6 being first opened and the lowest valve 5 being opened only if the steam flow through the highest valve 6 is insufficient to maintain the required process pressure , that is , if , for example , the highest valve is unable to swallow the required steam flow . if the pressure on the turbine side of the highest valve 6 should become too high to allow any injection at all , that is , if the pressure p2 becomes greater than p3 , the highest valve 6 is blocked or forcibly closed via a blocking member comprising the switches s3 , s4 as well as the and gate 25 , which influence the valve servo 6a to close the highest valve via a min - value selector min2 , the entire steam flow thus being controlled to the turbine 1 via the valve 5 during injection . the forced closing of the highest valve 6 can only be activated when the control unit 11 for injection is active . if the highest valve 6 is blocked and the differential pressure across the highest valve should change , caused , for example , by a change of the output , normal sequential control is automatically resumed , the highest valve 6 which lies first in the control sequence during injection thus being opened again . during extraction the first member for forced closing can block the lowest valve 5 , if necessary . the member comprises a switch s1 , which is controlled by the signal dp i from the differential pressure gauge 8 . the control signal influences a contact in the switch s1 , on the input of which there is permanently a logical one . when the signal dp i indicates that the pressure p3 is greater than p1 , the contact in the switch s1 is closed , whereby a logical one is fed via the output of the switch to an and gate 20 . on the other input to the and gate 20 there is a logical one if extraction is to be carried out . from this follows that the and gate passes on a logical one via its output to a switch s2 . the switch s2 receives this logical one from the and gate 20 as a control signal , the contact in the switch s2 thus being closed , which means that an analog zero bias is passed on via the contact in the switch s2 to the min - value selector min1 . since the min - value selector min1 senses this zero bias as the lowest applied signal voltage , the valve servo 5a will close the lowest valve 5 for extraction . if the pressure p3 in the process network is smaller than the extraction pressure p2 , the switch s1 is not closed , or if extraction is not to be carried out , such that a logical one is not fed from the control unit 10 to the and gate 20 , consequently in both cases no forced closing of the lowest valve 5 takes place , since zero bias is not present out from the switch s2 . in these cases , the position of the lowest valve 5 is determined by the split - range device 12 . in the same way as for the lowest valve 5 , during injection the highest valve 6 is controlled to forced closing if the injection pressure from the process network p3 is lower than the pressure p2 at the turbine side of the highest valve . the control system according to the description may be extended to control extraction and injection of steam at three or more common tapping points in a turbine . in such an extended control system with , for example , three valves , there is instead used a split - range device with the sequence a - b - c during opening of the valves in connection with extraction and the sequence c - b - a in connection with injection . at the same time , an additional forced closing device for the third valve is introduced in accordance with the solution described above , where the differential pressure across the third valve via the third forced closing device determines whether this third valve has to be closed .
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in accordance with embodiments of the invention , it has been determined that by applying a sacrificial phosphate coating that reacts with environmental contaminants and resulting contaminant compositions encountered on surfaces of thermal barrier coated parts during service operation , the melting temperature or viscosity of the contaminant composition can be increased . thus , the contaminant composition does not become molten and infiltration or viscous flow of the mixture into the thermal barrier is curtailed . in addition , the cmas does not react chemically with the tbc to accelerate thermal sintering or dissolve stabilizing components such as y 2 o 3 resulting in damage to the tbc coating . this reduces damage to the thermal barrier coating . increasing the melting temperature and viscosity of the contaminant composition reduces infiltration into the thermal barrier coating . as a result of the sacrificial coating being consumed or dissolved into the contaminant composition , the composition does not become liquid or has an increased viscosity at the operating temperature of the thermal barrier coating . infiltration or viscous flow of the contaminant composition into thermal barrier coating cracks , openings , and pores is diminished . embodiments of the invention also protect the ceramic thermal barrier coating from dissolution or spallation due to chemical and mechanical attack by the contaminant composition . this enhances the life of the thermal barrier coated part and reduces part failure . sources of environmental contaminants include , but are not limited to , sand , dirt , volcanic ash , fly ash , cement , runway dirt , fuel and air sources , oxidation and wear products from engine components , and the like . the environmental contaminants adhere to the surfaces of the thermal barrier coated parts . at the operating temperatures of the thermal barrier coating , the environmental contaminants then form contaminant compositions on surfaces of the thermal barrier coating , which may have melting ranges or temperatures at or below the component surface operating temperature . additionally , environmental contaminants may include magnesium , calcium , aluminum , silicon , chromium , iron , nickel , barium , titanium , alkali metals , and compounds thereof . the environmental contaminants may be oxides , carbonates , salts and mixtures thereof . the chemical composition of the contaminant composition typically corresponds to the composition of the environmental contaminants from which it is formed . for instance , at operational temperatures of about 1000 ° c . ( 1832 ° f .) or more , the contaminant composition typically corresponds to compositions in the calcium - magnesium - aluminum - silicon oxide systems or cmas . generally , the environmental contaminant compositions known as cmas comprise primarily a mixture of magnesium oxide , calcium oxide , aluminum oxide and silicon oxide . other elements , such as nickel , iron , titanium and chromium , may be present in the cmas in minor amounts , e . g . less than about 10 weight percent of total amount of contaminant composition present , when these elements or their compounds are present in the environmental contaminants . cmas may take the form of about 29 wt % calcium oxide , 7 wt % magnesium oxide , 11 wt % aluminum oxide , 43 wt % silicon oxide , 2 wt % nickel oxide , 8 wt % iron oxide and small amounts of titanium oxide and chromium oxide may be present up to about 10 wt % each which corresponds to a cmas melting point of about 1227 ° c . ( 2240 ° c .). the contaminant may also have a melting point of less than about 1315 ° c . ( 2399 ° f .). in accordance with embodiments of the invention , the protective coatings herein disclosed may be described as sacrificial or reactive in that they protect thermal barrier coatings by undergoing chemical or physical changes when in contact with a damaging contaminant composition . thus , the character of the protective coating is sacrificed . the result of this change is to increase either the viscosity or physical state of the contaminant composition , e . g . liquid cmas , by dissolving in the composition or reacting with it , to form a by - product material which is not liquid or at least more viscous than the original cmas . we have found that a sacrificial or reactive phosphate coating deposited on the outer surface of a thermal barrier coating reacts with the contaminant composition at the surface temperature of the thermal barrier coating . the reaction may be a chemical reaction in which the sacrificial coating is consumed , at least partially , and elevates the melting temperature or viscosity of the contaminant composition . the melting temperature of the contaminant composition is preferably increased at least to the surface temperature of the thermal barrier coating in the reaction zone between the cmas and the sacrificial coating material . this rise in melting point will make the cmas material sufficiently viscous that infiltration into or reaction with the thermal barrier coating is unlikely or limited to the immediate surface avoiding cracking and / or spallation of the coating material and loss of the thermal protection it provides to the underlying substrate . enough sacrificial material will be available to be capable of increasing the melting temperature by at least about 10 ° c . ( 18 ° f . ), more preferably by about 40 - 100 ° c . ( 72 - 180 ° f . ), above the surface temperature of the thermal barrier coating during its operation . thus , as an illustration of embodiments of the invention , if the surface temperature of the thermal barrier coating during operation is about 1230 ° c . ( 2246 ° f . ), then it is preferred to increase the melting temperature of the cmas composition to at least 1240 ° c . ( 2264 ° f .). the composition of the sacrificial phosphate coatings described herein may include any suitable phosphate coating , with aluminum phosphate being particularly advantageous . for example , the sacrificial phosphate coating may be selected from the group consisting of aluminum phosphate , magnesium phosphate , calcium phosphate and combinations thereof . the sacrificial phosphate coatings of the invention are preferably applied to a thermal barrier coating in an amount sufficient to effectively elevate the melting temperature or viscosity of substantially all of the liquid contaminant formed . thus , as little as about 1 micron of thickness of this coating on the surface of the thermal barrier coating may help prevent infiltration of molten contaminant compositions into the thermal barrier coating . preferably , about 1 micron to 75 microns thickness of this coating is deposited on the surface of the thermal barrier coating and , more preferably about 3 microns to 25 microns of thickness of this coating is deposited on the surface of the thermal barrier coating . advantageously , the sacrificial phosphate coatings of the invention are preferably deposited by air spraying , brushing , “ dip and dry ” techniques or other suitable application methods . liquid application methods significantly reduce the cost of application in comparison other deposition methods , including vapor deposition techniques of cvd and pvd . such liquid application methods followed by curing result in effective sacrificial phosphate coatings , which protect the tbc from spallation and other contaminant damage . the following sets forth examples of suitable deposition techniques for the sacrificial phosphate coatings described herein . these descriptions are meant to be merely illustrative and thus non - limiting . precursors that are liquid at room temperature may preferably be employed in the coating deposition process . for example , a mixture of hydrated aluminum dissolved in phosphoric acid may be air sprayed onto a desired substrate or the desired substrate may be dipped into the mixture . the liquid properties can be approximately 9 . 5 pounds per gallon with a viscosity of approximately 17 seconds on a # 2 zahn cup at 25 ° c . ( 77 ° f .). optionally , the coating thickness can be increased incrementally by repeating the application cycle until the desired thickness is achieved . suitable substrates include , but are not limited to , tbc coated nickel -, cobalt - and iron - based superalloys alone or in combination and in cast form such as provided by directionally solidified or single crystal casting processes , with or without a bond coat between the tbc and base metal substrate . upon deposition onto the tbc , the deposited coating typically has a tacky texture and may thus be dried by any suitable method . preferably , the deposited coating is dried at elevated temperatures by baking in an oven or other suitable drying device . temperatures of about 343 ° c . ( 650 ° f .) at a curing time of about 30 minutes and greater are preferred , but any time at temperature that drives off the water portion of the liquid precursor is sufficient . the time for curing will vary depending upon factors such as curing temperature and size of the part , as one skilled in the art would recognize . another suitable deposition technique for the sacrificial phosphate coatings is to use a metal dihydrogen phosphate in a “ dip and dry ” process . alfa aesar &# 39 ; s aluminum dihydrogen phosphate , 50 % w / w aqueous solution ( alfa aesar stock number 42858 ) is an example . the substrate is submersed in the metal dihydrogen phosphate solution to coat the desired surfaces . the metal dihydrogen phosphate is then dried by an elevated temperature bake . a bake temperature of about 538 - 982 ° c . ( 1000 - 1800 ° f .) for approximately 30 minutes is preferred , but any time and temperature that drives off the water of the liquid precursor is acceptable . optionally , during the dipping cycle , a vacuum can be utilized to pull the air from the tbc pores and openings allowing partial infiltration of the dihydrogen phosphate ( or phosphate precursor ). in contrary , an elevated pressure atmosphere , such as about 100 psi , can be used to force the metal dihydrogen phosphate ( or phosphate precursor ) into the tbc pores and openings . this will increase the volume of sacrificial phosphate coating present to react with the cmas without increasing the coating surface thickness that makes it susceptible to hard particle erosion or spallation due to the cte mismatch during thermal cycling . optionally , the coating thickness can be increased incrementally by repeating the “ dip and dry ” cycle until the desired thickness is achieved . the thickness of the sacrificial phosphate coatings may be of any suitable thickness to facilitate the afore - described reaction conditions with the contaminant compositions . for example , the thickness may typically vary between about 1 micron ( 0 . 04 mil ) to about 75 microns ( 3 mil ). preferably , the thickness is between about 3 micron ( 0 . 12 mil ) to about 25 microns ( 1 mil ). we have determined that these thinner coatings , including coatings of about 12 . 5 microns ( 0 . 5 mils ) and less , are particularly advantageous with respect to their spallation resistance . typically , the sacrificial phosphate coatings described herein will be applied over a tbc coated conventional bond coat ( s ), which has been applied to an underlying base metal component , such as a turbine blade . any conventional bond coat may be employed , including but not limited to diffusion aluminide bond coats , modified diffusion aluminides such as platinum aluminide , mcraly coatings , to name a few . for purposes of the present invention , however , it is not necessary to employ a bond coat . accordingly , in a preferred embodiment of the invention , a thermal barrier coating is applied over the afore - described bond coat or directly onto the base metal substrate depending upon the desired application . the thermal barrier coatings herein described may also be any suitable thermal barrier coatings . for example , the thermal barrier coatings may be a chemically stabilized zirconia selected from the group consisting of yttria - stabilized zirconia , scandia - stabilized zirconia , calcia - stabilized zirconia , magnesia - stabilized zirconia , and combinations thereof . a further example of a suitable ceramic thermal barrier coating is about 8 weight percent yttria - about 92 weight percent zirconia . suitable ceramic thermal barrier coatings may be applied to the base metal or bond coat using any method including , but not limited to , electron beam physical vapor deposition ( eb - pvd ) and air plasma spray ( aps ). embodiments of the invention will be described by way of examples , which are meant to be merely illustrative and therefore non - limiting . aluminum phosphate coatings of about 0 . 5 mil ( 12 . 5 microns ) in thickness may be deposited by air spraying . for example , a mixture of hydrated aluminum dissolved in phosphoric acid may be air sprayed onto a desired substrate . the liquid properties of the spray precursor can be approximately 9 . 5 pounds per gallon with a viscosity of approximately 17 seconds on a # 2 zahn cup at 25 ° c . ( 77 ° f .). the sprayed coating is then cured at about 343 ° c . ( 650 ° f .) for about 30 minutes . the coating thickness can be tailored by repeating the spray cycle until the desired thickness is achieved . aluminum phosphate coatings of about 5 to 10 microns in thickness may be deposited by dipping the substrate in aluminum dihydrogen phosphate at room temperature . alfa aesar &# 39 ; s aluminum dihydrogen phosphate , 50 % w / w aqueous solution ( alfa aesar stock number 42858 ) is an example . the aluminum dihydrogen phosphate may then be dried at room temperature for about 1 hour and cured in air at about 760 ° c . ( 1400 ° f .) for about 30 minutes . each “ dip and dry ” cycle forms an aluminum phosphate coating thickness of about 2 microns . the coating thickness can be tailored by repeating the “ dip and dry ” cycle until the desired thickness is achieved . while various embodiments are described herein it will be appreciated from the specification that various combinations of elements , variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art , and are within the scope of the invention .
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referring now to the figures of the drawing and particularly for the moment to fig1 , there will be seen an electrostatic system 10 for measuring the shape or pattern of an object by sensing the location of gauge pins or the like . the system of sensor devices 12 is conveniently fabricated in a printed circuit board matrix 13 by employing standard fabrication facilities to produce spaced holes or openings 14 for receiving the selectively inserted pins 16 . arranged with specially designed parts , the openings 14 function as cooperative sensor elements with the movable elements in the form of pins 16 . thus , an etched metal drive ring 18 surrounds the upper end of each hole 14 in the circuit board ( fig1 a ), ( the ring having , for example , 0 . 290 od and 0 . 230 id in inches . likewise , an etched metal sense ring 20 surrounds the lower end of each hole 14 ( fig1 c ). a metal shield layer 22 extends throughout the matrix 12 and is suitably provided with clearance holes 23 ( 0 . 240 id ) as indicated in fig1 b . it will be seen that a trace connection 30 ( fig1 a ) for operation of the system extends from the ring 18 to a suitable pulse drive source ( fig4 ), while a trace connection 32 ( fig1 c ) extends to a suitable sensing circuit ( fig7 ). each of the trace connections 30 and 32 would preferably be formed to have a width of approximately 0 . 040 inches . it will be appreciated that a sensor device 12 outputs a signal coupled by the capacitance between the two etched metal rings 18 and 20 ., as coupled through the dielectric printed circuit board material 13 , and the sense element , for example , in the form of a pin 16 ( fig1 ), placed in the sensing hole 14 . for the dimensions given , the output signal will change by about a ratio of 4 to 1 when the empty hole is filled with a metal cylinder 16 a formed in a zone of the pin which has a clearance all around of about 0 . 01 inch . this signal change can be sensed by a sensitive amplifier or comparator , and the result stored in a memory element for later use , as will be shown and explained in an embodiment . operation of the electrostatic sensor system begins with a drive pulse being used to excite the etched metal ring 18 on the top surface of the sensor area and surrounding the hole or opening 14 . the metal ring 18 is fabricated to have a small clearance , such as 0 . 015 inch , all around the hole drilled through the printed circuit board . this clearance prevents direct contact between a conductive cylinder and the ring , for more repeatable performance . the trace connection 30 on the top surface of the printed circuit board connects the ring 18 to a source of drive pulses , and to additional rings if desired . as seen in the side view ( fig1 b ) of the printed circuit board 13 , the ring is fabricated over a metal ground plane ( shield layer 22 ) buried in the middle of the printed circuit board &# 39 ; s thickness . the ground plane has a clearance hole 23 , already noted , surrounding the sensing hole 14 . the clearance hole is drilled through the printed circuit board , so it cannot directly touch the metal cylinder that is intended to be placed in the center of the sensing hole . the bottom of the circuit board has a similar ring 20 , used for sensing the amount of drive signal coupled by the electrostatic capacitance between the metal cylinder and the drive signal ring . a small capacitance exists between the cylinder and each ring , passing predominantly through the dielectric material and the air gap around the cylinder . a small amount of additional coupling occurs directly in the air above the ring to the cylinder on each side of the printed circuit board . note that the sense ring has a small clearance around the drilled hole , such as 0 . 015 inch as before . a trace connection 32 on the bottom surface connects the ring to a sense amplifier for monitoring coupled pulses , and additional rings if desired . when the center of the drilled sensing hole 14 is empty , there is still a small amount of coupling through the hole between the drive and sense rings . as an example , for the dimensions given and in a matrix array of 36 columns by 16 rows , the residual signal with a 10 - volt drive pulse will be about 14 millivolts . if now the hole is filled with a 0 . 18 inch diameter by 0 . 18 inch long metal cylinder on a dielectric support , the signal received by the sensor ring will increase to about 63 millivolts . this signal increase of more than a factor of 4 is sufficient for reliable sensing of the presence of the metal cylinder in the sensing hole . when the sensing hole is filled with a dielectric cylinder of 0 . 18 inch outside diameter , the signal received will increase to about 20 millivolts . thus the ratio of signal amplitudes between metal and dielectric cylinders is sufficient for reliable detection as before . partial entry of the metal cylinder into the sensing hole 14 produces a corresponding analog response , and the subsequent signal processing amplifier will make the distinction of how much signal is needed to produce a digital output . if the grounded shield plane in the center of the printed circuit board thickness is omitted , the stray coupling between the drive and sense rings increases greatly , and there is insufficient signal variation for reliable sensing . referring now to fig8 , the sensor elements disclosed above can be arranged , as previously alluded to , in a two - dimensional array or matrix , with the drive rings connected together along one array axis , and the sensing rings connected together along the other array axis . designate the drive rings connected together as being in rows , and the sense rings connected together as being in columns . then if m rows and n columns are used , it is seen that one of the great advantages of this design is that m times n sensor elements are accommodated by using only m drive pulse sources and n sense amplifiers . the sense elements themselves are simply etched patterns with holes drilled in the printed circuit board , so they can be inexpensively mass - produced . no special electronic circuitry is required , as in the prior art , at each sensor location , so a substantial cost saving can result . for the case of 16 rows and 36 columns , a total of 576 separate locations can be sensed and still require only 52 independent signals and sets of circuitry . in the case of interest here , the sensor elements are arranged in a uniformly spaced rectangular array with a spacing of 0 . 315 inch between centers in both row and column directions . with the ring outside diameter of 0 . 290 inch , this gives a clearance space of 0 . 025 inch between the outside diameters of rings in adjacent columns . it should be noted , in connection with fig8 , that during experimental measurements of prototype sensor elements , it was discovered that having the sensor rings closely spaced as above could lead to significant cross - coupling between adjacent columns . specifically , if a signal were induced in one column by an active sensor , the columns adjacent to it on either side could have induced signal amplitude of 3 . 7 percent of the signal on the active column . since the sensor operation is essentially analog , and distance measurements will be made according to when the sensor output crosses a reference threshold , this could cause errors in the measured distance values . this effect is possible on the sensor ring side of the sensor elements because the sense amplifier chosen for economic reasons permits significant signal voltage to be developed on each column line . stray coupling on the row drive side between rings is not of importance since the row drive signals come from a low impedance source , and the row lines are loaded with additional bypass capacitors . if an additional amplifier with a low input impedance were used for each column , then the parasitic coupling would have no effect as there would not be any signal voltage on the column lines . the experimentally chosen method to reduce this undesirable effect is to place a thin , grounded metal trace connection 30 on the surface of the printed circuit board . this trace connection is placed so as to run in between the ring edges of adjacent sensor ring columns . with a clearance space of 0 . 025 inch available , a shielding trace reduces the induced parasitic coupling to less than 1 . 6 percent , which was judged acceptable for this application . fig2 is a block diagram of a sensing system . an external source of drive pulses 50 sends 10 volt amplitude pulses of 100 to 500 microsecond duration to the m rows of the sensor element matrix 13 , one row at a time . the circuitry provided senses the presence or absence of a conducting cylinder , in the form of a metal zone 16 a on sensing pin 16 ( fig1 ), in each sensor location in a driven row , and outputs that data on the n digital column outputs 52 . operation begins when the pulse detector determines that a pulse has occurred on one of the m input row lines . the pulse detector triggers a clock pulse generator 56 , and the trailing edge of the clock pulse will be used to store the results of the sensing operation in a latch 58 . an amplitude reference generator 60 produces a voltage output vref during the pulse input that is a precise ratio fraction of the drive pulse amplitude . each column from the sensor array 62 goes to an amplitude comparator , within the digital sense amplifier 64 , which determines if the coupled signal from the sense ring on the driven row exceeds the vref value . if the reference value is exceeded , the corresponding digital sense amplifier 64 output goes high . otherwise , it stays low . finally , the separately generated clock pulse stores the sense amplifier outputs from all the columns into a latch for later use . the n columns digital outputs are held until the next row is driven with a pulse . a timing diagram for the sensing system operation is shown in fig3 . operation begins with the drive pulse rising edge , which produces an output from the pulse detector 54 and the clock pulse generator 56 . the column signal is proportionate to the drive pulse and coupling capacitance at its start , and varies according to the material occupying the sensing hole . because the coupling capacitance is very small ( typically 0 . 1 picofarad ), the row capacitance is typically 30 picofarad , and the sense amplifiers 64 have a finite input impedance of 470 kilohms , the column signal decays to zero with a time constant of about 15 microseconds . for this reason , the digital output of the sense amplifiers must be saved in a latch for later use . the clock pulse occurs about 2 microseconds after the drive pulse rising edge to do this data storage . no data is altered at the trailing edge of the drive pulse , although there is a signal coupled into the column lines . normally the drive pulses will have their width established such that the response caused by the trailing edge of one pulse will not interfere with the desired response from the leading edge of a following pulse . more than one pulse may be high at a time without causing problems because of the 15 microsecond time constant being short in relation to the drive pulse width . it is important to note that in the above description , the value of vref used for the sense amplifier comparison is derived from the input drive pulse and will have an exactly proportionate amplitude . in a similar manner , the signal from the sense column will depend on the capacitance matrix of the sensing element and the element being sensed . this capacitance matrix produces a division of the drive pulse which depends only on physical dimensions and the conductive cylinder location . therefore the use of a vref derived from the drive pulse amplitude to compare with a signal also derived from the drive pulse amplitude results in a system which to the first order is independent of the actual drive pulse amplitude . this operational feature substantially improves the quality of performance and operating margins for errors . it also permits the use of the sensing system in different machines with various values of drive pulse amplitude , such as 10 volts in one machine and 24 volts in another . each of the drive lines for the 16 row by 36 column sensor array has a circuit similar to the circuit schematic diagram shown in fig4 . the external drive pulse source can be represented as a voltage source 66 with its output going between 0 volts and + 10 volts , and having a rise time of 100 nanoseconds and a fall time of 300 nanoseconds . this voltage source has an output impedance of less than 10 ohms . the drive pulse goes first to r 1 , a 1 . 0k resistor to ground . this causes the drive line to go to ground if not connected , and puts a minimum load on the drive pulse source for better performance . it then goes through r 2 , a 100 ohm resistor in series with the array line . this limits the driver current output if a short occurs elsewhere in the circuit . in addition r 2 acts in conjunction with c 1 , a 470 pf capacitor as a low pass filter to limit high frequency noise from the drive pulse source being put on the drive line . the voltage on c 1 then drives the row line in the sensor array . at the far end of the sensor array , the row line 61 is terminated in a series combination of r 4 , 56 ohms , and c 3 , 220 pf . this serves to terminate high frequency waveforms in a load similar to the characteristic impedance of the trace structure for the drive rings and connecting traces . in addition to the above , each row line 61 has connections to bus a through a series combination of c 2 , 22 pf , and r 3 , a 15k resistor . this injects an impulse of charge into bus a whenever a row line makes a transition . a separate circuit described later uses the bus a signal to detect that a row pulse has occurred . each row line also has connections to bus b through diode d 1 , a silicon small signal switching diode . thus , whenever a row line is high , bus b will be pulled up to approximately the same voltage . this is used to generate the vref voltage used in each sense amplifier 64 , corrected in the respective columns of the array , for comparison with the sensor array output signals . each row line m in the sensor array has a total capacitance to the remaining circuitry of about 60 pf , for 36 drive rings and interconnecting traces . the transmission line surge impedance of this row line is approximately 56 ohms when constructed on fr4 epoxy - fiberglass printed circuit board material of { fraction ( 1 / 16 )} inch thickness . fig5 shows the pulse detector 54 and clock generator 56 circuits . the input charge pulses caused by the row drive inputs go through a series resistor r 5 , 100 ohms , to the base of transistor q 1 , a 2n3904 general purpose silicon amplifier . resistor r 8 , 2 . 2k , serves as the load resistor for q 1 to cause it to operate as an amplifier , with resistor r 7 , 15k , providing feedback . resistor r 6 , 4 . 7k , establishes the bias operating point so that the collector voltage will be about 4 times the value of vbe for the silicon transistor . at room temperature with typical parts , this gives a quiescent voltage on the transistor collector of about + 2 . 8 volts dc . when a + 10 volt row line positive transition occurs , the charge coupled through c 2 and r 3 previously shown causes the transistor to saturate with its collector at about + 0 . 1 volt . this saturation state remains for 700 nanoseconds , and the collector then returns to its quiescent voltage of + 2 . 8 volts with a time constant of 30 nanoseconds . the falling edge of the voltage at the q 1 collector is connected to the a input of the monostable multivibrator u 1 , causing it to begin outputting a pulse . the other inputs are tied to + 5 volts or ground as needed since they are not used . the output pulse width is set by the capacitor c 4 , 330 pf , and resistor r 9 , 4 . 7k ohms to a value of approximately 2 microseconds . the monostable output pulse is positive going at the pin q , and goes from h to l at pin qbar . since the data latches used later respond to a rising edge and it is desired that they clock in data when the monostable pulse terminates , the qbar output is used to drive the clock line to the latches . capacitor c 5 , 0 . 1 uf , is a noise bypass for power to u 1 as commonly practiced in the state of the art . the amplitude reference generator 60 is shown in fig6 . this circuit takes the voltage developed on bus b , which is approximately equal to the row drive pulse , and produces a voltage vref for use by the column sense amplifiers . first , capacitor c 6 , 1 . 0 nf , bypasses noise impulses to ground . then resistors r 10 and r 11 in series operate as a voltage divider with adjustable resistor r 12 to output a fraction of the bus b voltage as vref . diode d 2 , a silicon small signal switching diode , is connected to the tap between r 10 and r 11 to prevent its going below about + 5 volts . in this way , vref is kept from going to zero between row pulses , which would cause the sense amplifiers to receive both signal and reference inputs of zero . this prevents chatter and oscillations in the comparators used for the sense amplifiers . the sense amplifier 64 and latch circuit 58 are shown in fig7 . one of the 36 column lines 63 from the sense element array is connected to a resistor r 13 , 470k , to ground to define the average dc signal level . it also goes to the + input of a comparator u 2 , a tlv23521d , which serves as the sense amplifier . the comparator is a high gain amplifier which produces a digital output which is h if the + input is more positive than the − input , and l for the reverse state . the − input of the comparator receives the vref voltage which represents the best level for discrimination between sense holes filled by a metal cylinder , and sense holes filled by a dielectric rod . this level is normally set to 35 millivolts by resistor r 12 in fig6 . power for the comparator is + 5 volts provided to pin 8 , with a 0 . 1 uf noise bypass capacitor c 7 . the ground return is pin 4 . output from the comparator is taken out on pin 1 , which has a pull - up resistor r 14 , 10k , to + 5v . the comparator output is an open drain stage , so a source of current to pull it up to a logic h level is needed . output from the comparator also goes to the d input of the latch u 3 ( 58 ), a 74ac564 octal inverting edge triggered latch , on pin 2 . the inverting form of the latch is used in this particular application so that the latched outputs will go low when a signal is received to give compatibility with other equipment . a non - inverting latch could be used to give similar results . when the clock signal from fig5 makes a low to high transition on pin 11 , the latch will store the present value on its d input and present it at its qbar output on pin 19 . at all other times , the value of the qbar output is unchanged . the output enable bar for the latch on pin 1 is permanently connected to ground so the output always stays on , since this function is not needed . comparator u 2 comes in a package with two sections . the remaining section is used for a functionally identical circuit not shown here . latch u 3 comes in a package with 8 sections , and the other sections are used for other columns not shown . a total of 18 dual comparator packages and 5 octal latch packages are used to make the circuitry for sensing and latching the outputs of 36 columns . a portion of the sensor element array is shown in fig8 a and 8b . it is made with elements as shown previously in fig1 arranged in a uniformly spaced array with a center to center spacing of 0 . 315 inch . the array has 16 rows of 36 column , with shielding ground traces between each of the columns of sense rings to minimize parasitic coupling . the physical sensing array has the drive circuitry at one end of the drive rows , and the sense amplifiers located at one end of the columns . the arrangement is done so as to minimize the possibility of stray signals being coupled into the column sense lines and to minimize the length of traces on the column sense lines . a preferred form for the cooperating sensing pin 16 previously alluded to will now be described . fig9 shows a cross - section of the pin at any point along the constant diameter portion of its length , drawn with a magnification of 20 ×. the pin is made with a nominally constant diameter of 0 . 180 inch for use in a sensor hole of 0 . 200 inch internal diameter . two special features of the pin &# 39 ; s cross - section are flattened sides 70 where the mold halves mate together to reduce problems with spurious mold flash protrusions , and small longitudinal ribs 72 to minimize abrasion of the cylindrical surface . the longitudinal ribs are sized so that their outermost surfaces are approximately 10 percent of the total circumference . the ribs protrude only 0 . 010 inch so that they enforce an air gap around the pin , but do not excessively widen the air gap . equal spacing of the four ribs around the circumference provides support for all possible directions of abrasion . fig1 is a longitudinal view of the sensing pin 16 with one of the four longitudinal ribs detailed . at one end of the shaft , a button head 76 retains the pin in its equipment , preventing accidental loss of the pin . the pin normally protrudes through a metal sheet with appropriate holes for sliding motion . the other end of the shaft has a rounded shape to minimize the possibility of tissue damage when pressed against a soft surface . a special molding plastic is used for fabricating the pin that incorporates both fiberglass for strength and ptfe for built - in lubrication . the plastic has a very low conductivity , and behaves as an excellent insulator . at a location approximately halfway between the ends of the pin , a zone or region 80 of the plastic 0 . 18 inch long is made conductive with an evaporated metal coating . since the sensor being used is very sensitive to electrostatic fields and draws essentially no current through the pin , the metal coating can be very thin . the sensor will work correctly for metal layers with sheet - resistances of 10 , 000 ohms per square or less . a layer of chromium or aluminum with a thickness of only 4 microinches gives a sheet resistance of less than 0 . 5 ohm per square , and is partially transparent to the eye . for sturdiness , a chrome layer of 10 to 40 microinches is desired , but from the above numbers almost any layer thickness would do . the layer could be invisible and still be effective . it is important that the pin surface not intended to have conductive properties should not receive any evaporated metal , and the transition zone from metal to clear should not extend over more than about 0 . 02 inch of axial length at each end of the metal region . the longitudinal ribs are now seen to serve the purpose of keeping motion of the pin in the sensing hole from rubbing the thin metal layer off of the surface of the pin . friction will remove metal from the tops of the ribs , but they constitute a small portion of the total metal circumference . the overall sensor sensitivity should drop by less than 10 percent with wear and age . the plastic pin 16 is injection molded from a mixture of a thermosetting plastic with 15 percent of fiberglass short fibers and 15 percent of ptfe added to the mixture . the pin is treated as needed to promote adhesion of the evaporated metal , and placed in a metal evaporation system . a system of metal masks in the evaporation system prevents metal condensation on the pin anywhere except the desired region as marked in fig1 . the pin is then ready for use in the electrostatic sensor device it should be understood that 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 . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications , and variances , which fall within the scope of the appended claims .
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fig1 is an example of a networking system 100 based upon a switch 102 configured to forward information between networks , computing entities , or other switching entities . in one embodiment , networking system 100 may be configured to provide dynamic service level agreement (“ sla ”) enforcement in metro multicast core networks using internet group management protocol (“ igmp ”) snooping and connection admission control (“ cac ”). switch 102 may be configured to selectively forward information , such as packets , frames , cells , or other data , in a network , between such entities as upstream switch 114 and downstream switch 112 , as well as more distant entities such as source server 116 or subscribers 118 . switch 102 may be configured to receive a request of information from source server 116 from downstream switch 112 that originating from subscribers 118 . upon receipt , switch 102 may be configured to calculate cac bandwidth usage dynamically , reserve space for resultant traffic on upstream 122 and downstream links 120 , pass the request upstream , and , if no igmp group query response to the request is returned within the time for response , or if not multicast data traffic for requested multicast group is received , deallocate the reserved space . otherwise , switch 102 may be configured to reply to the igmp group query , reply to igmp protocol messages in the standard way , or simply may send received traffic downstream . thus , switch 102 may be configured to dynamically enforce sla required capabilities while maximizing the usage of available bandwidth . switch 102 may contain an upstream interface card 110 , which may be used to communicatively couple the switch to one or more network destinations . for example , in networking system 100 switch 102 may be communicatively coupled to upstream switch 114 through an interface on upstream interface card 110 . such interfaces may include a port . likewise , switch 102 may be communicatively coupled to source server 116 through legacy metro ethernet switch 114 . upstream interface card 110 and upstream switch 114 may be communicatively coupled through upstream link 122 . although fig1 is shown as an example embodiment of networking system 100 , additional embodiments may contain other suitable configurations of the upstream network communicatively coupled to switch 102 , including other network entities such as switches , routers , backbones , or servers for sending information between switch 102 and an upstream network entity such as source server 116 . switch 102 may contain a downstream interface card 108 , which may be used to communicatively couple the switch to one or more network destinations . for example , in networking system 100 switch 102 may be communicatively coupled to downstream switch 112 through an interface or port on downstream interface card 108 . likewise , switch 102 may be communicatively coupled to subscriber 118 through downstream switch 112 . downstream interface card 108 and downstream switch 112 may be communicatively coupled through downstream link 120 . although fig1 is shown as an example embodiment of networking system 100 , additional embodiments may contain other suitable configurations of the downstream network communicatively coupled to switch 102 , including other network entities such as switches , routers , backbones , or servers for sending information between switch 102 and a downstream network entity such as subscriber 118 . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may be implemented in line cards . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may be implemented in any suitable manner to create the embodiments described in this disclosure . in one embodiment , upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may each be implemented in a module including electronic circuitry , processors , and / or memory for handling communications . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card may each be configured to both send and receive information through upstream 122 and downstream 120 data links , respectively . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may each contain ports through which multiple connections are made to the rest of the network . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may be configured to exchange , for example , packets , cells , or frames of information with each other to forward information upstream or downstream . where multiple instances of such interface cards exist , or each such interface card contains multiple ports , upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may be configured to route such information through a switching fabric . upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 may include network interfaces configured to forward and receive network traffic as described in this disclosure . such network interfaces may include a port . each interface on card 110 and card 108 may be associated with a cac value . the cac value may represent the capacity of the upstream or downstream network interface according to the techniques used in cac to estimate whether a network link can sustain an additional connection . the cac value may be determined by processor 106 , or another suitable portion of switch 102 . in one embodiment , such a cac value may be stored with the respective interface card . in another embodiment , such a cac value may be stored in a database that contains cac values for all interfaces of a card or of the switch 102 . in yet another embodiment , such a cac value may be stored elsewhere in the switch , such as in memory 108 . cac values may be measured , for example , in megabits - per - second ( mbps ), gigabits - per - second ( gbps ), or in any other suitable set of units . in one embodiment , the cac value may represent the capacity of the network link between switch 102 and the next network entity , such as upstream switch 114 or downstream switch 112 . the designation of a particular interface card as an “ upstream ” interface card 110 or “ downstream ” interface card 108 is shown for illustrative purposes of the particular elements shown in fig1 , wherein a subscriber 118 will typically request multicast information from a source server 116 . however , in some embodiments the interface cards of switch 102 as shown may reverse roles as necessary , wherein interface card 108 may forward and receive information with an upstream network destination and interface card 110 may forward and receive information with a downstream network destination . likewise , the designation of particular elements of the network to which switch 102 is communicatively coupled as “ upstream ” or “ downstream ” may change depending upon the requestor and source entity . further , in some embodiments one of interface cards 108 - 110 may be configured to serve as both an upstream and a downstream interface card , wherein such an interface card contains multiple ports , and one port is communicatively coupled to a downstream portion of the network and another is communicatively coupled to an upstream portion of the network . likewise , a line card may have both upstream and downstream interfaces or ports . in such a case , data between interfaces located on the same line card may still be switched through the switching fabric . source server 116 may be implemented in any configuration capable of providing data in response to a request for information over a network . in one embodiment , such a request may be a multicast request , and the data provided may be a multicast data stream . subscribers 118 may be network entities , users , or other requestors of information from source server 116 . upstream switch 114 and downstream switch 112 may be implemented in any suitable switch , router , or other network entity for forwarding information between a network destination and switch 102 . in one embodiment , upstream switch 114 and downstream switch 112 may be implemented in legacy metro ethernet switches . in another embodiment , upstream switch 114 and downstream switch 112 may be implemented in an embodiment of switch 102 itself . upstream switch 114 and downstream switch 112 may be configured to forward and receive information between switch 102 and network destinations such as source server 116 and subscribers 118 . upstream data link 122 and downstream data link 120 may be implemented in any network data link suitable for transporting data between switches . upstream data link 122 and downstream data link 120 may be measured in terms of mbps , gbps , or any other suitable unit of measure . switch 102 may include a processor 106 coupled to a memory 108 . processor 106 may comprise , for example , a microprocessor , microcontroller , digital signal processor ( dsp ), application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), or any other digital or analog circuitry configured to interpret and / or execute program instructions and / or process data . processor 106 may interpret and / or execute program instructions and / or process data stored in memory 108 . memory 108 may comprise any system , device , or apparatus configured to hold and / or house one or more memory modules . each memory module may include any system , device or apparatus configured to retain program instructions and / or data for a period of time ( e . g ., computer - readable media ). processor 106 may be coupled to upstream interface card 110 and downstream interface card 108 . processor 106 may be configured to control the switching fabric that controls the exchange of outbound and inbound information between ports on the interface cards . processor 106 may be configured to dynamically calculate the cac values of the interfaces based on the operation of networking system 100 as described herein . switch 102 may include a multicast forwarding table 104 . processor 106 may be coupled to multicast forwarding table 104 . multicast forwarding table 104 may include communication and forwarding information regarding network entities connected to ports of the interface cards of switch 102 . multicast forwarding table 104 may include information regarding a multicast data group whose identity has been learned by switch 102 and may be configured to receive multicast data from a server through switch 114 . multicast forwarding table 104 may include information about which ports of switch 102 may be utilized to access a server of multicast data , or , conversely , deliver traffic to an identified multicast data stream receiver . in one embodiment , multicast forwarding table 104 may be implemented in memory 108 . in another embodiment , multicast forwarding table 104 may be implemented in one or more interface cards of switch 102 . switch 102 may be configured to populate or depopulate multicast forwarding table according to the descriptions given herein , based in part upon the calculations of cac values in conjunction with service level agreements (“ slas ”), the bandwidth available , the requests for multicast data streams , and the results of those requests . switch 102 may be configured to determine the bandwidth requirements and / or other aspects required by an sla governing one or more services provided by switch 102 . switch 102 may be configured to communicate with any suitable network entity to receive and send information such as frames , packets , cells , or other data . such network entities may include , for example , a computer , router , switch , network device , subnetwork or network . in one embodiment , switch 102 may be implemented as a metro ethernet switch . in operation , switch 102 may receive a request for a data from a downstream network entity . in one embodiment , such a request may include a request for a multicast data stream . in such an embodiment , the request may be implemented in an igmp join message . in one example , the request may be for an iptv data stream . such a request may arrive from downstream switch 112 , and originate from a subscriber 118 . for example , subscriber a may make a request for a multicast data stream with a multicast group id of 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 . switch 102 may determine the level of service required by an sla , under which switch 102 is to provide networking services . such a level of service may include bandwidth availability , uptime , or other indicators of quality of service . switch 102 may determine the availability of bandwidth according to cac , such as the cac value , at the downstream interface on card 108 connected to downstream switch 112 . such a cac value may be evaluated in relation to the required service levels as designated under the sla . such a cac value may be determined in part by the network capacities available between switch 102 and a requesting entity . switch 102 may determine whether downstream transmission of the requested information , such as a multicast data stream , would exceed the available bandwidth as shown by the cac value of the downstream interface on card 108 connected to downstream switch 112 . for example , if the request associated with 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 requires 0 . 5 mbps , and the cac value of the downstream interface link is 1 . 0 mbps , then the downstream transmission may be accomplished . if the downstream transmission of the requested information would exceed the available bandwidth as shown by the cac value of the downstream link on card 108 , then no action may be taken with regards to sending a reply message to the requestor indicating a failure to support the transmission . similarly , switch 102 may determine the availability of bandwidth according to cac , such as the cac value , at the upstream interface on card 110 . such a cac value may also be evaluated in relation to the required service levels as designated under the sla . such a cac value may be determined in part by the network capacities available on the link 122 between switch 102 and the next hop , or networking device 114 towards the source of the information , such as source server 116 . switch 102 may determine whether transmission of the requested information from the upstream components , such as a multicast data stream , would exceed the available bandwidth as shown by the cac value of the upstream interface card 110 . for example , if the request associated with 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 requires 0 . 5 mbps , and the cac value of the upstream link 122 on interface card 108 corresponding to a valid route to the source server 116 is 4 . 0 mbps , then the transmission may be accomplished . if the transmission of the requested information would exceed the available bandwidth as shown by the cac value of the upstream link 122 interface card 108 , then no action may be taken by switch 102 , indicating a failure to support the transmission . if switch 102 determines that sufficient capacity in both upstream and downstream links exists to support transmission of the requested data stream , then switch 102 may reserve bandwidth according to bandwidth requirements for the requested multicast group . such a reservation may be implemented by lowering the cac values available at upstream interfaces on card 110 and downstream interfaces on card 108 . for example , if the multicast data stream requested by subscriber 118 requires 0 . 5 mbps , then such a value may be subtracted from the cac values of upstream interface on card 110 — leaving 3 . 5 mbps — and from downstream interface on card 108 — leaving 0 . 5 mbps . if switch 102 determines that sufficient capacity in both upstream and downstream links exists to support transmission of the requested data stream , then switch 102 may communicate a request to upstream network entities . in one embodiment , switch 102 may forward an igmp join request upstream . the igmp join request may indicate a request for a multicast data stream to be delivered to a particular subscriber . the request may be forwarded through the upstream network interface . for example , switch 102 may send a request for a multicast data stream for the group id 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 , and a request for a multicast data stream for the group id 230 . 6 . 8 . 10 , to upstream switch 114 , which may , depending upon the implementation of upstream switch 114 , attempt to forward the requests upstream , possibly eventually reaching source server 116 . if switch 102 determines that sufficient capacity in both upstream and downstream links exists to support transmission of the requested data stream , then switch 102 may add a temporary entry into multicast forwarding table 104 corresponding to the information requested . in one embodiment , switch 102 may add a temporary entry with a group id corresponding to a requested multicast data stream . for example , an entry corresponding to a group with an id of 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 may be added to multicast forwarding table 104 . in another example , an entry corresponding to a request to a group with an id of 230 . 6 . 8 . 10 may be added to multicast forwarding table 104 . in one embodiment , switch 102 may temporarily add the entry to multicast forwarding table 104 . in such an embodiment , switch 102 may designate the entry added to multicast forwarding table 104 as temporary . such a designation may be implemented , for example , in a field of the entry in multicast forwarding table 104 , or in any other suitable data structure accessible by processor 106 . in another embodiment , the temporary basis of an entry added to multicast forwarding table 104 may be implemented by denoting the time at which the entry was added , which may be used for comparison at a later time as described below . switch 102 may wait for a response from source server 116 regarding the request for information . a positive response from the upstream portions of the network may be , for example , an acceptance of the original request , an igmp querier - initiated request for information about the original request or requesting entities in the form of a group specific igmp query , or packets of information of the requested data stream itself coming from the source server 116 . in one example , an igmp querier - initiated request for more information may include an igmp group specific query message . in another example , the packets of information of the requested data stream itself may arrive at upstream interface card 110 , ready to be forwarded to the requesting network entity . occurrence of any one of these two events may be treated as a confirmation that the request forwarded by switch 102 to the upstream networking device has been accepted . a negative response from the upstream portions of the network may , for example , be no response at all , a denial from source server 116 , or a denial from an upstream network device such as upstream switch 114 . in the case of no response , a request may be determined as not responded to if a timeout length of time has passed since the request was passed to the upstream portions of the network . in one embodiment , such a timeout may be sixty seconds . in another embodiment , such a timeout may set according to the maximum time expected for on igmp group specific query to be made . in such an embodiment , the timeout may be set to be sixty seconds . if switch 102 receives a positive response from upstream regarding the requested information , then switch 102 may change the associated temporary entry in multicast forwarding table 104 into a regular entry , which is then processed using standard multicast protocol rules . the designation of an entry as regular may still be subject to other rules for entries in such forwarding tables , such as deletion after an aging - out period using standard multicast protocol rules . switch 102 may make the associated entry regular by , for example , changing the temporary designation associated with the entry to a regular designation . in various embodiments , switch 102 may forward a received igmp group specific query or may forward packets of information of the requested data stream downstream towards the requestor . for example , if traffic for 222 . 5 . 7 . 9 is received at switch 102 , then such traffic may be forwarded to downstream switch 112 . in another example , if an igmp group specific query for 229 . 5 . 7 . 9 is received at switch 102 , then it is forwarded to the appropriate network destination , such as subscriber a . in either such example , the entry in multicast forwarding table 104 may be made regular . if switch 102 does not receive a positive response — for example , by receiving no response at all within a designated time period — then switch 102 may remove the associated temporary entry in multicast forwarding table . further , switch 102 may deallocate the bandwidth previously allocated to accommodate the requested information . switch 102 may deallocate such bandwidth by adjusting or recalculating the cac values associated with the paths to and from the data sources and requestors . for example , if no response arrives for the request associated with group 230 . 6 . 8 . 10 within sixty seconds , then switch 102 may remove the entry for group 230 . 6 . 8 . 10 from multicast forwarding table 104 , reallocate 0 . 5 mbps from both the cac values of downstream interface on card 108 and upstream interface on card 110 . downstream switch 112 , if implemented in a manner similar to switch 102 , may repeat the same process independently of deleting temporary entries from its own multicast forwarding tables and reclaiming the allocated bandwidth . consequently , switch 102 may be capable of dynamically computing the cac value for a multicast request . degradation of service for existing subscribers of a multicast data stream , such as subscriber a in fig1 , may be prevented by intelligently handling an additional request that would overburden the bandwidth capacity . if traffic arrives at switch 102 in response to the multicast request , switch 102 may be already configured to successfully forward such traffic downstream without errors due to bandwidth constraints . switch 102 may thus be capable to dynamically reserve bandwidth , as well as prune cac bandwidth allocated for igmp join requests which may be denied upstream . thus one advantage of particular embodiments of the present disclosures is solving stale bandwidth allocation issues related to requests within one igmp query duration , which may be denied at any point within a long multicast request path . switch 102 may thus be capable of working with existing multicast protocols , without changes to such protocols to accommodate the described features of switch 102 . switch 102 may thus be capable of interfacing with other protocol compliant switches , whether or not such switches are implemented in the same way as switch 102 with the features described herein . consequently , switch 102 may be able to act in a self - contained way , based on its capacity to interpret the protocol - compliant actions and messages of other network entities in networking system 100 . operations for an igmp leave message received by switch 102 may act as the reverse of an igmp join message . if a multicast group id is removed in response to an igmp leave message , then the cac bandwidth previously allocated for that group may be reclaimed and added to the available cac bandwidth for both upstream and downstream links . this process may be repeated on all network entities along the path of igmp leave message . thus switch 102 may be configured to enforce slas and ensure that no additional connection requests will be allowed if cac bandwidth is unavailable to support the connection . in addition , as shown in fig2 , additional benefits may be derived from a network made up of multiple instances of switch 102 . fig2 is an illustration of the operation of more than one switch 102 working together in a networking system 100 to dynamically calculate cac requirements , allow or deny multicast requests , and prune allocated bandwidth . switch a may be communicatively coupled to switch b . switches a and b may be implemented in embodiments of switch 102 . initially , the calculated cac bandwidth downstream of switch b may be eight gbps ; the bandwidth between switch a and switch b may be 4 gbps ; and the bandwidth upstream of switch a may be two gbps . at time t 1 , a request associated with group x may arrive at switch b , with a request for a multicast data stream requiring one gbps . switch b may determine whether sufficient cac bandwidth exists upstream and downstream of switch b to support the request . since such sufficient bandwidth exists , the one gbps requirement may be allocated and thus removed from the available cac bandwidth downstream of switch b and upstream between switches a and b . the request may then be sent to switch a , which also determines whether sufficient bandwidth exists , allocates the cac bandwidth , and sends the request upstream . thus , the available bandwidth upstream of switch a may be one gbps , between switch a and switch b may be three gbps , and downstream of switch b may be seven gbps . temporary entries associated with group x may be made in the multicast forwarding tables of switch a and switch b . at time t 2 , traffic associated with group x may be sent from upstream to switch a in response to the previous request . the traffic may be forwarded from switch a to switch b , and then further downstream to the requestor . if such traffic was received during the designated timeout period , then entries associated with group x may be made regular in switch a and switch b . the cac bandwidth required for transmitting such traffic may be made already allocated , and thus may not require changing . at time t 3 , a request associated with group y may arrive at switch b , with a request for a multicast data stream requiring one gbps . switch b may determine whether sufficient cac bandwidth exists upstream and downstream of switch b to support the request . since such sufficient bandwidth exists , the one gbps may be allocated and thus removed from the available cac bandwidth downstream of switch b and between switches a and b . the request may then be sent to switch a , which also determines whether sufficient bandwidth exists , allocates the cac bandwidth , and sends the request upstream . thus , the available bandwidth upstream of switch a may be zero gbps , between switch a and switch b may be two gbps , and downstream of switch b may be six gbps . temporary entries associated with group y may be made in the multicast forwarding tables of switch a and switch b . the multicast data traffic may immediately start flowing from the source to switch a , then to switch b , which then reaches the requestor of group y . at time t 4 , no positive response may have been received at switch a and switch b with regards to the request associated with group y . no response may be been received within the designated timeout period , or a denial or error may have been received . switch a and switch b may each independently determine that the request has failed . the entries associated with group y may be removed from the multicast forwarding tables of switch a and switch b within one igmp query interval . the cac bandwidth allocated for group y may be deallocated so as to be available for use by other multicast data streams . thus , the available bandwidth upstream of switch a may be one gbps , between switch a and switch b may be three gbps , and downstream of switch b may be seven gbps . at time t 5 , a request associated with group z may arrive at switch b , with a request for a multicast data stream requiring two gbps . switch b may determine whether sufficient cac bandwidth exists upstream and downstream of switch b to support the request . since such sufficient bandwidth exists , the two gbps may be allocated and thus removed from the available cac bandwidth downstream of switch b and between switches a and b . an entry for group z may be made in the multicast forwarding table of switch b . thus the available bandwidth upstream of switch a may be one gbps , between switch a and switch b may be one gbps , and downstream of switch b may be five gbps . at time t 6 , the request for group z may have arrived at switch a , which may determine that insufficient cac bandwidth is available to support the required two gbps multicast data stream requested for group z . since the request failed upstream , switch b might not receive an igmp query message from upstream nor the multicast data for multicast group z , so switch b may deallocate the bandwidth allocated for group z , and remove the temporary entry created in its multicast forwarding table . thus , the available bandwidth upstream of switch a may be one gbps , switch a and switch b may be three gbps , and downstream of switch b may be seven gbps . fig3 is an example embodiment of a method 300 for providing dynamic sla enforcement in metro multicast core networks using igmp snooping and cac . in step 305 , a request for information such as a multicast data stream may be received from a downstream requestor . such a request may be an igmp join request . in step 310 , the downstream and upstream cac bandwidth may be calculated . such calculations may be performed , for example , using the available data links to the source and requestor of the data , the required service levels according to an sla , and to cac bandwidth already designated for other data streams . in step 315 , it may be determined whether sufficient cac bandwidth is available upstream and downstream to support the requested data . if there is not sufficient cac bandwidth , then no information , such as multicast data or an igmp query , may be sent downstream . in step 325 , a downstream network entity that fails to receive such information within an expected duration may process the absence of such information . the downstream network entity may also be performing an embodiment of method 300 . if so , the recipient may be operating step 355 of the method , wherein a response is expected regarding the request . if sufficient cac bandwidth is available upstream and downstream , then in step 330 a temporary entry is created in a multicast forwarding table . the entry may correspond to the group for which the data is requested . the entry may be made temporary by designating it as such in a field of the table , a separate data structure , or by noting the time upon which the request was received via a timestamp . in step 335 , the bandwidth required to support the requested data may be reserved from the available upstream and downstream cac . in step 340 , the request may be forwarded upstream towards the source of the data . in step 345 , the upstream recipient , such as a switch , may be begin processing the request . the recipient may also be performing an embodiment of method 300 . if so , the recipient may be operating step 305 , wherein a request for data is received . in step 350 , a response to the request may be waited upon . in step 355 , it may be determined whether packets of the requested data or a positive response was received within a designated timeout period . in one embodiment , the timeout period may be set to one minute . in another embodiment , the positive response may be in the form of an igmp group specific query sent in response to the igmp join request . in yet another embodiment , instead of such data or positive response , no response or a negative response may have been received . if data or a positive response was not received , then in step 360 the temporary entry created in the multicast forwarded table may be removed , and in step 365 the allocated cac capacity may be released . subsequently , a downstream switch may continue processing , as in step 325 . if data or a positive response was received within the timeout period , then the method may proceed to step 375 . in step 375 , an igmp group specific query , or other request for more information , may be forwarded downstream . in some instances , such a request or query may be replied to , instead of forwarded , depending upon the nature of the query . in step 380 , if traffic was received , it may be forwarded downstream . in step 385 , the downstream recipient of such forwarded information from steps 375 or 380 may continue processing the received information . the recipient may also be performing an embodiment of method 300 . if so , the recipient may be operating step 355 , wherein a response is expected regarding the request . in step 390 , a multicast forwarding table entry associated with the requested information may be made regular and removed using regular igmp protocol rules . although fig3 discloses a particular number of steps to be taken with respect to example method 300 , method 300 may be executed with more or fewer steps than those depicted in fig3 . in addition , although fig3 discloses a certain order of steps to be taken with respect to method 300 , the steps comprising method 500 may be completed in any suitable order . method 300 may be initiated multiple times , and steps of one instance of the operation of method 300 may lead to or arise from steps of another instance of the operation of method 300 . method 300 may be implemented using the system of fig1 - 2 , or any other system , network , or device operable to implement method 300 . in certain embodiments , method 300 may be implemented partially or fully in software embodied in computer - readable media . for the purposes of this disclosure , computer - readable media may include any instrumentality or aggregation of instrumentalities that may retain data and / or instructions for a period of time . computer - readable media may include , without limitation , storage media such as a direct access storage device ( e . g ., a hard disk drive or floppy disk ), a sequential access storage device ( e . g ., a tape disk drive ), compact disk , cd - rom , dvd , random access memory ( ram ), read - only memory ( rom ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), and / or flash memory ; as well as communications media such wires , optical fibers , and other tangible , non - transitory media ; and / or any combination of the foregoing . although the present disclosure has been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions , and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims .
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referring to the drawings in detail , and particularly fig1 and 2 , reference character 10 generally indicates a baby bottle comprising a generally elongated container 12 preferably constructed from a suitable plastic material but not limited thereto , and having a central opening 14 extending therethrough . the opening 14 is preferably somewhat elongated , providing a pair of separate elongated tubular portions or elements 16 and 18 having the opposite ends thereof in open communication with each other at the opposite or upper and lower ends of the opening 14 . the bottom of the container 12 is closed by a plate or wall member 20 , as is well known , and the upper end thereof is open for removably receiving the usual nipple means 22 thereon in the normal manner of baby bottles . the longitudinal central portion of each element 16 and 18 is preferably of a somewhat smaller diameter than the end portions of each as shown at 24 and 26 , respectively , thus providing a concave configuration for the outer periphery of each element 16 and 18 . the reduced diameter portions 24 and 26 are preferably disposed substantially at the longitudinal center of the opening 14 , and the concave - type configuration in cooperation with the opening 14 provides a bottle portion which may be easily engaged by the hand of a baby or infant for supporting of the bottle during a feeding operation . the peripheral portion of the opening 14 which is disposed within the interior of the container 12 preferably terminates at the lower end thereof in a relatively sharp or pointed member 28 which is readily accessible from the interior of each element 16 and 18 . the upper end of the opening 14 may be of substantially any internal configuration , but it is preferably substantially arcuate . the termination of the interior of the opening 14 at the pointed member 28 facilitates the clearing of the interior of the container 12 when the usual bottle brush or the like ( not shown ) is inserted into and through the tubular portions 16 and 18 . thus , the bottle 10 may be efficiently and easily cleaned in the well known manner presently in widespread use in connection with baby bottles . in use , the elongated or tubular member 16 and 18 may be readily grasped by the small hands of a baby or infant whereby the baby may hold or support its own bottle during a feeding operation . the baby may grasp either a single tubular element , or may grasp a tubular element in each of its hands , as desired , thus greatly facilitating the feeding of the baby by releasing an attendant from constant tending of the infant during the feeding operation . this is not only of assistance to the attendant , but also may give the infant or baby a sense of well being . referring now to fig3 through 5 , reference numeral 30 generally indicates a modified baby bottle comprising a container 32 having a substantially triangular cross sectional configuration , as particularly shown in fig5 . the triangular cross sectional results in the formation of three circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending hollow rib portions 34 , 36 and 38 having walls 40 , 42 and 44 interposed between adjacent pairs thereof . the walls 40 , 42 and 44 are preferably of a concave configuration which provides a &# 34 ; relief &# 34 ; area along each longitudinal edge of the rib portion 34 , 36 and 38 . the bottom of the container 32 is closed by a suitable wall of plate member 46 and may be of an external dimension greater than the external dimension of the walls 40 , 42 and 44 , if desired , to provide stability for the container 32 when stored or not in use . the upper end of the container is open for receiving the usual nipple means 48 , as is well known in baby bottles . in use , the rib members 34 , 36 and 38 may be easily grasped by the small hands of a baby or infant , whereby the baby may manipulate or support the bottle without outside assistance . this facilitates the feeding of the infant and relieves the time of an attendant which might otherwise be substantially fully consumed by holding the bottle during the feeding of the infant . of course , the baby may hold the bottle 30 by grasping either a single rib member , or may grasp an individual rib member in each of its hands , as desired . from the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel baby bottle particularly configured to provide a bottle portion dimensioned for the small hand of the baby or infant using the bottle during a feeding operation . the baby may grasp the bottle by either one or two hands and can be fully independent of outside assistance during the use of the bottle . whereas the present invention has been described in particular relation to the drawings attached hereto , it should be understood that other and further modifications , apart from those shown or suggested herein may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention .
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an exemplary embodiment 101 is shown in fig1 . the container is a metal safe 102 of the type commonly used to store valuables , with a body and a door . the door panel 107 of the safe incorporates a display 103 , a keypad 104 , a bypass key lock 105 , and an opening knob 106 . the bypass key lock is shown with its removable cover plate removed . to open the container , the user presses one of the bottom row buttons (*, 0 , or #) on the keypad 104 , causing the display 103 to illuminate and display the status of the device . if the device is not time - locked , the display prompts the user to enter a numeric combination access code and press the # key . if the combination entered matches the combination stored in the device &# 39 ; s memory , the container permits access by electrically actuating its door releasing solenoid . the user then turns the knob 106 clockwise and pulls to swing the door open . to close the safe , the user pushes the door closed and turns the knob 106 counter - clockwise to engage the boltwork and internal latch . bypass lock 105 is a standard pin tumbler or tubular lock . if the safe &# 39 ; s battery is depleted or the user loses the combination , the bypass key may be inserted into the lock 105 and turned , then knob 106 turned to open the safe . since this safe is intended for self - control purposes , the user should store the key at a remote location or with a trusted third party . the user may also purchase the safe without a key . in this case , a lock number will be provided , so that a matching key can be cut later if one is required . while the device is unlocked , the user can press a special key combination to set the current time , the unlocking time , and other settings . the user can time lock the safe by pressing the # key . fig2 shows the mechanical and electrical components of the exemplary embodiment 201 , as seen from the inside of the safe door 202 , with its covers removed . hinges 204 and hinge pins 203 attach the door to the safe . bolts 205 are affixed to a movable plate 230 , and pass through holes in a fixed plate 231 which is affixed to the safe door 202 , so that when the door is closed and the bolts are extended , the door cannot be opened until the bolts are retracted . movable plate 230 is affixed at a right angle to sliding plate 216 . pin 217 is affixed to the safe door and passes through notch 219 in plate 216 . washer 218 holds plate 216 parallel to the safe door 202 while leaving it free to slide back and forth , thus moving the bolts . shaft 221 extends through a hole in the safe door and attaches to knob 106 on the front of the safe . wheel 220 is affixed to shaft 221 . notch 222 is cut in plate 216 , and pin 223 is affixed to wheel 220 . therefore , turning wheel 220 counter - clockwise ( facing fig2 ) causes plate 216 to move leftward , retracting the bolts 205 , while pin 223 moves upward in notch 222 . turning wheel 220 clockwise causes plate 216 to move rightward while pin 223 moves downward in notch 222 , engaging the bolts 205 . tab 224 extends downward from plate 216 . electromagnetic solenoid 225 is affixed to the safe door 202 . solenoid 225 has a plunger 227 , a return spring 228 , and a plate 229 . plate 229 is affixed to the plunger 227 . cable 226 connects solenoid 225 to circuit board 211 . circuit board 211 &# 39 ; s schematic is shown in fig3 . with the bolts extended , when a user turns the knob 106 to attempt to retract the bolts , tab 224 is blocked by plunger 227 , preventing plate 216 from moving , and so preventing the bolts from retracting . when the unlocking criteria are met , circuit board 211 energizes solenoid 225 , causing plunger 227 to move downward , compressing spring 228 . tab 224 is no longer blocked , and the user can turn the knob 106 to retract the bolts . when the current to solenoid 225 is turned off , tab 224 holds down plunger 227 until the knob 106 is turned to engage the bolts . spring 228 then lifts plunger 227 , thus blocking tab 224 again and locking the safe . bypass lock 105 passes through the safe door and is affixed in place by nut 214 . tab 215 is affixed to the cylinder of the lock . when the user inserts the correct key and rotates the lock cylinder , tab 215 rotates clockwise and presses against plate 229 , depressing the plunger 227 and permitting the safe to be opened . battery holder 208 contains four aa - type alkaline cells 209 in a series circuit . cable 210 connects the battery holder 208 to the circuit board 211 . reflective sensor 206 ( which may be replaced by a microswitch in an alternate embodiment ) is connected to circuit board 211 by cable 207 , and senses the open or closed state of the door 202 . ribbon cables 213 pass through a slot 212 cut in the door 202 and connect to the display 103 and keypad 104 on the front of the door 107 . fig3 shows the electrical schematic 301 of the exemplary embodiment . the device is controlled by microcontroller 303 , and is powered by four aa - type batteries 314 . cmos voltage regulator 315 provides a constant 3 . 3 volt supply to the microcontroller . alphanumeric display module 302 and matrix keypad 307 , mounted on the outside front of the safe door are in communication with the microcontroller to provide the user interface . ribbon cables 213 connect display 302 and keypad 307 to the circuit board 211 inside the safe . transistors 304 and 305 , and filter 306 control display 302 &# 39 ; s power , backlight brightness , and display contrast respectively . microcontroller 303 scans the buttons of keypad 307 one row at a time . the bottom row of the keypad is connected to an external interrupt line so that a keypress can wake microcontroller 303 from a low - power state . quartz crystal 311 , a standard watch crystal , along with an amplifier built into microcontroller 303 , provide a 32 , 768 hz oscillator for the timekeeping function . registers and instructions in the microcontroller count the cycles of the oscillator . power switching transistor 316 operates the door releasing solenoid 313 . energizing the solenoid mechanically permits the user to retract the safe &# 39 ; s boltwork as explained previously . diode 312 protects transistor 316 from over - voltage damage at turn - off , which could otherwise occur due to the inductance of solenoid 313 . reflective optical sensor 309 detects the open / closed state of the safe &# 39 ; s door . a microswitch may be used in place of sensor 309 . piezoelectric beeper 308 alerts the user if the safe door is left open when it should be closed . beeper 308 optionally clicks to confirm each keypress . switched voltage divider 310 provides a ⅓ scale sample of the battery voltage to the analog - to - digital converter built into microcontroller 303 , so that the microcontroller can detect a low battery condition and alert the user . the battery voltage is measured each time the door releasing solenoid 313 is actuated , and each time the unit is turned on . fig4 shows the mechanical and electrical components of an alternative embodiment 401 , as seen from the inside of the safe door 402 , with its covers removed . fig4 is similar to fig2 except that a motor - driven locking mechanism is shown . the embodiment 401 operates as embodiment 201 except where explained below . bolts 414 are affixed to movable plate 413 , which is affixed at a right angle to sliding plate 410 . pin 408 is affixed to the door 402 and passes through notch 411 in plate 410 . washer 409 holds plate 410 parallel to the door 402 while leaving it free to slide back and forth , thus moving the bolts . gear 412 &# 39 ; s bearing is affixed to the door 402 . pin 407 is affixed to gear 412 and passes through notch 406 in plate 410 . therefore , when gear 412 is driven clockwise , the bolts are extended . when gear 412 is driven counter - clockwise , the bolts are refracted . this is similar to the operation of the fig2 embodiment except that no shaft passes through the door 402 to the outside . gear 405 &# 39 ; s bearing is affixed to the door 402 . permanent - magnet dc motor 403 is affixed to the safe door 402 and is connected to the printed circuit board 416 by cable 415 . motor 403 has a worm gear 404 affixed to its shaft . worm gear 404 engages gear 405 , and gear 405 engages gear 412 . therefore , when the motor 403 is energized , it will drive the gears 405 and 412 , either extending or refracting the locking bolts 414 , depending on the polarity of the electric current . fig5 shows the electrical schematic of an h - bridge reversing motor driver 501 suitable for the alternative motor - driven lock in fig4 . the circuit in fig5 should be added to the circuit in fig3 in place of parts 312 , 313 , and 316 . inputs 510 and 511 are normally held at logic 0 ( 0 volts ) by the microcontroller 303 , therefore , all transistors are non - conducting and no appreciable current is drawn from the battery . when the microcontroller 303 applies a logic 1 ( 3 . 3 volts ) to input 510 , transistors 502 , 504 , and 507 conduct , energizing the motor 509 ( motor also shown as 403 in fig4 ) in the locking direction . when the microcontroller 303 applies logic 1 to input 511 , transistors 506 , 503 , and 505 conduct , energizing the motor in the unlocking direction . resistor 512 limits motor current and also provides a voltage proportional to motor current 513 to the microcontroller 303 . when the motor - driven lock reaches its mechanical stop , the motor will stall and the voltage at point 513 will increase , causing the microcontroller 303 to turn off the motor . diodes 508 protect the transistors against inductive transients from the motor . resistor values must be adjusted based on the current requirements of the specific motor type . it is important that inputs 510 and 511 are not simultaneously driven with logic 1 , as this will cause cross - conduction of the transistors and draw excessive current . fig6 shows the various status displays 601 of the exemplary embodiment . the user interface is displayed on a 20 - character - per - line , 4 - line led - backlit alphanumeric liquid crystal display . the user interface is implemented as a state machine in the microcontroller program , and runs in a separate software thread independent of the time - locking routines in fig8 . pressing one of the bottom row buttons (*, 0 , or #) on the keypad lights the display and shows a series of status displays , changing every 5 seconds by default . the status display sequence changes depending on the state of the device , as explained below . if the container is unlocked , the open time is later than the current time , and auto relock is not pending , pages 614 , 607 , 602 , and 603 are displayed sequentially . if the container is unlocked , the open time is later than the current time , and auto relock is pending , pages 608 , 614 , 607 , 602 , and 603 are displayed sequentially . if the container is unlocked and the open time has passed , pages 614 , 606 , 602 , 603 , and 626 are displayed sequentially . if the container door is left open , the top line of the display indicates “ vault door ajar ” as shown in page 617 . the beeper will also sound if this feature has been enabled in the setting 705 . if the container is locked , and cooldown mode is disabled or inactive , pages 612 , 602 , and 604 are displayed sequentially . if the cooldown mode is inactive , page 605 is also displayed . if the container is locked , cooldown mode is inactive , and the 5 * key combination is pressed , page 618 is displayed , then the cycle changes to pages 621 , 602 , 604 , 624 , and 612 . this sequence continues until the cooldown is canceled or the cooldown time arrives . if cooldown mode is active and the cooldown time has arrived , pages 614 , 622 , 602 , 604 , and 624 are displayed . the passcode can be entered in this state to open the container . if the container is opened in cooldown mode , page 620 is displayed , then two minutes later the sequence 612 , 602 , 604 , 623 is displayed . the cooldown feature is disabled until the time shown in 623 , and the door will not open . if cooldown mode is active , and the cooldown start / cancel ( 5 *) key combination is pressed , page 619 is displayed and the device exits cooldown mode . the display sequence returns to 612 , 602 , 604 , and 605 . if the container is unlocked or cooldown unlocked ( page 614 is shown ) and the user enters the correct passcode and presses #, page 616 is displayed for five seconds , while the unlocking solenoid 313 is energized . if an incorrect passcode is entered , page 615 is displayed and the door does not unlock . if the power off ( 2 *) key combination is pressed , the display turns off and the microcontroller enters low - power mode . this power - down also occurs after one minute of inactivity by default . the state of the user interface is maintained during power - down . the user interface thread is suspended , while the timekeeping interrupt and time - lock thread 801 continue to run once per second . if the quick lock ( 3 *) combination is pressed while the container is unlocked , the device displays the locking prompt 609 / 610 or the visible / audible locking countdown 611 , and starts the locking process . the open time will be set to the current time plus one day . quick lock has no effect while the container is locked . if the skip next open time ( 4 *) key combination is pressed , the device displays page 625 , with a new open time based on the repeat setting , or defaulting to one day forward . if the user presses #, the open time is updated . if the user presses *, the open time is not changed . either way , the device then returns to its normal display sequence . fig7 shows the various configuration pages 701 of the exemplary embodiment . if the user presses the settings ( 1 *) key combination from the status display , and the current time has already been set , page 702 will be displayed . if the current time has not been set , page 707 will be displayed to prompt the user to set the current time . page 707 is also displayed when the batteries are installed or replaced . if the user presses * ( lock vault ) from the status display , and the open time is earlier than the current time , page 702 will be displayed to prompt the user to set the open time . when one of the configuration pages is displayed , the user can press 4 to move counter - clockwise , or 6 to move clockwise , through the full loop of configuration pages . for example , from page 703 , the 6 key moves to page 704 and the 4 key moves to page 702 . the user can press * to exit to the status display . the user can press # to change the settings on the currently displayed configuration page . page 702 is used to set the open time . when the user presses #, the month is first highlighted . if the date was in the past , it is changed to the current date . the user must select the month , then press #, enter the day , press #, enter the year , press #, enter the hour , press #, enter the minute , press #, choose am / pm using 4 and 6 to select , then press # to save . when the date is changed , the day of week updates automatically . the screen &# 39 ; s bottom line displays a rotating series of prompts that show the user all his or her available options . pressing * at any time cancels the setting process . if the container is locked , the user can change the open time to a later time ( delaying opening ) but cannot change to an earlier opening time . the user may set a schedule of unlocking times with the repeat times feature . pages 703 , 718 , 719 , and 720 are used to set the repeat times . the user can select one of these four modes , and all but off ( page 703 ) have further settings . if the repeat times mode is set to off , the open time does not automatically update . if the repeat times mode is set to any of the other three options , 718 , 719 , or 720 , the open time is automatically updated at each unlocking . the options cannot be changed while the device is time locked . page 718 causes the open time to be advanced to the same time every day or every n days , where the user can enter the number of days . in the figure , it is set to open every other day ( displayed as “ every 2 days ”.) page 719 causes the open time to be advanced to the same time each day , while skipping deselected days of the week . for example , if monday , wednesday , and friday are selected , the device will unlock at the specified open time on each of those days , and will not unlock on other days of the week . page 720 allows the user to enter up to eight times of day . there are two pages of four times each , and the times are automatically sorted when the user makes changes . duplicate times are automatically discarded . the open time will advance , at each unlocking , to the next specified time . if the current time is later than the last specified time , the open time will advance to the first scheduled time on the next day . if page 704 is enabled , and the container door is not opened after the open time arrives , the device will automatically relock until the next open time as determined by the repeat settings . the user can set the relock delay in hours or minutes . when the relocking time arrives , the device will perform a visible countdown , with an optional tick - tock sound , giving the user an opportunity to cancel the relocking page 705 enables an alarm to remind the user to close the container door . if this feature is enabled , the device will wait the set number of minutes and then beep until the door is closed . the beep will increase in intensity after one minute . page 706 configures the cooldown mode . the cooldown mode can be enabled or disabled . if enabled , there are three settings : unlocking delay time period , relocking delay time period , and inhibit delay time period . the unlocking delay setting determines the time between a cooldown request ( 5 * key sequence ) and the container permitting access . the relocking delay setting determines how long the device remains in cooldown unlocked mode before automatically relocking the inhibit delay setting determines how often a cooldown open is permitted . if the user opens the door during the cooldown unlock period , the device relocks immediately when the door is closed , does not permit another cooldown unlock until the inhibit delay has passed , and displays page 623 in the meantime . if the user does not open the door , and the device relocks automatically , the cooldown can be requested again immediately . page 707 is used to set the current time . this page can be selected manually , and is also displayed automatically when batteries are installed . page 708 is used to set the passcode for opening the container door . the door must be open to change the passcode . the user is prompted for a new passcode , and then prompted to re - enter it to confirm . the passcode is also used to unlock the keypad when the keypad security feature ( page 711 ) is enabled . page 709 shows the battery voltage and status ( good , fair , low .) when the batteries are low , this page is displayed automatically , and the container will not time lock . the microcontroller retains and displays the lowest voltage measured during opening , as well as the present voltage . page 710 adjusts the display brightness and contrast . pressing the 1 and 3 keys adjusts the backlight brightness ; pressing the 7 and 9 keys adjusts the contrast . page 711 controls two options . if relock at close is enabled , the container door is closed after being opened , and the open time is later than the current time , the device will automatically begin the visible / audible locking countdown 611 . the container will lock when the count reaches zero , unless the user presses a key to abort . the container &# 39 ; s user interface can be secured . if this option is enabled , the passcode must be entered at each power - up before any operations can be carried out . this prevents unauthorized persons from tampering with or time - locking the container . if keypad security is enabled , all keypad functions are disabled at every power - up until the user enters the passcode and presses #. page 613 is displayed while the keypad is disabled . page 712 sets the confirm before lock prompt option . if this is set to always , page 609 or 610 is always displayed when locking , and the user must press # to proceed . if set to a number , the confirmation is displayed only if the container is being locked for that number of days or longer . this feature prevents an accidental prolonged lockout . page 713 determines whether the device automatically begins the locking process after the user finishes setting the open time on page 702 . if 713 is set to on , page 609 , 610 , or 611 appears after setting the open time . if 713 is set to off , page 702 remains after setting the open time . page 714 controls two sound - related options . if the key click sound option is set to on , the beeper emits a short click at each keypress . if the key click sound option is set to off , no click is produced . if the lock / unlock sound option is set to on , the beeper produces a “ tick - tock ” sound ( alternating high and low frequency clicks ) during the page 611 countdown . it also produces a locking tone ( three tones rising in frequency ) when the container time locks , and an unlocking tone ( three tones falling in frequency ) when the container unlocks . if the lock / unlock sound option is set to off , these sounds are not produced . page 715 controls two user interface options . the power save time determines how long the screen remains illuminated with no user input . when the corresponding number of seconds have passed , the screen turns off to save power , and the microcontroller goes into low power mode . pressing one of the bottom row keys (*, 0 , or #) will turn the display back on , leaving the user interface in the same state as before the display timed out . the help messages setting determines how quickly the screen cycles through messages . this controls the speed of the main menu status pages in fig6 , as well as the help messages displayed on the bottom line of the settings pages in fig7 . page 716 sets the duration in seconds of the locking countdown on page 611 . page 717 shows the software copyright notice , software version , and unit serial number . this page alternates between the software copyright notice and software version ( shown ) and serial number ( not shown ). there are no settings to be changed on this page . with the exception of the open time and current time values , all the fig7 settings are retained in the eeprom memory of the microcontroller 303 while the batteries are removed . fig8 shows the flowchart 801 of the exemplary device &# 39 ; s time - locking and alarm logic . this procedure should run multiple times per minute , and the exemplary embodiment runs it once per second . the procedure starts at entry point 802 and first branches at state 803 based on whether the container is time - locked . if the container is time - locked , branch 810 checks whether the open time has arrived . if the open time has arrived , action 829 clears the time lock flag . branch 830 checks the auto relock state , and if auto relock is enabled , sets the auto relock time at action 831 , and sets the auto relock state to active at action 832 . next , branch 833 checks the repeat time mode and setting , and if enabled , updates the open time at action 834 according to the repeat time mode and setting . finally , branch 835 checks the cooldown mode , and if it was previously unlocking or relocking , action 836 sets it back to inactive . the routine ends at endpoint 837 . if the device is time - locked at branch 803 and the open time has not arrived ( branch 810 ), the program proceeds to branch 811 for the specific case where the container door was opened during cooldown relocking mode . if the container was opened , the mode is set to inhibiting ( action 816 ), the cooldown event time is updated at action 817 , the program proceeds to the door alarm check 821 , and the user interface thread presents page 620 . if branch 811 is not taken , then branch 812 checks to see if the cooldown event time has been reached . if so , branch 813 checks the cooldown state . in the unlocking state , the cooldown state changes to relocking at action 814 , and action 815 sets the cooldown event time . in the relocking state 818 or inhibiting state 819 , the state is changed to inactive at action 820 . the user interface thread , in response to the 5 * cooldown open request 605 , sets the cooldown event time to the current time plus the cooldown unlocking delay , and sets the cooldown state to unlocking , thus starting the cooldown process . if the device is not time - locked at branch 803 , the software checks the relock on close state at branch 804 and the door recently closed flag at branch 805 . if both are true , the container is time - locked at action 808 and the auto relock mode is set to inactive at action 809 . the user interface thread will present page 611 . if the relock on close is not executed , the software checks the auto relock mode at branch 806 and auto relock time at branch 807 . if the auto relock mode is active and the auto relock time has arrived , execution proceeds to actions 808 and 809 as above . branch 821 checks the door alarm state . the user interface thread starts the beeper countdown when the door is opened . the initial value of the beeper countdown is the value in page 705 , converted to seconds , plus a 300 second maximum beeping duration . therefore , a one - minute door alarm setting would start this value at 360 . the counter is decremented once per second . if the door alarm state is off or inactive , execution ends at endpoint 837 . if the door alarm state is countdown or beeping , branch 822 compares the countdown time with the fixed beeping duration of 300 seconds . if the countdown is less than the duration , the beeper will sound until the countdown reaches 0 . this limits beeping to 5 minutes . branch 823 checks the countdown , and if it is zero , the beeper is silenced at action 824 . branch 825 checks the door state , and if the door is closed , the beeper is silenced at action 826 . branch 827 checks the beeper state , and if not beeping , the beeper is turned on at action 828 . this causes the beeper to sound if the door is open , the countdown is below the duration , and the countdown is not zero . the foregoing detailed description has disclosed , to those experienced in the relevant fields of electrical engineering , embedded software development , and mechanical engineering , how to make and use a time - locked container specifically optimized for self - control purposes , and has further disclosed the best methods currently known to the inventors for implementing such a container , including the electrical and user - interface aspects of the design . however , it will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the technology , that a precommitment container could be implemented in many other ways . for example , the display could show animated clock hands instead of a digital clock ; a different microcontroller architecture could be used ; different types of containers could be used ; and one or more dials could be used in place of a keypad as the input device . for all of the foregoing reasons , the detailed description is to be regarded as being in all respects exemplary and not restrictive , and the breadth of the device and method disclosed herein is to be determined not from the detailed description , but rather from the claims , as interpreted with the full breadth permitted by the patent laws .
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a system of the present invention is generally illustrated in fig1 . a user 55 can use a mobile telephone to transmit an image or images over a network to a processing server 65 for processing . alternatively , the user 55 can use a computer to transmit the images to the processing server 65 over the internet . as discussed in more detail below , the processing server 65 creates a feature vector from the image or images . the processing server can then access a database of digital photos 75 to determine if any of the digital photos can the image . if the database photos contain the image , information is generated for each image and stored on a database 70 . generally , a facial image is transmitted over a network to an image classification server or processing server , preferably over a wireless network . the facial image is preferably sent over the internet using http or e - mail to the image classification server . the facial image , preferably a compressed digital facial image such as a jpeg image , is sent to a wireless carrier as a mms , a sms , a smtp , or wap upload . alternatively , the facial image is uploaded to a computer from a digital camera , or scanner and then transferred over the internet to the image classification server as an e - mail attachment , or http upload . the facial image is analyzed at the image classifications server to determine if the facial image is of adequate quality to be processed for matching . quality issues with the facial image include but are not limited to a poor pose angle , brightness , shading , eyes closed , sunglasses worn , obscured facial features , or the like . processing of the image preferably comprises using an algorithm which includes a principle component analysis technique to process the face of the facial image into an average of a multitude of faces , otherwise known as the principle component and a set of images that are the variance from the average face image known as the additional components . each is reconstructed by multiplying the principal components and the additional components against a feature vector and adding the resulting images together . the resulting image reconstructs the original face of the facial image . processing of the facial image comprises factors such as facial hair , hair style , facial expression , the presence of accessories such as sunglasses , hair color , eye color , and the like . essentially a primary feature vector is created for the facial image . this primary feature vector is compared to a plurality of database of images preferably located on a social networking website . a more detailed description of generating feature vectors is disclosed in shah , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 7 , 450 , 740 , for an image classification and information retrieval over wireless digital networks and the internet , which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . the present invention preferably uses facial recognition software commercially or publicly available such as the faceit brand software from identix , the facevacs brand software from cognetic , and others . those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that there are many facial recognition softwares , including those in the public domain , that may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . the operational components of the image classification server / processing server 65 preferably include an input module , transmission engine , input feed , feature vector database , sent images database , facial recognition software , perception engine , and output module . the input module is further partitioned into wireless device inputs , e - mail inputs and http ( internet ) inputs . a digital photo 100 of a facial image of an individual is shown in fig2 . the digital photo is sent to the processing server for creation of a feature vector for this individual . the feature vector is generated based on facial features , and this allows the image of the individual to be distinguished within other digital photos . such features include the hair color 102 , face shape 104 , distance between eyes 106 , hair style 108 , distance between eyes and mouth 110 , length of mouth 112 and nose shape 114 , and other like features . the primary feature vector is then used to identify other digital photos bearing an image of the individual . as shown in fig4 , a collection of digital photos bearing an image of the individual are identified . in fig4 a , a particular photo bearing an image of the individual is analyzed for location information which is preferably stored in a database 70 . an x - y position of the image is determined , along with the size of the image and tilt angle . this allows image to be quickly identified . a method 400 for tagging an image of an individual in a plurality of photos is shown in fig5 . in this method , at block 402 , a first set of digital photos is provided with each of the digital photos containing an image of an individual . the first set of photos is preferably provided to a processing server over a network . at block 404 , the image or images of the individual is / are processed , preferably at the processing server , to generate a feature vector for the image ( s ) of the individual . at block 406 , a second set of photos is analyzed , preferably by the server , to determine if any of the photos of the second set of photos has an image that matches the feature vector . the second set of photos is preferably located on a social networking website , such as the myspace ® web site or the facebook ® web site . at block 408 , photos of the second set of photos that contain an image that matches the feature vector are identified , preferably by the processing server . at block 410 , these identified photos are tagged to create a third set of photos . a method 500 for tagging a facial image of an individual in a plurality of digital photos , is shown in fig6 . for example , a user may want to create links to unorganized digital photos bearing an image of an individual or group of individuals . the present method allows the user to create such links . at block 502 , a feature vector for a facial image of an individual is created at a processing server . the feature vector is preferably created from a first set of photos containing the facial image of the individual . at block 504 , a second set of digital photos is analyzed , preferably by the processing server , to determine if any of the digital photos of the second set of photos has a facial image that matches the feature vector . the second set of photos is preferably located on a social networking website , such as the myspace ® web site or the facebook ® web site . at block 506 , photos of the second set of photos that contain an image that matches the feature vector are identified , preferably by the processing server . at block 508 , the location information of the facial image in each of the second set of digital photos is determined by the processing server . the location information is preferably the x and y coordinates , the size of the facial image and the tilt angle of the facial image in the digital photo . at block 510 , an identifier and the location information of the facial image for each of the identified digital photos is stored on a database , preferably at the processing server . from the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof , and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings , numerous changes modification and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claim . therefore , the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims .
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referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views , a portable pressurized container , such as an ordinary pressurized aerosol - type container can 10 has a remote delivery nozzle or wand 12 connected thereto by means of a cap assembly 14 and a flexible conduit 16 . the container 10 may be filled with any suitable contents under pressure , such as a cleaner or solvent , which is desired to be delivered to a remote location by means of the remote delivery nozzle 12 . container 10 is cylindrical in shape and is provided with inner and outer , annularly spaced , upstanding , concentric rims , 18 and 20 , respectively . a storage and shipping cap ( not shown ) may be installed on the can 10 in frictional engagement with the outer rim 20 when the cap assembly 14 and remote delivery nozzle 12 are removed during periods of non - use . the container 10 is provided with an upstanding hollow valve stem 22 which is centrally disposed in the top of the container 10 . the valve stem 22 forms a part of a valve arrangement which is manufactured integral with the container 10 and is well known in the art . such valve arrangement will typically include means ( not shown ) for biasing the valve stem 22 upwardly , such that a downwardly directed force on the valve stem 22 generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the container 10 produces downward displacement of the valve stem 22 , thereby opening the associated valve and allowing the pressurized contents to flow out of the container 10 through the valve stem 22 . cap assembly 14 includes substantially cylindrically shaped cap 24 which is adapted to clampingly engage an inner and outer portion of the upstanding inner annular rim 18 on container 10 . the cap 24 has an outer flange 26 which is resilient and spread to engage the outer diameter of the can rim 18 . a plurality of interior , resilient , downwardly extending prongs 28 , each terminating in a radially extending hook 30 , seat along spaced portions of the inner diameter of the can rim 18 , which along with the outer flange 26 , firmly clamps the cap 24 to the can rim 18 . the cap 24 also includes a downwardly extending , annular , interior flange 32 which surrounds valve 22 and serves as a shield against a spray emanating from the pressurized container 10 when the cap 24 is removed to &# 34 ; disarm &# 34 ; the container . the container 10 is &# 34 ; armed &# 34 ; by the cap 24 which has a central bore 34 therethrough having an annular shoulder 36 within the interior thereof which sealingly engages the end of the container valve stem 22 and urges the latter downwardly to release the pressurized contents when the cap 24 is fitted on the can rim 18 . an end of flexible connector or conduit 16 is received within the cap bore 34 . the cap 24 has an annular , externally threaded extension 38 which receives a nut 40 and an internal ferrule 42 surrounding conduit 16 within bore 34 to clamp the flexible connector 16 and ferrule 42 within the bore 34 of the cap 24 . the flexible connector or conduit 16 conducts the pressurized contents of the container 10 to the remote delivery nozzle or wand 12 connected to the opposite end of the connector 16 by a similar ferrule and nut assembly 44 for delivery at a site remote from the container 10 . the nozzle or wand 12 includes an elongated pencil - like member 46 having an octagonal cross - section . the flat surfaces 48 on the eight - sided member enables the wand 12 to be readily gripped by the user , who must maintain a proper orientation of the wand lip 50 . the wand 12 includes an elongated inlet passage 52 connected to the &# 34 ; armed &# 34 ; or pressurized container 10 through the flexible conduit 16 and an elongated outlet passage 54 in communication with a suitable attachment , such as a hollow tube 56 terminating in an application brush 58 . a manually operable valve assembly 60 is interposed between the pressurized inlet passage 52 and the outlet passage 54 . the valve assembly 60 includes a plug 62 welded to the top of the wand or nozzle 12 and a vertically reciprocable plunger 64 each housed within a transverse bore 65 between inlet passage 52 and outlet passage 54 . the plunger 64 is biased by a spring 68 held captive between facing bores 70 and 72 in the plug 62 and plunger 64 , respectively , to a position sealing communication between the inlet and outlet passages 52 and 54 . the seal is effected by an annular rib 74 having a lower portion 75 seated on an annular shoulder 76 surrounding bore 65 ( see fig8 ) to preclude communication of passage 52 with passage 54 through bore 65 or by an o - ring 78 disposed between an annular flange 80 and shoulder 76 ( see fig9 ). a thin button - like membrane 82 is provided on the wand 12 immediately below the plunger 64 , which when depressed or flexed will contact and move the plunger 64 upwardly against the bias of the spring 68 between the plug 62 and plunger 64 , establishing communication between the inlet and outlet passages 52 and 54 through transverse bore 65 by moving annular rib 74 ( fig8 ) or flange 80 ( fig9 ) away from shoulder 76 ( and o - ring 78 ) enabling pressurized fluid to be dispensed through the remote outlet passage 54 in the nozzle or wand 12 to the applicator brush 58 . release of finger pressure on the membrane 82 enables the plunger 64 to return to seal communication between the inlet and outlet passages under the return urging of spring 68 and fluid in inlet passage 52 . if desired , a cap 84 can be disposed about the membrane 82 to reinforce the membrane . cap 84 has an annular , inwardly directed flange 86 adapted to be received and snapped over diametrically opposed , radial lips 88 and 90 extending outwardly from membrane 82 to preclude the cap 84 from falling off the membrane . such a wand construction assures accurate application of the pressurized contents of the container 10 with a minimum of finger fatigue . the wand 12 , conduit 16 and cap assembly 14 can all be constructed from a suitable plastic material , such as polyethylene . it is also within the scope of the invention that the central bore 34 of cap 24 can be shaped to contact and open other types of container valve stems 22 to &# 34 ; arm &# 34 ; the container 10 . for example , the central bore 34 can be provided with a camming shoulder or shim to contact and cant or pivot downwardly the commonly used pivotable valve stem .
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it should be understood at the outset that although an illustrative implementation of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated below , the present system may be implemented using any number of techniques , whether currently known or in existence . the present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations , drawings , and techniques illustrated below , including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents . when holding a handset to view a movie or some other video - based content , a user might need to maintain his or her hand in an awkward position to achieve a suitable viewing angle for the handset . holding a handset for an extended period of time can become tiresome . if the user chooses to rest the handset on a horizontal surface , such as a desk or tabletop , the resulting viewing angle may not be conductive to viewing or may not provide a high quality picture . if the user chooses to lean the handset against an object to achieve a proper viewing angle , the handset might be likely to slip or fall . in embodiments of the present disclosure , a stand is provided that can hold a handset in adjustable positions on a table , desk , or similar surface . the stand includes a cradle into which the handset can be inserted and which can be adjusted to allow the handset to be viewed at different angles . in this way , the viewing angle can easily be adjusted to suit the preferences of the user for comfort and picture quality . the handset can then be securely held in the selected position . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of such a stand 5 . the stand 5 includes a fixed portion 10 , or base , with a bottom surface that is substantially flat so that the stand 5 can be placed securely on a flat surface such as a desktop or tabletop . the stand 5 also includes an adjustable portion 20 that can hold a handset . fig2 illustrates a handset 30 that has been placed in the adjustable portion 20 of the stand 5 . in an embodiment , the adjustable portion 20 , or cradle , is capable of swiveling so that the handset 30 can be viewed at different angles . fig3 illustrates a mechanism 40 that can allow the cradle 20 to rotate through a range of angles . the mechanism 40 might be a hinge , an axle , a ball joint , or some other well - known apparatus for providing rotational motion . the mechanism 40 might allow rotation through a single axis or through multiple axes of rotation . for example , the handset 30 might rotate “ backwards / forwards ” about a horizontal axis 42 as shown in fig3 and might also rotate “ left / right ” about a vertical axis 44 as shown in fig2 . regardless of the precise nature of the mechanism 40 , the mechanism 40 can be provided with a means for holding the cradle 20 securely at a desired angle . for example , the mechanism 40 might be a friction hinge that holds the cradle 20 in a particular disposition by friction or might be a ratchet hinge that holds the cradle 20 in a particular disposition by a ratcheting action . one of skill in the art will recognize other ways in which the cradle 20 could be prevented from rotating away from the desired angle by the force of gravity pulling downward on the handset 30 . in an embodiment , the stand 5 can be provided with sufficient weight to counterbalance the weight of the handset 30 when the handset 30 is inserted into the stand 5 at the different possible angles . this can prevent the force of gravity from toppling the stand 5 when the handset 30 is inserted into the stand 5 at angles far from the vertical . fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c , and 4 d illustrate various angles at which the handset 30 could be positioned . one of these angles might provide a user of a portable streaming video player , for example , a comfortable viewing angle for watching a movie , a streaming video broadcast , or some other video content . a particular angle might also reduce glare to a minimum . if the user wished to change the viewing angle , the user could simply swivel the handset 30 forward or backward and the cradle 20 would hold the handset 30 in the desired position . it can be seen in fig5 that the cradle 20 can rotate in such a manner that the cradle 20 does not substantially protrude from the fixed portion 10 . that is , the fixed portion 10 might include an opening of such a size and shape that , when the cradle 20 is rotated to an appropriate angle , the cradle 20 is substantially contained within the interior of the fixed portion 10 . this can make the stand 5 more compact and more portable and can reduce the likelihood of the cradle 20 being exposed to damage when the stand 5 is being carried or transported . when the cradle 20 is in this storage mode , it may not be possible to insert the handset 30 into the cradle 20 . in one embodiment , the stand 5 is manufactured to be used with a particular brand , type , or model of handset 30 and the cradle 20 has a fixed size appropriate for the handset 30 for which the stand 5 was made . in an alternative embodiment , the size and shape of the cradle 20 may be adjustable to accommodate different sizes and shapes of handsets 30 . for example , the cradle 20 might contain moveable sides or a similar mechanism to hold different shapes and sizes of handsets 30 in the cradle 20 . alternatively , the cradle 20 might contain an insert of foam or similar material that can conform to different shapes and sizes of handsets 30 and thus hold the handset 30 in place . in still other embodiments , other techniques or configuration may be used to retain handsets of varying sizes , which will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art in view of the present teachings . in an embodiment , the stand 5 includes a component for providing an electrical charge to the handset 30 . this is illustrated in fig6 , where a charging cable 50 connects the handset 30 to the stand 5 . electricity can flow from the stand 5 to the handset 30 through the charging cable 50 to charge a battery in the handset 30 . while the charging cable 50 is shown in fig6 connecting the rear portion of the handset 30 to the rear portion of the stand 5 , in other embodiments the charging cable 50 can connect the handset 30 and the stand 5 in other locations . also , the charging connection may be a more direct connection than the connection via the cable 50 . for example , the handset 30 might have a charging port on its bottom surface and the cradle 20 might have a charging port on its upper surface such that , when the handset 30 is placed in the cradle 20 , the charging port on the handset 30 connects to the charging port on the cradle 20 . in an embodiment , the stand 5 includes at least one speaker that can play sounds generated by the handset 30 . a speaker cable 60 might connect an audio output port on the handset 30 to an audio input port on the stand 5 . when the speaker cable 60 is connected , sounds that would otherwise come from a speaker on the handset 30 might instead come from the speaker or speakers on the stand 5 . alternatively , sounds might be emitted simultaneously by both the speaker on the handset 30 and the speaker or speakers on the stand 5 . in an alternative embodiment , the handset 30 might have an audio output port on its bottom surface and the cradle 20 might have an audio input port on its upper surface such that , when the handset 30 is placed in the cradle 20 , the audio output port on the handset 30 connects to the audio input port on the cradle 20 . fig1 shows a single speaker 70 on the front portion of the stand 5 , but in other embodiments two or more speakers 70 might be present to provide stereo sound . also , the speaker 70 or speakers 70 might be located in other positions on the stand 5 or might be external to and attachable to the stand 5 . while several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure , it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure . the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein . for example , the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted , or not implemented . also , techniques , systems , subsystems and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems , modules , techniques , or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be coupled through some interface or device , such that the items may no longer be considered directly coupled to each other but may still be indirectly coupled and in communication , whether electrically , mechanically , or otherwise with one another . other examples of changes , substitutions , and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein .
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fig1 , 1 a and 1 b show a containerized autopsy facility 20 . the facility 20 comprises an autopsy container 30 and a support container 60 . the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 are each insulated ( refrigerated ) containers enveloping an air - tight , sealed compartment . the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 may vary according to needs and requirements without departing from the basis of the invention . exemplary containers for use in the practice of this invention include , but are not limited to 20 - foot iso containers ( length of 20 ft and width of 8 ft ); 40 foot iso containers ( length of 40 ft and width of 8 ft ); super high cube containers ( oversize containers ); and air containers ( containers conforming to standards laid down for air transportation ). in a preferred embodiment , the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 are of 40 ft in length × 8 ft in width × 9 . 5 ft in height . for the autopsy container 30 , a seamless and sealed compartment is formed before the installation of all essential mechanical , electrical and safety devices . the walls and floor are of stainless steel finish with epoxy coating . all services entering and exiting the autopsy container 30 are sealed and made gas tight . this configuration has the features of a “ box in box ” concept . the insulated ( refrigerated ) container forms the outer box , while another inner lining forms the inner box . this arrangement will therefore provide a double seal for the container 30 , for containment purposes at bsl - 4 level . the autopsy container 30 has a changing room 31 , a shower room 32 , a decontamination compartment 33 , comprising a microwave disinfecting / sterilization system compartment 34 , an autopsy room 35 and a filter room 36 . in another embodiment , the decontamination compartment 33 comprises an autoclave system . the support container 60 compartment is formed by lining the wall , floor and ceiling with steel plates and finished with heavy - duty seamless vinyl sheets . all services entering and exiting the support container 60 are also sealed . the support container 60 has a support office 61 and plant rooms 62 and 63 . the support container 60 is designed to work in close conjunction with the autopsy container 30 . connection between the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 is via flexible duct connectors 85 a and 85 b . the rest of the services which includes , compressed air pipes 81 , water pipes 94 , chemical dosing pipes 95 , electrical wires / cables 96 , cctv cables 97 , and communication system cables 98 will be interconnected between the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 by quick - joint / de - coupling systems ( not shown ). with reference to fig1 and fig2 , the autopsy room 35 , in the autopsy container 30 , is a room where autopsies are performed . it comprises a mobile autopsy trolley 40 , with a body tray 40 a , on which autopsies of the bodies will be carried out . this mobile autopsy trolley 40 , with the body tray 40 a , will also be used to transport the body , which is to be examined from the point of delivery ( at a security door 37 a ) to the autopsy room 35 . the body , which will be enclosed in double body bags and placed on the body tray 40 a of the mobile autopsy trolley 40 , will enter the autopsy room 35 via the security door 37 a . it will then be pushed through a gas tight door 38 b , which is for access to the decontamination compartment 33 and through another gas tight door 38 c , which is for access to the autopsy room 35 . the first gas tight door 38 b must be closed before the second gas tight door 38 c can be opened . thereafter , the mobile autopsy trolley 40 will be parked closest to a down draft workstation 43 , comprising of a sink 43 a . the body tray 40 a on the mobile autopsy trolley 40 will be placed to overlap the sink 43 a so that any fluid / blood / water so collected on the body tray 40 a will be directed to flow into the sink 43 a and then to a drain / waste treatment system / dilution tank 47 . “ vulcathene ” pipes will be used for the draining of all wastewater within the autopsy container 30 . all wastewater will be routed to the dilution tank 47 and treated before being discharged to the sewer ( not shown ). the down draft workstation 43 is for the dissection of body organs after they have been eviscerated from the body during the initial part of the autopsy . this down draft workstation 43 is located at the far end of the autopsy room 35 just next to the filter room 36 . the purpose of the down draft workstation 43 is to provide down draft exhaust air so that any fumes or airborne organisms released during the autopsy would be drawn from the source in a downward manner away from the operators . the exhaust duct 43 b from the down draft workstation 43 will be connected to a safe change filter 45 . in particular reference to fig2 , there is a need for running water during the autopsy process and the sink 43 a on the down draft workstation 43 is to facilitate this purpose . the filter room 36 in the autopsy container 30 houses the safe - change filter 45 for the exhaust system with exhaust duct 46 , a gas tight shut off damper 41 . with this arrangement , all contaminated air from the autopsy container 30 will have to pass through the safe change filter 45 before being directed to a plenum box 82 for discharge at exhaust air stacks 84 in a plant room 62 in the support container 60 . a gas tight shut off damper 48 ensures that in transportation mode , when the flexible connector 85 b is not connected , no air will escape from exhaust duct 46 . the safe - change filter 45 comprises hepa filters of 99 . 97 % efficiency at 0 . 3 microns , an ultraviolet light section and an activated carbon section for odor control . magnehelic gauges will be used to monitor the hepa filters . a formalin vaporizer dispenser 50 is installed in filter - room 36 for purposes of decontamination . this formalin vaporizer dispenser 50 can be activated remotely from a support office 61 in the support container 60 . a remote transmitter and receiver 86 is installed in the filter room 36 , close to where the pathologist operates in the autopsy room 35 . the remote transmitter receiver 86 will be hard - wired to an amplifier 87 in the support office 61 in the support container 60 . this is to enable the pathologist to communicate with the duty officer in the support office 61 . inside the support container 60 , the support office 61 houses a plurality of chairs 64 a , 64 b and 64 c , keyboards 65 a and 65 b , monitor screens 66 a and 66 b , a washing basin 67 , a locker 68 , a changing room 69 , a cabinet 70 , a wall mounted air conditioning unit 71 and a tabletop refrigerator 72 . the support office 61 is connected to the autopsy room 35 by a cctv system ( not shown ) for monitoring of autopsy services and also to keep watch on the safety of the autopsy personnel during the autopsy process . the plant - room 62 houses a condensing unit 73 for the wall - mounted air - conditioner 71 and a condenser discharge air duct 74 . it also houses two condensing units 76 a and 76 b for the first stage pre - cooled air conditioner ( ahu1 ) 75 a and a second stage air - cooled split type air - conditioner ( ahu2 ) 75 b , and a hot air duct 77 to expunge hot air . exhaust air fans 83 a and 83 b , a dosing station 78 , which comprises an atomizer 90 and an air compressor 91 , which is connected to the dosing pipes 78 a and 78 b in the autopsy container 35 for purposes of spraying disinfectant are also housed in plant room 62 . the plant room 63 houses ahu1 75 a and ahu2 75 b , two self - contained breathing apparatus ( scba ) systems 101 and 102 and their related air compressors 92 a , 92 b and 92 c . the scba system 101 is a self - contained breathing air system , which is designed to supply breathing air to the autopsy container 30 for air suits that are worn by autopsy personnel in a bsl - 4 environment . the breathing air is supplied by two compressors 92 b and 92 c in the plant room 63 in the container 60 to the scba air - lines connector 79 c in the autopsy container 30 . the compressors 92 b and 92 c act as backups for each other . in the event of one compressor 92 b failing , another compressor 92 c will automatically come into operation and vice - versa . in the event of failure of compressors 92 b and 92 c , another scba system 102 , which comprises the scuba compressor 92 a , and two scuba tanks 79 a and 79 b will then be automatically activated . the air from these two compressed air systems has to pass through a flow monitoring system 79 d before being distributed to the scba air - lines . in this way , there is a 100 % back up for the scba for the air suits . when the scba is in operation , autopsy personnel may plug into the pressurized air supply at convenient strategic points . in use , the air - conditioning system of the autopsy container 30 is designed to provide 20 - 25 air changes within the critical negative air pressure environments , namely the autopsy room 35 and the decontamination compartment 33 . the air - conditioning system is controlled within the plant room 63 and provides 100 % fresh air to be drawn from the atmosphere via an intake grille ( not shown ) on the exterior of the support container 60 . this 100 % fresh air will pass through a series of pre - and hepa filters before being drawn into an air - cooled split type pre - cooled air - conditioner 75 a and 75 b . the first stage pre - cool air - conditioner ( ahu1 ) 75 a will cool the fresh air before it is passed to a second stage air - cooled split type air - conditioner ( ahu2 ) 75 b . the second stage air - conditioner 75 b is for conditioning and cooling of the first stage air before it is supplied to the conditioned space . thus , all fresh air is hepa filtered and conditioned prior to entering the conditioned space . the condensing units 76 a and 76 b are interconnected to the fan coil unit of the air - cooled split type pre - cooled air conditioners , 75 a and 75 b by refrigerant pipes 75 c and the condensing air is discharged via hot air duct 77 on one side of the support container 60 , away from the supply air intake . the air - conditioning system is designed such that the air - conditioners will only operate when the exhaust system is operating . this is to prevent the positive pressurization of either of the negative pressure compartments . the control and alarm systems are connected to pressure gauges to monitor this pressure control system . within the autopsy room 35 , specially designed ducts to the safe change filter 45 connect exhaust ducts from the down draft work station 43 and the mobile autopsy trolley 40 . the exhaust air from the autopsy container 30 is drawn through the safe change filter system 45 in the filter room 36 by an exhaust fan , either 83 a or 83 b in the plant room 62 . two exhaust fans 83 a and 83 b are installed , with one as a 100 % standby unit for the purpose of exhausting air . should the duty fan fail , the standby fan will be initiated . each exhaust fan 83 a , 83 b has an exhaust duct to the removable exhaust air stack 84 to discharge the cleaned up exhaust air . by drawing exhausting air in this manner , a negative pressure is created in the autopsy room 35 as well as in the decontamination compartment 33 . the decontamination compartment 33 is a critical area that is maintained at a negative pressure . this compartment is used for the decontamination of bodies ( in double bags ) after post - mortem examination and thereafter by autopsy personnel for the decontamination of suits . decontamination spray outlets 33 c are provided within the decontamination compartment 33 . the nozzles on the spray outlets 33 c are designed to cover the angle of spray for the post - mortem bodies ( in double bags ) in one mode of operation and then for the decontamination of the pathologist and his or her assistant in air suits after the post - mortem in another . the dosing station 78 in the plant room 62 services the atomizing decontamination system used in the decontamination compartment 33 as well as the autopsy room 35 in the autopsy container 30 . atomizer spray guns ( not shown ) are used for disinfecting and decontamination purposes in the autopsy room 35 . container doors 100 are always closed during all autopsy and general laboratory work . each door is opened only to access the filter room 36 and plant room 62 and plant room 63 for maintenance of equipment and instruments as necessary . there will be provision for a standby independent diesel generator set outside the autopsy container 30 ( not shown ). this will be a stand - alone generator set on a skid with a sound attenuation system . this generator set will be designed to cater for all the electricity supply that both the autopsy container 30 and the support container 60 will require . in the event that temporary power supply is available at site , the generator set will be put on a standby mode . before the commencement of each autopsy session , the autopsy attendants will bring all instruments / equipment for cutting and dissection during the autopsy into the autopsy room 35 . hence , there is no need for any storage cabinets within the autopsy room 35 . some of the instruments / equipment may also be placed on the perforated shelf at the lower portion of the mobile trolley 40 accompanying the body into the autopsy room . the autopsy assisting attendants , after preparing all equipment and instruments for the autopsy , will then wheel in the body to be autopsied on the body tray 40 a , which is on the mobile autopsy trolley 40 , to position in the autopsy room 35 . the attendants , who should have donned the appropriate personal protection equipment ( ppe ), will enter the autopsy container 30 with the body by the security door 37 a . they will then pass through the gas tight door 38 b , which they will have to close before opening another gas tight door 38 c to gain access to the autopsy room 35 . when the body on the body tray 40 a placed on the mobile autopsy trolley 40 is in position , the autopsy assisting attendants will the leave the autopsy room 35 . they should leave by the same procedure as they enter , through the gas tight door 38 c , another gas tight door 38 b and then the security door 37 a , closing each door behind them . the autopsy room 35 is now ready for the pathologist and his or her assistant to enter . the pathologist and his or her assistant change into their “ scrubs ” in the changing room 69 in the support container 60 . they will enter the autopsy container 30 through the security door 37 b into the changing room 31 . they will then don ppe and the appropriate bsl 4 suits in the changing room 31 . prior to donning the air suit , the pathologist will be hooked up with a hands - free intercom set ( not shown ), comprising a hands - free microphone and a headphone ( with a transmitter / receiver ), to allow the pathologist to communicate with the duty officer in the support office 61 . the pathologist and his or her assistant , properly attired , enter the shower room 32 through door 39 . they then enter the decontamination compartment 33 , through the gas tight door 38 a . in a bsl 4 environment , a positive pressure air suit is required . this is to prevent personnel from coming into contact with any deadly viruses . the aforesaid type of pressure suits has a sealed closing system , an internal air control distribution system , a hepa filter and a pair of boots attached to the suit . the exhaust air for the suit is through two magnetic valves . this suit is made of fabric - backed polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) assembled by high frequency welding designed not to be detrimental to the properties of the pvc . the suit is reusable . once the suit is put on , the pathologist and his assistant will have about 5 minutes of breathing air before hooking on to an air supply source . he will have to close the gas tight door 38 a after entering the decontamination compartment 33 . next , he will hook on his air supply to the scba line connector 79 c in the decontamination compartment 33 for his air pressure suit . his assistant will follow the same procedure to get into the decontamination compartment 33 . the pathologist and his or her assistant are now ready to enter the autopsy room 35 . once both the pathologist and his or her assistant enter the autopsy room 35 , they must close the gas tight door 38 c . both the pathologist and his assistant will now hook their air - lines onto to the scba line connector 79 c in the autopsy room 35 . they are now ready to perform the autopsy . for the purposes of maintaining flow of entry to and exit from the autopsy room 35 , all three gas tight doors , 38 a , 38 b and 38 c are interlocked in such a way , that only one of them will be allowed to open at a time . this interlock arrangement will also facilitate the maintenance of negative pressure between the autopsy room 35 and the decontamination compartment 33 . this arrangement will further facilitate the process of the decontamination of bodies and personnel within the decontamination compartment 33 . the pathologist and his or her assistant will then remove both the double body bags , ( which were used to seal the body for transportation ) in order to examine the body . the assistant will then transfer the used body bags to a biohazard disposal bag and then seal up the bag securely . this sealed biohazard disposal bag with its contents is to be put into another biohazard disposal bag , which is also to be securely sealed . the used body bags will now be securely sealed in double biohazard bags and will now be put aside in the autopsy room 35 . the pathologist and his assistant will proceed with the autopsy of the body . during the autopsy , internal and external examination will be carried out . this will include sampling of materials for testing and analysis . when the pathologist and his or her assistant have finished with the autopsy process , the body will first be cleaned and decontaminated . it will then be placed in a body bag . the external surface of the bag will then be decontaminated and another bag will then be applied . similarly , the samples collected will be placed in a sealed container . the external surface of the sealed container will then be decontaminated before placing it into another sealed container . these , plus double body bag , the used body bags , which were sealed in double biohazard disposal bags , and the instruments / equipment used will have to be decontaminated before they are moved out of the autopsy room 35 . the pathologist and his assistant will hook up atomizer spray guns ( not shown ) to the decontamination spray gun connector 80 to spray disinfectant onto the body bag and the body tray 40 a on the mobile autopsy trolley 40 . with particular reference to fig2 , the body ( sealed in double body bags ) on the body tray 40 a and the mobile autopsy trolley 40 plus the samples collected within sealed containers will then be wheeled out through the gas tight door 38 c by the pathologist &# 39 ; s assistant to decontamination compartment 33 and placed in the marked decontamination position . the instruments / needles / sharps used during the autopsy will be collected in special boxes . these are to be placed directly in a microwave container 34 a and the rest of the waste / tissues / parts will be placed in biohazard disposal bags for processing in the microwave waste disinfecting and sterilization system 34 in the decontamination compartment 33 . once the body on the body tray 40 a and the mobile autopsy trolley 40 are in the decontamination position , the pathologist &# 39 ; s assistant will close the gas tight door 38 c and re - enter the autopsy room 35 . he can then start the decontamination cycle . in another embodiment , the decontamination cycle is activated via the support office 61 . disinfectant sprays 33 c will be activated when the decontamination process in the decontamination compartment 33 starts . the pathologist and his or her assistant will remain in the autopsy room 35 to continue the decontamination of the area with the atomizer guns ( not shown ). when the decontamination cycle for the body ends , the autopsy assisting attendants will be called through the intercom system . the autopsy assisting attendants ( who have donned the appropriate ppe ) will then wheel a biohazard container with a fresh disposal bag into the decontamination compartment 33 via security door 37 a and gas tight door 38 b . the decontaminated double biohazard bags , which contain the used body bags , will then be placed in a fresh biohazard disposal bag and then tied up securely by the autopsy assisting attendants . he will then place these triple biohazard disposal bags into the biohazard container . one of the autopsy assisting attendants will then wheel the used body bags , which are now in triple biohazard disposal bags in the biohazard container , away for proper disposal . he will leave by gas tight door 38 b and then security door 37 a closing each door behind him . the other autopsy assisting attendant will then remove the body on the body tray 40 a , which is on the mobile trolley 40 from the decontamination compartment 33 via the gas tight door 38 b and security door 37 . in the interim , the pathologist and his assistant will gather up all the wastes for disposal and bag them in double biohazard bags . once the gas tight door 38 b is closed , the pathologist and his assistant can open the other gas tight door 38 c to gain access to the decontamination compartment 33 . they will now stand in specially marked positions . another set program of disinfectant spray 33 d will be initiated to operate to decontaminate them . when the decontamination cycle is over , the exhaust air cycle will start . after a programmed number of air changes in decontamination compartment 33 has taken place , and when it is deemed safe , the pathologist will remove his air suit , open the gas tight door 38 a and move into the shower room 32 in his “ scrubs ”. he will then take a shower and change into new scrubs in the changing room 31 before leaving the container 30 via the security door 37 b . his assistant will then follow this same procedure to exit the autopsy container 30 . when the microwave cycle is completed in the microwave disinfecting / sterilization system 34 , an indicating light with a buzzer ( not shown ) will be activated in the support office 61 . the autopsy assisting attendants will then gain access to the decontamination compartment 33 and then open up the door to the microwave disinfecting / sterilization system 34 to remove the microwave bags for disposal at proper disposal centers . the autopsy assisting attendants will also remove the decontaminated air suits for further cleaning . the microwave disinfecting / sterilization system 34 provides for the disinfecting and sterilization of biomedical waste for later disposal . it is also used for disinfecting the instruments used during the postmortem . all waste - water from the sinks and floor traps of the autopsy container 30 is collected at a common point in the dilution tank 47 , and treated before being discharged into the sewer lines 49 . the embodiment of the present invention may vary depending on the application . exemplary application for use in the practice of the invention include , but are not limited to veterinary medicine and animal examination , vivisection of research animals and research laboratory environment . while this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that it is capable of further modification ( s ). this application is intended to cover any variations , uses or adaptations of the invention following in general , the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth . as the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention , it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified , but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . various modifications and equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims . therefore , the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the present invention may be practiced . in the following claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function and not only structural equivalents , but also equivalent structures . for example , although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together , whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together , in the environment of fastening wooden parts , a nail and a screw are equivalent structures . “ comprises / comprising ” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , components or groups thereof .
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the present invention relates to compressed air systems . in particular , the present invention relates to an air compressor that uses lubricating oil and to a method and apparatus for preventing migration of oil from the compressor to the compressed air output . the present invention is applicable to air systems of differing constructions . as representative of the invention , fig1 illustrates schematically an air system 10 that is a first embodiment of the invention . the system 10 includes a compressor 12 for compressing inlet air from an inlet line 14 . compressed air from the compressor 12 flows through a discharge line 16 line to a reservoir 18 . the reservoir 18 is connected to various system devices as shown schematically at 20 , such as vehicle brake chambers , that use compressed air to operate . a governor 22 is operative to control operation ( loading and unloading ) of the compressor 12 , in response to sensed pressure in a line 26 from the reservoir 18 , via a control line 24 . fig2 shows schematically the compressor 12 and an apparatus 60 for removing oil from the compressed air output of the compressor 12 , being a first embodiment of the invention . the compressor 14 includes a block 32 and a cylinder head 34 . the cylinder head 34 includes portions not shown including an inlet passage connected with an inlet port , and a discharge passage connected with a discharge port . the inlet passage and the discharge passage are connected in fluid communication with the swept volume of a cylinder 36 in the block 32 . a piston 38 is reciprocable in the cylinder 36 , upon rotation of a crankshaft 40 , to compress air flowing between the inlet port and the discharge port . the compressor 12 has an unloader valve 50 that is normally closed . when the unloader valve 50 is closed , it blocks flow of air out of the cylinder 36 through an unloader passage 52 , so that the air in the cylinder 36 can be compressed by the piston 38 . the compressor 12 has an unloader port 54 for receiving an air pressure unloader signal over the control line 24 , to open ( actuate ) the unloader valve 50 . when the unloader valve 50 is actuated , in conjunction with operation of a discharge valve shut - off system , air can flow out of the cylinder 36 through the unloader passage 52 , thus disabling the flow of compressed air out of the compressor to the vehicle braking system air even when the piston 38 continues to reciprocate . the unloader port 54 also communicates with a discharge port shut - off valve to shut off the discharge port when in the unloaded mode . the compressor 12 , including the piston 38 and cylinder 36 , is lubricated by a lubricant ( not shown ) from a source , such as engine oil from the engine lubrication system 10 . typically a small amount of the lubricating oil flows out of the cylinder 36 ( migrates ) into the compressed air output of the compressor 12 . the system 10 includes an apparatus 60 for removing oil from the air in the system . in the illustrated embodiments , the apparatus 60 is shown as associated with the compressor 12 ; in other embodiments , the apparatus 60 could be located or associated elsewhere in the system 10 . the apparatus 60 includes an unloaded mode delivery chamber or oil removal chamber 62 . the chamber 62 is a volume defined by chamber walls 64 . the chamber 62 is in fluid communication with the unloader passage 52 when the unloader valve 50 is open as shown in fig2 . the chamber walls 64 may be formed as one piece with the compressor block 32 , as shown in fig2 . alternatively , the chamber walls 64 may be formed separately from the cylinder block 32 . a drain port or passage 66 at the bottom of the chamber 62 communicates with the compressor crank case 68 . a condensed oil drain valve 70 is located between the oil removal chamber 62 and the compressor crank case 68 . the valve 70 is controlled by an air pressure unloader signal from the governor 22 over the control line 24 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , a filter element 74 is located in the chamber 62 . the filter element 74 may be any element suitable for filtering or coalescing oil from air . a regenerative aluminum filter is one example . when the pressure in the reservoir 18 is high enough that further supply of compressed air is not needed for the devices 20 , the discharge valve of the compressor 12 is closed , and air pressure is applied at the unloader port 54 , opening ( actuating ) the unloader valve 50 . air that would otherwise be compressed in the cylinder 36 and delivered out the discharge port is not so compressed . instead , air from the cylinder 36 is , on the piston up - stroke , delivered to the oil removal chamber 62 via the unloader passage 52 , which is open because of the opening of the unloader valve 50 . the air flows into the oil removal chamber 62 . as the air expands into the oil removal chamber 62 , it cools . some of the oil in the air condenses out and collects in the chamber 62 . the chamber 62 is preferably maintained at a lower temperature than the cylinder 36 , by being external to the cylinder . this can aid in the condensing of the oil . in addition , oil in the air can be filtered , that is , physically captured by the filter element 74 . on the piston down stroke of the piston 38 , the air in the chamber 62 expands back into the cylinder 36 . this process repeats with each cycle of the piston 38 . when the compressor 12 is thus in the unloaded mode , the pressure in the oil removal chamber 62 cycles constantly , at the frequency of the compressor operation , from one atmosphere to about 4 – 6 atmospheres . in this manner , at least a portion of the oil is removed from the air that is discharged from the cylinder 36 on the piston up - stroke . this can reduce or minimize the amount of oil that migrates into the air flowing into the downstream parts of the system 10 . when the compressor 12 is in the loaded mode , the unloader valve 50 is closed and compressed air is delivered out of the discharge port . during the loaded cycle , oil that was entrained in the filter 74 , as well as oil collected in the chamber 62 , can drain back into the crank case 68 . specifically , when the compressor 12 is loaded , the unloader valve 50 is closed and the drain valve 70 is opened . oil collected in the chamber 62 is allowed to drain from the chamber to the compressor crank case 68 . fig3 and 4 illustrate oil removal apparatus 60 that are other embodiments of the invention . features or alternatives shown in these embodiments can be substituted for or combined with , in any suitable combination , features of the embodiment of fig2 . fig3 illustrates an oil removal apparatus 60 a associated with a compressor 12 a . parts of the apparatus 60 a and the compressor 12 a that are the same as , or similar to , parts of the apparatus 60 and compressor 12 , are given the same reference numerals with the suffix “ a ” attached . in the embodiment of fig3 , the oil removal chamber 62 a is defined by walls 64 a that are formed separately from the compressor block 32 a . in addition , the chamber walls 64 a are spaced apart from the cylinder block 32 a to define a space or air gap 80 between them . this air gap 80 helps to cool the chamber 62 a . further , the chamber walls 64 a are provided with cooling fins 82 to help promote cooling of the chamber 62 a . greater temperature differential between the chamber 62 a and the cylinder 36 a can help to increase oil removal . the apparatus 60 a also includes an oil drain passage 66 a that does not connect the chamber 62 a with the compressor crank case 68 a . rather , the oil drain passage 66 a opens to a port 84 on the exterior of the compressor 12 a . an oil line ( not shown ) can be connected to the port 84 to deliver removed oil back to the lubrication system from which it came , for example , the engine lubrication system . fig4 illustrates an oil removal apparatus 60 b associated with a compressor 12 b . parts of the apparatus 60 b and the compressor 12 b that are the same as , or similar to , parts of the apparatus 60 and compressor 12 , are given the same reference numerals with the suffix “ b ” attached . in the embodiment of fig4 , the oil removal chamber 62 b is defined by walls 64 b that are formed separately from the compressor block 32 b . in addition , the walls 64 b are spaced apart from the cylinder block 32 b . a water jacket 86 at least partially surrounds the chamber walls 64 b . the water jacket 86 can be connected with the cooling system of the compressor 12 itself . the water jacket 86 helps to cool the chamber 62 b . the water jacket 86 is one example of a cooling system that can be used . from the above description of the invention , those skilled in the art will perceive improvements , changes , and modifications in the invention . such improvements , changes , and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims .
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fig1 shows a first embodiment of a charge magazine 1 from the feed - in position 2 of the charge magazine 1 . the charge magazine 1 is arranged at the feed - in position 2 with an openable and closable feed - in hatch 3 , on which one or more propellent charges 4 , also termed increment charges , can be applied . the feed - in hatch 3 is here arranged to hold at least one increment charge 4 in a predetermined position . the applied increment charges 4 are intended to be shifted into a charge container 5 by closure of the feed - in hatch 3 , this being described in greater detail below . the charge container 5 is provided with an openable and closable charge hatch 6 . in fig1 , the charge container 5 is shown with open charge hatch 6 , so that the increment charge 4 or increment charges can be parallel - shifted into the charge container 5 . the charge magazine 1 is provided on its outer side with an operating arm arrangement 7 for controlling the feed - in hatch 3 and the charge hatch 6 . the charge magazine 1 comprises a sensor for indicating a closed charge container 5 . when the feed - in hatch 3 is actuated into the closed position , the increment charge 4 or increment charges are parallel - shifted into the charge container 5 , whereafter the feed - in hatch 3 and the charge hatch 6 are assigned the closed position . the feed - in hatch 3 is provided with a handle 9 and a securing device 10 . in fig2 , the charge magazine 1 is shown from a feed - out position denoted by 11 . a charge container 5 is set in this feed - out position 11 . from fig2 it can be seen that a number of further charge containers are arranged , together with the charge container 5 , in a revolving track ( partially shown ) for the charge containers . four of the charge containers have been provided with reference notations , three charge containers having acquired the notations 5 ′, 5 ″ and 5 ′″. the number of charge containers 5 in the revolving track is preferably between 10 and 25 units . in the illustrated case , 18 charge containers 5 , 5 ′, etc . are arranged in the revolving track . the charge containers 5 , 5 ′, etc . are driven round in the revolving track with the aid of a chain conveyor , the chain of which is marked with 12 , and a hydraulic motor 13 . the charge containers 5 , 5 ′ etc . are arranged guidably in a groove 14 on the inner wall of the charge magazine 1 , more specifically on the inner end faces of the magazine 1 where the respective set of grooves extends round so that pins or studs can run in the grooves so that the charge containers are in this way guided in the revolving track . the charge magazine 1 also comprises at least one ejection member 15 , with which the increment charge 4 or increment charges in the charge container set in the feed - out position 11 are ejectably arranged . the ejection member 15 consists of two parallel ejection parts 15 ′ and 15 ″, which straddle a shaft 16 extending between the end walls of the charge magazine 1 parallelly with , inter alia , the charge containers 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″. the two ejection parts 15 ′ and 15 ″ straddle the said shaft 16 and are displaceable in their longitudinal directions from the position shown in fig2 down into the interior of the charge container 5 , where interaction takes place with one or more accompanying increment charges 4 ( not shown ). the charge hatch 6 , see fig1 , on the charge container 5 is in this case open , so that the ends of the ejection parts 15 ′ and 15 ″ gain entry into the charge container 5 . the longitudinal displacement movement from the position shown in fig2 into a position in which the increment charge 4 or increment charges are ejected from the charge container 5 is achieved with a hydraulic cylinder 17 . the ejection of the increment charges from the charge container 5 takes place counter to the action of bracing members on the underside of the charge container 5 , which is essentially placed opposite to the opening via which the ejection parts 15 ′ and 15 ″ gain entry . the ejection is realized from the charge container 5 down into the loading tray 18 of the gun . after the loading tray 18 has been filled with one or more charges , the loading tray 18 swings with the aid of a swivel arm 19 into a position in which the longitudinal axis 20 of the loading tray , following transport , coincides with the longitudinal axis of the artillery gun ( not shown ). in the illustrated case , ejection of the increment charge or increment charges takes place via opened charge hatches 6 of the respective charge container 5 , which charge hatches 6 form part of the control system of the respective increment charge 4 . the loading tray 18 is realized in an open construction , but can in an alternative embodiment also be realized in an openable and shuttable arrangement . the shaft 16 is mounted in the end faces of the charge magazine 1 and is provided with 2 chain wheels or gearwheels 21 and 21 ′. the various parts of the charge magazine 1 are controllable with a control unit 22 , which forms part of the internal control network of the gun , symbolized by 23 in fig3 . the control unit 22 can be constituted by a type which is known per se and reference is here made to the prior art in connection with artillery guns and other types of firearms . the said control unit 22 thus controls the driving of the revolving track for adjustment of the respective charge container 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″, 5 ′″ into the said feed - in and feed - out positions 2 , 11 . one or more control signals can here exist . the control unit 22 is also arranged to control the ejection members 15 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 for the ejection of one or more increment charges 4 from the respective charge container 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″, 5 ′″. control signals for these control systems are denoted by i 2 . the control unit 22 is also arranged to provide control systems which choose the type and / or content and / or quantity of the increment charge in the various charge containers 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″, 5 ′″. signals for these control systems are in fig3 denoted by i 3 . charge containers which are to be placed in the feed - out position 11 in a certain sequence in the firing of shells or equivalent due to have simultaneous impacts are designated with signals i 4 . the arrangement comprising the openable and closable hatches can be controlled mechanically . the application of the control functions to the various controllable parts of the charge magazine can be realized in a manner which is known per se . in fig4 , the charge container 5 is shown in a detailed realization . the charge container 5 is provided with a charge hatch 6 consisting of two interlockable hatch parts 6 , 6 ″ and can fully enclose the increment charge 4 or increment charges and thereby provide protection against external influence , such as rain , for example . the charge container 5 is operated via a link 25 to an operating arm in a control arrangement 7 , according to the above . the hatch halves 6 ′, 6 ″ are kept closed with the aid of the bias from two springs 28 , arranged in the end faces of the charge container 5 . the linkage from the said operating arm actuates the charge holder 5 so that this opens its hatch halves 6 ′, 6 ″. the movement of the charge container 5 in the revolving track is guided in the aforementioned grooves 14 on the inner sides of the magazine with the aid of two guide studs 27 , 27 ′ arranged on one end face of the charge container 5 . the hatch halves 6 ′, 6 ″ are openable by virtue of the fact that they are rotatably arranged on fixedly mounted hinges on the long sides of the charge container 5 . opening and closing of the hatch halves 6 ′, 6 ″ is controlled under the influence of a bracing spring 28 , which is fixedly mounted between one of the hatch halves 6 ′ 6 ″ and one of the end faces 29 . the inner sides of the hatches 6 ′, 6 ″ can act as in the aforementioned control system in the transfers of the increment charge or increment charges to the loading tray 18 . as is shown in a second embodiment , according to fig5 , a plurality of ejection members 15 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 can be arranged to straddle the shaft 16 . this case is utilized when the charge container 5 placed in the feed - out position comprises a number of increment charges arranged together with one another , and only a limited number of these are to be ejected from the charge container 5 down into the loading tray 22 of the gun . in this case , the interior of the charge container 5 is divided into a number of compartments along its longitudinal extent , and on the underside the charge container 5 can be provided with a corresponding number of hatch parts which are held in place with leaf springs 39 or clips . alternatively , the leaf springs 39 interact directly with the increment charges . the ejection members 15 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 can be controlled individually with hydraulic cylinders 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 . this control can be realized from the control unit 22 in fig3 . through the action of the various ejection members , different numbers of increment charges in the different compartments can be ejected from the charge container 5 . fig6 shows a detailed realization of the interior of the charge container 5 in fig5 . the interior of the charge container 5 is in principle divided into seven different compartments , two compartments having been denoted by 40 and 40 ′. the compartments are separated with partition parts 41 . as is shown in fig6 , one of the compartments 40 ″ is arranged to receive an increment charge of half length in relation to other increment charge lengths . the increment charges are held in place with bracing springs 39 on opposite sides of the respective increment charge 4 , a pair of bracing springs 39 being arranged on the respective compartment . the ejection devices eject the increment charges 4 from the charge container 5 under the influence of the resistance from the said bracing springs 39 . fig7 shows a variant of the interior of the charge container 5 according to fig6 . in this case , no half - length increment charges are utilized , so that compartment 40 ″ is empty . alternative or supplementary increment charges can be constituted by powder bags . various modules of increment charges can be utilized . a packeted increment charge or packeted increment charges is / are advantageous in poor weather conditions . the increment charges can be packeted in various numbers , for example two , three or four increment charges , a variety of combustible packing materials being able to be used , for example paper or plastic . the modules are used for different compositions in order to give different muzzle velocities of the projectiles , shells , etc . in the different module systems , different lengths and different contents are thus available . reference can thus be made to the bofors uniflex 2 system , which gives 12 different muzzle velocities from 315 to 960 m / s . the shells can be arranged in a further magazine , the charge magazine for shells and for increment charges being arranged on both sides of the loading tray of the gun . the further magazine , too , can be given a protected position on the gun and can be constructed similarly to or differently from the increment charge magazine . the invention is not limited to the above examples , but rather can be subject to modifications within the scope of the following patent claims .
