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the present invention relates to a length - scalable fft processor structure , which uses multi - memory banks method to perform as called interleave rotated data allocation ( irda ) method . it can enhance data access parallelism and make data sequentially be arranged into memory banks . for example , the rules of data arrangement in processing 64 - point and 256 - point fft or higher - points fft are the same . the address generator of these data has expandability and can be designed easily by using a counter . by using a single processor element and the concept of in - place computation , the processor element can read and process data from memory and re - write them back to the same positions in the memory . based on expandability and fast dynamic adjustment , the present invention can decrease hardware loading and meet different length fft requirements . fig1 is a prior art presenting a 6 - bit data process in the single processor element structure . a 64 - point fft processor is an example in this figure , which requires reading 4 data at the same time and writing 4 data back after finishing the butterfly operation . as a result , it needs 4 sets of address translators 110 to translate 4 single - port addresses to new positions and to new memory banks , which are 131 , 132 , 133 and 134 . apart from translating positions , it also requires address switcher to correctly switch addresses to the corresponding memory banks . therefore , it not only translates addresses but also locates them into corresponding memories for correctly reading data . please referring to fig2 , it is a preferred embodiment showing a 4 - bit data allocation . this embodiment is a 64 - point fft processor with multiple memory banks , but it should not be limited to 4 memory banks for practice as shown in the figure . a 4 - bit address generator 200 is an example herein , which can generate a set of 4 memory addresses . using the 4 - bit address generator 200 which can generate 4 addresses each time as an example herein , a set of memory addresses is processed . this set of memory address uses simple rotated method to produce three other corresponding sets of memory addresses . the step of the process is performed by the address rotator 210 as shown in the figure . this means that a set of 4 memory addresses can generate sequentially 4 * 4 memory addresses from address rotator 210 . therefore , it only requires 4 - bit address generator 200 of interleave rotated data allocation method by processing 64 - point fft algorithm . in contrast to 6 - bit data processing structure of the prior art , the requirement for address generator in the present invention decreases to 4 - bit . more additionally , well arranging on addresses by using address rotator can decrease hardware complexity . while processing 256 - point fft algorithm , the same data arrangement only needs a 6 - bit address generator . other processing length can follow this rule to perform as well . fig3 is a preferred signal flow graph of the present invention showing the butterfly operation . the present invention utilizes the split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm to design the processor element , which can have less complex multiplication arithmetic and can decrease access times in memory banks for achieving the purpose of low power consumption in this invention . as shown in the figure , it presents the signal flow graph of a 16 - point split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm . the first data line a 0 and the 9 th data line a 8 have two cross - hatched lines to link . the first cross - hatched line 31 and the second cross - hatched line 32 in the figure are called the butterfly operation . besides , the 5 th data line a 4 and the 13 th data line a 12 also have two cross - hatched lines to link . the 3 rd cross - hatched line 33 and the 4 th cross - hatched line 34 can use the same method to perform the similar operation . the butterfly operation in the signal flow graph can be performed by using corresponding complex multiplication operations . the start and the end in each butterfly operation corresponds to access actions in memory . therefore , well choosing operation data can decrease unnecessary memory access actions . as shown in fig3 , the 16 - point split - radix - 2 / 4 fft signal flow graph is divided into 2 - stage ( log 4 16 = 2 ) operations , which are 310 and 320 respectively . in each stage , it processes 4 data at the same time which is called a cycle . thus , it requires 4 cycles at each stage . each cycle has two operations . the first operation result does not restore back to the memory . however , after well translating process , it feedbacks to the same hardware to perform the second operation , and the result of the second operation can restore back to the original memory positions . consequently , the next stage will perform the similar process after completing data process of all the next cycles in the present stage . the following presents the above action in details . as shown in the figure , it presents a 16 - point split - radix - 2 / 4 fet signal flow graph . it is divided into 2 - stage ( log 4 16 = 2 ) operations , which are 310 and 320 respectively . each stage requires 4 cycles . in the first stage 310 , the 4 data in the first cycle is the butterfly operation between the 1 st data line a 0 and 9 th data line a 8 , and another butterfly operation is between 5 th data line a 4 and the 13 th data line a 12 . these 4 - data operation results do not need to store back to the memory , and it will consequently perform the second operation . the 1 st operation results will pass to the following two butterflies to perform the second operation , which means the butterfly operation between the 5 th cross - hatched line 35 and the 6 th cross - hatched line 36 , and between 7 th cross - hatched line 37 and the 8 st cross - hatched line 38 . after finishing the second operation , the results will restore back to the original memory positions . the second cycle will process operation of the next 4 data as shown in the figure . the butterfly operation between the 2 nd data line a 1 and the 10 th data line a 9 and the butterfly operation between the 6 th data line a 5 and the 14 th data line a 13 can be seen from the graph . it uses the same concept to perform the following stages , like the second stage 320 in this figure . the present invention uses a processor element to perform corresponding butterfly operation , and which can save half of memory access times for achieving the purpose of low power consumption . fig5 is a prior art presenting a single processor element structure . a processor element of the radix - r core 50 is set here . the r numbers of data are read from a multi - port memory through the first register 52 . after performing the butterfly operation through a radix - r core processor element , the processed data are re - write back to the original multi - port memory 56 by in place memory address through the second register 54 . as a result , the said multi - port memory 56 requires satisfying the read and write actions for r numbers of data . if r is 4 , then it requires a 4 - port memory to read and write at the same time . the area , complexity , and power consumption of the memory increase when the required numbers of the memory ports increase . another implementation method is to use r numbers of the single - port memory banks as shown in the fig2 to alternate an r - port memory for achieving the advantages of area - efficient , low complexity and low power consumption . the fig4 , which is the preferred embodiment of the present invention , adopts the architecture of the single - port memory banks method . please referring to fig4 , it illustrates a replicated radix - 4 core . the processor element of the replicated radix - 4 core in the figure has four multiplexers and four demultiplexers , which can process 4 - point fft algorithm each time . the preferred embodiment of the present invention is designed to have feedback paths , for example , the 1 st feedback path 46 , the 2 nd feedback path 47 , and 3 rd feedback path 48 and the 4 th feedback path 49 which replicate hardware during the two operations in each cycle . it is divided into two parts in the figure ; which the upper part is the 1 st butterfly operation element 41 and the lower part is the 2 nd butterfly operation element 43 . it can correctly feedback the 1 st operation results to perform the second operation by using the same hardware example , the multiplexers 45 a , 45 b , 45 c and 45 d read 4 data from the memory 40 . further , the following first butterfly operation element 41 receives the data from the first multiplexer 45 a and the second multiplexer 45 b . then , by using the results of the butterfly operation element 41 , they feedback to the first multiplexer 45 a and the third multiplexer 45 c through the first demultiplexer 42 a and the second demultiplexer 42 b along the first feedback path 46 and the second feedback path 47 . besides , the second butterfly element 43 receives the data from the third multiplexer 45 c and the fourth multiplexer 45 d . then , by using the results of the butterfly operation element 43 , they feedback to the second multiplexer 45 b and the fourth multiplexer 45 d through the third demultiplexer 42 c and the fourth demultiplexer 42 d along the third feedback path 48 and the fourth feedback path 49 . then these 4 - data are loaded into butterfly operation element 41 and 43 through multiplexer 45 a , 45 b , 45 c and 45 d to perform the second operation . according to the above description , the replicated radix - 4 core module can process read and write actions for 4 - data each time between two of the butterfly operations . it can feedback the results of the previous butterfly operation and use the same hardware to perform the second operation . the multiple demeltiplexers 42 a , 42 b , 42 c and 42 d are used to determine if the data operation results write back to the memory 40 or follow the feedback paths and go to multiple multiplexers 45 a , 45 b , 45 c and 45 d for the second operation . the first butterfly operation element 41 and the second butterfly operation element 43 additionally set complex multipliers for determining whether to perform complex multiplication operations . using a conflict free memory addressing technique for single - port memory banks can make data in adequate arrangement , and then the required r numbers of data in any stage all can successfully be arranged in the memory banks of r single - port memory . thus the data conflict will not occur when using the replicated radix - 4 core to access memory banks . this kind of data arrangement can be called interleave rotated data allocation ( irda ) or a non - conflicting data format . while fft module needs to be repeatedly used and non - conflicting data format are totally different during processing different length fft algorithm , it will induce heavy load in the hardware complexity . prior art needs a complicated addressing technique , which can prevent data conflict situation , to allocate data into memory . please referring to fig6 , it is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing interleave rotated non - conflicting data format . the present invention refers to the irda method , which can overcome the problem that prior art has . as shown in the figure , it is an example of a 64 - point fft in the memory banks of 4 single - port memory . it is divided into 3 - stage ( log 4 64 = 3 ) operations . each stage requires 16 cycles . in the first stage , the required 4 data in the first cycle are positioned in different numbers of memories which are 00 , 16 , 32 and 48 . the data 00 is positioned in the 1 st row of the 1 st memory 605 . the data 16 is positioned in the 5 th row of the 2 nd memory 606 . the data 32 is positioned in the 9 th row of the 3 rd memory 607 . the data 48 is positioned in the 13 th row of the 4 th memory 608 . the first line 601 as shown in the figure is the linkage of the 4 numbers . the second cycle is positioned in the following numbers of the memories , which are 01 the 1 st row of the 2 nd memory 606 , 17 the 5 st row of the 3 rd memory 607 , 33 the 9 th row of the 4 th memory 608 , and 49 the 13 th row of the 1 st memory 605 . the 4 - data in the third cycle are positioned in 02 , 18 , 34 , and 50 . other cycles can use this way to do analogy . this will form a circular symmetrical type . in the second stage , the required 4 data in the first cycle are positioned in different numbers of memories , which are 00 the 1 st row of the 1 st memory 605 , 04 the 2 nd row of the 2 nd memory 606 , 08 the 3 rd row of the 3 rd memory 607 , and 12 the 4 th row of the 4 th memory 608 . the second line 602 as shown in the figure is the linkage of the 4 numbers . the 4 - data of the second cycle are positioned in the different numbers of memories , which are 01 , 05 , 09 , and 13 as well as they form a circular symmetrical type . to process the last stage , the first cycle for the 4 data are positioned in 00 , 01 , 02 and 03 . the third line 603 as shown in the figure is the linkage of the 4 numbers , and which also form non - conflicting data access method . as shown in the fig6 , it is the data storage order of the memory . the first row is 00 , 01 , 02 , and 03 . the second row is 07 , 04 , 05 , and 06 . the third row is 10 , 11 , 08 , and 09 . as can be seen , the 1st position 00 of the 1 st row is in the 1 st memory 605 . the 1 st position 04 of the 2 nd row is positioned in the 2 nd memory 606 . the method is taken by shifting the 1 st memory 605 to the 2 nd memory 606 , and other positions are placed referring to this similar method . besides , the four memory banks as shown in the figure are shifted in order and others can refer to this method , too . for example , the 1 st position 08 of the 3 rd row is positioned in the 3 rd memory 607 . however , there is another rule here below . while the data of the 4 th row shifting to the 5 th row in order , the shift should take two positions . the data from the 5 th row to 8 th row still keeps one - position shift . the two - position shift is applied in the 9 th row . every quadruple - row would take two - position shift . the above order forms interleave rotated non - conflicting data format and is a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in the fig6 . from above description , the data arrangement and the corresponding memory addresses form a circular symmetrical type . after the address generator generates the first set of memory addresses for the single processor element , the successive address sets can be generated from the first set by the circular shift rotator . as a result , if the core processor element r is 4 as shown in the radix - r core of the fig5 , it only requires a 4 - bit address generator when processing 64 - point fft algorithm as shown in the fig2 . the data stored in the memory banks by a circular method is presented in above symmetrical rule . as a result , it requires well adjusting left and right rotations for the data when reading the data from the memory banks or writing the operation results to the memory banks . fig7 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the data rotator structure . these 4 - data , which read from memory banks , circularly left rotate by using the data left rotator 75 . then , the processor element performs the butterfly operations . after that , the operation results circularly right rotate through the data right rotator 77 . the rotated 4 - data then write back to the memory banks according to the rotated addresses . please referring to the fig8 , it is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing length - scalable fft digital signal processing structure . the memory 82 includes the first memory 65 , the second memory 66 , the third memory 67 , and the fourth memory 68 as shown in the fig6 . also , it presents 4 blocks showing the register , the multiplexer , and the demultiplexer . the multiple input data write into the memory 82 by using the interleave rotated data allocation method . then the multiple data from different memory banks but with circular symmetric property are put into the first register 52 through the first data rotator 75 . it uses the first multiplexer 83 to allocate them to the first butterfly operation element 88 and the second butterfly operation element 89 for the first operation . the operation results are stored into the second register 54 . then it uses the first demultiplexer 84 to transfer the first operation results into the first multiplexer 83 along the feedback path 58 . further , the first butterfly operation element 88 and the second butterfly operation element 89 perform the second operation . this kind of repeated storage actions through the feedback path can decrease memory access times . after the processor element finishes the second operation of a cycle , the operation results write back to the same memory positions through the second register 54 , the first demultiplexer 84 and the second data rotator 77 . then , it continues to process the next cycle operations . while completing all the cycles in the present stage , it performs the similar operation in the next following stages . by the above flow chart and structure , it can achieve the purposes of low hardware loading , low power consumption and less multiplication operation as described in the present invention . in order to meet the performance requirement of different ofdm communication systems , high speed fft module is preferred . the proposed structure in the present invention can increase the numbers of the processor element for example , using two processor elements in the same clock speed for enhancing the whole module &# 39 ; s efficiency with double times . as can be seen from the fig9 , it presents the data arrangement as an accumulated structure of the length - scalable fft digital signal processing structure . for the 32 - data arrangement in 8 single - port memories , it divides the required data into odd data parts and even data parts , and then arranges them to multiple memory storage elements , respectively . the even data parts are arranged in the first memory ram 0 , the second memory ram 1 , the third memory ram 2 and the fourth memory ram 3 by following the interleave rotated non - conflicting data format as shown in the fig6 . the odd data parts are arranged in the fifth memory ram 4 , the sixth memory ram 5 , the seventh memory ram 6 and the eighth memory ram 7 by following the data format as shown in the fig6 . fig1 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the address generator of an accumulated structure as referring to the address generator in fig9 . the 4 addresses produced from the address generator 10 can generate the corresponding memory address sets by using the address rotator 20 . the required memory address in the first memory ram 0 is coincident with that in the fifth memory ram 4 . the required memory address in the second memory ram 1 is coincident with that in the sixth memory ram 5 . the required memory address in the third memory ram 2 is coincident with that in the seventh memory ram 6 . the required memory address in the fourth memory ram 3 is coincident with that in the eighth memory ram 7 . by using the above arrangement method , it can implement the address generators of the multiple single - port memories without increasing the hardware cost . for the 8 single - port memories as shown in the fig1 , the processor element needs to process 8 data at the same time . then it can use an accumulated processor structure as shown in the fig1 . fig1 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the accumulated processor . it contains the first processor element 11 and its surrounding multiple data rotators 21 and the second processor element 12 and its surrounding multiple data rotators 21 . another design issue of fft module is the complex multiplication operations of the twiddle factors . the present invention provides a dynamic prediction method for the twiddle factors and additionally takes the look - up table to implement . the look - up table only requires ⅛ of the twiddle factors . please see the signal flow graph of the different length split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm as shown in fig3 and fig1 . fig3 is a preferred signal flow graph of the present invention showing the butterfly operation algorithm , and fig1 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the state of the digital signal processing structure . as can be seen from these figures , the twiddle factors all present the same distribution rule in different points of fft algorithm . it can be seen from the fig1 , it is an example of a 64 - point split - radix - 2 / 4 fft state diagram . more , from the l - shape arrangement as shown in the figure , the twiddle factor distribution in the split - radix - 2 / 4 fft signal flow graph can be defined as two states , which are state 0 and state 1 . the twiddle factor in the first stage 121 only presents as the rule of state 0 . however , the arrangement of the twiddle factor in the second stage 122 has a distribution rule with 4 groups , which are state 0 , state 1 , state 0 and state 0 . in the third stage 123 , the distribution rule of the twiddle factors from top to bottom is state 0 , state 1 , state 0 , state 0 , state 0 , state 1 , state 0 , state 1 , state 0 , state 1 , state 0 , state 0 , state 0 , state 1 , state 0 and state 0 . the distribution rule of the twiddle factor arrangement commonly presents in the signal flow graph of split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm with different length . the conclusion is given as the following . in the first stage of split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm , the twiddle factor distribution only presents state 0 . the next stage that follows state 0 in the present stage would exhibit 4 corresponding sates which are state 0 , state1 , state 0 and state 0 respectively . otherwise , the next stage that follows state 1 in the present stage would exhibit 4 corresponding sates which are state 0 , state 1 , state 0 and state 1 respectively . by using the counter value and the state in the previous stage the state in the present stage can be determined . as a result , it can dynamically predict the present required twiddle factor distribution as well as find out the corresponding twiddle factor values by using the look - up table . fig1 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the condition of the state of a digital signal processing structure . in this figure , it uses 135 and 136 to represent state 0 and state 1 respectively . the state 0 has two conditions , which are the first condition 1351 of state 0 and the second condition 1352 of state 0 . further , the state 1 has two conditions , which are the first condition 1361 of state 1 and the second condition 1362 of state 1 . the 8 blanks in each condition respectively represent 8 possible numbers of the required twiddle factors in two operations of the replicated radix - 4 core . the symbol “ 0 ” means bypass which is the operation of multiplying 1 for the data . the symbol “− j ” means the operation of multiplying − j for the data . the symbol “ w ” means performing complex twiddle factor multiplication operations . for example , a 64 - point split - radix - 2 / 4 fft algorithm as shown in the fig1 would require 3 - stage operation by using the replicated radix - 4 core . the replicated radix - 4 core of the processor element processes 4 data each time in a stage . it is called a cycle . as a result , each stage requires processing 16 cycles . in the first stage 121 , state 0 occupies 16 cycles . in the second stage 122 , state 0 and state 1 would occupy 4 cycles respectively . in the final stage 123 , state 0 and state 1 occupy 1 cycle respectively . in the first stage 121 , the allocation of the twiddle factors only meets the rule of the state 0 . the 4 data in the first cycle are the data in the first memory position 1 , the second memory position 5 , the third memory position 9 , the fourth memory position 13 , respectively . the required 8 twiddle factors that performing the two operations in the replicated radix - 4 core are 1 , 1 , 1 ,− j and 1 , 1 , w 64 0 , w 64 0 . the 4 data in the second cycle come from the first memory position 13 , the second memory position 1 , the third memory position 5 and the fourth memory position 9 . the twiddle factors that performing the two operations in the replicated radix - 4 core are 1 , 1 , 1 , − j and 1 , 1 , w 64 1 , w 64 3 . the 4 data in the third cycle are stored in the first memory position 9 , the second memory position 13 , the third memory position 1 and the fourth memory position 5 . the twiddle factors that performing the two operations in the replicated radix - 4 core are 1 , 1 , 1 , − j and 1 , 1 , w 64 2 , w 64 6 . according to the above method , the previous eight cycles can meet the first condition 1351 of state 0 , and the next eight cycles can meet the second condition 1352 of state 0 . it can be concluded as the followings . in the present stage , the required twiddle factors of the present cycle are the indexes accumulation from the previous twiddle factors in the previous cycle . more , the accumulation value only has two kinds , which are one and three . also , each condition can occupy half of the cycles in its state . similarly , state 1 presents the similar rule . in summary , the first condition and the second condition individually take half of the cycles in the state 0 and state 1 . the prediction from the above states can accurately show the required twiddle factor format and its corresponding values . by using the conventional look - up table which only requires to store approximately ⅛ of the twiddle factors , it can produce all the twiddle factors in all kinds of situations . more , it can find out the required twiddle factor of the said butterfly operation by referring to the above dynamic prediction twiddle factor method . a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described in detail hereinabove . the design of an expandable single processor element is applied here . more particularly , the feedback path decreases access times in memories , and the feedback electricity replicates the processor and decreases the numbers of operations . as a result , the purpose of performing preferred embodiments can be achieved by the above description , and the shortages of prior art while applying in hardware can be overcome . while the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiment . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims while which are to be accord with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .
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as in a conventional shoe , the shoe 8 of the present invention features a shoe body 10 supported atop a bottom layer 16 , as shown in fig1 . the shoe 8 also features omnidirectional roller members 20 mounted to the bottom layer 16 so as to extend downward from the bottom 18 of the shoe at a toe end 12 thereof . engagement of the omnidirectional roller members 20 with the ground facilitates rolling motion of the shoe 8 and a foot received therein in any direction . the bottom layer 16 defines a frictional braking surface 22 disposed near the heel end 14 of the shoe 8 . the shoe 8 is worn on a foot of limited mobility to ease movement thereof . positioning of the roller members 20 and braking surface 22 at the toe and heel ends 12 , 14 of the shoe respectively corresponds to changes in the weight distribution of a wearer on the shoe during walking . a step forward with a leading foot shifts weight distribution on a trailing foot toward a toe end thereof . it should therefore be appreciated that a shoe 8 of the present invention worn on this trailing foot would tend to roll forward on the roller members 20 when weight is shifted as a result of a forward step by the leading foot . as the trailing foot is rolled forward , weight is shifted back toward a heel end opposite the toe end , frictionally engaging the braking surface 22 of the shoe 8 with the ground . a resulting friction force slows and eventually stops the rolling motion of the shoe 8 and foot received therein . from the above , the usefulness of the shoe 8 in physiotherapy should be readily apparent to those of skill in the art . for example , a patient having substantially lost movement in one leg may be able to regain the ability to walk through intense training . wearing the shoe 8 on this leg , the upper body is used to support the patient &# 39 ; s weight , for example by means of parallel bars on opposite sides of the patient . using the parallel bars for support , a step forward is taken with the patient &# 39 ; s mobile leg , making the foot of the other leg the trailing foot . as described above , this trailing foot is then rolled forward and stopped such that a subsequent step can be taken with the mobile leg . through repetition of such training , the patient may build the strength and confidence to walk with the aid of a walker or similar portable support device while wearing conventional shoes . the omnidirectional roller members reduce or eliminate the need for the foot to be moved by an assistant during initial training while providing the necessary degree of directional freedom . it should be appreciated that the use of a wheel ( i . e . a roller member having a single fixed rotational axis ) would not be suitable , as movement of the foot would be restricted to generally straight line motion which may not correspond to the appropriate path of motion when walking . as shown in fig2 , the detailed embodiment features three omnidirectional roller members 20 , each being a ball caster having a main ball 24 and a housing 26 . the main ball 24 of such a caster is made of a relatively hard , low friction material , such as steel . the roller members 20 are arranged in a triangular layout with two members disposed rearward ( i . e . toward the heel end 14 ) of a member nearest the toe end 12 . the rearward roller members are disposed on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the shoe 8 while the forward member is located generally centrally near the toe end 12 . while this arrangement provides stability by resisting tipping of the shoe with relatively few components when engaging a flat surface , it should be appreciated that the number of roller members 20 and their relative positioning may be modified . the casters are recessed into the bottom layer 16 of the shoe 8 such that the main ball 24 protrudes downward from the bottom surface 18 to engage the ground . recessing the housing 26 into the bottom layer maintains an appearance substantially similar to that of a conventional shoe , as only a small portion of each roller member 20 is visible from the side of the shoe 8 . in the detailed embodiment , the bottom layer 16 is taller at a heel portion 28 than along the rest of its length in order to compensate for the increase in height of the shoe 8 near the toe end 12 caused by the protrusion of the roller members 20 from the bottom surface 18 . the shoe 8 includes a slider member 30 disposed at the toe end 12 of the shoe . it should be appreciated from fig1 that should the heel end 14 become significantly inclined upward from the toe end 12 , the roller members 20 and toe end 12 may lift off and engage the ground respectively . during rolling motion of the shoe 8 , momentum of the wearer and the frictional engagement of the toe end and ground may cause the shoe 8 to tip heel over toe , which could result in a loss of balance and cause a potentially dangerous fall . the slider member 30 reduces the likelihood of such an occurrence . the slider member 30 is a strip of material having a lower coefficient of friction than the shoe body 10 and bottom layer 16 to encourage sliding , rather than tipping , of the shoe should the toe end 12 contact the ground . as shown in the figures , the strip is curved about a generally vertical axis so as to extend about the toe end 12 of the shoe 8 . the strip may be made of any of a number of known , relatively low friction materials , including but not limited to metal and teflon . fig3 shows a pair of matching shoes for use as described above . the first shoe 8 is as described above for wearing on a foot of restricted mobility while the second shoe 40 is for wearing on the foot of retained mobility . a bottom layer 42 of the second shoe 40 features a heel portion 44 equal in height to the heel portion 28 of the first shoe 8 . similarly , a toe portion 46 of the second shoe 40 is equal in height to the bottom layer 16 of the first shoe 8 near the toe end 12 and the portions of the roller members 20 protruding downward therefrom . in other words , the two shoes have generally equal height profiles when sitting side by side on a flat horizontal surface as their matching shoe bodies are supported at equal heights above the surface . as shown in the figure , a bottom surface 48 of the second shoe 40 may be recessed between the heel and toe portions of the bottom layer 42 in order to decrease its thickness and improve the flexibility of the shoe about a transverse axis . it should be appreciated that the shoe of the present invention may be constructed in any of a number of shoe styles known to those of skill in the art . the shoe may include laces for tightening around a user &# 39 ; s foot , but hook and loop type fasteners 30 , as shown in the figures and well known to those of skill in the art , may be easier for the user to operate , especially if the user also has limited mobility in one or both hands . the shoe may be constructed alone for use with a wearer &# 39 ; s own conventional shoe on the mobile foot , as the visual appearance of nonmatching shoes may not be considered overly important during physical therapy . alternatively , the shoe of the present invention may be constructed as part of a matching pair , as shown in fig3 . there are a number of ways the shoe of the present invention can be produced , as indicated by the following examples . the omnidirectional roller members 20 can be recessed into the sole of an existing shoe provided it is of sufficient thickness , a new bottom layer 16 having roller members 20 may be attached to an existing shoe body 12 by means of resoling / resurfacing or the shoe may be manufactured like a conventional shoe with the added steps of forming recesses in the sole and mounting the roller members therein . it should also be appreciated that the bottom layer , or sole , of the shoe may have profiles other than that shown in the figures . for example , a braking surface 22 is defined by the bottom layer 16 near the heel end 14 regardless of whether or not there is a stepped increase in thickness as shown in the figures . 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 such spirit and 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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it should be understood that occasional reference herein to the optically functional layer as a &# 34 ; top coat &# 34 ; or the like , is for ease of discussion and understanding , especially taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein the optically functional layer is illustrated as a mono - film in a &# 34 ; top &# 34 ; position . it is not intended , however , to limit the optically functional layer to one exposed to the atmosphere or otherwise necessarily occupying a &# 34 ; top &# 34 ; position . thus , for example , in certain embodiments of the invention additional layers , for example protective layers , may cover the optically functional layer . in other embodiments the coated surface may be laminated to a second ply of the glazing article . anti - iridescence undercoats of the present invention are applicable both to provide a colorless appearance for a coated substrate , and , in the alternative , to provide a single , substantially uniform , muted , perceptible color in the glazing article . based on the present disclosure , selection of refractive indices and film thicknesses to achieve one or the other of these results , along with determining other optical features and properties of the finished product can be readily determined empirically by those skilled in the art or , for example , by employing a commercially available optics prediction software program . such programs , typically run on commercially available computer systems , are well known to greatly facilitate close approximation of an optimized final commercial product . typically , a graphic presentation of the optical properties of a given glazing article , sorted by individual layer thickness and refractive index , can be used to determine the regions of optimum film stack design . in particular , such graphic representation can assist in readily identifying industrially robust film stack designs of the present invention . that is , designs in which performance is tolerant of variations in film thickness , refractive index and other parameters normal during industrial production of coated glazing articles . referring specifically to fig1 a substantially transparent glazing article 10 is seen to comprise a glass substrate 12 having coating 14 carried on its upper surface 16 . the glass substrate 12 preferably is soda - lime glass having a refractive index of about 1 . 5 . the glazing article may , for example , be adapted for use in an architectural glazing application or the like . those skilled in the art will recognize that substrates alternative to glass will be suitable , although certain methods of forming coating 14 , such as pyrolytic deposition , may be unsuitable for certain alternative substrate materials , for example , certain plastic substrates . the coating 14 comprises an optically functional layer 18 having a higher refractive index than the substrate . layer 18 is exposed to the atmosphere . according to the preferred embodiment of fig1 the coating provides optical functionality including low emissivity and infrared and ultraviolet reflectivity . preferably , optically functional layer 18 is about 2 , 000 to 10 , 000 angstroms thick . more preferably the optically functional layer is about 2 , 000 to 5 , 000 angstroms thick , most preferably about 3 , 500 to 4 , 000 angstroms thick , having an average refractive index ( over the visible wavelength range ) of about 1 . 7 to 2 . 5 , more preferably about 1 . 9 to 2 . 1 , most preferably about 1 . 9 ( measured at 550 nm wavelength ). such preferred materials for the optically functional layer 18 include , for example , tin oxide , fluorine doped tin oxide and other metal oxides of suitable refractive index . according to a most preferred embodiment , layer 18 consists essentially of fluorine doped tin oxide having a refractive index ( average ) of 1 . 9 . in such embodiment layer 18 is substantially transparent , that is , it is substantially transparent ( within the context of its intended use ) to visible light . it also provides infrared reflectivity and ultraviolet reflectivity for solar load control . in addition , it has good electrical conductivity and could be used , therefore , for applications including electrical resistance heating , etc . the high / low / high refractive index sandwiching feature of the invention is especially effective in use under an optically functional layer consisting of fluorinated tin oxide in certain distinct thickness ranges : 2500 - 3000 angstroms , 3500 - 4000 angstroms and 4800 - 5200 angstroms . tolerance to thickness variations is especially good for fluorinated tin oxide in the first two ranges . approximately the same preferred thickness ranges apply to unfluorinated tin oxide . in general , the terms &# 34 ; tin oxide &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; sno 2 ,&# 34 ; as used hereinafter , mean both fluorinated and unfluorinated tin oxide , unless otherwise specified . such preferred embodiments of the invention are particularly advantageous for use in insulated glazing units and like applications . insulated glazing units include those with multiple panes having an air gap between adjacent panes . in a two pane glazing unit , taking the outside surface of the outer pane as the no . 1 surface , its inside surface ( i . e ., the surface facing the air gap ) as the no . 2 surface , the outside surface of the inner pane ( again , facing the air gap ) as surface no . 3 , and the inside surface of the inner pane as the no . 4 surface , a coating of the invention according to such preferred embodiments would preferably be on the no . 3 surface in a colder climate ( such as northern u . s .) and on the no . 2 surface in a warmer climate ( such as southern u . s .). in a triple glazed unit , the coating preferably is on the no . 2 surface in a warmer climate and on the no . 5 surface ( the air gap side of the innermost pane ) in a colder climate . according to another highly preferred embodiment of the invention , glazing article 10 is adapted for architectural glazing purposes and the coating 14 is a low emissivity coating in which layer 18 consists essentially of fluorinated tin oxide , having a thickness between about 3 , 500 and 4 , 000 angstroms . in conjunction with the preferred anti - iridescence layer described below , the resulting glazing article is substantially colorless in both reflected and transmitted light . that is , the visible iridescence which would otherwise be shown by such glazing article is eliminated without substantially impairing the optical properties of the coating . specifically , the low emissivity property of the tin oxide or fluorine - doped tin oxide layer is not significantly reduced or impeded by the anti - iridescence layer . it is a significant advantage of preferred embodiments of the invention that anti - iridescence is achieved with such thin optically functional films . as noted above , certain prior art teaching has recommended the use of thicker films to avoid iridescence , although this involves several disadvantages , including a greater tendency toward thermal stress cracking , longer ( and , hence , more costly ) deposition periods , greater loss of transparency , etc . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure that numerous alternative optically functional layers can be employed in lieu of , or together with , the tin oxide layer 18 of the above discussed preferred embodiment of the invention . particularly advantageous alternative materials include , for example , zinc oxide , titanium oxide , indium tin oxide , antimony doped tin oxide , and tungsten oxide . the optically functional layer 18 also may be a composite of multiple films and may not be exposed to the atmosphere , as noted above . thus , for example , the aforesaid low emissivity film may be provided with an overcoating of protective material , such as silicon dioxide , etc . those skilled in the art will recognize innumerable additional and alternative films which may be used together with the main film of the optically functional layer 18 including adjunct films such as , for example , abrasion resistant films , color imparting films , and the like . with respect to coating 14 not being exposed to the atmosphere , it may be positioned at an interface between laminated plies of a glazing article . alternatively , it may be employed on an inside surface of a transparent substrate used in a double glazing article , such that the coating is exposed to a vacuum or air gap between two spaced plies . coating 14 further comprises anti - iridescence layer 20 which substantially eliminates the visible iridescence which would otherwise show , particularly in viewing sunlight reflected from the coated surface . the anti - iridescence layer 20 eliminates visible iridescence while not significantly impairing the optically functional film &# 39 ; s desirable properties discussed above , including most notably its visible transparency , infrared reflectivity , ultraviolet reflectivity and low emissivity . layer 20 is less thick than the optically functional layer 18 , preferably being about 400 to 1 , 300 angstroms thick , more preferably about 700 to 1 , 000 angstroms . in the preferred embodiment of fig1 it consists essentially of a low refractive index zone sandwiched between two high refractive index zones . high refractive index zone 22 is deposited directly on surface 16 of glass substrate 12 . it should be understood that description of a layer or zone as being deposited &# 34 ; directly &# 34 ; on or over another surface or another layer is intended to mean that it forms an interface with such layer or surface without any other layer of zone intervening between them . in the preferred embodiment illustrated , anti - iridescence layer 20 is positioned directly on surface 16 and directly under layer 18 . as used herein , this is intended to mean there is no thin film coating or the like mediate the anti - iridescence layer 20 and the substrate 12 . thus , surface 16 is a surface of the bulk material of substrate 12 , rather than of some other coating material deposited onto substrate 12 prior to deposition of coating 14 . similarly , anti - iridescence layer 20 is positioned directly under optically functional layer 18 in the sense that there is no mediate film or coating between them . high refractive index zone 22 preferably is about 100 to 500 angstroms thick , more preferably 100 to 300 angstroms thick . it is a significant feature of the embodiment of fig1 in accordance with general principles of the invention discussed above , that first zone 22 has a refractive index higher than that of the substrate 12 . for a substrate of soda - lime glass or other material having a refractive index about 1 . 5 , the refractive index of zone 22 is higher than that of glass substrate 12 . the refractive index of zone 22 preferably is between about 1 . 6 and 2 . 5 , more preferably 1 . 9 to 2 . 1 , most preferably about 1 . 9 . suitable materials for high refractive index zone 22 are readily commercially available and will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure . tin oxide , having a refractive index of 1 . 9 , is most preferred for zone 22 in the above mentioned low emissivity embodiment of the invention employing a glass substrate 12 and a tin oxide ( optionally fluorinated ) optically functional layer 18 . suitable materials for high refractive index zone 22 are listed in table a below table a______________________________________coating materials with high refractive index refractivematerial formula index______________________________________tin oxide sno . sub . 2 1 . 9silicon nitride si . sub . 3 n . sub . 4 2 . 0silicon monoxide sio about 2 . 0zinc oxide zno 2 . 0indium oxide in . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 2 . 0vanadium oxide v . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 about 2 . 0tungsten oxide wo . sub . 3 about 2 . 0niobium oxide nb . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 2 . 1tantalum oxide ta . sub . 2 o . sub . 5 2 . 1zirconium oxide zro . sub . 2 2 . 1cerium oxide ceo . sub . 2 2 . 2zinc sulfide zns 2 . 3titanium oxide tio . sub . 2 2 . 5______________________________________ in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig1 a first gradient step zone above high refractive index zone 22 is low refractive index zone 24 positioned directly on high refractive index zone 22 . a second gradient step zone , high refractive index zone 26 , is positioned directly on low refractive index zone 24 , directly under optically functional film 18 . thus , low refractive index zone 24 is sandwiched between higher refractive index zones 22 and 26 . zones 24 and 26 together preferably have a thickness in the range of about 300 to 800 angstroms . in the preferred embodiment illustrated in fig1 each of zones 24 and 26 most preferably is about 100 to 400 angstroms thick . the refractive index of low refractive index zone 24 preferably is between about 1 . 0 and 1 . 9 , more preferably between about 1 . 4 and 1 . 7 . it need only be sufficiently below that of high refractive index zone 22 to establish an optically functional refractive index gradient step . thus , in the preferred low emissivity embodiment referred to above , it need only be sufficiently below the refractive index 1 . 9 of the tin oxide preferably used in zone 22 . preferably , however , the refractive index of zone 24 also is lower than that of the substrate . this is found to provide in the finished product excellent anti - iridescence functionality even with the extremely thin zone thicknesses recited above . in the preferred low emissivity embodiment referred to above , low refractive index zone 24 consists essentially of silicon dioxide , sio 2 , having a refractive index of about 1 . 44 . alternative materials are readily commercially available and will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure . materials suitable for low refractive index zone 24 are listed in table b below . table b______________________________________coating materials with low refractive index refractivematerial formula index______________________________________aluminum oxide al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 1 . 65silicon dioxide sio . sub . 2 1 . 44silicone polymer [( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 sio ]. sub . n 1 . 4magnesium fluoride mgf . sub . 2 1 . 38cryolite na . sub . 3 alf . sub . 6 1 . 33______________________________________ the change in the value of the refractive index from each gradient step zone to the next should be at least about 0 . 1 , more preferably at least about 0 . 2 . in addition , the step must involve a zone or film thickness sufficient to function as a substantially discrete film . preferably , each such step or change involves a film thickness of at least about 100 angstroms . those skilled in the art will recognize that all industrial deposition methods involve the creation of a region of some thickness wherein the change from one zone to the next occurs . the change or step in the context of the present invention from one gradient step zone to the next is sufficiently sharp , taking the refractive index change in conjunction with the thickness of the film , that the optical properties of a substantially discrete refractive index step ( either from high to low or low to high , as the case may be ) is achieved . preferably , the refractive index of zone 26 is between about 1 . 55 and 1 . 75 . most preferably it is about 1 . 65 . suitable materials for high refractive index zone 26 are readily commercially available and will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure . according to the highly preferred low emissivity embodiment referred to above , having a glass substrate and employing tin oxide for layer 14 and zone 22 , zone 24 is about 100 to 400 angstroms consisting essentially of silicon dioxide having a refractive index of about 1 . 44 , and zone 26 is about 100 to 400 angstroms consisting essentially of either aluminum oxide , al 2 o3 , or an homogenous composition of silicon dioxide and tin dioxide , sio 2 / sno 2 , having a refractive index of about 1 . 65 . additional suitable materials include , for example , blends of materials listed in table a and table b , above . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure that if a material having a relatively higher refractive index is employed for the low refractive index film , i . e ., the first gradient step zone , such as aluminum oxide having a refractive index of about 1 . 65 , then a material having an even higher refractive index must , of course , be selected for zone 26 . it will be appreciated from the above description that in at least one preferred embodiment of the invention , as illustrated in fig1 all layers of coating 14 are formed of tin oxide , silicon dioxide , or a mixture of the two . significant processing advantage can be achieved employing so few materials in the formation of the coating . several processes for forming the coatings of the present invention are readily commercially available and are well known to those skilled in the art . preferred processes for depositing the anti - iridescence layer 20 and the optically functional layer 18 , include , for example , vacuum sputtering , sol - gel , and pyrolytic deposition , including spray pyrolysis and chemical vapor deposition . it should be recognized that the refractive index of the materials employed in the layers of the coating of the present invention may vary slightly depending on the method used in their deposition . referring now to fig2 a second preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated . specifically , substantially transparent glazing article 50 comprises a substantially transparent glass substrate 52 . substantially transparent coating 54 is carried on surface 56 of glass substrate 52 . the coating 54 comprises an optically functional layer 58 exposed to the atmosphere and an anti - iridescence layer 60 mediate the substrate 52 and the optically functional layer 58 . as in the case of the embodiment of fig1 the anti - iridescence layer 60 can be employed to eliminate visible iridescence from the thin film coating , resulting in either a colorless appearance or providing a single , substantially uniform , muted , slightly perceptible color . in either case , the anti - iridescence layer performs such function without substantially impeding or preventing the desirable optical properties of the optically functional layer 58 , including visible transparency , infrared reflectivity , ultraviolet reflectivity , low emissivity , and / or electrical conductivity , depending on the particular optically functional layer employed in the coating . preferably the optically functional layer 58 is a low emissivity layer of tin oxide or the like having a thickness of about 0 . 7 microns . according to certain preferred embodiments , coating 54 is a substantially transparent , low emissivity coating wherein optically functional layer 58 is about 2 , 000 to 10 , 000 angstroms thick , more preferably between about 2 , 000 and 5 , 000 , most preferably between about 3 , 500 and 4 , 000 angstroms thick , having a refractive index ( over the visible wavelength range ) between about 1 . 7 and 2 . 5 , most preferably about 1 . 9 ( measured at 550 nm wavelength ). suitable materials for layer 58 include those described above for optically functional layer 18 of the embodiment of fig1 . most preferred is a tin oxide layer having a refractive index of about 1 . 9 and a substantially uniform thickness of about 3 , 500 to 4 , 000 angstroms . layer 60 in the embodiment of fig2 consists essentially of a high refractive index zone 62 directly on surface 56 of glass substrate 52 followed by four gradient step zones . layer 60 is less thick than low emissivity layer 58 . the refractive index of zone 62 is higher than that of the substrate 52 , preferably being between about 1 . 6 and 2 . 5 , most preferably being about 1 . 9 . materials described above for high refractive index zone 22 in the embodiment of fig1 are suitable also for high refractive index zone 62 in the embodiment of fig2 . the preferred thickness of high refractive index zone 62 is between about 100 and 500 angstroms , more preferably between about 100 and 300 angstroms . tin oxide is highly preferred for zone 62 in view of its high refractive index of about 1 . 9 , its transparency , ease of uniform deposition , environmental stability , and compatibility with other preferred materials of the glazing article . a first gradient step zone , low refractive index zone 64 , is deposited directly on high refractive index zone 62 . suitable materials for low refractive index zone 64 include those described above for low refractive index zone 24 of the embodiment of fig1 . preferably zone 64 has a refractive index between about 1 . 0 and 1 . 9 , more preferably between 1 . 4 and 1 . 5 , most preferably being about 1 . 44 . the thickness of zone 64 preferably is between about 100 and 400 angstroms . most preferred is a layer of silicon dioxide having a refractive index of about 1 . 44 and a substantially uniform thickness between about 100 and 400 angstroms . low refractive index zone 64 is sandwiched directly between high refractive index zone 62 and a second high refractive index zone , second step gradient zone 66 . the second high refractive index zone in the embodiment of fig2 is followed by two additional gradient step zones 68 and 70 , each having a refractive index higher than the preceding zone . specifically , zone 66 is deposited directly on low refractive index zone 64 and has a refractive index higher than that of zone 64 . thus , in the preferred embodiment wherein low refractive index zone 64 has a refractive index of about 1 . 44 , zone 66 has a refractive index between about 1 . 5 and 1 . 6 , most preferably having a refractive index of about 1 . 55 . suitable materials for zone 66 include any of numerous blends of materials from table a and table b above . preferably the thickness of sub - zone 66 is between about 100 and 400 angstroms in thickness . the next gradient step zone , zone 68 , is deposited directly on zone 66 and has a refractive index higher than that of zone 66 . preferably , the refractive index of zone 68 is between about 1 . 6 and 1 . 7 , most preferably being about 1 . 65 . the thickness of sub - zone 66 is preferably between about 100 and 400 angstroms . suitable materials include those recited above for second high refractive index zone 26 of the embodiment of fig1 including aluminum oxide and a blend of silicon dioxide and tin oxide , the latter being preferred in view of its ease of deposition , transparency , compatibility with other materials in the preferred embodiment , and commonality of materials . finally , the last gradient step zone , zone 70 , is deposited directly on zone 68 and is directly under optically functional layer 58 . it has a refractive index higher than zone 68 and lower than layer 58 , preferably being between about 1 . 7 and 1 . 8 , most preferably being about 1 . 75 . suitable materials are readily commercially available and will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure . preferred materials include blends of materials listed in table a and table b , above . as in the case of the embodiment of fig1 coating 54 can be formed by any of various commercially known and used deposition methods , including sputtering , spray pyrolysis , sol - gel , and chemical vapor deposition . the following example illustrates production of a preferred embodiment of the invention . soda - lime float glass is heated to about 600 ° c . in a laboratory belt furnace . a gaseous mixture consisting of 7 . 0 % difluoroethane , 0 . 4 % water , 0 . 4 % tin tetrachloride and the balance nitrogen is passed over the heated glass resulting in deposition of a tin oxide film approximately 270 angstroms thick . the tin tetrachloride and water vapor are kept separated until just prior to reaction . a second film of silicon dioxide is deposited over the tin oxide film by passing a gaseous mixture consisting of 0 . 4 % silane , 60 % oxygen and the balance nitrogen over the heated glass . the second film is approximately 140 angstroms thick . a third film of aluminum oxide is formed by passing a gaseous mixture of 0 . 1 % diethylaluminum chloride , 10 % nitrous oxide and the balance nitrogen over the heated glass . the reactants are kept separate until just prior to reaction . the thickness of this layer is approximately 170 angstroms . a thick layer of tin oxide , approximately 3 , 500 angstroms thick , is formed by passing a gaseous mixture over the glass which has the same composition as the gaseous mixture used for the first tin oxide film . the resulting product has a color purity of about 3 % and an infrared emissivity of about 0 . 2 . it will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure that the foregoing discussion of certain preferred embodiments is intended for purposes of illustration , rather than limitation . various modifications will be readily apparent in view of the present disclosure and the following claims are intended to cover the full scope of the invention , including all such apparent modifications .
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in fig1 an endothermal engine comprising a head 2 defining a plurality of cylinders 3 , a block 4 and a container 5 adapted to contain lubricating oil is shown by 1 . the engine 1 comprises an intake circuit 6 comprising , in series with one another , an inlet filter 7 of conventional type , a turbocharge compressor 8 coupled to a turbine ( not shown ), an intercooler 9 and an intake manifold 10 . the circuit 6 is not described in further detail as it is known . the block 4 of the engine 1 is also provided with a bleed circuit 14 for the external discharge from this block of the so - called &# 34 ; blow - by &# 34 ; gases , i . e . the gases that are drawn down between the cylinders and the relative pistons ( not shown ). these gases contain particles of finely atomised oil in suspension as well as solid particles ( particulates ) predominantly of a carbonaceous nature which are formed in part by partially non - combusted combustion products and in part by solid impurities normally contained in the oil . the dimensions of the particulates are typically between 5 and 8 μm . the bleed circuit 14 is preferably of the closed type and connects the interior of the block 4 to the intake circuit 6 downstream of the inlet filter 7 . the bleed circuit 14 comprises a purifier device 15 having an inlet 16 connected by a duct 17 to the block 4 and an outlet 18 connected by a duct 19 to the intake circuit 6 . according to the present invention , the purifier device 15 comprises a filter member 20 of the coalescence type interposed between the inlet 16 and the outlet 18 . the filter member 20 is of the type adapted to cause the finely atomised oil particles to agglomerate by coalescence and to remove ( but not to filter ) the solid particles . a filter appropriate for this purpose is formed by a fibrous mass of non - woven synthetic polymer micro - fibres . the fibres are substantially free from fibre - fibre bonds and are mechanically linked to one another by entanglement or interlacing . the fibrous mass has a substantially constant volume of spaces . the fibrous mass is formed by upstream and downstream portions 20a , 20c , formed by fibres whose diameter is greater than that of the fibres forming a central portion 20b between the upstream and the downstream portions . the effect of this arrangement is to produce relatively coarse drainage layers upstream and downstream with an intermediate layer having an absolute retaining power . the absolute retaining power may be between 5 and 70 μm , preferably between 8 and 30 μm and in particular 20 μm . the retaining power is selected such that the particulates are not retained in the fibrous mass . it will be appreciated that the fibrous mass may have any convenient structure . various possibilities are illustrated in gb - a - 2 247 849 . one possibility is to have the portion with an absolute retaining power forming the upstream surface of the filter and only one coarse layer forming the downstream surface . it would also be possible to vary the structure of the fibrous mass continuously through the thickness of the fibrous mass from a layer with an absolute retaining power at the upstream surface to a coarse layer at the downstream surface . fibrous masses with these structures form a deep filter means with a high resistance to soiling . an example of this filter means is marketed by the pall corporation under the trade name &# 34 ; profile star &# 34 ;. the fibrous mass may be shaped in various ways . for instance , it may be in the form of a pleated cylinder without a lateral seal . as shown in fig2 however , the fibrous mass may alternatively be formed as a pleated sheet . the purifier device 15 has a drainage outlet 24 disposed downstream of the filter member 20 and connected to a lower zone of the block 4 by a duct 25 . the operation of the bleed circuit 14 and , in particular , the purifier device 15 is as follows . the blow - by gases with the oil and particulates in suspension ( shown by a black and white arrow ) flow through the duct 17 into the purifier device 15 . the particles of oil pass into the filter member 20 where they agglomerate by coalescence to form droplets of dimensions sufficient to prevent them from being drawn downstream ; the oil therefore drips onto the base of the filter member 20 and is recirculated into the lower zone of the block 4 via the drainage outlet 24 and the duct 25 and then drips into the container 5 . the oil in suspension may typically enter the purifier device at a rate of some 2 - 3 g / hour . in a particular experimental configuration of the type described above , the purifier device 15 was fitted with a filter member 20 in the form of a pleated sheet of filter medium having a sheet surface area of 0 . 1 m 2 . in this configuration , an inlet flow of oil into the purifier device 15 of 2 g / hour was observed and the oil flow through the outlet was 0 . 3 g / hour . in other words , the purifier device removed some 85 % of the oil from the blow - by gases -- the oil removed then being recirculated into the block 4 via the drainage outlet 24 . the particulates which would tend , in the absence of oil , to pass through the filter member 20 as mentioned above , are incorporated on the droplets of oil that agglomerate by coalescence in this member and are recirculated into the block together with the oil . the flow of oil and particulates is shown by a black arrow in the figures . the gases stripped of the oil and particulates ( white arrow ) flow through the outlet 18 of the purifier device 15 and the duct 19 and are recirculated into the intake circuit 6 . the advantages that can be obtained with the present invention are evident from an examination of the characteristic features of the bleed circuit 14 and , in particular , the purifier device 15 embodied in accordance with the present invention . the use of a filter member of coalescent type makes it possible to separate the oil and particulates from the flow of blow - by gases in an efficient way , with particularly small losses of load and very reduced bulk and cost . moreover , the use of a filter member with an absolute retaining power that allows the passage of the particulates makes it possible to avoid the clogging up of the filter as the particulates do not accumulate in the filter but are removed by the oil . it is lastly evident that modifications and variants that do not depart from the scope of the claims may be made to the bleed circuit 14 and the purifier device 15 . the circuit 14 may , for instance , be of the open type and communicate with the outside atmosphere . moreover , the geometry of the filter member 20 may be of any type , for instance a cylindrical cartridge with a radial flow .