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in one embodiment , the present invention relates to an improved stereoselective method for making 9 - deoxy - pgf 1 - type compounds comprising converting a compound of the formula : wherein z is o , s , ch , or nr 8 in which r 8 is h , alkyl or aryl ; x is h , cn , or 9 , or coor 9 in which r 9 is alkyl , thp or tbdms ; wherein y 1 is trans - ch ═ ch —, cis - ch ═ ch —, — ch 2 ( ch 2 ) m —, or — c ≡ c —; m is 1 , 2 , or 3 ; ( 1 ) — c p h 2p — ch 3 , wherein p is an integer from one to 5 , inclusive , ( 2 ) phenoxy optionally substituted by one , two or three chloro , fluoro , trfluioromethyl , ( c 1 - c 3 ) allyl , or ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkoxy , with the proviso that not more than two substituents are other than alkyl , with the proviso that r 7 is phenoxy or substituted phenoxy , only when r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen or methyl , being the same or different , ( 3 ) phenyl , benzyl , phenylethyl , or phenylpropyl optionally substituted on the aromatic ring by one , two or three chloro , fluoro , trifluoromethyl , ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkoxy , with the proviso that not more than two substituents are other than alkyl , ( 1 ) ( c 4 - c 7 ) cycloalkyl optionally substituted by one to 3 ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl ; wherein m 1 is α — oh : β — r 5 or αr : β — oh , wherein r 5 is hydrogen or methyl ; and wherein l 1 is α — r 3 : β — r 4 , α — r 4 : β — r 3 , or a mixture of α — r 3 : β — r 4 and α — r 4 : β — r 3 , wherein r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen , methyl , or fluoro , being the same or different , with the proviso that one of r 3 and r 4 is fluoro only when the other is hydrogen or fluoro . preferably , the above conversion is carried out through cobalt - mediated cyclization , in which a complex is formed with the alkynyl group of the starting compound , which decomposes upon heating to form a tricyclic structure . more preferably , this cyclization is carried out by reacting co 2 ( co ) 8 with the above compound of the formula : using a suitable non - reactive solvent . preferably , the non - reactive solvent is a chlorinated solvent , a hydrocarbon solvent , or an aromatic solvent . more preferably , the non - reactive solvent is ch 2 cl 2 , toluene , isooctane , and heptane . in the case of carrying out the cobalt - mediated cyclization with ch 2 cl 2 , after reacting co 2 ( co ) 8 with the above compound of the formula : in the presence of ch 2 cl 2 to form a complex with the alkynyl group , preferably the ch 2 cl 2 is removed in a subsequent step and replaced with ch 3 cn followed by heating in an inert gas atmosphere , such as argon , nitrogen , or carbon monoxide , which decomposes the complex to form the above tricyclic compound . although co 2 ( co ) 8 contributes a carbonyl during the reaction , it is not necessary to react equal amounts of the starting compound of the above formula and co 2 ( co ) 8 . it is also possible to use the co 2 ( co ) 8 in a catalytic way , by introducing a relatively small amount of co 2 ( co ) 8 and also introducing co into the reaction mixture ( e . g ., by bubbling co into the reaction mixture ) in the presence of light which catalyzes the transfer of co through a co - mediated complex formed with the above compound of the formula : in another preferred embodiment , the present invention relates to an improved stereoselective method for making 9 - deoxy - pgf 1 - type compounds comprising the following reaction : wherein y , is trans - ch ═ ch —, cis - ch ═ ch —, — ch 2 ( ch 2 ) m , or — c ≡ c —; m is 1 , 2 , or 3 ; ( 1 ) — c p h 2p — ch 3 , wherein p is an integer from one to 5 , inclusive , ( 2 ) phenoxy optionally substituted by one , two or three chloro , fluoro , trifluoromethyl , ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkoxy , with the proviso that not more than two substituents are other than alkyl , with the proviso that r 7 is phenoxy or substituted phenoxy , only when r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen or methyl , being the same or different , ( 3 ) phenyl , benzyl , phenylethyl , or phenylpropyl optionally substituted on the aromatic ring by one , two or three chloro , fluoro , trifluoromethyl , ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkyl , or ( c 1 - c 3 ) alkoxy , with the proviso that not more than two substituents are other than alkyl , ( 4 ) cis - ch ═ ch — ch 2 — ch 3 , ( 5 ) —( ch 2 ) 2 — ch ( oh )— ch 3 , or ( 6 ) —( ch 2 ) 3 — ch ═ c ( ch 3 ) 2 ; ( 1 ) ( c 4 - c 7 ) cycloalkyl optionally substituted by one to 3 ( c 1 - c 5 ) alkyl ; wherein m , is α — oh : β — r 5 or α — r 5 : β — oh , wherein r 5 is hydrogen or methyl ; wherein l 1 is α — r 3 : β — r 4 , α — r 4 : β — r 3 , or a mixture of α — r 3 : β — r 4 and α — r 4 : β — r 3 , wherein r 3 and r 4 are hydrogen , methyl , or fluoro , being the same or different , with the proviso that one of r 3 and r 4 is fluoro only when the other is hydrogen or fluoro . the present invention also relates to a method of making the following compounds utilizing the foregoing reaction : wherein r 1 is in each case an independently selected alcohol protecting group . preferred alcohol protecting groups are tertiary butyl dimethyl sily ( tbdms ) and tetra hydro pyranyl ( thp ). the present invention also relates to the following novel intermediate compounds : wherein x , z , y 1 , m 1 , l 1 , r 1 and r 7 are as defined above . the present invention is further illustrated by , though in no way limited to , the following examples . to a solution of imidazole ( 29 . 6 g , 434 mmol , 2 . 8 eq .) in 1 . 0 l of methylene chloride were added 25 g ( 181 mmol ) of 3 - methoxybenzyl alcohol ( u ) in 200 ml of methylene chloride . after all material was dissolved , 32 . 7 g ( 217 mmol , 1 . 2 eq .) of t - butyldimethylsilyl chloride was added in portions . the reaction was stirred overnight at room temperature . the mixture was filtered and washed with water and then brine . the organic layer was separated , dried over mgso 4 , filtered , and evaporated to afford 53 g of a clear yellow oil that was used in the next step without further purification . to a solution of 95 g ( 376 mmol ) of 2 dissolved in 400 ml of hexane under ar at room temperature were added dropwise 26 . 5 g ( 414 mmol , 1 . 1 eq .) of buli in 166 ml of hexane . the mixture was stirred for 2 hours at room temperature , and then the reaction was cooled in an ice bath and 54 . 6 g ( 452 mmol ) of allyl bromide were added dropwise . the reaction was allowed to warmn to room temperature overnight . after stirring for 24 hours , tlc indicated 60 % conversion , and the reaction was quenched with saturated nh 4 cl . the organic layer was separated and washed with brine , dried over mgso 4 , and filtered . evaporation of the solvent yielded a yellow oil which was used in the next reaction without further purification . to a solution 3 ( 110 g , 376 mmol ) in 2 . 0 l of thf were added 128 g ( 489 mmol , 1 . 1 eq .) of tetrabutyl ammonium fluoride ( tbaf ) in 489 ml of thf . the reaction was stirred at room temperature and was complete after 4 hours . the reaction was quenched by adding 500 ml of water . the organic layer was separated and washed with brine and dried over mgso 4 . filtration and evaporation of the solvent produced an orange oil which was purified by flash column chromatography , on silica gel using 10 - 30 % ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluent . the fractions containing the desired product were evaporated to afford 24 g ( 36 % from 3 - methoxybenzyl alcohol ) of a yellow oil . to a solution of 20 . 6 g ( 162 mmol , 1 . 2 eq .) of oxalyl chloride in 250 ml of ch 2 cl 2 under ar at − 78 ° c . were added dropwise 24 . 2 g ( 310 mmol ) of dmso in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . after − 10 minutes , 24 g ( 135 mmol ) of 4 in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 were added dropwise . the mixture was stirred at − 78 ° c . for 30 min ., and then 68 . 3 g ( 675 mmol , 5 . 0 eq .) of etn were added . stirring continued as the reaction warmed to room temperature . the reaction was quenched with h 2 o , washed with saturated nh 4 c 1 solution and brine . the organic layer was separated and dried over mgso 4 . filtration and evaporation of the solvent produced a brown oil which was purified by flash column chromatography , on silica gel using 5 % ethyl acetate in hexanes as the eluent . the fractions containing the desired compound were evaporated to afford 20 . 5 g ( 86 %) of a brown oil . compound a may be synthesized according to s . takano et al ., chemistry lett ., 1987 , p . 2017 . to a solution of side chain ( a ) ( 1 . 6 g , 6 . 72 mmol ) in dry thf ( 10 ml ) which was heated to gentle refluxing under argon was added etmgbr ( 2 . 24 ml , 6 . 72 mmol , 3m solution ). after the addition was complete , the resultant solution was refluxed for 20 min . the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . ( under argon ) and a solution of 5 ( 1 . 183 g , 6 . 72 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml , dried over molecular sieves ) was added dropwise with stirring . after the complete addition , the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 2 - 3 hrs . the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 ° c ., diluted with saturated nh 4 cl solution , concentrated , extracted with ethyl acetate ( 4 × 25 ml ), dried ( mgso 4 ) and the solvent distilled off in vacuo . the crude product ( 2 . 65 g ) was purified by flash chromatography using 10 - 30 % ether in hexane on silica gel to obtain a colorless oil 1 . 45 g ( 52 %) of 6 . to a solution of alcohol 6 ( 1 . 27 g , 13 . 07 mmol ) in dry ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) was added pyridinium chlorochromate ( pcc ) ( 1 . 32 g , 6 . 12 mmol ) and the mixture was stirred at room temperature . pcc slowly dissolved and the color of solution turned orange - black after approx . 5 min . stiring was continued for 3 hrs . the reaction mixture was diluted with ether ( 100 ml ) and filtered through a plug of silica gel . the solid was washed 3 times with ether ( 3 × 50 ml ). after the solvent was removed , the crude product ( 1 . 3 g ) was purified by flash chromatography using 10 % ether in hexane on silica gel to give 900 mg light yellow oil ( 71 %). compound b may be synthesized according to d . s . mathre et al ., j . org . chem . 1991 , vol . 56 , p . 751 ; p . beak , org . synth ., 1997 , p . 23 . compound b ( 1 . 08 g , 4 . 26 mmol ) was dissolved in 30 ml of anh . toluene under argon . trimethylboroxine uc ( 0 . 357 g , 2 . 84 mmol ) was added dropwise and the resulting solution was stirred at room temperature . white solid separated out after 34 min . after stirring for 30 min ., toluene was distilled out at atmospheric pressure . again 20 ml of dry toluene were added and distilled out . this distillation was repeated for 2 more times . the solution of reagent in toluene was allowed to cool under argon . a solution of ketone 7 ( 0 . 88 g , 2 . 14 mmol ) in dry thf ( 20 ml ) was dried over molecular sieves for 2 hrs and added to the above reagent solution . the resulting solution was cooled to − 30 ° c . ( ch 3 cn , co 2 ) under argon and borane - methylsulfide complex ( 1 . 07 ml , 10 . 71 mmol ) was added dropwise with stirring . after stirring at − 30 ° c . for 1 hr , the reaction was quenched with methanol ( 10 ml ), diluted with ether ( 100 ml ), washed successively with saturated nh 4 cl , nahco 3 solution and brine , dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated in vacuo to yield a crude product ( 2 . 3 g ). the crude product was purified by flash chromatography using 10 % ether in hexanes on silica gel to give 770 mg of 8 as a colorless oil ( 87 %). tbdmscl ( 0 . 337 g , 2 . 23 mmol ) and imidazole ( 0 . 335 g , 4 . 65 mmol ) were added to the solution of 8 ( 0 . 770 g , 1 . 86 mmol ) in dmf ( 20 ml ) at room temperature under argon , and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 34 hrs . after the reaction was quenched with sat . nh 4 cl , the reaction mixture was extracted with ether ( 3 × 50 ml ). the combined ether extracts were dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated in vacuo . the crude oil was purified by chromatography using 5 % ether in hexane on silica gel to yield 860 mg of 9 as a colorless oil ( 88 %). compound 9 ( 0 . 840 g , 1 . 59 mmol ) was dissolved in dry ch 2 cl 2 ( 15 ml ) under argon , and co 2 ( co ), ( 0 . 653 g , 1 . 91 mmol ) was added to it and stirred at room temperature under argon . carbon monoxide evolved out slowly , and the solution turned dark brown after 5 min . stirring was continued for 30 min . at room temperature . ch 2 cl 2 was distilled out from the above solution . the complex was dissolved in dry ch 3 cn ( 50 ml ), and the solution was refluxed under argon for 2 hrs . this solvent was distilled out , the crude mass was dissolved in ether and passed quickly through a short column of neutral alumina to yield 850 mg of light brown oil ( 96 %). compound 10 ( 0 . 850 g , 1 . 53 mmol ) was dissolved in absolute ethaol ( 50 ml ). anh . k 2 co 3 ( 0 . 020 g ) and pdlc ( 0 . 550 g , 10 %, wet ) were added and the mixture was hydrogenated at 20 psi pressure for 13 hrs . the reaction mixture was filtered through celite and concentrated in vacuo . the crude product ( 800 mg ) was purified by chromatography using 10 - 30 % ether in hexane on silica gel to yield 440 mg of colorless oil ( 67 %). a solution of ketone 11 ( 0 . 430 g ) in 95 % ethanol was cooled to − 10 ° c . 10 % naoh ( 6 ml ) and nabh 4 ( 0 . 080 g ) were added and the mixture was stirred at − 10 ° c . for 1 hr . then one more eq . of nabh 4 ( 0 . 080 g ) was added and stirring was continued for another 5 hrs . at − 10 ° c . after quenching carefully with glacial acetic acid , the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . resulting oil was dissolved in ethyl acetate , washed with aq . nahco 3 , brine , dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated in vacuo to obtain 430 mg of colorless oil ( 98 %) which has a single spot on tlc . further purification was not required . to 400 mg ( 0 . 93 mmol ) of compound 12 dissolved in methanol ( 10 ml ) was added p - tsoh ( 20 mg ), and the solution was stirred at room temperature until tlc showed completion of the reaction ( 2 hrs ). - the solvent was removed in vacuo , the residue was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 , washed with sat . nahco 3 , dried ( mgso 4 ), and concentrated in vacuo . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography ( 30 % ether in hexanes as eluent ) to give 250 mg 13 ( 78 %). n - buli ( 1 . 1 ml , 1 . 72 mmol )( 1 . 6 m in hexanes ) was added dropwise to a cold (− 20 ° c .) and stirred solution of diphenylphosphine ( 0 . 28 g , 1 . 5 mmol ) in anhydrous thf ( 8 ml ) under argon . the reaction mixture was warmed to room temperature ( 20 ° c .). a solution of diol ( 1 ) ( 0 . 17 g , 0 . 49 mmol ) in dry thf ( 0 . 6 ml ) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture and the whole solution was heated to reflux for 3 hrs ( tlc shows starting material ), heating was stopped and the reaction mixture was cooled again to − 20 ° c . and diphenylphosphine ( 0 . 37 g , 1 . 96 mmol ) was added followed by dropwise addition of n - buli ( 1 . 5 ml , 2 . 38 mmol )( 1 . 6m in hexanes ) under argon . after complete addition , the reaction mixture was warmed to 20 ° c . and then refluxed for 18 hrs . tlc shows 80 - 90 % conversion ( 14 ). the reaction mixture was cooled to − 5 ° c . and then an aqueous solution of nacl containing 5 % conc . hcl was added dropwise to quench the reaction . the reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate 3 × 20 ml and the combined organic layers were washed with brine and dried ( naso 4 ), filtered and concentrated . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography ( 50 % etoac / hex . as eluent ) to give 0 . 12 g of product ( 75 %) ( 22 mg of starting diol was recovered ). a suspension of compound ( 14 )( 0 . 12 g . 0 . 37 mmol ), chloroacetonitrile ( 0 . 56 g , 7 . 4 mmol ) and k 2 co 3 ( 0 . 51 g , 3 . 7 mmol ) in dry acetone ( 15 ml ) was refluxed under ar for 20 hrs . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and celite ( 0 . 5 g ) was added . after the mixture was filtered , the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography using 1 : 1 etoac / hexanes as eluent to yield 0 . 12 g of product ( 95 %). aqueous koh ( 0 . 4 g , 7 . 12 mmol , water 1 . 2 ml , 35 % solution ) was added dropwise to a stirred solution of nitrile compound ( 15 ) ( 0 . 072 g , 0 . 21 mmol ) in methanol ( 4 ml ) and the reaction mixture was refluxed for 3 hrs . the reaction mixture was cooled to 10c , dilute aqueous hcl was added to ph 8 and the solvent was removed in vacua . ethyl acetate ( 20 ml ) and aqueous nacl solution ( 10 ml ) were added and the ph of the reaction mixture was acidified to between 2 and 3 by addition of 2 % hcl . the reaction mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 20 ml ). the combined ethyl acetate extracts were washed with brine , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography using a dichloromethane solution containing 3 % methanol and 0 . 1 % acetic acid as eluent to yield 0 . 076 g of product ( 95 %). it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the processes and novel intermediates of this invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations , provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . the disclosure of all publications cited above are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties to the same extent as if each were incorporated by reference individually .
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the present invention has utility in promoting plant growth and inhibiting pests through simultaneous broadcast distribution of a composition containing bait particles and fertilizer particles . the present invention was facilitated by an appreciation that fertilizer particle fragments adhering to a bait particle render the bait particles unattractive to a target pest . compositions and processes for practicing the present invention are disclosed hereinbelow . a composition according to the invention includes two or more particle types , one or more including a fertilizer component and one including a pest bait component . the particles included in an inventive composition are capable of delivering a fertilizer or bait to a desired site without any significant adhesion of the fertilizer to the bait during production , distribution or application so as to retain the attractive aspects of the bait . the commingled fertilizer and bait particles included in a composition according to the invention are resistant to crushing and aggregation , and are generally free flowing . crushing of fertilizer and bait particulate during mixing is inhibited through the use of a mechanical fluidizing blender to systematically entrain air into the mixture . a preferred composition provided by the present invention includes a non - tacky bait particle , such that contact between the bait and fertilizer does not cause the bait particle to adhere a layer of fertilizer thereon , fertilizer tending to be repugnant to pests . an inventive composition is preferably produced by mixing two particle types as described herein . optionally , more than two particle types are included in an inventive composition . for example , multiple bait particle types are included in one embodiment in order to attract multiple pest species . a composition according to the invention includes a mixture of two or more particle types , each particle type having a bulk density . particularly preferred is a composition in which fertilizer particle ( s ) and a bait particle are density matched . in general , particles are formulated to be density matched so as to favor maintenance of substantially homogeneous distribution of the two particle types in a container , such as during transport . also , density matching serves to support homogeneous distribution of the two particle types during application , such as by broadcast distribution of the composition . the term “ density matched ” as used herein indicates that two particle types included in an inventive composition are formulated such that their bulk densities are within 70 % of each other and preferably within 50 % of each other . further included in the definition of the term “ density matching ” is a provision for size adjustment of one or both particle types . in one embodiment , where the bulk densities of the two particle type are not within 50 % of each other , particle size is adjusted to provide a composition which resists separation of the two particle types , that is , for instance , movement of the heavier particle type to the bottom of a container with resulting displacement of the lighter particles and their concentration in the upper region of the container . thus , in one embodiment , in a composition which includes a first particle which has a lower bulk density than a second particle , the size of the lighter particle type is decreased . in a preferred embodiment , the size of the lighter particle is decreased such that it has a volume in the range of 50 - 99 . 9 % compared to the volume of the lighter particle . in a particular example , a first particle has a bulk density of 20 lbs / ft 3 and a second particle has a bulk density of 50 lbs / ft 3 . in order to provide an advantageous composition , the size of the second particle is decreased such that it has a volume in the range of 60 - 80 % compared to the volume of the lighter particle . a particularly advantageous composition includes fertilizer particle ( s ) and a bait particle which have substantially similar bulk densities . preferably , both the fertilizer particle ( s ) and bait particle have a bulk density in the range of 2 . 5 - 80 lbs / ft 3 , inclusive . more preferably , both the fertilizer particle ( s ) and bait particle each independently have a bulk density in the range of 20 - 60 lbs / ft 3 , inclusive , and within 50 % of each other . for example , in one embodiment , a first particle type has a bulk density in the range of 30 pounds per cubic foot — 40 pounds per cubic foot , inclusive , and a second particle type has a bulk density in the range of 20 pounds per cubic foot — 60 pounds per cubic foot , inclusive . typically , dimensionally averaged linear length of the particles is in the range of 0 . 0029 to 1 inch . in general , a preferred shape of particles included in an inventive composition is spherical or nearly spherical . however , other shapes may also be used illustratively including cylinders , rods , cones , discs , needles and irregular shapes . in one embodiment , the particles are preferably shaped to accommodate different types of spreaders , such as aerial spreaders and cyclone - type spreaders . preferred shapes for such spreaders include spheres , generally flat oval platelets and pellets . a fertilizer particle in an inventive composition includes a plant nutrient such as a macronutrient , secondary nutrient , micronutrient , nitrogen source , phosphorus source , potassium source , or combination thereof bioavailable in form initially or after decomposition to a plant . a bioavailable plant nutrient is in a form that fills a nutritional requirement of a plant either directly , where the plant is capable of physiological processing of an ingredient , or indirectly , where another organism such as a bacterium must first act on the ingredient to produce a form usable by the plant . illustrative examples of a bioavailable nitrogen sources operative as plant nutrient ingredients include methylene urea oligomers and / or polymers , nutralene , oxamide , urea formaldehyde - based compounds , dicyandiamide , crotilidiene diurea , nitrocellulose , metal ammonium phosphates , ammonium nitrate , ammonium sulfate , urea , coated urea , monoammonium phosphate , diammonium phosphate , calcium nitrate , isobutylidene diurea , urea - triazone , and other fertilizers as detailed herein . npk sources operative herein as single or multiple sources of nitrogen , phosphorus , and / or potassium include : ammonium phosphate , triple super phosphate , phosphoric acid , potassium sulphate , potassium nitrate , potassium metaphosphate , potassium chloride , dipotassium carbonate , potassium oxide and a combination thereof . in one embodiment of a fertilizer particle included in an inventive composition , a nitrogen source is present in an amount ranging from 30 % to 99 . 5 % by weight of the total dry weight of the fertilizer particle . in a further embodiment , the nitrogen source is present in an amount ranging from 50 % to 99 % by weight of the total dry weight of the fertilizer particle . preferably , included in a fertilizer particle is a binder component present in an amount ranging from 5 % to 75 % by weight of the total dry weight of the fertilizer particle . in a further embodiment , the binder component is present in an amount ranging from 1 % to 25 % by weight of the total dry weight of the fertilizer particle . a binder component is included in a fertilizer particle as necessary to produce or promote cohesion in forming a particle capable of retaining a specified form during transport and / or distribution . a binder component may be a carbohydrate , protein , lipid , synthetic polymer , glycolipid , glycoprotein , lipoprotein , lignin , a lignin derivative , a carbohydrate - based composition , and a combination thereof . in a preferred embodiment the binder component is a lignin derivative and is optionally calcium lignosulfonate . in another option , the binder component is selected from the group consisting of : a monosaccharide , a disaccharide , an oligosaccharide , a polysaccharide and combinations thereof . specific carbohydrate binders illustratively include glucose , mannose , fructose , galactose , sucrose , lactose , maltose , xylose , arabinose , trehalose and mixtures thereof such as corn syrup ; celluloses such as carboxymethylcellulose , ethylcellulose , hydroxyethylcellulose , hydroxymethylethylcellulose , hydroxyethylpropylcellulose , methylhydroxyethyl - cellulose , methylcellulose ; starches such as amylose , seagel , starch acetates , starch hydroxyethyl ethers , ionic starches , long - chain alkyl starches , dextrins , amine starches , phosphates starches , and dialdehyde starches ; plant starches such as corn starch and potato starch ; other carbohydrates such as pectin , amylopectin , xylan , glycogen , agar , alginic acid , phycocolloids , chitin , gum arabic , guar gum , gum karaya , gum tragacanth and locust bean gum ; vegetable oils such as corn , soybean , peanut , canola , olive and cotton seed ; complex organic substances such as lignin and nitrolignin ; derivatives of lignin such as lignosulfonate salts illustratively including calcium lignosulfonate and sodium lignosulfonate and complex carbohydrate - based compositions containing organic and inorganic ingredients such as molasses . suitable protein binders illustratively include soy extract , zein , protamine , collagen , and casein . binders operative herein also include synthetic organic polymers capable of promoting or producing cohesion of particle components and such binders illustratively include ethylene oxide polymers , polyacrylamides , polyacrylates , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , polyethylene glycol , polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinylmethyl ether , polyvinyl acrylates , polylactic acid , and latex . in a preferred embodiment , the binder is calcium lignosulfonate , molasses , a liquid corn starch , a liquid corn syrup or a combination thereof . a fertilizer component optionally includes an active ingredient such as a soil nutrient , an amendment material , a biostimulant , and a combination thereof . an active ingredient is typically present in an amount ranging from 0 . 05 % to 50 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . in a more preferred embodiment , the soil nutrient , amendment material , or biostimulant is present in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 % to 30 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . in a still more preferred embodiment , the soil nutrient , amendment or biostimulant is present in an amount ranging from 0 . 5 % to 10 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . exemplary soil nutrients include calcium , magnesium , sulfur , iron , manganese , copper , zinc ; oxides thereof ; salts thereof , and a combination thereof . exemplary amendment materials include humic acid , blood meal , bone meal , seed meal , feather meal , soy meal , meat meal , animal waste , activated sludge , hydrolyzed animal hair , a fish byproduct , chitin , composts and a combination thereof . in addition , a fertilizer particle optionally includes an additive to aid in particle formation illustratively including an anti - dust agent , an anti - caking agent , a filler , a preservative , and a combination thereof . a biological factor or biostimulant is optionally included as an active ingredient in an amount ranging from 0 . 05 % to 10 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . in a more preferred embodiment , the biological factor or biostimulant active ingredient is present in an amount ranging from 0 . 1 % to 5 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . in a still more preferred embodiment , the biological factor or biostimulant active ingredient is present in an amount ranging from 0 . 25 % to 1 % by weight of the total dry weight of the particle . biostimulants are substances that promote plant survival and health and illustratively include plant growth hormones and plant growth regulators such as cytokinins , auxins , gibberellins , ethylene , absisic acid and a combination of these . a fertilizer particle is formed by a process such as mechanical agglomeration , for instance as described in examples below . a bait particle included in an inventive composition includes a nutritive component attractive to a target undesirable organism . in a preferred embodiment , the nutritive component includes food waste , such as bakery waste , confectionery waste , snack waste and cereal waste , either alone or in combination with one another , as a bait carrier for pesticide chemicals . bakery waste is a mixture of bakery products such as bread , cookies , cakes , crackers , flours and doughs which have been mechanically separated from non - edible material , artificially dried and ground . confectionery waste is a mixture of confectionery products such as candy bars , hard candy , jelly beans , chocolates , chocolate syrup and flavored syrups that have been separated from non - edible material , artificially dried and ground . snack waste is a mixture of snack food products such as potato chips , pretzels , corn chips , popcorn , caramel corn and cheese curls that have been separated from non - edible material , artificially dried and ground . cereal waste is a mixture of cereal products such as wheat flakes , corn flakes , puffed rice , shaped oats , shredded wheat , oatmeal and rolled oats separated from non - edible material , artificially dried and ground . while the particles are usually composed of bakery , confectionery , snack and cereal wastes as ingredients to the overall final product , original food ingredients may be used to simulate such wastes . the mixture of original food ingredients may be prepared and processed the same as described above with respect to use of the wastes . in preparation for inclusion in a bait particle , the food waste product is crushed , ground and reduced in size to where the majority of the particles pass through a 6 mesh screen and passes over a 100 mesh screen ( u . s . standard sieve series ). the over 6 mesh screen particles are returned to the initial grinding process until the desired particle size is obtained or may be reconstituted to pass through the 6 mesh screen and over the 100 mesh screen . the preferred particle size is between a 10 mesh ( pass through ) and a 40 mesh ( pass over ). the resulting preferred product which passes through a 10 mesh screen and over a 40 mesh screen (− 10 + 40 ) is controlled to have a bulk density between 6 and 40 pounds per cubic foot , with a density between 30 and 40 pounds per cubic foot being preferred . typically , the food waste includes a carbohydrate , a protein , a fat , a liquid , and a combination thereof . in some bait particles included in a composition according to the present invention , fats and oils such as soybean oil will be added to the processed waste product particles as a vehicle to carry the pesticide and to act as an added attractant to the pest . the particles have the ability to absorb up to 20 % soybean oil and still remain flowable for easy field applications using spreaders , hand application or aerial application . preferably , not more than 5 % soybean oil is added to the processed waste particles , if needed . other examples of fats and oils that can be used include vegetable oils , pine oils and animal fats . in one embodiment , the food waste includes a carbohydrate in an amount ranging from 40 - 70 percent by weight , inclusive ; a protein in an amount ranging from 5 - 20 percent by weight , inclusive ; a fat in an amount ranging from 10 - 20 percent by weight , inclusive ; and water in an amount ranging from 5 - 20 percent by weight , inclusive . optionally , a bait particle includes a further component illustratively including a filler , a coloring agent , a sweetener , a binder , a wood product , an anti - caking agent , an anti - dust agent and an antioxidant . the processed particles are often dyed to a predetermined color . this aids the identification of different end use products with no adverse effects . further optionally , the bait particle includes ash and / or fiber such as ash in an amount ranging from 3 to 8 percent by weight , inclusive and / or fiber in an amount ranging from 2 to 5 percent by weight , inclusive . edible granules are conventional to the art that include a methylene urea coating resulting in a non - tacky particle . these conventional bait particles lack a pesticide or pest reproductive control active agent . to a methylene urea coated conventional edible granule , an additional coating is added containing a pesticide or pest reproductive control active agent . typically , the pesticide or pest reproductive control active agent is added to a binder solution as detailed with respect to the fertilizer particle and applied to the granule . upon drying of the pesticide or pest reproductive control active agent and binder on the granule , an inventive bait particle is obtained . a bait particle further includes a pesticide for killing or inhibiting infestation by a target pest organism includes an arachnid ; a bacterium ; a bird ; a fungus ; an insect ; a mammal , such as a rodent ; a virus ; and a worm . the pesticide is typically present from 0 . 001 to 2 total weight percent of the bait particle . a pesticide includes such agents as an acaracide , an antimicrobial , a bactericide , an entomopathogen , a fungicide , an herbicide , an insecticide , a molluscicide , a nemacide ( or nematocide ,) a rodenticide , a pheromone , a chemosterilant , a viricide , an imagocide , a larvicide , an ovicide , a formicide , an aphidicide , a muscacide , a culicicide , an anophelicide , an arachnidcide , and a vespacide . preferably , an inventive bait particle containing a toxic invertebrate pesticide also contains a mammalian and / or avian ingestion repellant . more preferably , it also contains both mammalian and avian ingestion repellants to lessen the likelihood of incidental ingestion by bystander higher species . mammalian ingestion repellants illustratively include cadaverine , butyric acid , and capsacin . avian repellants include artificial grape flavorant . a pest reproductive control agent operative herein includes a pheromone , molting signaling compound or steroid that upon contact with the target pest decreases the reproductive capacity of the pest . a pest reproductive control agent is preferred over a pesticide since a reproductive control agent is specific to a species or narrower group of organisms , does not bioaccumulate , and is less detrimental to predatory or bystander organisms in the pest habitat . additionally , a reproductive control agent is unlikely to avoid the bait due to ill health effects associated with sampling , as is often the case with a lethal pesticide . a pest reproductive control agent is typically present from 0 . 0001 to 1 total weight percent of the bait particle . in some embodiments a solvent may be included in a bait particle , for instance in conjunction with solvation of a component such as a pest inhibiting agent . for instance , a solvent such as water , acetone , ethanol and the like may be used in order to facilitate inclusion of an ingredient in a bait particle . in general , an organic solvent may be evaporated following inclusion in a bait particle and has no adverse effects on the bait particle &# 39 ; s attractiveness to the target pest . optionally , a bait particle included in a composition according to the present invention includes a preservative to prolong shelf and field life . in addition , a preservative may be included as an aid in retarding the loss of oil when the bait particles are spread on hot concrete or soil . further optionally included ingredients include flavoring or nutritive additives such as sugar , molasses and wood flour . in a particular embodiment , such components may be included in a bait particle in addition to those described above . generally , such additives are included in an amount ranging between 1 % to 12 %, inclusive by weight of the total bait particle composition . for example , sugar broadens the olfactory range and is optionally added in an amount in the range of 1 % to 7 % by weight , inclusive , of the total bait particle composition . molasses is optionally included as an additive in an amount in the range of 3 % to 12 % by weight , inclusive , of the total bait particle composition . in a further option , a nutritive additive such as wood flour is added in an amount in the range of 1 % to 10 % by weight , inclusive , of the total bait particle composition , for instance to encourage ingestion by wood eating insects . in general , a bait particle included in an inventive composition is resistant to rainfall and high humidity when used in open areas . however , a water - repellent binder is optionally included to increase resistance to high moisture conditions without harming its attractiveness to a target pest . in one embodiment , a water - repellant binder is added in an amount in the range of 4 % to 15 % by weight , inclusive , of the total bait particle composition . typically , a bait particle formulated as described above is free flowing . however , in some embodiments an anti - caking agent is optionally added to reduce the tendency of individual particles to adhere to one another without harming the attractiveness of the bait particle to the target pest . in one embodiment , an anti - caking additive is added in an amount in the range of 4 % to 10 % by weight , inclusive , of the total bait particle composition . a bait particle as described above generally has inherent preservative characteristics which inhibit mold at moistures not above 14 %. however , an antioxidant is optionally added to prolong the shelf and / or field life of a bait particle included in an inventive composition . antioxidants protect against deterioration of the bait particle caused by oxidation , such as fat rancidity and color changes , without interfering with the attractiveness of the bait particle to a target pest . in a particular embodiment , an antioxidant is added in an amount up to 0 . 5 % by weight of the total bait particle composition . a method of promoting health of a target plant is provided by the present invention . an inventive method includes the step of applying an inventive composition as described herein to an area proximate to a target desirable plant . application of the composition fertilizes the target plant by supplying bioavailable nitrogen and other optional ingredients . further , delivery of the inventive composition attracts one or more target pests and inhibits infestation of the plant and the area proximate to the target plant by a pest by stimulating consumption of bait and thereby bringing the pest into contact with a pesticide or other pest inhibitor . the health of the target plant is promoted both by fertilization and by inhibition of pest infestation . in another an inventive method for promoting a desired environment in a specified region is provided . such a method includes the step of providing a composition having a fertilizer particle and a bait particle as described herein and applying the composition to the specified region in which the desired environment is to be promoted . for example , a specified region may include an area such as a golf course , park , lawn or the like wherein one or more desirable target plants , such as particular types of grasses , trees or shrubs are to be encouraged . in the same specified region it may be desirable to inhibit a target pest . for example , it may be desirable to discourage infestation and / or feeding by the pest in the specified region in order to limit harmful or unwanted effects of pest presence such as plant destruction , tunneling , disease , and the like . application of an inventive composition stimulates growth of a target plant by fertilization . further , application of an inventive composition acts to inhibit infestation and other activity by a target pest by delivering a pest attractive bait and subsequent ingestion or other contact with a pesticide . thus , application of an inventive composition promotes a desired environment in a specified region . a bait particle is formulated which includes : water : 7 . 5 % by weight of the total bait particle ; protein : 11 . 3 % by weight of the total bait particle ; fiber : 2 . 0 % by weight of the total bait particle ; ash : 3 . 5 % by weight of the total bait particle ; fat ( oil ): 11 . 2 % by weight of the total bait particle ; and carbohydrate : 64 . 5 % by weight of the total bait particle . bait particles were formed which had a size from about 6 mesh to about 50 mesh (− 6 + 50 ), u . s . standard sieve series , and a density of about 35 pounds per cubic foot . using a pan agglomeration disk , particle ingredients are combined and mixed . the agglomeration disk is operated and adjusted to generate the desired size distribution of particles before the particles are conveyed to a fluid bed dryer where the material was dried at a temperature of 140 ° f . to a moisture content of less that 0 . 5 %. the material is then separated into various size categories using conventional gyroscopic screeners . the range of sizing for each product stream can be varied to separate the desired material from the mixture of sizing . particles are fed to a blender ( such as a forberg fluidized zone blender ) or other coating equipment ( such as a coating drum ). the material is sprayed with a methylene urea , containing in the case of the bait particle , a 0 . 3 % by weight of the solution of methyl parathion and the coating is allowed to dry to a hard dry coating . the fertilizer and bait particles are mixed at an 8 : 1 weight ratio with a mechanical fluidizing blender for 30 minutes to achieve a homogenous mixture nearly devoid of broken particulate . apparatus : ro - tap sieve shaker with 8 - inch sieves , balance with 0 . 1 g sensitivity , 10 - min . timer , and 10 steel balls with smooth surfaces and 16 mm ( ⅝ in .) in diameter . 1 . using information from the screen analysis , choose your limiting screen size . 2 . place about 75 g of a representative sample onto the limiting screen . 4 . place the screen apparatus onto the shaker and run it for 10 min . ( use the hammer ). 6 . put ten ( 10 ) 16 - mm steel balls in the pan with the sample . 7 . reassemble the screen apparatus and place it onto the shaker and run it for 10 min . ( do not use the hammer ). 8 . remove the steel balls from the pan and transfer the sample back into the limiting screen . 9 . place the screen apparatus back onto the shaker and run it for 10 min . ( use the hammer ). 10 . weigh out the amount that remained on the limiting screen to the nearest 0 . 1 g and compare it to the original amount . percent resistance to attrition ={( 100 · a )/ b }, where a is the weight of the fraction that remained on the limiting screen in step 10 and b is total weight of the sample in step 5 . the particles of the present invention have an exemplary minimum resistance to attrition ( rta ) rating ranging from 60 % to 100 %. evaluation of inventive composition efficiency compared to conventional bait for control of red fire ants a bait particle formulation having an average mesh size of 6 is loaded to 0 . 5 total weight percent with application of a pyriproxyfen containing soybean oil solution ( comparative example a ). the bait particles have a bulk density of 25 pounds per cubic foot . the pyriproxyfen coated bait particle is then mixed with fertilizer particles containing a 14 - 0 - 27 nitrogen - phosphorus - potassium content . the fertilizer particles have a bulk density of 48 pounds per cubic foot and an average particle size of between 0 . 11 and 0 . 13 inches ( corresponding to − 6 + 7 mesh ). the bait particles and fertilizer particles are mixed such that the bait particles make up 0 . 85 weight percent of the mixture with mixing occurring in a mechanical fluidized blender . one fertilizer particle sample is completely coated with calcium lignosulfonate to a level of 10 % by weight of the total dry weight of the fertilizer particle ( inventive composition 1 , abbreviated inv . 1 ). the coated fertilizer particles are then mixed with an equal weight amount of uncoated fertilizer particles and then combined with the bait particles to a loading of 0 . 85 weight percent bait particles of comparative example a ( inventive composition 2 , abbreviated inv . 2 ). a trial was performed commencing on jun . 21 , 2005 on grounds surrounding an office complex in fayetteville , n . c . tests plots were established along streets and fence lines to include at least ten fire ant mounds per plot . a comparative or inventive composition was uniformly spread throughout a test plot . the soil surface was dry at application with no rain occurring for the next 48 hours . the grass on the test plots was mowed every two weeks for the duration of the test . in addition to comparative example a and inventive compositions 1 and 2 , an untreated control set of plots was established with four replicates of each type of treatment plot being established . the counts for the four replicates of each treatment were averaged to obtain statistically meaningful data as to the total number of viable fire ant mounds . comparative composition a was treated with 1 . 5 pounds of bait particles per acre while inventive composition plots were treated 1 . 5 pounds of bait particles and 174 pounds of fertilizer particles per acre . the results as to the number of fire ant mounds were measured at 0 , 44 , 79 and 122 days after treatment . the results are summarized in fig1 . any patents or publications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . in particular , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 479 , 062 is incorporated herein by reference . one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned , as well as those inherent therein . the inventions described herein are presently representative of preferred embodiments . thus , they are exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention or inventions . changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art . such changes and other uses are encompassed within the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims .
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referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 - 6 , there is illustrated an example of the desoldering attachment 10 of the present invention . as shown in fig1 there is a soldering instrument generally designated 11 which , as indicated before , may be the one disclosed and claimed in applicant &# 39 ; s prior patent . the soldering instrument 11 has an elongated housing about which is disposed a hose adaptor clip 12 for a supply vacuum hose 14 . spaced from the hose adaptor clip 12 is a trigger assembly 15 including a trigger button 16 . the trigger assembly includes a hollow housing through which extends a vacuum hose 17 . by depressing the trigger button 16 the vacuum line may be opened to apply vacuum to the desoldering tool 10 . it will , of course , be understood that the supply vacuum hose 14 is connected to a suitable source of vacuum . the desoldering tool 10 generally includes a sleeve or housing 20 , a rear end cap 21 , a desoldering head 22 and a desoldering tip 23 which is hollow for applying a vacuum thereto . a vacuum pipe 25 , rigid , in this example , is secured to and extends from the housing sleeve 10 . its main portion is parallel to the housing sleeve 20 , while it has a tip 26 extending through the sleeve into its interior . as clearly shown in fig1 the vacuum pipe 25 connects to the vacuum hose 17 of the soldering instrument . extending from the soldering instrument 11 is a hollow heater element sleeve 28 . the heater sleeve 28 carries a heating element 30 near its externally threaded outer end 31 . the heater sleeve 28 may also be provided with an external nut 32 , shown here as hexagonal , made integral therewith to facilitate a rotational grip thereon . adjacent the nut 32 external threads 33 are provided in the surface of the sleeve 28 which mesh with the internal threads of a knurled retaining nut or collar 34 . the rear end cap 21 may consist of a heat resistant plastic and is provided in this example , with a plurality of stand - off legs or columns 35 . the rear end cap 21 is of generally conical construction and has a reduced diameter , forward end cylindrical portion 36 forming a retaining shoulder into which fits the housing sleeve 20 . the end cap 21 also has a reduced diameter cylindrical rear end portion 37 forming another retaining shoulder onto which fits the outer end of the retaining collar or nut 34 . the rear bore or inner opening 38 of the end cap 21 is formed such that it will receive the heater sleeve 28 . a filter screen 39 fits within the housing 20 and over the heater sleeve 28 and bears axially between the stand - off legs 35 and a solder baffle ring disposed forwardly thereof and generally shown at 40 . the baffle ring has a shank portion 41 provided with vents to permit the flow of air and some solder particles to pass therethrough . it is followed by a portion 42 , l - shaped in longitudinal section , which bears against the filter screen 40 . thus the baffle ring supports the filter screen and aids in blocking the solder particles , particularly the larger ones which might otherwise unduly choke or fill the screen . the head 22 has a rearwardly extending cylindrical portion 44 provided with internal threads 45 for receiving and engaging the external threads of the heater sleeve 28 . it also is provided with an offset portion 47 which houses the desoldering tip 23 so that the common axis of both forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of the housing sleeve 20 . to this end the portion 47 is provided with a cylindrical inner opening 48 within which the desoldering tip is retained with freedom for axial adjustment . the tip 23 itself has a reduced diameter central portion 50 defined axially by two enlarged diameter cylindrical portions 51 and 52 . hence , the shoulder 53 defined between the enlarged portion 52 and the reduced portion 50 serves to limit the motion of the tip . the stop itself is formed by a set screw 54 which is threaded into a retaining engagement therewith by way of a threaded bore in an inclined portion 55 of the head 22 . the tip 23 is hollow , as indicated , to permit the application of a vacuum and has a rear portion 56 of much reduced diameter which slides in an opening 57 in the head 22 . functionally , then , the actual desoldering tip 60 extends from the head 22 and provides air flow communication from its extreme forward end to the solder collector chamber within the housing 20 . the attachment as shown particularly in fig2 is assembled in the following manner . the retaining collar 34 is screwed all the way rearwardly over the threads 33 of the heating sleeve 28 . subsequently , the rear end cap 21 is inserted over the heating sleeve 28 so that its reduced diameter portion 37 fits into the collar 34 . next the housing sleeve 20 is inserted over the end cap 21 and its cylindrical , retaining shoulder recess 36 making sure that the vacuum pipe tip 26 slides between the legs 35 . then the filter screen 39 followed by the solder baffle ring 40 , is dropped over the heating element sleeve 28 into the housing sleeve 20 . care should be taken that vacuum pipe 25 is properly aligned with the trigger button 16 and the vacuum hose 17 of the soldering instrument . next the head 22 is inserted into the sleeve 20 and is screwed by engagement of threads 31 , 45 , over the heating element sleeve 28 in a clockwise direction , as viewed in fig3 until it is stopped by the engagement therewith of enlarged portion 52 of the desoldering tip 23 . the tip 60 should now be in the position shown in fig3 that is , it should point downwardly while the vacuum pipe 25 and trigger 16 point upwardly . however , if the head is not in the proper position shown in fig3 but , for example , in the position of fig4 the head must be adjusted . in such case the head 22 has been stopped too soon by the heater sleeve 28 abutting the enlarged portion 52 of the tip 23 . in order to effect the necessary adjustment , the set screw 54 is threadingly moved outwardly in its recess 55 , to its position as shown in fig2 which permits the tip 23 to move further outwardly of the head 22 . the head 23 can then be rotated further in a clockwise direction over the heater sleeve 28 until it reaches the desired angular position of fig3 . in an alternate example , when the tip is in the position shown in fig5 it is rotated too far in a clockwise direction , as viewed in that figure ; and the heater sleeve 28 has moved too far rearwardly and must be backed up again . in this case , the set screw 54 should be tightened so that the head 22 is permitted to rotate less far into the threads of the heater sleeve 28 . the adjustment necessary in this example is illustrated in fig6 . here the set screw 54 is moved further inwardly hence pushing the tip 23 to the left or more inwardly into the head 22 . this will stop the heater sleeve 28 earlier thereby to force the desoldering tip 60 to stop in the proper position . when finally the instrument is properly aligned it can now be locked by rotating the knurled collar 34 forwardly against the rear end cap 21 . it should be noted that the vacuum pipe 25 , the housing sleeve 20 , the head 22 and the heater sleeve 28 are made of metal and preferably consist of stainless steel . of course , the tip 23 and the heater sleeve 28 should consist of a material which is relatively heat conductive and may be stainless steel . the end cap 21 may consist of a material which is heat resistant and thermally stable such , for example , as formica or phenolic . another feature of the present invention is that the heater sleeve 28 with its forward portion 31 is in heat conductive contact with the desoldering tip 23 , that is , specifically , with its enlarged cylindrical portion 52 . this will , of course , promote a rapid heating of the tip 60 of the desoldering tool . this is further promoted by the fact that the heating element 30 is disposed as close as possible to the forward end 31 of the heater sleeve 28 . in operation , when the solder to be removed has been heated properly , the trigger 16 of the trigger assembly is pressed , thereby to apply a vacuum impulse to the tip 60 . the solder is then drawn through the tip 60 into the solder collector interior of the sleeve 20 and is caught by the solder baffle ring 42 and , eventually , the filter screen 34 . the desoldering tip 23 fits fairly snugly into its retaining bore 48 of the head 22 , thereby minimizing the loss of the vacuum . this also minimizes solder getting into the recesses of the head 22 rather than into the collector chamber of the housing 20 . the entire desoldering attachment may be rapidly cleaned and the solder removed in the following manner . first the vacuum hose 17 is removed . then the forward end of the tip 60 is inserted into a suitable vacuum desoldering instrument which in turn draws out the solder through the tip 60 . this is preferably effected while the attachment is still hot . eventually the attachment may have to be opened and the solder baffle ring 42 and filter screen 39 removed and cleaned . fig7 to which reference is now made , shows an improved solder baffle device 70 . this consists of a coil spring tightly wound from a suitable metallic wire and of generally conical shape . it is made in such a fashion that it is slightly spaced from the heater sleeve 28 but fits fairly tightly upon the inner surface of the housing sleeve 20 . the baffle device 70 is inserted in such a manner that the large diameter , rearward portion 71 faces the filter screen 39 , and the reduced diameter , forward portion 72 faces the desoldering tip 23 . hence , any solder particles drawn rearwardly into the collector chamber are deflected outwardly toward the housing sleeve 20 and are there collected and retained . it is to be noted that normal variations in the winding of the coil spring 70 cause gaps to form between adjacent windings . these gaps are small enough to prevent most solder particles from passing through . on the other hand , they are large enough to permit adequately free passage of the air from the tip 60 to the vacuum source . this solder baffle 70 may most readily be cleaned by expanding it axially , whereby the solder simply drops off . it is particularly inexpensive and easy to make , while at the same time being rugged , reliable , and non critical in its composition . it will be understood that the coil spring 70 does not have to be exactly conical ; the surface of the coil spring may form some other type curve as long as it has a right - hand end 72 as shown in fig7 which is relatively narrow and a left - hand end 71 which fits relatively tightly into the sleeve 20 . there has thus been described a desoldering attachment for a soldering tool which achieves the objects and exhibits the advantages set forth hereinabove . the attachment is characterized by the ease of adjustment of the position of the desoldering tip . it also features a simplified construction . in addition , a new baffle for the solder has been shown which is particularly easy to manufacture and exceedingly easy to clean .
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referring initially to fig1 - 3 , a 90 ° speed reducer assembly is generally referred to by reference numeral 1 . although this description is directed toward a 90 ° speed reducer , it will be understood that it is applicable to other designs of speed reducer assemblies . assembly 1 includes a housing 3 having a front wall or side 5 , a back wall or side 7 , side walls 9 , a top 11 and a bottom 13 . side walls 9 have openings 15 in axial alignment to receive a worm assembly 17 . worm assembly 17 includes a shaft 19 , a worm 21 formed on shaft 19 , and two bearing assemblies 23 through which shaft is rotatably journaled . openings 15 are sized to receive bearing assemblies 23 which are secured against axial movement . a portion 25 of shaft 19 extends outwardly of housing 3 to be connected to a motor output shaft or another rotatable member to drive the worm shaft , as is known . front wall 5 is stepped outwardly , as at 27 and 29 , to define a front surface 31 . an opening 33 is formed in surface 31 . an inwardly extending annular flange 35 is radially spaced from opening 33 . a bearing shoulder 37 is formed inside of flange 35 at its base , and is stepped as at 39 to opening 33 . back wall 7 defines an opening 41 . a shoulder 43 is formed around opening 41 on an outer surface of back wall 7 . a flange 45 extends outwardly from shoulder 43 and defines an annular face 47 . a worm gear assembly 49 is received in housing 3 and is introduced through back wall opening 41 . worm gear assembly 49 includes a shaft 51 , a worm gear 53 which is rotationally fixed to shaft 51 , and front and back bearing assemblies 55 and 56 . bearing assemblies 55 and 56 are spaced from gear 53 by spacers 57 . shaft 51 includes a front portion 59 which forms an output shaft . when assembly 49 is introduced into housing 3 , front bearing assembly 55 is received within flange 35 , with the output shaft 59 extending through opening 33 . the back bearing assembly 56 is supported by a bracket 61 . opening 33 is vertically spaced from opening 15 a distance sufficient to allow worm gear 53 to mesh with worm 21 . shims 73 are placed in the housing within flange 35 prior to the introduction of worm assembly 49 thereinto . bracket 61 includes an inwardly extending annular wall 63 having a bearing shoulder 65 which receives rear bearing assembly 56 to support worm gear assembly 49 . shims 74 are also received in bearing shoulder 65 . shoulder 65 is axially aligned with bearing shoulder 37 . a circular flange 67 extends substantially outwardly from bracket 61 and includes an inner face 69 . face 69 rests against flange surface 47 of back surface 7 when assembly 1 is put together . to seal assembly 1 , an o - ring 71 is received in shoulder 43 surrounding back wall opening 41 . as can be seen in fig2 and 3 , worm gear 53 has a curvature c . for the reducer assembly 1 to operate smoothly , and to maximize its useful life , the worm 21 must mesh with worm gear 53 as close as possible to the center of curvature of gear 53 . worm 21 is substantially fixed , thus , the worm gear assembly is maneuvered to properly align the worm and worm gear . to accomplish this , front and back shims 73 and 74 are used . front shim 73 is positioned between shoulder 37 and front bearing 55 , and rear shim 74 is positioned between bracket shoulder 65 and rear bearing 56 . shims 73 and 74 are not single pieces , rather , they are made up of a plurality of thin rings of predetermined thicknesses . a plurality of rings are placed together to produce the appropriate shim width . shims 73 and 74 are preferably annular rings that have an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter annular walls 35 and 65 to fit within walls 35 and 65 . to prevent the trial and error method of aligning the worm gear and worm the width s1 and s2 of shims 73 and 74 respectively , must be known in advance . the combined width of the shims is essentially the difference in ( 1 ) the distance between housing shoulder 37 and bracket shoulder 65 , and ( 2 ) the distance between axially outer surfaces of the worm gear assembly , typically the outside faces of bearing assembly 55 and 56 . because the center of curvature of gear 53 is not necessarily at the center of the distance between the outer surfaces of the worm gear assembly , this distance ( 1 )-( 2 ) cannot be divided in two to arrive at the appropriate shim widths . rather , the widths of the shims are determined by the equations : l1 = the distance from the outer face of front bearing assembly 55 to the center of curvature of worm gear 53 ; l = the distance between the outer faces of bearing assemblies 55 and 56 ; ep = the end play or pre - load tolerance of axial movement of worm shaft 51 . end play has a positive value and pre - load has a negative value . ep and n are generally known distances . to determine s1 and s2 , the bracket 61 , worm gear assembly 49 and housing 3 are placed in gauges 75 , 77 , and 79 , all of which are operatively connected to a computer 81 . ( fig8 ) bracket gauge 75 measures the distance h and outputs it to the computer ; housing gauge 79 measures distance m and outputs it to the computer ; and worm gear assembly gauge measures l1 and l and outputs them to the computer . the computer then takes these values ( the values of n and ep having been previously stored in the computer ), and determines the appropriate width of shims 73 and 74 according to equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). with these values determined by the computer , the appropriate shims pieces can be gathered to assemble shims 73 and 74 . the reducer assembly 1 can then be put together in a single step without the human error involved in the trial and error method of the prior art . as can be appreciated , this can dramatically reduce the assembly time and labor involved in producing the speed reducers . although the process has been described with respect to a housing having one closed side and one open side , it is also applicable to a speed reduce housing having two open sides . in this case , the housing would have two brackets 61 . if such a housing were used , one of the brackets could be secured to one of the sides before the housing is inserted in the housing gauge . after this , the remainder of the procedure is the same as set out above . the procedure has also been described as using the outer faces of the bearing assemblies 55 and 56 as reference points in determining the distance l and l1 . although this is preferred because the bearing assemblies will usually be supported by bearing flanges as shown in the drawings , any axial outer surface , such as the ends of the worm gear shaft 49 can be used as reference points to determine the distances l and l1 . bracket gauge 75 and housing gauge 79 may be a linear encoders , or any other measuring device that will determine the distances h and m . because the center of curvature of the worm gear is not necessarily in line with the center of the worm gear plate , the distance l1 cannot be determined with a simple measuring device . a preferred embodiment of gauge 77 is shown in fig4 and 5 . gauge 77 includes a base 81 having a track 83 . a table 85 is mounted on slides 86 . slides 86 are slidably mounted on a track 83 . table 85 can thus move longitudinally relative to base 81 along the path defined by track 83 . front support block 87 is mounted to table 85 . back support block 89 is mounted to a slide 90 . each block includes a &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; shaped notch 94 ( fig5 ) which receives the front and back bearing assemblies of worm gear assembly 49 . stop plates 91 and 92 are secured to the outer faces of blocks 87 and 89 to hold assembly 49 in place . each stop plate has a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; shaped cut out 93 which has approximately the same diameter as the outer ring of the bearing assemblies to accommodate the output shaft 59 . the inner faces of the stop plates 91 and 92 press against the outer surfaces of bearing assemblies 55 and 56 to clamp the worm gear assembly in place , preventing axial movement of the worm gear assembly relative to table 85 . to securely support assembly 49 on table 85 , support block 89 is movable axially with respect to table 85 , giving the block 89 its clamping capabilities . block 87 is fixed to table 85 and is not movable . this also allows the gauge 77 to accommodate various sized worm gear assemblies . a rail 88 having a slide 90 is mounted in table 85 . block 89 is mounted on slide 90 so that the block can be moved laterally with respect to table 85 . a piston 95 , linear actuator , or other linear motion system , is operatively attached to rear block 89 to control the movement thereof to clamp worm gear assembly 49 in place and to maintain it in a clamped position . when gear assembly 49 is placed on blocks 87 and 89 , rear block 89 can be moved axially forward ( to the right as shown in fig4 ) to securely hold assembly 49 in place to prevent axial movement of assembly 49 with respect to table 85 while the gauge 77 is operating . a linear actuator 96 is mounted on base 81 and operatively connected to table 85 to move table 85 with respect to base 81 for a purpose discussed below . a vertical support or column 97 ( fig5 ) is secured to base 81 and includes a bracket 99 which holds a master worm 100 above worm gear 53 . bracket 99 is mounted on a slide 102 which slides on a rail 104 mounted to column 97 , so that master worm 100 may be moved vertically toward and away from worm gear assembly 49 . weights 101 are attached to bracket 99 by way of a pulley system 103 and cord 105 . weights 101 carry sufficient weight to offset a majority of the weight of worm 27 placed on worm gear 53 , to control the meshing pressure of master worm 100 with worm gear 53 . if too much pressure is applied , worm 100 will not be able to freely move in response to movement of the worm gear . if not enough pressure is applied , master worm 100 will not be moved by the worm gear as it is moved . counterweight 101 therefore carries sufficient weight to allow master worm 100 to mesh with worm gear 53 so that it can freely rotate in response to movement of worm gear 53 . the weight contained on counterweight 101 may be altered to accommodate the weights of different master worms . this allows for more versatility of gauge 77 in measuring the parameters of a broad variety of worm gear assemblies . a linear actuator 106 is mounted on base 81 and operatively connected to weights 100 and is used to raise master worm 100 in bracket 99 so that worm gear assembly 49 may be places in v - blocks 87 and 89 . once worm gear assembly 49 is in place , master worm is lowered to mesh with the worm gear 100 . the worm 100 may be lowered using only weights 101 , or by use of linear actuator 106 . lastly , gauge 77 includes at least three linear encoders 107 , 109 , and 111 . linear encoder 107 and 109 are connected to v - blocks 87 and 89 respectively to locate the position of the worm gear relative to a starting or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; point to determine the distances l and l1 . encoder 107 measures the distance from the center of curvature of worm gear 53 to the outer face of bearing assembly 55 to determine l1 . encoder 109 measures the distance between the center of curvature of worm gear 53 and the outer face of bearing assembly 56 to determine distance l - l1 . by adding the two numbers together , the distance l is determined . linear encoder 111 is fixed to slide 102 to determine the vertical position of the master worm 100 . as is explained below , the position of worm gear 53 when master worm 100 is at a low point is used to determine l and l1 . because the worm gear has a curvature c , as the master worm 100 is moved along the worm gear curvature it will follow a generally arcuate shaped pattern as can be seen in fig6 . the center of curvature of gear 53 is the point where master worm 100 is at its lowest point . using gauge 77 , the low point of the arcuate shaped path traveled by the worm can be determined in several ways . when the worm and worm gear in place , table 85 is slowly moved by a linear motion system 96 , such as a screw , piston , or other linear actuator . master worm 100 is horizontally fixed ; it can only move vertically . thus , as table 85 is moved , master worm 100 is raised and lowered as it follows the curvature of gear 53 . encoder 111 measures the vertical or y position of the center of worm 21 as the table is moved . further , as table 85 moves , the distance between the center of master worm 100 ( which remains horizontally fixed ) to the outside faces of bearing assemblies 55 and 56 changes . these distances are shown as a and b in fig4 . encoder 107 measures distance b and encoder 109 measures distance a . a + b = l , thus , the combined distance of a and b will be constant . as can be seen in fig7 when y is plotted against b ( x on the graph ), points on the curvature of gear 53 are produced . by taking any three points ( a , b , and c ) secants ab and bc may be drawn . by drawing a line perpendicular to the secants , from the midpoints of the secants , the center of curvature of the worm oww is found at a point where the lines intersect . the b ( or x ) coordinate of point oww will provide the distance l1 . the greater the number of points that are taken , the greater the accuracy of the determination of point oww will be and hence the determination of the distances l and l1 . the a coordinate of point oww is determined in the same manner as the b coordinate and provides the distance l - l1 so that the distance l may be determined . the use of the computer 81 allows for the use of many points so that a more accurate center of curvature ( l1 ) can be found . the center of curvature is determined from the following equations for points a , b , and c having coordinates a ( x a , y a ), b ( x b , y b ), and c ( x c , y c ). the line ab has a midpoint m a b with coordinates ( x m a b , y m a b ) and the line bc has a midpoint m b c with coordinates ( x m b c , y m b c ). the equation for the line m a b o w w perpendicular to line ab through point m a b is ## equ3 ## where ## equ4 ## the equation for the line m b c o w w perpendicular to line bc through point m a b is ## equ5 ## where ## equ6 ## the first center of curvature o a b c is : ## equ7 ## making all the substitutions , ## equ8 ## for a plurality of center of curvatures l 1 1 to l 1 n , the center of curvature l 1 is : ## equ9 ## the distance l1 can also be determined by plotting y v . b at small increments from one edge of the worm gear to the other . the center of curvature will be the lowest position of the worm gear . from this position , the b coordinate will provide the distance l1 . alternatively , if table 85 can slide on track 83 virtually friction free , the weight of master worm 100 on the curvature of worm gear 53 will cause the table to slide from side to side . the worm will come to rest at its lowest point , providing the center of curvature of gear 53 . at this point , measurements can be taken to determine l and l1 . as can be seen , gauge 77 provides a simple method of determining the distance from the center of curvature of a worm gear to an axial outer face of the worm gear assembly . this facilitates a quick and simple determination of the appropriate shim widths to use to properly position a worm gear with respect to a worm to provide a maximum life span of the reducer assembly . the foregoing descriptions set forth for illustrative purposes only . numerous variations within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art . although the use of gauge 77 is described for use with a master worm , the production worm may also be used as the testing worm to determine the distance l1 . this variation is merely illustrative .
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as shown in the drawings , a document scanning apparatus 10 includes a generally flat horizontally extending glass table or platen surface 12 for single sheet scanned having a region 14 at one end thereof through which a moving document to be scanned can be viewed by conventional document scanning components of the device . an inclined frame 20 is provided for supporting a stack 24 of documents to be fed to the scanning components . an inclined surface or guide 26 on the frame 20 and stationary media sheet guides 27 , 28 on the frame together define a sheet media path extending from the media stack 24 to the scan region 14 and thence around a scanning roller 40 and document output sheet transport roller assembly 50 to a scanned document output location at which a tray 34 is provided for receiving a stack of scanned documents . circumferentially spaced pinch rollers 42 hold the document sheet against the scanning roller . the apparatus for feeding individual sheets from the stack 24 to the scan region 14 includes the inclined media support or feed tray 22 , upper and lower opposed media pick rollers 30 , 32 and a suitable drive mechanism for moving the rollers 30 , 32 . the drive mechanism may be arranged to drive the rollers 30 , 32 in the same forward direction of rotation ( e . g ., clockwise ) for uppermost sheet picking and in the same reverse direction ( e . g ., counterclockwise ) for lowermost sheet picking as described in commonly owned co - pending application ser . no . 09 / 405 , 991 ( hp docket 10991829 - 1 ) filed sep . 27 , 1999 . fig2 a and 2 b respectively show perspective views of a transport roller assembly 50 comprised of a rotatable shaft 52 having a plurality of sheet transport rollers 54 affixed thereto at axially spaced locations along the shaft 52 . each of the rollers 54 is preferably identical to the other rollers 54 and has a rubberized or other frictional surface . as used herein , the term “ roller ” is intended to include a single elongated roller and the mechanical equivalents of two or more axially spaced rollers on a common shaft or axis as shown . the transport roller assembly may be molded of plastic with a plurality of elongated ribs 70 and circumferential rings 72 to provide support as necessary to the media sheet . pinch rollers 62 and 64 are respectively positioned above and below the transport roller assembly 50 and tangentially engage the rollers 54 to provide nips and media sheet delivery paths above and below the transport roller assembly 50 . only the upper pinch rollers 62 are shown in the perspective views of fig2 a and 2 b but the lower rollers 64 are also seen in fig1 a and 1 b as well as in fig3 and 4 . the lower pinch rollers 64 are , like the upper pinch rollers 62 , engaged tangentially with selected ones of the transport rollers 54 . preferably , the pinch rollers 62 , 64 are c on diametrically opposite sides of the transport roller assembly 50 although it is not essential to do so . a suitable power drive , not shown , is provided for rotating the transport roller assembly 50 in either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction as desired . since rollers 54 are primarily used for transporting the sheet of media through nips defined between the rollers 54 and the pinch rollers 62 , 64 , preferably all of the transport rollers 54 and pinch rollers 62 , 64 are provided with traction surfaces suitable for gripping and transporting media sheets through the nips as is conventional . the pinch rollers 62 , 64 may be spring biased into engagement with the transport rollers 54 and comprise idlers which are only rotatable when the power driven transport roller assembly 50 is rotated . the opposed drive and pinch rollers 54 , 62 , 64 in surface contact provide one way of defining sheet transport nips as is well known ; however , in the context of referring top nips defined by rollers , the term “ roller ” is also intended and specifically defined to include mechanical substitutes having opposed surfaces which define nips such as opposed continuous belts trained around rollers or an opposed roller and belt which together define a nip . an active gate and drag clutch 70 best seen in fig2 a and 2 b is located in a space in the media transport path between an input to the gate and clutch 70 from the document drive roller 40 and first and second media output branches above and below the transport roller assembly 50 . the active gate and clutch 70 is comprised of a pair of end plates 72 , 74 rotatable about a common axis 76 which extends parallel to shaft 52 . the document path between the end plates 72 , 74 of the active gate and drag clutch 70 is bridged by upper and lower sheet guides 80 , 90 of plastic or light weight sheet metal affixed to the end plates whereby the guides 80 , 90 define a sheet routing or guide channel 82 ( fig3 ) therebetween for guiding the leading edge of a sheet from the top surface of the document drive roller 40 to either one of a lower nip or nips between the document delivery roller or rollers 54 and the lower pinch rollers 64 or to an upper nip between the document delivery roller or rollers 54 and the upper pinch rollers 62 depending upon the position of the gate and drag clutch 70 . an arcuate side edge 78 on each end plate 72 , 74 frictionally engages the cylindrical surface of the axially outermost transport rollers 54 or other similarly moveable portions of the transport roller assembly 50 such that rotation of the transport roller assembly 50 including the rollers 54 determines the position of the active gate and drag clutch 70 . clockwise rotation of shaft 52 causes counterclockwise pivotal motion of gate 70 about its axis 76 until gate 70 reaches its uppermost limit position shown in fig1 b , 2 b and 3 b following which slippage between the arcuate surfaces 78 of the gate end plates and the transport rollers 54 holds the active gate 70 in the selected position . gate motion limit stops ( not shown ) are provided at the desired locations on the scanning apparatus to limit the motion of the gate and drag clutch 70 between the positions shown in fig1 a and 1 b . the lower sheet guide 90 includes a lower portion 92 as shown for a purpose which will be described with reference to fig4 . fig4 a shows the initial movement of a sheet of paper or other media from the top or bottom of the stack 24 by the opposed pick rollers 30 , 32 . in the position shown in fig4 a , the leading edge of the sheet has been driven by the document drive roller 40 through the sheet processing location 14 , the leading edge of the sheet having reached a location in the sheet guide channel 82 between the gate sheet guides 80 , 90 . as the leading edge of the sheet , moved by the document drive roller 40 approaches the active gate 70 , but before it enters channel 82 , a timing circuit actuates the power drive to cause rotation of the transport roller assembly 50 in the counterclockwise direction as seen in fig4 a to move the gate 70 to its downward position . continued movement of the leading edge of the media sheet causes the leading edge to enter the lower nip or nips between the transport rollers 54 and the lower pinch rollers 62 to transport the leading edge of the sheet through the channel 82 into the lower output path between the stationary guide 27 and transport roller assembly 50 . the rotation of the nip between the sheet transport roller or rollers 54 and the lower pinch rollers 64 continues to move the sheet to the right below the transport roller assembly 50 thus causing the trailing portion of the sheet to move entirely through and away from the processing location 14 and document drive roller 40 toward the processed sheet location or tray 34 as seen in fig4 b . in fig4 c the direction of rotation of the transport roller assembly 50 is reversed such that the roller assembly 50 now begins to rotate in a clockwise direction before the trailing edge of the sheet has passed the nip between the transport rollers 54 and lower pinch rollers 64 from the sheet position seen in fig4 b . this causes the sheet to move back toward the processing location 14 in face inverted orientation so that the other face side of the document sheet can now be scanned or printed upon . clockwise rotation of the transport roller assembly 50 causes movement of the active gate and drag clutch 70 to the upper position seen in fig4 c . this causes movement of the lower portion 92 of the lower gate guide 90 to a position spaced from and generally parallel to stationary guide 27 to guide the sheet back to the document drive roller 40 . during scanning or printing of the second face side of the sheet , the document drive roller 40 continues to rotate in the clockwise direction moving the sheet through the sheet processing region 14 until the leading edge of the sheet ( previously the trailing edge ) enters the guide channel 82 between the gate guides 80 , 90 and moves into the nip or nips between the transport roller or rollers 54 and upper pinch rollers 62 so that the document sheet , now having been duplex scanned or printed , may be passed over the transport roller assembly 50 to the tray 34 . in its broadest aspects , the invention involves the use of the active gate and drag clutch 70 to guide the leading edge of a moving media sheet to one of two output paths which , in the arrangement shown , are above and below the transport roller assembly 50 . there is of course no reason that these teachings need be limited to a horizontally oriented transport roller assembly 50 since the principles of the invention will clearly be applicable to the handling of sheet media moving with its flat surfaces in a non - horizontal path provided that appropriate minor modifications are made . in the preferred embodiment shown , separate transport rollers 54 and associated pinch rollers 62 , 64 transport the sheet past the transport roller assembly 50 on the selected upper or lower side depending upon the direction of rotation of the transport roller assembly 50 . the active sheet guide gate and drag clutch 70 can be molded or otherwise fabricated of plastics or other light weight materials . the details of a suitable drive arrangement for rotating the roller assembly 50 in the desired directions of rotation at the desired time are well within the skill of persons skilled in the art and is therefore not described herein . persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that various additional modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment shown and described above and that the scope of protection is limited only by the wording of the claims which follow .
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this invention relates to a lightweight personal escape system worn and used by a fire fighter during an emergency situation . the system provides capability for a descent of approximately 50 feet without having to search for locations that provide basis for attachment of an escape rope . this lightweight system is worn by the fire fighter as an accessory that is securely attached to a belt . the system comprises a heat resistant outer pouch having a compartment for receiving and housing a lightweight specially shaped hook that is utilized as an escape hook and a heat shrink inner pouch . the outer pouch is composed of a heat resistant material . the inner heat shrink pouch houses a heat and abrasion resistant rope having a detachable device integrally associated therewith and being adapted to reduce the rate of descent of the escaping person . generally stated , the invention of personal escape system and method , which would be utilized by a fire fighter when descending from a high - rise building broadly comprises : ( i ) a multi - attachment escape hook : ( ii ) a heat and abrasion resistant rope ; ( iii ) a heat shrink internal or inner pouch ; ( iv ) a heat resistant external or outer pouch ; ( v ) wherein the device includes a descent control mechanism ; and ( vi ) wherein the device is appointed to be attached to a belt or harness . the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system has applications in safety and preventative measures in the safety of fire fighters and other first response rescuers , including law enforcement and military personnel . advantageously , the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system can be utilized to save lives , while providing a lightweight safety device that can be effortlessly worn on the person without being cumbersome or bulky . the device has a lightweight escape hook preferably made from a high strength iron , which can support more than 6000 pounds . optionally , the hook may be made from high strength titanium alloy material , which can support more than 6000 pounds . the hook is specially dimensioned with an opening of 2 . 125 to 3 . 5 inches at its widest point to fulfill multiple fastening methods . advantageously , the hook has a size and shape especially well suited to fit about the radius of most radiators , which are located near a window used for escape purposes . the shape of the hook facilitates its use as a choker , and facilitates placement of a halligan tool , or other firefighting hand tool , through the handle of the hook as a method to secure the hook to a wall . the sharp tip of the hook can make its own “ purchase ” point . for example , the tip can be driven into sheet rock , a wall , a chair , a mattress , or other penetrable object capable of acting as a support object . it doesn &# 39 ; t have to be wrapped around something to provide an anchoring function . the anchor point options provided by the hook provide a significant advantage . a strong anchor is expeditiously effected , markedly enhancing the system &# 39 ; s utility . the hook can be also used as a carabineer — to put multiple pieces of hardware in combination with the system . for example , the hook can be thrown around the leg of a large bed , making a loop around the leg , to anchor the device before repelling from a window . in addition , preferably the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system is bar coded or assigned serial numbers for accountability . in this manner , all parts of the system are bar coded for readily identifying the components of any given system . that is to say , the rope , inner pouch , outer pouch , and hook each are provided with an inter - related bar code unique to a fire fighter &# 39 ; s individual escape system , so that one can readily identify each individual &# 39 ; s systems &# 39 ; components . the rope is preferably composed of two portions , including an outer sheath and an inner core . the outer sheath of the rope is composed of a high strength abrasion resistant material , such as kevlar ™ aramid fiber , which exhibits a higher heat and ware resistance than nylon or polypropylene materials . kevlar ™ is commonly used in bulletproof vests . the inner core of the rope is preferably composed of a material having a high tensile strength , such as vectran . the device comprises about 30 to 100 feet of rope , preferably comprises 40 - 50 feet of rope , and most preferably comprises 40 feet of rope . a length between 40 - 50 feet of rope is generally sufficient for most fire fighters to get out of harms way . the overall weight of the rope is up to 5 pounds , and preferably about 2 pounds , and is easy to carry as a personal escape device for a fire fighter . the rope is organized and laid in a manner similar to that of a parachute rope so that the rope is freely released from storage as needed by the fire fighter during an escape event . the organized rope is entirely contained in a pouch that is covered with a heat shrink material . conveniently , this pouch containing the organized rope may be fashioned as a belt that is worn around the waist of a firefighter with attachment on a class i , ii , or iii harness . preferably , the pouch is adapted to be attached to an existing belt or harness . moreover , the outer pouch , which is adapted to receive and house the inner pouch and rope , is preferably attached to a hook pouch , adapted to receive and house the hook , thereby forming a unilateral or one - piece pouch arrangement . optionally , the outer pouch and the hook pouch are two separate , discrete , pouches . the proximal end of the rope is attached to the hook . the hook may pass through a belay , a multiple aperture tab , or a friction generation element so that the friction generated at the rope facilitates a controlled descent of the fire fighter . the fire fighter reduces rope friction at the multiple aperture tab by moving the rope , or by squeezing the handle of the descender to increase the speed of the descent , thereby effecting a controlled descent . key components of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system include , in combination , the components set forth below : 1 . a specially shaped lightweight high strength hook designed to capture radiators , bedposts , pipes and other attachment objects ; 2 . the hook having a pointed sharp tip that serves to create an anchor or purchase point in sheet rock , a mattress or other penetrable anchor locations ; 3 . the hook having a closed aperture to be used as a choker or as means for using other fire fighter hardware in conjunction therewith , including a halligan tool , in order to establish a secure attachment point ; 4 . the hook being attached to the proximal end of a strong lightweight heat resistant rope composed of a kevlar ™ aramid fiber outer jacket and a vectran core , or other suitable materials ; 5 . the rope arranged as a set of parallel looped layers in a heat shrink inner pouch for easy snag - free one time delivery of the rope on demand during a fire fighter &# 39 ; s escape ; 6 . the distal end of the rope having a stopper knot to prevent the firefighter from going into free - fall ; 7 . the rope passing through a belay or friction generating element ; 8 . the inner pouch being placed in an outer pouch appointed to safely accommodate the inner pouch , and a further hook pouch being provided to house the lightweight hook having a pointed sharp tip , and said outer pouch and said hook pouch being further adapted to be attached to a belt worn by the fire fighter ; and 9 . the belay or friction device being attached to the belt associated with the outer pouch by a carabineer ; 10 . the belt being a class i , ii , iii harness . class i harnesses include devices generally comprising a waist belt ; class ii harnesses include devices generally comprising a waist belt and leg loops ; and class iii harnesses include devices having a waist belt , leg loops and an upper body shoulder straps . whereby the fire fighter is equipped with a personal escape system that affords reliable attachment of the escape system to readily available objects that are commonly present within a building , allows controlled descent of the fire fighter using a friction device , and has means to defeat the friction device , to thereby provide for fast descent . the hook of the system also has a closed elliptical aperture for using ( carrying ) a halligan tool or other fire fighting hardware to secure the hook to a structure ( and can be used to attach other system hardware ). fig1 a illustrates a front - view of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system showing an embodiment wherein the outer pouch is connected to an optional hook pouch , shown generally at 100 . a belt portion of safety harness 11 is shown , appointed to be placed around a fire fighter &# 39 ; s waist . the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system 100 includes a high strength heat resistant rope 16 organized in a discrete parallel relationship held by readily breakable threads 17 providing reliable tangle free high speed deployment so that a fire fighter can escape a perilous situation with rapid descent . rope 16 is housed within an inner pouch 15 . in turn , inner pouch 15 and visa vie rope 16 , is housed within an outer pouch 14 . access into outer pouch 14 is achieved through flap 21 , herein shown on the horizontal top plane of outer pouch 14 . flap 21 remains securely closed by way of closure means , preferably hook and eye or velcro closure . outer pouch 14 includes attachment means 102 appointed to attach outer pouch 14 to a belt portion of safety harness 11 . herein , attachment means 102 is shown as straps which are fixed to the back portion of outer pouch 14 and extend around outer pouch 14 and close at strap closure 103 , preferably being a snap or a hook and eye velcro closure . attachment means 102 and closure 103 are shown in the open configuration at 102 a and 103 a as when the outer pouch 14 is not attached to safety harness 11 . continuing with fig1 a , outer pouch 14 herein is fixedly attached to a hook pouch 101 . hook pouch 101 includes a hook closure flap 104 , securing means 107 , and a pouch pocket 105 . securing means 107 is herein shown as a hook and eye configuration or velcro . preferably hook closure flap 104 opens laterally and exposes pouch pocket 105 . pouch pocket 105 is appointed to receive hook 13 . hook 13 is a lightweight hook adapted to engage with a substantial object and to act as a support structure so that the fire fighter can assume a secure , rapid descent . optionally , hook closure flap 104 includes an internal grasping portion 106 , such as an internal rope portion , so that hook closure flap 104 can be quickly and readily opened to gain immediate access to pouch pocket 105 and hook 13 . rope 16 has a proximal end 18 which is securely attached to hook 13 . in addition , in one embodiment , proximal end 18 of rope 16 engages with a belay or friction generating device 34 which may in turn engage with at least one easily detachable carabineer type fastener 35 a provided for additional safety ( see fig5 for discussion on this alternative embodiment ). hook pouch 101 is provided with hook pouch attachment means 103 in order to attach hook pouch 101 to the belt portion of safety harness 11 . preferably , hook pouch attachment means 103 includes at least one strap that removably receives the belt of the safety harness 11 and closed by way of hook and eye closure , or velcro . fig1 b illustrates a front - view of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system showing the embodiment of fig1 a attached to a harness , shown generally at 200 . a harness and belt apparatus 201 comprises a belt portion 202 and leg portions 203 appointed to be placed around a fire fighter &# 39 ; s waist and legs . as set forth in the discussion on fig1 a , the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system 100 includes a high strength heat resistant rope 16 organized in a discrete parallel relationship held by readily breakable threads . rope 16 is housed within an inner pouch , which in turn is housed within an outer pouch 14 . outer pouch 14 includes attachment means appointed to attach outer pouch 14 to belt portion 202 of safety harness 201 . outer pouch 14 herein is fixedly attached to a hook pouch 101 . hook pouch 101 includes a hook closure flap , securing means , and a pouch pocket . the pouch pocket is appointed to receive hook 13 . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system transported by a firefighter , shown at 10 . the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system is normally set up on the right side of the fire fighter , but the system is designed to be used on either the right or left side of the fire fighter . safety harness 11 is shown having leg portions 12 . the safety apparatus of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system is removably attached to the harness 11 by way of attachment means , such as through a snap system , hook and eye , strap system , or the like . as shown , external or outer pouch 14 ( along with internal or inner pouch 15 and rope 16 ) is removably attached to the waist portion of harness 11 . escape hook 13 appends off a proximal end 18 of rope 16 . the belay or friction generating device is not included in this first embodiment and the fire fighter descends at the highest speed possible . fig3 illustrates the details of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system , showing the escape apparatus generally at 20 . escape hook 13 comprises a first portion 13 a and a second portion 13 b . second portion 13 b is connected to heat resistant rope 16 by way of attachment means 20 , which is in turn interstitially attached to the heat resistant rope 16 by way of external rope portion or proximal end 18 . attachment means 20 is shown as a loop , fixedly attached to second portion 13 b of escape hook 13 . alternatively , the attachment means 20 can consist of a variety of attachment mechanisms . proximal end 18 extends out of internal or inner pouch 15 and transverses through internal or inner aperture 19 of inner pouch 15 , and further transverses through external or outer aperture 22 in flap 21 of outer pouch 14 . herein , outer pouch 14 is illustrated having flap 21 on a vertical end . alternatively , and as illustrated in fig1 , flap 21 is on a horizontal side edge of outer pouch 14 . both internal pouch 15 and external pouch 14 are composed of heat resistant , flame resistant materials . preferably , internal pouch 15 is further composed of a transparent material in order to allow a user to readily view heat resistant rope 16 located therein the internal pouch 15 . the heat resistant rope 16 is fixed within the internal pouch 15 , and is arranged in a “ parachute ” type arrangement . that is to say , heat resistant rope 16 has lateral sections arranged parallel to one another and fixedly positioned by threads 17 , to form uniform , arranged layers . these threads shown at 17 break off as the rope 16 is deployed . in this formation , heat resistant rope 16 remains in a manner that prevents tangling or knotting of the heat resistant rope 16 as it is deployed during an emergency situation . after the heat resistant rope 16 is deployed from the internal pouch 15 and visa vie the external pouch 14 , the system is not re - usable , but must be disposed of . this prevents unnecessary risks that can occur if the system has been damaged through use , such as a chafed heat resistant rope 16 or knotted heat resistant rope 16 which can cause malfunctioning in the deployment of the heat resistant rope 16 . fig4 illustrates the details of insertion of the inner pouch into an embodiment of the outer pouch of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system . the figure shows generally at 30 , the outer pouch 14 and inner pouch 15 , positioned side by side . the outer pouch 14 is provided with an aperture for receiving and housing inner pouch 15 . the external pouch 14 has a flap 21 , shown on the top thereof in a vertical arrangement , adapted to be in a closed configuration and an open configuration ; herein flap 21 is shown in the open configuration . flap 21 is in the open configuration when the external pouch 14 is receiving the internal pouch 15 . otherwise , flap 21 is in the closed configuration . flap 21 and outer pouch 14 are provided with mating closure means , 42 and 43 , respectively . mating closure means , 42 and 43 are preferably comprised of a hook and eye or velcro arrangement . inner pouch 15 comprises a front , back , left and right sides , and a bottom to create an aperture for receiving and housing heat resistant rope 16 . inner pouch 15 has a cover 41 provided with an internal aperture 19 , from which proximal end 18 of heat resistant rope 16 extends from the internal or inner pouch 15 into the atmosphere . the proximal end 18 of heat resistant rope 16 is further provided with attachment means 20 , herein shown as a loop , alternatively may be a secure knot . preferably , a polymeric coating is applied to the secure knot , so that fraying or loosening of the knot is mitigated . attachment means 20 is adapted to fixedly attach to the second portion ( see 13 b in fig3 ) of the escape hook ( see 13 in fig2 and 3 ). the distal end of the heat resistant rope 16 is fixed within the internal pouch 15 , and the overall arrangement of the rope is arranged in a “ parachute ” type arrangement . that is to say , heat resistant rope 16 has lateral sections 44 arranged in a parallel conformation to one another . these lateral sections 44 of rope 16 are fixed in the parallel conformation by way of threads 17 . threads 17 are located on top end 45 and on bottom end 46 of each of the lateral sections 44 . these threads 17 break readily with the application of force created during deployment of the rope 16 . threads 17 are provided to prevent the heat resistant rope 16 from tangling or knotting during deployment and storage , so that the rope 16 glides effortlessly from the inner pouch 15 and outer pouch 14 bringing the fire fighter to safety . after the heat resistant rope 16 is deployed from the inner pouch 15 and the outer pouch 14 ; the system is not re - usable , but must be disposed of . this prevents unnecessary risks that can occur if the system has been damaged through use , such as a chafing or knotting of the rope 16 which can cause deployment malfunctioning of rope 16 . fig5 illustrates , at 40 , the second embodiment of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system with a belay or friction generating element transported by a firefighter . safety harness 11 is shown having leg portions 12 and an outer hook pouch 33 to accommodate the escape hook 13 , hidden within the outer pouch . a belay or friction device 34 is attached to the safety harness 11 and outer pouch 14 using two easily detachable carabineer type fasteners 35 a and 35 b . the two carabineers are provided for additional safety , though one carabineer is sufficient to attach the belay or friction - generating element to the belt . the proximal end 18 of the rope 16 passes through the belay or friction device 34 limiting the rate at which the fireman descends . in an emergency , the fireman can release the fasteners 35 a and 35 b providing rapid decent . the safety apparatus of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system is removably attached to the harness 11 by way of attachment means , such as through a snap system or the like . as shown , outer pouch 14 ( along with inner pouch 15 and rope 16 ) is removably attached to the waist portion of harness 11 . escape hook 13 appends off proximal end 18 of rope 16 and is now located within the outer pouch 33 . fig6 illustrates , at 50 , the escape hook 13 of the fire fighter &# 39 ; s personal escape system . escape hook 13 comprises a first portion 13 a and a second portion 13 b . second portion 13 b is adapted for connection to heat resistant rope 16 by way of attachment means 20 which is in turn interstitially attached to the heat resistant rope 16 by way of proximal end 18 . herein , attachment means 20 is shown as a loop fixedly attached to second portion 13 b of escape hook 13 . alternatively , the attachment means 20 can consist of a variety of attachment mechanisms such as knot , preferably secured by a polymeric coating . second portion 13 b has a hook aperture 51 adapted for receiving attachment means 20 and preferably , attachment means 20 is integrated by way of factory installation with hook aperture 51 and second portion 13 b . second portion 13 b may further comprise a carabineer , as is readily sold on the market . the hook aperture 51 of the second portion may be used to carry specific tools including a halligan tool . the hook aperture 51 preferably has a height “ z ” located centrally ( shown as a phantom line ) ranging from 3 to 5 inches , and preferably having a height “ z ” of 3⅓ inches . hook aperture 51 preferably has a width “ y ” located centrally ( shown as a phantom line ) ranging from 1 to 3 inches , and preferably having a width y of 1⅓ inches . the height “ z ” and width “ y ” of second portion 13 b are determined so that a hand , preferably that of a typical fire fighter having an average hand size , can readily fit into hook aperture 51 so that the fire fighter can have optimal force when engaging the escape hook 13 with an object by way of first portion 13 a . first portion 13 a has a hook tip 52 that has a sharp nature so that hook tip 52 can readily penetrate through an object , such as a couch , sofa , chair , or the like . first portion 13 a forms a hook opening extending towards the sharp tip point 52 and has a diameter x . the diameter x preferably ranges from 2⅛ to 2¼ inches so that the hook 13 can readily fit around most radiators and steam pipes associated with buildings and private dwellings . the second portion 13 b readily can be hooked around window studs , radiators , beams , piping , and the like , so that the firefighter can utilize the object as a grounding leverage as the fire fighter engages the rope 16 and propels out of the dangerous area to safety . hook 13 is composed of a lightweight material , yet has significant durability and strength to support the weight of a firefighter while descending at least 50 feet . the hook 13 is preferably made from a high strength iron , which can support more than 6000 pounds . optionally , the hook may be made from high strength titanium alloy material , which can support more than 6000 pounds . fig7 illustrates , at 60 , a carabineer configuration of the escape hook 13 . the second portion 13 b is provided with an integrated carabineer clip 61 . this clip may be disengaged to capture a rope that surrounds a substantial object or be used to attach other fire fighter &# 39 ; s tools . fig8 illustrates a photograph of a halligan tool , a forcible entry tool pro - bar . developed by a forcible entry instructor of the n . y . f . d , this halligan - type forcible entry tool is the result of years of re - search and countless interviews with fire chiefs and firefighters in the n . y . f . d . the halligan tool comprises at least one fork region and leverage region , with points that are designed with correct lengths and tapers to enable the firefighter to effect easy entry or penetration into a building . the tool provides maximum leverage for entry . the tool is a one - piece construction of alloy steel and is drop forged and is typically 30 inches long . this tool can be contained within the aperture 51 of the escape hook 13 of fig5 , and 7 and is used without a hook pouch as indicated in fig2 . having thus described the invention in rather full detail , it will be understood that such detail need not be strictly adhered to , but that additional changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art , all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims .
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[ 0014 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a message targeting system according to principles of the present invention . the message targeting system 10 is connected to the internet 15 where it is accessible to users 20 , publishers 25 and sponsors of targeted messages 30 . the system 10 has a processor 35 , a target profile builder 40 and a central repository 45 . the target profile builder 40 has a search system 50 and a target profile tree 55 . the central repository 45 has a user profile repository 60 and a targeted message repository 65 . in operation , the sponsor of targeted messages 30 provides a targeted message that is stored in the targeted message repository 65 . the sponsor of targeted messages also builds a target profile to be associated with the targeted message using the tools provided on the system 10 . the target profile is a profile of characteristics of the intended receiver of the targeted message . the target profile tree 55 is a database of characteristics with which to build the target profile . the target profile is stored in the targeted message repository 65 with the targeted message . the search system 50 searches user profiles in the user profile repository 60 for matches between user profiles and the target profile . all the users who meet the target profile characteristics are listed in the targeted message repository 65 in association with the targeted message . when a registered user , that is , a user 20 having a user profile , accesses the system through a publisher 25 , the user is identified and the search system 50 searches the targeted message repository 65 for any targeted messages to be shown to that user . the system 10 selects a targeted message from the messages found in the targeted message repository 65 and displays it to the user 20 through the publisher . [ 0017 ] fig2 is a block diagram of a portion of the target profile tree 55 . when a sponsor of targeted messages , such as an advertiser , is interested in sending a targeted message , such as an advertisement , to users , the advertiser must construct an advertisement campaign . one component of that campaign is the target profile . the target profile determines who sees the advertisement . in order to construct the target profile , the advertiser browses through the target profile tree , checking off all attributes that the target user should match . these profile points determine who is shown the advertisement . the profile tree works by successively dividing all things into categories . for example , “ vacations ” might be subdivided into caribbean and european , etc . there is no requirement that profiles draw from only one part of the tree so “ pizza lovers who drive bmw &# 39 ; s ” is a valid target profile . referring now to fig2 the portion 100 of the target profile tree 55 is given a “ local root ” 105 for illustration purposes . from the local root 105 extend the categories of sports 110 , vehicle 115 and computer 120 . from the vehicle category 115 extend the categories of motorcycle 125 , car 130 and bicycle 135 . from the category of car 140 extend the category of main car 140 and second car 145 . from the category of main car 140 extends the category of jaguar xk8 150 . the advertiser steps through the target profile tree and in this portion of the target profile tree , selects bicycle 135 , the jaguar xk8 150 under main car . the selected categories become the target profile which will be associated with the targeted message and will be used to search the user profiles for matching users . once a target profile is constructed , the system 10 can tell the advertiser how many people presently in the system match the profile so that the advertiser receives an estimate of the size of the target audience . the system updates the lists of users associated with particular targeted messages to keep the lists up - to - date . when new users join , or when a current user updates his or her profile , the lists of users associated with the various targeted messages are updated accordingly . in alternative embodiments of the system , the target profiles are periodically reviewed and compared to the user profiles . using the target profile , the advertiser can target a more specific set of people than is presently possible . also , this targeting method can grow more and more specific as the system grows and the user profiles become richer . the preferred implementation is a web site with a tree of web pages to allow profile construction . this is backed up by java servlets accessing the relational database that holds the profiles and the advertisement information . [ 0024 ] fig3 shows the targeted message repository 65 with a generic record 200 . the generic record 200 has a targeted message field 205 with a target profile field 210 and an associated list of users 215 created when the target profile is matched to the stored user profiles . [ 0025 ] fig4 is a flow chart of the operation of the system . the system receives a targeted message , block 300 , from for example an advertiser . the system enables the advertiser to create a target profile by providing the target profile tree , block 305 . once the advertiser has created the target profile , the user profiles stored in the system are compared to the target profile , block 310 . the resulting list of users is stored in the targeted message repository along with the targeted message , block 315 . whenever a registered user visits a publisher of targeted messages , the system first recognizes the user , block 320 , that is , the system confirms that a user profile is stored in the user profile repository . then the system searches for the user in the lists stored in the targeted message repository , block 325 . the system may find no appropriate targeted message or a plurality of targeted messages to display to the user , block 330 . one of the found targeted messages is then served to the user . in a first alternative embodiment of the invention , the system creates links from the user profiles to targeted messages in the targeted message repository when the user profiles are compared to the target profile . in this embodiment , when a user is recognized at a publisher , a list of targeted messages already exists . one of the targeted messages is then served to the user at the publisher . in a second alternative embodiment of the invention , the system recognizes a user at a publisher and compares that user &# 39 ; s profile to the target profiles stored in the central repository . if a matching target profile is found , the associated targeted message is served to the user . it is to be understood that the above - described embodiments are simply illustrative of the principles of the invention . various and other modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof .
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referring now to fig1 to 11 , the description will proceed to a device for engaging / disengaging cable connectors with connectors on printed circuit board or a card according to a preferred embodiment of this invention . referring to fig1 a cable connector 1 comprises an insulator housing 2 having a cable introducing hole at an upper end and a fitting portion 4 at the opposite or lower end , and a plurality of contact elements ( not shown ) fixed in the insulator housing 2 . a plurality of cables 3 are introduced in the insulator housing 2 and electrically and mechanically connected to the contact elements . the fitting end 4 is fitted and engaged with a mating connector . the insulator housing 2 has two locking grooves 2 a at opposite side ends and two stopping grooves 4 c in a lower end surface . in fig1 the insulator housing 2 is shown to be formed of two similar insulators fixed to each other by screws 5 . the connector engaging / disengaging device of this invention comprises a carrier assembly for carrying cable connectors having carrier plates . referring to fig2 a carrier plate 6 is generally rectangular in the shape . the carrier plate 6 has a generally u - shaped locking spring ( preserving portion ) 6 a on its surface at the central portion in the transverse direction thereof and fixed to the upper side of the rectangular , and two generally l - shaped locking springs ( preserving portions ) 6 b at opposite end portions of the rectangular , respectively , by bending the plate . the carrier plate 6 further has , on a lower side , a stopper ( positioning portion ) 6 c at the center in the transverse direction thereof and two small stoppers ( positioning portions ) 6 d at opposite end portions thereof , respectively , by bending the plate . the carrier plate 6 further has generally l - shaped projecting portions 6 e which project from opposite ends of the rectangular . a boss ( protrudent portion ) 6 f is press - fitted and fixed onto each of the l - shaped projecting portions 6 e . referring to fig3 the carrier assembly 7 comprises a plurality of the carrier plates 6 , a pair of side blocks 8 for supporting opposite ends of carrier plates 6 , a front plate 10 fixed to a front surface of each of the side blocks 8 , and a pair of upper plates 12 fixed to an upper surface of each of the side blocks . the opposite end portion of the front plate 10 is fixed to the side blocks 8 by screws 9 fastened therethrough to screw holes 8 a in the front surface of the side blocks 8 . the upper plates 12 are also fixed to the side blocks 8 by means of screws 11 fastened therethrough to screw holes 8 b on the upper surface of the side blocks 8 . the side blocks 8 further have a plurality of vertical guide grooves ( preserving portions for driving ) 8 c formed at regular intervals in the upper half wall portion of each side block 8 . projecting portions 6 e of carrier plates 6 are inserted into corresponding ones of the guide grooves 8 c and vertically slidable in the vertical guide groove 8 c . however , the projecting portions 6 e are prevented from falling off from the vertical grooves 8 c upwardly by the upper plates 12 . the side blocks 8 further have horizontal guide grooves 8 d formed outside and adjacent the vertical guide grooves 8 c and extending from the front to the rear of the side blocks 8 . the side blocks 8 further have support flange ( support portion ) 8 e projecting inwardly from the lower inside portions of the side blocks 8 for supporting the card . the side blocks 8 further have mounting tabs 8 f on the outside thereof by which the carrier assembly 7 is fixedly mounted on mounting pillars 14 by means of screws 13 as seen in fig4 . as shown in fig4 cable connectors 1 are mounted on carrier plates 6 successively . opposite locking grooves 2 a of each cable connector 1 engage with one side of the central locking spring 6 a and the locking spring 6 b , respectively , of each carrier plate 6 . opposite stopping grooves 4 c of each cable connector 1 come into contact with the large stopper 6 c and the small stopper 6 d , respectively , of the carrier plate 6 . thus , the cable connector 1 is stably held on the carrier plate . in the state , the cable can be bent adjacent the cable connector 1 with an angle shown at a in the figure , as it is necessary . since impedance matching is performed in the cable 3 , turbulence of the impedance does hardly occur even if the angle portion a is formed at the cable 3 . referring to fig5 all cable connectors 1 ( ten cable connectors are shown ) are disposed in two rows on the carrier assembly 7 . in the state , a pair of sliders 21 are slidably fitted in the horizontal guide grooves 8 d , respectively , and are attached to the carrier assembly 7 to connect the cable connectors 1 with header connectors on the card 15 . thus , the connector engaging / disengaging device is completed . referring now to fig5 and 9 , the description will proceed to the card 15 . the card 15 comprises a printed circuit board 16 , ten header connectors 17 all disposed on a surface of the printed circuit board 16 , a pair of flanges 19 fixed on opposite side portions of the printed circuit board 16 by means of screws 18 , and a pair of generally l - shaped guide members 20 is fixed to flanges 19 , respectively . the ten header connectors 17 are disposed in two rows each having five connectors . the guide members 20 are disposed adjacent to two header connector rows , respectively . thus , a gap 20 a is formed between the flange 19 and a foot of “ l ” of the l - shaped guide member 20 . referring to fig6 a - 6c in addition to fig5 the description will proceed to each slider 21 . each of the sliders 21 is a rectangular rod and has a slider groove formed in the inner side surface and extending in the lengthwise direction of the rod for receiving the bosses 6 f of the carrier plates 6 . the slider groove comprises a first straight groove portion 21 a , an inclined groove portion 21 b , and a second straight groove portion 21 c which are connected in series in this order , the second straight groove portion 21 c is offset upwardly from the first straight groove portion 21 a through the inclined groove portion 21 b . therefore , the inclined groove portion 21 b goes up from the first straight groove portion 21 a to the second straight groove portion 21 c . in the state shown in fig5 when each slider 21 is inserted into the horizontal guide groove 8 d of each side block 8 while the bosses 6 e of the carrier plates 6 are received in the slider groove , the carrier plates 6 and therefore the cable connectors 1 are moved upwardly as the bosses 6 f transit from the first straight groove portion 21 a to the second straight groove portion 21 c through the inclined groove portion 21 b . the state of the carrier plates 6 are elevated is shown in fig6 a and fig7 a . next , the card 15 is attached to the connector engaging / disengaging device by inserting the support flanges 8 e of the side blocks 8 into the gaps 20 a of the card 15 until each flange 19 of the card 15 runs against each pillar 14 , as shown in fig6 b . as a result , the card 15 is mounted on the carrier assembly 7 , and each cable connector 1 and each header connector 17 are positioned facing each other ., as shown in fig7 b . thereafter , when the sliders 21 are synchronously drawn out and slid to the direction shown by an arrow in fig6 b , bosses 6 f of the five carrier plates 6 are pushed down successively by engaging with the inclined groove portion 21 b of each slider 21 . thereupon , the ten cable connectors 1 are successively brought into engagement with the ten header connectors 17 . when all of bosses 6 f engage with the first straight groove portions 21 a , all of the cable connector 1 are brought into the completion of engagement with the all of the header connectors 17 , as shown in fig6 c and fig7 c . the connection completed state is maintained even if cable connectors 1 are pulled by cables 3 . this is because cable connectors 1 are locked to the carrier plates 6 by locking springs 6 a and 6 b while the carrier plates 6 are prevented from moving by engagement of the bosses 6 f with the first straight groove portions 21 a in the slider 21 . referring to fig1 which shows , in sectional views , a positional relation of the fitting portion 4 of the cable connector 1 and the header connector 17 in the state shown in fig6 b and 7b , the fitting portion 4 a of the cable connector 1 comprises a housing 4 a and contact elements 4 b preserved in the housing 4 a . the header connector 17 comprises an insulator housing 17 a and contact elements 17 b fixed in the housing 17 a . each of contact elements 17 b has contact portion to be connected to each of contact elements 4 b and a surface mounting terminal 17 c which is connected onto the printed circuit board ( 16 , in fig6 ). in transition of cable connectors 1 from the state in fig6 b and 7b to another state in fig6 c and 7c , the engaging portion 4 moves to a direction of an arrow shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 which shows , in sectional views , a positional relation of the fitting portion 4 of the cable connector 1 and the header connector 17 in the state shown in fig6 c and 7c , the fitting portion 4 of the cable connector 1 is fit to the header connector 17 . consequently , each contact element 4 b of the cable connector 1 comes into contact with each contact element 17 b of the header connector 17 . at this time , each contact element 17 b is elastically deformed to provide a contact pressure to the contact element 4 b . in operation for separating each cable connector 1 from each header connector 17 , the pair of sliders 21 are moved in a reversed direction and are drawn out from the carrier assembly 7 . as a result , cable connectors 1 are moved upwardly in transition of states from fig6 c and 7c to fig6 a and 7a through fig6 b and 7b .
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as shown in fig1 and 2 a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention comprises a relative temperature sensor 1 , an absolute temperature sensor 3 , and a processing unit 5 , which is connected to both sensors 1 , 3 . in this embodiment the absolute temperature sensor 3 is a platinum resistance thermometer , which below will be referred to as a pt - thermometer . the pt - thermometer 3 is preferred due to its good performance as to long term stability , which will be further explained below . in the following the relative temperature sensor 1 will be referred to as an rt - sensor . the rt - sensor 1 comprises a measurement body 7 , a reference body 9 and a difference temperature sensing means 11 , which is thermally , and , here , in fact physically , connected to both the measurement body 7 and the reference body 9 , and which senses a temperature difference between the reference body 9 and the measurement body 7 . preferably the difference temperature sensing means comprises a plurality of thermoelements ( thermo - piles ), which are attached to each other forming a block , and which are engaged with a respective surface area of each one of the bodies 7 , 9 . further , the rt - sensor 1 comprises a housing 13 . the housing 13 embraces said bodies 7 , 9 and said sensing means 11 , and it is attached with the measurement body 7 and is heat conducting . thus , the measurement body 7 is exposed to the surrounding environment , or substance , as regards the heat thereof . more specifically , it is arranged so that the measurement body and the substance have the same temperature within the measurement precision . further the housing 13 is not engaged with the reference body 9 , but rather it forms a cavity wherein the reference body 9 is arranged at a distance from the inner wall of the housing 13 and , thus , the reference body 9 is substantially heat insulated from the substance 25 . as shown most schematically in fig2 which substantially is a cross - sectional view , the sensors 1 , 3 are arranged in a tube 15 through which the substance 25 , which in this embodiment is a liquid , is flowing , driven by a circulation device 17 . thus , the sensors 1 , 3 are arranged in a bath , which is a typical application of the invention . in this embodiment there is a requirement in that the heat exchange between the measurement body 7 and the bath 25 is very high so that the temperature of the measurement body 7 accurately enough follows that of the bath 25 . with reference to fig3 a second embodiment of the apparatus comprises a difference temperature sensor 31 , an absolute temperature sensor 39 and a processing unit ( not shown ). the difference temperature sensor 31 comprises a reference body 33 , and a difference temperature sensing means 35 . this second embodiment is adapted to cases where the substance is a solid body 30 . thus , the measurement body , which was used above as an intermediate means for enabling a high resolution relative measurement where the substance is a liquid , is no longer necessary . in another view the substance 30 itself can be considered as embodying the measurement body . in the second embodiment the reference body 33 is attached to the temperature sensing means 35 , which in turn is attached to the solid body 30 . there is no separate housing , but rather the reference body 33 and the temperature sensing means 35 are arranged in a cavity of the solid body 30 . thus , in another view , the solid body 30 can be regarded as defining a housing . the reference body 33 is merely in physical contact with the temperature sensing means 35 and is substantially thermally isolated from the solid body 30 . the absolute temperature sensor 39 is attached to the solid body 30 . like in the first embodiment the sensors 31 , 39 are connected to the processing unit . in fig1 and 2 further an embodiment of a temperature control system according to this invention is shown . the control system comprises the first embodiment of the apparatus as well as the circulation device described above . additionally , the temperature control system comprises a regulator 19 , which is connected to said apparatus , and heating and cooling elements 21 , 23 respectively which are connected to the regulator 19 , and which are arranged in the bath 25 . the regulator 19 is connected to the processing unit 5 . it is to be noted that the temperature control system could be constructed on basis of the second embodiment of the apparatus as well . in an embodiment of a method employing the apparatus of the present invention , a difference value is generated by means of the rt - sensor 1 , 31 , which senses the relative temperature between the reference body 9 , 33 and the substance , either indirectly , such as via the measurement body 7 in the first embodiment , or directly , such as in the second embodiment . that is , the difference temperature sensing means 11 senses the temperature difference between the two bodies 7 and 9 or 30 and 33 . the rt - sensor 1 , 31 then generates a relative value associated with the temperature difference and feeds it to the processing unit 5 . in the disclosed embodiments the difference value is a voltage signal , which is generated by the thermopiles of the difference temperature sensing means 11 , and which below will be referred to as the first voltage signal . further , the absolute temperature of the substance 25 , 30 is sensed and an absolute value , which is associated therewith , is generated by means of the pt - thermometer 3 , 39 . the absolute value too is a voltage signal , which will be referred to as the second voltage signal . when controlling , by means of said temperature control system , the temperature of the substance 25 , 30 the absolute and difference values are both used so as to obtain a high resolution absolute temperature value of the bath . for many applications the resolution of the pt - thermometer alone is not good enough . this is because the voltage signal provided by the pt - thermometer is rather noisy . on the other hand , as discussed above , the resolution of the rt - sensor 1 , 31 is good , while the long term stability of the first voltage signal is not good enough for isothermal and near isothermal conditions . the absolute value and the difference value are generated continuously over time . the processing unit 5 receives the first and second voltage signals and determines an absolute temperature of the substance 25 , 30 while using both values . in the shown application a temperature signal representing the determined absolute temperature is fed to the regulator 19 , which in turn uses the temperature signal to regulate the temperature of the substance 25 , 30 . for example the regulator 19 can be a pid regulator . according to the present embodiment of the method the determination of the absolute temperature is performed as follows . in the equations below , for reasons of simplicity , the integrals are merely schematically indicated as to the range . however , it is to be noted that each integral covers a time interval from 0 to t . the basis for the determination of the absolute temperature is a model in accordance with : t = t 0 + gv diffnom + ∫ g τ v diffnom ( eqn 1 ) where t 0 is the initial absolute temperature of the bath at the beginning of a run , v diffnom is the nominal difference value , g is a transformation factor for , when necessary , transforming the difference value into temperature , and τ is a time constant for heat transmission between said measurement body 7 and said reference body 9 , or between the reference body 30 and the measurement body 33 , i . e . the solid substance . in the present embodiment the difference value is a voltage . thus a transformation into temperature is needed , why g = 1 / s , where s is the so called seebeck coefficient . in practice , as explained above , the difference value received from the rt - sensor 1 is subject to a minor error due to an offset voltage δv diff . the offset voltage becomes a problem under certain circumstances , such as in isothermal conditions , i . e . when the temperature of the bath should be kept constant over a time period , or in conditions of a slowly changing temperature , such as when performing a slow scanning where the temperature is changed for example a few degrees or even parts of a degree per hour . thus , the sensed difference voltage v diff = v diffnom + δv diff , resulting in a rewritten equation 1 of : t = t 0 + 1 s ( v diff - δ v diff ) + ∫ 1 s τ ( v diff - δ v diff ) ( eqn 2 ) δv diff is assumed to vary sufficiently slowly not to cause a significant error when brought outside of the integral . t approx = t 0 + 1 s v diff - δ v diff s + ∫ 1 s τ v diff - δ v diff ∫ 1 s τ ( eqn 3 ) the sensed absolute value , i . e . the second voltage signal , is transformed into a temperature t pt , which is equated to t det in the least square error sense . then the known terms are gathered on the right hand side : t 0 - δ v diff s - δ v diff ∫ 1 s τ = t pt - 1 s v diff - ∫ 1 s τ v diff ( eqn 4 ) with negligable error , we can group the first two terms to a constant c 1 = t 0 - δ v diff s and define a second constant c 2 =− δv diff to get c 1 + c 2 ∫ 1 s τ = t pt - 1 s v diff - ∫ 1 s τ v diff ( eqn 5 ) next a least squares fit is employed for obtaining c 1 , and c 2 , by means of which t 0 and δv diff can be calculated using the definition of said constants . the least squares fit is performed in a conventional way by setting up a matrix and a vector and solving the linear equation system thus obtained for each sample for providing a value of t det . using an orthodox least square error method would work nicely , except for the fact that δv diff does vary , though slowly . it would eventually settle on an average δv diff , but be wrong most of the time . this problem is overcome by continuously scaling down the matrix and vector , thus assigning lower weight to past data - samples and higher weight to recent ones . more specifically , the matrix and the vector are multiplied by e − δt / α , where α becomes a time constant of the coupling to the absolute temperature sensor . this could be expressed by : a i + 1 = a i - δ t α + [ 1 ∫ 1 s τ ∫ 1 s τ ( ∫ 1 s τ ) 2 ] ( 1 - - δ t α ) ( eqn 6 ) b i + 1 = b i - δ t α + [ 1 ∫ 1 s τ ] ( t pt - 1 s v diff - ∫ 1 s τ v diff ) ( 1 - - δ t α ) ( eqn 7 ) ( c α ) i = ( a i - 1 b i ) α and ( eqn 8 ) ( t det ) i = ( c 1 ) i + ( c 2 ) i ∫ 1 s τ + 1 s v diff + ∫ 1 s τ v diff ( eqn 9 ) finally , the absolute temperature is determined by equation 9 , whereby a value of higher resolution than the initially sensed absolute temperature value has been obtained . in a sense , the value of the absolute temperature as sensed by means of the pt - sensor has been optimised by means of the difference value . it is to be noted that , as understood by the man skilled in the art , the integrals are in fact best calculated as sums on basis of sampled values of the sensed absolute and difference temperatures . as can be seen from above , the second voltage signal is used for detecting a trend that occurs erroneously in the first voltage signal . the fact that the second voltage signal is stable over time , though noisy , and the first voltage signal is a low noise signal , though not fully stable over time , is used as described above in order to obtain a highly reliable high resolution value of the absolute temperature at a given point of time . above advantageous embodiments of the present invention have been described . these should be seen as merely non - limiting examples . many modifications will be possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims .
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a wheel for light vehicles and a disc member used therefor according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 through fig5 show a first embodiment according to the present invention . the wheel for the light vehicles in the first embodiment comprises a hub 1 provided with a pair of flanges 11 for fixing disc members 3 , a rim 2 including mounting holes 21 defined at prescribed pitches and passing therethrough in a radial direction and a pair of disc members 3 stretched between the hub 1 and the rim 2 . in this embodiment , the disc member 3 is composed of a circular - shaped thin metal sheet having a diameter substantially as large as the inside diameter of the rim 2 . the disc member 3 has an opening 31 defined at the center thereof to enable a rotational shaft 12 of the hub 1 to pass therethrough and through holes 32 defined around the inner circumferential edge thereof and corresponding to screw holes 13 defined to the flanges 11 at prescribed pitches . thus , as shown in fig1 after a screw 48 is inserted into each through hole 32 from the outside of the disc member 3 , it is threadedly engaged with a screw hole 13 of the flange 11 so that the inner circumferential edge of the disc member 3 is fixed to the flange 11 . further , as shown in fig1 the outer circumferential edge of the disc member 3 is fixed to the rim by a nipple 5 composed of a cylindrical locking member 5a with a female screw 51 defined therethrough and a screw member 5b threadedly engaged with the locking member 5a . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the locking member 5a is welded to a substantially triangular metal plate 52 with its one end projected , and then the metal plate 52 is fixed to the inner surface side of the disc member 3 by spot welding . note that the locking members 5a are disposed to the disc member 3 at pitches twice those of the mounting holes 21 defined to the rim 2 . conversely , the rim 2 to which the outer circumferential edge of the disc member 3 is fixed is a usual rim having thirty two mounting holes 21 , and , as shown in fig1 has an opening diameter on the side of the inner circumference thereof which is smaller than that of an opening diameter on the side of the outer circumference . the screw member 5b having a male thread defined thereto ( see fig5 ) is inserted into the mounting hole 21 . this screw member 5b is composed of a head portion 54 having a hexagonal hole 53 defined therein and the male screw 55 projecting from the head portion 54 , and when the screw member 5b is inserted into the mounting hole 21 , the head portion 54 is locked at the opening on the inner circumference side of the rim 2 . therefore , as shown in fig1 the threading engagement of the screw member 5b passing through the mounting hole 21 with the locking member 5a provided with the disc member 3 enables the outer circumferential edge of the disc member 3 to be fixed to the rim 2 . in addition , the increase in a threading amount of the screw member 5b into the locking member 5a causes the locking member 5a to be pulled toward the rim 2 side to stretch the disc member 3 . with the wheel for the light vehicles of this embodiment arranged as above , the wheel having the opposite sides thereof covered with the disc members 3 is completed in such a manner that each inner circumferential edge of a pair of the disc members 3 is fixed to the flange 11 of the hub 1 , and then , as shown in fig4 the locking members 5a provided with one of the disc member 3 and the locking members 5a provided with the other of the disc member 3 are alternately fixed to a series of the mounting holes 21 . in this wheel , the balance of tension exerted on the disc members 3 can be adjusted by adjusting a threading amount of the screw members 5b threadedly engaged with the locking members 5a so that the balance of the wheel can be adjusted in the same procedure as that of the conventional spoke wheel . although an allen wrench suitable to the hexagonal hole 53 is used to thread the screw member 5b , a minus driver may be used when a groove portion 56 is defined , as shown in fig5 . next , a second embodiment shown in fig6 through fig1 will be described . in this embodiment , a disc member 3 has a main portion thereof composed of synthetic resin sheets 34 and accommodates a reinforcing strand 33 made of a bundled fiber material . the disc member 3 has an opening 31 similar to that of the first embodiment defined at the center thereof and fixed to a hub through an auxiliary ring 4 , whereas the disc member has the outer circumferential edge thereof provided with sixteen through holes 35 defined at the same intervals and fixed to the rim 2 by nipples 8 comprised of a member 8a engaged with the through holes 35 and a screw member 8b . as shown in fig6 the reinforcing strand 33 is stretched in the synthetic resin sheets in such a manner that it coincides with the tangential direction of each through hole 35 and the opening 38 and the tangential direction between respective through holes 35 with a result that it can absorb almost all the tension exerted on the disc member 3 . as shown in fig8 and 9 , the auxiliary ring 4 has the outer circumferential edge thereof provided with a collar member 41 having one side serving as an annular surface 42 for fixing the inner circumferential edge of the disc member 3 . the annular surface 42 is provided with sixteen projections 43 for locking the reinforcing strand 33 . the inner circumferential edge of the disc member 3 is fixed to the auxiliary ring 4 by a pressing plate 45 mounted to the collar member 41 by screws . designated at numeral 46 are screw holes with which screws 44 are threadedly engaged to fix the pressing plate 45 . the auxiliary ring 4 has the inner circumferential edge thereof provided with a recessed portion 47 to be engaged with a flange 11 . the flange 11 is fixed in the recessed portion 47 by screws 39 to enable the outer surface of the flange 11 and the annular surface 42 to be located on the same surface , whereby the same tension as that of the case wherein the disc member 3 is directly fixed to the flange 11 is exerted on the disc member 3 . the auxiliary rings 4 of the same type are usually coupled with a pair of the disc members 3 . when , however , the center of the hub 1 in its axial direction must be displaced with respect to the center of the rim 2 in its width direction in such a case as a bicycle rear wheel , the auxiliary rings 4 cannot be used as the pair . as shown in fig7 in this case , the recessed portion 47 with which the flange 11 is engaged is defined deeper , and one of the auxiliary rings 4 is used such that when the hub 1 is fixed , the annular surface 42 is located inwardly of the outer surface of the flange 11 . further , the nipple 8 shown in fig7 is used to fix the disc member 3 to the rim 2 . this nipple 8 is composed of a cylindrical locking member 8a provided with a locking groove 57 to be engaged with the through hole 35 of the disc member 3 and and a screw member 8b to be threadedly engaged with this locking member 8b . the locking member 8b is engaged with the through hole 35 , whereas the screw member 8b is inserted into the mounting hole 21 of the rim 2 and the screw member 8b is threaded into the locking member 8a , whereby the outer circumferential edge of the disc member 3 is pulled toward the rim 2 side to exert tension to the disc member 3 . in addition , this arrangement wherein the locking member is engaged with the through hole of the disc member enables the disc to be uniformily stretched even if the mounting hole of the rim is slightly dislocated from the through hole . note that the rim 2 used in the wheel of this embodiment is a usual rim having the htiry two mounting holes 21 and the number of the nipples 8 engaged with one of the disc members 3 and the number of the projections of the auxiliary ring 4 are half of the number of these mounting holes . next , a method of fabricating the disc member 3 used in this embodiment will be described . when the disc member 3 is fabricated , a specially arranged jig 6 is used to stretch the reinforcing strand 33 , as shown in fig1 and 12 . this jig 6 is composed of a disc - shaped stretching table 62 rotatingly disposed on an xy table 61 movable in two directions along x and y axes on a plane . the stretching table 62 has the outer circumferetial edge provided with pins 63 corresponding to the respective through holes 35 of the disc members 3 and an annular recessed portion 64 and a holding shaft 65 disposed at the center thereof to mount and fix the auxiliary ring 4 . the engagement of the auxiliary ring 4 with the holding shaft 65 enables the annular surface 42 of the auxiliary ring 4 to coincide with the surface of the stretching table 62 . in a practical fabrication , first , the auxiliary ring 4 is set on the stretching table 62 after it is engaged with the holding shaft 65 in such a manner that the projections 43 are directed upward , and next the synthetic resin sheet 34 is placed on the stretching table 62 such that the opening 38 at the center of the disc member 3 is engaged with the projections 43 of the auxiliary ring 4 and the through holes 35 around the outer circumferential edge thereof are engaged with the pins 63 . this synthetic sheet 34 is composed of a thermoplastic synthetic resin , and a polyethylene terephthalate resin is used in this embodiment . next , the reinforcing strand 33 wound around a reel 66 is stretched between the projections 43 of the auxiliary ring 4 and the pins 63 of the stretching table 62 making use of the movement and rotation of the stretching table 62 . in this embodiment , the reinforcing strand 33 is composed of a fiber bundle made by bundling polyaramide fibers . first , an end of the reinforcing strand 33 is locked at one of the projections 43 , then hooked by the pin 63 dislocated one and half pitches clockwise from the position confronting this projection 43 and returned to the auxiliary plate 4 side . the strand 33 returned to the auxiliary plate 4 side is wound around the projection 43 dislocated three pitches clockwise from the projection 43 at which the end thereof is locked and then locked at the projection 43 located next to the start point by being wound clockwise therearound . when this procedure is repeated sixteen times thereafter , the thirty two pieces of the reinforcing strands 33 are stretched between the pins 63 and the projections 43 , as shown by a virtual line in fig1 . after the reinforcing strand 33 is stretched in the radial directions , the reinforcing strand 33 extended from the final end thereof is repeatedly stretched from the pins 63 to the pins 63 . in this embodiment , the disc member 3 is arranged to stretch six arcs of the strands 33 from one of the nipples 8 . to achieve this arrangement of the reinforcing strand 33 , first , the reinforcing strand 33 starting clockwise from one of the pins 63 is locked at every third pin 63 and travels around the stretching table 62 three times , as shown in fig1 . next , the reinforcing strand starting clockwise from one of the pins 63 is locked at every fifth pin 63 and travels around the stretching table 62 five times , as shown in fig1 . thus , the reinforcing strand 33 returns to the initial pin 63 . after that , the reinforcing strand 33 is wound in such a manner that it is locked at all of the pins 63 , 63 ... to complete the stretching of the reinforcing strand 33 , as shown in fig1 . note that the reinforcing strand 33 is stretched to the disc member 3 with a predetermined tension w so that uniform tension is exerted on the overall disc member 3 . when the reinforcing strand 33 has been stretched , the reinforcing strand 33 is covered by a synthetic resin sheet 34 similar to the above synthetic resin sheet 34 . the reinforcing strand 33 is integrally formed with these synthetic resin sheets 34 , 34 when the sheets are subject to a thermal or ultrasonic welding , as shown in fig1 . finally , the pressing plate 45 is mounted to the auxiliary ring 4 by the screws to complete disc member 3 . note that an opening 71 surrounded by a reinforcing ring 7 is provided with the disc member 3 assembled to any one side of the wheel at a position thereof corresponding to a tire valve v to facilitate the connection of an air pump to the tire valve v ( see fig1 ). the disc member 3 including the opening 71 can be fabricated like the disc member 3 without the opening 71 in such a manner that the reinforcing ring 7 ( fig1 and 19 ) having a groove 72 defined around the outer circumference thereof is fixed at a corresponding position of the stretching table 62 and the reinforcing strand 33 passing through the opening 71 is bypassed along the groove 72 of the reinforcing ring 7 . the hub 1 is mounted on the center of a pair of the disc members 3 fabricated as described above by fixing the auxiliary plates 4 to the flanges 11 at the opposite sides of the hub 1 by the screws . next , when the through holes 35 of the disc members 3 disposed at the opposite sides are alternately engaged with the locking members 8a of the nipples 8 disposed in the mounting holes of the rim 3 and the screw members 8b of the respective nipples 8 , 8 . . . are threaded into the locking members 8a , the disc members 3 are stretched between the rim 2 and the hub 1 , whereby the wheel having the opposite sides thereof covered by the disc members 3 is completed . the balance of tension exerted on a pair of the disc members 3 of the wheel of this embodiment can also be adjusted by adjusting a threading amount of the screw members 8b , 8b . . . like the above first embodiment . further , in this embodiment , the tension is also exerted to the eight reinforcing strands 33 extending in radial and arc directions from each through hole 35 by engaging the locking members 8a with the through holes 35 to enable the disc member 3 to be stretched . therefore , since a shock load exerted on the rim 2 is also absorbed by these respective reinforcing strands 33 , 33 . . . , the resistance to shock of the wheel is more improved . in the second embodiment , the resistance to shock is improved by the fiber material accommodated in the synthetic resin sheet 34 . when , however , the disc member 3 is arranged by using a thin metal plate as in the first embodiment , the disc member 3 having improved resistance to shock can be obtained like the second embodiment by providing a raised reinforcing portion 36 to define a substantially v - shaped cross section ( fig2 and 21 ) in the same fashion as fig6 . further , the nipples 5 and 8 in the above embodiments may be composed of a locking member 5a or 8a provided with a male screw and a screw member 5b or 8b provided with a female screw . with this arrangement , a screw member same as a spoke nipple used in the conventional spoke wheel can be employed .
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fig1 is a schematic illustration of a nuclear power plant in which the present invention can be implemented . it should be understood that the nuclear power plant shown in fig1 is highly simplified to clearly illustrate the invention . the nuclear power plant comprises a reactor tank 1 with fuel rods 2 and control rods 3 . steam used to operate a turbine 4 is generated in the reactor tank . the steam turbine 4 may contain several turbines , for example one high - pressure turbine and three low - pressure turbines . the turbine 4 in turn operates a generator 9 , which produces electric power . the generator is shown in more detail in fig7 . after the steam has passed through the turbine 4 , it is conveyed to a condenser 5 in which the water vapor is condensed , and then it is recirculated in the form of water to the reactor tank 1 by a pump 6 . the condenser 5 is cooled by water from a primary coolant source , the water being supplied to the condenser 5 through a first inlet 7 and discharged through a first outlet 8 . fig7 illustrates a generator 9 according to one embodiment of the invention . the generator 9 comprises a rotor 80 having a rotor winding 81 and a stator 82 having a stator winding 83 . the arrows 84 in the figure indicate the flow of a coolant through the machine . electric power is supplied from the generator at the connection designated u in fig1 . it should be understood that the output from the generator does not necessarily have to be single - phase ac voltage , but may just as well be three - phase voltage . the generator 9 is cooled by water and hydrogen gas . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the generator is connected to a first heat exchanger 10 and a second heat exchanger 11 , each used in their respective cooling circuit . the first heat exchanger 10 has a second inlet 12 and a second outlet 13 and the second heat exchanger has a third inlet 14 and a third outlet 15 . the generator has an enclosure filled with hydrogen gas , which is cooled in the first heat exchanger 10 . the hydrogen gas primarily cools the rotor and the stator core . the stator winding is cooled by water . the winding is provided with ducts in which the cooling water flows . the cooling water is cooled in the second heat exchanger 11 . the cooling effect of the incoming cooling water can be controlled by means of controllable valves 16 provided on the inlets of the heat exchangers 10 and 11 . the valves 16 are controlled by a computerized control system 17 , which also controls the output power of the generator . according to one embodiment , the control system 17 is a computer provided with software . the control system 17 may consist of several interconnected computers . of course , a plurality of computers that are not interconnected may also be used to control different parts of the nuclear power plant . fig2 shows a flow chart illustrating the functioning of a control system for controlling a generator and the cooling system associated therewith according to the invention . the control system has a control module 30 , which has a first active power signal input 31 , a second reactive power signal input 32 , a first voltage signal input 33 , which receives a signal from a voltage transducer 34 , and a rotor current signal input 35 , which is adapted to receive a rotor current signal from a rotor current transducer 36 . the control system further has a stator current signal input 70 , which is adapted to receive a signal from a stator current transducer 71 . moreover , the control system has a temperature signal input 37 , which is adapted to receive a temperature signal from a temperature transducer 38 . the control system has a first active power calculation unit 41 , which is connected to a stator current transducer 71 and a stator voltage transducer 34 , and a second reactive power calculation unit 42 , which is connected to the stator current transducer 71 and the stator voltage transducer 34 . in addition , the control module 30 has a first cooling signal input 39 , which is adapted to receive a signal containing information on the temperature of the cooling water supplied to the first heat exchanger 10 shown in fig1 , and a second cooling signal input 40 , which is adapted to receive a signal containing information about the temperature of the water supplied to the second heat exchanger 11 shown in fig1 . the active power is calculated in the first calculation unit 41 , which is connected to both the stator current and the stator voltage . the reactive power is calculated correspondingly in the second calculation unit 42 , which is connected to both the stator voltage and the stator current . the calculation of the active power and the reactive power can be carried out in any one of a number of ways , which will all be obvious to the person skilled in the art and which are not described in more detail here . with reference to fig2 , a speed transducer 43 is provided which measures the rotor speed and feeds a speed signal to a speed signal input 44 of the control module . it should be noted , however , that in applications with little speed variation it is possible to leave out the speed transducer without any major - detrimental effect on the control system function . moreover , the control module comprises a memory 45 in which a model of the electric machine is stored . in addition , information on allowable temperatures in different parts of the machine is stored in the memory 45 . all the input signals to the computer and the information stored in the memory allow the control module to control the generator and the cooling thereof in such manner that the temperature in the different parts of the generator does not exceed set limits . the set limits of the different parts of the generator are dependent on the material used in the different parts of the generator . fig3 illustrates an automatic voltage regulator module according to the invention . the voltage regulator receives input signals from the control module 30 shown in fig2 . a first output 46 on the control module 30 is connected to the stator current limiter 47 , a second output 48 on the control module 30 is connected to the rotor current limiter 49 and a third output 50 on the control module 30 is connected to the voltage regulator 51 . the voltage regulator 51 has an output which is connected to the generator for controlling the excitation thereof . fig4 is a graphic representation of the service life of the generator insulation as a function of the insulation temperature . as shown , a mica - based generator insulation has a service life of about 10 5 years at a temperature of 50 ° c . an increase in temperature of about 10 ° c . reduces service life by a factor two . as shown in the figure , the service life of the insulation is about 40 years at a temperature of 155 ° c . a service life of 40 years is considered to be sufficient for a generator and the temperature of 155 ° c . is therefore used as the limit value for this kind of insulation . if the limit value is exceeded temporarily , the service life will be reduced in proportion to the period of time that the insulation is kept at this high temperature . the method for estimation of critical temperatures in a rotating electrical machine is illustrated by considering a big turbo - generator . the stator and rotor of the turbo - generator are illustrated schematically in fig5 and 6 , respectively . the stator winding is cooled by stator cooling - water while the rotor winding and the core is cooled by hydrogen . the stator cooling - water is cooled by intermediate cooling - water , which in turn is cooled by seawater . the stator cooling - water enters the machine at one end of the stator and leaves the machine at the other end of the stator . the hydrogen enters the machine at both ends of the machine and leaves the active parts of the machine at the mid - section of the generator . this means that the temperature in the stator winding and the rotor winding vary in axial direction . it is , however , a reasonable assumption that the temperature in the stator core and the rotor is assumed homogenous in tangential direction . to model this situation , the stator winding and the rotor winding are divided into a number of zones in the axial direction . the stator core and the rotor are divided into a number of cylindrical zones and the zones closest to the airgap are also divided into a set of zones in the axial direction . fig5 shows how the rotor may be divided into zones . the rotor 55 is divided into a number of zones 56 in which the temperature is estimated . fig6 shows how the stator 60 may be divided into an inner zone 61 and an outer zone 62 . the inner zone 61 is divided into a number of subzones 63 . the model may utilise different measured variables such as : ( i ) active power , ( ii ) reactive power , ( iii ) terminal voltage , ( iv ) stator current , ( v ) rotor current , ( vi ) seawater temperature , ( vii ) temperature of cold stator cooling - water , ( viii ) temperature of cold hydrogen ( ix ) the temperature of the intermediate cooling - water and ( x ) hydrogen pressure . it is then possible to determine the input variables to the model , namely : stator current , rotor - current , terminal voltage , temperature of cold stator cooling - water , and temperature of cold hydrogen . the dynamic model consists of a set of non - linear differential equations to estimate the temperature of each section in the machine from the input variables . the equations are given by fundamental physical laws and data for the physical properties of the materials used in the machine . some of the temperatures in the model can be measured and it is possible to improve the estimation of the temperatures by comparing the estimated and measured temperatures . the estimated temperatures are corrected by adding a correction term depending on the difference between the measured and estimated temperature . equation ( 1 ) gives the temperature of the i : th zone of the machine . a zone may be : ( 1 ) an axial zone of the rotor winding , ( 2 ) an axial zone of the stator winding , ( 3 ) an axial and / or radial zone of the rotor teeth , ( 4 ) an axial and / or radial zone of the stator teeth , ( 5 ) an axial and / or radial zone of the rotor body , ( 6 ) an axial and / or radial zone of the stator core , and ( 7 ) an axial and / or radial zone of the pressplates . m i · c p , i · ⅆ t i ⅆ t = p h , i - p c , i ( 1 ) m i the mass of the i : th zone of the machine [ kg ], c p , j the specific heat capacity of the i : th zone [ j /( kg · k )], p h , i the heating power of the i : th zone [ w ] and p c , j the cooling power of the i : th zone [ w ] equation ( 2 ) gives the heating power p h , j [ w ] of the i : th zone of a rotor or stator winding : p h , i =( 1 + k )· r i ( t i )· i i 2 ( 2 ) k a factor that takes into account the stray losses in the stator winding and which can be obtained by a theoretical analysis of the winding or by using the results from a heat run , r i the dc resistance of the i : th zone of a winding [ ohm ] given by equation ( 5 ) below , and i i the current through the i : th zone of a winding [ a ]. the current i i may be equal to the current in the rotor winding ( input variable ) or equal to the current in the stator winding ( input variable ). equation ( 3 ) gives the heating power p h , i [ w ] of the i : th zone of the stator core : f a ( non - linear ) function , which may be obtained from the magnetising curve of the core laminations or from the no - load tests , u the terminal voltage [ v ]. equation ( 4 ) gives the heat p p [ w ] developed in a pressplate : i the stator current [ a ], ( input variable ), φ the phase difference between stator current and terminal voltage tan ( φ )= q / p . ( input variable ), the function g (·) may be obtained by using formulas in “ new operating chart for large power turbogenerators ” by latek , w . ; partyka , w . & amp ; bytnar , a . presented in report 11 - 101 at the cigre session in paris on 26 th august to 1 st september 1990 or by using measured temperatures of the pressplates during steady state operation of the machine under various operating conditions . the cooling power of the pressplates are given by equation ( 6 ) below . the function g (·) above may have different parameters for the driven end and the non - driven end . equation ( 5 ) below gives the resistance r i ( t i ) [ ohm ] of the i : th zone of a winding when its temperature is equal to t i [° c .]. r i ( t i ) = r a t 0 + t i t 0 + t a ( 5 ) r a is the resistance [ ohm ] of zone at ambient temperature , which can be obtained from a theoretical calculation using the physical dimensions of the winding or from resistance measurements during workshop tests of the machine , t 0 is a temperature [° c .] typical for the winding material depending on the alloy used to manufacture the winding , and t a is a temperature [° c .] typical for the winding material depending on the alloy used to manufacture the winding . equation ( 6 ) gives the cooling power p c , i of the i : th zone : p c , i = h i ( p c ) · ( t i - t c , i ) + ∑ j = 1 n λ i , j · ( t i - t i , j ) ( 6 ) h i ( p c ) convection heat - transfer coefficient [ w /° c .] of the i : th zone when the coolant pressure is equal to p c , p c pressure of the coolant [ pa ], t i the temperature of the i : th zone of the machine [° c . ], t c , i the temperature of the coolant at the i : th zone [° c .]. equation ( 7 ) gives the outlet temperature of the coolant in the zones of a cooling duct : t d , 1 = t cc + q d , 1 ρ c · c p , c · f d t d , 2 = t d , 1 + q d , 2 ρ c · c p , c · f d t d , n = t d , n - 1 + q d , n ρ c · c p , c · f d ( 7 ) t cc is the temperature of the cold coolant entering the cooling duct ( input variable ) [° c . ], q d , j is the heat flow to the j : th zone of the cooling duct [ w ]. the heat flow is equal to the cooling power of the i : th zone of the machine defined by equation ( 6 ). the relation between j and i depends on the actual subdivision of the machine into zones and the configuration of the cooling ducts . ρ c is the density of the coolant in the cooling duct [ kg / m 3 ], c p , c is the specific heat capacity at constant pressure of the coolant in the cooling duct [ j /( kg · k )] and f d is the mass rate of flow of coolant in the cooling duct ( input variable ) [ kg / s ]. fig8 is a graphic representation of the allowable reactive power output as a function of the allowable active power output . the unbroken line 55 indicates the possible power outputs when the machine rating limits are maintained , while the first dashed line 56 indicates the possible power outputs when the machine temperature as a function of a lower coolant temperature is allowed to control the power output . the second dashed line 57 indicates the possible power output during a limited time interval , for example 15 minutes , when the temperature is allowed to reach the design values of the insulation temperature class . by continuously calculating , in the control module 30 , the estimated temperatures in the generator 9 , optimal control of the generator can be achieved to ensure optimal operation of the generator 9 . according to this embodiment , the temperatures in the generator are calculated using a model of the machine , which model allows non - measurable temperatures in the generator to be calculated on the basis of generator output and coolant temperature and / or cooling capacity . naturally the maximum allowable temperature in the generator is dependent on the kind of insulation used in the generator . thus , by measuring the load and the coolant temperature , the temperature of different parts of the machine may be calculated using the model of the machine stored in the memory 45 of the control module 30 . this means that , under most operating conditions , the machine can be subjected to a higher load than that specified by the machine rating , without exceeding the maximum allowable temperature for any part of the machine . thus , the additional margin available due to the fact that a lower coolant temperature affords improved cooling may be used , for instance , to increase the machine load . to increase the safety margin and the service life , the maximum allowable machine temperature is often set to a lower value than can be derived from the incorporated components . for example , in the case of a machine whose winding has a limit value of 155 ° c ., the machine rating is often based on a maximum allowable winding temperature of 130 ° c . by allowing the temperature to reach 155 ° c . for short periods of time ( for example 15 minutes ), the machine can have a dynamic rating which allows a considerably higher load than that specified by the machine rating . provided that this dynamic capacity is not exploited too often in the service life of the machine , the effect on the service life will be very marginal . naturally the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the appended claims . for instance , a calculating device based on discrete components may be used rather than an ordinary computer provided with a computer program . naturally it is possible to operate the generator at the higher temperature for more than 15 minutes . alternatively , the higher temperature may be determined by the generator operator and not by insulation temperature limits . in this case , the generator owner may relate the reduced service life to increased earnings from temporarily operating the electric machine at a higher temperature . it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the appended claims . for instance , temperature estimation may be used solely for monitoring purposes to ensure the service life of the machine or for the purpose of maintenance scheduling . monitoring and control may further be carried out by means of some form of communication from a remote location . for example , a machine may , of course , be remote controlled and monitored by using the internet to transmit information to and from the machine . although the above embodiments are based on a turbine connected to a generator , it is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is also applicable to other synchronous machines such as synchronous compensators , motors or frequency converters .
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with reference to fig1 and 3 , a foot stepper exercise machine adapted to be operated for a user while sitting is disclosed , and the foot stepper comprises a base ( 10 ), two platform elements ( 20 ), and two resilient elements ( 30 ). the base ( 10 ) is a substantially rectangular plate and has four floor - stationary components ( 12 ) respectively secured at four corners of the base ( 10 ), wherein the floor - stationary components ( 12 ) are sucking plates . two pivot housings ( 13 ) are formed on a first end of the base ( 10 ) and each pivot housing ( 13 ) has an aperture ( 14 ) defined in an inner side face of the pivot housing ( 13 ) to receive the corresponding platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) partially inside . two fixing posts ( 15 ) are formed inside each pivot housing ( 13 ) and each fixing post ( 15 ) has a threaded hole ( 150 ) defined in a bottom face thereof . two recesses ( 16 ) are oppositely defined in a second end of the base ( 10 ), and additionally , two through holes ( 130 ) are respectively defined in two side faces of the two pivot housings ( 13 ), wherein the two side faces are opposite with each other . the two platform elements ( 20 r , 20 l ), such as treadles , are adapted to accommodate feet of the user thereon and each platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) has a pivot casing ( 21 ) secured on a first end . a pivot ( 22 ) is movably received inside the pivot casing ( 21 ) and has two connecting sheets ( 220 ) respectively formed at two distal ends of the pivot ( 22 ), wherein each connecting sheet ( 220 ) has a hole ( 221 ) defined therein . the connecting sheets ( 220 ) of the pivot ( 22 ) are secured on the corresponding fixing post ( 15 ) of the base ( 10 ) by screws ( 24 ) penetrating the hole ( 221 ) of the connecting sheet ( 220 ) to screw into the threaded hole ( 150 ) so as to enable the platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) to pivotally move on the base ( 10 ). additionally , each platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) has a pin ( 25 ) attached on a bottom face of a second end of the platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ). the resilient elements ( 30 ) are pleated tubes made of recoiling material and detachably clamped between the base ( 10 ) and the platform elements ( 20 r , 20 l ). each resilient element ( 30 ) has an opening ( 301 ) defined in a first end and secured on the corresponding platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) by inserting the pin ( 25 ) of the platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) into the opening ( 301 ) of the resilient element ( 30 ), i . e ., the pleated tube . each resilient element ( 30 ) has an insertion ( 303 ) formed on a second end and the insertion ( 303 ) is wedged into the corresponding recess ( 16 ) so as to secure the resilient element ( 30 ) on the base ( 10 ). because the resilient elements ( 30 ) are made of recoiling material , force for pressing the platform element ( 20 r , 20 l ) is not as large as the hydraulic press of the conventional stepper . therefore , the user does not need to stand up for using body weight to operate the foot stepper . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the user sits on a chair or similar and steps against the corresponding platform elements ( 20 r , 20 l ) of the foot stepper in a way of lifting the right foot or left foot alternatively in turn . another way of operating the foot stepper is of two feet simultaneously stepping against the two platform elements ( 20 r , 20 l ) or lifting at the same time . additionally , no interconnection between the two platform elements ( 20 r , 20 l ) results in a simple structure to achieve a low produce cost . in fig4 the user steps against the foot stepper , wherein toes of the feet are toward a direction to the pivot housing ( 13 ) of the base ( 10 ). in fig5 the user steps the foot stepper , wherein the toes of the feet are toward to an opposite direction to the pivot housing ( 13 ) of the base ( 10 ). with reference to fig6 in a second embodiment the resilient element ( 30 ) further comprises a spring ( 31 ) inside . the spring ( 31 ) has a first end sleeving the pin ( 25 ) of the platform element ( 20 r / 20 l ) and a second end secured inside the recess ( 16 ) of the base ( 10 ) so as to provide a compressible effect for the foot stepper . although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed .
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fig1 is a front view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg dressed and ready for cast preparation . fig2 is a front view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg with the first protective initial leg cover . fig3 is a front view of a patient &# 39 ; s foot with proprietary toe protector , trimmed to fit contour of the foot . fig4 is a front detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg prepared with proprietary felt lateral and medial offloading and maleoli strips . fig5 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg in prone position , prepared for casting . fig6 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg with initial roll of elastic plaster casting material . fig7 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg with first roll of fiberglass that is wet and rolled to cover to just below fibular head . fig8 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg with the proprietary extra strength pre - fabricated splint . fig9 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg and foot with final roll of fiberglass securing proprietary rubber rocker walker . fig1 is a right detail view of a patient &# 39 ; s leg with finished cast . since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art , the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure , and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention . referring to the figures , in which like reference numbers refer to like components thereof , fig1 shows the foot of the patient covered by wound dressing 101 . fig1 is an example of a wound dressing application . a high percentage of diabetic and neuropathic patients will develop foot ulcerations . these patients have little or no feeling resulting in insufficient sensory feedback so they are unable to adjust the gait for the insensate foot causing tissue damage and ulcerations on the plantar surface . if these types of defects are left untreated they often require subsequent amputation of the limb . there is science based evidence that supports the methodology of offloading pressure from the wound removing the propulsive forces that stall the healing process . in the late 1930 &# 39 ; s a method of applying a rigid cast with little padding was introduced and was recognized as the “ gold standard ” for treating plantar surface ulcerations . there have been many concerns and issues relating to this modality that have led to underutilization amongst clinicians . the apparatus and method of the present invention addresses all of these concerns making the application more comprehensive , leading to faster wound healing times . in addition , the present invention accommodates deformities such as valgus , varus , equinus , and charcot foot which make up a large percentage of patients with plantar ulcerations . fig2 , illustrates a patients leg with the first layer 102 , is the first protective layer , consisting of a cotton tube stocking that covers the leg circumferentially allowing subsequent components to be attached . the cotton tube stocking covers above the knee distally and folded over the toes . fig3 , illustrates the patients leg with protective self - adhesive perforated foam toe pad . 103 , the self adhesive perforated foam toe pad 103 , is applied over the distal toe area to protect the toes from potential cast abrasions . the self - adhesive foam toe pad 103 , is perforated to allow air to moisture transfer keeping the toes dry reducing risk of maceration and fungal infection . the self - adhesive perforated foam toe pad 103 , is placed over the distal toes covering distal end of cotton tube stocking 102 , evenly distributing the perforated self adhesive foam toe pad 103 , over the dorsum to the plantar surfaces and is trimmed to fit the contour of the lateral and medial sides of the foot . fig4 , illustrates the patients leg with the self - adhesive felt lateral and medial strips 104 , secured from the proximal tibia just below the tibial tuberosity to the bottom of the malleolus attached to the cotton tube stocking 102 , with the self - adhesive felt maleoli strips 105 , overlapping the distal end of the self - adhesive felt lateral and medial strips 104 , connecting to the proximal edge of the self - adhesive perforated foam toe pad 103 . the proximal tibia is lined with a self - adhesive felt tibial crest bridge 106 , and distally with additional self adhesive felt strips 107 , to protect the tibial crest to the talus area of the foot . the unique configuration of felt strips protects all of the bony prominences that typically become pressure points , causing tissue degradation and additional ulcerations . traditionally a single wide protective strip is applied over the tibial crest and patches are applied over the malleolus . by utilizing self - adhesive felt lateral and medial strips 104 , and overlapping the self - adhesive felt maleoli strips 105 , more of the patient &# 39 ; s surface area is protected reducing the risk of additional ulcerations , also making the cast removal much easier and faster . fig5 , illustrates the patients leg in the prone position consisting of the cotton tube stocking 102 , self - adhesive perforated foam toe pad 103 , self - adhesive felt lateral and medial strips 104 , self - adhesive felt maleoli strips 105 , self - adhesive felt tibial bridge 106 , and self - adhesive felt tibial crest strips 107 . the patient is placed in the prone position as it reduces the incidence of toe - drop which can lead to improper cast application . it is important that the foot is secured in a ninety degree position for proper application and offloading . the present invention is unique as it removes in a bi - valve configuration meaning that the cast can be removed with a cast cutting saw by making parallel cuts on the lateral and medial sides of the leg and down the center of the self - adhesive felt lateral and medial strips 104 , which can be easily identified by the ridges on either side of the cast . cuts are then made distally across the self - adhesive lateral and medial maleoli strips 105 , and over the distal toe area . the center of the cast is pulled free allowing for the cast to easily be removed from the patient &# 39 ; s leg . fig6 , illustrates the patients leg in the prone position prepared for the first rigid layer after the felt and cast padding which is fine plaster or fiberglass 108 , casting material commonly referred to as the egg shell layer . the first plaster layer 108 , is the basis for intimate contact and is the layer that contours to the protective components . the first layer 108 , eliminates the risk of the protective felt strips floating and creating a pathway for shear forces that can lead to secondary ulcerations . fig7 , illustrates the patients leg in prone position , with the said first layer of a fiberglass 109 , applied over the said plaster 108 , and is applied by hydrating the material , rolling circumferentially from the distal edge of the plaster first layer 108 , up the leg to the proximal edge of the first plaster 108 . the said first fiberglass layer 109 , of casting material is applied providing strength to the cast . the cotton tube stocking 102 at the proximal end of the cast is left exposed so it can later be folded down to create a soft collar . fig8 , illustrates the patients leg in prone position and the multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , being applied over the said first fiberglass layer 109 . the multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , is applied between the said first fiberglass layer 109 , and the said second fiberglass layer 112 . the multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , is applied starting at the proximal edge of the posterior side of the cast , down the leg , across the plantar surface , overhanging at the toes and around the self - adhesive perforated foam toe pad 103 . the excess cotton tube stocking 102 , is rolled over the top of the multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , to secure it in place and create a soft collar around the proximal rim of the cast . the excess multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , material overhanging at the toes can be trimmed off in strips to level the rocker / walker 111 , accommodating patients with specific anatomic foot defects . traditionally a clinician will fabricate a splint by taking a fiberglass roll , unrolling it and folding it into approximately 3 layers . the present invention contains a multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , that is prefabricated and the equivalent thickness of two and a half traditional support splints adding significant structural integrity . the added strength of the support splint reduces the number of layers needed to cast a patient as well as application times . fig9 , illustrates the patients leg in the prone position with rocker / walker 111 , in position for attachment after said second fiberglass layer 112 . the rocker / walker 111 , is positioned with the front of the back walker pad in alignment with the anterior tibia of the leg and sitting directly on the prefabricated multi - layer support splint 110 . there is front to back orientation to the rocker / walker 111 , designed to promote normal bio - mechanics during ambulation . typically a cast utilizes a plate that lies on the plantar surface to accept the walker heel . the current invention has eliminated the walker plate by designing an extremely thick multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , that will accept the rocker / walker 111 . the said second layer of fiberglass 112 , is utilized to secure the rocker / walker 111 , while adding additional strength the cast . the said second layer of fiberglass 112 , is applied by hydrating the material , starting at the styloid process distally around the toes , circling the heel and back around until fiberglass overlaps . when adjacent to the metatarsal head the fiberglass is rolled circumferentially over the dorsum , securing the loose end of the multi - layer prefabricated support splint 110 , than pinning the front of the rocker / walker 111 circumferentially around the foot and twisting the fiberglass to create a rope effect , running through the rocker / walker 111 , center , around the heel securing the back of the rocker / walker 111 , and proximally up the leg to the edge of the cotton tube stocking 102 . the elimination of the traditional walker plate lowers the length of limb or cast length significantly and promotes normal ambulation . fig1 , illustrates the patients leg in the prone position with the completed cast ready to receive the said self adhering dressing 113 , to finish the cast . the self adhering dressing 113 , is utilized to secure the loose end of said second fiberglass layer 112 , starting at the edge of the said cotton tube stocking 102 , rolling distally towards the said rocker / walker 111 , until roll is utilized . having thus described the invention , what is desired to be protected by letters patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims .