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the embodiments shown in fig1 and 2 includes a concrete recovery system 1 comprises : a conventional flume 8 , a conventional aggregate re - claimer 10 , a recovery tank 12 , a secondary tank 11 , a batch tank 14 , a control unit 16 including a dilution management assembly 22 , a chemical supply 18 and a batch water supply 38 . the aggregate re - claimer 10 separates waste concrete mixture into aggregate material and slurry . in some embodiments , the aggregate re - claimer 10 may be , for example , a gravity screw or trommel re - claimer with a de - watering weir and screw and may include the rinse flume 8 , as described below . other suitable arrangements may also be used , according to the manner in which the user wishes to recover aggregates . in some embodiments , the aggregate re - claimer 10 recovers aggregate to 150 microns or # 100 mesh in size or smaller . the recovery tank 12 holds system - water and is connected to the aggregate re - claimer 10 for supplying washing fluid for removing waste concrete , as described below . as described below , at the start of each cycle , the recovery tank holds water containing a hydration stabilization admixture ( hsa ). initially , this mixture circulates through the aggregate re - claimer 10 , acting as washout water , as described below . as trucks wash out , a density meter 20 and a temperature monitor 20 b in a discharge line 20 a regularly monitors the density of the resulting system - water circulating from the tank 12 through the discharge pump 20 c and an irrigation valve 20 d . over the course of the day , as the density of the system - water rises , the control unit 16 adds more fresh water from supply 38 and hsa from supply 18 in order to maintain a target slurry density , as described below . in some embodiments , the solids in the system - water are kept in suspension in the recovery tank 12 with an impeller agitator 24 . the secondary tank 14 stores the batch slurry for use in the preparation of concrete . specifically , system - water accumulated in the recovery tank 12 is pump - transferred to the secondary tank 11 for temporary storage until it can be re - used as batch slurry for mixing water in fresh concrete batches . in use , the batch slurry in the secondary tank 11 is transferred to batch tank 14 at the batch plant at the request of the batcher or system . in some embodiments , the recovery tank and the secondary tank 11 may each include an agitator 26 , for example , an impeller agitator for keeping the slurry in suspension . in the first embodiment described herein , the batch slurry in the secondary tank 14 is transferred from the recovery tank at the same target density where it is stored at an elevated density of between 1 . 07 and 1 . 30 g / cm 3 . to effect transfer , the irrigation valve 20 d and the giraffe valve 20 e are closed and a transfer valve 20 f is opened simply acting to transfer all materials pumped by the pump 20 c into the secondary tank 11 at the same density as the target density in the recovery tank . when required at the batching plant , the slurry is pumped from the secondary tank 11 through the dilution management assembly 22 described below . for example , the density required to batch maybe set at a lower density such as 1 . 07 g / cm 3 , although this may be set at different values depending upon the batcher &# 39 ; s requirements , which will require a fresh water to slurry water blend of 1 : 1 if the reservoir density is 1 . 15 g / cm 3 to as much as 4 : 1 if the reservoir density is 1 . 30 g / cm 3 , as described below . in the embodiment of fig1 the control unit 16 monitors and maintains the density of the system - water in the recovery tank 12 and the batch - slurry in the secondary tank 11 and delivers the batch slurry at a predetermined density to the batch plant , as described below . a coriolis density meter 20 is installed on the slurry line to monitor the density of the batch slurry in real time in the re - circulation loop , as described below . as will be appreciated by one knowledgeable in the art , other suitable density meters known in the art may also be used . the density meter 20 feeds back to a plc control system that will monitor and adjust the system settings to allow proper blending , as described below . an operator control panel is installed at the batch station to allow the batcher to monitor the system and make periodic adjustments as may be required to reflect the changing needs of the user . the dilution management assembly 22 in some embodiments is placed as close to the batch plant as possible . in one embodiment , the assembly sits atop a metal platform 50 that is approximately 10 to 12 feet in length and 4 to 6 feet in width . as shown in fig1 the secondary tank 11 is connected to a batch slurry feed line 27 and a circulation loop 34 . there is a “ y ” valve 25 that allows the slurry feed line 27 and fresh water feed line 23 to flow into a common line 26 , as described below . the common line 26 following the “ y ” valve 25 is in one embodiment approximately 5 feet in length to allow the diluted batch slurry to settle from a turbulent flow to a laminar flow . the common line 26 is connected to the density meter 28 , as shown in fig2 . downstream pipe 29 exits the density meter 20 and is connected via pipe 27 to return valve 32 that leads to the secondary tank 11 . the downstream pipe 29 is connected to a discharge valve 30 that allows the slurry to report to the batch water weigh hopper 14 . in other embodiments , the batch slurry may be introduced into the batch process using a flow meter rather than a weigh hopper . it is of note that when the discharge valve 30 is open , the return valve 32 at the head of the return line to the secondary tank 11 closes . these two valves operate opposite one another , so that the return loop and the batch weigh hopper delivery line will remain independent , allowing the proper dilution to be established into the lop before the valve 30 is opened to allow the properly diluted slurry to flow to the batch tank 14 . in use of the first embodiment , before the commencement of operations on any given day or as required by the producer , the recovery tank 12 has added thereto an initial quantity of water and a corresponding amount of hsa . the principle of chemically stabilizing cement is based on the use of a carboxylic acid to suppress hydration activity for a defined period of time . this is accomplished by adding a specific quantity of hsa to a known quantity of water in which cement particles will be suspended for an established period of time . the purpose of the specific quantity of hsa is to stabilize the cement hydration for a finite period of time . in most cases , the cement will require stabilization for 12 - 24 hours . further detail on the process of hydration stabilization can be found in the above mentioned technical document named “ a novel method of recycling concrete using extended life admixtures .” co - authored by lawrence r . roberts of w . r . grace ( conn .) and seiji nakamura of k . k . denka japan , which was released at the european ready - mix association congress in 1998 . a transit mixer 22 backs to the rinse flume of the aggregate re - claimer 10 to discharge waste concrete remaining in the mixer drum of the transit mixer 22 . the operator depresses a water delivery button at the aggregate re - claimer 10 that causes water from the recovery tank 12 to be pumped via , for example , a giraffe pipe into the transit mixer drum . the water and waste concrete is then mixed at high speed for a period of time , for example , two minutes , thereby forming an aggregate slurry . the aggregate slurry is then discharged into the aggregate re - claimer 10 . the aggregate re - claimer 10 removes all aggregate material larger than 150 microns from the washout , for example , by means of a gravity de - watering screw or trommel re - claimer , and discharges the aggregate into aggregate bunkers for eventual return to stockpile . thus , reclaimed aggregates can be screened to their original classifications and returned to stockpile at full value . the aggregate re - claimer 12 is able to recover fines down to at least 150 microns or smaller , leaving a slurry with a cementitious to non - cementitious ratio of fines ranging from 70 : 30 to 90 : 10 . it is desirable to remove as much of the non - cementitious fines from the aggregate slurry as possible . reduction of coarse and non - cementitious fines reduces abrasion wear , extending the life of the components of the concrete recovery system 1 and allows for more efficient use of chemical stabilizer and greater system capacity for storage of more valuable cement and fly ash . the system water / slurry is then discharged to the recovery tank 12 until needed for subsequent washouts . a density meter 20 regularly reports the density of the system - water in the recovery tank 12 to the control unit 16 . based on the user &# 39 ; s system settings , the control unit 16 may periodically add more water and / or hsa as the density of the system - water rises . thus , over the course of the production day , the density meter monitors the rise of solids in the slurry . if the percentage of solids rises above a preset limit , an additional draft of water will be pumped into the tank with a corresponding amount of hsa . as discussed above , the goal is to keep the density of the system - water at a target limit . if high volumes of washout cause the system - water solids to continue to rise after the design volume capacity limit of the system has been reached , further hsa will be added according to the solids increase , but not water . this guarantees that the cement in the slurry will remain uniformly stabilized for the time that it is required to remain in storage . when the production day is complete , the control unit 16 automatically transfers the slurry from the recovery tank 12 to the secondary tank 14 . alternatively , the user may choose a specific time or set of conditions when the control unit 16 will automatically transfer slurry from the recovery tank 12 to the secondary tank 14 . when the batcher requests batch water for process mixing , it is drawn from the batch tank 14 instead of from a fresh water source . when the batcher asks the system to deliver slurry to the batch tank , water weigh hopper or through a flow meter to the batch process , the system 1 immediately begins a dilution cycle to reduce the density from the higher values in the secondary tank 11 to the lower values required at the batch plant . this is initiated by a real time density measurement to determine if the density is above or below the target value required , as described below . if the density exceeds the target value allowed by the batching process , the system 1 will instruct a fresh water valve 40 to open to begin diluting the batch slurry . as the valve 40 opens , the slurry line will begin to accept fresh water until the density reaches the target batch density , at which point the discharge valve 30 will open and the diluted batch slurry will be discharged to the batch tank 14 , water weigh hopper or flow meter . when the appropriate amount of batch slurry has been delivered , the discharge valve 30 will close and the fresh water supply will be terminated . the batch slurry will then continue to circulate until the batcher calls for more dilute slurry to batch . it is of note that the slurry water is delivered to the batch plant at a controlled predetermined density , preset by the operator and programmed into the control unit 16 . solids in the batch slurry are compensated for , by adjusting mix designs to allow for reduction of fresh ingredients and addition of slurry solids . it is of note that the slurry dilution cycle may be initiated by the batcher or by a tank level indicator in a batch tank 14 that asks the system 1 to automatically refill the batch tank 14 if it drops below a certain volume level . however that supply is always at the predetermined density due to the controlled inline dilution from the higher density of the slurry stored in the secondary tank 11 . the actual step by step procedure of diluting the stored batch slurry to batch density is as follows . when the batcher starts the slurry re - circulation loop , a re - circulating valve 44 is open and the meter valve 25 is closed , so that the batch slurry flows along a circulation loop 34 back to the tank 11 . next , the system 1 closes re - circulating valve 44 and discharge valve 30 and opens meter valve 25 and return valve 32 . as a result of this arrangement , the batch slurry will pass through the dilution management assembly 22 for a period of time sufficient to determine the density and temperature of the batch slurry . once density and temperature have been established , the system 1 will update agitator speed and sets the slurry transfer pump speed to reflect the rate that the undiluted slurry is delivered to the dilution management assembly 22 . this rate is consistent with the ratio of blending that will be required to reduce the batch slurry from its storage density to the batch density . once agitator and pump speeds have been set , the system 1 closes the meter valve 25 and the return valve 32 and opens the re - circulating valve 44 . as a result of this arrangement , the batch slurry returns to re - circulating loop 34 and the system 1 awaits the next command from the batcher . when the batcher or the system 1 calls for batch slurry to be delivered to the batch tank 14 or flow meter , the system 1 closes the circulating valve 44 and the discharge valve 30 and opens meter valve 25 and return valve 32 . the variable frequency drive on the batch - slurry transfer pump motor then increases or decreases pump speed to control the rate of slurry delivery to the dilution management assembly 22 . for example , when using a peristaltic ( hose ) pump as a batch slurry transfer pump , the fresh water to batch slurry water ratio is determined by a system preset . for example , if the stored batch slurry in the tank has a density of 1 . 15 , the system will require approximately a 1 : 1 ratio of fresh water to batch slurry water to dilute the batch slurry to 1 . 07 . therefore , if the batch slurry transfer pump is set to deliver 100 gallons per minute to the batch tank 14 , the fresh water valve 40 will also deliver 100 gallons per minute , providing a total flow of 200 gallons per minute of batch slurry diluted to 1 . 07 . in a different scenario , where the stored batch slurry in the secondary tank 11 is at a density of 1 . 30 , the fresh water to batch slurry ratio will be 4 : 1 , in which case the batch slurry transfer pump will be set to deliver 40 gallons per minute to the dilution management assembly 22 , while the fresh water valve 40 will deliver 160 gallons per minute to the dilution management assembly . this will also provide a total flow of 200 gallons per minute of batch slurry diluted to 1 . 07 . it is of note that in some embodiments , the batch slurry transfer pump will have not less than four possible speeds of slurry delivery to accommodate four different batch slurry densities . small variations in batch slurry density between the set points will be compensated by real time adjustments in the fresh water flow rate . as the batch slurry and fresh water converge and flow into the density meter 20 , the density of the diluted batch slurry is monitored and reported back to the system 1 . if the density is above or below the batch target density , the fresh water valve 40 will open or close to bring the density into a target range , typically between 1 . 069 g / cm 3 and 1 . 075 g / cm 3 if the target density is 1 . 07 g / cm 3 . once the batch target density has been reached , the system 1 closes return valve 32 and opens discharge valve 30 . this allows the batch slurry to report to the batch tank 14 . the flow will continue until the batch tank 14 records a full reading and instructs the system 1 to return to re - circulation , or until the batcher has received enough diluted batch slurry in the weigh batch hopper 14 and instructs the system 1 to stop delivering batch slurry . once the system has stopped delivery of batch slurry to the weigh batch hopper 14 , the settings of the dilution management system 22 will be recorded in a pid loop that will instruct the system to return to its last known delivery settings the next time batch slurry is called to batch . this will reduce the time required to find the exact batch target density to a few seconds rather than 15 to 30 seconds . if the system 1 requires hot water to compensate for cold weather aggregate temperatures , the dilution management system can use hot water as its fresh water feed source , eliminating the need to blend several water sources to arrive at a suitably blended batch slurry temperature and density , or can use a hot water heat source as shown in fig1 . the primary function of the concrete recovery system 1 is to safely and efficiently recycle cementitious slurry water . in order to accomplish this , it is necessary to develop a consistent and carefully controlled method of incorporating slurry into the batching process . the key to accomplishing this is to maintain a constant regular density for all recycled slurry water . the in - line dilution and mixing process dilutes a stream of cementitious slurry with fresh water in flow , arriving at a target density that will be both consistent and reliable . this constant supply of slurry at a stable target density allows the ready - mix producer to use the slurry water as mixing water for manufacturing fresh concrete . furthermore , the stability of the slurry density acts as a quality control constant , providing consistently similar performance characteristics of the fresh and hardened concrete . maintaining regular density allows the producer to develop mix designs for use of the slurry that are constant and reliable in both placing characteristics and final strengths . it also allows the producer to balance the amount of slurry accumulated over a given day with the amount distributed over the following day &# 39 ; s production . this balancing of intake and outflow will assists in guaranteeing quality control . by eliminating the need to calculate the blending ratios , the system is as close to fail safe as can be expected . in this regard , the discharge valve 30 must remain closed until the density meter 20 reads that the diluted batch slurry density has reached the target range and is ready to be released . from a batcher &# 39 ; s standpoint , the system frees him from having to modify mix designs to compensate for fluctuating densities , and practically eliminates the risk of liability associated with concrete failures due to error in compensatory calculations by the batcher . thus , the concrete recovery system is an aggregate re - claimer and slurry recovery system that operates on a closed circuit , zero - discharge principle , and can be implemented as a parallel system with any ready - mix batch plant . the system reclaims aggregates for re - use and recovers cementitious slurry for re - use as process mixing water , as described below . the system combines density management with chemical hydration stabilization in a self - monitoring and self - regulating storage and transfer environment . the fundamental goal of the system is to return the batch slurry to batch at a controlled density , allowing the cementitious solids in the batch slurry to be recovered as replacement material for fresh fly ash or cement . in practical terms , when the batcher calls for batch slurry , it is delivered to the batch plant at the preset density . this density will correlate with the slurry - based mix design written into the batch computer . the underlying principle is to maintain exactly the same batching procedure as would be followed under normal circumstances . the only difference is that part of the cementitious material is supplied with the slurry , allowing the operator to reduce the cement and / or fly ash called for in the mix design . for example , a normal portland 25 mpa mix design calling for : in another configuration for example , in which the concrete producer chooses to simply dispose of the cementitious slurry solids in the fresh concrete batches , he may choose not to modify the mix designs , but rather let the slurry solids be added to the fresh mix in addition to the normal distribution of the constituent ingredients and allow the final strength to be over - designed and the benefit to carry forward to the concrete purchaser . in all other respects , the mix design would be identical to a normal production design , and since the cement slurry is stabilized , it will not affect other admixture relationships in the fresh batch such as air entrainment . turning now to the second embodiment shown in fig2 this is modified from the first embodiment by a number of features , the primary one of which is that the control of the dilution of the batch slurry to the required density occurs between the primary tank and the secondary tank so that the required amount of batch slurry for a period of use , typically one day or one production cycle , is stored in the secondary tank at the required density and can be supplied at that density on demand to the batching system . thus an additional fresh water line 38 a from the supply 38 is connected through a valve 38 b to the output from the pump 20 a for mixing with the slurry from the tank 12 . the return loop 34 a for establishing the required dilution is formed through the irrigation valve 20 d following which the valve 20 d is closed and the valve 30 opened to transfer the accurately diluted slurry to the secondary tank 11 . transfer from the tank 11 to the batch tank 14 is effected through valves 53 and 51 and pump 52 . the following is a detailed description of the second embodiment , which may repeat some aspects which are common to both embodiments . the trucks will receive system - water for drum rinsing through giraffe transfer pipes 20 f and valve 20 e at each truck station . they will discharge the waste concrete mixture or aggregate and slurry into an intake flume with internal rinse irrigation . the flume will provide for quick discharge of aggregate and slurry and controlled feed into the re - claimer . the coarse aggregate is classified out of the drum contents by means of a 36 ″× 25 ′ spiral - classifier and discharged into a storage bunker , while the cement , low - density fines and water flow into the primary tank in slurry form . the principal storage and transfer component of the system are : two api 650 storage tanks 12 and 11 mounted on a rigid skid - frame 50 located at the washout transfer station and one ( 1 ) batch tank 14 located at the plant . the system is delivered as a complete unit ready for use , with operating components fixed to the skid - frame . it may be installed quickly and efficiently without disrupting plant operations . the api 650 tank capacities can be expanded with flanged sections to extend nominal tank height from a base design of 9 ′ 6 ″ up to 14 ′ 6 ″ or even as high as 19 ′ 2 ″. the tanks 11 and 12 are fitted with agitators 26 to maintain controlled homogeneity of the contents . the three standard tanks are designated as follows : the recovery tank 12 holds a maximum 34 , 500 - liter volume of system - water containing a hydration stabilization admixture ( hsa ). this system - water circulates through the washout transfer station and re - claimer providing rinse water for the trucks 22 and irrigation water for the re - claimer 10 . the secondary tank 11 holds a maximum 55 , 250 - liter volume of batch slurry in temporary storage until it can be re - used as mixing water in fresh concrete production . the 1 , 720 - liter batch tank 14 automatically receives batch slurry from the secondary tank to maintain a just - in - time volume of batch slurry for use in fresh concrete mixes as required by the batcher . the recycle water port on the batch computer actuates the discharge valve on the batch tank . the process equipment and system instrumentation is mounted on the skid and / or affixed to the tanks as required . this includes the following : all tanks are fitted with agitators 26 and tank baffles to keep solids in proper suspension . the agitators are hydrofoil - impellers that provide maximum homogeneity with minimum shear abrasion . the primary pump 20 c delivers system - water to the truck drums 22 for rinsing and irrigates the re - claimer 10 and flume 8 to wash the waste concrete mixture into the system . the primary pump 20 c transfers system - water from the recovery tank 12 to the secondary tank 11 . the secondary pump 52 delivers batch - slurry from the secondary storage tank to the batch tank at the plant for use as mixing water in fresh concrete . an in - flow density meter 20 monitors system - water / batch slurry density and temperature . the information is used to control system - water / batch slurry density and temperature management and the transfer - dilution process . a service 38 for fresh water addition is mounted to the skid - frame 50 consisting of a flow meter and automated control valve . all piping and fittings are schedule 40 with long radius elbows to reduce abrasion . all process control valves are high quality , 150 - p . s . i .- rated pneumatic pinch valves with replaceable rubber sleeves . all tank volume levels and high - low signals are monitored and reported to the system controls by an ultrasonic level sensor and transmitter 60 . this gives the batcher a visual graphic and corresponding numeric value at the batch plant indicating the volume and level in each tank and triggers automated system activities . the recovery tank monitors temperature at the density meter 20 , while the secondary tank is fitted with a thermal sensor 61 to monitor batch slurry temperature . these sensors can be used to interface with a heat exchanger or other variety of heating or cooling system ( not shown ). a chemical addition system 18 automatically injects hsa into the system - water and is designed to feed chemical into both tanks as the system demands . the dilution management system uses fresh or process water to dilute the recovery tank system - water to a constant density in transfer to the secondary tank , thereby guaranteeing a stable supply of batch slurry in the secondary tank at the density required to batch without manual calculation or risk of error . the system management controls package ties the process equipment and controls into an integrated automation system . the system monitors , controls and maintains the system - water / batch slurry in storage and delivers it at a predetermined density to the batch plant . an operator control panel ( ocp ) 16 is installed at the batch station to allow the batcher and quality control personnel to monitor the system and make periodic adjustments as may be required to reflect the changing needs of the producer . when batching with batch slurry , the goal of the system is to provide the batcher with a stable supply of batch slurry at a constant density and also a constant temperature as required by the producer . this allows the batcher to use most existing batch computers to adjust or modify the final batch outcome . if the user wishes to increase secondary storage density and dilute the slurry in the weigh hopper , the batch computer can be preset to add make - up water to a draft of recycled water to reduce density at the weigh hopper . this method expands the storage capacity of the system by allowing the secondary tank to store more slurry solids . for example , if the storage density in the secondary tank and transfer circuit were set at 1 . 10 g / cm 3 , the batch computer could be set to automatically add make - up water to the slurry in the weigh hopper to reduce its density to 1 . 07 g / cm 3 by splitting the feed of slurry in ratio to fresh water at 1 : 0 . 6 or 60 % slurry and 40 % fresh water . in winter batch - slurry can be stored at a relatively high density and at low temperature and diluted with hot water in the batch weigh hopper . this can be used to elevate batch - slurry to high temperature seconds prior to delivery , allowing heating of the slurry without propagating hydration across the stored volume in the secondary tank or allowing high - temperature initiated hydration to continue long enough to have any noticeable effect on the fresh concrete . the low temperature storage reduces the amount of chemicals required as hydration is temperature dependent . in the alternative , the mixing with hot water can be combined with the dilution step . each washout station is fitted with a 3 ″- diameter , giraffe - style overhead water - transfer pipe to deliver system water to the mixer drum . each giraffe assembly is fitted with a user switch box with two ( 2 ) safety designed , all - weather push buttons , an open / close pinch valve and a flow meter . the start buttons will be clearly marked full rinse and chute rinse . the wash stations are positioned along a common collection flume into which the waste concrete mixture is discharged . a fresh - water hose will be mounted at each giraffe to facilitate manual truck chute rinsing . hsa will be injected into this rinse hose to maintain overall chemical balance during un - metered additions of rinse water ( i . e . rinsing chutes and truck components ). depressing the full rinse button will initiate delivery of a draft of system - water from the recovery tank to the truck drum . the draft quantity is user - defined ( nominal 1000 liters ). the chemical present in the slurry will coat the truck drum , aiding resistance to build - up of waste concrete . system - water will dilute the waste concrete mixture , making it flow - able and easily discharged . the end of the drum transfer cycle will initiate an irrigation cycle . irrigation cycle time is user - defined ( nominal 16 minutes ). system - water conditions will be monitored during the irrigation cycle allowing system settings to be updated . if a full rinse cycle is in progress when a new driver depresses the full rinse button at his particular station , the system will restart the cycle . depressing the chute rinse button will initiate an irrigation cycle without a drum transfer by controlling the valves 20 d and 20 e . irrigation cycle time is user - defined ( nominal 3 minutes ). a rinse hose will provide chemically treated fresh / process water to rinse chute washout into the re - claimer . system - water conditions will be monitored during the irrigation cycle , allowing system settings to be updated . if a full rinse cycle is in progress when a new driver depresses the chute rinse button , the system will restart the cycle . as multiple - serial transfer valves open or close , line pressure will rise and fall . the system senses the pressure change and adjusts the primary pump 20 c speed and flow rate to maintain a constant transfer flow rate regardless of the number of open valves . this will guarantee constant transfer times . the full rinse button starts the primary pump , opens the giraffe valve and delivers 1000 liters of system - water to the truck drum . when the drum transfer flow meter registers the complete transfer of system - water , the giraffe valve will close and the irrigation valve for the re - claimer will open . the re - claimer begins operation when irrigation valve opens . the irrigation system runs on a timer for 16 minutes and then automatically shut down the primary pump and re - claimer when the cycle is complete . the chute rinse button starts the primary pump 20 c and the re - claimer without transferring system - water to the truck drum . the chute rinse button initiates a 3 - minute rinse cycle through the re - claimer irrigation system . the end of the rinse cycle will cause the re - claimer and pump to shut down . the operation of the re - claimer and flume will always be in conjunction with irrigation flow provided by the primary pump . flow will be divided amongst the flume and re - claimer at a nominal flow rate of 600 liters per minute . for example , a spiral - classifier , which employs a rising current classifier provides for efficient removal of low - density cementitious and sand fines while allowing heavier aggregate to sink to where the spiral can remove it from the re - claimer . a wash back channel in the spiral - classifier provides further irrigation by rinsing the spiral channel to keep it clear of accumulated fines . the intake flume is fed with system water through rinse piping that will flush the waste concrete mixture into the re - claimer . the primary pump feeds the flume to maintain material recovery and separation at optimum efficiency . a reservoir for system - water used to irrigate on the re - claimer and provide rinse water for the trucks ; collection and storage vessel for cementitious and sand fines collected in the washout process ; and , the recovery tank has a nominal volume of 34 , 500 liters or 9 , 100 u . s . gallons . it is fitted with a uli and an in - flow density meter in its irrigation piping . the recovery tank and re - claimer circuit have three possible operating modes . the parameters are user specified to reflect the needs of the producer . the modes are : target - density mode ( tdm )— in tdm , the nominal density of the system - water ranges between 1 . 00 to 1 . 15 g / cm 3 ., and the system strives to maintain minimum volume at a constant density near the high end of that range . as solids enter after the high end of the range has been reached , dilution water and hydration stabilization admixture will be added to the tank at the pre - calculated ratio determined by the target density and the temperature to reduce the system - water density below the high end of the range and maintain the proper chemical / water ratio . high - density mode ( hdm )— in hdm , the nominal density of the system - water may rise as high as 1 . 30 g / cm 3 in hdm , the system disallows addition of fresh dilution water , but allows addition of hsa in proportion to temperature and density . solids continue to be accepted by the system during hdm , but the system requests the batcher to transfer system - water to the secondary tank to allow return to tdm . sleep mode ( sm )— sm can be initiated by the batcher or automatically at a preset time . sm will start a system clock to monitor the age and temperature of the slurry with user - defined , periodic 3 - minute irrigation cycles and timed system commands . the primary function of sm is age monitoring and hsa addition , which is tied to temperature changes in the system - water and batch slurry or a preset elapsed time limit on the system clock . if sleep mode continues unbroken for the length of the preset timed - cycle , the system will add chemical according to the volume , temperature and density of the system - water and / or batch slurry , and return the preset timer to zero to begin a new cycle . in sm , a gate valve 53 between the secondary tank and the batch tank will close , preventing slurry solids form migrating into the secondary transfer pump casing and also acting as a security precaution against spillage in the event of a seismic event . furthermore , the isolation of the secondary transfer line from the secondary tank will allow the secondary transfer line to be purged with fresh water and then drained to prevent pipe rupture or unnecessary accumulation of solids in the transfer line during long system - idle periods . the fill cycle is automatic with manual override . flow meter monitors the fresh water inflow volume . hsa is added automatically with fresh water at the pre - calculated ratio . re - fill of the tank is triggered by low - level signal . the control of the recovery tank transfer process may be done manually as required . if the transfer causes complete evacuation of the recovery tank , the end of the transfer cycle will trigger the beginning of a new fill cycle . when the tank level drops below a preset minimum , the system may automatically dilute and transfer the remainder of the recovery tank 12 contents to the secondary tank 11 or , alternately , trigger a warning signal to inform the batcher to transfer the remaining volume manually at the batcher &# 39 ; s convenience . the system monitors system - water density and temperature condition during each irrigation cycle . in sm , a periodic user - defined irrigation cycle monitors and corrects system - water condition . dramatic changes in conditions can trigger alarms to notify service personnel . the system controls operation of an hsa system to inject chemical to the recovery tank as required . in tdm , hsa is added in ratio to fresh water inflow volume , temperature adjusted between 4 ° c . and 38 ° c . in hdm , hsa is added in ratio to system - water density and the measured volume of the recovery tank , temperature adjusted between 4 ° c . and 38 ° c . in sm , hsa is added in ratio to density in the measured volume of the recovery tank , adjusted by slurry temperature between 4 ° c . and 38 ° c . for storage target density & amp ; dilution , the density meter has a readout to four decimal places . target density setting is adjustable from 1 . 0000 g / cm 3 to 1 . 3000 g / cm 3 . the target density setting has a threshold of one digit in the second decimal place above and 2 digits below the target density ( e . g . if target density is 1 . 1500 , dilution commences when the density reaches 1 . 1600 and ceases when density drops to 1 . 1300 or below ). the system will not dilute until the recovery circuit is idle . system locks out washout station and re - claimer during dilution . the system is arranged to provide a transfer target density and to effect dilution from that target density during transfer from the tank 12 to the tank 11 , for this purpose , recovery target storage density will always be higher than secondary target batch density . this will always require some degree of dilution as slurry is transferred from the recovery to the secondary tank . as the transfer cycle begins , the system will check the slurry density in the transfer line and begin to introduce fresh dilution water to reduce the storage density in - flow to the batch density . the transfer valve 30 will open at the target batch density and allow batch slurry transfer to the secondary tank . storage density and batch density can be user - defined . in the fill cycle , when the uli senses that the recovery tank 12 volume has dropped to its minimum level , an automatic refill cycle will commence if the last recorded density measurement is above 1 . 10 g / cm 3 . the cycle will begin with a purge transfer of the final volume in the recovery tank . the procedure is as follows . the system will check the level in the secondary tank 11 to ensure there is sufficient capacity to accept the final transfer . if capacity is sufficient , slurry will be diluted and transferred to the secondary tank and refill will commence . if capacity is insufficient , the system awaits override by the batcher or notice of available capacity from the secondary tank uli . while the system is awaiting override or notice , a transfer / purge signal flashes on the ocp screen to notify the batcher of the impending transfer . when capacity becomes available , dilution - transfer and refill will commence . the batcher can manually dismiss the transfer notice and return the recovery circuit to normal operation . this manual - dismiss command will cause addition of fresh water and a corresponding quantity of chemical to bring the recovery tank volume to a preset level above the minimum level . each time the recovery tank volume drops below the preset level it will trigger a transfer notice . during the final volume dilution and transfer , the uli monitors the tank levels . when the volume remaining in the tank reaches 100 gallons , the density measurement and dilution will cease . the secondary transfer line will remain open and the pump will , for example , continue to transfer for 60 seconds . fresh water induction valve commences refill process . when the period ends , the transfer valve closes and the pump stops , but the fresh water service continues to fill the tank . flow meter commences to measure fresh water inflow . the flow meter will totalize the fresh water volume inflow until the recovery tank reaches the preset minimum metered volume at which time the fresh water fill valve will close . the closing of the fresh water fill valve will trigger the start of a 3 - minute chute rinse irrigation cycle . the irrigation cycle will allow the system to determine density and temperature . the temperature and metered water volume determine the amount of chemical added to the fresh water . the density measurement resets the agitator speed . the rinse cycle ends switching off the pump and closing all recovery and transfer valves . the agitator 26 speed is controlled by the plc to correlate system - water density with impeller speed . as the density fluctuates , so does agitator speed . the agitator 26 will automatically switch off when the level in the tank drops below a preset limit . conversely , when the level rises above the preset limit , the agitator will recommence operation . a dilution cycle begins when the density in tank 12 rises 0 . 01 g / cm 3 above the target setting . the re - claimer and wash station valves 20 d and 20 e are locked out . the system transfers 2000 liters of fresh water into the tank . chemical is added at the pre - calculated ratio according to volume and temperature of fresh water . the addition of chemical is recorded and totalized . a chute rinse cycle will commence to measure density . if density is below 1 . 13 g / cm 3 , system moves to next step . if density is above 1 . 13 g / cm 3 , system adds more dilution water and chemical . dilution sequence repeats until the desired target density is reached . the re - claimer and wash station valves 20 d and 20 e will be unlocked . when the uli senses that the recovery tank has reached maximum allowable volume at the target storage density , recovery tank controls will switch to hdm . switching to hdm mode will commence a transfer - warning signal at the ocp to advise the batcher to transfer a quantity of system - water to create capacity in the recovery tank for further dilution and addition of washout solids . the transfer warning will continue until the batcher transfers enough volume to the secondary tank to terminate the hdm . in hdm , dilution water is no longer added as density rises . the system monitors density and temperature during hdm and adds chemical according to an hdm i chemical addition scaling function . this will automatically determine the amount of chemical to be added according to the density modified by temperature . as required by the batcher , system - water is transferred to the secondary tank in quantity sufficient for the batching requirements for the period concerned , which may be daily / hourly and the system - water then becomes batch - slurry . the batcher inputs a transfer quantity into transfer screen on ocp . the transfer command is initiated , causing the system to lockout all other functions . the primary pump 20 c starts , allowing the density meter to read the system - water density and commence dilution . the fresh water valve 38 b will open until the density measured by the density meter reaches the target batch - slurry density . the transfer valve will open causing the dilute batch - slurry to be transferred into the secondary tank . the transfer will continue until the volume transferred reaches the quantity input by the batcher in step 2 above . when the batcher requires system - water to be transferred to the secondary tank for storage as batch slurry , the dilution - transfer command will allow controlled density system - water to be transferred from the recovery to the secondary tank . the secondary tank 11 will store and monitor the condition of the batch - slurry in the secondary stage before it is sent to the batch plant for use as mixing water . volume and capacity are monitored and displayed at the ocp . temperature and density are monitored and displayed at ocp . batch slurry age is monitored while system is in sleep mode . the transfer pump delivers the batch - slurry to batch tank . transfer is automatically initiated by the level indicator in batch tank . for hydration stabilization , a user - defined slurry - age timer counts down to re - dosage when the system is in sleep mode . hsa is added automatically to prolong the cementitious life of the batch slurry and prevent hydration from recommencing . the batch tank holds a just - in - time volume of batch - slurry for delivery to the weigh hopper at the batch plant . the batch tank has an agitator to keep solids in suspension . the batch tank has a uli to monitor tank batch - slurry volume . the batch tank refills automatically when volume drops below a preset level . the recycled - water port on the batch computer controls the batch tank discharge valve . the density of the batch - slurry in the secondary tank will control the agitator speed . the system will use the target batch density setting to control agitator speed . the batch tank agitator will be constant speed . when the level in either the secondary or the batch tanks drop below a preset limit , the agitator will automatically switch off . conversely , when the level rises above the limit , the agitator will recommence operation . the uli continuously relays volume in the tank to the plc . the program continuously calculates available tank capacity . internal clock monitors the age of the batch - slurry from the time the system switches to sleep mode . when the tank volume drops below a pre - set point the secondary circuit is disabled including operation of the secondary transfer pump . if the system is in sm when the clock reaches its re - dosage point a command to add hsa is executed . hsa is added in ratio to the target batch density in the measured volume of the secondary tank adjusted by batch - slurry temperature between 4 ° c . and 38 ° c . the real time slurry age clock is reset to zero , counting down to another dosage . this can be repeated a preset number of times defined by the user . when the batcher activates the transfer circuit , the transfer pump 52 delivers a quantity of batch - slurry from the secondary tank to the batch tank . the uli in the batch tank informs the system when the batch tank has filled to a preset maximum level and the system shuts - off the transfer pump . each time the batch tank calls for batch - slurry , the secondary transfer pump 52 automatically commences transferring . when the batcher terminates the use of the transfer circuit , the refill command at batch tank is disabled . the system automatically commences a purge cycle . the purge cycle demands the evacuation of the batch tank and closure of the gate valve 53 on the secondary tank . the uli will terminate the agitator operation when the batch tank level drops below a preset level , and when the uli at the batch tank reads that the batch tank is empty , a purge cycle will commence . fresh water valves ( not shown ) open in the transfer line for a preset time , allowing the line and pump 52 to be purged with fresh water . batch slurry is displaced from the transfer pipe and pump casing into batch tank 14 by fresh water . when purging is complete , the system may be set to sm . the system can monitor and control the temperature of the slurry by activating an optional heat transfer unit ( not shown ) mounted in the recovery and / or secondary tank . this heating system will raise the temperature of the system - water or batch - slurry from ambient temperature to the required batch temperature . a temperature sensor is mounted in the secondary tank to monitor slurry temperature . the density meter in the recovery tank also monitors slurry temperature . the plc controls the heat exchange unit ( s ). the system has a temperature management program to sense and adjust temperature automatically . batch - slurry is kept at a temperature that balances efficiency of hydration stabilizer usage and cost of btu &# 39 ; s . batch - slurry temperature can be raised as it is weighed into the batch by blending with high - temperature water . if the producer requires temperature control , optional in - line heat exchangers or in - tank baffle - style heat exchangers may be employed . if the slurry temperature drops below or rises above the setting defined by the producer , the heat exchanger ( s ) will commence operation . the system tracks the recovery tank system - water temperature at the density meter waiting for it to exceed the preset temperature minimum or maximum . the system tracks the secondary tank batch - slurry temperature with a thermal sensor waiting for it to exceed the preset temperature minimum or maximum . each time the volume in the batch tank 14 drops below a preset minimum , the secondary transfer pump 52 will start delivery of slurry from the secondary tank . when the secondary tank 11 drops below a preset minimum volume , the transfer command from the batch tank will be disabled . the secondary batch transfer circuit will not be locked out , but the batcher will be notified by a red flashing icon that the batch - slurry is not yet up to temperature . the recovery transfer circuit will function regardless of temperature . when the batch - slurry reaches temperature , the flashing icon will turn green to signal that operating temperature has been reached . the batcher may now transfer the batch - slurry to batch . the heat exchanger ( s ) will raise / lower the temperature of the batch - slurry in the tank ( s ). when the slurry is 5 ° c . over / under the system prescribed temperature the heat exchanger will be disabled . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above , it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein , and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention .
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referring to fig1 of the draings , this container assembly 40 comprises a body assembly 41 , a floor assembly 42 ( fig2 ), a partition assembly 43 , and a cap assembly 44 . when all of the components are combined to form the container assembly 40 , as illustrated in fig1 the result is a three dimensional container assembly that can store a large number of articles , such as soft drink bottles , and that constitutes a three dimensional display of one of the articles . yet , all the components can be stored and packaged in a substantially flat condition as will be described . the body assembly 41 comprises two body panels 46 and 48 . one of these body panels 46 is shown in fig2 and 3 and various of its components are shown in fig4 , 6 , 7 and 8 . the other body panel 48 and its components is identical to the body panel 46 and its components . therefore , only one of the body panels 46 will be described in detail . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the body panel 46 is in the form of a rectangle and preferably is formed of resilient plastic . the body panel 46 has a top edge 50 , a bottom edge 52 , and side edges 54 and 56 ( see fig3 ) which define the perimeters of an inner surface 58 and an outer surface 60 . references hereinafter to &# 34 ; inner &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; outer &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; inwardly &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; outwardly &# 34 ; are with respect to these inner and outer surfaces 58 and 60 . each body panel is about 2 feet 8 inches high and about three feet two inches wide . although these dimensions may be varied over wide ranges , they suffice to produce a body cylinder 41 , as will be described , that can hold about two hundred 16 ounce bottles , that can be reached into over its top edge , and that economizes on floor space . the body panel 46 is about one - eighth inch thick and this thickness cooperates with the plastic composition to give the panel strength as well as an internal memory or resilience biasing the panel toward the normally flat condition illustrated in fig2 and 3 . however , if the two side edges 54 and 56 are pressed toward one another , the panel 46 can be bowed or curved in opposition to its internal resilient force , and under these conditions , the panel will tend to assume an arcuate shape . a channel member 62 extends along the side edge 54 of the channel 46 . the channel member 62 is preferably formed of extruded plastic of a composition causing the channel member to be fairly stiff but yet possess some resilience . as shown particularly in fig3 the channel member 62 has a long flange 64 that lies along a margin portion of the inner surface 68 of the body panel 46 adjacent the edge 54 . the channel member 62 also has a short flange 66 having an out turned lip 68 . the flange 66 is parallel to the long flange 64 and lies against a margin portion of the outer surface 60 adjacent the edge 54 of the body panel 46 . a recess 70 that is about as wide as the thickness of the body panel 46 is defined between the long flange 64 and the short flange 66 . the edge 54 and adjacent margin portions of the body panel 46 are positioned within the recess 70 , and the contacting surfaces are bonded together by a suitable cement or by any other suitable fastening means . the channel member 62 also has a stem 74 extending from the short flange 66 past the long flange 64 at approximately a 45 ° angle thereto . beginning at about the inner side of the long flange 64 , the channel member 62 has a hook end 76 that is curved to define an outwardly facing recess 78 . the hook end 76 terminates in an edge 80 that also faces generally outwardly . as can be seen in fig3 the convex surface 82 of the hook end 76 is curved and has an apex 83 that is spaced inwardly of the long flange 64 . this convex surface 82 of the hook member 76 intersects the long flange 64 along a crease line 84 that serves as the seat of a notch . adjacent the other edge 56 of the panel 46 is another extruded channel member 86 of the same plastic composition as the channel member 62 . as shown in fig3 the channel member 86 has a long flange 88 , overlying the margin portion of the inner surface 58 of the panel 46 that is adjacent the edge 56 . a short flange 90 having an out turned lip 92 lies against the margin portion of tne outer surface 60 of the panel 46 adjacent the edge 56 . the long flange 88 and the short flange 90 are parallel to and spaced from one another , defining a recess 94 between them . the edge 56 and adjacent margin portions of the sides 58 and 60 extend within the recess 94 , and the contacting surfaces are cemented or otherwise joined together . the channel member 86 has a short leg 98 that is generally in line with the short flange 90 , but extends in the opposite direction . the short leg 98 terminates in an inwardly extending rib 100 . from the short leg 98 , where it joins the short flange 90 , the channel member 86 has a curved hook retainer body 102 , the inner surface 104 of which is curved with a radius somewhat larger than the radius of the convex surface 82 of the hook end 76 . the curved hook retainer body 102 extends to and terminates at a straight long leg portion 106 of the channel member 86 . the inner surface 104 of the curved body 102 intersects the long leg portion 106 along a termination line or apex 108 that functions as a stop , as will appear . the channel members 62 and 86 are complementary to one another as will be described hereinafter . these channel members 62 and 86 provide a unique connecting means between the body panels 46 and 48 . continuing with the description of the body panel 46 and its components , a pair of joist hangers 114 and 116 are connected to the body panel 46 adjacent the lower edge 52 . as shown in fig6 each joist hanger 114 and 116 , which is preferably of molded plastic , has a back wall 118 , a pair of side walls 120 and 122 , and a bottom wall 124 . the back wall 118 has a pair of holes 126 and 128 through it , and the hangers may be connected to the body panel 46 by rivets 129 through the holes 126 and 128 . there are two shelf brackets 130 and 132 fastened to each panel 46 . as shown particularly in fig7 and 8 , each shelf bracket 130 and 132 has a back wall 133 with holes 134 in it , a pair of reinforcing side walls 136 and 138 , and a top wall 140 . the shelf brackets are fastened to the panels 46 by a pair of rivets 142 and 144 that extend through the holes 134 . it should be noted that the shelf brackets 130 and 132 are positioned laterally intermediate the joists 114 and 116 so that , when the two panels 46 and 48 are joined together as a cylinder as will be described , the joists and shelf brackets are staggered about the periphery of the cylinder . it should also be noted that the vertical distance from the upper surfaces of the bottom walls 124 of the joist hangers 114 and 116 to the top walls 140 of the shelf brackets 130 and 132 is approximately equal to the height of floor joists to be described , used in conjunction with the assembly . vertically aligned approximately midway between the two side edges 54 and 56 of the panel 46 , a pair of groove blocks 150 and 152 are glued to the inner side 60 of the channel 46 . another pair of grooved blocks 154 and 156 are vertically aligned and glued to the inner surface of the long flange 88 . the groove blocks 150 , 152 , 154 and 156 are substantially identical , and an end view of one of them ( for example , the groove block 152 ) is shown in fig4 and a side view of another groove block 154 is shown in fig5 . each of the groove blocks has a base 157 by which it can be glued to a flat surface , such as the panel 46 or the long flange 88 . a pair of spaced projections 158 and 160 extend from the base 157 and define a groove 162 between them . horizontally aligned holes 163 may be provided in the projections 158 and 160 of the groove block 154 for a purpose to be described . the groove block 150 may have similar holes . the grooves 162 of the blocks 150 and 152 are vertically aligned and the grooves 162 of the blocks 154 and 156 are vertically aligned . the vertical line of the groove blocks 150 and 152 is spaced from the vertical line of the groove blocks 154 and 156 so that they will be about 90 ° apart when the two panels 46 and 48 are assembled as a cylinder , to be described hereinafter . fig9 illustrates a joist 164 that may be cut from a one - inch by four - inch wood board . other materials , such as plastic , and other dimensions , may be used . the joist 164 has a top edge 166 , a bottom edge 170 and lower corners 172 and 174 . at the center of the joist 164 and extending from the lower edge 170 , a notch 176 is cut slightly wider than the width of the joist 164 and extending about half the height of the joist . in fig1 a companion joist 178 is shown having a top edge 180 , a bottom edge 182 , and lower corners 184 and 186 . at the center of the joist 178 , a notch 188 extends from the top edge 180 downwardly a distance about half the height of the joist . the notch 188 is slightly wider than the width of the joist . the notches 176 and 188 are complementary to enable the joists 164 and 178 to be fitted together as indicated in fig2 and 26 . fig1 and 12 illustrate a floor member 190 that in plan view is in the form of a circle . the floor member 190 has a floor panel 192 and a peripheral verticle wall 194 that is approximately three to four inches high . a pair of projections 196 and 198 extend upwardly from the floor panel 192 and define a groove 200 between them . another pair of projections 202 and 204 extending upwardly from the floor panel 190 define another groove 206 . the grooves 200 and 206 are aligned along a diameter of the floor 190 . similarly , another pair of upwardly extending projections 208 and 210 define a groove 212 between them , and a pair of upwardly extending projections 214 and 216 define another groove 218 between them . the grooves 212 and 218 are aligned along a diameter of the floor 192 that is at right angles to the line of the grooves 200 and 206 . the floor member 190 , with its peripheral vertical wall and the projections , is preferably of vacuum formed plastic . fig1 illustrates a partition panel 220 that may be made of a suitable hardboard , such as masonite . the panel 220 has a bottom edge 222 and side edges 224 and 226 that are parallel as they extend upwardly from the bottom edge 222 for distances that are equal to or slightly greater than the height of the panels 46 and 48 . the parallel edges 224 and 226 then converge in curved portions 228 and 230 and then curve upwardly again at concave - to - straight portions 232 and 234 that define a neck . there is a top edge 235 extending between the upper ends of the side edges 232 and 234 . the outline thus defined , which may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention , resembles the outline of a soft drink bottle , particularly the 16 ounce kind . there is a vertical slot 236 extending upwardly from the bottom edge 222 of the panel 220 . the slot 236 is slightly wider than the thickness of the panel 220 and extends upwardly a distance approximating half the height of the panel 220 . the panel 220 may be provided with two small holes 237 and 238 adjacent the side edges 224 and 226 . the purpose for these holes will be described hereinafter . a second partition panel 240 , complementary to the panel 220 , is shown in fig1 and 16 . the partition panel 240 has a bottom edge 242 and parallel side edges 244 and 246 that correspond to the side edges 224 and 226 of the panel 220 . thus , the side edges 244 and 246 have upwardly curved converging portions 248 and 250 that lead to short vertical extensions 252 and 254 to define a neck . the panel 240 also has a top edge 256 . there may be two small holes 257 and 258 adjacent the side edges 244 and 246 . a vertical slot 259 extends downwardly from the top edge 256 half the distance toward the bottom edge 242 . because of the slots 236 and 259 , the panels 220 and 240 can be interlockingly fitted together at right angles . referring to fig1 and 18 , a rectangular cap sheet 260 is preferably of vacuum formed plastic . the cap sheet 260 has an upper edge 262 and a lower edge 264 . complementary extruded plastic channel members 266 and 268 are glued or appropriately joined to the cap sheet 260 adjacent its side edges . the channel member 266 may be substantially identical to the channel member 62 except on a smaller scale , and the channel member 268 may be substantially identical to the channel member 86 except on a smaller scale . thus the channel members 266 and 268 are complementary to one another as will appear . the cap sheet 260 is formed with a plurality of outwardly extending detents 270 spaced slightly below the upper edge 262 . fig1 and 20 illustrate a vacuum formed plastic lid 272 . the lid 272 has a top panel 274 and an annular side wall 276 . an outwardly extending annular groove 278 is formed in the side wall 276 . the groove 278 is complementary in cross section to the detents 270 on the cap sheet 264 . the various components which have now been described are normally stored and shipped in a flat condition . they may be packaged in a single carton that is only about four inches thick . assembly is very easy and can be done by one person without the use of any tools . to put together the components and form the container assembly 40 that is illustrated in fig1 the body 41 is first put together . this body 41 consists of the two identical panels 46 and 48 . the panels 46 and 48 are first oriented so that the channel member 62 of one panel is adjacent the channel member 86 of the other panel as shown in fig2 . this may be done with the body panels lying on a floor , inner sides 58 facing upwardly , or with the body panels standing on their bottom edges 52 . then , with the body panels 46 and 48 substantially coplanar , at least adjacent the proximate channel members 62 and 86 , the channel members 62 and 86 can be interfitted . this is particularly illustrated in fig2 which shows that if the body panels 46 and 48 are substantially coplanar or even swung slightly so that the outer surfaces 60 of the panels 46 and 48 define an obtuse angle , the hook end 76 of the channel member 62 can pass through the space between the rib 100 and the opposing apex 108 . once the end free 80 of the hook end 76 is within the hook retainer body 102 and has cleared the rib 100 , the channel members can be locked together . this is accomplished by swinging the body panels 46 and 48 so that their inner surfaces 58 move toward one another , i . e . to define an angle of less than 180 °. in other words , as the body panels 46 and 48 are curved toward a cylindrical condition , the channel members 62 and 86 are pivoted toward the positions shown in fig2 . the way these channel members 62 and 86 are joined together and interlocked is particularly illustrated by the configurations of fig2 and 24 . in fig2 the hook end 76 has passed through the space between the rib 100 and the apex 108 and is within the hook receptacle body 102 . in this position , the arcuate hook end 76 is generally co - axial with the arcuate hook receptacle body 102 , and the rib 100 is generally at the concentric centers of these members . in the relative positions illustrated in fig2 , if the panels were pulled apart , the hook end 76 could pass through the space between the rib 100 and the inner wall 110 because the apex 108 could ride over the convex surface 82 as the hook end 80 passes over the rib 100 . however , if the channel members are pivoted relative to one another in directions that produce a concave shape on the inner sides 58 of the body panels and a convex shape on the outer sides 60 , the hook end 76 will be rotated to a position behind the rib 100 . as this rotation continues , the free end 80 of the hook end 76 contacts the short leg 98 and the projection apex 108 fits within the notch seat 84 , thus interlocking the channel members together . in this interlocked condition the rib 100 acts as a stop and the contact area between the notch seat 84 and the projection apex 108 acts as another stop . the configuration of the channel members illustrated in fig2 is established when the body panels 46 and 48 are curved toward a cylindrical shape as illustrated by the lower portion of fig2 ( the upper portion of which has been temporarily flattened for reasons which will now be described ). having joined and interlocked the first pair of channel members 62 and 86 , to lock the second pair of channel members 62 and 86 , they too must be introduced toward one another in a substantially coplanar configuration . this is accomplished as illustrated in fig2 by first bringing the channel members 62 and 86 into proximity to one another by curving the body panels 46 and 48 into generally cylindrical or semi - cylindrical forms . in a cylindrical shape , even with the channel members 62 and 86 in contact , they will not interlock because the rib 100 will block passage of the hook end 76 past it into the hook retainer area . to present a wider space facing the hook end 76 , the second pair of channel members 62 and 86 must be pivoted relative to one another . this is accomplished by pressing the areas of the panels 46 and 48 adjacent these channel members and temporarily bringing them into coplanar positions , as illustrated at the upper portion of fig2 , or even pressing them past coplanar so that their outer surfaces 60 define an angle of less than 180 °. then , as again illustrated in fig2 , the hook end 76 can pass through the space between the rib 100 and the apex 108 into the area that defines the hook receptacle , to be positioned as illustrated in fig2 . now , while holding the second pair of channel members 62 and 86 in these relative positions , the pressure on the outer surfaces 60 of the panels 46 and 48 is gradually released . the internal bias or resilience of the plastic that constitutes the panels 46 and 48 will cause them to seek a cylindrical shape , rotating the second pair of channel members 62 and 86 to the relative positions illustrated in fig2 , interlocking them together . again , in the positions illustrated in fig2 , the apex 108 of the channel member 86 is seated in the notch 84 of the channel member 62 and the outer edge 80 of the hook end 76 is seated against the short leg 98 behind the rib 100 . in these interlocked conditions , the two body panels 46 and 48 form the cylindrical body 41 . in the cylindrical condition , the groove blocks 150 and 152 of one body panel 46 are diametrically opposite the groove blocks 150 and 152 of the other body panel 48 . likewise , the groove blocks 154 and 156 of the two body panels are diametrically opposite one another and are spaced about 90 ° from the groove blocks 150 and 152 . similarly , the joist hangers 114 on the two body panels 46 and 48 are diametrically opposite one another , and the joist hangers 116 are diametrically opposite one another , and displaced about 90 ° from the joist hangers 114 . with the body 41 thus formed , the floor assembly 42 can be put together . this may begin with the interconnection of the floor joists 164 and 168 . as illustrated in fig2 , these joists are oriented at right angles to one another with the notches 176 and 188 on a central axis . then the joists 164 and 178 are brought together with the notches 176 and 188 producing an interlock . next the interlocking joists 164 and 178 are positioned within the cylindrical body 41 with the lower corners 172 and 174 of the joists 164 and the lower corners 184 and 186 of the joists 178 positioned within the joist hangers 114 and 116 . in this position , the upper edges 166 and 180 of the joists 164 and 178 are approximately in the same horizontal plane as that of the top walls 140 of the shelf brackets 130 and 132 . next the floor member 190 may be placed within the body 141 on top of the floor joists 164 and 178 . in this position , the floor member 190 will also rest upon the floor support brackets 130 and 132 . therefore , even though the floor member 190 is not of itself particularly strong , being of vacuum formed plastic , the supports provided by the floor joists 164 and 178 combined with the floor support brackets 130 and 132 to fully reinforce the floor member 190 . also , in position , the peripheral side edge 194 of the floor member 190 projects upwardly in contact with or close proximity to the inner side wall of the cylindrical body 41 . this peripheral side wall 194 acts as a splash guard in the event of any spillage of the contents of a soft drink container which otherwise would spill onto the underlying floor of the building . the floor member 190 should be oriented so that the line defined by the grooves 200 and 206 is in the plane of the grooves 162 in the diametrically opposing groove blocks 150 and 152 . in this position , the line defined by the other grooves 212 and 218 will be aligned with the plane defined by the grooves 162 in the other diametrically opposed groove blocks 154 and 156 . the partition panels 220 and 240 may now be installed . this may be done individually or the partition panels 220 and 240 may be put together . if done individually , the partition panel 240 is inserted into the body 41 through the top opening thereof . as the bottom edge 242 of the partition panel 240 passes below the upper edge 50 of the cylindrical body 41 , its side edges 244 and 246 should be aligned with a diametrically opposite pair of vertical grooves 162 in diametrically opposed groove blocks , such as the groove blocks 154 . then as the partition panel 240 is allowed to slide downwardly , its side edges will slide through the grooves 162 until the lower corners reach the lower groove blocks 156 . then the side edges 244 and 246 should be guided into the grooves 162 of the groove blocks 156 and the partition panel 240 further lowered . when the partition panel 240 reaches the floor member 190 , the bottom edge 242 will probably fall into the aligned grooves 212 and 218 . at most , a little manual guidance will produce the necessary alignment so that the panel can seat between the projections 208 and 210 and the projections 214 and 216 , which act as lateral stops . with the partition panel 240 thus in place , the other partition panel 220 can be started downwardly from the upper edge 256 of the partition panel 240 , with the slots 236 and 259 aligned . then the partition panel 220 can be lowered into the body 41 through the upper opening . as this partition panel 220 slides vertically downwardly , its side edges 224 and 226 should be guided through the grooves 162 in the upper diametrically opposite groove blocks 150 . as the partition panel 220 is lowered further , its side edges are guided into the grooves 162 of the lower groove blocks 152 and the body of the partition panel 240 is received within the slot 236 as the body of the partition panel 220 is received within the slot 259 . finally , the partition panel 220 is low enough to have its lower edge 222 received within the grooves 200 and 206 in the floor member 190 and is seated . in this condition , the two partition panels 220 and 240 are at right angles to one another and generally present a replica of the outer contour of a soft drink container , such as one for a 16 oz . bottle . when the partition panels 220 and 240 are thus installed , the holes 237 and 238 will in the panel 220 align with the holes 163 in the groove blocks 150 , and the holes 257 and 258 in the panel 240 will align wih the holes 163 in the groove blocks 154 . bolts 280 may extend through these various aligned holes ( see fig2 ) with nuts tightened manually onto the bolts 280 . these bolts 280 are not needed for the strength and integrity of the final assembly , but are helpful if it is desired to relocate the container assembly 41 by grasping and lifting the partitions 220 and / or 240 . the cap assembly 44 now can be put together . referring to fig1 , it has already been stated that the channel members 266 and 268 are much smaller than but are similar in construction to the channel members 62 and 86 that have already been described . in the case of the cap assembly 44 however only a single cap sheet 260 is used rather than the dual body panels that form the body 41 . to form the cap cylinder , the sheet 260 is bowed or curved until the cylinder is formed with the channel members 266 and 268 adjacent to one another . then , in a manner similar to the illustration of fig2 , the portions of the sheet 260 adjacent the channel members 266 and 268 are pressed to make them substantially coplanar so that the channel members 266 and 268 will interengage . then when the sheet is released and springs to its cylindrical shape under the influence of the internal resilience of the sheet , the channels 266 and 268 become interlocked . this process is similar to that described in conjunction with fig2 and 24 and the channel members 62 and 86 and need not be described in detail . when the cap cylinder has been formed , the lid 272 is snapped in place . this is best done as illustrated in fig2 with the channel members 266 and 268 pressed inwardly to reduce the overall diameter of the cylinder defined by the sheet 260 . then , the cap 272 can be overlaid and the cylinder released . this will cause the sheet 260 to snap back into a cylindrical form with the detents 270 fitting within the annular groove 278 in the lid 272 . putting together of the cap assembly 44 is now complete . the final step is to place the cap assembly 44 on the neck portions 232 , 234 , 252 and 254 of the partition panels 220 and 240 . the final container assembly 40 is illustrated in fig1 . this container assembly is an attractive replica of the soft drink bottles which it stores for sale . it can hold as many as two hundred 16 ounce bottles , yet is only about 2 feet in diameter . it can occupy a prominent place in a store with efficient use of floor space . if the container assembly 40 is empty or nearly empty , it can be lifted and moved . the bolts 280 that fasten the partition panels 220 and 240 to the groove blocks 150 and 154 enable the container assembly 40 to be lifted by grasping one or both of the partition panels 220 and 240 . at any time desired , the container assembly 40 can be disassambled and re - packaged for flat storage by simply reversing the procedure that has been described . thereafter , it can be reassembled . although this container assembly has been described in connection with the storage and display of soft drink bottles , it could be used for other articles of merchandise . also , the shape of the container assembly could be modified to resemble the shape of other articles . in addition , changes and variations in dimensions and materials are possible within the scope of the invention . although the foregoing description and the drawings describe and illustrate a container assembly that fulfills the objects and advantages sought therefor , variations and modifications are contemplated as may be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be encompassed within the scope of the claims which follow .