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in the figure , high purity ( 99 . 9 % pure ) carbon monoxide is provided in a container 10 , which is introduced through an inlet tube 12 made of teflon , pyrex or polyethylene , into a flow meter 14 , where the flow of the carbon monoxide is adjusted to a desired value , such as the 1 cc / sec previously described in the case of a reaction tube about 500 to about 2 , 000 cc in capacity . the carbon monoxide passes from the flow meter 14 , through a tube 16 , made of teflon , pyrex or polyethylene through a valve 18 and through a tube 20 , also made of teflon , pyrex or polyethylene into a pyrex chamber 22 which contains a condensed halogen source 24 such as liquid bromine , carbon tetrachloride or solid elemental iodine . the chamber 22 is heated to obtain a halogen partial pressure of about 40 mm hg , and this is accomplished by means of the heating element 26 . the resistance heating element may be made of nichrome and is activated by applying a controlled voltage thereto . a thermocouple ( not shown ) is inserted between the outside wall of the chamber 22 and the heating element 26 in order to monitor the temperature of the chamber 22 . the halogen vapor is mixed with carbon monoxide gas in the container 22 and the halogen / co gas mixture is then passed through a valve 28 to a teflon tube 30 . the halogen / co gas mixture is maintained at an elevated temperature by heating elements 32 which surround tubing 30 to prevent condensation or crystallization of the halogen , e . g ., crystallization of i 2 ( s ) if it is chosen as the reactant halogen gas . the valve 18 may be constructed as a gas bypass valve whereby carbon monoxide gas may bypass entry into the container 22 and be passed directly into the tube 30 via line 34 such that admixture with the halogen in the container 22 can be selectively prevented . valve 28 is provided in tube 30 to shut off the flow of halogen gas into the tube 30 , when such shut - off is desired . similarly , valve 18 can be placed in the closed position to prevent passage of carbon monoxide gas either to the container 22 or the tube 30 . the halogen gas mixed with the carbon monoxide gas in the container 22 passes through the tube 30 to a connecting , high purity ( 99 . 9 %) alumina tube 34 which passes through a vitreous silica cap 36 and then into a high purity alumina reaction tube 38 . within the reaction tube 38 are one or more platinum lined alumina boats 48 which contain the selected material to be processed . the metal oxide is processed in the form of a powder , in order to provide increased reaction contact surface for the rap . the reaction tube 38 is provided with a thermocouple ( not shown ) which is placed in close proximity to the selected powdered material in the boats 40 and is used to monitor the temperature at which the selected material is heated in the reaction tube 38 . the reaction tube 38 is contained within a furnace 40 provided with heating elements 42 which are used to heat the reaction tube to a predetermined elevated temperature at which water and other impurities will be removed from the material by the halogen / co gaseous mixture . the reaction tube 38 is also provided with alumina or vitreous silica tubing 44 through which gas reactants are exhausted from the reaction tube 38 and ultimately enter an exhaust chamber ( not shown ) where excess halogen is condensed or solidified and is trapped . from this exhaust chamber , the gas mixture passes to a scrubber ( not shown ) so that any uncondensed halogen or other environmentally undesirable gaseous products are removed before the exhaust gas is released to the surrounding atmosphere . in operation , gaseous high purity carbon monoxide from the container 10 is arranged to be metered by flow meter 14 at the rate of about 1 cc / sec . into the container 22 through tube 16 , the halogen contents 24 of the container 22 being heated to vapor form by the heater 26 . by way of example , if the halogen is elemental iodine , the container 22 is heated from about 86 ° c . to about 90 ° c . to vaporize the solid iodine crystals . the gaseous carbon monoxide is admixed with the vaporized iodine to provide an i 2 / co mixture containing about 5 percent iodine in carbon monoxide at a molar ratio of about 1 : 18 . thus , the molar amount of carbon monoxide is substantially greater than the stoichiometric amount necessary for carbon monoxide to react with halogen to form carbonyl halide . the material 46 to be purified by the i 2 / co gaseous mixture is placed in the platinum boats 48 as a powder and the boats , filled with the charge , are placed in reaction tube 38 and the assembly positioned in electric furnace 40 . the furnace temperature is so adjusted by the coils 42 that the boat temperature is elevated to a temperature of approximately 1000 °- 1500 ° c . or more , at which temperature the i 2 / co gaseous mixture will attack both the water impurities present in the material and displace the oh - in the condensed phase , the halogen ion displacing the oh - in the lattice structure of the material . the reactive i 2 / co gaseous mixture is passed over the powder for approximately 16 to about 64 hours and preferably only for about 16 hours to effect the rap purification of the powder . if desired , such as in the case of fused silica ( α - cristobalite ) after the water - free powder 46 has cooled to ambient temperature , the boats 48 containing the powder 46 are transferred to another furnace ( not shown ) which is alternately evacuated and purged with helium . the powder is then fused under a blanket of helium gas at a temperature of about 1900 ° c . for about one hour and , upon cooling , the fused silica undergoes a polymorphic transition to fused cristobalite having a melting point in excess of 1800 ° c . the following examples are set forth to illustrate the present invention . they should not be deemed as limiting the scope thereof . using the apparatus schematically shown in the figure , dehydrated ammonium alum ( nh 4 al ( so 4 ) 2 ) in powdered form was placed in a single platinum - lined alumina boat 48 . the water of hydration had been previously removed from the ammonium alum by heating the hydrated salt nh 4 al ( so 4 ) 2 . 12h 2 o in a vacuum oven at 100 ° c . for 70 hours . the boat 40 loaded with the dehydrated ammonium alum was placed in reaction tube 38 which was then sealed with silica cap 36 and placed in the furnace 40 . the heating elements 42 , which were silicon carbide rods , were activated by applying a controlled voltage thereto , and the temperature was raised to 1070 ° c . high purity co was metered from the container 10 through the flow meter 14 at a flow rate of about one cc / sec . into container 22 containing iodine vapor . the iodine vapor had been produced by activating the heating element 26 which was a nichrome wire by applying a controlled voltage to this wire , to raise the temperature in the container 22 to approximately 86 °- 90 ° c ., to vaporize the i 2 . the mixture of i 2 and co mole ratio was 1 : 18 or about 5 % i 2 gas in the co gas . the i 2 / co gaseous mixture was passed through valve 28 in the open position into tube 30 and then into the reaction tube 38 , which had been heated to a temperature of 1070 ° c . the dehydrated ammonium alum was exposed to the i 2 / co gaseous mixture for 16 hours at 1070 ° c . thereafter the reaction tube 38 was cooled to room temperature and the platinum boat 40 and its contents removed therefrom . the contents of the boat were analyzed by x - ray powder diffraction . the results of these studies are recorded in table i below . the procedure of example i was repeated with the exception that al 2 ( so 4 ). 18h 2 o , dehydrated at 100 ° c . for 70 hours , was substituted for the dehydrated ammonium alum . the results of the i 2 / co rap purification of the dehydrated aluminum sulfate , as determined by x - ray powder diffraction studies are also recorded in table i below . for purposes of contrast , the procedure of example i was repeated with the exception that either valve 18 was placed in the closed position so that only vaporized iodine was used for the rap treatment and helium gas from another source ( not shown in the figure ) was used as the carrier gas or valves 18 and 28 were adjusted so as to shut off passage of co gas into chamber 22 and passage of i 2 vapor into line 30 so that only co gas was used for rap treatment of the crystalline powder . in a separate series of comparative runs , the gaseous rap treating agent was a mixture of water vapor and oxygen . the results of these comparative i 2 or co singular rap treatments of ammonium alum and aluminum sulfate as well as h 2 o / co treatment are also recorded in table i below , these data being designated by the symbol &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;. table i______________________________________anhydrous aluminas obtained from the rap treatmentof aluminum sulfates ( 16 hours @ 1070 ° c .) rap al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3run atmos - aluminum sulfate polymorphno . phere starting material product______________________________________1 . i . sub . 2 / co nh . sub . 4 al ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 α - 2 . i . sub . 2 / co al . sub . 2 ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 3 α - c . sub . 1 h . sub . 2 o / o . sub . 2 nh . sub . 4 al ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 α - and some κ - c . sub . 2 h . sub . 2 o / o . sub . 2 al . sub . 2 ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 3 α - and some κ - c . sub . 3 co nh . sub . 4 al ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 α - and δ - c . sub . 4 co al . sub . 2 ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 3 α - and some δ - c . sub . 5 i . sub . 2 / he nh . sub . 4 al ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 α - and little δ - c . sub . 6 i . sub . 2 / he al . sub . 2 ( so . sub . 4 ). sub . 3 δ - and some α - ______________________________________ the x - ray power pattern results recorded in table i show the effect of impurity removal on polymorphic transitions in aluminum oxides . thus i 2 / co rap treatment of dehydrated ammonium alum and aluminum sulfate at 1070 ° c . for 16 hours was effective in h 2 o / oh - removal and 100 % α - al 2 o 3 was produced ( run nos . 1 - 2 ). rap treatment with h 2 o / o 2 was substantially ineffective for transformation to α - al 2 o 3 ( runs c 1 - c 2 ). rap treatment with co alone had some effect on impurity removal , but was insufficient for 100 % transformation to α - al 2 o 3 , ( run nos . c 3 - c 4 ) as was i 2 alone , which was marginally effective for impurity removal ( run nos . c 5 - c 6 ). the data in table i demonstrates that the gaseous i 2 / co reactive atmosphere is necessary for the removal of residual impurities in the metastable polymorphs of aluminum oxide that block the transformation to the α - al 2 o 3 state . by the use of the i 2 / co rap treatment for the removal of impurities , a lower temperature and / or shorter processing time is required to attain 100 % transformation to the α - al 2 o 3 state . thus , the data in table i therefore demonstrates that α - al 2 o 3 can be obtained from aluminum salts such as nh 4 al ( so 4 ) 2 and al 2 ( so 4 ) 3 using an i 2 / co rap environment at 1070 ° c ., a temperature considerably lower than that reported in the art , e . g . greater than 1600 ° c ., as reported by yokokawa et al ., j . phys . chem ., vol . 68 , pps . 3246 - 3249 ( 1964 ) and 30 ° c . lower than reported by wilson et al ., j . sol . state chem ., vol . 34 , pps . 314 - 322 ( 1980 ) using boehmite ( α - alooh ) as the starting material . the procedure of example i was repeated , with the exception that the i 2 / co rap gas combination was passed over fused silica powder at about 1500 ° c . for 10 hours which converted the fused silica powder into β - cristobalite which on cooling was transformed into the α - polymorph . the i 2 / co treated crystalline silica powder was transferred to another furnace which was alternatively evacuated and purged with helium . the crystalline powder was fused under helium at a temperature of about 1900 ° c . to form fused cristobalite . the properties of the i 2 / co rap treated silica powder are recorded in table ii below . for purposes of comparison , the procedure of example ii was repeated with the exception that a gas mixture of i 2 / o 2 was substituted for the i 2 / co gas mixture . the absorption coefficient data for rap treated fused silica and commercially available fused silica , infrasil , are presented in table ii . both the i 2 / o 2 and i 2 / co treated materials exhibited a significant and desirable reduction in absorption over the commercially available infrasil . table ii______________________________________ rap gas mixtureabsorption coefficient i . sub . 2 / co i . sub . 2 / o . sub . 2 infrasil______________________________________path length , cm 0 . 426 * 0 . 303 * 2 . 896peak absorption 0 . 18 * 0 . 074 ** 0 . 22 *** coefficient , cm . sup .- 1______________________________________ * average of 2 runs ** average of 3 runs *** estimated while specific components of the present system are defined above , additional variables may be utilized to enhance or otherwise improve the system of the present invention . these variables are intended to be included herein . although variations are shown in the present application , many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the present disclosure . these , too , are intended to be included herein .
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with reference to fig1 the strip line assembly 11 is shown consisting of the stacked arrangement of the first strip line 10 and the second strip line 12 which are folded about the center holding plate 16 and are shown sandwiched between the first holding plate 14 and the third holding plate 18 . the ground planes 22 shown in fig2 which are fixed to the outer surface of the first dielectric layer 26 of the first strip line 10 and the second strip line 12 are seen in fig2 in sandwiched relation between first dielectric layer 26 and the first holding plate 14 and the third holding plate 18 . the ground plane cover 40 encloses the ground plane extension 20 of the center holding plate 16 and is secured to the first holding plate 14 by means of the bolts 46 in the threaded holes 15 , and secured to the third holding plate 18 by the bolts 46 in the threaded holes 19 , as shown in fig2 . the alternating conductive and dielectric layers in the stacked stripline assembly 11 are revealed in fig2 and 3 . thus ground plane 22 on the outer surface of the first dielectric layer 26 contacts the inner surface of both the first holding plate 14 and the third holding plate 18 on opposite sides of the second ( center ) holding plate 16 . the conductor strips 34 and 36 on opposite surfaces of the second dielectric layer 28 are in contact with the first and third dielectric layers 26 and 30 , respectively in first and second stripline layers 10 and 12 , observable clearly in fig3 . the ground planes 24 on the surfaces of the third dielectric layer 30 opposite the surfaces in contact with the conductor strips 36 and 38 are in contact with the opposite surfaces of center holding plate 16 . the strip line assembly 11 as it is fabricated with the first strip line 10 and the second strip line 12 separated by the central bend area 17 is shown in fig4 . the first strip line 10 consists of the second and center dielectric layer 28 sandwiched between the first dielectric layer 26 and the third dielectric layer 30 . the ground plane 24 is shown on the upper surface of the third dielectric layer 30 of the first strip line 10 . the ground plane 22 is shown attached to the lower surface of the first dielectric layer 26 . in a similar fashion the second strip line 12 consists of the center dielectric layer 28 sandwiched between the first dielectric layer 26 and the third dielectric layer 30 on the opposite side of the central bend area 17 from the connecting first strip line 10 . the second strip line 12 also has a ground plane 24 on the upper or top surface of the third dielectric layer 30 . as in the case of first stripline 10 , the ground plane 22 is shown attached to the lower surface of the first dielectric layer 26 . it is obvious from fig2 and 5 that the second or center dielectric layer 28 is the only dielectric layer extending through the central bend area 17 between first strip line 10 and second strip line 12 . also clearly shown in fig4 are the conductor strips 36 and 38 which continue through the central bend area 17 between the first strip line 10 and the second strip line 12 on both sides of the second or center dielectric layer 28 . the strip line assembly 11 is shown in folded condition in fig2 . it should be obvious that the flexible material used for center dielectric layer 28 permits a variety of curvatures for the central bend area 17 . in the present invention it has been found most desirable to have the bend curvature in the form of a semi - circle as the first strip line 10 and second strip line 12 are folded back upon each other for a one hundred - eighty degree turn around . during the fabrication of the strip line assembly 11 as the first strip line 10 and second strip line 12 are folded , as shown in fig2 the second or center holding plate 16 is inserted between the first strip line 10 and the second strip line 12 with the ground plane extension 20 of the holding plate 16 in contact with the upper surface of the second dielectric layer 28 in the central bend area 17 , and specifically centered within the central bend area 17 , so that , as the folding is completed , the center holding plate 16 is sandwiched between the first and second strip lines 10 and 12 , respectively . as can be seen with reference to fig5 the ground plane extension 20 of the central holding plate 16 contains axially separated conductor channels 21 for the purpose of accommodating the conductor strips 36 and 38 on the bottom side of the central , bend area 17 when the bending is completed . the conductor strips 36 and 38 are thus maintained in the air dielectric within each of the conductor channels 21 of the ground plane extension 20 . in the next stage of fabrication of strip line assembly 11 the first holding plate 14 is placed upon the ground plane 22 on the surface of the first dielectric layer 26 of the first strip line 10 within the stack . similarly , the third holding plate 18 is placed against the ground plane 22 on the surface of the first dielectric layer 26 of the second strip line 12 . thus , as seen in fig5 the entire strip line assembly 11 comprised of the first strip line 10 and second strip line 12 in the folded condition about the second or center holding plate 16 is sandwiched between the first holding plate 14 and third holding plate 18 . the strip line assembly 11 is completed upon the addition of the ground plane cover 40 about the end of the stacked strip line assembly 11 so that the ground plane cover 40 encloses the end extension 20 of the second or center holding plate 16 . the ground plane cover 40 contains a curved interior interrupted surface 42 which contains the axially spaced conductor channels 41 which will receive the conductor strips 32 and 34 on the outer or top side of the central bend area 17 when the ground plane cover 40 is affixed rigidly to the end surfaces 13 and 23 of the first holding plate 14 and third holding plate 18 , respectively , immediately adjacent to the bend of the strip line assembly 11 . the mating surfaces 13 and 45 , and 23 and 47 must be flat so that their contact is total and without fault in order to assure maximum continuity and minimum impedance . bolt holes are one means that has been used to attach the ground plane cover 40 to the first holding plate 14 and second holding plate 18 . as can be seen in fig2 and 5 , the threaded holes 15 and 19 in the holding plate 14 and the holding plate 18 , respectively , are located to receive bolts 46 inserted by way of the grooves 48 through the holes 43 and 44 in the mating surfaces of the ground plane cover 40 . the axially spaced conductor channels 41 are shown in the interior curved surface of the ground plane cover 40 in fig5 . when the ground plane cover 40 is affixed to the first holding plate 14 and third holding plate 18 , the conductor strips 32 and 34 of the strip line circuit 13 within the central bend area 17 are caused to be received within conductor channels 41 so that they are maintained within the air dielectric provided by those conductor channels . by setting the width of the channels 21 and 41 to slightly exceed the width of the stripline conductors 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 the stripline conductor width can be made the same in the bend area as in the first and second striplines 10 and 12 , respectively . it is only necessary that the strips be centered in the channels . the conductor strips 32 and 34 which are received within the conductor channels 41 of the ground plane cover 40 and the conductor strips 36 and 38 which are received and maintained within the air dielectric of the conductor channels 21 of the ground plane extension 20 of the center holding plate 16 are shown in fig3 . thus , assembled , the strip line assembly 11 is ready for electrical connection to other circuits required by specific applications . where flatness of the mating end surface 13 of first holding plate 14 and top end surface 45 of ground plane cover 40 or end surface 23 of third holding plate 18 and bottom end surface 47 of ground plane cover 40 is a problem , physical and electrical contact and continuity will be jeopardized . depending upon the application , the resultant effect on impedance may be unacceptable . the embodiment of the invention depicted in fig6 , and 8 provides efficient contact of the mating surfaces with maximum continuity . this embodiment permits secure enclosure of conductor strips 32 and 34 within the conductor channels 41 of the ground plane cover 40 and the conductor strips 36 and 38 within the conductor channels 21 of the ground plane extension 20 . in this embodiment the top end surface 45 of the ground plane cover 40 consists of spaced top end surfaces 45a , 45b , and 45c separated from each other by the recesses 50 . likewise , the bottom end surface 47 of the ground plane cover 40 consists of the spaced bottom end surfaces 47a , 47b , and 47c separated from each other by the recesses 52 . all are sized and configured , as shown in fig8 to extend beyond and about the channels 41 in the ground plane cover 40 . it should be noted from fig6 , and 8 that the spaced top and bottom end surfaces are individually planar and , further , they are coplanar as a group . configurations other than planar or coplanar may be used to accommodate specific applications as long as physical and electrical continuity is maintained adequately to minimize signal leakage and impedance . bolt holes 43 and 44 extend from the central area of each of the spaced top and bottom end surfaces through the ground plane cover 40 and out the adjoining grooves 48 . as shown , the number of spaced top or bottom end surfaces is consistent with the number of conductor channels 41 in the ground plane cover 40 . when the ground plane cover 40 is juxtaposed with the end surface 13 of the first holding plate 14 and the end surface 23 of the third holding plate 18 , the intimate contact between the spaced top and bottom end surfaces with the first and third holding plate end surfaces is secured by means of the bolts 46 extending through the grooves 48 and the adjoining holes 43 and into threaded relationship with the threaded holes 15 of the holding plates . by thus interrupting the top and bottom end surfaces of the ground plane cover 40 with spaced end surfaces 45a , 45b , 45c and 47a , 47b and 47c , respectively , physical and electrical discontinuities associated with surface irregularities of continuous , i . e . uninterrupted , mating surfaces are eliminated . the conductor strips 32 and 34 are securely contained in the channels 41 and undegraded circuit performance maintained . although the present invention has been described with some degree of particularity , it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that a variety of material selections and sandwiching combinations are possible for various types of applications requiring assembly of a strip line circuit or circuits so that stacking may be accomplished in a reliable and efficient manner . variations in material and structural arrangements to address these various applications should clearly follow in light of the description provided herein and are intended to be encompassed in the claims that follow .
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unless indicated to the contrary , the general and specific terms of the molecules and reaction conditions used hereinabove and hereinbelow preferably have the following meanings : enol form of dkt iii is 3 -[ 2 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - oxo - l - phenyl - ethyl ]- 3 - hydroxy - 4 - methyl - pent - 2 - enoic acid phenylamide of formula vii . the present invention provides a novel process for making 4 - fluoro - α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide of formula i which in turn can be used for making atorvastatin with an improved impurity profile and isolation and characterization of an unknown new impurity . this invention also discloses a novel 10 times less time consuming method of making methyl 4 - methyl - 3 - oxopentaonate which is an intermediate for preparing dkt iii compound of formula i . the invention especially relates to a process for the preparation of a key intermediate for atorvastatin , 4 - fluoro - α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide of formula i wherein leaving halogen group x is cl or br , preferably cl with methyl 4 - methyl - 3 - oxopentaonate of formula iii . the process of the present invention in its first aspect is outlined in scheme 1 x is cl , br or i ; preferably x is cl or br . more preferably x is cl . the base may be inorganic or organic like sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , cesium carbonate , diisopropylethylamine , triethylamine , lithium diisopropylamide , sodium hydride , n - butyl lithium , sodium ethoxide , metal hydroxide , or a mixture thereof . wo2003004457 discloses the preparation of 4 - fluoro - α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide by reacting 2 - bromo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - with 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide in a polar solvents or solvent mixture or polar aprotic solvents especially ethanol or methanol or dmf . it is reported that when the reaction is carried out in dmf the product is a mixture of diastereoisomers in the ratio of 3 : 1 indicating 25 % impurities . when the same reaction is carried out in methanol the product contains about 50 % impurities . disclosed herein is an improved process for making 4 - fluoro - α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide by reacting 2 - bromo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - with 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide in an organic solvent in the presence of a base . process of this invention gives the dkt iii in at least 70 % yield with total impurities about 1 %. the organic solvent is c3 - c5 alcohol . preferably organic solvent is selected from n - propanol , isopropanol , n - butanol , iso - butanol , t - butanol , n - pentanol , iso pentanol , t - pentanol , a mixture thereof . more preferably organic solvent is isopropanol . the base may be inorganic or organic like sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , cesium carbonate , diisopropylethylamine , triethylamine , lithium diisopropylamide , sodium hydride , n - butyl lithium , sodium ethoxide , metal hydroxide , or a mixture thereof . the organic solvent comprises methylethylketone , methylisobutylketone , dichloromethane , methanol , ethanol and the like and mixture thereof . also disclosed herein is a process for making atorvastatin . dkt iii of the present invention on reaction with ( 4r - cis )- 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl - 6 -( 2 - aminomethyl )- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxane - 4 - acetate in presence of pivalic acid in cyclohexane as solvent results in the formation of ( 4r - cis )- 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl - 6 -{ 2 [ 2 - fluorophenyl )- 5 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 3 - phenyl - 4 -[( phenylamino ) carbonyl ]- 1h - pyrrol - 1 - yl ]}- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxane - 4 - acetate . this compound on hydrolysis is converted into sodium salt which is then further converted into atorvastatin calcium by the process available in the literature . impurities are about 0 . 1 % α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide ( hereinabove and hereinbelow referred as desfluoro of formula iv ), about 0 . 05 % difluoro α -[ 2 - methyl - 1 - oxopropyl ]- γ - oxo - n - β - diphenylbenzenebutanamide ( hereinabove and hereinbelow referred as difluoro of formula v ) and about 0 . 01 % 3 -[ 2 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 1 - phenyl - ethoxy ]- 4 - methyl - pent - 2 - enoic acid phenylamide ( hereinabove and hereinbelow referred to as o - alkylated of formula vi ). there is a probability that the other reactant used for the formation of dkt iii , halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii can form any of the following 2 compounds of formulas vi and vii : the compound of formula vi is 3 -[ 2 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 1 - phenyl - ethoxy ]- 4 - methyl - pent - 2 - enoic acid phenylamide which is formed as a result of ether formation of the enolic tautomeric form of 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide and hereinbefore and hereinabove and herein below referred as o - alkylated impurity . in an embodiment the reaction between 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide of formula iii and halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii is carried out in methanol as a solvent in the presence of an inorganic base . the yield of dkt iii is lower and the impurities formed are about 50 %. the impurities are desfluoro , difluoro and o - alkylated and major impurity is o - alkylated . in a preferred embodiment the reaction between 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phellylpentamide of formula iii and halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii is carried out in acetone as a solvent using the same base and under same set of reaction conditions as for methanol as solvent . the yield of dkt iii is lower and the impurities formed are about 25 %. the impurities are desfluoro , difluoro and o - alkylated and major impurity is o - alkylated . in a especially preferred embodiment the reaction between 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide of formula iii and halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii is carried out in isopropanol as a solvent using the same base and under same set of reaction conditions when methanol , acetone or dmf is used as a solvent . the dkt iii is purified and isolated from isopropyl alcohol , methylene dichloride / hexane , ethyl acetate / hexane , or a mixture thereof . preferably dkt iii is purified and isolated from a mixture of isopropanol and methanol . the final product isolated from a mixture of isopropanol and methanol dkt iii is obtained in at least 70 % yield and the total impurities are up to 1 %. impurities are desfluoro about 0 . 1 %, difluoro about 0 . 05 % and o - alkylated about 0 . 1 %. the present invention discloses isolation and characterization of a new compound from the product mixture of reaction between 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide of formula iii and halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii to form dkt iii which has been referred hereinabove and hereinbelow as o - alkylated impurity of formula vi . o - alkylated impurity has been isolated and purified by traditional techniques such as column chromatography , crystallisation , preparative tlc and the like . it has been characterized by spectroscopic techniques such as ir , uv , mass , nmr , and the like . mass spectroscopy of o - alkylated impurity : di - ms : 418 , 417 , 399 , 366 , 345 , 325 , 294 , 276 , 252 , 216 , 206 , 177 , 131 , 123 , 93 , 77 , 103 . m + 1 at 418 and m + at 417 in mass spectroscopic analysis of impurity indicates that it contains both the reactant moieties 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide of formula iii and halo - 1 -( 4 - fluorophenyl )- 2 - phenone of formula ii , therefore is an isomer of dkt - iii . infra red spectrum ( kbr ) of dkt - iii : 1720 cm − 1 , 1681 cm − 1 and 1647 cm − 1 represent 3 carbonyl groups in dkt iii molecule . infrared spectra of o - alkylated impurity have 1685 cm − 1 and 1711 cm − 1 representing 2 carbonyl groups ., 1601 cm − 1 represent c ═ c stretching conjugated with c ═ o = 1231 cm − 1 represents ether group in the molecule . 1h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl3 ): 1 . 027 ( 2h , d , j = 6 . 8 hz ), 2 . 174 ( 1h , s ,), 2 . 449 ( 1h . m ), 3 . 485 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 674 - 7 . 328 ( 14h , m ). 2 singlet proton nmr values at 2 , 174 and 3 . 485 represent methine and olefinic protons respectively which are characteristic for o - alkylated impurity . in another aspect this invention discloses a novel process for the preparation of 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide in good yield with reaction time is significantly shortened by 10 times . this process makes the atorvastatin production economical and environmental friendly on an industrial scale . the process of the present invention in this aspect is outlined in scheme ii in an embodiment 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - pentaonate is taken in a in a liquid base without any solvent , such as pyridine , picolines , lutidines halogenated pyridines and the like . the reaction contents are heated and aniline is added in about 30 minutes to about 4 hrs . the reaction gets completed in 2 - 6 hrs . the liquid base and methanol produced as a byproduct are removed by distillation and the reaction contents are cooled and ph adjusted to about 0 . 5 to about 2 . on cooling about 99 % pure 4 - methyl - 3 - oxo - n - phenylpentamide of formula iii in about 75 % yield is obtained . the product is obtained in a single day compared to if the process is carried out in accordance with u . s . pat . no . 5 , 216 , 174 wherein the product is isolated in 10 days . the mixture containing 300 ml isopropanol and 100 g of the formula iii is cooled to 10 - 15 ° c . potassium carbonate 94 g is charged into the above contents keeping the temperature 10 - 15 ° c . a solution of 128 gm of formula ii in 125 ml isopropanol is then added slowly in 2 - 3 hrs keeping temperature at 10 - 15 ° c . temperature is allowed to reach at 25 - 30 ° c . temperature is further raised to 40 - 45 ° c . and then maintained for 8 - 10 hrs with simultaneous monitoring on hplc . after hplc complies , isopropanol is removed under vacuum keeping temperature below 55 ° c . followed by the addition of 600 ml ethyl acetate at 40 - 45 ° c . 600 ml water is charged and the organic layer is collected . solvent is removed under vacuum when a solid mass is seen . this solid is purified by using isopropanol and methanol . purity 99 . 69 % with 0 . 047 % of desfluoro impurity , difluoro almost nil and o - alkylated impurity to be 0 . 1 % with yield of 73 %. the mixture containing 88 ml t - butyl alcohol and 29 g of the formula iii is cooled to 10 - 15 ° c . potassium carbonate 27 g is charged into the above contents keeping the temperature 10 - 15 ° c . a solution of 36 gm of formula ii in 35 ml t - butyl alcohol is then added slowly in 2 - 3 hrs keeping temperature at 10 - 15 ° c . temperature is allowed to reach at 25 - 30 ° c . temperature is further raised to 40 - 45 ° c . and then maintained for 8 - 10 hrs with simultaneous monitoring on hplc . after hplc complies , t - butanol is removed under vacuum keeping temp below 55 ° c . followed by the addition of 175 ml ethyl acetate at 40 - 45 ° c . 175 ml water is charged and the organic layer is collected . solvent is removed under vacuum when a solid mass is seen . this solid is then purified by using isopropanol and methanol . resulting purity found to be 99 . 5 % with 0 . 042 % of desfluoro impurity , difluoro almost nil and o - alkylated impurity to be 0 . 12 % with yield of 35 g . the mixture containing 300 ml methanol and 100 g of the formula iii is cooled to 10 - 15 ° c . potassium carbonate 94 g is charged into the above contents keeping the temperature 10 - 15 ° c . a solution of 128 gm of formula ii in 125 ml methanol is then added slowly in 2 - 3 hrs keeping temperature at 10 - 15 ° c . temperature is allowed to reach at 25 - 30 ° c . temperature is further raised to 40 - 45 ° c . and then maintained for 8 hrs with simultaneous monitoring on hplc . hplc revealed the progress of the reaction to be 39 %, unreacted compound of formula iii to be 46 . 0 % and o - alkylated impurity to be 7 . 9 %. looking at the unreacted starting material of formula iii , compound 11 is further added and reaction is pursued but it results in enhancing the o - alkylated impurity . the mixture containing 300 ml acetone and 100 g of the formula iii is cooled to 10 - 15 ° c . potassium carbonate 94 g is charged into the above contents keeping the temperature 10 - 15 ° c . a solution of 128 gm of formula ii in 125 ml acetone is then added slowly in 2 - 3 hrs keeping temperature at 10 - 15 ° c . temperature is allowed to reach at 25 - 30 ° c . temperature is further raised to 40 - 45 ° c . and then maintained for 8 hrs with simultaneous monitoring on hplc . hplc revealed the progress of the reaction to be 65 %, unreacted compound of formula iii to be 10 . 0 %, 8 . 1 % of formula ii and o - alkylated impurity to be 14 . 7 %. looking at the unreacted starting material reaction is pursued but it results in enhancing the o - alkylated impurity . 58 g ( 4r - cis )- 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl - 6 -( 2 - aminomethyl )- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxane - 4 - acetate is charged with 480 ml of cyclohexane at rt followed by the addition of 84 g of dkt iii and 12 g of pivalic acid at rt . the reaction mass is heated to reach at 78 ° c . and water is removed azeotropically . reaction is maintained for 62 hrs and is monitored . after the completion , reaction mass is quenched with sodium bicarbonate solution . organic layer separated is washed thoroughly till it is free from acidity . cyclohexane from the organic layer is recovered under vacuum . residue so obtained is dissolved in isopropanol and product is isolated by the addition of water at 30 - 35 ° c . product is further purified from isopropanol . 40 . 0 g ( 4r - cis )- 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl - 6 -{ 2 [ 2 - fluorophenyl )- 5 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 3 - phenyl - 4 -[( phenylamino ) carbonyl ]- 1h - pyrrol - 1 - yl ]}- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 1 , 3 - dioxane - 4 - acetate is taken into 641 ml methanol . heat the contents to 45 - 50 ° c . till it gives a clear solution . add 10 . 0 g at 20 - 26 ° c . of hydrochloric acid . reaction is maintained for 6 hrs ., reaction is monitored on hplc . after complete conversion it is added with solution of 7 . 0 g naoh dissolved in 65 ml water at 23 - 26 ° c . till the ph of 12 - 12 . 5 is reached . contents are slowly heated to reach at 35 - 40 ° c . and then maintained for 6 hrs . completion of the reaction is followed by concentration of reaction mass under vacuum . concentrated mass thus obtained is diluted with aqueous methanol and extracted with methyl tert butyl ether at 30 - 32 ° c . aqueous layer is collected and given the washing with mixture containing n - hexane and cyclohexane ( 1 : 1v / v ). ph of aqueous layer is adjusted to 8 . 2 - 8 . 4 using sodium hydroxide solution at 30 - 32 ° c . finally calcium acetate 6 . 0 g dissolved in 194 ml water is added to aqueous at 47 - 50 ° c . till turbidity is observed . contents are further heated till salt is precipitated . product is filtered off and dried . reaction mixture containing 100 g methyl isobutyryl acetate and 100 ml of pyridine is heated at temperature of 110 - 115 ° c . 77 . 5 g aniline is added slowly in about two hrs keeping reaction mass at 110 - 115 ° c . for 12 hrs . completion of the reaction is monitored by tlc . mixture of pyridine and methanol is distilled out at 85 - 90 ° c . under reduced pressure . contents are cooled to 35 - 40 ° c . and water is added followed by ph adjustment to 1 - 1 . 5 . mass is cooled further to 10 - 20 ° c . and product is filtered off . wet cake obtained as 125 - 150 g ( moisture content 20 %, assay 98 . 5 % by hplc ). product is further dried to get 138 g product .
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a related application ( ser . no . 11 / 308 , 886 ), the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference , has been filed for examining a more sudden and transient impact of events &# 39 ; coverage in the media and subsequent movements of stock prices ( or other financial instruments ) triggered by the coverage . stocks of companies can trade well outside the range of analysts &# 39 ; target prices , which is known as “ spread ”. the disclosed methodology concerns that spread ; understanding , explaining , modeling and forecasting the component of the spread that is due to media - driven investor / seller confidence impact . the method uses historical analysis of the spread against coterminous media coverage , combining statistical analysis and human expertise to discover , weight , model and then predict the influential factors . securities analysts and investors employ quantitative valuation models of financial instruments to forecast . examples of such financial instruments are stocks , bonds , commodities , currencies as well as derivative structures thereof such as a hedge on the volatility of a composite index . important parameters of the financial instruments themselves may be ( but are not limited to ): stock / instrument trading ( or target fair market ) price , trading volume , volatility , yield curves and similar parameters . embodiments of the disclosed method besides valuation models determine the on - going influence of media coverage on the confidence of investors and other key stakeholders in a specific business , its leaders , products and trading prices of the related financial instruments . business in this context can be an individual company or a whole industry , and the same approach may also be used for other economic entities and their related financial instruments such as commodities , currencies , and government bonds . these influences of media coverage are termed in this document as confidence subjects and can fall into the following subject areas , ( which is for illustration purposes and is not meant to be exhaustive ): reputation of company leaders , such as ceo , cfo key products and factors such as quality , pricing , innovation corporate and industry specific issues such as corporate social responsibility ( csr ), transparency , activities and pricing in developing world . reporting financial items such as earnings / revenues , large contract wins confidence subjects can be subjects , related to public perception of a business , that influence the fiscal performance of the business . a business can include commodities , bonds , currencies or other financial instruments or institutions , the fiscal performance of which can be influenced by public perception . to make these confidence subjects amenable to a numerical approach , the entity under investigation or financial instrument of interest receives a real - numbered value or score s i ε ( where the sign of the value indicates a positive or negative rating ). the scores can be computed for certain time intervals and therefore a media trend over time can be observed . the score s i is typically computed with such media trend characteristics to be captured in quantitative terms , such as volume of articles published per day , the weight of the articles themselves ( to account for prominence ) and the publications in which the articles are published , the tonality of the articles . tonality is a parameter to capture the sentiment expressed in the media , for example in determining if an article on a particular issue as positive or negative from the perspective of the subject company . in order to apply tonality in the disclosed system methodology , it can be cast into quantitative terms . a hypothetical media trend can be the reputation and media coverage of a ceo of a company increasing markedly ( and as a consequence of the company becoming more popular the spread between fair value derived with financial fundamental analysis and trading price of the company stock is widening ). the score values making up media trends in the confidence subjects can be correlated against movements in the parameters of related financial instruments , such as stock price or volatility . ( 1 ) training : compiling correlation reference material from historical data ( fig1 ) data collection and preparation ( block 101 ) categorization of confidence subjects ( block 102 ) population of confidence subjects ( block 103 ) modeling the influence of confidence subjects on financial instruments ( block 104 ) evaluation of the modeling results and refining the model to enhance the precision ( block 105 ) ( 2 ) outputting values : prediction using correlations for analysis of current variance between stock price targets and market prices ( fig2 ) evaluate media coverage according to confidence subjects ( block 201 ) retrieve financial parameters of affected financial instrument ( s ) ( block 202 ) model execution : compile trends in confidence subject coverage and associated indications on spread ( block 203 ) retrospective analysis of the results and refinement of model ( block 204 ) an exemplary embodiment of the invention is described herein in the context of a company in the pharmaceutical industry . the exemplary methodology can predict a difference ( delta ) between a share price and an analysts &# 39 ; opinion of fair value based on present media coverage . for the purpose of illustration we can consider the needs of a fictitious pharmaceutical company , drugco , listed on the london stock exchange . a new ceo has been appointed replacing one who had presided over a period of underperformance driven by doubts over the research pipeline for new drug development and concerns over drugs whose patents are to expire in the near future . because of the nature of long lead times in the industry , the research pipeline is a key fundamental driver of fair share value . therefore — other than financial manipulation or takeover activity — stock price performance can only be improved short term , for example , by driving more effective communications around existing brands and products , company policy , and / or quality of management . table 1 presents the media coverage evaluation for each of the confidence subjects a - h related to a specific financial instrument of interest , which could be a stock , bond corporation or business . each of the impact values i i ( where i is an index for a - h ) is derived by summing the articles ( a j ) for a given period on the subject multiplied by their tonality and further multiplied by a corresponding prominence factor ( explained in more detail below ). each of the impact values is summed and an overall impact value i is determined by summing i i . the overall impact value i can be used as a multiplier against present share price to determine the impact or share price . the column “ change ” is a value representing the percentage change in value for each of the subjects in the two months , for example , march and april . the prediction of the impact i i performed by multiplying the change values c i for each of the confidence subjects by selected coefficients r i . the impact equation is i i = c i r i where the index i stands for a particular confidence subject a - h , c i represents the change values , r i are the coefficients ( which are derived in the training process . the coefficients ( r i ) expressing this relationship may be , but are not limited to , correlation coefficients , covariance coefficients , or path coefficients as determined by the statistical method employed . i i in an impact value which represents the impact of the particular confidence subject change to the share price delta . the final change in share price , in this example , is derived by summing the impacts on all of the confidence subjects σi i ( in the example presented in table 1 . a delta in share price against fair value determined by multiplying the summed impact values by the reset target value of − 3 . 37 % is predicted ). the equation σi i = σσδ ( t i , j a i , j p i , j ) r i , where δ is the change in value of the term in parentheses over two points in time , t i , j is the tonality of an article j about confidence subject i , multiplied with an article weighting factor ( prominence ) a i , j , multiplied by a weighting factor p i , j of the publication source , r i is the coefficient for confidence subject i , and i i is the resulting impact on financial instrument for each confidence subject i . this equation is the same that is used to train the model . after comparing this outcome to the actual share price retrospectively ( either in ongoing operation or during testing with historical media and financial data ) the impact coefficients i i in the model are refined . for instance , to provide more context of how the approach can be used not only for financial transactions alone but also by the companies themselves , the example could be part of the wider activities of drugco to assess the performance of companies ( in its industry and beyond ) that have had new ceo &# 39 ; s and the messaging related to quality of management and especially the ceo him / herself that has been associated both with dramatic and surprising share price movements ; benchmarks drugco against its peer group over a considerable period with respect to media communications to establish if there are any legacy issues , positive or negative ; map out a ceo - led media communications plan to conduct a series of ‘ what if ’ analyses to help test optimum messaging , frequency and media i . e . the combination most likely to move share price . details of the exemplary training process given in fig1 will now be described with respect to fig3 - 9 . an example using media coverage for three companies x , y , and z from the pharmaceutical industry has been monitored will be described . for the confidence subjects ( a - h ) under consideration in this example , the values for three consecutive months have been recorded . table 2 shows the percentage changes for the values of the confidence subjects ( a - h ) for the three monitored companies , table 3 shows the measured absolute values from which the changes in table 2 were derived . using structural equation modeling ( sem ) techniques , the model presented in fig3 has been derived . software sem applications such as eqs , lisrel or mplus can be used for establishing or training the model . the impact coefficients given in the corresponding column in table 1 are calculated from the model . it is important to note that the model , the actual confidence subjects , the impact coefficients and the prediction process are not limited to the ones presented in the examples . they can be obtained in various ways by the analysis of the historical media coverage for the corresponding industry , size of companies and zeitgeist . fig4 shows an embodiment of how one could narrow down the universe of companies to those that will form part of the training set . the top half shows a set of media coverage ( volume / type of publication ) and financial ( p / e ratios , volatility ) selection criteria , and the bottom half shows a list of candidate companies matching those criteria . while the processes described herein may be carried out manually , the preferred embodiment consists of a computer system such as depicted in fig5 . the system may comprise one or more workstations having a computer - readable medium embodied with a program for executing the disclosed method on which users enter certain data and instructions , typically via specially designed graphical user interfaces ( gui ) which can also display the results of the analysis . the data input is analyzed and the result is output , typically again in form of graphical output on a display of the workstation . the workstation can be connected with a central server that co - ordinates the various requests coming from the workstations and controls the running of the database ( or grid systems of multiple databases ). the databases can store historical data and results of the analysis , which can be updated . the same or a connected different server can be used to gather and transform the data received from the various service providers , typically through the internet . data collection and preparation of element 101 of fig1 can be implemented via the exemplary fig6 , which depicts the steps to gather media coverage and historical data regarding business subjects for training and for specific financial instruments of interests : there are various aspects to the task of data preparation , such as data gathering , storage & amp ; indexing , cleansing , and enrichment . these tasks are typically carried out by a computer system with features such as follows : data gathering can include retrieving media and financial data ( 601 and 602 , respectively ) from different providers . examples of such providers are reuters or thomson , but also specialists such as shadowtv who provide computer - searchable transcripts of tv broadcasts . an example of an embodiment of the gathering process is as follows : a human being specifies in a graphical user interface ( gui ) on the workstation the details of desired data sets , such as date ranges and companies . the workstation communicates this data to a server computer system . the server transforms the user entry to send an http request via the internet to the service provider , where the url used in the http request contains the query details such as the date ranges and desired objects . the service provider responds with delivering ( also via http through the internet ) an xml or comma separated value ( csv ) file ( the news or financial feed ). data storage & amp ; indexing ( 603 ) can include parsing the retrieved information and storing it in a structured way such as a computer database . the computer database can be either linked by a computer network to or is part of the computer system that gathered the data . the database can ensure by its design the connection between various data sub - sets organized in tables . for reasons set out in the description of the data processing in the latter section of this document , it can be beneficial to store and index articles according to such data elements as article title , the publication it appeared in , the date of publication , as well as a summary or article “ snippet ” or in any desired fashion . data cleansing ( 604 ) includes removing or adjusting parameter values that would hinder the correct subsequent processing of the data for a desired application . an example of a part of the cleansing is to properly account for stock splits and dividend payments . stock splits in particular are typically in a 2 to 1 or even higher ratio that could , if not accounted for , heavily skew analysis because of the drastic change in stock price on the day of the split . data enrichment ( 605 ) includes adding data elements that were not included in the data feed of the service providers . for example in an embodiment , the publications are identified in the news feed by name , but their distribution volume , geographical location of main readership , type of publication such as general daily newspaper or specialist weekly trade magazine are added to the database manually if unavailable . such a categorization allows for classifying and weighting the importance of articles by publication . a further example is the calculation of the present fair market value of a financial instrument based on analysts &# 39 ; 12 month target prices : npv =( t a + d )/( 1 + r e ) where npv = implied today &# 39 ; s net present value , t a = analyst 12 month target , d = dividends that are expected to be paid out in this interval , r e = expected return rate accommodating risk , which in turn can be calculated , using , for example , the known capital asset pricing model to discount for a firm - specific risk , as r e = α + β ( r m − α ), where β =“ beta ” for a firm , r m = expected return rate of the market portfolio , α = risk - free rate of return . data gathering also includes identifying a parameter value of a plurality of financial instruments that have a large spread between the fair value of the plurality of financial instruments estimated by financial analysts and the actual parameter value of the plurality of financial instruments at a particular time within the validity of the estimate . exemplary details regarding the categorization of confidence subjects in block 102 in fig1 , is shown in fig7 can include filtering to identify companies , commodities or currencies that have , over periods of time , had a spread exceeding a threshold between the market / trading price of the financial instrument and the analysts &# 39 ; price targets / fair value estimations of the financial instrument ( 701 ). the spread threshold can be predetermined by the user . given the available historical data of press coverage , the relevant media coverage about companies , commodities , or currencies is identified ( 702 ). a set of confidence subjects are proposed that make up a “ chart of accounts ” by analyzing the coverage ( 703 ). this “ chart of accounts ” can have confidence subjects such as those shown in table 2 , although other company , commodity or currency - specific confidence subjects can be monitored and characterized . the confidence subjects identified in the past media coverage are related to the historic parameters , such as past financial reporting , pricing , profit margins and the like . the confidence subjects for a particular company can be made up of general subjects in common with all companies ( such as reputation on company leaders ), industry specific subjects such as particular regulations , and / or firm - specific subjects which are unique to the company . population of confidence subject values ( 103 in fig1 ) can be performed for each of the confidence subjects by characterizing the first media coverage ( when training a model , or by characterizing present media coverage when using the model for a specific financial instrument of interest . the confidence subject values can be determined by analyzing the tonality and prominence factors of the media coverage with respect to the identified confidence subject . a “ score card ” of positive , negative , and neutral articles for a specific time period can be made . the score cards can include the volume of articles where the confidence subject is mentioned alongside an evaluation of the tonality ( an exemplary embodiment can use the scale − 2 , − 1 , 0 , 1 , 2 ). tonality is a subjective review of the media coverage , where a score of − 2 is very negative , a 0 score is neutral , and a + 2 is very positive . these volume and tonality values can be weighted by the importance of the news source , for example the prominence of the article ( currently a factor of 2 , for example , for front page and less as the article moves back or where the related story appears in a television news broadcast ), and a scale of , for example , 1 - 10 for the reach of the newspaper ( for example with highest to financial times and wall street journal , lowest to local press ) and circulation . the overall value or score for a particular confidence subject can be the sum of all articles ( indexed i ) over a given period of time s i = σt i a i p i , where t i is the tonality of an article , multiplied with an article weighting factor ( prominence ) multiplied by a weighting factor of the publication source p i . the values s i is derived in such a way so the scorecards can be compared to a scorecard of a competitor and with the results of prior time intervals . an example of such scorecards making up the above mentioned chart of accounts is shown in table 1 and table 3 . the identification of the confidence subjects may be carried out by a media analyst or alternatively / additionally by computer - aided mechanisms , such as self - organizing maps ( som ), single - layer rectangular - shaped neural networks with unsupervised learning ) and linguistic rule - based approaches applying contextual grammar rules for subject recognition . fig8 shows an exemplary embodiment of a user interface for supporting the identification and evaluation of confidence subjects . the top half contains two curves over time : the stock price and the volume of articles for that particular company . the bottom half shows , on the right , the text of a particular article , and on the left , a small table of confidence subjects , on which the media analyst can populate the confidence subject values ( or “ n / a ” if that subject is not mentioned in the article ). practical experience has shown that for companies with small market capitalization , the media volume is within a range that every article can be analyzed . for large companies this can be impractical , and a selected sub - sample can be used and the results extrapolated . exemplary details regarding the modeling the influence of confidence subject as shown in block 104 of fig1 is shown in fig9 and can be performed by extracting the coefficients between confidence subjects ( in the example , changes c i on score values s i ) and the identified spread between trading prices and coterminous analyst target ( forecasted ) prices . analysis ( correlation , covariance , or any other type of statistical analysis ) between media trend characteristics and financial instrument parameters movements is performed in block 901 . based on the extracted coefficient values that indicate a high degree of correlation and statistical significance , a model of how the confidence subjects and their media coverage influence the price movement of the financial instrument ( in our example the values r i ) is built or refined in block 902 . the fields of psychometric and econometric modeling have provided known research on the actual details of an analytical extraction of coefficients ( r i ), and modeling cause and effects , for example , via factor analysis or structural equation models ( sem ) that can contain exogenous , endogenous , observed , and latent variables . alternatively , more numerically driven approaches can be performed using multilayered feed - forward neural networks ( or similar ) with supervised learning ( back - propagation , simulated annealing , genetic algorithm , and others ). the overall methodology for quantitative indication of the influence of certain confidence subjects to financial instrument value movements described herein is not limited to one specific choice of analysis correlation or covariance , for example . in block 903 , the model is tested against historical data that has not been used in the building of the model at 902 . a decision in sub - process 904 determines whether the model is deemed to fit the data sufficiently well ( if so , the process modeling ( 104 ) is complete ), or whether any discrepancies in the fit are sufficiently large as to warrant a further refinement of the model 902 . the existing embodiment of the invention currently does not include an automated feedback loop 904 to 901 whereby insights gained during testing are automatically adjusting the coefficients in the model . one possible approach to characterize a past or present media trend can be to use the following equation : σ i i = σσδ ( t i , j a i , j p i , j ) r i where δ is the change in value of the term in parentheses over two points in time , t i , j is the tonality of an article j about confidence subject i , multiplied with an article weighting factor ( prominence ) a i , j , multiplied by a weighting factor of the publication source p i , j , r i is the coefficient for confidence subject i and i i the resulting impact on financial instrument for confidence subject i . the methodology presented in this document here is not limited the use of the above equation , other forms , in particular non - linear differential equations , may also be used . when the latest trained model is used , the characterization of the present media trend is used to update the trained model . a user can continue to train a model by periodically , such as daily , characterizing media trends and inputting parameters related to financial instruments . this will provide specific media trend confidence subject data to the trained model related to the specific financial instrument of interest , or provide an analysis of the present media trend based on the characterized past media trends in the trained model . an exemplary embodiment of the invention uses a monthly change of stock prices movements vs . monthly average of analyst expectations ( even though the latter may not be shifting that frequently and other time intervals can be chosen ). a certain time span is required in order to achieve a statistically significant volume of press coverage and therefore meaningful values for the individual confidence factors . fig2 depicts an exemplary prediction process where the media evaluation 201 includes the extraction of the confidence subject values ( media trend characteristics ) described earlier in the section “ training process ”. along with the financial parameters 202 , one can use these values as inputs to calculate 203 ( also shown earlier in the example ) a confidence - driven influence on the stock price of the company in question or other financial parameter . an underlying assumption that media coverage can influence investor confidence significantly represents a valuable additional component to the existing factors in securities valuation models . in particular , the above mentioned coefficients can be used to correlate the media coverage factors with the spread between the mean analyst target stock price and the trading price for the same trading period . therefore , parameters of a specific financial instrument of interest can be input into the trained model , as well as data developed to a characterize present media trend related to the specific financial instrument or entity . a resulting output value is determined by performing an analysis of the data characterizing the present media trend and the parameters of the specific financial instrument using the trained model . the output result can be values correspond to parameters of the specific financial instrument or entity , such as predicted fair market value , or values corresponding to the characterization of the present media trend , such as market confidence in the performance of a ceo . the output result can be an overall impact value that is calculated using an equation : σi i = σσδ ( t i , j a i , j p i , j ) r i , where δ is a change in value of the term in parentheses over two points in time , t i , j is a tonality of an article j about confidence subject i , multiplied with an article weighting factor ( prominence ) a i , j , multiplied by a weighting factor p i , j of the publication source , r i is a coefficient for confidence subject i , and a resulting impact on financial instrument for confidence subject i . note that this is the same equation that is used to characterize a media trend . the methodology presented in this document here is not limited the use of the above equation , other forms , in particular non - linear differential equations , may also be used . as a prediction , the result can be a value corresponding to the parameters of the specific financial instrument , or a value corresponding to the characterization of the present media trend . for example , the overall impact value σi i can be normalized for use in determining the effect of the present media trend on the confidence subject ceo reputation from table 1 - 3 above . alternatively , the financial instrument fair market share price value can be multiplied by the overall impact value σi i and the percentage taken to determine the percentage decrease ( as in table 1 ) or increase in fair market share price value . the outputted result can be an input value into another financial model used to determine whether the specific financial instrument should be bought or sold . of course , the parameters of different financial instruments can be input into the system to determine the effect of the present media coverage based on the output values has on each of the different financial instruments . the output result values for each of the different financial instruments can be compared , and further analyzed . due to the quantifiable correlation of company - relevant issues discussed in the media with the aforementioned spread , it is possible to make visible the media influence on confidence , to serve as an indicator . it can be used as input into public relation strategies , such as media campaigns , investor relations , government relations , political campaigns and the like , or communication practices , such as advertising decisions , word usage in communications , and the like . companies and other entities can take more proactive and targeted measures to positively influence their confidence subject scores on the chart of accounts , and , by consequence , their stock price . of value here will also be easily derivable industry and company confidence volatility indices , which could inform the investment community and the companies themselves of their contextual reputation stability ( i . e . how much present media coverage will affect financial instruments or investor confidence in the reputation of the company ). an exemplary embodiment can include an automated feedback loop whereby insights gained during regular operations are used for automatically adjusting the coefficients ( 204 in fig2 ). studies in particular in the field of neural networks have described various approaches of implementing an automated feedback loop . it should be understood that the above only illustrates examples whereby the present invention , as defined by the appended claims , may be carried out , and that various modifications , and / or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims .
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the monomers methylmethacrylate ( mma ) ( 98 %) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate ( egdma ) ( 99 %) were purified by successive washing with 10 % w / w sodium hydroxide ( naoh ) solution to remove the free radical inhibitor . the inhibitor - free monomers were washed in distilled and deionized water to remove the naoh . the residual water in the monomers were removed by adding a small amount of magnesium sulfate ( mgso 4 ). after 12 - 15 hours , the monomers were filtered out . the monomers bisphenol - a , ( epon ™- 829 ), commercially available from shell chemical co ., and tetraethylene pentamine were used as is . the solvents , methylisobutylketone ( mibk ) and toluene were reagent grade . the non - solvents , butanol , methanol and heptane were also reagent grade . freon - 22 , carbon dioxide ( co 2 ) and propane were used as received without further purification . benzoylperoxide ( bpo ), reagent grade , and tertbutylperoxy pivalate ( tbpp ) ( 75 %) in mineral spirits were used as initiators for the methacrylates . the methacrylate polymerizations were free - radical polymerizations . these reactions involve three steps , initiation , propagation and termination . the initiation step yields a reactive species which is a free radical . this free radical then propagates by reacting with the monomers and later terminates to produce the polymer . in free radical polymerizations , high molecular weight polymer is formed immediately and the molecular weight of the polymer is relatively unchanged during the polymerization although the overall percent conversion of monomer to polymer increases with reaction time . therefore , the early stages of the polymerization consist of dilute solutions of very long chains dissolved in a monomer and diluent mixture . this stage of polymerization is distinctly different from a condensation polymerization where the entire solution polymerizes at the same rate and the solution consists of a large number of short oligomeric chains . in this application , the following set of abbreviations will be employed : ______________________________________mma methyl methacrylatepmma polymethyl methacrylateegdma ethyleneglycol dimethacrylatemibk methylisobutyl ketonetbpp tert - butylperoxy pivalatebpo benzoyl peroxidetp tetraethylpentamine______________________________________ a schematic representation of the copolymerization of mma with difunctional egdma is provided below . an additional complexity of the copolymer methacrylate system is the substantial crosslinking via the addition of ethylene glycoldimethacrylate ( egdma ). it has been shown that the density of the final product decreases monotonically as the percentage egdma increases to 40 wt %. ## str1 ## the epoxy polymerizations , by contrast , are condensation polymerizations . in the instant case , this indicates that the polymerizations occur by reaction of the epoxide with the amine , with sufficient activation energy ( i . e . temperature ) to subsequently react . this type of polymerization , tends to be slower and more uniform in conversion than free radical mechanisms . in rudimentary schematic form , one example of this type of condensation polymerization may be characterized as : ## str2 ## since the polymerizations are carried out in dilute solutions , the time for complete polymerization and complete crosslinking is longer than for free - radical polymerization , and the solution chemistry , ( i . e . phase behavior ), is significantly different . the long chains from the free radical polymerization tend to precipitate out of solution before extensive intermolecular crosslinking , simply due to size . the formation of polymeric sols in the epoxy systems , on the other hand , is closely related to the degree of crosslinking . mma and egdma are copolymerized in a diluent and cured at about 50 °- 75 ° c . as used in this application , diluent is intended to mean a solvent which has a relatively strong interaction with the polymer and non - solvent means a diluent which has a weak interaction . strong solvents are capable of completely dissolving the monomer and non - crosslinked polymer . they are also capable of swelling the crosslinked polymer , often to remarkably large proportions depending on the strength of the interaction and degree of crosslinking . strong non - solvents cannot dissolve or swell the polymer and function to promote phase separation of the polymer from solution . toluene is an example of an acceptable diluent . the ratio of mma / egdma should be between 20 : 1 to 1 : 1 with 3 : 2 being near optimal . the ratio of diluent / monomer should be between 10 : 1 to 1 : 3 , where monomer refers here to both mma and egdma . after maintaining the solution at constant temperature between 50 °- 75 ° c . for 24 - 48 hours , gelation takes place . the sample is removed from the oven and allowed to cool to room temperature . after cooling , the sample is placed in a high - pressure reactor which is cooled to 10 °- 15 ° c . and filled with liquid carbon dioxide or other near - critical liquid . after 4 - 8 hours , the high - pressure reactor is vented enough to remove some of the liquid contents , but not so much as to expose the polymeric material to vapor . the reactor is then refilled with near - critical liquid . this process is repeated several times until the diluent in the polymer has been totally removed and replaced by near - critical liquid . the high - pressure reactor and its contents are then raised to a supercritical temperature ( 45 ° c . for carbon dioxide is sufficient ) while maintaining the pressure well above the critical pressure . after holding the reactor and its contents at those conditions for 30 - 60 minutes , the vapors are vented until the pressure drops to ambient pressure and the reactor is opened and polymeric product collected . specifically , 0 . 005 g of bpo or 0 . 005 ml tbpp were used . the polymerization was performed at 60 ° c . in an 11 ml glass ampule provided with a screw cap . the volume of mma + egdma was 5 ml . the ratio of monomer to solvents was 1 : 1 . the polymerization was allowed to proceed to about five times the half - life period of the initiators . the half - life of bpo is 10 h at 73 ° c . and for tbpp is 10 h at 55 ° c . after polymerization , the samples were cooled back to room temperature . the glass ampule was then carefully broken and the samples removed . the samples were swollen in toluene for 24 h . the degree of swelling gave a measure of crosslinking in the polymer . the polymers were then ready for washing and supercritical drying . for washing , the gels were placed in a high pressure reactor . the air trapped in the reactor was slowly removed by opening the exit valve and simultaneously filling the reactor with liquefied carbon dioxide at 900 psi and 8 ° c . the temperature of the reactor was controlled to within ± 4 ° c . the gels were kept immersed in liquefied carbon dioxide by opening the exit valve . in this way , the sample was always immersed in liquid co 2 . thus , the diluents in the pores of the gel were replaced by co 2 . five flushes were conducted in 24 h to complete the washing phase . at the end of this phase , the inlet and outlet valves of the pressure reactor were closed and the temperature of the water bath raised to 45 ° c . the critical point of co 2 is 1 , 100 psi at 31 ° c . during heating , care was taken to insure that the pressure did not go beyond 1 , 500 psi . the co 2 was released at pressures greater than 1 , 200 psi . after 6 h , the reactor was brought to atmospheric pressure isothermally at 45 ° c . the apparatus was then cooled and the samples removed . the results for various copolymer microcellular materials are found in tables i - iv . the ratios of solvent / non - solvent as well as the choice of solvents and non - solvents used are summarized in columns 2 - 3 . the density of the copolymer microcellular foams prepared by subsequent air drying of the product are tabulated in column 4 . the corresponding densities of the same material , which has been dried under supercritical conditions is listed in column 5 for comparative purposes . table i______________________________________ drying super - egdma toluene butanol air critical ( ml ) ( ml ) ( ml ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ______________________________________1 5 0 1 . 15 0 . 961 . 5 5 0 0 . 91 0 . 752 5 0 0 . 80 0 . 641 . 5 4 1 0 . 87 0 . 791 . 5 2 3 0 . 98 0 . 801 . 5 1 4 0 . 78 0 . 69______________________________________ table ii______________________________________ drying super - egdma toluene methanol air critical ( ml ) ( ml ) ( ml ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ______________________________________1 1 4 1 . 11 0 . 831 . 5 2 3 0 . 93 0 . 79______________________________________ table iii______________________________________ drying super - egdma toluene heptane air critical ( ml ) ( ml ) ( ml ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ______________________________________1 0 5 0 . 58 0 . 551 . 5 4 1 0 . 68 0 . 651 . 5 3 2 0 . 57 0 . 572 4 1 0 . 64 0 . 612 2 3 0 . 57 0 . 56______________________________________ table iv______________________________________ drying super - egdma mibk butanol air critical ( ml ) ( ml ) ( ml ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ( g cm . sup .- 3 ) ______________________________________1 5 0 0 . 86 0 . 801 4 1 1 . 12 0 . 841 3 2 1 . 11 0 . 831 2 3 1 . 05 0 . 831 . 5 4 1 0 . 83 0 . 701 . 5 3 2 0 . 81 0 . 721 . 5 2 3 0 . 77 0 . 692 4 1 0 . 75 0 . 672 3 2 0 . 74 0 . 682 2 3 0 . 76 0 . 66______________________________________ the data obtained from the experiments indicates that supercritical drying results in about a 15 % reduction in density relative to air drying . methyl isobutyl ketone ( mibk ) is not as effective as toluene in decreasing the density and pore size . increasing the amount of egdma generally decreases the density of the final material . in cases where egdma was not included , the materials almost always collapsed . neither butanol nor methanol had a significant advantage in decreasing the density . among the non - solvents , heptane gave the lowest density . as seen in fig1 and 2 , scanning electron micrographs show a bead - like structure . the magnitude of the void space between beads depends on the type of solvent / non - solvent combination . additionally , sem photographs reveal that the pores are interconnected rather than closed - celled and that the pores are small and relatively uniform . when heptane was used as the non - solvent , the samples did not show any improvement on supercritical drying ( i . e ., the densities of the samples were nearly the same irrespective of the method of drying employed ). the sem micrographs of the samples that used heptane showed macrocellular structure and the average cell size was an order of magnitude higher than that obtained when the other non - solvents were used . this is clearly seen in fig1 which is a typical sem micrograph for the heptane runs . the cell size is greater than 10 μm . fig2 shows another typical sem micrograph for the case where only toluene was used . the smallest cells obtained for the mma + egdma system were 1 μm . there is a distinct difference in the cell structure for the two cases . it appears to seem that supercritical fluid ( scf ) percolates through the interconnected pores and the lack of a discrete phase change helps reduce capillary forces in the pores , thus preserving the polymer network . the high diffusivity of the scf solvent facilitates solvent removal . pore size is dependent on the affinity between the polymer and solvent used . larger pores are formed when the affinity goes down . while not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that this is due to easier phase separation . the affinity between polymer and solvent can be estimated using the flory interaction parameter and hildebrand solubility parameter . as the solubility parameter goes down , the pores become larger . this is probably the reason for the macrocellular bead - like structure obtained in the case of heptane . it should be noted that the pore size did not increase when the solvent &# 39 ; s solubility parameter was significantly larger than that of the polymer . naturally , this discussion assumes that the final structure is primarily controlled by the nature of the equilibrium phase diagram . because of the long times involved in the solvent replacement and subsequent drying , it is believed that the kinetics do not determine the structure of the microcellular product . for the toluene runs , the density decreased with an increase in amount of crosslinker used . it was observed that the best results were obtained when egdma represented 40 % of the monomeric liquid . when a higher percentage of egdma was used , the material cracked extensively during polymerization . roughly a 30 % reduction was possible at 40 % egdma . the benefit of supercritical drying was another 15 % reduction in density . the use of non - solvents in the diluent did not lead to any significant advantage . direct polymerizations in near - critical solvents to synthesize microcellular foams were also performed . as used in this application , a near - critical solvent is one that has a critical temperature low enough that it can be exceeded in the supercritical fluid drying process without damaging the substrate foam . in this way , the polymerization , washing , and drying was converted into a polymerization and drying process in a single reactor . previous attempts to apply a similar process to resorcinol - formaldehyde aerogels resulted in substantial changes to the polymer product . polymerization in supercritical fluids is a relatively recent field . the polymers which have been obtained have generally been variants on the original high pressure polyethylene process or the polymers have been of relatively low molecular weight ( 4 , 000 or less ). as for crosslinking during polymerization , this has apparently led to precipitation of the polymer from the supercritical fluid phase . the experiments were performed with mma as the monomer and egdma as the crosslinker and either freon - 22 or propane as the supercritical solvent . the monomer / solvent ratio was fixed at 1 : 1 , but the ratio of monomer / crosslinker was varied . tbpp was used as the initiator . the initiator concentration was 0 . 1 % of the monomer weight in all experiments . therefore , 0 . 005 ml of tbpp was used in all experiments . the reaction temperature was 70 ° c . and 1 , 000 psig . this is below the critical temperature and above the critical pressure of either solvent and provides an optimum level of free radicals to the system . the critical temperatures and pressures of the solvents are given in table v . examples of other supercritical solvents which could be used are diethyl ether , methyl chloride , trimethylamine , chloropentafloroacetone , perfluoro acetone , ethyl chloride , ethyl fluoride , methyl formate , and acetaldehyde . in fact , almost any solvent with a relatively low critical temperature (& lt ; 200 ° c .) is a candidate . the pertinent restriction which is applied to the solvent is that it be within its supercritical range in the phase diagram during the drying stage . it is not essential that the solvent be in this region of the phase diagram during the polymerization . table v______________________________________solvent t . sub . c ( k ) p . sub . c ( mpa ) t . sub . b ( k ) ______________________________________propane 369 . 8 4 . 25 231 . 1freon - 22 369 . 8 4 . 97 232 . 4______________________________________ the polymerization time was set at five times the half - life period of the initiator . the half - life of tbpp at 70 ° c . is 100 minutes . the time was set to ensure that the reaction went to high conversions . consequently , the polymerization was allowed to proceed for about 8 hours before the conditions were changed for the drying step . each experiment could be divided into two stages ; ( a ) polymerization stage , and ( b ) drying stage . the polymerization was performed at 70 ° c . and 1 , 000 psig . at these conditions , the diluents could be classified as near - critical liquids . the pure and dry monomers and initiator were loaded into the pressure reactor and the diluent added later . after loading the monomers , the high pressure reactor was cooled to a temperature below the boiling point of the solvent at atmospheric pressure using dry the boiling points of freon - 22 and propane are - 40 . 8 ° c . and - 42 . 1 ° respectively . a measured amount of the solvent which was previously collected as a liquid in a beaker was then added to the monomer mixture . a plug was installed into the end cap of the pressure reactor and immediately tightened to seal that end of the apparatus . the reactor was then placed in an oven and connected to the high pressure generator through a quick connect . the reactants were then pressurized to 1 , 000 psig quickly and held constant as the temperature increased to 70 ° c . the polymerization was allowed to proceed for about 8 hours at about 70 ° c . before heating it up for the drying step . the temperature of the system was then raised to 100 ° c . at the constant pressure of 1 , 000 psig . this temperature is above the critical temperature of either solvent and below the glass transition temperature of polymethyl methacrylate which is 105 ° c . although the crosslinked material had different thermal properties from pmma , the glass transition temperature of pmma was regarded as safe with respect to undesirable side effects . pmma is known to depolymerize at high temperatures . the condition were maintained at 100 ° c . and 1 , 000 psig for about 6 hours . the pressure was then gradually reduced to atmospheric pressure at a temperature of 100 ° c ., by backing out the piston of the high pressure generator . the polymer was then removed after cooling the apparatus to room temperature . the results of the experiments are summarized in table vi . table vi______________________________________sample % egdma diluent density______________________________________1 10 freon 0 . 9102 20 freon 0 . 6463 30 freon 0 . 5084 40 freon 0 . 4085 60 freon 0 . 4706 80 freon 0 . 5967 90 freon 18 10 propane 0 . 3789 20 propane 0 . 70010 30 propane 0 . 75311 40 propane 1 . 01712 60 propane 1 . 200______________________________________ as seen from table vi and fig3 - 4 , the morphology of polymers prepared in propane ( fig3 ) is different from the morphology of equivalent polymers prepared in freon - 22 ( fig4 ). in each case , the structure of the polymer prepared in the more polar freon is smaller than the structure of the polymer prepared in non - polar propane . unexpectedly , increasing crosslinking does not always lead to a lower density . as shown in table vi , increased crosslinking leads to lower density in the freon systems up to 40 wt % egdma , but higher densities result at 60 wt % and 80 wt % egdma . a similar trend is evident in the propane systems , but the minimum density appears at only 10 wt % egdma . while not wishing to be bound by theory , it is speculated that higher crosslinking leads to earlier phase separation and &# 34 ; squeezing &# 34 ; diluent out of the polymer phase . the resulting polymer would then be relatively dense because it never solubilizes enough diluent to permit a density reduction when drying . an advantage of the supercritical fluid process is that conditions and concentrations can be adjusted in order to tailor the morphology to a specific application . the major benefit of supercritical fluid processing is that the entire reaction can occur in one reactor . while the above discussion has focused on the methacrylate system , the procedure is general , and with minor variations , can be applied to other systems . in extending this procedure to other co - polymerization systems , it is envisioned that other supercritical fluids may be needed to be employed as solvents , and the need may arise , where it is critical to incorporate non - solvents into the polymerization , such as was described previously . the epoxy system is especially complex because the epoxy monomer , bisphenol - a ( epon - 829 resin ) and tetraethylene pentamine curing agent are chemically very different and their solubilities are different in different solvents . therefore , the choice of an optimum solvent and non - solvent is very important . an important factor considered for the selection of diluent mixture was the solubility parameter of the epoxy and that of the diluent mixture . the solubility parameters of the epoxy and diluents are given in table vii . table vii______________________________________ solubility solubilitycompound parameter compound parameter______________________________________epoxy 9 . 17 butanol 11 . 40toluene 8 . 90 toluene / butanol 10 . 15 ( 50 / 50 ) mibk 8 . 58 mibk / butanol 9 . 99 ( 50 / 50 ) ______________________________________ as shown in the table , the solubility parameters of the diluent mixtures that resulted in the lowest density foam were close to that of the epoxy . a number of other solvent / non - solvent mixtures with similar solubility parameters were tried , but in all cases , either a precipitate or a dense , hard gel was formed . butanol was found to be the most important non - solvent , not just because of its role in phase separation , but because of its role as a catalyst to the crosslinking reaction of the epoxy . since the crosslinking reaction was carried out in very dilute solution , the rate of crosslinking was very slow . the catalytic effect of butanol increased the rate of crosslinking such that a network of high molecular weight was formed before the polymer could phase separate out , and a foam was obtained . ethanol and propanol , which can also act as catalysts , were tried as non - solvents , but were too strong . the rate of phase separation was faster than the rate of crosslinking and a precipitate formed . these observations suggest that the porous structure is formed only if the rate of crosslinking and the rate of phase separation are balanced . the most important factor in determining the morphology of the product is the time of phase separation , which depends on the degree of crosslinking . the phase separation of the crosslinked polymer occurs either by macrosyneresis ( deswelling of the gel ) or by microsyneresis ( formation of a dispersion of the separated diluent and the gel phases ). microsyneresis prevails in lightly crosslinked gels , with slow relaxation times , while deswelling is dominant in highly crosslinked gels . although the dispersed phase is unstable initially , it gradually becomes fixed through subsequent gel crosslinking . in several experiments , a combination of macro - and micro - syneresis occurs , and depending on the prevailing method of phase separation , two different kinds of morphologies were obtained . these morphologies are shown in fig5 . the beaded morphology was obtained , when microsyneresis took place , whereas the bigger cellular morphology was obtained , when deswelling took place . the diluent must be a relatively strong solvent for the polymer and soluble in the comonomer solution . one key to the process is adjusting the ratio of hydrogen bonding in the diluent to obtain the highest possible dilution ratio for which viable products can be synthesized . the ratio of bisphenol - a / tp should be between 10 : 1 to 1 : 1 , with 7 : 1 being near optimal . the ratio of diluent / monomer should be between 9 : 1 and 3 : 1 , where monomer refers to both bisphenol - a and tp . no initiator is added because the polymerization begins immediately upon combination of the epoxy solution with the tp solution . after maintaining the solution at constant temperature between 40 °- 50 ° c . for 5 - 7 days , gelation takes place , and crosslinking becomes extensive . depending on the choice of diluent , the removal of diluent is near critical , or by exchanging the diluent for a suitable near critical solvent with subsequent supercritical drying . supercritical drying is effected by holding the reactor containing the polymer samples and near - critical diluent at a pressure of roughly two times the critical while raising the temperature from subcritical to about 5 - 10 % above the critical temperature . after holding the reactor and its contents at those conditions for some time , 30 - 60 minutes , the vapors are vented until the pressure drops to ambient pressure and the reactor is opened and the polymeric product is collected . the product is a low - density polymer which appears to be smooth and uniform , even it is comprised of cross - linked polymer with void spaces of about 0 . 1 μm in diameter . scanning electron micrographs reveal that the pores are interconnected instead of being closed - celled and that the pores are small and relatively uniform . the results of a series of experimental runs are summarized in table viii . the densities , and porosities when available , are given for a number of solvent / non - solvent diluent systems . table viii______________________________________monomersam - initial poro - ple conc . density sity toluene buoh mibk______________________________________101 10 . 0 0 . 20 0 . 83 40 % 60 % 102 12 . 5 0 . 27 0 . 78 40 % 60 % 103 15 . 0 0 . 32 0 . 73 40 % 60 % 104 17 . 5 0 . 39 0 . 68 40 % 60 % 105 20 . 0 0 . 44 0 . 63 40 % 60 % 106 22 . 5 0 . 50 0 . 58 40 % 60 % 107 25 . 0 0 . 55 0 . 54 40 % 60 % 108 10 . 0 0 . 19 0 . 83 50 % 50 % 109 12 . 5 0 . 29 0 . 75 50 % 50 % 110 15 . 0 0 . 39 0 . 66 50 % 50 % 111 17 . 5 0 . 48 0 . 58 50 % 50 % 112 20 . 0 0 . 54 0 . 53 50 % 50 % 51 10 . 0 0 . 16 0 . 86 50 % 50 % 52 15 . 0 0 . 23 0 . 80 50 % 50 % 53 20 . 0 0 . 33 0 . 71 50 % 50 % 54 25 . 0 0 . 43 0 . 63 50 % 50 % 55 30 . 0 0 . 54 0 . 53 50 % 50 % 56 40 . 0 0 . 72 0 . 37 50 % 50 % ______________________________________ the variation of the density of the foams with different variables is shown in table viii . the density of the foam increases with an increase in the polymer concentration , since the solids content increases . the density shows a linear variation with the initial concentration for foams with all different solvents . comparison of the densities with the same initial concentration , but different composition of solvent / non - solvents is shown in fig6 . as shown in the figure , the density is higher with a lower non - solvent content . the time of phase separation is delayed with a lower non - solvent content , the phase separation takes place at a higher degree of crosslinking , and hence , for the same initial concentration , the density is higher . the morphology of these foams was determined using scanning electron microscope . the sem &# 39 ; s of the foams are shown in fig7 ( a - c ). the microcellular foams show the beaded morphology , with a bead size less than 1 μm . the foam has an interconnected structure . the holes in fig7 b are the solvent droplets that phase separated , but could not diffuse out of the gel . this morphology was obtained at high epoxy concentrations . in general , it is observed that the structure is more beaded with higher non - solvent diluent , which also explains lower density . a striking feature about all these morphologies is that , although the porosity and the density of the foams vary with dilution ratio and the diluent mixture composition , the size of the beads or the pores is almost in the same region of 0 . 1 μm . it is believed that changes in the morphology can only be developed by making changes in the chemistry of the system . while the foregoing discussion has been limited to two component ( i . e . copolymer ) systems , it is envisioned that the process and synthetic steps described would be applicable to homopolymers with at least two reactive sites . it is essential that one of the reactive sites effect the polymerization reaction and that a second reactive site be capable of effecting the crosslinking reaction . in this way , it is possible to synthesize a rigid microcellular foam from a homopolymer solution . in order to maximize the synthetic potential of the present technique , it is critical to elucidate the mechanism of the formation of the microporous structure , as it is formed in - situ . previous scanning electron micrographs clearly indicate that the microcellular foams are comprised of tiny beads of polymer from 0 . 01 - 1 . 0 μm in diameter . to control the morphology , it is important to know whether the beads are formed during the polymerization or during the drying stage . dynamic light scattering is ideal for studying this phenomenon . mma and egdma were used as the comonomers in this study . freon - 22 was used as the diluent . tbpp was used as the free radical initiator . to prepare a typical reaction mixture , mma and egdma were added to a 40 ml high pressure reactor in the proportions of 12 ml of mma and 8 ml of egdma . 20 μl of tbpp were added and the high - pressure reactor attached to tubing with an open - shut valve . the reactor and contents were cooled in ice and connected to a supply of freon - 22 kept at room temperature . the freon valves were opened and freon allowed to condense into the bomb for 10 - 20 minutes . the valves were closed , the freon tank disconnected and the high - pressure reactor and its contents refrigerated until use . to charge the high pressure light scattering cell , the high - pressure reactor was raised to room temperature and the scattering cell was cooled to 5 ° c . the high pressure light scattering cell was similar to conventional light scattering cells except that it was made of 3 / 4 &# 34 ; pyrex and the bottom was open to a mercury resevoir that permitted regulation of the pressure . the height of mercury in the cell was adjusted to keep reactive solution out of the cell &# 39 ; s mercury reservoir while keeping the mercury well below the light path . the high - pressure reactor was inverted and connected to the scattering cell and the monomer plus diluent solution was allowed to condense into the cell for 10 - 20 minutes . valves were sealed and capped and the pressure was adjusted to about 400 psig at room temperature . the temperature in the cell was raised to the designated value by heating tape . time - resolved scattering intensities were measured at 90 ° angle using a thorn - emi photomultiplier tube and a brookhaven instruments amplifier / discriminator integral with the phototube housing . the data was analyzed using a brookhaven instruments corporation bi - 2030at correlator using brookhaven instruments nnls fitting software to estimate the particle size distribution as a function of reaction time . dynamic light scattering detects the presence and diffusion coefficients of disperse inhomogeneities in a bulk fluid . typically , diffusion coefficients can be measured for dispersions ranging in size from 1 nm - 10 μm . in general , without being constrained to any particular theory , it is believed that there are at least three possible mechanisms by which monomer solution may evolve into a macroscopic bulk microporous material . first , the system may consist of steadily growing primary particles which grow until they fill the entire solution . the particle size histograms of such a system would show a broad polydisperse population of particles with the peak slowly moving to higher sizes . second , the system could grow in stages whereby small particles are generated , then flocculated into large particles that are eventually too big to grow , then a new population of small particles evolves and begins to flocculate . the particle size distributions in this case would appear as waves of particles size peaks when considered as a function of time . a third possibility would be that the primary particles grow to a certain size then stop growing until the concentration of particles becomes so great that the particles percolate at a gelation point and convert from disperse sols to the macroscopic material in a very short time . in this case , very monodisperse populations of the largest , but still small , particles , would be expected . however , the scattering count would change as more scatterers evolve until the solution gels . table ix summarizes the light scattering data for the methacrylate free radical polymerization . the reactions were terminated at the times indicated above columns 2 - 4 . table x summarizes the light scattering data for the condensation polymerization . as with the previous table , the reactions were terminated at the times indicated above columns 2 - 5 . table ix______________________________________mma + egdma free - radical polymerizationparticle population density % relative todiameter most populous particle size ( nm ) 30 min . 42 min . 43 min . ______________________________________1 . 0 60 0 01 . 5 100 0 02 . 0 60 0 02 . 5 0 0 03 . 0 0 66 03 . 5 0 100 04 . 0 0 66 06 . 0 0 0 07 . 0 0 0 010 . 0 0 17 013 - 14 . 0 0 34 3916 - 18 . 0 0 43 7921 - 22 . 0 0 34 10024 - 27 . 0 0 17 7932 - 34 . 0 0 0 3942 . 0 0 0 056 . 0 0 0 0______________________________________ table x______________________________________bisphenol - a + tp condensation polymerizationparticle population density % relative todiameter most populous particle size ( nm ) 1 . 0 hr . 1 . 5 hr . 3 . 5 hr . 5 . 0 hr . ______________________________________1 . 0 70 71 74 01 . 3 100 100 100 01 . 7 70 71 74 02 . 0 0 0 29 02 . 5 0 0 0 03 . 0 0 0 0 03 . 5 0 0 0 04 . 0 0 16 0 04 . 5 0 38 0 05 . 0 0 50 0 05 . 5 0 38 0 06 . 0 0 0 0 07 . 0 0 0 0 09 . 0 0 0 0 6710 . 0 0 0 16 10011 . 0 0 0 21 6712 . 0 0 0 16 013 . 0 0 0 6 015 . 0 0 0 0 0______________________________________ as is evident from table ix , the most plausible scenario for free radical polymerization is the third scenario described above . the initial appearance of the particles at ˜ 1 nm probably corresponds to the polymer backbone . the peak at 3 nm probably corresponds to assemblies which have been minimally crosslinked . the peak at ˜ 22 nm corresponds to the final beads of polymer which make up the polymer matrix of the polymer foam . the significance of this data lies in the observation that the primary particles are very small , and that they do not flocculate , but rather percolate at gelation . there probably is some transition in particle size , but there is not a large enough population of these intermediate size particles to show up in the scattering measurement . table x indicates a similar mechanism for the condensation polymerization , but the primary particles are much smaller . this all appears to indicate that certain particle sizes are more favored than others , and that the polymerization occurs by rapidly populating these favored sizes until three - dimensional connectivity occurs ( percolation ). this indicates that these same particles are preserved in the macroscopic material even through the supercritical drying process . thus , the drying process would appear to have little adverse impact on the morphology of the macroscopic material . this light scattering data can be cross - referenced with data on the total intensity and gelation times for the epoxy polymerizations . fig8 ( a ) shows a polymerization where gelation occurs before a large number of primary particles have been generated . the intensity tracks the concentration of primary particles whereas viscosity tracks gelation . fig8 ( b ) shows a case where gelation occurs shortly after the creation of a large number of primary particles . the polymer in fig8 ( a ) is a hard dense gel , whereas the polymer in fig8 ( b ) is a microcellular foam . as shown in the phase diagram given in fig9 when the concentration of solvent or monomer is too high , a hard dense gel is formed . additionally , when the concentration of non - solvent is too high , a precipitate is formed . when the combination is falls within the appropriate region , a microcellular foam is formed . with this chemistry , it is now possible to describe a methodology for producing a microcellular foam , and conditions which will optimize the chemistry and resultant foam morphology . the first step is to devise a chemistry which generates primary particles which are small , because the size of these primary particles controls the limit of the ultimate pore size . secondly , a solvent environment must be generated which causes these primary particles to separate just before gelation initiates . if the separation occurs too soon , a precipitate will form , and if separation occurs too late , a hard , dense gel will form . it is critical that the solvent environment be strong enough to swell the primary particles to as great an extent as possible after they have separated into their inhomogeneous regions in solution . while in accordance with the patent statutes , a best mode and preferred embodiment have been described in detail , the invention is not limited thereto , rather the invention is measured by the scope of the attached claims .
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referring to fig1 - 3 , there is shown a side , front and rear view , respectively , of a hernia model 10 according to the present invention . the hernia model 10 includes an anatomical portion 12 supported by a frame 14 . as seen most clearly in fig1 , the substantially planar anatomical portion 12 is maintained in a curved configuration such that the major part of the anatomical portion 12 is substantially c - shaped forming a half or open generally cylindrical configuration . the concavity formed inside the c - shaped disposition of the anatomical portion 12 advantageously simulates an insufflated space between an artificial muscular abdominal wall generally located at the top of the c shape and the simulated peritoneum 18 generally located at the bottom of the c shape . the simulated muscular abdominal wall forms approximately the top half or more than the top half of the c - shaped curve ; whereas , the bottom half or less than the bottom half of the c - shaped curve is formed by the simulated peritoneum 18 . the open clamshell - like configuration advantageously provides a realistic surgical approach to repairing a hernia when viewed by the user from the front of the hernia model 10 as in fig2 . the frame or stand 14 divides the hernia model 10 into an upper portion and a lower portion . the lower portion constitutes approximately one - third of the entire height of the hernia model 10 and simulates the abdominal cavity beneath the peritoneum . the lower portion contains that part of the anatomical portion 12 such as the simulated bowel that protrudes through the simulated peritoneum 18 and through the simulated muscular abdominal wall . the upper portion contains the anatomical portion 12 . fig1 - 3 illustrate a simulated bowel residing in the lower portion and extending upwardly through an opening in the peritoneum 18 into the concavity of the upper portion . the simulated bowel crosses the concavity of the insufflated space and exits through an opening in the muscular abdominal wall to simulate a hernia . one or more exit openings in the simulated muscular abdominal wall of the anatomical portion 12 is provided to simulate the possible spaces in the abdominal wall for the hernia to pass through . generally , there are three spaces through which a hernia may pass . these spaces are the direct space , the indirect space and the femoral space . if all three openings are provided in the hernia model , the distal end of simulated bowel is inserted into any one of the exit openings for practicing hernia repair through any of the three spaces . the surgeon practices approaching the simulated insufflated space of the hernia model 10 from the front , either from below the peritoneum or above the peritoneum for practicing tapp or tep , respectively . the surgeon visualizes the insufflated space , practices carefully dissecting simulated fascia layers , identifying a variety of visual anatomical markers , navigating around them to approach the bowel , resecting the hernia and placing mesh to patch and close any spaces . the anatomical portion 12 of the hernia model 10 will now be described in detail with reference to fig4 - 8 . turning to fig4 , there is shown a top view of an anatomical portion 12 of the hernia model 10 . the anatomical portion 12 is a substantially planar object having varying thickness and materials . the anatomical portion 12 includes a simulated muscular abdominal wall portion 16 interconnected in substantially the same plane to a simulated peritoneum portion 18 . aside from the relatively thicker abdominal wall portion 16 relative to the peritoneum portion 18 , both the abdominal wall portion 16 and peritoneum portion 18 are substantially coplanar . in human anatomy , the layers of the abdominal wall are from superficial to deep : 1 ) skin , 2 ) fascia , 3 ) muscle , which includes the rectus abdominis , external oblique muscle , internal oblique muscle and transverse abdominal muscle , 4 ) fascia transversalis , and 5 ) peritoneum . these abdominal layers are sandwiched or layered above each other to form part of the abdominal wall portion 16 . in the present invention , one or more layers representing muscle are positioned substantially coplanar with or otherwise adjacent to the simulated peritoneum portion . in this arrangement , the top side ( anterior facing surface ) of the simulated peritoneum 18 is substantially coplanar or adjacent to the bottom side ( posterior facing surface ) of the simulated muscular abdominal wall portion 16 such that when the substantially planar anatomical portion 12 is curved into a c - shape configuration the bottom side of the simulated muscular abdominal wall portion 16 faces and is spaced apart from the top side of the simulated peritoneum 18 . the interior portion of the c - shaped structure simulates an insufflated space . in real surgery , the insufflated space is created by inserting a trocar between the muscle layer and peritoneum and delivering fluid such as carbon dioxide gas under pressure from the proximal end of the trocar to the distal end of the trocar to spread apart the muscle layer from the peritoneum to create a working space . the simulated insufflation cavity of the present invention is the concavity of the c - shaped orientation which is approximately 5 inches in height and approximately 10 inches in length . as can be seen in fig4 , the simulated muscular abdominal wall portion 16 is approximately 8 inches long and approximately 7 . 5 inches wide and is adjacent to the simulated peritoneum 18 which is approximately 3 inches long and approximately 7 . 5 inches wide . when formed into a clamshell configuration , the simulated muscular abdominal wall portion 16 is disposed at the top of the hernia model 10 and follows the c - shaped curve down beyond the halfway mark of the c - shape . the simulated peritoneum 18 is disposed at the bottom of the c - shape and curves upwardly approximately a third of the way along the c - shape when the anatomical portion 12 is formed into a clamshell . overall , the substantially planar anatomical portion 12 is approximately 7 . 4 inches wide and approximately 11 inches long . the anatomical portion 12 further includes a simulated fascia layer 20 located on the inner surface of the anatomical portion 12 . the simulated fascia layer 20 is a thin layer that is partially translucent and draped over the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 . the simulated fascia layer 20 is glued with adhesive in one or more locations and generally does not extend to completely over the simulated peritoneum 18 when laid flat as shown in fig4 . the simulated peritoneum 18 includes an opening 22 simulating the location of a ruptured peritoneum through which a simulated bowel 24 protrudes above the inner or top surface of the peritoneum 18 . the simulated bowel 24 is part of the anatomical portion 12 although it is loosely connected thereto such that the simulated bowel 24 may be moved , pulled and pushed through the opening 22 and other spaces . turning to fig5 , there is shown a top view of the anatomical portion 12 with the simulated fascia layer 20 uncovering the underlying simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 . various anatomical structures are provided on the surface of the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 . these landmarks include but are not limited to cooper &# 39 ; s ligament 72 , vas deferens 88 , external iliac vessels 74 , 76 , spermatic vessels 78 , 80 , nerves 90 , and iliopubic tract 86 arranged as labeled in fig5 . a piece of hard plastic ( not shown ) may also be embedded to simulate a femoral bone . in addition to opening 22 in the simulated peritoneum 18 , one or more additional openings are formed through the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 . these additional openings define exit openings or spaces through which the bowel protrudes in a hernia . in fig5 , a first opening 26 and a second opening 28 are formed through the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 to simulate the direct space and indirect space , respectively . fig6 illustrates the first and second openings 26 , 28 more clearly . also visible in both fig5 and 6 is the curved intersection between the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 and the simulated peritoneum 18 . the simulated bowel 24 is passed through the opening 22 in the simulated peritoneum 18 such that the distal end resides above the inner surface and at least a portion of the simulated bowel 24 is above the top surface of the peritoneum 18 . the distal end of the simulated bowel 24 is then passed into either of the first opening 26 or second opening 28 to simulate a hernia located in the direct or indirect space , respectively . in fig4 , the simulated bowel 24 is shown passed into the second opening 28 representing the indirect space . the hernia model 10 simulates a portion of the anatomy lateral to the midline 45 of a patient . turning now to fig7 and 8 , there is shown a perspective and bottom view of the outer surface of the anatomical portion 12 . the anatomical portion 12 is built upon a layer of flexible wire mesh 30 such as chicken wire . the wire mesh material 30 is made of thin , flexible galvanized steel wire crisscrossing to form small square or other - shaped windows . the outer surface of the wire mesh layer 30 is covered with a first layer of silicone 32 which is glued to the wire mesh layer 30 . the inner surface of the wire mesh layer 30 is covered with a second layer of silicone 34 sandwiching the wire mesh layer 30 between the first and second layers of silicone 32 , 34 forming the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 at one end of the anatomical portion 12 . at the other end of the anatomical portion 12 , the inner surface of the wire mesh 30 is covered with a yellow foam layer 36 forming the simulated peritoneum 18 . the yellow foam layer 36 that is approximately 1 / 16 of an inch thick is adhered to inner surface of the mesh layer with adhesive with the outer edges of the yellow foam layer 36 being wrapped over the outer edges of the mesh layer 30 . the yellow foam layer 36 forms the finished inner surface of one end of the anatomical portion 12 . the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 comprising the first and second silicone layers 32 , 34 and wire mesh layer 30 is approximately 0 . 75 inches thick . the same wire mesh layer or frame 30 extends throughout the anatomical portion 12 defining the general plane of the anatomical portion 12 . the simulated peritoneum 18 is substantially thinner than the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 although still generally coplanar and adjacent to the simulated abdominal wall 16 . the thick simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 permits the surgeon to tack surgical mesh to the abdominal wall to practice patching the hernia . with reference back to fig5 - 6 , the inner surface of the second silicone layer 34 is populated with a variety of anatomical landmarks as mentioned above . the second silicone layer 34 is textured and additional silicone layers may be employed above the second layer 34 to complete the anatomical geography . the tubular simulated vessels and nerves are made of silicone and have diameters of approximately 0 . 185 inches . the simulated cooper &# 39 ; s ligament 72 , iliopubic tract 86 and vas deferens 88 are also made of silicone and have diameters of approximately 0 . 25 inches . the thick external iliac vessels 74 , 76 are made of silicone and have a diameter of approximately 0 . 25 - 0 . 375 inches . these tubular structures are made by pouring uncured silicone into straw like tubes and removed them after they solidify . the simulated bowel 24 is made from a thin layer of pink - colored silicone . the silicone comprising the iliopubic tract 86 , cooper &# 39 ; s ligament 72 and vas deferens 88 is colored white , the nerves are colored yellow , the external iliac vein 74 and spermatic vein 78 are blue , the external iliac artery 76 and the spermatic artery 80 are red and the remaining vessels are red or pink . turning now to fig9 , there is shown a perspective view of a frame 14 configured to hold the anatomical portion 12 of the hernia model 10 according to the present invention . the frame 14 includes a rectangular lower frame portion 38 and an upper frame receiving portion 40 . the lower frame portion 38 is configured to house excess simulated bowel 24 that is simulated to reside below the peritoneum . the lower frame portion 38 includes a base and two or more upwardly extending side walls to form a rectangular container with a top wall . at least one opening is provided , for example via an open side , into the lower frame portion 38 . the upper frame portion 40 is configured to receive the anatomical portion 12 and retain the anatomical portion 12 in a clamshell or c - shaped orientation . as such , the upper frame portion 40 includes a c - shaped receiving portion to receive and retain the anatomical portion in a c - shaped configuration . in fig9 , the c - shaped receiving portion is formed by two upwardly extending c - shaped claws or prongs 42 , 44 that are attached to a top wall of the lower frame portion 38 . any number of c - shaped prongs 42 , 44 including a wide singular prong may be employed to retain the anatomical portion 12 . the lower frame portion 14 is approximately 10 . 5 inches wide , approximately 4 inches deep and 3 . 5 inches tall . the c - shaped prongs 42 , 44 are approximately 6 inches in height and each have a concavity that is approximately 4 inches deep . as described above , the anatomical portion 12 is substantially planar and made of flexible silicone , flexible foam and flexible wire mesh . the wire mesh layer 30 advantageously imparts the anatomical portion 12 with a resiliency that permits the planar anatomical portion 12 to be bent into a substantially semi - cylindrical or c - shaped configuration and placed into the c - shaped receiving prong ( s ) of the frame 14 . the mesh layer 30 acts as a spring layer such that when the anatomical portion 12 is bent and inserted into the frame 14 , it exhibits a biasing force against the frame 14 advantageously keeping the anatomical portion 12 in position . removability of the anatomical portion 12 allows for interchangeability of the anatomical portion 12 after it has been used several times for replacement , repair , reconstruction and compact transport . when the anatomical portion 12 is removed from the frame 14 , the resilient mesh layer 30 aids in springing the anatomical portion 12 back to its substantially planar orientation . hence , the mesh spring layer advantageously keeps the silicone and foam layers 32 , 34 and 36 from collapsing onto itself while in the clam shape . although the hernia model 10 is described above to be comprised of an anatomical portion 12 that is separate from the frame 14 , one skilled in the art will recognize that , in an alternative variation , the hernia model 10 can be constructed such that the frame 14 and anatomical portion 12 is formed integrally as one piece . furthermore , although the hernia model 10 of the present invention may be used to practice hernia repair in a simulated open surgical procedure , the hernia model 10 is also advantageously configured for practicing laparoscopic hernia repair , in particular , employing the tep approach . as such , the hernia model 10 of the present invention is configured to function together with a specialized laparoscopic trainer which will now be discussed in detail . turning now to fig1 , there is shown a laparoscopic trainer 46 . the laparoscopic trainer 46 is described in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 248 , 449 entitled “ portable laparoscopic trainer ” and filed on sep . 29 , 2011 by pravong et al . to applied medical resources corporation and published as u . s . patent publication no . 2012 / 0082970 , hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein . the laparoscopic trainer 46 includes a top cover 48 connected to a base 50 by a pair of legs 52 spacing the top cover 48 from the base 50 . the laparoscopic trainer 46 is configured to mimic the torso of a patient such as the abdominal region . the top cover 48 is representative of the anterior surface of the patient and the space between the top cover 48 and the base 50 is representative of an interior of the patient or body cavity where organs reside . the laparoscopic trainer 46 is a useful tool for teaching , practicing and demonstrating various surgical procedures and their related instruments in simulation of a patient . surgical instruments are inserted into the cavity through pre - established apertures 58 , 60 in the top cover 48 . these pre - established apertures may include seals that simulate trocars or may include simulated tissue 60 that simulates the patient &# 39 ; s skin and abdominal wall portions . various tools and techniques may be used to penetrate the top cover 48 to perform mock procedures on model organs placed between the top cover 48 and the base 50 such as the hernia model 10 . when placed inside the cavity of the trainer 46 , the hernia model 10 is generally obscured from the perspective of the user who can then practice performing surgical techniques laparoscopically by viewing the surgical site indirectly via a video feed displayed on a video monitor . a video display monitor 54 that is hinged to the top cover 48 is shown in a closed orientation in fig1 and in an open orientation in fig1 - 14 . the video monitor 54 is connectable to a variety of visual systems for delivering an image to the monitor 54 . for example , a laparoscope inserted through one of the pre - established apertures 58 , 60 or a webcam located in the cavity and used to observe the simulated procedure can be connected to the video monitor 54 and / or a mobile computing device to provide an image to the user . in another variation , the top cover 48 does not include a video display but includes means for supporting a laptop computer , a mobile digital device or tablet such as an ipad ® and connecting it by wire or wirelessly to the trainer 46 . when assembled , the top cover 48 is positioned directly above the base 50 with the legs 52 located substantially at the periphery and interconnected between the top cover 48 and base 50 . the top cover 48 and base 50 are substantially the same shape and size and have substantially the same peripheral outline . although the trainer 46 has no sidewalls , the legs 52 partially obscure the internal cavity from view from an otherwise open - sided trainer 46 . the top cover 48 includes a first insert 56 removable and replaceable with respect to the top cover 48 , in particular , insertable into and removable from an opening formed in the top cover 48 . the first insert 56 includes a plurality of apertures 58 to serve as fixed insertion ports for a variety of instruments . the apertures 58 may include various seals . the first insert 56 also includes a tissue simulation region 60 for simulating the skin or several layers of tissue . in one embodiment , the tissue simulation region 60 is configured as a second insert provided within the first insert 56 . the second insert is removable and replaceable via snap - fit , friction fit or threaded engagement or other means with respect to the top cover 48 or with respect to the first insert 56 if provided . turning now to fig1 , the laparoscopic trainer 46 includes a top cover 48 that angulates with respect to the base 50 . the legs 52 are configured to permit the angle of the top cover 48 with respect to the base 50 to be adjusted . fig1 illustrates the trainer 46 adjusted to an angulation of approximately 30 - 45 degrees with respect to the base 50 and in another variation approximately 30 - 35 degrees . the angulation of the trainer 46 advantageously simulates a patient in a trendelenburg or reverse trendelenburg position . in the trendelenburg position the body is tilted such that it is laid flat on the back with the feet higher than the head or vice versa . the trendelenburg position allows better access to the pelvic organs as gravity pulls the intestines away from the pelvis to thereby prevent encroachment of the intestines upon the pelvic operating field to provide more working space inside the abdominal cavity in which the surgeon can more easily manipulate organs . the selected angulation of the top cover 48 is locked by tightening thumbscrews provided on the legs 52 . the angulation of the top cover 48 of the trainer 46 with respect to the base 50 is particularly advantageous with respect to accommodating the hernia model 10 of the present invention . with the top cover 48 angled as shown in fig1 , the hernia model 10 is inserted into the cavity of the trainer 46 and positioned between the top cover 48 and base 50 as shown in fig1 . the rear view of the trainer 46 with the hernia model 10 inserted is shown in fig1 . as described above , the anatomical portion 12 of the hernia model 10 is held in a c - shaped configuration in frame 14 such that the opening to the c - shape or opening to the clamshell is oriented approximately 90 degrees from the vertical . in other words , if the anatomical portion 12 is considered to be substantially u - shaped with the opening to the u facing upwardly , when the u is turned 90 degrees on its side , a substantially c - shaped configuration is created . with the hernia model 10 inserted into the trainer 46 , the opening of the c shape faces the front of the trainer 46 or , in other words , the opening or concavity of the c shape faces the top cover 48 . if the top cover 48 was not angled , the concavity of the c shape would not face the top cover 48 and , instead , the opening of the c shape would face the front side between the top cover 48 and the base 50 . the top cover 48 is angled such that the top cover 48 is positioned between the user and the hernia model 10 obscuring the opening of the c shape from the user . the direction of approach by the user is depicted in fig1 by the arrow 62 . it is substantially along this direction 62 that instruments will be inserted through the tissue simulation region 60 and apertures 58 in the top cover 48 to access the hernia model 10 . in one variation , the simulated fascia layer 20 is connected to the trainer 46 with clips ( not shown ) that are connected to the trainer 46 . the clips may be retractable and attached to the top cover 48 , base 50 , or legs 52 . when clipped with the clips , the simulated fascia layer 20 is suspended within the cavity of the trainer 46 between the top cover 48 and the base 50 such as from the top cover 48 . a gooseneck laparoscope holder 64 is provided on the trainer 46 to hold a scope ( not shown ). the scope is inserted into the trainer cavity via one of the apertures 58 or region 60 to capture video images of the obscured hernia model and display them to the user via the video monitor 54 . users practicing hernia repair will pass other instruments in addition to the scope into the cavity of the trainer to access the hernia model inside the trainer 46 . fig1 is a front view of the laparoscopic trainer 46 with the first insert 56 removed to provide a view of the hernia model 10 from the perspective of the user . the combination of the hernia model 10 and trainer 46 is particularly unique because it permits hernia repair training in a laparoscopic simulation . the hernia model 10 itself simulates an insufflation cavity formed between the muscular abdominal wall and the peritoneum via the c - shaped construct and without the need for any insufflation gas in the training simulation . this c - shaped construct is resiliently held in position by the reinforced metallic mesh layer 30 which provides support to the silicone tissue features attached thereto . the metallic mesh layer 30 and silicone layers 32 , 34 further provide a springy feel that is realistic to an abdominal wall distended outwardly by insufflation gas . the selected colors and materials employed in the anatomical portion 12 including the yellow foam for the peritoneum and the pink silicone and translucent fascia layer and bowel mimic a real live surgical situation . because the hernia model 10 includes an anatomical portion 12 that is angled 90 degrees , the resulting visual mimics the angles encountered in a real hernia repair situation . furthermore , the angled top cover 48 of the trainer 46 allows the tall hernia model 10 to be received with ease . also , the angled top cover 48 further mimics the outer anterior body of the patient with an insufflated abdominal region that is enlarged in the area of the hernia . the hernia model 10 combined with the angled trainer 46 provides a unique wedge - shaped approach to the target site of hernia repair via arrow 62 into a triangular or wedge - shaped cavity . this triangular shaped cavity is best seen in fig1 wherein one side of the triangle , generally the hypotenuse of the triangle , is formed by the top cover 48 . the base 50 of the trainer 46 forms the other side of the triangle that is substantially perpendicular to the hernia model 10 which forms the third side of the triangle . this triangle across the width of the trainer 46 defines a wedge - shaped cavity inside the trainer 46 . with the angle of the top cover 48 being less than 45 degrees , an elongated wedge is created having a confined approach following arrow 62 or narrow cavity near the front of the trainer 46 that expands towards the rear of the trainer 46 where the hernia model 10 is located . this wedge - shaped cavity provides for an extremely realistic , confined and challenging surgical approach for the surgeon to practice both tep and tapp hernia repairs . fig1 shows a view of the hernia model 10 as a surgeon practitioner would see in practice . the simulated fascia layer 20 is shown lifted by hand whereas , the surgeon practitioner would employ instruments to lift and dissect the simulated fascia layer 20 . fig1 illustrates a bowel portion 24 extending through the direct space 26 . fig1 illustrates a front view of the hernia model 10 with the simulated bowel portion 24 resected from the direct space 26 and still protruding through the opening 22 in the peritoneum 18 . turning now to fig1 - 21 , there is shown another variation of the hernia model 10 where like reference numbers will be used to describe like parts . the hernia model 10 is substantially similar to the one described above and is configured for both practicing both the tep and tapp approaches . the model 10 of fig1 - 21 has an inner surface and an outer surface and is also substantially c - shaped in which the inner surface is concave . a simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 is connected to a simulated pelvis 66 . the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 forms approximately the top half or more of the model 10 or c - shaped curve . instead of the bottom half or less than the bottom half of the c - shaped curve being formed by a simulated peritoneum as described above , it is formed by the simulated pelvis 66 . the pelvic base 66 is molded and is shown in the figures to represent approximately half of a human pelvis approximately lateral to the midline 45 of the anatomy to illustrate a right - sided hernia model 10 . the natural shape of the simulated pelvis 66 contributes to the curvature of the c - shape of the model 10 . the pelvic base 66 is connected to the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 which is made of foam material and reinforced and connected to the simulated pelvis 66 with wires 70 as can be seen in fig1 . the simulated pelvis 66 is covered with a first silicone layer 68 . the thin silicone layer 68 is not powdered and is cured after optionally being calendared over foam to impart the silicone layer 68 with at least one textured surface . the silicone layer 68 also covers the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 at the inner surface . the silicone layer 68 is adhered to both the simulated pelvis 66 and to the simulated muscular abdominal wall 16 with adhesive . the silicone layer 68 is formed around , conformingly applied and adhered to the contours of both the simulated pelvis 66 and the simulated abdominal wall 16 including the first opening 26 which simulates the direct space and the second opening 28 which simulates the indirect space through which a hernia may extend . the model 10 may also be provided with a third opening that would simulate a femoral space through which the hernia may extend . the first silicone layer 68 includes two holes that are aligned with the first and second openings 26 , 28 . a third opening is included in the first silicone layer 68 if a third opening is formed in the simulated abdominal wall 16 to simulate a femoral space . with particular reference to fig1 , a variety of anatomical structures or body tissue components are overlaid onto the first silicone layer 68 . included among them is a simulated cooper &# 39 ; s ligament 72 . the simulated cooper &# 39 ; s ligament 72 is made of a strip of silicone material that is white in color and overlaid onto the silicone layer 68 . a white tube 86 representing the iliopubic tract is laid over the silicone layer 68 . then a simulated external iliac vein 74 , simulated external iliac artery 76 , simulated spermatic vein 78 , simulated spermatic artery 80 are overlaid onto the silicone layer 68 and over the simulated iliopubic tract 86 . a simulated epigastric vein 82 and simulated epigastric artery 84 extend upwardly from the simulated external iliac vein 74 and simulated external iliac artery 76 , respectively , and are overlaid onto the silicone layer 68 . the model 10 includes a simulated vas deferens 88 made of translucent silicone and additional nerves 90 also made of silicone that are placed over the silicone layer 68 . the end of one or more of the simulated spermatic vein 78 , spermatic artery 80 and vas deferens 88 are placed inside the first opening 26 . a second silicone layer 92 is placed over the anatomical structures to sandwich them between the first silicone layer 68 and the second silicone layer 92 . the second silicone layer 92 includes two holes aligned with the two holes in the first silicone layer 68 and aligned with the first opening 26 and second opening 28 . the second silicone layer 92 includes a third hole in a variation that includes a third opening aligned with a third opening in the first silicone layer 68 and third opening in the simulated abdominal wall 16 for the femoral space : the second silicone layer 92 is wrapped around the model 10 as shown in fig2 and 21 and attached with adhesive to the first silicone layer 68 . the second silicone layer 92 may be selectively adhered along the edges such as to the back side of the model 10 and / or to the first silicone layer 92 between the anatomical landmarks and / or to the anatomical landmarks . in one variation , the second silicone layer 92 is attached to the spermatic vessels 78 , 80 and to the vas deferens 88 . the second silicone layer 92 is attached closely to the contours of the model 10 and the layer is formed through the first and second openings 26 , 28 as shown in fig1 - 18 . the second silicone layer 92 is translucent and thin and may include a textured outwardly - facing surface like the first silicone layer 68 . the layer 92 is unpowdered , clear , white or pink in color . the model 10 further includes a third layer 94 of silicone visible in fig2 and 21 . the third layer 94 is configured to simulate the peritoneum . the third layer 94 is also unpowdered , thin and red in color and may include a textured outer - facing surface formed by calendaring the uncured silicone between one or more foam surfaces . the third layer 94 is pushed through one of the first or second opening 26 , 28 or through the third opening that simulates the femoral space . in fig2 - 21 , the third layer 94 is shown with a portion of the third layer 94 pushed through the second opening 28 to simulate the appearance of a hernia extending through the indirect space . the third layer 94 is attached with adhesive to the rest of the model 10 . the third layer 94 is wrapped and glued around its edges to the backside of the model 10 as shown in fig2 . the third layer 94 may also be selectively adhered to portions of the underlying second silicone layer 92 . the first silicone layer 68 , second silicone layer 92 and third silicone layer 94 are all incisable with a blade and configured in thickness and tear strength to mimic real human tissue . with the model 10 assembled as described , it is then inserted into the laparoscopic trainer 46 with the trainer 46 top cover 48 being angled or not angled with respect to its base 50 or with respect to a table top . the model 10 is inserted into the trainer 46 such that the concavity of the c - shape is positioned facing the first insert 56 , apertures 58 , and / or tissue simulation region 60 such that instruments inserted through these locations may readily observe or approach the concavity of the c - shape . the user will practice incising the second silicone layer 92 from the spermatic vessels , 78 , 80 and vas deferens 88 . with the model 10 inserted into the trainer 48 , practitioners may practice resolving the hernia employing the tapp or tep procedures . for practicing tapp procedures , the trainer 46 includes clips and the third layer 94 or simulated peritoneum is clipped to the surgical training device . the top cover of the surgical trainer may be angled to form an inner acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane in order to simulate a trendelenburg positioning of the patient . the inner surface of the model faces the inner acute angle such that the inner surface of the model is approachable with instruments inserted into the internal cavity through the apertures 58 or penetrable simulated tissue region 60 . the hernia model 10 of the present invention is particularly suited for laparoscopic procedures ; however , the invention is not so limited and the hernia model of the present invention can be used in open surgical procedures equally effectively . it is understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments of the hernia model disclosed herein . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure .
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intravenous catheters are used to transport fluids , such as , medications , nutritional supplements , and blood to a patient &# 39 ; s blood stream . peripherally inserted central catheters ( picc ) are a type of intravenous catheters that are inserted into a vein within the patient &# 39 ; s right arm . generally , the picc is used for multiple intravenous treatments and once positioned within the patient body , a picc can be left in place up to about six months . in between treatments a clamp positioned on an external portion of the picc prevents leakage from the picc . [ 0022 ] fig1 shows an illustrative prior art picc 1 . the prior art picc 1 includes a catheter ( tubular member ) 2 , a hub 8 , and proximal tubing 18 . the catheter 2 is the portion of the picc 1 that is insertable into a patient &# 39 ; s body . the hub 8 and the proximal tubing 18 remain external to a patient &# 39 ; s body while the prior art picc 1 is in use . the catheter 2 extends between a distal end 4 to a proximal end 6 . the distal end 4 is open and is in fluid communication with a lumen extending within the catheter 2 . the proximal end 6 is also in fluid communication with the lumen and is secured to a hub 8 . the hub 8 includes a distal portion 10 and a proximal portion 12 . disposed between the distal portion 10 and proximal portion 12 are a pair of suture wings 14 that help to secure the hub 8 to the patient &# 39 ; s body via suture openings 16 . extending from the proximal portion 12 of the hub 8 is proximal tubing 18 . the proximal tubing 18 has a length long enough to support a clamp 20 and generally has a length ranging between about 3 . 81 centimeters ( 1 . 5 inches ) to about 15 . 24 centimeters ( 6 inches ). the clamp 20 when activated collapses a lumen extending through the proximal tubing 18 , thereby limiting leakage from the prior art picc 1 . at a proximal end 22 of the proximal tubing 18 is a luer end cap 24 . during medical treatments the lumen extending through the proximal tubing 18 is open and the luer end cap 24 is connected to a fluid introduction source , such as , for example , an intravenous bag , a cannula , or a syringe . referring to fig2 the prior art picc 1 is introduced into a patient &# 39 ; s body 30 through an entry site 34 located just above a bend in the patient &# 39 ; s right arm . other entry sites , such as , for example , the groin , neck , and back of the patient are also available sites to introduce the prior art picc 1 . a medical professional guides the distal tip 4 of the catheter 2 from the entry site 34 through the patient &# 39 ; s vein until the distal tip 4 is positioned within the right atrium of the patient &# 39 ; s heart 32 . the medical professional then secures the prior art picc 1 to the patient &# 39 ; s body via the hub 8 . once secured , the external portion of the picc 1 ( the hub 8 , proximal tubing 19 , clamp 20 , and luer end cap 24 ) extends about 5 . 08 centimeters ( 2 inches ) to about 20 . 32 centimeters ( 8 inches ) from the entry site 34 . one of the problems with the prior art picc 1 is that the proximal tubing 18 in combination with the clamp 20 and luer end cap 24 can be irritating to the patient &# 39 ; s skin . also , the length of the external portion ( about 2 inches to about 8 inches ) is awkward and inhibits the patient &# 39 ; s free movement . another problem with the prior art picc 1 is that the clamp 20 does not satisfactorily close the lumen extending through the proximal tubing 18 , resulting in leakage and infection at the entry site 34 . [ 0028 ] fig3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a picc 50 manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . the picc 50 includes a catheter ( distal tubing ) 52 and a valved hub 58 . the catheter 52 has an open distal end 54 , a proximal end 56 , and a lumen extending from the proximal end 56 to the open distal end 54 . attached to the proximal end 56 of the catheter is the valved hub 58 . when the picc 50 is in use , the valved hub 58 remains external to the patient &# 39 ; s body . referring to fig3 - 5 , the valved hub 58 includes a distal portion 60 , a proximal portion 62 , and a flexible , thin disk 70 including a slit 75 ( slit valve ). each of the distal and proximal portions 60 , 62 define a lumen extending therethrough . the proximal portion 62 can include a luer proximal end 68 for attaching the picc 50 to a fluid introduction source . disposed within the valved hub 58 between the distal and proximal portions 60 , 62 is the flexible , thin disk 70 including the slit 75 . the flexible , thin disk 70 with the slit 75 is used as a valve , which opens and closes depending on a pressure differential across the slit 75 . for example , if the pressure differential between the proximal portion 62 and the distal portion 60 is less than a threshold value , the slit 75 within the flexible , thin disk 70 will remain closed , thereby preventing liquid from leaking from the picc 50 . however , if the pressure differential across the flexible , thin disk 70 is greater than the threshold value , the slit 75 will open and fluid can be transported from the luer proximal end 68 to the distal tip 54 or alternatively , liquid can be transported from the distal tip 54 to the luer proximal end 68 . the flexible , thin disk 70 is positioned within the valved hub 58 , such that a portion the flexible , thin disk 70 is in contact with the proximal portion 62 and another portion of the flexible , thin disk 70 is in contact with the distal portion 60 of the valved hub 58 . in addition , when the flexible , thin disk 70 is positioned within the valved hub 58 , the slit 75 is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis l , 80 of the valved hub 58 . the flexible , thin disk 70 is typically made from silicone , but other biocompatible , flexible , elastomer materials can be used as well . the slit 75 , shown in fig5 is a latitudinal cut . however in other embodiments , not shown , the slit 75 can have other configurations , such as an “ h ” shape , or a sinusoidal shape . the valved hub 58 can also include a set of suture wings 64 extending off of the distal portion 60 . the suture wings 64 are used to secure the hub 58 to the patient &# 39 ; s body via suture openings 66 . specifically , the valved hub 58 can be secured by the use of an anchor including two vertical post spaced at a distance corresponding to the distance between the suture openings 66 . the anchor is attached to the patient &# 39 ; s skin via an adhesive pad . thus , when the posts of the anchor are inserted into the suture openings 66 the valved hub 58 is secured to the skin via the anchor and adhesive pad . [ 0034 ] fig6 shows the picc 50 after insertion into the patient &# 39 ; s body 30 . the picc 50 is inserted into a vein at the entry site 34 located on the patient &# 39 ; s right arm . when properly positioned , the distal end 54 of the catheter is located at a predetermined cardiac site , such as , within the right atrium of the patient &# 39 ; s heart 32 , the catheter 50 is within the patient &# 39 ; s vein , and the valved hub 58 is external to the patient &# 39 ; s body proximal and immediately adjacent to the entry site 34 ( e . g ., located less than about 3 . 81 centimeters from the entry site 34 ). thus , the catheter 50 spans a distance 85 commensurate with a distance from the patient &# 39 ; s right atrium of the heart 32 to the entry site 34 . the entry site 34 shown in fig6 is the patient &# 39 ; s right arm , however other possible entry sites include , for example , the groin , neck , and back . the medical professional can measure radiographically the distance 85 prior to inserting the picc 50 including catheter 52 . the medical profession can then either select an appropriately sized picc 50 having a catheter with a length corresponding to distance 85 , or alternatively , the medical profession can trim the catheter 52 to the measured length . it is important to note that the picc 50 does not include proximal tubing extending from the valved hub 58 , nor does picc 50 include a clamp disposed on the catheter 52 . thus , the picc 50 manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is less likely than the prior art picc 1 to irritate the patient &# 39 ; s skin , because the picc 50 does not include proximal tubing that extends about 5 . 08 centimeters ( 2 inches ) to about 20 . 32 centimeters ( 8 inches ) from the entry site 34 . instead , the picc 50 terminates at a distance less than about 3 . 81 centimeters and typically between about 1 centimeters and about 3 centimeters from the entry site 34 . in some embodiments , it is preferred that the picc 50 terminates at a distance less than about 2 . 54 centimeters from the entry site . thus , picc 50 is more tolerable to the patient than the awkward 5 . 08 centimeter to 20 . 32 centimeter length of the external portion of prior art picc 1 . in addition , picc 50 does not include a clamp to impede flow . instead , the valved hub 58 has an internal valve , the thin , flexible disk 70 including the slit 75 , to regulate flow . since there is no clamp or proximal tubing extending from the valved hub 58 , the picc 50 is less irritating to the patient than a similarly inserted prior art picc 1 . to supply fluids to the patient , the medical professional attaches the fluid introduction source to the luer proximal end 68 and then releases fluid from the fluid introduction source . the fluid entering into the proximal portion 62 of the valved hub 58 creates a pressure differential across the flexible , thin disk 70 including the slit 75 . the slit 75 responds to a pressure differential that is above threshold by opening to allow fluids to pass therethrough and into the lumen of the catheter 52 . in between treatments , the luer proximal end 68 is free of the fluid introduction source and can be covered with a transparent dressing 90 . the transparent dressing 90 further secures the valved hub 58 to the patient &# 39 ; s body 30 , while at the same time covers and protects both the entry site 34 and the valved hub 58 from infection . variations , modifications , and other implementations of what is described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the invention is not to be limited only to the preceding illustrative description .
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the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description . housings are used to contain or store , and protect , a wide variety of items or devices and typically are a rigid or flexible material of a specific color . the term “ housing ” generally refers to a material at least partially covering or surrounding an item , and may assume other names such as a “ case ”, for example . items disposed within a housing range , for example , from keepsakes such as jewelry to electronic devices such as cell phones . the housing described herein includes a transparent support layer , a photoreactive coating , a radiation attenuating material , an optional background color layer , an optional activating radiation source , and an optional patterning layer . the transparent support layer provides structure to the housing . the radiation attenuating material , transparent to visible light , absorbs radiation , such as ultraviolet ( uv ) from sunlight , and prevents the unintentional changing of the color of the photochromic coating and degradation of the other layers beneath . the radiation attenuating material may be referred to as a blocking material when the uv radiation is substantially prevented from passing there through . when a slow color or design change is preferred , such as developing of patina effect , the uv blocking ability or efficiency can be engineered to allow , or attenuate , a limited amount of uv to reach the photoreactive layer to slowly activate the process . the photoreactive coating may be photochromic ink of a solution of a 1 , 2 - dihydroquinoline ( dhq ) in a polymer solution that irreversibly changes color when exposed to activating radiation such as uv radiation . the photoreactive material may also be a photosensitive layer containing silver oxalate and mercury ( i ) and / or mercury ( ii ) oxalate . another example is pyrrole derivatives , such as 2 - phenyl - di ( 2 - pyrrole ) methane , which becomes irreversibly red upon uv light exposure . the photoreactive coating may originally comprise a color or be clear , and is changed to a color , or from a color to clear , upon the application of radiation . as used herein when referring to the photoreactive coating , the word “ color ” includes a visible color or no visible color ( clear ). the optional background color layer provides an initial color to the housing , and may be a partially reflective layer of metallization . the background color may be provided alternatively by the transparent support layer or may be omitted altogether when a transparent housing is desired ( for displaying objects within the housing ). the radiation source may be for example , a light emitting diode ( led ), which emits light at specific wavelengths , for example ultraviolet or fluorescent black light , that activate the color changing process of the photoractive compounds . while uv radiation is preferred , other wavelengths may be used . referring to fig1 , housing 100 includes a transparent support layer 104 having a uv blocking coating 102 formed thereon . while the transparent support layer 104 may be any known transparent material , a polymer material is preferred . the transparent support layer 104 provides protection to items within the housing , and a surface on which to apply the uv blocking coating 102 and the photoreactive coating 106 . the uv blocking coating 102 is a material that contains compounds , such as benzotriazole or benzophenone , that absorbs uv radiation found in the ambient environment , for example , in the range of 280 to 400 that includes both uv - a and uv - b , and especially uv radiation within sunlight . the photoreactive coating 106 is a material of dye molecules that initially assumes a first color , then irreversibly changes to a second color upon the application of activating radiation . the second color remains when the activating radiation is removed . this material is , for example , preferably a matrix of 1 , 2 - dihydroquinoline ( dqh ) in polymer ( see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 812 , 171 ) or other materials such as a photosensitive layer containing silver oxalate and mercury ( i ) and / or mercury ( ii ) oxalates , pyrrole derivatives , such as 2 - phenyl - di ( 2 - pyrrole ) methane . an transparent colored layer 108 is disposed contiguous to the photochromic coating 106 . the outer surface 110 of the uv blocking layer 102 is considered the outside of the housing while the inside surface 112 of the transparent colored layer 108 is the inside of the housing in which items ( not shown ) may be contained . undesired uv radiation such as sunlight striking the surface 110 will not penetrate beyond the uv blocking coating 102 to the photochromic coating 106 . however , a user of the device viewing the outer surface 110 will view the color presented by the colored layer 108 since the uv blocking coating 102 , support layer 104 , and photochromic coating 106 are transparent to frequencies in the visual range of approximately 400 to 780 nanometers . note that the colored layer 108 is optional , in which case the housing 100 is transparent , enabling the contents of the housing 100 to be viewed . referring to fig2 , a light source 122 such as a light emitting diode provides activating radiation 124 to the inside surface 112 of the housing 100 . the activating radiation 124 passes through the transparent colored layer 108 and strikes the photochromic coating 106 , causing it to irreversibly assume a color as indicated by the crosshatching within photochromic coating 106 of fig2 . the color in which the photochromic coating 106 changes depends on the chemicals contained therein and its thickness . examples of chemicals for the irreversible photochromic coating 106 include 1 , 2 - dihydroquinoline ( dhq ) in a polymer solution , a photosensitive layer containing silver oxalate and mercury ( i ) and / or mercury ( ii ) oxalates , pyrrole derivatives , such as 2 - phenyl - di ( 2 - pyrrole ) methane . the thickness of the photochromic coating 106 preferably includes the range of 0 . 1 micron to 100 microns . the housing then exhibits the color , viewing towards the outside surface 100 , combined from the colors of the colored layer 108 and the photochromic coating 106 . for example , if the color of the colored layer 108 is blue and the color assumed by the photochromic coating 106 is yellow , a green color would be presented at the surface 110 . fig3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a housing 300 including the uv blocking coating 102 , transparent support layer 104 , photochromic coating 106 , and transparent colored layer 108 as described for the housing 100 . a uv blocking layer 330 is patterned on the transparent colored layer 108 resulting in a light source 322 such as a light emitting diode provides activating radiation 324 through the patterned material 332 to the inside surface 112 in the gaps between the material 332 of the patterned layer 330 , causing the area 326 to change to a color ( as indicated by the crosshatching ). fig4 is taken along line 4 - 4 of fig3 , showing the patterned material 332 of the patterned layer 330 forming a fanciful pattern formed on the colored layer 108 . fig5 is the result showing the color and pattern looking at the surface 110 of the uv blocking coating 102 of the housing 300 in which the patterned material is distinctly seen through the transparent layers 104 and 102 . fig6 is a third exemplary embodiment of a housing 600 similar to the second exemplary embodiment of fig3 ; however , the colored layer 108 is disposed between the uv blocking coating 102 and the transparent support layer 104 . note in this third exemplary embodiment , the colored layer 108 need not be transparent to the activating radiation . instead of the light sources 122 , 322 , a fourth alternate exemplary embodiment includes a door , or sealable opening , that may be opened to allow sunlight to enter , striking the photochromic coatings 106 , causing it to change colors and / or pattern . referring to fig7 , a fifth exemplary embodiment includes a housing 700 having a uv attenuating layer 702 formed over the photochromic coating 106 , and the transparent support layer 104 disposed between the photochromic coating 106 and the colored layer 108 . the uv attenuating layer only partially blocks uv radiation , for example from sunlight , resulting in the color of the photochromic coating 106 slowly changing color over time . depending on the thickness and the chemical makeup of the attenuating layer and the photochromic coating 106 , this change in color may take days to weeks or more . additionally , the patterned layer 330 may be included to cause a change in pattern over time . there are many variations to the above described embodiments . as mentioned , the colored layer 108 is optional ( the housing may be transparent or the color may integrated within the transparent support layer 106 ) and may be disposed on either side of the support layer 104 or the photochromic coating 106 . the photochromic coating 106 may be disposed on either side of the support layer 104 or may be integrated within the support layer 104 . the disposition of the patterned layer 330 is also variable as long as it is disposed between the photochromic coating 106 and the source of radiation . although the housing 100 , 300 described herein may be used to house many types of devices , fig8 shows in schematic form a mobile communication device , which may be used with the exemplary embodiments of the housing 100 , 300 described herein , and includes a touchscreen display 812 formed within the housing 100 , 300 . conventional mobile communication devices also include , for example , an antenna and other inputs which are omitted from the figure for simplicity . circuitry ( not shown ) is coupled to each of the display 812 , and typically a speaker and microphone ( not shown ). an icon 814 is disposed below the touchscreen display 812 . it is also noted that the portable electronic device 800 may comprise a variety of form factors , for example , a “ foldable ” cell phone . while this embodiment is a portable mobile communication device , the present invention may be incorporated within any electronic device having a housing that incorporates an electro - optical module to change colors and / or patterns . other portable applications include , for example , a laptop computer , personal digital assistant ( pda ), digital camera , or a music playback device ( e . g ., mp3 player ). non - portable applications include , for example , car radios , stainless steel refrigerators , watches , and stereo systems . the low power requirements of the exemplary embodiments , specifically the light source providing uv radiation , presented herein make them particularly well suited to portable electronics devices . a sixth embodiment includes disposing an led so as to irradiate only of a portion of the housing 100 , 300 . for example , referring to the device 800 shown in fig9 , only the area 916 surrounding the touchscreen display 812 is irradiated ( as shown by the cross hatching ) by one light source 324 . another light source 324 may selective irradiate the icon 814 . although only two light sources 322 are described with the exemplary embodiment of device 900 , many more light sources 322 may be disposed within the housing 100 , 300 to irradiate various portions of the device 900 . additionally , the photochromic coating 106 may be disposed in selective positions , such as behind only the icon 918 , and then irradiated . the exemplary embodiments described herein provides an easy , inexpensive way for users to irreversibly customize the appearance of a device &# 39 ; s housing , while requiring little or no power requirements . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention , it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .
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now in keeping with the objects of this invention , the detailed method is described for making small contact openings with high - aspect - ratios ( har ) and without damage to the shallow diffused areas on the substrate . although the method is described for n - channel fets on a p doped substrate , it should be understood by one skilled in the art that the method of this invention can be applied , in general , for making these har contact openings on integrated circuits having both n - channel and p - channel fets by including additional process steps . for example , by including p and n doped wells in and on the substrate both n and p channel fets can be formed from which cmos circuits can be made . also , the method is particularly useful for embedded dram circuits in which a multitude of har contact openings are etched to the substrate and to a patterned polycide layer . referring to fig2 the method for making these high - aspect - ratio ( har ) damage - free contact openings begins by providing a substrate 10 . the substrate 10 is preferably composed of a p - type single - crystal silicon having a & lt ; 100 & gt ; crystallographic orientation . a relatively thick field oxide 12 is formed around the active device regions to isolate the individual devices . the field oxide 12 is typically formed using the local oxidation of silicon ( locos ) method , but for future higher density circuits various shallow trench isolation ( sti ) methods are preferred . briefly , one method of forming the sti 12 is by recessing the substrate 10 in the field oxide regions , growing a thin thermal oxide to reduce surface damage and filling the recesses with a chemical - vapor - deposited silicon oxide . the sio 2 is then etched or polished back to form a planar surface with the substrate 10 as shown in fig2 . typically the sti 12 is between about 3000 and 5000 angstroms . a thin gate oxide 14 is then formed on the active device areas by thermal oxidation . the preferred thickness of the gate oxide is between about 20 and 100 angstroms . still referring to fig2 a polycide layer , having a hard - mask or cap layer , is deposited and patterned to form fet gate electrodes 2 over the device areas , and to form local interconnections 4 over the sti 12 . the polycide layer is formed by depositing a conductively doped poly - silicon layer 16 and an upper refractory metal silicide layer 18 . the polysilicon layer 16 is deposited by low - pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ) using silane ( sih 4 ) as the reactant gas , and is doped either in situ during deposition or by ion implantation . for n - channel fets described here , polysilicon layer 16 is doped with arsenic or phosphorus to a concentration of between about 1 . 0 e 19 and 1 . 0 e 21 atoms / cm 3 , and the polysilicon is deposited to a thickness of between about 500 and 2000 angstroms . the silicide layer 18 is preferably a tungsten silicide ( wsi x ) deposited by cvd using tungsten hexafluoride ( wf 6 ) as the reactant gas . the wsi x layer 18 is deposited to a thickness of between about 500 and 2000 angstroms . next , a hard - mask or cap layer 20 is deposited on the wsi x layer 18 . layer 20 is preferably si 3 n 4 , deposited by lpcvd using a reactant gas such as dichlorosilane ( sicl 2 h 2 ) and ammonia ( nh 3 ), and is deposited to a preferred thickness of between about 500 and 2000 angstroms . continuing with fig2 conventional photolitho - graphic techniques and anisotropic plasma etching are used to pattern the si 3 n 4 hard - mask layer 20 and the polycide layer ( 16 and 18 ) to form fet gate electrodes 2 over the device areas and to form the local interconnections 4 over the sti areas 12 . a first ion implantation is used to form lightly doped source / drain areas 17 ( n − ) adjacent to the fet gate electrodes 2 to minimize short - channel effects . then , a conformal si 3 n 4 layer 22 is deposited and etched back to form sidewall spacers , also labeled 22 , on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes 2 . the si 3 n 4 layer 22 is etched back using anisotropic plasma etching to form sidewall spacers having a width of between about 500 and 1500 angstroms . a second ion implantation is then used to form source / drain contact areas 19 ( n + ) to complete the fets . typically , for high - density circuits , the resultant junction depth x j of the source / drain contact areas 19 ( n + ) is relatively shallow , that is , x j is less than 0 . 1 micrometer ( um ). referring still to fig2 a key feature of this invention is the deposition of an anti - reflective coating ( arc ) layer 23 , which is used , in part , to protect the source / drain areas 19 ( n + ) when a portion of the hard mask 20 over the polycide interconnect 4 is removed . the anti - reflective coating layer 23 is preferably a polymer that is impervious to organic solvents and / or aqueous developers that are used in developing photoresist . the polymer is preferably a primary polyimide dissolved in a solvent such as cyclobexanone . the polyimide is then spin coated and baked at about 160 to 220 ° c . for about 60 to 100 seconds to form a rigid polymer film . preferably polymer layer 23 is deposited to a thickness of between about 1000 and 3000 angstroms . since the polymer film is used as a protective layer , and not as an anti - reflective coating , it is not necessary to include a photosensitive chemical component that would chemically react when exposed to light . some polymers commercially available include barli , manufactured by hoechst of germany , xhri - 11 , manufactured by brower science of usa , and swk365d , manufactured by tok of japan . referring now to fig3 a photoresist layer 24 is coated on the anti - reflective layer 23 , and the photoresist is exposed and developed to form openings 6 over the patterned polycide layer ( layers 18 and 16 ) that is used to form the local interconnections 4 , while leaving essentially undeveloped the protective polymer layer 23 . referring to fig4 the anti - reflective coating ( protective polymer layer ) 23 exposed in the openings 6 is etched to the silicon nitride hard - mask layer 20 . this exposes the hard mask 20 , while the anti - reflective coating 23 protects the source / drain areas 19 in the region b at the interface with the shallow trench 12 . the anti - reflective coating 23 is etched preferably by plasma etching in a reactive ion etcher using an etchant gas mixture such as oxygen ( o 2 ) and nitrogen ( n 2 ). still referring to fig4 the si 3 n 4 hard mask 20 in the openings 6 is removed by anisotropic plasma etching to the silicide layer 18 , while the photoresist mask 24 and protective polymer 23 protect the diffused source / drain areas 19 from the plasma etching . the etching of the si 3 n 4 layer 20 is preferably carried out by reactive ion etching using an etchant gas such as sulfur hexafluoride ( sf 6 ). referring to fig5 the photoresist layer 24 and the anti - reflective coating ( arc ) that serves as a protective polymer layer 23 are now removed by stripping in a wet etch , such as in sulfuric acid ( h 2 so 4 ) and an oxidant , such as hydrogen peroxide ( h 2 o 2 ) or ammonium persulfate . alternatively , the photoresist layer 24 and anti - reflective coating 23 can be removed by plasma ashing in oxygen . referring to fig6 a relatively thick insulating layer 26 , commonly referred to as an interlevel - dielectric ( ild ) layer , is deposited over the fets and interconnections to provide electrical insulation for the next level of interconnections . the ild layer 26 is preferably silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) deposited by lpcvd using , for example tetraethosiloxane ( teos ) as the reactant gas . layer 26 is deposited to a preferred thickness of between about 10000 and 30000 angstroms . alternatively , the ild layer 26 can be a doped sio 2 layer , such as bpsg . when a bpsg layer is used , a thin silicon oxynitride ( sion ) or si 3 n 4 or undoped sio 2 layer is deposited first as a barrier layer to prevent unintentional doping of the substrate by the bpsg layer . the ild layer 26 is then planarized , for example by chemical / mechanical polishing ( cmp ). continuing with fig6 high - aspect - ratio contact openings 8 are now etched in the relatively thick insulating layer 26 to the source / drain areas 19 , while concurrently contact openings 8 ′ are etched to the polycide interconnect lines ( 18 and 16 ). since the hard - mask layer 20 is removed over the patterned polycide interconnect layer ( 18 and 16 ), the contact openings 8 to the source / drain areas 19 can be etched without overetching and degrading the shallow diffused areas 19 , while the contact openings 8 ′ are concurrently etched to the polycide interconnect layer ( 18 and 16 ). the removal of the si 3 n 4 hard - mask layer 20 allows the contact openings 8 ′ to be completed without overetching in the contact openings 8 . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment 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 the invention .