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in order to make the invention more concrete , device examples are described in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . it should be recalled that the invention is not limited to these examples . fig1 shows a first example of a device 1 for controlled setting of a spring 2 . the device 1 comprises first and second supports 11 and 12 , a frame 20 enabling carriages 30 a and 30 b to move , the carriages having paddles 40 a and 40 b mounted thereon , and the device also having a conveyor clamp 50 . in this example , the device is mainly adapted to setting a spring having an axis that is rectilinear . each of the first and second supports 11 and 12 is in the form of a cylinder 13 fitted at its end with a transverse disk 14 forming a retaining surface 14 a facing towards the inside of the device 1 , and a support projection 15 coaxial with the cylinder 13 and projecting a few centimeters from the retaining surface 14 a . the diameter of the support projection 15 is substantially equal to or slightly less than the inside diameter ( i . e . the diameter of the inscribed circle ) of the end turns 2 e of the spring 2 . the diameter of the transverse disk 14 , and thus of the retaining surface 14 a is approximately equal to the outside diameter ( i . e . the diameter of the circumscribed circle ) of the spring 2 , and in any event it is greater than the outside diameter of the end turns 2 e of the spring 2 . in this example , the supports 11 and 12 are on a common axis and they face each other . the first support 11 is stationary while the second support 12 is movable and is driven by driven means that are not shown . in another example , the first support 11 could also be movable . in this embodiment , the supports 11 and 12 are identical in diameter . nevertheless , in other embodiments , one of the two supports 11 could present a diameter that is different from that of the other support 12 . this applies in particular for applications in which the spring 2 does not have a constant body diameter , such as for example a two - pigtail spring in which the end turns 2 e present diameters that are smaller than the diameter of the turns 2 s in the body of the spring 2 , which end turn diameters may differ from each other . the frame 20 in this example supports two carriages 30 a and 30 b , however in entirely analogous manner it could support only one or it could support more than two carriages depending on the length of the spring 2 . two bars 22 are fastened between the rear and front end uprights 21 and 21 ′ of the frame 20 . each carriage 30 a , 30 b possesses a sliding block 31 having two through holes 32 configured to pass the two bars 22 of the frame 20 : the sliding block 31 of the carriages 30 can thus slide along the bars 22 from the rear of the frame 20 towards the front , and vice versa . each carriage 30 also has a substantially l - shaped stand 33 . each stand 33 possesses an anchor portion 33 a at one of its ends whereby the stand is fastened to the respective sliding block 31 , e . g . by means of screws . each stand 33 possesses a fastener portion 33 b at its other end , with a paddle 40 being fastened thereto . between its anchor and fastener portions 33 a and 33 b , each stand 33 possesses an offset portion 33 c serving to offset the paddle 40 from its respective sliding block 31 in the main forward / rearward direction of the device 1 . in this way , the paddles 40 can easily be moved towards each other without being hindered by the thickness of the sliding blocks 31 of the carriages 30 . the carriages 30 have sliding blocks 31 of different heights , which heights are adjusted so as to enable the stands 33 of carriages 30 b towards the rear end to pass at least in part over the stands 33 of carriages 30 a towards the front end . in order to adjust the initial position of each paddle 40 , the frame 20 includes a stop 23 a , 23 b for each carriage 30 a , 30 b , the stop being fastened to the rear upright 21 of the frame 20 . the stops 23 a , 23 b co - operate with an abutment projection 34 a , 34 b projecting under the sliding block 31 of each carriage 30 . these stops 23 a , 23 b are adjustable by means of a wormscrew or piston mechanism , for example , in order to enable the initial positions of the paddles 40 to be adjusted easily . in addition , return springs 24 are mounted around each bar 22 , firstly between the front upright 21 ′ and the front surface of the sliding block 31 of the foremost carriage 30 a , and secondly between the sliding blocks 31 of each of the carriages 30 a , 30 b . in this way , the carriages 30 a , 30 b are permanently urged rearwards , i . e . towards their respective stops 23 a , 23 b . the stiffnesses and the unloaded lengths of the return springs 24 are adjusted so that this remains true even if certain rear carriages 30 b are pressed against their stops 23 b . each paddle 40 has a ring 41 having a 90 ° angular quarter truncated therefrom . more precisely , truncating begins vertically at the top of the paddle 40 and terminates horizontally on the left or right side of the paddle 40 . in this example , the side that is truncated alternates between successive paddles 40 . as can be seen more clearly in fig2 , the ring 41 is slightly helical such that its top end 41 s is not in the same transverse plane as its lateral end 41 l : the ring 41 thus follows substantially the helix of the spring 2 during blocking . in addition , the top and lateral ends 41 s and 41 l may be slightly chamfered in order to avoid presenting sharp edges that might mark of damage the spring 2 . furthermore , each paddle 40 presents a base 42 enabling the paddle 40 to be fastened on the fastener portion 33 b of the stand 33 of its respective carriage 30 . the operation of the device 1 is described below with reference to fig1 , 2 , and 3 , which show the device 1 respectively before blocking , during blocking , and after blocking . in the initial state of the device 1 , all of the movable elements are in their initial rest states , with these states being adjusted by means of the adjustable stops 23 a and 23 b of the carriages 30 and also by means for driving the second support 12 as a function of the shape and mainly of the length of the initial spring 2 . thus , the carriages 30 bear via the return springs 24 against their respective stops 23 a , 23 b , and the second support 12 is in its set - back position . upstream from the device 1 , springs 2 are delivered so that the conveyor clamp 50 can take hold of them . the arrangement of the springs 2 as delivered in this way , and in particular the angular orientation , is adjusted upstream so that the clamp 50 can take hold of them easily and can put them into place in the device 1 directly in the appropriate position . the clamp 50 thus places the spring 2 between the two supports 11 and 12 : each end turn 2 e of the spring 2 is thus blocked firstly by the support projection 15 that engages inside the end turn 2 e so as to block it radially , and secondly by the retaining surface 14 a that blocks it axially . on this occasion , the second support 12 may possibly perform a movement , e . g . advancing through a few centimeters , so as to facilitate engagement of the support projections 15 within the end turns 2 e of the spring 2 , and then so as to lock that engagement . since the initial positions of the paddles 40 is adjusted appropriately by the adjustable stops 23 a , 23 b , the stops are directly in the proper positions , i . e . between the intended turns 2 s , when the spring 2 is put into place in the device 1 . this state is shown in fig1 . compression can then begin : the second support 12 moves for this purpose towards the first support 11 , in a straight line in this example , so as to compress the spring 2 . during said compression , the turns 2 s move towards one another and also towards the first support 11 that remains stationary . as they move , the turns 2 s then entrain the paddles 40 that likewise move towards the first support 11 as a result of their carriages 30 sliding on the bars 22 of the frame 20 . the second support 12 compresses the spring 2 until the turns 2 s are all touching , either touching one another or else touching certain paddles 40 . once this touching state has been reached , as shown in fig2 , the second support 12 stops without further compressing the spring 2 so as to avoid loading the paddles 40 . this blocked state is held for approximately 1 second . thereafter , the second support 12 reverses so as to return to its initial rest position and thereby relax the spring 2 . the paddles 40 , once released in this way , are pushed back by the return springs 24 and the carriages 30 towards their initial positions as defined by the adjustable stops 23 a , 23 b . the clamp 50 can then take hold of the final spring 2 ′ and convey it downstream from the device i . this state is shown in fig3 , another clamp 50 or the same clamp 50 then takes a new spring 2 and the cycle begins again . the duration of such a cycle does not exceed more than about 5 seconds . the device 1 may also have heater means for imposing a certain temperature within the device 1 , given that the temperature at which blocking takes place can have an influence on the mechanical properties of the final spring 2 ′. fig6 a and 6b show respectively the initial spring 2 and the final spring 2 ′. because of this blocking to a controlled extent , the final spring 2 ′ has been subjected to a certain amount of plastification , thereby raising its elastic limit , and it has lost only a little of its initial length ( to be compared with the final spring 3 ′ of the prior art having touching turns as shown in fig7 b ). in addition , because of the paddles 40 that have served to control the shape of the spring 2 during blocking , the final spring 2 ′ is not deformed laterally and it retains a regular distance between turns ( to be compared with the final spring 4 ′ of the prior art at controlled height without a paddle as shown in fig8 b ). fig4 shows a second device example 100 that is entirely analogous to the device 1 of the first example except that the paddies 40 are replaced by y - shaped rests 140 . these rests thus have three branches 141 a , 141 b , and 141 c arranged at 120 ° relative to one another . the end of the vertical branch 141 a is extended by a base 142 that is fastened to the fastener portion 133 b of the stand 133 of the associated carriage 130 . in . this example , the rests 140 thus co - operate with the turns of the spring 2 at only three points , which is sufficient for controlling the shape of the spring 2 . in this example , it may be observed that the three branches 141 a , 141 b , and 141 c of the y - shape are not contained in a common plane extending transversely to the common axis of the supports 11 and 12 : like the paddles 40 in the first example which are substantially helical , this makes it possible to fit more closely to the shape of the spring 2 during blocking . fig5 is a diagram showing the principle of a third device example 200 that is entirely analogous to the devices 1 and 100 of the first two examples , except that the paddles 240 ( which could equally well be y - shaped rests ) have a profile that is wedge - shaped , with the thickness of the paddle 240 being greater at the top than at the bottom . in this example , three wedge - shaped paddles 240 are used : they enable the spring to be deformed transversely in differential manner so as to impart curvature to the axis a of the spring 202 . in this example , a curved spring is obtained that is c - shaped , however it is possible to devise other configurations for imposing curvature that is more complicated , and in particular s - shaped . the spring may already be curved initially , or it may initially be rectilinear and it may become curved as a result of the setting . in such a device 200 for a curved spring , it may be necessary to adapt the second support so that it follows a curved trajectory on approaching the first support . likewise , and as applies in this example , it may be necessary to incline the paddles 240 so as to accommodate the curvature of the “ axis a ” of the spring 202 . for this purpose , it is possible either to use a frame that remains rectilinear in association with paddles that extend at particular angles relative to their carriages at their bases , or else to use a frame that is entirely analogous , but curved . the embodiments described above are given by way of non - limiting illustration , and from the above description a person skilled in the art can easily modify those embodiments , or can devise others , while remaining within the ambit of the invention . furthermore , the various features of these embodiments may be used on their own or they may be combined with one another . when they are combined , these features may be combined as described above or differently , the invention not being limited to the specific combinations described above . in particular , unless specified to the contrary , any feature described in association with one particular embodiment may be applied in analogous manner with another embodiment .
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referring to the drawings in particular , identical reference numbers are used for identical components of the same exemplary embodiments in all figures , unless mentioned otherwise . fig1 a shows the view of a single - pole exemplary embodiment of a high - temperature patch plug 50 , viewed against the plugging direction . a housing 51 with a detent 52 is recognized . the plug - side boundary surface of housing 51 is passed through by a passage opening 57 , which is limited by a double circle because of a wall 67 beveled as an insertion aid , and by a duct opening 65 . lines b - b and c - c represent section lines , which illustrate the perspective of the views in fig2 and 3 , from which the design of the high - temperature patch plug 50 appears even more clearly . fig1 b shows the same view of a two - pole high - temperature patch plug . a housing 81 with a detent 82 is recognized . the plug - side boundary surface of housing 81 is passed through in this embodiment by two passage openings 83 and by two duct openings 84 . the passage openings 84 are arranged next to each other and each above the corresponding duct openings 84 . the arrangements of the passage openings 83 and duct openings 84 are , in principle , freely selectable as desired , but it is advantageous to arrange the duct openings 84 between a wall of housing 81 and the passage openings 83 associated with the respective duct openings , because this contributes to a more compact design . fig1 c shows the same view of a four - pole high - temperature patch plug . a housing 91 with a detent 92 is recognized . the plug - side boundary surface of housing 91 is passed through in this embodiment by four passage openings 93 and by four duct openings 94 . the passage openings 93 are arranged each next to each other , and the corresponding duct openings 94 are arranged each between the passage openings 93 and a wall of housing 91 . fig2 shows a sectional view of the exemplary embodiment from fig1 a , cut along line b - b . the high - temperature patch plug 50 has a housing 51 made in one piece , which preferably consists of a ceramic or a high - temperature - resistant plastic . housing 51 has , furthermore , a detent 52 , which can be locked , as is shown in fig4 b , with a recess 22 in a tongue 21 of a second sleeve 20 of a counterplug 10 in order to prevent unintended separation of the plug - in connection . housing 51 has , furthermore , on the plugging side , a passage opening 57 with a wall 67 beveled as an insertion aid and a duct opening 65 and , on the side located opposite the plugging side , an insertion opening 63 . passage opening 57 and insertion opening 63 are connected to one another via an interior 59 of housing 51 . the duct opening 65 is likewise connected to the interior 59 via a duct 56 , which extends in parallel to the plugging direction and is open towards the interior 59 . a deformation of the housing 51 forms a locking step 53 , whose plugging side forms the end surface of duct 56 , which said end surface faces away from the plugging side . a contact element 64 , which can be pushed in through the insertion opening 63 and is designed here as a clamping bushing with clamping legs 54 , 58 and with a mounting area 62 and preferably consists of steel , especially spring steel , is inserted into the interior 59 . as is apparent from fig3 , contact element 64 has two more clamping legs 68 , 69 , which cannot be recognized in the view shown in fig2 . a stop spring 55 , which is locked with locking step 53 , is arranged at clamping leg 58 . an advantageous embodiment of the present invention can be illustrated once again on the basis of the view shown in fig2 : this figure shows a straight line p , which extends in parallel to the plugging direction through the center of passage opening 57 . the surface 66 of the locking step 53 facing the straight line p is at a greater distance in this exemplary embodiment from this straight line than the distance between a point of wall 67 of the passage opening 57 and the parallel p . the locking step 53 is thus lower than the part of the wall 67 of the passage opening 57 , which part is oriented in the same direction . it is achieved due to this geometric relationship that even though contact element 64 can be pushed in the plugging direction over the locking step 53 until it becomes locked , it cannot be pushed out of the housing 51 . in particular , nearly clearance - free seating of the locked contact element 64 can be achieved in case of corresponding adaptation of the length ratios between housing 51 and the length of the clamping legs 54 , 58 and the arrangement of the position of stop spring 55 at the clamping leg 58 . the embodiment of housing 51 shown with plug - side duct opening 65 and duct 56 can be manufactured in a simple , cost - effective and novel manner with the use of injection molding techniques . the housing 51 is manufactured at first and the housing is then deformed , with the contact element 64 inserted and already connected to an inner conductor 61 of a connection line 60 , at a point at which the locking step 53 is to be prepared . a preferred possibility for this is , for example , a local thermal deformation . to obtain a secure and reliable high - temperature patch plug 50 , it is desirable to avoid breaking through the housing 51 at right angles to the plugging direction ; the use of a punch working in this direction is therefore ruled out during the manufacture for preparing the locking step 53 . as is shown in fig4 b , a contact element 12 of the counterplug 10 , which said contact element is designed as a contact pin , can be clamped between the clamping legs 54 , 58 and the other two clamping legs 68 , 69 , which cannot be recognized in this sectional view . a reliable electrical and mechanical contact is ensured between the respective contact elements 12 , 64 due to the high pressure of the clamping legs , which is made possible by the use of steel as the material for the contact elements even at high temperatures . an electric contact with an exposed inner conductor 61 of a connection line 60 , which is inserted over a certain section into the housing 51 through the insertion opening 63 , is made in the receiving area 62 of the contact element 64 . a preferred embodiment of a multipole high - temperature patch plug is obtained , in principle , by arranging the desired number of single - pole patch plugs , which is achieved such that detents 52 of the single - pole patch plugs always point in the direction of an outer wall of the resulting plug housing 51 . the inner walls between the individual single - pole assembly units or cells of the resulting multipole high - temperature patch plug are now made preferably thinner . fig3 shows another sectional view of the exemplary embodiment from fig1 a , cut along line c - c . the design , which appears from fig3 , fully corresponds to the design described in detail on the basis of fig2 ; reference is explicitly made to the description of fig2 to avoid repetitions and only the further recognizable details will be dealt with . metal strips 70 , 71 , which are arranged in the connection area 62 of contact element 64 and are pressed onto the inner conductor 61 to fix same , can be recognized especially clearly in this section . furthermore , the two clamping legs 68 , 69 , which are not visible in fig2 , can be recognized in this section . it also becomes clear that stop spring 55 is formed by a material strip of the clamping leg 58 here . fig4 a shows the view of a novel plug - in connection manufactured with the use of the high - temperature patch plug shown in fig1 through 3 with a counterplug 10 , viewed at right angles to the plugging direction . only the metal jacket 16 of the metal - jacketed connection line 19 , the connection sleeve 11 and the second sleeve 20 with tongue 21 and recess 22 are recognized from the counterplug 10 in this view . a connection line 60 , a part of a housing 51 , over which part of the second sleeve 20 does not extend , and a detent 52 , which is arranged at housing 51 and meshes with the recess 22 , can be recognized from the high - temperature patch plug 50 . details of the design can be found from the sectional view along line a - a , which is shown as fig4 b . the view of the high - temperature patch plug 50 , which is shown in fig4 b , is exactly identical to the view shown in fig2 . reference is therefore made for its design to the description of fig2 . concerning the design of the counterplug 10 , fig4 b shows a metal - jacketed connection line 19 , comprising a wire section 18 , which is surrounded at right angles to its first direction of extension by an insulating embedding 17 and a metal jacket 16 . a wire end 14 projects in the plugging direction from the front surface of the metal - jacketed connection line 19 . the end section of the metal - jacketed connection line 19 is surrounded at right angles to the first direction of extension of the metal - jacketed connection line 19 by a connection sleeve 11 made of metal , which is firmly connected to the metal jacket 16 . connection sleeve 11 extends in the plugging direction beyond the end of the metal jacketed connection line 19 . wire end 14 is in contact in a contact area 15 with a contact element 12 , which is designed here as a contact pin with a hole , which is , however , not visible in fig2 because it is filled by the plug - side end section of the wire end 14 . contact element 12 projects over the connection sleeve 11 in the plug - side direction . the space area between contact element 12 or the wire end 14 and the part of the connection sleeve 11 , which part extends beyond the end of the metal - jacketed connection line 19 in the plugging direction , is filled with a ceramic insulating mass 13 . a filling with a metal oxide would be just as suitable . the exact positioning of the contact element 12 is fixed , on the one hand , and the thermal and electric insulation from the connection sleeve 11 is ensured , on the other hand , by the filling . not only the contact area 15 , but other areas of the wire end 14 and of the contact element 12 are also embedded in the ceramic insulating mass in the exemplary embodiment being shown , which makes the manufacture of the counterplug 10 especially simple . at a plug - side section of the connection sleeve 11 , a second sleeve 20 made of metal , which extends in the plugging direction both beyond the connection sleeve 11 and the plug - side end of the contact element 12 , is fastened in the direction extending at right angles to the plugging direction , surrounding said connection sleeve 11 . even though a strong holding force is exerted between the high - temperature patch plug 50 and the counterplug 10 even at high temperature especially if contact elements made of steel are used , securing the plug - in connection by means of the second sleeve 20 is advantageous . this is made possible by the fact that a section of the wall of the second sleeve 20 , which said section is not in contact with the connection sleeve 11 , is designed as a tongue 21 , which has a recess 22 . as will be described in more detail below on the basis of fig4 a and 4 b , a locking connection is made hereby possible between the high - temperature patch plug 50 and the counterplug 10 . the plug - side edge of the second sleeve 20 is advantageously bent slightly to the outside , i . e ., in the direction at right angles to the plugging direction in order to form an insertion aid for the high - temperature patch plug 50 . this novel combination of counterplug 10 and high - temperature patch plug 50 makes possible a hitherto unknown , very simple and comfortable procedure in manufacturing the plug - in connection . after the counterplug 10 has been supplied , only a section of the inner conductor 61 must be exposed at the plug - side end of the connection line 60 , which said section is then brought , e . g ., by crimping or soldering , into electric contact with the contact element 64 of the counterplug . the connection line thus connected to the contact element 64 must then only be pushed in through the insertion opening 63 of housing 51 until stop spring 55 locks with the locking step 53 . the contact element 64 of counterplug 50 is thus fixed between the locking step 53 and the plug - side wall of housing 51 and the high - temperature patch plug is assembled completely . to finish the plug - in connection , only the housing 51 must be pushed into the second sleeve 20 of the counterplug 10 until the detent 52 locks into recess 22 . contact element 12 of the counterplug 10 is now brought at the same time into electric connection with contact element 64 of the high - temperature patch plug 50 . separation of the plug - in connection is just as simple . tongue 21 of the counter plug 10 is raised for this , e . g ., by means of a screwdriver , so that the detent 52 is released . the counterplug 10 and the high - temperature patch plug 50 can then be pulled apart . it is possible in the same manner to push back the stop spring 55 of the contact element 64 by inserting a correspondingly shaped object through the duct opening 65 into the duct 56 and to make it possible hereby to pull out the contact element 64 . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . p parallel to the plugging direction extending through the center of an insertion opening
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fig1 is a diagram of a personal digital assistant ( pda ) 100 showing a user interface in accordance with the invention . the pda is a small , self - contained computer that has a microprocessor , memory , input and output devices , and interfaces for add - on devices . the pda 100 runs an operating system that provides functionality and services for applications , that is , for computer programs configured to run on the pda . as will be described in reference to both fig1 and fig2 the display tablet of the pda is controlled by software ( computer program instructions ) executed by the microprocessor and other elements of the pda . the software implements a process 200 ( fig2 ) that prepares the user interface shown on the display tablet for handwritten input ( step 202 ) by defining input regions 104 and 106 in the input or active area of the display tablet ( step 204 ). two regions are sufficient , although more can be used , and the regions need only be high enough ( for horizontal writing ) or wide enough ( for vertical writing ) to allow a user to write one line height ( or width ) comfortably . optionally , the process can define a reviewing area 102 for the user interface ( step 206 ). the reviewing area 102 is used to display , in a reduced size , what the user has most recently written . displaying the recent writing at one - fourth scale in the reviewing area provides good visual feedback to the user . the process 200 can be invoked by , or implemented in , any program running on the pda that requires or can accept handwritten input . after having prepared the user interface , the process receives input ( step 210 ) in the form of marks made by the user on the tablet in one of the regions ( step 212 ). the process displays the marks on the display tablet where the marks were made ( step 214 ) as the marks are made ; or , if the input tablet is not a display tablet , the process can display the marks on a monitor or other display device connected to the computer running the process . if a reviewing area has been defined , the marks made in the current region are also displayed in the reviewing area . having begun writing in one of the input regions , the user can continue writing in the region by making marks at any place and in any order within the region . thus , the user can go back and dot i &# 39 ; s and cross t &# 39 ; s . if the underlying operating system or application software supports erasure or other editing of marks on the input tablet , the user can use all supported forms of erasure and editing . the user can start over in the region by clicking the “ clear ” button 108 ( fig1 ), which causes the process to erase the region and allow the user to begin writing again . when the user is done with the current input region , the user can so indicate by making a mark in a different one of the input regions ( step 218 ). the process then optionally trims the completed region ( step 220 ) by logically trimming unmarked space from one end but not from the opposite end of the region before adding the marks in the region to an output stream . by trimming the unmarked space from the right of the region but not the left , the process allows the user to insert space intentionally within the writing by leaving blank space at the left of a region , while not compelling the user to write all the way to the right margin to avoid inserting unintended space . this provides a natural writing interface for a user writing left - to - right , and the same technique can be used , mutatis mutandis , for writing that runs in any other direction . the trimming can be accomplished by defining a bounding box for each input region . to define the positions of the handwritten marks from different input regions with respect to each other , the bounding boxes are logically concatenated . the length of each bounding box in the writing direction is defined dynamically to fit the marks made in the corresponding input region . the width of each bounding box perpendicular to the writing direction is advantageously set to be the same for all bounding boxes and the same as the width of the input region . to define the length dynamically , the bounding box for each input region has a leading boundary the position of which is fixed with respect to the input region and a trailing boundary the position of which varies with respect to the input region to accommodate the marks made in the input region . as each input region is used or reused , a new bounding box is defined for the marks newly made in the region . the trimmed region defines a chunk of data , which is added to the output stream ( step 224 ). the display of marks in the reviewing region also reflects the trimming of the region ( step 228 ). in this way , the region just completed is logically concatenated with the sequentially preceding region , and all neighboring regions are logically concatenated to form a representation of the user &# 39 ; s handwritten input . if the user has more marks to make , the process continues ( the “ no ” branch from decision step 230 ) by repeating the actions of receiving marks ( now in the newly selected region ), displaying the marks in the region , and displaying the marks in the reviewing area ( collectively , step 210 ). in fig1 the input regions 104 and 106 and the reviewing area 102 are shown as displaying a signature that was begun in input region 106 and completed in input region 104 . in actual operation , the process would not display the handwritten marks in both input regions as shown . the process clears the display of the current region after the user indicates that the current region is complete . the user can indicate that both the current region and the entire input sequence are complete by selecting the “ done ” button 110 ( fig1 ) on the user interface . when this occurs , the last region can be , but need not be , trimmed ( step 220 ), as has been described . it is then added to the output stream . the process then provides the entire output stream to a program — typically , an application that requested the input ( step 250 and “ yes ” branch of decision step 230 ). the markings made by the user are stored as data in a random access memory of the pda under control of the application and operating software of the device . the data typically takes the form of sample times and corresponding positions and pressures , if the device is pressure sensitive . the output stream is maintained in memory in the pda . the output stream is stored using a data structure , such as a linked list , that maintains the separate identity of the chunks , thereby preserving region boundary information and allowing programs that receive and process the output stream to process the output stream in chunk units . alternatively , the output stream can be stored as a linear array or list of sample points with additional data specifying the location of region ( that is , chunk ) boundaries . the output stream can be processed by an application program running on the device that received the handwriting or by an application program on a different computer that receives the output stream data . for example , an output stream in a palm iii organizer can be transmitted to a personal computer ( step 250 ), such as a computer running the microsoft ® windows ® 95 operating system or the apple computer macintosh ® operating system , using the palm computing ® palm os hotsync ® architecture . an application program can manipulate the output stream data in a number of useful ways ( step 260 ). the application can fit cubic curves , such as bézier curves , and splines to the data ( step 270 ). the application can express the data in a page description language , such as the postscript ® language , by fitting the sample data points to drawing elements supported by the language , and the page description language representation can be rendered for display or printing ( step 272 ). the application can display the data in any of the foregoing forms in a target region , such as a rectangular region within an electronic document , flowing the data into the target region in chunk units , which will cause the displayed representation of the handwriting to have line breaks only at the original input - region boundaries ( step 264 ). pressure data , if available , can be used to vary the thickness of displayed lines and curves . the application can edit the sequence of chunks in the output stream by deleting a chunk , by inserting a chunk , by replacing a chunk , and by rearranging chunks ( step 268 ). either as a set of points or in a vector representation , each individual chunk can be edited using bitmap or vector oriented editing tools . the application can also apply a handwriting recognition process to the output stream data to convert the markings data into text data ( step 274 ). the process 200 can be implemented using commonly - available software development tools for the platform or platforms on which the computer programs implementing the process are to run . the invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer hardware , firmware , software , or in combinations of them . apparatus of the invention can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine - readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor . method steps of the invention can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output . the invention can advantageously be implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from , and to transmit data and instructions to , a data storage system , at least one input device , and at least one output device . each computer program can be implemented in a high - level procedural or object - oriented programming language , or in assembly or machine language if desired . the language can be a compiled or interpreted language . suitable processors include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory and / or a random access memory . storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , such as eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks ; magneto - optical disks ; and cd - rom disks . any of the foregoing can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , asics ( application - specific integrated circuits ). a suitable programmable processing system for implementing apparatus or performing methods of the invention includes a processor , a random access memory ( ram ), a program memory ( for example , a writable read - only memory ( rom ) such as a flash rom ), an input tablet controller , a display device controller , and an input / output ( i / o ) controller coupled by a processor ( cpu ) bus . the system can be preprogrammed in rom or it can be programmed ( and reprogrammed ) by loading a program from another source . the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . for example , the steps of the invention can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results . the input regions and reviewing area have been illustrated as running horizontally . for input in languages written vertically , the input regions and reviewing area would run from top to bottom on the input tablet . the tablet can be an input - only device and the marks made by the user can be displayed on a different device . the invention can be implemented on a palm , notebook , desktop , or other form of a computer . the sampling of the input tablet can be done at a variable rate as well as a fixed rate . a completed region can be trimmed to a bounding box around the markings , or the two ends of the bounding box perpendicular to the writing direction can be trimmed while leaving the sides of the bounding box parallel to the writing direction fixed . a trailing edge strip of the current region can be reproduced at the leading edge margin of what will be the next region so that the user can align and join markings across region boundaries easily and accurately . if the user does join marks across region boundaries , the pair of regions can be treated as a single chunk when reflowing the output stream . the bounding box , or markers identifying the locations of one or more sides of the bounding box , and in particular a marker identifying the location of the trailing edge side of the bounding box , can be displayed with the marks made by the user . the reviewing area can be implemented with scrolling , so that the user can scroll to and select a chunk of data , display it , edit it , and restore it to the output stream .
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it is well known that communicating about the internet is done by single urls sent mostly via email to friends , customers , family , and the ordinary person , suggesting the most important of their findings of research in their results to these others as a result of browsing the internet , opening websites , and researching different items of interest that become accessible to others through an “ email your friend an item campaign ” by a website designer or copy and paste internet url links in email to share information as well as saving for themselves the same information in a history within internet browsers . in this invention , the unified tracking in a database is a system in part and whole located locally on hard - drives and servers and through internet protocol at times on storage systems , such as , ip telephony , mobile phones , mobile system storage devices and average home and laptop computers used for software installations , and the offer of the present invention is to use a method within these internet systems and to provide at least one form of object to create trails of urls that are readily edited , added , deleted , and shared with the same properties for others receiving them to change them or to design their own , having primary urls as a point to point or step by step to a landing page or pages . it is also well known &# 39 ; to developers and software engineers in a business environment that microsoft excel has two macro programming languages available to create applications and run a system of calculations on the database in the spreadsheet in a written command by command line . one of those programs at present is the microsoft excel version 4 . 0 macro language . and the other is visual basic , a long time program available for many years and continuously updated . visual basic language is nominated as the best because it is more flexible and powerful than the microsoft excel version 4 . 0 macro language . however , macros , sometimes mini - applications , can be found on the internet for a plurality of purposes . for example , the lay user &# 39 ; s purpose is to type in the command lines of the macro program language , a series of written lines to enable highlighting duplicate entries in a long list of addresses . the user can then see in , red , the rows of the spreadsheet that indicate a duplicate in a spreadsheet of thousands of possible entries that would otherwise be unrecognizable and difficult on the human eye to find . and this is how programming works to enable a user a benefit . it can also be further said from the previous example , you may want to write additional line commands to delete these duplicate entries and put in better and more likely candidates for a mailing , based on age , demographic , or updated information as it becomes available . this would utilize a business network through an it professional , an environment where information is available on another person &# 39 ; s hard - drive , server , or mobile application storage device therein containing the program language for recognition for finding better possibilities . this would be recognized as database management for a business interested in communicating and calculating data between one another where the excel spreadsheet would be the computer image interface . microsoft visual studio professional 2008 , an available programming language , works within these principles , to allow for database engineers , to create an image interface both online and on the computer desktop . for example , the image interface software language , are typed as command lines as a part of the computer software program , commonly known to the database engineer or software developer . tools are available for working with images . and the visual interface is created on a desktop or within an internet page , and can include additional visual objects thereon , such as , places for produced lists , menus , toolbars , browsers , website thumbnails of the present inventions trails to be used on the computer desktop screen or internet . the program can be tested by the written command by command line that can offer the user to implement actions and calculations on a database , within the software , and can readily be used for visual network on the internet on open access internet programs located on the computer desktop in software located on hard - drives on computers and laptops and other storage devices , such as , servers , ip telephony and mobile phones or on the internet . this is only an example of the step procedure and such a program allowing the same . keyboard and mice hardware with wireless or physical connections to the computer can be served as usable tracking systems by using the hardware , such as , memory buttons , tracking and recording the internet usage , or command buttons thereon , giving the actuation from one step to another . fig1 shows a flow diagram and where someone uses a command to access the internet 1 , the database records that step 2 , adds another command 3 that is a go - to command 4 , records and appends command 3 upon step 5 is saved 6 as in fig4 number 47 or automatically and has destination 7 created as an object 8 located in a pane as in fig3 my trails 28 as a bank account research 10 , having password as in fig4 number 63 . fig2 shows a flow diagram and where a commercial trail is created through a command to access the internet 11 , the database records that step 12 , adds another command 13 that is a go - to command 14 , records and appends command 13 upon step 15 is saved 16 as in fig4 number 47 or automatically and has destination 17 created as an object 18 located in a database 19 has calculation within 20 is added for consumer 21 as in fig3 add a trail 32 as a bank account company for consumer use 22 . fig3 a computer screen 23 is shown with database interface 24 positively or negatively located 25 on an operating system toolbar or sidebar 26 , having a beginning trail departing 27 to create my trails 28 my bank 29 my news 30 and my stocks 31 in pane 36 and add a trail from commercial users 32 big bank 33 big news 34 and big broker 35 located in pane 37 . fig4 a computer screen 38 shows operating system toolbar start button 39 operating system toolbar 40 and task tray installed software trail blazer 41 with screen also showing a mini interface 42 having a toolbar like search box 43 search button 44 and optional begin trail button 45 or 46 to be saved and created 47 or automatically as shown accomplished in fig5 and successful 85 with also minimizing 48 fit in window 49 and closing system 50 and a similar system interface to fig3 shows panes 51 , 52 , and 53 with scroll bar object 54 , scroll bar 55 for business advertisement trails 67 placement table 66 directly to final adorned trail 69 as selected by consumer or placement table 68 moving adorned trail named 62 by graphic tool usage 61 and pre - placed advertisements 64 and 65 with password entry box 63 to final adorned trail 69 a complete trail desktop icon 70 and scroll bar object 71 used to scroll bar 72 down through items in pane 51 where the unit interface has minimizing tool 73 fit in window tool 74 and closing tool 75 where the desktop has icons 76 , 77 , and 78 that could be from a mouse dragging 79 adorned trail 70 to desktop placement 80 or business trail 81 and copying and pasting 82 into email drop 83 . fig5 shows an internet content page 84 that stores desktop icons as in fig4 number 70 for a user to begin online and a trail that began 93 and saved 94 is successfully saved in the content page or a content page where database or integrated advertisements are used for the consumer in 84 or also separately showing in an automated system the desktop icon result , produced list , and successful manual save 85 and closing box 86 where the rest of the screen has a browser 87 on an internet or intranet 88 with toolbar object 89 included advertisements from the database 90 , 91 , and 92 with numbering of the entire trail displayed in 95 and market name 96 to become more apparent in fig6 number 106 and finally tab systems displayed as another embodiment 97 and 98 . fig6 shows the internet or intranet and title in 99 with a minimal unit box to be used to number trails 100 or unnecessary in some cases where the unit is one instead of nineteen and 101 shows the back to eighteen in the trail or forward to twenty of the trail in 102 to also close or open a sidebar in 103 the numbers in the trail 104 and targeted advertisements 105 and 118 related to weather and the sun and the keyword 106 in current trail 107 searching for other content in trails similar to 106 by pressing search in 108 and beginning trail and saving trails may be done in 109 and 110 including features to utilize an address in a new trail 111 and go - to in 112 therein also a website 113 and added streaming information 115 may also be used as a drop down menu separately 114 with a produced trail list where further a similar trail is advertised in 117 and the last destination of purchase is shown in 119 and 120 through the use of a previous trail and finally 121 display trail content for number nineteen in the set .
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an example of an abrasive capsule of this invention is shown in the single figure . an abrasive capsule 10 has a plurality of abrasive grains 16 dispersed throughout grinding aid 14 encapsulated by shell wall 12 . this invention is further illustrated by the following examples . all percentages and parts are by weight unless otherwise noted . a urea - formaldehyde precondensate was formed by blending 20 grams of urea and 54 grams of 37 % formaldehyde in water , adding 0 . 4 ml . tetraethylene amine to render the system basic and slowly stirring the mixture for 1 hour at 70 ° c . the system was then diluted with 92 ml . of water and the temperature lowered to about 30 ° c . an oil - abrasive slurry containing 40 grams of &# 34 ; vantrol &# 34 ; 5551 - a and 10 grams of 3 micron diamond was added to the system and 50 ml . water and 1 . 8 ml . 9 % hydrochloric acid added immediately thereafter . the resulting mixture was stirred rapidly to form droplets of the oil - abrasive slurry and the temperature raised to 40 ° c . over a 2 hour period and maintained at 40 ° c . for an additional 2 hours while continuing agitation . in the warm acidic environment the urea - formaldehyde condensed into shell walls enclosing the slurry . the solution was then neutralized using 5 grams of 8 % sodium acetate , after which the capsules were filtered and washed several times in clear water . the diameter of the capsules ranged from 5 to 150 microns . the capsule diameter can be lowered by increasing , or raised by decreasing , the rate of agitation . a slurry of capsules and base - catalyzed phenolic resin containing 3 parts capsules to one part resin by weight , having a viscosity of about 350 centipoise , was knife coated onto a standard fine grade diamond cloth ( 35 % cotton - 65 % polyester , plain weave ) at a knife setting of four mils . the material was air dried at 80 ° c . and cured for 10 hours at 100 ° c . the coated abrasive of this example looks like a coarser grade product than the 3 - micron component abrasive grains ; it resembled a normal grade 220 coated abrasive . the upper layer of capsules can be ruptured by a finger . the physical characteristics , e . g ., flexibility , thickness , and handleability , were comparable to a conventionally prepared coated abrasive . the coated abrasive was found to be very useful for machine polishing silicon wafers , supporting the wafers on a flat substrate and abrading them with an oscillating disc having the coated abrasive of this example adhered to its lower surface . the coated abrasive of this example offers a surface which conforms to the shape of the work piece , and the contained diamond slurry produces a fine finish . the procedure of example 1 was repeated , substituting a abrasive - grinding aid slurry comprising 9 micron aluminum oxide abrasive and oleic acid in a 1 : 1 weight ratio of abrasive to grinding aid . the capsules were combined with urethane - phenoxy adhesive to form a mixture , the ratio of capsules to resin solids being 3 : 1 by weight . the resin comprises 70 parts hydroxyterminated polyester having an equivalent weight of about 15 , 000 and 30 parts of bisphenol a diluted to 35 % total solids in methyl ethyl ketone . the resin is activated with &# 34 ; papi &# 34 ; ( polyphenylpolyarylpolyisocyanate ) using one part &# 34 ; papi &# 34 ; per 10 parts resin . magnetic recording heads made of brass and stainless steel were then hand lapped using the coated abrasive of this example to polish the surface and bring the heads to their finished dimension . heads lapped with the coated abrasive of this example had a finer , more uniform surface finish when visually compared to heads lapped on a standard lapping film where 9 micron aluminum oxide was coated without encapsulation . the lubricant present in the capsules lessened the frictional forces between the lapping film and recording head during lapping , making lapping easier than with the conventional lapping film . the abrasive capsules of example 1 were substituted for the abrasive capsules of example 2 and the procedure of example 2 followed to form a film - backed coated abrasive . the coated abrasive was cut into the shape of an annulus . a nickel plated computer memory disc was mounted on a spindle and the abrasive rotateably mounted in contact with the disc surface . the memory disc and abrasive were rotated in contact to polish the disc surface using the following conditions : coated abrasive size : 41 / 4 inch outer diameter by 21 / 2 inch center hole kerosene lubricant was applied at the surface being abraded during polishing . after a 3 minute polish period the disc finish was measured using a &# 34 ; tallysurf .&# 34 ; the machine gave a reading of about 1 . 0 microinch centerline average . readings below 1 . 0 microinch are good . the finish produced by a comparable conventional 3 - micron diamond lapping film used on the same equipment in the same manner gave a surface reading which was at least three times higher . carnauba wax having a melting point of 78 ° c . was melted and 3 - micron aluminum oxide added to form an evenly dispersed slurry , the wax : aluminum oxide ratio being 1 : 1 by weight . water containing a small amount of &# 34 ; alconox &# 34 ; surfactant was heated to 90 ° c ., stirred vigorously , and the wax : mineral slurry slowly added , the wax forming small droplets about the mineral . the heat source was removed , the temperature reduced to about 85 ° c . and room temperature water was added to rapidly cool the mixture and prevent fusion of the wax beads to one another . the encapsulation procedure of example 1 was repeated , substituting the wax : mineral beads for the oil - abrasive slurry and using naoh to neutralize the solution . the encapsulated wax - mineral beads were screened , and capsules having a diameter of 75 microns and smaller were chosen . the capsules were dispersed in the urethane phenoxy resin of example 2 , using a weight ratio of 3 parts capsules to one part resin solids . the dispersion was thinned with methyl ethyl ketone to a viscosity of about 350 centipoise and knife - coated on a polyester film backing using a knife opening of 3 mils . the coated material was cured for 10 hours at 70 ° c . the coated abrasive of this example was compared with standard 3 micron aluminum oxide lapping film in the polishing of brass and stainless steel work pieces , using the lapping technique of example 2 . the coated abrasive of this example conformed to the face of the workpiece and produced a better visual finish .
| 2 |
as used herein , the terms “ alkyl ” and “ alkyl groups ” are intended to apply broadly to hydrocarbyl groups without regard to whether the carbons are joined together with a single bond , a double bond , or even a triple bond , so long as the groups contain linked carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms , some of which hydrogen atoms may be substituted by other atoms or groups of atoms , as is well - known in the art of organic chemistry . thus , in one aspect , the invention relates to retinyl esters represented by the general formula 1 : wherein r is selected from substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated divalent c 1 - c 22 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 6 - c 20 carbocyclic aryl , and substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 4 - c 20 heterocyclic wherein the heteroatoms are selected from sulfur , nitrogen , and oxygen , and r 1 is selected from hydrogen , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated c 1 - c 22 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 6 - c 20 carbocyclic aryl , and substituted and unsubstituted c 4 - c 20 heterocyclic wherein the heteroatoms are selected from sulfur , nitrogen , and oxygen , and n is 0 - 10 or mixtures thereof . the compounds of the invention may be racemic , enantiomerically enriched , diastereomerically enriched , substantially diastereomerically pure , or substantially enantiomerically pure . in another aspect , the invention relates to species denoted by structures 1 wherein r is selected from substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain saturated divalent c 1 - c 18 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain divalent c 2 - c 18 alkenyl , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain divalent c 4 - c 18 dienyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 6 - c 12 carbocyclic aryl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 4 - c 12 heterocyclic , r 1 is selected from hydrogen , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain saturated c 1 - c 18 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain c 2 - c 18 alkenyl , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain c 4 - c 18 dienyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 6 - c 12 carbocyclic aryl , substituted and unsubstituted c 4 - c 12 heterocyclic , n is 0 - 6 , or mixtures thereof . the saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated alkyl and cycloalkyl groups which may be represented by r may be straight - or branched - chain divalent hydrocarbon radicals containing up to about 22 carbon atoms and may be substituted , for example , with one to five groups selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , carboxyl , amino , c 1 - c 15 aminocarbonyl , c 1 - c 15 amido , cyano , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy , hydroxy , aryl , heteroaryl , thiol , thioether , c 2 - c 10 dialkylamino , c 3 - c 15 trialkylammonium and halogen . the terms “ c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy ”, “ c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl ”, and “ c 2 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy ” are used to denote radicals corresponding to the structures — or 2 , — co 2 r 2 , and — ocor 2 , respectively , wherein r 2 is c 1 - c 6 - alkyl or substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl . the terms “ c 1 - c 15 aminocarbonyl ” and “ c 1 - c 15 amido ” are used to denote radicals corresponding to the structures — nhcor 3 , — conhr 3 , respectively , wherein r 3 is c 1 - c 15 - alkyl or substituted c 1 - c 15 - alkyl . the term “ c 3 - c 8 - cycloalkyl ” is used to denote a saturated , carbocyclic hydrocarbon radical having three to eight carbon atoms . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated alkyl groups which may be represented by r 1 may be straight - or branched - chain hydrocarbon radicals containing up to about 22 carbon atoms and may be substituted , for example , with one to five groups selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , carboxyl , amino , c 1 - c 15 aminocarbonyl , c 1 - c 15 amido , cyano , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy , hydroxy , aryl , heteroaryl , thiol , thioether , c 2 - c 10 dialkylamino , c 3 - c 15 trialkylammonium and halogen . the terms “ c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy ”, “ c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl ”, and “ c 2 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy ” are used to denote radicals corresponding to the structures — or 2 , — co 2 r 2 , and — ocor 2 , respectively , wherein r 2 is c 1 - c 6 - alkyl or substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl . the terms “ c 1 - c 15 aminocarbonyl ” and “ c 1 - c 15 amido ” are used to denote radicals corresponding to the structures — nhcor 3 , — conhr 3 , respectively , wherein r 3 is c 1 - c 15 - alkyl or substituted c 1 - c 15 - alkyl . the term “ c 3 - c 8 - cycloalkyl ” is used to denote a saturated , carbocyclic hydrocarbon radical having three to eight carbon atoms . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the branching and / or substitution of r and r 1 may connect to form a ring . the aryl groups which r may represent may include divalent phenyl , naphthyl , or anthracenyl and divalent phenyl , naphthyl , or anthracenyl substituted with one to five substituents selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 6 - c 10 aryl , substituted c 6 - c 10 aryl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , halogen , carboxy , cyano , c 1 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy , c 1 - c 6 - alkylthio , c 1 - c 6 - alkylsulfonyl , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 6 - alkanoylamino and 613 or 4 , — s — r 4 , — so 2 — r 4 , — nhso 2 r 4 and — nhco 2 r 4 , wherein r 4 is phenyl , naphthyl , or phenyl or naphthyl substituted with one to three groups selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 6 - c 10 aryl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy and halogen . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the aryl groups which r 1 may represent ( or any aryl substituents ) may include phenyl , naphthyl , or anthracenyl and phenyl , naphthyl , or anthracenyl substituted with one to five substituents selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 6 - c 10 aryl , substituted c 6 - c 10 aryl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , halogen , carboxy , cyano , c 1 - c 6 - alkanoyloxy , c 1 - c 6 - alkylthio , c 1 - c 6 - alkylsulfonyl , trifluoromethyl , hydroxy , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl , c 2 - c 6 - alkanoylamino and — or 4 , — s — r 4 , — so 2 — r 4 , — nhso 2 r 4 and — nhco 2 r 4 , wherein r 4 is phenyl , naphthyl , or phenyl or naphthyl substituted with one to three groups selected from c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 6 - c 10 aryl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy and halogen . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the divalent heterocyclic groups which r may represent include 5 - or 6 - membered ring containing one to three heteroatoms selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen . examples of such heterocyclic groups are pyranyl , oxopyranyl , dihydropyranyl , oxodihydropyranyl , tetrahydropyranyl , thienyl , furyl , pyrrolyl , imidazolyl , pyrazolyl , thiazolyl , isothiazolyl , oxazolyl , isoxazolyl , triazolyl , thiadiazolyl , oxadiazolyl , tetrazolyl , pyridyl , pyrimidyl , benzoxazolyl , benzothiazolyl , benzimidazolyl , indolyl and the like . the heterocyclic radicals may be substituted , for example , with up to three groups such as c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , halogen , c 1 - c 6 - alkylthio , aryl , arylthio , aryloxy , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl and c 2 - c 6 - alkanoylamino . the heterocyclic radicals also may be substituted with a fused ring system , e . g ., a benzo or naphtho residue , which may be unsubstituted or substituted , for example , with up to three of the groups set forth in the preceding sentence . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the heterocyclic groups which r 1 may represent ( or any heteroaryl substituents ) include 5 - or 6 - membered ring containing one to three heteroatoms selected from oxygen , sulfur and nitrogen . examples of such heterocyclic groups are pyranyl , oxopyranyl , dihydropyranyl , oxodihydropyranyl , tetrahydropyranyl , thienyl , furyl , pyrrolyl , imidazolyl , pyrazolyl , thiazolyl , isothiazolyl , oxazolyl , isoxazolyl , triazolyl , thiadiazolyl , oxadiazolyl , tetrazolyl , pyridyl , pyrimidyl , benzoxazolyl , benzothiazolyl , benzimidazolyl , indolyl and the like . the heterocyclic radicals may be substituted , for example , with up to three groups such as c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , c 1 - c 6 - alkoxy , substituted c 1 - c 6 - alkyl , halogen , c 1 - c 6 - alkylthio , aryl , arylthio , aryloxy , c 2 - c 6 - alkoxycarbonyl and c 2 - c 6 - alkanoylamino . the heterocyclic radicals also may be substituted with a fused ring system , e . g ., a benzo or naphtho residue , which may be unsubstituted or substituted , for example , with up to three of the groups set forth in the preceding sentence . the term “ halogen ” is used to include fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . examples of the compounds of the invention include those represented by formula 1 wherein r is methylene , r 1 is methyl and n is from 0 to 6 , and mixtures thereof . in another aspect , the invention relates to retinyl esters represented by the general formula 1 : wherein r is selected from substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated divalent c 1 - c 18 alkyl , or c 1 - c 12 alkyl , or c 1 - c 10 alkyl , or a saturated or monounsaturated straight - chain c 1 - c 10 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl ; and r 1 is selected from hydrogen , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated c 1 - c 18 alkyl , or c 1 - c 12 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl ; and n is 0 - 10 , or 1 - 6 , or 1 - 4 , or mixtures thereof . in various additional aspects , examples of the compounds of the invention thus include those represented by formula 1 wherein r is methyl , ethyl , or propyl , r 1 is methyl , ethyl , or propyl , and n is from 0 to 6 , and mixtures thereof . we note that if different hydroxyl - substituted acids are used in the processes according to the invention , each of the r and r1 groups may exist independently of one another , but that if a single hydroxyl - substituted acid is used , each of the defined r and r1 groups will be the same , and the retinyl esters produced may include oligomers having varying lengths , such that the retinyl esters are mixtures of compounds in which n = 0 , n = 1 , n = 2 , n = 3 , etc . however , when n is defined as 0 - 6 , for example , we do not mean to thereby excludes mixtures which contain compounds in which n = 7 , n = 8 , etc ., although they will typically be present in minor amounts , if at all . other examples of the retinyl esters of the invention thus include compounds and mixtures represented by formula 1 wherein r is methylene , r 1 is methyl , and n is from 0 to 6 , and mixtures thereof containing compounds in which n = 0 , n = 1 , n = 2 , n = 3 , and n = 4 . in another aspect of the invention , the retinyl esters correspond to the general formula 1 : wherein r is selected from substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated divalent c1 - c 2 - 2 alkyl , or c 1 - c 18 alkyl , or c 1 - c 12 alkyl , or an unsaturated , monounsaturated , or polyunsaturated straight - chain c 2 - c 22 alkyl , or c 4 - c 18 alkyl ; and r 1 is selected from hydrogen , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated c 1 - c 18 alkyl , or c 1 - c 12 alkyl , or c 1 - c 4 alkyl ; and n is 0 - 10 , or 1 - 6 , or 1 - 4 , or mixtures thereof . in this aspect , the retinyl esters may be derived from retinol and one or more hydroxy - substituted carboxylic acids , for example 3 - hydroxybutyric acid , 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid , 3 - hydroxyoctanoic acid , malic acid , 3 - hydroxy - 3 - methylglutaric acid , 3 - phenyl - 3 - hydroxypropanoic acid , 10 - hydroxydecanoic acid , 12 - hydroxydodecanoic acid , 16 - hydroxyhexadecanoic acid , or ricinoleic acid . the retinyl esters produced from these hydroxyl - substituted acids may include oligomers comprised of more than one repeating unit from the fatty acid , depending upon the reactivity of the hydroxyl - substituted portion of the acid . another embodiment of our invention is a novel enzymatic process for the preparation of retinyl ester compounds represented by the general formula 1 : r is selected from substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated divalent c 1 - c 22 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 6 - c 20 carbocyclic aryl , and substituted and unsubstituted divalent c 4 - c 20 heterocyclic wherein the heteroatoms are selected from sulfur , nitrogen , and oxygen , and r 1 is selected from hydrogen , substituted and unsubstituted , branched - and straight - chain , saturated , unsaturated , and polyunsaturated c 1 - c 22 alkyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 3 - c 8 cycloalkyl , substituted and unsubstituted c 6 - c 20 carbocyclic aryl , and substituted and unsubstituted c 4 - c 20 heterocyclic wherein the heteroatoms are selected from sulfur , nitrogen , and oxygen , the compounds represented by formula 1 may be racemic , enantiomerically enriched , diastereomerically enriched , substantially diastereomerically pure , or substantially enantiomerically pure , and n is 0 - 10 or mixtures thereof by reaction of retinol with an acid or short chain ester of a hydroxyalkanoate represented by general formula 2 wherein r and r 1 are as indicated above and r 5 is chosen from hydrogen or c 1 - c 5 straight or branched chain alkane or alkene in the presence of a lipase , esterase , or protease . the process is carried out without solvent or in an inert solvent chosen from cyclic or acyclic ether solvents such as diethyl ether , diisopropyl ether , tert - butyl methyl ether , or tetrahydrofuran , aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene , toluene , or xylene , aliphatic or alicyclic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons such as hexane , heptane , cyclohexane , or limonene , halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane , dichloroethane , dibromoethane , tetrachloroethylene , or chlorobenzene , polar aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile , dimethyl formamide , or dimethyl sulfoxide , or mixtures thereof . the preferred solvents are no solvent , toluene , limonene , heptanes , and acetonitrile . the process may be carried out at a temperature between about − 100 ° c . and the boiling point of the solvent , preferably about 0 - 60 ° c ., most preferably 20 - 50 ° c . the amount of acid or short - chain ester 2 may be between 0 . 85 and 20 equivalents based on retinol , and is preferably between 1 and 10 equivalents , most preferably between 1 and 4 equivalents . the enzyme used in the process may be chosen from a variety of hydrolytic enzymes , for example a protease , a lipase , or an esterase . preferred enzymes include lipases . these lipases may be in the form of whole cells , isolated native enzymes , or immobilized on supports . examples of suitable lipases include , but are not limited to , lipase ps ( from pseudomonas sp ), lipase ps - c ( from psuedomonas sp immobilized on ceramic ), lipase ps - d ( from pseudomonas sp immobilized on diatomaceous earth ), lipoprime 50t , lipozyme tl im , or novozym 435 ( candida antarctica lipase b immobilized on acrylic resin ). removal of the water or alcohol byproducts , if desired , can be done chemically via a water or alcohol absorbent ( e . g ., molecular sieves ) or by physical removal of the water or alcohol . this by - product removal is preferably done by evaporation , either by purging the reaction mixture with an inert gas such as nitrogen , argon , or helium , or by performing the reaction at reduced pressures , or both , as these conditions can afford & gt ; 95 % conversion of retinol to 1 . the preferred pressure for the reaction is between 1 torr and ambient pressure , more preferable between 50 torr and ambient pressure . any organic solvent that is included in this process may or may not be removed along with the water or alcohol . examples of 2 include ethyl 3 - hydroxybutyrate and methyl 3 - hydroxybutyrate . the product 1 of the process may be isolated using methods known to those of skill in the art , e . g ., by extraction , filtration , or crystallization . the retinyl esters according to the present invention can be used in compositions , such as cosmetic compositions , skin care compositions and the like . the compositions can be useful , for example , for reducing skin roughness , fine lines , and wrinkles , improving photo - damaged skin , regenerating skin , reducing skin hyper - pigmentation , and reducing irritation and / or inflammatory reaction in skin . typical cosmetic and / or skin care compositions of the invention contain at least 0 . 001 % by weight of the carbonates according to the present invention . for example , the compositions can contain from about 0 . 001 % to about 20 . 0 % by weight or from about 0 . 01 % to about 10 . 0 % by weight of the retinyl ester according to the present invention . lower concentrations may be employed for less pronounced conditions , and higher concentrations may be employed with more acute conditions . suggested ranges also depend upon any adjunct ingredients employed in the compositions . the cosmetic and skin care compositions of the invention may also contain other skin conditioning ingredients in addition to retinyl esters . such compositions may include , but are not limited to , skin care ingredients such as retinol , retinyl fatty acid esters , tetronic acid , tetronic acid derivatives , hydroquinone , kojic acid , gallic acid , arbutin , α - hydroxy acids , ascorbic acid and fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid . such other ingredients are known to those of skill in the art . typically , topical application to skin sites is accomplished in association with a carrier . where employed , the carrier is desirably inert in the sense of not bringing about a deactivation or oxidation of active or adjunct ingredient ( s ), and in the sense of not bringing about any significant adverse effect on the skin areas to which it is applied . for example , the compounds according to the present invention may be applied in admixture with a dermatologically acceptable carrier or vehicle ( e . g ., as a lotion , cream , ointment , soap , stick , or the like ) so as to facilitate topical application and , in some cases , provide additional beneficial effects as might be brought about , e . g ., by moisturizing of the affected skin areas . suitable preparations include lotions containing oils and / or alcohols and emollients such as olive oil , hydrocarbon oils and waxes , silicone oils , other vegetable , animal or marine fats or oils , glyceride derivatives , fatty acids or fatty acid esters or alcohols or alcohol ethers , lecithin , lanolin and derivatives , polyhydric alcohols or esters , wax esters , sterols , phospholipids and the like , and generally also emulsifiers ( nonionic , cationic or anionic ), although some of the emollients inherently possess emulsifying properties . these same general ingredients can be formulated into a cream rather than a lotion , or into gels , or into solid sticks by utilization of different proportions of the ingredients and / or by inclusion of thickening agents such as gums or other forms of hydrophilic colloids . the novel processes provided by the present invention are further illustrated by the following examples . to a vial was added retinol in heptane ( 58 % retinol ; 25 . 9 g ; 15 . 0 g retinol ; 52 . 4 mmol ), ethyl 3 - hydroxybutyrate ( 20 . 76 g ; 157 mmol ; 3 equiv ), and novozym 435 ( 1 . 5 g ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature and purged with a stream of nitrogen through the mixture for 48 h to afford 96 . 7 % conversion of retinol to a mixture of retinyl 3 - hydroxybutyrate oligomers . the mixture was diluted with toluene ( 30 ml ), filtered and the solid was washed with toluene ( 30 ml ). the toluene solution was washed with 1 : 1 water : methanol ( 60 ml ) and the aqueous decant was back - extracted with heptanes ( 25 ml ). the combined organic layer was washed with 1 : 1 water : methanol ( 60 ml ), dried with sodium sulfate , and concentrated to afford 17 . 79 g of 1a ( r ═ ch 2 , r 1 ═ ch 3 ) as a thick yellow oil . hplc analysis indicated 3 . 7 % retinol and 95 . 5 % 1a oligomers . the proportion by hplc is 1a , n = 0 ( 53 . 7 %), 1a , n = 1 ( 32 . 9 %), 1a , n = 2 ( 7 . 1 %), 1a , n = 3 ( 1 . 4 %), and 1a , n = 4 ( 0 . 3 %). hplc and hplc - ms ( 4 . 6 × 150 mm zorbax sb - c8 column [ agilent ], 3 . 5μ thickness , 80 : 20 methanol : water ( containing 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid ) for 20 min , detection at 325 nm ): t r 6 . 6 min ( retinol ); t r 8 . 0 min ( 1a , n = 0 , m + = 372 ); t r 8 . 8 min ( 1a , n = 1 , m + = 458 ); t r 9 . 7 min ( 1a , n = 2 , m + = 544 ); t r 10 . 6 min ( 1a , n = 3 , m + = 630 ); t r 11 . 8 min ( 1a , n = 4 , m + = 716 ). to a vial was added retinol in toluene ( 54 % retinol ; 1 . 852 g ; 1 . 0 g retinol ; 3 . 49 mmol ), ricinoleic acid ( 80 %; 1 . 250 g ; 4 . 19 mmol ; 1 . 2 equiv ), and novozym 435 ( 1 g ). the mixture was sealed and stirred at room temperature for 21 h to afford 83 % conversion of retinol to 1b . hplc ( 4 . 6 × 150 mm zorbax sb - c8 column [ agilent ], 3 . 5μ thickness , 90 : 10 methanol : water ( containing 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid ) for 7 min , gradient to 95 : 5 methanol : water ( containing 0 . 1 % trifluoroacetic acid ) over 1 min , hold for 12 min , gradient to 100 % methanol over 1 min , hold at 100 % methanol , detection at 325 nm ): t r 3 . 9 min ( retinol ); t r 14 . 2 min ( 1b ). retinyl 3 - hydroxybutyrate oligomers ( 1a ; 100 mg ) was dissolved in 2 ml of toluene . ph 7 buffer ( 2 ml ) was added . novozym 435 ( 100 mg ) was added , and the mixture was stirred vigorously at ambient temperature . the top layer was sampled at 1 , 24 , and 48 h and analyzed by hplc . the results are shown in fig1 , and indicate significant hydrolysis to retinol over 48 h . a control reaction without enzyme showed no hydrolysis after 48 h .
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first , with reference to fig1 to 4 , an outline of a component - fixing method according to the present invention will be described . a component - fixing method according to the present invention is performed by use of a component - fixing device 1 . a main component of the component - fixing device 1 is a horizontal stage 2 . the stage 2 has a structure in which a stage central portion 2 a made of a material that transmits uv light , such as glass , is supported by a stage peripheral portion 2 b made of metal . as shown in fig1 , on the stage central portion 2 a , a substrate 10 that transmits uv light is placed . as an example of the substrate 10 , a tft glass substrate of a liquid crystal display panel is shown . on a surface of the substrate 10 , a conductor 11 made of a metal with low electric resistance is formed , and a uv - curable acf 12 is adhered so as to cover the conductor 11 . the conductor 11 does not transmit light , and thus serves as a light - shielding portion for uv light . the uv - curable acf 12 is supplied in a form , like double - sided adhesive tape , adhered to an unillustrated separator and wound into a reel . whereas the separator is in a form of continuous tape , the uv - curable acf 12 has splits at predetermined intervals . a portion of the uv - curable acf 12 with a predetermined length from one split to the next is put in contact with the substrate 10 , and heat and pressure are applied to the portion from above across the separator . in this way , while the uv - curable acf 12 adheres to the substrate 10 , the separator separates from the uv - curable acf 12 , leaving only the uv - curable acf 12 neatly transferred to the substrate 10 . as shown in fig2 , a component is mounted on a top surface of the uv - curable acf 12 . although the component may be an fpc or a tcp , here , an ic 13 is shown as an example . the ic 13 is mounted on the conductor 11 by a cog ( chip on glass ) process . at this stage , the ic 13 is simply positioned within a horizontal plane and placed lightly on the uv - curable acf 12 . bumps 13 a are formed on a bottom surface of the ic 13 to serve as terminals . the uv - curable acf 12 serves to electrically connect the bumps 13 a to the conductor 11 and to physically fix the ic 13 to the substrate 10 . as shown in fig3 , the ic 13 is heated by a heater tool 14 . the heating reduces the viscosity of the uv - curable acf 12 , which thus liquefies ; that is , the fluidity of the uv - curable acf 12 increases . after so heating the uv - curable acf 12 and increasing its fluidity , a pressure is applied to the uv - curable acf 12 by the heater tool 14 to make the uv - curable acf 12 flow . it is preferable that the ic 13 be heated so as to raise the temperature of the uv - curable acf 12 to 70 ° c . to 100 ° c . the pressure applied to the uv - curable acf 12 can be approximately equal to the pressure during thermocompression bonding using a thermosetting acf . the heat from the heater tool 14 is expended not for curing the uv - curable acf 12 but only for making it flow . this requires an amount of heat smaller than that required for curing the uv - curable acf 12 . this allows the ic 13 to be mounted at lower temperature , and mounting it at lower temperature helps alleviate warping of the ic 13 and of the substrate 10 . in a case where the substrate 10 is one to be incorporated in a display panel , improved display quality results . the part of the fluidized uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor 11 shields light is pushed out of the place by being pressed by the bumps 13 a . as the pressing of the ic 13 progresses , the ic 13 itself begins to press the uv - curable acf 12 , producing a large - scale flow inside the uv - curable acf 12 . also by this large - scale flow , the part of the uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor 11 shields light is pushed out of the place . while the bumps 13 a are approaching the conductor 11 under the pressure from the heater tool 14 , an unillustrated uv light source arranged under the stage 2 emits uv light and irradiates the uv - curable acf 12 with the uv light from the reverse side of the substrate 10 . not only the part of the uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor 11 does not shield light , but also the part of the uv - curable acf 12 which would stay at where the conductor 11 shields light without the flow is irradiated directly with uv light by being pushed out of the place where the conductor 11 shields light as the result of the flow . here , “ direct irradiation ” refers not to irradiation with uv light propagating inside the uv - curable acf 12 by reflection , but to irradiation with uv light from the uv light source with no interception on the way . the uv - curable acf 12 begins to cure by being irradiated directly with uv light . although part of the uv - curable acf 12 is moved by the flow to where the conductor 11 shields light , this is the part of the uv - curable acf 12 that has been located at where the conductor 11 does not shield light and it has already been irradiated directly with uv light , so that it also begins to cure . as described above , the phrase “ the uv - curable acf located at where the conductor shields light ” has two meanings : it means , first , the part of the uv - curable acf which , without the flow , would stay at where the conductor shields light but which , because of the flow , is pushed out of the place where the conductor does not shield light ; second , the part of the uv - curable acf which is located at where the conductor does not shield light but which is moved , by the flow , to where the conductor shields light . irrespective of which part it means , the uv - curable acf 12 is irradiated directly with uv light , and thus such part of the uv - curable acf 12 as would otherwise be left uncured is removed . in this way , it is possible to overcome the inconvenience that could result from part of the uncured uv - curable acf 12 remaining uncured . fig4 shows a stage after completion of the heating and pressing of the ic 13 and the irradiation of the uv - curable acf 12 with uv light . the thickness of the uv - curable acf 12 is designed to be larger than the height of the bumps 13 a so as to prevent the space between the ic 13 and the substrate 10 from being incompletely filled with the uv - curable acf 12 . thus , when the ic 13 is pressed until the bumps 13 a approach the conductor 11 , part of the uv - curable acf 12 becomes surplus , which has to be removed . the surplus part of the uv - curable acf 12 is removed outside the ic 13 , and the bumps 13 a and the conductor 11 are connected together electrically via the uv - curable acf 12 . fig5 conceptually shows how conductive particles 15 inside the uv - curable acf 12 are pressed and flattened between the conductor 11 and the bumps 13 to establish conduction between the conductor 11 and the bumps 13 . this state is maintained owing to the uv - curable acf 12 curing through irradiation with uv light . now , how the setting of the timing of heating the ic 13 and irradiating it with uv light influences the fixing of the ic 13 will be described with reference to gantt charts in fig6 to 8 . the setting of timing shown in fig6 will be referred to as a first embodiment , the setting of timing shown in fig7 will be referred to as a second embodiment , and the setting of timing shown in fig8 will be referred to as a first comparative example . in fig6 , irradiation with uv light starts before the ic 13 is heated . previously irradiated with uv light , the uv - curable acf 12 increases its fluidity through the subsequent heating , and thus flows under pressure . by irradiating the uv - curable acf 12 with uv light before it starts to flow , it is possible to move the uv - curable acf 12 that has absorbed sufficient uv light . however , if the uv - curable acf 12 absorbs an excessive amount of uv light , its curing progresses and its viscosity increases . this prevents it from fluidizing through the subsequent heating . though depending on the resin material of the uv - curable acf 12 , the time - lag between the start of irradiation with uv light and the start of heating is preferably one second or less . in fig7 , irradiation with uv light starts after the ic 13 is heated . having started to flow under pressure after heating , the uv - curable acf 12 continues to flow while being irradiated with uv light , and absorbs uv light . when the uv - curable acf 12 cures through irradiation with uv light , it stops flowing even before completion of heating and pressing . though depending on the resin material of the uv - curable acf 12 , preferably , the time of irradiation with uv light is about three to ten seconds , and the time - lag between the start of heating and the start of irradiation with uv light is one second or less . in fig8 , irradiation with uv light starts when the heating and pressing of the ic 13 are almost over and after the uv - curable acf 12 stops flowing . in this case , since the flow of the uv - curable acf 12 has stopped , the uv - curable acf 12 irradiated with uv light does not move . if any part of the uv - curable acf 12 cures incompletely , that is because the conductor portion 11 shields uv light and prevents it from reaching the uv - curable acf 12 . if irradiation with uv light is performed after the uv - curable acf 12 stops flowing as shown in fig8 , the part of the uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor portion 11 shields light ends up never being irradiated directly with uv light . on the other hand , when irradiation with uv light is timed as in the first embodiment ( fig6 ) and the second embodiment ( fig7 ), since part of the uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor 11 shields light moves , every part of the uv - curable acf 12 passes through where it is directly irradiated with uv light . thus , irrespective of whether irradiation with uv light is performed before the uv - curable acf 12 starts to flow as in the first embodiment or irradiation with uv light is performed while the uv - curable acf 12 is flowing as in the second embodiment , the part of the uv - curable acf 12 located at where the conductor 11 shields light can be directly irradiated with uv light . when the ic 13 is heated and then pressed , in the space between the ic 13 and the substrate 10 , the uv - curable acf 12 flows in directions indicated by arrows in fig9 and the surplus part of the uv - curable acf 12 is removed . however , in a central part of the ic 13 , while a surplus part of the uv - curable acf 12 moves out , very little of it moves in from elsewhere ; as a result , part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 ( indicated by hatching in fig9 ) is left behind from the flow . a problem associated with part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 being left behind from the flow will be described below by way of a second comparative example with reference to fig1 . solutions to the problem will be described below by way of third , fourth , and fifth embodiments with reference to fig1 , 11 , and 12 respectively . in fig1 , a conductor 11 that passes through a central portion of the ic 13 is so configured as to connect together the electrodes arranged on the right and left , and a part of the conductor 11 is located right under the part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 that is left behind from the flow . with this configuration , the part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 left behind from the flow remains unirradiated with uv light because of the conductor 11 shielding it , and thus ends up uncured . to avoid that , the conductor 11 can be configured ingeniously as shown in any of fig1 to 12 . in fig1 and in fig1 to 12 , the reference sign 11 a identifies a signal input electrode portion which is connected to an unillustrated fpc to receive signals , and the reference sign 1 lb identifies a signal output electrode portion which is connected to an unillustrated display area of a liquid crystal display panel . only the position of the ic 13 , which is a component to be fixed by the uv - curable acf 12 , is shown by a dashed - line , and the area surrounded by the dashed - line is the mounting portion ( cog mounting portion ) of the ic 13 . in the configuration shown in fig1 , no conductor 11 passes through the center of the mounting portion of the ic 13 . even a conductor 11 that passes closest to the center of the mounting portion of the ic 13 is displaced by a small distance from the central mounting portion . thus , the part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 left behind from the flow is directly irradiated with uv light without the conductor 11 shielding it , and thus cures . in the configuration shown in fig1 , one opening 11 c is formed in a wide conductor 11 which passes through the center of the mounting portion of the ic 13 , at a place aligned with the center of mounting portion . the opening 11 c is in a rectangular shape and its longitudinal direction is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the conductor 11 . thus , even the part 12 a of the uv - curable acf 12 left behind from the flow cures by being irradiated directly with uv light through the opening 11 c . in the configuration shown in fig1 , a plurality of openings 11 c are arrayed in a distributed fashion in a wide conductor 11 which passes through the center of the mounting portion of the ic 13 . the plurality of the openings 11 c are arrayed in a distributed fashion in an area that includes the center of the mounting portion . the part of the uv - curable acf left behind from the flow cures by being irradiated directly with uv light through one of the plural of the openings 11 c arrayed in a distributed fashion . in fig1 , rectangular openings 11 c of which the longitudinal direction is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the conductor 11 are arrayed in three rows and in three columns , in a matrix - like formation . this arrangement , however , is only illustrative and is not meant to limit the invention . the intervals between the openings 11 c are , both in the up / down and left / right directions in fig1 , preferably 0 . 5 mm or less , and more preferably 0 . 2 mm or less . although in the above description a tft glass substrate of a liquid crystal display panel is taken up as an example of a substrate 10 which becomes a circuit substrate when mounted with components , this is not meant as any limitation ; the present invention may be applied to a glass substrate of an organic el display panel . the present invention may be applied also to circuit substrates in general which are not intended for incorporation in display panels . the embodiments by way of which the present invention is described above are in no way meant to limit the scope of the present invention , which thus allows for many modifications and variations within the spirit of the present disclosure . the present invention finds wide application in display panels and in circuit substrates in general . 11 c opening 12 uv - curable acf 12 a uv - curable acf left behind from flow 13 ic 13 a bump 14 heater tool
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fig1 shows a surface aerator which can also be used as a mixer , consisting of a motor 1 which drives a shaft 2 . said shaft 2 broadens on the upper side , forming a deflecting body 6 which curves outward . round the shaft 2 is mounted a screw 3 . said screw consists of a blade 4 which starts from the bottom of the shaft and , following a helicoidal , spiral - shaped motion , terminates in the deflecting body 6 . a second screw blade 5 is also mounted at the bottom of the shaft ; said second screw blade 5 however terminates after a spiral - shaped motion of approximately 180 °. starting from the lower most part of the continuous screw blade 4 , blade 4 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 . starting from the lower most part of discontinuous blade 5 , blade 5 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 , wherein said continuous and discontinuous blades are wound in a common direction . the screw therefore consists of two blades below , so achieving a good pump effect , but with one blade being very limited , so that little frictional losses and turbulence occur . for the sake of simplicity , fig2 through 5 only show the screw around the shaft 2 , where in fig2 an upper end part a , a middle part b and a lower end part c can be distinguished . according to fig2 one screw blade 11 starts in the lower end part with a diameter varying from the shaft diameter to the full diameter , and continues with constant diameter into the deflecting body 6 . an extra screw blade 12 is mounted in the lower end part c , also starting from the bottom of the shaft 2 , but terminates after a spiral - shaped motion of 270 ° or so . starting from the lower most part of the continuous screw blade 11 , blade 11 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 . starting from the lower most part of discontinuous blade 12 , blade 12 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 , wherein said continuous and discontinuous blades are wound in a common direction . fig3 shows a variant of fig2 with a continuous screw blade 11 and an extra screw blade 13 in the upper end part a . starting from the lower most part of the continuous screw blade 11 , blade 11 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 . starting from the lower most part of blade 13 , blade 13 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 , wherein continuous blade 11 and discontinuous blade 13 are wound in a common direction . fig4 shows a combination of fig2 and 3 , with a continuous screw blade 11 and an extra screw blade 12 in end part c and another extra screw blade 13 in end part a . in this example , however , the screws 11 and 13 terminate underneath the deflecting body 6 , so that the upper end part a is situated lower . starting from the lower most part of the continuous screw blade 11 , blade 11 is wound in a direction toward the top of screw 2 . starting from the lower most part of discontinuous blades 12 and 13 , blades 12 and 13 are wound in a direction toward the top of screw 2 , wherein said continuous and discontinuous blades are wound in a common direction . fig5 shows a variant of fig4 in which a continuous screw blade 21 has a constant diameter and starts below the shaft 2 . in this alternative embodiment there is an extra screw blade 22 in the end part c and there are two extra screw blades 23 and 24 in the upper end part a . starting from the lower most part of the continuous screw blade 21 , blade 21 is wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 . starting from the lower most part of discontinuous blades 22 , 23 and 24 , blades 22 , 23 and 24 are wound in a direction toward the top of shaft 2 , wherein said continuous and discontinuous blades are wound in a common direction . in the above examples , the discontinuous screw blades terminate after about 90 °, 180 °, 270 ° or 360 °, but it is clear that there is no restriction on the execution of these screw blades , and that it can also terminate after one quarter of a revolution or can make any other fraction of a revolution or any number of revolutions . it is up to the person skilled in the art to determine which length a screw blade should have . the examples show embodiments which for the sake of simplicity are shown round the same shaft of the same apparatus . the invention is not limited to these embodiments , but can be applied on all aerators and mixers which comprise a propeller or screw which pumps the water up towards the surface or impels it downwards .
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______________________________________water 800 mlethylene glycol 30 mlisopropyl alcohol 30 mlcitric acid 20 gthiourea 30 g2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphthoic acidethanol amide 15 gcaffeine 10 g4 - diazo - 2 , 5 - dibutoxymorpholino - benzene chloride ( zinc chloride 10 gdouble salt ) saponin 1 g______________________________________ subsequently , by further adding water to this liquid so as to make the whole quantity of the liquid 1 l , a photosensitive liquid was prepared . then , by coating the thus prepared photosensitive liquid on a stencil paper weighing 90 g / m 2 for use in preparing photosensitive materials and drying thereafter , a binary diazo copying material was prepared . next , after exposing this copying material together was an appropriate original superposed thereon by the use of a fluorescent lamp , by coating a variety of liquid developers having the composition no . 1 through no . 11 ( wherein no . 10 and no . 11 are compositions for the purpose of comparison ) as listed in the following , respectively , on the surface of the thus exposed copying material with a rubber roller , developing was performed . in this connection , the amount of liquid developer thus coated was adjusted to be in the range of from 1 . 5 to 2 . 0 g / m 2 . the result was as shown in table - 1 below , and the respective developers manifested a satisfactory effect with the exception that some remnant of moisture was sensed on the copying material in the case of the composition no . 3 . further , when the rubber roller was left intact after use in applying each liquid developer , occurrence of crystallization was observed in the case of liquid developers of the composition no . 10 and no . 11 , while in the case of liquid developers of the composition no . 1 through no . 9 , there was observed no occurrence of crystallization . ______________________________________compo - mixingsition rationo . ingredients of liquid developer ( wt . %) ______________________________________1 dl - α - sodium aminobutyrate 15 ethylene glycol 70 water 15 ca salt of l - α - alanine 252 propylene glycol 65 water 10 li salt of glycine 243 diethylene glycol monomethyl ether 46 water 30 k salt of l - arginine 184 diethylene glycol 64 water 18 mg salt of l - leucine 235 hexylene glycol 67 water 10 na salt of dl - proline 166 diallopyrene 76 water 8 γ - potassium aminobutyrate 157 diethylene glycol monoethyl ether 72 water 13 l - calcium glutamate 208 triethylene glycol 68 water 12 k salt of dl - α - valine 169 polyethylene glycol 75 water 910 monoethanol amine 20 ( compara - triethanol amine 30tive diethylene glycolcompo - monomethyl ether 50sition ) 11 monoethanol amine 30 ( compara - ethylene glycol 60tive hexylene glycol 10compo - sition______________________________________ table - 1__________________________________________________________________________sample color - developing rate * 1 fading rate * 2 coloring of * 3 odor of * 4no . 30 sec . 1 min . 10 min . 30 min . r max . r min . ground copy__________________________________________________________________________1 0 . 74 0 . 88 1 . 00 1 . 10 9 . 5 11 . 3 0 . 09 odorless2 0 . 82 0 . 91 1 . 01 1 . 08 7 . 8 9 . 9 0 . 08 odorless3 0 . 81 0 . 90 1 . 03 1 . 09 9 . 4 10 . 8 0 . 10 odorless4 0 . 80 0 . 92 1 . 04 1 . 10 8 . 3 10 . 8 0 . 07 odorless5 0 . 83 0 . 94 1 . 08 1 . 15 7 . 2 10 . 3 0 . 09 odorless6 0 . 78 0 . 92 1 . 04 10 . 8 8 . 1 10 . 5 0 . 09 odorless7 0 . 79 0 . 93 1 . 04 1 . 07 9 . 3 11 . 2 0 . 08 odorless8 0 . 83 0 . 96 1 . 06 1 . 08 7 . 9 10 . 9 0 . 08 odorless9 0 . 80 0 . 94 1 . 03 1 . 06 8 . 2 11 . 1 0 . 11 odorless10 0 . 80 0 . 95 1 . 05 1 . 06 20 . 3 15 . 4 0 . 18 smell of amine11 0 . 82 0 . 96 1 . 04 1 . 07 21 . 4 16 . 2 0 . 20 smell of amine__________________________________________________________________________ ( remarks ) * 1 : the image concentration value after developing was measured with a photovoltaic densitometer . * 2 : after conducting 3 hours &# 39 ; forced fading test by means of a brown - color fastness tester ( the manufacture of toyo rikakogyo k . k . ), and measuring the concentration of image area ( d max .) as well as the concentration of non - image area ( d min .) of a sample not undergone said forced fading test and the concentration of image area ( d &# 39 ; max .) as well as the concentratio of non - image area ( d &# 39 ; min .) of a sample undergone said forced fading test by means of a photovoltaic densitometer , the fading rates r max . and r min . were calculated by applying the following equations . ## str1 ## ## str2 ## * 3 : in order to examine the degree of coloring of the ground by a deteriorated liquid , the sample was developed with a liquid developer which had been left intact for a month within a developing machine , and then the concentration of non - image area was measured with a photovoltaic densitometer . * 4 : the odor of the copy immediately after the developing was judged olfactorily . after exposing the same copying material as that in example 1 together with an appropriate original superposed thereon by the use of a fluorescent lamp , by coating a variety of liquid developers having the composition no . 12 through no . 20 ( wherein no . 19 and no . 20 are compositions for the purpose of comparison ), respectively , as listed in the following table - 2 , on the surface of the thus exposed copying materials with a sponge roller , developing was performed . the result was as shown in table - 2 . table - 2__________________________________________________________________________ amount of de - condition of image veloper concen - condition of sponge when copying was per - made to tration roller after leav - formed under the con - sample composition of liquid adhere of image ing intact dition shown in theno . developer wt . 90 ) ( g / m . sup . 2 ) * 5 * 6 left column * 7__________________________________________________________________________12 k salt of glycine ( 5 ) 4 . 5 1 . 06 no crystalli - uniform and water ( 95 ) zation occurred satisfactory13 na salt of β - alanine ( 12 ) water ( 88 ) 3 . 1 1 . 09 the same as above the same as above k salt of α - aminobutyric acid ( 9 ) 14 water ( 91 ) 3 . 9 1 . 05 the same as above the same as above na salt of l - leucine ( 25 ) 15 water ( 75 ) 2 . 0 1 . 08 the same as above the same as above na salt of l - α - valine ( 6 ) 16 water ( 94 ) 4 . 8 1 . 05 the same as above the same as above li salt of l - cystein ( 13 ) 17 water ( 87 ) 3 . 2 1 . 02 the same as above the same as above mg salt of l - histidine ( 31 ) 18 water ( 69 ) 1 . 8 1 . 10 the same as above the same as above19 ( compara - potassium methaborate ( 10 ) crystalization granular develop - tive water ( 90 ) 4 . 3 0 . 95 occurred ing marks weresample ) observed . - 20 potassium carbonate ( 6 ) crystallization 7long and narrow ( compara - potassium tetraborate ( 5 ) 3 . 8 0 . 92 occurred developing markstive water ( 89 ) sample were observed__________________________________________________________________________ ( remarks ) * 5 : the concentration of image 30 seconds after the copying was measured with a photovoltaic densitometer . * 6 : the condition was examined with the naked eye after leaving the sponge roller intact for 2 week within a copying machine . * 7 : the copying was conducted by using the sponge roller left intact for 2 weeks within a copying machine , and the condition of image of the resulting copy was examined with the naked eye .
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the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to fig1 which represents a process for retorting oil shale using a steam recycle loop in the manner of the invention . the major components shown in the figure are a boiler 2 , a combustor 4 , a retort 6 , a separation tower 8 and a condenser 10 . in operation , fresh oil shale crushed to a maximum particle size of about 1 / 4 inch enters the retort 6 by shale feed conduit 12 . in the retort , the oil shale is mixed with sufficient hot heat transfer material entering the retort from the combustor 4 via conduit 14 to raise the oil shale to a temperature suitable for decomposing the kerogen . generally , this temperature is in the range of from about 850 ° f . to about 1000 ° f . the mixture of solids forms a vertical bed 16 in the retort which moves downward as spent solids are withdrawn from the bottom by solids outlet 18 . a stripping gas containing a minimum of 50 percent steam is passed through the bed of solids 16 from plenum chamber 20 located at the bottom of the retort . a distribution grid 22 distributes the stripping gas evenly across the bottom of the bed of solids . the stripping gas and evolved hydrocarbon vapors pass out the top of the retort 6 by way of outlet pipe 24 . fine particles of entrained solids are removed from the vapors by cyclone 26 . from the cyclone , the vapors are sent via conduit 28 to the separation tower 8 . returning to the retort 6 , the spent mixture of retorted solids and heat transfer material is carried from the retort by solids outlet 18 to the engaging section 30 at the bottom of the liftpipe section 32 of the combustor 4 . in the engager 30 , the solids are entrained in a stream of hot air and carried up the length of the liftpipe section 32 . in the liftpipe , the carbonaceous residue that remains in the retorted shale after decomposition of the kerogen is partially burned . the partially burned solids leave the top of the liftpipe and enter the secondary combustion and disengaging chamber 34 of the combustor . the partially burned solids form a bed of material 36 in the bottom of the chamber which is fluidized by additional air supplied by plenum chamber 38 . any remaining carbonaceous residue is burned in this chamber . in addition , fine solids removed from the retort vapors by cyclone 26 are fed directly into this area of the combustor by fine solids feed conduit 39 . the hot coarse solids , now at a temperature of about 1300 ° f ., are recycled to the retort via conduit 14 as hot heat transfer solids . flue gas with entrained fine solids leaves the top of the secondary combustion and disengaging chamber 34 by flue gas outlet 40 , which also serves as a superheater for steam from the boiler 2 . in the separation tower 8 light overhead gases are separated from the higher boiling fractions . a bottoms fraction is collected at the bottom of the separation tower and withdrawn via conduit 42 . this bottoms fraction is passed through a cooler 44 and part of the cooled oil is recycled to the tower via recycle loop 46 . the rest of the cooled bottoms fraction is recovered as shale oil by conduit 48 . overhead gases , at a temperature of about 220 ° f . and at a pressure of about 3 psig , leave the top of the separation tower by overhead outlet 50 and are divided into two streams . one stream is carried by conduit 52 to the condenser 10 . in the condenser , non - condensable gases 54 are separated from naphtha 56 and water 58 ( condensed from steam ). part of the naphtha is recycled to the tower via conduit 57 . the second stream of overhead gases is used as recycle gas for return to the retort as part of the stripping gas . in order to provide sufficient compression for the stripping gas , makeup steam must be generated for use in the process . in the present scheme , water added to water drum 60 of the boiler 2 passes through the boiler tubes 62 heated by flue gases and hot fines from the combustor to yield steam . from steam drum 64 , steam is carried via conduit 66 to the steam superheater 68 located in the flue gas outlet 40 of the combustor . in the superheater , the steam is heated to about 800 ° f . at a pressure of about 800 psig . this high pressure , superheated steam is collected in conduit 70 . the superheated steam may be drawn off by line 71 and used as turbine steam to drive the air compressor for the combustor and / or to drive power generators . part of the superheated steam is carried by conduit 72 for injection into the recycle gas from the separation tower 8 . as noted above , the recycle stream from the tower overhead is carried back to the plenum chamber 20 of the retort by recycle conduit 74 . the superheated steam from conduit 72 is injected into the recycle stream by a jet injector 76 . the mixture of recycle gas and superheated steam at a temperature of about 400 ° f . and at a pressure of about 20 psig is returned to the retort by stripping gas conduit 78 . in the process outlined above , only part of the steam requirements for the stripping gas are supplied by fresh superheated steam from the boiler . the superheated steam provides compression for the stripping gas , but the majority of the steam is recycled from the tower overhead . despite the low requirement for fresh superheated steam , the process described above will yield significantly better yields of shale oil as compared to a similar process using a conventional stripping gas other than steam . typical material balances for a retorting process such as shown in fig1 are given in the following table : ______________________________________material balances for oil shaleretorting process as shown in fig1 for 1 lb . of crushed oil shaleyielding 28 gallons / ton shale oiland 0 . 02 lb . water______________________________________shale oil ( conduit 48 ) 0 . 1 lb . gas ( line 54 ) 0 . 02 lb . naphtha ( line 56 ) 0 . 01 lb . water ( line 58 ) 0 . 045 lb . superheated steam ( conduit 70 ) 0 . 15 lb . turbine / process steam ( line 71 ) 0 . 125 lb . makeup steam ( line 72 ) 0 . 025 lb . recycle gas ( recycle conduit 74 ) 0 . 05 lb . stripping gas ( conduit 78 ) 0 . 075 lb . * ______________________________________ * the stripping gas in this embodiment will contain about 73 percent steam 18 percent noncondensable gases and 9 percent naphtha ( all by weight ). a typical jet injector , such as may be used to inject the high pressure steam into the recycle gas , is shown in fig2 . when used as part of the process disclosed herein , the high pressure steam serves as the motive gas and is injected at 102 through the converging - diverging nozzle 104 where it expands and emerges into the mixing section 106 with supersonic velocity . in the mixing section , the motive gas entrains the recycle gas which is sucked into the injector via 108 . the two gases mix in the mixing section to form the stripping gas which will be sent to the retort . deceleration of the motive gas in the mixing section and deceleration of the mixture , i . e ., stripping gas , in the diffuser section 110 account for the entrainment and overall pressure increase observed between the recycle gas and the stripping gas . when used in the present process , the jet injector makes possible a sufficient increase in the pressure of the recycle loop with only a portion of the total steam requirement supplied from the boiler and superheater . in carrying out the process of the invention , a variety of designs may be employed for the retort . preferably , the mixture of oil shale and heat transfer solids will be contained in a vertical bed such as described in fig1 . however , a horizontal moving bed of solids may also be used in conjunction with the invention . the retorting zone may contain internal baffles or other flow distributors to control the movement of solids and gases through the retorting zone . in one preferred embodiment , the retorting zone contains a staged turbulent bed such as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 199 , 432 . the staged turbulent bed contains a vertical bed of solids which is partially fluidized to assure good mixing between the solids . internal flow distributions prevent the formation of large bubbles in the bed and slow the passage of the large non - fluidized particles through the retort . in such a retort design , stripping gas velocity will usually fall within the range of from about 1 foot / second to about 4 feet / second depending on the particle size of the solids and degree of fluidization desired . the temperature of stripping gas will usually fall within the range of from about 300 ° f . to about 900 ° f . generally , the temperature will be in the lower end of the range since it is desirable to use a minimum of makeup steam in preparing the stripping gas . therefore , temperatures will usually fall in the range of from about 350 ° f . to about 500 ° f . in the bottom of the retort the stripping gas rapidly heats up to retort bed temperature because of the high ratio between solids rate and stripping gas rate ( about 50 in embodiment shown in figure ). the pressure of the stripping gas will vary depending on the type of retorting system used . in one embodiment shown in fig1 the pressure is about 20 psig . this pressure is suitable for a partially fluidized bed such as the staged turbulent bed . higher pressure would be employed for deep fluidized beds of similar design . likewise , lower pressures would be used for a vertical moving packed bed where there is little or no fluidization of the solids . the pressure would also be dependent on bed design , such as , for example , bed depth , maximum particle size , presence of baffles or other internals . the utility of the present invention is not limited to any particular design of retort . generally , the pressure of the recycle gas will fall within the range of from about 5 psig to about 50 psig . the recycle gas recovered from the overhead of the separation tower or similar device will usually have a temperature in the range of from about 150 ° f . to about 350 ° f . and most preferably from about 200 ° f . to about 250 ° f . the low temperature limit of approximately 200 ° f . is set by the dew point of the steam in the vapor leaving the top of the tower . with unusually low steam partial pressures in this stream , the dew point may be as low as 150 ° f . it is usually desirable to operate the recycle loop at a low enough temperature that only a small fraction of naphtha or other low boiling hydrocarbons are present in the recycle gas but at a high enough temperature to avoid water condensation in the tower . therefore , a cut temperature of about 220 ° f . is preferred . temperatures substantially below 200 ° f . can be achieved by recycling process gas after the overhead condenser but this results in reduced amounts of recycled steam . this translates into increased makeup steam requirements . since it is desirable to use a minimum amount of fresh makeup steam and at the same time to limit the amount of naphtha in the recycle gas , temperatures outside the preferred range result in a decrease in efficiency . the pressure of the recycle gas will vary depending upon the design of the separator and the temperature of the cut , but generally will fall in the range of from about 0 psig to about 10 psig .
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referring now to fig1 , there is shown a schematic drawing of a logic tree of active and passive cholesteric liquid crystal ( clc ) elements which are so arranged and controlled that a single input to a first stage of the logic tree may be delivered to any one of the outputs of the last stage of the logic tree by appropriately switching electronically controlled half - wave retarders associated with the active clc elements of the logic tree . by programming the switching of the half - wave retarders of each stage of the logic tree , a laser input to the first stage of the logic tree may , for example , provide a scanned version of the input at the outputs of the last stage of the logic tree . the application of the logic tree as a scanner will be described in detail in what follows . it will also become clear that the same embodiment has other applications . considering fig1 in more detail , logic tree 1 is shown consisting of a plurality of stages labeled stage 1 - stage 4 wherein each stage includes one or more branches each of which consists of an active and passive clc element . thus , stage 1 consists of a branch 2 which , in turn , includes active clc element 18 and passive clc element 19 . stage 2 consists of branches 3 , 4 ; the former including active clc element 21 and passive clc element 22 while the latter includes active clc element 23 and passive clc element 24 . stage 3 consists of four branches 5 - 8 each of the branches consisting of active and passive clc elements 31 , 33 , 35 , 37 and 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , respectively . similarly , stage 4 consists of eight branches 9 - 16 each of these branches including active and passive clc elements 41 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 and 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 , respectively , just like the previously mentioned branches . at this point , it should be appreciated that many more stages may be added to tree 1 with each succeeding stages having twice as many branches as the preceding stage . using this approach , stage 4 in fig1 has 2 n - 1 branches wherein n is the stage number . thus , stage 4 has 2 4 - 1 or eight branches . since each branch has two clc elements , each stage has 2 n elements and , for stage 4 , sixteen elements . thus , stage 10 , for example , would have 2 10 or 1024 clc elements providing one light output per element or 1024 outputs . since fig1 is representative of the way logic tree 1 operates regardless of the number of stages , only four stages have been incorporated to clearly demonstrate how such a logic tree may be used to provide a scanned light output from a plurality of elements which are activated by an input from a single source of electromagnetic energy . before describing the operation of fig1 , it should be understood that the active clc elements of each branch in fig1 do not depart from similar active elements shown in fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 459 , 591 entitled “ electromagnetic energy beam steering devices ” in the name of s . m . faris , which is hereby incorporated by reference . the passive clc elements of the present invention differ from the active clc elements in that the passive clc elements do not incorporate an electronically controlled , variable half - wave retarder or π - cell . thus , each branch of logic tree 1 as represented by branch 2 of fig1 includes an active clc element 18 and a passive clc element 19 . the former includes a cholesteric liquid crystal member 60 , a transparent electrode 62 , a ground plane ( not shown ), and a controllable half - wave retarder 61 while the latter includes a cholesteric liquid crystal member which is identical to member 60 . since each of the branches 3 , 4 , 5 - 8 and 9 - 16 is identical with branch 2 of fig1 , each cholesteric liquid crystal element and each half - wave retarder of each branch is identified with the same reference numbers 60 , 61 respectively . in fig1 , active clc element 18 and passive clc element 19 of branch 2 both include cholesteric liquid crystal members 60 which are disposed at an angle , preferably 45 °, within each of the elements 18 , 19 . members 60 are made from a nematic liquid crystal material with chiral additives or polysiloxane side - chain polymers which cause the cigar - shaped molecules to be spontaneously aligned in an optically active structure of either a left - handed or right - handed helix with a helical pitch , p . the twisting direction and the pitch , p , of the helices are determined by the nature and concentration of the additives . a clc member , like member 60 , has all its helices aligned in one direction and is capable of reflecting light , for example , having one circular polarization having a characteristic wavelength or band of wavelengths . cholesteric liquid crystal ( clc ) members 60 which are used in the practice of the present invention and their method of fabrication are shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 221 , 982 , filed jul . 5 , 1991 and issued on jun . 22 , 1993 in the name of s . m . faris . this patent is herewith incorporated by reference . while clc members 60 are shown in fig1 as being single elements , it should be understood that a plurality of clc members 60 may be substituted for each of the members 60 to provide for the reflection and transmission of circularly polarized radiation having a plurality of wavelengths or band of wavelengths which are provided by a plurality of sources of electromagnetic radiation . it should be appreciated that , in the practice of the present invention , members 60 may be made of any material which can be switched to reflect and / or transmit electromagnetic energy by the application of electric or magnetic fields to that material . half - wave retarders or π - cells 61 shown schematically in fig1 are of the type shown and described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 670 , 744 , filed mar . 14 , 1985 and issued on jun . 2 , 1987 in the name of t . s . buzak and may be utilized in the practice of the present invention . the buzak patent is herewith incorporated by reference . alternatively , instead of clc films , polarizing reflectors , polarizing prisms or mcneill prisms may be utilized in the practice of the present invention and are commercially available . when more than a single wavelength of electromagnetic radiation is used in the arrangement of fig1 , a broad band π - cell may be utilized to provide half - wave retardation of each wavelength to maintain the same intensity level for each wavelength . logic tree 1 of fig1 is activated from a source 17 of electromagnetic radiation which may be a laser or any other source of radiation the output of which may be converted from a linearly polarized orientation to a circularly polarized orientation by means of a quarter - wave plate ( not shown ) in a manner well known to those skilled in the optical arts . if the resulting output is not appropriately polarized , a half - wave retarder may be utilized to provide the conversion from one circular polarization to the other polarization . for purposes of the present application , radiation emanating from source 17 is circularly polarized in either a clockwise or counter - clockwise direction . lasers which are commercially available may be utilized to provide outputs which fall within the visible , infrared or ultraviolet spectra . while source 17 is shown as a single source in fig1 , it should be appreciated that it also represents a plurality of sources each having a different wavelength . thus , source 17 may include lasers which emit at the red , green and blue wavelengths of the visible spectrum so that the projected beam of radiation is a beam of light having a single color or combinations of these wavelengths . it should also be appreciated that source 17 may comprise lasers or other sources of electromagnetic radiation which are capable of being intensity modulated . in this way , the source output may be varied in intensity from zero to a maximum intensity including all gradations in between . in fig1 , source of electromagnetic radiation 17 is shown directly irradiating a member 60 of active element 18 of branch 2 from which it is either transmitted or reflected depending on the polarization of the emitted radiation . the emitted radiation from source 17 may have a single intensity or it may be an intensity modulated signal provided by a television camera 25 or the like . by appropriately programming π - cells or half - wave retarders 61 , an unmodulated or intensity modulated signal is delivered in a scanned manner to the active and passive clc elements 41 - 56 of branches 9 - 16 of stage 4 . in this way , an unmodulated or intensity modulated beam of radiation is scanned across elements 41 - 56 providing an output which is similar in every way to a single scan line of a conventional television set . if an input is provided in digital form , a digital - to - analog converter 26 may be interposed between camera 25 and source 17 in a well - known manner . in fig1 , variable half - wave retarders 61 are activated by a programmable pulsed source 27 which gets timing information from camera 25 via interconnection 28 . a plurality of driver interconnections 29 extend from pulsed source 27 and each interconnection 29 is connected to a separate electrode 62 which applies an electric field to an associated half - wave retarder 61 when activated by pulsed source 27 . in fig1 , fifteen driver interconnections 29 would be utilized each one of which , when pulsed , activates a separate variable half - wave retarder 61 . in operation , logic tree 1 is activated when source 17 is activated . the object is to provide a scanned output from a single input to a plurality of outputs in stage 4 of logic tree 1 . it is , therefore , required that the outputs of active and passive elements 41 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 and 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 , respectively , be activated so that outputs are obtained from these elements in the order shown in fig1 . since element 41 is to provide the first output , if the input signal is right - hand circularly polarized ( rcp ) radiation and all members 60 are designed to be reflective of left - hand circularly polarized ( lcp ) radiation , the rcp light passes through active elements 18 , 21 , 31 and 41 unhindered since these elements reflect lcp radiation and transmit rcp radiation . an rcp radiation output , therefore , appears at the output port of element 41 . in the next time period , half - wave retarder 61 of element 41 is activated by a pulse from pulsed source 27 via an interconnection 29 to electrode 62 causing retarder 61 to introduce a half - wave delay into the input rcp radiation which has passed through active elements 18 , 21 and 31 causing the rcp radiation to be converted to lcp radiation . the lcp radiation then reflects from member 60 of element 41 which is reflective of lcp radiation toward member 60 of element 42 which is also reflective of lcp radiation . the impinging lcp radiation is then reflected to the output port of element 42 . in the next time period , an output is desired from the output port of active element 43 . to accomplish this , retarders 61 at the inputs of active elements 31 of stage 3 and active elements 43 of stage 4 are activated by applying pulses to their associated transparent electrodes 62 . once this is done , the rcp radiation at the input of active element 31 is converted to lcp radiation and reflects from lcp reflective member 60 over to lcp reflective member 60 of passive element 32 where it is reflected toward active element 43 . the lcp input at active element 43 encounters a half - wave retarder 61 and is converted to rcp radiation . the latter then passes unaffected to the output port of active element 43 because its clc member 60 reflects only lcp radiation . in the next interval , pulsed source 27 deactivates half - wave retarder 61 associated with active element 43 and continues activation of the half - wave retarder 61 associated with active element 31 . in this way , the lcp radiation impinging on element 43 encounters no delay and remains as lcp radiation which is then reflected from lcp reflective member 60 of element 43 toward passive element 44 . the thus reflected lcp radiation is reflected from lcp reflective member 60 of element 44 to its output port . rather than tediously describing every passage through every element , the order of the activation of half - wave retarders 61 will be described since every path from input to output port can be gleaned from the previous description and drawing shown in fig1 . to obtain an output at active element 45 , only the variable half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 21 and 33 must be activated . to obtain an output at active element 46 , variable half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 21 , 33 and 45 must be activated . to obtain an output at active element 47 , the variable half - wave retarders associated with active elements 21 and 47 must be activated . to obtain an output at passive element 48 , only the variable half - wave retarder associated with active element 21 need be activated . an output at active element 49 may be obtained by activating the half - wave retarders associated with active elements 18 and 23 . an output at passive element 50 may be obtained by activating the half - wave retarders associated with active elements 18 , 23 and 49 . to obtain an output at active element 51 , the half - wave retarders associated with active elements 18 , 35 and 51 must be activated . an output may be obtained from passive element 52 by activating half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 18 , 23 and 35 . to obtain an output at active element 53 , half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 18 and 37 must be activated . an output at passive element 54 may be obtained by activating half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 18 , 37 and 53 . to obtain an output at active element 55 , half - wave retarders 61 associated with active elements 18 and 55 are activated . finally , active element 56 is activated by activating half - wave retarder 61 associated with active element 18 . once half - wave retarders 61 are activated by applying pulses to transparent electrodes 62 from programmable pulsed source 27 as described hereinabove , a scanned output varying in intensity at each of the active and passive elements 41 through 56 is obtained . the outputs do not all have the same polarization and , for the embodiment of fig1 , have a polarization pattern of alternating rcp and lcp as the elements are scanned from left to right . recognizing that such variation is present is important where outputs having the same circular polarization are desired or required so that fixed half - wave retarders may be placed to convert all the polarization &# 39 ; s to the same polarization . thus , in fig1 , for example , fixed half - wave retarders 63 may be placed at the outputs of active elements 41 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 and 55 to convert their rcp outputs to lcp . the ability to do this conversion is particularly important in arrangements which provide a 3 - d output because the perception of 3 - d is based on having two spatially displaced images each of which has a different polarization . if the input to active clc element 18 in fig1 is changed to lcp and all the clc members 60 in logic tree 1 are changed to be reflective of rcp , the outputs obtained are exactly the same as those shown in fig1 . an identical output pattern to that shown in fig1 is obtainable where the input is lcp and all the members 60 are reflective of lcp . a pattern opposite to that shown in fig1 is obtainable where the input is rcp and all the members 60 are reflective of rcp . fig2 is a schematic diagram of a logic tree 1 similar to that shown in fig1 . it shows only the logic tree without the associated laser and electronics . the purpose is to show that the polarization of members 60 reflective of different polarizations may be varied to produce outputs having different polarizations from those shown in fig1 . each of the boxes representing active and passive elements in fig2 contains either the letter l or r indicating that the clc member 60 therein is reflective of either left - handed or right - handed circular polarization . without going into exhaustive detail , suffice it to say that the outputs shown in fig2 are obtained from an lcp input having the following polarization pattern when retarders 61 are switched in the same order as described in connection with fig1 : a pattern different from that shown above would be obtained if the input polarization were changed to rcp and members 60 of logic tree 1 were reflective of polarization &# 39 ; s opposite to those shown in fig2 . the output pattern is as follows : the foregoing illustrates how the output polarization may be controlled for applications where information is polarization encoded or scrambled ; transmitted and decoded or unscrambled by using a key which controls the variable half - wave retarders 61 . from the point of view of ease of manufacturing , logic trees having the same clc members 60 are the most advantageous as will be seen when the fabrication process is described hereinbelow . the arrangement of fig1 provides an advantage over the scanning arrangement shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 459 , 591 in that input light has to traverse , in a 1024 × 1024 array , 1024 clc members 2 ( in the patent ) to provide an output at its furthest imaging cell 1 ( in the patent ). if each clc member has transmissibility ( t ), the final imaging cell will have a transmissibility of ( t ) 1024 . thus , even with a transmissibility approaching 1 , say 0 . 999 , the output at the 1024 th imaging cell would be : ( 0 . 999 ) 1024 which , to all intents and purposes , is zero . opposed to this is the present approach where , to provide the last output in a 1024 × 1024 array , only twenty clc members 60 or two per stage need to be traversed providing a transmissibility of ( t ) 20 . under these conditions the 1024th output , assuming t = 0 . 999 , would be ( 0 . 999 ) 20 which is approximately ninety percent of the input intensity . the minimum transmissibility for a ten stage array would be ( t ) 10 or one transition per stage . from the foregoing , while logic tree 1 of fig1 represents an improvement over the prior art in terms of output light intensity , it should be clear that each logic tree 1 requires its own input laser or source of electromagnetic radiation 17 . thus , to provide an 8 × 8 array , for example , eight logic trees 1 would have to be stacked in the manner shown in fig3 . fig3 is an orthographic projection of eight logic trees 1 positioned one atop the other which , in accordance with the teaching of the present application , provide 64 outputs . one source of electromagnetic radiation 17 per logic tree 1 is required . because of space limitations , the showing of fig3 has been limited to the use of only three of the stages of fig1 . also , since each of logic trees 1 in fig3 is identical with the other logic trees 1 , only the topmost logic tree 1 with its clc members 60 and variable half - wave retarders 61 have been shown . also , as will become clear hereinafter , the dimensions shown are not to scale . in fig3 , 8 × 8 array 70 is shown which comprises eight logic trees 1 stacked one atop the other . each logic tree 1 is comprised of three stages , stage 1 , stage 2 , and stage 3 . stage 1 comprises branch 2 ; stage 2 comprises branches 3 , 4 and stage 3 comprises branches 5 - 8 as shown in fig1 . each branch includes active and passive clc elements similar to those shown in stages 1 - 3 of fig1 and each of the active and passive elements includes a cholesteric liquid crystal member 60 which is positioned at an angle of 45 ° within each of the active and passive elements of array 70 . also , included are variable half - wave retarders 61 which are arranged in fig3 just like the variable retarders 61 in stages 1 - 3 of fig1 . in fig3 , each logic tree 1 is activated by an associated source of electromagnetic radiation 17 , preferably a laser , thus requiring a total of eight sources 17 . as each laser is actuated , variable half - wave retarders 61 are actuated as described in connection with fig1 hereinabove and the output of each laser 17 appears as a scanned modulated signal going from left to right at the outputs of imaging cells 71 of each of logic trees 1 . in the arrangement shown in fig3 , sources 17 and retarders 61 may be actuated sequentially or simultaneously . if the outputs of sources 17 are converted to right - hand circular polarization ( rcp ) and all clc members 60 are reflective of left - hand circular polarization ( lcp ), the outputs of each logic tree 1 of fig3 will be the same as those shown in fig1 , namely : as suggested in connection with the description of fig1 , fixed half - wave retarders may be appropriately positioned to make all the outputs have the same polarization . while the number of lossy transitions per logic tree has been reduced over that shown in the prior art , this has been accomplished by the use of a source 17 for each logic tree 1 incorporated in an array 70 . with arrangements like that shown in fig3 expanded to a 1024 × 1024 array , for example , 1024 sources 17 would be required . this requirement can be eliminated and the number of sources reduced to one by using a logic tree 1 like that shown in fig1 , the outputs of which , provided from a single source 17 , act as inputs to an array 70 like that shown in fig3 . this will become clear from a consideration of fig4 which is an orthographic projection similar to fig3 except that , instead of a plurality of sources 17 , only a single source 17 , in combination with a logic tree 1 like that shown in fig1 , disposed perpendicularly to the logic trees 1 of fig3 is required . considering fig4 in more detail , array 70 is identical with array 70 shown in fig3 . also , source of electromagnetic radiation 17 in fig4 is similar to sources 17 shown in fib . 3 . in fig4 , an input logic tree 72 is shown disposed between array 70 and source 17 such that each imaging cell 71 of logic tree 72 acts as an input to an associated logic tree 1 of array 70 . thus , the uppermost imaging cell 71 of input logic tree 72 provides an input to the leftmost element of the topmost of logic trees 1 of array 70 . this input which may be an intensity modulated signal from source 17 , is scanned across the imaging cells 71 of the topmost logic tree 1 of array 70 in a manner analogous to the scan of a television frame . when the scanned output of the topmost logic tree 1 reaches its last imaging cell 71 , the output of source 17 is switched to the next imaging cell 71 ( immediately beneath the topmost imaging cell 71 ) of logic tree 72 . the output of that next imaging cell then acts as the input to the logic tree 1 immediately beneath the topmost logic tree 1 of array 70 . the inputs to the last mentioned logic tree 1 are then delivered to the imaging cells 71 of that logic tree 1 in sequence from left - to - right providing a scanned , intensity modulated signal similar to that of a television scan line . each of the remaining imaging cells 71 of input logic tree 72 is then actuated by programming electrodes 62 and variable half - wave retarders 61 associated with logic tree 72 in the same manner described hereinabove in connection with fig1 . similarly , each of the logic trees 1 of array 70 is actuated by outputs from an associated imaging cell 71 of input logic tree 72 . then , under control of programmed electrodes 62 and half - wave retarders 61 , these outputs , now inputs , to an associated logic tree 1 , are delivered to the imaging cells 71 of each logic tree 1 as a scanned line having portions which may vary in intensity from imaging cell 71 - to - imaging cell 71 . in this way , by accessing logic trees 1 from top - to - bottom , for example , in fig4 , an image is built up which , depending on the imaging cell density , can provide images of extremely high resolution . from the foregoing , it should be clear that the modulated output of a single source 17 , preferably a laser , may be delivered to the imaging cells 71 of a plurality of stacked logic trees 1 like array 70 in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the use of an input logic tree 72 permits the use of a single source 17 as opposed to the multiplicity of sources 17 shown in fig3 . the value of the arrangement shown in fig4 becomes more apparent when it is recalled that for a 1024 × 1024 array embodiment like fig3 , 1024 lasers would be required . thus , in addition to reducing the number of lossy transitions as provided by the embodiment of fig3 , the embodiment shown in fig4 also reduces the number of sources 17 required to the absolute minimum of one . while the electronic equipment required to operate displays like those shown in fig3 , 4 , has not been shown , it should be appreciated that the same components as shown in fig1 and which are well - known in the imaging arts may be utilized in the practice of the present invention . thus , timing information obtained from camera 25 , for example , is applied via interconnection 28 to programmable pulsed sources 27 . the latter then applies switching signals to both logic tree 72 and each of logic trees 1 to appropriately control their electrodes 62 and half - wave retarders 60 so that a scanned energy output may be delivered from the imaging cells 71 of each logic tree 1 and input logic tree 72 . referring now to fig5 , an orthographic projection of an imaging array is shown which , in combination with viewing glasses and stereo displaced images provides a 3 - d display . in fig5 , input logic tree 72 is accessed by a source 17 of electromagnetic radiation which is modulated by outputs of a stereoscopic television camera 73 via interconnection 74 . the two outputs from stereo camera 73 are stereo displaced so that , if they are separated one from the other by some characteristic like polarization , the two resulting images may be delivered one to each eye ( using appropriate glasses ) and combined in the brain to provide a three - dimensional image . one of the images is provided by applying scanned lines from stereo camera 73 via interconnection 74 to laser 17 . the output of the latter is then applied to input logic tree 72 from which scanned line outputs are delivered from the topmost and alternate imaging cells 71 under control of programmable pulsed source 75 which actuates variable half - wave retarders 61 thereof via interconnections 76 . the output from the topmost of imaging cells 71 of input logic tree 72 is applied for a given interval to leftmost member 60 of the uppermost of logic trees 1 . at the same time , variable half - wave retarders 61 under control of programmable pulsed source 27 are appropriately actuated so that a portion of the scanned line from stereo camera 73 is delivered to each of the imaging cells 71 of the uppermost of logic trees 1 of array 70 . in the instance of fig5 , each imaging cell 71 of array 70 is illuminated for a time equal to ⅛ the given interval of a scanned line from camera 73 . for a 1024 × 1024 array , the illuminating time would be { fraction ( 1 / 1024 )} th of the scanned line interval . the first image is completed by applying scanned lines from stereo camera 73 via interconnection 74 which modulate laser 17 during each alternate interval after the first to each alternate imaging cell 71 after the first imaging cell 71 of input logic tree 72 . each scanned line is delivered to the imaging cells 71 of each alternate logic tree 1 of array 70 in the same manner described in connection with the delivery of the first scanned line to the uppermost of logic trees 1 of array 70 . the stereo displaced image from stereo camera 73 is delivered as scanned lines via interconnection 74 to laser 17 where they modulate the output of laser 17 . the stereo displaced scanned line outputs are delivered to laser 17 during the second and alternate intervals after the second interval . the first stereo displaced output from laser 17 , under control of programmable pulsed source 75 which appropriately actuates the variable half - wave retarders 61 of input logic tree 72 , is delivered to the second - from - the - top of imaging cells 71 of logic tree 72 as a scanned line . this last mentioned output acting as an input to the leftmost clc member 60 of the second - from - the - top of logic trees 1 of array 70 is delivered to the imaging cells 71 of the second - from - the - top of logic trees 1 of array 70 under control of programmable pulsed source 27 as portions of the scanned line output of laser 17 . as with the first image generation , the imaging cells 71 of the stereo displaced image are illuminated for a time equal to ⅛ the given interval of a scanned line . the stereo displaced image is completed by applying scanned lines from stereo camera 73 via interconnection 74 to laser 17 during each alternate interval after the second interval to each alternate imaging cell 71 after the second imaging cell 71 of input logic tree 72 . each stereo displaced scanned line is delivered to the imaging cells 71 of the second and alternate logic trees 1 of array 70 in the same manner described in connection with the delivery of the first stereo displaced scanned line to the second - from - the - top of logic trees 1 of array 70 . if the polarization applied to logic trees 1 is rcp and the members 60 thereof are designed to reflect lcp , logic trees 1 provide an image at their imaging cells 71 in the same way described in connection with fig1 and the resulting outputs will have polarizations like those shown in fig1 . the polarizations at stage 3 for each of logic trees 1 are : to obtain this result , however , input logic tree 72 must provide rcp at all its imaging cells 71 . this requires an rcp input from laser 71 , a logic tree with elements which reflect lcp and fixed half - wave retarders 63 ( not shown ) disposed after imaging cells 71 which provide lcp outputs . to obtain a single polarization for all of the outputs of first and alternate logic trees 1 of array 70 , for example , rcp , the lcp outputs of these logic trees 1 must be converted to rcp . this is accomplished by interposing fixed half - wave retarders 63 over the imaging cells 71 having lcp outputs . similarly , to obtain a single but opposite polarization for all of the outputs of the second and alternate logic trees 71 , for example , lcp , the rcp outputs of these logic trees 1 must be converted to lcp . this is accomplished by interposing fixed - half wave retarders 63 over the imaging cells 71 having rcp outputs . at this point , two stereo - displaced images appear at the output imaging cells 71 of array 70 . one image has an rcp polarization while the other has an lcp polarization . then , using glasses which have one lens which passes rcp and another lens which passes lcp , a 3 - d image is perceived by a viewer . in connection with the 3 - d embodiment of fig5 , it should be appreciated that outputs from stereo camera 73 may be in either digital or analog form . if the former , the digital signals may be converted to analog signals using a digital - to - analog converter in a well - known way . also , to the extent that logic trees 1 are provided with signals representing a scanned line of an image and a stereo displaced image , these signals are arranged to alternately access alternate ones of logic trees 1 in succession until two stereo displaced images are formed at the imaging cells 71 of array 70 . the scanned lines of an image and a stereo displaced image are electronically interlaced so that source 17 is modulated first by signals representing a scanned image and then by signals representing a scanned stereo displaced image and so on in succession until the two images are formed . from fig5 , it can be seen that , for a 3 - d array , two 4 × 8 interleaved arrays are required , one for an image and another for a stereo displaced image . extrapolating this information to a practical level , if 1024 imaging cells are wanted for each image , an array of 2048 × 1024 imaging cells would be required . using the same approach as demonstrated by fig5 , two 512 × 1024 interleaved arrays may be used with the sacrifice of some resolution . in fig5 , logic trees 1 have been interleaved horizontally for ease of fabrication but , they may be interleaved vertically without departing from the spirit of the present application . referring now to fig6 , there is shown an orthographic , cut - away projection of a plurality of layers 80 of insulating material , like sio 2 , polycarbonate , acrylic or any other appropriate optically transparent material , and a plurality of layers 81 of cholesteric liquid crystal ( clc ) material interleaved with layers 80 . in fig6 , layers 80 , 81 are subjected to a slicing operation which cuts into layers 80 , 81 at an angle , preferably 45 °. layers 80 , 81 may be cut by saws , lasers , jets or other appropriate tool to provide layers 82 which contain clc members 60 disposed at an angle of 45 ° in insulating material as shown in fig7 . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of a layer of insulating material in which clc members 60 are disposed at an angle of 45 °. the spacing of clc members 60 is determined by controlling the thicknesses of insulating layers 80 prior to the slicing step of fig6 . since alignment of clc members 60 is important in transmitting electromagnetic energy from stage - to - stage the spacing of members 60 must be carefully controlled . thus , in fig7 , the spacing between clc members 60 is t units and could comprise stage 1 , for example , of array 70 of fig4 . fig8 is a cross - sectional view of a layer of insulating material in which members 60 are disposed at an angle of 45 ° and is similar to fig7 except that members 60 are spaced apart by t / 2 units . layer 82 and other like layers are fabricated by slicing an arrangement like that shown in fig6 except that the thicknesses of layers 80 of insulating material are reduced to half that shown in fig6 . after slicing a stack like that shown in fig6 , the resulting layer 82 with a spacing of t / 2 between members 60 could comprise stage 2 , for example , of array 70 of fig4 . fig9 is a cross - sectional view of a layer of insulating material in which members 60 are disposed at an angle of 45 ° and is similar to fig7 except that members 60 are spaced apart by t / 4 units . layer 82 in fig9 is fabricated by slicing an arrangement like that shown in fig6 except that the thicknesses layers 80 would be reduced to one - quarter that shown in fig6 . after slicing a stack like that shown in fig6 , the resulting layer 82 with a spacing of t / 4 between members 60 could comprise stage 3 , for example , of array 70 of fig4 . the spacing of members 60 is always reduced by half as additional stages are added so that higher and higher resolutions may be obtained . thus , for an array with ten stages , the spacing between clc members 60 would be t / 512 units . by slicing arrangements like that shown in fig6 and controlling the thicknesses of layers 80 , layers 82 with members 60 spaced apart by different amounts like those shown in fig7 - 9 may be easily obtained . as will be seen below , layers 82 with appropriately spaced members 60 may be stacked to produce an array 70 like that shown in fig4 or an array having as many stages as desired . this can be done on a mass - production basis to produce literally thousands of layers like layers 82 of fig7 - 9 . fig1 is a cross - sectional , orthographic projection of a layer 82 which contains clc members 60 disposed at an angle of 45 ° therein . layer 82 in fig1 is similar to layer 82 of fig8 except that in fig1 , a ground plane 83 is deposited or formed on the bottom of layer 82 . layer 83 is transparent and metallic in character and acts as a ground plane for subsequently deposited electrodes which activate variable half - wave retarders 61 . a material like indium - tin oxide ( ito ) may be deposited or formed in a well - known way on the bottom of layer 82 of fig1 . the transparency of ito , of course , permits the transmission of light energy from stage - to - stage with little or no loss in intensity . referring to fig1 , there is shown a cross - sectional , orthographic projection similar to fig1 except that electrodes 84 are shown disposed over every other clc member 60 , like they would be if layer 83 of fig1 were to be utilized as a stage 2 in an array 70 like that shown in fig4 . this pattern of electrode spacing will always be the same regardless of which stage is being considered . a reconsideration of fig1 shows this to be true since each stage always comprises at least one branch consisting of active and passive clc elements . electrode 84 ( 62 in fig1 ) is always associated with and forms a part of variable half - wave retarders 61 which , in turn , is always associated with the active clc element of any branch . like ground plane 83 , electrode 84 is comprised of indium - tin - oxide ( ito ) material which is transparent to the electromagnetic radiation being utilized . to obtain electrodes 84 in the form shown in fig1 , indium - tin oxide is formed atop layer 82 and , using well - known lithographic , masking and etching techniques , electrodes 84 are appropriately positioned over every other clc member 60 . rather than carrying out two separate deposition steps for ground plane 83 and electrodes 84 , the ito material may be formed simultaneously on each side of layer 82 . then , the photolithographic , masking and etching steps are carried out . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a cross - sectional view of a layer 82 similar to that shown in fig1 except that a spacer is added around the periphery of layer 82 and the thus enclosed volume is filled with a phase - shifter material in liquid form . in fig1 , a spacer 85 is formed around the periphery of layer 82 by , for example , gluing a spacer 85 of insulating material around the edge of layer 82 . spacer 85 separates layers 82 from other overlying layers and defines the volume into which phase - shifter material 86 is placed . fig1 is a top view of a logic tree 1 made up of layers 82 like those shown in fig7 - 12 . the arrangement of fig1 shows the topmost logic tree 1 of fig4 after it has been fabricated in accordance with the teaching of the present application . fig1 can also be considered a side - view of input logic tree 72 since its structure does not depart in any way from the structure of logic tree 1 . one way of assembling the structure of fig1 , is to stack a finished layer 82 like that shown in fig1 on a finished layer 82 like that shown at the bottom of fig1 . another layer 82 like that shown at the top of fig1 is stacked atop the finished layer 82 of fig1 . the layers are glued together with the topmost layer 82 forming stage 1 as shown in fig4 ; the middle layer 82 forming stage 2 as shown in fig4 and the bottom layer 82 forming stage 3 as shown in fig4 . thus , inputs provided to the leftmost clc member 60 of topmost layer 82 will , under control of inputs to electrodes 84 from pulsed source 27 , appear as outputs emanating , from left - to - right , from clc members 60 of bottommost layer 82 as a scanned line of modulated or unmodulated light . for the array , once stacked , the top and bottom thereof may be covered with insulating layers , one of which contains holes which register with the ends of electrodes 84 and ground planes 83 . thus , even when logic trees 1 are not being utilized , their associated electrodes 61 , 84 which extend from top - to - bottom of array 70 and are electrically connected as shown in fig5 are simultaneously energized . inputs to the stacked logic trees 1 are provided , as shown in fig4 , from imaging cells 71 of input logic tree 72 . the orientation of input logic tree 72 with respect to array 70 is best shown in fig4 which does not depart in any way from the arrangement of fig1 . the latter figure merely shows the structural details to better effect . thus , as previously explained in fig4 , outputs from imaging cells 71 of input logic tree 72 are scanned from top - to - bottom of tree 72 and each output initially accesses the leftmost member 60 of its associated logic tree 1 such that outputs appear at imaging cells 71 of array 70 as a plurality of left - to - right scans which go from the topmost logic tree 1 to the bottommost logic tree 1 of array 70 . input logic tree 72 may take the form of an array 70 rotated 90 ° so that imaging cells 71 there of register with the leftmost retarder 61 of each of the logic trees 1 like lasers 17 as shown in fig3 . in this instance , only a single logic tree 1 of the rotated array 70 is energized . alternatively , the array shown in fig1 may be fabricated without introducing the phase shifter material 86 . the structure of fig1 is then sliced in a direction parallel to the surface there of resulting in a structure similar to input logic tree 72 as shown in fig4 . the resulting slice is placed on an insulating layer and bonded to it . a cover layer of insulating material having holes therein which register with electrodes 84 and ground planes 83 is fabricated by drilling or etching using well - known photolithographic techniques . the volumes enclosed by the insulation layer are now filled with liquid phase shifter material 86 . the cover layer is affixed to the other side of the logic tree slice . a metallic layer such as aluminum is then deposited on the surface of the cover layer and in the holes previously formed therein . then , using well - known photolithographic masking and etching techniques , conductors to electrodes 84 in a ground planes 83 are formed without going into exhaustive detail , it should be appreciated that the side of input logic tree 72 of fig4 may be butted against the back of array 70 . in this way , the overall thickness of the arrangement of fig4 is substantially reduced . well - known optical techniques using reflectors may be used to apply a 90 ° turn to light emanating from imaging cells 71 of tree 72 when it is butted against the back of array 70 . since electrodes 84 extend from front - to - back on each logic tree 1 as shown , for example , in fig1 , they are best accessed from the front or back of the array with activating metallic lines 29 , as shown in fig4 , extending in insulated spaced relationship with a surface of array 70 to a plug which can be connected to pulsed source 27 , for example . this may be accomplished using well - known photolithographic and etching techniques . the arrangements shown in fig6 - 12 may have the following typical dimensions : typical voltages applied to electrodes 84 may range between 5v and 100v . from the foregoing , it should be clear that arrays 70 may range in size from that typical of t . v . sets used in the home to displays similar to those used in stadia . the resulting arrays are flat , light weight , require but a single laser source or multiple laser sources and are inexpensive and easily fabricated .