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the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . [ 0032 ] fig1 is a schematic view showing an optical system of an optical pickup device in which diffraction elements according to the invention are disposed . as shown in fig1 the optical pickup device 1 records or reproduces the information on or from several kinds of optical recording medium 6 having a different substrate thickness or recording density , such as cd , cd - r or dvd , and comprises a two - wavelength laser light source unit 10 having a laser light source 11 for emitting a laser light beam l 1 with a wavelength of 650 nm as indicated by the solid line and a laser light source 12 for emitting a laser light beam l 2 with a wavelength of 780 nm as indicated by the dashed line that are contained within a common package , and a common optical system lo . the laser light beam l 1 and the laser light beam l 2 have the light emitting points separated by about 110 μm , for example . the common optical system lo comprises an arrangement of a two - wavelength grating 2 for transmitting the laser light beam l 1 emitted from the two - wavelength light source unit 10 and separating the laser light beam l 2 into three beams to generate a tracking error signal , a plate - like beam splitter 30 for reflecting partially the laser light beam l 1 and the laser light beam l 2 separated into three beams , a collimator lens 40 for making the laser light beams l 1 , l 2 reflected from the beam splitter 30 parallel , and an objective lens 41 for converging the laser light beams l 1 , l 2 emerging from the collimator lens 40 onto a recording face 6 a of the optical recording medium 6 . the two - wavelength grating 2 is a diffraction element constructed according to the invention . also , the common optical system lo has a common light receiving element 13 arranged to receive the return light beams lr 1 , lr 2 of the laser light beams l 1 , l 2 having passed through the beam splitter 30 , after being reflected from the recording face 6 a of the optical recording medium 6 . between the beam splitter 30 and the light receiving element 13 , an optical path composition element 5 is arranged to lead the misaligned return light beams lr 1 , lr 2 to a common light receiving plane on the common light receiving element 13 . this optical path composition element 5 is also a diffraction element constructed according to the invention . in this embodiment , the optical axis of the laser light beam l 1 emitted from the laser light source 11 is made coincident with a system optical axis 41 a ( optical axis of the objective lens 41 ) for the optical pickup device 1 . accordingly , the laser light beam l 2 emitted from the other laser light source 12 passes through the common optical system lo while being misaligned with respect to the system optical axis 41 a , and is deflected slightly by the optical path composition element 5 and led onto the common light receiving plane of the common light receiving element 13 . in the optical pickup device 1 with the above constitution , in reproducing the information from a dvd as the optical recording medium 6 , the laser light beam l 1 with a wavelength of 650 nm is emitted from the laser light source 11 . this laser light beam l 1 is led to the common optical system lo , and converged as a light spot onto the recording face of the dvd by the objective lens 41 , and the return light beam lr 1 of the laser light beam l 1 reflected from the recording face of the dvd is converged via the beam splitter 30 and the optical path composition element 5 onto the common light receiving element 13 . the information of dvd is reproduced by a signal detected by the common light receiving element 13 . in contrast , in reproducing the information from a cd - r as the optical recording medium 6 , the laser light beam l 2 with a wavelength of 780 nm is emitted from the other laser light source 12 . this laser light beam l 2 is also led to the common optical system lo , and converged as a light spot onto the recording face of dvd by the objective lens 41 , and the return light beam lr 2 of the laser light beam l 2 reflected from the recording face of the cd - r is converged via the beam splitter 30 and the optical path composition element 5 onto the common light receiving element 13 . the information of cd - r is reproduced by a signal detected by the common light receiving element 13 . the optical path composition element 5 of this embodiment is a resin molded plate member . as shown in fig2 one face is made flat as an incident face 51 and a diffraction grating is formed on the other face as an emergent face 52 . the diffraction grating is formed such that each slant face constitutes a blazed diffraction grating is made stepwise by providing a plurality of stepped faces 52 a . this structure is referred to as a binary blazed diffraction grating . a step difference d of each step portion 53 , that is , a height d of step on each stepped face is so determined that a phase difference between light beams transmitting adjacent stepped faces occurred by the height d is equal to the wavelength for the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm , so that the laser light beam l 1 is passed in straight manner as the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 1 a , without bringing about the diffracting action . this height d can be calculated by the following expression , assuming that the refractive index for the first laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm is n1 , and the wavelength 650 nm is λ1 , since a step portion 53 is the blazed diffraction grating , whereby among the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 2 a proceeding straightly , and the positive first - order diffracted light beam and negative first - order diffracted light beam that are deflected on both sides , the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b has high diffraction efficiency for the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm . herein , the diffraction efficiency can be determined in accordance with the number of steps on the stepped face . as shown in fig3 assuming that the number of steps on the stepped face is taken along the x - axis , and the diffraction efficiency is taken along the y - axis , the number of steps that is capable of decreasing the diffraction efficiency of negative first - order diffracted light and increasing the diffraction efficiency of positive first - order diffracted light is from 4 to 6 steps , in which the diffraction efficiency of positive first - order diffracted light is from 60 to 90 %. in this embodiment , six steps are set up . accordingly , the optical path composition element 5 allows the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm to proceed straightly as the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 1 a , and allows the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm to be deflected as the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b at a higher diffraction efficiency than the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 2 a and converged onto the common light receiving element . also , the resin material of the optical path composition element 5 in this embodiment has a linear expansion coefficient in a range from 0 . 5 × 10 − 4 /° c . to 3 × 10 − 4 /° c . the typical resin materials and linear expansion coefficients are listed such as : polycarbonate 2 . 0 × 10 − 4 /° c . polystyrene 1 . 8 - 2 . 4 × 10 − 4 /° c . polymethyl methacrylate 1 . 3 × 10 − 4 /° c . herein , the inorganic materials used for the related optical path composition element and linear expansion coefficients are listed such as : optical glass 0 . 15 - 0 . 45 × 10 − 4 /° c . quartz glass 0 . 017 × 10 − 4 /° c . accordingly , the resin material used for the optical path composition element in this embodiment has a linear expansion coefficient about 10 times larger than the inorganic materials . as shown in fig4 when the environmental temperature is changed from 20 ° c . to 60 ° c ., the optical path composition element 5 constructed in this way is thermally deformed from the shape indicated by the dashed line to the shape indicated by the solid line , as shown by the arrows s , so as to elongate laterally . at this time , the resin material constituting the optical path composition element 5 of this embodiment is elongated about 10 times longer than the related inorganic materials . if the optical path composition element 5 is elongated , the grating pitch ( width of each stepped face ) on a grating face of the emergent side is also broadened . as a result , the diffraction grating pitch is broadened , and even if the second laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm has the wavelength increased from 780 nm as indicated by the dashed line to 790 nm as indicated by the solid line , due to a change in the environmental temperature , the variation in the diffraction angle for the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b is reduced . the variation in the diffraction angle is stated such that the variation in the diffraction angle at an environmental temperature of 60 ° c . can be reduced to 1 % or less of the diffraction angle at an environmental temperature of 20 ° c ., if the resin material for the optical path composition element 5 has a linear expansion coefficient from 0 . 5 × 10 − 4 /° c . to 3 × 10 − 4 /° c . also , if the resin material has a linear expansion coefficient of 3 × 10 − 4 /° c ., the variation in the diffraction angle can be fully canceled . as shown in fig5 the two - wavelength grating 2 of this embodiment is a resin molded plate member . one face is made a flat as an incident face 21 , and a concave and convex diffraction grating is formed on the other face as an emergent face 22 . this diffraction grating is consist of a concave face 22 a and a convex face 22 b formed periodically . the resin material for the two - wavelength grating 2 in this embodiment , like the optical path composition element 5 , has a linear expansion coefficient from 0 . 5 × 10 − 4 /° c . to 3 × 10 − 4 /° c . a height ( step difference ) d of the convex face 22 b from the concave face 22 a is determined in the same way as the optical path composition element 5 , such that supposing that a phase difference between light beams transmitting adjacent concave and convex faces occurred by the height d is equal to the wavelength for the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm , so that the laser light beam l 1 is passed in straight manner as the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 1 a , without bringing about the diffracting action . on the other hand , the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm is separated into three beams of the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 2 a proceeding straightly , and the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b and the negative first - order diffracted light beam l 2 c that are deflected on both sides . accordingly , the two - wavelength grating 2 allows the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm to proceed straightly as the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 1 a , and allows the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm to be separated into the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 2 a , the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b and the negative first - order diffracted light beam l 2 c to produce a tracking error signal . as shown in fig6 when the environmental temperature is changed from 20 ° c . to 60 ° c ., the two - wavelength grating 2 constructed in this way is thermally deformed from the shape indicated by the dashed line to the shape indicated by the solid line , as shown by the arrows s , so as to elongate laterally . at this time , the resin material constituting the two - wavelength grating 2 of this embodiment is elongated about 10 times longer than the related inorganic materials . consequently , the grating pitch is also broadened , and even if the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm has the wavelength increased from 780 nm as indicated by the dashed line to 790 nm as indicated by the solid line , due to a change in the environmental temperature , the variation in the diffraction angle for the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b and the negative first - order diffracted light beam l 2 c can be reduced . the variation in the diffraction angle is stated such that the variation in the diffraction angle at an environmental temperature of 60 ° c . can be reduced to 1 % or less of the diffraction angle at an environmental temperature of 20 ° c ., if the resin material for the two - wavelength grating 2 has a linear expansion coefficient from 0 . 5 × 10 − 4 /° c . to 3 × 10 − 4 /° c . also , if the resin material has a linear expansion coefficient of 3 × 10 − 4 /° c ., the variation in the diffraction angle can be fully canceled . in the above example , the step difference d between the concave face 22 a and the convex face 22 b formed on the emergent face 22 is so small that the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm is given no diffracting action . however , the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm may be given no diffracting action . in this case , the step difference d 1 can be calculated by the following expression , assuming that the refractive index for the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm is n2 , and the wavelength 780 nm is λ2 , whereby the laser light having a wavelength of 780 nm has a phase lag equal to the wavelength thereof due to the step difference d 1 , and is passed as the zeroth - order diffracted light without being affected by the diffracting action . in the above examples , the optical path composition element 5 and the two - wavelength grating 2 have a face on which diffraction grating is formed arranged as the emergent face , but the face on which the diffraction grating is formed may be arranged as the incident face . the two - wavelength grating 2 may be configured such that , a convex and concave structure with a step difference d 1 that has no diffracting action for the laser light having a wavelength of 780 nm is provided on the incident face 21 . as shown in fig7 a two - wavelength grating 2 a has a concave face 21 a and a convex face 21 b with the step difference d 1 formed on the incident face 21 to have no diffracting action with respect to the laser light beam l 2 having a wavelength of 780 nm , and has a concave face 22 a and a convex face 22 b with the step difference d formed on the emergent face 22 to have no diffracting action on the laser light beam l 1 having a wavelength of 650 nm . with the two - wavelength grating 2 a constructed in the above manner , the incident face 21 diffracts the laser light beam l 1 into three beams of the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 1 a , the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 1 b and the negative first - order diffracted light beam l 1 c , and passes the laser light beam l 2 directly . the emergent face 22 passes three laser light beams l 1 a , l 1 b and l 1 c , and diffracts the laser light beam l 2 into three beams of the zeroth - order diffracted light beam l 2 a , the positive first - order diffracted light beam l 2 b and the negative first - order diffracted light beam l 2 c . accordingly , the two - wavelength grating 2 a can produce three beams with a desired diffraction angle for two - wavelengths l 1 and l 2 . the step differences d and d 1 may be a size of producing a phase difference ( 2π , 4π , . . . ) equal to the integral multiple of the respective wavelengths . as described above , according to the diffraction element of the present invention , a variation in the diffraction angle that is brought about by a wavelength variation of the laser light that arises along with a change in environmental temperature can be canceled or reduced by making positive use of a grating pitch variation caused by the change in environmental temperature . accordingly , it is possible to avoid or suppress any trouble that may occur with the variation in the diffraction angle caused by the wavelength variation . if the diffraction element of the invention is employed as a two - wavelength grating for generating three beams in an optical pickup device having a two - wavelength laser light source or an optical path composition element , the optical pickup device with the less number of parts and performance stability against the change in environmental temperature can be produced . although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments , various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein . such changes and modifications as are obvious are deemed to come within the spirit , scope and contemplation of the invention as defined in the appended claims .
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while the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel , it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures . in one embodiment of the present invention , a pcb panel optimization method comprises a web based software tool that finds the optimal configuration of pcbs on arrays and arrays on panels which maximizes the panel utilization while at the same time enforcing all required design specifications from both the panel vendor and product manufacturer standpoints . although this embodiment will be discussed in relation to a web based software tool , the present invention can also be utilized in stand - alone , networked computer systems , or other hardware devices that can execute the panelization tool ( panelization method ). the panelization method can be used to optimize the panel dimension and array size selections and find the optimal solution that makes the cost per pcb minimum . in other words , the selected panel and array dimensions are selected to obtain the highest panel utilization , or that achieves the highest panel efficiency factor ( pef ), which is defined as : referring now to fig1 , there is shown a panel 102 having an array 104 shown therein . panel 102 has several dimensional specifications , including the panel length ( pl ), the panel width ( pw ), the panel border width 1 ( pbw 1 ), the panel border width 2 ( pbw 2 ), the panel border length 1 ( pbl 1 ), the panel border length 2 ( pbl 2 ), the array to panel width ( a2pw ) and the array to panel length ( a2pl ). one or more of the dimensions described are used as input information for the panelization method of the invention . panel 102 can be manufactured from any one of a number of different materials used to manufacturer pcbs as known in the art . in fig2 , there is shown a plurality of arrays 202 - 206 such as those that can be found within panel 102 . the array and array - to - array dimensional specifications include the array length ( al ), the array width ( aw ), the array to array length ( a2al ), the array to array width ( a2aw ), the array border length ( abl ), and the array border width ( abw ). in fig3 , a plurality of pcbs 302 - 306 located within array 104 are shown . the pcbs and pcb - to - pcb dimensional specifications include the board length ( bl ), the board width ( bw ), the board - to - board length ( b2bl ), the board - to - board width ( b2bw ), the board - to - array length ( b2al ) and the board - to - array width ( b2aw ). in fig4 , there is shown a flowchart highlighting some of the steps for determining the optimal panelization in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in step 402 , the initial data is collected . the data collected for the analysis can include information such as the panel dimensions the user wants to consider or may be forced to use based on panel vendor constraints . some of the other data that can be inputted can include the minimum and maximum array length and width , pcb and array spacing requirements , array and panel border requirements and pcb outline requirements . the set of potential array sizes that are simulated include every possible combination of array lengths and widths which fall within the range allowed by the manufacturer &# 39 ; s array size specifications . the result is that the search for the optimal panelization solution typically involves over 50 , 000 separate panelization simulations . computerized linkage to pcb vendor manufacturing requirements as well as to the user &# 39 ; s own panelization specifications can also be included in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . for example , vendor panel specifications can be downloaded from the vendor &# 39 ; s computer system and the specifications can be used as inputs to the panelization analysis . in step 404 , the panel dimension is selected from a group of potential panel sizes , for example , those available from a particular pcb vendor . in decision step 406 , the routine determines if the panel search is completed . if the panel search is not completed , the routine moves to step 408 , where the array length is initialized . for example , the array length variable is cleared ( e . g ., set to zero ). if in decision step 406 , the routine determines that the panel search has been completed , the routine moves to step 424 , wherein the results for all panel utilization results are compared and the one with the best efficiency factor is selected as the optimized solution . the optimization process will provide the panel dimensions and array sizes , spacing , border and all other dimensional information relating to the utilization result or results that yielded the best efficiency factor . alternatively , in another embodiment , the optimization routine can provide a number of utilization results ( e . g ., top 5 utilization results based on the efficiency factors ) and their corresponding efficiency factors and dimensional information . this alternative approach would allow the person performing the utilization study to select from a number of available panalization solutions with information on their corresponding efficiency factors . it may be that a person may be willing to give up a bit of efficiency for some reason , and this multiple solution approach would allow the user to make such a cost - benefit analysis . in step 410 , the array length is indexed or increased by a predetermined amount , and in decision step 412 it is determined if the array length search is complete . decision step 412 may determine that the array length search is complete , if for example , the maximum array length is reached . if the array length search is not complete , the process moves to step 414 wherein the array width is initialized ( array width variable cleared ). if in step 412 , it is determined that the array length search is complete , the routine returns to step 404 . in step 416 , the array width is indexed or increased by a predetermined amount . in decision step 418 , it is determined if the array width search is complete , for example by determining if the array width dimension has been increased to the maximum array width previously entered as an input in step 402 . if in step 418 , it is determined that the array width search is complete ( maximum width reached ) the routine moves back to step 410 where the array length is indexed or increased by a predetermined amount . if the array width search is determined not to be complete , in step 420 , the pcb is panelized in an array and the array is panelized in the panel applying the spacing and border specifications . in step 422 , the total efficiency factor for a particular array width and length is computed and stored . after step 422 , the routine loops back to step 416 wherein the array width is indexed or increased in value by a predetermined amount ( e . g ., one millimeter , etc .). if in step 406 it is determined that the panel search is completed , the routine moves to step 424 , wherein the results are compared and the best panel efficiency factor is determined and its panel dimension and optimized array size and spacing information results are provided . the optimal panel search algorithm discussed in relation to fig4 includes a first loop or panel dimension loop where the routine goes through every possible panel dimension specified by the pcb vendor ( s ). a second loop or array length loop applies the minimum / maximum array length constraints by manufacturing requirements and every possible array length is analyzed . in the third loop or array width loop , minimum / maximum array width constraints by manufacturing requirements and every possible array width are analyzed . for every selected panel dimension and array size , as many as possible arrays are populated on the panel while applying the array spacing and panel border specifications provided . for every selected array size , as many as possible pcbs are populated on the array while applying pcb spacing and array border specifications provided . the total panel efficiency factor or cost per pcb is determined for every case and all of the above results are compared and the best solution or solutions are selected and reported to the user . the best solution has the highest total efficiency factor or lowest cost per pcb . the dimensions of the optimal panel and array sizes are reported to the user . also , the layouts of the optimal arrays on the optimal panel and the layout of pcbs on the optimal array are generated . in one embodiment of the invention , the ability to execute many panelization simulations is enabled by using a high speed rectangle nesting algorithm . in cases where complex polygon nesting is employed , the nested board set is modeled by its bounding rectangle in order to employ the high speed rectangle nesting algorithm . this approach enables true board outline polygon nesting ( typically a much slower calculation ) while still allowing for the use of the high speed nesting approach in order to find the optimal panelizaiton solution within a reasonable period of time ( e . g ., 4 minutes ). in a typical panelization optimization using the method described herein , it is not uncommon to perform 50 , 000 panelization simulations , with the panel utilization results calculated and saved for later analysis . preferably , the pcb outline description is imported using computer aided design ( cad ) files and non - overhanging parts located on the pcb are filtered out prior to commencing the optimization analysis . once all simulations are completed , the solution set is complete and ready to be used to find the optimal solution , as well as perform sensitivity analysis solutions that may provide superior results . for example , the routine may inform the person performing the analysis that if the panel could be increased by a certain amount , the efficiency factor could be increased by a predetermined amount more . it would be then up to the person performing the analysis if it is worthwhile to make such an adjustment . on occasions , there may be cases where multiple solutions yield the same panel utilization results ( e . g ., have equal efficiency factors ), in these cases , while all of the optimal solutions are provided to the user in order for a choice to be made , the typically recommended optimal solution is the solution which yields the highest panel utilization while at the same time maintaining the largest array size . this is the preferred solution since it gives the pcb designer the most flexibility for adding larger support ribs on the factory array and for adapting to potential board size increases in later design revisions . a graphical drawing ( see for example item 812 in fig8 ) of the optimal solution can also be presented to the user along with the panel utilization metrics and panel and array dimensions . the dimensional specifications mentioned above and other specifications that can be selected as inputs to the panelization algorithm can be entered using a graphical user interface ( gui ) such as that shown in fig5 and 6 . in fig5 , the first input block is the board outline specification block 502 which allows a user to manually enter the board length and board width , or import a board outline file (“. emn file ”, etc . generated using design software such as proe , etc . ), in order to execute panelization simulations based on the complex polygon that defines the board outline . the next input block is the pcb panel size specification block 504 which highlights the different panel sizes the result will be selected from . the next block in the gui is the pcb factory array size specification block 506 , which lets the user select a fixed array size having a predetermined length and width , or allow the user to have the panelization software make an optimization determination using maximum and minimum information for both the array length and the array width . the user can also select if he / she wants the panelization algorithm to determine the maximum arrays that can be placed in a panel for optimal layout . in fig6 , the gui blocks continue with the clearance and spacing specifications and array border specification inputs . the panelization software allows the user to enter a particular pcb vendor he wants to use and a particular pcb technology that the user wants to be used . the vendor and technology inputs in block 602 may limit the different sizes of panels that will be analyzed in the optimization as well as dimensions that can be used . in block 602 , the user can enter information regarding the numerous specifications regarding the boards , arrays and borders . in block 604 , the user can also enter panelization orientation options such as allowing for 90 degree rotation and 180 degree rotation of boards in arrays , or not allowing for any array rotation . once all of the specifications have been entered , the user clicks on the “ run panelization utility ” button 606 to commence the panelization optimization routine . in fig7 , there is shown an overview of the inputs and outputs to the pcb panel optimization engine 702 . the inputs to the optimization engine 702 include pcb outline specifications 704 , array size boundary conditions 706 , linkage to pcb vendor manufacturing requirements 708 , manufacturer specifications for the array 710 and user selectable panelization preferences 712 . the inputs are processed by the pcb panel optimization engine which generates a report that includes the optimal array and panel configuration information 714 as well as a sensitivity analysis report 716 . referring now to fig8 , there is shown a graphical representation of an illustrative example of an area reduction that can be achieved when boards 816 - 822 are modeled by their true board outlines 812 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , as compared to the prior art approach of using a bounding rectangle to represent each board , as represented by boards 802 - 808 in array 810 . as shown , the array 810 which represents each pcb as a rectangle requires a longer array , than the array 812 which uses the panelization technique of the present invention . the savings in array length 814 , translates into a lower cost pcb since each array is smaller , and correspondingly each panel used can carry more arrays or a smaller panel can be used . a unique feature of the panelization routine is its ability to import a component file generated by a board layout software tool in order to include any components that are overhanging from the board outline into the simulation . the optimization routine can analyze all parts in the bill of materials for a particular pcb in order to include any components that are overhanging from the board outline into the simulation . simulations have shown that the panel optimization routine leads to an approximately 5 % to 10 % improvement in panel utilization which translates into a 5 - 10 % reduction in pcb cost . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , it will be clear that the invention is not so limited . numerous modifications , changes , variations , substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention as defined by the appended claims .
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reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention . as used herein , the term “ substrate ” can be used to describe either a substrate or a superstrate depending on the configuration of the photovoltaic cell . for example , the substrate is a superstrate , if when assembled into a photovoltaic cell , it is on the light incident side of a photovoltaic cell . the superstrate can provide protection for the photovoltaic materials from impact and environmental degradation while allowing transmission of the appropriate wavelengths of the solar spectrum . further , multiple photovoltaic cells can be arranged into a photovoltaic module . photovoltaic device can describe either a cell , a module , or both . as used herein , the term “ adjacent ” can be defined as being in close proximity . adjacent structures may or may not be in physical contact with each other . adjacent structures can have other layers and / or structures disposed between them . moreover , where a range of numerical values is recited herein , comprising upper and lower values , unless otherwise stated in specific circumstances , the range is intended to include the endpoints thereof , and all integers and fractions within the range . it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific values recited when defining a range . further , when an amount , concentration , or other value or parameter is given as a range , one or more preferred ranges or a list of upper preferable values and lower preferable values , this is to be understood as specifically disclosing all ranges formed from any pair of any upper range limit or preferred value and any lower range limit or preferred value , regardless of whether such pairs are separately disclosed . finally , when the term “ about ” is used in describing a value or an end - point of a range , the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or end - point referred to . as used herein , the term “ about ” means that amounts , sizes , formulations , parameters , and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact , but may be approximate and / or larger or smaller , as desired , reflecting tolerances , conversion factors , rounding off , measurement error and the like , and other factors known to those of skill in the art . in general , an amount , size , formulation , parameter or other quantity or characteristic is “ about ” or “ approximate ” whether or not expressly stated to be such . the term “ or ”, as used herein , is inclusive ; more specifically , the phrase “ a or b ” means “ a , b , or both a and b ”. exclusive “ or ” is designated herein by terms such as “ either a or b ” and “ one of a or b ”, for example . the indefinite articles “ a ” and “ an ” are employed to describe elements and components of the invention . the use of these articles means that one or at least one of these elements or components is present . although these articles are conventionally employed to signify that the modified noun is a singular noun , as used herein the articles “ a ” and “ an ” also include the plural , unless otherwise stated in specific instances . similarly , the definite article “ the ”, as used herein , also signifies that the modified noun may be singular or plural , again unless otherwise stated in specific instances . it is noted that one or more of the claims may utilize the term “ wherein ” as a transitional phrase . for the purposes of defining the present invention , it is noted that this term is introduced in the claims as an open - ended transitional phrase that is used to introduce a recitation of a series of characteristics of the structure and should be interpreted in like manner as the more commonly used open - ended preamble term “ comprising .” as used herein , a glass composition having 0 wt % of a compound is defined as meaning that the compound , molecule , or element was not purposefully added to the composition , but the composition may still comprise the compound , typically in tramp or trace amounts . similarly , “ substantially free of alkali metal ”, “ substantially free of sodium ”, “ substantially free of potassium ”, “ sodium - free ,” “ alkali - free ,” “ potassium - free ” or the like are defined to mean that the compound , molecule , or element was not purposefully added to the composition , but the composition may still comprise sodium , alkali , or potassium , but in approximately tramp or trace amounts . these tramp amounts are not intentionally included in the batch but may be present in minor amounts as impurities in the raw materials used to provide the major components of the glass . 55 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 5 to 20 percent al 2 o 3 ; 0 to 15 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 10 percent mgo ; 0 to 15 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . wherein mgo + cao + bao + sro is 13 to 20 percent , wherein the glass is substantially free of alkali metal , and wherein the glass has a liquidus viscosity of 100 , 000 poise or greater . 55 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 5 to 13 percent al 2 o 3 ; 0 to 15 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 10 percent mgo ; 0 to 15 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . 55 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 0 to 20 percent al 2 o 3 ; 6 to 12 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 10 percent mgo ; 0 to 15 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . 55 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 5 to 13 percent al 2 o 3 ; 6 to 12 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 10 percent mgo ; 0 to 15 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . 55 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 8 to 13 percent al 2 o 3 ; 6 to 12 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 7 percent mgo ; 0 to 12 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . 58 to 69 percent sio 2 ; 8 to 13 percent al 2 o 3 ; 6 to 12 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 to 7 percent mgo ; 0 to 12 percent sro ; 0 to 16 percent cao ; and 0 to 9 percent bao . 73 to 75 percent sio 2 ; 6 to 9 percent al 2 o 3 ; 0 percent b 2 o 3 ; 1 to 3 percent mgo ; 0 percent sro ; 13 to 16 percent cao ; and 1 to 3 percent bao . 60 to 67 percent sio 2 ; 8 to 12 percent al 2 o 3 ; 6 to 12 percent b 2 o 3 ; 0 . 05 to 7 percent mgo ; 0 to 12 percent sro ; 0 . 5 to 9 percent cao ; and 0 . 5 to 8 percent bao . the glass is substantially free of alkali metal , for example , the content of alkali can be 0 . 05 mole percent or less , for example , zero mole percent . the glass , according to some embodiments , is free of intentionally added alkali metal . the glass is substantially free of sodium , for example , the content of sodium can be 0 . 05 mole percent or less , for example , zero mole percent . the glass , according to some embodiments , is free of intentionally added sodium . the glass is substantially free of potassium , for example , the content of sodium can be 0 . 05 mole percent or less , for example , zero mole percent . the glass , according to some embodiments , is free of intentionally added potassium . the glass is substantially free of sodium and potassium , for example , the content of sodium can be 0 . 05 mole percent or less , for example , zero mole percent . the glass , according to some embodiments , is free of intentionally added sodium and potassium . in some embodiments , the glass comprises 55 to 75 percent sio 2 , for example , 58 to 69 percent sio 2 , or , for example , 60 to 67 percent sio 2 , or , for example , 73 to 75 percent sio 2 . as mentioned above , the glasses , according some embodiments , comprise 0 to 15 percent b 2 o 3 , for example , 6 to 12 percent . b 2 o 3 is added to the glass to reduce melting temperature , to decrease liquidus temperature , to increase liquidus viscosity , and to improve mechanical durability relative to a glass containing no b 2 o 3 . the glass , according to some embodiments , comprises mgo + cao + bao + sro in an amount from 13 to 20 mole percent . mgo can be added to the glass to reduce melting temperature and to increase strain point . it can disadvantageously lower cte relative to other alkaline earths ( e . g ., cao , sro , bao ), and so other adjustments may be made to keep the cte within the desired range . examples of suitable adjustments include increase sro at the expense of cao . the glasses can comprise , in some embodiments , 0 to 15 mole percent sro , for example , greater than zero to 15 mole percent , for example , 1 to 12 mole percent sro . in certain embodiments , the glass contains no deliberately batched sro , though it may of course be present as a contaminant in other batch materials . sro contributes to higher coefficient of thermal expansion , and the relative proportion of sro and cao can be manipulated to improve liquidus temperature , and thus liquidus viscosity . sro is not as effective as cao or mgo for improving strain point , and replacing either of these with sro tends to cause the melting temperature to increase . bao has a similar effect coefficient of thermal expansion as sro , if not a greater effect . bao tends to lower melting temperature and lower liquidus temperature the glasses , in some embodiments , comprise 0 to 16 mole percent cao , for example , greater than 0 to 15 or , for example , 0 to 12 mole percent cao , for example , 0 . 5 to 9 mole percent cao . cao contributes to higher strain point , lower density , and lower melting temperature . the glass , according to one embodiment , further comprises 0 to 0 . 5 mole percent of a fining agent . the fining agent can be sno 2 . the glass , according to one embodiment , further comprising 0 to 2 mole percent of tio 2 , mno , zno , nb 2 o 5 , ta 2 o 5 , zro 2 , la 2 o 3 , y 2 o 3 , p 2 o 5 , or a combination thereof . these optional components can be used to further tailor glass properties . in some embodiments , the glass is substantially free of sb 2 o 3 , as 2 o 3 , or combinations thereof , for example , the glass comprises 0 . 05 mole percent or less of sb 2 o 3 or as 2 o 3 or a combination thereof . for example , the glass can comprise zero mole percent of sb 2 o 3 or as 2 o 3 or a combination thereof . accordingly , in one embodiment , the glass has a strain point of 600 ° c . or greater , for example , 610 ° c . or greater , for example , 620 ° c . or greater , for example , 630 ° c . or greater , for example , 640 ° c . or greater , for example , 650 ° c . or greater . in some embodiments , the glass has a coefficient of thermal expansion of from 35 × 10 − 7 /° c . to 50 × 10 − 7 /° c ., for example , 39 × 10 − 7 /° c . to 50 × 10 − 7 /° c . in one embodiment , the glass has a coefficient of thermal expansion of from 35 × 10 − 7 /° c . to 50 × 10 − 7 /° c . and a strain point of 600 ° c . or greater . the glass can be fusion formed as known in the art of fusion forming glass . the fusion draw process uses an isopipe that has a channel for accepting molten glass raw material . the channel has weirs that are open at the top along the length of the channel on both sides of the channel . when the channel fills with molten material , the molten glass overflows the weirs . due to gravity , the molten glass flows down the outside surfaces of the isopipe . these outside surfaces extend down and inwardly so that they join at an edge below the drawing tank . the two flowing glass surfaces join at this edge to fuse and form a single flowing sheet . the fusion draw method offers the advantage that , since the two glass films flowing over the channel fuse together , neither outside surface of the resulting glass sheet comes in contact with any part of the apparatus . thus , the surface properties are not affected by such contact . glasses having a liquidus viscosity of greater than or equal to 100 kp , 100 , 000 poise , are usually fusion formable . glass having a liquidus viscosity in the range of from 10 kp to less than 100 kp are usually float formable but not fusion formable . some embodiments are alkali - free glasses with tstr & gt ; 630 ° c ., α in the range of 4 - 5 ppm /° c ., as well as liquidus viscosity ( ηliq ) in excess of 100 , 000 poise . as such , they are ideally suited for being formed into sheet by the fusion process . moreover , many of these glasses also have a 200 poise temperature ( t 200 ) that is well below 1550 ° c ., making them ideal candidates for lower - cost versions of the fusion process . in one embodiment , the glass is in the form of a sheet . the glass in the form of a sheet can be strengthened , for example , thermally tempered . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , a photovoltaic device 100 comprises the glass in the form of a sheet 10 . the photovoltaic device can comprise more than one of the glass sheets , for example , as a substrate and / or as a superstrate . in one embodiment , the photovoltaic device 100 comprises the glass sheet as a substrate or superstrate 10 or 18 , a conductive material 12 adjacent to the substrate , and an active photovoltaic medium 16 adjacent to the conductive material . in one embodiment , the device comprises two glass sheets , one as the superstrate and one as the substrate , having the compositions described herein . the functional layer can comprise copper indium gallium diselenide , amorphous silicon , crystalline silicon , one or more crystalline silicon wafers , cadmium telluride , or combinations thereof adjacent to the substrate or superstrate . in one embodiment , the active photovoltaic medium comprises a cigs layer . in one embodiment , the active photovoltaic medium comprises a cadmium telluride ( cdte ) layer . in one embodiment , the photovoltaic device comprises a functional layer comprising copper indium gallium diselenide or cadmium telluride . in one embodiment , the photovoltaic device the functional layer is copper indium gallium diselenide . in one embodiment , the functional layer is cadmium telluride . the photovoltaic device 100 , according to one embodiment , further comprises one or more intermediate layer ( s ) 14 such as a sodium containing layer , for example , a layer comprising naf or a barrier layer disposed between or adjacent to the superstrate or substrate and the functional layer . in one embodiment , the photovoltaic device further comprises a barrier layer disposed between or adjacent to the superstrate or substrate and a transparent conductive oxide ( tco ) layer , wherein the tco layer is disposed between or adjacent to the functional layer and the barrier layer . a tco may be present in a photovoltaic device comprising a cdte functional layer . in one embodiment , the barrier layer is disposed directly on the glass . in one embodiment , the device comprises multiple intermediate layers such as a sodium containing layer , for example , a layer comprising naf , and an adjacent sodium metering layer located between the superstrate and the substrate . in one embodiment , the glass sheet is optically transparent . in one embodiment , the glass sheet as the substrate and / or superstrate is optically transparent . according to some embodiments , the glass sheet has a thickness of 4 . 0 mm or less , for example , 3 . 5 mm or less , for example , 3 . 2 mm or less , for example , 3 . 0 mm or less , for example , 2 . 5 mm or less , for example , 2 . 0 mm or less , for example , 1 . 9 mm or less , for example , 1 . 8 mm or less , for example , 1 . 5 mm or less , for example , 1 . 1 mm or less , for example , 0 . 5 mm to 2 . 0 mm , for example , 0 . 5 mm to 1 . 1 mm , for example , 0 . 7 mm to 1 . 1 mm . although these are exemplary thicknesses , the glass sheet can have a thickness of any numerical value including decimal places in the range of from 0 . 1 mm up to and including 4 . 0 mm . alkali - free glasses are becoming increasingly attractive candidates for the superstrate , substrate of cdte , cigs modules , respectively . in the former case , alkali contamination of the cdte and conductive oxide layers of the film stack is avoided . moreover , process simplification arises from the elimination of the barrier layer ( needed , e . g ., in the case of conventional soda - lime glass ). in the latter case , cigs module manufacturers are better able to control the amount of na needed to optimize absorber performance by depositing a separate na - containing layer that , by virtue of its specified composition and thickness , results in more reproducible na delivery to the cigs layer . table 1 , table 2 , table 3 , table 4 , table 5 , table 6 , and table 7 show exemplary glasses , according to embodiments of the invention . properties data for some exemplary glasses are also shown in table 1 , table 2 , table 3 , table 4 , table 5 , table 6 , and table 7 . in the tables t str (° c .) is the strain point which is the temperature when the viscosity is equal to 10 14 . 7 p as measured by beam bending or fiber elongation . α ( 10 − 7 /° c .) in the tables is the coefficient of thermal expansion ( cte ) which is the amount of dimensional change from either 0 to 300 ° c . or 25 to 300 ° c . depending on the measurement . cte is typically measured by dilatometry . ρ ( g / cc ) is the density which is measured with the archimedes method ( astm c693 ). t 200 (° c .) is the two - hundred poise ( p ) temperature . this is the temperature when the viscosity of the melt is 200p as measured by htv ( high temperature viscosity ) measurement which uses concentric cylinder viscometry . t liq (° c .) is the liquidus temperature . this is the temperature where the first crystal is observed in a standard gradient boat liquidus measurement ( astm c829 - 81 ). ρ liq is the liquidus viscosity expressed in kilopoise ; thus 100 kp = 100 , 000 p . this is the viscosity of the melt corresponding to the liquidus temperature . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to 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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the embodiments of the memory device of the present invention enable the memory device to have defective columns without affecting the operation of the memory device . this is especially relevant if the memory device is a synchronous flash memory device that performs thousands of simultaneous read operations in which adjacent columns may be affected by a defective or over - erased column . preprogramming both the redundant column and the defective or over - erased primary column facilitates reducing or eliminating these effects . while the subsequent discussion of the embodiments of the present invention refers to synchronous flash memory , any type of memory device that has similar characteristics may be used . for example flash memory , non - volatile ram ( novram ), or electrically erasable programmable read only memory ( eeprom ) may be encompassed by the present invention . [ 0023 ] fig1 is a functional block diagram of one embodiment of a memory device ( 100 ) of the present invention . the memory device ( 100 ) may be coupled to a processor ( 110 ) to form part of an electronic system ( 120 ). the memory device ( 100 ) has been simplified to focus on features of the memory that are helpful in understanding the present invention . in one embodiment , the memory device is a synchronous flash memory device . the memory device includes an array of memory cells ( 130 ). the memory cells are non - volatile floating - gate memory cells and the memory array ( 130 ) is arranged in banks of rows and columns . in one embodiment , the array of memory cells is comprised of a block of memory that makes up a predetermined address range in the memory array . an address buffer circuit ( 140 ) is provided to latch address signals provided on address input connections a 0 - ax ( 142 ). address signals are received and decoded by a row decoder ( 144 ) and a column decoder ( 146 ) to access the memory array ( 130 ). it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , with the benefit of the present description , that the number of address input connections depends on the density and architecture of the memory array ( 130 ). that is , the number of addresses increases with both increased memory cell counts and increased bank and block counts . the memory device ( 100 ) reads data in the memory array ( 130 ) using sense amplifiers to sense voltage or current changes in the memory array columns using read / latch circuitry ( 150 ). the read / latch circuitry ( 150 ), in one embodiment , is coupled to read and latch a row of data from the memory array ( 130 ). data input and output buffer circuitry ( 160 ) is included for bi - directional data communication over a plurality of data ( dq ) connections ( 162 ) with the processor ( 110 ). write circuitry ( 155 ) is provided to write data to the memory array . command control circuit ( 170 ) decodes signals provided on control connections ( 172 ) from the processor ( 110 ). these signals are used to control the operations on the memory array ( 130 ), including data read , data write , and erase operations . in one embodiment , the control circuitry ( 170 ) is comprised of a state machine that executes the control functions of the memory device ( 100 ). an array of control registers ( 180 ) store the commands and the control data . some of the control registers are used for typical control functions and others are reserved for expansion and / or future use . the flash memory device illustrated in fig1 has been simplified to facilitate a basic understanding of the features of the memory as they relate to the present invention . a more detailed understanding of internal circuitry and functions of flash memories and synchronous flash memories are known to those skilled in the art . [ 0030 ] fig2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a more detailed view of the memory device of the present invention as illustrated in fig1 . in one embodiment , the memory device is a synchronous flash memory device . alternate embodiments use other types of memory . the memory device is comprised of a memory array ( 200 ), as described above , that has the primary columns . the memory array is coupled to the column decode circuitry ( 205 ) as described above . a plurality of sense amplifiers and latches ( 210 ) that are responsible for reading the state of the columns of the memory array ( 200 ) are coupled to the output of the column decode circuitry ( 205 ). the outputs of the sense amplifiers / latches ( 205 ) go to i / o circuitry and the dq outputs of the memory device . the memory device additionally has a redundant column area ( 201 ) that is coupled to the column decode circuitry ( 205 ). the redundant column area ( 201 ) provides the redundant columns for any defective primary columns when a particular column in the memory array ( 200 ) is defective . once a primary column in the memory array ( 200 ) is found to be defective , a redundant column from the redundant column area ( 201 ) is mapped to the defective primary column by the control circuitry of the memory device . this mapping function , in one embodiment , is executed by the memory device state machine and is well known in the art . [ 0033 ] fig3 illustrates a more detailed schematic diagram of the memory array and sense amplifiers of fig2 . the memory array ( 300 ) and redundant column area are comprised of a plurality of bit line and bit line * ( bl and bl *) sense lines that form the columns of the memory array ( 300 ). each bit line is coupled to a large number of memory cells ( 315 ) that form the memory array . fig3 shows only one such memory cell for purposes of illustration . a typical memory array of the present invention may be comprised of millions of these cells . for purposes of clarity , the row decode lines are also not shown but are assumed to be there to access a particular cell . when each cell is charged , that cell represents a logic zero and the bit line to which it is attached no longer conducts . conversely , when the cell is not charged it represents a logic one and the bit line to which it is attached conducts . the sense amplifier ( 310 ) senses the difference in voltage between the bit line ( bl ) and its reference bit line ( bl *). if one of the bit lines is defective or a cell on the bit line is over - erased , that will cause the voltage on that bit line to fall faster relative to the adjacent bit lines . this will show up as an extra coupling current in the adjacent columns . even after the defective or over - erased column is replaced by a redundant column from the redundant column area illustrated in fig2 the defective or over - erased column still has an effect on adjacent columns . [ 0036 ] fig4 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of an erase method of the present invention . this method , in one embodiment , is executed by the memory device &# 39 ; s controller / state machine . the memory device determines that a column is defective or has been over - erased . this column is replaced with a redundant column from the redundant column area ( 401 ). the method for determining when a column is defective is well known by those skilled in the art and is not discussed further . the memory device receives a command from a processor or other device to perform an erase operation on a block of memory ( 405 ). in response to the command , the memory device &# 39 ; s controller performs the preconditioning method ( 410 ) of fig5 as well as the erase function . [ 0039 ] fig5 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of a memory preconditioning method of the present invention . this method , in one embodiment is executed by the memory device &# 39 ; s controller / state machine . the method preprograms both the defective or over - erased column as well as the redundant column . this prevents the defective / over - erased column from becoming too over - erased such that it goes into a depletion mode . in one embodiment , the columns are preprogrammed with a logical zero . the method preprograms the defective / over - erased column ( 501 ). this step is accomplished , in one embodiment , by selecting that column and preprogramming the cells in the column . the redundant column is also preprogrammed ( 505 ). these steps are in addition to preprogramming the remainder of the non - defective columns in the memory block selected to be erased . after the initial pulse , the defective / over - erased column is checked to determine if the preprogrammed data is present ( 520 ). if the data is present , the method performs the normal erase function ( 510 ). if the data is not present , the counter that tracks the maximum number of attempts is checked ( 530 ). if the defective / over - erased column has been checked the maximum number of times , the method performs the normal erase function ( 510 ). if the maximum number of access attempts has not been performed , the counter is reduced by one ( 535 ) and the column is accessed again to determine whether the cells have been preprogrammed ( 520 ). this checking of the defective / over - erased column continues until the counter reaches zero or some other predetermined quantity . in another embodiment , the counter is incremented to a predetermined quantity . the verification of the preprogramming of the defective / over - erased column is only performed a small quantity of times . in one embodiment , the verification is performed four times . in an alternate embodiment , the verification is performed in a range of attempts that is less than ten . the present invention is not limited to any one quantity of preprogramming verification attempts . this is an improvement over the prior art preprogramming verification of non - defective columns that may require one thousand attempts . the memory block is erased ( 510 ) after the maximum attempts counter reaches zero or some other predetermined quantity . the erase operation modifies each cell &# 39 ; s contents such that a logical one is programmed into the cell . the erase operation is well known in the art and is not discussed further . the v t tightening operation is performed , as is typical in flash memory devices , in order to pull memory cells that are marginal back into the erase state . as discussed above , during this operation , the cells are pulsed and checked repeatedly . in summary , the embodiments of the present invention provide a preconditioning operation that preprograms the defective column as well as the redundant column of a memory device . if the column is found to be defective , the method only attempts to verify the preprogrammed data on the column cells a limited quantity of times , such as four , instead of the one thousand attempts that might be performed on a non - defective primary column . this reduces the time required to verify a defective column . numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .
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this invention generally provides devices that can be deployed into the annulus of the mitral valve , and be acted upon to reduce the annular circumference and / or desirably change the functional geometry of the mitral valve . a reduction in annular circumference can , for example , reduce the septal lateral dimension of the valve enough to ensure that functional leaflet coaptation returns . these devices can be delivered percutaneously , thus eliminating the need for open heart surgery . at the physician &# 39 ; s discretion , these devices can be delivered surgically , as well . the devices may also be used in other surgical procedures . an illustrative embodiment of a method of the invention involves placing two or more tissue fixation devices , referred to as anchors , on or near the posterior region of the mitral valve annulus . alternatively , the anchors can be positioned on or near both the posterior and anterior regions , or at other locations of the heart . in one method , the anchors are tensioned together to reduce the distance between them ( fig1 ). this effectively pulls the posterior annulus in closer proximity to the anterior annulus of the mitral valve , reduces the septal lateral dimension , facilitates coaptation of the valve leaflets , and reduces or eliminates the mitral regurgitation ( fig2 ). the specific anchor design is shown in fig3 ( two examples of suture pattern are illustrated ). it consists of a semi - rigid bar , ribbon of fabric and a suture . it is intended that the bar portion is anchored on one side of the tissue while the suture and fabric extend through the tissue . the sutures of two or more anchors are the means for tensioning the anchors together . a lock can be applied to the sutures in order to maintain the tension between the anchors in an alternative design ( fig4 ), the anchor could consist of two bars , located on opposing sides of a tissue structure . this configuration could serve to compress the tissue locally and increase the retention strength of the anchor . like the previous description , the respective sutures of the anchors are the means for tensioning the anchors together . the quantities and positions of these anchors can be adapted in response to anatomical and etiological variations . examples of typical configurations of these anchors are : set of two anchors , two or more sets of two anchors , set of three anchors , along the posterior annulus , along the anterior annulus , along both the posterior and anterior annuli . with respect to the components of the anchor , the bar could exist in a number of cross - sections ( e . g ., cylindrical , rectangular , i - beam , annular , etc .) and materials ( metals like platinum and its alloys , titanium , stainless steel , or polymers like polyester , polypropylene , or other materials that would provide the required functional properties and biocompatibility ). the fabric could also be a sheet , cord or other structure that would support the plication tensions of this tissue plication treatment and not damage the tissue . materials such as polyester , polypropylene and polytetrafluoroethylene can be used to fabricate this ribbon . the suture could be a monofilament or braided structure , a wire or other element that can connect and tension multiple anchors . typical suture materials are polyester , polypropylene , silk , and stainless steel . these anchors can be delivered to the mitral valve annulus through a delivery catheter with the anchor loaded inside the delivery catheter or mounted on the outside of the catheter . the mitral valve can be accessed with the catheter via trans - septal technique or retrograde approach . the catheter may be used in combination with guide wires and / or guide catheters per standard catheter technique , and guided and / or imaged with traditional visualization tools , such as echocardiography and fluoroscopy . while the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .
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one or more aspects or embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures , wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout . it should be understood that the drawing figures and following descriptions are merely illustrative and that they should not be taken in a limiting sense . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding . it will be appreciated that variations of the illustrated systems and methods apart from those illustrated and described herein may exist and that such variations are deemed as falling within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims . turning to fig1 a controllable amplifier is illustrated with an input 1 for supplying a radio - frequency signal in to be amplified , and with a control input 2 for supplying a control signal ctrl in order to preset a desired overall gain for the controllable amplifier . an output 3 is designed to provide an amplified signal out , which is formed as a function of the supplied radio - frequency signal in to be amplified and the control signal for the desired overall gain ctrl . two current paths 6 , 7 are formed between a supply potential connection 4 and a reference - ground potential connection 5 . the current paths 6 , 7 are connected in parallel between the supply potential connection 4 and a common current source 8 , with the current source 8 being connected by its free connection to the reference - ground potential connection 5 . each of the current paths 6 , 7 comprises a transistor which is connected as a source follower . the first current path 6 thus comprises a first transistor 9 , which is connected as a source follower and has a control input and a controlled junction . the control input of the first transistor 9 is connected to the input 1 . one connection of the controlled junction of the first transistor 9 is connected to the supply potential connection 4 , while the other connection of the controlled junction is connected to the current source 8 and to the output 3 . the second current path comprises the second transistor 10 , which is connected as a source follower and likewise has a control input and a controlled junction . the control input of the second transistor 10 is likewise connected to the input 1 . one connection of the controlled junction of the second transistor 10 is connected to the current source 8 , to the output 3 and to a connection of the controlled junction of the first transistor 9 . a free connection of the controlled junction of the second transistor 10 in the second current path 7 is connected to the supply potential connection 4 via a switch 11 . a control connection of the switch 11 is coupled to the control input 2 of the controllable amplifier . the circuit shown in fig1 uses unipolar circuitry . by way of example , the switch 11 may likewise be in the form of a field - effect transistor . normally - off mos field - effect transistors of the p - channel type can be used for the transistors 9 , 10 which are connected as source followers , although other transistors can also be provided . the connection of the second current path 7 changes the effective channel - width to channel - length ratio . reducing the channel width reduces the gradient of the overall amplifier , while the gradient is increased by enlarging the channel width . in the circuit shown in fig1 , the power consumption is reduced as the attenuation increases . attenuation can be achieved by deliberately reducing the output impedance of the source follower in conjunction with the input impedance of the stage following it . switching of the active source - follower stages by means of the switch 11 can be carried out by digital driving in the pga mode , or alternatively by analog driving in the vga mode , for example , with the switch 11 being in the form of a controllable resistor . a switch , which is closed , can likewise be provided in the first current path 6 between the supply potential connection 4 and the controlled junction of the first transistor 9 in order to improve the balance characteristics of the circuit . fig2 illustrates an alternative to the controllable amplifier depicted in fig1 . in fig2 switch 11 is replaced by transistor 10 connected directly to the supply potential connection 4 . a controlled current source 12 is provided in fig2 , which connects the output 3 and thus the base point of the two transistors 9 , 10 to the reference - ground potential connection 5 . this additional , second current source 12 is thus connected in parallel with the first current source 8 . the second current source 12 is designed to be controllable and has a control input which is connected to the control input of the controllable amplifier 2 in order to supply the analog control signal ctrl . the channel - width to channel - length ratio is not varied in fig2 by disconnection of parallel - connected source followers , but instead the gradient of the overall amplifier is varied by means of so - called off - gating by means of the second current source 12 . the attenuation is achieved in a controllable manner as a function of the control signal ctrl by deliberately reducing the output impedance of the source follower in conjunction with the input impedance of a downstream stage at the output 3 . the switching of the current of the current source 12 or the analog proportional control of the current which is provided by the current source 12 can be carried out either by digital driving in the pga mode or by analog driving in the vga mode . it will be appreicaited that power consumption is reduced as attenuation increases in fig2 . it will be apprediated that the circuits illustrated in fig1 and 2 may also be designed with more than two stages . for example , in the case of the arrangement shown in fig1 , further current paths can be provided with further switches , and in the case of the arrangement shown in fig2 , further controlled current sources can be provided . the circuits shown in fig1 and 2 are also combinable in a single controllable amplifier . fig3 illustates a circuit similar to that illusrated in fig1 , but is balanced to carry differential signals . to this end , the inputs 1 , 1 ′ in the same way as the outputs 3 , 3 ′ are designed to have two connections to carry differential signals . the first transistor 9 together with a further first transistor 13 forms a first differential amplifier with a common connection node in the supply potential connection 4 . the control input of the first transistor 9 is connected to a first connection 1 of the input , and the controlled input of the further first transistor 13 is connected to a second connection 1 ′ of the input of the controllable amplifier . the controlled junction of the further first transistor 13 is connected between the supply potential connection 4 and a connection 3 ′ of the balanced output 3 , 3 ′. this connection 3 ′ is connected via a further current source 14 to the reference - ground potential connection 5 . in the same way , the second transistor 10 , which is connected as a source follower , has a further associated second transistor 15 , which is likewise connected in the same way as the further first transistor 13 as a source follower . the further second transistor 15 together with the second transistor 10 forms a switchable differential amplifier . for this purpose , the control input of the further second transistor 15 is connected to the control input of the further first transistor 13 . the controlled junction of the further second transistor 15 connects the further connection 3 ′ of the output 3 , 3 ′ to the supply potential connection 4 via a further switch 16 . the controlled junction of the further second transistor 15 and the further switch 16 accordingly form a series circuit . the control input of the further switch 16 is connected to the control input of the switch 11 , so that switches 11 and 16 are operated concurrently . turning to fig4 another exemplary circuit is illustrated according to one or more aspects and / or embodiments of the present invention . the circuit in fig4 is similar to that depicted in fig2 in that it makes use of controlled current sources , but is balanced as in fig3 . in fig4 , all of the transistors 9 , 10 , 13 , 15 which are connected as source followers are connected by one connection directly to the supply potential connection 4 . accordingly , the two switches 11 , 16 are not needed , and they are replaced by fixed connections . in order to switch the overall gain and / or to control the gain level , two second current sources 12 , 16 are provided in addition to the two first current sources 8 , 14 included in fig3 . the two second current sources 12 , 16 are designed to be controllable . one of the two second current sources 12 is connected in parallel with the current source 8 . the further second current source 16 is connected in parallel with the further first current source 14 . the two second current sources 12 , 16 each have one control input , which is connected to the control input 2 of the controllable amplifier . the current sources 12 , 16 are either designed such that they can be connected and disconnected or have means for production of a current which is proportional to a control signal . either a pga function or a vga function , or a combination of them is thus achieved . with regard to the method of operation of the circuit shown in fig4 , in terms of the controlled current sources , reference should be made to the functional description relating to fig2 , in order to avoid repetitions . fig5 illustrates an exemplary controllable amplifier , which operates via differential cancellation , specifically by connection of source followers which are connected in antiphase . the circuit in fig5 is similar to that illustrated in fig3 , however , the differential amplifiers with the transistors 9 , 13 and 10 , 15 , respectively , are not connected in parallel . instead , the differential amplifiers 9 , 13 ; 10 , 15 are cross - coupled in the output 3 , 3 ′, so that their outputs operate in antiphase to one another . one connection of the controlled junction of the first transistor 9 is not connected to one connection of the controlled junction of the transistor 10 but to a connection of the controlled junction of the transistor 15 . similarly , one connection of the controlled junction of the second transistor 13 is not connected to one connection of the further second transistor 15 but to a connection of the controlled junction of the further first transistor 10 . in the circuit in fig5 , the gradient is not varied in order to control the overall gain , as in the case of the circuits shown in fig1 to 4 , but partial differential cancellation of the output currents is carried out , as a function of the control signal ctrl , by antiphase operation of the source followers . the differential signals in the output 3 , 3 ′ are combined in a controlled form such that they are partially cancelled out . the switching of the antiphase source - follower stages via the switches 11 , 16 can be carried out either in a digital form to provide a pga function , or in an analog form to provide a vga function . in comparison to the circuits illustrated in fig1 to 4 , in the example illustrated in fig5 the maximum achievable attenuation does not depend on the input impedance of a downstream stage connected to the output 3 , 3 ′. rather , the maximum achievable attenuation depends on the scaling ratio between the in - phase and antiphase source - follower stage . it will be appreciated that if there are more than two stages , a control device may be connected between the control input 2 and the control connections of the switches or controlled resistors 11 , 16 , or of the controlled current sources 12 , 16 , to convert the control signal to a suitable drive for the current sources or switches . although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a certain aspect or various aspects , it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings . in particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components ( e . g ., assemblies , devices , circuits , etc . ), the terms ( including a reference to a “ means ”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond , unless otherwise indicated , to any component which performs the specified function of the described component ( i . e ., that is functionally equivalent ), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention . in addition , while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several aspects of the invention , such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other aspects as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application . furthermore , to the extent that the term “ includes ” is used in either the detailed description or the claims , such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “ comprising .” also , “ exemplary ” is merely intended to mean an example , rather than “ the best ”.
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while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein by described in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the intention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring now to fig2 there is shown a general augmented glenoid component 10 in accordance with the present principles located between a glenoid surface 12 of a left scapula 14 and a humeral component 16 . the augmented glenoid component 10 is representative of ail embodiments of augmented glenoid components described herein . the humeral component 16 has been implanted or otherwise secured to a humerus 18 . as shall be discussed below in greater detail , the glenoid component 10 is configured to be secured to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 with or without the use of bone cement in order to replace the natural glenoid surface 12 during a total shoulder replacement procedure . in such a manner , the augmented glenoid component 10 functions as a “ replacement ” bearing surface 44 for receiving a head portion ( a prosthetic head portion ) of the humerus 18 ( as shown , a prosthetic head portion 20 attached to a stem 17 of the prosthetic humeral component 16 implanted in the humerus 18 ). a surface 46 of the augmented glenoid component contacts the glenoid surface 12 . in fig2 the glenoid surface 12 has been prepared to receive the augmented glenoid component 10 . particularly , a notch 13 has been removed from the glenoid surface 12 to correspond in configuration to the augmented glenoid component 10 . additionally , a plurality of bores 15 have been prepared in the glenoid surface 12 . the bores 15 are configured to receive anchors or anchoring of the augmented glenoid component 10 as discussed below . referring to fig3 - 7 , there is shown an embodiment of the general glenoid component 10 shown in fig2 . the augmented glenoid component 10 includes a body 22 having a concave surface 26 on one end thereof . the concave surface 26 of the body 22 provides a smooth bearing surface for the head portion 20 of the humeral component 16 implanted into the humerus 18 . as such , the concave surface 26 is configured with the same or greater curvature ( with respect to the concavity thereof ) as the curvature ( with respect to the convexity thereof ) of the head portion 20 . the body 22 includes an interruption in the form of a buttress , step , ledge or the like 24 on or from a body or medial surface 32 that defines a top surface 28 and a side surface 30 . the top surface 28 is preferably substantially flat , but may be rounded or convex . the side surface 30 extends from the medial surface 32 to the top surface 28 . the medial surface 32 is preferably rounded or convex as best seen in fig5 but may be flat . the side surface 30 is shown substantially perpendicular to the top surface 28 and the medial surface 32 . the side surface 30 , however , may be angled relative to both surfaces 28 and 32 within an angle of 45 ° to 135 °, inclusive . the augmented glenoid component 10 also includes an anchor peg 34 . the anchor peg 34 extends essentially perpendicular to the body surface 32 . the anchor peg 34 includes a rounded head 36 that provides easier insertion into a hole or bore that has been drilled or otherwise formed in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . while not necessary , the glenoid component 10 is shown to include a plurality of stabilizing posts or pegs 38 . two pegs 38 are shown extending substantially perpendicular to the medial surface 32 , while two pegs 38 are shown extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface 28 . the length of the pegs 38 is preferably less than the length of the anchor peg 34 . as well , the length of the pegs 38 , regardless of position , are preferably essentially the same length relative to the replacement bearing surface 46 , or of the ending length . the stabilizing pegs 38 are received into a number of respective stabilizing holes 15 ( see fig2 ) that are drilled or otherwise formed or prepared in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . although it is contemplated that the anchor peg 34 and / or any one or all of the stabilizing pegs 38 may be embodied as separate components that are secured to the body 22 , the anchor peg 34 and any stabilizing pegs are preferably integrally formed with one another and the body 22 . in one exemplary embodiment , the body 22 , the anchor peg 34 , and the stabilizing pegs 38 are integrally molded using a polymeric material such as polyethylene or ultra - high molecular weight polypropylene ( uhmwpe ). as well , the augmented glenoid component 10 may be formed of a plastic , a ceramic , or a composite material . examples of these materials include a polyethylene , alumina , zirconia , and alumina / zirconia composite or composite material . the buttress 24 extends a height or length relative to the body surface 32 that is preferably less than the length of the anchor peg 34 . it should be appreciated that the length or height of the buttress may be longer or shorter depending on design choices as well as outer configuration and / or size . the anchor peg 34 is herein shown in the figures to include two rings 40 . however , it should be appreciated that the anchor peg 34 may be embodied to include any number of rings or no rings at all . for example , the anchor peg 34 may be embodied to include only a single ( i . e . one ) ring 40 . in addition , although each of the rings 40 is herein shown in the figures to possess the same sized outer diameter , it should be appreciated that other ring or ring - like configurations such as fins ( see fig1 ) are also contemplated for use with the augmented glenoid component 10 . for example , the rings 40 may be provided in a tapered configuration in which the respective outer diameters of the rings 40 gradually increases from the distal end of the anchor peg 34 to the proximal end portion of the anchor peg 34 ( i . e . the ring positioned on the distal end of the anchor peg 34 has a smaller diameter relative to the ring positioned on the proximal end of the anchor peg 34 ). in such a configuration , an anchor hole drilled in the scapula 14 would be drilled in a similarly tapered manner so as to provide a corresponding sidewall configuration for engagement by the rings 40 . although it is contemplated that the rings 40 may be embodied as separate components that are secured to the anchor peg 34 , the rings 40 are preferably integrally formed with the anchor peg 34 . consistent with that described above , in one exemplary embodiment , the rings 40 are integrally molded with the anchor peg 34 ( and hence also integrally molded with the body 22 and the stabilizing pegs 38 of the glenoid component 10 a ). the rings 40 may be configured to slightly deform in a cementless application ( or in oversize holes for cementless applications ) when the anchor peg 34 is inserted into an anchor hole . this is caused when the rings 40 are advanced into the anchor hole since it is preferably drilled so as to have a diameter which is slightly larger than the diameter of a shaft portion 35 of the anchor peg 34 , yet smaller than the outer diameter of the rings 40 thereby causing deformation of the rings 40 upon contact with the sidewalls of an anchor hole as the rings 40 are “ forced ” into the anchor hole . such deformation of the rings 40 allows the rings 40 to secure the glenoid component 10 a to the scapula 14 by providing resistance to removal or “ pull out ” of the anchor peg 34 from the anchor hole much in the same way that the threads of a screw provide resistance to pull out of the screw from the material into which it is driven . in addition , over a period of time subsequent to securement of the augmented glenoid component 10 to the scapula 14 , bone tissue or other types of tissue will grow into the spaces between the rings 40 thereby providing further resistance to pull out of the anchor peg 34 from the anchor hole . such a configuration of the rings 40 and / or the buttress 24 as described above eliminates the need for the use of bone cement to secure the augmented glenoid component 10 to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 thereby reducing the complexity of a typical total shoulder replacement procedure along with eliminating any potential shortcomings associated with the use of bone cement . in particular , the above - described configuration of the buttress 24 provides a glenoid component 10 that “ locks ” into place upon insertion into the glenoid component 10 in the scapula 14 . it is contemplated , however , that bone cement may be used if desired . the stabilizing pegs 38 are not necessary but are preferably provided to help prevent rotation or other types of movement of the body 22 of the augmented glenoid component 10 in addition to the buttress 24 relative to the scapula 14 once the glenoid component 10 has been secured to the glenoid surface 12 . the distal end of each of the stabilizing pegs 38 has a conical tip 39 . the conical tip 39 functions as a “ lead in ” to facilitate insertion of the stabilizing pegs 38 into respective stabilizing holes drilled in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . the stabilizing pegs 38 may be arranged in any orientation on the body 22 that fits the needs of an embodiment herein of an augmented glenoid component . in addition , it should be appreciated that any number of stabilizing pegs 38 may be utilized to fit the needs of a given augmented glenoid component . in particular , although the augmented glenoid component 10 is described herein as having four stabilizing pegs , and has significant advantages thereby in the present invention , it should be appreciated that the augmented glenoid component 10 may be alternatively embodied to include none or any number of stabilizing pegs 38 . referring now to fig8 - 11 there is shown another embodiment of an augmented glenoid component that is generally designated 10 a . the augmented glenoid component 10 a includes a body 50 having a concave surface 52 on one end thereof . the concave surface 52 of the body 50 provides a smooth bearing surface for the head portion 20 of the humeral component 16 implanted into the humerus 18 . as such , the concave surface 52 is configured with the same or greater curvature ( with respect to the concavity thereof ) as the curvature ( with respect to the convexity thereof ) of the head portion 20 . the body 50 includes an interruption in the form of a buttress , step , ledge or the like 54 on or from a medial or body surface 60 that defines a top surface 56 and a side surface 58 . the top surface 56 is preferably substantially flat , but may be rounded or convex . the side surface 58 extends from the medial surface 60 to the top surface 56 . the medial surface 60 is preferably rounded or convex as best seen in fig8 but may be flat . the side surface 58 is shown substantially perpendicular to the top surface 56 and the medial surface 60 . the side surface 58 , however , may be angled relative to both surfaces 56 and 60 within an angle of 45 ° to 135 °, inclusive . the augmented glenoid component 10 a also includes a keel 62 . the keel 62 extends essentially perpendicular to the body surface 60 . the keel 62 includes a tapered end 64 that provides easier insertion into a like - configured hole that has been drilled or otherwise formed or prepared in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . although it is contemplated that the keel 62 may be embodied as a separate component that is secured to the body 50 , the keel 62 is preferably integrally formed with the body 50 . in one exemplary embodiment , the body 50 and the keel 62 are integrally molded using a polymeric material such a polyethylene or an ultra - high molecular weight polypropylene ( uhmwpe ). as well , the glenoid component 10 a may be formed of a plastic , a ceramic , or a composite material . examples of these materials include a polyethylene , alumina , zirconia , and alumina / zirconia composite or composite material . the buttress 54 extends a height or length relative to the medial surface 60 that is preferably less than the keel 62 . it should be appreciated that the length or height of the buttress 54 may be longer or shorter depending on design choices . it should also be appreciated that the augmented glenoid component 10 a does not show any stabilizing pegs . however , the augmented glenoid component 10 a may include stabilizing pegs that may extend from the top surface 56 of the buttress 54 . referring to fig1 - 16 , there is depicted another embodiment of an augmented glenoid component , generally designated 10 b . the augmented glenoid component 10 b includes generally the same features and / or components as the augmented glenoid component 10 of fig3 - 7 . in this embodiment , however , the anchor peg 34 extends from both the buttress 24 and the medial surface 32 . stated in another way , the anchor peg 34 straddles the buttress 24 and the medial surface 32 . additionally , the augmented glenoid component 10 b has three ( 3 ) pegs 38 . one of the pegs 38 extends from the medial surface 32 . another one of the pegs 38 extends from the buttress . another one of the pegs 38 straddles the buttress 24 and the medial surface 32 . fig1 depicts yet another embodiment of an augmented glenoid component , generally designated 10 c . the augmented glenoid component 10 c is essentially the same as the augmented glenoid component 10 b of fig1 - 16 , with the exception of the anchor peg 34 . the anchor peg 34 of the augmented glenoid component 10 c includes a plurality of radial fins or the like 66 . the fins 66 are deformable . this allows the anchor peg 34 to fit into an anchor bore in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 , but aid in preventing the easy removal thereof . referring to fig1 - 20 , there is depicted another embodiment of an augmented glenoid component , generally designated 10 d . the augmented glenoid component 10 d is generally the same as the augmented glenoid component 10 a of fig8 - 11 . in this embodiment , however , the keel 62 straddles the buttress 54 and the medial surface 60 . the keel 62 is thus essentially centered on the medial surface 60 of the body 52 . referring now to fig2 - 25 , there is depicted another embodiment of an augmented glenoid component generally designated 10 c . the augmented glenoid component 10 c is formed of two pieces or components , namely a backing member 70 and a backing member insert 72 . the backing member 70 is adapted to be affixed or mounted to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 , while the backing member insert 72 is adapted to be attached to the backing member 70 . the backing member 72 is preferably formed of a plastic , a ceramic , or a composite . examples of these materials may be a polyethylene , alumina , zirconia , and alumina / zirconia composite or composite material . the backing member 70 is preferably formed of a metal , a ceramic , a composite , or a biological material . examples of a biological material of the backing member 70 are bone , bone graft , or bone substitute material . examples of a metal of the backing member 70 are titanium alloy , cobalt alloy , cobalt chromium , or stainless steel alloy . an example of ceramic of the backing member 70 includes alumina , zirconia or an alumina / zirconia composite ceramic . an example of the composite of the backing member 70 includes a carbon fiber / peek composite . the backing member insert 70 includes a body 74 having a concave surface 76 on one end thereof . the concave surface 76 of the body 70 provides a smooth bearing surface for the head portion 20 of the humeral component 16 implanted into the humerus 18 . as such , the concave surface 76 is configured with the same or greater curvature ( with respect to the concavity thereof ) as the curvature ( with respect to the convexity thereof ) of the head portion 20 . the backing member insert 72 also includes a peripheral slot 78 that is adapted to allow the backing member insert 72 to be received and held by the backing member 70 in a manner as described below . the backing member 70 has a body 80 having an interruption formed as a buttress , step , ledge or the like 86 that defines a top surface 90 and a side surface 88 . the top surface 90 is preferably substantially flat , but may be rounded or convex . the side surface 88 extends from a body surface 92 to the top surface 90 . the body surface 92 is preferably rounded or convex as best seen in fig2 . the side surface 88 is shown substantially perpendicular to the top surface 90 and the body surface 92 . the side surface 88 , however , may be angled relative to both surfaces 90 and 92 within an angle of 45 ° to 135 °, inclusive . as best seen in fig2 , the backing member 70 includes a horseshoe - shaped rim 84 that defines a horseshoe - shaped slot 82 . the rim 84 and slot 82 cooperate / are adapted to slidingly receive the backing member insert 72 . in particular , a portion 75 of the backing member insert 72 is received in the slot 82 while the rim 84 engages the slot 78 of the backing member 72 . it should be appreciated that the backing member 70 is first affixed to the scapula 14 before the backing member insert 72 is attached thereto . as explained in greater detail below , the backing member 70 is affixed to the scapula 14 via fasteners . of course , other types of connectors may be used for the backing member 70 and the backing member insert 72 . the backing member 70 also includes a plurality of bores 94 each of which is adapted to allow a screw , nail , or other fastener to extend therethrough . in this manner , the backing member 70 is secured to the glenoid area 12 of the scapula 14 . the backing member 70 is shown with three bores 94 through the buttress 86 , and three bores 94 through the body surface 92 . it should be appreciated that the backing member 70 may contain more or less bores , in various places . preferably , the middle two bores are substantially perpendicular to the buttress top surface 90 , while the outer bores are angled outwardly . such configuration provides a secure attachment of the backing member 70 to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . referring to fig2 , there is shown another embodiment of a backing member , generally designated 120 , in like kind to the backing member 70 of fig2 - 25 . the backing member 120 includes a body 122 having a horseshoe - shaped slot 124 surrounded by a horseshoe - shaped rim 126 . the slot 124 and rim 126 are configured to receive a backing member insert ( not shown ) in like kind to the backing member insert 72 of fig2 . in accordance with an aspect of the present invention , the backing member 120 has a buttress 128 that covers approximately one - half of the body 122 or of a medial surface 132 . the buttress 128 defines a side surface 129 that is preferably essentially perpendicular to a preferably , but not necessarily , convex or rounded medial surface 132 . the side surface 129 , however , may be within an angle of 45 ° to 135 °, inclusive ( i . e . the side surface defines an angle θ , wherein 45 °≦ θ ≦ 135 °, with respect to the medial surface 132 ). the buttress 128 also includes a plurality of bores 130 . the bores 130 are configured to allow fasteners to extend therethrough and capture the ends thereof in order to affix the body 122 onto the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . the backing member 120 further includes a keel 134 in like kind to the keel 62 of fig8 - 11 and fig1 - 21 . the keel 134 extends substantially perpendicular from the medial surface 132 and the buttress 128 in a straddling manner . fig2 provides another alternative embodiment of the backing member 120 . in particular , the backing member 120 a of fig2 includes many of the same features as the backing member 120 with the exception of the keel 134 . rather than a keel , the backing member 120 a includes an anchor peg or post 136 in like kind to the post 34 of fig3 - 7 . the anchor peg 136 is preferably configured in the same manner as the anchor peg 34 and extends substantially perpendicular to the medial surface 132 a and the buttress 128 a in a straddling manner . in addition , the backing member 120 a includes a pair of stabilizing posts or pegs 138 in like kind to the stabilizing posts 38 of fig3 - 7 . in the present case , however , one stabilizing post 38 extends outwardly from the medial surface 132 a , while another stabilizing post 38 straddles the buttress 128 a and the medial surface 132 a . the backing member 120 a further includes a bore 130 a extending through the buttress 128 a . the augmented glenoid component 10 of the present invention is utilized in the performance of a total shoulder replacement procedure in order to provide an artificial bearing surface for the head portion of the humerus with or without the use of bone cement . referring to fig2 , there is depicted a left scapula 14 in which an augmented glenoid component 10 will be affixed . in particular , an anchor hole 152 and stabilizing holes are drilled or otherwise formed in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 by use of a suitable drilling tool ( as represented by the drill bit 150 ). for those augmented glenoid components having a keel or other type or style of main anchor or stabilizer , a complementary recess is formed in the glenoid surface 12 . it should be appreciated that a drill guide or pattern ( not shown ) may be utilized to properly position and align the holes on the glenoid surface of the scapula 14 . further , the anchor hole 152 is drilled to accommodate the anchor peg of the glenoid component , or a keel ( in which case the “ hole ” is shaped to accept the configuration of the keel ). alternatively , various holes may be formed in the scapula 14 to accommodate fasteners rather than pegs , when utilizing a two - part glenoid component having a backing member . in addition to any holes to accommodate pegs and / or a keel , a notch 154 is formed to accommodate the buttress of the glenoid component . this may be accomplished utilizing an appropriate saw , reamer , router or the like . typically , the notch 154 is formed at a posterior location of the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . once any holes and the notch 154 have been formed in the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 , the glenoid component 10 is secured to the scapula 14 . in particular , the glenoid component 10 is oriented such that the buttress is received in the notch 154 and any anchor peg , keel , and / or stabilizing pegs are received in the respective holes ( or in the case of fasteners , that the holes in the backing member are oriented over the holes in the scapula ). thereafter , the glenoid component 10 is advanced toward the glenoid surface 12 . hence , insertion of the buttress into the notch 154 retains the body of the glenoid component 10 into contact with the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . moreover , insertion of the anchor peg , keel and / or stabilizing pegs into corresponding holes in the manner described above prevents rotation or other types of movement of the body of the glenoid component 10 relative to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . once the glenoid component 10 has been secured to the glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 in the manner described , the concave surface 26 of the body 22 of the glenoid component 10 provides a bearing surface for receiving the head portion 20 of the humeral component 16 implanted in the humerus 18 . in such a manner , the concave surface 26 of the body portion 22 functions as a suitable artificial replacement for the natural glenoid surface 12 of the scapula 14 . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . there are a plurality of advantages of the present invention arising from the various features of the glenoid component described herein . it will be noted that alternative embodiments of the glenoid component of the present invention may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features . those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of a glenoid component that incorporate one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the sprit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . for example , the embodiment of one bearing component in accordance with the concepts of the present invention has herein been described in regard to the glenoid component 10 . however , it should be appreciated that the concepts of the present invention may also be incorporated into an acetabular , patellar , femoral , humeral , tibial , ulnar , radial , wrist , and / or ankle component for a prosthetic joint assembly .
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before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways . as shown in fig1 - 8 , the floor finish applicator generally 10 includes a cart 12 with a u - shaped tubular handle member 14 joined to a molded plastic base portion 16 with wheels 18 rotatably mounted thereon . a box 21 with a bag 23 containing floor finish is supported in housing 16 which provides a carrier member for the box 21 . a kickstand 22 supports base portion 16 of cart 12 . a spring 60 pivotally biases kickstand 22 toward the housing 16 . connected to the housing 16 is a frame member 20 with clamps 34 and 35 . a mop 28 having a handle 30 and a mop head 32 is removably attached to the frame member 20 by the clamps 34 and 35 . in a preferred manner , mop head 32 has a pad comprised of materials of different sizes for purpose of spreading and leveling the floor finish . it can be made of foam , flocked foam , woven or non - woven cloth . referring to fig3 , 6 & amp ; 7 a transmission assembly for transmitting power from the wheels to the pump 64 is shown . the transmission assembly includes a spring loaded clutch 38 for selectively controlling actuation of the pump 64 . the clutch includes a thrust washer 40 slideably received on drive shaft 42 . a spring 44 biases washer 40 against pivotal bar 48 . cable 66 is attached to pivotal bar 48 . a bevel gear 50 is connected to drive shaft 42 . the opposing end of drive shaft 42 is slideably received in drive shaft 52 which connects to pump 64 . a drive gear 54 is mounted on axle 56 . as seen in fig2 and 5 , cable 66 is also attached to bail 69 by the connecting peg 71 and is slideably secured in bracket 67 dispensed on handle 14 . bail 69 is pivotally attached to handle 14 . there is also a bail stop 73 connected to handle 14 . the pump 64 can include a variety of different pumps , such as piston pump , gear pump , diaphragm pump , peristaltic pump , and the like . while each pump can be utilized to deliver floor finish and can be operable via the transmission assembly described above , the peristaltic pump embodiment is a highly preferred embodiment . as explained in greater detail below , the peristaltic pump is preferred because it is substantially easier to clean since the floor finish does not contact the pump . referring to fig8 , the peristaltic pump is housed in compartment 75 . a floor finish feed conduit 25 is in fluid communication with the bag 23 by means of the connector 79 . feed conduit 25 is also in fluid communications with pump conduit 81 and is output conduit 83 . sleeves 85 provide connection between conduits 25 , 83 and pump conduit 81 . a spray conduit 87 with orifices 89 is attached to housing 16 by the brackets 90 . a further understanding of the floor finish applicator 10 can be had by a description of its operation as seen in fig1 - 8 . the bag 23 containing floor finish in placed in box 21 and the box loaded into the housing 16 of cart 12 as illustrated in fig1 . bag 23 is connected to flexible feed tube 25 as indicated in fig8 . mop 28 is clamped to the applicator 10 by means of clamps 28 and 29 , as shown in fig2 . when it is desired to dispense floor finish from bag 23 onto the floor surface 27 , the applicator 10 is moved in a direction indicated by the directional arrow 19 shown in fig2 . bail 69 is then moved in the direction shown by the directional arrow 17 , this causes pivotal bar 48 to move from the position shown in fig4 to that shown in fig6 whereby drive shaft 42 is moved by thrust washer 40 to move bevel gear 50 in engagement with drive gear 54 which is rotated by the rotation of axle 56 by wheels 18 . rotation of drive shaft 42 rotates drive shaft 52 through the pin 58 and slot 57 arrangement shown in fig7 . this affords linear movement of shaft 42 in shaft 52 while maintaining connection of the two shafts . rotation of shaft 52 effects a pumping action in pump 64 . as best seen in fig8 , floor finish flows through flexible feed conduit 25 into peristaltic pump 64 . it is pumped into output flexible conduit 83 and into spray conduit 87 where it is dispensed through orifices 89 . activation of the peristaltic pump 64 during movement of the cart 12 can be prevented by the roller clutch 94 in conjunction with wheels 18 . this is shown in fig5 . a roller bearing 92 is mounted on shaft 56 as is roller clutch 94 . a spacer 93 separates bearing 92 and housing 16 . in the event bail 69 is not moved to a position to place pivot bar 48 in the position shown in fig4 with the non - engagement of gears 50 and 54 , roller clutch prevents activation of pump 64 during movement of the cart 12 . an advantageous feature of some embodiments of the applicator is the disposable connector 79 and the disposable flexible conduits 25 , 81 , 83 and spray conduit 87 . when the application of the floor finish in complete , these components can be readily removed and replaced without any cleaning of the peristaltic pump 64 . in other words , through the use of a peristaltic pump , the floor finish never contacts the pump . as such , time consuming clean - up is not necessary . rather , the conduit is simply removed from the pump and replaced prior to next operation . another advantage of some embodiments the application 10 is the dual use of mop 28 . it acts as a spreader for the floor finish when attached to the cart 12 , yet allows use separately as a hand operated mop in order to apply floor finish to areas of floors not readily accessible when attached to the applicator . a roller clutch 94 has been described in conjunction with applicator 10 . if desired this could be eliminated as deactivation of the pump 64 can be effected during a forward motion of the applicator by placing bail 69 in the upward position shown in solid lines in fig2 . neither is it essential to have the mop 28 disengageable from the applicator 10 . all such and other modifications within the spirit of the invention are meant to be within the scope as defined by the appended claims . thus , the invention provides , among other things , a floor finish applicator . various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims .
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referring to fig1 ( prior art ), one of the problems associated with higher volumetric expansions of swellable materials is that the material itself when configured for use as an element such as an annular seal 10 for example ( hereinafter referred to as “ seal ” for simplicity ), is bonded or otherwise mounted to a mandrel 12 , generally in a way that reduces access of swelling fluid to the swellable material . in other words , the surfaces of an exemplary annular seal that are contactable by swelling fluid are an outside dimension surface 14 of the seal and end surfaces 16 and 18 at the axial ends of the seal . an inside dimension surface 20 of the seal is relatively protected from contact with swelling fluid applied to the annular seal 10 . this is due to whatever means has been used to mount the annular seal to the mandrel . resultantly , the exposed surfaces of the swellable material 14 , 16 , 18 must expand more significantly to achieve contact with an opposing structure ( not shown ) than they would have to have done if a greater proportion of the swellable material were “ wettable ” by the swelling fluid . more specifically , swelling would occur to a greater extent and more evenly if a greater percentage of the original volume of the material could be affected by the swelling fluid . greater distribution of the swelling fluid throughout the volume of the swellable material increases the potential contact pressure generatable by the swellable material , and reduces sponginess of the swelled swellable material . such sponginess can often be experienced when a greater expansion of some parts of the swellable material than others makes up for the lack of swelling in those other parts of the swellable material . a swellable material as contemplated herein may be an elastomeric material such as rubber , copolymers , plastics , thermoplastics , etc . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention and referring to fig2 , the wettable surface area of the swellable material is increased by creating at least one cut 140 in the material of element 110 . the at least one cut may be in any direction including orthogonally annular as shown and may be of any depth within the material with commensurate benefit with respect to increased wettability of the swellable material . the at least one cut creates additional surface area of the element exposed to surrounding environment including the swelling fluid applicable to the specific type of swellable material being used . the greater the depth and length of the cut the greater surface area of the swellable material ; the greater the surface area contactable by the swelling fluid , the greater the increase in wettability . in short , any configuration of the element that increases the surface area thereof while at the same time avoiding a reduction in the volume of the element will result in improved performance . configurations include , in addition to those noted above , axially spirally cutting the element along cut line 142 such that the element 110 is wrapped around the mandrel 112 similar to the configuration of a roll of tape ( fig3 ), axially helically cutting the element along cut line 144 ( fig4 ), axially parallel cut ( s ) along lines 146 ( fig5 ), zig - zag cuts along line 148 ( fig6 ), etc . furthermore , short cuts may be made in the element in the same direction or in different directions a plurality of which may together make up a geometrical form such as any of the foregoing forms or otherwise , if desired . in an alternate embodiment , and referring to fig7 , the swellable material is configured as a plurality of annular discs 260 that are then stacked axially adjacent one another on a mandrel 212 such that a swelling fluid is provided relatively easy access to a greater surface area of the swellable material . while the individual annular discs are in one embodiment each affixed , for example , glued , bonded , or similar at their respective inside dimensions 220 to the mandrel 212 thereby inhibiting swelling fluid access to that inside dimension , in another embodiment only the end positioned annular discs 262 are bonded or otherwise affixed to the mandrel while others of the discs remain unfixed . in this embodiment , the annular discs that are not themselves bonded or otherwise affixed to the mandrel are receptive to swelling fluid at their respective inside dimensions . this , of course , will further enhance the swellability of the element . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described , modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation .
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fig1 shows a block diagram of a camera . the lens ( 101 ) gathers light from a scene ( not shown ). the gathered light is redirected ( 102 ) to form an image of the scene on a sensor ( 103 ). the sensor may be an array of ccd elements , cmos sensors , or the like . the operation of the lens may be controlled by control signals ( 113 ) from a logic unit ( 110 ) which contains a microprocessor system . likewise the operation of the sensor may be controlled by control signals ( 105 ) from logic unit ( 110 ). image information signals ( 104 ) flow from the sensor to the logic unit ( 110 ). a flash , or strobe ( 106 ) may be utilized to supply additional light ( 107 ) to the scene . the strobe is operated by the strobe electronics ( 108 ), which in turn are controlled by the logic unit ( 110 ). the camera may comprise a display ( 109 ) on which image data may be shown . the camera may comprise a storage unit ( 111 ) for storage and recall of image data , as well as data interchange with other devices ( not shown ). the user of the camera may operate various control inputs ( 112 ) in order to affect the operation of the camera . fig2 shows a photograph of a scene that contains a small area of very bright light . in this case a lamp that is switched on is included in the picture . it is apparent from the photograph that the camera used to make the photograph has used settings that make the resulting picture too dark . the photograph could be significantly improved by a better method of selecting camera settings affecting exposure . a digital camera , or an exposure sensor for a film camera , by its nature , produces a numerical representation of each photograph it takes . for each location in the photograph , called a “ picture element ” or “ pixel ”, the camera records a numerical value indicating the brightness of the scene at that location . the resulting representation of the scene is then an array of numbers . locations in the array correspond to specific pixels , or locations in the scene , and the number stored at each array location represents the scene brightness at that location . optionally , the camera may also record information about the color at each pixel location of the scene being photographed . for the purpose of describing the present invention , we are concerned only with the brightness of each pixel . a measure of the brightness of a pixel may be computed from the color information . for example , many cameras represent the color of a pixel using three components indicating the contribution of red , green , and blue wavelengths of light to the brightness of that pixel . the overall brightness of a pixel may be computed as the sum of the red , green , and blue contributions , as a weighted sum , or as some other combination of the color information . a variety of methods for computing the brightness of a pixel from color information are well known in the art . it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention applies with equal facility to cameras that record only brightness information about each pixel and to cameras that also record color information . a common and useful tool for analyzing photographic exposure is the exposure histogram . fig3 shows the exposure histogram for the scene shown in fig2 . an exposure histogram is constructed by dividing the exposure range of the camera into different “ bins ”, and then counting how many pixels from an image fall into each bin . for example , the camera used to generate fig2 can express the brightness of a pixel as a value between 0 and 1 , 023 , inclusive . the histogram in fig3 divides this brightness range into 64 bins . therefore , bin 0 ( 301 ) collects a count of the pixels in the image whose brightness values fall between 0 and 15 , inclusive . bin 1 ( 302 ) collects a count of the pixels in the image whose brightness values fall between 16 and 31 inclusive . subsequent bins follow the same pattern , finishing with bin 63 ( 303 ), which collects a count of image pixels whose brightness values fall between 1 , 008 and 1 , 023 , inclusive . those pixels whose brightness values fall into bin 63 ( 303 ) are fully exposed , or saturated . adding more exposure to those pixels will not affect their placement in a bin . the camera cannot record brightness values beyond 1 , 023 . pixels brighter than a level that would result in a brightness value of 1 , 008 or higher will always be reported as falling in bin 63 ( 303 ). those pixels will not respond to increases in the exposure of the photograph . however , reducing the exposure of those pixels may lower the brightness values reported for them , and may cause some or all of them to be counted in lower - numbered bins . in general , it is desirable to minimize the number of pixels in the lowest - numbered bin , as well as minimize the number of saturated pixels in a photograph , as both of these conditions often represent loss of photographic information . a camera typically will adjust the strobe energy to place the bulk of the pixels in the photograph in bins representing an average brightness for a typical scene , while attempting to further adjust its strobe energy so as to minimize the number of pixels in the extreme bins . it is the desire to minimize the number of saturated pixels in an image that can lead conventional methods of strobe energy selection to result in poor quality photographs when the scenes being photographed contain small areas of very bright light . the photograph of fig2 was taken by the conventional method of taking a trial photograph with a known strobe energy setting , analyzing the exposure histogram of the resulting image , computing a new value for the strobe energy , and then taking a final photograph . the exposure histogram of the trial photograph is shown in fig4 . the bulk of the pixels in the image fall into low - numbered bins , but are well distributed between approximately bins 2 and 22 ( 401 ). this would indicate a well - exposed photograph , were it not for the 1 , 973 saturated pixels falling in bin 63 ( 402 ). in an effort to improve the photograph , the camera assumed that the saturated pixels were due to excessive strobe energy , and therefore reduced the strobe energy before taking the final photograph of fig2 . it is important to note that a trial photograph may have a different number of pixels than a final photograph due to ccd subsampling . the exposure histogram of the image in fig2 is shown in fig3 . we see that the resulting image has most if its pixels falling into histogram bins 6 and lower ( 304 ), indicating an underexposed photograph . however , a significant number of the image pixels still fall into bin 63 ( 303 ), indicating that the saturation of pixels was not eliminated by the reduction in strobe energy . this photograph could be manipulated using a digital computer to correct the exposure . however this approach is also often unsatisfactory , as the image modifications necessary to improve the exposure typically reveal or exaggerate objectionable noise in the image . a far better solution would be to find a way for the camera to expose the photograph properly at the time the photograph is taken . in an example embodiment of the invention , two trial photographs are taken — one without using the strobe , using only ambient light from the scene , and one using a pre - set strobe energy setting . the exposure settings used for both of these trial photographs , such as exposure time , lens aperture , and system gain , may be the same as the settings that will be used when the strobe is used in the final image capture . it is also possible that these settings could be different , in which case adjustments may be made to the resulting exposure histograms for accurate comparisons . the exposure histogram of the ambient - light - only photograph is examined for the presence of saturated pixels . if saturated pixels are found , they cannot result from a trial strobe , because no strobe was used for this trial photograph . the saturated pixels must necessarily be due to very bright areas in the scene itself . therefore , those pixels will not respond to changes in strobe energy , and may be discounted or ignored when computing the strobe energy to use for the final photograph . for example , fig5 shows the exposure histogram of the scene shown in fig2 when taken without the strobe . this exposure histogram shows a generally underexposed image , but with 1 , 649 saturated pixels ( 501 ). because no strobe was used , these pixels are saturated due to light sources contained within the scene , and will not respond to changes in the strobe energy . this result is then combined with the information in fig4 the exposure histogram of the same scene taken with a trial strobe . only 324 more pixels are saturated in fig4 than in fig5 . the camera bases its strobe power computation on an exposure histogram containing only 324 saturated pixels ( along with the rest of the trial strobe exposure histogram ) and thus reduces the power only slightly before taking the final photograph . the exposure histogram of the final photograph is shown in fig6 . a similar proportion of the pixels are saturated ( 601 ) as were saturated in fig3 the exposure histogram of the scene photographed by the conventional method , but the photograph as a whole is much better exposed . although the sample embodiment adds a step to the procedure for computing the strobe energy , it may not necessarily add to the time required for the camera to take a photograph . typically , several trial photographs of a scene are taken in preparation for a final photograph for various reasons unrelated to strobe energy . it is likely that one of these other trial photographs could be used for determining the number of saturated pixels in the ambient - only image , and therefore the additional step does not necessarily require the camera to take an additional photograph . fig8 depicts a flow chart of an example embodiment of the invention . in step 801 , a trial photograph is taken of the scene without using the camera strobe . that is , the trial photograph is taken with only ambient illumination . in step 802 , the exposure histogram of the ambient - only trial photograph is constructed . in step 803 , the number of saturated pixels in the ambient - only trial photograph is noted . in step 804 , a trial photograph is taken of the scene using the camera strobe with a pre - set strobe energy . in step 805 , the exposure histogram of the trial strobe photograph is constructed . in step 806 , the saturated pixels from the ambient - only trial photograph are removed from the exposure histogram of the trial strobe photograph . in step 807 , the camera uses the resulting exposure histogram to adjust the strobe energy . in step 808 , the camera takes a final photograph . it should also be noted that while both the ambient - only and trial strobe photographs are taken before the final photograph , they may be taken in any order with respect to each other . the foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art .
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fig1 is a schematic representation of an inventive reproduction device 1 comprising a screen 2 at whose surface 3 arbitrary information can be reproduced . this occurs by means of a control device 4 , which can take any form . the screen 2 has four speakers l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , l 4 that are each separately controlled with respect to sound generation by the control device 4 , and that are permanently integrated in the screen housing 5 in this case . in this embodiment , a cursor 6 is displayed on the surface 3 of the screen 2 . this cursor 6 represents user - relevant screen information as defined by the user . besides the possibility of letting the user define which image information is user - relevant , the control device 4 alternatively can automatically recognize screen information as relevant . this is appropriate particularly where critical information is displayed or where the reproduction device is utilized in a critical environment . in that case , user - relevant information is defined in advance in the control device 4 so that the control device 4 can immediately detect such information when it is displayed . the control device 4 controls the four speakers l 1 - l 4 such that the resulting acoustic signal perceived by the user who sits in front of the reproduction device receives direction information regarding where on the screen 2 , specifically on the surface 3 , the user - relevant information is located . in the example represented , the user - relevant information is the cursor 6 . as in fig1 , it is displayed in the upper left position , i . e . closest to speaker l 1 . in order to acoustically notify the user , who is searching for the cursor because of other activities during which the user was not continuously monitoring the screen , where to find the cursor 6 , only the speaker l 1 is actuated to emit a tone by the control device 4 . speakers l 2 - l 4 are silent . the user hears a sound signal coming from the top left corner of the screen and thus receives direction information as to where to find the cursor 6 . according to another possibility , this acoustic information is continuously emitted . to the extent that this is uncomfortable , another possibility provides for this acoustic direction information is emitted when there is no cursor movement for a predetermined period that can be set by the user , which indicates , for example , that the user has not looked at the screen for a longer period of time . this information can also be emitted when it is determined by means of a detection device ( not shown ) that the user has not looked a the screen for a long time , whereby , for that purpose , a small camera may be integrated on the housing side that has a suitable software based evaluation algorithm for the given image information , by means of which , for example , head movement and the eye position of the user are captured in the recorded image , and are detected and monitored . the acoustic information can be continuously emitted as a more or less loud tone but can also be emitted only once or intermittently at time intervals . fig2 represents another instance of a screen display and a resulting acoustic information presentation . fig2 shows an input field 7 that has been defined as user - relevant either by the user or by the control device 4 , into which the user has to enter suitable information . this can also be a dial key or button or the like . in fig2 this input field is disposed on the left margin of the screen surface 3 in the middle . the speakers l 1 and l 4 are driven by the control device 4 , while speakers l 2 and l 3 remain silent . the user perceives a resulting acoustic signal that is emitted as a superimposed total signal from the middle of the left side of the screen . her attention is thereby averted immediately to this screen area . it should be noted at this point that the respective volumes can be calibrated by the user . to that end , the cursor 6 is moved into each corner of the screen surface 3 with respect to the view in fig1 . the user now sets the respectively adjoining speaker so that the user hears it sufficiently and receives optimal direction information . based on this calibration , the resulting total signal is individually optimized to the user &# 39 ; s hearing even with respect to screen information that is not in one of the extreme positions of the corners . fig3 represents another possible screen display . here , danger information 8 is displayed on screen 2 , namely by a lightning symbol . this is located at a distance from the center of the screen more toward the right margin but is not displayed in the margin position . the control device 4 now drives the two speakers l 2 and l 3 to emit a relatively loud signal compared to the two speakers l 1 and l 4 , which are simultaneously driven but send a substantially quieter signal . this is represented by the correspondingly large or small sound waves . the resulting total signal formed from the four tones of the speakers l 1 - l 4 now has a directional bias toward the right side of the screen , but also a sound component coming from the left . the acoustic direction information perceived by the user indicates to the user that the relevant screen information is located in the right half of the screen at middle height . fig4 represents an alternative embodiment of a reproduction device 1 consisting of a screen 2 in whose housing 3 speakers l 1 - l 4 are integrated . however , the housing 3 is laterally elongated in the corner regions so that the speakers l 1 - l 4 are farther apart than in the embodiment according to fig1 - 3 . as a result , the resulting acoustic total signal can be resolved somewhat better with respect to the direction information because the individual tones are sent from points situated farther apart from one another . fig5 represents another embodiment of a reproduction device 1 having a screen 2 , whereby in this case the sound reproduction devices , the speakers l 1 - l 4 , are realized as separate speakers that can be moved relative to the screen 2 and correspondingly positioned . they are also driven by the control device 4 that controls the screen 2 . fig6 represents another inventive embodiment of a reproduction device 9 formed as an array of nine screens 2 mounted in a stand or the like ( not shown ). the display surfaces thereof form an overall display surface on which information can be displayed extending from screen to screen , or a separate independent item of screen information can be displayed at each screen 2 . four speakers l 1 - l 4 are disposed in the corners here as well , by means of which the corresponding acoustic direction information signals relating to the relevant screen information that is displayed on the overall surface of the screen array can be emitted . for improved resolution of the acoustics , particularly of the direction information , additional speakers l 5 , l 6 , l 7 , l 8 can optionally be provided , which in the present example are disposed centrally at the respective longitudinal sides . these too are separately driven together with the speakers l 1 - l 4 by means of the control device 4 . in this manner , the direction information relating to the substantially larger display area that is impressed on the acoustic signal can have better resolution compared to the above described examples . fig7 shows another embodiment of a reproduction device 10 , having three adjacent screens 2 in this case . four speakers l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , l 4 are provided in the corners here as well . additional speakers l 5 and l 6 , represented by dotted lines , can optionally be positioned at the top and bottom longitudinal sides respectively . each of the speakers l 1 - l 6 can be separately driven by the control device 4 . the invention achieves a new sensory modality for informing the user with respect to user - relevant screen information that is displayed on the screen . this provides additional help to the user while improving the ergonomics and user friendliness of the device . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art .
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the present invention is further illustrated with figures in the following . fig1 is a schematic diagram of a scanner paper - feeding mechanism adopting a de - skew mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention , which includes medium m stacked in a paper - feeding plate 210 . a paper - taking roller 230 is disposed on a start end of a medium - feeding path . the paper - taking roller 230 takes the medium m out from the paper - feeding plate 210 one by one , and feeds the medium m into a medium - conveying path 243 . a feeding roller 220 feeds the medium m in a direction f along the medium - conveying path 243 . after passing through a driving roller 246 and a pinch roller 247 , the medium m is scanned by a scanning module . the scanned medium is conveyed to a paper - exiting plate 260 by a paper - exiting roller 250 . the driving roller 246 , the pinch roller 247 , and a correcting member 251 connected to the driving roller 246 are disposed on the medium - conveying path 243 . please refer to fig2 . a rotary shaft 245 is disposed on a scanner frame , and the driving roller 246 is fixedly disposed on the rotary shaft 245 and rotated by a motor ( not shown ). the pinch roller 247 is disposed below the driving roller 246 and rotates oppositely to the driving roller 246 to form a nip portion to nip and convey the medium . the correcting member 251 is installed on the rotary shaft 245 and turns according to the rotary shaft 245 . the correcting member 251 is disposed on a side of the driving roller 246 and close to a frame 241 . a spring 252 is installed on the rotary shaft 245 and between the correcting member 251 and the driving roller 246 . two sides of the spring 252 are tightly connected to a connecting surface 257 of the correcting member 251 and a surface of the driving roller 246 , respectively . in this way , when the driving roller 246 rotates along the paper - conveying direction , the correcting member 251 rotates with the driving roller 246 by the spring 252 , due to the connection between them . the correcting member 251 disposed on the rotary shaft 245 has a correcting position and a releasing position . the correcting position can be perpendicular to a leading edge of the medium m from the paper - conveying direction , since the correcting portion 255 protruding on the surface of the correcting member 251 adjacent to the connecting surface is vertical . the bearing portion 256 protruding on the correcting member 251 can contact with a suppressing end 267 of suppressing torque spring 253 to suppress the correcting member 251 to prevent the correcting member 251 from turning with the driving roller 246 . please refer to fig3 . the correcting portion 255 is disposed near the connecting surface of the correcting member 251 , and the bearing portion 256 is disposed near the free surface of the correcting member 251 . meanwhile , the torque spring 253 is disposed above the correcting member 251 , and fixedly engaged with a protruding pillar 264 of the frame 241 . there are three protruding pillars 261 , 262 , 263 disposed on the frame 241 as an adjusting structure . the torque spring 253 has two functional ends including a fixing end 266 leaning against one of the protruding pillars 261 , 262 , 263 according to the medium thickness . in this embodiment , the fixing end 266 leans against the protruding pillar 262 . the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 contacts the bearing portion 256 on the correcting member 251 and leans against the bearing portion 256 properly to prevent the correcting member 251 from continuously turning with the driving roller 246 . in this way , the correcting portion 255 can stop the medium m from skewing . please refer to fig4 . the driving roller 246 makes the correcting member 25 start to turn via the spring 252 in the paper - feeding process . when the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 on the frame 241 leans against the bearing portion 256 on the correcting member 251 , the correcting member 251 stops turning . a free end 2551 of the correcting portion 255 is in the medium - conveying path 243 . when the conveyed medium m is skewed , a corner of the leading edge of the conveyed medium m contacts a flat surface 2552 of the correcting portion 255 first . when a common force of the conveyed medium m and the turning driving roller 246 to the correcting member 251 are not enough for the correcting member 251 to overcome the elastic force of the torque spring 253 to stop turning , the medium m will gradually form a curved portion since the medium m still moves by the force of the feeding roller 220 . please refer to fig5 . after the leading edge of the medium m stays completely in contact to the flat surface 2552 of the correcting portion 255 , the skew of the medium m is corrected . next , the pushing force of the medium m to the correcting portion 255 will gradually increase , and force of the driving roller 246 to the correcting member 251 will increase when the torque spring 253 is gradually deformed . when the common force of the medium m and the turning driving roller 246 to the correcting member 251 increases to be larger than the elastic force of the torque spring 253 to the correcting member 251 , the correcting member 251 will start to turn , and the leading edge of the medium m still stays close to the correcting portion 255 under the force of the feeding roller 220 . please refer to fig6 . when the correcting member 251 turns to a certain angle and the leading edge of the medium m reaches to the nip portion of the driving roller 246 and the pinch roller 247 , the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 on the frame 241 will come off from the bearing portion 256 on the correcting member 251 , and the correcting member 251 keeps turning with the driving roller 246 under the force of the torque spring 253 . please refer to fig7 . the force that the bearing portion 256 on the correcting member 251 brings to the leading edge of the medium m will reduce to zero . the correcting member 251 moves to the releasing position from the correcting position . the driving roller 246 and the pinch roller 247 convey the de - skewed medium m to the scanning unit 200 and prevent the correcting member 251 from damaging the medium m . when the correcting member 251 turns and the bearing portion 256 thereon is leaned on by the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 again , a correcting process for skew of the next medium m will be started . please refer to fig8 , 9 . a difference between a second embodiment of the present invention and the first embodiment is only in the structure of the correcting member 283 . the correcting member 283 has three bearing portions 100 , 101 , 102 , and three correcting portions 110 , 111 , 112 corresponding to the three bearing portions . when performing a correcting process for skew of a medium m , the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 leans against the bearing portion 100 , and a side of the correcting portion 110 corresponding to the bearing portion 100 is in the medium - conveying path 243 . after correcting the skew of the medium m , the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 leans against the bearing portion 101 , and a free end of the correcting portion 111 corresponding to the bearing portion 101 is in the medium - conveying path 243 to correct skew of the next medium m . please note that the de - skew mechanism of the present invention can not only be applied to a scanner paper - feeding mechanism , but also to printers , auto paper - feeding machines , and copiers . the de - skew mechanism of the present invention can be applied to single - side paper - feeding mechanisms and double - side paper - feeding mechanisms . the medium above can be paper or similar objects . the bearing portion 256 in this embodiment is a protruding object contacting the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 . of course , the bearing portion 256 also can be a recessed fillister , and the suppressing end 267 of the torque spring 253 can insert into the recessed fillister to suppress the turning of the correcting member 251 . a common force of the feeding force of the medium and the torque force of the driving roller 246 to the correcting member 251 via the spring 252 can overcome the suppressing force on the correcting member 251 . thus , the recess fillister has the same effect as the protruding object does . of course , the torque spring also can be an elastic sheet having an end fixed on the frame and another end matching with the bearing portion on the correcting member . the torque spring also can be other elastic objects . in addition , the above number of the protruding objects can be adjusted according to different requirements . for example , the present invention can implement two pairs or four pairs of the correcting portions and the corresponding bearing portions . in any case , similar modifications and alterations of the mechanism above should fall into the disclosed scope of the present invention . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention .
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fig1 illustrates a typical ophthalmic instrument system showing one potential use for a heavy duty support mechanism 10 and a light duty support mechanism 11 , each being constructed in accordance with principles of this invention . mechanisms 10 , 11 are shown affixed to one type of instrument stand 12 , however , it will be understood that many other supports may be used for mechanisms 10 and 11 , as shown in fig1 or mechanisms taking other forms in accordance with the invention . instrument stand 12 generally includes a base 14 which may hold a plurality of instruments 14a , 14b , 14c and which includes an upwardly extending pole 16 . pole 16 may have an overhead light 18 attached at the upper end . as further shown in dotted lines in fig1 support mechanism 11 may carry a lighter weight ophthalmic instrument , such as a vision tester 17 , while mechanism 11 may carry heavier weight structure such as a chin rest 19 and a slit lamp 21 or other instrument ( not shown ). referring now to fig2 instrument support mechanism 10 , which is suitable for heavier duty applications , includes a first arm 20 and a second arm 22 pivotally connected together by means to be described below . a cover 20a is preferably used to conceal the internal components and conventional wiring ( not shown ) associated with arm 20 . a similar cover may be used on arm 11 ( fig1 ) as mentioned below . first arm 20 comprises a first link member 24 and a second , lower link member 26 . link members 24 , 26 are respectively affixed by pivots 28 , 30 to a base member 31 . these pivots 28 , 30 allow the opposite end of arm 20 to be moved vertically with respect to base member 31 . referring briefly to fig3 respective pairs of links 36a , 36b and 38a , 38b assist with the locking of arm 20 in a desired vertical orientation relative to base member 31 . in this regard , links 36a , 36b and 38a , 38b are pivotally connected to first link member 24 . one pivot 40 for securing one end of links 36a , 36b is shown in fig2 with the understanding that a similar pivot connects links 38a , 38b to the same link member 24 . as best shown in fig3 the opposite ends of links 36a , 36b and 38a , 38b include respective slots 42a , 42b and 44a , 44b for reasons to be described below . still referring to fig2 along with the vertical pivoting movement allowed by the pivoting nature of link members 24 , 26 , first arm 20 may pivot about support pole 16 by a pivot connection 46 and second arm 22 may pivot with respect to both the first arm 20 and support pole 16 by a pivot connection 48 . more specifically , pivot connection 46 is made by way of a tube 50 that may be rigidly locked to support pole 16 and which receives a portion of base member 31 thereabout . to act as a stop for pivoting motion about pole 16 , a screw 52 is contained in base member 31 and extends into a slot 54 contained in tube 50 . a conventional screw operated clamp mechanism 56 is used to secure tube 50 rigidly to pole 16 . when lock 56 is in an unlocked position , tube 50 and the attached mechanism 10 may be height adjusted along support pole 16 . at the opposite end of first arm 20 , pivot connection 48 more specifically comprises a pivot support 58 which holds a pivot tube 60 for rotation therein . pivot tube 60 is held for rotation within bearing members or low friction bushings 62 , 64 . a retaining ring 68 holds pivot tube 60 in place within pivot support 58 . retaining ring 68 rests against a washer 66 as shown in fig2 to keep second arm 22 held in place within pivot support 58 . pivot tube 60 may also be used to accommodate wiring ( not shown ) to arm 22 . rotation of tube 60 and , therefore , arm 22 is limited by a screw 69 which engages a stop 71 at a desired limit of rotation . as further shown in fig2 and 2a , counterbalancing springs 70a and 70b help to counterbalance any weight being supported on second arm 22 , or on an additional arm attached thereto , in a generally conventional manner . specifically , springs 70a and 70b are connected to an adjustment screw 72 to allow adjustment of the counterbalancing force . ends 74a , 74b are each connected to a pin which includes an internally threaded bore receiving the adjustment screw 72 . the opposite ends of springs 70a and 70b are connected to pivot pin 34 . still referring to fig2 a locking mechanism 90 operates to lock each of the above described pivot connections in place after mechanism 10 has been adjusted vertically and rotationally to the desired orientation . locking mechanism 90 is operated by a lever 92 which may be moved in a simple and short push or pull manner in a direction extending along the length of first support arm 20 as generally shown by arrow 94 . lever 92 is connected by a pivot 96 to link member 26 and is further connected to a connecting link 98 by a pin 100 extending from connecting link 98 and into a slot 102 contained in the end of lever 92 . connecting link 98 is pivotally attached at opposite ends to respective short links 104 , 106 by respective pivots 108 , 110 . the opposite end of each short link 104 , 106 is connected to rotate a respective screw 112 , 114 . as will be described below , these screws operate to simultaneously lock pivot connections 46 and 48 as well as the general pivot connection formed by pivots 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 allowing arm 20 to move vertically with respect to base member 31 . referring now to fig3 to lock pivot connection 48 in place , a clamp member 116 is provided around pivot tube 60 . thus , it will be appreciated that when clamp member 116 is tightened against pivot tube 60 , pivot tube 60 will not be capable of rotating and , therefore , second arm 22 will not be capable of rotating with respect to first arm 20 . as more specifically shown in fig3 clamp member 116 includes a first portion 118 having an internally threaded insert 120 and a second portion 122 having a hole 124 . threaded insert 120 receives a threaded portion 112a of screw 112 , while hole 124 receives an unthreaded portion 112b of screw 112 with clearance to allow rotation of screw 112 . preferably , the threaded portion 112a is a double helical thread . most preferably , screws 112 , 114 are 3 / 8 &# 34 ;-- 10 double lead screws . additional clamp members 126 , 128 are provided for locking the above described vertical movement of first arm 20 with respect to base member 31 ( fig2 ). these clamp members 126 , 128 each include flange portions 126a , 128a that serve to clamp links 36a , 36b and 38a , 38b against a portion of pivot support 58 to prevent any movement of links 36a , 36b and 38a , 38b and thereby prevent any vertical movement of first arm 20 with respect to base member 31 ( fig2 ). it will further be appreciated that in an unlocked state , tubular portions 126b , 128b act as guides that ride within slots 42a , 42b and 44a , 44b during the vertical movement of first arm 20 with respect to base member 31 . the tubular portion 128b is preferably internally threaded and carries threaded member 130 to provide adjustment capability and a force bearing surface . washers 134 , 136 are located about tubular portion 126b and between pivot support 58 and link member 36b and link members 36a and 36b . likewise , washers 138 , 140 are located between pivot support 58 and link 38b and links 38a , 38b . turning now to fig4 pivot connection 46 more specifically comprises a clamp member 150 having a first portion 152 with a threaded insert 154 and a second portion 156 with a hole 158 . in a manner similar to pivot connection 48 , threaded insert 154 contains a double helically threaded portion 114a of screw 114 and hole 158 receives an unthreaded portion 114b of screw 114 with clearance to allow rotation of screw 114 . clamp member 150 is disposed about tube 50 and , therefore , when clamp member 150 is tightened , no rotation of base member 31 about tube 50 may take place . a set screw 159 allows adjustment in the clamping action . as further shown in both fig3 and 4 , short links 104 , 106 are rigidly connected to screws 112 , 114 at intermediate locations thereon with retainer pins 160 , 162 . thus , a review of fig2 - 4 will indicate that moving lever 92 away from base member 31 in the direction of arrow 94 will result in connecting member 98 moving toward base member 31 and short links 104 , 106 rotating screws 112 , 114 clockwise as viewed in fig2 . as shown in fig3 this will cause screw 112 to move in the direction of arrow 163 to urge clamp member 126 against links 36a , 36b until they are wedged against washers 134 , 136 and pivot support 58 . this will lock up and down motion of first arm 20 with respect to base member 31 ( fig1 ). simultaneously , clamp 116 will be rotated slightly around pivot tube 60 and move generally in the direction of arrows 164 , 165 . this will urge clamp member 128 against links 38a , 38b and clamp these links against washers 138 , 140 and against pivot support 58 to further assist in locking vertical movement of arm 20 . as clamp portion 118 moves further toward clamp portion 122 , pivot tube 60 is locked against any rotational movement . as long as short links 104 , 106 ( fig2 ) are maintained in the position shown , mechanism 10 will be locked completely in place by the friction of screws 112 , 114 . to unlock mechanism 90 , lever 92 is moved in the direction of arrow 95 toward base member 31 ( fig5 ). this moves short links 104 , 106 to an oppositely angled position and rotates screws 112 , 114 counterclockwise to reverse and unlock the various clamping movements discussed above . referring now to fig6 the lighter duty instrument support mechanism 11 is shown in more detail . mechanism 11 works on very similar principles to those discussed above with respect to mechanism 10 . mechanism 11 comprises a first arm 170 and second arm 172 which are pivotally connected to one another in a manner to be described below . first arm 170 may have a cover 170a ( fig7 ) to conceal internal components . first arm 170 is also pivotally connected to a base member 174 to allow vertical , pivoting movement with respect thereto as will also be described below . first arm 170 comprises a first link member 176 and a second link member 178 . first and second link members 176 , 178 are connected to base member 174 by respective pivots 180 , 182 which allow vertical pivoting motion with respect to base member 174 in a vertical orientation as shown in fig6 i . e ., when support pole 16 extends in a vertical orientation . links 188a , 188b are connected at a pivot 190 to first link member 176 as shown in fig6 . as further shown in fig7 links 188a , 188b include respective slots 192a , 192b for reasons similar to those described above with respect to mechanism 10 as will be described in more detail below . again referring to fig6 in addition to the pivot connections allowing generally vertical movement of the outer end of first arm 170 with respect to base member 174 , pivot connections 194 , 196 are provided to respectively allow pivoting motion of mechanism 11 about support pole 16 and pivoting motion of second arm 172 with respect to first arm 170 . for height adjustment , like the first embodiment , a tubular support member 198 is provided to hold mechanism 11 on support pole 16 and may be locked in place by a conventional screw locking clamp mechanism 200 when positioned at the desired height along pole 16 . referring now to fig6 and 7 , pivot connection 196 more specifically comprises a cylindrical rod 206 received within a pivot support or housing 208 and connected to second arm 172 by a connecting member 210 . as best shown in fig7 cylindrical rod 206 is preferably contained within a low friction sleeve or bearing member 211 which , in turn , is disposed within a clamp member 212 . as further shown in fig6 a retainer 214 keeps the cylindrical rod 206 held within pivot support or housing 208 . link members 176 , 178 of first arm 170 are attached to housing 208 by pivots 184 , 186 . still referring to fig6 like the first embodiment , a counterbalancing spring 216 is preferably provided and connected to an adjustment screw 218 at one end for allowing adjustment in the counterbalancing force to be made upon initial assembly or by the user . one end 220 of spring 216 is connected to a threaded member 222 which receives adjustment screw 218 for threaded adjustment therein . the other end 224 of spring 216 is connected to pivot pin 186 . as further shown in fig6 a locking mechanism 230 is provided for locking the various pivot connections of arm 11 . locking mechanism 230 is similar to locking mechanism 90 of instrument support mechanism 10 . specifically , a lever 232 operates generally in the direction of arrow 234 to lock pivot connections 194 and 196 as well as the general pivot connection made between base member 174 and first arm 170 which allows vertical adjustment of first arm 170 with respect to base member 174 . more specifically , lever 232 is connected by a pivot 236 to second link member 178 and is further connected to a connecting link by a pin 240 extending therefrom and into a slot 242 in the end of lever 232 . short links 244 , 246 are connected at respective ends of connecting link 238 by pivots 248 , 250 . the opposite end of each short link 244 , 246 is rigidly affixed to respective screws 252 , 254 by retainer pins 256 , 258 . thus , it will be appreciated that when lever is pulled away from base member 174 to the position shown in fig6 short links 244 , 246 will rotate screws 252 , 254 clockwise to simultaneously lock the various pivot connections as will be described . preferably , screws 252 , 254 are each 3 / 8 &# 34 ;-- 10 double lead screws . referring now more specifically to fig7 the locking mechanism 230 preferably operates clamp member 212 to selectively allow or prevent rotation of cylindrical rod 206 . specifically , a first portion 260 of clamp member 212 includes a threaded insert 262 for receiving threaded portion 252a of screw 252 . a second portion 264 of clamp member 212 interacts with an adjustable screw stop 266 . finally , similar to the first embodiment , a clamp member 268 including a flange portion 268a and a tubular portion 268b is operated by one end of screw 252 to selectively allow and prevent movement of links 188a , 188b . as also provided in the first embodiment , washers 270 , 272 are respectively disposed between pivot support housing 208 and link 188b and between links 188a and 188b . thus , when screw 252 is rotated by short link 244 to move in the direction of arrow 274 , clamp member 268 will move upwardly as viewed in fig7 and flange portion 268a will clamp links 188a , 188b against washers 270 , 272 and the inside of pivot support or housing 208 . this will prevent movement of links 188a , 188b by way of slots 192a , 192b riding along tubular clamp portion 268b and thereby prevent any articulating up and down movement of first arm 170 ( fig6 ). at the same time , portion 260 of clamp member 212 will move generally in the direction of arrow 276 and , as portion 264 is stopped against threaded stop member 266 , this will clamp cylindrical pivot rod 206 against any rotation . referring now to fig8 a clamp member 280 is provided at the opposite end of first arm 170 to selectively allow or prevent rotation of first arm 170 and any attachments about support pole 16 . specifically , clamp member 280 includes a first portion 282 having a threaded insert 284 for receiving threaded portion 254a of screw 254 . a second portion 286 of clamp member 280 includes a hole 286a which receives an unthreaded portion 254b of screw 254 with clearance for rotation . thus , when short link 246 is rotated by connecting link 238 in a clockwise direction as viewed in fig6 screw 252 will move in the direction of arrow 288 and bear against the inside of base member 174 . this will cause portion 282 of clamp member 280 to move in an opposite direction and , as portion 286 bears against adjustment screw 290 , a clamping action will take place against tubular support member 198 . like the other adjustment screws , screw 290 allows adjustment in the clamping action . therefore , base member 174 will not be able to rotate about tubular support member 198 . generally referring to fig6 - 8 , and to summarize the operation of mechanism 11 , when lever 232 is pulled in the direction of arrow 234 away from base member 174 , short links 244 , 246 will be rotated by connecting link 238 and thereby rotate screws 252 , 254 in a clockwise direction as viewed in fig6 . as shown in fig7 this will move screw 252 in the direction of arrow 274 to clamp links 188a , 188b against any movement and further move first clamp portion 260 in the direction of arrow 276 to prevent any rotational movement of pivot rod 206 . in this manner , pivoting of second arm 172 with respect to first arm 170 is prevented and vertical movement of first arm 170 with respect to base member 174 is also prevented . at the same time and referring more specifically to fig8 screw 254 will be moved in the direction of arrow 288 and thereby clamp member 280 against support tube 198 in the manner described above to prevent any rotational movement of mechanism 11 about support pole 16 . as schematically shown in fig9 movement of lever 232 in an opposite direction toward pole 16 will rotate screws 252 , 254 in a counterclockwise direction thereby unlocking all of the pivot connections described above and allowing readjustment of mechanism 11 to a desired position . while the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these 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 . as an example , the various features of the mechanisms described herein in detail may be combined or substituted in various manners . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . the invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details , representative apparatus and methods as shown and described . this has been a description of the present invention , along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known . however , the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims , wherein
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referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . according to fig1 the first embodiment of the present invention includes a painting tank 1 whose sides carry anodes 2 connected to positive terminals 32 of rectifiers 3 to supply direct current to the apparatus . the apparatus also has an overhead conveyor , not shown , which brings bodies 5 or metal parts to be treated in swingtrays spaced apart by a regular spacing λ . each body having a corresponding carriage 4 equipped with two contact slides 41 and 42 mounted on two parallel conductive rails 11 and 12 located above tank 1 . these rails 11 and 12 are divided regularly into divided rails or portions 111 and 121 , respectively , separated by an insulating material and connected to negative terminals 31 of rectifiers 3 , so that bodies 5 constitute the cathodes for the cataphoresis process . the dividing zones thus obtained made by the insulating material , 151 and 152 respectively , are spaced apart on each of rails 11 , 12 by spacing λ . dividing zones 151 are offset linearly in relation to dividing zones 152 , this linear offsetting being equal to λ / 2 . the number of rectifiers 3 used is preferably equal to the number of bodies 5 simultaneously present in tank 1 . however , it is possible to provide a reserve rectifier 3 &# 39 ; as represented in fig1 . negative terminals 31 of these rectifiers 3 are connected respectively to diodes 16 whose anodes 161 are connected to ground 17 of tank 1 so that the diode connected to the rectifier with the strongest potential becomes conductive , thus avoiding problems of corrosion . the supplying of current for each portion 111 , 121 of rails 11 and 12 is achieved by a group 20 of thyristors 21 each of which is connected by its cathode to the negative terminal of a different rectifier 3 so that it is possible to select , thanks to these thyristors 21 , any of rectifiers 3 to supply a divided rail . the dividing zones 151 and 152 have a length greater than that of a slide 41 , 42 to cause the thyristors to completely switch off , ( the thyristors located on the rail concerned when the carriages are located on said dividing zones of this rail ). however , the dividing zones 151 and 152 have a length less than λ / 4 for the purpose , when passing dividing zones 151 or 152 , of changing the switching of thyristors 21 of each group 20 connected to the rail concerned , while thus determining the conductive thyristor of each group 20 before the carriage enters into a new portion . thyristors 21 of a same group 20 are grouped together and located near rails 11 and 12 to minimize the sparking that is produced during the switching off of the thyristors by entry of carriages 4 in dividing zones 151 and 152 . actually , this sparking is due to the energy stored in the portion of wire containing the thyristor which was in operation and is therefore proportional to the inductance of the wire where the current , itself a function of the length of the latter , was circulating . an example of the first embodiment in operation will now be described . arrow i represents the direction of circulation of bodies 5 through tank 1 . the two portions 111 , 121 are in contact with slides 41 , 42 of the same carriage 4 and are supplied power by the same rectifier 3 . thyristors 21 continuously receive pulses to be started ( actually this arrangement makes it possible , during a possible false contact between a slide 41 , 42 and a rail portion 111 , 121 or in the circuit switching off the thyristor concerned , that the latter is immediately restarted ). during the passage of carriages 4 past dividing zones 151 of one of rails 11 , 12 , all thyristors 21 connected to the rail 11 are switched off and do not receive pulses . slides 42 in connection with portions 121 are still supplied , each of them being connected , by groups 20 connected to rail 12 , to a rectifier 3 . during this switching off period , an automatic or manual control makes it possible to select thyristors 21 of groups 20 of rail 11 so that slides 41 in contact with portions 111 coming from dividing zones 151 are supplied by the same rectifier as slides 42 . then , thyristors 21 are restarted when carriages 4 leave dividing zones 151 . the same is true for slides 42 in dividing zones 152 of rail 12 . thus , everything happens as if each rectifier 3 were connected to a particular body 5 and accompanies it during its movement in tank 1 and coating defects are prevented . according to fig2 the second embodiment of the present invention includes a painting tank 1 whose sides carry anodes 2 connected to positive terminals 32 of rectifiers 3 supplying direct current to the apparatus . the apparatus also has an overhead conveyor , not shown , which brings bodies 5 to be treated spaced apart by a regular spacing λ and which carries first current supply means consisting of mobile bodies in contact with a second current supply means mounted on at least one support , not shown , located above tank 1 . the mobile bodies are preferably carriages 4 equipped with at least one contact slide 41 mounted on the second current supply means ( i . e ., a rail 11 ) and carried by swingtrays which support bodies 5 . however , the mobile bodies may also be a shuttle in contact with a series of stationary slides which constitute the second supply means , the portions of said conducting means then corresponding to a group of stationary slides . the second embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention will be described by way of example , whose first current supply means includes of carriages and which have two conductive rails 11 and 12 . these rails 11 and 12 are divided regularly at an interval approximately equal to λ / 2 in portions or divided rails 111 and 121 , respectively , separated by an insulating material . the divided rails are connected to negative terminals 31 of rectifiers 3 of the current supplying the apparatus . the dividing zones 15 thus obtained by the insulating material , 151 and 152 respectively , for rails 11 and 12 , are opposite each other and have a length less than that of slides 41 and 42 to prevent an interruption of the supply to bodies 5 . the number of rectifiers 3 used is preferably equal to the number of bodies 5 simultaneously present in tank 1 , but may be of a different number . these rectifiers 3 are connected respectively to diodes 16 whose anodes 161 are connected to ground 17 of tank 1 so that a diode connected to the rectifier with the strongest potential becomes conductive thus avoiding problems of corrosion . portions 111 and 121 are supplied directly by a rectifier 13 and other portions 111 &# 39 ; and 121 &# 39 ; of rails 11 and 12 are supplied by two thyristors 22 and 23 in opposition , each of them being connected to a different rectifier 3 so that two juxtaposed portions 111 , 111 &# 39 ; or 121 , 121 &# 39 ; have different source of power . thyristors 22 , 23 of each portion 111 &# 39 ;, 121 &# 39 ; are located adjacent their corresponding portions . for example , thyristors 22 and 23 of two portions 111 &# 39 ; adjacent to the same portion 111 are supplied power directly by a rectifier 3 and are located nearby . supply wires produce bridgings 14 between the two rails 11 and 12 , connecting the divided rails 111 , 111 &# 39 ;, 121 and 121 &# 39 ; either directly by a rectifier 3 or indirect through a thyristor 22 , 23 . the operating principle of the apparatus resides in the fact that two adjacent portions 111 and 121 or 111 &# 39 ; and 121 &# 39 ; of rails 11 and 12 in contact with slides 41 , 42 of a carriage 4 are always supplied by the same rectifier 3 . however , it is easy to deduce from the above description an apparatus which comprises carriages 4 carrying a single contact slide 41 mounted on a rail 11 ( as described previously ) with the supply device differing from the preceding one only by the absence of the bridgings 14 . an example of the operation of the second embodiment during the passage of a carriage from one portion 111 to the next portion 111 will now be described . a carriage 4 passing through a portion 111 is directly supplied by a rectifier 3 . when carriage 4 reaches a dividing zone 151 , the voltage of rectifier 3 is increased so that its voltage is higher than that of the rectifier connected to thyristor 22 of portion 111 &# 39 ; located at the end opposite said portion 111 &# 39 ; compared with portion 111 . this command makes it possible to make thyristor 23 conductive and to block the preceding thyristor 22 so that current on both sides of the dividing zone 151 rail 11 is supplied by the same rectifier 3 . thyristors 22 and 23 continuously receive pulses to be started ( actually this arrangement makes it possible , during a possible false contact between a slide 41 , 42 and a rail portion 111 &# 39 ;, 121 &# 39 ; or in the circuit switching off the thyristor concerned , that the latter is immediately restarted ). when carriage 4 has entered into portion 111 &# 39 ; an increase in the voltage of rectifier 3 connected to thyristor 22 compared with the voltage of the previously used rectifier makes thyristor 22 conductive by transmitting starting pulses to it , portion 111 &# 39 ; then being supplied by rectifier 3 connected to thyristor 22 . passing by the following dividing zone 151 is performed automatically since the following portion 111 is already directly connected to the same rectifier 3 . it is possible in both embodiments at any moment to change the voltage of each rectifier 3 to modulate the polarization of body 5 as a function of its advance in tank 1 without unnecessarily shutting off current to any one body 5 at any time . these various instructions can be created by a suitable management system , such as a manual operator or a computer . the characteristics of bodies 5 to be painted such as the size can be detected by , for example , body tracking such as photoelectric cells or detectors . the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . for example , the polarities of the tank 1 and the bodies 5 may be reversed . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .
| 2 |
referring to fig1 the first step of the two step process of the present invention involves the fabrication of a fly &# 39 ; s eye lens with a desired number , pattern and spacing of lenslets of desired f - number . any suitable fly &# 39 ; s eye lens , such as a plastic lens , may be used to practice the present invention . in the preferred embodiment , a holographic fly &# 39 ; s eye lens with the desired specifications is fabricated because it can easily be fabricated to give the correct off - axis beams . a lens 10 is spaced distance 12 from spatial filter 14 . the lens 10 may be an ordinary spherical lens , a cylindrical lens , an anamorphic lens or any specially corrected aspheric lens . the spatial filter 14 may be any device which produces a simulated point light source . distance 12 and the focal length of lens 10 are chosen to give the desired f - number of the completed lens as explained later herein . a parallel beam from a coherent light source is split into two beams . one of these beams is used as reference beam 16 . the other beam is directed through the spatial filter 14 and the lens 10 and emerges as convergent beam 18 . angle 19 between beams 16 and 18 determines the off - axis angle of the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens ( fig2 ) and subsequently the off - axis angle of the final multiple lens ( fig3 ). in the preferred embodiment , a laser is used as a coherent light source . also reference beam 16 is a collimated beam , that is , a parallel beam with constant phase and amplitude throughout any transverse plane of propagation in the preferred embodiment . a first photographic plate 20 to which is applied a film emulsion 22 is placed behind a mask 24 , which is opaque to radiation from the coherent source , with the emulsion 22 facing forward , that is , so that beams 16 and 18 strike emulsion 24 before plate 20 . mask 24 is located so that its plane is normal to reference beam 16 and an opening 26 in mask 24 permits angle 28 of the convergent beam to strike emulsion 22 . by convention , the f - number of a lens is defined as the ratio of its focal length to its diameter . it may be readily shown that the f - number , f , of a lens is given by : where the diameter of the lens is subtended by angle θ having a vertex at the focal point of the lens . thus , angle 28 ( fig1 and 2 ) determines the f - number of each lenslet in the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens and , in turn , of each lens in the final multiple lens . angle 28 may be changed to adjust to a desired f - number by changing distance 12 between spatial filter 14 and lens 10 . upon exposure , the area 30 of emulsion 22 on plate 20 behind opening 26 in mask 24 records the interference pattern of reference beam 16 and the convergent beam 18 . in the preferred embodiment , plate 20 and emulsion 22 are a photographic spectroscopic plate with an emulsion such as a kodak 649f or equivalent high resolution , however , in practice any suitable holographic recording medium such as photochromic crystals or a thermoplastic material may be used . also , it is not essential to the invention that the plate 20 be normal to reference beam 16 . a 90 degree angle is chosen in the preferred embodiment because it is easier to reproduce a right angle for reconstruction . after exposure , the plate 20 is moved or indexed parallel to its plane so that a new area 30 registers with opening 26 in mask 24 , and this new area 30 ( that does not overlap previously exposed areas 30 ) is exposed . the indexing and exposure steps are repeated until all the desired areas are exposed . indexing may be horizontal , vertical or on a bias as long as the exposure areas 30 do not overlap . the indexing of plate 20 between exposures determines the pattern and spacing of the areas 30 which become the lenslets on the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens . the pattern and spacing of lenslets on the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens determines , in turn , the pattern and spacing of playback beams of the completed multiple holographic lens . the shape and size of opening 26 in mask 24 determines the shape and size of the lenslets in the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens . non - overlapping of the lenslets insures that undesired cross product terms will not be introduced into the final multiple lens . when all the areas 30 have been exposed , plate 20 is developed by suitable means to form the completed fly &# 39 ; s eye lens . in the second step of the process of the present invention , the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens 20 is used to fabricate the multiple holographic lens with a single exposure . referring to fig2 the completed fly &# 39 ; s eye lens 20 is positioned so that its plane is normal to beam 16 , but it is turned around from its position in fig1 . that is , beam 16 now passes through the plate 20 before striking the emulsion 22 . again , any beam may be substituted for beam 16 , as long as it is identical to , exhibits the identical phase and amplitude characteristics across its plane of propagation to the reference beam used to record the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens 20 . also an angle of the beam 16 with the plane of the plate 20 other than a right angle may be used as long as it is identical to the angle formed by the reference beam used to record the lens . on striking the fly &# 39 ; s eye lens , beam 16 results in a multiple diverging beam array 32 , which illuminates a second photographic plate 34 with a second applied emulsion 36 , resulting in a region 38 where all beams overlap . an array 32 of three beams is shown by way of example . as in the case of the first plate 20 , in practice any suitable high resolution recording medium could be used in place of plate 34 . the distance 37 between plates 20 and 34 is selected for the desired focal length , l f ( fig2 and 3 ), of the multiple lens . it should also be noted that plates 20 and 34 need not be parallel as shown in fig2 . in practice , the off - axis angle of the focal points of the multiple lens may be changed from angle 19 by positioning plates 20 and 34 at some angle with respect to each other . a collimated reference beam 40 from the same source as beam 16 is directed toward area 38 on plate 34 . in practice , it is not essential that beam 40 be collimated , as long as it may be reproduced precisely . the stationary interference pattern from beam 40 and beams 32 is recorded on plate 34 in a single exposure . plate 34 is then developed by suitable means to form a multiple holographic lens . fig3 shows the set up for playback of the lens 34 . as shown , plate 34 is rotated 180 degrees from its configuration in fig2 . collimated beam 42 is directed at area 38 of plate 34 , the multiple holographic lens , resulting in beams 44 focused in focal plane 46 . while three beams 44 are shown by way of example , it is possible using the two step process of the present invention to fabricate multiple lenses which will split beams into hundreds of parallel beams focused in a two - dimensional pattern on a focal plane . other modifications and variations of the foregoing process are also possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention . for this reason , the preferred embodiment should be considered by way of example only , and not as limiting the scope of the invention .
| 6 |
while this invention is illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment , the device may be produced in many different configurations , forms , and materials . there is depicted in the drawings , and will herein be described in detail , a preferred embodiment of the invention , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and the associated functional specifications of the materials for its construction and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated . those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations within the scope of the present invention . fig1 illustrates a multiple level concentric menu system . level 1 comprises a menu item 10 surrounded by a level 2 menu item 20 . throughout the drawings , menu items are labeled as numerals , however these numerals are implemented as text , icons or other symbols generally known and used as menu items . in the fig1 configuration , the menu item of greater importance , highest popularity based on predetermined criteria or highest frequency of use based on a historical analysis , is placed in the level 1 circle 10 . level 2 receives a secondary menu item 20 of less importance , frequency of use , etc . fig2 illustrates a multiple level pie menu . as with the concentric menu system of fig1 the menus are separated into multiple levels of importance . however , in this configuration level 1 is split into multiple menu selections 11 , 12 , 13 and 14 . each of the menu selections are of generally equal levels of importance and frequency of use . for example , menu items 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 are “ cut ”, “ copy ”, “ paste ”, and “ delete ”. level 2 menu items are also split into multiple selections 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 , and are reserved for less frequently used selections such as “ margins ”, “ footers ”, “ headers ”, and “ line numbering ”, respectively . within each level , menu items of highest frequency of use are generally placed in the upper and right - most locations ( menu items 11 and 21 ) to facilitate the quickest recognition and selection thereof . in an alternative embodiment , the menu items in level 2 are made dynamic . for example , if 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 are general menu headings such as “ file ”, “ edit ”, “ view ”, and “ insert ”, a selection of any one heading produces the related sub - headings in the level 2 menu selections . a selection by the user of menu item “ file ” 11 generates menu sub - items “ new ” 21 , “ open ” 22 , “ close ” 23 , and “ save ” 24 , respectively . while the number of level 1 and level 2 menu items is illustrated and described as four items each , the implementation of the invention should not be limited thereto . any number of divisions are possible for each level limited only by complexity and clarity considerations . fig3 illustrates a hierarchical multiple level menu system . in this preferred embodiment , level 1 menu items 31 , 32 , 33 , and 34 share a common sector with level 2 menu selections 35 , 36 , 37 , and 38 , respectively . menu items 31 and 38 , as well as other sector pairs , retain a hierarchical relationship . menu items of level 1 are parent menu items and level 2 are child menu items . in an example , menu item 31 is the “ help ” menu general heading and 38 is a subheading such as “ help table of contents ”. as with earlier embodiments , each of the levels are divisible by one or more divisions . a common application of the embodiment of fig3 is a tabbed card catalog implementation . menu items 31 , 32 , 33 , and 34 represent the tabs on a plurality of overlapping levels , much the same as cards in a card catalog . each level 2 menu item represents at least one listed item on each card . each level 2 sector is divisible into any number of choices . fig4 illustrates a hierarchical multiple level menu system with a second level of granularity . in this variation , level 1 comprises a plurality of menu item selections 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 . each level 2 menu item within the same sector is then divided into two sections 45 / 46 , 47 / 48 , 49 / 50 , and 51 / 52 , respectively . this embodiment lends itself to the well known binary tree hierarchical relationship . additional concentric levels are divided to satisfy 2 n + 1 , where n = level number . menu items are selected based on a flow of two new choices for each level extending from the center . while the binary tree menu example has been described above , the two choices per level are not to be limited to such a hierarchical relationship , but rather , in an alternate variation , are two choices not related to each other or , in another variation , a non - binary family tree relationship ( i . e . more than two choices per level ). fig5 illustrates a hierarchical multiple level menu system with mixed second and third levels of granularity . level 1 menu item 53 forms a hierarchical relationship with level 2 menu items 54 and 55 . a series of nested level 3 menu items 56 , 57 , 58 , and 59 are formed in a hierarchical relationship with menu item 54 . in an alternative variation of fig5 level 1 menu item 53 is represented as an approval or submission button for an interactive dialog box or form . level 2 menu items 54 and 55 are various options which can be simultaneously and independently selected to define the action ( s ) which will be performed when the form is submitted . also , a series mutually exclusive options are represented by level 3 menu items 56 , 57 , 58 , and 59 . an example use of this variation is the process of submitting a printer job . the concentric dialog box displays the options available for selection and allows the user to easily find and click on alternatives such as paper size , paper orientation , printer destination and print resolution . fig6 also illustrates a hierarchical multiple level menu system with second and third levels of granularity . in this embodiment , two concentric levels surround a single level 1 menu item 60 . in this configuration , menu choices are configured in symmetrically patterned levels . fig7 illustrates a reverse hierarchical multiple level menu system with mixed second and third levels of granularity . in this alternative embodiment , the general guidelines for menu item placement within the concentric levels is reversed from that described heretofore . level 1 menu items are placed in the outermost ring . a general heading item 71 is placed in the outer ring . within the common sector of 71 is placed level two menu items 72 and 73 and level 3 menu items 74 , 75 , and 76 . fig8 illustrates a hierarchical multiple level menu system with distanced cursor control . in a typical embodiment , each menu item is selected by direct placement of a cursor over the item and activation by an input device input such as a right mouse click or double click . in fig8 cursor 80 is located at a distance from the pie menu system of the present invention . a first mouse click selects the pie menu . level 1 menu item 32 is highlighted when the cursor is located proximate to the sector . if the cursor is moved upward , sector 31 becomes highlighted , downward highlights sector 36 , and movement to the left highlights sector 34 . a second mouse click selects level 2 sectors 35 , 36 , 37 , and 38 in a similar manner . fig9 illustrates an irregularly shaped hierarchical multiple level menu system . the multiple level pie menus as illustrated in fig1 - 8 are , in alternative embodiments , implemented in various concentric geometric shapes . fig9 shows a rectangular level 1 comprising elements 90 , 91 , 92 , and 93 with surrounding rectangular level 2 menu items 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , and 101 . menu item 100 is shown with alternative triangle shape 100 a to illustrate that the menu items are selectable in size and shape according to the application chosen . geometric shapes including both straight and curved lines , as well as combinations and variations thereof , are considered within the scope of the present invention as long as they retain the multiple level pie menu item relationships of the present invention . in addition , sectors and / or levels are shaded with colors and / or textures to highlight commonly grouped menu items or distinguish between menu items . the present invention is equally implemented on ibm ® compatible pc &# 39 ; s , mainframes , portable computers , macintosh ®, unix ® or other equivalent computer systems with computer displays or televisions screens adapted to process computer information . in addition , the pie menu systems of the present invention are universally applicable to all types of software including , but not limited to : operating systems , spreadsheets , word processors , e - mail , browsers , entertainment products such as games including virtual reality embodiments . a system and method has been shown in the above embodiments for the effective implementation of a multiple level pie menu gui . while various preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by such disclosure , but rather , it is intended to cover all modifications and alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . the present invention should not be limited by size , shape , position on a computer display , number of levels , number of menu items , number of sectors , colors or textures , and can be implemented on any computer display . in addition , the pie menus are implemented as pop - up menus , fixed menus , context specific menus , dialog boxes or equivalent structures .
| 8 |
more specifically , the present invention relates to a process for the industrial synthesis of compounds of formula ( i ), which process is characterised in that a compound of formula ( iii ): wherein r represents a linear or branched ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl group , wherein r ′ represents a linear or branched ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl group , in the presence of a catalytic amount of a c 8 - c 10 - type quaternary ammonium compound , to yield , after drying of the powder thereby obtained , the compound of formula ( i ). a c 8 - c 10 - type quaternary ammonium compound is understood to be a compound of formula ( a ) or a mixture of compounds of formula ( a ): wherein r 1 represents a ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl group , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 , which are the same or different , each represent a ( c 8 - c 10 ) alkyl group , and x represents a halogen atom . c 8 - c 10 - type quaternary ammonium compounds to which preference is given are the catalysts adogen 464 ® and aliquat 336 ®. surprisingly , only the use of a c 8 - c 10 - type quaternary ammonium compound allows the compound of formula ( i ) to be obtained both with a greatly reduced reaction time and with very good selectivity , in contrast to other types of quaternary ammoniums , as the following table shows : duration content of reaction catalyst of reaction mixture tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulphate 12 hours 92 % ( tbahs ) n , n - bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- n - methyl 18 hours 82 % 1 - dodecanaminium bromide adogen 464 ® 5 hours 96 % aliquat 336 ® 4 hours 95 % furthermore , the somewhat simplified isolation ( the precipitation step followed by filtration has been replaced by simple filtration of the reaction mixture ) allows , by virtue of the particular conditions developed , the compound of formula ( i ) to be obtained not only in a very good yield ( 89 %) but also with excellent purity ( greater than 98 %), whilst avoiding the burden on the environment that the aqueous saline waste represented . the amount of potassium carbonate is preferably from 2 to 3 mol per mol of compound of formula ( iii ). the amount of compound of formula ( iv ) is preferably from 2 to 3 mol per mol of compound of formula ( iii ). the initial volume of organic solvent is preferably from 6 to 12 ml per gram of compound of formula ( iii ). organic solvents that are preferred for the reaction are acetone and acetonitrile . methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate and methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - ethoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate , particular and preferred cases of the compounds of formula ( i ), are new compounds which are useful as synthesis intermediates in the chemical or pharmaceutical industry , especially in the synthesis of strontium ranelate and accordingly form an integral part of the present invention . the examples hereinbelow illustrate the invention but do not limit it in any way . introduce into a reactor 400 kg of 5 - amino - 3 -( carboxymethyl )- 4 - cyano - 2 - thiophenecarboxylic acid , 478 kg of potassium carbonate , 2810 litres of acetone , 16 kg of adogen 464 % and 529 . 6 kg of methyl bromoacetate . bring the temperature to 60 ° c . after refluxing for 5 hours , cool the reaction mixture and then filter it . concentrate the filtrate obtained . add methanol ; cool and filter the suspension obtained , and then dry the powder . methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate is thereby obtained in a yield greater than 85 % and with a chemical purity greater than 98 %. methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate is obtained in the same manner as example 1 , but replacing adogen 464 ® by aliquat 336 ®. methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate is obtained in the same manner as example 1 , but replacing the acetone by acetonitrile . methyl 5 -[ bis ( 2 - ethoxy - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 4 - cyano - 3 -( 2 - methoxy - 2 - oxoethyl )- 2 - thiophenecarboxylate is obtained in the same manner as example 1 , but replacing the 529 . 6 kg of methyl bromoacetate by 578 . 1 kg of ethyl bromoacetate .
| 2 |
the present invention is directed at an apparatus for sealing a conduit in order to facilitate maintenance and / or repair of the conduit and / or its associated fittings . a non - limiting exemplary embodiment of the apparatus is depicted in fig1 - 9 . in the exemplary embodiment , the apparatus ( 20 ) may be used to replace a fitting such as a valve ( 22 ) which is associated with a conduit ( 24 ). the conduit ( 24 ) is in fluid communication with a source of fluid . the source of fluid may be a storage tank , such as an oil storage tank ( not shown ). the fitting , the conduit ( 24 ) and the source of fluid do not form part of the invention . referring to fig1 - 3 , the apparatus ( 20 ) is comprised of a housing ( 30 ), a tube ( 32 ), a rod ( 34 ), a seal assembly ( 36 ), a proximal collar ( 38 ) and a distal collar ( 40 ). the housing ( 30 ) has a housing proximal end ( 46 ) and a housing distal end ( 48 ). a housing bore ( 54 ) extends through the housing ( 30 ) from the housing proximal end ( 46 ) to the housing distal end ( 48 ), thereby defining a housing proximal primary port ( 50 ) at the housing proximal end ( 46 ) and a housing distal primary port ( 52 ) at the housing distal end ( 48 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the housing ( 30 ) is constructed from a plurality of components which are temporarily or permanently connected together . moving from the housing proximal end ( 46 ) toward the housing distal end ( 48 ), the housing ( 30 ) is comprised of a hexagonal plug ( 56 ), a packing coupling ( 58 ), a crossover coupling ( 60 ), and a camlock coupling ( 62 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the camlock coupling ( 62 ) is selected to be compatible with a complementary camlock coupling ( 26 ) on or connected with the valve ( 22 ) so that the housing ( 30 ) is thereby adapted to be connectable with the valve ( 22 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the camlock coupling ( 62 ) may have a nominal diameter of about 4 inches ( about 10 centimeters ). in other embodiments , the camlock coupling ( 62 ) may be substituted with an alternative form of coupling which is compatible with the conduit and its associated fitting such as , by way of non - limiting examples , external threads , internal threads or a flange . in the exemplary embodiment , the crossover coupling ( 60 ) provides a transition between the relatively larger diameter of the camlock coupling ( 62 ) and the relatively smaller diameter of the packing coupling ( 58 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the crossover coupling ( 60 ) is welded to both the camlock coupling ( 62 ) and the packing coupling ( 58 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the packing coupling ( 58 ) contains a suitable packing ( 64 ) and a packing ring ( 66 ). the packing ( 64 ) provides a seal between the housing ( 30 ) and the tube ( 32 ). the packing ring ( 66 ) abuts the packing ( 64 ) and assists in maintaining the packing ( 64 ) in place inside the packing coupling ( 58 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the packing ( 64 ) consists of teflon ( trade - mark ), which allows the tube ( 32 ) to slide smoothly through the packing coupling ( 58 ) while maintaining the seal between the housing ( 30 ) and the tube ( 32 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the packing ring ( 66 ) is an annular steel washer . interior threads are provided in the packing coupling ( 58 ) to accommodate the hexagonal plug ( 56 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the packing coupling ( 58 ) may have an inner diameter of about 2 inches ( about 5 centimeters ) and the packing ( 64 ) may have a thickness of about 0 . 25 inches ( about 0 . 6 centimeters ). in the exemplary embodiment , the hexagonal plug ( 56 ) includes exterior threads so that the hexagonal plug ( 56 ) can be threadably coupled with the packing coupling ( 58 ). when coupled with the packing coupling ( 58 ), the hexagonal plug ( 56 ) abuts the packing ring ( 66 ). as a result , the hexagonal plug ( 56 ) assists the packing coupling ( 58 ) in maintaining a seal between the housing ( 30 ) and the tube ( 32 ) by providing support for the packing ring ( 66 ) and containment of the packing ( 64 ) within the packing coupling ( 58 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the hexagonal plug ( 56 ) may have a nominal size of about 2 inches ( about 5 centimeters ) to fit within the packing coupling ( 58 ) and may have a 1 . 8 inch ( about 4 . 5 centimeters ) hole machined through it to accommodate the tube ( 32 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the housing ( 30 ) further comprises a first auxiliary port ( 70 ) having a first auxiliary port valve ( 72 ) and a second auxiliary port ( 74 ) having a second auxiliary port valve ( 76 ). the auxiliary ports ( 70 , 74 ) communicate with the housing bore ( 54 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the auxiliary ports ( 70 , 74 ) are located on the crossover coupling ( 60 ) and the first auxiliary port ( 70 ) is larger than the second auxiliary port ( 74 ). more particularly , in the exemplary embodiment , the first auxiliary port ( 70 ) may have a nominal diameter of about 1 inch ( about 2 . 5 centimeters ) and the second auxiliary port ( 76 ) may have a nominal diameter of about 0 . 5 inches ( about 1 . 3 centimeters ). in the exemplary embodiment , the tube ( 32 ) is hollow , and extends through the housing bore ( 54 ) when the apparatus ( 20 ) is assembled . the tube ( 32 ) is not fixed to the housing ( 30 ) and may therefore reciprocate within the housing bore ( 54 ). the tube ( 32 ) defines a tube bore ( 80 ) and has a tube proximal end ( 82 ) and a tube distal end ( 84 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the tube ( 32 ) may have an outer diameter of about 1 . 75 inches ( about 4 . 4 centimeters ) and the diameter of the tube bore ( 80 ) may be about 1 . 1 inches ( about 2 . 8 centimeters ) to accommodate the rod ( 34 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the rod ( 34 ) is solid and has a rod outer surface ( 90 ), a rod proximal end ( 92 ) and a rod distal end ( 94 ). the rod ( 34 ) extends through the tube bore ( 80 ). the rod ( 34 ) is not fixed to the tube ( 32 ) and may therefore reciprocate within the tube bore ( 80 ). the rod ( 34 ) is longer than the tube ( 32 ) so that the rod proximal end ( 92 ) protrudes from the tube proximal end ( 82 ) and the rod distal end ( 94 ) protrudes from the tube distal end ( 84 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the rod ( 34 ) may have a diameter of about 1 inch ( about 2 . 5 centimeters ). at least the rod proximal end ( 92 ) is provided with external threads ( 96 ). in the exemplary embodiment as depicted in fig1 - 9 , substantially the entire rod outer surface ( 90 ) is provided with external threads ( 96 ). a threaded nut ( 98 ) with complementary internal threads is threadably connected with the rod ( 34 ) at the rod proximal end ( 92 ). the threaded nut ( 98 ) abuts the tube proximal end ( 82 ). the purpose of the threaded nut ( 98 ) is to enable an axial setting force to be applied to the seal assembly ( 36 ) by turning the threaded nut ( 98 ) and thereby advancing the threaded nut ( 98 ) toward the rod distal end ( 94 ) so that the rod ( 34 ) moves axially relative to the tube ( 32 ) in a proximal direction , and to enable the axial setting force to be released by retracting the threaded nut ( 98 ) toward the rod proximal end ( 92 ) so that the rod ( 34 ) moves axially relative to the tube ( 32 ) in a distal direction . the threaded nut ( 98 ) is sized to be compatible with the rod ( 34 ). in the exemplary embodiment the threaded nut ( 98 ) may have a nominal ( inner ) diameter of about 1 inch ( about 2 . 5 centimeters ) and a flat size of about 1 . 5 inches ( about 3 . 8 centimeters ). the seal assembly ( 36 ) slidably surrounds the rod outer surface ( 90 ) between the tube distal end ( 84 ) and the rod distal end ( 94 ). the seal assembly ( 36 ) may be comprised of a single seal element or a plurality of seal elements . in the exemplary embodiment , the seal assembly 36 is comprised of a plurality of seal elements . in the exemplary embodiment , the seal assembly ( 36 ) is more particularly comprised of a proximal seal element ( 110 ), a distal seal element ( 112 ), and a spacer ( 114 ) positioned between the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ). each of the components of the seal assembly 36 is capable of sliding along the rod outer surface ( 90 ) in order to facilitate actuation of the seal assembly ( 36 ). the proximal seal element ( 110 ) has a proximal seal element length ( 116 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) has a distal seal element length ( 118 ). each of the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) has an unexpanded minimum diameter ( 120 ) and an expanded maximum diameter ( 122 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) are substantially identical , so that the proximal seal element length ( 116 ) is substantially equal to the distal seal element length ( 118 ), the unexpanded minimum diameter ( 120 ) of the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) is substantially equal , and the expanded maximum diameter ( 122 ) of the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) is substantially equal . in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) are both constructed of natural rubber . in particular , in the exemplary embodiment , it has been found that the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) may each be constructed from a 4 inch ( about 10 centimeter ) natural rubber pipeline ball which has been machined to the appropriate dimensions . in the exemplary embodiment , the lengths ( 116 , 118 ) of the proximal seal element ( 110 ) and the distal seal element ( 112 ) respectively may be about 3 . 5 inches ( about 9 centimeters ), the unexpanded minimum diameter ( 120 ) of the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) may be about 2 . 75 inches ( about 7 centimeters ), and the expanded maximum diameter ( 122 ) of the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) may be about 4 inches ( about 10 centimeters ). as a result , in the exemplary embodiment , the seal assembly ( 36 ) may provide an expansion ratio of about 1 . 45 : 1 . the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) fit snugly around the rod outer surface ( 90 ) in order to provide a seal between the rod ( 34 ) and the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ). accordingly , in the exemplary embodiment in which the rod ( 34 ) may have a diameter of about 1 inch ( about 2 . 5 centimeters ), the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) may have an inner diameter of about 0 . 75 inches ( about 1 . 9 centimeters ) so that the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) must stretch to accommodate the rod ( 34 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the spacer ( 114 ) is a flat metal washer , and functions to maintain separation between the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ). in the exemplary embodiment in which the rod ( 34 ) may have a diameter of about 1 inch ( about 2 . 5 centimeters ) and in which the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) may have an unexpanded minimum diameter ( 120 ) of about 2 . 75 inches ( about 7 centimeters ), the spacer ( 114 ) may have an inner diameter of about 1 . 05 inches ( about 2 . 7 centimeters ) to accommodate the rod ( 34 ) and may have an outer diameter of about 2 . 5 inches ( about 6 . 3 centimeters ). in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal collar ( 38 ) has a proximal collar outer surface ( 130 ), a proximal collar proximal end ( 132 ), a proximal collar distal end ( 134 ), and a proximal collar flange ( 136 ) extending radially from the proximal collar outer surface ( 130 ) at a position which is approximately midway between the proximal collar proximal end ( 132 ) and the proximal collar distal end ( 134 ). the proximal collar flange ( 136 ) has a proximal collar flange diameter ( 138 ), which is the outer diameter of the proximal collar flange ( 136 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the distal collar ( 40 ) has a distal collar outer surface ( 140 ), a distal collar proximal end ( 142 ), a distal collar distal end ( 144 ), and a distal collar flange ( 146 ) extending radially from the distal collar outer surface ( 140 ) at a position which is approximately midway between the distal collar proximal end ( 142 ) and the distal collar distal end ( 144 ). the distal collar flange ( 146 ) has a distal collar flange diameter ( 148 ), which is the outer diameter of the distal collar flange ( 146 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal collar ( 38 ) and the distal collar ( 40 ) are substantially identical “ mirror images ” of each other . in other words , the proximal collar proximal end ( 132 ) corresponds with the distal collar distal end ( 144 ) and the proximal collar distal end ( 134 ) corresponds with the distal collar proximal end ( 142 ). in the exemplary embodiment , each of the collars ( 38 , 40 ) is constructed from a plurality of components which are welded together . these components consist of a first threaded collar ( 150 ), a second threaded collar ( 152 ) and a flange washer ( 154 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the first threaded collar ( 150 ) and the second threaded collar ( 152 ) are both eue threaded pipe nipples and the flange washer ( 154 ) is a conventional steel washer . the threads on the exterior of the first threaded collar ( 150 ) and the second threaded collar ( 152 ) provide texturing to the collar outer surfaces ( 130 , 140 ). the flange washers ( 154 ) provide the collar flanges ( 136 , 146 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the first threaded collar ( 150 ) may have an outer diameter of about 2 . 375 inches ( about 6 centimeters ), an inner diameter of about 2 inches ( about 5 centimeters ), and a length of about 1 . 2 inches ( about 3 centimeters ), the second threaded collar ( 152 ) may have an outer diameter of about 2 . 375 inches ( about 6 centimeters ), an inner diameter of about 2 inches ( about 5 centimeters ) and a length of about 0 . 9 inches ( about 2 . 3 centimeters ), and the flange washer ( 154 ) may have an outer diameter of about 2 . 75 inches ( about 7 centimeters ), an inner diameter of about 1 . 05 inches ( about 2 . 7 centimeters ), and a width or thickness of about 0 . 25 inches ( about 0 . 6 centimeters ). in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal collar ( 38 ) is fixed to the tube distal end ( 84 ) and the distal collar ( 40 ) is fixed to the rod distal end ( 94 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the proximal collar ( 38 ) may be assembled and fixed to the tube distal end ( 84 ) first , by welding the flange washer ( 154 ) to the tube distal end ( 84 ), second , by sliding the first threaded collar ( 150 ) over the tube ( 32 ) and welding the first threaded collar ( 150 ) to one side of the flange washer ( 154 ), and third , by welding the second threaded collar ( 152 ) to the other side of the flange washer ( 154 ). in the exemplary embodiment , the distal collar ( 40 ) may be assembled and fixed to the rod distal end ( 94 ) first , by welding the flange washer ( 154 ) to the rod distal end ( 94 ), second , by sliding the second threaded collar ( 152 ) over the rod ( 34 ) and welding the second threaded collar ( 152 ) to one side of the flange washer ( 154 ), and third , by welding the first threaded collar ( 150 ) to the other side of the flange washer ( 154 ). since the proximal collar ( 38 ) is fixed to the tube distal end ( 84 ) and the distal collar ( 40 ) is fixed to the rod distal end ( 94 ), axial movement of the rod ( 34 ) relative to the tube ( 32 ) which is caused by turning the threaded nut ( 98 ) will result in the collars ( 38 , 40 ) moving toward each other or away from each other ( depending upon the direction that the threaded nut ( 98 ) is turned ). if the rod ( 34 ) is moved relative to the tube ( 32 ) in a proximal direction so that the collars ( 38 , 40 ) are moved toward each other , an axial setting force will be applied to the seal assembly ( 36 ) by the collars ( 38 , 40 ) as the seal assembly ( 36 ) is compressed between the collars ( 38 , 40 ). the axial setting force and compression of the seal assembly ( 36 ) will result in the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) expanding radially . if the rod ( 34 ) is moved relative to the tube ( 32 ) in a distal direction so that the collars ( 38 , 40 ) are moved away from each other , the axial setting force will be gradually released and the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) will collapse radially . referring to fig4 - 9 , in some applications the apparatus ( 20 ) of the exemplary embodiment may be used to change a fitting , such as a valve ( 22 ), which is removably connected with a conduit ( 24 ) leading from a storage tank , such as an oil storage tank ( not shown ). in such applications , it is desirable to have the ability to change the valve ( 22 ) without first draining the storage tank . in some such applications , the valve ( 22 ) may have a relatively smaller diameter downstream outlet port ( such as , for example about 2 . 75 inches ( about 7 centimeters )), and the conduit ( 24 ) upstream of the valve ( 22 ) may have a relatively larger diameter ( such as , for example about 4 inches ( about 10 centimeters )), thereby requiring a seal assembly ( 36 ) which can provide an expansion ratio of at least about 1 . 4 : 1 . in such applications , the apparatus ( 20 ) of the exemplary embodiment may be used as follows , with reference to fig4 - 9 . first , the apparatus ( 20 ) is assembled for use . the tube ( 32 ), the rod ( 34 ), the seal assembly ( 34 ), the proximal collar ( 38 ) and the distal collar ( 40 ) will typically be preassembled as a tube assembly ( 160 ) having a tube assembly proximal end ( 162 ) and a tube assembly distal end ( 164 ). as a result , assembling the apparatus ( 20 ) may typically be accomplished by inserting the tube assembly proximal end ( 162 ) into the housing ( 30 ) at the housing distal end ( 48 ) and pulling the tube assembly ( 160 ) through the housing bore ( 32 ) in a proximal direction until the proximal collar ( 38 ) contacts the crossover coupling ( 60 ). second , the valve ( 22 ) is closed or the valve ( 22 ) is inspected to confirm and ensure that it is closed . third , the apparatus ( 20 ) is connected directly or indirectly to the valve ( 22 ) by connecting the camlock coupling ( 62 ) on the housing ( 30 ) with a complementary camlock coupling ( 26 ) on or associated with the valve ( 22 ). fourth , the valve ( 22 ) is opened fully and the tube assembly ( 160 ) is advanced through the housing bore ( 54 ) in a distal direction until only a short length of the tube assembly ( 160 ) protrudes from the hexagonal plug ( 56 ). fifth , the threaded nut ( 98 ) is turned with a wrench in order to move the rod ( 34 ) axially in a proximal direction , thereby applying an axial setting force to the seal assembly ( 36 ) and causing the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) to expand toward their expanded maximum diameter ( 122 ) until the seal assembly ( 36 ) is fully actuated to seal the conduit ( 22 ) upstream of the valve ( 24 ). sixth , one of the auxiliary port valves ( 72 , 76 ) may be temporarily opened in order to drain the apparatus ( 20 ) of fluid . seventh , the tube assembly ( 160 ) may be give a slight tug to confirm that the seal assembly ( 36 ) is actuated properly to seal the conduit ( 24 ). eighth , the housing ( 30 ) is removed from the valve ( 22 ) while leaving the tube assembly ( 160 ) in place sealing the conduit ( 24 ), by uncoupling the camlock coupling ( 62 ) and sliding the housing ( 30 ) along the tube assembly ( 160 ) in a proximal direction . ninth , the valve ( 22 ) is removed from the conduit ( 24 ) and a fully open new valve ( not shown ) is installed on the conduit ( 24 ). tenth , the housing ( 30 ) of the apparatus ( 20 ) is connected with the new valve ( not shown ) by reassembling the housing ( 30 ) and the tube assembly ( 160 ) while the tube assembly ( 160 ) remains in place sealing the conduit ( 24 ) and connecting the camlock coupling ( 62 ) with a complementary camlock coupling ( not shown ) on the new valve ( not shown ). eleventh , the threaded nut ( 98 ) is turned with a wrench in order to move the rod ( 34 ) axially in a distal direction , thereby releasing the axial setting force and causing the seal elements ( 110 , 112 ) to collapse toward their unexpanded minimum diameter ( 120 ) until only a short length of the rod ( 34 ) extends from the threaded nut ( 98 ). twelfth , the tube assembly ( 160 ) is retracted through the housing bore ( 54 ) in a proximal direction until the proximal collar ( 38 ) contacts the crossover coupling ( 60 ). thirteenth , the new valve ( not shown ) is fully closed and the apparatus ( 20 ) is removed from the new valve ( not shown ). fourteenth , the new valve ( not shown ) and the conduit ( 24 ) are checked for leaks . in this document , the word “ comprising ” is used in its non - limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included , but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded . a reference to an element by the indefinite article “ a ” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present , unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements .
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a drill string 20 shown in fig1 includes a drill pipe 22 supported and operated from above ground , a measurement while drilling ( mwd ) package 24 contained within an enlarged lower section 26 of the drill pipe and a drill bit 28 . drilling mud , a fluid used to remove cuttings and stabilize down - hole pressure , is circulated as shown by the arrows along the drill pipe 22 , over and through the mwd package 24 , through nozzles in the drill bit 28 and back along the annular space between the drill pipe and the bore hole . feed and return lines 32 and 34 , respectively , connect the drill pipe with a pump 36 and a mud pit 38 where cuttings are separated out of the fluid . the mwd package 24 contains instrumentation 39 to sense physical parameters around the drill head , a signal processing package 40 to convert sensor output to electrical impulses , a power supply 42 and a vortex chamber fluid pulser 44 to convert the electrical impulses into pressure waves , detected on the surface by a pressure transducer 45 in the wall of feed line 32 . the vortex chamber mud pulser 44 , fig2 and 3 , has an actuator module 46 and a valve module 48 . the actuator module is smaller in diameter than the drill pipe , allowing drilling mud to flow between the module and the pipe . the actuator module converts electrical impulses received from the signal processing package into movement of a control rod 50 extending into the valve module . a pair of coaxial opposed solenoids 52 and 54 are housed in the actuator module . the plungers of the two solenoids ( not shown ) are connected to a linkage arm 56 pivotably fixed on one end to the actuator module housing 58 by a first pin 60 and pivotably connected on the opposite end by a second pin 62 to the rigid control rod 50 extending through a passage 66 in the housing 84 of valve module 48 . energization of the first solenoid urges linkage 56 and control rod 50 a short distance ( on the order of 0 . 20 inches ) toward the valve module 48 into an extended position ; alternate energization of the second solenoid returns the linkage and rod toward the actuator module 46 into a retracted position . the actuator module 46 is filled with hydraulic fluid 68 surrounding the solenoids . a diaphragm assembly 70 is attached to the external surface of the actuator module housing and communicates with the hydraulic fluid 68 through an orifice 72 . a pressure compensation diaphragm 74 expandably seals the fluid in the actuator module , allowing pressure to be equalized across the walls of the housing and compensating for changes in the internal volume of the actuator module due to movement of the plungers , linkage and control rod , expansion from solenoid heating and changes in ambient pressure . a flexible rubber bellows 76 sealingly surrounds the control rod between the actuator module and the valve module . alternative configurations and assemblies , for instance , piezo - electric stacks , bi - morph materials and state changing fluids , may be used to translate the electrical impulses from the signal processor into mechanical movement of the control arm . the valve module 48 is sized to fit tightly in the drill pipe and has a circumferential groove 78 machined into the outer surface to seat an o - ring 80 used to provide a seal between the upper inlet portion 82 of the valve module housing 84 and the lower outlet portion 86 . an inlet duct 88 having an axis along the axis of the drill pipe 22 is located on the upper portion of the valve module and communicates with the radial wall of an annular chamber 90 . annular chamber 90 has an axis of revolution lying normal to the axis of the drill pipe 22 . two outlet ducts 92 and 94 are coaxial with the annular axis of revolution and communicate with the vortex chamber through an open cylindrical chamber 96 , coaxial with outlet ducts and extending radially to the annular vortex chamber . the axial outlet ducts 92 and 94 can be machined to an efficient nozzle shape or to threadingly receive commercially available drill bit nozzles . the control rod 50 linking the actuator module 46 to the valve module 48 extends through passage 66 into the annular chamber 90 in a direction parallel to the axis of the drill pipe . passage 66 and control rod 50 are offset from but adjacent the radial inlet duct 88 , perpendicular to the axis of revolution of annular chamber 90 and centered thereto . a perpendicular tab 102 is attached to the free end of control rod 50 and extends in each direction a distance less than half the width of annular chamber 90 forming a &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; junction with the control rod . a groove or slot 104 is machined into the interior wall of the annular chamber 90 and sized to accept tab 102 in a recessed position flush with the contour of the chamber wall when control rod 50 is in the retracted position . when control rod 50 is in the extended position , tab 102 is displaced into the vortex chamber by a distance corresponding to the distance control rod 50 is urged by linkage 56 . the composite geometry of the annular chamber 90 , the axial outlet ducts 92 and 94 , the cylindrical chamber 96 , passage 66 and slot 104 form a vortex chamber 105 , shown in fig4 having geometric symmetry on either side of the plane passing through the axes of inlet duct 88 and outlet ducts 92 and 94 . the valve module housing 84 is tapered on opposite sides at 93 and 95 in the vicinity of the two axial outlet ducts 92 and 94 , respectively , to permit free flow between the housing and the drill pipe of drilling mud passing through the vortex chamber 105 . a downwardly converging flow guide 106 can be used to channel the annular flow of drilling mud past the actuator module 46 into inlet duct 88 of the valve module 48 . the symmetry of the vortex chamber 105 greatly simplifies fabrication of the valve module . each identical half of the chamber , as shown in fig4 is machined from a piece of solid stock , the two halves are assembled together into a unit , and the unit is turned on a lathe to achieve the required diameter and to cut o - ring groove 78 . tapered sections 93 and 95 are then milled into the sides of the unit . the two halves are disassembled , the retractable control rod 50 and tab 102 assembly is positioned and the halves are reassembled to each other by bolts , brazing or other means . these simple fabrication techniques are generally well suited to modern numerical control machine shop practice . in use , the vortex chamber mud pulser 44 is positioned in the drill pipe 22 near the instrumentation 39 , signal processor 40 and power supply 42 . electrical impulses are fed from the signal processor to the actuator module 46 in sequences containing data encoded into binary form and applied alternately to a first and second coaxial solenoid 52 and 54 to magnetically move the plunger and , through linkage 56 , to selectively extend and retract a control rod 50 alternatively toward and away from the valve module 48 . the mass and travel distance of the control rod and tab are small ; consequently less actuator power is required and system response time is faster than in typical mechanical systems . moreover , the simplicity of movement and minimal inertia of the control rod and tab assures a rugged shock - resistant device well suited to the down - hole environment . drilling mud propelled down the drill pipe by pump 36 passes around the actuator module and into inlet duct 88 in the valve module 48 . passage of mud around the valve module is prevented by o - ring 80 sealingly compressed between the valve module and the drill pipe . the mud flows through the inlet into the vortex chamber 105 . when the control rod 50 is in the retracted position , tab 102 is recessed in groove 104 and does not interfere with the flow of the drilling mud . undisturbed flow encircles the vortex chamber 105 in a relatively symmetric pattern resulting in radial flow into the axial outlet ducts 92 and 94 as shown in fig5 and 6 , with a plane of essentially zero flow formed midway between the two outlet ducts along the vortex chamber plane of symmetry . in prior art single outlet devices this plane is formed by a back plate and is subjected to high pressure and wear . here the pressure is equalized as the fluid is free to flow symmetrically in both directions . when control rod 50 is extended in response to an electrical impulse sent to the actuator module 48 from the signal processor 40 , tab 102 is projected into the vortex chamber 105 and the chamber ceases to have symmetry about the axis of the radial inlet duct 88 . the obstruction produced by tab 102 initiates a vortical flow pattern , shown by the arrows in fig7 and 8 , following the chamber walls away from the disturbance and producing a &# 34 ; free &# 34 ; vortex . in a &# 34 ; free &# 34 ; vortex the angular momentum of the fluid is conserved and the angular velocity of the fluid increases as the flow swirls toward the centrally located outlet ducts 92 and 94 . the increasing velocity produces a large pressure gradient between the slower moving and higher pressure flow near the chamber walls and the faster moving and lower pressure flow approaching the outlets . the magnitude of the throttling effect of the gradient is determined by the geometry of the chamber . the vortex increases the tangential velocity of the flow , reduces the static pressure normally driving the fluid through the outlets and produces a rapid reduction in flow rate , known as a &# 34 ; water hammer &# 34 ;. the sudden flow restriction produces a pressure pulse propagating through the fluid at the speed of sound . a similar pulse is initiated by the withdrawal of tab 102 from the chamber as the flow returns to an unperturbed radial flow pattern with an attendant rapid increase in flow rate . pressure pulses thus generated travel up the drilling mud and are sensed by a pressure transducer 45 in feed line 32 on the surface where the data encoded in the sequences or patterns of pressure pulses are interpreted . in view of the foregoing , it is apparent that the present invention makes available a mud pulser capable of viably telemetering down - hole sensor signals to operators located at the surface . the ability to produce a high signal rate from a rugged , reliable and inexpensive pulser has not been heretofore possible in the prior art . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations , modifications and changes in detail , it is intended that all subject matter discussed above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not be taken in a limiting sense .
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this invention relates to a soybean cultivar designated 11939 - 40 which was developed by single plant selection from another soybean cultivar , 11939 , which was disclosed and claimed in u . s . ser . no . 10 / 108 , 326 . soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 differs from its “ mother ” cultivar , 11939 , in more than one important characteristic , as described below . a single plant selection from soybean cultivar 11939 ( developed as described in detail in u . s . ser . no . 10 / 108 , 326 ) was made in a winter nursery in south america and grown in a progeny row at gilbert , ia in plot omr9667 - 34 in 2000 . seed gathered from this progeny row was used for agronomic and yield trial evaluations in subsequent seasons , and named 11939 - 40 on jul . 30 , 2001 . this new soybean cultivar was characterized for important morphological , agronomic and performance qualities in evaluation trials , greenhouse studies , and disease nurseries . soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 has uniformity and stability of its morphological and other characteristics . the variety description information ( table i ) provides a summary of characteristics of soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 plant characteristics . as used herein , “ a soybean plant having the physiological and morphological characteristics of soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 ” is a plant having the characteristics set forth in table 1 . soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 differs from cultivar 11939 in that 11939 - 40 breeds true for pure purple flower color . the soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 does not differ significantly from 11939 in important agronomic characteristics such as lodging resistance and plant height ( table 2 ). in table 3 , the yield and maturity date of soybean cultivars 11939 - 40 and 11939 are compared . as can be seen in table 3 , the soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 was found to mature one day later than soybean cultivar 11939 in three years of replicated , comparative studies . therefore , 11939 - 40 is characterized as a maturity group ii soybean cultivar with a relative maturity of 2 . 3 , whereas 11939 is a maturity group ii soybean cultivar with a relative maturity of 2 . 1 ( table 1 ). as can be seen in table 3 , a statistically significant difference ( as quantified by a paired t test at a p = 0 . 10 level of probability ) exists in yield between soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 and cultivar 11939 . soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 has a nearly 1 . 5 bu / ac improved yield over that of cultivar 11939 . the present invention contemplates using the 11939 - 40 soybean plant , or part thereof , or a soybean plant having the physiological and morphological characteristics of the 11939 - 40 soybean plant , as a source of breeding material for developing a soybean plant in a soybean breeding program using plant breeding techniques . plant breeding techniques useful in the developing soybean plants include , but are not limited to , single seed descent , modified single seed descent , recurrent selection , reselection , mass selection , bulk selection , backcrossing , pedigree breeding , mutation breeding , restriction fragment length polymorphism enhanced selection , genetic marker enhanced selection , and transformation . plant breeding techniques are known to the art and have been described in the literature . for example , see u . s . pat . no . 6 , 143 , 954 , which , along with the references cited therein , is incorporated by reference herein . as used herein , the term “ plant ” includes plant cells , plant protoplasts , plant cell tissue cultures from which soybean plants can be regenerated , plant calli , plant clumps , and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts thereof . “ plant part ” includes , but is not limited to , embryos , pollen , ovules , seeds , flowers , pods , leaves , roots , root tips , anthers , and the like . one may obtain soybean plants according to the present invention by directly by growing the seed of 11939 - 40 or by any other means . a soybean plant having all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of 11939 - 40 can be obtained by any suitable means , including , but not limited to , regenerating plants or plant parts from tissue culture or cuttings . the scope of the present invention is not limited by the method by which the plant is obtained . seed from soybean cultivar 11939 - 40 , disclosed above and recited in the appended claims , was deposited with the american type culture collection ( atcc ), 10801 university boulevard , manassas , virginia 20110 on ______ , 2004 . the present invention is not limited to the exemplified embodiments , but is intended to encompass all such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the following claims .
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disclosed is a system and method for facilitating check writing . generally speaking , the system and method can be used to access a network - based ( e . g ., web - based ) imaging service that enables the user to identify the imaging data to be used to generate checks . once the data has been identified , it can be stored by the service and , if desired , one or more hard copy documents ( i . e ., checks ) can be generated . to facilitate description of the inventive system and method , example systems are discussed with reference to the figures . although these systems are described in detail , it will be appreciated that they are provided for purposes of illustration only and that various modifications are feasible without departing from the inventive concept . after the description of the example systems , examples of operation of the systems are provided to explain the manners in which check generation can be facilitated . [ 0015 ] fig1 is a schematic representation of the general operation of the invention . as shown in this figure , an imaging client 100 communicates with one or more imaging sources 102 and one or more imaging destinations 104 , which can in some arrangements comprise the same device and / or service . the imaging source ( s ) 102 represent any of a wide variety of devices / services that can be accessed by the imaging client 100 and used to input data that will be used to create a document , such as a check . once the imaging data have been input , the imaging client 100 can identify data from the imaging source ( s ) 102 that are to be used by the imaging destination ( s ) 104 for printing , as well as the arrangement of the data within the printed document . the image destination ( s ) 104 can then print the document ( s ) according to the client &# 39 ; s selections . [ 0016 ] fig2 illustrates an example system 200 with which the invention can be implemented . as indicated in this figure , the example system 200 generally comprises a computing device 202 , a printing device 204 , and one or more network servers 206 , each of which can be connected to a network 208 . as indicated in fig2 the computing device 202 can be arranged as a personal computer ( pc ). more broadly , however , the computing device 202 can comprise substantially any device that can be used to communicate via the network 208 and , therefore , access and / or be accessed by check writing services made available over the network . by way of example , the computing device 202 can alternatively comprise a notebook computer , macintosh computer , handheld computer such as a personal digital assistant or mobile telephone , smart card , etc . the printing device 204 comprises any device that is capable of generating hardcopy documents in the form of a check . although the term “ printing device ” is used herein , it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to any particular type of device that provides this functionality . accordingly , the term is intended to include any appliance or printing device ( e . g ., printer , photocopier , facsimile machine , multifunction peripheral ( mfp ), etc .) that either inherently provides this functionality or which provides it when a suitable accessory is used in conjunction therewith . the one or more network servers 206 typically comprise computing devices similar in configuration to the computing device 202 , but which normally possess greater resources in terms of processing power , memory , and / or storage space . as will be apparent from the discussions provided below , the network servers 206 are typically used with the internet ( public or private ) and , therefore , typically comprise web servers . although the use of internet networking protocols ( e . g ., transmission control protocol ( tcp ) and / or internet protocol ( ip )) may mean that web protocols ( e . g ., hypertext transfer protocol ( http )) will be used , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that http is just one of many protocols capable of being used on internet networks . the network 208 normally comprises one or more sub - networks that are communicatively coupled to each other . by way of example , these networks can include one or more local area networks ( lans ) and / or wide area networks ( wans ) that comprise a set of networks that forms part of the internet . in addition to the network connections shown in fig2 one or more of the computing device 202 and servers 206 can be directly connected to the printing device 204 ( not shown ). direct connection between the computing device 202 and the printing device 204 may be likely where the printing device is used in a home or small office environment in which the user does not have access to a network . direct connection between a network server 206 and the printing device 204 may be likely where the server functions as a print server controlled by a check writing service . as noted above , other system arrangements are possible for implementation of the invention . for instance , the system can be arranged as one or more of the example systems identified in u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , entitled “ system and method for charging for printing services rendered ,” by shell simpson , ward foster , and kris livingston and bearing attorney docket no . 10008256 - 1 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure . in such a case , the data to be printed ( i . e ., imaging data ) can be accessed by imaging destinations ( e . g ., printing services ) in an , at least partially , automated manner . [ 0020 ] fig3 is a schematic view illustrating an example architecture for the printing device 204 identified in fig2 . as indicated in fig3 the printing device 204 can generally comprise a processing device 300 , memory 302 , hard copy generation hardware 304 , one or more user interface devices 306 , one or more input / output ( i / o ) devices 308 , and one or more network interface devices 310 , each of which is connected to a local interface 312 that normally comprises one or more internal and / or external buses . the processing device 300 is adapted to execute commands stored in memory 302 and can comprise a general - purpose processor , a microprocessor , one or more application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates , and other well known electrical configurations comprised of discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overall operation of the printing device 204 . the memory 204 can include any one of a combination of volatile memory elements ( e . g ., random access memory ( ram , such as dram , sram , etc .)) and nonvolatile memory elements ( e . g ., rom , hard drive , tape , cdrom , etc .). the hard copy generation hardware 304 comprises the components with which the printing device 204 can generate hard copy documents and , more particularly , with which the device can generate checks . for example , the hard copy generation hardware 304 can comprise a print engine that is possible of many different configurations . the one or more user interface devices 306 , where provided , comprise those components with which the user can interact with the printing device 204 . by way of example , the user interface devices 306 comprise one or more function keys and / or buttons with which the operation of the device 204 can be controlled , and a display , such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), with which information can be visually communicated to the user and , where the display comprises a touch - sensitive screen , commands can be entered . with further reference to fig3 the one or more i / o devices 308 are adapted to facilitate communications of the printing device 204 with another device and may therefore include one or more serial , parallel , small computer system interface ( scsi ), universal serial bus ( usb ), ieee 1394 ( e . g ., firewire ™), and / or personal area network ( pan ) components . the network interface devices 310 comprise the various components used to transmit and / or receive data over a network 208 . by way of example , the network interface devices 310 include a device that can communicate both inputs and outputs , for instance , a modulator / demodulator ( e . g ., modem ), wireless ( e . g ., radio frequency ( rf )) transceiver , a telephonic interface , a bridge , a router , network card , etc . the memory 302 typically comprises an operating system 314 . in addition , where the printing device 204 is adapted to support a service that facilitates check writing , the memory 204 typically includes an embedded network server 316 . the operating system 314 controls the execution of other software and / or firmware and provides scheduling , input - output control , file and data management , memory management , and communication control and related services . the embedded network server 316 comprises software and / or firmware that is used to serve information to the network 208 . where the network comprises the internet ( public or private ), the embedded network server 316 may function as an embedded web server . as indicated in fig3 the embedded network server 316 , where provided , comprises a check writing service 318 that , as is discussed in greater detail below , can be used to facilitate the check writing process . the operation of the network server 316 and the check writing service 318 when acting in this capacity is described below with reference to fig4 - 5 b . although the check writing service 318 has been identified as being supported by the printing device 204 , persons having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that this service could , alternatively , be provided by another device , for instance one or more of the network servers 206 . as will be apparent from the discussions that follow , however , the location of the check writing service 318 is not critical to the operation of the inventive system and method . various software and / or firmware has been described herein . it is to be understood that this software and / or firmware can be stored on any computer - readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer - related system or method . in the context of this document , a computer - readable medium denotes an electronic , magnetic , optical , or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer - related system or method . these programs can be embodied in any computer - readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device , such as a computer - based system , processor - containing system , or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device and execute the instructions . in the context of this document , a “ computer - readable medium ” can be any means that can store , communicate , propagate , or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . the computer - readable medium can be , for example but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , device , or propagation medium . more specific examples ( a nonexhaustive list ) of the computer - readable medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom , eeprom , or flash memory ), an optical fiber , and a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cdrom ). note that the computer - readable medium can even be paper or another suitable medium upon which a program is printed , as the program can be electronically captured , via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium , then compiled , interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary , and then stored in a computer memory . an example system having been described above , operation of the system will now be discussed . in the discussions that follow , flow diagrams are provided . it is to be understood that any process steps or blocks in these flow diagrams represent modules , segments , or portions of code that include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process . it will be appreciated that , although particular example process steps are described , alternative implementations are feasible . moreover , steps may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed , including substantially concurrently or in reverse order , depending on the functionality involved . [ 0028 ] fig4 provides a general overview of the manner in which a user can use the example system 200 , or another appropriate system , to facilitate check writing . beginning with block 400 , the check writing service 318 is accessed . typically , this access is gained via the network 208 . for instance , where the check writing service 318 executes on the printing device 204 , the user can access the service by directing an appropriate browser to the address ( e . g ., uniform resource locator ( url )) of the service . after the check writing service 318 has been accessed , the user can identify the data that are to be printed on the check that will be generated , as indicated in block 402 . this information typically includes at least a payee name and a payment amount . once the data has been entered by the user , the check writing service 318 can store the data , as indicated in block 404 . at this point , the user can print the data , as indicated in block 406 , by issuing a print command to the check writing service 318 . as noted above , the data are typically printed on preprinted check media that are contained within the printing device 204 . referring now to fig5 a - 5 b , a more detailed example of the operation of the system 200 will be provided . more particularly , an example of operation of the check writing service 318 is provided . beginning with block 500 of fig5 a , the user browses to the check writing service 318 using an appropriate network browser ( e . g ., web browser ) that executes on the user computing device 202 . typically , this service 318 comprises a web site that is accessed via the internet ( and / or intranet ). to provide for security , this communication , and those that follow , can be accessed through a secure sockets layer ( ssl ) or through use of another security scheme . as noted above , the check writing service 318 can , for example , be executed upon the printing device 204 . once the check writing service 318 is accessed , the service downloads content to the user browser , as indicated in block 502 . this content normally includes various text and / or graphics that are displayed to the user to facilitate interfacing between the user and the service 318 . this content can , optionally , include one or more applications ( e . g ., applets ) that perform certain functions to aid the check writing service 318 and , thereby , facilitate check generation . after the check writing service 318 has been accessed , the user can be prompted to verify his or her authorization to use the check writing service , as indicated in block 504 . by way of example , the user can be prompted to enter a user name and password . notably , if the user already logged on to the computing device 202 that is being used to access the check writing service 318 , the above - noted verification procedure may be unnecessary . assuming the user to be authorized and therefore capable of establishing his or her authorization , the check writing service 318 can confirm the user authorization , as indicated in block 506 . at this point , the check writing service 318 can prompt the user to identify the data to be printed , as indicated in block 508 . typically , this prompting is effected with an interface ( e . g ., graphical user interface ( gui )) in the form of one or more web pages that are presented to the user with the user browser . for example , the check writing service 318 can prompt the user to manually enter the data or identify the location of the data . the latter option may be particularly attractive where the user wishes to print several different checks using data from one or more databases . for instance , where the data for several different insurance claimants resides in one or more such databases , the user can identify the location ( s ) of the database ( s ) such that the data can be uploaded to the check writing service 318 . these databases can , for instance , reside on the user computing device 202 ( e . g ., on a hard disk ) and may comprise one or more files associated with a given user application ( e . g ., peachtree ™ quicken ™, etc .). if this option is selected , one or more applications ( e . g ., applets or possibly signed applets which are allowed extensive access to the capabilities of the client system ) that were downloaded to the user browser as content can form part of an upload mechanism that is used to perform the upload operation . for instance , the applications can generate a pop - up dialogue box or further web page with which the user can provide one or more file names from which the data is to be retrieved . where the user does not know of the correct filename ( s ), the applications can , for instance , be used to scan the user &# 39 ; s computing device hard disk so that the user may browse through the contents of the hard disk to locate the appropriate file ( s ). where the databases comprise remote databases , the user can provide an address ( e . g ., url ) of the databases to be accessed so that the check writing service 318 can retrieve the data . again , this information can be provided with a dialogue box or further web page that is presented to the user . by way of example , the database ( s ) can include one or more internet - accessible database management systems ( e . g ., oracle , sybase , etc .) that the user may presently use to store the data to be printed . in such a circumstance , the user may further be prompted to provide additional information that identifies the print data . for example , the user may be prompted to provide a structured query language ( sql ) query to identify which data ( e . g ., records ) are to be accessed by the check writing service 318 , and any other details that may be pertinent to identifying and accessing the data ( e . g ., the credentials needed to access the database , the network address of the database , the name of the database , etc .). irrespective of the manner in which the data to be printed is identified , the data identification can be received by the check writing service 318 , as indicated in block 510 . at this point , the various data to be printed can be stored by the service 318 , as indicated in block 512 . where the service 318 is supported by the printing device 204 , ( i . e ., embedded within the device ), the data can be stored within memory 302 ( e . g ., an internal hard disk ) of the device . where the service 318 is not supported by the printing device 204 , or where the device lacks the storage resources to store the data in memory 302 , the data can be stored in another appropriate storage location that is accessible by the service . with reference to fig5 b and decision element 514 , it can then be determined whether checks are to be printed . if the checks are not to be printed , flow for the session is terminated and the user may return to the service 318 at a later time to print the checks , if desired . if , however , the user does wish for checks to be printed , the check writing service 318 facilitates this printing , as indicated in block 516 , by , for example , sending a print job comprising the data and its arrangement to the hard copy generation hardware 304 . as noted above , there is nearly always potential for fraud when printing checks . to cite one example way in which fraud can be perpetrated , an unscrupulous user can simulate a jam of the printing device 204 in an attempt to access the preprinted blank checks that the device contains . to prevent such activity or , to at least more quickly identify the perpetrator , the check writing service 318 can be configured to detect when a jam condition is registered . this detection is possible in that the check writing service 318 is closely linked with the printing device 204 ( e . g ., stored in the printing device ). assuming the service 318 to be configured to provide such functionality , flow continues to decision element 518 at which it is determined whether a jam occurs . this determination can be made affirmatively by the check writing service 318 through various detection means , or can be made with reference to a notification that is delivered to the service from another device component . regardless , if no jam occurs during the printing of the check ( s ), flow continues to block 528 described below . if , on the other hand , a jam does occur , flow continues to block 520 at which the jam occurrence is recorded along with information about who sent the print job , when the jam occurred , etc . this information can be recorded within the printing device 204 ( e . g ., within an internal hard disk ) or in another location accessible via the network 208 . in addition , it can be determined , at decision element 522 , whether to alert a responsible party as to the jam condition . in that checks are being printed , such a jam condition is an inherently suspect condition . for this reason , it may be desirable to provide an immediate notification to the responsible party who may , for instance , hold a managerial position . if no alert is to be transmitted , flow continues to decision element 526 described below . if the alert is to be transmitted , however , it is transmitted to the responsible party , as indicated in block 524 . this alert can comprise , for instance , an email message , a text message that is sent to a portable device ( e . g ., pda , mobile telephone ) of the responsible party , a page that is sent to a pager of the responsible party , combinations thereof , etc . accordingly , the responsible party can immediately be made aware of the situation and , if on the premises , immediately investigate the situation personally . with reference to decision element 526 , if the jam is not fixed , flow for the printing session is terminated until such time when the device 204 is again operational . once the jam is fixed , however , the check writing service 318 logs information about the completed check printing session , as indicated in block 528 , such as when the print job was initiated , who initiated the print job , who the listed payee ( s ) is / are , the amount of the check ( s ), etc . by way of example , this information can be stored within memory ( e . g ., internal hard disk ) of the printing device 204 or another designated location that is accessible via the network 208 . at this point , the printing session can be memorialized as indicated in block 530 . this memorialization can take many different forms . by way of example , the check writing service 318 can generate a receipt that can , for instance , be printed along with the printed check so that the user ( i . e ., sender ) can obtain a record of the printing of the check . this record can include some or all of the information that was logged by the check writing service 318 as noted above with reference to block 528 . this printed receipt can then be provided to the payee of the check ( e . g ., insurance claimant ). alternatively , an electronic receipt can be generated for the user and stored in a designated location that is accessible over the network 208 for later retrieval and / or inspection . for instance , the electronic receipt can be stored in a personal imaging repository of the user in the manner described in u . s . patent application ser . no . ______ , identified above ( attorney docket no . 10008256 - 1 ). operating in the manner described above , the system and method can be used to simplify check writing in that the check writing service can be managed from a single control point as opposed to being distributed over several different computing devices . moreover , as noted above , fraud can be prevented and / or quickly discovered with greater ease . although the jam scenario has been discussed in detail , it is to be understood that the same antifraud measures described above can be used for any other type of occurrence that may be deemed suspicious ( i . e ., susceptible to fraudulent activity ) that may arise . while particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail in the foregoing description and drawings for purposes of example , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications thereof can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .
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in an aspect , any biomass may be employed in connection with the processes and reactor ( s ) described herein . for example , the biomass may contain one or more wood ( s ), grass ( es ), and / or any lignocellulosic - containing material . in an effort to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art ( e . g ., the use of immersion and / or soaking ), it may be desirable to improve the efficiency of sugar extraction while reducing the downstream drying and evaporation needs by reducing the liquid in the biomass pretreatment reactor vessel . this reduced liquid environment may be accomplished by using dry conditions with little or no free liquid . but the absence of liquid can cause a unique set of difficulties . in an aspect of the present invention , a reactor design may alleviate the difficulties . in a dry processing reactor , the reactor vessel generally contains two parts : an upper part and a lower part . the upper part of the vessel is a pressurized section where biomass enters and is heated using steam or other gaseous product ( such as ammonia ). the wall ( s ) of the upper portion may be made from carbon steel or stainless steel or another appropriate material . the ultimate pressure of the vessel is dependent on the heating medium . if steam is used the pressure of the vessel at the desired temperature will be about 5 to 25 bar , but if ammonia is used as the heating medium the operating pressure of the vessel could be up to 60 bar at the desired operating temperature . it may be possible to use combinations of steam and ammonia and / or other heating medium ( s ) in certain embodiments of the present invention . the lower part of the vessel may be a bottom discharge section where the internal pressure exerted on the biomass material is different from the external pressure of the cavity in which the discharge device is located . to facilitate a proper mass flow , this reactor discharge device could be similar to a diamondback ® chip bin shape , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 500 , 083 ( which is incorporated herein by reference ), or other one dimensional convergence with side relief , or even other geometric shapes that would allow for smooth discharge of the biomass material without the need for a vibratory or rotary discharge devices . in an aspect , the present invention relies on the geometry of the vessel , rather than external forces ( e . g ., vibration and / or rotation ) to move the biomass . the geometry of the discharge may be important to proper operation of the vessel so deflection of the discharge device walls must be prevented . deflection can be prevented by either constructing the discharge portion with very heavy material or providing for the equalization of pressure inside and outside of the discharge region of the vessel . in order to equalize the pressure , a pressure envelop around the discharge device region of the vessel may exist , thereby reducing the distortion of the discharge device material . the pressure envelop may minimize the differential pressure between the outside and the inside of the discharge devices . this pressure envelope may allow the walls of the discharge device ( which may be corrosion resistant material ) to be as thin as possible because the walls of the pressure envelop ( made of a less costly material such as carbon steel ) can withstand the reactor pressure . the corrosion resistant material may be stainless steel , titanium , zirconium , and / or any other corrosion resistant material . if the pressure envelope is omitted , the metal plates or pieces used in construction of the discharge device become difficult to form and support resulting in a more costly device , especially because they must prevent deflection of and damage to the discharge device . in an aspect , the reactor vessel with the pressure envelope thus advantageously reduces the amount of costly material necessary . gas ( possibly steam ) may be used to heat and pressurize the biomass material in the upper vessel section ( i . e ., where the thermochemical reactions may be primarily occurring ). to equalize the pressure between the reactor vessel and the envelop surrounding the discharge device , the two sections may be connected by a pressure equalization pipe . gas in the reactor vessel upper section could then fill and pressurize the envelop surrounding the discharge device thereby equalizing the pressure between the inside and outside of the discharge device . if roughly equalized , the gas in the reactor vessel and the cavity surrounding the discharge device would be at approximately the same pressure , but not have the same function . the gas to the cavity surrounding the discharge device would not be needed to heat the biomass in the discharge device , but merely to maintain pressure . the gas to the upper part of the reactor vessel would be used to heat the biomass as well as maintain the pressure in the vessel . if condensate of the heating medium is allowed to collect in the pressure envelop , it is possible that there will be a hydrostatic pressure difference between the inside of the discharge device and the cavity ( external of the discharge device ). to prevent this hydrostatic pressure difference from becoming excessive in the region of the discharge device , it is possible to locate an overflow device in the cavity to maintain a liquid level in the cavity area of the discharge device . in addition to allowing for equalization of the pressure inside and outside of the discharge section , the cavity — because it may be at or near the temperature of the upper section of the reactor — may be available to supply heat to the reactor contents in an upset condition , such as the loss of gas to the upper section of the reactor . in such a case the heat of the cavity area may become a temporary process heat source to allow for the safe and controlled deactivation of the process reactor . for instance , maintaining a liquid level of the condensate in the pressure envelope ( e . g ., the cavity ) may also provide a heat source in the event that the heating medium is lost temporarily . if the reactor is slowly deactivated , a rapid and dangerous loss of heat and pressure can be avoided thereby minimizing the danger to operators and equipment . fig1 a and 1b schematically illustrates a reactor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a and 1b show different views of the same vessel , with like numerals identifying like parts . vessel 100 is largely defined by outside walls 190 that create a cavity which may be divided into upper portion 110 and the lower portion 120 . biomass material ( e . g ., lignocellulosic material ) is fed to the top 102 of vessel 100 . the biomass may be gravity fed and / or mechanically fed , e . g ., via a screw conveyor and / or a conveyor belt . upon entering vessel 100 , the biomass material enters upper portion 110 , where ammonia and / or steam pressurizes the reactor without adding excess amounts of liquid . that is , it is preferable that a slurry is not created by the addition of liquid . process chemicals ( e . g ., acids that may assist in the hydrolysis reactions ) may have been added to the biomass before it enters the vessel . examples of these acids may include sulfuric , hydrochloric , hydrofluoric , and / or phosphoric acid . organic acids like acetic acid , formic acid could also be used . process inlet nozzles 140 also permit the addition of process chemicals ( e . g ., acids that may assist in the hydrolysis reactions ). examples of these acids may include sulfuric , hydrochloric , hydrofluoric , and / or phosphoric acid . in an aspect , there may be little to no free liquid in the reactor treatment vessel . that is , the biomass may have little or no excess liquid , because the liquid may be absorbed into the cellulosic material . lower portion 120 may be shaped to facilitate transfer of the biomass without external agitation or rotation , e . g ., via a diamondback ® chip bin shape , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 500 , 083 . lower portion 120 may be made from corrosion resistant material ( e . g ., stainless steel , titanium , zirconium , ceramic coating ( like a brick lining ), a polytetrafluoroethylene lining , or combinations thereof , etc . ), and a pressure envelope 130 exists between lower portion 120 and wall 190 . as illustrated , the pressure envelope 130 exists between wall 122 of lower portion 120 and wall 132 of vessel 100 . biomass exits the vessel 100 via bottom portion 104 . to facilitate unplugging and reduce clogging , nozzles 150 , 160 , and 170 are provided . furthermore , equalization line 180 may equalize pressure between upper portion 110 ( via connection 182 ) and pressure envelope 130 ( via connection 184 ). pressurization nozzles 186 are provided to facilitate control of the pressure of upper portion 110 and / or pressure envelope 130 . in an aspect , pressure envelope 130 permits less material ( for example corrosive resistant or other appropriate material ) to form the walls of lower portion 120 . although illustrated and described in connection with a continuous process , the reactor vessel may be used in a batch process . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .
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the present invention generally relates to a packer cup for sealing a wellbore . the packer cup will be described herein in relation to pipe that is used in the wellbore . it is to be understood , however , that the packer cup may also be used with other downhole tools , such as a whipstock seal , or a debris barrier , without departing from principles of the present invention . further , the packer cup may be used in a cased wellbore or within an open - hole wellbore . to better understand the novelty of the packer cup of the present invention and the methods of use thereof , reference is hereafter made to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a view of a packer cup 100 disposed in a wellbore 40 . the packer cup 100 is used to isolate a defect 70 in the wellbore 40 . the packer cup 100 is attached to a workstring 20 . as shown in fig1 , a casing 10 is disposed in the wellbore 40 . the casing 10 may be cemented in the wellbore 40 using cement 30 and may include multiple sections of casings coupled together to form the casing 10 . located along the length of the casing 10 is the defect 70 , such as a leaking connection or a fracture in the wall of the casing 10 . the defect 70 may permit the loss of a fluid , such as a liquid or a gas , into the surrounding earthen formation or permit the introduction of unwanted fluids into the casing 10 of the wellbore 40 . as a result , dangerous pressure fluctuations may occur during the formation or completion of the wellbore 40 . to isolate the defect 70 , one or more packer cups 100 are used . as shown in fig1 , two packer cups 100 are used to isolate a first portion 185 a of the wellbore 40 from a second portion 185 b of the wellbore 40 . the first portion 185 a has a pressure p1 that is greater than a pressure p2 in the second portion 185 b of the wellbore 40 . generally , the opening of the packer cup 100 is facing the portion of the wellbore having the higher pressure ( as shown ). as will be described herein , the pressure ( e . g ., pressure p1 ) adjacent the packer cup 100 will be used to set the packer cup 100 in the wellbore 40 . as shown in fig1 , the workstring 20 is not centered in the casing 10 . in other words , a longitudinal axis of the workstring 20 is offset from a longitudinal axis of the casing 10 . as a result , distance 130 is greater than distance 135 . generally , a workstring in a horizontal wellbore may sag , which causes the packer cup 100 to be off - center in the casing 10 . the conventional packer cup may not be able to create a seal with the casing when the conventional packer cup is off - center in the casing . however , the packer cup 100 of the present invention is configured to create a seal with the casing , even if the packer cup 100 is off - center , or if the packer cup 100 is placed within an eccentric casing ( or wellbore ). fig2 and 2a illustrate a view of the packer cup 100 in a run - in position . as shown , the packer cup 100 includes a base 105 with a lip 110 and seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 . the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are interconnected together . in one embodiment , the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are separate pieces ( and / or material ) that are attached together by bonding , glue or another attachment method . in another embodiment , the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are formed from a single piece . in either case , the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing 10 upon activation of the packer cup 100 . the packer cup 100 in fig2 shows three seal segments , however , two or more seal segments may be used in the packer cup 100 without departing from principles of the present invention . the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are connected to the base 110 . as shown , a portion of the seal segment 160 is disposed under the lip 110 . the base 105 is configured to be attached to the workstring 20 by a connection member 115 , such as threads , key and groove arrangement or any other type of connection member . a seal member ( not shown ) may be placed between the base 105 and the workstring 30 to create a seal therebetween . as also shown , an annulus 175 is defined between an outer surface of the workstring 20 and an inner surface of the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 . the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are configured to seal an annulus between the workstring 20 and the casing 10 . the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are configured to move between a retracted shape ( fig2 ) and an expanded shape ( fig4 ). each seal segment 160 , 170 , 180 is an annular member that is made of a flexible material , such as elastomer or plastic . in the embodiment shown , each seal segment 160 , 170 , 180 has a different outer diameter ( od ). the od of seal segment 160 & lt ; the od of seal segment 170 & lt ; the od of seal segment 180 . as shown , a gap 140 is formed between seal segment 160 and the casing 10 , and a smaller gap 190 is formed between seal segment 170 and the casing 10 . additionally , a gap 195 is formed between the lip 110 and the casing 10 . the packer cup 100 is off - center in the casing 10 . as shown in fig2 , the upper portions 160 a , 170 a of the seal segments 160 , 170 are not in contact with the casing 10 , while the lower portions 160 b , 170 b , 180 b of the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are in contact with the casing 10 . additionally , the upper portion 110 a of the lip 110 is not in contact with the casing 10 , while the lower portion 1108 of the lip 110 is in contact with the casing 10 . fig2 a is a sectional view along line 2 a - 2 a in fig2 . as shown , the gap 140 is formed between seal segment 160 and the casing 10 , because the workstring 20 is offset relative to the casing 10 ( distance 130 & gt ; distance 135 ) and the od of seal segment 160 . as also shown , the thickness of the upper portion 160 a of seal segment 160 and the lower portion 1608 of seal segment 160 have substantially the same thickness in the run - in position . fig3 and 3a illustrate a view of the packer cup 100 in an intermediate expanded position . after the packer cup 100 is positioned within the casing 10 , pressure p1 activates the packer cup 100 in order to isolate a portion of the wellbore . more specifically , the pressure p1 enters an opening 120 of the packer cup 100 and moves into the annulus 175 , which causes the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 to expand radially outward toward the casing 10 . the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are made from a flexible material , and since pressure p1 is greater than p2 , the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 are urged radially outward . in comparing fig3 ( intermediate expanded position ) and fig2 ( run - in position ), it can be seen that the upper portions of the seal segments 160 a , 170 a , 180 a are in contact with the casing 10 , which results in the gaps 140 and 190 being substantially closed . it can also be seen that the lower portions of the seal segments 160 b , 170 b , 180 b have more surface area in contact with the casing 10 in the intermediate expanded position . it can be further seen that the gap 195 between the upper lip 110 a and the casing 10 is still present in the intermediate expanded position . fig3 a is a sectional view along line 3 a - 3 a in fig3 . as shown , the gap 140 formed between seal segment 160 and the casing 10 has been closed due to the activation of the packer cup 100 . it is to be noted that the workstring 20 remains offset relative to the casing 10 ( distance 130 & gt ; distance 135 ). fig4 and 4a illustrate a view of the packer cup 100 in an expanded position . the packer cup 100 has been expanded by the pressure p1 in the annulus 175 . in comparing fig4 ( expanded position ) and fig3 ( intermediate expanded position ), it can be seen that the upper portions of the seal segments 160 a , 170 a , 180 a and the lower portions of the seal segments 160 b , 170 b , 180 b have more surface area in contact with the casing 10 . it can also be seen that the gap 195 between the upper lip 110 a and the casing 10 has been closed , and the upper lip 110 a and the lower lip 1108 are in contact with casing 10 . in one embodiment , the lip 110 may act as a barrier to the flow of the material of the seal segments 160 , 170 , 180 . in this manner , the lip 110 in the packer cup 100 may act as an anti - extrusion device or an extrusion barrier . in another embodiment , the lip 110 may act as an anchor portion that secures the packer cup 100 in the casing 10 . fig4 a is a sectional view along line 4 a - 4 a in fig4 . as shown , the gap 140 formed between seal segment 160 and the casing 10 is closed due to the activation of the packer cup 100 . as also shown , the thickness of the upper portion 160 a of seal segment 160 is smaller than the thickness of the lower portion 160 b of seal segment 160 , because the upper portion 160 a was radially expanded further relative to the centerline of the packer cup 100 than the lower portion 160 b , due to the packer cup 100 being off - center in the casing 10 . in this manner , the packer cup 100 is capable of sealing an annulus between the casing 10 and the string 20 , even with the packer cup 100 being off - center in the casing 10 . fig5 illustrates a view of a packer cup 200 . for convenience , the components in the packer cup 200 that are similar to the components in the packer cup 100 will be labeled with the same number indicator . the packer cup 200 includes seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 and the base 105 . the seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 are interconnected together . the seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 may be separate pieces ( and / or material ) that are attached together , or the seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 may be formed from a single piece . in either case , the seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing ( not shown ) upon activation of the packer cup 200 . each seal segment 210 , 220 , 230 may have a different outer diameter ( od ). for instance , the od of seal segment 210 may be less than the od of seal segment 220 , which may be less than the od of seal segment 230 . further , each seal segment 210 , 220 , 230 may have a different longitudinal length . for instance , the length of seal segment 220 may be shorter than the length of seal segment 230 , which may be shorter than the length of seal segment 210 . additionally , the thickness of the seal segments 210 , 220 , 230 may be different . each characteristic ( e . g ., diameter , length , thickness , number of seal segments ) of the seal segment 210 , 220 , 230 may be selected based upon the application in the wellbore . fig6 illustrates a view of a packer cup 250 . for convenience , the components in the packer cup 250 that are similar to the components in the packer cup 100 will be labeled with the same number indicator . the packer cup 250 includes seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 and the base 105 . the seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 are interconnected together . in one embodiment , the seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 may be made from different material , such as a rubber material having a different durometer . the seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 may be attached together to form a single unit of seal segments . in another embodiment , the seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 may be made from the same material and attached together or formed from a single piece . similar to the other packer cups set forth herein , the seal segments 260 , 270 , 280 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing ( not shown ) upon activation of the packer cup 250 . in the embodiment shown in fig6 , each seal segment 260 , 270 , 280 has several different diameters . for example , each seal segment 260 , 270 , 280 has a first diameter 255 , a second diameter 265 , a third diameter 275 , and a fourth diameter 285 . the alternating large diameter sections and small diameter sections create a redundancy that allows the packer cup 250 to create a seal with the casing ( or wellbore ), even if the packer cup 250 is off - center , or if the packer cup 250 is placed within an eccentric casing ( or wellbore ). further , each seal segment 260 , 270 , 280 may have the same or different longitudinal length . additionally , each seal segment 260 , 270 , 280 may have the same or different thickness . each characteristic ( e . g ., diameter , length , thickness , number of seal segments ) of the seal segment 260 , 270 , 280 may be selected based upon the application in the wellbore . fig7 and 7a illustrate a view of the packer cup 300 in a run - in position . for convenience , the components in the packer cup 300 that are similar to the components in the packer cup 100 will be labeled with the same number indicator . as shown , the packer cup 300 includes seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 , which are attached to the base 105 . the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are interconnected together to form a single unit . in one embodiment , the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are separate pieces ( and / or material ) that are attached together by bonding , glue or another attachment method . in another embodiment , the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are formed from a single piece . the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing 10 upon activation of the packer cup 300 . even though the packer cup 300 is illustrated with three seal segments , the packer cup 300 may include two or more seal segments without departing from principles of the present invention . an annulus 375 is defined between an outer surface of the workstring 20 and an inner surface of the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 . the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are configured to create a seal between the workstring 20 and the casing 10 . the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are configured to move between a retracted shape ( fig7 ) and an expanded shape ( fig9 ). each seal segment 360 , 370 , 380 is an annular member that is made of a flexible material , such that the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 deform upon application of a pressure . in the embodiment shown , each seal segment 360 , 370 , 380 has substantially the same outer diameter ( od ). the packer cup 100 is substantially centered in the casing 10 . in other words , distance 330 is substantially equal to distance 335 . as shown fig7 , upper portions 360 a , 370 a , 380 a of the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 and the lower portions 360 b , 370 b , 380 b of the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are in contact with the casing 10 . additionally , the upper portion 110 a and lower portion 1108 of the lip 110 are not in contact with the casing 10 . fig7 a is a sectional view along line 7 a - 7 a in fig7 . as shown , the entire section of seal segment 360 is engaged with the casing 10 because the workstring 20 is substantially centered in the casing 10 ( distance 330 is substantially equal to distance 335 ) and the od of seal segment 360 . as also shown , the upper portion 360 a of seal segment 360 and the lower portion 360 b of seal segment 360 have substantially the same thickness in the run - in position . fig8 and 8a illustrate a view of the packer cup 300 in an intermediate expanded position . after the packer cup 300 is positioned within the casing 10 , pressure p1 activates the packer cup 300 in order to isolate a portion of the wellbore . more specifically , the pressure p1 enters an opening 320 of the packer cup 330 and moves into the annulus 375 , which causes the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 to expand radially outward toward the casing 10 . the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are made from a flexible material , and since pressure p1 is greater than pressure p2 , the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 are urged radially outward . in comparing fig8 ( intermediate expanded position ) and fig7 ( run - in position ), it can be seen that the upper portions 360 a , 370 a , 380 a and the lower portions 360 b , 370 b , 380 b of the seal segments have been expanded radially outward into further contact with the surrounding casing 10 . it can be further seen that the gap 395 between the lips 110 a , 1108 and the casing 10 is still present in the intermediate expanded position . fig8 a is a sectional view along line 8 a - 8 a in fig8 . as shown , the workstring 20 remains substantially centered relative to the casing 10 ( distance 330 is substantially equal to distance 335 ). as also shown , the upper portion 360 a of seal segment 360 and the lower portion 360 b of seal segment 360 have substantially the same thickness in the intermediate expanded position . fig9 and 9a illustrate a view of the packer cup 300 in an expanded position . the packer cup 300 has been expanded by the pressure p1 in the annulus 375 . in comparing fig9 ( expanded position ) and fig8 ( intermediate expanded position ), it can be seen that the upper portions 360 a , 370 a , 380 a and the lower portions 360 b , 370 b , 380 b of the seal segments have more surface area in contact with the casing 10 . it can also be seen that the gap 195 has been closed , and the upper lip 110 a and the lower lip 1108 are in contact with casing 10 . in one embodiment , the lip 110 may act as a barrier to the flow of the material of the seal segments 360 , 370 , 380 . in this manner , the lip 110 in the packer cup 300 may act as an anti - extrusion device or an extrusion barrier . in another embodiment , the lip 110 may also act as an anchor portion that secures the packer cup 300 in the casing 10 . fig9 a is a sectional view along line 9 a - 9 a in fig9 . as shown , the thickness of the upper portion 360 a of seal segment 360 is substantially equal to the thickness of the lower portion 360 b of seal segment 360 because the portions 360 a , 360 b were radially expanded the same amount due to the packer cup 300 being centered in the casing 10 . in this manner , the packer cup 300 is capable of sealing an annulus between the casing 10 and the string 20 when the packer cup 300 is centered in the casing 10 . fig1 illustrates a view of a packer cup 400 . for convenience , the components in the packer cup 400 that are similar to the components in the packer cup 100 will be labeled with the same number indicator . the packer cup 400 includes seal segments 410 , 420 , 430 and the base 105 . the seal segments 410 , 420 , 430 are interconnected together . the seal segments 410 , 420 , 430 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing ( not shown ) upon activation of the packer cup 400 . as shown , the seal segments 420 , 430 have the same thickness , and the seal segment 410 has a different thickness . additionally , the seal segments 420 , 430 have the same outer diameter , and seal segment 410 has a smaller outer diameter . each characteristic ( e . g ., diameter , length , thickness , number of seal segments ) of the seal segment 410 , 420 , 430 may be selected based upon the application in the wellbore . fig1 illustrates a view of a packer cup 450 . for convenience , the components in the packer cup 450 that are similar to the components in the packer cup 100 will be labeled with the same number indicator . the packer cup 450 includes seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 and the base 105 . the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 are interconnected together . as shown , a first protrusion 465 is formed between seal segments 460 , 470 , and a second protrusion 475 is formed between seal segments 470 , 480 . the protrusions 465 , 470 are formed when the packer cup 450 is being pulled up in the casing , or in the direction of the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 . the protrusions 465 , 470 are formed as the shoulders of the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 move toward each other due to the movement within the casing , and the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 may contact each other . the protrusions 465 , 470 provide additional stability to the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 as the packer cup 450 is moved relative to the casing . the seal segments 460 , 470 , 480 are designed to engage and create a seal with the casing ( not shown ) upon activation of the packer cup 450 . as shown , the seal segments 420 , 430 have the same thickness , and the seal segment 410 has a different thickness . each characteristic ( e . g ., diameter , length , thickness , number of seal segments ) of the seal segment 460 , 470 , 480 may be selected based upon the application in the wellbore . fig1 illustrates a view of a packer cup 500 in an eccentric wellbore 80 . the packer cup 500 includes a seal segment 510 attached to the base 105 . although the packer cup 500 in fig1 shows one seal segment 510 , the packer cup 500 includes at least two seal segments . similar to the seal segments described herein , the seal segment 510 is configured to move from a first shape to a second expanded shape to create a seal with the eccentric wellbore 80 . the seal segment 510 in fig1 is shown in the second expanded shape . the portions of the seal segment 510 expand in different amounts along an inner circumference of the eccentric wellbore 80 . for instance , a first portion 515 of the seal segment 510 expanded a larger amount than a second portion 520 , and a third portion 530 expanded further than a fourth portion 525 , in order to engage the eccentric wellbore 80 . in this manner , the seal segment 510 of the packer cup 500 is configured to conform to the inner circumference of the eccentric wellbore 80 in the second expanded shape . fig1 illustrates a view of a packer cup 550 in an eccentric wellbore 90 . the packer cup 550 includes a seal segment 560 attached to the base 105 . the packer cup 550 includes at least two seal segments . similar to the seal segments described herein , the seal segment 560 is configured to move from a first shape to a second expanded shape to create a seal with the eccentric wellbore 90 . the seal segment 560 in fig1 is shown in the second expanded shape . in order to engage the eccentric wellbore 90 , a first portion 565 of the seal segment 560 has expanded further than a second portion 570 . in this manner , the seal segment 560 of the packer cup 550 is configured to conform to the inner circumference of the eccentric wellbore 90 in the second expanded shape . while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention , other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow .
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the process of this invention is used for the homopolymerization and copolymerization of trioxane . suitable monomers which can be used with trioxane in the copolymerization reaction are cyclic ethers and cyclic acetals having 2 or more adjacent carbon atoms and , in particular , from 3 to 9 ring members . examples of such monomers are ethylene oxide , 1 , 2 - propylene oxide , trimethylene oxide , butadiene oxide , 1 , 3 - dioxolane , 1 , 4 - butane diol formal , diethylene glycol formal , o - xylene glycol formal , thiodiglycol formal and 1 , 3 - oxythiolane . these monomers are copolymerized with trioxane in the amounts of about 0 . 1 to 15 weight percent and , preferably , from about 0 . 5 to about 5 weight percent based on the total weight of monomers . the molecular weight of the polymers can be controlled by means of regulators conventionally employed in trioxane polymerization reactions . suitable regulators are acetals or formals of monohydric alcohols , the alcohols themselves , or small amounts of water . the preferred regulator is methylal . the regulators are used in the amount of about 10 to about 1000 ppm and , preferably , from about 100 to about 500 ppm based on the total weight of monomers . the catalyst used in this invention is boron trifluoride gas which is mixed with nitrogen gas before being introduced into the reactor containing the monomers . the boron trifluoride gas is used in the amount of about 20 to about 200 ppm and , preferably , about 40 to about 120 ppm based on the weight of monomer . the boron trifluoride gas is blended with nitrogen gas in the volume ratios of about 1 : 5 to about 1 : 40 boron trifluoride to nitrogen and preferably about 1 : 10 to about 1 : 30 parts . the monomers and regulators if used can be premixed and then introduced into the polymerization reactor or may be introduced separately . the trioxane is introduced in molten form . the polymerization reactor can be an extruder , a kneader , a stirred kettle , a gear pump , or a flow tube with or without a static mixing element . it should be possible to heat or cool the reactor and also to impose a temperature profile on it . the reaction can be conducted isothermally or adiabatically since the relatively low enthalpy of polymerization does not give rise to any problems with regard to the supply and removal of heat . suitable reactors are described in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 505 , 125 , 3 , 630 , 689 , 4 , 105 , 637 and 4 , 115 , 369 which are hereby incorporated by reference . in accordance with this invention , the trioxane in molten form is introduced into the reactor along with comonomers and chain regulators if used . the boron trifluoride gas is blended with nitrogen gas before being introduced into the reactor . the gaseous mixture is then added through a small jet or pin opening under such pressure that the gas blend is injected into the monomer mixture . the jet or pin openings will vary from about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 2 inch in diameter and preferably from about 0 . 05 to about 0 . 1 inch . the gaseous catalyst mixture is added to the reactor under a pressure , measured as back pressure , of at least 10 psi . the polymerization reaction is carried out at a temperature above the melting point of the trioxane and under the boiling point of the trioxane . the temperature will vary from about 160 ° f . to about 230 ° f . and , preferably , will vary from about 200 ° f . to 220 ° f . the reaction is conducted in the reactor for a time sufficient to obtain a conversion of monomer to polymer of about 40 to about 70 weight percent and , preferably , about 50 to about 60 weight percent . the residence time in the reactor will vary from about 1 minute to about 20 minutes and , preferably , from about 2 minutes to about 10 minutes . when the extent of polymerization is completed , the reactor contents are ground to a mean particle size of about 0 . 5 to about 1 . 5 millimeters . the polymerization reaction is then stopped by introducing the grind into a quench tank which contains water and a base , e . g ., triethylamine . the unreacted trioxane is then recovered for recycle and the polymer is stabilized by removal of end groups using well known stabilization procedures such as those described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 087 , 411 , 4 , 301 , 273 and 4 , 342 , 680 which are hereby incorporated by reference . by the use of this invention , the efficiency of the catalyst is improved , the conversion of monomers to polymer is increased and the amount of catalyst can be reduced . the amount of catalyst can be reduced to as much as 50 percent while still obtaining conversions equivalent to those obtain using up to twice as much boron trifluoride without nitrogen . the polymeric product obtained by this process shows improvements in extractable formaldehyde , color and k d values which values are a measure of the degradation rate of the composition when molded , i . e ., the average weight loss per minute at 230 ° c . the following examples describe the invention in more detail . parts and percentages are parts and percentages by weight unless otherwise designated . trioxane was added to a kokneader manufactured by baker perkins inc . at a feed rate of 4 , 260 parts per hour . the monomer feed also contained 1 . 84 weight percent ethylene oxide based on the weight of trioxane and 401 ppm methylal based on the weight of trioxane . boron trifluoride gas mixed with gaseous nitrogen in a volume ratio of 1 : 10 was introduced into the reactor through a 0 . 093 inch diameter tube mounted concentrically to the monomer feed nozzle . the tube was set so that it discharged catalyst about one - fourth inch from the surface of the reactor screw . the boron trifluoride catalyst was introduced at a rate of 31 . 1 ppm based on the weight of trioxane . as the reactants progressed through the reactor , the temperature varied from about 205 ° f . to about 221 ° f . with the temperature at the end of the reaction being 198 ° f . the residence time in the reactor was about 10 minutes . the polymeric product was then ground to a mean particle size of about 1 millimeter and the reaction was quenched in a quench tank containing water and triethylamine . the polymer was then stabilized in a melt hydrolysis process as described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 318 , 848 and 3 , 418 , 280 . the percent conversion of trioxane to oxymethylene polymer was 58 . 7 percent . this reaction was conducted in a honda polymerization reactor . trioxane was introduced at a feed rate of 4 , 260 parts per hour with ethylene oxide at a weight percent of 1 . 80 based on the weight of trioxane and methylal at a rate of 274 ppm based on the weight of trioxane . the boron trifluoride catalyst blended with nitrogen in a volume ratio of 1 : 10 was introduced at a feed rate of 65 . 7 ppm based on the weight of trioxane . the boron trifluoride / nitrogen mixture was introduced into the reactor through a 0 . 055 inch diameter tube positioned so that it discharged catalyst just at the nozzle of the monomer feed pipe . the temperature during the reaction varied from 207 ° f . to 215 ° f . with the exit temperature being 198 ° f . after grinding , quenching and stabilizing reactions , the polymer was recovered with a conversion of 58 . 7 percent . reaction conditions and percent conversion for a number of reactions are shown in table i for the baker , perkins reactor and in table ii for the honda reactor . physical properties of plastic molds made from the product of those reactions listed in tables i are shown in table iii . vicat temperature is a measure of the heat distortion of the polymer . &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; color is the color measured on a hunter colormeter . the lower the number the less yellow in the sample . mxb color is the shift in &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; color after the sample is melted and molded . the lower numbers indicate less color shift . the ethylene oxide distribution in the polymeric products is listed in table iv . ethylene oxide can copolymerize with trioxane to form one oxyethylene unit between two oxymethylene units . such units are referred to in table v as mono (%). ethylene oxide can also polymerize with itself as well as with the trioxane to form two or more oxyethylene units between two oxymethylene units . the polymeric forms are referred to in table v as di (%) and tri (%). table i______________________________________reaction conditionsexample 1 3 5 control a______________________________________trioxane feedrate 4260 3757 3244 4260 ( part / hr ) ethylene oxide 1 . 84 1 . 82 1 . 65 1 . 76feedrate ( wt %) methylal feed - 401 381 403 371rate ( ppm ) bf . sub . 3 : n . sub . 2 vol 1 : 10 1 : 30 1 : 10 -- bf . sub . 3 feedrate ( ppm ) 31 . 1 29 . 3 20 . 7 41 . 9 % conversion 58 . 7 54 . 4 52 . 5 53 . 9______________________________________ table ii______________________________________reaction conditionsexample 2 4 6 control b______________________________________trioxane feedrate 4260 2662 3346 4260 ( part / hr ) ethylene oxide 1 . 80 1 . 86 1 . 71 1 . 72feedrate ( wt %) methylal feed - 274 286 304 291rate ( ppm ) bf . sub . 3 : n . sub . 2 vol 1 : 10 1 : 30 1 : 30 -- bf . sub . 3 feedrate ( ppm ) 65 . 7 63 . 8 52 . 5 65 . 8 % conversion 58 . 7 54 . 4 52 . 5 53 . 9______________________________________ table iii______________________________________physical propertiesexample 1 3 5 control a______________________________________k . sub . d 0 . 015 0 . 016 0 . 016 0 . 017extractable 0 . 082 0 . 077 0 . 066 0 . 066hchovicat temp 158 . 9 158 . 9 158 . 3 159 . 1 ° c . b color 1 . 67 1 . 86 2 . 29 1 . 93mxb color 15 . 7 13 . 3 6 . 8 19 . 9tensile 8527 . 5 8515 8462 8435strength ( psi ) elongation at 64 . 5 61 . 7 69 . 0 80break (%) flex strength 12106 11934 12027 11979 ( psi ) flex modulus 0 . 362 0 . 361 0 . 363 0 . 361 ( psi × 10 . sup . 6 ) izod 1 . 37 1 . 37 1 . 44 1 . 48 ( ft lbs / in ) ______________________________________ table iv______________________________________ethylene oxide distributionexample 1 5 control a______________________________________ethylene oxide in 1 . 82 1 . 68 1 . 77feed ( wt %) ethylene oxide in 2 . 19 2 . 14 2 . 42polymer ( wt %) as mono (%) 55 . 9 52 . 1 46 . 7as di (%) 33 . 1 35 . 7 38 . 0as tri (%) 11 . 0 12 . 3 15 . 3______________________________________ the principles , preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification . the invention which is intended to be protected herein , however , is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed , since these are to be regarded as illustrating rather than restrictive . variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention .
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reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . referring to fig5 the image pick - up unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a thin transmission mirror 51 slanted at a given angle with respect to the angle of the incident light . the transmission mirror reflects incident light that forms a two - dimensional image at the given angle and simultaneously transmits the incident light at its incident angle . a condenser such as a piano convex lens 52 condenses the two - dimensional image reflected by the thin transmission mirror 51 into a one - dimensional image . a converter such as a line ccd 53 , located where the output signal from condenser 52 is condensed into the one - dimensional component , converts the one - dimensional image component into electrical signals . in the first embodiment of the present invention , as shown in fig6 there are two image component pick - up units , 60 and 65 . a horizontal component pick - up unit 60 , made up of a horizontal thin transmission mirror 61 , a horizontal condenser 62 , and a horizontal converter 63 , receives a two - dimensional image and outputs one - dimensional horizontal component data . a vertical component pick - up unit 65 , made up of a vertical thin transmission mirror 66 , a vertical condenser 67 , and a vertical converter 68 , receives a two - dimensional image and outputs one - dimensional vertical component data . together the horizontal component pick - up 60 and the vertical component pick - up form a horizontal / vertical image pick - up unit . there is an orientation difference of 90 ° between the horizontal component pick - up unit 60 and the vertical component pick - up unit 65 . except for their orientation , the horizontal and vertical component pick - up units 60 and 65 are the same in their constitutions and functions as those of the image component pick - up unit 50 of fig5 . in other words , the functions of the horizontal transmission mirror 61 and the vertical transmission mirror 66 are the same as those of the transmission mirror 51 of fig5 except for their orientation ; the functions of the horizontal condenser 62 and the vertical condenser 67 are the same as those of the condenser 52 of fig5 except for their orientation ; and the functions of the horizontal converter 63 and the vertical converter 68 are the same as those of the converter 53 of fig5 except for their orientation . referring to fig6 the operations of the image component pick - up units 60 and 65 for detecting a motion vector according to the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described . incident light from a camera lens forms a two - dimensional image that is simultaneously reflected at given horizontal and vertical angles and transmitted by the horizontal and vertical transmission mirrors 61 and 66 , respectively . the images reflected from the horizontal and vertical transmission mirrors 61 and 66 , respectively , are condensed into horizontal and vertical one - dimensional components by the horizontal and vertical plano convex lenses 62 and 67 , respectively . the condensed horizontal and vertical components are converted to electrical signals by the horizontal and vertical line ccds 63 and 68 , respectively . the electrical signals from the horizontal and vertical line ccds 63 and 68 , respectively , are input to circuits for detecting a motion vector . referring to fig7 the image pick - up unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises a curved thin transmission mirror 71 having a curved portion on its surface which simultaneously transmits incident light and reflects the incident light at a range of angles that focuses the two - dimensional image into a one - dimensional component . a line ccd 72 , located where the reflected light is condensed into the one - dimensional component , converts the one - dimensional component into electrical signals . in the second embodiment of the present invention , as shown in fig8 there are two component pick - up units 80 and 85 . a horizontal component pick - up unit 80 is made up of a horizontal curved thin transmission mirror 81 and a horizontal converter 82 . a vertical component pick - up unit 85 is made up of a vertical curved thin transmission mirror 86 and a vertical converter 87 . together the horizontal component pick - up 80 and the vertical component pick - up 85 form a horizontal / vertical image pick - up unit . referring to fig8 the operations of the image component pick - up units 80 and 85 for detecting a motion vector according to the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . the horizontal and vertical curved thin transmission mirrors 81 and 86 , simultaneously reflect and focus incident light from a camera lens that constitutes a two - dimensional image . the horizontal and vertical components are produced by the horizontal and vertical curved transmission mirrors 81 and 86 , respectively , and are converted to electrical signals by horizontal and vertical line ccds 82 and 87 , respectively . the electrical signals output from the horizontal and vertical line ccds 82 and 87 are input to circuits for detecting a motion vector . as mentioned above , the flat thin transmission mirror is used in the component pick - up units 60 and 65 of the first embodiment of the present invention , and the curved thin transmission mirror is used in the component pick - up units 80 and 85 of the second embodiment of the present invention . other flat and curved transmission reflectors can be substituted for the mirrors presented here without departing from the principles of the present invention . also , other linear pick - up units and signal converters can be substituted without departing from such principles . fig9 is a block diagram which shows a third embodiment of a motion correction device wherein an image correction system including a motion vector detector utilizes the component pick - ups of the present invention for a camcorder . as shown in fig9 an image correction system uses a motion vector detector 90 including a vertical component pick - up unit 901 and a horizontal component pick - up unit 906 . the system includes a solid state pick - up device , such as a ccd imager 91 , which picks up incident light passing through an optical system to form an input image , and scans the image electronically to convert the image into system electrical signals . a system a / d converter 92 converts an analog signal output from the solid state pick - up device 91 into a system digital signal . a camera signal processing unit 93 converts a signal output from the system a / d converter into a color and brightness signal . the motion vector detector 90 receives the same image that is input to the solid state pick - up device 91 through horizontal and vertical image component pick - up units 901 and 906 , respectively , and detects a motion vector caused by unstable hands . a memory control unit 94 receives a motion vector output from the motion vector detector 90 to control the position of pixels in a color and brightness signal . a field memory 95 holds a field unit ( or a frame unit ) of image color / brightness data and , according to image correction control by the memory control unit 94 , outputs a stabilized image signal . a system d / a converter 96 converts a corrected color / brightness digital image signal output from the field memory 95 into an analog image signal to be output and recorded . fig1 is a block diagram which shows a fourth embodiment of a motion correction device for a camcorder using a motion vector detector . the motion vector detector can utilize the component pick - ups of the present invention or conventional component pick - ups . as shown in fig1 , the motion correction device of the fourth embodiment comprises a motion vector detector 90 which receives horizontal and vertical image components from component pick - up units 901 and 906 , respectively . a solid state pickup control unit , such as a ccd control unit 104 , receives a motion vector output from the motion vector detector 90 to control the position of pixels in the analog output of the solid state pick - up device 101 . the solid state pick - up device 101 receives the same incident light through an optical system that is input to the motion vector detector 90 as a two - dimensional image , and according to a control signal output from the solid state pick - up control unit 104 , converts the corrected image into system electrical signals . a system a / d converter 102 converts an analog signal output from the solid state pick - up device 101 into a system digital signal . a camera signal processing unit 103 converts the system digital signal output from the system a / d converter into a color and brightness signal . a system d / a converter 106 converts a digital image colorlbrightness signal into an analog image signal to be output and recorded . in both the embodiments of the motion correction device depicted in fig9 and fig1 the motion vector detector has a vertical motion component detector and a horizontal motion component detector . in the vertical motion component detector , a vertical component pick - up unit 901 simultaneously transmits and reflects incident light that forms the two dimensional image , vertically condenses the reflected image to provide the vertical component of the image , and converts the vertical component into electrical signals . a vertical a / d converter 902 converts the analog signal output from the vertical component pick - up unit 901 into a vertical digital signal . a vertical delay register 903 holds the vertical digital signal output from the vertical a / d converter 902 for a time during which pixels corresponding to half of a searching distance ( s in equation 1 ) are processed , then outputs the signal . a vertical line memory 904 holds the vertical digital signal output from the vertical delay register 903 . a vertical covariance arithmetic unit 905 receives the vertical digital signal output from the vertical a / d converter 902 and the delayed vertical digital signal from the vertical line memory 904 , and calculates covariance values between the two signals to output a vertical displacement signal which is the vertical component of the motion vector . in the horizontal motion component detector , a horizontal component pick - up unit 906 simultaneously transmits and reflects incident light that forms the two dimensional image , horizontally condenses the reflected image to provide the horizontal component of the image , and converts the horizontal component into electrical signals . a horizontal a / d converter 907 converts the analog signal output from the horizontal component pick - up unit 906 into a horizontal digital signal . a horizontal delay register 908 holds the horizontal digital signal output from the horizontal a / d converter 907 for a time during which pixels corresponding to half of a searching distance are processed , then outputs the signal . a horizontal line memory 909 holds the horizontal digital signal output from the horizontal delay register 908 . a horizontal covariance arithmetic unit 910 receives the horizontal digital signal output from the horizontal a / d converter 907 and the delayed horizontal digital signal from the horizontal line memory 909 , and calculates covariance values between the two signals to output a horizontal displacement signal which is the horizontal component of the motion vector . in the preferred embodiments , the vertical component pick - up unit 901 of the motion vector detector 90 in fig9 and fig1 uses the vertical component pick - up unit 65 in fig6 and the vertical component pick - up unit 85 in fig8 respectively . the horizontal component pick - up unit 906 of the motion vector detector 90 in fig9 and fig1 uses the horizontal component pick - up unit 60 in fig6 and the horizontal component pick - up unit 80 in fig8 respectively . assuming that an input image is picked up in both the horizontal line ccd 63 or 82 and the vertical line ccd 68 or 87 , and that the number of registers of the horizontal line ccd 63 or 82 is m , and the number of registers of the vertical line ccd 68 or 87 is n , the component results still can be represented by equations ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), above . here the variable a is a reflection coefficient for light incident upon the flat transmission mirrors 61 and 66 or the curved transmission mirrors 81 and 86 . a one - dimensional image , which has been linearly condensed , is converted into electrical signals in the horizontal and vertical line ccds 63 and 82 or 68 and 87 , respectively , and is input to circuit 902 or 907 , respectively , for detecting motion vectors . as shown in fig9 one - dimensional image components p h and p v output from the horizontal and vertical component pick - up units 906 and 901 , respectively , are converted into digital signals through the horizontal and vertical a / d converters 907 and 902 . further , in the horizontal and vertical covariance arithmetic units 910 and 905 , through an equation such as equation ( 1 ), the covariance calculation is carried out between one - dimensional image components of the preceding field from the horizontal and vertical line memories 909 and 904 , and digital image signals from the horizontal and vertical a / d converters 907 and 902 . a location which results in the minimum covariance value among the calculated covariance values is presumed to be the optimum displacement of the image . further , the memory control unit 94 , after receiving horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector from the motion vector detector 90 , sends a signal for correcting the image to the field memory 95 which holds an unstable color / brightness image . an incident image input to the system solid state pick - up device such as a ccd imager 91 is converted to system electrical signals which go through the a / d converter 92 . the resulting system digital signals go through the camera signal processing unit 93 , which outputs color / brightness signals which are stored in the field memory 95 . the initial locations of pixels of the image in the field memory 95 are changed under the control of the memory control unit 94 . the field memory 95 then outputs a corrected image . the corrected image output from the field memory 95 goes through the system d / a converter 96 to be converted into an analog signal , which will be recorded in a videocassette recorder or output as an image . the same image that is input to the system solid state pick - up 91 is input to the horizontal and vertical component pick - up units 906 and 901 , which process the input image independently of each other and simultaneously . as shown in fig1 , a system solid state pick - up device 101 , a system a / d converter , a camera signal processing unit 103 , and a d / a converter 106 of the fourth embodiment are similar in their constitutions and functions as those of the third embodiment of fig9 . the motion vector detector 90 , after receiving the same image that is input to the system solid state pick - up device 101 as mentioned above , can independently detect a motion vector . thus , as soon as an image is picked up in the system solid state pick - up device 101 , a solid state pick - up control unit such as a ccd control unit 104 , after receiving a motion vector output from the motion vector detector 90 , can directly control the image in the system solid state pick - up device 101 to output a corrected image . accordingly , the field memory 95 of fig9 is not required in this case . as described above , in the process of correcting an unstable image caused by unsteady hands , the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a small - sized and simple construction of a motion correction device for images in camcorders since one - dimensional image component data , which are necessary for image correction , are simply obtained through the flat or curved thin transmission mirrors . having described and illustrated above the principles of the present invention in the preferred embodiments , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the technical spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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the following description of the preferred embodiment ( s ) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . for purposes of clarity , the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements . referring now to fig4 , a transmitter 120 includes transmitter circuits 122 ( such as those depicted in fig3 a and 3b ), a power amplifier 124 , and an antenna 126 . a power amplifier protection circuit 130 monitors a voltage output of the power amplifier 124 . the power amplifier protection circuit 130 shuts down the power amplifier 124 when the output voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage value to prevent damage to the power amplifier 124 . for example , the power amplifier protection circuit 130 prevents damage that may occur when a user or an object touches the antenna 126 , alters the impedance of the antenna , and causes a voltage increase . referring now to fig5 , the power amplifier protection circuit 130 is illustrated in further detail . the power amplifier protection circuit 130 includes a sensing circuit 140 that senses an output of the power amplifier 124 . an output of the sensing circuit 140 is input to a comparator 144 . a reference signal generator 146 generates a reference signal . an output of the reference signal generator 146 is also input to the comparator 144 . when the output of the sensing circuit 140 exceeds an output of the reference signal generator 146 , the comparator 144 changes state and turns off the power amplifier 124 . referring now to fig6 , a first exemplary implementation of the power amplifier protection circuit 130 - 1 is illustrated . the power amplifier protection circuit 130 - 1 communicates with an output stage 150 of a power amplifier . the output stage 150 is typically coupled by capacitors 154 and 156 to other transmitter circuits . a negative input inn is coupled to a gate of a first transistor 158 . a positive input in p is coupled to a gate of a second transistor 160 . a first inductor 164 is connected between a voltage source v dd and a drain of the first transistor 158 . a second inductor 166 is connected between the voltage source v dd and a drain of the second transistor 160 . the sources of the transistors 158 and 160 are coupled to a common potential such as ground . positive and negative outputs v outp and v outn , which drive the antenna , are taken between the inductors 164 and 166 and the drains of the transistors 158 and 160 . in fig7 , the output stage of the differential power amplifier is typically coupled through an output transformer , which performs differential to single - ended conversion . the power amplifier protection circuit 130 - 1 includes first and second transistors 180 and 182 having drains connected to the gate of the transistors 158 and 160 , respectively . gates of the transistors 180 and 182 are connected to an output of a comparator 186 . a first input of the comparator 186 is connected to a reference signal v th . the outputs v outp and v outn of the output stage 150 are connected to sources of transistors 190 and 192 . gates of the transistors 190 and 192 are connected to v bias . drains of the transistors 190 and 192 are connected together , to a current source 194 , and to a second input of the comparator 186 . in use , the voltage v bias is set above the normal operating voltage of the transistors 158 and 160 . transistors 190 and 192 are off under normal operating conditions with proper signal voltage at the drains of transistors 158 and 160 . since neither transistors 190 and 192 are conducting , current source 194 will pull the second input of the comparator 186 towards ground potential . when the operating voltage exceeds v bias , the transistors 190 and 192 begin conducting . the non - inverting input exceeds the threshold voltage of the comparator 186 and the comparator 186 changes state . the comparator 186 biases the gates of the transistors 180 and 182 , which begin conducting . the inputs to the output stage 150 of the power amplifier are shorted to ground and the power amplifier is turned off . when the operating voltage falls below the v bias , the transistors 190 and 192 stop conducting and the comparator 186 changes state . the comparator 186 turns off the transistors 180 and 182 and normal operation of the power amplifier can be resumed if the effective impedance of the antenna returns to nominal range . referring now to fig8 , a second exemplary implementation of the power amplifier protection circuit is illustrated at 130 - 2 . the transistors 180 and 182 are replaced by a transistor 200 . the transistor 200 shorts the gates of the transistors 158 and 160 when the comparator 186 changes state when the second signal exceeds the reference signal . this will suppress the ac signals applied to the pa and reduce signal swing at pa outputs , which prevents transistor breakdown or overstress . in the exemplary implementations in fig6 and 8 , cmos technology is employed . transistors 158 , 160 , 180 , 182 and 200 are implemented using n - channel cmos transistors . transistors 190 and 192 have been implemented using p - channel cmos transistors . skilled artisans will appreciate that the present invention has application to other transistor technologies having low breakdown voltages and that these other transistor technologies may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , the specification and the following claims .
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an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 5 . referring to fig1 , illustrated therein is a schematic block diagram of a personal knowledge - based connection system 10 according to the present invention . the system is referred to as a personal knowledge - based system because it provides a connection between a user &# 39 ; s ( or layperson &# 39 ; s ) location 12 and that of a specific provider 16 . examples of a specific provider are circuit city , home depot , ace hardware or any entity that provides consumer goods . alternatively , the knowledge - based connection and information transfer system of the present invention can be implemented as a kiosk ( or other stand - alone location ) within a specific provider . this differs from the market broker knowledge - based system that will be described in greater detail with respect to fig3 - 5 . as shown , the personal - based connection system 10 includes a user location 12 , which is connected to a specific provider through a communication link 15 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the communication link 15 is provided by the internet . however , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the communication link can also be performed over a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), or any suitable land - line and / or wireless network . sensor 14 , such as , for example , temperature sensors , humidity sensors , light sensors or any other suitable ( wireless or wire - line ) sensing device may be used to detect the user &# 39 ; s environment and transmit information related thereto to the provider 16 . a camera , preferably a digital camera having wireless transmission capabilities 30 , equipped with an illuminating mechanism ( e . g ., a light ) 31 may be used to provide a visual image of the user &# 39 ; s environment ( or problem to resolve ) within the user location 12 and transmit such visual image to the provider 16 over the communication link 15 . a wireless microphone 32 or appropriate transceiver may be used to provide verbal information transfer between the user and the expert , either alone , or simultaneously with the visual image of the user environment over the communication link 15 . in an exemplary embodiment , the voice and / or image information is transmitted to the communication link 15 through a suitable application 13 that is running within or about location 12 . in this fashion , the user is able to move about the particular location 12 , and is not restricted to any specific or otherwise limited area . the provider 16 includes an expertise manager 18 , which in an exemplary embodiment may act as a searchable database utilizing a processor 19 and a memory 19 , which maintains a directory of available experts ( e 1 , e 2 , e 3 ) 20 - 24 , respectively , that are available to receive the information regarding the user environment and provide advice on how to resolve any user issues or other troubleshooting problems . the expertise manager 18 may be equipped with a voice recognition engine for converting the user &# 39 ; s oral requests and / or questions into a digital format that is more suited for transmission over the communication link 15 . the expertise manager 18 may also be equipped with a second ( i . e ., text - to - speech ) engine for providing a means for the experts to communicate directly with the user . it will be appreciated and recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that the voice recognition engine and / or the text - to - speech engine can be part of application 13 maintained at the user location 12 . in the embodiment of fig1 , the experts 20 - 24 are associated with the provider 16 of the service . thus , using an electronics store as an example , each of the experts 20 - 24 are employees or contractors of the electronic store provider . however , it should be noted that the employees are not limited to reside within a particular location . for example , experts 20 and 22 may reside in one location , while expert 24 resides in another location . accordingly , if expert 24 is the most appropriate individual to answer the user request , expert 24 will be connected to and communicate with the user . the operation of the system illustrated in fig1 will now be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a flowchart illustrating the operating steps performed by the knowledge - based connection system shown in fig1 . the process begins at step 100 with the user or layperson connecting to the provider 16 by orally requesting assistance for a particular problem . the request is received by the voice recognition engine of the expertise manager 18 through communication link 15 , as shown in fig1 . next , the expertise manager 18 requests the layperson to communicate the general nature of the problem and the parameters of the problem ( e . g ., context within which the problem exists ). such information is received in step 102 . the process then moves to step 104 . in step 104 , the expertise manager 18 searches the database of provider employees and contractors and provides the layperson with a list of available experts 20 - 24 ( shown in fig1 ), based on the information provided by the user via the text - to - speech engine . the layperson then reviews the list and selects one of the available experts to be connected to . the process then proceeds to step 105 . in step 105 , a determination is made as to whether the selected expert is available for a consultation . if the selected expert is not available , the process moves back to step 104 where the expertise manager 18 requests the layperson to make another selection . on the other hand , if the selected expert is available , the process moves to step 106 . in step 106 , the layperson &# 39 ; s request and operating environment is transferred to the expert for review . while connected to the expert , the layperson can discuss the problem with the expert , provide the expert with a real - time image of the problem context by transmitting the image through the use of a wireless camera or a simultaneous transmission of both image and voice information . alternately , the layperson can be connected to the expert through a direct communication link 17 . the session can be terminated by either the layperson or the expert once the layperson &# 39 ; s questions have been satisfactorily answered or the issues adequately resolved . the aforementioned provider - based system can be implemented as a fee - based system or a free system depending on the interests or objectives of the provider . if the provider - based system is to be implemented as a fee - based system , the expertise manager 18 may include time - monitoring functionality , which monitors the amount of time the user is connected to the expert , and bills the user for such time , or the user may be billed on a fixed - fee basis . with either billing method , the user will be queried to provide the expertise manager 18 with a method of payment . such payment methods can include credit card information , debit card information , billing address information , store account information , or any other suitable proprietary or nonproprietary payment method . by using the provider - based system of the present invention , the user saves money by not having to pay for an in - home visit . additionally , the time spent resolving an issue may also be tremendously reduced by the user not having to wait for an expert to travel to the user location to troubleshoot and resolve the problem . also , the user may be empowered to undertake other projects and return to the particular provider 16 for the components to complete such projects , based on the satisfactory use of the knowledge - based connection system of the present invention . fig3 is a schematic block diagram of a knowledge - based connection system 10 according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention . the connection system 10 is referred to as a market broker or participant - based system because it provides for a connection between a user ( at a particular remote location ) 12 and one of a plurality of experts 44 - 48 that are independent from each other . this differs from the personal knowledge - based system illustrated in fig1 , in that , the experts that the user or layperson are connected to , are not affiliated with the same entity . as illustrated in fig3 , the connection system 30 includes a market broker manager 40 , operative to provide a real - time connection between the user or layperson , at a remote location 12 , and one of a plurality of experts 44 - 48 , based on the layperson &# 39 ; s particular situation , and a metering block 42 operative to , for example , monitor the amount of time the layperson spends connected to a particular one of the plurality of experts . the experts may be present at locations remote from one another , or they may be present in the same location ( as illustrated by the dashed outline ). in addition to monitoring connection time , the metering block 42 may also be configured to calculate any charges as part of a fee - based service , and receive and process payment information such as , for example , credit card information , debit card information , or any proprietary payment information . other services or processes that may be performed by the metering block 42 include searching , providing security over the information transferred or payment information , and / or providing quality assurance benefits to the user . it should also be noted that connecting to an expert may be provided as a free service by a host . the market broker manager 40 will now be described with reference to fig4 . as illustrated in fig4 , the market broker manager 40 includes a personal services manager 42 who is operative to receive an oral description of the problem the user ( e . g ., the layperson ) is trying to resolve and / or real - time video illustrating the problem the user is trying to resolve and providing a link between the user and an appropriate expert 60 on - line 62 based on the received information . a speech engine 44 is coupled to the personal services manager 42 , and is operative to perform speech recognition such that the speech engine converts the voice and any corresponding oral commands of the user into appropriate digital signals for further use and transmission by the personal services manager 42 . in an exemplary embodiment , speech recognition is performed by an engine such as ibm viavoice . the speech engine 44 also performs text - to - speech synthesis , where digital signals are converted into audible sounds ( e . g ., words ) that the user can understand . in the embodiment , the text - to - speech synthesis is performed by the at & amp ; t natural voices engine . however , any suitable text - to - speech engine can be used without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention . a web services api 46 couples a uddi registry 48 to the personal services manager 42 . the uddi registry 48 , in one embodiment , is configured as a database that maintains a searchable list of experts in myriad fields . the expert list includes information relating to each of the experts maintained in the uddi registry including , for example , the connection capabilities of the expert , the location of the expert , an indication of whether the expert is available for consultation , the technical blueprints ( or t - models ), which explain how , programmatically , to bind and invoke an expert service and any fees charged by the expert , to name just a few . it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the aforementioned list of expert information is not exhaustive and any appropriate information relating to the experts that falls within the may be maintained in the personal services manager and falls within the spirit and scope of the present invention . in addition , the experts may be business or commercial entities , as well as individual persons . if the selected expert is a business entity , such entity may , for example , implement a connection system similar to that described with reference to fig1 and 2 in order to connect the use with an individual expert who can answer an user question . searching of the uddi registry 48 is performed , for example , using the xml / soap - based query patterns and protocols , as specified in the uddi 2 . 0 api specification . a user database 45 is also coupled to the personal services manager 42 and is operative to store user preferences relating to , for example , the maximum amount of fees to be paid for advice or services , preferred location and experience level of experts , billing information and any technical information pertinent to the environment of the user . although , the speech engine 44 , user database 45 , api 46 and uddi registry 48 are described as being separate components , it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the aforementioned components can be integrated within the personal services manager 42 , and such a configuration is contemplated by and falls within the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the market broker manager 40 illustrated in fig4 can be implemented as a processor 41 connected to and operating according to instructions that are maintained within a memory 41 . also , it should be noted and appreciated that the expertise manager 18 can be implemented in similar fashion to the personal services manger 42 described above . referring back to fig3 , the user location 12 is connected to the market broker manager 40 via communication link 15 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 , the communication link 15 is provided by the internet . however , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the communication link 15 can also be provided by a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), or appropriate land - line and wireless networks . the user location 12 also includes sensors 14 , which may also include , temperature sensors , humidity sensors or a digital camera 30 equipped with a lighting element that is adapted to wirelessly transmit video images over the communication link . a wireless microphone ( not shown ) or any other means for transmitting voice data over the communication link 15 may also be coupled to or provided within the user location . market broker system operation of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig5 . referring now to fig5 , the method begins at step 200 with the user or layperson connecting to the market broker manager and providing an oral request for expert assistance . in this step , the oral query ( e . g ., “ i need help connecting a phone jack to the wall ”) is received by the viavoice engine and converted into digital signals for use by the personal services manager 42 . the process then proceeds to step 202 . in step 202 , a keyword determination ( e . g ., “ phone ” “ jack ” and “ connection ”) is generated by the personal services manger 42 , based on the oral request , and the keyword ( s ) from the request are provided to the user for modification or confirmation by the text - to - speech engine . next , in step 203 , a determination is made as to whether a modification to any determined keywords is necessary . if a modification is necessary , or the layperson wants to modify the request , the process moves back to step 202 where the layperson modifies the request and the modified request is received by the personal services manager . on the other hand , if modifications are not necessary , the process moves to step 204 . in step 204 , the personal services manager 42 generates an xml / soap query pattern based on the keywords and searches the uddi registry 48 for at least one expert that meets the layperson requirements in step 205 . if no match is found , the process moves back to step 202 , where the personal service manager 42 requests the layperson for a new query ( e . g ., “ your query resulted in no matches , please make another request ”) via the text - to - speech engine . after the new query is received , the keyword ( s ) are modified and a new search is conducted . if a match is found in step 205 , the process moves to step 206 . in step 206 , the personal services manager 42 provides the layperson with a list of expert matches ( e . g ., “ john smith , smith electric ,” “ home depot ,” “ alexander jones ”), along with any contact and t - model information , through the text - to - speech engine and waits for the layperson to select an expert in step 207 . once a selection is made ( e . g ., “ john smith ”) and the t - model information between the layperson location 12 and the expert matches , the voice and video information , if any , of the layperson environment ( e . g ., the outlet where the phone jack is to be connected ) is simultaneously transmitted to the selected expert via communication link 15 in step 208 . in this manner , the expert is provided with a real - time image of the phone jack and where it is to be connected and can provide the layperson with step - by - step instructions on how to connect the phone jack with the actual layperson environment as the model . if the t - model information between the layperson location 12 and the expert does not match , the layperson will be alerted of the mismatch and be asked to enter a new selection ( e . g ., “ connection not possible at this time , please make another selection ”). in fee - based embodiments , the metering block 42 requests the user or layperson to enter the method of payment ( e . g ., credit card , debit card , etc .) and then keeps track of the amount of time the user is connected to the expert and calculates a bill based on the connection time . alternately , in fixed - fee based services , the user is charged once connection is made to the expert . in step 208 , the personal services manager determines whether the session has been terminated . if the session is complete , the process moves to step 210 where the connection between the layperson and the expert is terminated ( e . g ., “ connection to john smith terminated ”). the above detailed description of the present invention and the examples described therein have been provided for the purposes of illustration and description . although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise embodiments disclosed , and that various changes and modifications to the invention are possible , in light of the above teaching . accordingly , the scope of the present invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto .
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referring to fig1 the imprinting press and cooking device 10 are preferably supported by an open frame 13 . the frame 13 consists of a rectangular enclosure having protective cross members 14 to add strength and protection for the working components . frame 13 is supported by adjustable legs 16 . frame 13 has a bottom deck 87 and a middle deck 83 . bottom deck 87 can be formed by a flat plate welded between the bottom cross members 14 . support box 31 is mounted to deck 87 . support box 31 is a rectangular enclosure mounted in the center of deck 87 to house and protect ring gear 35 , right angle gear 33 , support bottom bearing 28 and top bearing 25 , which will be more fully described below . bottom bearing 28 and top bearing 25 support center post 22 , which in turn supports upper and lower circular cooking plates 19 and 20 . bottom bearing 28 also forms a thrust surface to support the weight of center post 22 , ring gear 35 and upper and lower circular cooking plates 19 and 20 . center post 22 is mounted in bottom bearing 28 and proceeds upward from top bearing 25 through hole 86 in deck 83 and then expands to a larger diameter , forming support post 23 . support post 23 is welded to the bottom of lower circular cooking plate 20 , coaxial with lower circular cooking plate 20 and center post 22 . support post 24 is positioned on top of and coaxial with lower circular cooking plate 20 and welded in place . support post 24 , in turn , is coaxially positioned below upper circular cooking plate 19 and welded in place . the cooking plates 19 and 20 are free to rotate in the top bearing 25 and bottom bearing 28 . during operation , they are driven by ring gear 35 which is engaged by right angle drive gear 33 . right angle drive gear 33 is connected to low speed gear box 41 , which is in turn driven by a high speed electric motor 38 . during operation , motor 38 , through gear box 41 right angle drive gear 33 and ring gear 35 turns the cooking plates 19 and 20 at approximately three revolutions per minute . however , this speed can be varied in alternate embodiments to raise or lower the rotational speed of the cooking plates and consequently , the potential output of cooked bread products produced by the machine . on top of circular cooking plate 19 , scraper 42 is radially positioned and held in place by frame 13 . scraper 42 is comprised of an angular bar 43 , formed with a slight curve . angular bar 43 holds flexible scraper 44 downward against upper circular cooking plate 19 . angular scraping bar 43 is rigidly bolted to frame 13 . a second scraper 48 including angular bar 49 and flexible scraper 51 is radially positioned on top of lower cooking plate 20 . scraper 48 is rigidly held in place by frame 13 . air slide 45 is held directly adjacent upper circular cooking plate 19 and scraper 42 by channel duct 46 . channel duct 46 is bolted in place on frame 13 between top cross members 14 . referring briefly to fig4 it can be seen that air slide 45 is preferably comprised of three pieces of curved stainless steel . top plate 90 has multiple perforations 91 for the passage of high pressure air . top plate 90 is spot welded to spacer 93 . spacer 93 is preferably a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; shaped piece of stainless steel cured to match top plate 90 . bottom plate 96 is cured to match top plate 90 and is also spot welded to spacer 93 . the result is a thin flat duct having one open end at the top . other methods of forming a duct are well known in the art and will serve well here ; they will not be disclosed . channel duct 46 is formed with a thin rectangular hole ( not shown ) which matches the open end formed between top plate 90 and bottom plate 96 . top plate 90 , spacer 93 and bottom plate 96 are all sealed to this thin rectangular hole in channel duct 46 . channel duct 46 also connects to reduction coupling 19 which is , in turn , connected to transmission duct 47 . a second hole in channel duct 46 matching that in reduction coupling 99 allows air to flow from transmission duct 47 through reduction coupling 99 into channel duct 46 and in turn , into the space in between top plate 90 and bottom plate 96 and outward through perforations 91 . the ends of channel duct 46 are sealed . returning to fig1 transmission duct 47 can been seen to be connected to high speed impeller 50 . in operation , high speed impeller 50 supplies high pressure air through duct 47 to be expelled through perforations 91 . thus , a tortilla scraped off of the upper cooking plate will slide down the air slide , supported on a thin cushion of pressured air . other sources of air pressure can be used here as well . in the top corner of frame 13 , a flat press plate 53 is positioned and bolted in place . flat press plate 53 is hinged to support frame 56 . a coil spring 57 is spot welded to support frame 56 and flat press plate 23 to aid in lifting support frame 56 , as will be further described below . support frame 56 is preferably constructed of right angle channel forming an open frame to support imprinting plate 62 . imprinting plate 62 is supported by pins 65 which are pivotally connected to support frame 56 . referring briefly to fig3 a , 3b , 3c and 3d , the details of the imprinting press can be seen . referring to fig3 a , a handle 59 can be seen bolted to the top of support frame 56 . this handle is grasped by the user and pulled downward to press and imprint a tortilla . both flat press plate 53 and imprinting plate 62 are heated . this heating is accomplished through electrical heating elements 105 and 108 which are bolted in place in direct contact with the back of flat plate 53 and imprinting plate 62 . in the preferred embodiment , each heating element is rated at 2000 watts ; however , other wattages may be implemented with successful results in other embodiments . other heat sources , such as gas burners or inductive elements , may also be used with varying degrees of success . heating elements 108 and 105 are directly connected to a thermostatic control , shown in fig1 at 117 . thermostat 117 is , in turn , connected to a source of electrical power in the preferred embodiment is 220 v a . c . the details of these connections and of thermostatic control are well known in the art and will not be discussed further . imprinting plate 62 is preferably shaped in the form of a flat octagon . a circular shape is inscribed in the octagon leaving each corner of the octagon raised . the corners form standoffs 114 , which press directly against flat plate 53 when the imprinting press is closed . standoffs 114 are preferably 0 . 020 &# 34 ; thick . the standoffs form the maximum thickness of the tortilla or other bread product to be pressed by controlling the distance between the imprinting plate 62 and the flat press plate 53 when the imprinting press is enclosed . other standoff thicknesses can be used , depending on the desired thickness of the flat bread product . design 111 are shown inscribed into imprinting plate 62 . in the preferred embodiment , the design is engraved into imprinting plate 62 to a depth of approximately 0 . 020 &# 34 ; . other depths can be used to vary the results and designs obtained . in other embodiments , design 111 can be embossed onto printing plate 62 . in the preferred embodiment , imprinting plate 62 also includes a removable icon 112 . imprinting plate 62 is formed with a round hole 115 in its center . icon 112 is a removable plate which is fitted exactly within hole 115 and held in place by flathead screws 113 . additional designs 111 are engraved or embossed into icon 112 and appear on the tortilla surface . the advantage of removable icon 112 is that it can be changed for each restaurant or festive events to custom label the tortillas or other bread products . referring to fig3 b , the operation of the imprinting press can be seen . fig3 b shows the imprinting press open and the position of imprinting plate 62 . frame 56 is held open by coil spring 57 . imprinting plate 62 is held at an angle by support frame 56 and pins 65 . as seen in fig3 c , as the imprinting press is closed , the top of imprinting plate 62 contacts flat press plate 53 first . as the imprinting press is further closed , the imprinting plate 62 rotates downward toward flat press plate 53 pivoting and sliding at its front corner down toward the unpressed dough product . when fully closed , the imprinting press comes to rest as shown in fig3 d . the advantage of the pivotal connection of imprinting plate 62 to support frame 56 is that as the imprinting press is being closed , the tortilla dough is pressed evenly from front to back forming a nearly perfect disk shape . when pressure is released from handle 59 , coil spring 57 returns frame 56 to its open position . slide plate 54 is connected to press plate 53 and aids in sliding pressed bread products from flat press plate 53 onto upper cooking plate 19 . as shown in fig1 upper circular cooking plate 19 and lower circular cooking plate 20 are heated . in the preferred embodiment , the cooking plates are heated through gas burners which can best be seen in fig2 . fig2 shows support piping 68 which is connected to the exterior frame 13 . support piping 68 extends inward underneath cooking plates 19 and 20 . the support piping terminates in a round burner 71 under each cooking plate . gas valves 80 are provided . in the preferred embodiment , these are electrically controlled solenoid valves which are operated from a stop switch shown in fig1 . stop switch 120 also controls the operation of impeller 50 and motor 38 . in operation , when the stop switch is turned on , gas supply is allowed to flow to burner 71 and motor 38 is activated as is impeller 50 . when the stop switch is turned off , impeller 50 and motor 38 are both turned off and gas valves 77 and 80 are closed , stopping the flow of gas to burners 71 . the electrical connections between the valves , motor , impeller and stop switch are well known and will not be further described . in operation , the cooking unit is turned on via stop switch 120 and the imprinting press is set to a desired temperature through thermostat 117 . after being allowed to warm up a short period of time , a ball of tortilla dough is place roughly in the center of flat press plate 53 . handle 59 on support frame 56 is grasped and pulled downward bringing imprinting plate 62 toward flat press plate 53 . as the imprinting plate is closed , the tortilla dough is pressed out into a circular disk to a thickness set by standoff 114 . as it is being pressed , the tortilla dough flows upward into engraved design 111 forming an embossed label on the flat tortilla . since both the imprinting plate 62 and the flat press plate 53 are heated , the tortilla dough does not stick to them . after pressing , the imprinting plate is raised via handle 59 and coil spring 57 revealing the pressed tortilla . the pressed tortilla is then slid down slide plate 54 , either manually , or by the force of gravity , and onto upper circular cooking plate 19 . upper circular cooking plate 19 is rotating and the pressed tortilla rotates and cooks , around the outer periphery of the cooking plate . when the tortilla reaches scraper 42 , it contacts the tortilla and forces it off of cooking plate 19 and onto air slide 45 . air slide 45 then directs the tortilla downward toward lower cooking plate 20 . the tortilla then cooks on its opposite on lower cooking plate 20 rotating a full revolution toward scraper 48 . after cooking , the imprinted design is fixed in the tortilla . scraper 48 then forces the now cooked tortilla of cooking plate 20 where it falls and comes to rest on deck 83 . it can then be removed and used in food preparation . fig5 shows a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the device . in this embodiment , the circular cooking plates 19 and 20 are replaced by flat belts 130 and 139 . the belts are supported by pulleys 133 and positioned one above the other as shown . the direction of travel of each belt in this alternate embodiment is shown as 142 and 145 . heating elements 136 are provided under the top surfaces of belts 130 and 139 to complete cooking of the tortilla . radiative , convective , conductive or inductive heating elements may all be used in alternate embodiments . the mechanical elements necessary to support the belts , and cause pulleys 133 to rotate , therefore moving belts is well know in the art and will not be described here . air slide 45 is also provided at the end of belt 130 to aid in moving and flipping the flat bread product from belt 130 to belt 139 . in operation of this embodiment , the tortilla is pressed by forcing imprinting plate 62 downward against flat press plate 53 . after pressing and imprinting the tortilla , imprinting plate 62 is raised and the now pressed tortilla is slid down slide plate 54 and onto moving belt 130 . heating elements 136 provide heat to cook the first side of the tortilla as it travels along belt 130 . when reaching the end of belt 130 , the tortilla falls off and is flipped by air slide 45 downward and onto belt 139 . heating elements 136 complete cooking of the second side of the tortilla as it travels the length of belt 139 . at the end of belt 139 , the tortilla has completed cooking whereupon it is ready to be used in food preparation . the previous discussion discloses the most marketable embodiments of the present invention . however , there are alternative ways of accomplishing similar results . for example , the imprinting plate has been described as pressing a form into the uncooked dough . but , a surface image could be seared onto the dough with a flat imprinting plate if heating elements on the opposite side of the plate were formed in the shape of the image . in other words , the surface temperature of the imprinting plate would be higher immediately opposite the heating elements . thus , these higher temperature zones could be formed to match the name of a restaurant . when the plates were brought together , the tortilla dough would be flattened and partially seared , spelling out the name of that restaurant . the partially cooked tortilla would still be removed and then fully cooked . thus , the term imprinting should be interpreted to include branding such as described in this alternative . in another embodiment , the tortilla could be fully cooked before having the image or word seared onto its surface . up to this point , the imprinting was done before the tortilla was cooked . conceivably , an imprinting station could be placed at the end of the process . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form set forth , but is intended to cover such alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as may be included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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the embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use the invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the instant invention . referring to the above listed drawings in detail : the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and the method for making same utilizes 37 hexagon hubs ( fig2 ), 6 pentagon hubs ( fig1 ), 13 half - hexagon hubs ( fig3 ), and 6 entry hubs . the 6 entry hubs include 2 entry midway ts ( fig4 ), 2 entry tops ( fig5 & amp ; fig6 ), and 2 entry bottoms ( fig7 & amp ; fig8 ). the hubs are produced with cylindrical and notched jigs ( fig1 & amp ; fig2 ). the jigs ( fig1 & amp ; fig2 ) used to fashion the hubs are cylinders 2 inches high by 3 . 125 inches in diameter with 5 ( for pentagon hubs ) or 6 ( for hexagon hubs ) 0 . 5 inch by 0 . 5 inch notches ( 1901 & amp ; 2001 ) fashioned at equidistant intervals around the cylinder edge . ( notches are cut at 72 degree intervals for pentagon hubs and 60 degree intervals for hexagon hubs .) placing the jigs on a flat surface with notched ends up will provide the proper inclination to achieve a 10 degree pronation of 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts with ends touching at the center to form a hub . placing the 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts in the notched locations around the top of the jig with ends touching will set the inserts at the proper angles for strut orientation . the 37 hexagon hubs ( fig2 ) are created by placing 6 - 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts ( 201 ) into a jig for hexagon hubs , described above , and welding the ends of the rebar inserts together in the center of the jig . 6 - 2 inch locking bars ( 202 ) are welded between the rebar inserts near the center of the hub . the 6 pentagon hubs ( fig1 ) are created by placing 5 - 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts ( 101 ) into a jig for pentagon hubs , described above , and welding the ends of the rebar inserts together in the center of the jig . 5 - 3 inch locking bars ( 102 ) are welded between the rebar inserts near the center of the hub . the 13 half - hexagons ( fig3 ) are created by placing 4 - 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts ( 301 ) into 4 adjacent notches in a jig for hexagon hubs , described above , and welding the ends of the rebar inserts together in the center of the jig . 3 - 2 inch locking bars ( 302 ) are welded between the rebar inserts near the center of the hub . the 2 entry midway ts ( fig4 ) are created by welding an 8 inch long # 4 rebar insert ( 402 ) at the center point of a 16 inch long section of # 4 rebar ( 401 ) at a 90 degree angle . the 2 mirrored entry tops ( fig5 & amp ; fig6 ) are created by placing 5 - 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts ( 501 & amp ; 601 ) into a jig for hexagon hubs , described above , and welding the ends of the rebar inserts together in the center of the jig . 4 - 2 inch locking bars ( 502 & amp ; 602 ) are welded between the rebar inserts near the center of the hub . a 6 th 8 inch long # 4 rebar insert ( 503 & amp ; 603 ) is welded into the hub creating a 90 degree angle in relation to the left adjacent insert and 30 degree angle in relation to the right adjacent insert . for the mirrored entry top , a 6 th 8 inch long # 4 rebar insert is welded into the hub creating a 90 degree angle in relation to the right adjacent insert and 30 degree angle in relation to the left adjacent insert . the 2 mirrored entry bottoms ( fig7 & amp ; fig8 ) are created by placing 2 - 8 inch long # 4 rebar inserts ( 701 & amp ; 801 ) into 2 adjacent notches in a jig for hexagon hubs , described above , and welding the ends of the rebar inserts together in the center of the jig . 1 - 2 inch locking bar ( 702 & amp ; 802 ) is welded between the rebar inserts near the center of the hub . a 3 rd 8 inch long # 4 rebar insert ( 703 & amp ; 803 ) is welded into the hub creating a 270 degree angle in relation to the left adjacent insert and 30 degree angle in relation to the right adjacent insert . for the mirrored entry bottom , a 3 rd 8 inch long # 4 rebar insert is welded into the hub creating a 30 degree angle in relation to the right adjacent insert and 270 degree angle in relation to the left adjacent insert . the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and the method for making same utilizes 30 “ a struts ” ( fig9 ), 54 “ b struts ” ( fig1 ), 74 “ c struts ” ( fig1 ), 4 “ entry struts ” ( fig1 ), and 2 “ entry midway struts ” ( fig1 ). the struts may be created with wood , rebar , bamboo , pvc pipe , or any other appropriate available material . the preferred embodiment described herein utilizes bamboo . the 30 “ a struts ” ( fig9 ) are each created with a 37 inch length of bamboo ( 901 ) approximately 2 inches in diameter . the bamboo is notched across each end ( 902 ) 0 . 5 inches wide by 0 . 75 inches deep and in alignment . a 0 . 125 inch hole ( 903 ) is drilled through the strut 7 inches from each end for 2 - 28 inch lengths of wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) that will tie off to the hubs . 2 - 24 inch lengths of wire ( 904 ) ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) are wrapped three times around each strut at points approximately 1 inch from each notch . the 54 “ b struts ” ( fig1 ) are each created with a 42 inch length of bamboo ( 1001 ) approximately 2 inches in diameter . the bamboo is notched across each end ( 1002 ) 0 . 5 inches wide by 0 . 75 inches deep and in alignment . a 0 . 125 inch hole ( 1003 ) is drilled through the strut 7 inches from each end for 2 - 28 inch lengths of wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) that will tie off to the hubs . 2 - 24 inch lengths of wire ( 1004 ) ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) are wrapped three times around each strut at points approximately 1 inch from each notch . the 74 “ c struts ” ( fig1 ) are each created with a 43 . 5 inch length of bamboo ( 1101 ) approximately 2 inches in diameter . the bamboo is notched across each end ( 1102 ) 0 . 5 inches wide by 0 . 75 inches deep and in alignment . a 0 . 125 inch hole ( 1103 ) is drilled through the strut 7 inches from each end for 2 - 28 inch lengths of wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) that will tie off to the hubs . 2 - 24 inch lengths of wire ( 1104 ) ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) are wrapped three times around each strut at points approximately 1 inch from each notch . the 4 “ entry struts ” ( fig1 ) are each created with a 37 inch length of bamboo ( 1201 ) approximately 2 inches in diameter . the bamboo is notched across one end ( 1202 ) 0 . 5 inches wide by 0 . 75 inches deep and in alignment . a 0 . 125 inch hole ( 1203 ) is drilled through the strut 7 inches from each end for 2 - 28 inch lengths of wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) that will tie off to the hubs . 2 - 24 inch lengths of wire ( 1204 ) ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) are wrapped three times around each strut at points approximately 2 inches from each end . the 2 “ entry midway struts ” ( fig1 ) are each created with a 22 inch length of bamboo ( 1301 ) approximately 2 inches in diameter . the bamboo is notched across one end ( 1302 ) 0 . 5 inches wide by 0 . 75 inches deep and in alignment . a 0 . 125 inch hole ( 1303 ) is drilled through the strut 7 inches from each end for 2 - 28 inch lengths of wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) that will tie off to the hubs . 2 - 24 inch lengths of wire ( 1304 ) ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ) are wrapped three times around each strut at points approximately 2 inches from each end . the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and the method for making same utilizes 6 “ pentagon forms ” ( fig1 ), 37 “ hexagon forms ” ( fig1 ), and 13 “ half - hexagon forms ” ( fig1 ). the forms may be created with wood , cardboard , oriented strand board , particleboard , or any other appropriate available material . the preferred embodiment described herein utilizes oriented strand board (“ osb ”). the pentagon forms ( fig1 ) each necessitate one 12 inch by 12 inch osb square to form an inner pentagon ( 1401 ), one 16 inch by 17 inch osb rectangle to form an outer pentagon ( 1402 ), five 3 . 5 inch by 7 inch hourglass shaped flaps ( 1403 ), one piece of 50 inch length string , fifteen pieces of 5 inch length tape ( 1404 ), five 1 inch screws , and three pieces of 29 inch wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ). the osb squares are cut into pentagons as shown in fig1 ; the five 3 . 5 inch by 7 inch hourglass shaped flaps are cut as shown in fig1 . one 1 inch screw is screwed into the center of each flap ( 1405 ) approximately 0 . 75 inches from the outside edge as shown in fig1 . the inside edges of the flaps ( edge opposite screw ) are connected to the corresponding edges of the inner pentagon via the tape pieces described above — one piece of tape for the top side of the combination and one piece of tape for the bottom side of the combination as shown in fig1 . one end of the string described above is tied to one screw head . the osb may be sealed to prevent water penetration . the outer pentagon ( 1402 ) may contain groves ( 1406 ). the hexagon forms ( fig1 ) each necessitate one 10 inch by 9 inch osb rectangle to form an inner hexagon ( 1501 ), one 12 inch by 14 inch osb rectangle to form an outer hexagon ( 1502 ), six 3 . 5 inch by 5 . 25 inch hourglass shaped flaps ( 1503 ), one piece of 48 inch length string , eighteen pieces of 5 . 25 inch length tape ( 1504 ), six 1 inch screws , and three pieces of 26 inch wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ). the osb squares are cut into hexagons as shown in fig1 ; the six 3 . 5 inch by 5 . 25 inch hourglass shaped flaps are cut as shown in fig1 . one 1 inch screw is screwed into the center of each flap ( 1505 ) approximately 0 . 75 inches from the outside edge as shown in fig1 . the inside edges of the flaps ( edge opposite screw ) are connected to the corresponding edges of the inner hexagon via the tape pieces described above — one piece of tape for the top side of the combination and one piece of tape for the bottom side of the combination as shown in fig1 . one end of the string described above is tied to one screw head . the osb may be sealed to prevent water penetration . the outer hexagon ( 1502 ) may contain groves ( 1506 ). the half - hexagon forms ( fig1 ) each necessitate one 10 inch by 4 . 5 inch osb rectangle to form an inner half - hexagon ( 1601 ), one 6 inch by 14 inch osb rectangle to form an outer half - hexagon ( 1602 ), three 3 . 5 inch by 5 . 25 inch hourglass shaped flaps ( 1603 ), one piece of 24 inch length string , nine pieces of 5 . 25 inch length tape ( 1604 ), three 1 inch screws , and three pieces of 26 inch wire ( 14 . 5 gauge steel wire or an equivalent ). the osb squares are cut into half - hexagons as shown in fig1 ; the three 3 . 5 inch by 5 . 25 inch hourglass shaped flaps are cut as shown in fig1 . one 1 inch screw is screwed into the center of each flap approximately 0 . 75 inches from the outside edge as shown in fig1 . the inside edges of the flaps ( edge opposite screw ) are connected to the corresponding edges of the inner hexagon via the tape pieces described above — one piece of tape for the top side of the combination and one piece of tape for the bottom side of the combination as shown in fig1 . one end of the string described above is tied to one screw head . the osb may be sealed to prevent water penetration . the outer half - hexagon ( 1602 ) may contain groves ( 1606 ). 2 nd step : fill the end of one a strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four a struts . 4 th step : use a mallet to drive the prepared a struts onto the pentagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 6 th step : use a mallet to drive the hexagon hubs into the a struts protruding from the prepared pentagon hubs . lock the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub . guide the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twist the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 8 th step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four b struts . 9 th step : use a mallet to drive the b struts , onto the adjacent inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs , next to the a struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . a pentagon is now formed out of the a and b struts . 11 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine c struts . 12 th step : use a mallet to drive the c struts onto the adjacent inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs , next to the b struts , onto the ends of the pentagon &# 39 ; s apexes ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 14 th step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four b struts . 15 th step : use a mallet to drive the b struts , onto the remaining inserts and pins ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins , of the hexagon hubs . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 17 th step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub , into the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pin . use the wires on the struts to secure the strut to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 19 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine a struts . 20 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the insert and pins of the hexagon hub that is adjacent to the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 21 st step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the adjacent c , c , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 22 nd step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub that is adjacent to the c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 23 rd step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the b strut and c strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 24 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the insert and pins of the hexagon hub that is adjacent to the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 25 th step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the adjacent c , c , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 26 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub that is adjacent to the c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 27 th step : repeat steps 23 through 26 three times . this will bring you to the hexagon hub , where you will attach the end of the c strut into the insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 29 th step : fill the end of one a strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four a struts . 30 th step : use a mallet and drive the a struts , onto the ends of the hexagon hubs , which are opposite to or across from , the b struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 32 nd step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine b struts . 33 rd step : use a mallet and drive the b struts onto the remaining inserts and pins , of the hexagon hub , adjacent to the a struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 35 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine c struts . 36 th step : use a mallet and drive the c struts , onto the remaining inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 38 th step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four b struts . 40 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine c struts . 41 st step : collect 1 right entry top hub and locate the orientation of the door . 42 nd step : insert the right hand side entry top hub , into the ends of one b strut and one c strut . use a mallet and drive the upper door opening hub into the b strut and c strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 43 rd step : use a mallet and drive one b strut , onto the insert of the entry top hub , that is adjacent to the c strut . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 45 th step : insert the left hand side entry top hub into the ends of the two b struts and one c strut , that are opposite of the right hand side entry top hub . use a mallet and drive the upper door opening hub into the b struts and c strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 46 th step : use a mallet and drive one a strut , into the left hand side insert and pins of the entry top hub , that is adjacent to the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 48 th step : use a mallet and drive one pentagon hub into the ends of the two a struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 49 th step : use a mallet and drive one a strut , onto the upper left hand side insert and pins of the pentagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 51 st step : use a mallet and drive the inserts and pins of the hexagon hub into the a , b , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 52 nd step : use a mallet and drive one b strut , onto the insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the c strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 53 rd step : use a mallet and drive the inserts and pins of one hexagon hub into the b , b , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 54 th step : use a mallet and drive one a strut , onto the upper left hand side insert and pins of the hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 55 th step : use a mallet and drive one pentagon hub into the ends of the two a struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 56 th step : use a mallet and drive one a strut , onto the upper left hand side insert and pins of the pentagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 58 th step : insert the a strut onto the insert and pins of the right entry top hub , which is adjacent to the b strut . 60 th step : fill the end of one a strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine a struts . 61 st step : use a mallet and drive the a struts onto the insert and pins of the pentagon hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 63 rd step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine b struts . 64 th step : use a mallet and drive the b struts onto the insert and pins of the hexagon hubs , that are adjacent to the pentagon hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 66 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining seven c struts . 67 th step : use a mallet and drive the c struts , onto the remaining inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 69 th step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining four b struts . 71 st step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining seven c struts . 73 rd step : start at the left of the door opening , use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the a and b struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 74 th step : use a mallet and drive one b strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the a strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 75 th step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the ends of the b , a , and b struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 76 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the b strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 77 th step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the ends of the c , c , and c , struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 78 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the c strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 79 th step : use a mallet and drive one hexagon hub into the ends of the a , b , & amp ; c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 80 th step : use a mallet and drive one b strut into the horizontal insert and pins of the hexagon hub , that is adjacent to the a strut ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 81 st step : repeat steps 76 through 81 three times . this will bring you to the right hand side of the doorway . 83 rd step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine b struts . 84 th step : use a mallet and drive the b struts , onto the inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs , that are on the opposite side of the a struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 86 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining seventeen c struts . 87 th step : use a mallet and drive the c struts , onto the remaining inserts and pins of the hexagon hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 89 th step : fill the end of one c strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining nine c struts . 91 st step : fill the end of one b strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining three b struts . 93 rd step : use one half - hexagon hub . place it horizontally under the c struts , to the left of the door opening . use a mallet and drive the top two inserts and pins into the c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 94 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut it into the right insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 95 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 96 th step : use a mallet and drive one half - hexagon hub into the c , b , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 97 th step : use a mallet and drive one b strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 98 th step : use a mallet and drive one half - hexagon hub into the b , c , and b struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 99 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the left horizontal insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 100 th step : use one half - hexagon hub . place it horizontally under the c struts . use a mallet and drive it into the inserts and pins of the c , c , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 101 st step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 102 nd step : use a mallet and drive one half - hexagon hub into the c , b , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 103 rd step : use a mallet and drive one b strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 104 th step : use a mallet and drive one half - hexagon hub into the b , c , and b struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 105 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 106 th step : repeat steps 98 through 103 three times . this will take you to the right hand side of the door . 107 th step : use one half - hexagon hub . place it horizontally under the c struts . use a mallet and drive it into the inserts and pins of the c , c , and c struts ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 108 th step : use a mallet and drive one c strut into the left insert and pins of the half - hexagon hub ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 110 th step : fill the end of one entry strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining three entry struts . 112 th step : fill the end of one entry midway strut with the fine mix of cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch . cover and secure the end to keep the cement from running out . flip the strut over and fill the other end of the strut with the mix of fine cement up to the strut &# 39 ; s notch and secure and cover . repeat this step with the remaining entry midway strut . 115 th step : using a mallet , drive two entry struts onto the inserts of the entry top hubs ; locking the strut notches into the hub pins . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 116 th step : using a mallet , drive two entry midway struts onto the inserts and pins of the adjacent hexagon hubs , on each side of the doorway . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 117 th step : using a mallet , drive two entry midway “ t ” hubs into the entry top struts and the entry midway struts . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . the remaining insert should be pointing downward . 118 th step : using a mallet drive the remaining two entry struts into the inserts of the entry midway “ t ” hubs . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . 119 th step : using a mallet , drive the two entry bottom hubs into the c , b , and entry struts . use the wires on the struts to secure the struts to the hub , by guiding the wires through the spaces on opposing sides of the hub and twisting the wires tight enough to prevent the strut from separating from the hub . after the frame is assembled and the concrete in the struts has cured for three days , the forms and concrete are ready to be installed over the hub connections . 1 ) place a pentagon or a hexagon form under the center of the corresponding metal hub . 2 ) fold the flaps around the struts . 3 ) take the string over the struts and wrap around the screw on each flap securing the form to the framework . 4 ) when the form is in the horizontal position , secure the flaps and fill concrete from the top . 5 ) when the form is in the vertical position , leave the top flap untied for inserting concrete . 6 ) for vertical forms , place the outer part of the form with the notched side facing outward against the ends of the flaps of the attached form . 7 ) secure wire around the strut below the notch in the outer part of the form . 8 ) pull the wire across the notch in the form and secure the wire on an opposing strut below the end of the notch . 9 ) repeat step 8 by running the wires through the axes of the hub until all of the axes are secure . 10 ) tighten the wires to bend the outer form into to the shape of an apex shape . 11 ) draw the surface of the outer form to the ends of the flaps of the inner form . 12 ) pour concrete mix in the upper opening of the form filling the form to the top . 13 ) vibrate form to remove any voids in the pour to make a good cast . 14 ) after the concrete has set , snip the wires and remove the outer parts of the forms . 15 ) untie the strings of the inner form , open up the flaps and remove the inner part of the form . check for voids in the casting and repair as needed . coverings may be utilized as shown in fig1 , fig1 , fig2 , and fig2 . an “ aab panel ” ( 1701 ) is formed of osb panel , or any other suitable material , and cut to cover a triangular aperture created by two “ a struts ” ( fig9 ) and one “ b strut ” ( fig1 ). bracing rods ( 1702 ) may be affixed to the “ aab panel ” via wire or string and bracing rod holes ( 1703 ). the “ aab panel ” may be affixed to the two “ a struts ” and one “ b strut ” via wire or string and “ aab panel ” holes ( 1704 ). a “ ccb panel ” ( 1801 ) is formed of osb panel , or any other suitable material , and cut to cover a triangular aperture created by two “ c struts ” ( fig1 ) and one “ b strut ” ( fig1 ). bracing rods ( 1802 ) may be affixed to the “ ccb panel ” via wire or string and bracing rod holes ( 1803 ). the “ ccb panel ” may be affixed to the two “ c struts ” and one “ b strut ” via wire or string and “ ccb panel ” holes ( 1804 ). 1 st step : place the aab panel on the struts that form a pentagon in the middle of the dome . locate the aab struts that correspond to the sides of the panel . 2 nd step : place the aab panel on the triangle formed by the a struts and b strut with the 1 ″ bamboo braces resting on the 2 ″ bamboo struts . 3 rd step : wrap the panel lashing wires ( attached to the panel ) around the struts and twist until panel is drawn tight against the cement hubs and 1 ″ panel braces . 4 th step : lock the next aab panel into the mounted aab panel by placing the a side over hanging 1 ″ bamboo braces under the existing panel &# 39 ; s a side and sliding the edges together . line up the points of the angle &# 39 ; s a side . lash the panel into place drawing the panel tight against the struts and hubs . 5 th step : continue locking and securing aab panels into place until the last triangle in the pentagon is to be put in place . 6 th step : lock the next aab panel into the mounted aab panel by placing the a side over hanging 1 ″ bamboo braces under the existing panel &# 39 ; s a side and sliding the edges together . line up the points of the angle &# 39 ; s a side . use a mallet to help drive the 1 ″ bamboo braces back and forth until the panel is locked into place on both sides of the panel . lash the panel into place drawing the panel tight against the struts and hubs . 7 th step : place a ccb panel up against an aab panel with the b sides lined up with each other . place the ccb panel on the triangle formed by the c struts and b strut with the 1 ″ bamboo braces resting on the 2 ″ bamboo struts . lock the ccb panel into the mounted aab panel by placing the b side over hanging 1 ″ bamboo braces under the existing panel &# 39 ; s b side and sliding the edges together . line up the points of the angle &# 39 ; s b side . push the panel into place drawing the panel tight against the struts and hubs with the lashing wires . 8 th step : lock the next ccb panel into the mounted ccb panel by placing the c side over hanging 1 ″ bamboo braces under the existing panel &# 39 ; s c side and sliding the edges together . line up the points of the angle &# 39 ; s c side . use a mallet to help drive the 1 ″ bamboo braces back and forth until the panel is locked into place on both sides of the panel . lash the panel into place drawing the panel tight against the struts and hubs . 9 th step : continue locking the panels together , lining up a to a sides , b to b sides and c to c sides until the dome is covered . while the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity , it is to be noted that modifications may be made in the details of the invention &# 39 ; s construction and the arrangement of its components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure . it is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for the purposes of exemplification .