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with reference first to fig1 , a system is illustrated therein for local wireless transmission and reception of digital audio and program information . a delivery system 10 , such as coaxial cable , satellite , the internet , microwave , and etc ., outputs a serial digital audio / program information stream 22 that contains digital audio , program information , and national subscriber information . the transmitter 100 , more fully described with respect of fig2 - 2 a , receives the said serial digital data stream 22 and demultiplexes , decrypts , and decodes the digital audio and program information signal . the digital audio signal and program information are converted to a digital rf carrier frequencies and broadcasted to a plurality of second devices , preferably at least one receiver / tuner unit 200 , more fully described with respect of fig3 - 4 , that outputs the selected audio electronically and displays the corresponding program information of the audio track currently listened to by the subscriber . fig2 is a block diagram of the preferred digital music transmitter ( dmt ) 100 . referring to fig1 - 2 , the serial digital data stream 22 is passed via an established system of digital data distribution 10 , for example , multisystem operators coaxial cable or direct broadcast satellite , and is received by the transmitter input terminal 105 . the transmitter input terminal 105 preferably includes phase - lock loop ( pll ) circuitry . the signal is amplified by an amplifier 110 and filtered by a saw filter 115 before being demodulated by a demodulator 120 . the demodulator 120 converts the selected digital frequency to demodulation intermediate frequency ( if ). the output of the demodulator 120 is quadrature partial response ( qpr ) demodulated to produce a 5 . 6 mbps data stream containing 150 stereo pair of digital audio data to an applications specific integrated circuit ( asic ) 130 . the demodulator 120 provides data to a data clock recovery pll 125 . the data clock recovery pll 125 contains a 33 . 8688 mhz crystal 122 ( about 33 . 9 mhz ) for timing purposes . the asic 130 provides demultiplexing , decrypting , and decoding operations upon the 5 . 6 mbps data stream input by the demodulator 120 to the microprocessor 140 . the asic 130 separates the 5 . 6 mbps data stream to a select one of 150 stereo pairs of digital audio signals . the selected stereo pair is decrypted and separated to provide digital audio signal and a program information signal . the digital audio signal is then decoded according to a variety of known techniques . the asic 130 inputs the digital audio signals , provided at a sampling rate of 44 . 1 kilohertz ( khz ), to a digital rf converter 150 . the audio signals are provided to a f . m . stereo encoder and loudness processor 152 , and then to f . m . band exciter 154 . the output of the exciter 154 is amplified by a high power amplifier 156 and broadcast over the airwaves by an antenna 160 as digital f . m . in the f . m . broadcast for reception by a digital f . m . receiver 201 , such as disclosed in fig3 a receiver 170 for a second controllable device , such as a digital receiver / tuner ( drt ) 200 , coupled to the microprocessor 140 receives instruction or control signals transmitted by the drt 200 to initiate the remote control of selected functions of the transmitter 100 . a clock signal generated internal to the asic 130 is utilized as a carrier signal to switch the output of the drt 200 on or off at a frequency of 44 . 1 khz . the 44 . 1 khz clock from an asic clock generator 130 a may be utilized to generate a carrier signal for rf signals sent by the drt transmitter 160 . the asic clock signal provided by the asic clock 130 a is derived from the about 33 . 9 mhz signal provided to the asic 130 by the data clock pll 125 . the drt 200 operates to control selected function of the transmitter as well as the program information transmitted by the drt transmitter 160 associated with the dmt 100 . the asic clock signal provided by the asic clock 130 is derived from the about 33 . 9 mhz signal provided to the asic 150 by the data clock pll 125 . specifically , the asic clock signal is derived by dividing the 33 . 9 mhz signal by three ( 3 ) to provide a second clock signal having a frequency of 11 . 3 mhz , and by then dividing the 11 . 3 mhz signal to the preferred fixed first frequency for the 44 . 1 khz asic clock signal . the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal is utilized as a clock signal selected operations conducted by the asic 130 . the asic 130 contains a synchronizing circuit 132 which is utilized to provide clock synchronized program information signals to the drt 200 . the synchronizing circuit 132 operated to provide two separate timing alignment functions . first , the synchronizing circuit 132 aligns the program information signal provided by the microprocessor to the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal . second , the synchronizing circuit 132 aligns the 44 . 1 khz asic clock signal to the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal . referring to fig2 - 2 a , the synchronizing circuit 132 includes a first synchronizing element 133 , an , edge detector 134 , and second synchronized element 135 , and gate 136 . the microprocessor 140 provides program information signals in the form of a serial data signal formatted in the appropriate display information protocol to the first synchronizing element 133 . the microprocessor 140 outputs the program information signals to the first synchronizing element 133 at a predefined data rate , preferably 4900 baud . in addition , the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal is provided as another input to the first synchronized element 133 . the first synchronizing element 133 aligns the rising edge of the program information signals to the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal to provide an output signal synchronized with the 11 . 3 mhz clock . the second synchronizing element 135 accepts the synchronized output signal of the first synchronizing element 133 and produces a gate signal when the output signal of the edge detector 134 enables the second synchronizing element 135 . the gate signal produced by the second synchronizing element 135 and the asic clock signal of 44 . 1 khz are provided as inputs to an and gate 136 . accordingly , the integral number of cycles of the asic clock signal output by the and gate 136 is effectively determined by the pulse width or pulse duration of the gate signal output by the second synchronizing element 135 . the output of the asic 130 is a carrier - modulated program information signal , produced by an on / off keying technique , and is provided from the synchronizing circuit 130 on line 137 to the drt transmitter 160 . the carrier - modulated program information signal , when formatted with appropriate start bits , stop bits , and other formatting information described below , comprises a display information signal that is ultimately display as alphanumeric characters on the display of the drt 200 . the drt transmitter 160 is responsive to the carrier - modulated program information signal provided on line 137 . the microprocessor 140 initiates a transmission of a program information signal by the dmt 100 . in response to the initiation of a transmission , the asic 130 outputs the synchronized program information signal at the rate defined by the first frequency ( 44 . 1 khz ) to the drt transmitter 160 . the drt receiver 170 includes a demodulator 172 and rf diode 174 . the rf diode 174 is located between an input of the demodulator 172 and the ground . when the rf diode 174 detects a command signal from the drt 200 . the rf diode 174 outputs a detected signal to the demodulator 172 . the demodulator 172 demodulates and filters the detected rf signal and provides an output voltage signal to the receiver input terminal of the microprocessor 140 on line 173 . the demodulator 172 provided the specific functions preamplification , bandpass filtering , and detection of the detected rf signal provided by the rf diode 174 . fig4 is a block diagram of the preferred digital receiver / tuner ( drt ) unit 200 . the preferred drt units , not limited to the embodiments in fig3 , include a display for the control of the digital music transmitter ( dmt ) 100 . the top surface of the drt 200 includes an alphanumeric character display and a matrix of contact switches forming a keypad . each contact switch of the keypad is covered by a push button or key that includes a label which defines the function or instruction initiated when the user presses the push button . in addition , selected areas of the tip surface of the drt unit include labels or other indicia that further designate the function or instruction associated with the key or push button . the user can control the functions of the dmt 100 in a manner similar to the use of currently popular wireless transmitter / receiver units that control the functions of consumer products , such as cordless telephones or local audio signal transmitter . specifically , the dmt 100 remains in a dormant mode with a transmitted passive signal that responds to a selected command function from the drt unit 200 . the user can initiate or terminate transmission of the digital audio and program information from the dmt 100 by pressing a selected key . each of the buttons or key of the keypad is labeled to indicate the function associated with the key . for example , by pressing any key or a set of keys labeled with arabic numerals 0 - 9 , a user can select one of the available digital audio and program information channels transmitted by the dmt 100 for the listening pleasure of the subscriber . the keys labeled tune ( up arrow ) and tune ( down arrow ) may be used by the listener to increment or decrement the digital audio and program information channels transmitted by the dmt 100 . in a similar fashion , a volume up ( vol up arrow ) and a volume down ( vol down arrow ) keys can be utilized to control the volume level provided by the dmt 100 . an on / off key with a power indicator light may be utilized by the listener to either power on or off the drt 200 and dmt 100 signal transmission . also , a mute key is useful for eliminating the audible portion of the program provided by the dmt 100 . those persons skilled in the art will appreciate that such control functions are similar to the control function provided by other wireless remote controls for consumer products . other control function related to the control of the dmt 100 by the drt unit 200 include control functions associated with the keys enter / next , preset and mode . by pressing the enter / next key , the user initiates a command function that may be associated with the various functions of the drt unit 200 . the preset key permits the user to store a favorite digital audio channel for future operations by the drt unit 200 . the mode function changes the message field on the lcd viewscreen according to selected function by the user , for example viewing or storing program information for a current music selection , participating in music surveys , or purchase of music via electronic account . the listener can also review the program information associated with a current program by inputting an information request for transmission to the dmt 100 . by pressing the view key , the user initiates the transmission of an information request by the drt unit 200 to the dmt 100 . the dmt processes the information request and initiates a search for program information associated with the current program . if the program information is not found by the dmt within a predetermined timer period , typically about five seconds , the dmt 100 will respond to the transmitted information request by transmitting an error message to the drt unit 200 . if the search by the dmt 100 is successful , the dmt 100 will respond to the transmitted information request by transmitting the program information to the drt unit 200 . with respect to digital audio signals , a typical program message includes information concerning the composer , the track title , the artist , the album associated with the track title , and custom information concerning the current performance . referring to fig4 , the preferred drt unit 200 includes a processor 240 , preferably a microcomputer or microcontroller , having on - board mask programmed memory , such as a read only memory ( rom ) 240 a . the memory 205 a comprises plurality of memory locations for storing parameters associated with different control signal protocols ( in particular , for storing a plurality or parameters associated with different control protocols for different controllable devices ). the preferred drt unit 200 further includes a rf receiver 201 , demodulator 218 , an applications specific integrated circuit asic 230 , digital / audio converter 270 , transmitter 260 , a data clock recovery pll 225 , front panel interface 250 , stereo output amplifier 280 . the output of the demodulator 218 is quadrature partial response ( qpr ) demodulated to produce a 5 . 6 mbps data stream containing 150 stereo pair of digital audio data to the asic 230 . the demodulator provides data to a data clock recovery pll 225 . the data clock recovery pll 225 contains a 33 . 8688 mhz crystal 122 ( about 33 . 9 mhz ) for timing purposes . in the preferred embodiment , the dmt 100 control signal protocols are stored in the rom 240 a . the control protocol includes the properly formatted codes associated with control functions for the dmt 100 . the asic 230 provides demultiplexing , decrypting , and decoding operations upon the 5 . 6 mbps data stream input by the demodulator 218 to the microprocessor 170 . the asic 230 separates the 5 . 6 mbps data stream to a select one of 150 stereo pairs of digital audio signals . the selected stereo pair is decrypted and separated to provide a program information signal and a digital audio signal . the digital audio signal is then decoded according to a variety of known techniques . the asic 230 inputs the digital audio and program information signals , provided at a sampling rate of 44 . 1 khz , to a digital / audio converter 270 , transmitter control 260 , and microprocessor memory 240 a . the demultiplexed control and channel data separated out from the data steam by the asic 230 are provided to a microprocessor 240 which controls the overall operation of the drt unit 200 . a clock signal generated internal to the asic 230 is utilized as a carrier signal to switch the output of the drt 200 on or off at a frequency of 44 . 1 khz . the 44 . 1 khz clock from an asic clock generator 230 a may be utilized to generate a carrier signal for rf signals sent by the drt transmitter 160 . the asic clock signal provided by the asic clock 230 a is derived from the about 33 . 9 mhz signal provided to the asic 230 by the data clock pll 225 . the drt 200 operates to control selected functions of the dmt 100 as well as the program information transmitted by the drt transmitter 260 associated with the dmt 100 . referring to fig2 a , the asic clock signal provided by the asic clock 230 a is similar in function and purpose to that of the aforementioned asic clock 130 a . as result , the 11 . 3 mhz clock signal is utilized as a clock signal selected operations conducted by the asic 230 . referring again to fig4 , for a first operation mode , digital audio and program information carrier signals are received by the receiver antenna 201 from the dmt transmitter 160 . the received signal is provided to a double tuned tracking filter ( dttf ) with pll circuitry , from there to an amplifier 203 , on to a single tuned tracking filter ( sttf ) 205 , a mixer 207 , and saw filter 209 , and into a demodulator 218 , according to known techniques . the channel selection process is under control of a tuning synthesizer 220 , integrating amplifier 217 , sttf 215 , and amplifier 212 , interconnected as shown and impressing an appropriate signal on a line 211 to the dttf 201 , sttf 205 , and oscillator 210 to effect channel selection , according to known techniques . the program information signal from the asic 230 is sent to the microprocessor 240 where it may be displayed on the front panel interface 250 . the asic 230 also sends the program information signal to the transmitter interface 255 and transmitter control 260 for transmission to the dmt 100 . channel selection is provided by the infrared receiver and / or front panel interface 250 , which information is passed on by the microprocessor 240 to the tuning synthesizer 220 . the asic 230 inputs the digital audio and program information signals , provided at a sampling rate of 44 . 1 khz to a digital / audio converter 270 . the output of the d / a 270 device is provided as a data stream over a bus to a logic circuit 274 with separates the dates stream into control bits and channel indication ( tag bits ) and encrypted digital audio bits ( demultiplexing functions ) and decrypts the digitized audio data into a suitable form for a dolby decoder 278 . the audio data is decrypted into three serial streams per audio channel consisting of basic delta modulation parameters for “ left ” and “ right ” channels . the output of the dolby decoder 278 is provided as “ left ” and “ right ” audio channels to a stereo amplifier 280 , and to stereo outputs for use with standard audio components . from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment , it will be appreciated that the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and achieves the objects and advantages of the invention recited above . accordingly , the invention improves existing methods of providing digital music by making the service more convenient and accessible to subscribers through wireless transmission of music to remotely located devices . greater recognition among subscribers is gained by similarities of the preferred embodiments to more popular consumer electronic music devices . and , digital music is made more versatile with improved methods of subscriber interaction with the service . the above description of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting . various changes or modifications in the embodiments described may occur to those skilled in the art and these can be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention .
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the catalytic polymerization of the nbd via present invention can be represented by the following formula reaction : ## str2 ## as shown nbd is contacted in the presence of a catalytic amount of the catalyst system which is defined herein . the resulting solid polymer has a high melting point for a hydrocarbon homopolymer . the nbd used can contain a nominal amount of similar hydrocarbons , however , which if present should not be of a type which could adversely affect the reaction . if the nbd used contains undesirable hydrocarbons , the latter can be removed by known means . the catalytic system favoring the aforementioned polymerization ( a ) contains components which are commercially available and methods for their preparation are known . one component is a nickel - phosphine complex selected from the group consisting of the following : isopropyl triphenyl phosphonium nickel dihalide bromide triphenylphosphine e . g . [ iptpp ] + [ nicl 2 br tpp ] - nickel acetylacetonate referred to hereinafter as nia 2 , by itself can be used in lieu of one of the aforementioned nickel - phosphine complexes . as used herein the former refers to both the anhydrous and hydrate forms . another component of the catalytic system is deac , eadc or easc . the amount of either component is a catalytic amount so that a suitable conversion to the nbd polymer occurs and the yield as to it is sufficient . materials , which during the codimerization reaction could adversely affect the catalyst system , should not be present . for example , the presence of hydroxylic compounds such as water , alcohol or oxygen from air could deactivate the catalyst system . thus the catalyst system can consist of the aforementioned components . the amount of the nickel - phosphine complex or the nia 2 should be catalytically sufficient to obtain the desired product . generally the nbd to nia 2 or nickel - phosphine complex mole ratio can range between from about 10 to about 2000 with a preferred range between from about 20 to about 1000 . deac , eadc or easc is another component of the catalyst system . the amount of this component can vary substantially but generally it relates to the amount of nia 2 or nickel - phosphine complex used . an effective deac , eadc or easc to nia 2 or nickel - phosphine complex mole ratio can be between from about 0 . 5 to about 100 with from about 1 to about 50 preferred and from about 3 to about 20 more preferred . generally , when deac , eadc or easc is used it is advantageous to conduct the reaction under substantially anhydrous conditions and under an inert gas blanket . excess deac , eadc or easc also serves as a scavenger . the reaction time required for an economically satisfactory conversion and / or yield depends on a number of factors , such as catalyst to feed ratio , as well as operating conditions . also the economics depend on capital investment and conversion per pass and the like . the catalyst to feed ratios are discussed hereinafter while typical conditions are provided by the example . a solvent can be used in the polymerization reaction . the solvent can be inert or it can be the nbd itself . since the reaction is exothermic the solvent can serve as a heat sink . it can also assist in solubilizing the reaction components , that is the feed and the components of the catalyst , and thereby provide for a homogeneous reaction medium . some solvent can be added to the system as a carrier for one or more of the catalyst components . for example , the deac is often maintained in an inert solvent such as toluene rather than nbd itself . furthermore , the solvent should not adversely react with the feed , products or catalyst , therefore , if it is not nbd , it should be &# 34 ; inert &# 34 ;. also , presence of the solvent can facilitate the handling of the reaction mixture . classes of suitable inert solvents include aromatic hydrocarbons , cycloparaffins , ethers , halogenated aromatics , halogenated paraffins and halogenated cycloparaffins . specific examples include benzene , toluene , xylenes , cyclohexane , diethylether , chlorobenzene , bromobenzene , chlorinated cyclohexane and the like . as to the amount of solent used , excessive amounts decrease the reaction rate , and thus adversely affect the economics for a commercial operation . the solent can be removed from the polymer by known means . the polymerization of nbd in the presence of the catalyst system can occur at ambient temperature . thus the temperature of the homogeneous feed - catalyst system mixture need not be raised to initiate reaction a . of course , if the mixture is at an extremely low temperature , then heating of the cooled mixture could be necessary . however , once reaction a is underway , heat is generated and the temperature of the mixture increases . if the temperature increases too much then some cooling would be required . generally , however , the polymerization of the nbd with an optimal amount of the catalyst system is not characterized by a rapid exotherm . polymerization of the nbd most efficiently occurs in a liquid phase and therefore it is not desirable to have the reaction temperature largely exceed the boiling points of the nbd and / or any solvent . conversely , if the temperature is too low the reaction rate can be too slow to be economically feasible . an operable temperature range is between from about - 40 ° c to about 120 ° c with about - 20 ° c to about 100 ° c a preferred range while about 0 ° c to about 80 ° c a more preferred range . at the lower temperature a solvent can be used to keep various components in solution . many different solvents can be used , for example methylene chloride is one having the advantage of a low cost . the operating pressure can vary substantially , however , it can range from about atmospheric up to about 2000 psi with about 100 psi a preferred upper value . process economics favor lower operating pressure , however , a moderately elevated reaction pressure may be desirable . about 10 mg . of nicl 2 ( tbp ) 2 were added to a suitable sealed container followed by 1 ml . of nbd . the resulting mixture , having a burgundy color , was heated to 90 ° c to insure solution and then after 5 min . at that temperature cooled to 0 ° c . after cooling , 0 . 2 ml . of deac solution ( 1 molar in toluene ) was slowly added to the container . upon the addition of the deac the temperature of the mixture rose to 92 ° c and after 8 minutes a solid polymer formed . the nbd conversion to polymer was very substantial if not complete . the polymer , after one precipitation from methanol , was tested as to melting point . at a temperature in excess of 300 ° c the solid started to decompose , i . e . fumes evolved . in another run 0 . 00036g . ( 5 × 10 - 4 mm ( millimoles ) of purplish - red nicl 2 ( tchp ) 2 were placed in a suitable container and then 0 . 01 ml . of nbd were added . the temperature of the components during the addition was 20 ° c but then the temperature was lowered to - 10 ° c . at the lower temperature 0 . 01 ml . of deac solution ( 1 molar in toluene ) were added and the temperature of the resulting mixture rose to 0 ° c upon which heating was begun . at 92 ° c heating was stopped and the amber colored liquid was allowed to cool to 20 ° c . on standing the mixture became a solid polymer . in another run 0 . 034 grams of nicl 2 ( tpp ) 2 were added to a suitable container along with 1 . 0 ml . of nbd . the black crystals of nicl 2 ( tpp ) 2 were only slightly soluble in the nbd at 20 ° c . the container and its contents were heated to 50 ° c but the insolubles did not disappear . after the heating the temperature of the contents was lowered to - 70 ° c and 0 . 5 ml . of deac solution ( 1 molar in toluene ) were added . the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature . then the mixture was slowly heated to 92 ° c and kept at that temperature for 11 minutes and then allowed to cool to room temperature . the clear amber liquid thickened and became a solid polymer . the resulting polymer did not readily dissolve in cold toluene . in another run , 30 mm of nbd , 0 . 06 mm of nicl 2 ( tpp ) 2 , 0 . 6 mm of deac and 0 . 4 ml . of solvent were mixed in a suitable container . a gradual exotherm developed upon addition of the deac ; the temperature of the resulting mixture rose to 85 ° c within 10 minutes . the exotherm was controlled by cooling the container . the resulting product was a viscous solution , orange colored . the viscous solution was triturated in methanol - acetone and as a result a white solid dropped . the solid was filtered . the solid was largely soluble in toluene with only a small amount remaining undissolved . when similar runs were conducted using deac and one of the following [( nicl 2 br ( tpp )] - [ iptpp ] + or ni ( co ) 2 ( tpp ) 2 or nibr 2 ( tpp ) 2 , or nia 2 or nia 2 diphos , a solid polymer was obtained . also if eadc or easc is used in lieu of deac analogous results will be obtained . use of other halides , i . e . fluoride , and bromide , in lieu of chloride , will give similar results .
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referring to the drawings , it will be seen that an illustrative sharpening machine includes a lower housing 2 upstanding from a base means 4 , and an upper housing 6 disposed above the lower housing 2 . fixed to the lower housing 2 is a first bearing means ( not shown ) supporting a first shaft 10 . the first shaft 10 is connected to an electric motor 12 which may be energized by an appropriate electrical switch 14 mounted on the lower housing 2 . a second bearing means 15 disposed in the lower housing 2 supports a second shaft 16 which carries at one end thereof a drive wheel 18 . a drive belt 20 interconnects the first shaft 10 and the drive wheel 18 , whereby operation of the motor 12 causes rotation of the first shaft 10 , movement of the drive belt 20 and drive wheel 18 , and thereby rotation of the second shaft 16 . the lower housing 2 includes a third bearing means 22 supporting a third shaft 24 on which is rotatively disposed a drive gear 26 to which is fixed a first rotary gear 28 . the drive gear 26 and the first rotary gear 28 are freely rotatable on the third shaft 24 . a second rotary gear 30 is keyed to the third shaft 24 in such manner as to permit the second rotary gear to move lengthwise along the third shaft 24 , but to turn with the shaft 24 . a third rotary gear 32 is disposed on the shaft 24 and is freely rotatable thereon . the second rotary gear 30 is provided on either side thereof with key means 31 , 33 , respectively , interlockingly engageable with complementary key means 35 , 37 on the first and third rotary gears 28 , 32 . also disposed on the third shaft 24 is a cam assembly 34 , which will be described hereinbelow . extending from the second shaft 16 is a worm gear 29 threadedly engaged with the drive gear 26 . thus , rotation of the second shaft 16 is transmitted to the drive gear 26 and the first rotary gear 28 which are free to rotate on the third shaft 24 . supported by the third bearing means 22 are a gear housing 36 ( fig4 ) and a cam housing 38 . fixed to the gear housing 36 are support members 40 ( fig1 ) which retain a fourth bearing means 43 in which is disposed a fourth shaft 41 ( fig1 and 2 ). fourth , fifth and sixth rotary gears 42 , 44 , 46 , are fixed to the fourth shaft 41 , the fourth rotary gear 42 being in meshing engagement with the first rotary gear 28 , the fifth rotary gear 44 being positioned for meshing engagement with the second rotary gear 30 , and the sixth rotary gear 46 being in meshing engagement with the third rotary gear 32 . the gear housing 36 is provided with an opening 39 therein ( fig4 ), a lever 45 extending through the opening 39 and being adapted to move the second rotary gear 30 ( fig2 ) to a selected one of three positions . in a first position ( not shown ), the second rotary gear 30 is disposed adjacent the first rotary gear 28 , and by way of the key means 31 , 35 is locked with the first rotary gear 28 . in such arrangement , the rotation of the first rotary gear 28 is transmitted directly to the second rotary gear 30 and thence to the third shaft 24 . in a second position ( illustrated ), the second rotary gear 30 is in meshing engagement with the fifth rotary gear 44 . in such instance , the rotation of the first rotary gear 28 is transmitted to the fourth rotary gear 42 , which is fixed to the fourth shaft 41 , causing rotation of the fifth rotary gear 44 , also fixed to the fourth shaft 41 , causing rotation of the second rotary gear 30 , and thereby the third shaft 24 . in a third position ( not shown ), the second rotary gear 30 is in locking engagement with the third rotary gear 32 , by way of the key means 33 , 37 . in such arrangement , rotation of the first rotary gear 28 is transmitted to the fourth rotary gear 42 and the fourth shaft 41 , causing rotation of the sixth rotary gear 46 and thereby the third and second rotary gears 32 , 30 , and thereby the third shaft 24 . the selection of gears is dependent upon the speed of rotation of the third shaft 24 desired by the operator . the cam assembly 34 ( fig1 and 2 ) includes a rotary cam member 48 mounted on the third shaft 24 . pivotally mounted in the cam housing 38 is a rocker arm 50 having a cam follower 52 fixed thereto , the cam follower being in engagement with the periphery of the rotary cam member 48 . thus , upon rotation of the third shaft 24 , rotation of the cam member 48 causes pivotal movement of the arm 50 . an upper surface 54 of the rocker arm 50 is planar and has therein an elongated groove 56 which retains lubricating oil . disposed above the gear and cam housings 36 , 38 is the upper housing 6 in which is mounted a sleeve member 58 in which is slidingly disposed a vertical shaft 60 , which supports a pivotally mounted arm 62 extending transversely of the shaft 60 . at the lower end of the vertical shaft 60 there is fixed a guideway 64 in which is slidingly disposed a carrier 66 which supports a cam follower 68 . a threaded shaft 70 extends through the carrier 66 and is turnable by a knob 72 ( fig4 ) to cause the carrier 66 , and thereby the cam follower 68 , to move lengthwise of the guideway 64 . such movement of the cam follower operates to place the follower on the surface 54 of the rocker arm 50 selectively nearer to , or further from , the pivot mounting of the rocker arm . as the rocker arm 50 moves vertically in response to the cam member 48 , it causes vertical movement of the vertical shaft 60 , and thereby , by way of a collar 61 fixed on the shaft 60 ( fig1 ), vertical movement of the arm 62 . it will be apparent that by manipulation of the knob 72 , the operator is able to selectively determine the extent of the vertical movement of the shaft 60 . the upper housing 6 may also have disposed therein an arm 74 ( fig1 ) which is pivotally mounted on the sleeve member 58 and further pivotally connected to a linking member 76 which is itself pivotally mounted on a bolt 78 anchored in the upper housing . a pair of separated and interconnected flanges 80 ( as shown in fig1 ) are disposed on a shaft 82 proximate the pivot connection between the linkage member 76 and the arm 74 . a lever 84 is positioned between the flanges 80 , the lever 84 being pivotally mounted on a pin 85 ( fig3 ). mounted on a cam shaft 83 proximate a bifurcated lower end of the lever 84 is a sprocket 86 engageable by a pin 88 carried by a cam member 90 of the cam assembly 34 , the cam member 90 being fixed to the third shaft 24 . attached to the sprocket 86 is a series of cam fingers 87 . mounted on one of the lower ends of the lever 84 is a roller 89 . as the third shaft 24 rotates , the pin 88 engages the sprocket 86 with each revolution . engagement of the sprocket 86 by the pin 88 causes rotation of the fingers 87 , one of the fingers 87 engaging the roller 89 to cause the lever 84 to move pivotally about the pin 85 , its upper end ( fig1 ) urging the flanges 80 to move along the shaft 82 . the flanges 80 , in turn , engage the linkage member 76 , causing the linkage member 76 to pivot about its mounting 78 and causing the arm 74 to pivot about the sleeve member 58 . the free end of the arm 74 has pivotally mounted therein a vertical rod 92 which , at its lower end is fixed to a grinding wheel head assembly 94 . thus , the pivotal , or rocking , movement of the arm 74 causes the head assembly 94 to move alternately between first and second positions , to facilitate grinding of alternate facets on consecutive teeth of a rotary blade being sharpened . the flanges 80 may be rotated by a lever 93 ( fig4 ) so as not to engage the linkage member 76 and thereby remove the alternate grinding feature when such feature is not desired . the upper housing 6 supports a grinding head shaft 96 ( fig1 ) on which is mounted the grinding wheel head assembly 94 , including a grinding wheel 98 . an electric motor 100 ( fig4 ) operates a drive belt 102 which in turn rotates the grinding wheel 98 . the grinding head shaft 96 is bolted to a housing 101 . a vertical shaft 103 is fixed at one end to the arm 62 and at the other end is threadedly connected to the housing 101 . thus , the shaft 96 is moveable vertically with the arm 62 in response to operation of the cam assembly 34 , the housing 101 moving vertically with the shafts 96 , 103 . a second rocker arm 104 ( fig1 and 2 ) is mounted in the lower housing 2 and carries a cam follower 106 engaged with the periphery of the cam member 90 , or selectively , as illustrated , another cam member 108 of the cam assembly 34 . the second rocker arm 104 includes a flat cam surface 105 ( fig2 ) on its underside on which rides a cam follower 110 mounted on a threaded spindle 112 screwed into a rocker 114 ( fig5 ) which is fixedly connected to a lever 116 by way of a rod 118 . an advance pawl assembly 122 is attached to a lever 117 pivotally mounted on the lever 116 and is operable to urge a blade tooth through a selective distance . a vertical slide 130 is disposed on the lower housing 2 and has mounted thereon a carriage 132 adapted to support a blade holding assembly , an example of which 134 is illustrated in fig7 . the assembly includes a spindle 124 fixed to the carriage 132 by a tongue 136 in groove 138 arrangement . disposed on the spindle 124 is a first sleeve member 140 and a second sleeve member 142 . the blade b is held securely between an index plate 144 and an adapter plate 146 , the latter being in part disposed in the central opening of the blade , the index plate 144 and adapter plate 146 being mounted on the sleeve 140 , and bounded , respectively , by a cover member 148 and a lock nut 150 . the index plate 144 comprises part of the blade advancement mechanism , as is known in the art . a first lever 152 serves as a lock handle and operates to lock the blade holding assembly 134 in place , and a second lever 154 serves to raise and lower the carriage 132 on the slide 130 . as described above , a first reciprocating grinding wheel lift mechanism dictates the vertical movement of the grinding wheel 98 , the tilting movement of the grinding wheel , and the incremental advancement of the rotary blade 13 , all being synchronized by receiving their movement directions from the cam assembly 34 . in operation , the pawl assembly operates through the index plate 144 to advance a blade tooth , the blade being rotatively disposed on a spindle 124 a distance equal to a tooth width . the grinding wheel engages a first facet on the tooth , then lifts from engagement with the blade and the pawl assembly brings another blade tooth into position for sharpening . the grinding wheel then descends and shifts to engage a second facet of the new tooth . that is , a given tooth will be ground on a first side and the next tooth on a second side . as thus far described , the machine is known in the art and is well adapted for sharpening of ordinary rotary saws . in accordance with the present invention , the machine as above described is provided with a selector 200 ( fig5 ) having an &# 34 ; on - off &# 34 ; switch 202 and first and second manual input means 204 , 206 , preferably comprising arrays of push buttons and provided with digital displays 208 , 210 showing numbers selected by an operator . in operation , the operator enters in the first input means 204 of the selector 200 the number of cutting teeth t in a group of cutting teeth t on the blade b to be sharpened ( fig9 ), plus 1 . thus , in the illustrated example , the operator would enter the number 5 , which would be shown on the first digital display 208 . the operator then enters in the second input means 206 of the selector 200 the number of cutting tooth spaces s occupied by a raker tooth r and a gullet g , less 1 . thus , in the illustrated example , the operator would enter the number 1 , which would be shown on the second digital display 210 . attached to the upper housing 6 and about the third shaft 24 is a collar 220 ( fig6 ) having mounted thereon a proximity sensor 222 , which sensor is in electrical communication with the selector 200 . fixed to an end of the third shaft 24 is a disc 224 having therein a magnet 226 which is exposed at the periphery of the disc . as the shaft 24 and disc 224 rotate , the proximity sensor 222 is activated by the proximity of the magnet 226 once per shaft revolution . the sensor 222 and magnet 226 thus constitute a counter means 228 operable to count a number of revolutions made by the third shaft 24 . a re - set switch 230 ( fig5 ) is provided which is manually operable and which operates to electrically block out the selector 200 and counter means 228 while the third shaft 24 is turning , as will be further described below . fixed to the upper housing 6 of the machine is a second lift mechanism including an air cylinder 240 having therein a piston 242 having extending therefrom a piston rod 244 connected to the vertical shaft 60 . as noted above , the shaft 60 has mounted thereon the collar 61 engageable with an undersurface of the transverse arm 62 . upward movement of the piston rod 244 causes upward movement of the shaft 60 and thereby the collar 61 , operating to lift the transverse arm 62 , and thereby the grinding wheel head assembly 94 . in operation , the operator mounts the rotary blade b on the machine and starts the machine . the selector &# 34 ; on - off &# 34 ; switch 202 is turned to &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; and appropriate entries are made on the selector means 200 , as above described . a lever 250 , which operates to keep the grinding wheel assembly in a raised position , is eased to permit descent of the grinding wheel . as the lever 250 is moved , the reset switch 230 is depressed by the operator . as the blade moves through the grinding station , the operator synchronizes the release of the reset switch 230 to permit the grinding wheel to engage a forward edge e of a tooth t which is first of the group t of such teeth . the grinding wheel rises and descends to grind each succeeding tooth t , as well as a forward edge portion f of the trailing raker r , in accordance with the dictates of the first lift mechanism . with the grinding of each tooth t , the counter mechanism 228 electrically signals the first input means 204 until the number entered in the first input means is reached , which coincides with the passing through the grinding station of the last tooth t of the group t of such teeth . thereupon , the first input means 204 electrically signals a solenoid switch 252 to operate a pneumatic valve 254 to energize the second lift mechanism of the air cylinder 240 to raise the transverse arm 62 and thereby the grinding wheel head assembly 94 . the head assembly 94 remains in the raised position while the signals of the counter means 228 are registered in the second input means 206 . when the number of electrical signals from the counter means 228 to the second input means 206 equals the number pre - set in the second input means , which will coincide with the passing of the raker and gullet of the blade through the grinding station , the second input means electrically signals the solenoid switch 252 to operate the air cylinder 240 to permit lowering of the transverse arm 62 and engagement of the grinding wheel with the first of a following group of cutting teeth , and return of the grinding wheel to control of the first lift mechanism . thus , a machine of the type described above , equipped with the improvements herein described , is capable of sharpening combination rotary blades , as well as the traditional rotary blades . it is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular construction herein disclosed and / or shown in the drawings , but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the disclosure .
| 1 |
the example which follows serves to illustrate the present invention further . to prepare a nanoscale sio 2 sol , 20 . 48 g ( 0 . 098 moles ) of tetraethyl orthosilicate ( teos ) is added to 50 . 85 g of ethanol ( solution a ). 1 . 75 g of a 1 - molar ammonia solution is diluted with 34 . 41 g of water ( solution b ). hydrolysis and precondensation take place by addition of solution a to solution b over the course of 1 h . after 24 h at 70 ° c . nanoparticles are formed which have a mean particle radius of 5 nm in a sol having a solids content of 5 . 5 % by weight . the coating matrix is prepared by adding 27 g ( 1 . 5 mol ) of water to 236 . 12 g ( 1 mol ) of 3 - glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane ( gpts ). heating under reflux for 24 h is followed by removal of the solvent ( methanol ) by vacuum distillation . in order to change the zeta potential of the nanoscale sio 2 particles , 24 mg , 48 mg , 192 mg and 216 mg of tetrahexylammonium hydroxide ( thah , 40 % in water ) respectively are added to 107 . 5 g of the resultant sio 2 sol with vigorous stirring over 30 minutes at 25 ° c . 2 . 5 g of the gpts sol are added to the mixture and stirring is carried out for 30 minutes . gpts / sio 2 / thah sols are obtained which have a ph of 8 . 4 for 24 mg , 9 . 2 for 48 mg , 9 . 8 for 192 mg and 10 . 4 for 216 mg of thah . the viscosity as a function of shear rate is measured using a rotational viscosimeter ( physica ; rheolab mc 120 ). the zeta potential is measured using a zetasizer esa - sample ssp - 1 , matec ( velocity of the nanoparticles in an electrical field ( direct current ) acoustophoresis determination ). the above - prepared compositions with sio 2 particles are analyzed in respect of their non - newtonian behaviour by means of a viscosity measurement as a function of the rate of shearing stress . fig1 indicates the results for prior art compositions with no increase in surface charge , while fig2 shows the results obtained on the compositions of the invention , which had been reacted with variable amounts of a base ( thah ). accordingly , the prior art compositions shown in fig1 exhibit a pseudoplastic behaviour , evident from the increase in the initial region , when the sio 2 nanoparticle content reaches 20 % by weight . the observed rise of the curve is very much steeper for the composition containing 20 % by weight of sio 2 nanoparticles than in the case of 30 % by weight sio 2 . this means that the composition with a greater pseudoplasticity effect ( 30 % by weight ) exhibits a longer relaxation time of the viscosity . set out in fig2 are inventive compositions containing 30 % by weight sio 2 nanoparticles and with an addition of thah in an amount of 24 mg , 48 mg or 192 mg , respectively . measurements of the zeta potential gave a result of − 5 . 0 mv for the composition of 24 mg of thah , − 12 . 3 mv for 48 mg and − 14 . 7 mv for 192 mg . with these compositions the results were different for rising and falling shear rates , so that each curve forms two branches ; that is , the behaviour was thixotropic . in the low - shear - rate region the sol has a viscosity of 70 pa · s with a zeta potential of − 5 mv , 78 pa · s with a zeta potential of − 12 . 3 mv , and 93 pa · s with a zeta potential of − 14 . 7 mv . at d = 100 1 / s there is a deviation of 18 pa · s , which is within the bounds of measurement accuracy . a comparison with the result from fig1 shows that the level of the pseudoplasticity effect is comparable or slightly increased . in particular , for the inventive compositions , the rises with increasing addition of thah are much steeper than for the prior art . this is particularly evident in the case of the branch for falling shear rate , which is particularly significant for the embossing operation . this means that by adding the base it is possible to achieve shorter relaxation times , the shortest relaxation time being observed for the highest addition of thah . for structuring , a high pseudoplasticity effect and a short relaxation time are necessary in order to allow effective structuring , if the die is to be removed before curing . long relaxation times lead to more rapid smoothing of an embossed structure in the period between the removal of the embossing device and curing , thereby impairing the accuracy of the structure .
| 8 |
while all the compounds encompassed within the above generic formulae meet the present inventor &# 39 ; s criteria , nevertheless , certain compounds remain preferred as set out below . additional preferred compounds can be found in the examples which follow : as can be determined from the examples which follow , depending on the spectrum of bacteria treated , one and / or mixtures of two or more of the above - described compounds may be employed . at this point , it should be strictly emphasized that when the substituent r 1 in formula ( i ) represents a c 0 - c 22 straight or branched ## str16 ## group or an ## str17 ## the art which can be added to or substituted for the benzene ring in either one of the above long chain moieties for the purpose of improving their surface active properties may also be introduced . typically , and without limitation , a pyridyl , a thiazolyl , an imidazolyl , or naphthyl function are illustrative . the compounds of the present invention can be conveniently prepared in the manner described below : react an α - halo - ester of the general formula : ## str18 ## wherein r , r 1 and x are defined as above , directly with a tertiary aliphatic amine (& gt ; n ) or an unsaturated amine (& gt ; n ) in approximately equimolecular proportion , in the presence of an inert solvent ( ether , acetonitrile , ch 2 cl 2 , etc .) at room temperature or at the reflux temperature of the solvent for 2 - 24 hours . as an alternative procedure , the above reaction can be carried out in the absence of a solvent by mixing the above two reactants together and maintaining them at room temperature or between 20 °- 70 ° c . for 2 - 24 hours . in both cases , the crystalline salt formed can be purified by crystallization from an ether - ethanol mixture , or the like . the same compounds can be obtained by first mixing the tertiary aliphatic amine (& gt ; n ) or unsaturated amine (& gt ; n ) with an equimolecular amount of the corresponding acyl halide ## str19 ## maintaining the mixture at room temperature for 2 - 24 hours . then there is added to the reaction mixture an equimolecular amount of the aldehyde ( r 1 -- cho ). the mixture is then stirred at room temperature or elevated temperature , up to 75 ° c ., for 2 - 28 hours . purification of the final product is carried out as in method &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. in the above description of method &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;, r , r 1 and x are defined as above . without further elaboration , it is believed that one of ordinary skill in the art can , using the preceding description , utilize the present invention to its fullest extent . consequently , the following preferred specific embodiments are to be construed as merely illustrative and not limitative of the remainder of the specification and claims in any way whatsoever . reference to temperature means centigrade unless otherwise indicated . a series of new chloromethyl n - alkylcarboxylates ( 1 a - d ) were prepared by reaction of the corresponding acyl chloride with paraformaldehyde in the presence of a catalytic amount of anhydrous zinc chloride ( scheme 1 ), applying the procedure of r . adams and e . h . vollweiler , j . amer . chem . soc ., 40 , 1732 ( 1918 ); h . e . french and r . adams , ibid , 43 , 651 ( 1921 ); and l . h . ulich and r . adams , ibid , 43 , 660 ( 1921 ). ## str20 ## a series of n - alkylcarboxymethyl quaternary salts ( 2 a - j ) were then prepared by reaction of the corresponding chloromethyl n - alkylcarboxylates with an appropriate tertiary amine ( scheme 2 ). ## str21 ## a mixture of 1 . 93 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) chloromethyl n - octanoate ( 1a ) and 0 . 79 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) pyridine were mixed and heated together at 90 ° for 3 hours . on cooling to room temperature , anhydrous ether was added to the mixture and the mixture was triturated in anhydrous ether overnight . the solid was isolated by filtration under a nitrogen atmosphere and thoroughly washed with anhydrous ether . after drying in vacuo over calcium sulfate at room temperature , 1 . 90 g ( 0 . 007 mol ), 70 %, 2a was obtained as a white solid , mp 102 °- 107 °, ir ( kbr ) 3430 , 3040 , 2970 , 1770 , 1635 , 1490 , 1110 , 760 , and 670 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 9 ( d , 2h ), 8 . 8 ( t , 1h ), 8 . 3 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 0 ( s , 2h ) 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( bs , 10h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 14 h 22 clno 2 . h 2 o : c , 58 . 02 ; h , 8 . 35 ; n , 4 . 83 . found : c , 57 . 51 ; h , 7 . 76 ; n , 4 . 58 . using the procedure described for the preparation of 2a the following n - alkylcarboxymethyl pyridinium salts were prepared : mp 120 °- 124 °, ir ( kbr ) 3430 , 3020 , 2960 , 1770 , 1635 , 1490 , 1470 , 1110 , 760 , and 670 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 9 ( d , 2h ), 8 . 8 ( t , 1h ), 8 . 2 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 0 ( s , 2h ), 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 2 ( bs , 18h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 18 h 30 clno 2 . h 2 o : c , 62 . 50 ; h , 9 . 33 ; n , 4 . 05 . found : c , 63 . 54 ; h , 8 . 26 ; h , 3 . 86 . mp 104 °- 109 °, ir ( kbr ) 3420 , 3010 , 2960 , 2920 , 1770 , 1638 , 1485 , 1470 , 1110 , 760 and 670 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ9 . 9 ( d , 2h ), 8 . 8 ( t , 1h ), 8 . 3 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 0 ( s , 2h ) 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( bs , 22h ), and 0 . 8 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 20 h 34 clno 2 . h 2 o : c , 64 . 23 ; h , 9 . 70 ; n , 3 . 75 . found : c , 63 . 55 ; h , 9 . 25 ; n , 3 . 60 . mp 132 °- 135 °, ir ( kbr ) 3430 , 3020 , 2970 , 2930 , 1770 , 1635 , 1490 , 1470 , 1110 , 760 , and 670 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 9 ( d , 2h ), 8 . 8 ( t , 1h ), 1 . 3 ( bs , 26h ), and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 22 h 38 clno 2 : c , 68 . 81 ; h , 9 . 97 ; n , 3 . 65 . found : c , 68 . 59 ; h , 9 . 97 ; n , 3 . 60 . a mixture of 2 . 49 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) chloromethyl n - dodecanoate ( 2b ) and 0 . 82 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) 1 - methylimidazole were mixed and heated together at 90 ° for 3 hours . on cooling to room temperature , anhydrous ether was added to the mixture and the mixture was triturated in anhydrous ether overnight . the solid was isolated by filtration under a nitrogen atmosphere and thoroughly washed with anhydrous ether . after drying in vacuo over calcium sulfate at room temperature , 2 . 4 g ( 0 . 007 mol ), 70 %, 2e was obtained as a white solid , mp 60 °- 63 °, ir ( kbr ) 3400 , 3110 , 2960 , 2920 , 1750 , 1470 , 1140 and 770 cm - 1 , pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 10 . 8 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 0 ( d , 2h ), 6 . 4 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 2 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 4 ( bs , 18h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 17 h 31 cln 2 o 2 . h 2 o : c , 58 . 52 ; h , 9 . 53 ; n , 8 . 03 . found : c , 58 . 85 ; h , 9 . 54 ; n , 8 . 79 . using the procedure described for the preparation of 2e the following n - alkylcarboxymethyl - 3 - methylimidazolium salts were prepared : mp 68 °- 74 °, ir ( kbr ) 3400 , 3180 , 2960 , 2920 , 1750 , 1470 , 1140 and 770 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 10 . 8 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 0 ( d , 2h ), 6 . 4 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 2 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 2 ( bs , 22h ), and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 19 h 35 cln 2 o 2 . h 2 o : c , 57 . 77 ; h , 9 . 95 ; n , 7 . 38 . found : c , 58 . 85 ; h , 9 . 59 ; n , 7 . 38 . mp 80 °- 84 °; ir ( kbr ) 3410 , 3110 , 2960 , 2925 , 1760 , 1470 , 1140 and 750 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 10 . 8 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 0 ( d , 2h ), 6 . 4 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 2 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( bs , 26h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 21 h 39 cln 2 o 2 . h 2 0 : c , 62 . 27 ; h , 10 . 20 ; n , 6 . 92 . found : c , 62 . 13 ; h , 10 . 40 ; n , 7 . 41 . 2 . 49 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) chloromethyl n - dodecanoate ( 1b ) and 1 . 01 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) triethylamine were mixed and heated together at 90 ° for three hr . on cooling to room temperature , anhydrous ether was added to the mixture and the mixture was triturated in anhydrous ether overnite . the solid was isolated by filtration under a nitrogen atmosphere and thoroughly washed with ether . after drying in vacuo over calcium sulfate at room temperature 0 . 6 g ( 0 . 002 mol 20 %, 2h was obtained as a hygroscopic solid , mp 72 °- 77 °. 2 . 49 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) chloromethyl n - dodecanoate and 1 . 12 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) 1 , 4 - diazabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane were mixed and allowed to react together at room temperature for 72 hr . anhydrous ether was added to the mixture and the mixture was triturated in anhydrous ether overnite . the solid was isolated by filtration under a nitrogen atmosphere and thoroughly washed with anhydrous ether . after drying in vacuo over calcium sulfate at room temperature , 2 . 0 g ( 0 . 006 mol ), 60 %, 2i , was obtained as a white solid , mp 106 °- 110 ° c ., ir ( kbr ) 3400 , 2960 , 2920 , 1760 , 1460 , 1120 , 1080 , 1050 , 850 and 830 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 5 . 8 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 2 - 3 . 0 ( mq , 12h ), 2 . 6 ( t , 2h ) 1 . 3 ( bs , 18h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 19 h 37 cln 2 o 2 . h 2 o : c , 60 . 21 ; h , 10 . 37 ; n , 7 . 39 found : c , 60 . 86 ; h , 10 . 12 ; n , 7 . 68 . 2 . 49 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) chloromethyl n - dodecanoate and 1 . 50 g ( 0 . 01 mol ) n - ethyl - nicotinamide were mixed and heated together at 90 ° for 1 hr . on cooling to room temperature , anhydrous ether was added to the mixture and the mixture was triturated in anhydrous ether overnite . the solid was isolated by filtration under a nitrogen atmosphere and thoroughly washed with anhydrous ether . after drying in vacuo over calcium sulfate at room temperature , 2 . 6 g ( 0 . 007 mol ), 70 %, 2j was obtained as a white solid , mp 131 °- 135 °, ir ( kbr ) 3220 , 3060 , 2965 , 2930 , 1770 , 1680 , 1640 , 1470 , 1110 and 670 cm - 1 ; pmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ 10 . 5 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 8 ( m , 3h ), 8 . 3 ( t , 1h ), 6 . 8 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 6 ( q , 2h ), 2 . 5 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 3 ( bs , 21h ) and 0 . 9 ( bt , 3h ) ppm . anal . calcd for c 21 h 35 cln 2 o 3 : c , 63 . 22 ; h , 8 . 84 ; n , 7 . 02 . found : c , 62 . 70 ; h , 8 . 63 ; n , 6 . 90 . by following the preceding example and substituting the generically or specifically described reactants and / or operating conditions of this invention , the following additional compounds can be prepared . table i__________________________________________________________________________ ## str22 ## r r . sub . 1 ## str23 ## x . sup .. crclba r . __________________________________________________________________________h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str24 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str25 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str26 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str27 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str28 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str29 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str30 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str31 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str32 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str33 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str34 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str35 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str36 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str37 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str38 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str39 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str40 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str41 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str42 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str43 ## cl . sup . - h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str44 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str45 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str46 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str47 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str48 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str49 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str50 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str51 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str52 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str53 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str54 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str55 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str56 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str57 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str58 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str59 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str60 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str61 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str62 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str63 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str64 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str65 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str66 ## cl . sup . - h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str67 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str68 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str69 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str70 ## cl . sup .- h ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str71 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str72 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str73 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str74 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str75 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str76 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str77 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str78 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ## str79 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str80 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str81 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str82 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str83 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str84 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str85 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str86 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 8 ## str87 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str88 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str89 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str90 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str91 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str92 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str93 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str94 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 ## str95 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str96 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str97 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str98 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str99 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str100 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str101 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str102 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 ## str103 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str104 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str105 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str106 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str107 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str108 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str109 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str110 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 13 ## str111 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str112 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str113 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str114 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str115 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str116 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str117 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str118 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 ## str119 ## cl . sup .- ## str120 ## ## str121 ## cl . sup .- h ## str122 ## ## str123 ## cl . sup .- h ## str124 ## ## str125 ## cl . sup .- h ## str126 ## ## str127 ## cl . sup .- h ## str128 ## ## str129 ## cl . sup .- h ## str130 ## ## str131 ## cl . sup .- h ## str132 ## ## str133 ## cl . sup .- h ## str134 ## ## str135 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str136 ## cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 oocch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 oocch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 oocch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- ch . sub . 3 oocch . sub . 2ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str137 ## cl . sup .- hoocch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- hoocch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- hoocch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- hoocch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str138 ## cl . sup .- ## str139 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- ## str140 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- ## str141 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- ## str142 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str143 ## cl . sup .- ## str144 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- ## str145 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- ## str146 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- ## str147 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str148 ## cl . sup .- ## str149 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup . - ## str150 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- ## str151 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- ## str152 ## ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str153 ## cl . sup .- h ## str154 ## pyridine cl . sup .- h ## str155 ## ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ## str156 ## ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ## str157 ## ## str158 ## cl . sup .- h ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 pyridine cl . sup .- h ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 11 ## str159 ## cl . sup .- h ## str160 ## pyridine cl . sup .- h ## str161 ## ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ## str162 ## ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ## str163 ## ## str164 ## cl . sup .- h ## str165 ## pyridine cl . sup .- h ## str166 ## ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ## str167 ## ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ## str168 ## ## str169 ## cl . sup .- h ## str170 ## pyridine cl . sup .- h ## str171 ## ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ## str172 ## ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ## str173 ## ## str174 ## cl . sup .- h ## str175 ## pyridine cl . sup .- h ## str176 ## ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 n cl . sup .- h ## str177 ## ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 cl . sup .- h ## str178 ## ## str179 ## cl . sup .- __________________________________________________________________________ in the table set out below there is disclosed the minimal inhibitory concentrations ( mic ) for certain selective compounds of the instant invention ( compounds 3 - 8 ); a corresponding short chain &# 34 ; soft &# 34 ; quaternary surface active agent ( compound 2 ); and a &# 34 ; hard &# 34 ; quaternary surface active agent of the prior art ( cetylpyridinium chloride , compound 1 ). all mic values were determined by standard mic determinative techniques . table ii__________________________________________________________________________compound s . aureus b . subtilis s . typhimirum p . aeruginosa s . pyogenes__________________________________________________________________________ ( 1 ) ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 15 py . sup .+ cl . sup .- & lt ; 2 . 0 & lt ; 2 . 0 8 . 0 16 . 0 & lt ; 2 . 0 ( 2 ) ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 6 co . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 py . sup .+ cl . sup .- * 529 . 1 529 . 1 1058 . 2 1058 . 2 529 . 1 ( 3 ) ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 10 co . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 py . sup .+ cl . sup .- 8 . 9 143 . 1 35 . 8 & lt ; 2 . 2 71 . 5 ( 4 ) ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 12 co . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 py . sup .+ cl . sup .- 8 . 1 8 . 3 133 . 0 & gt ; 1063 . 9 4 . 2 ( 5 ) ch . sub . 3 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 14 co . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 py . sup .+ cl . sup .- 16 . 7 1071 . 1 1071 . 1 1071 . 1 267 . 5 ( 6 ) ## str180 ## 4 . 1 16 . 3 65 . 3 261 . 2 2 . 0 ( 7 ) ## str181 ## & lt ; 2 . 2 4 . 4 69 . 7 & gt ; 1115 . 1 & gt ; 2 . 2 ( 8 ) ## str182 ## 1 . 3 & gt ; 42 . 4 . sup . b & gt ; 42 . 4 . sup . b & gt ; 42 . 4 . sup . b & gt ; 42 . 4 . sup . b__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . a minimal inhibitory concentration determined by standard techniques in 0 . 1 m nah . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 , ph 7 . 0 . . sup . b approximately the saturated solubility . * u . s . pat . application , ser . no . 482 , 513bodor . ip and iv toxicity of an exemplary &# 34 ; soft &# 34 ; compound of this invention versus cetylpyridinium chloride as stated at the outset of the instant application , the uniqueness of the compounds of the present invention resides in their ability to exhibit sufficient antibacterial activity without attendant toxicity . that is , the compounds of the present invention being &# 34 ; soft &# 34 ; in nature will degrade into nontoxic by - products following release of their antibacterial activity . in support of the above statement , the lethal dose 50 ( ld 50 ) of a selective compound of the present invention ( irx - 1229 ) was determined via the intraperitoneal ( ip ) and intravenous ( iv ) routes the procedure employed and the results obtained are set out below . the compound was weighed into a 25 ml glass - stoppered flask and dissolved in 10 . 0 ml 0 . 9 % nacl , ph 7 . 0 . each mouse was weighed individually , and 0 . 01 ml of solution injected per gram of mouse body weight . table iii__________________________________________________________________________ deaths per daydose mortality day day day day day day day mortality ( mg / kg ) 24 hrs . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 days__________________________________________________________________________10 . 000 . 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0 / 427 . 720 . 4 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 / 4103 . 100 . 4 -- -- 2 -- -- 1 -- 3 / 4139 . 383 / 20 3 -- 4 2 4 3 3 19 / 20148 . 236 / 10 6 -- 1 1 -- -- -- 8 / 10155 . 096 / 10 6 -- 1 2 -- -- -- 9 / 10160 . 363 / 10 3 -- 3 -- 2 -- -- 8 / 10166 . 208 / 10 8 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 10 / 10200 . 003 / 4 3 -- 1 -- -- -- -- 4 / 4305 . 664 / 4 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 / 4naclcontrol0 / 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0 / 4__________________________________________________________________________ compound : irx - 1229 ## str184 ## animal : mcr - icr white swiss male mice average weight 25 grams procedure : the compound was weighed into a 10 . 0 ml glass beaker and dissolved in varying amounts of 0 . 9 % nacl , ph 7 . 0 . each mouse was weighed individually , and injected with varying amounts of solution per gram of body weight . a 50 μl syringe with a 27 gauge needle was used . death either occurred immediately after injection or several day later , never between 5 minutes and 24 hours after injection . when death occurred immediately following injection , it was due to circulatory collapse because of too large an injection or precipitation of the compound in the bloodstream . the death was preceded by convulsions . all mice that survived the first 24 hrs . began to show severe necrosis of the tail , and by 7 days many mice had lost all or part of their tail . ld 50 ( iv ) preliminary study between 100 mg / kg and 133 . 0 mg / kg table iv______________________________________results : preliminary ld . sub . 50 ( iv ) studiesdose injection mortality mortality ( mg / kg ) conditions 24 hrs . 7 days______________________________________35 . 09 175 . 45 mg / 5 . 0 ml 0 / 5 0 / 5 1 . 00 μl / gram42 . 5 170 . 00 mg / 4 . 0 ml 0 / 5 0 / 5 1 . 00 μl / gram81 . 25 170 . 00 mg / 2 . 0 ml 1 / 2 1 / 2 1 . 00 μl / gram87 . 73 175 . 45 mg / 2 . 0 ml 2 / 4 2 / 4 1 . 00 μl / gram102 . 47 102 . 47 mg / 2 . 0 ml 0 / 8 1 / 8 2 . 00 μl / gram133 . 0 99 . 75 mg / 1 . 5 ml 1 / 3note : 1 / 32 . 00 μl / gram only one injection pure iv - the other two were all or mostly im . 199 . 5 99 . 75 mg / 1 . 0 ml 1 / 1 1 / 1 2 . 00 μl / gram199 . 5 99 . 75 mg / 1 . 0 ml 1 / 1 1 / 1 3 . 00 μl / gram______________________________________ ld 50 ( oral ) studies ## str185 ## animal : white male mice mcr - icr average weight 21 . 9 grams . fasted seven daytime hours prior to injection . replaced in cage with food immediately after injection . 2 grams irx - 1229 weighed into weighing bottle . a 4 ml of 0 . 8 % sodium chloride ph 7 . 0 added . solution adjusted to ph 5 . 8 using saturated sodium bicarbonate . 0 . 01 ml injected per gram of mouse body weight to give 5 g / kg dose . 2 ml of above solution was diluted with 1 ml of 0 . 9 % sodium chloride , ph 7 . 0 to give the second dose of 3 . 35 g / kg . 1 ml of the 3 . 35 g / kg dose was diluted 1 : 1 using 0 . 9 % sodium chloride , ph 7 . 0 to give the third dose of 1 . 68 g / kg . __________________________________________________________________________ deaths per daydose mortality day day day day day day day mortality ( g / kg ) 24 hrs . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 days__________________________________________________________________________5 . 00 7 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- 73 . 35 2 2 -- 1 -- -- -- -- 31 . 68 0 0 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1__________________________________________________________________________ in comparison , the toxicity of cetylpyridinium chloride , a well - known &# 34 ; hard &# 34 ; quaternary surface active agent is set out below : table vi______________________________________toxicity of cetylpyridinium chloride______________________________________oralmouse ld . sub . 50 108 mg / kg . sup . 1ipmouse ld . sub . 50 10 mg / kg . sup . 2ivrat ld . sub . 50 30 mg / kg . sup . 3______________________________________ 1 . proceedings of the society for experimental biology and medicine , 120 , 511 ( 1965 ). 2 . m . r . warren , et al ., j . pharmacol . exptl . therapeutics , 74 , 401 ( 1942 ). 3 . j . w . nelson and s . c . lyster , j . amer . pharm . assoc ., sci . ed ., 35 , 89 ( 1946 ). as can be readily determined , the ip , iv and oral ld 50 for a selective compound of the present invention is some 14 to 16 times greater ( on an intraperitoneal basis ); some 3 to 4 . 5 times greater ( on an intravenous basis ) and some 40 times greater ( on an oral basis ) than that observed for cetylpyridinium chloride . similar ld 50 values will be obtained for the remaining compounds of the present invention when subjected to the abovedescribed ld 50 studies . the compounds of formulas ( i ) and ( ii ) find wide application as antibacterial agents in such preparations as mouthwashes , shampoos , soaps , cosmetic bases , etc . such formulations can be prepared in accordance with any of the procedures disclosed in &# 34 ; remimgton &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences &# 34 ; ( fourteenth edition ) 1970 . naturally , the antibacterial effective amount required for a compound of formula ( i ) or ( ii ) will vary with the microorganism in question . from the foregoing description , one of ordinary skill in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention , and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions . as such , these changes and modifications are preferably , equitably and intended to be , within the full range of equivalence of the following claims .
| 2 |
according to the invention , at least one camera is arranged behind the display of the device , preferably in a position that corresponds to a point close to the eyes of the communicating party on the screen . the following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings . the same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements . the term “ image ,” as used herein , may refer to a digital or an analog representation of visual information ( e . g ., a picture , a video , a photograph , animations , etc .). the term “ audio ” as used herein , may include may refer to a digital or an analog representation of audio information ( e . g ., a recorded voice , a song , an audio book , etc .). also , the following detailed description does not limit the invention . instead , the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents . in the following , the invention is described with reference to an example mobile communication terminal , i . e . mobile phone . fig1 is a diagram of an exemplary system 100 in which methods and systems described herein may be implemented . system 100 may include a bus 110 , a processor 120 , a memory 130 , a read only memory ( rom ) 140 , a storage device 150 , an input device 160 , an output device 170 , and a communication interface 180 . bus 110 permits communication among the components of system 100 . system 100 may also include one or more power supplies ( not shown ). one skilled in the art would recognize that system 100 may be configured in a number of other ways and may include other or different elements . processor 120 may include any type of processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes instructions . processor 120 may also include logic that is able to decode media files , such as audio files , video files , multimedia files , image files , video games , etc ., and generate output to , for example , a speaker , a display , etc . memory 130 may include a random access memory ( ram ) or another dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by processor 120 . memory 130 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor 120 . rom 140 may include a conventional rom device and / or another static storage device that stores static information and instructions for processor 120 . storage device 150 may include any type of devices for storing information and instructions , such a flash memory , for storing information and instructions . input device 160 may include one or more conventional mechanisms that permit a user to input information to the system 100 , such as a keyboard , a keypad , a directional pad , a mouse , a pen , voice recognition , a touch - screen and / or biometric mechanisms , etc . according to the invention , the input device includes at least one camera 190 for recording visual information . output device 170 may include one or more conventional mechanisms that output information to the user , including a display , a printer , one or more speakers , etc . communication interface 180 may include any transceiver - like mechanism that enables system 100 to communicate with other devices and / or systems . for example , communication interface 180 may include a modem or an ethernet interface to a lan . alternatively , or additionally , communication interface 180 may include other mechanisms for communicating via a network , such as a wireless network . for example , communication interface may include a radio frequency ( rf ) transmitter and receiver and one or more antennas for transmitting and receiving rf data . system 100 , consistent with the invention , provides a platform through which a user may communicate using video call . system 100 may also display information associated with the video call , i . e ., the communicating parties . according to an exemplary implementation , system 100 may perform various processes in response to processor 120 executing sequences of instructions contained in memory 130 . such instructions may be read into memory 130 from another computer - readable medium , such as storage device 150 , or from a separate device via communication interface 180 . it should be understood that a computer - readable medium may include one or more memory devices or carrier waves . execution of the sequences of instructions contained in memory 130 causes processor 120 to perform the acts that will be described hereafter . in alternative embodiments , hard - wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement aspects consistent with the invention . thus , the invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software . fig2 illustrates schematics of a terminal 200 , such as a mobile phone , comprising a housing 201 , antenna 202 , power source 203 and two cameras 204 and 205 . the display portion 206 is indicated with dashed line . one of the cameras , e . g ., 205 is the main camera and the other one , e . g ., 204 is so called chat camera . the cameras are arranged further distanced from the top portion of the terminal and evidently below behind the display 206 . for example , at least one of the cameras is arranged in a position , which may correspond to face of a conferencing party , especially substantially in eye height of the image 209 . the example illustrated schematically in fig3 is a cut through the terminal of fig2 , e . g ., along the line a - a , showing camera 204 and portion of display 206 . the camera 204 comprises an image sensor 2041 ( such as ccd or cmos sensor ) and a lens 2042 . the display 206 comprises a transparent substrate 2061 , one or more organic layer 2063 , a transparent cathode layer 2064 , optionally a touch layer 2065 ( which may comprise a package with many transparent function layers ) and a transparent cover 2066 . in an active matrix array , the display may also comprise a tft array 2062 and organic active layers . in one example , the display comprises of amoled ( active - matrix organic light - emitting diode ) type , in which pixels are arranged in rgbw ( red / green / blue / white ) pattern in layer 2063 , for example described in us 2011285881 by sony corp ., compared to the traditional rgbg amoled . this technology includes additional white pixels . the white pixels switch between on and off state , whereby in the on state the diode emits ( white ) light and in the off state the diode is transparent . even transparent oled ( organic light emitting diode ) technology can be used in pixel level . transparent oleds have only transparent components ( substrate , organic layer or layers , cathode and anode ) and , when turned off , are transparent in high degree . when a transparent oled display is turned on , it allows light to pass in both directions . a transparent oled display can be either active - or passive - matrix . also amoled displays where all sub pixels are transparent to a high degree in off state may also be used . fig4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary combined camera and display system 400 , according to one embodiment of the present invention . an image ( not shown ), e . g ., of a person in the video conference , is displayed on the flat - panel screen 206 . the flat panel screen 206 may display the picture by adjusting the optical transparency of its individual pixels . the camera 204 and the screen 206 are each controlled by a corresponding driver 401 and 402 , respectively ( or a combined driver ). the display driver 402 controls the anodes and cathodes of the display to emit light at pixels to produce the image seen by a user 409 . the camera 204 captures an image of the user 409 and his / her surroundings through screen 206 . to be able to capture an image of the user while an image is displayed , the camera must be synchronized with pixels such that the image or a portion of the image of the user 409 is acquired when one or several pixels are transparent . it is appreciated that the items illustrated in fig4 are highly exaggerated . assuming that a pixel on the screen may be less than 2 μm , the camera may be a single pixel camera with same size as one pixel , cover a number of pixels in one area or use an algorithm to assemble an image from a number of scattered pixels covering the camera pixels . to be able to record an image with the camera , several technologies may be used . the drivers 401 and 402 may be synchronised , e . g ., by driver 402 informing driver 401 when one or several pixels in the camera view is / are transparent so that the camera can capture images . then the image or image parts captured during transparency of the pixels are assembled to an image and transmitted to the receiver . according to another embodiment , the sweep of control signal over the screen for activating pixels is synchronized with the sweep of capturing image over the camera sensor and the resultant output from camera is processed to generate image frames . the driver , synchronization and processing of the image data may be carried out in one or several of input device 160 , output device 170 and / or processor 120 of the system of fig1 . thus , according to one exemplary method of the invention as illustrated in fig5 , images may be captured continuously ( 1 ), state ( on or off state ) of the pixel ( s ) in front of the camera is controlled ( 2 ), if the pixel ( s ) is not transparent ( on or off state ) for a specific image frame ( 3 ), the image is discarded ( 4 ). if the pixel ( s ) is transparent , the image is saved ( 5 ). the saved images are assembled to one image , which can be transmitted to the receiver . in another example , as illustrated in fig6 , the method comprises , controlling ( 1 ′) the state ( on or off state ) of the pixel ( s ) in front of the camera . if ( 2 ′) the pixel ( s ) is not transparent no image is captured ( 4 ′). if ( 2 ′) the pixel ( s ) is transparent image is captured ( 3 ′) and saved ( 5 ′) and the saved images are assembled ( 6 ′) to one image which can be transmitted to the receiver . the step of saving and transmitting may be combined so that the images are transmitted after capturing . of course , other techniques for synchronising capturing image while a pixel is transparent may be used . preferably , the repetitive sequence of displaying image on the screen and capturing image by the camera behind the screen is at a frame rate greater than the flicker fusion frequency for the human eye ( 180 hz ). it should be noted that the word “ comprising ” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed and the words “ a ” or “ an ” preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements . it should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims , that the invention may be implemented at least in part by means of both hardware and software , and that several “ means ”, “ units ” or “ devices ” may be represented by the same item of hardware . a “ device ” as the term is used herein , is to be broadly interpreted to include a radiotelephone having ability for internet / intranet access , web browser , organizer , calendar , a camera ( e . g ., video and / or still image camera ), a sound recorder ( e . g ., a microphone ); a personal communications system ( pcs ) terminal that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing ; a personal digital assistant ( pda ) that can include a radiotelephone or wireless communication system ; a laptop ; a camera ( e . g ., video and / or still image camera ) having communication ability ; and any other computation or communication device capable of transceiving , such as a personal computer , a home entertainment system , a television , etc . the above mentioned and described embodiments are only given as examples and should not be limiting to the present invention . other solutions , uses , objectives , and functions within the scope of the invention as claimed in the below described patent claims should be apparent for the person skilled in the art . the various embodiments of the present invention described herein is described in the general context of method steps or processes , which may be implemented in one embodiment by a computer program product , embodied in a computer - readable medium , including computer - executable instructions , such as program code , executed by computers in networked environments . a computer - readable medium may include removable and non - removable storage devices including , but not limited to , read only memory ( rom ), random access memory ( ram ), compact discs ( cds ), digital versatile discs ( dvd ), etc . generally , program modules may include routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc . that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . computer - executable instructions , associated data structures , and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein . the particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes . software and web implementations of various embodiments of the present invention can be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule - based logic and other logic to accomplish various database searching steps or processes , correlation steps or processes , comparison steps or processes and decision steps or processes . it should be noted that the words “ component ” and “ module ,” as used herein and in the following claims , is intended to encompass implementations using one or more lines of software code , and / or hardware implementations , and / or equipment for receiving manual inputs . the foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention , have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . the foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit embodiments of 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 various embodiments of the present invention . the embodiments discussed herein were chosen and described in order to explain the principles and the nature of various embodiments 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 . the features of the embodiments described herein may be combined in all possible combinations of methods , apparatus , modules , systems , and computer program products .
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in fig1 , a closure element 7 according to the invention of a closure 6 is provided with the designation 7 and is represented together with an elastic element 8 , formed as an extension arm 10 , or a leaf spring 11 on a carrier 13 . the carrier 13 and the leaf spring 11 are punched out from a metal sheet and the closure element 7 is molded as a plastic part onto the end of the leaf spring 11 on the input side . likewise molded onto the carrier 13 are latching hooks 31 for the mounting of a sealing unit 32 , represented in fig6 to 12 . on account of the low amplitude , the movement of the closure element 7 of the closure 6 can be described by approximation as a rotation about a first axis of rotation 20 , which is arranged in the region of the attachment of the leaf spring 11 and runs parallel to a plane of movement 4 of a card 2 . as also shown in fig2 , 3 , the closure element 7 has on the input side , in an inward direction 9 , an outer run - in slope 14 . by means of the outer run - in slope 14 , the card is capable of pushing aside the closure element 7 from a receiving opening 5 perpendicularly in relation to the plane of movement 4 of the card 2 . on the inner side of the closure element 7 there is likewise an inner run - in slope 15 , which makes it possible for the card 2 to push aside the closure element 7 as it leaves the device . the leaf spring 11 , carrying the closure element 7 , is offset approximately 6 mm in relation to the plane of the carrier 13 by being bent away in the direction of the plane of movement 4 of the card 2 and is therefore provided with a prestress that is obtained during operation when it bears against a counter abutment . in a way corresponding to the preferred use of tachographs , two closures according to the invention are usually arranged on a common carrier 13 , as shown in fig3 . in fig4 , 5 , a locking unit 29 is represented , provided with the designation 29 . in fig4 , the locking unit 29 is in a non - locked position and , in fig5 , the locking element is locked by means of the locking unit 29 . the locking unit 29 has two locking elements 30 , 35 , which can in each case be pivoted about a third axis of rotation 33 , 34 . the two locking elements 30 , 35 are arranged laterally of the closure 6 on both sides of the plane of movement 4 for a card . the locking elements 35 , 30 are respectively provided on the end faces , facing the closure element 7 , with a run - in slope 36 , 37 , which makes it possible for the locking elements 30 , 35 to push themselves behind the closure element 7 in a plane between the plane of the closure element 7 and the plane of the carrier 13 , so that the closure 6 can no longer spring back into an open position . in fig6 , a sealing unit 32 is represented , which seal has cut - out recesses 38 , 39 , which correspond to the latching hooks 31 . the sealing unit 32 , consisting of plastic , encloses the receiving opening 5 for the card in the plane of movement 4 in a u - shaped manner and is provided on the side facing the plane of movement 4 with a seal 40 . the seal 40 integrally combines a first seal 21 , extending in the longitudinal direction of the receiving opening 5 , and two second seals 22 , extending in the transverse direction of the receiving opening 5 . the seal 40 is fitted in an interlocking manner in a corresponding receiving formation 41 . the cross section of the seal 40 that is represented in fig8 shows the arrangement with a first sealing lip 42 for sealing with respect to a front panel 25 . as fig9 , 10 illustrate , the region of the second seal 22 has a chamber - like clearance with a second sealing lip 43 , which is formed in a resilient manner and faces in the inward direction 9 . the second sealing lip 43 seals with respect to a laterally protruding sealing surface 44 of the closure element , so that no splash water can penetrate laterally of the closure element 7 either . as fig1 , 12 illustrate in the detail of the partial representation of a card receiving device 1 , if it is installed in accordance with regulations , the closure element 7 of the closure 6 closes with a movement from the bottom upward , that is to say substantially counter to the direction of gravitational force , and comes to bear against the first seal 21 in the closed position . the installation position may also be inclined by up to 30 ° according to the invention . the resilient closure 7 thereby prevents the card from falling out when it is ejected , by means of clamping . on account of the wedge shape of the closure element 7 , the bearing contact is substantially linear . on account of this arrangement , the seal 40 describes a substantially inverted u shape around the receiving opening 5 . in this way , splash water penetrating through a receiving recess 28 of the front panel 25 that corresponds to the receiving opening 5 can , under the driving effect of gravitational force , run into a drainage channel 46 , located under the receiving opening 5 behind the front panel 25 on the rear side 26 , and from there leave the moisture - sensitive region from a drain 45 . the portion that seals with respect to the front panel 25 is formed as a softer region 24 of the seal 40 and is softer than an adjacent , harder region 23 , arranged as a counter abutment of the closure element . these two regions 23 , 24 are integrally connected to each other .
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the experimental proofs of the concept were conducted in an apparatus of the type illustrated in the figure . as seen in fig1 a pressurized packed trickle bed reactor 10 made from type 316 stainless steel contains the catalyst ( s ) 11 . the reactor volume was approximately 80 cc &# 39 ; s . the catalyst ( s ) were supported on glass beads 12 . the reactants were distributed over the catalysts by another layer of glass beads 13 at the top of the bed . the oxidation catalyst was an oxidation catalyst containing a noble metal ( pt , pd , rh , or ir ) or combinations thereof , on a hydrophobic support , e . g . styrene - divinylbenzene co - polymer , fluorinated carbon and silicalite or on activated carbon . see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 009 , 872 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the surface area should be high enough so that sufficient metal catalyst can be deposited with good dispersion , say in the range of 50 - 800 square meters per gram . the solid acid catalyst can be a solid ion exchange resin in the acid form . specifically , amberlyst 15 in the acid form has been found to be effective . the bed packing was a mixture of the catalyst and an inert support . in the case where the reaction proceeds in parallel , the oxidation catalyst and the solid acid catalyst were blended together with glass beads and placed on a bed of sized glass beads . layers of sized glass beads were then placed on top of the catalyst bed and the reactor was closed . in the case where the reactions ˜ proceeded sequentially , the solid acid catalyst mixed with glass beads was placed on a bed of sized glass beads , a layer of glass beads was placed on top of the catalyst and bed of oxidation catalyst mixed with glass beads was placed on top of the separating layer of glass beads . finally , a layer of glass beads was placed on top of the hydrophobic catalyst and the reactor was closed . the reactor was then placed inside a heating jacket 14 to control the reaction temperature . a heat transfer liquid was circulated through the jacket in series with a constant temperature bath to maintain the reactor temperature . temperatures in the range of from 75 ° to 150 ° c . are contemplated . the use of liquid ethanol in the trickle bed reactor enhances the process in two ways : 1 ) it rapidly removes the exothermic heat of reaction , thus reducing the probability of hot spots 2 ) it keeps the catalyst surface clean , ensuring high reaction rates . in operation , liquid ethanol and compressed oxygen were metered into the reactor using mass flow controllers . the reactants passed through a static mixer 15 prior to entering at the top of the reactor . the reactants flowed concurrently downward to avoid flooding the reactor . the acetic acid formed was absorbed by the excess ethanol and reacted with it to produce ethyl acetate and water . the reactor effluent containing ethyl acetate and water was removed from reactor 10 and cooled by heat exchange in a cooler 16 using a circulating coolant . the pressure of the system was controlled using a back pressure regulator 17 which regulated the flow out of the reactor . the cooled effluent then passed into a receiver 18 chilled by circulating coolant where the liquid separated from the vapor . the vapor stream passed through a condenser 19 which condensed vapors from the spent air stream . the condensed vapors flowed by gravity into the receiver . in the cases where the reactions proceeded in parallel , the catalyst bed comprised 2 grams of 1o % pd / sdb hydrophobic catalyst or 10 % pd / c catalyst plus 2 grams of amberlyst 15 mixed with 15 cc &# 39 ; s of glass beads . this bed rested on 15 cc &# 39 ; s of 0 . 2 - 0 . 4 mm glass beads on top of 10 cc &# 39 ; s of 2 mm glass beads . at the top of the catalyst bed was a layer of 15 cc &# 39 ; s of 0 . 2 - 0 . 4 mm glass beds covered by a layer of 10 cc &# 39 ; s of 2 mm glass beads . in the cases were the reactions proceeded sequentially , the reactor was filled with 10 cc &# 39 ; s of 2 mm glass beads at the bottom followed by 10 cc &# 39 ; s of 0 . 2 - d . 4 mm glass beads followed by 10 cc &# 39 ; s of a mixture of 2 grams of amberlyst 15 in 10 cc &# 39 ; s of glass beads followed by a layer of glass beads and then a layer of a mixture of 10 % pd / sdb hydrophobic catalyst or 10 % pd / c catalyst in 10 cc &# 39 ; s of glass beads covered by a layer of sized glass beads as in the previous example . a series of examples were also run without the use of the solid acid catalyst to demonstrate that the esterification reaction will proceed in the reactor without the use of a catalyst . in this case , the catalyst bed was prepared as described previously but with a catalyst bed comprising 2 grams of 10 % pd / sdb mixed with glass beads without the solid acid catalyst . other tests were run with the pd dispersed onto a carbon carrier to demonstrate the benefits of a hydrophobic carrier . in this case , the reaction occurred , but more slowly . another set of tests were run comparing the effectiveness of the oxidation catalyst when the palladium is oxidized to the more normal case when the palladium is in the reduced state . conversions to ethyl acetate were found to be higher when the palladium was in the oxidized state . the ethanol fed to the reactor was either 93 % ethanol or 99 +% ethanol . oxygen or air was metered into the reactor in a ratio of liquid ethanol to oxygen or air of 0 . 4 cc &# 39 ; s 228 cc . the following tables summarize the results of the tests : whsv h - 1 p ( bar ) t (° c .) % h 2 o % ch 3 cho % c 2 h 5 oh % ch 3 cooc 2 h 5 % ch 3 cooh ______________________________________9 . 6 35 . 9 95 16 . 902 1 . 025 59 . 237 14 . 538 9 . 2987 . 2 35 . 9 95 17 . 464 0 . 905 54 . 189 18 . 706 8 . 7364 . 8 35 . 9 95 18 . 841 0 . 699 49 . 191 22 . 062 9 . 2072 . 4 35 . 9 95 20 . 227 0 . 336 43 . 501 24 . 838 11 . 0989 . 6 40 . 0 95 16 . 929 1 . 004 56 . 398 16 . 694 8 . 9759 . 6 27 . 6 95 15 . 757 1 . 002 62 . 395 13 . 754 7 . 1229 . 6 20 . 7 95 15 . 006 1 . 029 66 . 698 11 . 588 5 . 6699 . 6 35 . 9 90 16 . 292 1 . 113 60 . 203 13 . 089 9 . 3039 . 6 35 . 9 85 15 . 357 1 . 152 63 . 791 11 . 435 8 . 2659 . 6 35 . 9 75 14 . 231 1 . 347 69 . 545 8 . 049 8 . 828______________________________________ ______________________________________9 . 6 35 . 9 95 17 . 152 0 . 243 62 . 708 10 . 722 9 . 1757 . 2 35 . 9 95 17 . 968 0 . 329 53 . 653 14 . 929 13 . 1214 . 8 35 . 9 95 19 . 653 0 . 204 48 . 573 17 . 242 14 . 3282 . 4 35 . 9 95 21 . 642 0 . 049 40 . 425 21 . 224 16 . 661______________________________________ ______________________________________9 . 6 35 . 9 95 12 . 586 0 . 557 58 . 270 18 . 091 10 . 4967 . 2 35 . 9 95 13 . 427 0 . 401 52 . 345 20 . 995 12 . 8324 8 35 . 9 95 13 . 897 0 . 216 49 . 655 22 . 346 13 . 8862 . 4 35 . 9 95 14 . 310 0 . 118 48 . 704 22 . 718 14 . 150______________________________________ ______________________________________9 . 6 35 . 9 95 18 . 443 0 . 627 52 . 074 20 . 228 8 . 6287 . 2 35 . 9 95 19 . 258 0 . 549 48 . 207 22 . 614 9 . 3724 . 8 35 . 9 95 20 . 537 0 . 353 43 . 027 25 . 391 10 . 6922 . 4 35 . 9 95 21 . 774 0 . 158 38 . 287 22 . 619 11 . 962______________________________________ ______________________________________9 . 6 35 . 9 95 12 . 556 0 . 820 59 . 130 21 . 630 5 . 8647 . 2 35 . 9 95 14 . 143 0 . 592 51 . 438 25 . 962 7 . 8654 . 8 35 . 9 95 15 . 294 0 . 405 46 . 858 28 . 555 8 . 8892 . 4 35 . 9 95 16 . 351 0 . 207 42 . 709 30 . 911 9 . 822______________________________________ single catalyst bed - 10 % pd on sdb and carbon , compared 10 % pd / sdb 10 % pd / c ______________________________________pressure , bar 35 . 9 35 . 9whsvh . sup .- 1 2 . 4 2 . 4ethanol , % 99 +% 99 +% temperature ° c . 95 95water , % 14 . 281 13 . 564ch . sub . 3 cho , % 0 . 117 1 . 038c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh , % 48 . 565 53 . 134ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 , % 23 . 066 19 . 060ch . sub . 3 cooh , % 13 . 950 13 . 204ethanol , % 93 . 47 93 . 47water , % 22 . 043 16 . 443ch . sub . 3 cho , % 0 . 051 1 . 234c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh , % 40 . 820 58 . 532ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 , % 20 . 688 13 . 297ch . sub . 3 cooh , % 16 . 398 14 . 495______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________catalyst pd / sdb pdo / sdb pd / sdb pdo / sdb pd / sdb pdo / sdb pd / sdb pdo / sdb__________________________________________________________________________whsv h . sup .- 1 9 . 6 9 . 6 7 . 2 7 . 2 4 . 8 4 . 8 2 . 4 2 . 4ethanol , % 93 . 47 93 . 47 93 . 47 94 . 47 93 . 47 93 . 47 93 . 47 93 . 47water , % 17 . 152 18 . 174 17 . 968 19 . 331 19 . 653 21 . 290 21 . 641 27 . 560ch . sub . 3 cho , % 0 . 243 0 . 533 0 . 329 0 . 256 0 . 204 0 . 464 0 . 049 0 . 650c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh , % 62 . 708 57 . 640 53 . 653 47 . 970 48 . 573 41 . 907 40 . 425 32 . 585ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 , % 10 . 722 12 . 400 14 . 929 17 . 130 17 . 242 19 . 450 21 . 224 24 . 538ch . sub . 3 cooh , % 9 . 175 11 . 253 13 . 121 14 . 929 14 . 328 16 . 889 16 . 661 15 . 071ethanol , % 99 + 99 +% 99 +% 99 +% 99 +% 99 +% 99 +% 99 +% water , % 12 . 586 13 . 120 13 . 427 13 . 892 13 . 897 17 . 319 14 . 310 22 . 464ch . sub . 3 cho , % 0 . 557 0 . 881 0 . 401 0 . 555 0 . 216 0 . 439 0 . 118 0 . 245c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh , % 58 . 270 57 . 023 52 . 345 52 . 564 49 . 655 40 . 672 48 . 704 29 . 171ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 , % 18 . 091 17 . 584 20 . 995 20 . 702 22 . 346 24 . 757 22 . 718 30 . 891ch . sub . 3 cooh , % 10 . 496 11 . 393 12 . 832 12 . 287 13 . 886 16 . 783 14 . 150 17 . 229__________________________________________________________________________ it is postulated that when conventional catalyst is exposed to aqueous solutions , capillary condensation takes place until it reaches thermodynamic equilibrium dictated by the kelvin equation where r is the radius of the capillary , v is the molar volume of the liquid and μ is the surface tension . equation ( 1 ) indicates that for values of the contact angle 0 less than 90 degrees , liquid condenses in the capillary at a pressure p less than the saturated pressure p o at temperature t . for conventional catalyst supports , the materials are hydrophilic and the contact angle with an aqueous solution would be close to zero . thus the whole catalyst is wet when exposed to the liquid . the equation also implies that increasing contact angle reduces pore condensation . in the presence of a liquid , p is equal to p o and if a hydrophobic material with greater than 90 degrees ( cos ⊖ becomes negative ) is selected as a catalyst support , its pores will remain dry and accessible to the gaseous reactants . in this way , the concentration of the reactants at the reaction sites in the pores is increased by a factor of 10 to the 4th power , roughly the henry &# 39 ; s law constant for oxygen . in addition , the rate of diffusion in the gas phase is about 1 , 000 to 10 , 000 times higher than that in the liquid phase . accordingly , the combination of carrying out the oxidation in the vapor phase and using a hydrophobic catalyst can be employed to increase reaction rates .
| 2 |
referring to fig1 a fluid power system is illustrated which incorporates features of this invention . generally , the system is seen to comprise a pair of reversible actuators 10 , 11 in the form of hydraulic cylinders which are connected in a parallel fluid flow relationship with respect to each other and with respect to a source of pressurized fluid , generally indicated at 12 . pressurized fluid flows to the actuators 10 , 11 from the source 12 , first by way of a control valve 20 , and then by way of either one of two diverter valves 22 , 24 which are connected in series fluid flow relationship with the control valve 20 . the control valve 20 controls which one of the two diverter valves 22 , 24 receives the pressurized fluid flowing from the source . each diverter valve is capable of dividing such flow between two companion flow paths . each such flow path communicates with a distinct one of the actuators 10 , 11 . when the control valve 20 sends pressurized fluid through the diverter valve 22 to both the actuators , those actuators produce one type action . when the control valve 20 sends the pressurized fluid through the other diverter valve 24 to the actuators , those actuators produce the reverse action . each diverter valve is responsive to a pre - determined decrease in pressure in each of its companion flow paths . such a pressure decrease causes the diverter valve to divert pressurized fluid from the reduced pressure flow path to its companion flow path and to the actuator connected to that companion flow path . thus , in the event of a rupture of a fluid conduit transporting fluid to one of the actuators , the inoperability of that actuator does not prevent the system from functioning and fluid loss is minimized . in addition , increased power output of the other actuator is achieved by combining the diverted fluid flow with the pressurized fluid normally flowing to that operable actuator and obtaining an increased work output from it . in one application the fluid power system incorporating features of this invention may be embodied in a vehicle steering apparatus . each of the actuators 10 , 11 is connected to a wheel of a vehicle . each of the actuators 10 , 11 comprises a fluid cylinder defining non - communicating chambers 10a , 10b and 11a , 11b at opposed ends of the cylinder . the cylinders 10 , 11 are connected to their respective vehicle wheels so that the simultaneous delivery of pressurized fluid to a particular chamber in each cylinder causes both cylinders to produce steering action . the fluid pressure source 12 includes a reservoir 16 which is connected to the control valve 20 by a conduit 30 . a pump 18 is disposed in the conduit 30 to pressurize fluid passing through the conduit 30 to the control valve 20 . a conduit 32 conducts fluid exiting the control valve 20 back through a check valve to the reservoir and to the conduit 30 . the control valve 20 is a 4 - way , 3 position valve which controls which of the diverter valves receives the pressurized fluid flowing from the source 12 . the valve has a neutral position and a pair of fluid conducting positions . one of the fluid conducting positions conducts pressurized fluid from conduit 30 to the diverter valve 22 and returns fluid from diverter valve 24 to the conduit 32 . the other fluid conducting position conducts pressurized fluid from the conduit 30 to the diverter valve 24 and returns fluid from the diverter valve 22 to the conduit 32 . the control valve 20 is shiftable between its three positions in response to the rotation of a steering wheel 26 which may be operatively interconnected with said valve 20 in any suitable manner . operators 28 , 29 interconnecting the steering wheel 26 and the valve 20 are illustrated . the diverter valves 22 , 24 are identical valves which divide any pressurized fluid passing to them from the control valves along a pair of companion fluid flow paths . one path of each pair is connected to a port of one of the actuators and the companion path of the pair is connected to a port of the other actuators . the diverter valve 22 is connected to the control valve 20 by a conduit 40 . the conduit 40 intersects a conduit 50 which connects a pair of similar two position , three way pressure responsive flow control valves 60 , 70 and which divides fluid flow from the conduit 40 between the valves 60 , 70 . the valve element in the valve 60 is movable between a first position wherein the conduit 50 communicates with a conduit 80 and a second position wherein the conduit 50 communicates with a conduit 86 . the valve element in the valve 70 is similarly movable between a first position wherein the conduit 50 communicates with a conduit 90 and a second position wherein the conduit 50 communicates with a conduit 96 . the valves 60 , 70 are maintained in their first position when the lines 40 , 80 , and 90 are normally pressurized . position control passages in the form of pilot lines 41a , 41b extend from the conduit 40 to the valves 60 , 70 . a system sensing flow passage in the form of a pilot line 81 extends from the conduit 80 to the valve 60 . another system sensing flow passage in the form of a pilot line 91 extends from the conduit 90 to the valve 70 . the pilot pressure in the pilot line 81 and a resilient member 82 act in concert on the valve 60 and in opposition to the pilot pressure in the pilot line 41a . the pilot pressure in the pilot line 91 acts in concert with a resilient member 92 on the valve 70 and in opposition to the pilot pressure in the line 41b . when the conduits 40 , 80 , 90 are normally pressurized , the forces generated by the pilot pressures in the pilot lines 81 , 91 in combination with their resilient members 82 , 92 , respectively , are sufficient to overcome , the forces generated by the pilot pressures in the lines 41a , 41b . should the pilot pressure in either of the lines 81 , 91 be reduced below some predetermined limit , the pilot pressure in the other pilot line 41a , 41b acting on that same valve 60 , 70 will be sufficient to move the valve 60 , 70 into its second position . the conduits 80 , 90 form a companion pair of conduits arranged in parallel fluid flow relation with respect to each other . they are provided to connect each of the valves 60 , 70 to a separate one of the cylinders 10 , 11 . the conduit 80 is connected to a chamber 11b in one end of the cylinder 11 while the conduit 90 is connected to a chamber 10a in one end of the cylinder 10 . crossover conduits 86 , 96 are provided to communicate each of the valves 60 , 70 in the conduits 80 , 90 with the companion conduit 90 , 80 when the valves 60 , 70 are in their second positions . to assure that the valves 60 , 70 are shiftable , sequencing valves 88 , 98 are preferably disposed in the respective conduits 80 , 90 . these sequencing valves are utilized to generate a bias pressure . such valves normally will block the conduits 80 , 90 until sufficient pressure is generated in the pilot lines of 89 , 99 to shift the sequencing valves from a fluid conduit obstructing position to a fluid conduit conducting position . a check valve bypass is provided around each of the valves 60 , 70 and their sequencing valves , 88 , 98 to provide return flow paths through the diverter valve 22 for fluid exhausted from the cylinders 10 , 11 . the bypasses each comprise check valves 100 , 102 disposed in bypass conduits 101 , 103 . the conduits 101 , 103 each intersect the respective conduits 80 , 90 intermediate the sequencing valves 88 , 98 and the cylinders 11 , 10 and intersect the conduit 40 intermediate the control valve 20 and the valves 60 , 70 . referring to the diverter valve 24 , a similar arrangement is shown . the conduit 42 communicates with a conduit 150 which connects a pair of similar two position , three way pressure responsive flow control valves 160 , 170 and which divides fluid flow from the conduit 42 between the valves 160 , 170 . the valve element in the valve 160 is movable between a first position wherein the conduit 150 communicates a conduit 180 and a second position wherein the conduit 50 communicates with a conduit 186 . the valve element in the valve 170 is similarly movable between a first position wherein the conduit 150 communicates with a conduit 190 and a second position wherein the conduit 150 communicates with a conduit 196 . a pair of position control passages in the form of pilot lines 141a , 141b extend from the conduit 42 to the respective valves 160 , 170 and tend to urge those valves into their second position . a pair of system sensing passages in the form of pilot lines 181 , 191 extend from the conduits 180 , 190 to the respective valves 160 , 170 and act in concert with resilient members 182 , 192 to urge the respective valves 160 , 170 toward their first position . when the conduits 180 , 190 are normally pressurized , the valves 160 , 170 are in their first positions , and the conduit 150 communicates with the conduits 180 , 190 . when the conduits 180 , 190 are not normally pressurized the values 160 , 170 communicate with the conduits 190 , 180 respectively through a pair of crossover conduits 186 , 196 . the conduits 180 , 190 form a companion pair of conduits arranged in parallel fluid flow relation with respect to each other . they are provided to connect each of the valves 160 , 170 to a separate one of the cylinders 10 , 11 . the conduit 180 communicates with the chamber 11a of the cylinder 11 while the conduit 190 communicates with the end 10b of the cylinder 10 . sequencing valves 188 , 198 are disposed in the conduits 180 , 190 . check valve bypasses are also provided around each of the valves 160 , 170 and their sequencing valves 188 , 198 . the bypasses comprise check valves 200 , 202 disposed in bypass conduits 201 , 203 which communicate the conduits 180 , 190 with conduit 42 . in the operation of this system , when the control valve 20 is in its neutral position , no pressurized fluid is conducted from the source 12 to the circuit . when the steering wheel 26 is turned in one direction the control valve 20 is moved to one of its conducting positions and pressurized fluid is conducted from the pump 18 through the conduit 30 to the conduit 40 and into the diverter valve 22 . that pressurized fluid is divided by the conduit 50 and passes through both of the companion valves 60 , 70 to the respective conduits 80 , 90 . sufficient pressure is generated in the conduits 80 , 90 to pressurize the pilot lines 89 , 99 and shift the sequencing valves 88 , 98 from a flow obstructing to a flow enabling position . pressurized fluid flow then passes along the respective conduits 80 , 90 to the cylinder chambers 11b , 10a . simultaneously with fluid entering the cylinder chambers 11b , 10a other fluid will be evacuated from the cylinder chambers 10b , 11a through the conduits 190 , 180 and the bypasses 201 , 203 in the diverter valve 24 . the two flowing portions of evacuated fluid will combine in the conduit 42 and pass through the valve 20 to the conduit 32 for recirculation . this fluid flow through the diverter valves causes the vehicle to turn in one direction . when the steering wheel 26 in the opposite direction , the valve 20 is moved to the other of its conducting positions . fluid then flows in the opposite direction through the diverter valves to the cylinders . if there is a rupture of one of the fluid conduits conducting fluid to the cylinders 10 , 11 the fluid in that conduit will be diverted to the companion conduit which is continuously conducting fluid to its own cylinder . the result of course , is that an increased amount of pressurized fluid will be conveyed to the operating cylinder to increase its work output and maintain steering of the vehicle until it can be brought to a stop . only a minimal amount of fluid will be lost because of a rupture . the operation of the system in the event of a fluid conduit rupture is illustrated by assuming that the control valve 20 is conducting pressurized fluid from the conduit 30 into the conduit 40 and the diverter valve 22 . the conduit 80 , would normally conduct pressurized fluid to the cylinder chamber 11b . if the conduit 80 ruptures at some point between the diverter valve 22 and the cylinder 11 , the diverter valve 22 will divert the pressurized fluid in the conduit 80 to the companion conduit 90 . thus , the diverted pressurized fluid will combine with the pressurized fluid normally flowing in the companion conduit 90 and flow to the cylinder 10 to maintain vehicle steering capability . more specifically , when a rupture takes place in the conduit 80 , the pilot pressure in the pilot line 81 is substantially reduced and the pilot pressure in the pilot line 41a causes the valve 60 to be shifted from its first position to its second position . fluid in the conduit 40 is directed by the valve 60 into the conduit 86 which carries the diverted fluid to the companion conduit 90 where these fluids join and together flow to the chamber 10a of the cylinder 10 . similarly if a break should appear in the conduit 90 between the diverter valve 22 and the cylinder 10 , a similar diverting action would be carried out by the three way flow control valve 70 to direct fluid through the conduit 96 to the conduit 80 to combine with other pressurized fluid flowing through that conduit into the cylinder chamber 11b . an analgous fluid diverting action is performed in the diverter valve 24 if the fluid exiting the control valve 20 should pass to the valve 24 and if a conduit rupture should occur in either of the companion conduits 180 , 190 . although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed .
| 1 |
example embodiments , as described below , may be used to provide a method , an apparatus and / or a system of portable light restoration helmet . although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments , it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments . fig1 illustrates a front view ( fig1 a ) and back view ( fig1 b ) of helmet according to an embodiment of the present invention . the invention provides swappable - zoned flexible helmet ( 100 ) which is able to substantially increase the amount of energy and simultaneously stimulate the scalp muscles deep within the cranial theca . these swappable zones include light emitting devices such as led , laser diode or vertical - cavity surface - emitting laser ( vcsel ) devices for the therapeutic treatment of scalp . by creating these , swappable zones , the lasers diodes or leds or vcsel have more power and energy to therapeutically increase the follicle stimulating benefits of lllt ( low level laser therapy or low level led therapy ) for hair loss . the added benefits of this extra stimulation create more production of nitric oxide , s . o . d ., as well as increased atp production in each of the scalp cells . another embodiment of the present a flexible helmet ( 100 ) or head covering ( 100 ) which is cost effective , efficient and safer to use which allows the user to maximize the effects of the , laser or leds or vcsel and the stimulation of the scalp muscles in order to generate the most amount of hair in the shortest amount of time . fig2 illustrates an inner view helmet ( 201 ) according to another embodiment of the present invention . the flexible helmet ( 201 ) is designed with about 25 - 300 tiny light emitting devices ( 201 ) such as laser diode , led or vcsel that project an unfocused laser light onto the scalp of a hair loss subject . the 25 - 300 tiny lasers , led or vcsel devices ( 201 ) lights are fixed into specially designed flexible helmet ( 201 ) in matching the head contour . these laser diode led or vcsel lights get absorbed by the scalp and the longer a person wears the flexible helmet , the more energy the scalp tissue absorbs . this absorbed energy is measured in joules per centimeter square . the optimum energy delivered to the scalp should be between 3 - 6 joules in a given session but our disco and findings suggest that substantial improvements in hair growth is experienced when the scalp has absorbed about 4 - 6 joles / cm & lt ; 2 & gt ; of energy . laser or led efficacy is calculated by using the following formula : the flexible helmet ( 100 ) stimulates the scalp muscles using specific zones of laser diodes , led or vcsel devices ( 202 ). it is provided with the three unique treatment zones for maximum treatment and more effective method to treat bald areas . to be more specific , when all of the 25 or so lasers / leds / vcsel ( 202 ) are turned on and bio - stimulating the entire scalp , most users can tolerate along therapy session of typically up to 45 minutes , but when the laser diodes or leds or vcsel ( 202 ) are separated into three unique zones namely , frontal scalp , parietal scalp and temporal scalp ( 300 / 3 ), and only one zone is turned on at a time for up to 20 minutes at a time , the user experiences an intense stimulation of their scalp muscles to the point where it is almost intolerable beyond 20 minutes each given zone which results in the bringing of more blood to the whole cranial area ( skin on the scalp where the follicles resides ). it strengthens the walls of the capillaries that nourish the hair follicles , and it increases the flexibility and elasticity of the whole scalp treating the males and females pattern baldness . the flexible helmet ( 201 ) is a lightweight apparatus weighing less than 3 lbs making it easy and comfortable for usage . in a further embodiment of the present invention , the flexible helmet ( 201 ) has a display system which shows timer per session and total laser or led or vcsel devices treatment time . it is powered with the battery with ac charger ( 110v / 220v ). the apparatus is wire free having minimal wiring with the wireless remote control system . the flexible helmet ( 201 ) have multiple zones ( three zones , namely frontal scalp , parietal scalp and temporal scalp ) which will allow the user to select which part of the scalp will be treated , allowing more power and treatment time for those areas which are destined to and simultaneously eliminating the undesired exposure of the other areas . in another embodiment of the present invention , the flexible et device has control mechanism to on / off a specific zone and sensing unit for sensing the user scalp . the sensing unit in the flexible helmet has plurality of sensors such as proximity sensor and heat sensor . the proximity sensor causes the lasers or leds or vcsel ( 202 ) devices to turn on when it senses the scalp otherwise will remain off until user wears the flexible helmet while the heat sensor of the flexible helmet regulates the temperature on scalp . the distance from laser or led or vcsel to scalp will determine the coverage and effective hot spots . in a further embodiment of the present invention , the uniform distance between scalp and flexible helmet ( 201 ) is maintained by using 1 cm spacer . the apparatus is equipped with an adjustable timer and alarm for session . the flexible helmet ( 100 ) has shown to provide increased hair growth , shinier hair , denser hair and healthier scalp using no medication and zero side - effects . in a preferred embodiment , the flexible helmet ( 100 ) weighing 2 lbs attached with 25 - 300 tiny laser diodes or leds or vcsels is used to fit in the head size to cover the top of the head or the crown area ( up to norwood 5 a ) projecting an unfocused laser or led light onto the scalp which bio - stimulate the scalp and encourages hair growth . in another embodiment of the present invention , a matrix of spacer that keeps the laser or led lights from a human scalp for a specified distance . the flexible helmet is attached with the ac charger of 110v . the proximity sensor causes the lasers or leds to turn on when it senses the scalp while the heat sensor regulates temperature on scalp . the alarm rings up after the completion of adjusted time for the session . the flexible helmet ( 100 ) user will start seeing significant results within 10 weeks and greatest results by 3 [ ½ ] months . fig3 illustrates the connection of laser or led diode or vcsel devices and cables to shell and platform according to another embodiment of the present invention . each laser or led or vcsel ( 303 ) is connected in the center of the shell . laser or led diode or vcsels shell has a spacer ( 304 ) and a small lever ( 302 ), laser or led diode ( 303 ) and connection terminal point ( 302 ). the size of spacer ( 304 ) is keeps 1 cm for the effective treatment of scalp . spacer ( 304 ) maintains the even distance between the laser or led or vcsel and scalp . terminal point ( 301 ) is used to connect a shell with the others shell module and the power supply . each shell has lever ( 302 ), which is used to connect module to helmet platform . such 25 - 300 tiny lasers or 25 - 300 led or 25 - 300 vcsel modules are fitted in the helmet . when these laser or led or vcsel are turns on , it produces light in the region ( 305 ) which covers 1 . 76 cm & lt ; 2 & gt ; areas ( 306 ) of scalp . each module is connected in a configuration so that it is swappable with the modules of other zone . fig4 illustrates a top view of human scalp according to another embodiment of present invention , which reflects different part of scalp such as front scalp , temporal scalp and frontal scalp zone , each parts represent a particular zone of scalp . fig5 illustrates a laser diode diffusion pattern according to another embodiment of present invention . in the present invention laser or led diode module produces light in 1 . 76 cm & lt ; 2 & gt ; area of scalp and distance of module is maintained by a 1 cm spacer for the effective treatment of scalp . the helmet aids to normalize the scalp conditions mostly ( dandruff , seborrhea dermatitis , itch etc .). another embodiment of the present invention is to provide the flexible helmet device which helps in the decrease shedding of hair and allow hairs to grow faster , thicker and stronger ( tensile strength ) with an added advantage of reverse miniaturization . the present invention provides re - growth of dormant follicles and is proven out to be more manageable . the new zone - based laser or led or vcsel stimulation could also be effective for tightening the surface skin of the scalp , temple and face area for other cosmetic applications because of more production of nitric oxide , superoxide dismutase , as well as increased atp production in each of the scalp cells . the flexible helmet has other benefits of convenience factor ( i . e . medical facility visits are not needed any more ) and can be used privately . the device is safest during usage as most laser or led restoration devices can be harmful , if used carelessly . the apparatus can be used in any of the comfortable places like home , bed , couch , bathroom etc ., may be in a car or during work , clinic etc . the flexible helmet device fits any head size and is adjustable . it covers the top of head or crown area ( up to norwood 5 a ). in a further embodiment of the present invention , the user wears the flexible helmet 3 times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes per session ( adjustable ). the present invention provides a cost effective solution for male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness . although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments , it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments . for example , the various devices and modules described herein may be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry , firmware , software or any combination of hardware , firmware , and software ( e . g ., embodied in a machine readable medium ). for example , the various electrical structure and methods may be embodied using transistors , logic gates , and electrical circuits ( e . g ., application specific integrated ( asic ) circuitry and / or in digital signal processor ( dsp ) circuitry ). in addition , it will be appreciated that the various operations , processes , and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in a machine - readable medium and / or a machine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system ( e . g ., a computer devices ), and may be performed in any order ( e . g ., including using means for achieving the various operations ). accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .
| 0 |
fig1 shows a microfluidic device according to a first embodiment in a top view and in cross section . in fig1 a and 1 b , reference m denotes a microfluidic device . the microfluidic device m in this case comprises as the uppermost layer , according to fig1 a and 1 b , an upper polymer layer 1 and also a lower polymer layer 3 ( not shown in fig1 a ). elements in the lower polymer layer 3 are indicated in fig1 a by dashes . in the lower polymer layer 3 , a duct 4 a is arranged , which is connected pneumatically to a lower displacement volume 7 b , likewise formed in the lower polymer layer 3 . the lower displacement volume 7 b is pneumatically connected , further , to a diaphragm 2 which is arranged between the two polymer layers 1 , 3 . the diaphragm 2 in this case forms essentially the second layer of the microfluidic device m . the diaphragm 2 can in this case expand essentially completely into the lower displacement volume 7 b . further , in the upper polymer layer 1 , a cavity 6 is arranged , which is connected pneumatically to an upper displacement volume 7 a . the upper displacement volume 7 a is in this case formed as a clearance 5 a in the upper polymer layer 1 . the diaphragm 2 is in this case arranged between the two polymer layers 1 , 3 such that the diaphragm 2 can expand into the upper displacement volume 7 a or into the lower displacement volume 7 b , depending on the action of pressure upon the duct 4 a . when the diaphragm 2 expands into the lower displacement volume 7 b arranged in the lower polymer layer 3 , the pressure in the cavity 6 is reduced . when the diaphragm 2 expands into the upper displacement volume 7 a of the upper polymer layer 3 , the pressure in the cavity 6 is increased . the diaphragm 2 according to fig1 a and 1 b is connected to the lower polymer layer 1 and the upper polymer layer 3 via a weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′. in this case , the weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′ is arranged in the region of the duct 4 a on the upper polymer layer 1 and in the region of the cavity 6 on the lower polymer layer 3 . the upper displacement volume 7 a is in this case determined , on the one hand , by the clearance 5 a and , on the other hand , also by the extent of the weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′ on the lower polymer layer 3 . the cavity 6 is thus formed by that part of the clearance 5 a according to fig1 b into which the diaphragm 2 cannot expand because of the fixing to the lower polymer layer 3 . the diaphragm 2 can expand completely into the lower displacement volume 7 b , formed by the clearance 5 b , as a result of the generation of a vacuum in the duct 4 a . a further duct 4 b formed in the upper polymer layer 3 is arranged at the cavity 6 and serves for connection to pneumatically actuable structural elements , such as microfluidic pumps , valves , filters , reservoirs , chambers , mixers and the like . in general , the duct 4 a is provided with pressure , by means of which the elastically formed diaphragm 2 can then expand into the upper or lower displacement volume 7 a , 7 b . the following then applies , according to the boyle - marriote law , to the pressure in the cavity 6 : p 2 = ( v v + v k + v r v k + v r ) p 1 p 2 describing the pressure after actuation of the diaphragm 2 , p 1 normal pressure , that is to say a pressure at which the diaphragm 2 is not expanded and / or compressed , v v the displacement volume 7 a , 7 b , v k the volume of the cavity 6 and v r all the remaining volumes which are connected to the cavity 6 , for example the ducts 4 b or the like . fig2 a and 2 b show a microfluidic device according to a second embodiment without and with the action of pressure upon the diaphragm . fig2 a and 2 b show essentially a similar set - up of the microfluidic device m according to fig1 . in contrast to fig1 , the lower displacement volume 7 b is again formed as a clearance 5 b , but as a duct portion of the duct 4 a . the lower polymer layer 3 can thus be structured or produced more simply , and furthermore a space saving for the microfluidic device m is achieved , since the thickness of the lower polymer layer 3 is smaller . fig2 a shows the diaphragm 2 in the nonloaded state , that is to say the pressure in the duct 4 a and that in the cavity 6 are essentially equal . dashes indicate the limit between the cavity 6 , into which the diaphragm 2 cannot expand , and the upper displacement volume 7 a , into which the diaphragm 2 can expand when the supply duct 4 a is acted upon with pressure . in the region of the cavity 6 , the diaphragm 2 is fixed to the lower polymer layer 3 by means of a weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′, whereas , in the nonloaded state , the diaphragm 2 merely bears against the lower polymer layer 3 in the region without a weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′, that is to say in the region of the upper displacement volume 7 a . fig3 shows a microfluidic device according to a third embodiment . fig3 shows a microfluidic device m , the set - up of which corresponds essentially to the set - up of the microfluidic device of fig2 a and 2 b . in contrast to fig2 a and 2 b , the height of the displacement volume 7 a , said height being defined as the distance between the diaphragm 2 in the nonloaded state and the top edge of the clearance 5 a of the displacement volume , is lower than the height of the cavity 6 , which height is defined as the maximum distance between the welded - on or bonded - on diaphragm 2 and the upper polymer layer 1 . it is thus possible for overpressure in the cavity 6 to be capable of being selected in a more flexible way . fig4 a and fig4 b show a microfluidic device according to a fourth embodiment in a top view and in cross section . fig4 a and 4 b show a microfluidic device m , the set - up of which is similar to the set - up of the microfluidic device m of fig3 . in contrast to fig3 , a connecting duct 10 is formed in the region between the clearance 5 a of the upper displacement volume 7 a and the cavity 6 . the connecting duct 10 connects the upper displacement volume 7 a pneumatically to the cavity 6 . the connecting duct 10 may in this case be formed by a horizontally wide web 8 which is arranged so as to project vertically downward out of the upper polymer layer 3 . loosening of the diaphragm 2 from the lower polymer layer 3 upon the repeated actuation of the diaphragm 2 is thereby reduced . the service life of the microfluidic device m is increased . fig5 shows a microfluidic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure . fig5 shows essentially a microfluidic device m set up in a similar way to fig4 . in contrast to fig4 , in fig5 a covering layer 9 is arranged on the top side of the upper polymer layer 1 . further , in contrast to fig4 a and fig4 b , the web 8 is of l - shaped form and extends vertically upward from the welded - on diaphragm 2 on the lower polymer layer 1 . the shorter edge of the “ l ” extends to the left . the height of the web 8 between the third layer 9 and the lower polymer layer 3 is lower than the height of the upper polymer layer 1 , so that a connecting duct 10 is formed between the top edge of the web 8 and the third layer 9 . furthermore , the shorter leg of the “ l ” of the web 8 does not extend horizontally completely as far as the upper polymer layer 1 , so that the connecting duct 10 is consequently formed completely between the upper displacement volume 7 a and the cavity 6 . the upper displacement volume 7 a is formed , on the one hand , by a clearance 5 a in the upper polymer layer 1 and , on the other hand , by the web 8 . as a result , overall , the probability of a possible loosening of the diaphragm 2 from the lower polymer layer 2 is reduced even further . fig6 shows a microfluidic device according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure . fig6 shows essentially a microfluidic device m according to fig2 a and 2 b . in contrast to fig2 a and 2 b , the lower displacement volume 7 b is in this case formed correspondingly to the upper displacement volume 7 a of the microfluidic device m according to fig2 b . the upper displacement volume 7 a is formed as a clearance 5 a , but as a duct portion of a duct in the upper polymer layer 1 . the upper polymer layer 1 can thus be structured or produced more simply . fig6 shows the diaphragm 2 in the nonloaded state , that is to say the pressure in the duct 4 a and that in the cavity 6 are essentially equal . dashes indicate the limit between the lower displacement volume 7 b , into which the diaphragm 2 can expand , and a lower volume 6 ′, into which the diaphragm 2 cannot expand when the supply duct 4 a is acted upon with pressure , and which is therefore configured essentially as a subduct of the supply duct 4 a . in the region 6 ′, the diaphragm 2 is fixed to the upper polymer layer 1 by means of a weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′, whereas , in the nonloaded state , the diaphragm 2 merely bears against the upper polymer layer 1 in the region without a weld seam or adhesive bond 2 ′, that is to say the region of the lower displacement volume 7 b . the microfluidic device is therefore suitable particularly for generating a vacuum in the cavity 6 . fig7 shows a microfluidic device according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure . fig7 shows a microfluidic device essentially according to fig6 . in contrast to fig6 , the device is suitable especially preferably for generating a vacuum in the cavity 6 . instead of the upper displacement volume 7 a , the cavity 6 is in this case arranged directly above the diaphragm 2 which is arranged so as also to be expandable into the cavity 6 . as in fig6 , too , a lower displacement volume 7 b is arranged below the diaphragm 2 as a result of the formation of a clearance 5 b in the lower polymer layer 3 . the displacement volume 7 b is connected to a supply duct 4 a for vacuum generation , the duct 4 b being provided for the connection of further pneumatic or microfluidic elements to the cavity 6 . since the microfluidic device according to fig7 is suitable particularly for vacuum generation , there is no provision for expansion of the diaphragm 2 into the cavity 6 , but instead only into the lower displacement volume 7 b . it thereby becomes possible to have a smaller base area , that is to say a horizontal extent of smaller cross section of the microfluidic device m . in general , further pneumatically actuable elements can be connected to the cavity 6 via the duct 4 b which is connected pneumatically to the cavity 6 . by the action of pressure upon the duct 4 a and consequently upon the elastic diaphragm 2 and by the expansion of the latter , a corresponding pressure rise takes place in the cavity 6 , and it becomes possible to actuate the pneumatically actuable elements which require a correspondingly adapted pressure level , for example a displacement chamber of a diaphragm pump or diaphragm valves . it is likewise possible to actuate a duct network connected to the cavity , in that a defined volume is displaced within the duct network which can be separated from the cavity 6 by means of a valve . the cavity 6 can thus be “ charged ” in a similar way to an electrical capacitor and , after the opening of the valve , the duct network can be acted upon with a defined liquid volume . if , for example , a pneumatic resistance of such a duct network is defined as r and the pneumatic capacity of the cavity as c , the time pressure profile of the pressure within the cavity can be described approximately by the formula with the characteristic time constant τ = rc . on account of the strong dependence of the above - defined pneumatic resistance r , for example , upon a radius of the corresponding duct , which is proportional to 1 / r 4 according to hagen - poiseuille , the characteristic time constant τ can be stipulated or adapted over a wide range . thus , for example for air and typical duct diameters of between 30 μm and 500 μm , values for the characteristic time constant of one second to 10 5 seconds are possible . the thickness of a polymer layer of a microfluidic device may in this case amount to between 0 . 1 mm and 5 mm , in particular to between 0 . 5 mm and 3 mm . the thickness of an elastic diaphragm may in this case be between 10 μm and 500 μm , in particular between 25 and 300 μm . the volume of a cavity of a microfluidic device may in this case amount to between 1 mm 3 and 10 000 mm 3 , in particular to between 10 mm 3 and 1000 mm 3 , and / or the dimensions of the cavity may in this case amount for the length and / or width of the cavity to between 10 μm and 50 mm , in particular to between 25 μm and 25 mm , and the height of the cavity may in this case amount to between 25 μm and 10 mm , in particular to between 50 μm and 5 mm . the displacement volume 7 a , 7 b , defined by the limiting means 5 a , 5 b , may in this case amount to between 0 . 1 mm 3 and 5000 mm 3 , in particular to between 1 mm 3 and 2000 mm 3 , depending on the desired pressure change . a microfluidic device m particularly according to fig1 - 7 may in this case have lateral dimensions of between 1 mm 2 and 10 6 mm 2 , in particular between 100 mm 2 and 10 4 mm 2 . although the present disclosure was described above by means of preferred exemplary embodiments , it is not restricted to these , but can be modified in many different ways .