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the following detailed description will describe a cpt frequency standard employing a rotatable circular polarizer to control the intensity of circularly - polarized light incident on the atomic resonance cell , and will finally disclose experimental results using a circular polarizer in this fashion in the cpt frequency standard . using a circular polarizer to control the intensity of circularly - polarized light : fig2 fig2 shows at 201 how a circular polarizer 202 may be used to control the intensity of circularly - polarized light . circular polarizer 202 is made in the usual fashion : a linear polarizer 203 is combined with a quarter wave retarder 205 such that there is a fixed relationship between the axis of polarization 209 and the fast axis 208 of the quarter wave retarder . the linear polarizer and quarter wave retarder may be made of any materials which polarize light in the required fashions . a preferred relationship between the axis of polarization 209 and fast axis 208 is 45 °, but any relationship which results in circularly - polarized light may be used . the light 206 that is input to circular polarizer 202 is itself linearly polarized . its plane of polarization is shown at 207 . linearly polarized light 206 may be produced by a laser or by passing light through another linear polarizer . the light that is output from circular polarizer 202 is a beam of circularly polarized light 213 . the intensity of circularly polarized beam 213 may be varied by rotating circular polarizer 202 as shown at 211 . arrangement 201 may be used in any situation in which circularly - polarized light of a controlled intensity is required . an example of such a situation is cpt frequency standard 101 of fig1 , in which the circularly polarized light required for resonance cell 111 is produced by quarter - wave retarder 109 from the linearly - polarized light produced by laser 103 when light that is already linearly polarized passes through a linear polarizer , the amount of light that passes through the linear polarizer is a function of the angle θ between the axis of polarization of the linearly polarized light and the axis of polarization of the linear polarizer . as θ ranges between 0 °, that is , where the axis of polarization 209 of the linear polarizer is the same as the plane of polarization 207 of the linearly polarized light , and 90 °, that is , where axis of polarization is perpendicular to the plane of polarization , the amount of light that passes through ranges from nearly all to nearly none . when linearly - polarized light is passed through a linear polarizer , the electric field of the emerging linearly - polarized light is oriented along the axis of polarization of the linear polarizing medium . the linear polarizer thus serves to rotate the plane of polarization of the incident linearly - polarized light . because the relationship between axis of polarization 209 of linear polarizer 203 and fast axis 208 of quarter wave retarder 205 is fixed , the behavior of circular polarizer 202 is unaffected by rotation 211 of circular polarizer 202 . because the amount of light that passes through linear polarizer 203 is a function of the angle θ , the amount of circularly polarized light 213 produced by circular polarizer 202 is also a function of θ . consequently , the intensity of the circularly - polarized light which leaves quarter - wave retarder 205 may be adjusted by rotating circular polarizer 202 about beam 206 . the two elements of circular polarizer 202 , linear polarizer 203 and quarter - wave retarder 205 , may be made of any materials which suit the particular application and may be coupled to each other by any technique which maintains a fixed relationship between the axis of polarization of linear polarizer 203 and the fast axis of quarter - wave retarder 205 . circular polarizer 202 may be rotated about beam of linearly - polarized light 206 using any mechanism which permits circular polarizer 202 to be rotated sufficiently to provide the desired range of attenuation . for many applications it will be important that circular polarizer 202 be locked at the point at which the desired attenuation is achieved ; this can be done using mechanisms such as set screws , clamps , or a worm gear that interacts with teeth around the circumference of circular polarizer 202 . a cpt frequency standard which incorporates technique 201 : fig3 and 4 fig3 shows a cpt frequency standard 301 which incorporates technique 201 . as may be seen from fig3 , the only difference between cpt frequency standard 301 and cpt frequency standard 101 is that attenuator 107 and quarter - wave retarder 109 have been replaced by circular polarizer 202 . because circular polarizer 202 may be rotated around laser light beam 105 to adjust the intensity of the circularly - polarized light reaching resonance cell 111 , there is no need to add and remove attenuators or to separately adjust the quarter - wave retarder . cpt frequency standard 101 uses photodetector 113 to measure the amount of laser light which passes through resonance cell 111 , and when cpt frequency standard 301 is being calibrated , photodetector 113 can be used to determine the degree to which circular polarizer 202 is attenuating laser light 105 . in frequency standard 301 , as in any other system which provides feedback 117 concerning the amount of light that is passing through circular polarizer 202 , the light intensity can be made automatically controlled : a rotator 303 such as a servomotor can be added to rotate the circular polarizer 202 and the rotator can be controlled by rotator control signal 305 , which control processor 121 can derive from feedback signal 117 . the elements 303 and 305 required to make the attenuation self - adjusting are shown in dotted lines in fig3 . it should be noted here that embodiments of cpt frequency standard 301 are possible in which beam of light 105 is not linearly polarized ; in that case , a fixed linear polarizer would be placed in the path of beam 105 ahead of circular polarizer 202 in order to produce the linearly polarized light required by technique 201 . fig5 shows a presently - preferred embodiment 501 of circular polarizer 202 . linear polarizer 505 is a color pol ® polarizer made by codixx ag , barleben , germany ; quarter - wave retarder 507 is an optigrafix ™ quarter - wave retarder made by grafix ® plastics , cleveland , ohio , usa . linear polarizer 505 and quarter - wave retarder 507 are held in the proper relationship to each other by linear polarizer holder 503 and quarter - wave retarder holder 509 , which are in turn held together by pins 511 . when circular polarizer 501 is installed in frequency standard 301 , it is held in a mount by friction . the edge of quarter - wave retarder 507 has holes 510 which permit a tool to engage circular polarizer 501 and rotate circular polarizer 501 . the effect of the rotation on the intensity of the light reaching resonance cell 111 can be determined from the output of photodetector 113 , and when the light has the proper intensity , circular polarizer 501 may be locked in that position either by increasing the friction between the mount and circular polarizer 501 or by gluing circular polarizer 501 to the mount . fig4 is a plot showing the effectiveness of technique 201 with circular polarizer 501 . curve 403 shows how the power of the light which passes through circular polarizer 501 varies as the circular polarizer is rotated through 360 °; the optical power ranges from a maximum of 100 % through a minimum of about 5 %. curve 405 shows how the degree of circular polarization varies during the rotation . the degree of circular polarization ranges from a maximum of 87 % to a minimum of about 70 %; however , it remains between about 85 % and 87 % for most of the range of optical power . technique 201 thus provides a large range of attenuation over which the degree of attenuation has little effect on the degree of circular polarization . the foregoing detailed description has disclosed to those skilled in the relevant technologies how to control the intensity of circularly - polarized light using the technique and has further disclosed the best mode presently known to the inventors of using the technique and of making a device that employs the technique . it will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the relevant technologies that as long as the circular polarizer is applied to linearly polarized light , the circular polarizer can be of any size and be made using any available techniques . similarly , any available technique can be used for rotating the circular polarizer . it will further be immediately apparent that the technique may be used not only in cpt atomic frequency standards , but in any device that requires adjustment of the intensity of circularly - polarized light . for all of the foregoing reasons , the detailed description is to be regarded as being in all respects exemplary and not restrictive , and the breadth of the invention disclosed here in is to be determined not from the detailed description , but rather from the claims as interpreted with the full breadth permitted by the patent laws .
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the compositions of the present invention are useful for providing improved and / or longer lasting anti - inflammatory action from topically applied hydrocortisone compositions . the compositions may be topically applied to skin exhibiting symptoms of inflammation . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs . whenever used , any percentage is weight by weight ( w / w ) unless otherwise indicated . as used herein , “ topically applying ” means directly laying on , applying to or spreading on outer skin , e . g ., by use of the hands or an applicator such as a wipe , puff , roller , or spray . as used herein , “ cosmetically - acceptable ” means that the product ( s ), compound ( s ), or composition ( s ) which the term describes are suitable for use in contact with tissues ( e . g ., the skin or hair ) without undue toxicity , incompatibility , instability , irritation , allergic response , and the like . this term is not intended to limit the compound / product / composition to which it describes for use solely as a cosmetic ( e . g ., the ingredient / product may be used as a pharmaceutical ). as used herein , “ topical carrier ” means one or more compatible solid or liquid diluents that are suitable for topical administration of an active ingredient to the skin of a mammal . examples of topical carriers include , but are not limited to , water , waxes , oils , emollients , emulsifiers , thickening agents , gelling agents , and mixtures thereof . as used herein , “ safe and effective amount ” means an amount of product ( s ), compound ( s ), or composition ( s ) sufficient to induce an anti - acne , or pre - emergent pimple effect , but low enough to avoid serious side effects . compositions of the present invention include hydrocortisone . the amount of hydrocortisone is typically within the amount approved in the united states of america &# 39 ; s over - the - counter monograph , and may vary from about 0 . 1 % to about 1 %, for example from about 0 . 5 % to about 1 %, or from about 0 . 75 % to about 1 %, by weight , based on the total weight of the composition . the compositions of the present invention further include avenanthramides . avenanthramdes are organic molecules that can be made synthetically or extracted from oat plants . avenanthramides belong to a group of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives . the most abundant avenanthramides found in oat plants are 5 - hydroxyanthranilic acid derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acid . they contain coumaric , caffeic , or ferulic acid moieties . the amount of avenanthramides in the compositions of the present invention is based on the total amount of all avenanthramides obtained through the extraction of the oat plant . the compositions of the present invention contain from about 0 . 05 ppm to about 100 ppm avenanthramides , for example from about 0 . 5 ppm to about 50 ppm , or from about 1 ppm to about 10 ppm , avenanthramides . the compositions of the present invention may further include an alkanolamine . the alkanolamine may be selected from the group consisting of ethylaminoethanol , methylaminoethanol , dimethylaminoethanolamine , isopropanolamine , triethanolamine , isopropanoldimethylamine , ethylethanolamine , 2 - butanolamine , choline and serine . when an alkanolamine is utilized , dimethylaminoethanolamine is preferred . the amount of alkanolamine may vary from about 0 . 01 % to about 10 %, for example from about 0 . 1 % to about 5 %, or from about 0 . 25 % to about 1 %, by weight , based on the total weight of the composition . the compositions of the present invention may further include additional natural extracts . suitable natural extracts include , but are not limited to , chamomile , panthenol , feverfew , olive leaf , soy and the like . the amount of natural extract may vary , but when utilized typically ranges from about 0 . 01 percent by weight to about 5 percent , by weight , based on the total weight of the composition . the compositions of the present invention are provided in formulations suitable for topical application to skin . the composition may comprise the hydrocortisone product , the avenanthramides , and a cosmetically - acceptable topical carrier . the cosmetically - acceptable topical carrier may comprise from about 50 % to about 99 . 99 %, by weight , of the composition , or from about 80 % to about 95 %, by weight , of the composition . the compositions may be made into a wide variety of product types that include , but are not limited to , solid and liquid compositions such as lotions , creams , gels , sticks , sprays , shaving creams , ointments , cleansing liquid washes and solid bars , shampoos , pastes , powders , mousses , shaving creams , and wipes . these product types may comprise multiple types of cosmetically acceptable topical carriers including , but not limited to , solutions , emulsions ( e . g ., microemulsions and nanoemulsions ), gels , solids and liposomes . the following are non - limitative examples of such carriers . other carriers can be formulated by those of ordinary skill in the art . the topical compositions useful in the present invention can be formulated as solutions . solutions typically include an aqueous solvent ( e . g ., from about 50 % to about 99 . 99 %, or from about 90 % to about 99 %, of a cosmetically acceptable aqueous solvent . topical compositions useful in the subject invention may be formulated as a solution comprising an emollient . such compositions preferably contain from about 2 % to about 50 % of an emollient ( s ). as used herein , “ emollients ” refer to materials used for the prevention or relief of dryness , as well as for the protection of the skin . a wide variety of suitable emollients are known and may be used herein . see international cosmetic ingredient dictionary and handbook , eds . wenninger and mcewen , pp . 1656 - 61 , 1626 , and 1654 - 55 ( the cosmetic , toiletry , and fragrance assoc ., washington , d . c ., 7 th edition , 1997 ) ( hereinafter “ inci handbook ”) contains numerous examples of suitable materials . a lotion can be made from such a solution . lotions typically comprise from about 1 % to about 20 %, or from about 5 % to about 10 %, of an emollient ( s ) and from about 50 % to about 90 %, or from about 60 % to about 80 %, of water . another type of product that may be formulated from a solution is a cream . a cream typically comprises from about 5 % to about 50 %, or from about 10 % to about 20 %, of an emollient ( s ) and from about 45 % to about 85 %, or from about 50 % to about 75 %, of water . yet another type of product that may be formulated from a solution is an ointment . an ointment may comprise a simple base of animal or vegetable oils or semi - solid hydrocarbons . an ointment may comprise from about 2 % to about 10 % of an emollient ( s ) plus from about 0 . 1 % to about 2 % of a thickening agent ( s ). a more complete disclosure of thickening agents or viscosity increasing agents useful herein can be found in the inci handbook pp . 1693 - 1697 . the topical compositions useful in the present invention may be formulated as emulsions . if the carrier is an emulsion , from about 1 % to about 10 %, or from about 2 % to about 5 %, of the carrier comprises an emulsifier ( s ). emulsifiers may be nonionic , anionic or cationic . suitable emulsifiers are disclosed in , for example , inci handbook , pp . 1673 - 1686 . lotions and creams can be formulated as emulsions . typically such lotions comprise from 0 . 5 % to about 5 % of an emulsifier ( s ). such creams would typically comprise from about 1 % to about 20 %, or from about 5 % to about 10 %, of an emollient ( s ); from about 20 % to about 80 %, or from 30 % to about 70 %, of water ; and from about 1 % to about 10 %, or from about 2 % to about 5 %, of an emulsifier ( s ). single emulsion skin care preparations , such as lotions and creams , of the oil - in - water type and water - in - oil type are well - known in the cosmetic art and are useful in the subject invention . multiphase emulsion compositions , such as the water - in - oil - in - water type are also useful in the subject invention . in general , such single or multiphase emulsions contain water , emollients , and emulsifiers as essential ingredients . the topical compositions of this invention can also be formulated as a gel ( e . g ., an aqueous gel using a suitable gelling agent ( s )). suitable gelling agents for aqueous gels include , but are not limited to , natural gums , acrylic acid and acrylate polymers and copolymers , and cellulose derivatives ( e . g ., hydroxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose ). suitable gelling agents for oils ( such as mineral oil ) include , but are not limited to , hydrogenated butylene / ethylene / styrene copolymer and hydrogenated ethylene / propylene / styrene copolymer . such gels typically comprise between about 0 . 1 % and 5 %, by weight , of such gelling agents . the topical compositions of the present invention can also be formulated into a solid formulation ( e . g ., a wax - based stick , soap bar composition , powder , or a wipe containing powder ). the topical compositions useful in the subject invention may contain , in addition to the aforementioned components , a wide variety of additional oil - soluble materials and / or water - soluble materials conventionally used in compositions for use on skin , hair , and nails , at concentrations recognized by those skilled in the art . the topical compositions may be applied one or more times a day , preferably twice a day . the amount used will vary with the age and physical condition of the end user , the duration of the treatment , the specific compound , product , or composition employed , the particular cosmetically - acceptable carrier utilized , and like factors . examples of the present invention are described below . the invention should not be construed to be limited to the details thereof . compositions of the present invention were prepared by combining the materials listed in table 1 and mixing the materials until homogenous . the compositions prepared in example 1 were tested for reduction / inhibition of redness of skin by the following method . the human volar forearms of test subjects were pre - treated with topical application of a placebo or the formulations of example 1 for 30 minutes prior to testing . a chemical minimal erythema dose (“ med ”) was established for each test subject using doses of methyl nicotinate from 1 to 5 mm . the dose resulting in a med for each test subject was used in the pre - treated sites . redness was induced by topical application of aqueous methyl nicotinate using 25 mm hilltop chambers for 30 seconds . redness was assessed at 30 minutes after application of methyl nicotinate using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (“ drs ”) and calculating the ratio of oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin . drs results were analyzed using t - test with significance for all tests set at p & lt ; 0 . 05 . the results of compositions of the present invention compared to sample 3 , 1 % hydrocortisone with no avenanthramides , are shown in table 2 as percent reduction in redness . as the data indicates , compositions of the present invention provided increased inhibition of skin erythema compared to compositions comprising only hydrocortisone as the active ingredient . surprisingly , it was found that compositions containing lower amounts of avenanthramides provided significantly better results when compared to compositions comprising twice the amount of avenanthramides . twenty - nine panelists were selected for a test to demonstrate the efficacy of hydrocortisone creams of the present invention ( sample 2 ) over time . four rectangles were marked on the inner volar forearm of each panelist , with placement of the outer edge of the 1 st square beginning approximately one - half inch from the elbow crease . markings were then placed on the skin with non - smearable ink on the inside corners of the rectangular box . samples 2 and 3 , containing 1 % hydrocortisone , were applied in a uniform thin line in the approximate center on the rectangle , beginning from the top to the bottom ( 32 ul / rectangle ). each product was then carefully rubbed into the rectangle area only , with a circular motion , for approximately 10 seconds . after the indicated time following product application , sebutape ® strips were applied to the appropriate skin locations . with gloved hands , the strips were removed from the sheet with forceps and applied to the center of the skin rectangle , pressed firmly , and removed 1 minute later with forceps . the tapes were then placed skin - side - down in appropriately labeled vials . finally , 500 μl of cell growth media rpmi 1640 was added to each vial and the vials placed in a − 80 ° c . freezer until time of il - 2 assay the vials were thawed on ice and then sonicated on ice for 15 minutes . jurkat cells were plated onto 96 - well round bottom plates at 100 , 000 cells / well in 100 μl . cells were then stimulated for il - 2 production with the addition of 50 μl mixture of phorbol myristate acetate (“ pma ”, 200 ng / ml ) and phytohemagglutinin (“ pha ”, 16 μg / ml ). designated sample wells were then treated with 50 μl of media from sample vials after vortexing them for 10 seconds . each sample was used to treat 2 wells . to the wells designated for stimulation only , 50 μl of rpmi cellular growth media + 10 % fetal bovine serum (“ fbs ”) growth media was added . plates were incubated overnight for approximately 16 hours @ 37 ° c . and 5 % co 2 . after incubation , the supernatants were removed and transferred to low - binding 96 - well plates . the supernatants were diluted 1 : 5 in rmpi growth media and assayed for il - 2 concentration using the upstate kit according to the manufacturers protocol and analyzed on a luminex 100 multi - analyte detector ( luminex corp , austin , tex .). values from the luminex were correlated to actual il - 2 concentration values using a standard curve from known il - 2 concentrations included on the plate . the average concentration in the stimulated wells was determined as the normal il - 2 release . the calculated concentrations in treated wells were used to calculate a percent inhibition of this normal value . each plate contained a set of stimulated wells and this calculation was made separately for each plate . panelist results were compiled to compare results of each product at each time point . paired student &# 39 ; s t - tests were performed to evaluate the significance of differences between groups with significance levels in all tests set at values & lt ; 0 . 05 . the results are shown in table 3 as percent reduction in il - 2 release . the results demonstrate that the hydrocortisone cream of sample 2 has a significantly greater efficacy than a hydrocortisone cream without avenanthramides and resulted in a longer efficacy compared to a hydrocortisone cream without avenanthramides . this data supports the efficacy of the hydrocortisone creams tested over these time periods . it is understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof , that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the scope of the appended claims . other aspects , advantages , and modifications are within the claims .
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the household washing machine 1 shown in fig1 is positioned on a pedestal 2 and connected therewith in a manner to be described . the structure of such a washing machine is sufficiently known from european patent specification ep 0 , 943 , 721 a1 and is , therefore , neither shown nor described in any detail . its housing is manufactured as a frame structure , the frame including , among other components , a sheet metal bottom panel . in the context of the invention , it is only the manufacture of this sheet metal bottom panel 3 which is important and which shown in detail in fig4 . initially , it is severed by a punching or clicking operation as one piece from a coil of sheet metal ( not shown ) and provided with the required cut - outs 4 and openings 5 . thereafter , recesses 6 and protrusions 7 are formed in a multiple step stamping operation by a stamping process by one or more stamping tools . in this manner , a circumferential margin 8 is formed in the sheet metal bottom panel 3 . in addition , stamped nuts 9 for the reception of machine feet 10 ( see fig1 and 2 ) are formed during this process . for manufacturing the pedestal 2 shown as a single component in fig2 and 3 a sheet metal bottom panel 3 . 1 is used which is subjected to a similar shaping process as the sheet metal bottom panel 3 of the washing machine 1 . since it need not be quite as stable or sturdy as the bottom panel of the washing machine 1 the bottom panel 3 . 1 may be made of thinner sheet metal . a unitary body 11 constitutes a further component of the pedestal 2 . it constitutes the two side walls 12 and a supporting surface 13 for the washing machine 1 . this component , too , is initially cut by punching from a coil of sheet metal and provided with a pattern of openings the function of which will be described hereinafter . thereafter , the side walls 12 are folded , and a marginal strip 14 , 15 is folded down from the front as well as rear of the supporting surface 13 . in their overlapping area 16 , these marginal strips are joined by clinch connections 17 . the body 11 is connected to the bottom panel 3 . 1 by blind rivets 18 . thereafter , a flat panel ( not shown ) is screwed to the rear of the body 11 to close it . the marginal strips 14 of the side walls 12 are bent inwardly by a further chamfering operation . in this manner , they form abutments 19 for threadedly connecting two lateral sheet metal fastening panels 20 which in turn are each provided with a telescoping rail 21 . the rails 21 serve to receive a drawer 22 shown in fig1 in its inserted state and in fig2 in its withdrawn state . the structure of such a drawer 22 is generally known and is not , therefore , described here in any detail . it is to be mentioned , however , that the front panel 23 of the drawer 22 is dimensioned such that is it completely covers the front side of the pedestal 2 . in its front section , the telescoping rail 21 is fastened to the chamfer 19 of the pedestal as well ass to the fastening panel 20 . to this end , both components are provided with consecutively positioned bores of which fig3 only shows bore 24 at the chamfer 19 . the added fastening of the telescoping rail 21 at the pedestal 2 provides for a defined alignment of the front panel 23 relative to the edges of the pedestal 2 . for erecting the system , feet 10 usually screwed into the bottom panel 3 of the washing machine 1 are removed therefrom and threaded into the stamped nuts in the bottom panel 3 . 1 of the pedestal 2 . threaded pins ( not shown ) are screwed into the stamped nuts 9 in the bottom panel 3 of the washing machine 1 . thereafter , the washing machine 1 is aligned relative to the support surface 13 such that the threaded pins protrude into corresponding bores 25 in the surface 13 . to connect the washing machine 1 to the pedestal 2 each threaded pin is secured by a nut screwed onto the pin in the interior of the pedestal 2 . the numerous bores 25 are provided for the accommodation of various types of machines .
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in this invention , laser ablation is used to deposit metal lines on substrates by the ablation of a metal film from a donor plate , in a dry process that does not require a vacuum . the metal film is contained in a channel of the donor plate . the channel may restrict the area of metal deposition on a substrate . in addition , an electric field may be applied across the donor plate being ablated and the substrate onto which the metal lines are deposited to drive the ablated metal ions toward the deposition location and to electrostatically bond the metal ions to the surface of the substrate . fig1 illustrates an exemplary laser metal deposition apparatus according to the present invention . laser 1 is a harmonically doubled solid state q - switched nd : ylf or nd : yag laser , available from continuum inc ., in santa clara , calif . laser beam 13 from laser 1 is expanded by telescope 2 into expanded beam 14 . expanded beam 14 shines on dichroic mirror 3 which directs expanded beam 14 into objective lens 4 . focusing mechanism 7 is used to adjust the focus of the beam 17 provided by the objective lens 4 . objective lens 4 focuses the expanded beam 14 to a diffraction limit spot on sample 5 . an optional power supply 12 may be used to create an electric field across the sample 5 . in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 illuminator 11 provides light that is deflected by mirror 9 onto dichroic mirror 3 . illuminator 11 is used as a white light source to illuminate sample 5 so the process and location of the focused spot can be monitored . a suitable illuminator is available from edmund scientific company in barrington , n . j . also , in the exemplary embodiment , ccd camera 10 is used to image and monitor the process location . the image is fed to computer 8 which computes subsequent process locations based on a programmed path . any state of the art video camera is suitable for this purpose . when repairing metal lines , the image from the ccd camera 10 may also be used to identify the location of defects in metal lines to repair . sample 5 is supported on stage 6 . stage 6 is equipped with x - y motion controls 15 that are controlled by computer 8 . suitable motion controls and computer are available from new england affiliated technologies in lawrence , mass ., and comprise , for example , an xy - 8080 precision stage , a pcx2 controller , and a 202m microstepping drive , with the controller interfaced to a 486 ibm pc or compatible . computer 8 also controls the power of laser 1 . by adjusting the position of stage 6 and the power of laser 1 , computer 8 enables the deposition of specific patterns on sample 5 . fig2 illustrates a sample 5 according to the present invention . the sample 5 includes a donor plate 21 and a deposition substrate 23 . the donor plate 21 includes a donor substrate 32 , a donor surface 22 , a channel 24 , and a metallic material 26 coating the channel 24 . fig3 a - 3c illustrate a method of forming the donor plate 21 . as shown in fig3 a , at least one channel 24 is formed in a donor substrate 32 having a donor surface 22 . the donor substrate 32 is preferably glass . the channels 24 may be formed by etching the channels 24 into the donor substrate 32 . as shown in fig3 b , a metallic material 26 is deposited upon the donor surface 22 of the donor substrate 32 and in the channels 24 . the metallic material 26 may be deposited using sputtering , e - beam deposition or chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), for example . preferably , the metallic material 26 is copper , gold or silver . as shown in fig3 c , the metallic material 26 is then removed from the donor surface 22 of the donor substrate 32 while retained in the channels 24 . the metallic material 26 may be removed from the donor surface 22 by chemical - mechanical polishing ( cmp ), for example . as shown in fig2 the deposition substrate 23 has a deposition surface 27 upon which a metal line is to be deposited . the deposition substrate 23 is disposed so the deposition surface 27 is adjacent the donor surface 22 of the donor plate 21 . in the exemplary embodiment , the deposition substrate 23 is glass . the focused beam 17 passes through donor substrate 32 of the donor plate 21 and impinges on the metal coating 26 in the channel 24 . the contact of focused beam 17 with the metal coating 26 results in ablation of the metal coating 26 . during ablation , metal ions 25 accelerate away from the metal coating 26 . as metal ions 25 accelerate away from the donor plate 21 the metal ions 25 contact the deposition substrate 23 . the metal ions 25 accelerate away from the donor plate 21 due to the laser ablation - generated acoustic shock waves . in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 laser ablation is used to repair a gap 29 in a metal line 28 . the teachings of this invention may also be applied to forming a metal line on the deposition substrate 23 when a metal line is not present on the deposition substrate 23 . after ablation of the metal coating 26 , variations in the thickness of the deposited metal line may be adjusted . for example , as shown in fig4 a , when a metal coating 26 is ablated to repair a metal line 28 , the thickness of the resulting metal line is not uniform . the deposited metal 44 causes the resulting metal line to be thicker where the original metal line 28 was thicker before ablation . the non - uniformities of the resulting metal line may then be reduced to provide a metal line as shown in fig4 b . non - uniformities in thickness may be removed by methods known to those skilled in the art such as by using a laser or by chemical - mechanical polishing ( cmp ). the spacing 18 between the donor plate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 may be adjusted to vary the feature size ( width ) of the resulting metal lines on deposition substrate 23 . as the spacing 18 increases , the feature size of the deposited metal lines increases . in one exemplary embodiment as shown in fig5 the spacing is minimal and the donor plate 21 is disposed upon the deposition substrate 23 such that the donor surface 22 is in contact with the deposition surface 27 . thus , the cavity 24 mechanically restricts the deposition of the metal ions 25 onto the deposition substrate 23 . fig6 illustrates a donor plate 21 according to the present invention during laser ablation of the metallic material 26 from the channel 24 . in fig6 the channel 24 restricts the deposition of metal droplets and mist 42 to the area defined by the channel 24 . a method of aligning the donor substrate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 is described with reference to fig7 a - 7c . a pattern of lines , as shown in fig7 a , may be formed upon each of the donor plate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 . the patterns of lines may be displayed by the image from the ccd camera 10 . when the patterns of lines on the donor substrate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 are in alignment , a pattern of lines as in fig7 a will be visible . when the donor substrate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 are misaligned , a moire pattern as shown in fig7 b and 7c will be visible . the lines 62 in the moire pattern indicate the extent of misalignment . thus , the pattern in fig7 c has a single line 62 and is closer to alignment than the pattern in fig7 b which has three lines 62 . as shown in fig2 in an exemplary embodiment , an electric field may be applied between the donor plate 21 and the deposition substrate 23 using power supply 12 . power supply 12 has a positive electrode 30 attached to the metallic material 26 . a negative electrode 31 is connected to deposition substrate 23 . preferably , the voltages applied across the electrodes 30 , 31 are at least 300 volts . when using an electric field , the metal ions 25 are driven toward the deposition plate 23 by an electrostatic force due to the electric field in addition to the laser ablation - generated acoustic shock waves . the electric field applied across donor plate 21 and deposition substrate 23 also assists the bonding of metal ions 25 to deposition substrate 23 . because of the contact of the negative electrode with deposition substrate 23 , the positive ions such as sodium ions in deposition substrate 23 migrate away from the deposition surface 27 toward the negative electrode 31 . this leaves behind negative ions such as oxygen in the deposition substrate 23 . these negative ions electrostatically bond with the positive metal ions that contact the deposition surface 27 . a permanent chemical seal due to a thin metal oxide layer is formed after the electric field is removed . conducting metal lines can thus be formed on deposition surface 27 of the deposition substrate 23 from metal ions 25 . as shown in fig2 a hot plate 20 may be used to augment the migration of positive ions within deposition substrate 23 to the negative electrode 31 and thus enhance the bonding of metal ions 25 to the deposition surface 27 of the deposition substrate 23 . the heat increases the diffusion and allows for greater mobility of the ions in the deposition substrate 23 . by adjusting stage controls 15 and the power of laser 1 , computer 8 enables movement of stage 6 , and hence sample 5 , under beam 17 . this allows metal line patterns to be written on sample 5 . alternatively , the beam 17 can be moved with a scanner and a scanning lens with the sample 5 held stationary under the beam 17 . this invention is not limited to the method of positioning the sample 5 with respect to the beam 17 as described above . other positioning methods and apparatus are known to those skilled in the art such as that described by laplante et al . in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 168 , 454 , incorporated herein by reference for its teachings on laser assisted machining . the thickness of metal material 26 in a channel 24 may be varied in order to change the thickness of the metal lines deposited onto the deposition substrate 23 . a thicker coating of metallic material 26 in the channel 24 allows more metal ions 25 to be ablated . this produces a thicker metal line . fig8 illustrates exemplary variations of a donor plate . the depth 72 of a cavity 24 , the width of a cavity 74 , the distance between cavities 76 , and the thickness 78 of the metallic material 26 in a cavity 24 can be varied . in addition , the sidewalls 79 of a cavity 24 are not necessarily perpendicular to the deposition surface 27 . the above variations may be adjusted for achieving the desired width , thickness , and uniformity of a deposited metal line . although this invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment , it is not intended to be limited thereto . rather , the scope of the invention is intended to be interpreted according to the scope of the appended claims .
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fig1 shows a molded transparent plastic sphere 1 mounted on a molded opaque plastic base 2 which possesses three integral feet 3 , only one of which is shown . at the bottom of the sphere is a silvered platform 4 having at its center asilvered holographic photograph 5 . the photograph shown in fig1 is an eight point compass star but any circularly symmetric hologram or picture will do as the picture serves in a decorative function . at the center of the compass star in fig1 is located a half - silvered mirror film 6 which functions as a port for the entrance of light into thebase of the toy and onto a photodiode positioned just under the half - silvered mirrored film . fig2 shows the same view of the crystal ball toy as fig1 but with a portion of the base cut away . it is seen that a circuit board 7 is locatedunder the platform 4 . mounted on the circuit board 7 is shown a main component of this circuit , a texas instruments tsp50c41 speech synthesizerchip 10 or its equivalent . also shown mounted on the circuit board 7 are two of the resistors 11 and 12 that are part of this circuit . below the circuit board 7 are shown two of the four 1 . 5 v batteries 8 that power this circuit . the batteries 8 are hooked together in series and to the circuit board by insulated wire 14 . the batteries 8 are physically held in place by standard 1 . 5 v battery holders 13 arranged quadrangularlyaround the circuit board 7 which is circular . the battery holders 13 , in turn are mounted on a floor 15 of the base . alsomounted to the base floor 15 is an electrical speaker 9 . the floor 15 is made of masonite and has holes drilled through it to allow sound emission from the speaker 9 . fig3 shows a schematic diagram for the optoelectronic circuit of this talking crystal ball toy . the circuit is powered by four 1 . 5 v aa batteries 8 . ground is indicated by the standard symbol 31 . the photodiode16 functions as a photosensor switch for the circuit . the photodiode 16 is normally in an illuminated state thereby causing a 2n3906 ( pnp type ) transistor 17 to be saturated , thereby causing a 47k ohmresistor 18 to have a high voltage . this keeps the dp30 terminal of a texasintruments tsp50c41 speech synthesizer chip 10 in a high voltage state . thenormally illuminated condition also causes the init terminal of the chip tohave a high voltage and the dp10 terminal of the chip to have a low voltagebecause of a in4148 diode 20 . upon interruption of light to photodiode 16 , the transistor 17 is turned off , causing the resistor 18 to go to ground . this in turn pulls the init terminal voltage low . the first time the init circuit goes low causes the dp10 terminal to go high . at this time the internal microprocessor of the chip 10 is running , but no speech has resulted . no speech will result until the incident light is again interrupted . the second light interruption must take place within approximately three seconds or the internal microprocessor will again shutdown and require a double pass initiation . if the incident light is interrupted within the three second period , then terminal dp30 is caused to go low the second time , which initiates the internal speech synthesis program and hardware to emit at random one of twenty four pre - recorded verbal responses that have been digitally stored in the chip 10 . at the termination of the verbal response via a speaker 9 , the dp10 terminal automatically returns to a low state , and the process has to be repeated in order to initiate a second verbal response . the tsp50c41 chip is programmed to randomly select just one verbal phrase each time the speech synthesizer facility is initiated . normally the arrayof responses are all pre - programmed on the tsp50c41 chip 10 . however , this circuit allows an option to put additional messages on an optional external program 27 utilizing a texas instruments 60c20 rom chip 28 , or its equivalent . the rom chip 28 can be programmed in a foreign language , for example japanese . when it is desired to use the optional responses from the rom chip 28 in lieu of the on - board responses from the main chip 10 , then the dp31 terminal on the main chip must be changed from a grounded connection 25 to a plus connection 26 , as shown in the optional switch circuit 24 . the speed at which the voice response of the chip 10 is synthesized is controlled by the frequency of an external oscillator at terminals 32 and 33 comprised of a 3 . 07 mhz crystal 21 and two 33 pf capacitors 22 and 23 . the external oscillator frequency affects the tonal quality of the voice response . the tsp50c41 chip 10 shown in fig3 has enough audio output power through terminals 34 and 35 to drive directly a 50 ohm speaker 9 . if more power isdesired , an optional amplifier 29 can be installed , and the 50 ohm speaker changed to an 8 ohm speaker . for the 50 ohm speaker , a 1 uf capacitor 30 is connected across the speaker leads . the power source for this circuit , four 1 . 5 v batteries in series , gives a nominal voltage range of between 4 to 6 volts dc for a nominal voltage of 5 volts as depicted in fig3 . in the present embodiment of this invention , the voice responses which are digitally recorded in the tsp50c41 chip are as follows : the circuit in fig3 is shown to also contain a 0 . 22 uf capacitor 19 and an in4148 diode 20 . resistor 11 has a value of 100 k ohms and resistor 12 has a value of 10 k ohms . the terminal pins of the texas instruments tsp50c41 chip 10 possess the following functions . the init pin initializes input . when this pin is low , the chip is initialized and goes into a low power mode . vss is a ground pin . the irt pin is a ready for data output . the dp10 , dp30 , dp31 , and dp20 through dp27 pins are data bus points . the irt goes high as data in the data register of the chp 10 is read on the data bus dp pins . vco is the positive voltage pin . the various functions of the texas instruments 60c20 rom chip be found in data manuals for such component . the photosensor in the circuit disclosed in fig3 is comprised of an arrayof four amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells of about 2 . 4 v total output inseries in which the array of photovoltaic cells is acting as a photodiode . in an unilluminated condition , a silicon cell does not conduct electric current , whereas in an illuminated condition , a photovoltaic cell does conduct current but only in one direction . thus , when an independent voltage is applied across a photovoltaic cell , the photovoltaic cell becomes a photodiode . in fig3 the photovoltaic cell acts as a photodiode light switch . the transistor in fig3 functions as a voltage - change switch . together the photovoltaic cell - photodiode and the transistor function as a light activated voltage switch . the texas instruments tsp50c41 chip 10 is a 64k bit speech synthesis computer integrated on a single chip . the texas instruments tsp60c20 rom is a 256k bit read - only - memory capable of approximately 100 total voice responses and can digitally store foreign language or alternate / additionalenglish voice responses .
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reference will now be made to fig1 , which is a simplified schematic diagram of a bunch sheet depository 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention . the depository 10 is operable to receive bunches of banknotes and / or cheques from a customer . the depository 10 includes a chassis 12 onto which various parts are mounted . the depository 10 further comprises : a bunch deposit slot 14 into which a bunch of sheets 16 can be deposited ; a bunch loader 22 ; a picker 24 aligned with the bunch loader 22 for removing individual sheets from the bunch ( or stack ) of sheets 16 ; a sheet validator 26 ; an escrow 28 for temporarily holding validated sheets until a customer confirms that he / she wants to complete the transaction ; a storage compartment 30 ; a communications circuit board 32 for communicating with a self - service terminal ( not shown ) into which the depository 10 may be installed ; and an onboard controller 34 for controlling the operation of the depository 10 . the depository 10 includes a plurality of sheet transport sections , only some of which will be described herein . an upper sheet transport section 40 is located above the bunch loader 22 and adjacent the picker 24 . a lower sheet transport section 42 is located beneath the bunch loader 22 and near the bunch deposit slot 14 . the bunch loader 22 is used to transport deposited banknotes from the bunch deposit slot 14 to the picker 24 . there are two different routes that can be taken by a sheet that is inserted into the depository 10 . the first route is shown by arrow 46 and involves the sheet being picked from the bunch of sheets 16 , transported to the picker 24 , moved past the validator 26 to be identified and validated , placed in the escrow 28 , and from the escrow 28 transported into the storage compartment 30 . the second route is shown by arrow 48 and involves the sheet being picked from the bunch of sheets 16 , transported to the picker 24 , moved past the validator 26 to be identified and validated , placed in the escrow 28 , and from the escrow 28 returned to the customer via the lower sheet transporter 42 . as is known in the art , whether a sheet is stored ( that is , follows the first route 46 in this embodiment ) or returned to the customer ( that is , the second route 48 in this embodiment ) depends on a number of factors , such as : whether the sheet is recognised , whether the sheet is validated , whether the customer cancels or confirms the transaction , and the like . reference will now be made to fig2 to 4 , which illustrate the bunch loader 22 in more detail . the bunch loader 22 comprises : a pair of link arms 50 ; a pressure plate 52 ; and an actuator 54 . to aid clarity , not all reference numerals will be shown in all of the drawings . each link arm 50 defines a pivot 60 , in the form of a hub that is mounted on a link arm pivot shaft 62 . the link arm pivot shaft 62 operates as a drive shaft , as will be described below . each link arm 50 also includes an upper resilient member 66 and a lower resilient member 68 mounted opposite each other with a gap therebetween . the resilient members 66 , 68 are in the form of coil springs . each link arm 50 defines a central area 70 ( the gap between the upper and lower coil springs 66 , 68 ) through which the actuator 54 protrudes . each coil spring 66 , 68 is mounted to the link arm 50 at a fixed end 72 , 74 respectively , and is coupled to a cam follower 76 , 78 respectively , near the centre of the central area 70 ( between the opposing fixed ends 72 , 74 ). thus , the upper coil spring 66 is coupled to the upper cam follower 76 , and the lower coil spring 68 is coupled to the lower cam follower 78 . the actuator 54 comprises a rotating shaft 80 on which are mounted two cams 82 , 84 , one cam 82 , 84 for each link arm 50 . each cam ( for example , cam 82 ) is aligned with the respective cam followers 76 , 78 of the associated link arm 50 . the cams 82 , 84 are generally teardrop - shaped and are aligned in registration on the shaft 80 , so that as the shaft 80 rotates , the cams 82 , 84 both engage with the upper cam follower 76 to compress the upper coil spring 66 , and then both disengage from the upper cam follower 76 to allow the upper coil spring 66 to relax to its quiescent state . further rotation of the shaft 80 causes both of the cams 82 , 84 to engage with the lower cam follower 78 to compress the lower coil spring 68 , and then disengage from the lower cam follower 78 to allow the lower coil spring 68 to relax to its quiescent state . the bunch loader 22 also includes a transport arrangement 90 powered by the drive shaft 62 . the transport arrangement 90 co - operates with both the upper sheet transport section 40 and the lower sheet transport section 42 . the transport arrangement 90 comprises : a chassis 91 including shafts and wheels ( not individually labelled in the drawings ), a pair of belts 92 mounted to the chassis 91 , a single thinner belt 94 also mounted on the chassis 91 , and a pivot shaft 95 about which both the link arms 50 and the chassis 91 can pivot . the three belts 92 , 94 all protrude through the pressure plate 52 ( best shown by fig2 ) for transporting the bunch of sheets 16 to the picker 24 . the pair of belts 92 also extend beneath the pressure plate 52 ( best shown by fig3 ) to provide a transport section that co - operates with the lower sheet transport section 42 . each link arm 50 is also pivotably coupled to the pressure plate 52 by an urging portion 96 . the urging portion 96 defines a hub 97 mounted on the pivot shaft 95 of the transport arrangement 90 . the pressure plate 52 is also mounted on the pivot shaft 95 . as the urging portion 96 moves upwards , the transport arrangement 90 and the pressure plate 52 move upwards ; as the urging portion 96 moves downwards , the transport arrangement 90 and the pressure plate 52 move downwards . as will be explained in more detail below , rotation of the actuator shaft 80 can be used to pivot the urging portion 96 upwards to cause the pressure plate 52 and the transport arrangement 90 to rise . further rotation of the actuator shaft 80 can be used to pivot the urging portion 96 downwards to cause the pressure plate 52 and the transport arrangement 90 to fall . a flap 98 is coupled to an end of the pressure plate 52 near to the bunch deposit slot 14 . this flap 98 allows a bunch 16 of sheets to be transported over the sheet return path ( route 48 ) when the bunch 16 of sheets is being inserted ; but it can also be deflected by a bunch of sheets being transported to the bunch deposit slot 14 in the event that one or more sheets have to be returned to the customer . reference will now be made to fig5 to 12 , which illustrate the bunch loader 22 , the upper sheet transport section 40 , and the lower sheet transport section 42 in more detail . again , for clarity , not all reference numerals are shown on these drawings . fig5 to 7 illustrate the bunch loader 22 driven to an upper position , which is used when the bunch 16 of sheets is inserted into the depository 10 ; and fig8 to 10 illustrate the bunch loader 22 driven to a lower position , which is used when a bunch of sheets is being returned to a customer . referring first to fig5 to 7 , the upper sheet transport section 40 comprises : a pair of transport belts 100 for moving an inserted bunch 16 towards the picker 24 . the picker 24 includes a pick belt 102 having a high friction surface for picking the topmost sheet from the bunch 16 . although not illustrated in fig5 to 7 , the picker 24 also includes a retard belt 104 ( fig1 and 12 ) that moves in the opposite direction to the pick belt 102 to reduce the possibility of picking multiple sheets at a time . the picker 24 also includes a registration edge 106 ( fig1 and 12 ) against which the bunch 16 of sheets is driven prior to ( and optionally during ) the pick operation . such retard belts 104 are well known to those of skill in the art . the lower sheet transport section 42 comprises a pair of belts 110 that cooperate with the pair of belts 92 in the transport arrangement 90 . the controller 34 is responsible for energising all of the transport sections within the depository 10 , rotating the actuator shaft 80 , energising the picker 24 , and all other electrical and electro - mechanical operations of the depository 10 . as shown in fig5 to 7 and 11 , when a bunch 16 of sheets ( such as banknotes ) is inserted into the bunch deposit slot 14 , the controller 34 detects this and energises the transport arrangement 90 and the upper sheet transport section 40 to draw the bunch 16 into the depository 10 . the controller 34 also energises the actuator 54 and rotates the actuator shaft 80 until the cams 82 , 84 impart maximum displacement to the upper cam followers 76 . in this position , the lower cam followers 78 are not displaced . displacement of the upper cam followers 76 causes both of the upper coil springs 66 to be compressed . this , in turn , causes both of the link arms 50 to pivot about pivot 60 so that the urging portion 96 of each rises . when the urging portions 96 rise , the pressure plate 52 also rises . this has the effect of compressing the bunch 16 , which ensures that banknotes within the bunch 16 are not splayed during transport . since the pressure plate 52 is pivotably coupled to the urging portion 96 , the pressure plate 52 remains parallel to the bunch 16 as the pressure plate 52 rises . once the bunch 16 reaches the picker 24 , the picker 24 removes banknotes one at a time . each banknote that is removed enables the pressure plate 52 to rise a little . this allows the upper coil springs 66 to expand ( that is , to relax ), which reduces the pressure that the upper coil springs 66 apply to the remaining banknotes in the bunch 16 . fig1 illustrates the bunch 16 at the picker 24 . fig7 illustrates the pressure plate 52 urged against the upper sheet transport section 40 . once all of the banknotes in the bunch 16 have been picked , the controller 34 de - activates the actuator 54 by rotating the actuator shaft 80 until the cams 82 , 84 cease to displace the upper cam followers 76 . this allows the pressure plate 52 to fall back to its normal position because the link arms 50 are equally biased by the upper and lower coil springs 66 , 68 . it should be noted that in fig1 and 12 one of the link arms 50 has been removed for clarity . when the depository 10 is to return one or more sheets to a customer , then the controller 34 actuates the bunch loader 22 as illustrated in fig8 to 10 and 12 . the controller 34 energises transport sections ( not shown in detail ) within the depository 10 to transport the bunch 16 of sheets towards the lower transport section 42 . the controller 34 also energises the actuator 54 and rotates the actuator shaft 80 until the cams 82 , 84 impart maximum displacement to the lower cam followers 78 . in this position , the upper cam followers 76 are not displaced . displacement of the lower cam followers 78 causes both of the lower coil springs 68 to be compressed . this , in turn , causes both of the link arms 50 to pivot about pivot 60 so that the urging portion 96 of each moves downwards . when the urging portions 96 move down , the pressure plate 52 also moves down ( best seen in fig1 ). this has the effect of compressing the bunch 16 between ( i ) the pair of belts 92 on the transport arrangement 90 and ( ii ) the pair of belts 110 on the lower transport section 42 . this ensures that banknotes within the bunch 16 are not splayed during transport towards the bunch deposit slot 14 . as the bunch 16 approaches the bunch deposit slot 14 , the bunch deflects the flap 98 upwards and then partially exits the bunch deposit slot 14 for the customer to retrieve . once the bunch 16 has been removed by the customer , the controller 34 de - activates the actuator 54 by rotating the actuator shaft 80 until the cams 82 , 84 cease to displace the lower cam followers 78 . this allows the pressure plate 52 to fall back to its normal position because the link arms 50 are equally biased by the upper and lower coil springs 66 , 68 . it should now be appreciated that this embodiment has the advantage that a bunch of sheets can be transported and the sheets individually picked , while a pressure plate automatically applies an appropriate pressure to the bunch depending on the size of the bunch . because a yoke link arm is used in the above embodiment ( that is , a link arm having a pair of springs mounted thereto ), the same mechanism can be used for drawing sheets into the depository and transporting sheets out of the depository . various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment within the scope of the invention , for example , in other embodiments , a different resilient member may be used , such as a leaf spring . in other embodiments , only a single link arm , or more than two link arms , may be used . in other embodiments , each link arm may only include a single resilient member rather than a pair of opposed resilient members . in other embodiments , the resilient members may be extended rather than compressed to pivot the link arms . in other embodiments , the actuator may comprise a linkage rather than a shaft and cams . in other embodiments , different transport sections may be used than those described . transport sections may use different sheet drive mechanisms than those described above . the steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order , or simultaneously where appropriate . the terms “ comprising ”, “ including ”, “ incorporating ”, and “ having ” are used herein to recite an open - ended list of one or more elements or steps , not a closed list . when such terms are used , those elements or steps recited in the list are not exclusive of other elements or steps that may be added to the list . unless otherwise indicated by the context , the terms “ a ” and “ an ” are used herein to denote at least one of the elements , integers , steps , features , operations , or components mentioned thereafter , but do not exclude additional elements , integers , steps , features , operations , or components .
| 1 |
as illustrated in fig1 a fine grained ore concentrate is provided at 10 together with additives such as slag forming agents . there also be may be included potentially auxiliary fuel such as coal dust . the mixture of materials is continuously supplied from a supply bunker 11 via a metering device 12 into a pressure line 13 . the line 13 is pressurized by a compressor 14 which provides for the pneumatic conveying of the suspension of solids through the pressure line 13 . air or oxygen enriched gas can be employed as conveying gas for the pneumatic conveying of the fine grained solids . the suspension of solids flows as indicated by the arrowed 15 , and this suspension with carrier gas is insufflated from above into a melting cyclone 17 through an upper wall 18 thereof via a nozzle 16 . the insufflation occurs at an exit speed in the range of 3 . 5 m ./ sec . through approximately 8 m ./ sec . a burner 19 is positioned to laterally direct a flame into the melting cyclone 17 which is positioned vertically . the burner 19 is supplied with fuel 20 , such as coal dust , and with primary air and potentially secondary air or oxygen enriched gas . the burner has a flame jet and the exit speed of the fuel at 21 of the burner orifice is in the order of 150 m ./ sec . the overhead nozzle provides a stream 22 of solids and the nozzle 16 is located so that the stream of solid particles is insufflated directly from above into the hottest zone of the burner flame jet 21 . the solid particles will penetrate into the burner jet . the stream 22 of solid particles impacts the burner jet at a specific location at which the burner jet is at its hottest point . this is a location where the burner jet has already transversed at least one - third of its overall tangent path relative to the wall of the melting cyclone , and this is illustrated generally by the location of burners 19a , 19b , 19c and 19d in fig2 through 4 . the solid particles 22 introduced from above into the melting cyclone are completely melted with instantaneous heating to high temperatures in the hottest part of the burner flame . the temperatures at that point will be on the order of 1600 ° c . and melting will occur in fractions of a second while the particles are still in flight or in an eddy condition as illustrated by the line 23 . these are interdependent of the atmosphere to be controlled via the partial oxygen pressure in the melting cyclone and the particles are subjected to a chemical reaction . at the underside of the melting cyclone 17 , low dust exhaust gas is withdrawn at the arrowed line 24 separately from the molten particles which migrate helically downwardly as indicated by the arrowed line 25 being as a melt film on the inside wall of the melting cyclone . with reference to fig2 a plurality of ore injecting nozzles 16a , 16b , 16c and 16d may be provided . fig2 illustrates four such nozzles which are circumferentially distributed over the top of the cyclone for the insufflation of fine grained solids material . the location of the insufflation nozzles is interdependent with the location of the burners 19a through 19d which are circumferentially spaced over the circumference of the cyclone . in addition to being circumferentially spaced , the burner jets 16a through 16d can be located at different vertical levels . as illustrated by fig3 which illustrates one level , burners 19a and 19c are positioned 180 ° apart . as illustrated in fig4 burner jets 19b and 19d are located at a lower location on the wall of the cyclone . the burner jets are each positioned relative to the insufflation particle nozzles so that a particle nozzle is positioned for each burner to direct the insufflation flow of particulate material and gas into the hottest point of a burner . the burner jets are positioned and angled so that the burner flame emerging from the jets extend into the cyclone tangent to the cyclone wall . this , of course , enhances the operation of the cyclone and while the burner flames carry the molten particulate material onto the cyclone wall , the material is molten by the time it reaches the wall so that abrasive engagement is avoided . ______________________________________concentrate mix 10______________________________________23 - 24 wt . -- % cu21 - 22 wt . -- % fe26 - 28 wt . -- % s14 - 19 wt . -- % ( sio . sub . 2 + al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 + cao ) 2 - 3 wt . -- % zn0 . 5 - 1 wt . -- % pb0 . 5 - 1 st . -- % as______________________________________ melting results achieved in a trial system , particulars referred to 1 , 000 kg concentrate mix : oxygen through the burner 19 ( 95 % o 2 purity ): 307 - 334 nm 3 / t concentrate mix solids carrier agent or , respectively , reaction air : 206 - 300 nm 3 / t concentrate mix fuel through the burner 19 ( ch 4 ): 92 nm 3 / t concentrate mix heat losses of the melting cyclone 17 : 15 through 25 % of the introduced heat ratio of dust in the exhaust gas 24 : 21 through 27 kg / t (≈ 2 . 1 through 2 . 7 %) oxygen content in the exhaust gas 24 : 0 . 3 through 2 . 8 volume % copper content of the settled crude copper phase : 59 through 65 wt . % copper content of the settled slag phase : 0 . 7 through 1 . 0 wt . % in the foregoing example , the crude copper phase was separated from the slag phase without further after - treatment in a settling hearth arranged after the melting cyclone . comparatively low copper content of the settled slag phase , despite the presence of the comparatively high copper content of the settled crude copper phase is unexpected . the magnetite content of the slag phase lay between 5 % through 7 % by weight . thus , it will be seen that there have been provided an improved apparatus and method for the treatment of fine grained solids in a melting cyclone which meets the objectives and advantages above set forth and provides improved economy and efficiency , and longer cyclone wear than with arrangements heretofore available .
| 5 |
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . for reference , in explaining the exemplary embodiments , detailed descriptions of constructions or processes known in the art may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the exemplary embodiments . fig2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a bidirectional remote controller according to an exemplary embodiment controls a display device . as illustrated in fig2 , a bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment performs bidirectional communication with a display device 210 . also , the display device 210 may transmit an osd menu screen for control of the display device to the bidirectional remote controller 220 , and the bidirectional remote controller 220 may transmit a control command for displaying an active window that corresponds to a menu screen selected by a user or a control command for executing a function that corresponds to the menu screen selected by the user to the display device 210 . accordingly , an osd menu screen for controlling screen brightness , contrast , and the like is displayed on the bidirectional remote controller . fig3 is a brief block diagram of a bidirectional remote controller according to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig2 . as illustrated in fig3 , the bidirectional remote controller 220 includes a reception unit 221 , a display unit 223 , a function execution unit 225 , a transmission unit 227 , and a user command input unit 229 . the reception unit 221 receives the menu screen for controlling the display device 210 from the display device 210 . in an exemplary embodiment , the reception unit 221 may receive the menu screen in an xml data format from the display device 210 . here , the xml data format represents a method for describing schema using an xml ( extensible markup language ) grammar , and is an xml application for defining metadata schema . in an exemplary embodiment , the menu screen may include at least one of an osd menu screen and an e - manual screen of the display device . here , the osd menu screen may be a screen for setting a screen or sound of the display device . in other words , through the menu screen , the osd , manual , and the like of the display device 210 that is a main video appliance can be received . for example , the osd may be an osd menu screen for setting a screen or sound of the display device or an e - manual that is a user guide for the display device . accordingly , the bidirectional remote controller according to an exemplary embodiment can directly receive the osd screen for controlling the display device , and can set the screen or sound desired by the user . the display unit 223 of the bidirectional remote controller 220 outputs the menu screen received by the reception unit 221 from the display device 210 . here , the bidirectional remote controller 220 may be a remote controller that includes a touch screen or a display unit . in other words , since the bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment receives the osd screen or the like from the display device 210 and displays the osd screen on the bidirectional remote controller 220 , the bidirectional remote controller 220 should include a display unit such as a touch screen . also , in an exemplary embodiment , the display unit 223 of the bidirectional remote controller 220 may install a program in the bidirectional remote controller 220 for configuring the menu screen received by the reception unit 221 in the xml data format . accordingly , it is necessary to install the osd screen received from the display device 210 in the bidirectional remote controller 220 in order to control the display device . if at least one menu is selected from the menu screen , the function execution unit 225 generates at least one of the control command for displaying an active window that corresponds to the selected menu and the control command for executing a function that corresponds to the selected menu on the display device . in other words , if the user selects any one of the osd menu screen or e - manual screen received from the display device 210 , the function execution unit 225 generates the control command that executes the function that corresponds to the selected item . the transmission unit 227 transmits the control command generated by the function execution unit 225 to the display device 210 . in an exemplary embodiment , the transmission unit 227 can transmit the control command for immediately displaying the active window to the display device 210 in the case where any one of the menu screens displayed on the bidirectional remote controller 220 is selected by the user . in other words , if the user selects any one of diverse menu items on the remote controller , the transmission unit of the bidirectional remote controller according to an exemplary embodiment transmits the control command for immediately displaying the active window that corresponds to the selected menu item on the display device 210 to the display device 210 . accordingly , the user can perform all settings for the screen or sound on the bidirectional remote controller 220 without the necessity of operating the osd menu screen on the display device 210 . here , the active window that corresponds to the selected menu screen may have its inherent id , and the control command for displaying the active window that corresponds to the selected menu screen may include the inherent id . in other words , in order to immediately display the active window that corresponds to the menu screen selected on the bidirectional remote controller 220 on the display device 210 , the inherent id such as an index id is given to each active window that corresponds to the menu screen selected on the bidirectional remote controller 220 , and if the inherent id that displays the active window is included in the control command , the display device 210 immediately displays the active window that corresponds to the inherent id transmitted from the bidirectional remote controller 220 . in an exemplary embodiment , if a plurality of menus are selected , the transmission unit 227 may transmit the control commands that correspond to the plurality of menus individually or collectively . in other words , the transmission unit 227 may individually transmit the control command according to the menu selected by the user in the function execution unit whenever the control command is generated , or may collectively transmit the control command to the display device after all settings are completed . here , the control command may include a control command for storing the data input by the bidirectional remote controller 220 in the display device 210 . in other words , the control command may include not only the control command according to the menu screen for controlling the display device 210 through the remote controller but also the control command for storing the user input data , such as characters input through the remote controller or setting data changed by the bidirectional remote controller 220 , in the display device 210 . the user command input unit 229 receives the user input from the user . that is , the function execution unit 225 receives the user input for executing a function that corresponds to the menu selected by the user . in an exemplary embodiment , the transmission unit 227 may transmit the data that corresponds to the user input received by the user command input unit 229 to the display device 210 . for example , the character input data input through the user command input unit can be transmitted to the display device 210 . also , in an exemplary embodiment , the bidirectional remote controller 220 can perform not only the function of a remote controller for one display device but also the function of an integrated remote controller for a plurality of display devices . accordingly , the bidirectional remote controller 220 according to diverse exemplary embodiments can immediately transmit the settings desired by the user to the display device 210 for storage as the user watches the setting and operation explanation of the display device on the remote controller in the case of using contents such as an e - manual or the like . also , it is possible to freely operate the osd menu screen on the screen without discriminating the osd menu screens displayed on the display device . also , in the case of setting navigation of the osd menu screen using the bidirectional remote controller 220 , the user &# 39 ; s input of touch , instruction , character input , and the like , can be freely performed . hereinafter , a method for controlling a bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment will be described . in the following description , explanation that overlaps the above - described explanation of the bidirectional remote controller according to an embodiment of the invention will be omitted . fig4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a bidirectional remote controller according to an embodiment of the invention . first , the bidirectional remote controller 220 receives a menu screen from the display device 210 and displays the menu screen ( s 410 ). here , the bidirectional remote controller 220 may be a remote controller that includes a touch screen remote controller or a display unit . in other words , since the bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment receives the osd screen or the like from the display device 210 and displays the osd screen on the bidirectional remote controller 220 , it should include a display unit such as a touch screen . in an exemplary embodiment , the menu screen may include at least one of an osd menu screen and an e - manual screen of the display device 210 . here , the osd menu screen may be a screen for setting a screen or sound of the display device . in other words , through the menu screen , the osd , manual , and the like , of the display device 210 that is a main video appliance can be received from the display device 210 . for example , the osd may be an osd menu screen for setting a screen or sound of the display device 210 or an e - manual that is a user guide for the display device 210 . accordingly , the bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment can directly receive the osd screen for controlling the display device 210 , and can set the screen or sound desired by the user . in an exemplary embodiment , the menu screen may be received in an xml data format from the display device 210 . here , receiving the menu screen from the display device 210 and displaying the menu screen on the bidirectional remote controller 220 may include installing a program for configuring the menu screen received in the xml data format in the bidirectional remote controller 220 . this is because an installation program for displaying the osd screen received from the display device is required in order to receive the osd screen for controlling the display device 210 in the bidirectional remote controller 220 and to control the display device 210 accordingly . next , a menu is selected from the menu screen displayed in operation s 410 ( s 430 ). according to the method for controlling a bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment , a user selects any one of the osd menu screen and e - manual received from the display device 210 . last , at least one of a control command for displaying an active window that corresponds to the menu screen selected in operation s 430 and a control command for executing a function that corresponds to the selected menu on the display device 210 is transmitted to the display device 210 ( s 450 ). here , the method for controlling a bidirectional remote controller 220 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include receiving a user input from the user and transmitting data that corresponds to the user input to the display device 210 . in an exemplary embodiment , the control command for displaying the active window that corresponds to the selected menu screen on the display device 210 may be a control command for immediately displaying the active window in the case where any one menu is selected by the user from the menu screens displayed on the bidirectional remote controller 220 . in other words , if the user selects any one of diverse menu items on the bidirectional remote controller 220 , the control command for immediately displaying the active window that corresponds to the selected menu item on the display device 210 is transmitted to the display device 210 . accordingly , the user can perform all settings for the screen or sound on the bidirectional remote controller 220 without the necessity of operating the osd menu screen on the display device 210 . here , the active window that corresponds to the selected menu screen may have its inherent id , and the control command for displaying the active window that corresponds to the selected menu screen may include the inherent id . therefore , in order to immediately display the active window that corresponds to the menu screen selected on the bidirectional remote controller 220 on the display device 210 , the inherent id such as an index id is given to each active window that corresponds to the menu screen selected on the bidirectional remote controller 220 , and if the inherent id that displays the active window is included in the control command , the display device 210 immediately displays the active window that corresponds to the inherent id transmitted from the bidirectional remote controller . 220 in an exemplary embodiment , if a plurality of menus are selected , operation s 450 may transmit the control commands individually or collectively . in other words , the control command according to the menu selected by the user may be individually transmitted whenever the control command is generated , or may be collectively transmitted to the display device 210 after all settings are completed . here , the control command may include a control command for storing the data input by the remote controller in the display device . in other words , the control command may include not only the control command according to the menu screen for controlling the display device 210 through the bidirectional remote controller 220 but also the control command for storing the user input data , such as characters input through the remote controller or setting data changed by the bidirectional remote controller 220 , in the display device 210 . accordingly , the method for controlling a bidirectional remote controller 220 according to diverse exemplary embodiments can immediately transmit the settings desired by the user to the display device 210 for storage as the user watches the setting and operation explanation of the display device 210 on the remote controller in the case of using contents such as an e - manual or the like . also , it is possible to freely operate the osd menu screen on the screen without discriminating the osd menu screens displayed on the display device 210 . also , in the case of setting navigation of the osd menu screen using the bidirectional remote controller 220 , the user &# 39 ; s input of touch , instruction , character input , and the like , can be freely performed . while the inventive concept has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept , as defined by the appended claims .
| 7 |
fig1 illustrates a first embodiment of the gasifier in accordance with the present invention . while this embodiment comprises a preferred embodiment in which the biomass fuel is fed into the top of a vertically oriented chamber and the fuel descends into the chamber as it is burned , the invention is not so limited . those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is within the skill in the art to configure the chamber in other ways . for example , the biomass fuel can be fed into the bottom of a vertically oriented chamber and moved upward during burning . in another embodiment , the chamber can be configured horizontally or at some angle , such that the biomass is fed into one end of the chamber and moved to the other end . a spindle assembly 10 is located within an insulated chamber 12 , preferably along the central vertical axis of chamber 12 . the chamber 12 must withstand temperatures in excess of 2000 ° f ., and thus its walls must be constructed of a suitable material capable of withstanding these high temperatures as well as providing thermal insulation , such as ceramic , lined with insulation , and surrounded by a steel shell . input auger 16 , or other suitable feeding device , is used to feed biomass fuel into the top of chamber 12 , typically from a suitably designed hopper and in such a manner as to minimize air leakage into the chamber with the fuel . the spindle assembly 10 is suspended from the top or cover of chamber 12 in such a manner as to be able to rotate about a vertical axis . in the first embodiment , the spindle 10 is suspended from the center of the chamber so as to be equally spaced from the walls of the chamber 12 . a second embodiment will be described below in association with fig3 . spindle 10 comprises an inner tube 56 , which is preferably fixed in position , such as by clamp 58 , and unable to rotate . spindle tube 64 circumscribes inner tube 56 and rotates about a vertical axis . in the preferred embodiment , spindle tube 64 is in communication with gear 68 , which is connected via a gear assembly to a motor ( not shown ). air jacket tube 20 preferably surrounds spindle tube 64 in such a manner as to allow the flow of air to occur in the space between the two tubes . preferably , this flow of air is supplied under pressure by primary air blower 22 . air damper 24 can be optionally used to control the flow of air entering the air jacket pipe 20 . air damper 24 also can be used to prevent admission of air into the pipe when the gasifier is inactive . optionally , air can be drawn through the air nozzles 18 into the gasifier chamber by maintaining the chamber at a lower pressure than the outside air . in either case , air that is pushed through the air jacket pipe 20 is forced through the air nozzles 18 into the gasifier chamber 12 . in the preferred embodiment , a circular grate 26 is affixed above air nozzles 18 and rotates with the spindle tube 64 . optionally , stirring fingers 28 which extend outwardly from the air jacket pipe 20 can also be included . located below the air nozzles 18 is a rotating hearth 30 , preferably constructed of refractory ceramic , or other high temperature resistant material . the rotating grate 26 , hearth 30 and fingers 28 increase the lateral mixing of the fuel material , and facilitate the downward flow of fuel , while also promoting flame penetration of the fuel above the hearth 30 and between the hearth and gasifier walls . all of these components are attached to the spindle tube 64 , causing them to rotate in unison . below the ceramic hearth 30 lies the gas collector 14 . the gas produced by the gasifier is captured by the collector 14 and transferred out of the gasifier through gas tube 56 . gas tube 56 is prevented from rotating by its attachment to the top of the gasifier via clamp 58 . fig2 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the gas collector 14 . the collector comprises an internal frame 54 , which is attached , such as by locating pins , to inner tube 56 , and therefore unable to rotate . at the base of the internal frame 54 is a ceramic heat shield 66 . fixed rings 50 and rotating rings 52 are placed about internal frame 54 in an alternating pattern . the rings are preferably produced from heat resistant steel alloy and fit over the internal frame . fixed rings 50 have one or more , preferably two , internal protrusions 50 a , each of which is configured to fit between adjacent supports of internal frame 54 , thereby fixing them with respect to the internal frame . rotating rings 52 do not have the above - mentioned protrusions and therefore are free to rotate relative to internal frame 54 . natural imperfections in the manufacturing process create sufficient gaps between adjacent rings to allow gas to flow between them . the capacity of the gas collector can be varied by a number of techniques ; an increase in the number of rings used causes an increased number of gaps through which gas can flow . similarly , an increase in the radius of the rings also increases the area through which the gas can flow . the rings may be deformed or machined to have slightly rippled upper and lower surfaces , that , being identical for all rings , cause the rings to move slightly toward and away from adjacent rings as they turn relative to adjacent rings . atop the uppermost ring , which is preferably a fixed ring 50 , is situated a hub 62 . hub 62 preferably has upward facing protrusions , which interlock with corresponding lower side indentations on the ceramic hearth 30 and has locating pins or other means to ensure its rotation with spindle tube 64 . this interlocking mechanism , or any other similar interconnection , allows the hub 62 , to move in concert with the ceramic hearth 30 and spindle tube 64 . auger 60 is attached to hub 62 , as by welding , and circumscribes the stack of rings . in the preferred embodiment , the auger 60 is attached to all rotating rings 52 by welding , but not attached to fixed rings 50 . in this way , the rotation of spindle tube 64 causes the rotation of the ceramic hearth 30 , the hub 62 , the auger 60 , and the rotating rings 52 . turning back to fig1 , a second combustion zone within the lower portion of chamber 12 includes nozzles 32 for the injection of air or oxygen into said combustion zone . in the preferred embodiment , air is injected by blower 38 , controlled by damper 42 , which , when the gasifier is inactive , may entirely prevent air leakage via nozzles 32 into chamber 12 . optionally , nozzles 34 reinject gases produced in the first combustion zone , principally co 2 , h 2 o , and tars , into the second combustion zone , near the bottom of gasifier chamber 12 . such reinjection may be caused by a blower 40 and controlled by a damper 44 , or by varying the blower speed . ash auger 36 is located at the bottom of chamber 12 , which is preferably conical in shape to require the ash to accumulate near the auger . auger 36 enables ash and other noncombustible residues to be removed from chamber 12 to an ash receiver suitably designed to prevent air leakage into chamber 12 . having described the physical components of the present invention , the operation of the gasifier will now be described . referring to fig1 , biomass is fed into the gasifier via the rotation of input auger 16 . the drive motor of the input auger 16 ( not shown ) is equipped with a means of detecting that the gasifier chamber 12 is full of biomass fuel . in practice this may be performed by a variety of mechanisms such as electrical or mechanical detection of the torque applied to the feed auger , or by a separate paddle wheel type sensor . as the biomass enters the chamber 12 , the rotary action of fingers 28 and circular grate 26 serve to mix the biomass and ensure even penetration into the biomass of the flame originating at nozzles 18 . air nozzles 18 provide the combustion air necessary for the biomass to burn . air is preferably blown into the space between air jacket pipe 20 and spindle tube 64 by primary air blower 22 . damper 24 controls the flow of air entering the air jacket pipe 20 . alternatively , air can enter the gasifier by maintaining a negative pressure differential between the inside of the gasifier and the outside environment . the region of chamber 12 located in the vicinity of circular grate 26 , circular hearth 30 and air nozzles 18 comprises combustion zone i , where solid fuel is carbonized by vaporization and combustion of substantially all of its volatile combustible constituents . the combustion process is initiated by manually igniting the raw biomass , such as by the use of a blowtorch , or an automatic ignition device . once ignited , the combustion of the biomass becomes a continuous , self - sustaining process , where the injection of air and additional biomass are all that is needed to maintain combustion . spindle assembly 10 is rotated continuously or intermittently during operation of the gasifier , but at a low speed , to ensure mixing and flow of the material , but so as to avoid unnecessary breakage of the fuel and charcoal particles . as additional fuel is added and carbonized within combustion zone i , this newly carbonized fuel descends deeper into the chamber 12 . the rotation of the auger 60 ensures that the carbonized fuel continues to descend , despite the movement of gas toward the gas collector surface and the consequent migration of small char particles toward the gas collector surface . the close proximity of the surface of the gas collector to the walls of the gasifier chamber 12 , which chamber is square in its plan view or otherwise designed to prevent rotation of the charcoal particles with the spindle assembly , assists in forcing the char particles to descend toward combustion zone ii . the bottom of the gasifier chamber 12 , denoted as combustion zone ii , is thereby maintained full of char particles , despite the upward flow of gas from combustion zone ii toward the gas collector . in a preferred embodiment of the gasifier , the outside diameter of the gas collector is approximately ten inches , while the distance between opposite walls of chamber 12 is eighteen inches , creating a distance of four inches between the gas collector surface and the nearest surfaces of the chamber 12 . the downward movement of charcoal particles in proximity to the gas collector is responsible for preventing the problem of charcoal bed choking or densification mentioned previously . this problem is caused by the rapid migration of small char and ash particles with the flow of gas toward the gas collector . these small particles remain mobile and continue to flow with the gas until their path is obstructed by somewhat larger particles , having void spaces slightly too small to allow further migration of these particles . in this way the charcoal bed acts like a filter , trapping particles that would otherwise reach the gas collector surface , the smallest of which would pass between the gas collector rings and enter the product gas . a stationery charcoal bed would necessarily and quickly clog with these smaller particles , as occurs in fixed bed gasifiers of conventional design . in the present invention , the clogging , densification , or aggregation of the charcoal bed is counteracted by the continuous or intermittent transport of the charcoal bed toward combustion zone ii . in practice a very high rate of combustible gas production may be maintained by this method with a suction of less than 2 . 5 ″ water column ( 0 . 1 psi ). actively transporting the char downward also helps ensure that channels do not develop through which oxygen or noncombustible gases can travel to the gas collector surface . channeling is the formation of passages through the char bed by erosion , which allow unreacted combustion gas , such as carbon dioxide , water vapor and hydrocarbons , to bypass the char bed and pass directly into the gas collector . channeling occurs in conventional fixed bed gasifiers when the openings in the gas collector or grate are large enough to allow the passage of both intermediate size and small char particles out of the charcoal bed . when the charcoal bed is vibrated or otherwise disturbed , these particles may discharge from a portion of the char bed especially when the gas suction is strong . the present invention prevents channeling by utilizing very small gasflow passages in the gas collector surface , these being the gaps between adjacent rings . in addition gas suction across the char bed is very weak because of the continuous renewal of the char bed due to its downward displacement . newly produced char from combustion zone i , containing relatively large particles , presents relatively little resistance to the flow of gas , and continuously or intermittently replaces the partially densified bed as it is moved toward combustion zone ii . since the area surrounding the gas collector contains mostly carbonized fuel , it reacts with the hot gases , such as carbon dioxide and water vapor , that are produced in combustion zone i , located above the gas collector , and combustion zone ii , located below the gas collector . this endothermic reaction yields carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas . the region of chamber 12 below combustion zone i and above combustion zone ii ( which is described below ) comprises the reduction zone , which is also a region wherein the temperatures are lower than in either of the combustion zones surrounding it . because the zone of the gasifier surrounding the gas collector is not fed with air and is involved in endothermic reactions , its temperature is lower than that of combustion zone i , or combustion zone ii , which is located in the lower portion of the chamber 12 . to protect the gas collector from the extreme temperatures both above and below it , ceramic materials are used in the production of the hearth 30 and the heat shield 66 . the gas collector itself may be made from relatively less temperature resistant material , such as high temperature corrosion resistant alloy steel . the gas temperature exiting the gasifier typically has a temperature of 800 to 1000 degrees fahrenheit . as the carbonized fuel passes below the gas collector , it enters combustion zone ii , where air or oxygen is injected , using blower 38 , into chamber 12 through nozzles 32 . as in the case of combustion zone i , the flow of air or oxygen can be controlled by damper or valve 42 , and can be completely stopped when the gasifier is inactive . this injection of air allows for the complete combustion of the char particles that have been transported down by the auger 60 . this process will typically yield carbon dioxide and completely consumed fuel , in the form of ash . the second combustion zone produces much of the energy required for the conversion of noncombustible carbon dioxide gas to combustible carbon monoxide gas as the gas travels upward through the charcoal bed and is captured by the gas collector . the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide is accompanied by the oxidation of carbon in the charcoal to carbon monoxide , which consumes a portion of the charcoal before it reaches combustion zone ii . the nozzles 32 are configured to consume charcoal as completely as possible , allowing only noncombustible ash to reach the ash auger 36 . auger 36 is rotated intermittently or continuously in response to excess air pressure encountered by air blower 38 . excess air pressure indicates a buildup of ash interfering with the injection of air into combustion zone ii . summarizing the operation of the gasifier , combustion zone i uses air to convert fresh biomass into carbon dioxide , water vapor and carbonized fuel . this partially burned fuel is moved downward through the chamber by the rotation of the auger 60 . as the hot carbon dioxide and water vapor move away from combustion zone i , they continue to react with the partially burned fuel , yielding carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas , which are captured by the gas collector 14 . the rotation of the auger 60 also continues to push this carbonized fuel downward . the unique configuration of the gas collector , in conjunction with the rotary action of the auger , serve to continuously clean the surface of the gas collector to prevent aggregation . as the remaining carbonized fuel reaches the lower portion of the chamber 12 , it enters combustion zone ii . in this zone , air is injected into the chamber and the carbonized fuel is completely combusted to yield hot carbon dioxide and ash . hot carbon dioxide travels through the carbonized fuel up toward the gas collector . while traveling , it reacts with the fuel to create carbon monoxide , which is captured by the gas collector . thus , the gas collector is capable of capturing gases produced in both combustion zone i and combustion zone ii after reaction with the reduction zone . the efficiency of the described gasifier can be further enhanced by the re - circulation of exhaust gases from combustion zone i . in this embodiment , gases are drawn from the top of chamber 12 by the action of exhaust gas blower 40 and injected into combustion zone ii via nozzles 34 . these exhaust gases , including steam , carbon dioxide , tars and other hydrocarbons , are injected to reduce their presence in the product gas and to control the relative temperatures of combustion zone i and combustion zone ii . the quantity of gas recirculated may be controlled by damper or valve 42 or by varying the speed of blower 38 . the re - circulation of the exhaust gases serves several purposes . pulling a high gas flow through the recirculation loop decreases the downward flow of combustion gas from combustion zone i toward the reduction zone and the gas collector . since zone i has lower temperatures than zone ii , these combustion gases are less likely to be converted to combustible gas than if they originated from zone ii . recirculation also increases the upward penetration of the flame from combustion zone i into the raw fuel located above combustion zone i , thereby increasing the rate of fuel to char conversion . at very high rates of gas recirculation , much of the heat required for fuel pyrolysis or fuel to char conversion , may come from the upward flow of a portion of the hot gases from combustion zone ii and the reduction zone . at lower rates of gas recirculation , water vapor is withdrawn from the top of gasifier chamber 12 fast enough to prevent condensation of water in the newly added biomass fuel , which would otherwise hinder combustion in zone i . such water vapor may be partially or wholly dissociated into hydrogen gas and oxygen where the oxygen combines with carbon under high temperatures in combustion zone ii . the gas that enters the gas collector travels up inner tube 56 . this tube is preferably in communication with gas cleaning equipment and a gas suction blower , where the blower delivers gas to the end use application at a rate equal to the rate of gas consumption , thereby minimizing or obviating the storage of the low caloric value gas produced . ideally , the gas suction blower is regulated to maintain a slightly negative pressure inside the gasifier , relative to air pressure . this eliminates the possibility of combustible and lethal gas leakage into the surrounding environment . fig3 illustrates a second embodiment of the gasifier of the present invention . in this embodiment , a plurality of spindle assemblies 10 is used in conjunction with a single insulated chamber . fig3 shows a top view of the chamber 12 , with several spindle assemblies 10 . these spindle assemblies are mounted to the top of the chamber , as described in reference to fig1 . in the first embodiment , the gas collector is surrounded by the walls of gasifier chamber 12 , which are square in plan or otherwise configured to inhibit rotation of the char with the spindle assembly . in the embodiment of fig3 , there is no chamber wall around many of the augers . however , the use of multiple augers having the same pitch direction and same direction of rotation such that proximate points on adjacent augers are moving in opposition yields the same result . referring to fig3 , a configuration of nine augers is shown . auger 300 , like all other augers rotates in a counterclockwise direction . when viewed in relation to its immediate neighboring auger 301 , it can be seen that augers 300 and 301 are moving in opposite directions at the point where these augers are the closest together . this opposite movement creates a powerful downward tractive force on the charcoal surrounding these augers . the same phenomenon exists with respect to auger 300 and its other neighboring augers 302 , 303 and 304 . similarly , this exists between each pair of neighboring augers . thus , each auger is surrounded by either a chamber wall 330 , or an opposing auger . this embodiment ensures a uniform downward motion of charcoal surrounding the gas collectors , and allows the production of large amounts of combustible gas due to the large combined surface area of multiple gas collectors . the fixed gas pipes leading from the multiple spindles of such multi - spindle gasifiers may be manifolded together such that the gas may be drawn from multiple gas collectors by a single blower . the combustible gas may be then used in a number of ways ; it can be burned to produce heat , it can be used to power internal combustion engines or turbines , or it can be used as feedstock for chemical production .
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fig1 depicts a present - art monitoring system for the ecg . the patient 101 is shown supine on bed 104 or analogous surface for repose or transport . outside and beyond the perimeter 104 of the bed , dashed lines 107 demarcate the outer boundary or perimeter of the infectious zone , which is beyond the patient &# 39 ; s reach . electronic monitor console 110 is shown outside the infectious zone , although it is frequently positioned at the patient &# 39 ; s bedside and within reach of the patient , hence within the infectious zone . present - art practice generally locates the monitor console according to physical constraints of the available space and operator convenience , without attention to issues of contamination by the patient . trunk cable 112 is shown connected to the console by connector 113 at its proximal end , and possesses a connector or yoke 114 at its distal end . three conductive wires 117 comprise the serial cable shown herein , but more elaborate serial cables contain additional electrical wires to enable multiple ecg leads ( waveforms ). each conductive wire comprising the serial cable terminates at its distal end in a conductive electrode 121 which is conductively coupled to the skin surface . other types of conductive couplings may be used , not shown , such as subcutaneous or intravascular . the proximal end of the serial cable connects to the yoke 114 of the trunk cable , such connection shown herein by pin connectors 116 , though other types of connectors may be employed . the present - art system configuration shown in fig1 makes evident the ease of frequent contamination of the trunk cable and its yoke connector by the patient , bedclothes , and other personal sundries residing with the patient . the serial cable is generally disposable . fig2 depicts a present - art monitoring system for body temperature , showing the patient 201 , the perimeter 204 of the bed , and the outer boundary or perimeter 207 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 210 is shown outside the infectious zone and engages input connector 213 on the proximal end of the trunk cable 212 . the distal end of the trunk cable possesses connector 214 which couples to connector 216 on the proximal end of serial cable 217 , possessing the requisite number of conductors to convey the signal representing body temperature . the distal end of the serial cable connects to the temperature sensor 222 , such as thermistor or thermocouple , shown in the axilla of the patient . fig2 , in a manner analogous to fig1 , shows the consistent contamination of the trunk cable by the patient and his intimate physical environment . fig3 depicts a present - art monitoring system for non - invasive blood pressure measurement , showing the patient 301 , the perimeter of the bed 304 , and the perimeter 307 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 310 is shown outside the infectious zone and receives pneumatic input connector 313 on the proximal end of the pneumatic trunk cable 312 ( tubular trunk line ). the distal end of the tubular pneumatic trunk line possesses connector 314 , which couples pneumatically to connector 316 on the proximal end of the pneumatic serial cable 317 , the serial tubular line to inflatable blood - pressure cuff 323 . the electronic console contains an air pump to inflate the cuff , a valve to gradually bleed air from the cuff after adequate inflation , a pressure sensor to measure air pressure within the tubular lines and cuff , and algorithms for controlling the operation of the system and for computing blood pressure from the pulsating pressure fluctuations which occur during deflation of the pressurized cuff . this method is well - known to those skilled in the art , and further details are not herein provided . while disposable blood pressure cuffs are now available , but not always employed , their serial pneumatic line 317 is always short , and connector 316 lies within the infectious zone , as does its mating connector 314 ; the pneumatic trunk cable 312 extending to the monitor console 310 is extensively within the bed and infectious zone . fig4 depicts the first configuration applied to ecg monitoring , showing the patient 401 , the perimeter 404 of the bed , and the perimeter 407 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 410 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives connector 413 from the proximal end of trunk cable 426 . trunk cable 426 lies entirely outside the infectious zone , as does the connector or yoke 414 at its distal end . thus , the trunk cable is not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . pin connectors 416 , affixed to the proximal end of serial cable 418 , also lie outside the infectious zone , but serial cable 418 enters the infectious zone and extends to the patient , where ecg electrodes 421 at the distal ends of the serial cable &# 39 ; s wires are conductively coupled to the patient . compared to present art as shown in fig1 , the configuration as drawn in fig4 shows the trunk cable to be shorter and the disposable serial cable to be longer than present art . fig5 depicts the first configuration applied to monitoring of temperature , showing patient 501 , the perimeter 504 of the bed , and the perimeter 507 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 510 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives connector 513 from the proximal end of trunk cable 526 . trunk cable 526 lies entirely outside the infectious zone , as do connector 513 at its proximal end and connector 514 at its distal end . thus , the trunk cable is not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . connector 516 at the proximal end of serial cable 518 also lies outside the infectious zone , but serial cable 518 enters the infectious zone and extends to the patient , where temperature sensor 522 at the distal end resides in the patient &# 39 ; s axilla . compared to present art as drawn in fig2 , the configuration as drawn in fig5 shows the trunk cable to be shorter and the disposable serial cable to be longer than present art . fig6 depicts the first configuration applied to monitoring of blood pressure , showing patient 601 , the perimeter 604 of the bed , and the perimeter 607 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 610 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives connector 613 from the proximal end of pneumatic trunk cable 626 . trunk cable 626 lies entirely outside the infectious zone , as does pneumatic connector 614 at its distal end . thus , pneumatic trunk cable 626 is not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . pneumatic connector 616 at the proximal end of serial pneumatic cable 618 also lies outside the infectious zone ; serial pneumatic cable 618 enters the infectious zone and extends to the patient , where blood - pressure cuff 623 at the distal end is wrapped around the patient &# 39 ; s arm . compared to present art as drawn in fig3 , the configuration as drawn in fig6 shows the pneumatic trunk cable to be shorter and the disposable serial pneumatic cable to be longer than present art . fig7 depicts the second configuration applied to ecg monitoring , showing patient 701 , the perimeter 704 of the bed , and the perimeter 707 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 710 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives connector 713 from the proximal end of trunk cable 726 . trunk cable 726 lies entirely outside the infectious zone 707 , as does yoke connector 714 at its distal end . thus , trunk cable 726 is not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . pin connectors 715 are affixed to the proximal end of an intermediate cable 733 , and also lie outside the infectious zone , while intermediate cable 733 enters the infectious zone and extends to the proximal end of the serial cable 717 . pin - receptive connectors 734 at the distal end of the intermediate cable mate with pin connectors 716 at the proximal end of the serial cable . the distal ends of wires comprising the serial cable terminate in conductive electrodes 721 which are conductively coupled to the patient . in this second configuration , both the serial cable and the intermediate cable are disposable . this permits use of serial cables as presently manufactured , which are not sufficiently long to reliably extend outside the infectious zone , while the intermediate cable of simple structure and inexpensive serves as an extension line for the serial cable and reaches outside the infectious zone to the yoke connector 714 of the trunk cable 726 . essentially , serial cable 717 linked to intermediate cable 733 replaces serial cable 418 of fig4 . fig8 depicts the second configuration applied to monitoring of temperature , showing patient 801 , the perimeter 804 of the bed , and the perimeter 807 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 810 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives connector 813 from the proximal end of trunk cable 826 . trunk cable 826 lies entirely outside the infectious zone 807 , as does connector 814 at its distal end . thus , trunk cable 826 and its connectors are not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . mating connector 815 is affixed to the proximal end of an intermediate cable 833 , and also lies outside the infectious zone , while intermediate cable 833 enters the infectious zone and extends to the proximal end of the serial cable 817 . at the distal end of intermediate cable 833 , receptive connector 834 mates with connector 816 at the proximal end of serial cable 817 . the distal end of serial cable 817 connects to the temperature sensor , which is shown nestled in the patient &# 39 ; s axilla . in this second configuration for temperature monitoring , both serial cable 817 and intermediate cable 833 are disposable . essentially , serial cable 817 linked to intermediate cable 833 replaces serial cable 518 of fig5 . fig9 depicts the second configuration applied to monitoring of blood pressure , showing patient 901 , the perimeter 904 of the bed , and the perimeter 907 of the infectious zone . electronic monitor console 910 is located outside the infectious zone , and receives pneumatic connector 913 from the proximal end of pneumatic trunk cable 926 . trunk cable 926 lies entirely outside the infectious zone 907 , as does pneumatic connector 914 at its distal end . thus , pneumatic trunk cable 926 and its connectors are not subject to direct contamination by the patient or his intimate environment . mating connector 915 is affixed to the proximal end of an intermediate pneumatic cable 933 , and also lies outside the infectious zone , while intermediate pneumatic cable 933 enters the infectious zone and extends to the proximal end of the serial cable 917 . at the distal end of intermediate pneumatic cable 933 , receptive pneumatic connector 934 mates with pneumatic connector 916 at the proximal end of serial pneumatic cable 917 . the distal end of pneumatic serial cable 917 connects to the blood pressure cuff 923 , which is wrapped around the patient &# 39 ; s arm . in this second configuration for monitoring of blood pressure , both serial pneumatic cable 917 and intermediate pneumatic cable 933 are disposable . essentially , serial pneumatic cable 917 linked to intermediate pneumatic cable 933 replaces serial pneumatic cable 618 of fig6 . present - day disposable blood - pressure cuffs generally possess a short length of pneumatic cable ( tubing ) permanently affixed thereto , which would serve as the serial pneumatic cable 917 of the present fig9 . fig1 a - 10b depicts sheaths primarily used for encasing the trunk cable of the monitoring system , and could also be used for the other cables as well . fig1 a is a longitudinal section along the central axis showing an configuration having a pleated sheath with end - partitions . the pleated sheath 1080 is generally shown , with radially - oriented pleats 1081 , end - partition 1082 possessing apertures 1083 a and 1083 b through both of which the cable is inserted , and then one end - partition is slidably drawn along the entire length of the cable . at the trunk cable &# 39 ; s proximal end the connector protrudes slightly to enable connection to the monitor console ; at the distal end the trunk cable may protrude sufficiently to allow connection of the serial cable , and the region of such connection may then be inserted inside the sheath so that the trunk cable at its distal end is fully protected by the sheath . as previously described , the distal end of the trunk cable and its mating to the proximal end of the serial cable , or the proximal end of the intermediate cable in the second configuration , are always maintained outside of the infectious zone , and this is maintained during disposition of the sheath around and over said cables . fig1 b is a longitudinal section along the central axis of another configuration depicting a sheath with a compact telescopic form , which may be drawn along the entire length of the trunk cable and connections made as described above for a pleated sheath . the telescopic sheath 1090 is generally shown , with overlying folds 1091 , end - partition 1092 possessing apertures 1093 a and 1093 b . the apertures 1083 and 1093 , if true voids in the material of the end - partition , are smaller than the diameter of the cable so that the end - partition snugly surrounds the cable and seals it from the external environment . alternatively , the aperture may be replaced by a slit which is parted to insert the cable . end - partitions 1082 and 1092 are advantageously elastic or compliant materials to perform the function of a seal around the cable . if the material comprising the end - partition is sponge - like , it may be impregnated with an antimicrobial , which would be wiped along the cable during insertion as the end - partition is drawn along the entire length of the cable . the sheath material may be made of any number of elastomeric materials , and may or may not incorporate an anti - microbial agent . alternatively , the anti - microbial agent may be applied to the inner and / or outer surfaces of the sheath material . while the two configurations of a sheath depicted herein show the sheath material in a folded manner in order to reduce the space needed to package the component , an alternative means of collapsing the sheath may be to simply bundle or bunch the material together . other configurations for the sheath ( not shown ) may consist of other means for enclosing each end of the sheath to capture it against the cable or the connector . in one configuration an adhesive material may be applied to the end of the sheath , which is then compressed against the cable or connector . alternatively , the ends may be made with an elastic band or other cinching means which can cinch down against the cable or the connector . yet other configurations of the sheath may provide sufficient material to allow the sheath to extend over multiple cables of the monitoring system . in this configuration the sheath would extend into the infectious zone . it may also be made of sufficient length to reach from the monitor to the patient along the entire length of multiple cables . while preferred configurations have been described with particularity and with reference to the drawings , modifications and variations of the foregoing will be apparent to those of skill in the art utilizing the techniques disclosed herein . it is , therefore , to be understood that such configurations are illustrative and not limiting on the scope of the present application and that the application encompasses such modifications and variations . 2 . the system wherein said serial cable proximal end connects to a wireless transmitter and said trunk cable distal end connects to a wireless receiver . the system wherein said serial cable proximal end connects to a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver is connected to said monitor . the system wherein said wireless receiver is contained within said monitor &# 39 ; s enclosure . the system wherein said intermediate cable proximal end connects to a wireless transmitter and said trunk cable distal end connects to a wireless receiver . the system wherein said intermediate cable proximal end connects to a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver is connected to said monitor .
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fig1 shows an illustrative network for use with a range of embodiments of the present invention . there , first and second pluralities of telephone stations 101 - 1 through 5 - 101 - m and 181 - 1 through 181 - n are shown connected to respective central offices 102 and 155 . these central offices are , in turn , connected to representative toll switches 110 and 140 to permit normal voice calling between telephone stations in respective pluralities of telephone stations . central offices 102 and 155 are also shown connected to representative signal transfer points ( stps ) 115 and 137 , which stps are , in turn , shown interconnected through a signaling network of stps also comprising stps 135 , and 145 . these stps and their interconnection are typical of signaling system 7 ( ss7 ) signaling networks well known in the telecommunications arts . the illustrative network of fig1 also includes additional toll switches 190 and 198 . in appropriate circumstances , some or all of the toll switches shown in fig1 may be operated by a local exchange carrier ( lec ), an interexchange carrier ( ixc ), or another entity . while each of the switches are shown interconnecting with stps in fig1 , it will be understood that , in particular cases , some switches may not themselves include ss7 capabilities , and so are connected to the ss7 network through another ss7 - enabled switch . also shown interconnected with the standard voice network arrangement described so far with reference to fig1 are illustrative network services platforms 125 and 126 , shown as including respective processors 131 and 127 , as well as respective database systems 129 and 128 . these latter service platforms are illustrative of so - called intelligent network platforms that include service control points , scps , ( or network control points , ncps ), known in the art . for example , network platforms include the well known 8xx ( toll - free calling ) and calling card platforms . in typical fashion , platforms such as illustrative platforms 125 and 126 in fig1 receive queries , commands or other information and illustratively provide routing , authentication and other control information . in the illustrative network embodiment shown in fig1 , platform 126 advantageously serves as an scp configured to provide calling card validation functionality . thus platform 126 is arranged to receive calling card queries from network switches through one or more of the stps shown in fig1 , and to provide authentication ( or not ) for the received account information and personal identification number ( pin ) or other identification appropriate to the circumstances . further descriptions of telephone networks of the type shown generally in fig1 may be found in the literature , including , e . g ., intelligent networks , by jan thorner , artech house , norwood , mass ., 1994 , and signaling system 7 , by t . russell , mcgraw - hill , new york , 1995 . the network of fig1 also shows first and second pluralities of computers , workstations or computer terminal devices ( collectively , “ computers ”) appearing as 105 - 1 through 105 - p , and 182 - 1 through 182 - q . these computers may be desktop or portable computers , or may be terminals connected through a centralized computer , all to provide users with keyboard and other input facilities ( such as a mouse or other pointing device ) and display facilities well known in the art . in typical operation , these computers are arranged to communicate over the pstn or other telephone network using standard modems , and to connect to one or more internet service providers ( isps ) through portions of such telephone networks for access to the internet ( shown as the “ cloud ” 195 in fig1 ), including chat and messaging facilities of the internet . hardware in computers 105 - i and 182 - j will typically include a sound card , such as the well - known soundblaster sound cards or those available form voyetra turtle beach , inc ., for , among other things , converting speech inputs from a microphone into digitized speech signals and for converting received digitized speech signals into analog speech signals for driving a loudspeaker or earphones . in some cases this sound card functionality is built into a computer motherboard , or may be provided in an external device used with the computer . software executing in computers 105 - i and 182 - j will typically include an internet “ browser ,” such as are available from microsoft corporation or netscape corporation , among others , for interacting with internet facilities . in some cases , such browser software may be augmented by add - on or plug - in software for introducing or upgrading messaging and / or chat software . in one illustrative case , both user ( client ) and server software ( executing at an isp access server , or related network server ) will be based on well - known chat components such as mirc client and server software by mirc co . ltd , which is available on the internet . further information about well - known chat software and procedures is available from the undernet user committee web site . of particular note is network working group request for comments : 1459 , by j . oikarinen and d . reed , may , 1993 , available at the undernet web site . this latter document presents a version of the internet relay chat ( irc ) protocol that has provided important bases for current chat implementations . other particular client / server implementations of various chat functionalities include several quirc chat software modules and those available from activerse , inc . client software is also available as components of browser software and from isps such as at & amp ; t worldnet and america online for interacting over chat and messaging facilities . in illustrative operation of the network of fig1 for internet connections , a user at one of the computers , such as 105 - 1 in the network of fig1 will gain access to an isp access server , such as server 191 in fig1 , through a dial - up connection by way of central office 102 and toll switch 190 . in some cases , the isp access server will connect directly to a central office , such as 102 in fig1 , and in other cases , additional toll or other switches will be used to connect the user at computer 105 - 1 to an isp server such as 191 in fig1 . once connected to access server 191 , the user at computer 105 - 1 , and other users at other computers such as computers 105 - i and 182 - j shown in fig1 , will typically login in well known fashion and begin interacting with internet facilities . among the activities pursued by users are the aforementioned chat facilities . for example , terminal 105 - 1 and 182 - 1 may be connected through respective isp access servers 191 and 196 ( which servers may be under the control of the same isp , or independently controlled ) to chat server 193 over the internet . the chat server may , of course , actually be one of the access servers , or an isp server connected in a distributed network with the access server — or the chat server may be independent of either or both of the isps . it will be appreciated that connections between computers such as 105 - i or 182 - j are typically to central offices such as 102 and 155 over normal dial - up subscriber telephone lines , e . g ., from a user &# 39 ; s home or office . while many homes and offices are supplied with more than one subscriber line , many locations , especially homes , have only a single active subscriber line entering the premises . in other cases where more than one subscriber line may be present , the user of a computer such as 105 - 1 may only be allowed to use one subscriber line for all of his / her communications . for example , in a two - line household , one line may be reserved for business or other dedicated purpose of one member of the household . thus , all internet connections and voice conversations by other members of the household normally must be pursued using the remaining line . accordingly , when a user at a location with only a single available line is active in an internet session , e . g ., to a chat room , the line is unavailable to originate or receive normal telephone calls using a telephone such as 101 - 1 . in other cases , of course , a computer such as 105 - 1 and a telephone station set such as 101 - 1 may have separate subscriber lines and may be active simultaneously without conflict . one application of the teachings of the incorporated desimone application ser . no . 09 / 111 , 672 , permits a first user engaged in a text chat session to contact a “ call broker ” to obtain a so - called “ participant authorization code ” ( pac ) and a session identifier , which information is then supplied to one or more other chat participants . the first user will typically provide payment information and a callback telephone number . when one or more of the other chat participants contacts the call broker and supplies the session and pac information ( typically provided in the chat or messaging context by the first user ), along with respective callback telephone numbers , the call broker seeks to establish a telephone connection between the chat participants electing to take part , usually including the first user . using this approach , the anonymity of the telephone call participants is maintained , as it typically is in the text chat session . of course , if one or more of the would - be participants in the telephone call has but a single available subscriber line at the user location , then an attempt by the call broker to complete a telephone call to the callback number over the pstn will normally not be successful if the user at that location continues to be active in the internet text chat session or other computer calling activity . this problem is addressed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 805 , 587 , issued on sep . 8 , 1998 to j . h . norris and t . l . russell and assigned to the assignee of the present invention . in one aspect , the last - cited patent ( hereinafter , the &# 39 ; 587 patent ) describes sending of a message to a user who is online to an isp or other server . the message provides information regarding a telephone call directed to the subscriber line currently being used for the online call . a user is typically presented with a range of options , including terminating the computer call in favor of receiving the incoming voice call on a telephone set . the &# 39 ; 587 patent is hereby incorporated by reference in the present application as if set forth in its entirety herein . the present detailed description will now treat extensions and enhancements of prior voice chat arrangements described above . in one aspect , we describe modification to the network of fig1 as presented above , and further describe alternative modes of operation of such a modified network . the term “ voice - over - ip ” ( voip ) has come to reflect a variety of network elements , techniques and technologies , all contributing , in one way or another , to the transmission of a voice call in accordance with the internet protocol ( ip ) over at least a part of its path between one or more voice callers and one or more other voice call participants . thus , a voice telephone call in digital form is segmented in well - known ways into packets for transmission in the same form as for other ip sessions , such as for text information over computer connections to chat rooms . these voice information packets may be routed to a voice chat server , which often operates in a “ layer ” above the normal text chat — as noted above . in other cases , voice packets may be delivered to a voip “ gateway ” where , after suitable authentication and collection of billing or account data , they are delivered through the internet or other ip network for ultimate delivery to one or more call participants . vop gateways and associated network elements are available from many suppliers . for example , efusion , inc ., lucent technologies , inc and vocaltec communications market such voip gateways and related products to enable interconnections between the public switched telephone network and data networks ( including the internet ). the internet engineering task force ( ietf ), the inow industry consortium and other standards bodies are considering various proposals for enabling internet telephony applications . other aspects of voip are described , e . g ., in delivering voice over ip networks , by d . minoli and e . minoli , john wiley & amp ; sons , 1998 . in an illustrative application of voip arising from text chat sessions , an efusion ip telephony gateway is used to interact with internet - enabled client software ( including , e . g ., internet call assistant — ica — software ) at a host computer , such as user computer 105 - 1 in fig1 . the voip client software at user computer 105 - 1 is typically provided as a plug - in to the browser software otherwise operating at that computer when online . this client voip software will illustratively provide for a login at the exemplary efusion voip gateway , e . g ., 192 in fig1 , each time the user at computer 105 - 1 gains access to the internet through illustrative isp 191 in fig1 . among other things , the voip login ( which typically is effected automatically by the plug - in software , without overt action by the user ) provides gateway 192 with information that user 105 - 1 is online to the internet and can receive incoming ip packets from the gateway when required . for present illustrative purposes , it suffices to treat text chat sessions as existing between chat clients at user computers such as 105 - 1 and 182 - 1 through respective isp access servers such as 191 and 196 to a chat server 193 in fig1 . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , the actual chat server function may be provided at the isp access server ( or networked in a distributed isp network to a related isp chat server ), or by another entity providing the chat function on the internet . also included in the network of fig1 is a call broker 199 of the type described generally in the above - cited incorporated desimone patent application . in particular , call broker 199 receives requests from a first internet user ( hereinafter the “ host ”) and , after performing authentication and account operations , provides the above described session and pac code information to the host . upon appropriate further access by those possessing session and pac information ( hereinafter , the “ participants ”), and upon receipt of callback numbers for the participants , call broker 199 seeks to complete telephone calls to those participants at their respective callback numbers . alternative modes of operation of such a call broker in the context of the network of fig1 will be described in the sequel . an additional network element shown in fig1 is network adjunct processor 133 interposed between pstn elements ( stp 145 , toll switch 198 ) and call broker 199 . nap 133 advantageously provides bridging of calls setup by call broker 199 and typically acts in response to control signals from call broker 199 . more particularly , as shown in fig2 , call broker 199 receives requests over input 201 to set up calls from users participating in chat rooms and elsewhere in internet or other data network sessions . call broker processor 205 , operating under control of a program stored in memory 210 , and responding to input requests through internet protocol ( ip ) interface 225 , sends queries ( typically over ss7 signaling links 216 , via ss7 facilities unit 215 ) to a validation server such as card server platform 126 in fig1 . in some embodiments , it proves useful to provide for local account validation at call broker 199 . thus , call broker 199 is shown in fig2 as including a validation database 218 for interacting with processor 205 in accordance with well known validation processes . signaling information exchanged ( via ss7 links 216 or otherwise ) will typically be employed to perform call rating and billing operations , as is known in the art . other particular account validation , and particular call rating and billing arrangements , will be employed by those skilled in the art as circumstances may suggest . upon receipt of authorization from validation server 126 ( or other validation source ), call broker 199 sets up voice links as will be described below . network adjunct processor ( nap ) 133 receives control information on path 230 from the call setup facilities of call broker 199 and hands off originations from call broker 199 to the pstn . these call originations from call broker 199 pass through nap 133 , illustratively via voice trunks 240 and 270 . also shown passing by way of nap 133 are ss7 links 263 to the pstn , which links are used by call setup unit 220 and processor 205 in call broker 215 in establishing connections to the parties to a desired voice call . in particular , answer signaling information indicating that a called party answers a voice call setup by call broker 199 is used to pass control information over path 230 to bridge processor 260 in nap 133 as shown in fig2 . when calls to two or more parties to a desired voice call have answered the calls setup by call broker 199 ( and therefore are available for bridging ), nap provides the selective bridging of calls passing from call broker 199 to the pstn . as shown in fig2 , nap 133 includes bridge 250 . in performing its interaction with call broker 199 , nap advantageously performs such network functions as collecting dtmf digits , playing tones and prompts and selectively muting a call leg . thus , using the facilities of fig1 and 2 voice calls are completed between users present in a text chat room while preserving host and other participant anonymity . call broker 199 may be implemented as a special purpose platform or may be realized as a well - known pbx with standard ss7 and ip interface facilities . many so - called unpbx systems , or generally programmable switches , will likewise find application in this context . for a description of such unpbx systems , reference may be had to computer telephony , may , 1997 , pp . 20 - 97 . nap 133 may likewise be implemented using a special purpose bridging platform , or using well known pbx ( or unpbx ) or other programmable switches . while call broker 199 and nap 133 may provide separate functionality in separate physical systems , it will prove advantageous in many applications to combine the data , signaling and pstn interfaces and the described switching and call control functionality in a single unit with combined or coordinated processing and memory . call setup and bridging functions are individually well known and are readily combined in a single unit such as a pbx or unpbx . fig3 is a flow - sequence diagram illustrating operations at and between elements of the network of fig1 in processing voice calls in cooperation with ongoing ( text ) chat operations . for purposes of simplicity of presentation , a description of the operations shown in fig3 will proceed primarily in terms of voice calling between a first ( originating ) user (“ the host ”) and a second network user , the “ participant .” this mode of operation is conveniently referred to as a one - to - one voice call . it will be recognized , however , that the operations to be described can be applied in a context of plural participants , i . e ., a one - to - many voice call scenario , or voice chat “ conference call . pstn 300 is used in fig3 to represent the telephone network switches , including central offices , stps and standard telephone network platforms such as calling card scp 126 . network adjunct processor 133 and call broker 199 are platforms of the type shown in fig2 for performing the functions and steps to be described in the following elaboration of processing in accordance with fig3 . a typical operating sequence in accordance with fig3 will now be followed in order of the numbered steps shown there . in particular , an illustrative sequence begins ( step 0 ) with host computer 105 - 1 logging onto the voip gateway 192 , using , e . g ., the above - noted efusion voip functionality in host computer 105 - 1 cooperating with gateway 192 ( or 197 ). since this log - on process typically occurs each time the user logs onto the internet , it is accompanied by the busying of the available subscriber phone line . this log - in process between illustrative computer 105 - 1 and voip system 192 typically includes an exchange of messages whereby the computer 105 - 1 sends a login id / password and its current ip address ; gateway 192 compares the login id / password to previously - provisioned information stored in tables at gateway 192 and returns a confirmation message if the comparison yields a match . with log - on to the voip gateway established , an existing ( or a newly entered ) text chat illustratively gives rise to a desire on the part of the host user to establish a voice telephone call with one ( or more ) participants . toward this end , the host 105 - i sends a request ( step 1 ) to the call broker 199 seeking to create a voice call by way of the chat session , and including billing or account information — typically calling card ( or pre - paid card ) account and pin information . assuming the call is to be billed to a calling card for which the host is an authorized user , the calling card information is compared with existing account information ( step 1 a ) to validate the card information . in some cases it will prove convenient to provide validation services locally with respect to the call broker , and in other circumstances use of a network database such as calling card validation server ( scp ) 126 shown in fig1 . when call broker 199 receives validation of the account information ( e . g ., from scp 126 or from local data base 126 ), the call broker ( step 2 ) returns session id information to the host 105 - 1 . using the construct of the incorporated desimone patent application , the information returned to host 105 - 1 will include not only a session id but also a pac code . the host 105 - 1 passes ( step 3 ) the session id and other necessary information ( e . g ., pac code , where applicable ) to the desired voice call participant ( illustratively , the user at computer 182 - 1 ). such notification will typically be by way of a private message ( e . g ., a direct message in the text chat session ) to the desired participant . a notified text chat participant receiving the voice call session information from the host and desiring to participate in the voice call then sends ( step 3 a ) the session id ( and pac , as appropriate ) to the call broker 199 along with a callback number . the call broker then places a call to the host at the assigned voip gateway number supplied by the host at step 1 ; the call is processed through the nap ( step 4 b ) and is sent through the pstn 300 to the illustrative voip gateway 192 associated with computer 105 - 1 ( step 4 c ). identification of the ip address of the host ( illustratively 105 - 1 ) by call broker 199 is conveniently accomplished by using the callback number provided by the host when contacting the call broker . thus , as part of the service subscription by users such as the user at computer 105 - 1 , a callback number is provided to vop gateway 192 which is conveniently used as a key into account records for the subscribing user . the callback number supplied by the host upon requesting the current voice call session from call broker 199 is then used to identify the online status of the destination voip link , as well as the corresponding ip address . the voip gateway 192 then rings the internet telephone at the host computer ( step 5 a ) and , upon answer by the internet telephone ( step 5 b ), answers the call from call broker 199 by way of pstn 300 and nap 133 ( step 6 ). having the call connected from the host , the call broker then dials the participant ( step 7 ) at the callback number provided by the participant . unlike the call placed by the call broker to the host ( step 4 ), the call to the participant is advantageously placed over the pstn ( by way of the nap ) directly to the participant &# 39 ; s telephone , here assumedly telephone 181 - 1 . when the participant answers ( step 8 ) at telephone 181 - 1 the call is extended through the pstn to the nap . upon receipt of the answer by both the host and the participant , the nap advantageously bridges the call . it will be appreciated that the use of voip gateway in communication with host 105 - 1 avoids the need for two subscriber lines at the host location . when one of the host or participant terminates the call , the termination is signaled to the nap , which then terminates the bridge and sends accounting information to the call broker , if not already present at the latter . if more than one participant has been bridged on to a voice call using the above - described steps , then departure of each participant will be detected at the nap and accumulating billing concluded for the departing participant &# 39 ; s voice link . the accumulated total for each link will then be added to the total billing for the host . in some cases , all voice call links ( and billing for these links ) will be terminated upon departure of the host from the bridged call . while the foregoing description has proceeded in terms of a voice call including a voip call link to the host , and a normal pstn link to one or more participants , nothing in the present invention prevents a participant other than the host from being linked to the voice conversation over a voip link , nor for the host to be connected to the voice call via the pstn instead of one or more other participants . in appropriate cases , both the host and all participants can be connected over voip links using the above - described process . the call broker can advantageously incorporate call setup optimization techniques , based , e . g ., on the location of the callback numbers and congestion and available bandwidth for voip calls to determine which links progress over the pstn and which links employ voip processing . a second subscriber line at participants &# 39 ; locations can also be avoided in accordance with another illustrative embodiment of the present invention . this approach may be used , for example , when a call is placed by call broker 199 through nap 310 to a would - be participant in a voice call ( as described above ), and that user has no available subscriber line . this unavailability will typically occur because a subscriber line at that location continues to be used for a text chat session or other data application using computer 182 - 1 . recall that in seeking to participate in the voice call the user at computer 182 - 1 supplies call broker 199 with a callback number . thus , by providing the number of the line that the computer 182 - 1 is connected to , the would - be participant is seeking to have the voice call completed through computer 182 - 1 , if at all , in the same fashion as was described for the host . in accordance with the present alternative embodiment , the attempted call by nap 310 illustratively employs the call notification technique of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 805 , 587 ( hereinafter &# 39 ; 587 patent ). in particular , the attempted call to the subscriber line that is busy with a data connection by computer 182 - 1 through its isp access server 196 is advantageously forwarded in accordance with the teachings of the &# 39 ; 587 patent to the isp access server 196 ( sometimes referred to as internet access server or ias ). using the incorporated teachings of the &# 39 ; 587 patent , a message is sent to the computer 182 - 1 by the isp access server informing the user at computer 182 - 1 of the arrival of a voice message and presenting a number of alternatives for handling the call . ( in many cases it will be unnecessary to present a full range of alternatives because the user at computer 182 - 1 has very recently indicated an interest in taking part in a voice call .) in the general case , one alternative is to continue to use the computer for the text chat or other data connections and to also receive the voice call as converted to streaming audio or an internet voice call . an illustrative arrangement given in the &# 39 ; 587 patent describes the use of vocaltec software for performing the required packetizing , depacketizing and related functions used in communicating the voice call to a computer such as 182 - 1 in fig1 . while the above - described embodiments are couched in terms of ip protocol messages and the internet , those skilled in the art will recognize that other particular data communications protocols may be used for communicating digitized voice signals . likewise , the characteristics of the internet and other networks continue to evolve . chat techniques are not uniquely associated with the internet , nor the ip protocol . while many of the aspects of the pstn described above involve use of the ss7 signaling protocol , other particular signaling techniques may be used in appropriate circumstances . for example , the well - known isdn signaling protocols can be used for many applications of the present invention . the functionalities of the nap described in illustrative embodiments above may , of course , be combined with those of the call broker , or one may be used as an adjunct to the other or to another network element , such as a pbx or pstn switch . while validation of host charging information was couched in terms of calling card processing in the above descriptions of illustrative embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that prepaid calling card account identification and pin validation may be employed as well . likewise , the online status of a desired voice call participant , and therefore the availability of at least one subscriber line to receive a pstn voice call , as well as the current ip address of such an online would - be voice call participant , may be maintained in a network database system represented by isp scp 125 in fig1 . scp 125 is seen to include isp database 129 and isp service processor 131 , each generally of the form used for other pstn network services . additional information stored at scp 125 will include , in appropriate cases , alternative subscriber lines , ip addresses or other termination possibilities , such as voice message recording devices , call forwarding locations and the like . the isp scp 125 may serve more than one isp , but typically relies on login and logoff information supplied by participating isps over ss7 links ( shown in fig1 ) or ip or other data messages ( not shown ). information stored in isp scp 125 may be used to supplement information stored at call broker 199 or voip gateways 192 , 197 or at other internet nodes . though only a single call broker 199 is shown in the representative network of fig1 , it should be understood that many such call brokers can be included . moreover , these plural call brokers may be networked and may serve as proxies for other call brokers as is known in standard internet practice . in networks including plural call brokers session information forwarded to desired voice call participants will include information identifying the appropriate call broker ( s ). though the voice call links established by call broker 199 in the above - described illustrative embodiments were all links to existing text chat participants , in appropriate circumstances the host ( or other authorizing participant ) may request that call broker set up links to other voice call participants . in such cases , call broker 199 may cause voice links to be established to one or more non - chat - participant lines , either through pstn links or through voip links .
| 7 |
fig1 shows a flow chart of a display method for a vehicle . in a step 101 , a vehicle position is determined . according to a step 103 , vehicle surroundings data are then retrieved from a database corresponding to the determined vehicle position . this therefore means in particular that a corresponding request is posed or transmitted to the database , whereupon it transmits or makes available the corresponding vehicle surroundings data . according to a step 105 , the vehicle surroundings are furthermore detected . in particular , detecting the vehicle surroundings includes recording video images or video data streams of the vehicle surroundings . in a step 107 , a vehicle surroundings view is then displayed which is based on the retrieved vehicle surroundings data and the detected vehicle surroundings . this therefore means in particular that the displayed vehicle surroundings view includes both a view corresponding to the detected vehicle surroundings and a vehicle surroundings view corresponding to the vehicle surroundings data . fig2 shows a display system 201 for a vehicle ( not shown ). display system 201 includes a position determination device 203 for determining a vehicle position . furthermore , a retriever 205 is provided which is able to retrieve vehicle surroundings data from a database corresponding to the determined vehicle position . this therefore means in particular that retriever 205 poses a corresponding request to the database , whereupon the database transmits the corresponding vehicle surroundings data to retriever 205 . display system 201 furthermore includes a detection device 207 for detecting the vehicle surroundings . the detection device in particular includes one or multiple video cameras . furthermore , a display device 209 is provided which may display a vehicle surroundings view which is based on the retrieved vehicle surroundings data and the detected vehicle surroundings . due to the fact that in addition to a view corresponding to the detected vehicle surroundings , a view corresponding to the vehicle surroundings data from the database is displayed , it is possible to provide the driver with a precise and reliable vehicle surroundings view , even if the detection device is not able to completely detect the vehicle surroundings or if the detection device malfunctions . this means , for example , that the video camera of the detection device may fail , for example , but the driver may still be provided with a vehicle surroundings view . fig3 shows another display system 301 which is essentially designed similarly to display system 201 in fig2 . detection device 207 of display system 301 according to fig3 also includes a video camera 303 which may record a video of the vehicle surroundings . multiple video cameras may preferably also be provided . fig4 shows a driver assistance system 401 for a vehicle including a display system 403 . display system 403 may , for example , be display system 201 or 301 according to fig2 or fig3 , respectively . this therefore means in particular that the corresponding data , such as the display data , may be made available to driver assistance system 401 , so that driver assistance system 401 may be operated or controlled as a function of these data . this therefore means in particular that the video data of a video camera may , for example , be made available to driver assistance system 401 , so that it makes a decision based on these video data as to whether it carries out an intervention into a drive system , a braking system and / or a steering system . fig5 shows a vehicle 501 including a display system 201 according to fig2 . in another specific embodiment ( not shown ), it may be provided that vehicle 501 may also include display system 301 or driver assistance system 401 according to fig3 or fig4 , respectively . moreover , an external database 503 is provided . this therefore means in particular that external database 503 is situated outside of vehicle 501 . retriever 205 poses a corresponding request to external database 503 , in which the vehicle surroundings data are stored , with regard to the vehicle surroundings data at the vehicle position determined with the aid of position determination device 203 . the requested vehicle surroundings data are then transmitted from external database 503 to retriever 205 . moreover , another vehicle 505 is also provided which may in particular detect its corresponding vehicle surroundings , the corresponding other vehicle surroundings data then being transmitted also to display system 201 , so that the other vehicle surroundings of other vehicle 505 may also be displayed with the aid of display device 209 . it may be preferably provided that the display data corresponding to the displayed vehicle surroundings view may be made available to external database 503 and / or other vehicle 505 . other vehicles may preferably also be provided , a corresponding communication between the individual vehicles taking place in a similar manner . fig6 shows a vehicle surroundings view 601 as it may be displayed , for example , with the aid of display device 209 . a vehicle 603 is schematically centrally illustrated . a vehicle surroundings area around vehicle 603 is identified in this case with the aid of a circle having reference numeral 605 . vehicle surroundings area 605 may preferably also be identified with the aid of different geometric shapes , e . g ., with the aid of a square or a triangle . vehicle surroundings area 605 has multiple subareas 607 , 609 , 611 , and 613 . subarea 607 shows , for example , a corresponding partial view of the vehicle surroundings which is based on the sensors of a video camera of vehicle 603 . subarea 609 shows , for example , a corresponding partial view of the vehicle surroundings which is based on the sensors of a video camera of another vehicle which is not shown here . subarea 611 shows , for example , a corresponding partial view of the vehicle surroundings which is based on the sensors of a video camera of an infrastructure . subarea 613 shows , for example , a corresponding virtual partial view of the vehicle surroundings which is based on the data of a digital map of a navigation system . thus , a vehicle surroundings view may be preferably composed of multiple partial views , each of which is based on data from different sensors , in particular radar sensors and / or ultrasonic sensors and / or lidar sensors , or from systems such as a navigation system and / or a driver assistance system . preferably , one or multiple subarea ( s ) may also be provided for which there is no data available for a corresponding partial view . such subareas are then in particular identified as such , in particular with the aid of white , black , or differently colored spots .
| 6 |
a many core system is a term used herein to refer to a system such as that depicted in fig1 . as in the figure , a many core system may include a plurality of processor cores such as cores 150 and 180 . the term core as used herein may refer , for example , to a single processor of a multiprocessor system , or to a processor core of a multicore processor . in general , the system has a set of busses such as the bus 160 that interconnects the cores and a memory 165 with devices on the bus such as a trusted platform module ( tpm ) 155 , a network interface 190 , and other devices 162 . these devices may include for example , storage , input and output devices . as shown in the system depicted , the cores may form the basis of several logical machines presenting an abstraction of processor and memory , such as logical machines 1 - 3 , at 105 , 115 , and 120 . each logical machine provides a logical view of a processor 130 and memory 135 to programs executing on the logical machine . in some instances such as with logical machine 1 at 105 , a core such as the core 150 and a segment of the system memory 170 may be directly mapped 140 to the logical machine 105 much as in a single processor system . in other instances , logical machines may actually be virtual machines such as the machines 115 and 120 , that may in turn execute via a virtual machine monitor ( vmm ) that itself executes directly on a core such as the core at 180 . the vmm may then partition the memory available to its core 180 into segments 175 and 185 allocated to the virtual logical machines 115 and 120 respectively . general purpose logical machines of a many core system such as 105 , 115 and 120 may also be referred to as ( logical ) address spaces of the system , because each logical machine defines an address space within which a logical memory and a register set of a processor may be referenced . special purpose logical machines may also be provided , for example the trusted platform module ( tpm ) of the many core system 125 may be provided as a logical tpm by directly mapping 145 a hardware tpm 155 . similarly , other devices including i / o devices , may be provided as logical devices . in other instances , services associated with a tpm may be provided as a logical machine supported in hardware by a general purpose core . a many core system may connect to a network with a network interface device 190 such as a wireless network adapter or a wired network adapter as is known . in many cases , the logical machines of the system may map their internal logical representations of the adapter to the same network interface 190 . thus , when a many core system such as the one depicted in fig1 connects to a network , the interface 190 is shared by multiple logical machines . as should be evident to the artisan , a practically unlimited set of variations of the many core system depicted in the figure is possible . in particular , the number of cores , and the mapping from cores to logical machines may be varied ; in some embodiment systems , there may be no virtual machines present , while in others all the logical machines may be virtual . a tpm may not be present in some systems , while multiple tpms may be provided in others . a system may participate in multiple networks with multiple network interfaces in some embodiments . many other variations are possible . in fig2 , an embodiment in which a many core system 200 is connected to a network with network access control ( nac ) is depicted . the system 200 may include several logical machines or logical address spaces as explained previously . in this example , the system includes logical machines that are trusted platform modules ( tpms ) which may serve as roots of trust for storage and reporting ( rts - rtr ), 255 and 265 , a machine for system management ( 235 ), and other machines 275 and 280 . as before , these machines may themselves be implemented directly on hardware cores of system 200 , or as virtual machines that run on a virtual machine monitor . in some embodiments a dedicated machine , packet redirector 210 may be used to redirect data packets within the system at the data link level . internal data links 245 such as data channel 1 , data channel 2 , and data channel 3 interconnect the logical machines of the system internally . the depicted system connects to a network using an interface 215 over a physical channel which may be a wired , optical , radio frequency or other datalink as is known in the art . the policy enforcement point ( pep ) 220 is the entry point of the network and enforces network access control policy as determined by the pdp 225 such as a radius server . the pep routes the connection request in this embodiment to the pdp , which may provision a data channel between system 200 and the network . the pdp in this embodiment may also provide a context for each of the logical machines of the system to interact with the network on a logical data channel with its own identity and security credentials . in order to provision this data channel and the logical channels to the logical machines of system 200 , in this embodiment , an internal process such as random selection is used within the system 200 to select one of the logical machines of the system 205 to act as a host machine . the host machine does not have to be a trusted processor either from the point of view of the pdp or from the point of view of the other machines of the system , but serves as a relaying intermediary between the network and the system 200 . once a host machine is selected , a negotiation between the logical machines of system 200 and the pdp sets up logical control channels such as 290 and 295 to provision the logical data channels between the network and the logical machines of the system . the host machine has the added responsibility of preventing man - in - the - middle redirection of messages provided by the other machines and tunneled through the host &# 39 ; s connection . at least one technique for preventing such redirection is to generate a hash of all the messages provided by the other cores in a hash that is then used to establish session keys for the host tunnel . protection of the “ inner ” logical machines from host tampering may be performed by each machine negotiating session keys directly with the pdp . the session keys may be used to protect provisioning messages from tampering by the untrusted host machine . once the pdp is sufficiently satisfied regarding authentication / status of the inner machines and host machine , the host generates a pre - master key ( pmk ) derived from the hash of “ inner ” messages as described above and supplies it to the network interface ( nic ) where session keys for the data channel may be generated ( e . g . using a 4 - way key exchange or similar protocol ). along with the “ inner ” method material , the pmk key derivation may also include the identity of the many core system . once the pmk key ( and , other keys , including for example , session keys ) are derived , they will be securely stored in a tpm which is accessible to all machines of the many core system . each machine presents appropriate credentials to retrieve , update , and delete these session keys and other security associations . fig3 represents the flow of processing in one embodiment when a many core system boots and connects to a nac network . at boot , the system internally determines a machine to serve as host and a machine to serve as packet redirector , 310 . in one embodiment , the host machine may be selected at random . the machine selected to serve as host opens an encrypted nac session with the pdp of the network , using the pmk and receiving a nonce from the pdp that will be used for the rest of the session , 315 . the host then notifies all the remaining machines in the many core system that a nac session is pending , and forwards the nonce from the pdp to each machine , 320 . each machine then prepares a posture report which indicates its status for a pdp determination of its access privileges . this report is signed by a tpm for the machine and a measurement of the report may be stored in the tpm . the machine also generates its own nonce at 330 . the signed reports and both the pdp and machine nonces from the machines are then relayed to the pdp by the host at 335 . on receiving each report and nonces , the pdp authenticates it at 340 . details of the authentication process are depicted in block 340 a . as depicted in block 340 a , to authenticate a machine from the many core system , the pdp first verifies its own nonce returned with the report at 355 . it then checks that the report signature is valid at 360 . finally , it determines if the machine &# 39 ; s posture is acceptable , at 370 . if all three of these conditions are met , the pdp authenticates that machine , otherwise , authentication fails . after authentication is complete , at 345 , the pdp assigns each machine a trust level and a privilege using a session key for encryption . the final assignment is then forwarded to the packet redirector and policy enforcement point ( pep ) for enforcement . once the signature and nonce with the assignment are validated , 385 , each machine may operate according to its assigned privilege and trust level , 395 . if validation fails at this stage for a machine , the pep and packet redirector operate according to default privilege assignments for an unprivileged machine , 380 . as should be understood by one in the art , the above embodiment represents only one processing flow by which a many core system may be authenticated to a nac network . in some embodiments , not all machines in the many core network may need network access . in others , some of the processing steps may be omitted ; and others added , for example , all machines in the many core system may use a single posture . the various names and acronyms used are for ease of exposition , in general many other terms may be used . for example , a pdp may be referred to as an ras - aaa server ; a pep may be termed a gateway or firewall , and similarly each machine in the many core system may have a specific term . as before , the machines may themselves be physically segregated cores and address spaces or may be virtual machines . not all embodiments may have virtual machines or multicore processors . many other variations are possible . the packet redirector in some embodiments may also be responsible for directing packets between the different logical machines of the many core system . in some embodiments , an a - priori set of filtering rules may control the operation of the packet redirector ; in others , the packet redirector may be configured by the pdp . in a stand alone mode , a many core system may also in some instances serve as a multi - layer secure system with the packet redirector serving as a security kernel for cores operating at different privileges or trust levels . in the preceding description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments , however , one skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . some portions of the detailed description above are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a processor - based system . these algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others in the art . the operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities . these quantities may take the form of electrical , magnetic , optical or other physical signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , and otherwise manipulated . it has proven convenient at times , principally for reasons of common usage , to refer to these signals as bits , values , elements , symbols , characters , terms , numbers , or the like . it should be borne in mind , however , that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities . unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the description , terms such as “ executing ” or “ processing ” or “ computing ” or “ calculating ” or “ determining ” or the like , may refer to the action and processes of a processor - based system , or similar electronic computing device , that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical quantities within the processor - based system &# 39 ; s storage into other data similarly represented or other such information storage , transmission or display devices . in the description of the embodiments , reference may be made to accompanying drawings . in the drawings , like numerals describe substantially similar components throughout the several views . other embodiments may be utilized and structural , logical , and electrical changes may be made . moreover , it is to be understood that the various embodiments , although different , are not necessarily mutually exclusive . for example , a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in one embodiment may be included within other embodiments . further , a design of an embodiment that is implemented in a processor may go through various stages , from creation to simulation to fabrication . data representing a design may represent the design in a number of manners . first , as is useful in simulations , the hardware may be represented using a hardware description language or another functional description language . additionally , a circuit level model with logic and / or transistor gates may be produced at some stages of the design process . furthermore , most designs , at some stage , reach a level of data representing the physical placement of various devices in the hardware model . in the case where conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques are used , data representing a hardware model may be the data specifying the presence or absence of various features on different mask layers for masks used to produce the integrated circuit . in any representation of the design , the data may be stored in any form of a machine - readable medium . an optical or electrical wave modulated or otherwise generated to transmit such information , a memory , or a magnetic or optical storage such as a disc may be the machine readable medium . any of these mediums may “ carry ” or “ indicate ” the design or software information . when an electrical carrier wave indicating or carrying the code or design is transmitted , to the extent that copying , buffering , or re - transmission of the electrical signal is performed , a new copy is made . thus , a communication provider or a network provider may make copies of an article ( a carrier wave ) that constitute or represent an embodiment . embodiments may be provided as a program product that may include a machine - readable medium having stored thereon data which when accessed by a machine may cause the machine to perform a process according to the claimed subject matter . the machine - readable medium may include , but is not limited to , floppy diskettes , optical disks , dvd - rom disks , dvd - ram disks , dvd - rw disks , dvd + rw disks , cd - r disks , cd - rw disks , cd - rom disks , and magneto - optical disks , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , magnet or optical cards , flash memory , or other type of media / machine - readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions . moreover , embodiments may also be downloaded as a program product , wherein the program may be transferred from a remote data source to a requesting device by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link ( e . g ., a modem or network connection ). many of the methods are described in their most basic form but steps can be added to or deleted from any of the methods and information can be added or subtracted from any of the described messages without departing from the basic scope of the claimed subject matter . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many further modifications and adaptations can be made . the particular embodiments are not provided to limit the claimed subject matter but to illustrate it . the scope of the claimed subject matter is not to be determined by the specific examples provided above but only by the claims below .