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the ortho - heterocyclicbenzenesulfonylureas of formula i can be prepared by reacting the appropriately substituted benzenesulfonamide with an appropriate methyl pyrimidinyl carbamate or methyl triazinyl carbamate in the presence of an equimolar amount of trimethylaluminum according to the procedure of equation 1 . unless indicated otherwise , all temperatures are in ° c . ## str12 ## wherein r 1 , r 17 , q , x , y , and z are as previously defined . the reaction of equation 1 is best carried out in methylene chloride at 25 ° to 40 ° c . for 24 to 96 hours under a nitrogen atmosphere . the product can be isolated by the addition of an aqueous acetic acid solution followed by extraction of the product into methylene chloride or direct filtration of a product of low solubility . the product can ordinarily be purified by trituration with solvents such as n - butyl chloride or ether or by column chromatography . further details of this reaction and the preparation of the carbamates of formula iii can be found in u . s . ser . no . 337 , 934 . sulfonamides of formula ii may be prepared by the sequence of reactions outlined in equation 2 . ## str13 ## wherein r 1 and q are as previously defined . the compounds of formula v are prepared by analogy with the teaching of j . g . lombardino in j . org . chem ., 36 , 1843 . an n - t - butyl sulfonamide of formula iv is dissolved in an ethereal solvent , such as tetrahydrofuran , and two equivalents of n - butyllithium in hexane are added at 0 °- 25 °. after 1 - 5 hours at 0 °- 25 °, the compound of formula v is formed . this is not isolated , but one equivalent of a copper ( i ) salt is added at - 20 ° to 0 °, followed by 1 - 1 . 5 equivalents of an appropriately substituted heteroaromatic iodide ( vi ). the reaction mixture is then heated at 40 °- 70 ° for 1 - 3 days , concentrated , poured onto aqueous ammonia , and filtered to provide the compound of formula vii . the reaction of formula 2c is conducted by heating a compound of formula vii with 2 - 10 equivalents of trifluoroacetic acid or aqueous hbr with or without an inert solvent at 30 °- 70 ° for 1 - 3 days . the product ii may be isolated as a trifluoroacetate or hydrobromide salt by evaporation of solvent and excess acid and trituration with ether . the free base may be obtained by neutralization of the salt with aqueous base , extraction into an organic solvent , and concentration of the organic extracts . the compounds of formula vi may be prepared according to methods known in the art , such as those reviewed in &# 34 ; the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds ,&# 34 ; a series published by interscience publ ., new york and london , the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference . the iodopyridines are described in vol . 14 of the above series , pp . 407 - 488 . iodopyrimidines are described by d . j . brown and s . f . mason in vol . 16 of the above series . the preparation of iodopyrazines is taught by a . hirschberg and p . e . spoerri , j . org . chem ., 26 , 1907 ( 1981 ) and iodopyridazines are described by d . l . aldons and r . n . castle in vol . 28 of the interscience series , pp . 240 - 241 . the iodo - 1 , 3 , 5 - triazines are described by e . m . smolin and l . rapoport , in vol . 13 of the above series , and a method for preparing iodo - 1 , 2 , 4 - triazines is taught by a . rykowski and h . c . van der plas , in j . org . chem ., 45 , 881 ( 1980 ). the present invention is further illustrated , in part , by the following examples . to a solution of 30 g of n -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 2 -( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamide in 600 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added 190 ml of 1 . 6m butyllithium in hexane at - 10 ° to 10 °. the reaction mixture was allowed to stir at 25 ° for 1 hour , then cooled to - 10 ° and 28 g of cuprous iodine was added . after 15 minutes stirring at 0 °, 35 g of 2 - iodopyridine was added and the mixture was heated to reflux for 16 hours . after cooling to 25 °, 25 ml of acetic acid was added and solvent was removed in vacuo . a cold solution of aqueous ammonia was added and the precipitate was filtered . the solid was digested with methylene chloride and filtered . the filtrate was concentrated , triturated with n - chlorobutane , and the solid was filtered to afford 36 g ( 78 %) of product , m . p . 147 °- 150 °. nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ : 1 . 3 ( s , 9 ), 7 . 1 - 8 . 7 ( m , 9 ). a solution of 14 . 8 g of the sulfonamide from example 1 and 10 ml of 48 % hydrobromic acid in 100 ml of methanol was heated at 40 °- 45 ° for 16 hours , concentrated , and neutralized with aqueous sodium bicarbonate . the solid was filtered , washed with ice - water , and air - dried to afford 6 . 0 g of product , m . p . 186 °- 190 °. nmr ( cdcl 3 / dmso - d 6 ) δ : 7 . 5 ( m , 7 ), 8 . 1 ( m , 2 ), 8 . 6 ( d , 1 ). ir ( nujol ) 3300 , 3260 cm - 1 . m / e m + 234 . a solution of 1 . 2 g of the compound from example 2 and 1 . 3 g of methyl n -( 4 , 6 - dimethoxypyrimidin - 2 - yl ) carbamate in 50 ml of methylene chloride was stirred under nitrogen and 3 . 4 ml of a 2n solution of trimethylaluminum in toluene was added . after heating at reflux for 4 days , the solution was cooled to 0 °, 3 ml of 2n hcl ( aq .) was added , the mixture was partitioned between methylene chloride and water . the organic layer was concentrated and the residue was chromatographed on silica gel to afford 0 . 9 g of the product , m . p . 175 °- 176 °. nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ : 3 . 8 ( s , 6 ), 6 . 0 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 2 - 8 . 3 ( m ). m / e ( m + + 1 ) 416 . ir 1700 cm - 1 . using the procedures described in the equations and examples 1 - 3 above , the compounds described in the following tables i - x can be prepared . table i__________________________________________________________________________ ## str14 ## r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch 171 - 174 ° h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 180 - 184 ° h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 175 - 176 ° h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n 160 - 173 ° h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n 172 - 205 ° h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch3 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch3 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n4 - cl 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n__________________________________________________________________________ table ii______________________________________ ## str15 ## m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 3 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch6 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch6 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n3 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n4 - ch . sub . 3 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n______________________________________ table iii______________________________________ ## str16 ## m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch5 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch5 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n4 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n______________________________________ table iv__________________________________________________________________________ ## str17 ## r . sub . 1 r . sub . 4 r . sub . 5 r . sub . 6 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 178 - 185 ° h h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 197 - 210 ° h h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n3 - cl h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - cl och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n6 - och . sub . 3 h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n6 - och . sub . 3 h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch6 - och . sub . 3 h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch6 - f h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - f h h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - f h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 ch3 - f h h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch3 - f h h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - f och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n__________________________________________________________________________ table v__________________________________________________________________________ ## str18 ## r . sub . 1 r . sub . 7 r . sub . 8 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 2 &# 39 ;- och . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- och . sub . 3 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch4 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n4 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n4 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch4 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch4 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n4 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch5 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n5 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n5 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n__________________________________________________________________________ table vi__________________________________________________________________________ ## str19 ## r . sub . 1 r . sub . 7 r . sub . 8 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 2 &# 39 ;- och . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- och . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch5 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch5 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n5 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n3 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n3 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 2 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n__________________________________________________________________________ table vii__________________________________________________________________________ ## str20 ## __________________________________________________________________________r . sub . 1 r . sub . 9 r . sub . 10 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch 212 - 217 ° dh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 178 ° h h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch 178 - 179 ° h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh 3 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch__________________________________________________________________________r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 17 x y z m . p . (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________h 6 &# 39 ; - ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch3 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch3 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n3 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch4 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n4 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n4 - cl 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n6 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch6 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch6 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n__________________________________________________________________________ table viii______________________________________ ## str21 ## ______________________________________ m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 11 r . sub . 12 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh h h h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh h h h och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh h h h cl och . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh h h h cl ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 5 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch______________________________________ m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh 4 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh h h h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - f h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 ch6 - f h h h cl och . sub . 3 ch6 - f h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 n6 - f h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - cl h h h ch . sub . 3 oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ch5 - cl 6 &# 39 ;- ch . sub . 3 h h och . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n5 - cl h h h cl ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 n5 - cl h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - cl h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 h h h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n______________________________________ table ix______________________________________ ## str22 ## ______________________________________ m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 11 r . sub . 12 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h cl och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch3 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 n5 - cl och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h cl ch . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch6 - f och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n5 - och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 nh . sub . 2 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 nhch . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 n ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch______________________________________ table x______________________________________ ## str23 ## ______________________________________ m . p . r . sub . 1 r . sub . 13 r . sub . 14 r . sub . 17 x y z (° c . ) ______________________________________h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 nh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h cl och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 chh ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n6 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - cl ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n5 - f och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch5 - f och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch5 - f och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch3 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 n3 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n4 - och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 ch3 - f och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - f och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n3 - f och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h cl och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch4 - ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 chh och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 nh ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 n______________________________________ useful formulations of the compounds of formula i can be prepared in conventional ways . they include dusts , granules , pellets , solutions , suspensions , emulsions , wettable powders , emulsifiable concentrates and the like . many of these may be applied directly . sprayable formulations can be extended in suitable media and used at spray volumes of from a few liters to several hundred liters per hectare . high strength compositions are primarily used as intermediates for further formulation . the formulations , broadly , contain about 0 . 1 % to 99 % by weight of active ingredient ( s ) and at least one of ( a ) about 0 . 1 % to 20 % surfactant ( s ) and ( b ) about 1 % to 99 . 9 % solid or liquid inert diluent ( s ). more specifically , they will contain these ingredients in the following approximate proportions : table xi______________________________________ weight percent * active inert ingredient diluent ( s ) surfactant ( s ) ______________________________________wettable powders 20 - 90 0 - 74 1 - 10oil suspensions , 3 - 50 40 - 95 0 - 15emulsions , solutions ,( including emulsifiableconcentrates ) aqueous suspension 10 - 50 40 - 84 1 - 20dusts 1 - 25 70 - 99 0 - 5granules and pellets 0 . 1 - 95 5 - 99 . 9 0 - 15high strength 90 - 99 0 - 10 0 - 2compositions______________________________________ * active ingredient plus at least one of a surfactant or a diluent equals 100 weight percent . lower or higher levels of active ingredient can , of course , be present depending on the intended use and the physical properties of the compound . higher ratios of surfactant to active ingredient are sometimes desirable , and are achieved by incorporation into the formulation or by tank mixing . typical solid diluents are described in watkins , et al ., &# 34 ; handbook of insecticide dust diluents and carriers &# 34 ;, 2nd ed ., dorland books , caldwell , n . j ., but other solids , either mined or manufactured , may be used . the more absorptive diluents are preferred for wettable powders and the denser ones for dusts . typical liquid diluents and solvents are described in marsden , &# 34 ; solvents guide ,&# 34 ; 2nd ed ., interscience , new york , 1950 . solubility under 0 . 1 % is preferred for suspension concentrates ; solution concentrates are preferably stable against phase separation at 0 ° c . &# 34 ; mccutcheon &# 39 ; s detergents and emulsifiers annual &# 34 ;, mc publishing corp ., ridgewood , n . j ., as well as sisely and wood , &# 34 ; encyclopedia of surface active agents &# 34 ;, chemical publishing co ., inc . new york , 1964 , list surfactants and recommended uses . all formulations can contain minor amounts of additives to reduce foaming , caking , corrosion , microbiological growth , etc . the methods of making such compositions are well known . solutions are prepared by simply mixing the ingredients . fine solid compositions are made by blending and , usually , grinding as in a hammer or fluid energy mill . suspensions are prepared by wet milling ( see , for example , littler , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 060 , 084 ). granules and pellets may be made by spraying the active material upon preformed granular carriers or by agglomeration techniques . see j . e . browning , &# 34 ; agglomeration &# 34 ;, chemical engineering , dec . 4 , 1967 , pp . 147ff . and &# 34 ; perry &# 39 ; s chemical engineer &# 39 ; s handbook &# 34 ;, 5th ed ., mcgraw - hill , new york , 1973 , pp . 8 - 57ff . further information regarding the art of formulation may be found in the following references : g . c . klingman , &# 34 ; weed control as a science &# 34 ;, john wiley and sons , inc ., new york , 1961 , pp . 81 - 96 ; and j . d . fryer and s . a . evans , &# 34 ; weed control handbook &# 34 ;, 5th ed ., blackwell scientific publications , oxford , 1968 , pp . 101 - 103 . in the following examples , all parts are by weight unless otherwise indicated . ______________________________________wettable powder______________________________________n --[( 4 - methoxy - 6 - methylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 80 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidesodium alkylnaphthalenesulfonate 2 % sodium ligninsulfonate 2 % synthetic amorphous silica 3 % kaolinite 13 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are blended , hammer - milled until all the solids are essentially under 50 microns , reblended , and packaged . ______________________________________wettable powder______________________________________n --[( 4 , 6 - dimethylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 50 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidesodium alkylnaphthalenesulfonate 2 % low viscosity methyl cellulose 2 % diatomaceous earth 46 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are blended , coarsely hammer - milled and then air - milled to produce particles essentially all below 10 microns in diameter . the product is reblended before packaging . ______________________________________granule______________________________________wettable powder of example 5 5 % attapulgite granules 95 %( u . s . s . 20 - 40 mesh ; 0 . 84 - 0 . 42 mm ) ______________________________________ a slurry of wettable powder containing ≈ 25 % solids is sprayed on the surface of attapulgite granules in a double - cone blender . the granules are dried and packaged . ______________________________________extruded pellet______________________________________n --[( 4 , 6 - dimethoxypyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 25 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamideanhydrous sodium sulfate 10 % crude calcium ligninsulfonate 5 % sodium alkylnaphthalenesulfonate 1 % calcium / magnesium bentonite 59 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are blended , hammer - milled and then moistened with about 12 % water . the mixture is extruded as cylinders about 3 mm diameter which are cut to produce pellets about 3 mm long . these may be used directly after drying , or the dried pellets may be crushed to pass a u . s . s . no . 20 sieve ( 0 . 84 mm openings ). the granules held on a u . s . s . no . 40 sieve ( 0 . 42 mm openings ) may be packaged for use and the fines recycled . ______________________________________oil suspension______________________________________n --[( 4 - methoxy - 6 - methylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 25 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidepolyoxyethylene sorbitol hexaoleate 5 % highly aliphatic hydrocarbon oil 70 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are ground together in a sand mill until the solid particles have been reduced to under about 5 microns . the resulting thick suspension may be applied directly , but preferably after being extended with oils or emulsified in water . ______________________________________wettable powder______________________________________n --[( 4 - methoxy - 6 - methylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 20 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidesodium alkylnaphthalenesulfonate 4 % sodium ligninsulfonate 4 % low viscosity methyl cellulose 3 % attapulgite 69 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are thoroughly blended . after grinding in a hammer - mill to produce particles essentially all below 100 microns , the material is reblended and sifted through a u . s . s . no . 50 sieve ( 0 . 3 mm opening ) and packaged . the active ingredient is dissolved in the solvent and the solution is sprayed upon dedusted granules in a double cone blender . after spraying of the solution has been completed , the blender is allowed to run for a short period and then the granules are packaged . ______________________________________aqueous suspension______________________________________n --[( 4 , 6 - dimethoxypyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 40 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidepolyacrylic acid thickener 0 . 3 % dodecylphenol polyethylene glycol ether 0 . 5 % disodium phosphate 1 % monosodium phosphate 0 . 5 % polyvinyl alcohol 1 . 0 % water 56 . 7 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are blended and ground together in a sand mill to produce particles essentially all under 5 microns in size . the salt is added directly to the water with stirring to produce the solution , which may then be packaged for use . the active ingredient is dissolved in a solvent and the solution is sprayed upon dedusted granules in a double - cone blender . after spraying of the solution has been completed , the material is warmed to evaporate the solvent . the material is allowed to cool and then packaged . ______________________________________granule______________________________________n --[( 4 , 6 - dimethylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 80 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamidewetting agent 1 % crude ligninsulfonate salt ( containing 10 % 5 - 20 % of the natural sugars ) attapulgite clay 9 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are blended and milled to pass through a 100 mesh screen . this material is then added to a fluid bed granulator , the air flow is adjusted to gently fluidize the material , and a fine spray of water is sprayed onto the fluidized material . the fluidization and spraying are continued until granules of the desired size range are made . the spraying is stopped , but fluidization is continued , optionally with heat , until the water content is reduced to the desired level , generally less than 1 %. the material is then discharged , screened to the desired size range , generally 14 - 100 mesh ( 1410 - 149 microns ), and packaged for use . the ingredients are blended and ground in a hammer - mill to produce a material essentially all passing a u . s . s . no . 50 screen ( 0 . 3 mm opening ). the concentrate may be formulated further if necessary . the ingredients are blended and ground in a hammer - mill to produce particles essentially all below 100 microns . the material is sifted through a u . s . s . no . 50 screen and then packaged . the ingredients are thoroughly blended , coarsely hammer - milled and then air - milled to produce particles essentially all below 10 microns in size . the material is reblended and then packaged . ______________________________________oil suspension______________________________________n --[( 4 , 6 - dimethylpyrimidin - 2 - yl ) aminocarbonyl ]- 2 - 35 %( 2 - pyridinyl ) benzenesulfonamideblend of polyalcohol carboxylic 6 % esters and oil soluble petroleumsulfonatesxylene 59 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are combined and ground together in a sand mill to produce particles essentially all below 5 microns . the product can be used directly , extended with oils , or emulsified in water . the active ingredient is blended with attapulgite and then passed through a hammer - mill to produce particles substantially all below 200 microns . the ground concentrate is then blended with powdered pyrophyllite until homogeneous . the ingredients are combined and stirred to produce a solution which can be emulsified in water for application . the compounds of the present invention are highly active herbicides . they can be used for broadspectrum pre - and / or post - emergence weed control in areas where complete control of all vegetation is desired , such as around fuel storage tanks , ammunition depots , industrial storage areas , parking lots , drivein theaters , around billboards , highway and railroad structures . alternatively , the subject compounds are useful for plant growth modification , particularly in retarding the growth of undesired vegetation . rates of application for the compounds of this invention are ordinarily determined by a number of factors , including their use as either herbicides or plant growth modifiers , the types of weeds to be controlled , weather and climate , the formulation to be used , the mode of application , amount of foliage present , etc . in general terms , the subject compounds should be applied at levels of around 0 . 001 to 5 kg / ha , lower rates being preferred for lighter soils and / or those having a low organic matter content , for situations where only short - term persistence is required , or for plant growth modification . the compounds of the invention may be used in combination with any other commercial herbicide , examples of which are those of the triazine , triazole , uracil , urea , amide , diphenylether , carbamate and bipyridylium types . the herbicidal and plant growth modifying properties of the subject compounds were discovered in a number of greenhouse tests , the results of which may be seen in the following examples . ## str24 ## seeds of crabgrass ( digitaria , spp . ), barnyardgrass ( echinochloa crusgalli ), wild oats ( avena fatua ), sicklepod ( cassia obtusifolia ), morningglory ( ipomoea spp . ), cocklebur ( xanthium pensylvanicum ), sorghum , corn , soybean , sugar beet , rice , wheat , and purple nutsedge ( cyperus rotundus ) tubers were planted and treated pre - emergence with the test chemicals dissolved in a non - phytotoxic solvent . at the same time , these crop and weed species , along with cotton and bush bean , were treated with a soil / foliage application . at the time of treatment , the plants ranged in height from 2 to 18 cm . treated plants and controls were maintained in a greenhouse for sixteen days , after which all species were compared to controls and visually rated for response to treatment . the ratings , summarized in table a , are based on a numerical scale extending from 0 = no injury , to 10 = complete kill . the accompanying descriptive symbols have the following meanings : table a______________________________________ cmpd . 1 cmpd . 2 cmpd . 3 cmpd . 4rate kg / ha 0 . 05 0 . 05 0 . 05 0 . 05______________________________________post - emergencebush bean 4c , 9g , 6y 4h , 6y 6c , 9g , 6y 9ccotton 4c , 9g 5c , 7h 5c , 9g 4c , 9gmorningglory 9c 4c , 8h 5c , 9g 10ccocklebur 9c 4c , 8h 4c , 9g 10csicklepod 5c , 7h 2c 3c , 9g 9cnutsedge 2c , 9g 3c , 8g 2c , 9g 6c , 9gcrabgrass 3c , 8g 2c , 4h 2c , 8h 6c , 9gbarnyardgrass 3c , 9h 3c , 8h 5c , 9h 9cwild oats 3c , 9g 3c , 8h 2c , 9g 9cwheat 2c , 9g 2c , 3h 2c , 7g 9ccorn 3c , 9g 4c , 9h 3c , 9h 10csoybean 5c , 9g 3c , 9g 5c , 9g 9crice 5c , 9g 6c , 9g 5c , 9g 6c , 9gsorghum 3c , 9h 5c , 9h 2c , 9h 6c , 9gsugar beet 4c , 8g 2c , 4g 2c , 9g 9cpre - emergencemorningglory 9c 2c , 6h 9c 3c , 9hcocklebur 9h 5h , 2c 9h -- sicklepod 9c 3h 2c , 9g 2c , 9gnutsedge 3g 0 10e 10ecrabgrass 1c , 2h 4g 2c , 5g 3c , 7gbarnyardgrass 5c , 9h 2c , 4g 4c , 9h 3c , 9hwild oats 5c , 9g 2c , 5g 2c , 9g 3c , 9hwheat 3c , 9g 2c , 3g 2c , 9g 3c , 9hcorn 3c , 9g 3c , 5g 3c , 9h 10esoybean 4c , 7h 2c 3c , 9h 9hrice 5c , 9h 3c , 5g 10e 10esorghum 5c , 9h 3c , 7h 5c , 9h 5c , 9hsugar beet 5c , 9g 3c , 5h 9g 10e______________________________________ two plastic bulb pans were filled with fertilized and limed woodstown sandy loam . one pan was planted with corn , sorghum , kentucky bluegrass and several grass weeds . the other pan was planted with cotton , soybeans , purple nutsedge ( cyperus rotundus ), and several broadleaf weeds . the following grass and broadleaf weeds were planted : crabgrass ( digitaria sanguinalis ), barnyardgrass ( echinochloa crusgalli ), wild oats ( avena fatua ), johnsongrass ( sorghum halepense ), dallisgrass ( paspalum dilatatum ), giant foxtail ( setaria faberii ), cheatgrass ( bromus secalinus ), mustard ( brassica arvensis ), cocklebur ( xanthium pensylvanicum ), morningglory ( ipomoea hederacea ), sicklepod ( cassia obtusifolia ), teaweed ( sida spinosa ), velvetleaf ( abutilon theophrasti ), and jimsonweed ( datura stramonium ). a 12 . 5 cm diameter plastic pot was also filled with prepared soil and planted with rice and wheat . another 12 . 5 cm pot was planted with sugar beets . the above four containers were treated pre - emergence with one of the test compounds from within the scope of the invention . twenty - eight days after treatment , the plants were evaluated and visually rated for response to the chemical treatments utilizing the rating system described previously for test a . the data are summarized in table b . table b______________________________________pre - emergence onwoodstown sandy loam compound 1rate kg / ha 0 . 03 0 . 125______________________________________crabgrass 0 3gbarnyardgrass 7g 9gsorghum 9g 10cwild oats 5g 7gjohnsongrass 7g 9gdallisgrass 6g 8ggiant foxtail 3g 8gky . bluegrass 6g 9gcheatgrass 8g 9gsugar beets 6g 8gcorn 6g , 5h 10cmustard 9g 9gcocklebur 7g 9gpigweed -- -- nutsedge 5g 6gcotton 3g 6gmorningglory 6g 7gsicklepod 3g 7gteaweed 4g 7gvelvetleaf 6g 8gjimsonweed 6g 9gsoybean 4g , 3c 7g , 7hrice 8g 10cwheat 2g 6g______________________________________ the test chemical , dissolved in a non - phytotoxic solvent , was applied in an overall spray to the foliage and surrounding soil of selected plant species . one day after treatment , plants were checked for rapid burn injury . approximately fourteen days after treatment all species were visually compared to untreated controls and rated for response to treatment . the rating system was as described previously for test a . the data are presented in table c . all plant species were seeded in woodstown sandy loam soil and grown in a greenhouse . the following species were grown in soil contained in plastic pots ( 25 cm diameter by 13 cm deep ): soybeans , cotton , alfalfa , corn , rice , wheat , sorghum , velvetleaf ( abutilon theophrasti ), sesbania ( sesbania exaltata ), sicklepod ( cassia obtusifolia ), morningglory ( ipomoea hederacea ), jimsonweed ( datura stramonium ), cocklebur ( xanthium pensylvanicum ), crabgrass ( digitaria spp . ), nutsedge ( cyperus esculentus ), barnyardgrass ( echinochloa crusgalli ), giant foxtail ( setaria faberii ), bindweed ( convolvulus arvensis ) and wild oats ( avena fatua ). the following species were grown in soil in a paper cup ( 12 cm diameter by 13 cm deep ): sunflower , sugar beets , and rape . all plants were sprayed approximately 14 days after planting . the results of this test demonstrate the herbicidal activity of the test compound when applied as a soil / foliage treatment . it may also be seen that the treatments retard the growth of several plant species . table c______________________________________over - the - top soil / foliage treatment compound 4rate kg / ha 0 . 25 0 . 063 0 . 016______________________________________soybeans 9c 10c 10cvelvetleaf 7g 9g 10csesbania 6g 9g 10csicklepod 4c , 6g 8g 9gcotton 9g 9g 9cmorningglory 3g , 4c 6g , 6c 5c , 7galfalfa 8g 9c 10cjimsonweed 9g 10c 10ccocklebur 8g 9g 10ccorn 3c , 7g 6g , 7c 10ccrabgrass 7g 9g 9grice 3c , 4g 6c , 3g 5g , 4cnutsedge 6c , 5g 7g 8gbarnyardgrass 6g , 6c 7g , 6c 8g , 4cwheat 7g 8g 8ggiant foxtail 9g 10c 10cwild oats 6g , 4c 7g , 7c 8g , 7csorghum 8g 8g 10csunflower 10c 10c 10crape 8g 10c 10cjohnsongrass 7g 9g 10csugar beets 9g 10c 10cbindweed 7g 8g 10c______________________________________
| 2 |
with reference to fig1 the present invention may be used in a railway system having one or more sets of tracks 100 laid out in conventional fashion . the tracks 100 may be single , double or any arbitrary number of parallel tracks and the number of parallel tracks will usually vary within a particular control area . as depicted in the track layout of fig1 the tracks may interconnect plural destinations 102 which may be at the terminals of portions of the track 100 or in a mid portion of the track layout . generally , plural routes may interconnect many of the destinations . for example , between a first destination at 102a and a second destination at 102d , a train may take either of two routes using either track segment 104 or track segment 106 . track segment 106 may be considered a siding by one skilled in the art . at various locations along the track 100 may be found a variety of wayside resources , also well known in the prior art , such as switches 108 , signals 110 , hot box detectors 112 , and tunnel door monitoring and control system 113 . the wayside resources control the configuration of the tracks , signal the status of the track system to train personnel , and measure or identify certain conditions . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing exemplary list identifies but a few of the many different types of wayside resources conventionally used to control the track and trains running thereon and the present invention is not limited to systems having only the expressly - mentioned resources . with continued reference to fig1 many of the wayside resources have associated with them a wayside interface unit (&# 34 ; wiu &# 34 ;) 800 which is in wireless communication with a central control station 200 . the central control station 200 is also in wireless communication with one or more locomotives 500 . in a tunnel 120 , in a high - walled area ( such as a city or mountain canyon ), or because of the distance from the central station control 200 , signal repeaters 122 may be utilized to provide communications between the trains 500 or the wius 800 and the central control station 200 . in operation , the central control station 200 sends control signals to both the locomotives 500 and to certain of the wius 800 and receives status information from the locomotives 500 and from some of the wius 800 . as explained further below , using the information provided from the locomotives 500 , the wius 800 , and the operator of the train system , the central controller 200 creates movement plans to optimize the safe movement of locomotive 500 through the track layout and then controls the operation and speed of the locomotives 500 and the operation of the various wayside resources ( through the wius 800 ) to effect the movement plan . as the central control station 200 receives updated status information from the locomotives 500 and the wius 800 , the control of the train system to implement the movement plan is dynamically updated and executed . note that plural of the wayside resources may be controlled by and / or communicate through a single wiu 800 . for example , the hot box detector 112 , switch 108 and signal 100 in the proximity of the wiu 800a may all be controlled by and / or communicate through wiu 800a . in conventional fashion , the wayside resources may communicate with a wiu using wireless , to the wiu 800 . depending on the needs of the specific wayside resource , the communication between the wiu 800 and the wayside resource may be unidirectional or bidirectional . in turn , the wiu 800 communicates ( usually bidirectionally ) with the central control station 200 to provide it with status information concerning the wayside resources associated with the particular wiu 800 and to obtain commands from the central control station 200 concerning the operation of the associated wayside resources . with reference now to fig2 a central control station 200 of the present invention includes a human / machine interface ( hmi ) 202 to receive instructions from the train system operator regarding the trains which must be moved through the track layout controlled by the central control station 200 . the central control station has access to a database 204 of the track layout , the location of the wayside resources , the rules ( both natural and imposed ) regarding the use of the track and the wayside resources , and the topography of the track along the entire track layout . the information in the database 204 is provided to a movement planner 210 which , based on the user &# 39 ; s requests for train service , determines a movement plan which will obtain the desired train movement safely and efficiently . the movement plan generally specifies the timed use of the train system resources by the trains being scheduled during the applicable scheduling period . once a movement plan has been determined , it is provided to a movement controller 220 which determines the specific train commands and wayside resource commands which are needed to implement the movement plan . the movement plan allocates the timed use of each of the track segments and wayside resources to the various trains input by the system operator . the movement plan is provided to a movement controller 220 which determines the specific commands which must be sent to the trains and to the wayside resources ( generally through the wius ) to implement the movement plan . the determined commands are passed through a safety checker 230 which independently determines that the implementation of the commands by the commanded train or wayside resource will not cause a safety violation . if the command is determined to be safe , the safety checker 230 will pass the command to a communications processor 240 which will send the command to the train / wiu , through a wireless transmission . the movement planner 210 may be any conventional planning system which will allocate the fixed resources of the track and wayside resources to the use of the trains specified by the user . in a preferred embodiment , the movement planner may use the system described in the aforementioned &# 34 ; system scheduler and method &# 34 ; patent to matheson et al . this planner utilizes both rule based and constraint based processing to determine the optimum allocation of track and wayside resources , and then implements this plan through procedural technology of the movement controller 220 to control movement of the trains in a fine grained manner to ensure adherence to performance schedules . in one embodiment of the present invention , the movement planner 210 continually receives train location and velocity from the locomotive 500 and track and wayside resource status from the wius 800 . as needed , the movement planner 210 can update the movement plan in order to accommodate actual performance of the trains over the track layout . with proper design , the movement planner may be used to decrease wear and tear on various of the railway equipment . for example , it is known that starting and stopping of the train from and to a complete stop causes wear of brake equipment , such as brake pads and braking pneumatic or electrical actuating equipment . similarly , when a train is started from a dead stop , increased wear is often experienced by the wheels and track as the wheels will often slip until a loaded train is brought up to some speed . the speed control of the present invention can be used advantageously to reduce the wear and tear on braking equipment , wheels , and track by avoiding the generation of movement plans which call for the train to be stopped at the end of its currently planned ( or future ) track segment . for example , as described in the background section of the present application , it is well known to schedule the movement of trains by fixed blocks . often in prior art systems , the train is provided with an indication of the blocks of track over which it is authorized to run ( often called an &# 34 ; enforceable authority &# 34 ; or a &# 34 ; movement authority &# 34 ;) and the train is required to stop at the end of those blocks if another signal has not been received extending the enforceable authority to the next series of track blocks . the signal may be received from wayside equipment or from a central source . in such prior art systems , the trains are often permitted ( or required ) to run at the maximum speed permitted for the particular track segments within its enforceable authority . in such prior art systems , this operational technique may result in a train arriving at the end of its enforceable authority before the adjacent track segments are clear and the arriving train will be required to stop and wait for clearance of the track ahead . in many systems , such operations are the norm . a similar situation may arise if the train is scheduled to use some wayside resource such as a loading platform . if the train arrives before the loading platform is clear , the arriving train will be required to fully stop and then restart . in one aspect of the system of the present invention , the movement planner can schedule the trains and the movement controller can command the trains to operate at other than preset speeds over the track segments . thus , if the movement planner realizes that the track segments or needed equipment ahead of a train will be occupied , the movement planner may slow the arriving train for a period of time prior to its arrival at the end of the block or at the needed equipment so that the arriving train will enter the next track segment at a safe distance behind the train leaving the segment or equipment . in this way , the arriving train will not be required to come to a stop and will not need to restart from a dead stop , conserving brakes , wheels , and track surface . of course , if a intentionally slowed train interferes with the movement of other equipment , a decision will have to be made as to whether to stop the train or to accept the interference caused by slowing the train . this is a decision which a properly configured movement planner may make , given an estimate of the costs and priorities associated with each action . in another advantage of one embodiment of the present invention , brake wear can also be reduced by using various forms of dynamic braking available to many trains . for example , in electro - diesel locomotives , the train can be slowed considerably by idling the diesel engine and using the resistance of the electrical motor ( being turned by the wheels ) to slow the train ( called traction braking ). similarly , the train can be slowed by idling an electrical engine , the slowing being caused primarily by friction within the power train ( static and dynamic friction ) and air friction opposing the movement of the train . in a situation similar to that discussed above , the movement planner may be utilized to take opportunities to control the movement of the trains through the track layout through the use of variable speed and dynamic braking instead of the use of friction brakes . if the costs utilized within the movement planner are favorable , the movement planner can opt to slow trains within certain segments rather than to have the trains operate at full speed only to have to join a queue awaiting other trains or equipment at the end of a segment . because the central movement planner has knowledge of when the track ahead or equipment ahead is expected to be available to a given train , the planner may elect to slow the train sufficiently to permit the track or equipment to clear before the arrival of the train . similarly , even when a train must be stopped for whatever reason , the movement planner may use a combination of braking types to effect the stop and thereby reduce wear on the friction braking devices . for example , a train can first be braked by dynamic braking ( with or without the engine , i . e ., traction braking ) and then by use of the conventional friction brakes . note that in this situation , the friction brakes are not used until dynamic braking has removed energy from the train . thus , there will be reduced wear on the brake pads or similar friction equipment and a reduced stress on the actuators associated with the brakes . in a preferred embodiment , the movement planner 210 will output a plan every second to the movement controller 220 . the movement controller 220 will then generate specific commands to the locomotives 500 and the wius 800 as required to execute the plan . specific commands to the locomotive 500 include enforcement authority and speed . specific commands to the wiu 800 include switch positioning controls and tunnel door opening and closing . the movement controller 220 may also use the information obtained from the polls of the locomotives 500 for status and location , and the wius 800 for status of track circuits and switches and tunnel doors so that the movement controller 220 has the current railway status and can ensure the proper execution of the movement plan . in addition to the status of the locomotive and the wayside resources , the movement planner 210 receives inputs from the hmi 202 . the hmi 202 allows the system operator to input control requests for trains and trackside equipment , change the number or designation of active trains , modify the train consists and modify production goals . the hmi 202 includes a crt display and keyboard . the crt will display a number of screens appropriate to viewing railway status , train status , control commands , alarms and alerts . the central control station 202 also receives commands sent by the hand held locomotive remote control 520 to provide safety checking of the commands with the movement of the train . the database 204 maintains the status of the wayside resources , the train locations , the track profile and provides this information to the movement planner 210 to allow the determination of such parameters as safe breaking distance necessary to the development of the movement plan . in response to an unexpected status change , either due to an operator request through the hmi 202 or in response to an unexpected change in train or wayside status , the movement planner 210 conducts a rapid replan . the movement planner 210 will access the database 204 to establish the current status of traffic on the railway . from the database 204 , the movement planner 210 derives all of the conditions it needs to optimize movement over the railway system . the movement planner 210 performs the replanning function and returns recommend enforcement authorities and speeds to each train . the new plans are then converted by the movement controller 220 into commands for the locomotive 500 and the wiu 800 . in a preferred embodiment , the movement planner 210 maximizes performance by minimizing a user defined cost function . this means that train movements will be prioritized in order to assure the most cost - effective use of rail resources . for example , a loaded train ( which normally has priority ) may be directed to a siding to allow an unloaded train to pass if the wayside resources are currently available to the unloaded train but not the loaded train . in determining the distances between trains , the movement planner is not tied to fixed blocks and may use moving block control logic to increase the throughput of the system by requiring a separation between trains which is a function of the actual braking ability of the trains , not merely of the geographic layout of blocks of track . in a preferred embodiment , neither the movement planner 210 nor the movement controller 220 is a vital subsystem . to guarantee that no unsafe train movements are commanded , a separate safety checker 230 will check all commands coming out of the movement controller 220 to prevent any safety violations . generally , the safety checker 230 will not check to see if the command from the movement controller 220 is a smart one , instead it will only verify that a very specific set of rules have not been violated . for example , a command from the movement controller 230 which would send a train over a switch which has not been confirmed in the correct position or a command which would send a train into a locked out block would be prevented from being transmitted to the train by the safety checker 230 . in a vital system , the safety checker 230 would generally be considered vital hardware and may be backed up by a parallel processor . with reference now to fig3 a locomotive control system in accordance with the present invention provides the controls to drive the locomotive 500 and provides position feedback to the central control station 200 via wireless communication . the heart of the locomotive control is the locomotive onboard computer ( obc ) 510 . the obc 510 receives speed control and enforcing authority limits from the central control station 200 . the obc 510 provides commands to the locomotive to control the speed and direction of the locomotive 500 . hand held locomotive remote control 520 can be used to move a single locomotive at creep speed either forward or backward within a limited area , such as at a loading or unloading platform . this remote control 520 performs wireless communications with the central control station 200 for confirmation of commands then communicates to the obc 510 which supplies the command to control the locomotive 500 . to ensure proper locomotive movement , the central control system 200 generally will release the locomotive 500 into local remote operation . this is accomplished by an operator request through the hmi 202 commanding that a particular locomotive be released for local control . the central control system 200 will then lockout the area of the track requested and send the requested locomotive a limit of authority for that area only and command the locomotive 500 to remote control mode so that it can accept commands from the remote control 520 . the central control system 200 continuously monitors the locomotive 500 in remote control mode and the commands sent to the locomotive 500 from the hand held locomotive remote control and will stop the locomotive 500 if an unsafe condition is detected . with reference to fig4 the obc 510 may include a data acquisition subsystem ( das ) 600 which monitors the functional actions of the locomotive 500 including various parameters , such as , brakes , wheel tachometer and speed commands . the data collected by the das 600 is provided to an application processor 630 which may determine location , safe stopping distance , compliance with speed restrictions , etc ., some of which may be based on the location of the locomotive 500 within the track layout . the obc 510 may also include a location determination subsystem ( lds ) 610 which uses various sensors along with a track profile database 615 to determine the location of the train as it travels the railway system . in a preferred embodiment , the present invention utilizes track tags , train tachometers and train heading as inputs to the lds 610 to provide an accurate position . the lds 610 can track the train &# 39 ; s location by dead - reckoning using the train &# 39 ; s axle generator to determine distance travelled . the optical sensors , placed at known positions within the tunnel can be used to reset any error buildup from the axle generator and to calibrate the axle generator . in another embodiment , the present invention may utilize differential global positioning system ( dgps ), train speed , train heading and train acceleration as inputs to a kalman filter to provide an accurate position . an example of such a system which may be used in the present invention is disclosed in the zahm et al . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 867 , 122 . in tunnels , where dgps may not be available , track based optical sensors can be used to assist in the precise location of the locomotive 500 . it should be understood that any conventional location determining system may be used , including those system using optical sensors , track circuits , etc . with continued reference to fig4 a communication processor 620 receives communications from the central control station 200 and the wiu 800 . the communication processor 620 transmits the train &# 39 ; s location and trains speed as well as any anomalies from the obc 510 to the central control station 200 . with continued reference to fig4 an application processor 630 monitors the location of the locomotive 500 with respect to the enforceable authority limits and continually determines the safe braking distance for the locomotive 500 to confirm that the locomotive 500 can stop safely within the limits . if a locomotive 500 approaches the point at which the safe breaking distance is at the enforceable authority limit , the application processor 630 generates a control signal to initiate full braking to stop the locomotive 500 prior to the end of the enforceable authority limit . the application processor 630 monitors the speed of the locomotive from the das 600 and compares it to the track speed limit and any operator applied speed restrictions for its current location from the lds 610 . in the event that the locomotive 500 exceeds its speed limit , the application processor 630 sends a control signal to the locomotive to slow the locomotive 500 . if the obc 510 is unable to determine the trains velocity or the location of the train , a control signal is sent to the locomotive 500 to stop the train . a specific implementation of an obc 510 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in fig5 in which similar elements to those in the system of fig4 bear the same reference numeral . the communications processor 620 and the application processor 630 may be implemented in a motorola 68xxx single board processor currently available from matrix . the communications processor 620 and the application processor 630 may utilize dual redundant radios 622 , 624 for high speed communications with the central control station 220 . between the radios 622 , 624 and the processor 620 , high speed communications ports 626 , 628 provide framing protocol and service interface which may be compliant with a known standard such as the ansi / ieee 802 . 11 wireless local area network ( lan ) standard . the signalling protocol is a carrier sense multiple access / collision detection ( csma / cd ) protocol in accordance with the ansi / ieee 802 . 11 standard . with continued reference to the example obc system of fig5 the data acquisition function 600 provides an interface 602 to the discrete i / o train sensors used in the system of the present invention . the data acquisition function 600 also provides an analog interface 604 to read the analog control signals in the locomotive 500 such as the air brake pressure transducer . as noted above , the specific implementation of the obc shown in fig5 is illustrative only and not intended to be limiting . those skilled in the art will understand that other specific embodiments of the obc may be implemented within the teachings of the present application and the scope of the present invention . with reference now to fig6 the wiu 800 acts as the controller , data gatherer and communication interface for all wayside functions including broken rail detection , switch control and monitoring , switch heater operation , manual lockouts , etc . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a communications processor 810 receives control signals from the central control station 200 through radio 850 once per second . radio 850 may be comprised of more than radio where each radio is assigned specific tasks in accordance with a desired communication plan . an application processor 820 receives the control signals from the communication processor 810 and generates commands for the wayside resources 840 in accordance with the requested actions from the central control station 200 . application processor 820 continually monitors the status of the wayside resources 840 and reports the current status of the wiu 800 to the central control station via communications processor 810 and radio 850 . with continued reference to fig6 hmi 830 allows an operator to enter inputs and receive system status updates from wiu 800 . for example , upon request from an operator , the central control station 200 may allow locomotive 500 to accept movement commands from the hmi 830 . with reference now to fig7 the central communication system enables the central control station 200 through the central control station communication processor 240 to exchange data with equipment on the locomotive 500 through the obc communication processor 620 and with the wayside resources 840 through the wiu communication processor 810 . in response to receiving a location report from locomotive 500 , the central control station 200 will issue an enforceable authority command which informs the locomotive 500 where on the track 100 it is allowed to go along with specific commands on how to proceed along that route . this basic communication process is repeated for each locomotive and represents the dominant traffic through the central communication system . while the present invention uses rf communication to communicate between the locomotive 500 , the wiu 800 and the central control station 200 , it is contemplated that any number of conventional high speed wireless digital data communication systems may be used . while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described , it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence , many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof .