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it should be understood at the outset that although an exemplary implementation of one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated below , the present system may be implemented using any number of techniques , whether currently known or in existence . the present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations , drawings , and techniques illustrated below , including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein . the preferred embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and related system for customizing a report summarizing the status of a plurality of business process objects ( hereinafter , “ orders ”) within a business workflow . the preferred embodiments enable a user to quickly customize the report by editing data in data store tables , thereby changing how data is summarized for the report . order processing is generally coordinated between several systems by a central workflow manager . generally , a central workflow manager acts as a central clearinghouse to coordinate messages between numerous individual systems . the workflow manager is linked with each system by one or more “ channels ,” which are communications pathways for delivering queued event - based messages between the workflow manager and each system , as well as between different processes within the workflow manager . typically , the workflow manager places an event into a channel , where the event remains until it is retrieved by the target system . the event may have an expiration period , so that it is not enacted if it is not retrieved before a deadline , or may alternately be a guaranteed delivery event , which does not expire . after retrieving and acting on an event , a system may insert another event designated for the workflow manager into a return channel . once the event is retrieved by the workflow manager , the workflow manager may recognize that a certain task has been performed . the workflow manager then addresses the next task in the workflow by placing a subsequent event designated for the next targeted system . events may pass to or from the workflow manager , depending on the system for which they are targeted . essentially , the workflow manager follows a set procedure for notifying various systems of tasks to be performed , receiving confirmation that the events reached their destinations , and following up with subsequent tasks . the workflow manager may process hundreds of thousands of orders per month , each order being sequenced through possibly hundreds of distinct tasks , stages , or states . turning now to fig1 , a block diagram of a system 10 suitable for implementing the present embodiments is depicted . a workflow manager 12 includes one or more servers that receive and send out event - based messages or “ events ,” to communicate between internal processes and a multitude of linked systems . events are associated with transitions of a customer order from one workflow state to another , marking the progress of the order through the workflow . in the setup shown in fig1 , a task such as entering a new order may be performed by a first system 14 . an event may then be placed into a first channel 16 on the workflow manager 12 . the event may remain in the first channel 16 for a period of time until it is retrieved by the workflow manager 12 or it expires . the workflow manager 12 is also in communication with a second system 18 using a second channel 20 and with a third system 22 using a third channel 22 . it will be understood that arrows 16 , 20 , and 24 represent channels and not necessarily physical connections . in the preferred embodiment , the workflow manager 12 is a vitria workflow manager . the workflow manager 12 , the first system 14 , the second system 18 , and the third system 22 each may execute on a general purpose computer system . general purpose computer systems will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter . the event in the channel 16 is typically retrieved by the workflow manager 12 , which then recognizes that a certain task has been performed and that a subsequent action ( e . g ., product shipping ) needs to be taken . assuming that the second system 18 handles tasks associated with product shipping , an event might be placed into channel 20 , where it is retrieved by the second system 18 . this event may trigger an action at the second system 18 , such as a product shipping procedure . the second system 18 may then recognize that it must confirm completion of this action in order for the next step in the workflow to take place , and consequently places a subsequent event , such as “ shipped today ,” into the second channel 20 . once retrieved by the workflow manager 12 , a follow - up event , such as “ order completed ,” may then be placed into the third channel 24 by the workflow manager 12 . the third system 22 may then retrieve the follow - up event and perform an associated task ( e . g ., billing ). as the workflow manager 12 processes events and manages tasks it deposits order state information into a tracking data store 26 . the data in the tracking data store 26 tracks the state and condition of the numerous orders in the system 10 in real - time or near real - time in the present embodiment . a reporting data store 28 is in communication with the tracking data store 26 . the reporting data store 28 is periodically refreshed with copies of the information on the orders and stores this information indefinitely . the reporting data store 28 supports analyzing order histories , analyzing processing trends , and generating reports based on the state information deposited into the reporting data store 28 . a user interface ( ui ) 30 provides control inputs to the reporting data store 28 to cause reports to be generated . the ui 30 also displays the report information . the reporting data store 28 and the ui 30 collectively form a customizable workflow reporter 32 . in the preferred embodiment , the tracking data store 26 and the reporting data store 28 are mocha data stores . the tracking data store 26 and the reporting data store 28 each may execute on a general purpose computer system . the reporting data store 28 may sync with tracking data store 26 for example every 24 hours . the reporting data store 28 has pusql and other stored procedures which may be initiated or triggered , for example , by tasks such as identifying changed records for orders between the reporting and tracking data stores 28 and 26 , respectively ; deleting all matching records from the reporting data store 28 ; and adding new order milestone information including old orders along with new orders . turning now to fig2 , a block diagram provides internal details of the reporting data store 28 . the data received from the tracking data store 26 is stored in a data warehouse 50 . this data is preprocessed and placed into a plurality of datamarts 52 — a first datamart 52 a , a second datamart 52 b , and a third datamart 52 c . the datamarts 52 contain preprocessed data amenable to retrieval by the user interface 30 for display . preprocessing procedures may form a component of each datamart 52 or may be separate components within the reporting data store 28 . preprocessing procedures may also be components external to the reporting data store 28 and may interwork with the reporting data store 28 to provide preprocessed information to the datamarts 52 . a scenario preprocessor 54 for generating data to the first datamart 52 a is depicted as separate from the first datamart 52 a , but other configurations may be employed in alternate embodiments . the scenario preprocessor 54 , for example , in another embodiment may be a component of the first datamart 52 a . in another embodiment , the scenario preprocessor 54 may be a component external to the reporting data store 28 and may interwork with the reporting data store 28 to provide preprocessed information to the first datamart 52 a . the scenario preprocessor 54 includes a milestone definition data store table ( mddt ) 56 , a scenario definition data store table ( sddt ) 58 , one or more milestone mapping procedures 60 , and a scenario preprocessor user interface ( ui ) 62 . the mddt 56 comprises a plurality of entries , records , or rows each of which contains the definition of a milestone . the milestone is the abstract representation of one or more job states or stages . the milestone may organize a plurality of job states or stages into a unity which is more meaningful to an analyst or operator than the uncollected plurality of job states or stages . the definition or details of the milestone may include a milestone name , a from - state identification , and a to - state identification . the milestone is considered to subsume within it all the consecutive states between the from - state and the to - state as well as the from - state and the to - state . for example , suppose a job comprises 100 consecutively ordered states or stages named state 1 , state 2 , through state 100 . suppose a milestone c has a from - state identification of state 20 and a to - state identification of state 23 . then , the milestone c subsumes within it state 20 , state 21 , state 22 , and state 23 . any job processing instance which is in state 20 , state 21 , state 22 , or state 23 is said to be in the milestone c . turning now to fig3 , an exemplary ordered group of job or business process states 80 is shown comprising state s 1 through state s 1000 . some jobs or business processes , for example an order , may comprise either more or fewer job states than the 1000 depicted here . turning now to fig4 , an exemplary mddt 56 is depicted . the mddt 56 is shown to comprise four entries , records , or rows each of which define a milestone 82 — a first milestone 82 a , a second milestone 82 b , a third milestone 82 c , and a fourth milestone 82 d . the first milestone 82 a comprises states s 1 through s 3 . the second milestone 82 b comprises states s 4 through s 7 . the third milestone 82 c comprises states s 8 through s 11 . the fourth milestone 82 d comprises states s 12 through s 1000 . thus , this exemplary job or business process has 1000 distinct stages or states and may be simplified or abstracted to comprise four milestones . the first milestone 82 a , for example , may be named “ initialization .” the second milestone 82 b , for example , may be named “ processing .” the third milestone 82 c , for example , may be named “ analysis .” the fourth milestone 82 d , for example , may be named “ formatting and output .” the milestones 82 need not be stored in order in the mddt 56 . two different milestones 82 defined in separate entries , records , or rows of the mddt 56 may share the same definition . two milestones 82 defined in separate entries , records , or rows of the mddt 56 may have overlapping definitions . for example , a fifth milestone 82 e may be defined by the entry “ ms 5 , s 5 , s 25 ” and a sixth milestone 82 f may be defined by the entry “ ms 6 , s 9 , s 55 ”, where the ordered triple within quotes correspond to the milestone name , the from - state , and the to - state respectively . in this example , the fifth milestone 82 e overlaps the definition of the second milestone 82 b , the third milestone 82 c , the fourth milestone 82 d , and the sixth milestone 82 f . in this example , the sixth milestone 82 f overlaps the definition of the third milestone 82 c , the fourth milestone 82 d , and the fifth milestone 82 e . the milestones 82 may be redefined simply by changing the mddt 56 , such as by executing structured query language ( sql ) commands , or by other means well known to those skilled in the art , to update the reporting data store 28 . similarly , new milestones 82 may be defined by adding new entries , records , or rows to the mddt 56 , such as by executing sql commands in the reporting data store 28 . returning briefly to fig2 , the sddt 58 comprises a plurality of entries , records , or rows each of which contains a milestone identification , a scenario identification , and a scenario element sequence number . by identifying all of the entries in the sddt 58 which share a common scenario identification , a set of milestones associated with the identified scenario is defined . by ordering these milestones according to the scenario element sequence number , a scenario 92 is defined . the scenario 92 may define a preferred view of the job for displaying a report with the user interface 30 . turning now to fig5 , an exemplary sddt 58 a is depicted . the sddt 58 a comprises nine entries , records , or rows — a first sddt record 90 a , a second sddt record 90 b , a third sddt record 90 c , a fourth sddt record 90 d , a fifth sddt record 90 e , a sixth sddt record 90 f , a seventh sddt record 90 g , an eighth sddt record 90 h , and a ninth sddt record 90 i . the sddt records 90 a , 90 b , 90 c , and 90 d define a first scenario 92 a . note that the order of the milestones 82 which comprise the first scenario 92 a is determined by the sequence number designated in the corresponding sddt records 90 . the sddt records 90 e , 90 f , 90 g , 90 h , and 90 i define a second scenario 92 b . note that the order of the milestones 82 which comprise the second scenario 92 b is determined by the sequence number designated in the corresponding sddt records 90 . note that the second milestone 82 b is a constituent of both the first scenario 92 a and the second scenario 92 b , and hence there are two entries , records , or rows in the sddt 58 a identifying the second milestone 82 b — the second sddt record 90 b and the eighth sddt record 90 h . the scenarios 92 may be redefined simply by changing the sddt 58 a , such as by executing structured query language ( sql ) commands to update the reporting data store 28 . similarly , new scenarios 92 may be defined by adding new entries , records , or rows to the sddt 58 a , such as by executing sql commands , or by other means well known to those skilled in the art , in the reporting data store 28 . referring also to fig3 and fig4 it will be understood by those skilled in the art , that given the ordered set of job states 80 , the mddt 56 and the sddt 58 a can be edited to construct any series scenario 92 providing the full range of abstraction , from highest level to lowest level of abstraction . furthermore , any scenario 92 whose milestones are arranged in sequence , e . g ., in series , can be defined without changing code , by modifying the mddt 56 and the sddt 58 a , for example by executing sql commands in the reporting data store 28 . providing for scenarios 92 which include parallel or concurrent scenario segments is discussed hereinafter . returning briefly to fig2 , the milestone mapping procedure 60 aggregates information on jobs or orders based on the definitions of milestones in the mddt 56 . for example , the milestone mapping procedure 60 may determine the number of orders in state s 1 , state s 2 , and s 3 — the three states comprising the first milestone 82 a — and sum these numbers to represent the number of orders in the first milestone 82 a . the milestone mapping procedure 60 also performs a roll - up of information contained in the several states associated with each milestone on an order - by - order basis . for example , the milestone mapping procedure 60 may determine that an exemplary order was in state s 1 from time t 1 to time t 2 , in state s 2 from time t 2 to time t 3 , and in state s 3 from time t 3 to time t 4 . the roll - up of this information will capture that the exemplary order was in the first milestone ms 1 from time t 1 to time t 4 . the milestone mapping procedure 60 processes or executes on a periodic basis . in the preferred embodiment , the milestone mapping procedure 60 processes or executes once per day , but in another embodiment a different execution period may be defined . in one embodiment it may be possible for the scenario preprocessing ui 62 to invoke an aperiodic execution of the milestone mapping procedure 60 , for example after editing the mddt 56 . the results of the milestone mapping procedure 60 are stored in the first datamart 52 a . any earlier changes to the mddt 56 become visible to the customizable workflow reporter 32 after the milestone mapping procedure 60 executes . turning now to fig6 , an alternate embodiment of the sddt 58 b is depicted . the sddt 58 b may be distinguished from the sddt 58 a by the addition of a sname field 150 . the sname 150 field may be employed to create branching scenario paths , providing for parallel or concurrent scenario segments . the sname 150 field provides for an additional dimension of naming , thereby to provide branching scenario paths . entries in the sddt 58 b having different sname 150 values are associated with different parallel or concurrent scenario segments . the milestones 82 which comprise a parallel or concurrent scenario segment share a common sname 150 value and are ordered relative to one another according to the sequence number . turning to fig7 , a scenario 92 c is depicted that is defined in the exemplary sddt 58 b data table shown in fig6 . ms 10 , ms 11 , ms 13 , and ms 15 are depicted as parallel or concurrent milestones 82 because they share the same sequence number but have different sname 150 values . ms 12 is depicted as serial with ms 11 because it shares the same sname 150 value with ms 11 . ms 12 is depicted as following ms 11 because the sequence number of ms 12 is greater than the sequence number of ms 11 . similarly , ms 14 is depicted as serial with ms 13 because it shares the same sname with ms 13 . ms 14 is depicted as following ms 13 because the sequence number of ms 14 is greater than the sequence number of ms 13 . in this embodiment , the addition of the sname 150 field supports the definition of complex , multi - branch scenarios 92 . as described above , the scenarios 92 may be redefined or new scenarios 92 defined simply by executing sql commands in the reporting data store 28 . turning now to fig8 , a report screen 200 which may display on the ui 30 is shown . the scenario 92 is selected using input box 201 . a milestone selector box 202 permits selection of all milestones 82 which form part of the selected scenario or selection of specific milestones 82 from those which form part of the selected scenario . the selected milestones 82 are displayed , as boxes , according to sname 150 and sequence number as shown in fig6 , in the report frame 204 . each milestone 82 box displays a count of orders which are in the states associated with that milestone 82 by the mddt 56 . for example , five orders are shown to be processing in milestone 82 z , “ sims2complete - processed .” an analyst may quickly determine how processing of the scenario 92 is proceeding by examining the report screen 200 . more importantly , if a particular set of defined scenarios 92 does not provide the view of the order processing needed by an analyst , an additional scenario 92 can be generated by defining appropriate milestones 82 in the mddt 56 and defining the desired scenario 92 in the sddt 58 . drill - down views , for example a view which exposes finer details of order processes , are readily created by first defining milestones 82 which provide the level of fine detail desired and then defining the scenario 92 which sequences these milestones 82 in the desired order and structure . the definition of milestones 82 using the mddt 56 , the processing of the milestones 82 by the milestone mapping procedures 60 , the definition of the scenarios 92 using the sddt 58 , and the report screen 200 , in cooperation with the rest of the system 10 , are operable using the customizable workflow reporter 32 provided by the present disclosure . the customizable workflow reporter 32 is easily modifiable which enables improved workflow analysis . the customizable workflow reporter 32 may be used to identify bottlenecks in a workflow and allocate resources to remove the bottleneck , such as deploy additional server systems to process messages and reduce message queue latency for orders . the system 10 described above may be implemented on any general - purpose computer with sufficient processing power , memory resources , and network throughput capability to handle the necessary workload placed upon it . fig9 illustrates a typical , general - purpose computer system suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein . the computer system 380 includes a processor 382 ( which may be referred to as a central processor unit or cpu ) that is in communication with memory devices including secondary storage 384 , read only memory ( rom ) 386 , random access memory ( ram ) 388 , input / output ( i / o ) 390 devices , and network connectivity devices 392 . the processor may be implemented as one or more cpu chips . the secondary storage 384 is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives and is used for non - volatile storage of data and as an over - flow data storage device if ram 388 is not large enough to hold all working data . secondary storage 384 may be used to store programs which are loaded into ram 388 when such programs are selected for execution . the rom 386 is used to store instructions and perhaps data which are read during program execution . rom 386 is a non - volatile memory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity of secondary storage . the ram 388 is used to store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions . access to both rom 386 and ram 388 is typically faster than to secondary storage 384 . i / o 390 devices may include printers , video monitors , liquid crystal displays ( lcds ), touch screen displays , keyboards , keypads , switches , dials , mice , track balls , voice recognizers , card readers , paper tape readers , or other well - known input devices . the network connectivity devices 392 may take the form of modems , modem banks , ethernet cards , token ring cards , fiber distributed data interface ( fddi ) cards , and other well - known network devices . these network connectivity 392 devices may enable the processor 382 to communicate with an internet or one or more intranets . with such a network connection , it is contemplated that the processor 382 might receive information from the network , or might output information to the network in the course of performing the above - described method steps . such information , which is often represented as a sequence of instructions to be executed using processor 382 , may be received from and outputted to the network , for example , in the form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave . the processor 382 executes instructions , codes , computer programs , scripts which it accesses from hard disk , floppy disk , optical disk ( these various disk based systems may all be considered secondary storage 384 ), rom 386 , ram 388 , or the network connectivity devices 392 . while several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure , it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure . the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents . for example , the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted , or not implemented . also , techniques , systems , subsystems and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discreet or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems , modules , techniques , or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . other items shown as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be coupled through some interface or device , such that the items may no longer be considered directly coupled to each but may still be indirectly coupled and in communication with one another . other examples of changes , substitutions , and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein .
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fig3 - 5 show a mounting bracket 100 constructed according to one embodiment of the present invention . a mounting bracket 100 according to the present invention can take a variety of shapes . for example , the mounting bracket may be elongated , such as in the manner shown in fig3 - 7 , or it may comprises a broader plate , as is shown in fig8 - 10 . each mounting bracket 100 of the present invention comprises a mounting contact portion 102 and one or more side portions 104 . the side portions 104 , in a particular embodiment of the invention , are substantially perpendicular to the mounting contact portion 102 . in other embodiments , it is also possible for the side portions 104 to be at a non - perpendicular angle to the mounting contact portion 102 . in one embodiment of the invention , the mounting contact portion 102 and the pair of side portions 104 are formed as a single piece of material , such as aluminum or steel . in other embodiments , it is also possible for the contact portion 102 and the side portions 104 to be formed as separate components which are later coupled together . the mounting contact portion 102 includes a plurality of mounting slots 106 formed therein . the mounting slots 106 are used to couple the mounting bracket 100 to a flat panel display ( not shown ) in one embodiment of the invention . alternatively , the mounting slots 106 may be used to couple the mounting bracket 100 to a wall or other surface in a different embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig3 - 4 , the mounting bracket 100 includes an upper hook 108 and a lower guiding portion 110 on each side portion 104 , which together define a receiving region 112 for first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 ( shown in fig6 a and 6b ). it should be noted that the first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 can comprise separate bars , or they can simply constitutes different portions of the same component . the upper hook 108 defines an upper indentation 118 for receiving the first retaining portion 14 . the upper hook 108 is formed on each of the side portions 104 at substantially the same position . each upper hook 108 and / or guiding portion 110 may be formed as one piece with the rest of the mounting bracket 100 or , alternatively , each upper hook 108 and / or guiding portion 110 may comprise a separate component which is coupled to the mounting bracket 100 in the appropriate position . the guiding portion 110 , which is positioned below the upper hook 108 in one embodiment of the invention , includes a longitudinal surface 120 . the longitudinal surface 120 may comprise the same type of material as the rest of the mounting bracket 100 and may be welded to the pair of side portions 104 or fastened in other conventionally - known manners . the guiding portion 110 may also terminate at a slight indentation 111 sized for receiving a retaining portion , as is discussed below . both the upper hook 108 and the guiding portion 110 are spaced apart from each other at a distance such that the first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 of the type shown in fig1 , 2 , 6 ( a ), 6 ( b ) and 7 can fit therebetween . more particularly , when properly mated , the first retaining portion 14 fits snugly within the upper hook 108 , while the second retaining portion 16 rests on the guiding portion 110 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , for each side portion 104 , the upper hook 108 includes one or more upper ramping surfaces 122 on the outside thereof . each upper ramping surface 122 is formed as part of the side portions 104 in one particular embodiment of the invention . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , the upper ramping surface 122 is formed as one or more separate component , which are then coupled to the mounting bracket 100 at a desired location . in the embodiment shown in fig3 - 7 , the upper ramping surface 122 includes a gradual but noticeable curve as it approaches a lower profile , recessed portion 124 of the side portion 104 . however , it should also be noted that each upper ramping surface 122 can possess various levels of curvature , or it could have no curvature at all . similarly and according to one embodiment of the present invention , for each side portion 104 , one or more lower ramping surfaces 126 are positioned immediately below the guiding portion 110 . each lower ramping surface 126 is formed as part of the side portions 104 in one particular embodiment of the invention . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , each upper ramping surface 126 is formed as one or more separate component , which are then coupled to the mounting bracket 100 at a desired location . in the embodiment shown in fig3 - 7 , each lower ramping surface 126 includes a gradual but noticeable curve as it approaches the lower profile , recessed portion 124 of the side portion 104 . however , it should also be noted that each lower ramping surface 126 can possess various levels of curvature , or each lower ramping surface 126 could have no curvature at all . according to the present invention , each upper ramping surface 122 and each lower ramping surface 126 are angled such that , if a mount is incorrectly aligned either the first retaining portion 14 will contact an upper ramping surface 122 or the second retaining portion 16 will contact a lower ramping surface 126 . fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ) show two such scenarios where misalignment occurs . in fig6 ( b ), the flat panel display and mounting bracket 100 or brackets are positioned too low relative to the mount . in this scenario , the receiving region 112 accepts the first retaining portion 14 therein . however , as the flat panel television or other device moves toward the mount , the second retaining portion 16 comes into direct contact with the lower ramping surfaces 126 . as a result of this contact , the flat panel television cannot be oriented substantially upright relative to the floor , and the lower ramping surfaces 126 will cause the mounting bracket 100 or brackets ( and the attached flat panel television ) to slide along the lower ramping surface 126 . therefore , the installer is provided with a clear indication that the flat panel television or other device is not correctly positioned for mounting . because the installer &# 39 ; s view of the mount and the mounting bracket 100 or brackets is blocked by the flat panel display , this feature provides the installer with valuable information which otherwise may not be available to him or her . it should be noted that the term “ ramping surface ” as discussed herein should not be interpreted as requiring that the surface in question be angled by any specified amount relative to other components . instead , this term should be understood as only requiring some form of offset that would inform a user of a misalignment as discussed herein . fig6 ( a ) shows the scenario where the flat panel display and mounting bracket 100 or brackets are positioned too high relative to the mount . in this scenario , the receiving region 112 accepts the second retaining portion 16 therein . however , as the flat panel television or other device moves toward the mount , the first retaining portion 14 comes into direct contact with the upper ramping surfaces 122 . as a result of this contact , the flat panel television cannot be oriented substantially upright relative to the floor , and the upper ramping surface 122 will cause the mounting bracket 100 or brackets ( and the attached flat panel television ) to slide along the upper ramping surfaces 122 . therefore , the installer once again is provided with a clear indication that the flat panel television or other device is not correctly positioned for mounting . fig7 is a perspective view of a representative mounting system 200 where two mounting brackets constructed according to the present invention are correctly attached to the first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 . in the mounting system of fig7 , two mounting brackets 100 are used and are configured to cooperatively support a flat panel television or display . however , it is also possible to use fewer or more mounting brackets 100 depending upon the size of the flat panel television being supported . it is additionally possible for the mounting brackets 100 to support devices other than flat panel televisions as necessary or desired . still further , it is also possible for the mounting brackets 100 to be secured to a wall , while the remainder of the mounting system 200 is secured to the back of a device . it is also possible for the mounting bracket 100 or brackets comprise intermediate interface members which do not directly attach to the back of the device . for example , the mounting bracket 100 or brackets can attached to another interface member , which in turn couples direct to the back of a device . in the mounting system 200 of fig7 , the mounting brackets 100 have correctly accepted the first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 . the first and second retaining portions 14 and 16 are operatively connected to each other via a plurality of retaining portion plates 202 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 , two of the retaining portion plates 202 are rotatably connected to a base plate 204 via a plurality of rolling pins 206 . however , it should be noted that other components , such as gliders ( not shown ), may also be used to effectuate this connection . furthermore , it is also possible for this connection to be fixed and not capable of any rotation at all . the base plate 204 can be coupled to a wall mounting plate ( not shown ) for securement to a wall or other mounting surface ( not shown ). alternatively , the base plate 204 can be directly secured to the wall or other mounting surface . fig8 shows a mounting bracket 300 constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention . the mounting bracket 300 of fig8 is similar to the mounting bracket 100 of fig3 - 7 . however , the mounting bracket 300 of fig8 includes a substantially larger mounting contact portion 102 than that shown in fig3 - 7 . additionally , it should be noted that the upper and lower ramping surfaces 122 and 126 are substantially straight in nature and include no substantial curvature . fig9 shows a mounting bracket 400 constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention . unlike the embodiments shown in fig3 - 8 , the mounting bracket 400 of fig9 does not include any side portions whatsoever . instead , the upper and lower ramping surfaces 122 and 126 are formed directly out of the top and bottom of the mounting contact portion 102 . it should be noted that the upper and lower ramping surfaces 122 and 126 can also be formed from separate components which are then coupled to the mounting contact portion 102 . fig1 shows a mounting system 500 constructed according to still another embodiment of the present invention . the mounting system 500 of fig1 includes a screen mounting plate 502 that is used to couple a display unit 504 to an interface assembly 506 . the interface assembly 506 includes upper ramps 122 and lower ramps 126 as discussed above , and is also configured to attach to a wall plate 508 which attaches to a wall ( not shown ). in this embodiment , retaining portions 510 are formed from the wall plate 508 . fig1 shows another mounting system 600 comprising a similar embodiment of the present invention . the foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the present invention . for example , all of the individual items which together make up a mounting bracket 100 may be formed from a single piece of material , or they can be formed as different components which are subsequent coupled to each other using conventional processes . it is also possible for various components to be rotated by ninety degrees , i . e ., so that the side portions 104 are located on the top and bottom of the mounting bracket 100 , for example . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the present invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .
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the apparatus for transporting a passenger shown in the figures includes a generally rectangular frame 10 defining two side rails 101 , 102 , a front cross member 103 and a rear cross member 104 . the frame includes a rear back rest 105 against which the seated rider reclines . a seat 11 formed for example of fabric sheets applied over the frame tubes is provided on the frame 10 for at least one passenger ; a generally horizontal front axle 12 is connected to the front cross member by a platform 121 fastened to the front rail 103 by a mounting 122 and fixed against side to side and front to rear tilting . the front axle includes a pivot coupling 123 for rotation of the axle relative to the platform 121 about a vertical steering axis . generally symmetrically there is provided a horizontal rear axle 13 which is connected to the rear cross member 104 by a platform 131 fastened to the rear rail 104 by mounting brackets 105 and fixed against side to side and front to rear tilting . the rear axle includes a pivot coupling 133 for rotation of the axle relative to the platform 131 about a vertical steering axis . the platforms provide a downwardly facing surface against which the axle slides as it rotates . two transversely spaced front support members in the form of skis 15 , 16 are attached to the axles 12 , 13 for movement therewith and for supporting the axles for movement across a support surface such as the ground , snow , ice or water . the axles 12 and 13 provide steering movement of the skis 15 , 16 operated by a pair of steering levers 17 , 18 each on a respective side of the frame for operation by the passenger in forward and rearward movement of the steering lever . each lever has a steering link 171 , 181 extending from the lever to the front axle for causing steering movement of the front axle relative to the frame . the levers are mounted at respective sides of the frame and pivotal at the frame about an axis 182 parallel to the axles . a first diagonally extending flexible connecting link or brace 19 extends from a right hand end 125 of the front axle to a left hand end 135 of the rear axle and a second diagonally extending flexible connecting link 20 extends from a left hand end 126 of the front axle to a right hand end 136 of the rear axle so that operation of the levers causes the front skis to turn in one direction while the rear skisturn in the opposite direction . the front axle includes a first single coupling 123 allowing steering movement of the front axle 12 relative to the frame in a wagon steering mode as shown in fig9 and includes two second couplings 127 , 128 allowing individual steering movements of the support members relative to the front axle in a vehicle steering mode as shown in fig8 . symmetrically the rear axle includes a first single coupling 133 allowing steering movement of the rear axle relative to the frame in a wagon steering mode and includes two second couplings 137 , 138 allowing individual steering movements of the support members relative to the rear axle in a vehicle steering mode . each of the skis of the front axle is mounted on a support link 30 , 31 which is connected to the front axle 12 by one of the second couplings and the steering link 171 extends from the lever 17 to the support link 30 and symmetrically the steering link 181 extends from the lever 18 to the support link 31 . there is provided an arrangement for selecting either the first single coupling or the two second couplings to change the steering modes . this comprises inserting a locking pin 21 , 22 at the support link 30 and removing a locking pin at the axle 12 and wherein the selection of the vehicle steering mode is obtained by removing a locking pin at the support link 30 and inserting a locking pin 25 at the axle . the rear axle operates symmetrically with pins 26 , 27 , 28 . when skis are used as shown in fig3 d and 3e , each of the skis includes a longitudinally extending blade 151 , 16 therein extending along a central line of a concave under surface 152 of the ski . the skis are replaceable so that a selection can be made between wheels and a float assembly ( fig8 ). in fig8 , each float assembly comprises a tube 50 arranged horizontally under the respective axle with a guide fin 51 longitudinally of the respective float assembly for guiding movement over water longitudinally . each of the float assemblies 50 includes outwardly extending paddle members 52 each arranged to paddle rearwardly on the surface when moved rearwardly such that rotational steering movements of the floats 50 cause alternate paddling actions of the paddle members to propel the frame forwardly over the surface . that is the paddle members 52 are arranged to paddle against the surface in the rearward direction and to side over the surface a forward direction as shown at 53 . as shown in fig3 c , the link 30 is generally l - shaped with a leg 301 to which the ski is attached and a leg 302 to which the steering link 171 is attached . in addition a connecting link 303 extends across between the link 30 and the link 31 on the opposite side for maintaining a common steering angle between the skis . referring now to fig3 a , 3b and 3c , the operation of the device is as follows : these two plates ( front and rear ) attach to a snap on sled frame as shown on fig2 and 4 . once the plates are attached to the sled frame the front plate will pivot sideways to give the sled a smooth ride and the rear plate is rigid , this will stabilize the sled . the skis , pontoon type skis and the tube attach to piece number iv - 6 . these attachments will enable the devices to move up and down to further give the sled a smoother ride . by simply moving one bolt ( 2 or 3 ) in each plate you have two types of steering . two axle automobile type steering see fig1 and 2 two axle wagon type steering is shown in fig4 and 5 . one can add on propulsion adaptor adaptors systems to this steering design as shown in fig4 a and 5a whereupon the propulsion system is activated by just pumping the steering handles . to get only front steering just remove the two cables . to stabilize the rear plate holes 1 , 2 and 3 must have bolt in them . a brake 60 is provided and comprises a blade 61 for engaging the ground or snow cover in the centre between the skis and a handle 62 operable by the seated passenger at one side or both sides of the frame and pulled into a retracted position by a spring 63 . the length of the arm carrying the blade is extendible to allow the operator to select a required length in respect of the surface over which the vehicle is travelling . the rear platform 131 includes a rear panel 13 r extending behind the rear axle between the rear skis for a second passenger to stand on . due to the sled &# 39 ; s unique steering and propulsion mechanism system , when the rider moves the handle the other handle moves simultaneously in the other direction setting off a chain of events that makes the sled turn in a circular motion . the front control board 121 is connected to the front axle 12 . they pivot each other because they are connected to the bolt and nut 123 . the pivoting axle 12 is connected to the pivoting arm which is connected to the frame 10 . the pivoting arm enables the platform 121 to pivot two different ways sideways and up and down . the rear platform 131 is connected to the rear pivoting board and pivots relative to each other by means of the ( a ) bolt and nut . the rear platform pivots up and down unless otherwise locked when connected to the frame 10 . the steering handles 17 , 18 are connected to the frame and connection pipe which is connected to the steering arm 171 which is connected to the unit control pipe 303 and the criss - cross control cables 19 , 20 . all five sled snap - on adapters function on the same operating principles to steer and propel the sled . to propel the sled forward , one must pump the handles by pushing them forward and backward . this handle pumping action will enable paddles 60 shown in fig4 a and 6a to push the sled forward , while simultaneously moving the other paddles in the forward motion and they in turn will move the sled forward . the paddles hinge at the top 61 so that when pushed rearwardly by the steering handles they are fixed with the steering and the rear movement pushes the vehicle forwards . on the return stroke the paddles pivot rearwardly and therefore feather relative to the surface on which the vehicle is carried so as to provide no rear propulsion . the paddles 60 are blades when used in water or snow and can be spiked when used on ground or ice . since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described , and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from the scope , it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense .
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reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the present disclosure , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . while described in conjunction with these embodiments , it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the disclosure to these embodiments . on the contrary , the disclosure is intended to cover alternatives , modifications and equivalents , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims . furthermore , in the following detailed description of the present disclosure , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure . however , it will be understood that the present disclosure 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 not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present disclosure . specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures . like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency . in the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description . in the following embodiments , an embodiment is described for an approach to modular solar panel installation and removal that provides quick and efficient removal while maintaining stability and security during operation . as depicted in fig1 , an exemplary system 100 is depicted for coupling a plurality of rectangular solar collecting panels , in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . in one or more embodiments , the plurality of panels ( e . g ., panels 101 , 103 , and 105 ) may include solar panels , each being implemented as one or more solar cells . composition of the solar cells may vary according to various implementation , and may include ( but are not limited to ): crystalline - silicon solar cells , thin - film solar cells , amorphous - silicon solar cells , or a combination of two or more compositions , for example . the panels may be electrical solar panels in one embodiment . in one or more embodiments , the solar panels ( 101 , 103 , 105 ) may be mounted to a roof , other relatively flat surface , or open structures such as a carport or ground - mounted array . mounting may be performed by affixing portions of a panel ( e . g ., a panel frame ) to mounting points 107 . the mounting points 107 may be implemented as hinges or other vertical outcroppings and configured to be fastened to a mounting system installed ( typically with a flashing ) into the roof . in one embodiment , mounting points 107 may be positioned to correspond to the location of rafters or other secured points in a building or establishment . as shown in fig1 , the perimeter of each panel includes one or more channels 111 . these channels can , in various embodiments , be implemented as grooves along entire ( or substantial portions of ) lengths of the exterior surface of the panel &# 39 ; s frame , allowing for the free movement and positioning of elements within the channels . the channels may themselves be disposed along any of a side , top , or bottom surface of the frame , or a combination of surfaces . in one or more embodiments , panel splices 109 may be freely positioned along the channels on opposite sides of two or more adjacent panels , to provide rigidity , panel alignment , and a grounding path between panels . according to further embodiments , a separate channel or groove may be used to position the mounting point 107 at the designed location . as depicted in fig1 , three solar panels ( 101 , 103 , 105 ) are arranged in series according to a horizontal configuration . such a configuration is purely exemplary , and it is to be understood that embodiments of the claimed subject matter are well suited to varying configurations and orientations . panels may be configured in arrays in one ( a row of panels ) or two ( a grid of panels ) dimensions , for example . as depicted in fig2 , an exemplary configuration 200 of a panel splice and frame is depicted , in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . fig2 depicts a cross - section of a panel 201 . the panel 201 includes a frame 202 . as depicted , the frame includes a first channel 203 , and a second channel 205 . as shown in fig2 , the first channel 203 may be used as a connection channel , and used to allow panel splices 209 to move along the channel into position to mechanically couple the panel to an adjacent panel , and / or out of position in order to decouple a pair of adjacent panels , for example . the second channel may be used to position a mounting point ( e . g ., mounting point 107 of fig1 ). according to further embodiments , the second channel can also be used to secure , or allow the movement and / or passage of various channel accessories . these channel accessories may include , for example , a series of cable clips fastening a plurality of cables together ; an extra splice to reinforce or support a coupling of two adjacent panels ; an electrical box , solar optimizer , micro inverter attachment , safety device , or performance enhancement device used during the process to convert absorbed solar energy into electricity , etc . as depicted in fig2 , panel splice 209 is shaped as a ridged bar . panel splice 209 may be composed of metal , or any other high density and / or rigid composition capable of supporting the weight of two adjacent solar panels . while depicted as a ridged bar in fig2 , panel splice 209 may be variously shaped , according to different embodiments . for example , panel splice 209 may also be shaped as a plate , rod , slider , beam , bolt , or other composition with a substantially straight profile . in alternate embodiments , the panel splice 209 may be shaped with a ( slight ) arched profile , such that the top of the arch crests at a location between two adjacent panels , and increasing the support provided by the splice 209 . in still further embodiments , the splice 209 may be shaped as any number of polyhedrons , not specifically limited to cylinders ( rods ). for example , embodiments may be well suited for implementations that impart a trapezoidal polyhedron shape to the panel splice 209 . also as depicted in fig2 , panel splice 209 may be fastened at a position in the channel and the frame using a fastening mechanism 207 . fastening the panel splice 209 to the frame may be performed by adjusting a fastening mechanism 207 in an aperture through the panel splice 209 . the fastening mechanism 207 may be implemented in a variety of manners , including , but not limited to : a bolt ; a cam , a screw ; an interference fit fastener ; a threaded fastener ; a tapered threaded fastener ; a cone - threaded fastener ; a ball - tipped fastener ; a spring - loaded fastener ; a pin ; and a tapered spring fastener ; or any other device that may be inserted through an aperture in the splice 209 and adjusted until movement of the splice is substantially prevented . in one or more embodiments , the panel splice 209 may include multiple apertures , either implemented as complete through - holes , or raised ridges ( or depressions ) that correspond to similar structures or protrusions on one or more surfaces of the channel that assists in the guidance of the panel splice 209 into proper positioning . alternately , a spring pin in the splice 209 and a corresponding pin hole in the interior surface of the channel can be implemented and used as an indication when the splice 209 is properly positioned . in further embodiments , the spring pin , when positioned within the pin hole also is configured to secure the splice in place . while fig2 depicts a fastening device 207 being inserted through an aperture in a side surface of the splice 209 , according to alternate embodiments , the aperture for fastening the splice 209 may be located on a top surface , and fastening the aperture to the frame or a spacer component ( described below ) may be performed from a position above the panel 201 and splice 209 . fig3 depicts an exemplary configuration 300 of a panel 301 with a pair of panel splices ( splices 309 , 311 ), in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . panel 301 is depicted with an encircling frame 303 that includes two channels , channels 305 , 307 . each channel is fitted to secure the movement of corresponding panel splices 309 , 311 . as shown in fig3 , a first panel splice 309 is operable to travel the length of the top channel 305 , along the interior of the channel 305 . a second panel splice 311 is operable to travel the length of the bottom channel 307 , with a surface on an exterior of the channel 307 ( and frame 303 itself ). a dual splice system may be used to provide additional load - bearing support or rigidity , for example . in one or more embodiments , one or more of the splices may also be equipped with one or more friction - reducing elements , so as to allow smoother movement along a channel . the friction - reducing element may be one of several possible implementations that include , but are not limited to : a surface finish ; a surface coating ; a surface plating ; a plurality of surface grooves to reduce contact with channel surfaces ; a plurality of other raised elements ( e . g ., bumps ); embossing ; encasing in a low - friction polymer ; adhesion to a low - friction tape , etc . fig4 a - 4 c depict cross - sections of varying exemplary panel frames , in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . fig4 a depicts a cross - section of an exemplary panel frame 401 a with three channels ( 403 a , 405 a , 407 a ). fig4 b depicts a cross - section of an exemplary panel frame 401 b with two channels ( 403 b , 405 b ). fig4 c depicts a cross - section of an exemplary panel frame 401 c with one channel ( 403 c ), in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . as described above with respect to fig1 - 3 , one or more of the channels in each frame ( 401 a , 401 b , 401 c ) may be used to transport , or position , one or more module splices to a location between two adjacent panels to provide structure , support , and a grounding path . remaining , unoccupied channels may be used for various purposes as described herein . as depicted in fig5 , a cross - section 500 of an exemplary panel frame 501 and panel splice 509 is depicted with a shelf configuration 511 , in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . as shown in fig5 , the panel frame consists of three channels , one closed channel 503 , and two exterior facing open channels 505 , 507 . a panel splice 509 , depicted in fig5 to include a shelf 511 may be inserted — at a corner of the panel frame 501 , for example — into the lower channel 507 . subsequently , the panel splice 509 may be moved along the channel 507 until a portion of the panel splice 509 extends at least partially into a corresponding channel 507 in an immediately adjacent panel . in this manner , a portion of the panel splice 509 may protrude into channels 507 for both panels , with the panel splice 509 bridging a space between the panels . the portion protruding into each channel 507 may then be affixed to each panel ( via each respective frame , for example ) thereby aligning the panels , and providing rigidity and support to the panel array . a shelf 511 as depicted in fig5 may be able to provide additional support and rigidity to the structure by preventing a slight dip or any other misalignment between adjacent panels . fig6 a and 6 b depict cross - sections ( 600 a , 600 b ) of an exemplary panel frame 601 and panel splice 609 . each of fig6 a and 6 b depict panel frames 601 in a three channel configuration , including a closed back channel 605 , a lower , open front channel 603 , and an upper open front channel ( occupied by the splice 609 ). in one or more embodiments , one or more channels of a panel frame 601 may be equipped with securing features to allow the secure movement of a panel splice 609 along the channel . these features may include , for example a bolstered edge ( 613 ) that corresponds to a dovetail feature 615 of the panel splice 609 . such a configuration secures the splice within the channel while still allowing free movement along the channel . fig6 a depicts an adjustable fastening mechanism 611 a at a less secured position . fig6 b depicts the adjustable fastening mechanism 611 b at a more secured position . while the claimed subject matter is well suited to other embodiments , the fastening mechanisms 611 a and 611 b are depicted in fig6 a and 6 b as bolts that are inserted through apertures in side surfaces of both the panel splice 609 and a wall in the back channel 605 . fastening the splice 609 into a current position may thus be performed by inserting the fastening mechanism into an initial position ( e . g ., 611 a ) and tightening the fastening mechanism to secure the splice 609 into place at a final position ( e . g ., 611 b ). while fig6 a depicts a side - oriented fastening embodiment , the apertures may also ( or instead ) be positioned on top surfaces of the panel splice 609 and frame 601 a , 601 b , such that the fastening device may be inserted through the apertures in the top surfaces and secured also from the top . removal of top - fastened splices may be performed in these embodiments also from a position above the panels , thereby providing greater access to fastening mechanisms of installed panels arranged in tightly spaced , two - dimensional arrays . fig7 depicts an exemplary illustration 700 of a plurality of panels ( 701 ), each panel having an encircling frame ( 703 ), in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . the panels 701 may be mechanically coupled to each other with panel splices 709 positioned along channels in the top and bottom edges of the frames 703 surrounding the perimeters of the panels 701 , as described above . as depicted in fig7 , each panel 701 includes a pair of integrated electrical connection interfaces . in one or more embodiments , the electrical connection interfaces may include a reception interface 705 configured to mechanically and electrically couple ( via a plurality of pins , for example ) with a connection interface 707 . in one or more embodiments , coupling a reception interface 705 of a panel ( e . g ., 701 ) with the connection interface 707 of a neighboring panel ( e . g ., 703 ) establishes an electrical path between the panels , e . g ., to conduct the flow of electricity along the configuration of panels . as depicted in fig7 , each electrical connection interface may be positioned to protrude from a side surface of a panel frame , and such that the reception interface of a panel is on an opposite side surface of the connection interface . in this manner , the reception interface of a panel is always aligned to couple with a connection interface of a neighboring panel , and vice versa . by having an integrated electrical connection interface in the panels themselves , conventional approaches that require sub - surface wiring underneath the panel can be avoided , such that removal of panels may be performed more easily , with greater access to the electrical path , and with less risk of exposing or damaging wiring during removal procedures . the electrical connection may be disengaged by decoupling the reception interface 705 from the connection interface 707 . in one or more embodiments , disengagement of the electrical connection interfaces may be performed using a release feature 711 . the release feature may , in some embodiments , be implemented to include a mechanical release of one or more engagement features used to couple the electrical connection interfaces together . the engagement features may , in some instances , be implemented as : a spring action element ; a clasping element ; a latch element ; a twist element ; and / or a cam element , each of which , when the mechanical release is activated , releases the engagement between the connection interface 707 and the reception interface 705 . in one or more embodiments , the release feature 711 may be activated by hand ( e . g ., toggling a button or lever ). in further embodiments , the release feature 711 may be activated with a general or specialized tool . fig8 depicts an exemplary illustration 800 of a plurality of coupled panels ( 801 ), each panel having an encircling frame ( 803 ), in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . as depicted in fig8 , the panels 801 correspond to the panels 701 described above with respect to fig7 . the panels 801 are depicted in a coupled state , whereby a pair of panel splices 809 are positioned in channels along the top and bottom edges of the frames 803 , and affixed to the frame . as depicted in fig8 , a roughly equivalent proportion of each splice may extend into a channel of each panel . the splices may be affixed to the frames via fastening mechanisms along the top and / or side surfaces , as variously described herein . in one or more embodiments , spacer components 805 may be placed between panels , in order to provide a clearance between the pair of adjacent panels 801 and to allow access to a release feature 811 of an electrical connection 807 . in one or more embodiments , the spacer components 805 may be implemented to include a channel , aligned with the one or more channels of the panel frames 803 , and configured to allow a panel splice 809 to travel through the spacer channel . in other words , the spacer channel may act as a channel bridge in the space between the panels . particular implementations of the spacer components 805 can vary widely across embodiments . these implementations may include , but are not limited to : a clamp ; a washer ; a bolt ; a shelf ; a full or partial cross - section of a frame ; or any such component configured to align against an exterior ( outwardly facing ) surface of a frame 803 of a panel 801 and to provide a clearance between two adjacent panels 801 . in one or more embodiments , the panel splices 809 may be fastened to a desired position through the spacer components 805 . for example , a fastening mechanism ( such as fastening mechanism 611 a , 611 b described above with respect to fig6 a and 6 b ) may be fastened to the panel splice 809 through an aperture in the top or side surface of the spacer component 805 . in alternate embodiments , tightening of the fastening mechanism may be performed through an aperture in the panel splice 809 , with the fastening mechanism gaining access to contact the panel splice 809 through an aperture in the top or side surface of the spacer component 805 . according to such embodiments , the fastening mechanism may or may not itself be fastened to the spacer component 805 . fig9 depicts an exemplary illustration 900 during the removal of a middle panel of a sequence of three panels ( 901 a , 901 b , 901 c ), in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . as depicted in fig9 , each panel has an encircling frame ( 903 ). as depicted in fig9 , the panels 901 a , 901 b , 901 c correspond to the panels 701 and 801 described above with respect to fig7 and 8 . as shown in fig9 , panel 901 b may be removed by unfastening the panel splices 909 and moving ( sliding ) the panel splices 909 out of the channels in the frame 903 of the target panel 901 b . unfastening the panel splices 909 may be performed by removing or deactivating a fastening mechanism used to affix the panel splice 909 to a frame 903 and / or a spacer component 913 . for example , a bolt may be loosened through an aperture in either the side or top surface of a panel splice 909 and at least one of a frame 903 and a spacer 913 the panel splice 909 is affixed to . in one or more embodiments , the panel splices 909 may be moved further into the channels of the adjacent panels 901 a , 901 c , such that an entirety or a substantial portion of each panel splice 909 is in the neighboring panels , with little to no portion of the splice remaining in the panel 901 b to be removed . in one or more embodiments , the panel splices 909 may be moved through the spacer components 913 with sufficient clearance as to allow the removal of the spacer components 913 from between the panels . in still further embodiments , a spacer component 913 may be removed ( e . g ., by removing a top - oriented fastening mechanism ) without disturbing the placement of the panels on either side of the spacer component 913 . fig1 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary process 1000 for coupling a plurality of panels . steps 1001 - 1011 describe exemplary steps comprising the process 1000 in accordance with the various embodiments herein described . at step 1001 , a panel is affixed to a mounting system . affixing the panel to a mount may be performed by , for example , fastening a mounting point against a frame of the panel , and to the mounting system itself . according to various embodiments , the mounting point may be configured to freely travel a length of a side of the frame of the panel within a first channel or groove in the frame until a desired position is reached . the mounting point may then be fastened against the frame to secure the panel to the mounting system . at step 1003 , a second panel is positioned next to the panel affixed to the mounting system . the second panel may be positioned linearly in a serial alignment with respect to the first panel , as part of a one or two dimensional array of panels , for example . once positioned , a spacer is positioned between the two panels ( step 1005 ). in one embodiment , the spacer is positioned to align with the exterior surface of the frames of the adjacent panels along the edge of one side of the frames . a panel splice is then inserted into a second channel of one of the panels at step 1007 . according to alternate embodiments , the panel splice may be inserted into a second channel of the first panel prior to the positioning of the second panel at step 1003 . once the panel splice is inserted into a second channel in the frame of either the first or second panel , the panel splice can be moved along the second channel of one or both panel frames and the spacer at step 1009 until a target position is reached . in one embodiment , the target position is achieved when the panel splice extends into the second channel of both panel frames in substantially equivalent proportion . in further embodiments , bumps , spring - pins or other guiding elements ( with corresponding apertures , grooves ) may be used to guide the panel splice into proper positioning , indicate the splice is in the correct position , and further secure the splice in place . once the target position of the splice is achieved , the splice can be fastened at step 1011 , e . g ., via a fastening mechanism through a side and / or top surface of the splice , whereby the splice is affixed into its present position and to the spacer , at least one of the pair of adjacent panels , or any combination thereof . steps 1005 to 1011 are then repeated for an opposite edge of the pair of adjacent panels , whereby a second spacer is inserted between the panels , a second splice is inserted , positioned , and fastened into a target position . in further embodiments , each panel may further include an electrical connection interface that is configured to electrically and physically couple when a pair of adjacent panels are positioned and aligned . in one embodiment , positioning the splice at the target position ( e . g ., step 1009 ) aligns the panels , and may position the electrical connection interfaces of each panel to automatically couple . in further embodiments , the alignment of the panels provided by the splice also prevents terminals ( e . g ., pins ) of the interface from being damaged . once splices on both opposite edges are fastened into position , and the electrical connection interfaces between the pair of panels is engaged , installation is completed for that pair of panels . a next panel in the series can be installed , adjacent to the second panel , by performing steps 1003 to 1011 for the panel , and for each subsequent panel in the series . fig1 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary process for removing a panel between a plurality of adjacent panels , in accordance with various embodiments of the claimed subject matter . steps 1101 - 1011 describe exemplary steps comprising the process 1000 in accordance with the various embodiments herein described . at step 1101 , panel splices are unfastened for a target panel between a pair of panels , with a panel being located on either side of the target panel . panel splices may be unfastened by loosening ( and / or removing ) a fastening mechanism affixing the splices to the frame of target panel and each of the two neighboring panels . at step 1103 , the splices along a top edge of the panels are moved in a channel along the frames of each of the target panel and the two neighboring panels such that no ( substantial ) portion of any splice remains in the channels of the target panel . this may be performed by , for example , shifting the splice so that an entirety or substantial majority of the splice extends into the channels of the neighboring panels , and away from the channel of the target panel . movement of the splices is repeated at step 1105 for the splices in the channels along the bottom edge of the panels . once the splices are completely disengaged from the target panel along both the top and bottom edge , electrical connectors coupling the target panel to electrical connectors in each of its neighboring panels are also disengaged at step 1107 . disengaging the electrical connectors may be performed , for example , by activating a release element in the electrical connector that automatically releases , or allows a manual separation of the electrical interfaces coupled together to form the electrical connection . at step 1109 , the target panel is unfastened from the mounting system ( if necessary ), by detaching or unfastening the target panel from a mounting point . thereafter , the target panel is no longer attached to either of the adjacent panels mechanically or electrically , and any attachment to the mounting system is removed as well . finally , the target panel may be removed at step 1111 . 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 .
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fig1 illustrates a front isometric view of an interconnect cassette 300 configured to be mated with a separate and discrete sensor bezel 302 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the interconnect cassette 300 includes a housing 304 defined by side walls 306 , a top surface 308 , a base 310 , a rear wall 312 and a jack interface 314 . the jack interface 314 includes a plurality of receptacle jacks 370 and sensor strip pin receptacles 316 positioned to the side of the receptacle jacks 370 . the receptacle jacks 370 each have a channel 386 along one side thereof and are configured to receive plugs 18 ( as shown in fig2 ) on patch cords 10 . fig2 illustrates a side sectional view of a portion of a patch cord 10 formed according to an embodiment of the present invention . the patch cord 10 includes an insulated cable 14 and a plug 18 retained in a boot 22 . the cable 14 extends to a first network component ( not shown ) that , by way of example only , may be a server , interconnect module or another interconnect cassette 300 . the cable 14 contains several signal wires ( not shown ) that may , by way of example only , be shielded or unshielded and made of fiber optics or copper . a probe wire 26 extends from the cable 14 to a sensor probe 30 . the sensor probe 30 may be positioned generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the plug 18 . the sensor probe 30 has a probe head 98 extending outward from the boot 22 . a flexible prong 38 extends from a front end 42 of the plug 18 rearward at an acute angle with respect to a bottom surface 36 of the plug 18 and is configured to retain the plug 18 within the interconnect cassette 300 . referring again to fig1 the receptacle jacks 370 are arranged in two rows ( a and b ) each having six receptacle jacks 370 . rows a and b of receptacles jacks 370 are stacked . optionally , the jack interface 314 may have more or less than two rows of receptacle jacks 370 . further , more or less than six receptacle jacks 370 may be included within each row . additionally , the sensor strip pin receptacles 316 may be positioned above or below the rows a and b of receptacle jacks 370 depending on the location of the sensor strip pins 342 on the sensor bezel 302 . the interconnect cassette 300 may be connected to a network connection component such as a patch panel , a wall mounted box , a floor box , or any number of other network connection structures ( not shown ). mounting features , such as fastener holes 343 , are provided in the jack interface 314 to allow the interconnect cassette 300 to be mounted into a rack unit ( not shown ) or other such organizational and support structure . the interconnect cassette 300 connects the receptacle jacks 370 to corresponding wires , a printed circuit board , a flexible circuit , a lead frame , or the like within the housing of the interconnect cassette 300 as opposed to directly connecting each receptacle jack 370 to a corresponding structure within another network connection . the wires electrically connected to the receptacle jacks 370 may be bundled inside the interconnect cassette 300 and electrically connected to a signal input / output ( i / o ) interface 320 ( as shown below with respect to fig3 and 4 ). the signal i / o interface 320 may then be connected to a cable or other connection route ( such as cable 311 ), which in turn is electrically connected to a network component or connection 313 , such as a patch panel . because the wires from the receptacle jacks 370 are bundled within the interconnect cassette 300 and subsequently routed to corresponding features in the signal i / o interface 320 within the interconnect cassette 300 , there is no need to route numerous cables and wires from the interconnect cassette 300 to the network component 313 . rather , a single cable , such as cable 311 , may house a plurality of wires and connect the interconnect cassette 300 to the network connection 313 . optionally , the receptacle jacks 370 may be electrically connected to a flexible or printed circuit board ( not shown ) within the interconnect cassette 300 that is , in turn , electrically connected to a signal input / output interface 318 located at the front or rear of the interconnect cassette 300 . the sensor bezel 302 includes a frame 324 defined by horizontal frame members 326 formed integrally with vertical frame members 328 . the frame 324 includes a front face 330 , a cassette interface surface 332 and a column of strip pins 342 located on one of the vertical frame members 328 . portions of the cassette interface surface 332 ( for example , the edges of the cassette interface surface 332 ) may be beveled , notched or ribbed such that the cassette interface surface 332 engages corresponding structures in the jack interface 314 to allow the sensor bezel 302 to be snapably , latchably , removably , or otherwise securably retained by the jack interface 314 of the interconnect cassette 300 . optionally , the sensor bezel 302 may be securably retained by the interconnect cassette 300 without the use of glue or other such adhesives . the strip pins 342 extend outwardly from the cassette interface surface 332 and may optionally be formed on one of the horizontal frame members 326 ( as a row ) or on the other vertical frame member 328 . also , optionally , strip pins 342 may be positioned on more than one of the vertical and horizontal frame member 328 and 326 ( so long as they correspond to strip pin receptacles formed within the interconnect cassette 300 ). a sensor strip 334 , attached to each vertical frame member , spans longitudinally across the sensor bezel 302 in a parallel relationship with the horizontal frame members 326 . the sensor bezel 302 may be molded with , stamped onto , or otherwise integrally formed with the frame 324 . alternatively , the horizontal frame members 328 may include slots configured to receive and retain support tabs formed as terminal ends of the sensor strip 334 . that is , the sensor strip 334 may be removable from the frame 324 . two open jack cavities 336 are defined between the horizontal frame members 326 and the sensor strip 334 and are configured to allow plugs 18 to pass therethrough . the jack cavities 336 allow plugs 18 of the patch cords 10 to mate with the receptacle jacks 370 as described below . as shown in fig1 the sensor strip 334 is a flexible circuit having conducting pads or sensor contacts 340 , as commonly used as a connection sensor with interconnect modules ( such as interconnect module 600 shown in fig5 ). the sensor contacts 340 are electrically connected to corresponding strip pins 342 extending outwardly from the cassette interface surface 332 . the sensor contacts 340 may be electrically connected to the corresponding strip pins through traces ( an exemplary trace , which is under the surface of the sensor strip 334 and vertical member 326 , is shown by line 341 ) that may be formed within or on the sensor strip 334 and the frame 324 . the sensor bezel 302 is received and retained by the interconnect cassette 300 . the interconnect cassette 300 includes features that allow the strip assembly 302 to snapably , latchably or otherwise securably mount to the jack interface 314 of the interconnect cassette 300 . the sensor bezel 302 is mounted to the interconnect cassette 300 without the use of glue or other such adhesives . the sensor bezel 302 may be quickly and efficiently mounted to ( and removed from ) the interconnect cassette 300 through snapable , latchable or other such matable engagement between the jack interface 314 and the cassette interface surface 332 . also , the strip pins 342 may be securably retained by the strip pin receptacles 316 so that the strip assembly 302 is securably positioned on the jack interface 314 of the interconnect cassette 300 . as the sensor bezel 302 is mounted to the jack interface 314 in the direction of the dashed lines , the strip pins 342 are received and retained by the strip pin receptacles 316 . the strip pins 342 are then electrically connected to contacts ( not shown ) within the strip pin receptacles 316 , which are in turn electrically connected to a sensor input / output ( i / o ) interface 318 or insulated displacement contact ( idc ) assembly 322 ( as discussed below with respect to fig3 and 4 ) through internal traces , wires , or the like . the sensor i / o interface 318 or idc assembly 322 may then be in electrical communication with a sensing component 317 within or discrete from the network component 313 through a cable 315 or other such electrical path . when the sensor bezel 302 is securably mounted to , and consequently in operative connection with , the interconnect cassette 300 , the receptacle jacks 370 may receive the plugs 18 of the patch cords 10 such that the flexible prongs 38 are retained in the channels 386 and biased toward the bottom surface 36 of the plugs 18 . the resistance of the flexible prongs 38 against the channels 386 retains the plugs 18 within the receptacle jacks 370 . optionally , the flexible prongs 38 may include a latch feature that joins a corresponding latch feature in the channel 386 . when the plugs 18 are fully received in the receptacle jacks 370 , the probe heads 98 contact and electrically engage corresponding sensor contacts 340 . when the plugs 18 are inserted into corresponding receptacle jacks 370 , the sensor probes 30 align with and engage corresponding sensor contacts 340 on the sensor strip 334 , thereby enabling sensor signals to pass in either direction between the plug 18 and interconnect cassette 300 . optionally , instead of a pin and socket configuration , the sensor bezel 302 may be compressibly connected to the interconnect cassette 300 . for example , instead of the pins 342 and the receptacles 316 , the sensor bezel 302 may include an array of insulators and conductors . the insulators may be longer or higher than the conductors . when the array is sandwiched between the sensor bezel 302 and interconnect cassette 300 , however , the insulators may be compressed to the length or height of the conductors . when the sensor strip 334 is operatively connected to the interconnect cassette 300 , a pin or other such element , such as the sensor probe 30 , on the plug 18 or patch cord 10 contacts the sensor strip 334 if the plug 18 is fully mated into a corresponding receptacle jack 370 . in particular , the sensor probe 30 of the plug 18 contacts a sensor contact 340 when the plug is fully mated into the receptacle jack 370 . upon full mating of the plug 18 into the receptacle jack 370 , an electrical circuit is formed between the plug 18 and the sensor contact 340 by virtue of the sensor probe 30 contacting the sensor contact 340 . the sensing component 317 detects this electrical circuit as a connection between the plug 18 and its corresponding receptacle jack 370 . if , however , the plug 18 becomes dislodged from its corresponding receptacle jack 370 , the sensor probe 30 no longer contacts the sensor contact 340 . thus , the electrical circuit is broken and the sensing component 317 senses that a connection is not present between the plug 318 and its corresponding receptacle jack 370 . the information regarding connections is relayed to a processing unit ( not shown ), which in turn may display connection information to an operator or overseer . fig3 illustrates a rear isometric view of an interconnect cassette 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the rear wall 312 of the interconnect cassette 300 includes a sensor input / output ( i / o ) interface 318 and a signal input / output ( i / o ) interface 320 . the sensor i / o interface 318 electrically connects to the strip pin receptacles 316 through electrical traces , cables , wires , circuit boards or the like . similarly , the signal i / o interface 320 electrically connects to the receptacle jacks 370 through electrical traces , cables , wires , circuit boards or the like . thus , the interconnect cassette 300 may connect to a patch panel , or other network connection structure , such as network component 313 , through an electrical cable , such as cable 311 , that bundles a plurality of signal wires and connects them to an i / o interface on the network component 313 . similarly , sensor information is relayed to a sensing component 317 through a cable 315 that connects the sensor i / o interface 318 to an interface on the sensing component 317 . fig4 illustrates a rear isometric view of an interconnect cassette 300 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention . instead of the sensor i / o interface shown in fig9 the interconnect cassette 300 may include an idc assembly 322 that may communicate with a corresponding assembly of a sensing component 317 . united states patent application entitled “ receptacle and plug interconnect module with integral sensor contacts ,” filed jun . 18 , 2002 , attorney docket 17862us1 ( mhm no . 13761us01 ), listing pepe et al . as inventors (“ the pepe application ”), discloses a connector assembly having sensor contacts integrally formed with a housing of the connector assembly . the pepe application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . the pepe application discloses an interconnect module having a plurality of sensor contacts integrally formed thereon . the sensor strip 334 shown above with respect to fig1 may include the sensor contacts shown in the pepe application , instead of the flexible strip 338 . each contact sensor , or conducting pad of the contact sensor , is electrically connected to the strip pins 342 by way of traces 341 or similar electrical paths . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the sensor strip 334 and the sensor i / o interface 318 or the idc assembly 322 may be connected together by a printed circuit board that extends through the housing 304 of the interconnect cassette 300 . the printed circuit board has electronic traces that extend along the length thereof and that are connected to the sensor strip receptacles 316 . the printed circuit board may include signal conditioning circuits , an identification id code unique to each receptacle jack 370 , and / or processing components that analyze and identify the type of plug inserted . the interconnect cassette 300 and separate sensor bezel 302 confer several benefits . first , the interconnect cassette 300 utilizes individual sensor contacts 340 positioned proximate each receptacle jack 370 . the sensor contacts 340 are retained individually within the front face of the sensor bezel 302 and are connected to the sensor pins 316 through traces 341 , or the like . thus , the sensor contacts 340 directly connect to the sensor probes of the plugs 18 . the sensor contacts 340 are separate and discrete from one another thereby allowing easy removal and replacement of the plugs 18 from the receptacle jacks 370 without disconnecting other plugs 18 from receptacle jacks 370 that are not being replaced / removed . that is , only the sensor strip 334 needs to be removed , while the sensor bezel 302 and the plugs remain in place . also , if sensor contacts 34 - are faulty , only the sensor bezel 302 needs to be replaced ( as opposed to the entire interconnect cassette 300 ). further , the sensor strip 334 of the sensor bezel 302 may be removable so that only the sensor strip 334 or individual sensor contacts 340 needs to be replaced . finally , the sensor contacts eliminate the need for fixed lengths of cable and multiple connectors to connect sensor pads to the sensor wires , thus saving time and space . embodiments of the present invention may be used with various applications including modular jacks . for example , the present invention may be used to electrically or fiber optically connect components . while the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .
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most electronic devices within an image related system include a semiconductor image sensor functioning as an image capturing device as shown . the image sensor can be a ccd or a cmos image sensor . most image and video compression algorithms , like jpeg and mpeg have been developed in late 1980s &# 39 ; or early 1990s &# 39 ;. the cmos image sensor technology was not mature then . the ccd sensor has inheriting higher image quality than the cmos image sensor and has been used in applications requires image quality like scanner , high - ended digital camera or camcorder or surveillance system or the video recording system . an image sensor is to capture the image by measuring the amount of red photons , green photons and blue photons by either using ccd , a charge coupled device or a cmos image sensor array . an image sensor cell comprising of no matter a ccd or a cmos image sensor , can capture only one color by each cell as shown in fig1 by applying one of the three color filters 17 on top of the sensor cell . each pixel of a cmos active - pixel image sensor contains not only the photo - detector element , a photo diode 16 or a photo gate but also active transistor circuitry , or said an amplifier for readout of the pixel signal . the bigger the pixel , the more light it can collect . thus , big - pixel sensors work best under low - light conditions . for the same number of pixels , bigger pixels result in a bigger chip , which means higher cost . for allowing only a selected color photons to punch the predetermined location of an image sensor die , a specific color filter pattern or sequence of filters can be designed . the bayer cfa pattern coming out of one row of rgrgrgrg . . . followed by the next row of gbgbgbgb . . . was invented long ago at kodak and is a repeating 2 × 2 arrangement 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 has been widely adopted . another prior art of the image capturing with a semiconductor image sensor is shown in fig2 has been granted a u . s . pat . no . 5 , 965 , 875 . this figure is an example of p - type substrate 27 with three well layers which used to form photo diode with capability of capturing and storing variable colors . these three wells include n - well 26 on p - substrate for capturing red photons , p - well 25 on the n - well which captures green photons and another n - well 24 on the p - well which captures the blue photons . the three wells form three vertical photo diodes and represent three color capturing devices with each having corresponding color filters , blue color filter 21 , green color filter 22 and red color filter 23 on top of it . drawbacks of the u . s . pat . no . 5 , 965 , 875 include : complex and expensive semiconductor process of additional three wells which require more masks and more process layers . relatively larger image sensor cell size per pixel : since it implements three color filters on top of a cell , the area size is larger than conventional ones . even the quality has sharply improved compared to conventional one color per pixel , the cost of implementation and cell size still have room to improve . fig3 depicts the semiconductor image sensor 31 which can be made of ccd 33 or cmos 32 materials . a cmos image sensor array is formed like a memory array with each location of row or column can be randomly accessed . and each image sensor cell can capture one color 34 , 35 can provide an amplified image information . the ccd image sensor is different the cmos sensor . the colors captured sensor cells 37 , 39 . . . can be transferred seriously to the next cell till the end of row / column by two non - overlapping clocks 36 , 38 . as shown in fig4 , the present invention of the method and device of the efficient image capturing improves the drawbacks of prior arts including quality enhancement of capturing 3 colors per image sensor cell simple semiconductor process small sensor cell size : achieving low cost multiple color filters 43 , 44 , 45 are designed and can be placed on top or all image sensor cells 41 , 42 . . . . only one selected color filter is placed on top if the image sensor at the scheduled time . for example , red , green and blue are designed to be the selected three color filters . in the application of the color image scanner as an example , firstly , the red filter 48 is placed on top of the image sensor to let only the red light penetrate through the red color filter and hit the image sensor array , the photo diodes 47 , then , the image sensor circuit reads out the red color information . in the second scheduled time slot , the green filter 49 is placed on top of the image sensor to let only the green light penetrate through the green color filter and hit the image sensor array , the photo diodes 47 , afterward , the image sensor circuit reads out the green color information . in the third scheduled time slot , the blue filter 46 is placed on top of the image sensor to let only the blue light penetrate through the blue color filter and hit the image sensor array , the photo diodes 47 , afterward , the image sensor circuit reads out the blue color information . by applying three color filters in scheduled time and placing on top of image sensor as above mechanism , each image sensor cell can hence capture three color components in seriously scheduled timing . fig5 illustrates the structure of the image sensor for this invention of the efficient image capturing , which can be a ccd sensor or a cmos sensor . the photo diode 52 , the image sensing element , is formed on top of the semiconductor substrate 51 . an opaque layer 53 is formed on top of the area between two photo diodes to block light penetrating to the substrate . for attracting more lights , the micro - lens 54 is formed above the substrate by a predetermined distance 55 which is proportional to the area of the sensing photo diode . placing a selected color filter to be placed on top of the image sensor at a scheduled time can be replaced by another method of applying color filter made of thin film material which is turning on and off electrically as shown in fig6 . the image sensing photo diode 62 is formed on top of the semiconductor substrate 61 . the electrically on - off controlled thin film color filters 63 , 64 , 65 are placed on upper layers of the image sensor and been isolated by insulation layers 66 . the insulation material can be glass or plastic with good polarization effect to avoid reducing the energy of light . in some applications , like digital camera , video camcorder requiring high speed of changing the color filters , an accurate timing controller 67 is designed for turning on and off the thin film color filters in a precisely determined timing . fig7 shows the timing and corresponding procedures of this invention of the efficient image capturing . each image capturing procedure is divided into three phases of red phase 71 , green phase 72 and blue phase 73 . each phase of a selected color capturing and processing includes a couple of procedures of placing color filter , readout color signal , digitization and image processing and reset . the 1 st procedure is placing color filter 74 letting the selected color of light shoot to the image sensor , the readout sensor information which conducts the photo diode to a source follower circuit with amplification and place the output to a column node . the readout signal will be converted to digital format by an analog - to - digital - converter , adc for image processing including gamma correction , white balance , auto exposure . . . . when all procedures are done , a reset signal turns on the transistor to discharge all charges stored in the photo diodes . fig8 depicts the readout circuitry of the sense amplifier . a photo diode 81 captures the photons and forms positive voltage conducts to the gate of the source follower device 83 which amplifies the photo signal . the output of the source follower connects to the row select device 84 of each column 85 and the output voltage on the column will be converted to digital signal by an adc , analog - to - digital - converter for further image processing . the present invention of the efficient image capturing enhances the image quality by capturing multiple colors , for example said red , green and blue in each image sensor cell be placing the corresponding color filter on top of the image sensor in a scheduled time . it will be apparent to those skills in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or the spirit of the invention . in the view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .
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a pullout guide 1 comprises a guide rail 2 , which is fixable on a side grating in , for example , an oven , a side wall of an oven , or on a furniture body . a middle rail 3 is mounted so it is movable via roller bodies 6 on the guide rail 2 . the middle rail 3 is used to mount a slide rail 4 . at least two , or , for example , three runways 9 for roller bodies 6 are on the guide rail 2 and the slide rail 4 for mounting the rails 2 , 3 , and 4 . the roller bodies 6 are held as a unit in a roller body cage 7 . furthermore , a total of at least four runways , or , for example , eight runways 8 for roller bodies 6 are on the middle rail 3 . at least two runways 8 are assigned to the guide rail 2 and at least two runways 8 are assigned to the slide rail 4 , respectively . two clamps 5 are fixed on the guide rail 2 for fastening the pullout guide 1 on , for example , a side grating of an oven . other fasteners or fastening points can also be provided on the guide rail 2 . the pullout guide 1 is provided on the externally accessible region , that is , on the outer side of the guide rail 2 and the slide rail 4 , with , for example , a ptfe - containing coating , or polytetrafluoroethylene - containing coating . a frontal stop 10 , which is fastened on the slide rail 4 , is also coated on its externally accessible regions with a ptfe - containing coating , for example . a holding pin 11 is also equipped with a ptfe - containing coating , for example . the clamps 5 are also equipped with a ptfe - containing coating , for example . the inner side of the slide rail 4 and the guide rail 2 , on which the runways 9 for the roller bodies 6 are implemented , does not have a coating . the middle rail 3 , which is arranged completely in the inner region of the pullout guide 1 when the slide rail 4 is arranged in the retracted position , also has no coating , at least in the region of the runways 8 . the runways 8 can thus be formed by the material of the rails 2 , 3 , and 4 . the runways 8 and 9 are typically produced from a bent steel sheet . easy cleaning is made possible on the outer side by , for example , a ptfe - containing coating on the rails 2 and 4 on the outer side . the pullout guide 1 can thus be used in an oven , a high running quality being achieved over a long service life . an upper pullout having three rails 2 , 3 , and 4 is shown in fig1 to 3 . an embodiment having at least three rails as a complete pullout is within the scope of the present disclosure . it is also to implement the pullout guide as a partial pullout having only two rails , without the middle rail 3 , or having more than three rails . in addition to the ptfe - containing coating , the pullout guide can also have a peek - containing coating , a pfa , or perfluoroalkoxy - containing coating , and / or an inorganic - organic hybrid - polymer - containing coating . the pullout guide shown in fig1 to 3 is first assembled to form a unit , according to a method of the present disclosure . both the assembly method of the present disclosure and also the coating method can be completely automated . fig4 and 5 show the sequence of a first method , according to the present disclosure , for producing a pullout guide 1 in the form of a complete pullout . the shaping or provision of a plurality of components identified with numerical descriptions 2 - 11 , is performed in a first step 101 . this is performed , for example , by stamping and bending a metal strip . this is followed by a step 102 , in which a treatment of the surface is performed by abrasive blasting to set a surface roughness . this setting can be specified by specifying one or more fixed parameters . these parameters can , for example , be the pressure at which the blasting medium leaves a corresponding blasting nozzle and / or the distance of the blasting nozzle from the surface to be treated . the blasting medium is not dry snow or ice . an abrasive treatment , among others , such as , for example , abrasive blasting , in contrast to smoothing , results in the increase of the surface roughness . thus , the average and the maximum roughness depths in relation to an untreated surface , an overall roughened surface texture is provided and , for example , protruding corners and burrs are eroded simultaneously . the roughening of the surface improves the adhesion of the coating subsequently to be applied . the coating can “ claw ” into the provided surface structure . an intimate connection results between the surface and the coating , and the risk is therefore reduced that components or elements of the coating will detach from the surface . the coating becomes more resistant in relation to mechanical attacks , for example , by scrubbing pads or sharp objects . in step 103 , cleaning is performed by removing the blasting medium from the surface , for example , from the rails 2 - 4 . this may be performed by suctioning or blowing off the blasting medium . in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure , the pullout guide can also be flushed using a cleaning fluid . in step 104 , assembly of the individual components , with numerical designations 2 - 11 , to form the pullout guide 1 is performed . the individual components 2 - 11 are plugged together and subsequently limited in their movement path by introducing notches or embossments into the rails 2 - 4 . subsequently , the surface is freed of production residues in a further cleaning step in step 105 . this can , for example , be performed by a cleaning fluid . the cleaning in this step is , for example , not performed by abrasive cleaning methods , so as not to cause a change of the surface roughness after step 102 . the non - abrasive cleaning methods include , among others , non - abrasive blasting methods , ultrasonic cleaning , plasma cleaning , laser cleaning , steam cleaning , and chemical cleaning . for example , step 105 can be carried out in an alkaline cleaning medium under ultrasonic action . furthermore , one or more flushing steps using demineralized water can follow , until a neutral ph value has resulted . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the cleaning of the surface in step 105 can be followed by drying of the pullout guide 1 in step 106 . a first decision stage a can control whether or not drying is necessary as a function of the cleaning method . following the cleaning according to step 105 or the drying according to step 106 , the coating of the pullout guide 1 is at least sectionally performed in step 107 . any high - temperature - resistant plastic comes into consideration , for example , mixtures containing pfa , peek , and / or ptfe . these solutions can be dispersed in a fluid , for example , water , and subsequently applied to the surface of the pullout guide 1 by lacquering or spraying . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that an inorganic - organic hybrid polymer can be applied at least partially to the surface of the pullout guide 1 in a sol - gel method . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that other modes of application can also be used , depending on the type of the applied plastics . thus , for example , mixtures containing peek and pfa can be applied in a spraying method , for example , by plastic flame spraying . the coating is followed in step 108 by drying of the applied coating , in which the fluid vaporizes and only the dispersed plastic particles remain on the surface of the pullout guide 1 . depending on the type of the applied coating and the application method , burning - in of the coating material into the surface of the pullout guide can be performed in a step 109 . the burning - in is carried out at 250 - 500 ° c . the burning - in time lasts a few minutes up to several hours depending on the temperature . for example , residual moisture is removed and a homogeneous polymer layer is implemented during the burning in . following the burning in , lubrication or application of lubricant to the pullout guide 1 is performed in step 110 . the lubricant , like the applied coating composition , has to be high - temperature - resistant up to a temperature of at least 250 ° c . for the use of the pullout guide 1 in the field of ovens . furthermore , the lubricant must be approved for the field of food . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that step 110 , for example , the application of lubricant , can also follow directly after the drying in step 108 . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that tempering can also be performed in step 111 following the drying in step 108 . the tempering may , for example , be performed at a temperature above 200 ° c . tempering according to step 111 may , for example , be performed if an inorganic - organic hybrid polymer is provided as the coating . tempering could be performed , for example , by slow heating to the target temperature over 3 to 7 hours . the target temperature of , for example , 500 ° c . is maintained over 30 to 120 min . slow cooling to ambient temperature is then performed . the tempering can be carried out in a first tempering step 111 a in a nitrogen atmosphere , the coating additionally being compacted . the anti - adhesive effect of the coated surface can advantageously be improved by the tempering step in an oxygen - poor , nitrogen - rich atmosphere . such a surface is additionally more elastic and can absorb impacts on the pullout guide 1 . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that tempering can be performed in an air atmosphere with a mass proportion of approximately 20 - 25 % o 2 in the air , in a second tempering step 111 b , the coating being at least partially oxidized , whereby greater hardness and scratch resistance is produced , for example , in an inorganic - organic hybrid polymer coating . this scratch resistance can within the scope of the present disclosure , be increased , in that a third tempering step 111 c is performed in oxygen - rich atmosphere and having an o 2 mass proportion greater than 25 % in the air , for example , at approximately 650 - 750 ° c . the treatment of the coated component after the drying in step 108 can be controlled . a second decision stage b can be provided for this purpose , which regulates a step sequence directly after the drying . thus , steps 109 , 110 , and 111 a - c can directly follow step 108 . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the second decision stage b can be automated , it being decided at least on the basis of one measurement parameter after the drying according to step 108 whether burning - in or a tempering step is necessary . the layer thickness , the hardness , and / or an interfacial tension can , for example , be ascertained as actual values and compared to predefined target values . if the actual values correspond to the target values , the coated pullout guide 1 can , for example , be provided with lubricant directly in step 110 and subsequently can be packaged . otherwise , for example , with inorganic - organic hybrid polymers , tempering can be performed by one or more tempering steps 111 a - c or , in the case of peek , pfa , and ptfe , burning - in can , for example , be performed according to step 109 . the step sequence can be set by a third and a fourth decision stage c and d in such a manner that the oxygen supply and / or the temperature are increased step - by - step or continuously . that is so that the tempering is initially performed in oxygen - poor , nitrogen - rich atmosphere at approximately 500 ° c . over multiple hours and is subsequently performed in oxygen - rich atmosphere and / or at 700 ° c . over 10 - 30 min . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the third and fourth decision stages c and d can also be automated and can be performed by determination of at least one actual value and comparison to a target value , for example , the hardness , the layer thickness , or the interfacial tension . the transition from at least one oxygen - poor , nitrogen - rich tempering step 111 a to one of at least two oxygen - rich tempering steps 111 b , 111 c or step 110 of lubricating the pullout guide is subsequently regulated . in addition , the decision stages b - d can also regulate the duration of each tempering step . subsequently , a quality control of pullout guide 1 is performed in a further step 112 . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that parameters can be ascertained during the quality control , which can be used to control the tempering and burning - in steps , for example , the temperature , the duration , and the oxygen content during the burning - in or tempering of the coating of the pullout guide 1 . fig6 and 7 show an embodiment of a method sequence , which differs from the preceding embodiment essentially in that the treatment of the surface to set the surface roughness according to step 102 is performed with the pullout guide 1 in the assembled state . after step 101 , that is , the provision or shaping of the components 2 - 11 , the assembly of the pullout guide 1 is performed in step 104 . since the setting of the surface roughness may , for example , be performed using sandblasting , isolated surfaces of the pullout guide 1 are initially masked after the assembly . during masking according to step 113 , a protective layer is applied against the abrasive treatment , for example , over the runways 8 and 9 of the pullout guide 1 . this protective layer can have a wax - like consistency , for example , which at least damps the velocity of the blasting medium before it strikes the runways 8 , 9 or entirely prevents the striking , so that erosion of material from the surface of the runways 8 , 9 is no longer possible . this is followed by step 102 , that is , the setting of the surface roughness , roughening of the surface being performed by abrasive blasting using a blasting medium . step 103 relates to the removal of the blasting medium from the surface and can advantageously be combined with step 105 , a further cleaning step for removing production residues . this is followed by optional step 106 , the drying of the pullout guide 1 . the pullout guide 1 is now provided with a coating in step 107 and subsequently processed further similarly to the method described in fig4 and 5 . fig8 and 9 describes an alternative method according to the present disclosure , in particular for the pre - treatment of the surface of the pullout guide 1 before coating step 107 . the shaping of the individual components 2 - 11 of the pullout guide 1 , the assembly of the pullout guide 1 , and finally the cleaning of the pullout guide 1 are initially performed similarly to fig6 and 7 in the method sequence of steps 101 , 104 , 105 . this method sequence may be already carried out completely automatically for uncoated pullout guides 1 . in accordance with the present disclosure , an optional drying according to step 106 of the pullout guide 1 can be performed following the cleaning . after the cleaning according to step 105 or the drying according to step 106 , the coating of the pullout guide 1 with a porous basecoat is performed in a step 114 . this basecoat increases the surface roughness . while material - removing or abrasive methods were described in fig4 - 7 , a material application is performed in the preparation for the coating , before step 107 , in this embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure . the porous basecoat acts as a type of adhesion promoter between the actual coating , which is subsequently applied , and the typically metallic surface of the fitting 1 . for example , with fluoropolymers , such a porous basecoat has proven to be advantageous and improves the adhesion of ptfe , for example . the basecoat can advantageously be implemented as a hard coating , so that in addition to increasing the surface roughness of the fitting 1 , it also ensures an increase of the scratch resistance . for example , silicon carbide or silicon nitride are suitable as porous hard material coatings . they form a suitable basecoat for a coating using an inorganic - organic hybrid polymer , since the inorganic - organic hybrid polymer is based on a silicon - oxygen framework . after the application of the basecoat according to step 114 , a cleaning step 115 of the surface of the pullout guide 1 is optionally performed . this can , for example , be performed by a cleaning fluid . if this is the case , a step 116 of drying the surface can , within the scope of the present disclosure , follow cleaning step 115 . a sixth decision stage f connected downstream from cleaning step 115 ascertains the residual moisture of the surface and , subsequently thereto , supplies the pullout guide 1 either to a drying facility or directly to a further coating facility , which applies the actual coating to the surface of the pullout guide 1 in step 107 . as needed , cleaning step 115 can be performed or coating 107 can be performed directly . a fifth decision stage e regulates which of the two method steps is to be carried out after the application of the basecoat , that is , after step 114 . further method steps 108 - 112 , which can be carried out similarly to the embodiment in fig4 and 5 , follow the coating of the pullout guide 1 in step 107 . within the scope of the present disclosure , as an alternative to the method described in fig8 and 9 , a surface roughness can also be preset by abrasive treatment before the application of a basecoat in step 114 . this advantageously increases the adhesion of the basecoat . according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , a measurement of the surface roughness is performed after the surface treatment according to step 102 and / or 114 . if the surface roughness proves to be inadequate , the method step of surface treatment , for example , the abrasive blasting , is to be repeated . this measurement of the surface roughness can , for example , be performed in the continuous production method by a laser measurement . fig1 and 11 show an embodiment of a method sequence in accordance with the present disclosure which essentially differs from the preceding embodiment , explained on the basis of fig4 , in that instead of the roughening of the surface by abrasive blasting , processing of the surface by brushes 117 is performed . larger irregularities of the surface are eroded and a surface having a maximum roughness depth of , for example , less than 7 μm being able to be produced . the method step of cleaning is required during the treatment of the surface due to the surface treatment by brushing . in contrast to the case of sandblasting , no foreign materials or residues , for example , blasting medium , remain on the surface . additional wet - chemical cleaning of the surface can , for example , be performed in addition to the brushing . through the surface treatment , for example , by brushing , the adhesion of the coating on the surface is improved in relation to an untreated surface of the same material . the brushing 117 may , for example , be performed by processing by rotating brushes from three sides , for example , by metal brushes whose contact pressure on the surface is individually settable . the shape of the brushes may , for example , be concave , in order to also reach corner regions of a rail profile , for example . furthermore , however , no stamping is performed in step 101 , the shaping , so that an endless profile results , which is isolated in a later processing step ( not shown ) before the assembly 104 of the components 2 - 11 to form the pullout guide 1 . the brushing is carried out using a brushing machine , in which one or more brushing stations are arranged . a total of three brushes , for example , may be used per brushing station . the brushing is , for example , performed on the outer surfaces of the rails 2 , 3 , 4 of a pullout guide 1 , that is , on the surfaces which are perceived by the observer of a respective rail 2 , 3 , 4 in the case of a pullout guide 1 in the retracted state . an endless profile is guided in the feed direction through the brushing station . two brushes stand opposite to one another in a brush assembly of the brushing station and allow the surface processing from diametrically opposite lateral external surfaces of the endless profile . for example , the brushes each execute a linear movement toward the endless profile . a third brush for processing an upper side of the endless profile executes a second linear movement , for example , perpendicular to the plane of the first linear movements and the feed direction . the brushes are arranged on a shared linear carriage , which has a defined travel path . the movement of the linear carriage is performed , for example , via a servomotor , the contact pressure of each individual brush being individually settable . multiple brush assemblies can also be arranged on one linear carriage . the speed of the brushes is settable via frequency rectifiers to implement a uniform profile on all sides of the endless profile . the brushes are each operated by a separate drive . at least “ matte gloss ” according to din 67530 is ensured on the surface by the brushing 117 . during the brushing , the profile is freed of longitudinal grooves , which can already be present in the starting material and are only removable with difficulty using means known from the prior art . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that , as an alternative , the surface is cleaned by treatment with ultrasound 118 , a liquid medium being applied to the surface of the components 2 - 11 and subsequently ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the liquid medium by an ultrasound generator with the aid of a sonotrode . these ultrasonic waves result in the formation and implosion of gas bubbles because of cavity effects in the liquid medium , whereby adhering contaminants are eroded from the surface of the component . in an embodiment of the present disclosure that includes cleaning by brushes , the feed velocity of the profile or the component is at least twice the feed velocity of the brushes . a high gloss without brushing and at least matte gloss with brushing can , within the scope of the present disclosure , be achieved on the surface by the treatment using ultrasound 118 . the treatment using ultrasound 118 and the brushing 117 are performed in a an embodiment of the present disclosure on an endless profile . the isolation of the endless profile to form components of a pullout guide 1 ( not shown ) being performed subsequently to the treatment using ultrasound 118 . such an embodiment is advantageous , since it is easily possible to guide an endless profile in a manufacturing facility in the production process . the cleaning process in the ultrasound station can be controlled by ascertaining the profile brilliance . this is performed by regulating the feed velocity of the profile and the vibration amplitudes . the degree of soiling , a further criterion for the quality of the cleaning method , can subsequently be determined by a wiping test . a soft cloth is rubbed over the profile surface and the degree of soiling is determined visually . in embodiments of the present disclosure , the cloth does not have any perceptible soiling . improved corrosion resistance , for example , surface corrosion resistance , in relation to untreated profiles was proven by a 96 hour salt spray test . an evaluation was performed after 16 hours , 24 hours , 72 hours , and 96 hours . since the components used in the assembly of the components 2 - 11 to form the pullout guide 1 are already precleaned , for example , high - gloss components , additional cleaning 105 , as shown in fig1 and 13 , is also possible within the scope of the present disclosure . according to decision stage g , alternatively to the cleaning 105 and the optional drying 106 , immediate coating 107 can also be performed , for example , if , during the assembly or the isolation ( not shown ) of the components 2 - 11 , no chips or other contaminants are found on the surfaces of the components 2 - 11 . the metallic gloss of the profile is , advantageously , maintained in the case of a transparent coating . different ways of processing for components 2 - 11 of a pullout guide 1 are shown in fig1 and 15 . the rails of a pullout guide 1 , that is , the slide rail 4 , guide rail 2 , and optionally , rail 2 being a metal rail , pass through a surface treatment in the form of brushing and ultrasonic cleaning to at least sectionally generate , high - gloss surfaces . in further components of the pullout guide 1 , for example , a stop 10 , a clamp 5 , and / or a roller body 6 , after the shaping 119 , roughening of the surface is performed by abrasive blasting 120 using a blasting medium . after the assembly of the pullout guide 1 , remaining contaminants on the surface and the runways 8 , 9 of the pullout guide 1 are established in the decision stage g and , if they are present , a cleaning 105 is carried out , which is optionally followed by drying 106 . if the surface and the runways 8 , 9 of the pullout guide 1 are free of contaminants , a coating step 107 and a following method sequence , similar to fig4 , are performed . fig1 and 17 show a method sequence of the present disclosure in which the surfaces of rails of a pullout guide are processed after the shaping 101 either by brushing 117 or by abrasive blasting 102 . in a decision step h , in an embodiment of the method sequence , the surface roughness is measured and subsequently a method of surface processing is determined as a function of the degree of the measured surface roughness . following the brushing 117 or the abrasive blasting 102 , a high - gloss surface free of grease , oil , or other deposits is provided by an ultrasonic cleaning 118 . it is within the scope of the present disclosure that in an alternative embodiment , the rails of the pullout guide 1 are isolated directly after the shaping 101 and assembled together with further components by assembly 104 to form the pullout guide 1 . further components of the pullout guide 1 are surface treated similarly to fig1 by abrasive blasting 120 and assembled to form the pullout guide 1 in step 104 . the method sequence following is similar to the embodiment of fig4 . the method shown in fig1 and 19 differs from the method in fig1 and 17 essentially in that instead of the treatment of the surface using ultrasound 118 , or the cleaning by cavity effects , respectively , cleaning by plasma irradiation 121 is provided . in another embodiment according to the present disclosure , the rails 2 - 4 of the pullout guide 1 , for example , the guide rail 2 and the slide rail 4 and optionally the middle rail 3 , at least sectionally have a brushed surface before the coating . the texture of the surface has a main orientation direction , in the longitudinal direction of the rails 2 , 3 , 4 , and includes a plurality of grooves having low penetration depth of , for example , less than 7 μm in the surface , which have individual orientation directions . the mean value of the individual orientation directions or the direction vectors of the grooves specifies the main orientation direction of the texture or the surface structure . the pullout guide 1 is matte gloss . the scatter of the mean roughness value of the metallic surface after the brushing is decreased in relation to an unbrushed surface . the scatter of the mean roughness value of the metallic surface is , for example , less than half of the scatter of an unbrushed surface . the scatter of the mean roughness value is an index of whether a surface having homogeneous roughness is provided or whether a surface has irregularities . an uneven surface can have channels and tension cracks of a maximum roughness depth of greater than 7 μm , for example . the brushed surface extends at least over the entire outer surface of the respective rail , that is , the surface which is visible to the end user in the case of a pullout guide 1 in the installed state . in addition to the measurement of the mean roughness value ra , an ascertainment of the average roughness depth rz and the maximum roughness depth rmax can also be performed , in order to obtain more detailed specifications on the roughness of the surface . metal sheets made of stainless steel , which have been subjected to an abrasive treatment of the surface to set a surface roughness , and an untreated metal sheet made of stainless steel are compared hereafter . the maximum roughness depth and the average roughness depth for the roughened metal sheet and the untreated metal sheet were ascertained . in the present embodiment , the abrasive treatment is performed by a brushing procedure . the metallic surface of the fitting 1 is guided past a brushing station . the brushing station has brushes which are equipped with special grinding bristles . bristles impregnated with abrasive medium as a trimming material for brushes for finish processing are designated as grinding bristles . the bristle material can include nylon , for example . silicon carbide , aluminum oxide , chromium oxide , diamond , and / or zirconium may , for example , be used as the abrasive medium . the grinding effect results through the hard and sharp tips of the grinding material which is enclosed in the brush material , for example , nylon . during the processing of workpieces , a specific quantity of the abrasive medium is always released by the wear of the brush material . the parameters 80 , 120 , 240 , and 2000 therefore correspond to the grain size of the grinding bristles of the respective brush trimming with which the surface of a fitting 1 has been roughened by abrasive treatment . the designation “ series ” identifies the surface roughness of an untreated fitting . the designation “ ultrasound ” reflects the measured values of the maximum roughness depth and average roughness depth as parameters of the surface roughness of a surface of a fitting 1 cleaned using ultrasound . the measurement was carried out in the case of the 120 grain size , the series , and the ultrasound measured values on three fittings respectively , a triple measurement having been performed on each of the three different fittings . a total of nine measurements were thus carried out per measured value . a total of six measurements were carried out on the same fitting in the case of the 80 , 240 , and 2000 grain sizes . the measured values in the following table were measured using stainless steel of the alloy 1 . 4301 ( wnr . 1 . 4301 ( x5crni18 - 10 ), aisi 304 ( v2a )). the measured values in the following table were measured employing stainless steel of the alloy 1 . 4016 ( wnr . 1 . 4016 ( x6cr17 ), aisi 430 ). it can be seen , on the basis of the measured values , that roughening of the surface has occurred as a result of the abrasive treatment , by brushing here . the measurement of the surface roughness was performed using a hommel tester t1000 . in an embodiment of the present disclosure , the average roughness depth rz of the fitting after the abrasive treatment of the surface is greater than 1 . 85 or , for example , greater than 2 . 0 or , for example , greater than 2 . 7 the mean value of the average roughness depth rz of the fitting from at least six measurements is , for example , 3 . 0 - 4 . 0 μm . the mean value of the maximum roughness depth rmax of the fitting from at least six measurements is , for example , greater than 3 . 3 μm , or , may be greater than 3 . 5 μm . the mean value of the maximum roughness depth rmax from at least six measurements is , for example , 3 . 8 - 5 . 2 μm . in spite of the increased measured values of the average roughness depth and the maximum roughness depth in relation to the surface of an untreated fitting , the mean roughness value is , for example , between 0 . 3 - 0 . 49 μm . a uniformly roughened surface may therefore be concluded with simultaneously increased roughness depth . in an embodiment according to the present disclosure , the surface after the abrasive treatment therefore has a mean roughness value ra of less than 2 μm , or , for example , less than 0 . 8 μm , or , for example , less than 0 . 5 μm . in another embodiment according to the present disclosure , the outer surfaces of the pullout guide 1 have a high - gloss surface . this is achieved by a treatment using ultrasound 118 . the mean brilliance of the metallic surface is , with a 60 ° geometry , greater than 150 , or may be , for example , greater than 200 , and is carried out based on din 67530 using a measuring device refo 60 from hach - lange . the following table describes the improved gloss behavior of the fitting 1 due to the cleaning of the surface of the fitting to be coated , which causes an improvement of the appearance of the fitting 1 and simultaneously provides a larger surface for applying the coating . the mean value shown in the table is the ascertained brilliance of the surfaces before and after cleaning by ultrasound . the measurement of the brilliance was performed using an refo 60 portable 60 ° angle reflectometer , the measured gloss units being specified according to din 67530 . in an embodiment according to the present disclosure , a metallic surface after the step of cleaning the surface to be coated according to a method disclosed herein has a brilliance of at least 120 , or , for example , at least 140 , or , for example , at least 190 . cleaning of the surface is , for example , performed in a non - thermal cleaning method in accordance with the present disclosure . the surface roughness specified in the context of the embodiments of the present disclosure relates to the mean roughness value ra , or μm , according to din 4768 . the mean roughness value ra is the arithmetic mean value of the absolute values of the distances y of the roughness profile from the center line within a measuring section . the roughness measurement is performed using electrical stylus instruments according to din 4772 . the measurement conditions are established according to din 4768 t1 for the measurement of the mean roughness value ra . the measurement was performed transversely to the texture of the surface . the distance of two parallels to a center line , which contact the measured actual profile at the highest point and at the lowest point within an individual measuring section , is designated as the individual roughness depth zi . the average roughness depth rz , in μm , is the arithmetic mean of the individual roughness steps zi of five equidistant adjoining individual measuring sections . the maximum roughness depth rmax , in μm , is the greatest value of five individual roughness depths z 1 to z 5 . to monitor the nucleation process and the corrosion behavior , the electrochemical noise is tracked by electrochemical measuring apparatus . stainless steels are enclosed by a protective passive layer of only approximately 1 - 20 nm thickness , which can also partially regenerate itself in the event of damage . this layer is typically thinner than the wavelength of visible light , so that it is not perceptible using typical optical microscopes . the formation , damage , and regeneration of the passive layer is dependent on the corrosive medium , the metal , and the design . the design is determined by the surface roughness , the type of joining , structurally related gaps , and the overall structure . the influence of the corrosive medium is determined by the concentration of , for example , corrosion - promoting agents , such as chloride ions , the temperature , and the flow velocity of the corrosive medium . corrosion can occur on stainless steels in the event of the deviation of parameters , for example , the local oxygen concentration , the extent of possible nuclei on the surface , and the achievement of a critical temperature range . damage to the passive layer by tension cracks and corrosion of the surface can possibly also occur as a result of the shaping . dissolving processes and layer formation processes of the passive layer oppose one another . as a result , the passive layer is not a constant - thickness cover layer , but rather is subject to a dynamic equilibrium . if a liquid medium is subsequently deposited on a metal surface , metal ions go into solution . the remaining electron excess and the potential change are detectable . corrosion always forms in energetically preferred regions , for example , local contaminants or flaws in the layer , such as scratches or upon the processing of pressed - in foreign bodies . these locally delimited regions are typically only briefly available , so that the passive layer can form again . in some cases , however , gap corrosion or progressing hole corrosion occurs . the nuclei and corrosion regions are perceived as a result of the potential changes as a varying signal sequence , the so - called electrochemical noise . causes of electrochemical noise on passive metals are the activation and repassivation processes of the passive layer or the variations thus induced of the charge at the phase interface metal passive layer / electrolyte , respectively . these charge variations can be measured as current or potential noise depending on the experimental setup . however , this method is used in the present embodiments for the quality control of the surface composition after the cleaning of the pullout guide 1 by brushing , treatment using ultrasound , and / or treatment using plasma , in order to ensure the quality of the cleaning and the presence of a nucleus - free passive layer . damage to the surface , as is necessary in other control methods , does not have to be performed in the present embodiments . in addition , ultrasmall nuclei which are barely visually perceptible can be detected and the corresponding cleaning method can be optimized to reduce the number of these nuclei . the occurrence of an increased concentration of compounds having chloride ions on the surface , for example , by salt water spray and the like , is also detectable in this manner . a mean brilliance indicates the extent to which light is reflected upon incidence on the fitting 1 . the brilliance is divided in the case of metallic surfaces into high gloss , medium gloss , and matte gloss and is defined based on din 67530 . the brilliance is measured for different geometries , for example , 20 °, 60 °, and 85 °. the determination of the brilliance is a standardized measuring method according to din 67530 . the measurements were carried out based on din 67530 . although the present disclosure has been described and illustrated in detail , it is to be clearly understood that this is done by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation . the scope of the present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims .
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the invention is described hereinafter with reference to fig1 and 2 . charging the digester with wood chips and evacuating the digester starts the kraft cook . the chips can be packed with steam or be pre - steamed , before the digester is essentially filled with impregnation liquor a from the impregnation liquor tank 5 , soaking and heating the chips . wood chip charging and impregnation liquor charging preferably overlap . an overflow , point a 1 , to black liquor tank 4 , point ab , is carried out in order to remove air and first front of diluted liquor . after closing the flow a 1 , the digester is pressurized and impregnation is completed . during impregnation , a relatively low temperature is preferred , since a higher impregnation temperature will consume residual alkali too fast , resulting in higher rejects , non - uniform cooking and lower pulp quality . preferably , the temperature of this impregnation step is below 100 ° c . in practice , temperatures of from about 20 ° c . to 100 ° c . can be utilized . in the next stage , the wood chips are further treated with hotter liquors before actual cooking . the temperature of the hotter liquors is between 120 to 180 ° c . in fig1 , a method is described where hot black liquor b from hot black liquor tank 1 is pumped into the digester . black liquor from tank 1 is at constant temperature , dry solids content and residual alkali content which makes it easy to maintain conformity from cook to cook . this is important because the hot black liquor has a major chemical effect on the wood and controls the selectivity and cooking kinetics in the main cooking stage with white liquor . the cooler black liquor a 2 , displaced by hot black liquor , is conducted to black liquor tank 4 , point ab , discharging to an evaporation plant for recovery of cooking liquor or to the initial part of the terminal displacement , point e , to terminally treat the calcium dissolved in the impregnation stage . pumping hot white liquor c from tank 3 into the digester continues the cooking sequence . hot white liquor is usually diluted with hot black liquor in order to dilute the very high alkali concentration of the white liquor . after white liquor charge , a smaller amount of hot black liquor charge is pumped in order to flush lines into the digester . the liquor d 2 , displaced by hot liquor above about the atmospheric boiling point , is conducted to hot black liquor tank 2 . after the filling procedure described above , the digester temperature is close to the final cooking temperature . the final cooking temperature can be between about 140 ° c . to 180 ° c . depending on the wood raw material and produced quality . the final heating - up is carried out using direct or indirect steam heating and digester re - circulation . during cooking , optional additional fresh cooking liquor , c , from tank 3 can be added to even out the alkali profile . spent liquor , b 2 , is then removed from the digester to tank 1 or tank 2 . after the desired cooking time when delignification has proceeded to the desired reaction degree , the spent liquor is ready to be displaced with wash filtrate f . initially , liquor e can be used to thermally treat calcium dissolved in the impregnation stage . in the final displacement , the first portion b 1 of the hot black liquor corresponds , together with b 2 , to the total of the volumes b required in the filling stages . the second portion d 1 of displaced black liquor , which is diluted by the used displacement liquor but is still above its atmospheric boiling point , is conducted to the hot black liquor tank 2 , point d . after completed final displacement , the digester contents are discharged for further processing of the pulp . the above cooking sequence may then be repeated . the equipment for the cooking process also includes the tank farm where fresh liquors and spent liquors are stored and heat is recovered . the hot black liquor tank 2 provides cooled evaporation black liquor to the recovery cycle and impregnation black liquor to tank 5 , transferring its heat to white liquor and water by means of heat exchange . the vapor , liquors and gases from digester venting are conducted to the hot black liquor tank 2 and the gases are further conducted to turpentine condensers and recovery of strong odor gases . tank 2 separates liquor coming with digester venting . the hot black liquor tank 1 is provided with heating and circulation piping below the liquor surface . hot black liquor tank 2 is not equipped with any heating or circulation . according to prior art liquor - displacement batch cooking , the pressurized accumulators , e . g . tank 1 and 2 , are constantly held at a significant overpressure , which cause the volatile and non - condensable gases to dissolve into the black liquors . consequently , the turpentine yield is low and process disturbances can occur because the produced pulp and spent liquors contain volatile turpentine compounds , as well as undesired non - condensable gases . fig2 shows tank arrangments according to the prior art , for handling liquors displaced from the digester . in fig2 a ), a tank 23 to which conduit 20 transfers spent liquor from the digester to the tank 23 below the liquor - gas interface 24 . valve 25 controls the pressure ( p ) in tank 23 and flow of gas through conduit 22 . conduit 22 transmits the gases to the next stage , e . g . the turpentine recovery . the arrangement of fig2 a ) is a typical for tank 2 shown in fig1 . tank 23 is always held at overpressure compared to the temperature of liquor fed through conduit 20 by addition of fresh steam , vapor and gases from other tanks or digesters operating at higher pressure . thus , the liquor conducted to the next stage is essentially at the same temperature as feeding liquor as no or little expansion ( vaporization ) occurs in a tank held at overpressure ( when not taking into account other exothermic or endothermic reactions ). in fig2 b ), a tank 33 is shown , to which a line 30 from the digester is connected . conduit 30 transfers spent liquor from the digester to the tank 33 below the liquor - gas interface 34 . spent liquor is circulated through heat exchanger 36 by way of pump 37 and conduit 35 to adjust the temperature of the liquor and to ensure uniform temperature of the liquor transferred to the next cooking stage through conduit 31 . valve 38 controls the pressure ( p ) in tank 33 . conduit 32 transmits the gases to the next stage , e . g . to the turpentine recovery or to another tank . the arrangement of fig2 b ) is typical for tank 1 in a liquor displacement system according to fig1 . tank 33 is always held at a pressure above the pressure corresponding to the boiling temperature of liquor fed through conduit 30 and compared to the temperature of the liquor in tank 33 after temperature adjustment in heat exchanger 36 . overpressure can be provided by addition of steam to the gas space ( g ) of tank 33 . in fig2 c ), a tank 43 is shown , to which a line 40 from the digester is connected . conduit 40 transfers spent liquor from the digester to the tank 43 above the liquor - gas interface 44 . valve 45 controls the pressure ( p ) in tank 43 . conduit 42 transmits the gases and steam to the next stage , e . g . steam to the pre - steaming vessel , heating device or to another tank . tank 43 is a typical arrangement for flash tanks in continuous digesters systems for recovering energy and turpentine . in tank 43 , the pressure is reduced , steam is produced for e . g . pre - steaming or other heating and the temperature of the liquor led through conduit 41 is clearly below the temperature of the liquor fed to the tank through conduit 40 . the expansion is normally over 20 ° c . to efficiently produce steam , which is normally used to heat the chips before cooking . then , a lot of turpentine condenses onto the chips and the turpentine recovery efficiency is low . the method of the invention comprises in a liquor displacement batch system of digester degassing and expansion of at least one of the hot black liquors stored in tanks and conduction of the released vapor in the expansion to the turpentine recovery . “ saturation pressure ” in this context refers to the pressure corresponding to the boiling point of a given liquor . according to the invention , the pressure in at least one of the tanks is kept at or near the saturation pressure of the black liquor . in an expansion zone , vapors are released from the black liquor stored in the relevant tank by adjusting the pressure to or below the saturation pressure of the black liquor brought to the expansion zone . preferably , the pressure is reduced by at the most 1 bar below the saturation pressure of the black liquor brought to the expansion zone . the expansion zone can be located inside the tank or outside the tank . the pressure adjustment corresponds to a temperature difference of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . when comparing the temperature of liquor supplied to the expansion zone and liquor conducted from the expansion zone . thereby , turpentine and volatile compounds and non - condensable gases can be removed from the system to improve operation of the plant and increase turpentine recovery without essentially affecting energy recovery . in a system according to the invention , venting of the liquor - displacement batch digester occurs by venting the digester during the temperature adjustment and cooking phase under liquor circulation . preferably , the top liquor circulation conduit is arranged above the surface of the liquor - vapor interface in the top of the digester or into a vessel above the surface of a liquor - vapor interface outside the top of the digester during the temperature adjustment and cooking phase under liquor circulation to improve flashing . pressure control is used to control venting from the digester at a pressure greater than or at about the saturation pressure of the liquor brought to the liquor - vapor interface . preferably , the pressure is kept at about the saturation pressure of the liquor brought to the liquor - vapor interface . there are two alternatives for processing the gases leaving the digester during the cooking stage of liquor - displacement batch digesters . the gases are either conducted to a hot black liquor tank , where liquor drops are removed , and the gases are from there conducted to turpentine condensers and to the recovery of strong odor gases ; or , the digester is directly degassed to the turpentine recovery facilities , which then include liquor separator , condensers and decanter . the former alternative is feasible when the pressure drop from the digester to the accumulator tank is above about 3 . 5 bar . the latter alternative is feasible when the pressure difference between the digester and the accumulator having the lowest pressure is below about 3 . 5 bar . in the former alternative , the accumulator works as a liquor and is equipped with drop separator equipment , and no separate liquor and drop separator would be required in turpentine recovery . in a batch cooking method according to the invention , at least one of the hot black liquors displaced from the digester is expanded in addition to the digester venting because of reasons set forth above . fig3 shows tank arrangements for spent liquor displaced from the digester according to the invention . fig3 a ) shows a tank 53 to which a line 50 is connected from the digester . spent liquor from the digester is fed into tank 53 above the liquor - gas interface 54 through conduit 55 . valve 57 controls the pressure ( p 53 ) in tank 53 . according to the invention , the valve is preferably of the orifice plate type . conduit 52 transmits the gases to the next stage , e . g . the turpentine recovery . according to the invention , tank 53 is an arrangement for tank 2 shown in fig1 . tank 53 is held at a pressure ( p 53 ), which causes expansion and causes a temperature difference of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . when comparing liquor inlet , 50 , and outlet , 51 , and excluding possible reaction energy . thereby , turpentine and volatile organic compounds and non - condensable gases are efficiently removed from the liquor . in addition , the embodiment requires a pump for pumping out the liquor from hot black liquor tank 2 through heat exchangers to tank 5 or evaporation plant . the advantage thereof is that a higher degree of expansion and depressurizing can be used in tank 2 and according to arrangements shown in fig3 . the expansion can also take place in a special vessel outside the relevant tank before conducting the liquors to the next process stages . the turpentine and other volatile gases are released from the black liquor by reducing the pressure , preferably by at the most 1 bar . fig3 b ) shows such an example , a tank 63 to which a line 60 is connected from the digester . conduit 60 transfers spent liquor from the digester to the tank 63 below the liquor - gas interface 64 through conduit 60 . valve 69 a ) controls the overpressure ( p 63 ) in tank 63 . conduit 62 transmits gases and vapor to the next stage , e . g . the turpentine recovery and further odor gas treatment when the overpressure is adjusted . conduit 61 feeds an expansion vessel 67 with liquor . tank 63 is held at a pressure ( p 63 ), which causes expansion in tank 67 , which is kept at a lower pressure ( p 67 ) and this causes , according to the invention , a temperature difference of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . when comparing liquor inlet , 61 , and outlet , 65 . conduit 66 conducts the released vapor and gases to the next process stage , preferably turpentine recovery . when the expansion zone is located inside the tank and the tank is provided with liquor circulation , the circulation return loop is , according to the invention , connected to the upper part of the tank above the liquid surface in order to increase the liquid - gas interface . before any significant use of the liquor in the next batch , expansion takes place . heating and pressure control provide the expansion driving force . heating is required to adjust the temperature of the hot black liquor for use in the next batch . fig3 c ) and d ) shows examples how this can be arranged . according to the invention , heating the liquor to about 1 to about 5 ° c . above the boiling temperature at the expansion pressure and depressurizing accordingly expands the black liquor , whereby vapor is produced . the vapor released in the expansion zone is conducted to the turpentine recovery facilities . arrangements according to fig3 c ) and d ) are suitable for tank 1 of fig1 in a liquor displacement batch system . the method can also comprise circulation of the contents in tank 2 of fig1 to the upper part of the tank above the liquor level . in the arrangement according to fig3 c ), heating is applied in heat exchanger 76 to create a higher temperature in the liquor brought through conduit 77 to the expansion zone in the gas space of tank 73 , where a pressure reduction is carried out corresponding to a temperature difference of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . when comparing temperature of liquor in conduit 77 and 71 . in the arrangement according to fig3 d ), liquor is pumped from tank 83 through heat exchanger 88 to a separate expansion vessel 92 , the pressure of which is regulated by valve 94 b . flash steam is carried off through conduit 91 , and liquor is returned to the bulk of liquid in tank 83 via conduit 90 . the pressure difference between conduits 89 and 90 corresponds to a temperature difference of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . according to an embodiment of the invention , a tank with heating device has a mixing - reducing barrier separating two groups of tank connections : on the one hand the liquor inlet to the tank and the liquor inlet to the line conducting liquor to the heating device , and on the other hand the line or lines distributing liquor or flash steam back into the tank , and the tank outlet . the gas space is common for both sides . the mixing - reducing barrier may be a wall with holes or a wall with pipes connecting both sides of the wall to adjust liquor levels . this equipment will ensure uniform properties and low turpentine content of the liquor distributed to the next stage . fig3 c ) shows a barrier w separating the liquor inlet 70 to the tank 73 and a line 75 conducting the liquor to the heating device 76 from the line 77 distributing the liquor back into the tank 73 to ensure uniform properties of liquor led through 71 to the next stage . also , fig3 d ) shows a barrier w separating the liquor inlet 80 to the tank 83 and a line 85 conducting the liquor to the heating device 88 from the line 90 distributing the liquor back into the tank 83 to ensure uniform properties of liquor led through 81 to the next stage . according to the invention , a system which fits continuous cooking uses an expansion of about 1 ° c . to about 5 ° c . for spent liquor led from the digester in an arrangement analogous to that of fig2 c ). these systems will efficiently remove turpentine and other gases through conduit 45 with minimum loss of energy . thereby , the energy efficiency of the continuous digester system is not affected . the liquor conducted through conduit 41 is further depressurized in flash tanks following tank 43 . a clear difference of the invention compared to prior art flashing ( in e . g . continuous cooking ) is that the temperature difference and pressure drop in flashing according to the present invention are significantly lower . typical pressure drops in primary flash tanks of continuous digesters are over about 2 - 3 bar , corresponding to a temperature difference of over about 25 - 30 ° c . in prior art flashing of spent liquors in cooking systems , the main target is energy saving by using the resulting flash steam to heat the charged chip material . we have surprisingly found that only a low degree of expansion is needed to release turpentine from the spent liquor . the advantage of using a lower degree of expansion is , that less energy is lost to turpentine recovery and lower condensate amounts are produced . this fits the heat recovery principle of liquor displacement batch cooking systems , where hot black liquor is recovered at the end of cooking and its energy is reused , 1 ) as a direct heating medium to be pumped into the digester during a subsequent batch , and 2 ) to heat white liquor by means of heat exchangers . this also fits continuous cooking to increase the amount of turpentine recovered and improve operation of the digester and washing without essentially affecting the energy economy of the plant . thus , the primary flashing in a continuous system according to the invention would use a low depressurizing temperature drop . a secondary flashing with a larger temperature drop may then be carried out on the once flashed liquor , for the purpose of heat recovery . in an industrial liquor displacement batch cooking plant , softwood chips were cooked . the liquors from tank 1 and tank 2 shown in fig1 were expanded using a laboratory expansion tank connected to the process . the turpentine balance over the expansion tank was calculated . table 1 shows the results . table 1 . results of flashing liquors in tank 1 and 2 at various depressurizing degrees expressed as temperature difference . δt of 0 ° c . represent prior art with applied overpressure in the expansion tank . for the tank 1 results , the turpentine concentration was considerably reduced , when the liquor was depressurized by 0 . 2 bar and the temperature decreased by 1 ° c . a temperature difference of 5 ° c . decreased the turpentine content even more . for the liquor in tank 2 , an expansion using a temperature difference of 1 ° c . also showed significant reduction . the surprising results of the example clearly show that there is no need to use an expansion corresponding to a 20 - 30 ° c . temperature drop and corresponding pressure drop in order to remove turpentine from black liquor as the loss of energy is then much higher .
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the various aspects of the invention are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings , a few of which have already been briefly referred to . in the drawings : fig2 schematically illustrates a pulse analysing system in accordance with the invention ; fig9 a , 9b , 10a and 10b show the results of use of the system of fig8 ; fig1 shows methods for analysing two - dimensional images using one - dimensional datasieves ; fig1 illustrates use of a matched datasieve for image processing ; fig1 a and 15b shows the combination of two image decomposition systems ; and for convenience , the different aspects of the invention are described firstly with respect to basic datasieve operation , including noise reduction and pulse analysis , and secondly with respect to pattern recognition . data compression and linear / non - linear switching are also incorporated in the description and , finally , implementations of the fast datasieve circuits are described . fig1 previously described shows a known weighted median filter circuit hitherto employed with larger window size , for achieving noise reduction . referring to fig2 there is depicted a video camera 100 supplying an analogue signal 102 through a buffer amplifier 104 and an a / d converter 106 to a datasieve 108 . the datasieve comprises a succession of ordinal value filters of integrally increasing value , providing m bandpass outputs 110 , one from each stage . whilst the a / d converter is preferable , it is not essential , as the datasieve 108 could operate on an analogue signal . the datasieve 108 effectively comprises a pulse width discriminator of m stages , the output of each stage being subtracted from its input to produce a bandpass output which contains pulses of width unique to that stage . thus , the datasieve decomposes the input signal into component pulses according to their widths . the m outputs are taken to a pulse selector 112 , which selects a predetermined subset of the pulses arising at its multiple inputs and adds them together to produce an output 114 containing only data pulses determined by the selection . the signal 114 is passed through a d / a converter 116 to a video monitor 118 , which displays an image synthesised by the pulse selector and so contains only those features of the input signal selected by the pulse selector 112 . on the right hand side of fig2 part of the original image 120 is shown , white lines highlighting the two scan lines which produce the analogue signal shown at 102 . below this , the scan lines are shown at 122 broken down into a set of constituent pulses of different widths . amplitude is shown by intensity , pulse width is plotted logarithmically along the vertical axis and the horizontal axis represents time . the output 114 more specifically shows the result of selecting the patterns of pulses which represent the eyes of the subject in the image 120 and recombining to form an amplitude modulated video signal . the unwanted ( non - eye ) signals are substantially attenuated . the circuit diagram of fig3 exemplifies the system of fig2 whilst fig4 illustrates a practical realisation of the circuit . in these two figures , reference 130 denotes an ordinal value 1 filter , reference 132 an ordinal value 2 filter and reference 134 an ordinal value 3 filter . ordinal value 3 filter may be a median filter or some other rank filter ( the ma 7190 is , for example , able to find any rank ), or some combination of rank filters . filters of ordinal value 4 , 5 et seq follow , but are not depicted . box 131 represents a &# 34 ; twos compliment &# 34 ; circuit . box 137 represents a &# 34 ; twos compliment and negate &# 34 ; circuit . adders 136 , 138 etc . provide outputs to the pulse selector , full details not shown . in the practical circuit of fig4 pins 8 and 9 of each filter 130 , 132 etc . connect to a central bus . for filter 130 , the window is set to 3 and the rank to 2 ; for filter 132 the window is set to 5 and the rank to 3 . fig5 to 7 show a modified system in analogous manner , applied to the output 140 of a photomultiplier 142 . however , in this embodiment , pulse selection and adding is effected within the datasieve 144 , which constitutes a pulse width discriminator with m stages directly providing an output 146 without any , or at least with many fewer , short term pulses or impulses which are unwanted in the final output 148 produced by signal analyser 150 . the photomultiplier 142 is shown providing an output 140 obtained by monitoring the fluorescence of a flow cytometer . this output 140 clearly comprises a basic wanted signal which can be represented as a series of pulses longer than m samples , together with random uncorrelated noise signals of short duration . the cleaned output at 148 is equally clear . typically , this output contains only pulses of duration greater than 20 data samples . in more detail , fig5 shows photomultiplier monitoring , e . g . fluorescence of cells in a flow cytometer at 142 . the output signal 140 represents an underlying ( wanted ) signal that can be represented as a sequence of pulses longer than n samples , and ( unwanted ) random uncorrelated noise that is represented as pulses shorter than n samples in duration . reference 141 denotes a buffer amplifier , and 143 an analogue to digital converter ( most but not all datasieve and pulse selectors will work with digital data ). the datasieve pulse width discriminator 144 has a total of n stages , the output 148 of which represents the underlying ( wanted ) signal without any ( or many fewer ) short term pulses or impulses . the signal analyser 150 further analyses the underlying ( wanted ) signal that has been cleaned by the datasieve . ii ) the wanted signal 148 . it consists of all pulses of greater duration than 5 samples . the shorter pulses ( unwanted noise ) have been severely attenuated , and the edge location , sharpness and pulse widths are better preserved by the datasieve . iv ) the inferior result of filtering through a linear gaussian filter bank . it does not discriminate pulses very well despite being the optimal f . i . r . filter for localising frequency and scale . it is again to be noted that the illustrated a / d converter 143 is not essential . the circuit diagram of fig6 and the practical realisation of fig7 will be clear without detailed description , by analogy with the description of fig2 and 4 . in this case , however , the required output is provided by the output of the final filter of the datasieve . pulse selection is effectively incorporated within the datasieve . in another aspect , the present invention concerns a pattern recognition system that depends upon an alternative , general purpose , multiscale decomposition , namely the datasieve . it is used as item 200 in fig7 and is designed specifically to yield multiscale primitives that are suitable for pattern recognition . the design commences thresholding operations at the initial decomposition stage . thus , the datasieve 200 is appropriate for isolating and locating the position of objects with sharp edges arising from non - linear events , because there is an intrinsic binding between the scale of objects and their edges . a typical example is the image due to one object partially occluding another . it can represent structural information in a way that is independent of spatial frequency , has different uncertainty trade - offs , and can be used for scale , position and contrast independent pattern recognition . fig8 shows the outline of a typical image analysis system . the decomposition by scale of the signal 202 is conventionally performed through a linear process device . however , in accordance with this invention , the datasieve structure 200 is used . the two are pin compatible and so standard edge finding 204 , classification 206 and thresholding 208 , 210 processing of the intermediate signal primitives 212 can be performed . however , the present invention also concerns unconventional approaches to steps 204 to 210 that the datasieve enables . it is important to note that these non - linear ordinal filters are neither commutative nor associative and so different arrangements of sub - filters yield different overall results . this difference from linear filters is fundamental for it means that different arrangements ( structures ) of filters are functionally distinct . the cascade structure introduced by the datasieve in which ordinal filters of increasing window width are serially coupled together produces a distinctive and useful result . it is important to emphasise that it is the cascade structure of a series of increasing scale ordinal or rank filters that is important , not the particular ordinal filter used at each stage in the series . this arrangement has advantages over alternatives , because it is found that successive stages of a median ( or other combination of rank ) filter cascade eliminate the distortions introduced by a single long filter . this is a problem encountered when using , for example , pairs of long median filters required to discriminate a van from a bush , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 603 , 430 . the datasieve exploits the well - known property of ordinal ( i . e . rank order ) filters of simplifying signals whilst preserving edges ( see for example u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 441 , 165 , 4 , 439 , 840 , 4 , 506 , 974 ). this characteristic has been recognised since the introduction of the closely related binary morphological filters in the 1950s although it was not until the mid - 1980s that these filters were extended to grey scales by using sequences of max and min operations . in the late 1970s a separate line of research developed around median filters , but recently the two approaches have converged with the development of stack filter theory , umbrae and finally the datasieve . the systems described herein represent pattern recognition based on the primitives obtained from the datasieve . the information in the primitives derived from the datasieve has been termed the granularity , granules or rects . it is found that the granularity can be used directly to simplify signals and to recognise patterns in both one and two dimensions . the advantages of doing this are illustrated in fig1 a , which clearly shows that the right eyes can be located in the test image and the remainder of the images rejected . the figure shows the result of applying the datasieve to the signal granules 200 ( fig8 ) obtained from the image in fig9 a . as in the case of linear processing ( fig9 b ) the mask is derived from the eye at the centre . the improved result achieved by use of the datasieve ( fig1 a ) is clearly better than the result obtained by linear processing ( fig9 b ). in another application of the method , a means of recognising elements of an image that are visually important is produced . this may be used for image compression . the properties of granules are exploited to form an information reduced image as illustrated in fig1 b . this shows the output from a lowpass 2d datasieve ( circular mask , order 10 , i . e . from the tenth stage of the datasieve ) to which only the largest 10 % of granules obtained from the first 9 stages have been added . the middle region of the image is to be compared with the middle of fig9 a . adding 100 % of granules would result in a perfect reconstruction . with regard to one dimensional recognition at single scale using a matched datasieve , the granularity ( signal primitives obtained by datasieving ) of a one - dimensional ( 1d ) target signal can be used to design a circuit , based on a datasieve , that discriminates a target from background signals . it is called a matched datasieve . the method requires the signature of the target in terms of its granularity ; in other words the target is datasieved to obtain its granularity . in the 1d case each granule is described by three parameters : its position x , its amplitude a , and its scale or mesh m . one of the granules , usually the first , is then designated to be the reference granule and its value of x is subtracted from each x . as a result all x parameters become offsets relative to the reference granule . in one implementation of the matched sieve the process of obtaining the target parameters takes place before designing the matched sieve itself . in another implementation the target parameters are refined , using standard adaptive filter methods that incorporate an error measure and negative feedback . the parameters are then used to design or configure a datasieve matched to the target . this is achieved by a granule ( in 1d a pulse ) selector that only passes those patterns of granules the parameters of which match the target parameters within controlled limits . the role of the granules selector in a 1d matched sieve is shown in fig1 . fig1 shows at ( i ) part of original image , wherein white lines highlight the two scan lines used for the worked example . this is then sampled using a video camera 220 generating an analogue line scanned image ( ii ). a buffer amplifier 222 feeds an analogue to digital converter 224 ( most but not all datasieve and pulse selectors will work with digital data ), and the digitised signal is then datasieved at 226 to a total of m stages . the output of each stage is subtracted from its input to produce bandpass output that contains granules of scale unique to that stage , i . e . it decomposes the input signal to component granules according to their widths and two dimensional geometry . the parallel outputs are then passed to a granule selector 228 which selects a subset of those granules arriving at its inputs and adds them together to produce an output . the result ( iii ) shows the result of selecting patterns of granules that represent the eyes and recombining to form an amplitude modulated video signal . unwanted ( non - eye ) information is substantially reduced and is then passed through a digital to analogue converter 230 ( if 226 and 228 are operating on digitised data ) and displayed on a video monitor 232 that displays an image that has been synthesised by the pulse selector and so contains only those features of the input that match the pattern of pulses selected by selector 228 . reference 234 indicates that the datasieve 226 provides m bandpass outputs , one for each stage , to the selector 228 . this selector ( delivering different order granule signals 236 ) in a learn mode , stores granules ( g - target ) and subsequently at 238 match mode ands g - target and incoming granules ( g - image ) to provide outputs only if g - target is exceeded . also in accordance with the present invention , fig1 serves to illustrate three improved methods for obtaining two - dimensional ( 2d ) image primitives using 1d datasieves . in one implementation , at each stage of a datasieve the output of the previous stage 250 is scanned at several angles a and the several sequences of samples ordinal filtered with a window appropriate to the stage in the datasieve . the several resulting images are then either ored together at 252 or anded together at 254 to form the output image at that stage 256 . in another implementation the image at each stage 250 is first scanned at one angle a , and the sequence of samples ordinal filtered with a window appropriate to the stage in the datasieve . then the resulting image is re - scanned at another angle a 2 and the sequence of samples ordinal filtered again with a window appropriate to the stage in the datasieve . in other words the operations are carried out in series as indicated at 258 . this is repeated for all angles and the final output image 256 is the output of that stage . a more general case of pattern recognition using a matched sieve would handle multidimensional signals , for example , images . fig1 shows how this can be achieved and fig1 shows a circuit to implement it . in stage 260 ( fig1 ) the image 262 ( shown as the image at the bottom of the pile of object 263 ) is decomposed to a series of images of increasing scale . this is effected using a datasieve . the next step is to take the difference between pairs at increasing scale . the difference images contain scale and geometric information associated with objects in the image , which is the granularity , g . the difference images are shown with scale increasing g 1 image , g 2 image , g 3 image . . . the granularity of the object is also shown at each scale . the next step 264 is to decompose the target ( shown as an image 265 at the bottom ) to a series of images of increasing scale . this is performed the same way as with the image . differences are taken to form g 1 target , g 2 target , g 3 target . . . and all parameters of non - zero values are stored in g target . in the case of 2d images , the result is a 3d mask . one of the granules in the mask becomes the reference and all offsets x are made relative to the reference granule . in a similar manner all m and offsets x are scaled according to the parameter m of the reference granule . in the final step 266 , the target mask is passed through an image box in the x , y , z planes ( 2d images have three planes , 1d have two planes namely x position and scale z ), scaling as appropriate . at each position , the target x , y , z is scaled according to the value z of the reference element . then every element in the target box is anded with the associated element in the image box to increment a counter representing the numbers that are non - zero at each z ( order ). if more than the threshold number of elements are non - zero , then a function of each matching element is outputted to the associated output granularity , g - output , and the elements of g - outputs are added at each x , y position to form the output image . an example of result from such a matched datasieve is shown in fig1 left panel . fig1 shows a circuit for a matched datasieve . the signal at position x , y of , for example , an image is input 300 ( which corresponds to the input 226 in fig1 ) and three possible outputs are available . output 302 is a lowpass datasieved result , output 304 is a measure of the quality of match at the particular point in the input and output 306 is the value of the matched sieve output at position x , y . output 306 corresponds to the input to the 230 in fig1 . 308 is a standard datasieve , typically using a circular mask and median filter at each stage , as previously described . it comprises three main elements at each stage . 310 is the ordinal filter , and 312 is a delay line to compensate for the delay introduced by 310 . 314 is an adder that finds the difference between the input 300 to 310 and its output . there are m difference signals 316 , one corresponding to each scale or level in the datasieve . one or more may be combined together . the circuit comprising 318 , 320 , 322 , 324 provides a means of determining and storing the parameters of the target . when item 326 is set , the signal 316 is routed to set of buffers 324 where the granule values are stored whenever 326 is cleared . signal 338 is a granularity image of the target ( as seen in 264 in fig1 ). the set of buffers 320 represent a delay line with as many elements as is necessary to encompass the target . it will be a two - dimensional array if the target is an image . the parameters of some but not all the granules is stored in 324 , selection being made by the thresholding devices 322 . elements 320 , 322 , 324 together represent an example of a perceptron . the outputs from 324 are used to gate outputs from another set of threshold devices 330 . elements 332 and 330 are similar to 320 , 322 in that they store a spatial sequence of samples , the values of which are thresholded to remove unwanted small granules . signal 334 is a granularity image as seen in 260 in fig1 . 336 is a buffer that is enabled by signal 338 . it is this step that selects the set of granules in the image according to the target pattern stored in 324 . in order to determine the quality of match at the particular scale m on the output from 308 , the outputs of 336 are summed at 340 and the result thresholded at 342 either locally at a particular scale m or collectively over all m . if the signal exceeds the threshold , a gating signal 344 is used to gate the outputs 346 by enabling buffer 348 . the selected granules 350 at each x , y , m are then summed at 352 and the intensity at that position is output 306 . an alternative output at each x , y is a measure of the total match at that point and this is obtained by summing at 344 for all m scales . an element of the full circuit is illustrated but it is understood that similar circuits exist for handling each stage of the datasieve . it is also understood that a steering circuit exists for applying the scaled parameters 354 , 356 to each of the scales m . in order to recognise objects that are a mirror image of the target , means of switching the order of output 328 is provided . if all elements of buffer 336 are enabled ( so ignoring the target ) and the selection based on 344 is also ignored , the device becomes a means of selecting component granules according to their amplitude by means of the threshold devices 330 . the result , when combined with a lowpass signal , is a simplified representation of the original signal . for example , fig1 b , shows an image of lenna that has been simplified in this manner . the key property of datasieves that distinguishes decomposition by this route , as opposed to conventional methods , is the way sharp edged objects are not spread to many scales . the less the information is spread , the fewer target parameters need to be stored . conversely , conventional linear signal processing methods do not spread smoothly contrasted objects to many spatial channels . it is , therefore , desirable to use whichever decomposition , linear or datasieve , that yields the least spread of information over different scales to form a hybrid filter . the advantages of switching between non - linear and linear methods , although not with respect to a datasieve , has been published , e . g . &# 34 ; the scheme is based on a combination of linear and non - linear filters and a decision structure . the decision structure is designed in such a way that it switches between the linear and non - linear filters depending on the presence of a signal component which could give rise to serious aliasing artefacts . in this way , filtering with the elimination of both blurring and aliasing is achieved .&# 34 ; ( also see fig3 in the paper by defee , i ., soininen , r ., and neuvo , y . &# 34 ; detail - preserving filters with improved lowpass characteristics &# 34 ;, signal processing , elsevier , pp 1157 - 1160 ( 1992 )). however , this prior proposal does not make use of granularity . instead , an ad hoc method is employed for identifying outliers , which results in unreliable , pixel by pixel , switching . a more reliable method is identified below . a measure of the spread of information over the different scales can be obtained by finding the variance ( power ) of output 346 ( fig1 ) over all the m . fig1 ( a ) shows a circuit which compares two signals input at 401 and selects the appropriate datasieve , or linear matched filter , depending on the result . item 400 produces a datasieve decomposition in terms of granularity . item 402 produces a linear decomposition in terms of spatial wavelength related parameters . these outputs , which may be equivalent to outputs 304 and 306 in fig1 , are connected to items 404 , 406 respectively . the inputs to 408 represent the variance ( power ) associated with the distribution of granularities ( wavelengths ) associated with outputs 350 in fig1 and the equivalent measure from the linear decomposition . 408 then either gates 400 to the output 410 using 404 or respectively gates 402 to the output using 406 . it is also possible for a signal to contain both smooth contrasted and sharp edged objects , in which case selectivity of a system can be improved by combining the linear and non - linear decompositions . fig1 ( b ) shows a suitable circuit . a datasieve non - linear decomposition is performed by 420 and a linear decomposition by 422 . in this case these steps may include an element of matching . the outputs , for example , might be such as fig9 b and fig1 a . component 424 then either ands the two results or ors them together to produce output 426 . a fast datasieve employing run length coding is now described with reference to fig1 to 18 . the principle of operation of a fast one - dimensional datasieve is now described by means of a pseudo - code program for one - dimensional decomposition . it should be understood that faster hardware implementations are described later . 1 ) a ) runlength code the data as a series of triples ( vectors ) r =( v , n , s ), where v is the value of the run , n is the number of samples within the run and the flag s signifies whether the run is part of a monotone or extrema let i be the index into the current run - length : if ( v i - 1 & lt ; v i & lt ; v i + 1 ) then s i = 1 monotonic upwards if ( v i - 1 & gt ; v i & gt ; v i + 1 ) then s i = 2 monotonic downwards if ( v i - 1 & lt ; v i & gt ; v i + 1 ) then s 1 =- 1 maximum extremum , hill top if ( v i - 1 & gt ; v i & lt ; v i + 1 ) then s i =- 2 minimum extremum , valley floor also , record the smallest value of n , when s i & lt ; 0 , as min n . 2 ) set the mesh of the current stage in the datasieve to min -- n , i . e . let m = min -- n if ( s i & gt ; 0 or n & gt ; m ) copy to output else if ( median or root median ) filter the data m values before to m values after the extremum , a total 2m + 1 samples . whenever the root median filter is being implemented , there is no need to use a conventional sort . it is enough to choose the largest of v i - 1 and v i + 1 when s i =- 1 or the smallest of v i - 1 and v i + 1 when s i =- 2 . else if ( alpha or beta filter ) either filter the hill - tops , to implement a min followed by a max . operation , or the valley - floors , to implement a max followed by a min operation . to perform a min followed by max , choose the largest of v i - 1 and v i + 1 when s =- 1 and to perform a max followed by min choose the smallest of v i - 1 and v i + 1 when s i =- 2 . 4 ) if ( min -- n & gt ; maximum mesh required or min -- n & gt ;= n the number of samples ) then finish else if ( min -- n = m ) go to 3 ( this will not happen at the root of median or when applying an alpha or beta datasieve ) a hardware implementation is shown in fig1 to 18 and is described in detail , later . in the case of two - dimensional or multi - dimensional signals , the values of the flag s have to be extended to indicate two - dimensional monotones and the presence or not of discontinuities in the signal in more than one direction . however , the technique of flagging regions for which no computation is required so restricting the amount of processing that has to be carried out , remains equally applicable . a 2d datasieve algorithm is now described can reduce the circuit complexity significantly . it takes the form of a simple two dimensional square filter that exploits the property of the datasieve method that results in the signal , for example a two dimensional image , becoming simpler as it passes through the stages in the datasieve . 1 ) transfer image horizontal scan line by line to buffer h and again vertical scan line by line to v , they are indexed using j and i respectively . runlength code the rows of h and volumns of v and transfer the result to buffer rh and rv respectively , these buffers are indexed using rj and ri . 2 ) load buffer hs at each position ri according to the following rules if ( rh ri - 1 & lt ; rh ri & lt ; rh ri + 1 ) then hs ri = 1 monotonic upwards else if ( rh ri - 1 & gt ; rh ri & gt ; rh ri + 1 ) then hs ri = 2 monotonic downwards 3 ) runlength code the flags vs and hs to form rvs and rhs respectively . 4 ) starting at the top left position in the image , i , j but allowing for the window and that other than at the first stage of the datasieve , j will have been incremented . 5 ) let variable top be the range of indexes that access the top row of the image elements within the window centered at position i , j . likewise let variable left be the range of indexes that access the left column of the image elements within the window centered at position i , j . 6 ) let the minimum i in rh indexed by left , for which elements of rh are the same and for which elements of rv indexed by top at each position i are all the same , be i -- mina let the minimum i in rhs indexed by left , for which element of rhs are the same and for which elements of rvs indexed by top at each position are all the same and the image within the window is monotone in all other directions , be i -- minb if ( i -- min & gt ; current position i and neither rv nor rh start runs at this position ) then for i = i to i -- min transfer the input elements of v and h to the equivalent output buffers 8 ) if i has reached the end of the line increment to the next line by incrementing j and go to 5 . 9 ) if i and j have reached the end of the image and datasieve has not finished , then increase the size of the window and go to 1 . the result is that although later stages of the datasieve , have large windows the signal contains large regions that are either flat or monotone in 2d ( because of the datasieve circuits ). hence the proposed circuit will be faster since only the top and left edges of the window proportional to m ) have to be processed complexity proportional to scale m in contrast to the standard approach in which all elements in the window have to be considered separately ( complexity proportional to m squared ). the approach is not confined to square filters or to rectangular lattice images . one possible hardware implementation is of the one dimensional circuit shown in fig1 to 18 . fig1 shows the outline of the fast datasieve circuit . in this example , the input signal is assumed to be runlength coded . the runlength coded signal 500 is applied to a combined gate and buffer 502 . this contains an input buffer and a computation buffer . the combined gate and buffer 502 is connected through a control bus 504 to a controller 506 . the controller instructs 502 to transfer a new run or sequence of runs from the input buffer to the computation buffer . the content of the computation buffer is then transferred to the rank operator unit 510 . this performs a single stage of smoothing using scale parameter m = 1 . the result 512 is passed to an output gate 514 . the routing of the signal achieved by 514 depends on the type of datasieve being implemented . if it is an alpha or beta datasieve then each stage of the fast datasieve performs two rank filtering steps , either a minimum then maximum or a max then min . consequently , signal 516 is either routed to a filtering step of the appropriate type before being passed to the next stage for which m = 2 , or it is recycled through 502 and reprocessed with the alternate operation before being passed to the next stage . if the datasieve to be implemented is based on root medians the output of 514 is either routed to sufficient further stages of 510 to assure that the minimum extremum runlength is greater than m samples long , or is recycled back to 502 whereupon the segment of signal is repeatedly processed until the minimum extremum runlength condition is met . the control system 504 , 506 provides overall supervision of the circuitry . this is assured in a finite number of iterations . during these sieving operations 502 buffers the input signal . the overall output of the datasieve stage 516 is finally passed to the next datasieve stage for which m = 2 . an alternative , bandpass , output 518 is provided by a circuit 520 which , when necessary , expands the runlength coded input 500 and the output signal 516 , and takes the difference . it is not essential for the signal to be or remain runlength coded . indeed there may be advantages in implementing the whole circuit as an analogue filter , using buffers created from analogue sample and holds . using this approach it is possible to produce either a finite segment length fast datasieve transform ( alternatively known as the fast sieve transform ), which operates on a single block of data , or a continuous , one sample in - one sample out sieve that could be analogue in and analogue out . it should be noted that in one dimension alpha and beta filters can be implemented directly using a predictable number of rank order operators because the output of each stage is idempotent in one pass . in the case of a root median a number of passes are required to find the root . however , this does not lead to a large increase in the number of rank operations at 510 required for a given sieve . this is because multiple passes at a given m are only required if there is an oscillation of scale m and an oscillation at one scale necessarily reduces the number of oscillations at other scales . in one example of a circuit that takes advantage of this , there are a number of stages each such as indicated in fig1 . each stage median filters the signal with an m that is dictated by the minimum runlength present in the signal at the output of the previous stage . consequently , if a median filtering operation at scale m does not increase the minimum runlength present in the signal , so the next stage repeats the median filtering operation at the same scale . this is repeated until the desired m is reached . it is found that the maximum number of stages required is finite and workable . fig1 shows a circuit 530 for finding the extrema . the input 532 is assumed to be runlength coded , although it need not be . let the number of samples in a run be n and the amplitude of the run be v and the runlength structures , or positions on a stack , or the sequences that form runs , be indexed by i as indicated at 534 . segments of the signal that are part of an increasing monotone , i . e . v i - 1 & lt ; v i & lt ; v i + 1 , are detected by the comparators 536 and the and gate 538 and are signalled by 540 becoming logically true . likewise those segments that are part of a decreasing monotone , i . e . v i - 1 & gt ; v i & gt ; v i + 1 , are detected by the comparators 536 and the nor gate 542 and are signalled by 544 becoming logically true . extrema , i . e . maxima or hill tops v i - 1 & lt ; v i & gt ; v i + 1 , and minima or valley bottoms , v i - 1 & gt ; v i & lt ; v i + 1 , are detected by the comparators 536 and the eor gate 546 and are signalled by 548 becoming logically true . ( in the case of alpha or beta filters it is necessary to distinguish hill tops from valley bottoms , and this can be achieved by further simple logic gates .) fig1 shows the rank filtering step 550 of a fast datasieve . the input 552 is assumed to be runlength coded . local extrema , the hill tops and valley floors are flagged using the circuit 554 ( detailed in fig1 ). the output of 554 , namely 556 , is used to control a gate 558 . the gate 558 either routes 552 or 560 to the buffer output 562 . 558 routes 552 to 562 whenever the 552 is monotonic or the extremum has a run of greater than m samples . otherwise it routes 560 to buffer 562 . when it routes 560 to 562 it also controls the addressing of buffers 564 and 562 such that 560 is correctly positioned in the output buffer and the correct output 566 is selected . circuits 534 and 536 from fig1 are also shown in fig1 .
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the method of the present invention may be used with standard mri apparatus if such apparatus has control capabilities where parameters of the radio frequency ( rf ) pulse train and gradient may be easily varied . referring to fig1 a simplified block diagram of an mri device is illustrated . the mri device includes a main magnet 10 which provides a magnetic field b 0 that generates a steady magnetic field realizing a polarization of the nuclei of the protons of the specimen or subject for which an image is desired . within magnet 10 there is a cavity or space in which the specimen or human to be examined is placed . the apparatus also includes a gradient system for producing spatial linear field gradients . these gradient fields are generally established by a set of three orthogonal direct current coils 11 , 12 and 13 , which generate the three principal gradients g y , g x , and g z . these coils are driven by gradient generator 14 , which in turn is controlled by a controller 16 which communicates with the host computer 20 . typical gradients used in mri image processing are the well known slice select , readout , and phase encoding gradients . typical mri systems also generally include a radio frequency ( rf ) coil 17 which generates a radio frequency field in the specimen being analyzed and senses a free induction decay or spin echo signal which is generated after termination of the radio frequency pulse . rf pulse unit 18 excites rf coil 17 . the signal processor 19 receives the small microvoltage level spin echo signals which are reconstructed by computer 20 to form an image . the image is digitized and stored in the memory section of computer 20 for later display on display unit 21 . protons with their magnetic axis aligned in the transverse plane are termed “ saturated ,” as will be discussed below . if the imaging step is conducted with a magnetic axis of a proton already in the transverse plane , then due to the subsequent gradient crushing or dephasing , the magnetic axes will be aligned orthogonally to the slice plane ( along the z axis ) which produces no signal , thereby resulting in a perceptible void in the image . referring to fig2 a and 2b , the present invention uses a sinc function to modulate the rf pulses 200 from generator 18 in a manner which yields relatively uniform rectangular magnetization profile tags 202 . as will be set forth below , the present invention allows for control of both the width of the tags and the separation of the tags . a first order approximation of the presaturated magnetization profile produced by an rf pulse train in the presence of a constant gradient g x is the fourier transform of the rf pulse train waveform . assume the width of individual rf pulses is infinitesimal , the sinc modulated rf pulse train can be written as : rf ( t ) = sinc ( π t δ t 1 ) × comb ( t , δ t 2 ) [ 1 ] sinc ( π t δ t 1 ) is the sinc function with the first zero crossing at δt 1 and comb ( t , δt 2 ) is the comb function of spacing δt 2 . thus the spatial modulation of magnetization can be approximated as : m sat ( x ) = rect ( γ g x δ t 1 x ) ⊗ comb ( x , 1 γ g x δ t 2 ) [ 2 ] which provides rectangular tags of width 1 /( γg x δt 1 ) and separation 1 /( γg x δt 2 ). as is evident from this equation , both the tag width and separation are influenced by the gradient g x . thus , in addition to influencing the tag line properties with the characteristics of the sinc function and comb function , the magnitude of the gradient can also be used to define these properties . [ 0041 ] fig2 a , 2b , 3 a , 3 b and 4 a , 4 b illustrate examples of sinc modulated rf pulse trains and corresponding saturated magnetization profiles of varying tag width to separation ratios , i . e ., 1 : 2 , 1 : 4 and 1 : 8 , respectively . the ratio of tag width to tag separation is controlled by controlling the ratio of δt 2 to δt 1 . this approach can also be extended to 2d and 3d tagging without causing signal loss in untagged areas . while expressed above as an ideal comb function , in practical implementations , the width of individual rf pulses is finite . this finite width may cause undesirable shading across the image in the presence of the constant gradient g x . assuming the duration of individual rectangular rf pulses is δt 3 , the sinc modulated rf pulse train can be expressed as : rf ( t ) = ( sinc ( π t δ t 1 ) × comb ( t , δ t 2 ) ) ⊗ rect ( t δ t 3 ) [ 3 ] m sat ( x ) = ( rect ( γ g x δ t 1 x ) ⊗ comb ( x , 1 γ g x δ t 2 ) ) × sinc ( π x γ g x δ t 3 ) . [ 4 ] thus the shading is characterized by a sinc modulation , sinc ( πxγg x δt 3 ). this shading can be visible and detrimental when tagging a large field of view with very small tag separation . reducing the duration of individual rf pulses , δt 3 , can overcome this problem . however , doing so may impose high rf peak power requirements in some applications , such as human cardiac studies . to address the problem of shading in a manner which does not put undo limitations on the peak power requirements of the rf generator , it has been discovered that the constant gradient g x can be replaced by gradient segments between rf pulses without affecting the saturation profile as long as the gradient segment integral ( i . e ., the phase accumulation ) between adjacent rf pulses is preserved . fig6 a and 6b illustrate , by way of timing diagrams , a first example where gradient segments are active only between the rf pulses of the sinc modulated rf waveform . [ 0046 ] fig5 is a simplified flowchart describing the generation of the waveforms depicted in the timing diagrams of fig6 a and 6b . as described above , the present invention provides for the selection of both tag width and separation by controlling parameters of the gradient , the sinc modulation function and the rf pulses of the comb function being modulated . in step 505 , the desired tag width is set by adjusting the lobe width of the sinc function ( δt 1 ). as is evident in equation 2 , set forth above , both tag width and separation are also simultaneously affected by the gradient , g x . the tag separation can be adjusted by altering gradient and the time between rf pulses in the comb function ( δt 2 ), as illustrated in step 510 . while the gradient alters both the tag width and separation , it effects each of these parameters simultaneously . the tag width and separation are altered independently of each other by varying the sinc function and comb function as described above . prior to activation of the first rf pulse , the gradient , g x , is turned off ( step 515 ) and the rf pulse is then applied ( step 520 ). at the end of the rf pulse , the gradient gx is again turned on ( step 525 ). this process is completed for each pulse in the sinc modulated rf pulse train . if there are additional pulses in the pulse train to be applied ( step 530 ), the process idles with the gradient active until the start time of the next rf pulse ( step 540 ). if there are no more pulses in the pulse train , then the process advances to conventional mri image acquisition ( step 535 ). the gradient , g x , is then deactivated ( step 545 ) and the next rf pulse , whose amplitude and duration are determined by the sinc and comb function parameters , is applied ( step 550 ). at the end of the pulse , the process returns , in a loop , to step 525 . [ 0048 ] fig7 a and 7b are timing diagrams which illustrate an equivalent example to that depicted in fig6 . as compared to the example in fig6 a , in the case of fig7 a , the amplitude of the individual rf pulses is reduced , but the duty cycle of such pulses have been extended to preserve the power of each pulse and maintain an equivalent resulting spatial magnetization tag . this alteration permits the use of longer pulse duration to reduce peak power requirement , and allows equalized rf pulse amplitudes to minimize the total pulse train duration , reducing delays to the initialization of imaging after the qrs complex trigger . this modification of the rf pulse could occur , for example , in steps 505 and / or 510 of the method depicted in fig5 . [ 0049 ] fig8 a and 8b illustrate a further equivalent timing relationship to that illustrated in fig6 . in fig8 a , the amplitude of each of the rf pulse segments is now constant rather than varying in accordance with the sinc modulation . however , the duty cycle of the rf pulses , which was previously constant , is now varied to provide the sinc modulation of the rf signal . the gradient pulses illustrated in fig8 b are now pulse width modulated as well to correspond to the varying duty cycle of the rf signal . note that sinc modulated rf pulse trains can be further iteratively optimized by simulating the bloch equation numerically . the present methods are generally incorporated into conventional mri apparatus by way of programming the host computer 20 and / or controller 16 in order to generate the desired waveforms from the rf pulse generator 18 and gradient generator 14 . the software is generally written in any number of conventional programming languages and can be stored and transported on conventional computer readable media , such as magnetic storage disks ( floppy diskettes , hard disks and the like ), optical disks ( cd - roms ) and the like . the present invention has been implemented using a bruker avance 400wb spectrometer ( bruker nmr , inc ., billerica , mass .) with an 89 mm vertical bore magnet of 9 . 4 t ( oxford instruments ltd ., uk ) using a 30 - mm - i . d . quadrature rf probe and a shielded gradient system up to 100 g / cm . the sinc modulated rf pulse trains in conjunction with a constant gradient illustrated in fig2 a , 2b , 3 a , 3 b , and 4 a , 4 b , were implemented for both a phantom and an in vivo animal study . the rf pulse trains were 6 ms long and modulated by a 3 - lobe sinc function . the duration of individual rf pulses was 20 μs , 40 μs and 80 μs using waveforms illustrated in fig2 a , 3a and 4 a , respectively . the dante tagging method , consisting of an rf pulse train of uniform amplitude and constant gradient , was also implemented for comparison . to achieve a tag width to separation ratio equivalent to that in fig2 b for comparison ( 1 : 4 ), the number of rf pulses in dante pulse train was chosen to be four ( 4 ). in all experiments , the rf transmitter attenuation was calibrated for the tagging rf pulse train to produce a 90 ° flip angle . the tagging sequence was followed by a 1 . 5 ms crusher gradient . for the phantom study , a 20 mm tube of water doped with copper sulfate was used . images were obtained by rf pulse train tagging followed by a 2d gradient echo ( ge ) encoding with the following sequence parameters : fov = 22 mm , acquisition matrix = 256 × 256 , slice thickness = 2 mm , tr / te = 300 / 3 ms , flip angle = 30 °, number of averages = 1 . the rf pulse trains in fig2 a , 3a , and 4 a were employed to demonstrate various spatial modulation of magnetization . the in vivo mouse heart study was performed using a normal wild - type adult mouse ( c57bl / 6 , 25 g ). during the imaging experiment the mouse was anesthetized with isoflurane gas ( 1 . 5 vol . % at 2 l / min air flow ) via a nose cone . the ecg was recorded from the front limbs using subcutaneous silver electrodes . during imaging heart rate was approximately 500 beats per minute . imaging was performed with an ecg - gated fast 2d ge sequence using tr / te = 110 / 1 . 8 ms , fov = 26 mm , acquisition matrix = 168 × 168 , slice thickness = 1 . 5 mm , flip angle = 20 °, number of averages = 8 . the total acquisition time was approximately 2 . 5 min . the tagging waveform in fig2 b was employed . there was a 3 ms delay between the end of the tagging sequence and the start of the ge imaging sequence , i . e ., slice selective rf excitation . delay between the qrs complex trigger and the start of the ge sequence was approximately 10 ms , therefore , images were acquired during ventricular systole . [ 0056 ] fig9 a , 9b and 9 c are images which illustrate the results from the phantom study employing the waveforms of fig2 a , 3a and 4 a , respectively . as predicted , tags with sharp edges were obtained with sinc modulated rf pulse trains . fig9 a , 9b and 9 c demonstrate the flexibility to alter the ratio of tag width to tag separation , which cannot be easily provided by the dante and spamm techniques . fig1 is an image acquired using the prior art dante method during the phantom study . the improvement of tag contrast over the conventional dante tagging technique is apparent . fig1 and 12 illustrate 1d tagging of a wild - type mouse heart by the sinc modulated rf pulse train of the present invention and the conventional dante technique , respectively . the nominal tag width and separation were 0 . 16 mm and 0 . 65 mm , respectively . the sharper - edged tagging by the sinc modulated rf train is apparent in the myocardium and the entire field of view of fig9 a . [ 0057 ] fig9 d illustrates an extension of the present invention into two dimensional tag lines . the tag lines are added in a direction orthogonal to the initial tag lines , thereby forming a grid , by following the same procedure described above for g x with either the g y or g x gradients . although the present invention has been described in connection with specific exemplary embodiments , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .
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the prior art approach to thin a substrate such as a multidie semiconductor wafer 10 , from an initial mean thickness 18 of , e . g ., about 28 mm to a final mean thickness 22 of about , e . g ., 4 mm is illustrated in fig1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 4 a . the bare back side surface 14 is typically rough , as shown by the exaggerated “ peaks ” 24 and “ valleys ” 26 which define the topography of the surface in fig1 . the roughness may be measured in terms of a maximum amplitude 38 between the deepest valley 26 and the highest peak 24 . the final mean thickness 22 of semiconductor wafer 10 is shown as the distance between an active surface 12 and a final back side surface 20 . it is very desirable that the back side surface 14 be as uniformly planar and smooth as possible to enable accurate and uniform severance or singulation of individual semiconductor dice cut from the semiconductor wafer 10 , to maintain the structural integrity of the resulting dice and to maintain uniform thickness dimensions thereof for packaging . various methods are used conventionally for bulk thinning by so - called “ backgrinding ” of a multidie semiconductor wafer 10 , including mechanical methods of grinding , etching with a dry or wet chemical ( or even a vapor ), and combinations thereof . one currently preferred method is to initially use one of a mechanical , i . e ., abrasive polishing , cmp , or grinding process , followed by a wet chemical etch or a dry chemical etch . as shown in fig2 , the etching of a bare substrate ( semiconductor wafer 10 ) surface such as a rough wafer back side surface 14 , reduces the topographic maximum amplitude 38 but does not planarize the etched surface 30 to a high degree due to the isotropic nature of the etch chemistry . an isotropic etchant 28 may be considered as attacking all exposed surfaces of the peaks and valleys 24 , 26 at substantially the same rate in a direction normal to the particular surface location . fig3 depicts a movable element 32 which is moved in a lateral direction 33 , such as through rotation . the movable element 32 , which may be structured as a pad , carries abrasive materials 36 exposed beyond the pad surface and which impinge laterally with force against nonhorizontal back side surface 14 , i . e ., as directed lateral forces 34 . a similar effect results from use of a diamond grinding wheel . the directed lateral forces 34 tend to break the peaks 24 along various crystalline cleavage planes with a resulting , significant degree of nonuniformity in the surface topography , although the amplitude will be reduced . the production of high - asperity particles from the grinding process will also be significant , leading to nonuniform solids removal . as shown in fig4 , when the back side surface 14 of a semiconductor wafer 10 has been ground to a desired final mean thickness 22 , the surface nevertheless remains undesirably rough . the valleys 26 may extend into the semiconductor wafer 10 to produce weakness therein , or even cracking or fracture . this is especially critical in very thin wafers , e . g ., 2 – 4 mm final mean thickness 22 , which are also subject to warpage . thus , in the prior art , conventional methods may lead to failure of semiconductor dice 16 ( see fig4 a ) at the time of or following singulation from the semiconductor wafer 10 , i . e ., by cutting along streets 46 . turning now to fig5 through 10 , exemplary embodiments of methods of the invention are illustrated for thinning and planarizing a substrate , such as a semiconductor wafer 10 back side surface 14 . the semiconductor wafer 10 may comprise a wafer of silicon , gallium arsenide , germanium or indium phosphide , by way of example only . in fig5 , a semiconductor wafer 10 is shown with an active surface 12 and rough back side surface 14 . a planarizing material 40 has been deposited as an overlying layer on the original nonplanar back side surface 14 and is shown as filling in the valleys 26 and covering the peaks 24 of the surface . in other words , the layer of planarizing material 40 substantially covers all features of the topography and , desirably , covers the entire back side surface 14 . the layer of planarizing material 40 is formed and cured to have a substantially planar exposed surface 42 , and is shown with a mean thickness 44 . the layer of planarizing material 40 and a substantial portion of the underlying substrate ( semiconductor wafer 10 ) are to be removed , thinning the substrate to a final back side surface 20 which is substantially planarized . the layer of planarizing material 40 penetrates the rough surface of back side surface 14 and is very adherent thereto . the planarizing material may be desirably chosen to meet the following criteria : ( a ) it is easily applied to a surface of the substrate on which thinning is to be initiated ; ( b ) when hardened , it exhibits a solids removal rate similar to that exhibited by the underlying substrate material , e . g ., semiconductor material , when subjected to the same material removal technique ; and ( c ) when hardened , it forms a substantially planar , exposed surface . materials which may be used to form the layer of planarizing material 40 of the above - listed criteria include various polymers which are in the classes of epoxies and acrylics and , more particularly , thermal ( thermoset ) or ultraviolet light ( uv ) linkable polymers and two - part epoxy formulations . other general classes of coating which are contemplated as usable in this invention include silicones , urethanes , and siloxanes , without limitation thereto . a number of photoresists will etch at substantially the same rate as silicon materials , such as , for example , silicon dioxide . as disclosed below , it may be desirable to oxidize back side surface 14 , forming silicon dioxide in the case of a silicon wafer , prior to application of the planarizing material 40 . of course , the etch rates for planarizing material 40 may be matched empirically to that of the material of the wafer for each selected etchant . the application of a layer of planarizing material 40 to a substrate back side surface 14 may be by a variety of methods . in one method for example , a flowable polymeric material ( liquid or particulate solid ) maybe applied to a back side surface 14 by screen - coating or stencil - coating . if a liquid material is used , spin - coating is also effective . the polymeric material may then be cured to a hardened state by application of heat or , in some instances , by a selected wavelength of radiation . in another variation , an epoxy material can be cured to a so - called “ b ” stage of tackiness , at which it is still flowable . the epoxy material may then be applied to the back side surface 14 and reheated to complete the cure , bond to the surface and harden . it is contemplated that a layer of epoxy material may be applied to a backing sheet carrying a release layer , cured to a “ b ” stage and applied to the back side surface 14 . the backing may then be stripped off , and the epoxy cure and hardening completed . other application methods which may be used include cvd and pecvd , in which the planarizing material is applied as a vapor . these depositon methods are well known in the art . in a deposition method of newer development , the parylene process ™ may be used . in this method , an organic dimer is heated to form monomers and then applied at a lower temperature to a back side surface 14 where it deposits as a planarizing material 40 . a dimer such as di - para - xylene may be used . another deposition method which may be used comprises the formation of a tape or film element of partially polymerized material . the tape or film may then be applied to the back side surface 14 , heated to flow , bond to the surface , level and planarize , and finally cooled to a solid state . fig6 shows the substrate ( semiconductor wafer 10 ) of fig5 following exemplary thinning by wet or dry chemical etching by isotropic etchant 28 to produce an etched surface 30 near the original back side surface 14 . unlike the rough original back side surface 14 , the etched surface 30 is substantially planar and includes etched portions of the planarizing material 40 . the exposure to isotropic etchant 28 may be continued until the desired final back side surface 20 , i . e ., final mean thickness 22 , is reached . inasmuch as the planar exposed surface 42 initially exposed to the isoctropic etchant 28 is substantially planar , the attained final back side surface 20 will also be substantially planar . while dry etching , for example , reactive ion etching ( also termed “ plasma etching ”), may be used to thin a substrate , it is currently preferred that wet etching be employed . suitable etchants for a silicon substrate include , without limitation , 100 % koh , koh mixed with deionized water , koh mixed with isopropyl alcohol , a mixture of hf , hno 3 and ch 3 cooh formulated , for example as so - called “ 95 % poly etch ,” comprising 50 % nitric acid , 2 . 5 % acetic acid and 0 . 74 % hydrofluoric acid , by volume . however , a mechanical or chemical - mechanical material removal process may be used to thin the back side surface 14 . as shown in fig7 , a movable element 32 with attached abrasive materials 36 may be used to grind a substrate ( semiconductor wafer 10 ) to ( or nearly to ) a desired final mean thickness 22 . the movable element 32 may be moved in a lateral direction or lateral directions 33 parallel to the desired final back side surface 20 to remove substrate material until surfaces 14 and 20 merge . the acts of the methods of the present invention may be conducted in differing orders . as shown in fig8 with respect to one exemplary embodiment , a substrate is provided in act 50 with a bare , thinnable back side surface 14 . the term “ bare ” denotes that electronic or other components are not present on the back side surface 14 . a layer of planarizing material 40 is then applied , as discussed above , in act 52 . following hardening in act 54 , one or more thinning and planarizing acts 58 may be used to thin and complete planarization . the thinning and planarization acts 58 may be of any of the previously mentioned techniques . as shown in fig9 with respect to another exemplary embodiment , the method of fig8 may be modified to include an initial thinning act 56 for bulk removal of substrate material prior to deposition of a planarizing material in act 52 . fig1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a method of the present invention . in this embodiment , the thinnable back side surface 14 is first subjected to an oxidation act 60 . when the substrate is silicon , for example , the back side surface 14 may be oxidized to silicon dioxide . polymers such as are used as planarizing materials in this invention are , in general , much more adherent to the oxide than to silicon itself . however , it should be noted that , in general , the initially rough back side surface 14 may enhance adhesion of such a polymer thereto and render preoxidation in act 60 unnecessary . as practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art , the material removal process from a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is typically practiced while the active surface of the wafer is protected from possible mechanical damage and reagent and debris contamination , for example , by the prior application of so - called “ backgrind tape ” as known in the art . further , the manner in which a substrate such as a wafer is fixed for material removal therefrom is also well known . accordingly , no further description of the acts preliminary to the material removal processes described herein , including mounting of the wafer or other substrate , is provided . although the foregoing description contains many specifics , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention , but merely as providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments . similarly , other embodiments of the invention may be devised which do not depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention . moreover , features from different embodiments of the invention may be employed in combination . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated and limited only by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , rather than by the foregoing description . all additions , deletions , and modifications to the invention , as disclosed herein , which fall within the meaning and scope of the claims are to be embraced thereby .
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for a better and more thorough understanding of the present invention , it will be shown embodied in a refrigerator having both refrigerator and freezer sections for purposes of illustration . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to use solely in refrigerators but other appliances , particularly those that include x compartments and x - 1 sensors . that is to say , if the unit has two compartments , there will only be one sensor , etc . the present invention is primarily based on the utilization of software algorithms for use in the described system . referring initially to fig1 and 5 , compensation for proper freezer temperature is handled in the following way . a single sensor 108 utilized within the refrigerator section 101 , while none are included in the freezer 102 . for three on - off cycles , the measurement period ( of the compressor ) times of each refrigerator cycle are measured . external temperature is known from the comparison to reference times which were recorded previously . for the next two cycles of operation known as the adjust period , the microcontroller will force the compressor on and off according to the reference times in that external temperature of the freezer unit . microcontroller 601 will then repeat these periods . the microcontroller 601 as shown in fig5 will force the compressor on and off according to reference times and the external temperature of the freezer . the microcontroller 601 then repeats these periods . the forced adjust period based on freezer times is alternated with the measurement period which is based on refrigerator temperature . referring now to fig5 temperature sensor 108 placed inside the refrigerator section , in section 101 and seen in fig1 operates the refrigerator internal cold producing device , such as compressor 107 as seen in fig1 which turns on and off so the inside of the refrigerator is regulated at an average established temperature . a microcontroller 601 , or some similar measuring device , measures the time it takes for the sensor temperature of sensor 108 to rise and fall . since the information stored in the microcontroller consists of times of internal operation which correlate to various external temperatures of the refrigerator , the evaporator section , as may be seen in fig1 is balanced between section 105 and refrigerator section 101 and evaporator section 106 and freezer compartment 102 . this arrangement insures that the refrigerator normally will be operated at 6 ° c . with the freezer being operated at - 10 ° c . in a room temperature of 25 ° c . as may be seen by referring to fig3 the refrigerator is initially place in a room having a temperature of 15 ° c . at this time , the inside of the refrigerator is set to operate at the 6 ° c . temperature and the desired freezer temperature at - 10 ° c . the microcontroller 601 will measure on ( t2 ) three times as shown in fig2 averaging them to twenty minutes as shown in the table portion of fig3 . from the stored reference times , the outside temperature is 15 ° c . because the evaporator is balanced for 25 ° c . external temperatures , the freezer will be warmer than - 10 ° c . so the microcontroller will start an adjust period ( tadjust 1 , as shown in fig3 ) for two cycles when it forces the compressor on for a period of 29 minutes . this will then make the freezer section - 10 ° c . in a 15 ° c . room and the refrigerator portion will be a little colder than needed . the microcontroller 601 will then start another adjustment period ( tm 2 ) and adjust accordingly ( tadjust 2 ) as shown in fig3 . accordingly , the performance of the freezer is substantially improved due to the adjust period and known edge of the external temperature . when the room temperature with the same refrigerator is changed to 31 ° c ., as shown in the table portion of fig3 the microcontroller will measure 3 on times with an average time being 68 minutes ( shown as tm 1 in fig3 ). from the stored reference times , the outside temperature is determined to be 31 ° c . thus , the microcontroller will start an adjust period ( again see tadjust 1 column . fig3 ) for two cycles when it will force the compressor on for a total of 77 minutes . this will make the freezer portion - 10 ° c . in the 31 ° c . room . this time the microcontroller will start another measurement period ( tm 2 ) and adjust accordingly ( tadjust 2 ) as shown in fig3 . as noted above , during the adjust period the microcontroller could also make the temperature compensation in the refrigerator compartment , energy efficiency improvements as well as temperature changes to other compartments which are also in the same room as the refrigerator . it is also possible in the alternative for the microcontroller to utilize the adjust period as the next measurement period . referring now to the software flow chart of fig4 it will be seen that at the start of the system operation , or in response to external interference , such as a door opening or power interruption , it is very important to allow the system to operate until the compartment is stabilized . the system is considered stabilized when the compartment temperature has reached its cut - out temperature at the current setting . the cut - out temperature normally is the low temperature of a setting at which the compressor will turn off . stability of the compartment temperature is necessary to insure accuracy of ambient temperature detection . once the compartment temperature is stabilized , compressor on and off times are measured during each compressor cycle . compressor on and off times will be calculated for a fixed length of time or a fixed number of compressor cycles to determine average time . average compressor on and off time is then compared to a known average on and off time of a setting to decide if there is a change in the ambient temperature . if the average compressor off time is increasing , then the ambient is regarded as falling , while the average compressor on time is increasing it is then determined that the ambient temperature is regarded as rising . these known average on and off times of the settings are values based on experimentation and testing . each ambient range will have a distinct average on and off time for every setting to compare . change in the compressor on time will be more noticeable at higher ambient temperatures and change in compressor off times will be more noticeable at lower ambient temperatures . utilizing compressor on and off times when making the comparison will maximize accuracy of the ambient detection . when the program detects a change within a certain ambient range , the setting will be modified to the adaptive settings . the adaptive settings will have a different cut - in and cut - out temperature which will optimize the system performance for that ambient range . the cut - in temperature is the high temperature setpoint of a setting at which the compressor will turn on . referring now to fig4 it may be seen that after the temperature is stabilized , the average compressor on and off times after a fixed number of cycles or hours are calculated , and after which calculation of the compressor on and off times difference takes place , decisions are made as to whether the off time is increasing or decreasing , should it not be increasing , another decision is made as to whether the on time difference is increasing . in the first case , if the ambient temperature is failing by virtue of the calculation of the off and on time difference , it is referred to number of decisions within selected ambient ranges , known as ranges a , b , c and d , as well as no change , decisions are made , and then if the decision is made that it is within a particular range , or that it is not within the normal ambient temperature range , another decision is made as to whether the current temperature setting is within the modified ambient range as to one of a , b , c , d or normal ambient range . if the answer is &# 34 ; no &# 34 ;, appropriate changes are made to bring the current temperature setting within the selected ambient range , or should it be &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ;, the main program would be returned and repeated from point a as shown on the software flow chart . while but a single embodiment of the present invention has been shown , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention , which shall be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto .
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a mail sorting system of the invention uses a sorting machine which is a transport with multiple sorting pockets . the transport includes cameras capable of surveying the entire mail piece or other item capable of being conveyed down the transport . the transport in the case of mail pieces is preferably a pinch belt conveyor wherein the mail pieces are held on opposite sides by a pair of belts as they are transported . however , other types of known mail sorting machines could be used . the pinch belt leads past a series of diverter gates at which the mail piece can be diverted to a bin to one side of the conveyor path . typical dbcs and mlocr machines operate in the manner . prior to use of the system , an operator has put in a database all information pertinent to any job ( the “ input profile ”) that may be run on the equipment . this information can include , but is not limited to : mailer identity , postage applied ( if known ), endorsements , indicia , symbols and other patterns . location of the information on the mail piece is also indicated . each input is marked as “ critical ” or “ non - critical ” by the system or the operator according to a pre - determined standard . this designation will subsequently be used to accept the mail piece if information is correct and complete , or reject it if its information cannot be verified . as an alternative to operator input , a few sample mail pieces may be scanned , and the scanned mail piece information extracted and stored in the database with the customer id assigned to the information and used for reference . the database may also contain sort schemes that an equipment operator can preselect prior to starting processing . mail identifiers may be created as follows . a sample mail piece is first imaged , and the captured image is used to extract mail piece features . fig1 illustrates a typical mail piece 10 with features such as permit imprint 11 , address 12 , return address 13 , endorsement 14 , postnet bar code 15 , automarking 16 , manifest keyline information 17 and planet bar code 8 , which contains an assigned id number associated with the mailer . keyline information 17 is a series of text / digits that uniquely identify a mailer and job , along with mail piece characteristics such as mail weight . such mailings also commonly have advertisement text and special patterns / graphics characteristic of each mailer . while the address 12 will vary on each mail piece , other items will remain the same for all mail within the same job , for example , the return address 13 . logo 9 and any other distinct graphic objects can be located anywhere on the mail pieces other than at locations reserved for essential features as described above . the input file can be created manually by a video operator , who reviews the mail piece image on screen and identifies regions of interest such as 18 , containing the address , and 19 containing the return address . the decoded text in roi 19 may be designated a critical parameter in that all mail pieces from the job associated with that profile are expected to have that return address . the permit number will likewise be considered a critical parameter . what is considered critical by the system analyzing a mail piece image will vary depending on the program logic the system employs to make the decision . the input process may be based on a few mail pieces that are representative of all the mail pieces in a job . the reverse side of the mail piece may contain information of interest and is preferably characterized in the same manner as the front side . the goal of the input process is to create a “ profile ” of features by which a specific mailers &# 39 ; mail pieces can be recognized as they pass through the sorting system , preferably without need for either a special symbol identifying the mailer or use of markers such as divider cards to indicate a change in mailer during a sorting run . region of interest ( roi ) features extraction and matching software has been developed and tested in real time to find and characterize features of the mail piece from the mail piece image . delivery address blocks , return address blocks , stamps and permit blocks , meter mark , logo , etc . were found and characterized . the return address block , delivery address blocks and the permit blocks , etc . were submitted for ocr processing . the geometrical information of each object and the results of this ocr processing were used to match the current mail piece to a predetermined template . the result of template matching can be used to determine the customer id for the mail pieces being processed . if some fields match but not all , operator intervention may be required . it may occur that multiple jobs are received from the same mailer at the same time where the mail pieces are identical in appearance and layout , and it is possible or desirable to commingle them in order to obtain a higher overall postal discount . in such a case , the mail piece may include a special symbol or number 20 put on by the mailer that distinguishes mail from one job for that mailer from another . a different symbol or number 20 is used for each successive job for that mailer . referring to fig2 , once the input of mailer profile data is completed ( step 30 ), the machine operator places mail pieces on the transport ( step 32 ), such as by loading them onto a conventional pickoff feeder , without any requirement to input information such as mailer id , etc . mail pieces can be randomly selected or of mixed origin , since each will be uniquely identified by the input parameters or by a mail piece unique id . the transport carries each mail piece past a digital camera to lift an image ( step 34 ). if this image has a unique id ( decision 36 ), the information is stored , such as on hard disk storage ( step 38 ) where it may be retrieved later . if no unique id is determined , the system assigns one ( step 40 ), applies the id to the mail piece ( step 42 ), and the information is stored in the disk storage . the id number assigned may be either unique to each mail piece , or just unique to that mailer , with all mail pieces for that mailer receiving the same id number . the same id number could have both attributes , e . g ., the first six digits or characters identify the mailer , and the remaining digits or characters uniquely identify the mail piece . an “ id number ” for this purpose refers to any combination of numbers , letters , or other symbols sufficient for identification purposes . all data from the image lift is resolved and compared with the input profile ( step 44 ), and confirmation is made assuring that all data marked critical is available ( decision 46 ) so that the mailer can be reliably determined . any missing critical data undergoes an algorithm matching process ( step 48 ) to determine if the system can identify missing data . if successful ( decision 50 ), the mail piece is approved for further processing . if not , the mail piece is sorted to a special reject bin for offline processing ( step 52 ). if the mailer can be determined , then counters are incremented for number of mail pieces to that zip code , number of mail pieces sent by that mailer , number of mail pieces sent by that mailer in that zip code and any other desired information , such as the number of mail pieces of that mailer in the current job . this information is stored in memory and / or saved to disk for preparation of manifests or other reports . if a postnet bar code exists ( decision 54 ), the system compares the applied bar code to the resolved address ( step 58 ) and determines whether a match exists ( decision 60 ). if there is not a match , the mail piece is rejected for offline processing ( step 62 ). the resolved address is also compared with a national forwarding database ( step 64 ) to determine if forwarding is required ( decision 66 ). one such forwarding database having improved capabilities as compared to the ncoa database is described in sipe et al . u . s . patent application 20040093222 , published may 13 , 2004 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein . if forwarding is needed and the machine has forwarding capability , then if the mail piece is first class mail ( decision 68 ), it will apply the forwarding bar code ( step 70 ), and reject other types of mail for offline processing ( step 72 ). machines without forwarding capability will all reject pieces requiring forwarding . if no postnet bar code exists and the machine is equipped to print a postnet code determined from the resolved address , the postnet code is printed ( step 56 ) and then the check for forwarding is carried out . if the machine does not have the capability of applying a determined bar code , the mail piece is instead rejected . alternatively , the piece could be sorted to its destination using the delivery point assigned by the ocr process . once all the above is accomplished , the mail piece postnet bar code is matched against a predetermined sort scheme , and a proper sort is effected ( step 74 ). the sort scheme may assign the mail piece to a final sort (“ quick kill ”), or send it into a location where a secondary sort is required . upon determination of the proper sort , correct postage is determined ( step 76 ) and sent to the database holding all other pertinent information on the mail piece , including the postage applied if there is pre - applied postage ( meter , stamps , etc .) ( step 78 ). if the mail piece requires a secondary sort ( decision 80 ), the process is accomplished in the same manner as an initial sort by again feeding the mail piece to the transport that has an operator - preset sort scheme . the mail piece is identified by its profile or unique number in step 36 , and again proper sorting is accomplished . proper postage may now have changed , and the information is corrected in the database in steps 76 , 78 . all other parameters should not have changed . after all sorting , primary and secondary , is completed , data in the database , including an image of the mail piece , is now available for completing all required usps forms ( step 82 ) for mass mailings . all information is retained , including postage applied , postage owed , value added rebates , number of mail pieces , number assigned to each sort level and each destination . by accessing the unique id for any given mail piece , an exact profile of the information can be obtained . this data is available for verification purposes and archived for subsequent retrieval should audit at later date be required . the algorithm matching process of step 48 can be done by deduction based on other data . for example , the return address is unreadable from the image lift for some reason , but upon considering other factors such as permit number , endorsements and their location , and the like , the program logic narrows the possibilities down to only one matching mailer and job . for a similar process relating to missing address information , see commonly - owned u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 530 , 879 , filed dec . 18 , 2003 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein . the system can be programmed with limited error tolerance if desired . for example , if a mis - scan of one or two letters in the return address occurs , a computer may return a mismatch initially but then override the mismatch based on the high correspondence of all the other letters in the address . the database created in the foregoing example contains an exact profile of each mailing by mailer . information such as number of pieces , rejects , incorrect addresses , postage required vs . postage applied , distribution by zip code and other information can be easily extracted and verified as well as information on each mail piece . with this information , automatic invoices can be prepared . this also allows a presorter to reward mailers with error free mail and penalize with additional fees those whose mailing lists contain errors . in a variation according to the invention , secondary processing can be used in an attempt to selectively sort rejects by mailer . when a mail piece is rejected in steps 52 or 62 due to an inadequate address or because the postnet code does not match the resolved address , the system will normally know the associated mailer from the profiling procedure , and can direct the mail piece to a mailer - specific reject bin that receives all rejects for that mailer . if the system does not know the mailer , it can then attempt to determine which mailer the unsortable mail piece belongs to . this can be done in a number of ways , such as by means of the special mailer job id symbol 20 , planet bar code 8 , and possibly logo 9 , by matching an assigned mail piece id number with the associated mailer , or by using process of elimination program logic in conjunction with known elements of address and other information resulting from the imaging step to determine the mailer . in the case of a complete misread where no information is available about a mail piece , the system can sort the rejected mail piece based on information concerning the immediately preceding and / or following mail pieces . if the system detects a series of mail pieces belonging to a single mailer on this basis , it can assign the mail piece to the reject bin associated with that mailer . the number of mail pieces following the rejected one that will be considered as part of a possible series is limited to those which can be imaged and processed before the rejected mail piece has traveled from the imaging camera to the gates for the reject bins . it may be advantageous to assign the bins requiring the longest travel from the imaging system as reject bins to permit more time for processing and increase the number of following mail pieces that can be considered as part of a series . predetermined criteria based on the desired confidence level are used to determine if the rejected mail piece is part of a series belonging to a particular mailer . for example , if the system detects that three mail pieces immediately following and preceding the reject all belong to the same mailer , it then assigns the reject to the reject bin for that mailer . the image of the rejected mail piece may then be reviewed in an offline processing operation similar to manual video coding used by the usps . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , the steps 36 , 40 and 42 wherein an id number is determined and printed on each mail piece are omitted . this version of the invention is appropriate where , due to machine configuration , there is insufficient time between imaging and sorting to perform advanced processing . in such a case , processing of the mail piece image in step 34 proceeds along two parallel tracks . the first track only includes operations needed to make the sorting decision in a manner known in the art . the second track , which may be performed by a secondary processor , uses the information from the image to determine which mailer the mail piece belongs to , and performs any other computations that do no need to be completed before making the sorting decision , e . g ., the number of mail pieces assigned to each zip code which is maintained in order to do the final postage calculation . in this manner , secondary processing can lag behind the primary sorting processing without adversely affecting operation . as discussed above in connection with reject processing , the system may also rely on series information in making decisions , recognizing that in a great many cases a long series of almost identical mail pieces will be imaged . thus , if the image information does not provide enough critical data to identify the mailer , the system may look to the mail pieces preceding and / or following that mail piece . if a series of mail pieces immediately before and after the mail piece that can &# 39 ; t be resolved all belong to the same mailer , the probability is high that the unresolved mail piece also belongs to that mailer , and may be identified accordingly . storage of the image on a permanent storage medium such as a hard drive in step 38 makes it possible to investigate and determine what went wrong with the mail piece later on , with a change in the assigned job number if the system &# 39 ; s determination proves to be incorrect . series information can also be used for process control purposes . if more than a predetermined number of unreadable pieces pass by the imaging camera , the sorting system is preferably programmed to shut down so that the operator can investigate for a potential machine problem . in the case of multiple jobs received from the same mailer at the same time where the mail pieces are identical in appearance and layout , there are several possible approaches . first , the human operator can manually interrupt a run in this situation and enter a new job code , overriding the existing one , much as currently practiced for all jobs . second , if the system is provided with the data , e . g . tables linking zip codes to the corresponding job number for that mailer , then the system can automatically determine the correct job code from the recipient address . third , by pre - arrangement , the mailer can used the special symbol ( indicia ) or mark 20 as noted to distinguish one job from another , and the verification of the mark is added to the list of critical features . according to a further aspect of the invention , it is not essential to reject all mail pieces for which a mailer cannot be determined . where there are a large number of mail pieces in a batch that do not match a mailer profile , it is likely that they all originate from a single mailer that for some reason was not profiled , or for which the profile was not recognizable by the system . in such a situation , the system can assign a pseudo - mailer id to the unidentified mail pieces and sort them according to zip code , rather than to a reject bin . the mailer for these mail pieces can then be determined later in an offline process using the saved data for each mail piece , including the images of the mail piece . it will be understood that the foregoing description is of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention , and that the invention is not limited to the specific forms shown . items other than mail pieces such as flat and large pieces could be identified by the process of the invention . modifications may be made in without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims .
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several commercial systems exist to help users search through large collections in order to retrieve those data that the user wishes to find . this is straightforward for certain types of data , e . g ., searching for sales figures that meet certain criteria . however , searches for people , objects , or activities in large video archives are fraught with difficulties . achieving good performance on clearly - specified searches , e . g ., a search for all red cars in an archive , depends on the system &# 39 ; s having good recognition performance on video , which is often beyond the state of the art . achieving similar performance on more vaguely - specified , example - based searches introduces the additional difficulty of properly understanding the user &# 39 ; s intent . if the example given by the user contains several objects , this raises the question as whether the intent is to find other instances of either object , both , or instances with a similar relationship between the two . in order to resolve these issues , there may be many approaches in the realm of content - based image / video retrieval that employ user feedback to clarify user intent and help improve the recognition performance of the system . in many cases , possibly the simplest ( and therefore easiest to provide ) form of user feedback involves presenting the user with samples from the archive and asking that the user provide a positive / negative label for each , indicating whether or not they are accepted as correct . in order to have the system perform well , given relatively sparse input from the user , there are two fundamental questions that should be answered . a first question is which samples from the archive , if labeled by the user , enable the system to improve its performance the most . this question may be referred to as the active learning issue . a second question is , given a set of sparse labels , as provided by the user , how this information can be propagated to other , unlabeled , samples in the archive . this question may be referred to as the label propagation issue . the present approach may address both the active learning and label propagation issues by employing a memory of user provided labels of the archive data . one may assume simple positive / negative labeling of samples , and further concentrate on example - based queries . for example - based queries , as mentioned previously , one of the difficulties is to determine from the input the user &# 39 ; s intended search category . due to uncertainty in this determination , it is not necessarily possible to assign a definitive , high - level label to archive data based on a user &# 39 ; s feedback . for instance , one cannot necessarily assume that an archive sample is a red vehicle simply because the user has assigned it a positive label relative to an example video containing a red vehicle . the user may have intended to retrieve red objects more broadly , and the positively - labeled sample may be an image of an apple . because of the uncertainty inherent in example - based searching , one may design the system to store only low - level information based on user feedback . here , one may retain a set of equivalence classes in the archive , where each equivalence class contains samples that were given the same label by the user with respect to a particular query . these equivalence classes may provide natural answers to both the active learning and label propagation issues . for each query on which a user will provide feedback , one may generate two equivalence classes . one class may contain the set of samples that are positively labeled by the user , and another class may contain the negatively - labeled samples . in subsequent queries , these equivalence classes may be used to solve the active learning issue . elements chosen from each of the positively - labeled equivalence classes may provide much information when the elements are labeled in new queries . thus , these elements get a high priority for labeling . if such an element is positively labeled in the new query , that positive label may be propagated to all other elements from its equivalence class and a negative label may be assigned to all elements of the corresponding negative equivalence class . if , on the other hand , the chosen element may be negatively labeled with respect to the new query , then the negative label can be propagated to the other elements of its equivalence class but no label can be assigned to the elements of the corresponding negative class . because of the difference between the two cases outlined , one may say that there is more information gained from getting a positive label on elements of positive equivalence classes . for this reason , when the system is able to get fewer labels from the user , the active learning approach will attempt to find elements of positive equivalence classes that are the best matches to the ongoing query , in order to improve the chances of getting the more valuable true ( i . e ., accurate ) label . in addition , the sizes of the equivalence classes may also be taken into consideration , as it is more valuable when a label can be propagated to a larger set . fig1 is a diagram of a query refinement system 11 . a query may be entered by a user 16 in an initial search module 12 . the system may be illustrated with a specific example as a query ; however , other kinds of items may be applied to the system . the medium for the present example may be video clips . a query at input 14 may be a search for all red cars in the archive at module 12 . an output may be input on line 19 to a feedback selection module 13 . a form of user feedback at feedback selection module 13 may involve presenting the user 16 at an output 15 with examples from the archive and be vested to provide a positive or negative label at input 17 for each example from the archive , indicating whether or not they are accepted as correct . a simple “ positive ” or “ negative ” labeling of the samples may be used relative to each example of a video clip . an output of the initial search module 12 may be entered at line 18 to a query refinement module 21 . an output from query refinement module 21 may be fed back along a line 22 to feedback selection 13 . another output from query refinement module 21 may be fed along a line 23 to formulate a final result set module 24 . an output 25 may return video clips from formulate find result set module 24 to a user 16 . fig2 is a diagram of a system 31 which may be an extension of system 11 of fig1 . a query may be entered at input 14 of an initial search module 12 . the query may be , for example , a search for all red cars in an archive 20 connected via line 43 to module 12 . an output of search matches may be input on a line 19 to a feedback selection module 13 . an output on line 26 may include representative matches of search results from module 13 with requests asking for a positive or negative label for each match or representative match of search results from module 12 . the requests may be fed into a database 27 along line 26 from module 13 . requests from database 27 may be provided to user 16 on a line 15 . the requests to the user 16 may be associated or labeled with query labels which go to a query n ( qn ) database 29 via a line 17 by user 16 . the labels may indicate for the matches or representative matches in accordance with requests from line 15 as to whether the respective match is correct or not , which may be indicated with a simple label of “ positive ” or “ negative ”. these labels may be placed in the qn database 29 . the labels may be provided to a memory 32 along a line 33 from database 29 . information in memory 32 may be provided to feedback selection module 13 via line 44 . the labels may be provided from label database 29 to a label propagation module 36 along a line 35 . the matches or search results from search module 12 may go to the label propagation module 36 along line 28 . information from memory 32 may go to a label propagation module 36 via line 34 . the propagation results , including found labels , of the labels from label propagation module 36 may go a query refinement module 38 via a line 37 . query refinements , including generation of a final result set , may proceed from module 38 to feedback selection module 13 for an iterative process along a line 39 , and to a formulate result set module 42 along a line 41 . a process of requests , labeling and label propagation may again cycle from module 13 through query refinement 38 , including intermediate actions , to provide better query results as more information is fed into system 31 by user 16 . better label information may consequently be provided to memory 32 along line 33 from label database 29 . with query refinement information from module 38 along line 41 to module 42 , module 42 may cull out some of the items , and provide or return selected video clips on line 25 to user 16 . the video clip results may be saved in an off - system file by user 16 . if the user 16 decides to use one or more of the return video clips in a new query , then the selection of video clips may improve as the system 31 usage continues with better query and label information being made more accurate as inputs on lines 14 and 17 , respectively . or user 16 may begin the process of system 31 with an entirely new query on line 14 . fig3 shows the various symbols which may represent the various positive and negative results of the video clips discussed herein . fig4 shows a time table with various searches done in response to a digging inquiry . in response , there may be an initial search with the query being an example video of people digging . the video may have other items in it such as cars driving by . the search may result in 60 video clip results . a request to a user may go out requesting the user to rate the results as positive or negative . the user may rate 20 results as positive and 40 results as negative . these ratings are associated with the results as labels which may be members of equivalence classes . another query , i . e ., a video clip , may be entered which is labeled as carrying . the query may return 70 video clip results . the user , for instance , may rate 25 results as positive and 45 results as negative . the labels associated with the results may be provided to the database 29 by the user . the 20 results of the digging rated as positive and the 40 results rated as negative may regarded as a positive equivalence class and a negative equivalence class , respectively . queries may be regarded as q 1 ( digging ), q 2 ( carrying ) and so on to qn ( digging ). each set of results may be regarded as having a time range and bounding boxes . in fig4 , symbols 61 and 62 represent the positive and negative results , respectively , of the search for video 51 . symbols 63 and 64 represent the positive and negative results , respectively , of the search for video 52 . symbols 69 and 71 represent the positive and negative results , respectively , of the search for video 56 . fig5 shows a set of contents that might be in memory 32 . in a similar sense , like the information shown in fig4 , there may be a q 1 video 51 , q 2 video 52 , q 3 video 53 , and so on through q ( n − 1 ) video 55 . a qn video 56 would be the video currently being processed in system 31 , as indicated in fig4 . the information in video clips 51 , 52 , 53 . . . 55 may include the video , the positive results , the negative results , and other related information . the circles may be coded such as to represent color , according to fig3 , and to distinguish them from other circles . symbols 65 and 66 represent the positive and negative results , respectively , of the search for video 53 . symbols 67 and 68 represent the positive and negative results , respectively , of the search for video 55 . fig6 is a diagram of various positive and negative results . in this figure , the results of an inquiry may be noted in area 71 . for instance , positive results 61 appear in an area 72 and are from the q 1 digging query 51 . numerous positive results 61 emanate from a central appearing positive result 61 as indicated by arrowed lines 75 . some negative results 62 appear outside of area 72 . one result 62 appears in are 74 . another result 62 appears in no sub - area . the emanation of some of the negative results from the digging query 51 is indicated by arrowed lines 76 . one may note a negative result 62 proximate to a result 63 appears in area 73 with an emanation of positive results 63 , as indicated by arrowed lines 77 , for a carrying query 52 . however , these results 63 may be negative relative to the digging query and have features which are similar to the negative results 62 of digging query 51 as indicated by result 62 emanated by an arrow 76 from area 72 to area 73 . the following is a recap of the present approach and system . the approach may be for querying with user input , with obtaining a query from a user , searching an archive for matches to the query , requesting the user to label the matches or elements from memory as positive if they resemble the query , requesting the user to label the matches or elements from memory as negative if they do not resemble the query , storing the matches and elements with labels in a memory , and selecting matches and elements using labels and the memory to formulate a result set . this approach may also have a selection by the user of a match and / or element from the result set as a new query and a searching the archive for matches relative to the new query . further , there may be a propagation of labels of matches , an obtaining a refined query from matches of propagated labels , a requesting the user to label some of the matches and / or elements from the memory as positive and regarded as refined matches and elements if they resemble the refined query , a requesting the user to label the refined matches or elements as negative if they do not resemble the refined query , storing the refined matches and elements with labels in a memory and selecting refined matches and elements labeled as positive for a result set . the approach additionally may have a selection of a refined match or element from the result set as a new query and a searching the archive for matches to the new query . a query may be a video clip and a match or element may be a video clip . a query system may have a search mechanism for searching for elements in an archive that match a query from a user , a requester which asks the user to label at least some of the search / memory elements positive or negative if an element corresponds to the query or does not correspond to the query , respectively , a memory which receives from the user and stores the elements having positive and / or negative labels , and a selecting elements having labels from the memory to formulate a result set . the user may select an element from the result set or from the memory to be a new query , and the search mechanism may search for elements in the archive that match the new query . the system may have a label propagator for propagating the labels of the elements having positive and / or negative labels and at times for finding new elements with corresponding labels , a query refiner for providing a match set of elements from the propagating of the labels of the elements , and a selector that chooses elements of the match set and a memory , for the user to label . the requestor may ask the user to label chosen elements as positive or negative if each one corresponds to the refined query or does not correspond to the refined query , respectively . the memory may receive from the user and store refined results having positive and / or negative labels , and the formulator may select certain refined results for a result set . the user may select a refined result from the result set as a new query . the search mechanism may search for results in the archive , which match the new query . a result or element may be a video clip and a query may be a video clip . an approach may have a providing a query from a user , a performing a search in an archive to obtain results in response to the query , a providing the results to the user to indicate whether one or more results are responsive or not responsive to the query with a positive or negative label , respectively , a selecting at least one result with a positive label , an entering the at least one result with a positive label as an additional query in the archive to obtain another set of results in response to the additional query , a providing the other set of results to the user to indicate whether one or more results is responsive or not responsive to the additional query with a positive or negative label , respectively , and formulating a final result set which compromises results from the other set of results . the results with a negative label may be propagated to results of a corresponding negative equivalence class . results with labels may be stored in a memory . the results with labels stored in the memory may provide information when the results are labeled in new queries . the results of the positive equivalence classes may be the best matches to ongoing queries to improve chances for getting a positive label . a result with a negative label may be assigned to results of a corresponding negative equivalence class . a query may be a video clip , and a result may be a video clip . labels may be propagated to other unlabeled items in the archive . the approach may have a memory of user - provided labels of the archive data for additional queries , feedback selection of results , and / or label propagation . in the present specification , some of the matter may be of a hypothetical or prophetic nature although stated in another manner or tense . although the present system has been described with respect to at least one illustrative example , many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification . it is therefore the intention that the appended claims be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications .
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the following examples further specifically define the present invention . parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . the examples are intended to illustrate various preferred embodiments of the process of this invention . all of the following examples are carried out in an apparatus of the general type illustrated in fig1 a and 1b with the imaging suspension being coated on the conductive surface of a nesa glass electrode connected in series with a switch , a potential source and a conductive center of a blocking electrode . the roller is about 21 / 2 inches in diameter and is moved across the plate surface at about 4 cm ./ second in the dark charge injecting step . the conductive electrode employed is roughly a 4 inch square section of nesa glass and is exposed with an unfiltered white light intensity of about 200 microwatts / sq . cm . as measured on the uncoated nesa glass surface . unless otherwise indicated about 7 percent by weight of the indicated pigments in each example is suspended in sohio odorless solvent 3440 to form the imaging suspension . exposure is made with a 3200 ° k lamp through a transparent photographic original . the dark charge injecting layer has a thickness on the blocking electrode in the range of about 0 . 05 to about 0 . 1 micron unless otherwise stated . an imaging suspension is prepared by adding alphaphthalocyanine to the imaging liquid and coating the suspension onto the surface of a nesa glass electrode . while being exposed imagewise , a blocking electrode is rolled over the suspension with each electrode being connected to a 2 , 000 volt power supply , the nesa electrode having a positive polarity with respect to the blocking electrode . the blocking material on the roller comprises a 2 mil thick tedlar film . a positive image having low density is found on the nesa electrode while a low quality negative image having high background is found on the blocking layer . a dark charge injecting material , bonadur red b pigment is suspended in sohio 3440 at a concentration of about 4 percent . the suspension is painted onto a tedlar film similar to that of example i with a small brush . upon drying , the procedure of example i is repeated with the exception that the tedlar film coated with bonadur red b pigment is employed as the blocking layer on the roller electrode and the imagewise exposure is omitted . the coated blocking layer is replaced by an uncoated tedlar film . the roller electrode is again caused to travel across the imaging layer while the layer is being exposed to light with 2 , 000 volts applied between the electrodes exposure step . a very high density positive image is found on the nesa electrode while an exceptionally high quality negative image is found on the blocking layer . the maximum density of the positive image is found to be 1 . 8 as compared to the maximum density of 1 . 1 found in the image of example i . the procedure of example i is repeated with the exception that yellow pigment , n - 2 &# 34 ;- pyridyl - 8 , 13 - dioxodinaphtho -( 2 , 1 - b ; 2 &# 39 ;, 3 - d )- furan - 6 - carboxamide ) is employed in the imaging suspension . the image produced exhibits a very low maximum density ( blue reflection density less than 0 . 05 ) while the negative image on the blocking layer indicates high background . the procedure of example iii is repeated with the exception a dark charge injecting material is employed on the blocking layer which is 1 -[ 1 - naphthyl azo ]- 2 - naphthol and the imagewise exposure step is omitted . this material is evaporated and condensed onto a tedlar film similar to that employed in examples i and ii . after passing the roller electrode over the imaging suspension , the coated blocking layer is replaced with a clean 2 mil thick tedlar film . the applied voltage on the electrodes is again adjusted to 2 , 000 volts and the roller electrode again passed over the dark charged imaging layer while the imaging layer is exposed to light . a positive image is formed on the nesa and a negative image is formed on the blocking layer . the optical density of the image on the conducting electrode is 1 . 2 ( blue reflection ). upon inspection of a negative image on the blocking layer there were found no pigment particles in areas corresponding to maximum density or dark areas of the positive image . a thin layer of evaporated metal free alpha phthalocyanine is placed on the blocking electrode roller of the imaging apparatus . an imaging suspension is prepared by combining a yellow pigment of example iii whth sohio odorless solvent 3440 and placing it on a nesa glass electrode . with 2 , 000 volts potential applied , while in the dark , the blocking electrode having the dark charge injecting material coated thereon is rolled over the imaging suspension on the nesa glass plate . a clean blocking electrode is then passed over the dark charged imaging layer while the layer is exposed to light . a dense high quality yellow positive image is found on the nesa electrode while a high quality negative image is found on the blocking electrode . as shown in example ii , bonadur red b is a strong dark charge injector . as shown in table i the dark charge injection ability of the material is affected by the addition of a polymer to the material . an imaging suspension is prepared by combining equal amounts of bonadur red b having polymer added as described in table i with the yellow pigment of example iii . a multicolor original image is employed in the imaging process and the images are found to have poor color separation and low density . the procedure of example vi is repeated with the exception that 1 -[ 1 - naphthyl azo ]- 2 - naphthol is condensed on the blocking layer to a thickness of about 0 . 1 microns and the exposure step is omitted . a clean , uncoated block layer replaces the coated layer and the applied voltage adjusted to 2 , 000 volts . the roller electrode with the clean blocking layer is passed over the dark charged layer while the layer is exposed to light . good color separation and high density is achieved . a trimix imaging suspension is prepared by combining equal amount of polymer added bonadur red b of example vi , the yellow pigment of example iii and metal free alpha phthalocyanine , which has had polymer added as with the bonadur red b pigment . a full color transparency is employed in the imaging system resulting in the production of low density full color images on the electrodes having poor color separation . the procedure of example viii is repeated with the exception that a thin layer of 1 -[ 1 - naphthyl azo ]- 2 - naphthol is condensed on the blocking electrode and the imagewise exposure step is omitted . the coated blocking layer is replaced with a clean tedlar film and the voltage applied to the electrodes adjusted to 2 , 000 volts . full color optical positive and negative images are provided on the electrodes which are characterized by high density and good color separation . the procedure of example viii is repeated with the exception that bonadur red b pigment , without polymer addition , is added to the trimix in the amount of about 10 percent by weight of the trimix pigments . also , the amount of magenta pigment in the trimix is reduced slightly . upon application of the electric field most of the bonadur red b pigment without polymer migrates to the blocking electrode thus forming a dark charge injecting layer on the blocking layer . upon exposure an image is formed on the conductive electrode which has high density and good color balance . the procedure of example ix is repeated with the exception that a full color negative transparency is employed as an original . upon completion of the imaging procedure a high quality full color positive of the original is found on the blocking electrode and a negative of the original is found on the conductive electrode . the following table ii lists other examples of dark charge injecting materials employed in the above - described photoelectrophoretic imaging process employing an imaging suspension containing the specified pigments . table ii__________________________________________________________________________ dark charge imaging suspensionexample injecting material pigments__________________________________________________________________________xii indofast yellow tones ( available from harmon color co .) bonadur red b , metal free alpha phthal - ocyanine , yellow pig - ment of example iiixiii naphtho [ 2 , 3 - d ] furo -[ 3 , 2 - f ] quinoline - 8 , 13 - dione &# 34 ; xiv rhodamine b ( ionic dye ) &# 34 ; xv benzo -[ b ]- naphtho -[ 2 , 3 - d ] furan - 6 , 11 - dione &# 34 ; xvi same yellow pigment of example iiixvii rhodamine b ( ionic dye ) &# 34 ; xviii indofast yellow toner &# 34 ; xix 1 -[ p - nitrophenyl azo ]- 2 - naphthol &# 34 ; xx hexadecyl amine &# 34 ; xxi hexadecyl amine hydrochloride &# 34 ; xxii hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride &# 34 ; xxiii p - nitrophenol &# 34 ; xxiv hexadecyl alcohol &# 34 ; xxv p - dimethylaminoazobenzene &# 34 ; xxvi erythrosine yellowish c . sub . 20 h . sub . 8 i . sub . 2 na . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 &# 34 ; xxvii potassium iodide &# 34 ; xxviii lithium bromide &# 34 ; xxix lithium chloride &# 34 ; xxx ferrous chloride &# 34 ; xxxi dodecylethylmethylsulfonium chloride &# 34 ; xxxii hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride &# 34 ; xxxiii polyvinylbenzyl trimethyl ammonium &# 34 ; xxxiv alkyl aryl sulfonate ( atlas g3300 ) ( available from atlas chemical co .) &# 34 ; xxxv n - cetyl - nethyl morpholinium ethosulfate ( atlas g263 ) &# 34 ; xxxvi dodecylphenol ethylene oxide adduct ( monsanto sterox df ) available from monsanto co . yellow pig - ment of ex - ample iiixxxvii dodecyl phenol &# 34 ; xxxviii arginine &# 34 ; xxxix 8 - hydroxy quinoline &# 34 ; xl benzotriazole &# 34 ; ixl carbon black &# 34 ; viiil cobalt neodecanoate &# 34 ; __________________________________________________________________________ although specific components and proportions have been stated in the above description of preferred embodiments of the invention , other typical materials as listed above if suitable may be used with similar results . in addition , other materials may be added to the mixture to synergize , enhance or otherwise modify the properties of the imaging layer . for example , various dyes , spectral sensitizers such as lewis acids may be added to the several layers . other modifications and ramifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the present disclosure . these are intended to be included within the scope of this invention .
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as used in this specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , the term “ a member ” is intended to mean a single member or a combination of members , and “ a material ” is intended to mean one or more materials , or a combination thereof . furthermore , the words “ proximal ” and “ distal ” refer to directions closer to and away from , respectively , an operator ( e . g ., surgeon , physician , nurse , technician , etc .) who would insert the medical device into the patient , with the tip - end ( i . e ., distal end ) of the device inserted inside a patient &# 39 ; s body first . thus , for example , the device end first inserted inside the patient &# 39 ; s body would be the distal end of the device , while the device end last to enter the patient &# 39 ; s body would be the proximal end of the device . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the terms “ up ”, “ upper ”, “ top ”, “ down ”, “ lower ”, “ bottom ”, “ front ”, “ back ”, “ rear ”, “ left ”, “ right ”, “ side ”, “ inner ”, “ middle ” and “ center ”, and similar terms , refer to portions of or positions in or on the implant when the implant is oriented in its implanted position , such as shown in fig1 . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ axial plane ” when used in connection with particular relationships between various parts of the implant means a plane that divides the implant into upper and lower parts . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ coronal plane ” when used in connection with particular relationships between various parts of the implant means a plane that divides the implant into front and back parts . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ sagittal plane ” when used in connection with particular relationships between various parts of the implant means a plane that divides the implant into left and right parts . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ body ” when used in connection with the location where the device of this invention is to be placed , or to teach or practice implantation methods for the device , means a mammalian body . for example , a body can be a patient &# 39 ; s body , or a cadaver , or a portion of a patient &# 39 ; s body or a portion of a cadaver . a “ body ” may also refer to a model of a mammalian body for teaching or training purposes . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ parallel ” describes a relationship , given normal manufacturing or measurement or similar tolerances , between two geometric constructions ( e . g ., two lines , two planes , a line and a plane , two curved surfaces , a line and a curved surface or the like ) in which the two geometric constructions are substantially non - intersecting as they extend substantially to infinity . for example , as used herein , a line is said to be parallel to a curved surface when the line and the curved surface do not intersect as they extend to infinity . similarly , when a planar surface ( i . e ., a two - dimensional surface ) is said to be parallel to a line , every point along the line is spaced apart from the nearest portion of the surface by a substantially equal distance . thus , two geometric constructions are described herein as being “ parallel ” or “ substantially parallel ” to each other when they are nominally parallel to each other , such as for example , when they are parallel to each other within a tolerance . such tolerances can include , for example , manufacturing tolerances , measurement tolerances or the like . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the terms “ normal ”, “ perpendicular ” and “ orthogonal ” describe a relationship between two geometric constructions ( e . g ., two lines , two planes , a line and a plane , two curved surfaces , a line and a curved surface or the like ) in which the two geometric constructions intersect at an angle of approximately 90 degrees within at least one plane . for example , as used herein , a line is said to be normal , perpendicular or orthogonal to a curved surface when the line and the curved surface intersect at an angle of approximately 90 degrees within a plane . thus two geometric constructions are described herein as being “ normal ”, “ perpendicular ”, “ orthogonal ” or “ substantially normal ”, “ substantially perpendicular ”, “ substantially orthogonal ” to each other when they are nominally 90 degrees to each other , such as for example , when they are 90 degrees to each other within a tolerance . such tolerances can include , for example , manufacturing tolerances , measurement tolerances or the like . a spinal implant 100 for spinal fusion that attaches to adjacent spinous processes to fixate the corresponding vertebrae relative to the other is described herein . implant 100 may include two fixation plates 10 , 20 , a brace 30 and a locking element 40 . plates 10 , 20 are adapted to be disposed on respective lateral sides of the adjacent superior and inferior spinous processes . projections 15 may extend from the inner surfaces of plates 10 , 20 and are adapted to engage or “ bite into ” the surfaces of the spinous processes to fix plates 10 , 20 with respect to the spinous processes . brace 30 may be fixed to plate 10 and is adapted to extend through at least plate 20 with distal plate 20 adapted to be moveable proximally with respect to brace 30 . brace 30 may be hollow and may define a lumen 31 extending therethrough that defines a first diameter . locking element 40 is adapted to be disposed within lumen 31 . both proximal plate 10 and distal plate 20 may have a generally curved configuration that extends along a curving longitudinal axis . it is to be understood however that plates 10 , 20 may be generally rectangular with a straight longitudinal axis or may have an offset configuration where the upper and lower portions of the longitudinal axis are offset from each other . projections , or teeth , 15 extend inwardly away from the longitudinal axis of the plate on which they are located and toward the spinous process . as mentioned above , projections 15 are adapted to engage or “ bite into ” the surfaces of the spinous processes to fix plates 10 , 20 with respect to the spinous processes . each plate 10 , 20 defines an opening 11 , 21 , respectively , therein along a medial portion . opening 21 in distal plate 20 should have a diameter large enough to allow distal plate 20 to slide proximally along brace 30 . opening 11 in proximal plate 10 should have a diameter large enough to allow the proximal rod 42 of locking element 40 to slide proximally past proximal plate 10 . as shown in fig6 , plates 10 , 20 may be substantially mirror images of each other . brace 30 may have a generally tubular configuration defining lumen 31 therein . brace 30 may be fixed to either plate 10 , 20 . as shown in fig1 - 5 , brace 30 may be fixed along its proximal end to proximal plate 10 using any suitable means such as welding , brazing , adhesive or mechanical engagement . distal plate 20 may define an opening 21 to allow brace 30 to extend through plate 20 and thus slide along brace 30 and vary the distance between proximal plate 10 and distal plate 20 . the axis of brace 30 is generally transverse to the longitudinal axes of plates 10 , 20 . proximal plate 10 may also define an opening 11 to allow proximal rod 42 to extend proximally through plate 10 . as shown , in fig6 , brace 30 ′ need not be fixed to plate 10 ′. instead , plate 10 ′ may define an opening 11 ′ having a diameter to allow brace 30 ′ to extend through plate 10 ′. a proximal flange 35 may be located at the proximal end of brace 30 ′ to prevent plate 10 from moving proximally off of brace 30 ′. as mention above , the diameter of the proximal portion of brace 30 ′ and the diameter of opening 11 ′ may be matched to provide an interference fit therebetween . locking element 40 includes an enlarged distal knob 41 and a proximal rod 42 attached to distal knob 41 . the maximum diameter of enlarged distal knob 41 is chosen so that it is greater than the diameter of lumen 31 . although knob 41 is shown in the figs . as having a generally circular cross - section , it is to be understood that other configurations could be used for knob 41 . however , it is desirable that the proximal portion of knob 41 have a tapered proximal configuration that increases in diameter in the distal direction . this taper facilitates proximal movement of locking element 40 with respect to brace 30 . locking element 40 is disposed within lumen 31 of brace 30 so that knob 41 is initially located beyond the distal end of brace 30 and the proximal end of rod 42 extends proximally beyond the proximal end of brace 30 and plate 10 . see , e . g . fig4 . when locking element 40 is pulled proximally , the tapered portion of knob 41 engages the distal end of brace 30 and forces the distal portion of brace 30 to deform so it increases in diameter such that the enlarged diameter is greater than the diameter of opening 21 in distal plate 20 . this increase in diameter for the distal portion of brace 30 prevents plate 20 from being moved distally off of brace 30 and thus locks plate 20 to brace 30 and plate 10 . in addition , since the increased diameter of the distal portion of brace 30 caused by knob 41 is larger than the diameter of opening 21 , proximal movement of knob 41 forces plate 20 to move proximally . continued proximal movement of locking element 40 moves plates 10 , 20 together so that projections 15 of each plate 10 , 20 engage and “ bite into ” the spinous processes and lock implant 100 to the spinous processes . once plates 10 , 20 are fixed to the adjacent spinous processes , rod 42 may then be removed from knob 41 so that there is nothing that extends proximally beyond plate 10 . see fig5 . rod 42 or a proximal portion of rod 42 can be removed from locking element 40 by any number of mechanisms . for example , the compressive force between plates 10 , 20 that is necessary to ensure that plates 10 , 20 can be compressed so that projections 15 “ bite into ” the spinous processes can be determined . once this force is determined , the cross - sectional area of a segment of rod 42 can be locally decreased so that it fractures after the desired compressive force has been reached . this cross - sectional area can be computed based on the mechanical properties chosen for knob 41 and rod 42 of locking element 40 . alternatively , a mechanical connection , such as a thread located along the distal end of rod 42 and a tapped hole formed in knob 41 , may be used . in such an embodiment , the user would be able to manually disengage rod 42 from knob 41 after plates 10 , 20 have been fixed to the spinous processes . also , a cutting device may be used to cut off a proximal portion of rod 42 . a method of implanting the spinal implant may include the following steps . after access to the desired spinal motion segment is obtained , proximal plate 10 is located adjacent to the proximal lateral sides of adjacent superior and inferior spinous processes . where brace 30 is fixed to plate 20 , proper placement of plate 10 ensures that brace 30 extends in the interspinous space through the sagittal plane . where brace 30 ′ is not fixed to plate 10 ′, the distal end of brace 30 ′ may be inserted through opening 11 ′ in plate 10 ′, after plate 10 ′ is properly located adjacent the proximal lateral sides of the adjacent spinous processes , and moved distally through the interspinous space until flange 35 abuts the proximal medial face of plate 10 ′ around opening 11 ′. with proximal plate 10 and brace 30 properly located with respect to the spinal segment , the distal end of brace 30 should extend past the distal lateral sides of the adjacent spinous processes . distal plate 20 may then be placed over the distal end of brace 30 so that plate 20 is placed adjacent to the distal lateral sides of the adjacent superior and inferior spinous processes . locking mechanism 40 may then be placed into lumen 31 through brace 30 such that the proximal end of rod 42 is first inserted into the distal end of brace 30 and moved proximally through brace 30 until knob 41 abuts the distal opening of brace 30 . rod 42 may continue to be pulled from the proximal side of brace 30 so knob 41 enlarges the distal portion of brace 30 and locks plate 20 onto brace 30 and with respect to plate 10 . continued proximal movement of locking mechanism 40 forces knob 41 further into the distal portion of brace 30 , enlarging this portion of brace 30 and forcing distal plate 20 to move proximally into engagement with the distal lateral faces of the adjacent superior and inferior spinous processes . once the surgeon is satisfied with the placement of implant 100 , rod 42 may be cut or broken off of knob 41 . for example , knob 41 may be connected to rod 42 by a frangible connection that may be broken by specific manipulation of rod 42 . if desired , the distal portion of brace 30 extending beyond the distal face of distal plate 20 can be removed to minimize the space occupied by implant 100 . however , it is contemplated that only a minor length of the distal portion of brace 30 will extend beyond the distal face of distal plate 20 after plates 10 , 20 have been compressed into engagement with the spinous processes . thus it may be unnecessary to remove any portion of the distal portion of brace 30 . implant 100 may be formed of suitable biocompatible materials . for example , plates 10 , 20 may be formed from stainless steel , titanium and its alloys , polymers such as peek , carbon fiber and the like . a softer , more ductile material , such as 316 stainless steel , may be used for brace 30 . this material would allow brace 30 to deform without fracture and would not require an extremely high force to deform . a harder material , such as a cobalt chrome alloy , may be used for locking element 40 . the various materials used for the parts of implant 100 may be considered in combination with the geometry of the various parts to obtain a customized force / implantation profile to facilitate implantation by the surgeon and achieve an optimized function . while various embodiments of the spinous process fusion device are described herein , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only , and not limitation . many modifications and variations will be apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art . the foregoing description of the spinous process fusion device is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents .
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the device shown in fig1 and 2 possesses a rotor 1 driven by a motor not shown in any detail here which rotor can be set into rotary motion in rotating direction a in accordance with fig2 . on this rotor , in horizontal alignment , are fitted two compacting tools 2 , 4 which in each case are movable in relation to one another . the compacting tools 2 , 4 are designed in the form of an inner punch 4 and an outer punch 2 which dip into a corresponding borehole of a template 3 . on the circumference of the rotor 1 in the present embodiment , are located four compacting tool pairs which interact with the corresponding templates . on a central axle a of the rotor 1 there is additionally positioned a material filling funnel 5 which rotates together with the rotor 1 . as the rotor i rotates , the outer compacting tool 2 , the outer punch , is moved over an outer guide curve 12 ( fig2 ) in a horizontal plane relative to the rotor 1 . equally , the second compacting tool 4 , the inner punch , is moved over a guide curve 11 in the horizontal plane of the rotor as the rotor 1 rotates . in this way , the compacting tools 2 and 4 take on a different position to one another in dependence on the angle position of the rotor 1 due to the corresponding guide curves . this is made clear by means of the representation in accordance with fig2 . in position i , the two compacting tools are at a large distance from one another . here , the tabletting material is filled in and dosed . in position ii , the compacting tools 2 and 4 are moved closer to one another . here the tabletting material is increasingly compressed . to apply the required compacting force , two pressure rollers 6 and 8 are positioned opposite each other here . in this position , the pre - compacting of the tablet or compact is performed within template 3 . in position iii , the compacting tools 2 and 4 are moved even closer together so that the tabletting material is compressed even further . here the final compacting pressure to form the tablet is achieved . the final compacting pressure is applied by the pressure roller 6 and the pressure roller 7 ( fig2 ). finally , the compacting tools are moved by the curve control in such a way that the finished tablet or compact is ejected from the template . this ejection position is marked by iv in fig2 . the pressure rollers 6 , 7 and 8 are designed to be movable . the pressure roller 6 positioned in the central area of the rotor 1 is located eccentrically to the axle a of the rotor 1 here and is adjustable in its eccentricity . the pressure rollers 7 and 8 are each adjustable in their distance to the rotor 1 . thanks to this adjustability , the compacting forces to form the tablet or compact can be varied . basically , the pressure rollers 6 , 7 and 8 serve , as described above , to generate the required compacting forces and to transfer these to the compacting tools . in this process , at each passage of the compacting tool pair 2 , 4 between the pressure rollers 6 and 8 and 6 and 7 associated therewith in each case , a packing of the template contents takes place . the filling means 5 in the embodiment shown here is designed as a filling funnel with a convex design , with the funnel shape being obtained by a cone located in the interior of the filling funnel . funnel - like tapering channels 9 are formed between the filling funnel 5 and corresponding filling apertures 10 in the templates 3 . due to the centrifugal forces which apply to the tabletting material particles located in the tapering ends as a result of the rotation of the filling funnel , a safe transport and so filling of the templates 3 is ensured at position i . in fig3 to 5 , different working positions of the compacting tools 2 and 4 in relation to each other are shown in each case . in fig3 the phase of template filling is shown . this representation corresponds to position i in fig2 . in fig4 the compression of the tabletting material is shown . this phase 2 corresponds to positions ii and iii of fig2 . finally , fig5 shows the ejecting of the finished tablet t . phase 3 corresponds to position iv in fig2 . it becomes clear here that the finished tablet t can fall down due to gravity through a corresponding slot 13 into a collecting box not shown in any detail here .
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compound 1 , also known as dimethyl ( 2s , 2 ′ s )- 1 , 1 ′ 4 -( 2s , 2 ′ s )- 2 , 2 ′-( 4 , 4 ′ 4 -( 2s , 5s )- 1 -( 4 - tert - butylphenyl ) pyrrolidine - 2 , 5 - diyl ) bis ( 4 , 1 - phenylene )) bis ( azanediyl ) bis ( oxomethylene ) bis ( pyrrolidine - 2 , 1 - diyl )) bis ( 3 - methyl - 1 - oxobutane - 2 , 1 - diyl ) dicarbamate , is described in u . s . patent application publication no . 2010 / 0317568 , the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference . compound 1 was found to have an ec 50 value of less than 20 pm against many clinically relevant hcv genotypes , such as hcv genotype 1a , 1b , 2a , 2b , 3a , 4a , and 5a , and an ec 50 value of less than 0 . 5 nm against hcv genotype 6a . the present invention features the use of compound 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to treat hcv as described hereinabove . in any method or use described herein , compound 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can be formulated in a suitable liquid or solid dosage form . preferably , compound 1 or the salt thereof is formulated in a solid composition comprising compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in amorphous form , a pharmaceutically acceptable hydrophilic polymer , and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant . a non - limiting way to form an amorphous form of compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) is through the formation of solid dispersions with a polymeric carrier . as used herein , the term “ solid dispersion ” defines a system in a solid state ( as opposed to a liquid or gaseous state ) comprising at least two components , wherein one component is dispersed throughout the other component or components . for example , an active ingredient or a combination of active ingredients can be dispersed in a matrix comprised of a pharmaceutically acceptable hydrophilic polymer ( s ) and a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant ( s ). the term “ solid dispersion ” encompasses systems having small particles of one phase dispersed in another phase . these particles are often of less than 400 μm in size , such as less than 100 , 10 , or 1 μm in size . when a solid dispersion of the components is such that the system is chemically and physically uniform or homogenous throughout or consists of one phase ( as defined in thermodynamics ), such a solid dispersion is called a “ solid solution .” a glassy solution is a solid solution in which a solute is dissolved in a glassy solvent . any method described herein can employ a solid composition which comprises ( 1 ) compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in amorphous form , ( 2 ) a pharmaceutically acceptable hydrophilic polymer , and ( 3 ) a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant . compound 1 ( or the salt thereof ) and the polymer preferably are formulated in a solid dispersion . the surfactant may also be formulated in the same solid dispersion ; or the surfactant can be separately combined or mixed with the solid dispersion . the hydrophilic polymer can , for example and without limitation , have a t g of at least 50 ° c ., more preferably at least 60 ° c ., and highly preferably at least 80 ° c . including , but not limited to from , 80 ° c . to 180 ° c ., or from 100 ° c . to 150 ° c . preferably , the hydrophilic polymer is water - soluble . non - limiting examples of suitable hydrophilic polymers include , but are not limited to , homopolymers or copolymers of n - vinyl lactams , such as homopolymers or copolymers of n - vinyl pyrrolidone ( e . g ., polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ), or copolymers of n - vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate or vinyl propionate ); cellulose esters or cellulose ethers , such as alkylcelluloses ( e . g ., methylcellulose or ethylcellulose ), hydroxyalkylcelluloses ( e . g ., hydroxypropylcellulose ), hydroxyalkylalkylcelluloses ( e . g ., hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ), and cellulose phthalates or succinates ( e . g ., cellulose acetate phthalate and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose succinate , or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate ); high molecular polyalkylene oxides , such as polyethylene oxide , polypropylene oxide , and copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide ; polyacrylates or polymethacrylates , such as methacrylic acid / ethyl acrylate copolymers , methacrylic acid / methyl methacrylate copolymers , butyl methacrylate / 2 - dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymers , poly ( hydroxyalkyl acrylates ), and poly ( hydroxyalkyl methacrylates ); polyacrylamides ; vinyl acetate polymers , such as copolymers of vinyl acetate and crotonic acid , and partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate ( also referred to as partially saponified “ polyvinyl alcohol ”); polyvinyl alcohol ; oligo - or polysaccharides , such as carrageenans , galactomannans , and xanthan gum ; polyhydroxyalkylacrylates ; polyhydroxyalkyl - methacrylates ; copolymers of methyl methacrylate and acrylic acid ; polyethylene glycols ( pegs ); or any mixture thereof . non - limiting examples of preferred hydrophilic polymers include polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ) k17 , pvp k25 , pvp k30 , pvp k90 , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( hpmc ) e3 , hpmc e5 , hpmc e6 , hpmc e15 , hpmc k3 , hpmc a4 , hpmc a15 , hpmc acetate succinate ( as ) lf , hpmc as mf , hpmc as hf , hpmc as lg , hpmc as mg , hpmc as hg , hpmc phthalate ( p ) 50 , hpmc p 55 , ethocel 4 , ethocel 7 , ethocel 10 , ethocel 14 , ethocel 20 , copovidone ( vinylpyrrolidone - vinyl acetate copolymer 60 / 40 ), polyvinyl acetate , methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer ( eudragit ) l100 - 55 , eudragit l100 , eudragit s100 , polyethylene glycol ( peg ) 400 , peg 600 , peg 1450 , peg 3350 , peg 4000 , peg 6000 , peg 8000 , poloxamer 124 , poloxamer 188 , poloxamer 237 , poloxamer 338 , and poloxamer 407 . of these , homopolymers or copolymers of n - vinyl pyrrolidone , such as copolymers of n - vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate , are preferred . a non - limiting example of a preferred polymer is a copolymer of 60 % by weight of n - vinyl pyrrolidone and 40 % by weight of vinyl acetate . other preferred polymers include , without limitation , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( hpmc , also known as hypromellose in usp ), such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grade e5 ( hpmc - e5 ); and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate ( hpmc - as ). the pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant employed can be a non - ionic surfactant . preferably , the surfactant has an hlb value of from 2 - 20 . a solid composition employed in the invention can also include a mixture of pharmaceutically acceptable surfactants , with at least one surfactant having an hlb value of at least 10 and at least another surfactant having an hlb value of below 10 . non - limiting examples of suitable pharmaceutically acceptable surfactants include polyoxyethylene castor oil derivates , e . g . polyoxyethyleneglycerol triricinoleate or polyoxyl 35 castor oil ( cremophor ® el ; basf corp .) or polyoxyethyleneglycerol oxystearate such as polyethyleneglycol 40 hydrogenated castor oil ( cremophor ® rh 40 , also known as polyoxyl 40 hydrogenated castor oil or macrogolglycerol hydroxystearate ) or polyethylenglycol 60 hydrogenated castor oil ( cremophor ® rh 60 ); or a mono fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan , such as a mono fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan , e . g . polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monooleate ( tween ® 80 ), polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monostearate ( tween ® 60 ), polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monopalmitate ( tween ® 40 ), or polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monolaurate ( tween ® 20 ). other non - limiting examples of suitable surfactants include polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers , e . g . polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) lauryl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 5 ) cetyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 2 ) stearyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 5 ) stearyl ether ; polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ethers , e . g . polyoxyethylene ( 2 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 4 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) octylphenyl ether ; polyethylene glycol fatty acid esters , e . g . peg - 200 monolaurate , peg - 200 dilaurate , peg - 300 dilaurate , peg - 400 dilaurate , peg - 300 distearate , peg - 300 dioleate ; alkylene glycol fatty acid mono esters , e . g . propylene glycol monolaurate ( lauroglycol ®); sucrose fatty acid esters , e . g . sucrose monostearate , sucrose distearate , sucrose monolaurate , sucrose dilaurate ; sorbitan fatty acid mono esters such as sorbitan mono laurate ( span ® 20 ), sorbitan monooleate , sorbitan monopalnitate ( span ® 40 ), or sorbitan stearate . other suitable surfactants include , but are not limited to , block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide , also known as polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene block copolymers or polyoxyethylene polypropyleneglycol , such as poloxamer ® 124 , poloxamer ® 188 , poloxamer ® 237 , poloxamer ® 388 , or poloxamer ® 407 ( basf wyandotte corp .). as described above , a mixture of surfactants can be used in a solid composition employed in the invention . non - limiting examples of preferred surfactants include polysorbate 20 , polysorbate 40 , polysorbate 60 , polysorbate 80 , cremophor rh 40 , cremophor el , gelucire 44 / 14 , gelucire 50 / 13 , d - alpha - tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate ( vitamin e tpgs ), propylene glycol laurate , sodium lauryl sulfate , and sorbitan monolaurate . the solid dispersion employed in this invention preferably is a solid solution , and more preferably a glassy solution . in one embodiment , a solid composition employed in the invention comprises an amorphous solid dispersion or solid solution which includes compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and a pharmaceutically acceptable hydrophilic polymer . the solid composition also includes a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant which preferably is formulated in the amorphous solid dispersion or solid solution . the hydrophilic polymer can be selected , for example , from the group consisting of homopolymer of n - vinyl lactam , copolymer of n - vinyl lactam , cellulose ester , cellulose ether , polyalkylene oxide , polyacrylate , polymethacrylate , polyacrylamide , polyvinyl alcohol , vinyl acetate polymer , oligosaccharide , and polysaccharide . as a non - limiting example , the hydrophilic polymer is selected from the group consisting of homopolymer of n - vinyl pyrrolidone , copolymer of n - vinyl pyrrolidone , copolymer of n - vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate , copolymer of n - vinyl pyrrolidone and vinyl propionate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , methylcellulose , ethylcellulose , hydroxyalkylcelluloses , hydroxypropylcellulose , hydroxyalkylalkylcellulose , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , cellulose phthalate , cellulose succinate , cellulose acetate phthalate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose succinate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose acetate succinate , polyethylene oxide , polypropylene oxide , copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide , methacrylic acid / ethyl acrylate copolymer , methacrylic acid / methyl methacrylate copolymer , butyl methacrylate / 2 - dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymer , poly ( hydroxyalkyl acrylate ), poly ( hydroxyalkyl methacrylate ), copolymer of vinyl acetate and crotonic acid , partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate , carrageenan , galactomannan , and xanthan gum . preferably , the hydrophilic polymer is selected from polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ) k17 , pvp k25 , pvp k30 , pvp k90 , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ( hpmc ) e3 , hpmc e5 , hpmc e6 , hpmc e15 , hpmc k3 , hpmc a4 , hpmc a15 , hpmc acetate succinate ( as ) lf , hpmc as mf , hpmc as hf , hpmc as lg , hpmc as mg , hpmc as hg , hpmc phthalate ( p ) 50 , hpmc p 55 , ethocel 4 , ethocel 7 , ethocel 10 , ethocel 14 , ethocel 20 , copovidone ( vinylpyrrolidone - vinyl acetate copolymer 60 / 40 ), polyvinyl acetate , methacrylate / methacrylic acid copolymer ( eudragit ) l100 - 55 , eudragit l100 , eudragit s100 , polyethylene glycol ( peg ) 400 , peg 600 , peg 1450 , peg 3350 , peg 4000 , peg 6000 , peg 8000 , poloxamer 124 , poloxamer 188 , poloxamer 237 , poloxamer 338 , or poloxamer 407 . more preferably , the hydrophilic polymer is selected from homopolymers of vinylpyrrolidone ( e . g ., pvp with fikentscher k values of from 12 to 100 , or pvp with fikentscher k values of from 17 to 30 ), or copolymers of 30 to 70 % by weight of n - vinylpyrrolidone ( vp ) and 70 to 30 % by weight of vinyl acetate ( va ) ( e . g ., a copolymer of 60 % by weight vp and 40 % by weight va ). the surfactant can be selected , for example , from the group consisting of polyoxyethyleneglycerol triricinoleate or polyoxyl 35 castor oil ( cremophor ® el ; basf corp .) or polyoxyethyleneglycerol oxystearate , mono fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan , polyoxyethylene alkyl ether , polyoxyethylene alkylaryl ether , polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester , alkylene glycol fatty acid mono ester , sucrose fatty acid ester , and sorbitan fatty acid mono ester . as a non - limited example , the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of polyethylenglycol 40 hydrogenated castor oil ( cremophor ® rh 40 , also known as polyoxyl 40 hydrogenated castor oil or macrogolglycerol hydroxystearate ), polyethylenglycol 60 hydrogenated castor oil ( cremophor ® rh 60 ), a mono fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan ( e . g . polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monooleate ( tween ® 80 ), polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monostearate ( tween ® 60 ), polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monopalmitate ( tween ® 40 ), or polyoxyethylene ( 20 ) sorbitan monolaurate ( tween ® 20 )), polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) lauryl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 5 ) cetyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 2 ) stearyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 5 ) stearyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 2 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 4 ) nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene ( 3 ) octylphenyl ether , peg - 200 monolaurate , peg - 200 dilaurate , peg - 300 dilaurate , peg - 400 dilaurate , peg - 300 distearate , peg - 300 dioleate , propylene glycol monolaurate , sucrose monostearate , sucrose distearate , sucrose monolaurate , sucrose dilaurate , sorbitan monolaurate , sorbitan monooleate , sorbitan monopalnitate , and sorbitan stearate . preferably , the surfactant is selected from polysorbate 20 , polysorbate 40 , polysorbate 60 , polysorbate 80 , cremophor rh 40 , cremophor el , gelucire 44 / 14 , gelucire 50 / 13 , d - alpha - tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate ( vitamin e tpgs ), propylene glycol laurate , sodium lauryl sulfate , or sorbitan monolaurate . more preferably , the surfactant is selected from sorbitan monolaurate or d - alpha - tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate . a solid dispersion employed in the invention preferably comprises or consists of a single - phase ( defined in thermodynamics ) in which compound 1 , or a combination of compound 1 and another anti - hcv agent , is molecularly dispersed in a matrix containing the pharmaceutically acceptable hydrophilic polymer ( s ). in such cases , thermal analysis of the solid dispersion using differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ) typically shows only one single t g , and the solid dispersion does not contain any detectable crystalline compound 1 as measured by x - ray powder diffraction spectroscopy . a solid composition employed in the invention can be prepared by a variety of techniques such as , without limitation , melt - extrusion , spray - drying , co - precipitation , freeze drying , or other solvent evaporation techniques , with melt - extrusion and spray - drying being preferred . the melt - extrusion process typically comprises the steps of preparing a melt which includes the active ingredient ( s ), the hydrophilic polymer ( s ) and preferably the surfactant ( s ), and then cooling the melt until it solidifies . “ melting ” means a transition into a liquid or rubbery state in which it is possible for one component to get embedded , preferably homogeneously embedded , in the other component or components . in many cases , the polymer component ( s ) will melt and the other components including the active ingredient ( s ) and surfactant ( s ) will dissolve in the melt thereby forming a solution . melting usually involves heating above the softening point of the polymer ( s ). the preparation of the melt can take place in a variety of ways . the mixing of the components can take place before , during or after the formation of the melt . for example , the components can be mixed first and then melted or be simultaneously mixed and melted . the melt can also be homogenized in order to disperse the active ingredient ( s ) efficiently . in addition , it may be convenient first to melt the polymer ( s ) and then to mix in and homogenize the active ingredient ( s ). in one example , all materials except surfactant ( s ) are blended and fed into an extruder , while the surfactant ( s ) is molten externally and pumped in during extrusion . to start a melt - extrusion process , the active ingredient ( s ) ( e . g ., compound 1 , or a combination of compound 1 and at least another anti - hcv agent ) can be employed in their solid forms , such as their respective crystalline forms . the active ingredient ( s ) can also be employed as a solution or dispersion in a suitable liquid solvent such as alcohols , aliphatic hydrocarbons , esters or , in some cases , liquid carbon dioxide . the solvent can be removed , e . g . evaporated , upon preparation of the melt . various additives can also be included in the melt , for example , flow regulators ( e . g ., colloidal silica ), binders , lubricants , fillers , disintegrants , plasticizers , colorants , or stabilizers ( e . g ., antioxidants , light stabilizers , radical scavengers , and stabilizers against microbial attack ). the melting and / or mixing can take place in an apparatus customary for this purpose . particularly suitable ones are extruders or kneaders . suitable extruders include single screw extruders , intermeshing screw extruders or multiscrew extruders , preferably twin screw extruders , which can be corotating or counterrotating and , optionally , be equipped with kneading disks . it will be appreciated that the working temperatures will be determined by the kind of extruder or the kind of configuration within the extruder that is used . part of the energy needed to melt , mix and dissolve the components in the extruder can be provided by heating elements . however , the friction and shearing of the material in the extruder may also provide a substantial amount of energy to the mixture and aid in the formation of a homogeneous melt of the components . the melt can range from thin to pasty to viscous . shaping of the extrudate can be conveniently carried out by a calender with two counter - rotating rollers with mutually matching depressions on their surface . the extrudate can be cooled and allow to solidify . the extrudate can also be cut into pieces , either before ( hot - cut ) or after solidification ( cold - cut ). the solidified extrusion product can be further milled , ground or otherwise reduced to granules . the solidified extrudate , as well as each granule produced , comprises a solid dispersion , preferably a solid solution , of the active ingredient ( s ) in a matrix comprised of the hydrophilic polymer ( s ) and optionally the pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant ( s ). where the granules do not contain any surfactant , a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant described above can be added to and blended with the granules . the extrusion product can also be blended with other active ingredient ( s ) and / or additive ( s ) before being milled or ground to granules . the granules can be further processed into suitable solid oral dosage forms . the approach of solvent evaporation , via spray - drying , provides the advantage of allowing for processability at lower temperatures , if needed , and allows for other modifications to the process in order to further improve powder properties . the spray - dried powder can then be formulated further , if needed , and final drug product is flexible with regards to whether capsule , tablet or any other solid dosage form is desired . exemplary spray - drying processes and spray - drying equipment are described in k . masters , s pray d rying h andbook ( halstead press , new york , 4 th ed ., 1985 ). non - limiting examples of spray - drying devices that are suitable for the present invention include spray dryers manufactured by niro inc . or gea process engineering inc ., buchi labortechnik ag , and spray drying systems , inc . a spray - drying process generally involves breaking up a liquid mixture into small droplets and rapidly removing solvent from the droplets in a container ( spray drying apparatus ) where there is a strong driving force for evaporation of solvent from the droplets . atomization techniques include , for example , two - fluid or pressure nozzles , or rotary atomizers . the strong driving force for solvent evaporation can be provided , for example , by maintaining the partial pressure of solvent in the spray drying apparatus well below the vapor pressure of the solvent at the temperatures of the drying droplets . this may be accomplished by either ( 1 ) maintaining the pressure in the spray drying apparatus at a partial vacuum ; ( 2 ) mixing the liquid droplets with a warm drying gas ( e . g ., heated nitrogen ); or ( 3 ) both . the temperature and flow rate of the drying gas , as well as the spray dryer design , can be selected so that the droplets are dry enough by the time they reach the wall of the apparatus . this help to ensure that the dried droplets are essentially solid and can form a fine powder and do not stick to the apparatus wall . the spray - dried product can be collected by removing the material manually , pneumatically , mechanically or by other suitable means . the actual length of time to achieve the preferred level of dryness depends on the size of the droplets , the formulation , and spray dryer operation . following the solidification , the solid powder may stay in the spray drying chamber for additional time ( e . g ., 5 - 60 seconds ) to further evaporate solvent from the solid powder . the final solvent content in the solid dispersion as it exits the dryer is preferably at a sufficiently low level so as to improve the stability of the final product . for instance , the residual solvent content of the spray - dried powder can be less than 2 % by weight . highly preferably , the residual solvent content is within the limits set forth in the international conference on harmonization ( ich ) guidelines . in addition , it may be useful to subject the spray - dried composition to further drying to lower the residual solvent to even lower levels . methods to further lower solvent levels include , but are not limited to , fluid bed drying , infra - red drying , tumble drying , vacuum drying , and combinations of these and other processes . like the solid extrudate described above , the spray dried product contains a solid dispersion , preferably a solid solution , of the active ingredient ( s ) in a matrix comprised of the hydrophilic polymer ( s ) and optionally the pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant ( s ). where the spray dried product does not contain any surfactant , a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant described above can be added to and blended with the spray - dried product before further processing . before feeding into a spray dryer , the active ingredient ( s ) ( e . g ., compound 1 , or a combination of compound 1 and at least another anti - hcv agent ), the hydrophilic polymer ( s ), as well as other optional active ingredients or excipients such as the pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant ( s ), can be dissolved in a solvent . suitable solvents include , but are not limited to , alkanols ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol , 1 - propanol , 2 - propanol or mixtures thereof ), acetone , acetone / water , alkanol / water mixtures ( e . g ., ethanol / water mixtures ), or combinations thereof . the solution can also be preheated before being fed into the spray dryer . the solid dispersion produced by melt - extrusion , spray - drying or other techniques can be prepared into any suitable solid oral dosage forms . in one embodiment , the solid dispersion prepared by melt - extrusion , spray - drying or other techniques can be compressed into tablets . the solid dispersion can be either directly compressed , or milled or ground to granules or powders before compression . compression can be done in a tablet press , such as in a steel die between two moving punches . when a solid composition of the present invention comprises compound 1 and another anti - hcv agent , it is possible to separately prepare solid dispersions of each individual active ingredient and then blend the optionally milled or ground solid dispersions before compacting . compound 1 and other active ingredient ( s ) can also be prepared in the same solid dispersion , optionally milled and / or blended with other additives , and then compressed into tablets . at least one additive selected from flow regulators , binders , lubricants , fillers , disintegrants , or plasticizers may be used in compressing the solid dispersion . these additives can be mixed with ground or milled solid dispersion before compacting . various other additives may also be used in preparing a solid composition of the present invention , for example dyes such as azo dyes , organic or inorganic pigments such as aluminium oxide or titanium dioxide , or dyes of natural origin ; stabilizers such as antioxidants , light stabilizers , radical scavengers , stabilizers against microbial attack . in any aspect , embodiment and example described herein , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can be administered to an hcv patient in combination with another anti - hcv agent . preferably , such a treatment does not include the use of interferon throughout the treatment regimen . the treatment regimen can last , for example and without limitation , 24 , 23 , 22 , 21 , 20 , 19 , 18 , 17 , 16 , 15 , 14 , 13 , 12 , 11 , 10 , 9 or 8 weeks . preferably , the treatment regimen last , for example and without limitation , 12 weeks . the treatment regimen may also last less than 12 weeks , such as 11 , 10 , 9 or 8 weeks . suitable anti - hcv agents that can be combined with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) include , but are not limited to , hcv polymerase inhibitors ( e . g ., nucleoside polymerase inhibitors or non - nucleoside polymerase inhibitors ), hcv protease inhibitors , hcv helicase inhibitors , other hcv ns5a inhibitors , hcv entry inhibitors , cyclophilin inhibitors , cd81 inhibitors , internal ribosome entry site inhibitors , or any combination thereof . for instance , said another anti - hcv agent can be an hcv polymerase inhibitor . for another instance , said another anti - hcv agent can be an hcv protease inhibitor . said another anti - hcv agent can also include two or more hcv inhibitors . for instance , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of an hcv polymerase inhibitor and an hcv protease inhibitor . for another instance , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of two different hcv protease inhibitors . for another instance , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of two different hcv polymerase inhibitors ( e . g ., one is a nucleoside or nucleotide polymerase inhibitor and the other is a non - nucleoside polymerase inhibitor ; or both are nucleoside or nucleotide polymerase inhibitors ; or both are non - nucleoside polymerase inhibitor ). in yet another example , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of another hcv ns5a inhibitor and an hcv polymerase inhibitor . in yet another example , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of another hcv ns5a inhibitor and an hcv protease inhibitor . in still another example , said another anti - hcv agent can be a combination of two other hcv ns5a inhibitors . specific examples of anti - hcv agents that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include , but are not limited to , psi - 7977 ( pharmasset / gilead ), psi - 7851 ( pharmasset / gilead ), psi - 938 ( pharmasset / gilead ), pf - 00868554 , ana - 598 , idx184 , idx102 , idx375 , gs - 9190 , vch - 759 , vch - 916 , mk - 3281 , bcx - 4678 , mk - 3281 , vby708 , ana598 , gl59728 , gl60667 , bms - 790052 , bms - 791325 , bms - 650032 , bms - 824393 , gs - 9132 , ach - 1095 , ap - h005 , a - 831 ( arrow therapeutics ), a - 689 ( arrow therapeutics ), inx08189 ( inhibitex ), azd2836 , telaprevir , boceprevir , itmn - 191 ( intermune / roche ), bi - 201335 , vby - 376 , vx - 500 ( vertex ), phx - b , ach - 1625 , idx136 , idx316 , vx - 813 ( vertex ), sch 900518 ( schering - plough ), tmc - 435 ( tibotec ), itmn - 191 ( intermune , roche ), mk - 7009 ( merck ), idx - pi ( novartis ), bi - 201335 ( boehringer ingelheim ), r7128 ( roche ), mk - 3281 ( merck ), mk - 0608 ( merck ), pf - 868554 ( pfizer ), pf - 4878691 ( pfizer ), idx - 184 ( novartis ), idx - 375 , ppi - 461 ( presidio ), bilb - 1941 ( boehringer ingelheim ), gs - 9190 ( gilead ), bms - 790052 ( bms ), cts - 1027 ( conatus ), gs - 9620 ( gilead ), pf - 4878691 ( pfizer ), ro5303253 ( roche ), als - 2200 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), als - 2158 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), gsk62336805 ( glaxosmithkline ), or any combinations thereof . non - limiting examples of hcv protease inhibitors that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include ach - 1095 ( achillion ), ach - 1625 ( achillion ), ach - 2684 ( achillion ), avl - 181 ( avila ), avl - 192 ( avila ), bi - 201335 ( boehringer ingelheim ), bms - 650032 ( bms ), boceprevir , danoprevir , gs - 9132 ( gilead ), gs - 9256 ( gilead ), gs - 9451 ( gilead ), idx - 136 ( idenix ), idx - 316 ( idenix ), idx - 320 ( idenix ), mk - 5172 ( merck ), narlaprevir , phx - 1766 ( phenomix ), telaprevir , tmc - 435 ( tibotec ), vaniprevir , vby708 ( virobay ), vx - 500 ( vertex ), vx - 813 ( vertex ), vx - 985 ( vertex ), or any combination thereof . non - limiting examples of hcv polymerase inhibitors that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include ana - 598 ( anadys ), bi - 207127 ( boehringer ingelheim ), bilb - 1941 ( boehringer ingelheim ), bms - 791325 ( bms ), filibuvir , gl59728 ( glaxo ), gl60667 ( glaxo ), gs - 9669 ( gilead ), idx - 375 ( idenix ), mk - 3281 ( merck ), tegobuvir , tmc - 647055 ( tibotec ), vch - 759 ( vertex & amp ; virachem ), vch - 916 ( virachem ), vx - 222 ( vch - 222 ) ( vertex & amp ; virachem ), vx - 759 ( vertex ), gs - 6620 ( gilead ), idx - 102 ( idenix ), idx - 184 ( idenix ), inx - 189 ( inhibitex ), mk - 0608 ( merck ), psi - 7977 ( pharmasset / gilead ), psi - 938 ( pharmasset / gilead ), rg7128 ( roche ), tmc64912 ( medivir ), gsk625433 ( glaxosmithkline ), bcx - 4678 ( biocryst ), als - 2200 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), als - 2158 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), or any combination thereof . a polymerase inhibitor may be a nucleotide polymerase inhibitor , such as gs - 6620 ( gilead ), idx - 102 ( idenix ), idx - 184 ( idenix ), inx - 189 ( inhibitex ), mk - 0608 ( merck ), psi - 7977 ( pharmasset / gilead ), psi - 938 ( pharmasset / gilead ), rg7128 ( roche ), tmc64912 ( medivir ), als - 2200 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), als - 2158 ( alios biopharma / vertex ), or any combination therefore . a polymerase inhibitor may also be a non - nucleoside polymerase inhibitor , such as ana - 598 ( anadys ), bi - 207127 ( boehringer ingelheim ), bilb - 1941 ( boehringer ingelheim ), bms - 791325 ( bms ), filibuvir , gl59728 ( glaxo ), gl60667 ( glaxo ), gs - 9669 ( gilead ), idx - 375 ( idenix ), mk - 3281 ( merck ), tegobuvir , tmc - 647055 ( tibotec ), vch - 759 ( vertex & amp ; virachem ), vch - 916 ( virachem ), vx - 222 ( vch - 222 ) ( vertex & amp ; virachem ), vx - 759 ( vertex ), or any combination thereof . non - limiting examples of ns5a inhibitors that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include gsk62336805 ( glaxosmithkline ), ach - 2928 ( achillion ), ach - 3102 ( achillion ), azd2836 ( astra - zeneca ), azd7295 ( astra - zeneca ), bms - 790052 ( bms ), bms - 824393 ( bms ), edp - 239 ( enanta / novartis ), gs - 5885 ( gilead ), idx - 719 ( idenix ), mk - 8742 ( merck ), ppi - 1301 ( presidio ), ppi - 461 ( presidio ), or any combination thereof . non - limiting examples of cyclophilin inhibitors that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include alisporovir ( novartis & amp ; debiopharm ), nm - 811 ( novartis ), scy - 635 ( scynexis ), or any combination thereof . non - limiting examples of hcv entry inhibitors that are suitable for combination with compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein include itx - 4520 ( itherx ), itx - 5061 ( itherx ), or a combination thereof . in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can be administered , for example and without limitation , concurrently with said anther anti - hcv agent . compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can also be administered , for example and without limitation , sequentially with said another anti - hcv agent . for instance , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can be administered immediately before or after the administration of said another anti - hcv agent . the frequency of administration may be the same or different . for example , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and said another anti - hcv agent can be administered once daily . for another example , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can be administered once daily , and said another anti - hcv agent can be administered twice daily . in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) can be co - formulated with said another anti - hcv agent in a single dosage form . non - limiting examples of suitable dosage forms include liquid or solid dosage forms . preferably , the dosage form is a solid dosage form . more preferably , the dosage form is a solid dosage form in which compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) is in amorphous form , or highly preferably molecularly dispersed in a matrix which comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable water - soluble polymer and a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant . said another anti - hcv agent can also be in amorphous form , or molecularly dispersed in the same matrix or a different matrix which comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable water - soluble polymer and a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant . said another anti - hcv agent can also be formulated in different form ( s ) ( e . g ., in a crystalline form ). as a non - limiting alternative , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and said another anti - hcv agent can be formulated in different dosage forms . for instance , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and said another anti - hcv agent can be formulated in different respective solid dosage forms . in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein , compound 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof may be administered in a suitable amount such as , for example , in doses of from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 200 mg / kg body weight , or from about 0 . 25 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg , or from about 0 . 3 mg / kg to about 30 mg / kg . as another non - limiting example , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) may be administered in a total daily dose amount of from about 5 mg to about 300 mg , or from about 25 mg to about 200 mg , or from about 25 mg to about 50 mg or an amount there between . single dose compositions may contain such amounts or submultiples thereof to make up the daily dose . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , rate of excretion , drug combination , and the severity of the disease undergoing therapy . it will also be understood that the total daily dosage of the compounds and compositions to be administered will be decided by the attending physician within the scope of sound medical judgment . the following table lists non - limiting examples of a combination of compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and another anti - hcv agent that can be used in any aspect , embodiment or example described herein . for each treatment , compound 1 ( or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ) and said another anti - hcv agent can be administered daily to an hcv patient . each treatment can be interferon - free . administration of ribavirin can be included in each regimen . however , the present invention contemplates that each treatment regimen can be both interferon - and ribavirin - free . in addition , interferon and / or ribavirin can be included in each treatment regimen if needed . each treatment regimen may also optionally comprise administering one or more other anti - hcv agents to the patient . the duration of each treatment regimen may last , for example and without limitation , 8 - 48 weeks , depending on the patient &# 39 ; s response . in any given regimen described in table 1 , the drugs can be , for example and without limitation , co - formulated in a single solid dosage form . for instance , all drugs used in a regimen can be co - formulated in amorphous forms or molecularly dispersed in a matrix comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable water - soluble polymer and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant ; for another instance , compound 1 is formulated in amorphous form or molecularly dispersed in a matrix comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable water - soluble polymer and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant , and the other drug is in crystalline form ( s ) and combined with amorphous compound 1 in a single solid dosage form . for yet another instance , compound 1 is formulated in a different dosage form than that of the other drug . replicon cell lines used for evaluating the inhibitory activities of compound 1 can be prepared according to the following protocol . two genotype 1 stable subgenomic replicon cell lines can be used for compound characterization in cell culture : one derived from genotype 1a - h77 and the other derived from genotype 1b - con1 . the replicon constructs can be bicistronic subgenomic replicons . the genotype 1a replicon construct contains ns3 - ns5b coding region derived from the h77 strain of hcv ( 1a - h77 ). the replicon also has a firefly luciferase reporter and a neomycin phosphotransferase ( neo ) selectable marker . these two coding regions , separated by the fmdv 2a protease , comprise the first cistron of the bicistronic replicon construct , with the second cistron containing the ns3 - ns5b coding region with addition of adaptive mutations e 1202g , k1691r , k2040r , and s2204i . the 1b - con1 replicon construct is identical to the 1a - h77 replicon , except that the hcv 5 ′ utr , 3 ′ utr , and ns3 - ns5b coding region are derived from the 1b - con1 strain , and the adaptive mutations are k1609e , k1846t , and y3005c . in addition , the 1b - con1 replicon construct contains a poliovirus ires between the hcv ires and the luciferase gene . replicon cell lines can be maintained in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagles medium ( dmem ) containing 10 % ( v / v ) fetal bovine serum ( fbs ), 100 iu / ml penicillin , 100 mg / ml streptomycin ( invitrogen ), and 200 mg / ml g418 ( invitrogen ). it should be understood that the above - described embodiments and the following examples are given by way of illustration , not limitation . various changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present description . antiviral activity of compound 1 against hcv replicons containing ns5a genes obtained from genotype 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 6 hcv infected humans in order to assess the ability of compound 1 to inhibit ns5a from non - genotype 1 hcv , a number of stable subgenomic 1b - con1 replicon cell lines containing a portion of ns5a from genotype 2a , 2b , 3a , 4a , 5a or 6a hcv were created . this replicon construct contains a noti restriction site upstream of ns5a , and a blpi restriction site just after ns5a amino acid 214 . viral rna from infected subjects was isolated according to middleton et al ., j v irol m ethods 145 : 137 - 145 ( 2007 ) and tripathi et al ., a ntiviral r es 73 : 40 - 49 ( 2007 ). rt - pcr was conducted on the rna to generate a dna fragment encoding ns5a amino acids 1 - 214 . the pcr fragment incorporated noti and blpi compatible ends , and this fragment was ligated into a plasmid containing the 1b - con1 replicon . stable cell lines were generated by introducing these constructs into huh - 7 cells . the inhibitory effect of compound 1 on hcv replication was determined by measuring activity of the luciferase reporter gene . briefly , replicon - containing cells were seeded into 96 - well plates at a density of 5000 cells per well in 100 μl dmem containing 5 % fbs . the following day , compounds were diluted in dimethyl sulfoxide ( dmso ) to generate a 200 × stock in a series of eight half - log dilutions . the dilution series was then further diluted 100 - fold in the medium containing 5 % fbs . medium with the inhibitor was added to the overnight cell culture plates already containing 100 μl of dmem with 5 % fbs . in assays measuring inhibitory activity in the presence of human plasma , the medium from the overnight cell culture plates was replaced with dmem containing 40 % human plasma and 5 % fbs . the cells were incubated for three days in the tissue culture incubators after which time 30 μl of passive lysis buffer ( promega ) was added to each well , and then the plates were incubated for 15 minutes with rocking to lyse the cells . luciferin solution ( 50 μl , promega ) was added to each well , and luciferase activity was measured with a victor ii luminometer ( perkin - elmer ). the percent inhibition of hcv rna replication was calculated for each compound concentration and the ec 50 value was calculated using nonlinear regression curve fitting to the 4 - parameter logistic equation and graphpad prism 4 software ( halfman , m ethods e nzymol 74 pt c : 481 - 497 ( 1981 )). the antiviral effects of compound 1 were determined in stable replicon cells by measuring the reduction of firefly luciferase . in order to estimate the effect of plasma proteins on the antiviral activity , the compound was tested in the presence of 5 % fbs . the results in table 2 demonstrate that compound 1 has excellent potency against genotype 1a and 1b replicons , with mean ec 50 values that range between 5 and 14 pm in the presence of 5 % fbs . the antiviral activity of compound 1 in the presence of 5 % fbs . compound 1 also has excellent potency against replicons containing ns5a from genotype 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . its activity against genotype 6a is also provided . an hcv shuttle vector cassette was used for assessing the phenotype of ns5a genes derived from individuals infected with genotype 1a and 1b hcv . the vector contains the 5 ′ utr , 3 ′ utr , and nonstructural genes ns3 - ns5b from 1b strain con1 , with adaptive mutations k1609e , k1846t , and y3005c . noti and clai restriction sites were introduced flanking the ns5a gene , without changing any amino acids or the insertion of additional amino acids . a poliovirus ires was inserted between the hcv 5 ′ utr and the firefly luciferase reporter gene as described by lohmann et al . j v irol 77 : 3007 - 3019 ( 2003 ). in order to assess the ability of compound 1 to inhibit ns5a from non - genotype 1 hcv , a number of stable subgenomic 1b - con1 replicon cell lines containing a portion of ns5a from genotype 2a , 2b , 3a , 4a , 5a or 6a hcv were created . this replicon construct contains a noti restriction site upstream of ns5a , and a blpi restriction site just after ns5a amino acid 214 . viral rna from infected subjects was isolated according to middleton et al ., j v irol m ethods 145 : 137 - 145 ( 2007 ) and tripathi et al ., a ntiviral r es 73 : 40 - 49 ( 2007 ). rt - pcr was conducted on the rna to generate a dna fragment encoding ns5a amino acids 1 - 214 . the pcr fragment incorporated noti and blpi compatible ends , and this fragment was ligated into a plasmid containing the 1b - con1 replicon . hcv rna was isolated from the serum of hcv infected subjects and processed through the shuttle vector system as described in middleton et al ., j v irol m ethods 145 : 137 - 145 ( 2007 ). briefly , viral rna was isolated from 140 to 280 μl of serum from hcv infected subjects using the qiaamp viral rna isolation kit ( qiagen ), according to the supplier &# 39 ; s instructions . an rt - pcr protocol was conducted on the rna to generate a dna fragment encoding the ns5a gene with noti and clai / blpi compatible ends . this fragment was ligated into a plasmid containing the shuttle vector , and then the ligated plasmid was transfected into competent e . coli cells . after overnight growth in liquid culture , the plasmid dna from the entire population was isolated , purified and then linearized by digestion with scai . the transcriptaid t7 high yield transcription kit ( fermentas ) was used to transcribe the hcv subgenomic rna . the hcv subgenomic rna containing the ns5a gene from the clinical sample was transfected via electroporation into a huh - 7 derived cell line as described except that 3 × 10 6 cells were electroporated with 15 μg of template rna and the 96 well plate was seeded with 7 . 5 × 10 3 cells per well ( middleton et al ., j v irol m ethods 145 : 137 - 145 ( 2007 ). four hours post - transfection , the wells from one plate were harvested for luciferase measurement . this plate provides a measure of the amount of translatable input rna , and therefore transfection efficiency . to the wells of the remaining plates , a 3 - fold dilution series of test compounds was added in dmso ( 0 . 5 % dmso final concentration ), and plates were incubated at 37 ° c ., 5 % co 2 in a humidified incubator for 4 days . after this period , the media was removed and the plates were washed with 100 μl phosphate - buffered saline per well . for the luciferase assay , 30 μl of passive lysis buffer ( promega ) was added to each well , and then the plates were incubated for 15 minutes with rocking to lyse the cells . luciferin solution ( 50 μl , promega ) was added to each well , and luciferase activity was measured with a victor ii luminometer ( perkin - elmer ). the ec 50 values for compound 1 were calculated using nonlinear regression cure fitting of the inhibition data to the 4 - parameter logistic equation and graphpad prism 4 software ( halfman , m ethods e nzymol , 74 pt c : 481 - 497 ( 1981 )). given the genetic diversity of hcv and the degree of polymorphisms within the n - terminal region of ns5a , a panel of genotypes 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 clinical isolates without previous exposure to investigative small molecule antiviral agents were evaluated . mean ec 50 values of 0 . 66 pm and 1 . 0 pm were calculated for the 11 genotype 1a and 11 1b clinical isolates , respectively ( table 3 ). of the 2a sequences available in genbank , only 11 % of the samples contain leucine at position 31 of ns5a , and this includes the 2a - jfh1 strain . the 7 samples tested in this panel contained methionine at position 31 , and compound 1 retained its activity against this panel with a mean ec 50 of 3 . 8 pm ( table 4 ). in genotype 2b , there is 50 % variability at position 31 of ns5a with the amino acid variant being leucine or methionine . of the 14 genotype 2b samples included in the panel , 6 samples contained m31 and 1 sample contained l28f variant . compound 1 retained its activity against 13 / 14 samples with an ec 50 of 1 . 1 pm , there was a 75 - fold loss in activity against the sample containing l28f variant ( table 5 ). thirteen genotype 3a samples were evaluated , and the mean ec 50 against 12 of the samples was 4 . 5 pm . the ec 50 against one of the genotype 3a sample was 55 pm most likely due to the presence of the a30k variant ( table 6 ). nine genotype 4a samples were evaluated , two of the samples had met at position 28 ; however , this did not affect the activity of compound 1 and a mean ec 50 of 0 . 23 pm was obtained ( table 7 ). of the genotype 6a samples available in genebank , there is a 50 % variability at position 28 with the amino acid variant being leucine or phenylalanine . only one genotype 6a sample was available with the l28 variant . in order to better represent genotype 6a isolates , l28f mutation was introduced into the population . the ec 50 of compound 1 was 42 pm and 68 pm against the l28 versus f28 variant of genotype 6a ( table 8 ). in summary , compound 1 retained its activity against a panel of genotypes 1a , 1b , 2a , 2b , 3a , 4a and 6a samples , despite polymorphisms at ns5a amino acid positions 28 , 30 , 31 , 58 and 93 . the foregoing description of the present invention provides illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise one disclosed . modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . thus , it is noted that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents .
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fig1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle 10 that incorporates example vehicle interior functions , which include memory settings electronically controlled by one embodiment of the method of the present invention . the memory settings are controlled based upon a monitored occupant characteristic , for example , a weight classification or a biomass . initially , when a first driver 12 is seated in a vehicle seat 14 , the first driver 12 manually adjusts a variety of vehicle interior functions to his / her desired positions . the desired positions are subsequently stored as a first set of memory settings in a feature control system 16 and associated with the first driver 12 within the feature control system 16 . a weight classification and / or a biomass of the first driver 12 is measured contemporaneously with the first driver 12 setting the first set of memory settings by a sensing system 18 . the weight classification is indicative of an overall weight of the first driver 12 as measured by , for example , a strain gage arrangement included in the sensing system 18 , which is imbedded in the vehicle seat 14 . when the first driver 12 sits on the vehicle seat 14 , the overall weight of the first driver 12 induces a strain that is representative of the overall weight of the first driver 12 . the measured overall weight is then transmitted to the feature control system 16 where it is stored in relationship to the first set of memory settings . the biomass is indicative of a wet weight of the first driver 12 . the wet weight is measured by traditional means , for example , a bio - sensor included in the sensing system 18 . the bio - sensor measures not only the overall weight of the first driver 12 but also measures the amount of the overall weight that is water . measuring the portion of weight of an occupant that is water allows the system to differentiate between , for example , a 100 - pound occupant and a 50 - pound child in a 50 - pound child seat . the biomass , i . e ., the wet weight , of the 100 - pound occupant would be greater than the biomass , i . e . the wet weight , of the 50 - pound child in the 50 - pound child seat . the sensing system 18 transmits the measured weight classification and / or the biomass of the first driver 12 to the feature control system 16 . the weight classification and / or biomass of the first driver 12 are stored in the feature control system 16 , where they are associated with the first set of memory settings and the first driver 12 . further , this process can be conducted for any number of drivers . that is , each individual driver can create a unique set of memory settings associated with himself / herself . a weight classification and / or biomass of each individual driver is measured and associated with the unique set of memory settings , and stored in the feature control system 16 . subsequently , when a driver enters the vehicle 10 , the sensing system 18 will measure the weight classification and / or the biomass of the driver and transmit the measured weight classification and / or biomass to the feature control system 16 . the feature control system 16 then associates the measured weight classification and / or biomass with the respective driver and the set of memory settings previously stored by that driver as indicated by the measured weight classification and / or biomass . the feature control system 16 then transmits signals to the various interior features controlled by the memory settings to electronically adjust the various interior features to their pre - determined desired positions . for example , when the first driver 12 enters the vehicle 10 and sits in the vehicle seat 14 , the sensing system 18 measures the weight classification and / or biomass associated with the first driver 12 , and transmits the weight classification and / or biomass associated with the first driver 12 to the feature control system 16 . the feature control system 16 associates the transmitted weight classification and / or biomass of the first driver 12 with the first set of memory settings , and then transmits signals to the various interior features controlled by the memory settings to electronically adjust the various interior features to their pre - determined desired positions . the set of memory settings transmitted to the various interior features by the feature control system 16 depends on the weight classification and / or biomass received by the feature control system 16 from the sensing system 18 . as this is determined when the driver sits in the seat , this entire process is conducted passively , i . e ., does not require any active input from the driver . in the illustrated embodiment , the sensing system 18 is located in the vehicle seat 14 and the example vehicle interior functions , which include electronically controlled memory settings , may include but are not limited to positioning of the vehicle seat 14 , vehicle pedals 22 , and / or steering column 24 . the entire vehicle seat 14 is moveable forward and rearward in vehicle 10 as illustrated by arrow a and upward and downward in vehicle 10 as illustrated by arrow b . a back portion 26 of the vehicle seat 20 is moveable from an upright sitting position c 1 to a reclined position c 2 as illustrated by arrow c . the vehicle pedals 22 are moveable away from and toward the first driver 12 in vehicle 10 as illustrated by arrow d . fig2 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle 10 that incorporates example vehicle interior functions , which include memory settings that are electronically controlled by another embodiment of the method of the present invention based upon a user identification device . in the illustrated embodiment , the memory settings are initially set as discussed above in fig1 , but are passively controlled by a user identification device 30 , for example , a key fob or a personal electronic device carried by the occupant . when the driver 12 comes within a pre - defined distance of the vehicle 10 , the user identification device 30 transmits a signal to a receiver 32 associated with the vehicle 10 . the receiver 32 communicates the signal to the feature control system 16 , which transmits signals to the various interior features controlled by the memory settings to adjust the various interior features to their pre - determined desired positions as discussed previously in fig1 . as such , the vehicle interior functions associated with the memory settings are passively controlled based upon the signal received from the user identification device 30 . fig3 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle 10 that incorporates example vehicle interior functions that are selectively overridden according to yet another embodiment of the method of the present invention . the example vehicle interior functions that are selectively overridden include but are not limited to an express up / down feature associated with a window and / or a child safety latch . these example vehicle interior functions are electronically controlled by a feature control system 16 . when the vehicle 10 is equipped with the express up / down feature , each window so equipped will automatically travel to a full - up condition or a full - down position with one touch of a window control instead of requiring the window control to be held down through the entire window travel . as such , if a child occupant 40 is located in a seat next to a window equipped with this feature , there is a risk that the child occupant 40 will activate the feature in an undesirable manner . according to the present invention , based upon the passive weight classification and / or biomass sensing strategies discussed above in fig1 , when a sensing system 18 a senses that a child occupant 40 is located in a seat 20 a , the sensing system 18 a transmits a signal to the feature control system 16 identifying the location of the child occupant 40 . the feature control system 16 then transmits a signal that selectively overrides the express up / down feature associated with a window proximate to the child &# 39 ; s seat 20 a . as such , this process is conducted passively based upon a sensed weight classification and / or biomass . the vehicle 10 may be equipped with a child safety latch feature . typically , this feature is manually activated by a driver 42 of the vehicle 10 either via an electronic switch on the driver &# 39 ; s door or via a mechanical switch located on an inside edge of the child &# 39 ; s door . when activated , this feature prevents the child occupant 40 from opening a vehicle door proximate to the child &# 39 ; s seat 20 a from the inside of the vehicle 10 by electronically disabling an interior latch release mechanism . in the event that the driver 42 forgets to activate this feature , when the sensing system 18 a senses that a child occupant 40 is located in a seat 20 a based upon the weight classification and / or biomass sensing strategies discussed above , the sensing system 18 a transmits a signal to the feature control system 16 identifying the location of the child occupant 40 . the feature control system 16 then transmits a signal that selectively overrides the interior latch release mechanism associated with a door proximate to the child &# 39 ; s seat 20 a to ensure that the child safety latch feature associated with that door in engaged preventing the child occupant 40 from opening the vehicle door from inside the vehicle 10 . this process is conducted passively based upon a sensed weight classification and / or biomass . fig4 a is a top view schematic illustration of a vehicle that incorporates yet another vehicle interior function selectively restricted according to another embodiment of the method of the present invention . in this example , the interior function that is selectively restricted includes but is not limited to an electrically controlled power - folding seat 52 . when a vehicle 10 is equipped with the electrically controlled power - folding seat 52 , typically a back portion 52 a of the electrically controlled power - folding seat 52 has the ability to travel from a full - up position e 1 to a full - down position e 2 as illustrated by arrow e . however , if a first occupant 54 , seated in a seat h , attempts to actuate his seat to the full - down position e 2 and a second occupant 56 is seated in a seat i , allowing the back portion 52 a to actuate to the full - down position e 2 may produce an undesirable result . as such , according to the present invention , based upon the passive weight classification and / or biomass sensing strategies discussed above in fig1 , when a sensing system 50 , 50 a senses that a vehicle seat immediately behind a vehicle seat is occupied , for example , seat i which is immediately behind seat h , or seat g , which is immediately behind seat f , as shown in fig4 b , the sensing system 50 , 50 a transmits a signal to a feature control system 16 indicating that the seat i is occupied . the feature control system 16 then transmits a signal selectively restricting the travel of the back portion 52 a of the seat h such that the back portion 52 a will not be allowed to travel to the full - down position e 2 . this process is conducted passively based upon the sensed weight classification and / or biomass . fig5 is a flow chart that schematically illustrates yet another embodiment of the method of the present invention . known vehicles have the ability to electronically sense when a vehicle is parked and locked . by incorporating the passive weight classification and / or biomass sensing strategies above in fig1 , the vehicle can also determine if the vehicle is occupied when the vehicle is parked and locked and / or if the vehicle becomes occupied subsequent to the vehicle being parked and locked . if the vehicle is occupied when the vehicle is initially parked and locked , and this occupation continues , the vehicle will monitor an interior function and regulate that interior function after the vehicle is parked and locked . for example , if a child and / or a pet are left in the vehicle , and the vehicle is parked and locked , the vehicle will monitor an interior temperature of the vehicle and regulate the interior temperature of the vehicle to a pre - set level to prevent overheating of the child and / or pet . in addition , when the vehicle remains occupied after being initially parked and locked , the vehicle will provide notification that the vehicle is still occupied . this notification can be provided to the driver , for example , via an electronic signal sent by a feature control system within the vehicle to a personal electronic device carried by the driver , such as a key fob , a pager or a cell phone , or the notification can be provided to a dispatch center . the notification can also be via an audible alarm installed in the vehicle itself . in one example , referring back to fig1 , the feature control system 16 controls all electronic features associated with a vehicle 10 . as such , the feature control system 16 can determine when the vehicle 10 is parked and locked . once the feature control system 16 determines that the vehicle 10 is parked and locked , weight classification and / or biomass measurements are taken via a sensing system 18 . based on these measurements , the sensing system determines whether or not the vehicle 10 is occupied . when the sensing system 18 determines that a vehicle seat 14 is occupied based upon weight classification and / or biomass , as discussed above in fig1 , and the vehicle 10 is parked and locked , the feature control system 16 generates a signal to provide electronic notification to the driver or initiates the audible alarm . while the illustration shows only one vehicle seat 14 and one sensing system 18 imbedded in the vehicle seat 14 , it is to be appreciated that the vehicle 10 may include multiple vehicle seats 14 , which further include multiple sensing systems 18 , all of which transmit information to the feature control system 16 . conversely , if the sensing system 18 determines that the vehicle 10 is unoccupied when the vehicle 10 is parked and locked , but becomes occupied while remaining parked and / or locked , the feature control system 16 will also generate a signal to provide electronic notification to the driver that the vehicle has become occupied . for example , if the vehicle 10 is parked and locked in a store parking lot while the driver goes into shop and someone breaks into the vehicle 10 while the driver is in the store , the driver will be notified of the occupation . this can minimize theft and damage to the vehicle and its contents . again , this notification can be provided to the driver via a personal electronic device , for example , a key fob , pager or cell phone . this notification can also be provided to a dispatch center , or via an audible alarm as discussed above . although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed , a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention . for that reason , the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention .
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as mentioned , the typical modeling of data can be overly time consuming and labor intensive . the present invention addresses these issues by making a streamlined and more efficient modeling process which can be completed in a single pass . to provide context , one example of an existing modeling process is illustrated in fig1 in flow chart form . more specifically , the modeling process 20 begins with an input data step 22 wherein the appropriate information is loaded into the modeler . next , the data is “ cleaned ” in step 24 to deal with any foreseen irregularities or uniqueness in the data . next , a transformed step 26 is completed which simply transforms data into a format more useable by the modeling process . next , statistical software 28 is applied . the statistical software 28 performs the actual step of modeling , by a computing coefficients and analyzing variable contributions to the model . as is well understood by those skilled in the art , the modeling step contemplated utilizes the provided data to produce a completed model . this completed model is created using well understood statistical techniques which are applied to the provided data . following the application of the statistical software step 28 , an analysis step 30 is carried out to determine the accuracy / value of the resulting model . this step simply questions whether the resulting model is “ good ”, or whether problems are inherent . if problems do exist , the modeling process loops to a fix problem step 32 which identifies the potential source of problems , and removes any offending variable or problem coefficient . at this point , because the offending variable or coefficient has now been removed , the process then loops back to the statistical software application 28 and is required to recalculate the model . as can be anticipated , this new model is slightly different from the previous one due to the elimination of the offending variables , etc . at this point , the process will again move to the results analysis step to determine whether the “ refit ” model is valid or appropriate . as can be anticipated , the “ fix problems ” loop can continue for an undefined number of times , until a feasible model is created . once the analysis step determines that the most recent model is acceptable , the process then moves to the production step 34 . at this point appropriate documents and a code is prepared / produced to subsequently implement the necessary process in other situations . more specifically , the documents and code which are prepared to relate to the development of servable code which can be used to analyze additional data sets and apply the recently created model . as illustrated in fig1 , the inherent complication with this modeling process involves the analysis and fixing loop , which can involve many potential steps . naturally , it is most efficient for fix problem 32 to make relatively small adjustments . this allows for changes to deal with the particular problems without compromising the efficiency of the model . this necessarily increases the number of iterations however , thus increasing the overall number of steps . again , to achieve each of these repeated steps requires time and processing power . referring now to fig2 , a schematic illustration is shown illustrating one embodiment of the modeling system . as illustrated , a number of data sources , 42 , 44 and 46 are shown , each accessible by statistical modeler 48 . statistical modeler 48 provides an output model to a production system 50 for further use . as can be anticipated , production system 50 could take many forms and make use of the data model for many different purposes . production system 50 also has access to first data source 42 , second data source 44 and third data source 46 . production system 50 typically produces its output in many different forms , which may include reports , response to inquiries , data bases , etc . referring now to fig3 , a flowchart is shown which illustrates one embodiment of the modeling process of the present invention . more specifically , one pass modeling process 60 is illustrated , which begins with a data collection step 62 . once received , the data is then cleaned in cleaning step 64 . next , transformations are accomplished in transform step 66 , so that the data can be appropriately processed . following these preliminary steps , the present process moves to the modeling step 70 . this will be further described below . modeling step 70 inherently produces a reliable / useable model in a single modeling step , thus avoiding the possibilities for unnecessary loops or iterations throughout the process . next , documents and appropriate code are produced in documents step 72 . upon the completion of documents and code , the modeling step is then completed , at which time the code may be provided to further systems for their potential use . for example , the code may b used by other systems to apply the model to different sets of data , thus providing a predictive tool which provides valuable insight . referring now fig4 , a more detailed flowchart is provided , outlining the steps involved in fit model step 70 shown in fig3 . fit model step 70 begins by first computing applicable coefficients for the model , at step 82 . next , the coefficients and existing “ draft ” model is analyzed to determine if any offending variables are utilized . if offending variables are identified , these offending components are then removed at removal step 86 . the modeling system can then regenerate appropriate coefficients at computation step 82 . at this point in the overall modeling process , the “ recomputation ” of coefficients is easily achieved , since the complete model has not yet been formed . outlined in more detail below are specific examples of potentially offending variables which are typically involved in offending variable analysis step 84 . referring again to the process of fig4 , if no offending variables are identified , the process moves to variable contribution analysis 88 to determine if any variables exist which are contributing negligible affects to the overall model . since the affects of any identified models are relatively small , they can easily be removed at this point . this removal is achieved at the remove least contributing variable step 90 . following the removal at step 90 of the least contributing variables , the coefficients can again be easily recomputed at coefficient computation step 82 . following the computation of these coefficients , the offending variable analysis 84 and variable contribution analysis 88 can then be completed to determine whether all variables are making contributions appropriate for the desired model . at this point , the model is output at completion step 92 for use by subsequent systems . referring again to fig3 , the completed model is provided by completion step 92 for use by code generation step 72 . in this process , appropriate documentation and code is produced for the recently generated model . again , the documentation and code is usable by subsequent systems for various purposes depending on the nature of the model . the code produced is fully servable , thus capable of easy implementation in appropriate applications . one advantage of the process outlined in fig3 and 4 is the ability to produce models utilizing very little human interaction . typically , the analysis and adjustment steps of prior modeling systems have been carried out by human interaction . while this does allow for subjective judgment regarding the use of particular coefficient values and the appropriate inclusion of various variables , it is time consuming and often involved . in many instances , an individual modeler ( human being ) will be required to review and evaluate multiple models during a period of time . since each model is unique , this requires a complete understanding of the model being analyzed and the necessary adjustments . once adjusted , a new model must then be created based upon the adjustments made . conversely , the system and process outlined in fig2 - 4 above can be carried out in an entirely automated fashion . that is , the computer is capable of determining if the variables are appropriate for inclusion in the model , while it is being created . consequently , this totally eliminates the involvement of human operators , and the necessary time required for the manual evaluation steps previously carried out . further , the process of the present invention will eliminate the level of discretion previously allowed in modeling tasks . as mentioned above , certain types of variables are classified as offending variables in the method of the present invention . initially , any variables exhibiting multicolinearity are identified at this fairly preliminary step in the modeling process , and removed from the model . consequently , the system proactively anticipates and deals with any potential for multicolinearity to negatively influence the model . additional offending variables may be those exhibiting serious outlier influence ( i . e ., those with considerable stray data points ). another possibility of an anticipated offending variable is one having unexpected sign reversals , thus creating non - uniform data sets . in addition to the above - mentioned offending variables , the least contributing variable analysis can be achieved by performing various tasks . for example , t - tests can be utilized . further , a wald test , likelihood ratio test , or score test could also be utilized to identify these variables . as is illustrated below , the modeling process of the present invention can be achieved utilizing a single pass process . the actual process of fitting the model does have loops within that specific process , but these are self - contained in the model formation step . consequently , a completed model is not produced until offending variable analysis , and least contributing variable analysis is completed . at this point , the model is formed . because the model forming process deals with these potential error sources , subsequent model analysis is unnecessary and not utilized . the resulting process provides a much more efficient modeling technique , which can more quickly carried out and which reduces the amount of human intervention .
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referring now to the drawings , the novel collar cuff pressing machine 10 of the invention includes a lower buck assembly 12 mounted on a horizontal table 14 of the frame of the machine . buck assembly 12 includes a center elongated arched collar pressing buck member 16 and cuff pressing arched buck members 18 and 20 at opposite ends of the collar pressing buck 16 . bucks 16 , 18 and 20 are provided with suitable padding just as in conventional machines . a pressing head assembly 22 is supported on an arm 24 which is pivotally mounted at 26 to frame 14 for movement between an open position shown in fig1 and a closed pressing position in which it engages against the collar and cuffs of a shirt laying on bucks 16 , 18 and 20 . pressing head assembly 22 includes contoured pressing surfaces 30 , 32 and 34 which conform to the shape of bucks 16 , 18 and 20 , respectively so as to perform the pressing operation as described . buck assembly 12 and head assembly 22 are steam heated in the usual fashion and the machine as described to this point is essentially the same as the assignee &# 39 ; s prior commercial alc8 machine and thus no further detailed description of those elements is necessary . buck assembly 12 also includes smaller auxiliary pleat pressing bucks 40 and 42 which are rigidly mounted on a support frame and extend forwardly from and are in alignment with the inner pressing surfaces 44 and 46 of bucks 18 and 20 , respectively . bucks 40 and 42 are padded in the same manner as bucks 18 and 20 . pressing head assembly 22 includes a pair of pneumatically operated auxiliary pleat pressing heads 50 and 52 mounted on the front face of head assembly 22 and extending forwardly from and in general alignment with the inner portions 54 and 56 of pressing surfaces 32 and 34 , respectively , so as to be in operative pleat pressing relationship with auxiliary bucks 40 and 42 , respectively , when head assembly 22 is closed on buck assembly 12 . heads 50 and 52 are reciprocated from a normally retracted non - pressing position to an extended pressing position by non - rotating double - acting air cylinders 60 and 62 independently of the operating system for the main head assembly 22 . the auxiliary pleat pressing bucks 40 and 42 and heads 50 and 52 are steam heated in the same manner as the main bucks 16 , 18 and 20 and main head pressing surfaces 30 , 32 and 34 . the novel pressing machine 10 of the invention operates as follows . with the pressing head assembly 22 in the open position as shown in fig1 a long sleeve shirt is loaded on the machine , first by placing the collar of the shirt on buck 16 with the inside of the shirt facing up . next the cuff of the right sleeve of the shirt is placed on buck 18 with the outside of the cuff facing up . the cuff of the left sleeve of the shirt is similarly placed on buck 20 with the outside of the cuff facing up with the cuffs positioned so that the pleats on the shirt sleeves just above the cuffs will be lying on auxiliary bucks 40 and 42 . the operator then presses the main start buttons of the machine to move head assembly 22 down towards buck assembly 12 so that the pressing head surfaces 30 , 32 and 34 press the collar and cuffs against bucks 16 , 18 and 20 , respectively . the head 22 is then locked into this pressing position . the auxiliary heads 50 and 52 will be facing the pleated portions of the shirt sleeves supported on bucks 40 and 42 , but the heads are still held in a retracted position by air cylinders 60 and 62 as illustrated in fig1 and 4 , spaced approximately ¼ inch or so from the pleated portion . thus , an operator has the opportunity to dress the sleeves , that , is align the pleats as desired simply by pulling on the shirt sleeves . since the cuffs themselves are already being held in place by closure of the main heads on the main bucks , the sleeves will not pull away from the machine and the operator has both hands available for dressing those sleeves . when the operator is satisfied with the dressed look of the sleeve on buck 40 , a common foot - operated air pedal is actuated to energize air cylinders 60 and 62 to extend the pleat pressing heads 50 and 52 into pressing engagement with the pleats on bucks 40 and 42 . steam is then supplied to main bucks 16 , 18 and 20 , main head surfaces 30 , 32 and 34 , auxiliary bucks 40 , 42 , and auxiliary heads 50 , 52 . when the pressing operation is completed , air cylinders 60 and 62 are actuated in a reverse direction to retract auxiliary heads 50 and 52 and the main head assembly 22 is opened . the shirt is then removed form the machine with the collar , cuffs and pleated area of the sleeves having been pressed in the same pressing operation . this saves substantial time in that the hand ironing operation of the pleats , normally required by conventional machines , has been eliminated . in addition , if the operator does not want to press the pleats , the pneumatic system for operating the air cylinders 60 and 62 can be disabled and the machine and be used in the more traditional fashion . from the description hereinabove , it is apparent that the invention accomplishes the objectives noted initially and provides advantages over prior conventional machines such as the alc8 machine and over systems such as that illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 675 , 918 . first of all the main head and buck assemblies of the machine are essentially the same as those used in prior conventional machines such as the alc8 machine and require little modification therefrom . the provision of the separate pleat pressing head and buck assemblies and their separate operations , enable the operator to properly dress the shirt sleeves , that is , align the pleats , while the cuffs themselves are being held in place between the main heads and bucks . the operator may use one or both hands to dress the shirt sleeves by pulling on the sleeves without being concerned about pulling the cuffs away from the machine . further , if for some reason the operator does not want to press the pleats , the auxiliary pleat pressing heads need not be activated and the machine can be used in its conventional fashion . if desired , machine 10 may be modified in several respects . for example , air cylinders 60 and 62 may be of the single acting type and spring loaded to hold heads 50 and 52 in a normally retracted position . also , each of the cylinders 60 and 62 may be actuated by its own separate foot pedal . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .
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fig1 shows the energy conversion apparatus 10 of the present invention , connected to a section of a conventional pipe 100 for conveying fluid such as pressurized drinking water . pipe 100 defines a hollow inner volume 110 , through which a fluid ( not shown ) such as drinking water , air , sewage , or petroleum may be conveyed by gravity or by pumping means . pipe 100 includes an inner surface 101 facing inner volume 110 and an outer surface 102 . the fluid flows generally in the direction of pipe 100 &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis l . pipe 100 may be of indeterminate length , but is typically composed of pipe segments 115 that are two to ten times as long as their diameter . a pipe segment 115 is typically made from concrete or cast iron , but other materials are suitable . the inner diameter of pipe segment 115 is preferably greater than 12 inches but may be as much as several feet . the elements of energy conversion apparatus 10 are usually attached to an individual pipe segment 115 . if many pipe segments 115 are connected end - to - end to create a long pipe 100 , the elements of energy conversion apparatus 10 of individual pipe segments 115 are also connected together to create a larger apparatus 10 . energy conversion apparatus 10 may be operated attached to a single pipe segment 115 , although the electrical output naturally increases in proportion to the number of pipe segments 115 connected together . fig2 is a sectional view , cut away and with vertical axis exaggerated for clarity , of apparatus 10 and pipe 100 of fig1 taken along line 2 - 2 . apparatus 10 includes pipe liner 11 attached to pipe inner surface 101 . pipe liner 11 typically includes at least one pair of electricity - producing layers , such as carbon fiber layers 12 ; and an isolator ( dielectric ) layer 13 between each pair of carbon fiber layers 12 . isolator layer 13 separates carbon fiber layers 12 both physically and electrically . layers 12 , 13 are preferably attached to inner surface 101 and to each other with suitable adhesive ( not shown ), typically an epoxy resin or a cementitious material such as grout or cement that is not degraded by the fluid conveyed by pipe 100 . the adhesive typically penetrates the entire thickness of the carbon fiber layer and forms a matrix around the fibers . it has been reported ( mingquing sun , et al ., cement and concrete research ) that carbon fiber embedded in cementitious material polarizes and creates electricity in response to deformation . testing of the present invention has borne this out . apparatus 10 further includes collection means 20 for collecting and conducting the electricity produced by pipe liner 11 . collection means 20 typically includes collection conductors 21 attached to pipe liner 11 and an output cable 22 that connects collection conductors 21 to some device 50 for receiving the produced electricity . various types of collection conductors 21 for energy - harvesting installations are known in the art and include conductive fibers embedded in a matrix or woven into a layer and , as illustrated herein , a layer of conductive sheet material 14 such as thin metal foil . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , one pair of carbon fiber layers 12 are sandwiched between two conductor layers 14 . as shown in fig2 , the outermost layers of liner 11 are two insulator layers 15 that insulate liner 11 electrically and protect it from mechanical damage . in a preferred embodiment , insulator layer 15 and conductor layer 14 are combined in a single sheet of metallized mylar or the equivalent . conductor layer 14 is the metallized face of the mylar and insulator layer 15 is the mylar base . next , a first carbon fiber layer 12 is attached over first conductor layer 14 by suitable adhesive means ( not shown ) such as grout or cement . carbon fiber layer 12 may consist of a woven or knitted sheet of carbon fiber fabric or it may be created in situ by laying carbon fiber yarns closely together , typically in a helical pattern . either method of lining pipe 100 may be done manually ( in the case of a pipe 100 large enough for a person to enter ) or by a machine that travels through pipe 100 either under its own power or by being drawn by a cable . methods of lining a pipe are well known in the art . if a second , or more , carbon fiber layers 12 are to be installed , an isolator layer 13 is attached over first carbon fiber layer 12 . isolator layer 13 is composed of a suitable material such as non - metallized mylar , teflon , porcelain , mica , or similar non - conductive material . isolator layer 13 could be sprayed in place , or could be a separate film or panel that is attached over first carbon layer 12 . isolator layer 13 is attached by a suitable adhesive such as cementitious material or polymeric resin . the choice of insulator material is determined by cost , durability , compatibility with the other materials , and degree of stiffness desired . electricity that is produced by carbon fiber layers 12 is collected by conductor layers 14 a , b . collection means 20 may be wires embedded alongside conductor layers 14 , wires soldered or otherwise attached to conductor layers 14 , or similar means as is known in the art . collection conductors 21 lead the electrical current to output cables 22 and then to a device 50 that uses , stores , or modifies the electrical current . output cables 22 are shown in fig2 as connected to both carbon layers 12 of the pair to form a simple circuit with a device 50 that receives the generated electricity for conversion to dc current or for other use or modification . typically , the electrical current is brought outside of pipe 100 by the passage of output cables 22 through one or more apertures 112 provided in pipe 100 or pipe segment 115 .
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