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philosophically , the invention can be best appreciated by studying the works of charles darwin . see , darwin &# 39 ; s dangerous idea , daniel c . dennett , simon & amp ; schuster , new york , 1996 , page 43 . applying the theory that darwin formulated for his explanation of the origin of species , it is apparent that this concept can also be used to describe so many different people having so many different needs and strategies that must be met by their respective computers and software . the principle of natural selection is the unifying insight into the inventor &# 39 ; s approach to his information processing apparatus and method . by having a large variety of inheritable skills ( through storage in computer systems ), which constitute recorded procedures in the invention , these different procedures will tend to have different payoffs for different individuals and subgroups of the user population . under darwinian theory , these different individuals and subpopulations would tend to diverge , each pursuing their favored sort of excellence until , eventually , there is a distinct division . with biological systems , transference of inheritable characteristics implemented by dna mutations and modifications is possible only from parent to child , and even then , frequently “ hit or miss ”. however , by using the inventor &# 39 ; s methods , this divergence is eliminated since the entire optimized skill set is “ inheritable ” by one computer communicating with another computer or with the user . in essence , this method provides a new modality for increasing man &# 39 ; s knowledge exponentially in volume and in speed of transference from one individual or subpopulation to another . the present invention features a method of computerized self - administration encompassing many contemporary software packages and devices that are in common day - to - day use . users are exposed to functionality as it is required . this is unlike the prior art where all functionality is presented to the user from first execution . obviously , the user is then blinded by choice . furthermore , other methods provide many features and claimed benefits , which a vast majority of users will never actually require in normal practice . the user , however novice , still bears the costs of development of these complex software packages , even when they typically only utilize 20 % of this functionality . the invention method restricts the amount of delivered functionality to that which is relevant to the general self - administration model . this is all that is necessary for the vast majority of individuals . however , additional operations models can be added to augment the general self - administration model . typical examples are professional models that would assist doctors , lawyers , accountants , etc . the invention method is complemented by a computer system , which does not require prior knowledge of peripheral interconnections , software drivers , operating systems or software installation procedures . the delivered article in hardware or software is ready - to - use from the first moment it is powered “ on ”. a goal of the invention is to deliver a system that works in any language , while still retaining a consistent look and feel from one user to the next . the consistency in look and feel is maintained regardless of the functionality being delivered at any moment . when a user is typing a letter , the format of the toolbars used is identical to those used when music is being played or when the user is browsing the world wide web . such consistency considerably shortens the learning curve for novice users . a novel universal conversion module is included in the software system , which is capable of translating any computer document or streaming media based communication to any other document or streaming media based communication , where sensible and feasible . information stored as a raster image , such as a received fax or scanned document , can readily be converted to a text document , which in turn can pass through a text to speech conversion . wherever it is sensible and feasible to provide such a feature , the functionality has been put in place to support this philosophy . to achieve the same functionality that is provided by the invention , the user would be required to spend enormous amounts of time and money selecting and installing dozens of individual software applications . the prior art provides many such software options . however , many of these are mutually exclusive . this is illustrated by the fact that software system “ a ”, when installed , may overwrite the files installed by system “ b ”, rendering system “ b ” useless . software companies actually expect users to be aware of such problems and even go as far as expecting the user to resolve the issue . clearly , this requires a vast knowledge of computer hardware and software , in particular , operating systems . such skills in information technology are well beyond even advanced users . the invention is ready - to - use , since it does not require installation of any software . compatibility issues are , therefore , eliminated . the cost of ownership is reduced . the time taken to reach a point at which production of work can begin is also correspondingly , substantially reduced . the invention is designed so that it continuously monitors the user &# 39 ; s interactions with the invention and seeks ways to facilitate and provide an ergonomic user environment . procedures , which were not envisaged at the time of software development , can be described by the user or added to the system &# 39 ; s toolbars or can even be shared with other users . if a procedure is frequently used , the system can automate such procedures and execute them without further need for interaction with the user . thus , the user does appear to exist “ virtually ” in many places , simultaneously , as tasks are executed in parallel , perhaps , even in many distinct locations . further , the user can predetermine the time of execution , the frequency of execution and even the triggers that will cause the execution of any task . a “ virtual ” existence is gradually established as the system takes over tedious or burdensome tasks that would normally require the close attention of the user . for example , important messages , which are received by the system , can be automatically forwarded by any sensible and feasible method , to the user wherever the user may be at that particular moment in time . therefore , even when the user is away from his / her normal place of work , he / she is not isolated from the invention and the rest of the world provided there is at least one method of electronic communication available to the user . the invention , in addition to providing all of the above benefits , also allows the user to seek a mentor via a proprietary internet service provider ( isp ). the mentor can be located anywhere in the world , again , as long as there is at least one method of electronic communication available to him / her . a mentor is not restricted to the form of a physical being . a software system containing the procedures of an expert , behaving as a digital representation of the expert , becomes possible . such mentors are provided or facilitated by a corresponding infrastructure , that is , another apparatus having the same capabilities and design configurations of the invention . consequently , the user is able to draw from the source of expert procedures that have been based on the knowledge of those who are recognized as the best in their field . as noted above , such procedures can emanate from other users of the invention , or from any other source of information , as long as the information can be transmitted and received by a sensible and feasible method as provided in accordance with the invention . referring now to fig1 universal user 600 is meant to include any individual irrespective of native language , novices , particularly , those users who are physically challenged and may be unable to use other types of information processing systems . user 600 communicates with invention 10 through at least one client communication device 603 further described in detail in fig2 or other external communication devices 602 as further described in fig2 . the aforementioned communication devices are said to form an ergonomic interface 728 ( as shown in fig2 ), which is used to contact client hardware platform 616 , further details of which are contained in fig5 . client hardware platform 616 is defined as a mobile personal computer system , being hardware , supporting software drivers and an operating system known to be required to support invention 10 . ergonomic interface 728 utilizes bimodal communication channel 608 , being a wireless or physical connection , in order to reach communication systems 634 described in fig2 . additionally , communication between invention 10 and world 604 can occur through channel 610 , identical in nature to channel 608 . communication systems 634 also facilitate communication with global communications network ( www ) 676 and a proprietary server acting as an internet service provider ( isp ) 638 . communication systems 634 permits user 600 or world 604 and invention 10 to communicate through communication module 620 . communication module 620 is a collection of devices , which permit information to move in and out of invention 10 . communication module 620 interacts with checkpoint 622 , illustrated in fig4 in order to authenticate any communicating party by means of a layered security system contained within checkpoint 622 . only after checkpoint 622 has authenticated user 600 or world 604 , may communication with invention 10 begin . when information flows to and from invention 10 , this information may involve incompatible sources or occur in ways , which are not preferred by user 600 . in this instance , universal converter 624 changes the form or content of any input to any output , which is both sensible and feasible . to illustrate , converter 624 may take a facsimile received in the french language and covert it to spoken english language using processes of optical character recognition , language translation and text to speech , all of which are known in the art . client hardware platform 616 further includes other devices 614 . those compatible devices required by any professional to complete tasks and having related professional tools 628 , which collectively allow the use of client hardware platform 616 in execution of said tasks . for example , professional tools 628 could include a blood pressure monitoring system connected to the invention , or other divergent tools such as musical instruments connected through ports and connectors 784 . motherboard 618 , ubiquitous in modern systems , is illustrated as a means of connection to black box 630 ( see fig7 ) a backup device and memory card 632 ( see fig7 ), a low capacity lightweight backup device . both black box 630 and memory card 632 may be connected through bimodal wireless or physical connection . special consideration is given to backing up the work product and information content of invention 10 as this information is viewed as the lifetime digital experience of user 600 and , as such , becomes irreplaceable if lost . client hardware platform 616 is powered either by external electricity 626 or from a battery connected to power devices printed circuit board ( pcb ) 612 , permitting the system to be either static or mobile . the purpose of pcb 612 is to integrate and control power to connected input and output devices as described in fig4 thus increasing the performance of said battery . the aforementioned converter 624 , by maintaining compatibility between invention 10 , user 600 , world 604 and www 676 , provides a single connection point , channel 700 , to the operations models 640 . channel 700 allows information , especially procedures 650 , to flow to and from the operations models 640 . operations models 640 permit those working in similar ways to use a common module for completing tasks through the use of procedures . one such example of this is administration model 642 . administration model 642 is a novel framework for the day - to - day administration of user 600 or the user &# 39 ; s business . for example , covering common activities such as sending e - mail , writing letters , telephone calls , etc . are accomplished with administration model 642 serving as the facilitator . administration model 642 can be adapted and extended through specialized models known as other professional models 644 . administration model 642 and professional models 644 are all encompassed within operations models 640 . the purpose of operations models 640 is to allow users to create and execute procedures in order to achieve maximum efficiency while performing tasks . operations models 640 includes real world objects 646 . real world objects 646 are commonly known items like in - tray , out - tray , office and the like , and screens 648 . these items are a collection of application displays , predefined input fields , buttons , gui &# 39 ; s , and finally , documents , which are items of information with related properties . where document is a data file containing any information stored by invention 10 e . g . text , sound , video , or address book entries and the like . properties are specific information contained in a document , e . g . properties such as “ name ” and “ address ” relate to a higher level term such as address book 964 . a document is said to be created when new information enters invention 10 and is stored . a document is extracted when existing information is drawn from storage contained within invention 10 . real world objects 646 , screens 648 , buttons 652 , predefined inputs 654 and documents 656 are all required in order to enable procedures 650 within any operation models including administration model 642 . procedures 650 is the essence of the novel method disclosed herein . procedures 650 is recorded by monitoring the use of buttons 652 and predefined inputs 654 in relation to documents 656 . predefined inputs 654 enable user 600 to perform actions and state preferences for the way in which tasks are completed , a predefined input , when set to a particular state , is said to be a preference . those predefined inputs 654 , which form preferences , are recorded in a desirable preference list 674 . buttons 652 and predefined inputs 654 , when related to any item 656 , from procedures 650 which are recorded in a dynamic task list 672 , which also logs the use of previously recorded procedures . when buttons 652 , inputs 654 and , at least one document 656 , are used in an executed procedure 650 , then a completed task 662 is formed . the use of procedure 650 is for completed task 662 , logged in the task list 672 . gradually , the number of procedures 650 recorded in the task list 672 grows , as does the list of preferences record 674 . the tasks in tasks list 672 and recorded preferences 674 may be repeated either by user 600 , in person , or by delegation , through clone tasks 670 . clone tasks 670 are defined as the “ virtual ” user 600 . “ virtual ” is defined as being an automated processor which executes any procedure 650 with or without additional collaboration with user 600 in order to complete a task . many clone tasks 670 can be executed simultaneously , restricted only by the processing power of the embodiment , though for the purposes of this disclosure the use of ten “ virtuals ” would be seen as extreme with three or four being the norm . for example , it would be possible to search the www for information , send and receive e - mail , print letters and use invention 10 as a telephone answering machine while performing tasks 662 . the number of procedures 650 and preferences 654 is , again , restricted only by the size of the storage medium used in the embodiment , but , again , for illustration , a normal user would not exceed two hundred unique procedures 650 and one hundred preferences 654 . the number of possible procedures 650 is restricted by the number of sensible and feasible combinations of application buttons 652 and predefined inputs 654 . user 600 may also search the www 676 and collaborate with compatible www sites 684 which contains new options 686 , or proprietary isp 638 which contains universal options 680 in all supported languages , in order to find additional options for predefined inputs 654 . additional options can be assessed as per each user &# 39 ; s individual requirements . the suitability of new options , in relation to the user &# 39 ; s own tasks , can be assessed in a process known as task models projections 664 . during task models projections 664 , user 600 examines new options and those options recorded in preference list 674 , which flow through channel 696 , in order that the user can select ultimate preferences for any procedure . the isp 638 , being a specialized www server optimized for the collection and distribution of procedures 650 , also maintains a universal procedures list 678 , containing procedures 650 , which have been published to it by every user 600 . universal procedures list 678 is monitored and manipulated by a team of people 702 who are specifically optimizing procedures for reuse by all users of invention 10 . furthermore , team 702 controls the content of universal procedures list 678 by filtering out unsuitable procedures 660 , which do not result in a completed task of benefit to users 600 of invention 10 . team 702 can be bypassed by users 600 of invention 10 by sourcing professional procedures 688 direct from corresponding www sites 684 . the flow of data from task list 678 and professional procedures 688 is facilitated through a communication method such as the www connection 676 . professional procedures 688 flow to the r and d team 702 through channel 690 whereas field options 686 flow to team 702 through channel 692 as the nature and use of these information types differs within the invention . the proprietary server 638 offers numerous other services 682 as described in fig8 . channels 690 , 700 and others similarly illustrated in fig1 show the system &# 39 ; s wide flow of procedures which occur in order to complete the tasks of user 600 . procedures 650 is created and recorded through the use of operations models 640 , e . g ., self - administration model 642 , and are stored in procedures list 672 and preference list 674 . reuse of procedures begins with digital clone 666 and the optimization and projecting of tasks 662 and procedures 650 incorporates features of www sites 684 and isp 638 . referring to fig2 ergonomic interface 728 between user 600 and communication systems 634 is illustrated . as previously described , user 600 may utilize at least one device from client communication devices 603 or at least one compatible communication device such as those in other external communication devices 602 . pad 730 provides a universal keyboard and touch pad like interface enabling user 600 to control invention 10 and pad 730 includes a flat display , such as a gas plasma or liquid crystal display , rather than a mechanical switch - key array . the use of pad 730 permits the configuration of the keyboard to be easily changed to any layout and alphanumeric characters . consequently , any language / alphabet can be effortlessly implemented . furthermore , as a wireless device , pad 730 can be carried in a mobile fashion and may be used to control compatible domestic devices such as garage doors , house lights , appliances , etc . to further ease of use , the display of pad 730 can be set to display a graphical representation of any of the aforementioned domestic devices . client communication devices 603 further includes a typical computer display 732 ; a touch - screen membrane responding to user input by pressure to the membrane 734 mounted over display 732 ; a mouse 736 or similar pointing device ; a microphone 738 and speakers 740 used in voice command or telephone modes ; a camera 742 used for video conferencing , video recording and still picture photography ; a personal digital assistant ( pda ) 744 which attaches to invention 10 and synchronizes internal representations of information stored by invention 10 , such as address book 964 , diary 962 and the like ; electronic identity card 746 which is utilized for rapid authentication of user 600 , and is chosen from devices such as a proximity card or magnetic card which are well known in art ; graphics tablet 748 utilized in sketching ; signature recognition and annotation of documents ; and joystick and joy pad 750 ( utilized in navigation of system toolbars and increases the ergonomic nature of the interface for challenged users .) all client communication devices 603 and all external communication devices 602 are compatible with at least one device in communication systems 634 . external communication devices 602 includes : a telephone 760 , ( used to issue commands to the invention via voice , touch tone or text message ); remote pc 764 ( any computer system or similar information processing device ); thin clients 766 ( systems which typically use a form of internet web browser to access remote information and services ); mobile phone 768 providing identical functionality to telephone 760 ; facsimile machine 770 ( used to issue instructions from printed pages and the like ); and other devices 772 can include any compatible communication devices which are compliant with the communication systems 774 . as shown in fig3 user 600 utilizes at least one of client communication devices 603 or other external communication devices 602 to form an ergonomic interface 728 . ergonomic interface 728 must use at least one of the following : telephony 780 , wireless transceivers 782 , ports and connections 784 or broadcast systems 786 . telephony 780 communicates through invention 10 through voice , fax , data and the like . wireless transceivers 782 provide communication through radio or infrared transceivers 818 . bluetooth 814 is emerging as a wireless network technology of choice for both portable and non - portable devices alike . x10 816 is a wireless network technology . this technology is intended for use in communication between computers and domestic devices , including video recorders , televisions and the like . ports and connectors 784 are traditional methods of physical connection between computers and peripherals , computer networks and the like . broadcast systems 786 typify systems , which utilize mass unidirectional communication between a transmitting station and a large number of receivers . the aforementioned , viewed as originating sources , have corresponding destinations contained within invention 10 . to begin with , modems 796 originate and receive calls from other parties including voice , fax and data transmission . the pc - card 806 is traditionally used as a form of expansion slot for portable computers and is illustrated as a means of attaching an external mobile phone 808 . external mobile phone 808 may be required for communication if the internal mobile phone 802 is temporarily incompatible with the environment in which invention 10 is situated . transceivers 798 , viewed as local to invention 10 corresponds to transceivers 782 . transceivers 769 is the distant end of a wireless connection between invention 10 and user 600 or world 604 . broadcast receivers 794 , which may optionally require a decoder 787 in order to decrypt signals , are used to receive tv , radio and global positioning information 810 . an object of invention 10 is to increase the use of integrated www telephony , commonly referred to as ip communication or voice over ip , ip meaning www protocol . in pursuance of this goal , telephone companies 790 and similar are linked to www communication 792 through gateways and www service providers 793 . the integration of subscription and billing information of the ip communication is described in detail in fig8 . communications systems terminate at checkpoint 812 where communication with invention 10 is secured and filtered as described in fig4 . referring fig4 checkpoint 812 has a primary object of maintaining the security of the system and confidentiality of stored , received and transmitted information . considering that the personal characteristics of user 600 may change , either temporarily or permanently , layered security 840 has been invented to accommodate said change . it is possible that authentication of user 600 will fail when one of the methods in security 840 is used , in which case an alternative method is used until the authentication process is completed successfully . layered security 840 contains voice recognition 870 ; a novelty of invention 10 is that a sentence is constructed from random words taken from the recorded vocabulary of user 600 , and user 600 is required to speak the sentence of random words . the voice recognition system rejects the user &# 39 ; s request for authentication if any word is mispronounced . if user 600 had only a single spoken password , then this could be recorded and played back during a security attack . the random sentence approach renders recording and playback useless in this case . facial recognition 871 is used in a traditional way to recognize key facial features of user 600 . fingerprint recognition 872 is used to authenticate user 600 who is required to touch a small scanning device , which reads the surface of the finger . signature verification 873 uses a digitizing process , which allows user 600 to sign on a graphics tablet in order to authenticate a unique signature or sequence of pen strokes . electronic identity card 874 is a standard form of security , using a magnetic strip or miniature transceiver mounted on a plastic card or similar form factor . password authentication allows user 600 to enter a sequence of alphanumeric characters or other symbols . once authentication has been achieved , the flow of information passes through various devices within invention 10 , also reaching universal converter 900 . as information flows between checkpoint 812 and universal converter 900 , a number of filter processes are applied including ; content control 842 which governs the nature of material entering invention 10 , as user 600 may allow other users to utilize invention 10 and where care must be taken to prevent offensive material being presented to people who do not desire this information ; anti - virus protection 842 which is a constantly updated device which scans documents for viruses as information enters invention 10 ; compression 843 which is a method of reducing the size of a document in order for it to be stored on a low capacity medium or transmitted from invention 10 ; encryption 844 which is a device which scrambles information to protect its content and is applied to stored and transmitted information and confidentiality which is a novelty of invention 10 , whereby all recipients contained in an address book are marked to indicate that each recipient may or may not receive confidential documents . if an attempt is made to transmit a confidential document to a recipient who lacks indication for receipt of such information then the transmission is blocked by invention 10 and user 600 is notified . others 846 are those filters and security checks , which may be required by other professional tools , operations models or by user 600 . checkpoint 812 , being the overall container for aforementioned security checks and filters , is coupled with quarantine 848 which is an area designed to store documents which are unchecked or have failed to pass through checkpoint 812 , perhaps due to the presence of a virus or other reasons . for example , a document containing a virus will be placed in quarantine 848 , or , a confidential document , which was destined for an unauthorized recipient , will be held in quarantine 848 . user 600 is required to take individual action on a per - document basis to clear items from quarantine 848 . converter 900 is also closely related to motherboard 618 so that access can be gained to input devices 820 and output devices 822 , both being a collection of contemporary peripheral hardware , which may ultimately be utilized as sources and outputs for the conversion process . unified sheet - feeder 850 , known in the art , provides paper management within the client hardware platform 616 , whereby paper is fed into at least one device being a printer , document scanner or combined printing and scanning device . sensors 828 is a collection of devices used by invention 10 to collect information regarding the environment of user 600 . said information may be recorded and stored for later recall , utilizing a corresponding emitter 830 . moving now to fig5 an overall summary is formed of the client hardware platform 616 and those parts of invention 10 which are resident therein , now collectively referred to as client processor 910 , meaning all parts of invention 10 which are close to user 600 as opposed to those distant devices that form part of any corresponding www system and the like . the devices comprising client processor 910 are encapsulated within boundary line 911 . said system 910 is now a mobile device , supporting many forms of inbound and outbound communication , providing for connection of many compatible external devices such as professional tools 628 , containing client communication devices 603 and being subject to optional control by user 600 through the use of any compatible communication device including those in external devices 602 . details of the corresponding server &# 39 ; s client hardware platform 616 and software elements are disclosed in fig5 block 638 , which obviates some of those devices known to be required to form a www service provider . list 914 now obviates the corresponding list of professional , personal and domestic devices , which may be replaced with identical functionality contained within system 910 . being mobile , portable and universal , the said system supports user 600 in any language and sensible and feasible environment in one integrated package . however , invention 10 is known to function on other hardware platforms such as those supplied by personal computer manufacturers , such as dell , compaq and acer , all of whom provide desktop and mobile computing solutions , though in order to support all functionality of invention 10 , the addition of all disclosed input and output devices is required and said manufacturer &# 39 ; s computing systems must be connected to proprietary server 638 and related www systems . furthermore invention 10 is known to function without any specialized “ client ” hardware , utilizing only a common form of communication such as those listed in external communication devices 602 used to send and receive information to and from the invention . continuing , where invention 10 is embodied purely as a collection of software services residing on a www server , where the disclosed manner of storing , publishing , distributing and optimizing of procedures are implemented . in the art , such an embodiment is referred to as an application service provider ( asp ). an asp provides access to software for a potentially massive number of users ; each user having a basic device possessing a minimum amount of hardware , required to support input and output operations , where the majority if not all of the software resides on the www server or similar network server , owned by the asp . again , in the art , the terms “ thin client ” are used to describe a device normally utilizing a www browser or gui , in order to facilitate communication with a www server or other server , where information processing occurs . [ 0127 ] fig6 further summarizes the system to a single page view , but provides a context for the functionality within converter 900 now further disclosed . universal converter 900 is a device that converts information , in analogue or digital form , from any input format to any output format where sensible and feasible . “ sensible ” means that the conversion provides some benefit to user 600 , resulting in increased performance in related communications systems and devices , or increases the number of types of communication available to user 600 ; “ feasible ” meaning that the conversion is actually possible within a technical context using existing contemporary information technology devices . a collection of conversion utilities is held internal to converter 900 , each having an ability to convert an input to at least one output . for example , utility a converts facsimile to text , utility b converts text in english to text in french , utility c converts french text to audible speech , therefore , utilities can be coupled end - to - end in a pipeline fashion where the output of one utility is compatible with the input of zero or more other utilities . the example shows that a linked to b linked to c results in a conversion from a facsimile document to spoken french . many utilities exist that convert data formats , such as spreadsheets , word - processor documents and sound files and the like , enabling converter 900 to draw upon an increasing source of utilities and , therefore , increasing the number of compatible inputs and outputs . continuing with fig7 which illustrates the disclosed operations models 640 and specializations thereof , including said model of administration model 642 . backup 630 is now disclosed in more detail in so far as it contains a snapshot , being the entire information content as stored by invention 10 at a particular moment governed by user 600 . backup 630 relates to items arranged within real world objects 646 to areas within backup storage . such that content of smart archive 1000 is a copy of smart archive 958 ; personal data 1002 , address book 1004 is a copy of address book 964 , task list 1006 is a copy of evolving task list 672 , diary 1008 is a copy of diary 962 , preference list 1010 is a copy of updated preference list 674 , domestic appliances 1012 is a copy of domestic appliances 984 , personal trainer log is a copy personal trainer 675 , incoming / outgoing log 1016 , web directory is a copy of the preferred websites of user 600 generated by web browser 974 . others 1020 relates to copies of data generated by professional tools and the like . media center selections 972 is a copy of options settings created by media center 972 . temporary backup 632 is a portable backup device , connected in an ad hoc fashion , using at least a cable or wireless transceivers 782 , in order that data changed since the last backup to 630 is now copied to backup 632 . backup 632 is any device with at least random access memory and an input output controller such that information transfer can occur to and from temporary backup 632 . referring to fig8 the universal conversion module 624 is explained in detail . each of blocks 302 , 304 , 305 , 306 and 307 are each conversion utilities . for example , block 302 may be a conversion utility such as dragon dictate . this program converts speech to text . block 304 may be another conversion utility such as winfax . this converts one word processor &# 39 ; s format to another , or one spread sheet format to another . blocks 306 might be used to converts text to speech . each of blocks 302 to 307 have at least one input and at least one output , further identified as t 1 - t 6 and t 1 to t 4 , and t 6 - t 8 , respectively . as can be seen , there is no output for t 5 . network 320 is shown with compatible inputs connected together with their corresponding outputs . thus , a conversion matrix is created . for example , t 1 308 is sensible and feasible communication form such as speech in english . t 1 308 passes through conversion process 310 , such as dragon voice dictation to t 6 316 which a text output in english . continuing through conversion process 312 which could be fax handling such as win fax , output t 2 314 is provided as a fax transmission . similarly , t 2 314 passes through to conversion process 316 , such as translation package to reach t 7 318 which provides text in german . consequently , as noted above , by networking the conversion tools together , any sensible and feasible communication format can be converted to any other format . the illustrated embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only , recognizing that persons having ordinary skill in the art may construct different forms of the invention that fully fall within the scope of the subject matter appearing in the following claims .
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as can be seen in the mentioned figures , the wind generator of the invention is mounted on a horizontal rotating platform ( 1 ) on a concrete base ( 17 ), the movement of which is controlled and achieved by means of a motor ( 6 ). located on said platform ( 1 ) there is a wind turbine ( 2 ) and , optionally , photovoltaic panels generating energy depending on the wind conditions : when there is sufficient wind it is preferable that the wind turbine operates because of its higher performance , and when there is not sufficient wind for its operation , the photovoltaic generation of the solar panels is used for its operation . the protection of the machine in those conditions in which the wind has such a force that it could break the machine is also envisaged . the wind turbine ( 2 ) is formed by several sails or blades ( 3 ) having a concave - convex profile and all of them are mounted parallel to one another on respective similar chains or transmission apparatus ( 4 ) forming a closed circuit on respective end pinions ( 5 ), such that in one direction , when they are pushed by the wind , they place the concave face against the wind , whereas upon the return , the wind is incident on the convex face , which offers less resistance and , accordingly , provides its forward movement in the wind direction . in the forward movement of the sails ( 3 ), and accordingly of the chains ( 4 ), the pinions ( 5 ) and shafts ( 8 ) connected to the former and in turn through a mechanical transmission with the electric generator ( 7 ), are caused to rotate . fig1 to 6 depict a machine having a wind turbine ( 2 ) inclined according to a vertical plane with respect to the wind when it is in the operative position . in contrast , in fig7 and 8 the turbine adopts an angular position with respect to the wind , inclined according to a horizontal plane . the turbine of fig1 to 6 is articulated on a lower shaft ( 8 ) parallel to any of its blades ( 3 ) and supported on adjustable scissors ( 9 ) which allow placing it in different inclination positions depending on the force of the wind or , as shown in fig2 , horizontally in those cases in which there is a very strong wind , or also for machine maintenance or repair . the operation of this generator is simple : the rotating platform ( 1 ) orients the wind turbine ( 2 ) in a direction which faces the wind , for which purpose it is controlled by an electronic circuit incorporating sensors which sense the direction and force of the wind , and a solar tracker , and depending on its force , it places it such that it has more or less inclination , or it directly lowers and folds it , as seen in fig2 for example . this wind machine is preferably complemented with photovoltaic panels ( 10 ) which are articulated on shafts ( 11 ) located on the sides of the turbine ( 2 ) and are placed in the vertical position ( see fig3 ) when they are not operative , or when there are favorable wind conditions , or in the operative position above said turbine ( 2 ), as can be seen in fig4 . the position of said panels ( 10 ) is controlled by a solar tracker controlling the rotation of the base platform ( 1 ) until orienting it toward the sun from sunrise to sunset , and controlling the inclination of said panels , rotating the turbine and the panels through the shaft ( 8 ), so as to place them perpendicular to the sun depending on its seasonal position . fig5 shows a third position , or protective position , of this combined machine when there is a very heavy storm or heavy snow . in this case the turbine ( 2 ) is placed horizontally , as in fig2 , and the upper panels ( 10 ) are divided into longitudinal sections so as to lower the end sections ( 12 ) to a position close to the vertical for the purpose of closing off the entry of air into the machine from this side which is facing the wind in such conditions . in this type of vertically inclined turbine , the arrangement of a deflector ( 15 ) closing the rotating base in front of the rotating shaft ( 8 ) thereof and projecting the air toward the same , thus favoring its operation , is envisaged . fig6 offers a variant for installing the solar panels ( 13 ), in this case formed by several parallel panels articulated in the upper side and secured by adjustable struts ( 14 ), being located in the horizontal position as can be seen in the figure when the wind is favorable , all of the panels being lowered and aligned , covering the wind turbine when optimal wind conditions for its operation do not exist , or in any intermediate position when the wind conditions are strong and it is necessary to reduce the thrust thereof on the sails ( 3 ). in fig7 and 8 , the position of the wind turbine ( 2 ) has been radically changed , being placed in this case with its blades ( 3 ) in the vertical position , defining as a whole a vertical plane perpendicular to the rotating platform ( 1 ) by one of its diameters . the position of this turbine with respect to the wind is controlled by the rotation of the rotating platform , such that it is located forming an approximately 45 ° angle when wind conditions are favorable , as can be seen in fig7 , in the same direction as the wind when the latter adopts considerable force and it is necessary to protect the machine ( see fig8 ), or an angle greater than 45 ° which is adjusted by means of the rotation of the base platform ( 1 ), thereby adjusting the angle of incidence , and accordingly , the thrust of the wind on the sails ( 3 ). this type of machine can also incorporate photovoltaic panels ( 16 ), in this case fixed panels , behind the turbine and forming an approximately 45 ° angle with the vertical . when the wind is not sufficient to operate the wind turbine ( 2 ), the rotating platform ( 1 ) directs the panels ( 16 ) toward the sun so that they can receive its energy . the platform ( 1 ) rotates supported in a circular rail an has a drive motor ( 6 ) for its mobilization , as well as at least one braking unit immobilizing the machine in the suitable position , depending on the operating conditions as a wind machine , photovoltaic machine or in the protective position because of a storm . this is all controlled by an electronic control circuit powered by batteries , which logically can be the same batteries powering the photovoltaic panels . having sufficiently described the nature of the invention as well as a preferred embodiment thereof , it is hereby stated for all intents and purposes that the materials , shape , size and arrangement of the described elements may be modified provided that this does not alter the essential features of the invention which are claimed below .
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accordingly , an object of the present invention is to resolve the above - described problems and disadvantages . more specifically , the object of the present invention is to efficiently allocate radio resources between a femto cell and a macro cell . most particularly , the object of the present invention is to efficiently allocating a common control channel between a femto cell and a macro cell . furthermore , another object of the present invention is to efficiently allocate segments for a synchronization channel ( sch or a - preamble ) and a broadcast channel ( bch or superframe header ), among the common control channels . according to an aspect of the present invention , in a method used by a femto base station for transmitting a common control channel , provided herein is a method for transmitting a common control channel including the steps of having the femto base station acquire the segment information from a macro base station , the macro base station overlaying with the femto base station ; using the segment information so as to identify a time - segment that is used by the macro base station for transmitting a common control channel ; and transmitting a common control channel of the femto base station over a time - segment other than the identified time - segment . in another aspect of the present invention , provided herein is a femto base station including an rf ( radio frequency ) unit configured to have the femto base station acquire segment information from a macro base station , the macro base station overlaying with the femto base station ; and a processor configured to use the segment information , so as to identify a time - segment that is used by the macro base station for transmitting a common control channel and to transmit a common control channel of the femto base station over a time - segment other than the identified time - segment . herein , the segment information may be received through a backbone network with the macro base station . and , the segment information may be acquired by scanning a synchronization channel being transmitted by the macro base station . herein , the common control channel may include an sa - preamble ( secondary advanced preamble ) or a broadcast channel ( e . g ., superframe header ). herein , the femto base station may further transmit a first superframe header for the macro base station . in this case , the first superframe may be transmitted over a time - segment , over which the macro base station transmits a superframe header . the present invention enables radio resources to be efficiently allocated between a femto cell and a macro cell . the present invention also enables a common control channel to be efficiently allocated between the femto cell and the macro cell . furthermore , the present invention enables a synchronization channel and / or a broadcast channel to be efficiently allocated . the accompanying drawings , which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application , illustrate embodiment ( s ) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention . fig1 illustrates an example of a related art femto cell based network structure . fig2 illustrates another example of a related art femto cell based network structure . fig3 and fig4 respectively illustrate a related art superframe structure . fig5 illustrates a structure showing a femto cell and a macro cell . fig6 illustrates an example showing a common control channel relation between a femto cell and a macro cell according to the present invention . fig7 - 11 respectively illustrate frame structures for transmitting a common control channel over different frequency - segments according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 - 15 respectively illustrate frame structures for transmitting a common control channel over different time - segments according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 illustrates an exemplary network node and an exemplary user equipment that can be applied to the present invention . the technical terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments of the present invention . therefore , it should be understood that the terms used herein are not intended to limit the present invention . additionally , unless defined otherwise , the technical terms used in this specification should be interpreted by the meaning and significance generally known to and understood by anyone skilled in the art and , therefore , should not be interpreted as an excessively broad and inclusive meaning nor interpreted as an excessively narrow meaning . moreover , in case any of the technical terms used in the specification of the present invention corresponds to an incorrect term that is incapable of correctly express the scope and spirit of the present invention , the corresponding term should be replaced by a correct technical term that can be correctly understood by anyone skilled in the art . furthermore , the general terms used in the specification of the present invention should be understood by its literal meaning defined in a dictionary , or should be interpreted based upon the overall context of a phrase , sentence , or paragraph of the specification . and , therefore , such general terms should not be understood or interpreted by excessively narrow meanings . additionally , it is to be understood that , unless obviously and clearly noted or specified otherwise within the specification , singular forms of the terms used herein may include plural forms of the corresponding terms . in the application of the present invention , the terms “ consist ( s ) of ” or “ include ( s ) ( or comprise ( s ))” should not be interpreted or understood as including , without exception , all of the plurality of elements ( or components ) or the plurality of steps disclosed in the description of the present invention . in other words , it should be understood that some ( or part ) of the elements ( or components ) or some ( or part ) of the steps may not be included , or that additional elements ( or components ) or steps may be further included in the present invention . furthermore , terms including numeric expressions , such as first ( 1 st ), second ( 2 nd ), and so on , used in the specification of the present invention may be used to described diverse elements of the present invention . however , the elements of the present invention should not be limited by the terms used in the specification of the present invention . in other words , such terms will be used only to differentiate one element from other elements of the present invention . for example , without deviating from the scope and spirit of the present invention , a first element may be referred to as a second element , and , similarly , a second element may also be referred to as a first element . when an element is described as “ being connected to ” or as “ accessing ” another element , either the corresponding element may be directly connected to or accessing the other element , or yet another element may exist between the corresponding element and the other element . alternatively , when an element is described as “ being directly connected to ” or as “ directly accessing ” another element , it should be understood that yet another ( or a third ) element does not exist between the two elements . hereinafter , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . however , regardless of the reference numerals within the drawings , the same reference numerals will be given to like or same part of the present invention , and detailed description of the same parts will be omitted for simplicity . also , in describing the present invention , if it is determined that detailed description of a disclosed technology may cause ambiguity in describing the principle of the present invention , the detailed description of the same will also be omitted for simplicity . furthermore , it will be apparent that the appended drawings are merely provided to facilitate the understanding of the scope and spirit of the present invention , and that the appended drawings are not provided to limit the scope and spirit of the present invention . therefore , it should be understood that the scope and spirit of the present invention can be extended to all variations , equivalents , and replacements in addition to the appended drawings of the present invention . in the 3 rd or 4 th mobile communication system , continuous attempts and effort are being made in expanding cell capacity in order to support high - capacity services , such as multimedia contents and two - way ( or bi - directional ) services . attempts for expanding the cell capacity has been made by using high frequency bands and reducing cell radius . however , when applying cells having a small radius , such as pico cells , a frequency band higher than the frequency band used in the conventional cellular system . this is advantageous in that a larger amount of information can be transmitted . however , since a larger number of base stations should be established within the same surface area , this causes an increase in cost . among the many attempts to increase cell capacity by using such small cells , the usage of a femto cell has been recently proposed . a femto cell refers to installing an ultra small and compact and low power - consuming base station inside a house / office building so as to provide a small wireless environment . the femto cell can enhance service quality by improving indoor service - available areas and by increasing the cell capacity . and , by providing data services , the femto cell is expected to completely settle the next generation mobile communication system . with respect to the above - described femto cell , standardization is in process under the name of home enobeb in the 3gpp wcdma and lte group , and research on femto cells is also being actively carried out in 3gpp2 . with respect to a method of realizing such femto cells within a conventional mobile communication network , diverse structures are being proposed , as shown in fig1 and fig2 . fig1 illustrates an example of a related art femto cell based network structure . a macro base station ( m - bs ), which provides services to broad regions , and a plurality of femto - bss ( f - bss ) being installed on a user - basis are shown in fig1 . herein , the femto - bs ( f - bs ) is controlled by being connected to a femtocell network controller ( fnc ) through the internet , thereby providing services to a user . a user equipment measures signals of neighboring cells and delivers the measurements to its f - bs . then , the f - bs uses the received measurements to recognize and manage the presence ( or existence ) of the neighboring cells within its surroundings . also , the f - bss may exchange information to and from one another via direct link or via indirect link through the fnc . furthermore , the f - bs and the m - bs may exchange information to and from one another through the fnc and an rnc ( radio network controller ) or through an mme ( mobility management entity ), which controls the f - bs in a mobile communication system . fig2 illustrates another example of a related art femto cell based network structure . as shown in fig2 , femto base stations ( f - bss ) may exchange information to and from one another via direct link or through an mme , unlike as shown in fig1 . furthermore , a macro base station ( m - bs ) and a femto base station ( f - bs ) may exchange information to and from one another through an mme . fig3 illustrates an exemplary related art frame structure being used in a femto cell and a macro cell . referring to fig3 , each superframe is divided into 4 radio frames each having the same size . a superframe may include a superframe header ( sfh ). the sfh includes essential control information that must absolutely be acquired when the user equipment performs initial network access or handover . and , the sfh performs a similar function as the broadcast channel ( bch ) in the lte technology . the sfh may be allocated to a first radio frame among the plurality of radio frame configuring the superframe . a number of subframes configuring one frame may vary from 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 depending upon a bandwidth of the system or cyclic prefix ( cp ) length . and , a number of ofdma symbols configuring one subframe may also vary from 5 , 6 , 7 , and 9 accordingly . fig3 illustrates an example of a case where the bandwidth is 5 , 10 , or 20 mhz and where a cp length is ⅛tb ( herein , tb refers to a useful ofdma symbol time ). the exemplary frame structure shown in fig3 may be applied in a tdd ( time division duplexing ) scheme or in a fdd ( frequency division duplexing ) scheme . in the tdd scheme , the overall frequency band is configured for an uplink or a downlink , while an uplink transmission and a downlink transmission are differentiated from one another within a time domain . in the fdd scheme , an uplink transmission and a downlink transmission each occupies a different frequency band , and the uplink transmission and the downlink transmission occur simultaneously . each subframe is divided into at least one frequency partition . each frequency partition consists of at least one physical resource unit ( pru ). each frequency partition includes a localized pru and / or a distributed pru . each frequency partition may be used for the same purpose as a fractional frequency reuse ( ffr ). a physical resource unit ( pru ) corresponds to a basic physical unit for resource allocation including n number of consecutive ( or contiguous ) ofdm symbols and p number of consecutive ( or contiguous ) subcarriers . a logical resource unit ( lru ) corresponds to a basic logical unit for a distributed allocation and a localized allocation . the lru includes p number of subcarriers * n number of ofdm symbols . fig4 illustrates structures of a synchronization channel and a superframe header of an ieee 802 . 16m ( or an advanced air interface ), which corresponds to one of the 4 th generation mobile communication system technologies . the synchronization channel is transmitted for each frame and is repeated ( or iterated ) in superframe units . the synchronization channel includes a primary synchronization channel and a secondary synchronization channel . a signal that is being transmitted through the synchronization channel is referred to as an advanced - preamble ( a - preamble ), and a primary a - preamble ( pa - preamble ) and a secondary a - preamble ( sa - preamble ) are respectively transmitted to the primary synchronization channel and the secondary synchronization channel . the transmission positions of the pa - preamble and the sa - preamble may be located as shown in fig4 . the sfh , through which the essential control information is transmitted , is transmitted after a symbol of a first ( 1 st ) sa - preamble . herein , the pa - preamble is transmitted as frequency reuse 1 , and the sa - preamble is transmitted as frequency reuse 3 . therefore , in case of the sa - preamble , 3 different types of segments are allocated by one - to - one ( 1 : 1 ) mapping in accordance with 3 different sector indexes . in the example given herein , the pa - preamble is shown to be located in the second frame . however , in the present invention , there will be no limitation in cases where the pa - preamble is positioned in the first , third , or fourth frame . in the description of the present invention , a segment includes a frequency - segment and a time - segment . the frequency - segment includes a sub - band , which is divided from an available frequency band of the system . for example , the frequency - segment includes a pru sub - band , which is divided from an available physical resource unit ( pru ). also , the time - segment includes a time - section , which is generated ( or created ) by dividing a frame ( e . g ., superframe ). for example , the time - segment includes an ofdm symbol ( or ofdm symbols ) divided from a superframe . a whole segment may be configured to be either consecutive ( or contiguous ) or non - consecutive ( or non - contiguous ) in the corresponding resource area . unless specified otherwise , the frequency - segment and / or the time - segment will be collectively referred to as a segment for simplicity . fig5 illustrates a structure showing a femto cell and a macro cell . as shown in fig5 , a cell ( 205 ) formed by a macro base station ( m - bs ) ( 201 ) includes a plurality of sectors ( 207 a , 207 b , and 207 c ). a sector refers to a region that is formed by a directional antenna of a macro cell ( 502 ), and , for example , three sectors ( 207 a , 207 b , and 207 c ) may be included . meanwhile , a segment is defined as a group ( or collection ) of physical resource units ( prus ). when it is assumed that a frequency band of 5 mhz is being used , 24 physical resource units ( prus ) with 5 mhz may be divided into 3 segments , and each segment may use 8 logical resource units ( lrus ). generally , one segment is configured by being mapped to one sector at a one - to - one ( 1 : 1 ) correspondence . however , the number of segments and the number of sectors may be different from one another . and , in this case , the mapping between segments and sectors may vary depending upon the cell planning of the manufacturer . in the description of the present invention , it will be assumed that the communication system according to the present invention corresponds to a communication system having 3 segments and 3 sectors mapped at a one - to - one correspondence . meanwhile , each femto cell ( 305 ) shown in fig5 fixedly uses one sector and also uses one of the three segments . the frequency -/ time - segments used in the femto cell ( 305 ) may be actively decided by a femto base station ( f - bs ) ( 300 ). however , as shown in fig5 , if a femto cell ( 305 ) located in the first sector ( 207 a ) of the macro cell ( 205 ) uses the first segment , which is mapped to the first sector , just as the macro cell ( 205 ), an interference may occur between the macro cell ( 205 ) and the femto cell ( 305 ). most particularly , since the femto base station ( f - bs ) ( 300 ) is installed at an installation point , which is decided by the user , it is difficult to efficiently manage or to avoid such interference with the macro cell ( 205 ). such interference has the same effect on a channel ( essential control information channel ) carrying essential control information , such as a superframe header ( or bch ). since the essential control information channel includes information that can be commonly used by all user equipments , such as system information , the influence caused by interference may lead to a very critical defect ( or obstruction ) when the user equipment performs initial network access or when the user equipment performs a handover . fig6 illustrates an exemplary method for resolving ( or eliminating ) a downlink channel interference between a femto cell and a macro cell according to the present invention . referring to fig6 , a mobile communication system includes a first macro base station ( 201 ), a second macro base station ( 202 ), a femto base station ( 300 ), and a user equipment ( 100 ). the user equipment ( 100 ) is located in the first sector ( 207 a ) of the first macro base station ( 201 ), which corresponds to a donor base station , and the user equipment ( 101 ) also exists in a femto cell ( 305 ) formed by the femto base station ( 300 ). a service respective to the user equipment ( 101 ) may be provided by the first macro base station ( 201 ) and / or the femto base station ( 300 ). the two base stations that cause the largest interference to a downlink channel of the femto base station ( 300 ) are the first macro base station ( 201 ), which is the donor base station , and its neighboring second macro base station ( 202 ). in fig6 , the femto base station ( 300 ) uses one segment for the transmission of an sa - preamble and the transmission of a superframe header ( sfh ). at this point , one femto base station ( 300 ) may use one appropriate segment among , for example , the three segments . the superframe header , which is used in the first sector ( 207 a ) of the macro cell ( 205 ) in the exemplary case of fig5 , causes an interference with the first segment of the femto cell ( 305 ). therefore , it is preferable that the femto base station ( 300 ) uses a segment other than the first segment . it is preferable that the usage of a segment in order to avoid such interference is applied to a common control channel . the common control channel includes a synchronization channel ( sch ) and an essential control information channel ( or a broadcast channel ( bch )). the sch includes a p - sch ( primary - sch ) and an s - sch ( secondary - sch ). in the 4 th generation communication technology , the synchronization channel is referred to differently for each technology . for example , in the lte technology , the sch is referred to as an ss ( synchronization signal ). in the ieee 802 . 16e , the sch is referred to as a preamble . and , in an aaif ( advanced air interface ) of the ieee 802 . 16m , the sch is referred to as an advanced - preamble or an a - preamble . the a - preamble includes a pa - preamble ( primary advanced preamble ) and an sa - preamble ( secondary advanced preamble ). meanwhile , the essential control information channel or broadcast channel is also referred to as a superframe header in the ieee 802 . 16m . the pa - preamble may , for example , transmit a transmission band , sector information , or grouping information of a cell identifier ( id ). the sa - preamble ( secondary - sync channel ) is used for a cell identifier transmission . a complete cell identifier may be identified by the combination of a pa - preamble and an sa - preamble . in a base station type ( e . g ., macro base station , femto base station , etc . ), i . e ., in case a transmitting end and a transmitter perform transmission / reception through a plurality of communication carriers in order to enhance a transmission data rate , the grouping information included in the pa - preamble may indicate a type of the carrier through which the pasa - preamble and the sfh are being transmitted . for example , the pa - preamble may indicate the sector information of the macro cell and the femto cell . for example , 2 bits of the pa - preamble may indicate 3 macro sectors and one femto sector . also , the pa - preamble that is being transmitted from the macro base station may indicate the type of the macro base station , and the pa - preamble that is being transmitted from the femto base station may indicate the type of the femto base station . furthermore , the pa — preamble that is being transmitted from the macro base station and the femto base station may indicate a bandwidth uses by the macro base station and the femto base station . in another example , a case where the pa - preamble transmits only the bandwidth and the type of transmission carrier may be considered . more specifically , information associated to a sector or information associated to macro / femto may not be included in the pa - preamble . in this case , information on sector and segments that are used by the current macro base station for performing transmission may be acquired from the cell identifier , which is acquired from the sa - preamble . the pa - preamble , the sa - preamble , and the sfh are required to be adequately allocated to the first macro base station ( 201 ) and the femto base station ( 300 ). hereinafter , this will be described in detail . first of all , a description of the pa - preamble will be made as follows . the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit information on a corresponding sector ( 207 a ) of the macro base station over the pa - preamble . also , a case of having no sector information over the pa - preamble may also be considered . the femto base station ( 300 ) may scan and receive sector information that is transmitted to the pa - preamble by the first macro base station ( 201 ). alternatively , in case the sector information is not transmitted to the pa - preamble , a cell identifier may be acquired from the sa - preamble , thereby acquiring sector information used by a donor macro base station . meanwhile , the femto base station ( 300 ) may be directly connected to the first macro base station ( 201 ) and a backbone network without having to pass through a scanning process , or the femto base station ( 300 ) may be connected to the first macro base station ( 201 ) and the backbone network through a core network , thereby being capable of acquiring sector information ( including frequency -/ time - segments information ) of the macro base station ( otherwise referred to as the donor base station ). also , the femto base station ( 300 ) may also acquire sector or segment information included in the sfh of the first macro base station ( 201 ) without having to pass through a scanning process . as described above , when the case of having sector information transmitted to the pa - preamble is being assumed , the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit sector information , which is identical to that of a macro base station ( otherwise referred to as the donor base station ) overlaying with the femto base station ( 300 ) itself , over the pa - preamble . in this case , a pa - preamble sequence being transmitted by the femto base station ( 300 ) may be different from a pa - preamble sequence used by the macro base station ( 201 ). instead of sector information of the donor base station , the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit its own sector information over the pa - preamble . more specifically , the femto base station ( 300 ) may actively decide the segment that is to be used by the femto base station ( 300 ) itself . and , then , the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit its own sector information in accordance with the decided segment through the pa - preamble . in case the pa - preamble does not transmit the sector information , the femto base station ( 300 ) may not transmit sector information over the pa - preamble as well . in this case , the pa - preamble sequence of the femto base station ( 300 ) may be identical to a pa - preamble sequence of the first macro base station ( 201 ). however , the significance of the identity between the two pa - preamble sequences refers to an identity in light of differentiating the sector information . and , different information is included in the pa - preamble , the femto base station and the macro base station may each have a different sequence . as described above , the reason for which the femto base station ( 300 ) transmits identical sector information of the donor macro base station over the pa - preamble is to gain a macro diversity effect . more specifically , since a femto or a macro cell included the corresponding femto transmits the same pa - preamble sequence , a user equipment belonging to the femto cell is capable of receiving the same sequence from two different sites . hereinafter , an sa - preamble and an sfh will now be described in detail . the macro base station ( 201 ) transmits an sa - preamble carrying sfh information in a segment corresponding to a transmission sector and carrying cell identifier ( id ) information in a segment of the sa - preamble corresponding to a transmitted sector . a physical segment for sfh transmission and a physical segment for sa - preamble transmission may be different from one another . herein , the two physical segments being different from one another may signify that a physical identification method indicating 0 th , 1 st , and 2 nd segments of the sa - preamble and a physical identification method dividing 0 th , 1 st , and 2 nd segments of the sfh may be different from one another . based upon the sector information of the first macro base station ( 201 ), which is acquired by performing the above - described scanning or non - scanning method , the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit cell id information over an sa - preamble of a different segment . this is to reduce the influence of interference by configuring the sector within the first macro base station ( 201 ) and the segment of the femto base station ( 300 ) to be different from one another ( i . e ., in the exemplary case of fig5 , since the femto base station is located in the first sector of the macro base station , the interference level is low in the second segment and the third segment ). after acquiring two segments having large influence levels caused by interference through a scanning method or a method other than the scanning method , it may be considered that the femto base station ( 300 ) transmits an sfh and an sa - preamble through the remaining segments , excluding the two segments having large influence levels caused by interference . herein , the two segments having the large influence levels caused by interference may correspond to the donor macro base station and another neighboring macro base station , or may correspond to the donor macro base station and a neighboring femto cell . alternatively , a case where the sfh is transmitted without dividing the segments and where only the sa - preamble is transmitted after dividing the segments may be considered . more specifically , the sfh may set the frequency reuse to ‘ 1 ’, so that transmission can be performed in the whole system band . in such case , in the receiving perspective of the sfh , since a problem of interference may occur between the macro base station and the femto base station , after acquiring the information on the position of an available sfh within a superframe by using the above - described scanning method or any method other than the scanning method , a method of positioning the sfh at a position having less interference . conversely , a case of dividing the sfh and transmitting the divided sfh and transmitting the sa - preamble without dividing the segments is also being considered . in this case , the sa - preamble and its cell id information may be transmitted through the same physical position within the first macro base station ( 201 ), i . e ., the whole band of the system . fig7 illustrates a solution for resolving ( or eliminating ) interference of a common control channel according to an embodiment of the present invention . herein , the common control channel includes a synchronization channel ( e . g ., a - preamble , sch ) and an essential control information channel ( e . g ., bch , sfh ). referring to fig7 , a macro cell includes a plurality of sectors , for example , a first sector to a third sector , and the macro cell uses a segment respective to the corresponding sector so as to transmit a common control channel . in this case , in order to avoid interference with the macro cell , a femto cell may use different frequency - segments that are differentiated from the macro cell in the frequency domain , so as to transmit the common control channel . referring to the case of fig6 , the donor macro base station ( 201 ) may use a first frequency - segment with respect to user equipments within the first sector , so as to transmit the common control channel . meanwhile , the femto base station ( 300 ) located in the first sector ( 207 a ) of the macro cell ( 205 ) may use a segment , which is used by the donor base station ( 201 ) and / or a neighboring macro base station ( 202 ), and a third frequency - segment , which is identified from the frequency domain , so as to transmit the common control channel . based upon the segment information of the macro base station , the segment that is used by the femto base station for transmitting the common control channel may be actively decided by the femto base station , or may be indicated ( or designated ) by the macro base station . hereinafter , referring to fig8 - 11 , a method of transmitting a synchronization channel and an essential control information channel by using a frequency - segment , which identifies a macro cell and a femto cell from one another in the frequency domain , will now be described in detail . in order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention , the sa - preamble and the superframe header ( sfh ) shown in fig6 will be respectively given as the main examples of the synchronization channel and the essential control information channel . also , to facilitate the description of the present invention , it is assumed that , according to this embodiment of the present invention , the first macro base station ( 201 ) and the femto base station ( 300 ) are positioned as shown in fig6 . in this embodiment of the present invention , a segment for the sfh and a segment for the sa - preamble may be identified as being physically identical to one another . additionally , a segment for the sfh and a segment for the sa - preamble may be identified as segments being physically different from one another yet configured to be identical to one another only logically . fig8 and fig9 illustrate examples of a frame structure according to the present invention . referring to fig8 , the first macro base station ( 201 ) including a target femto base station may transmit a pa - preamble for the first sector ( including / not including information on the first segment ) from all physical resource units ( prus ) along a frequency axis and from a first subframe ( or some of the symbols ) along a time axis within the superframe . in case of fig8 , the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit the sfh to a first frequency - segment for the first sector ( 207 a ). furthermore , the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit an sa - preamble from the first frequency - segment , which is divided for the sa - preamble . fig9 illustrates an example of an sfh not being transmitted from the same frame as the pa - preamble but being transmitted from the same frame as the sa - preamble . as described in fig8 , the first macro base station ( 201 ) transmits the sfh to the first frequency - segment for the first sector ( 207 a ). and , the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit an sa - preamble from the first frequency - segment , which is divided for the sa - preamble . meanwhile , another second macro base station ( 202 ), which is located in the surroundings of a target femto cell , may transmit a pa - preamble for the second sector ( including / not including information on the second segment ). and , the second macro base station ( 202 ) transmits an sfh for the second sector to the second frequency - segment for the sfh . furthermore , the second macro base station ( 202 ) transmits an sa - preamble from the second frequency - segment , which is divided for the sa - preamble . in the meantime , description will be made on the present invention under the assumption that the femto base station ( 300 ) is positioned within the first sector of the first macro base station ( 201 ), as shown in fig6 . the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit a pa - preamble ( including / not including information on the first segment ) for the same sector as the donor first macro base station ( 201 ). and , in order to avoid the interference between the sfh of the donor first macro base station ( 201 ) and the sfh of its neighboring second macro base station ( 202 ), the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit its own sfh to a third frequency - segment within the superframe . at this point , the femto base station ( 300 ) may optionally transmit the sfh of the first sector of the donor first base station ( 201 ), in which the femto base station ( 300 ) is located , over the first frequency - segment ( option ). also , among the frequency - segments that are divided for the sa - preamble , in order to avoid interference between the sa - preamble of the donor first macro base station ( 201 ) and the sa - preamble of its neighboring second macro base station ( 202 ), the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit the sa - preamble from the third frequency - segment . fig1 and fig1 illustrate examples of a frame structure according to another embodiment of the present invention . herein , the difference between fig1 and fig1 is the identification according to a position of the sfh . referring to fig1 and fig1 , unlike as described in fig8 and fig9 , according to the other embodiment of the present invention , the sfh may use all physical resource units ( prus ) along the frequency axis within the superframe . in this case , among the description of fig8 and fig9 , the description of the sa - preamble is identically applied herein . however , since interference may occur between the macro base station and the femto base station , due to the sfh being transmitted through the whole transmission band , a method for avoiding such interference is required , and a method of varying the time - segment for such method may be taken into consideration . fig1 illustrates another method for resolving ( or eliminating ) interference of the common control channel according to the embodiment of the present invention . the common control channel includes a synchronization channel ( e . g ., a - preamble , sch ) and an essential control information ( e . g ., bch , sfh ). referring to fig1 , a macro cell includes a plurality of sectors , for example , first sector to third sector , and a macro base station uses a time - segment respective to the corresponding sector so as to transmit the common control channel . in this case , in order to avoid interference with the macro cell , the femto cell may use different time - segments ( e . g ., first ˜ third time - segments ), which are identified in the macro cell and the time domain , so as to transmit the common control channel . more specifically , the synchronization channel and / or the essential control information channel of the femto cell and the macro cell may be multiplexed by using a time division multiplexing ( tdm ) scheme . in this case , for the reliability of the common control channel , the femto base station may perform nulling ( or nullification or puncturing ) in a region where the common control channel of the macro base station is transmitted ( e . g ., subframe , ofdm symbol , sub - band , a combination of the subframe , ofdm symbol , and sub - band ). in this case , the nulling ( or nullification ) information may be transmitted through the sfh of the macro base station or the femto base station or may be transmitted through any of the other control channels . meanwhile , based upon the segment information of the macro base station , the segment that is used by the femto base station for transmitting the common control channel may be actively decided by the femto base station , or may be designated by the macro base station . referring to the example of fig6 , a macro base station ( 201 ) including a target femto base station uses a first time - segment configured in the frequency domain respective to user equipments within the first sector so as to transmit the synchronization channel and the essential control information channel . meanwhile , the femto base station ( 300 ), which is located in the first sector ( 207 a ) of the macro cell ( 205 ), uses a third time - segment , which is differentiated from the time - segment used by the donor macro base station ( 201 ) and / or its neighboring macro base station ( 202 ), so as to transmit the synchronization channel and the essential control information channel . hereinafter , referring to fig1 - 15 , a method for transmitting the synchronization channel and the essential control information channel by using a time - segment , wherein the macro cell and the femto cell are differentiated from one another in the time domain , will now be described in detail . to facilitate the understanding of the present invention , the sa - preamble and the superframe header ( sfh ) shown in fig6 will be respectively given as the main examples of the synchronization channel and the essential control information channel . also , to facilitate the description of the present invention , it is assumed that , according to this embodiment of the present invention , the first macro base station ( 201 ) and the femto base station ( 300 ) are positioned as shown in fig6 . in this embodiment of the present invention , a segment for the sfh and a segment for the sa - preamble may be identified as being physically identical to one another . additionally , a segment for the sfh and a segment for the sa - preamble may be identified as segments being physically different from one another yet configured to be identical to one another only logically . fig1 illustrates an exemplary frame structure according to the embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment of the present invention , the positions of a synchronization channel and an essential control information channel for the macro base station are fixed , and the positioned of a synchronization channel and an essential control information channel for the femto base station may be adaptively decided within an available segment . in this case , the segment for the femto base station may be decided by taking into consideration a ( donor or neighboring ) macro base station , a neighboring femto base station , a relay station , and so on . also , the segment of a femto cell may be signaled by the macro base station . such signaling may be performed by using the sfh or another channel of the macro base station , or such signaling may also be performed by using backbone signaling . referring to fig1 , the first macro base station ( 201 ) including a target femto base station may transmit a pa - preamble ( including / not including information on the second segment ) for the first sector from all physical resource units ( prus ) along a frequency axis and from a first subframe ( or some of the symbols ) of the second frame along a time axis within the superframe . the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit the sfh to a first time - segment for the first sector . and , the first macro base station ( 201 ) may transmit an sa - preamble from first ˜ third time - segments . meanwhile , the second macro base station ( 202 ) including a target femto base station may transmit a pa - preamble ( including / not including information on the second segment ) for the second sector from all physical resource units ( prus ) along a frequency axis and from a first subframe ( or some of the symbols ) along a time axis within the superframe . also , the second macro base station ( 202 ) may transmit an sfh for the second sector to a second time - segment for the sfh . furthermore , the second macro base station ( 202 ) may transmit an sa - preamble from first ˜ third time - segments . in the meantime , the femto base station ( 300 ) will be described in detail under the assumption that the femto base station ( 300 ) is positioned within the first sector of the first macro base station ( 201 ), as shown in fig6 . the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit a pa - preamble ( including / not including information on the second segment ) for a sector identical to that of the first macro base station ( 201 ) from all physical resource units ( prus ) along a frequency axis and from a first subframe ( or some of the symbols ) of the second frame along a time axis within the superframe . also , in order to avoid interference between the sfhs of the donor first macro base station ( 201 ) and its neighboring second macro base station ( 202 ), the femto base station ( 300 ) may transmit its own sfh to the third time - segment within the superframe . fig1 illustrates an exemplary frame structure according to another embodiment of the present invention . with the exception for the assumption that the system described herein corresponds to a mobile communication system , which includes a macro base station ( 201 ), a relay station , and a femto base station ( 300 ), fig1 is similar to fig1 . most particularly , fig1 corresponds to a case where the second macro base station ( 202 ) of fig1 is replaced with a relay station . fig1 illustrates an exemplary frame structure according to yet another embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is also similar to the examples described in fig1 and fig1 . herein , the difference is that , among many network nodes ( e . g ., relay station , femto base station ) that can be arbitrarily installed within a macro cell , at least some of the network nodes may additionally transmit the sfh of the macro base station over a time - segment for the macro base station . more specifically , a femto base station and / or a relay not only transmits its own sfh over a time - segment ( e . g ., time - segments 1 , 2 ), which is differentiated from the macro base station , but may also additionally transmit an sfh of the macro over a time - segment ( e . g ., time - segment 3 ) for the macro base station . in order to do so , the femto base station ( or relay station ) may copy ( or duplicate ) the sfh of the macro base station and may transmit the copied ( or duplicated ) sfh of the macro base station over a frequency -/ time - segment identical to that of the macro base station . the femto base station and / or the relay station may either acquire information of the macro base station , for example , through the synchronization channel and / or the essential control information channel , via wireless communication , or may acquire the corresponding information through a wired backbone network . in case the femto base station ( or relay station ) transmits the sfh of the macro base station , the femto base station ( or relay station ) may scramble the copied sfh of the macro base station by using information of the macro base station ( e . g ., cell identifier ). by having the femto base station and / or the relay station collectively transmit the sfh of the macro base station , a user equipment that is to access the macro base station may acquire a diversity gain . in order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention , although a method for using different frequency - segments when transmitting the common control channel and a method for using different time - segments when transmitting the common control channel have been separately described , the present invention will not be limited only to the examples given in the description of the present invention . according to the embodiments of the present invention , the common control channel also includes an example of being transmitted by combining the frequency - segment and the time - segment ( i . e ., frequency / time - combined resource division ). fig1 illustrates an exemplary network node and an exemplary user equipment that can be applied to the present invention . referring to fig1 , a mobile communication system includes a network node ( 110 ) and a user equipment ( ue ) ( 120 ). herein , the network node includes a base station , and a relay or femto base station . in a downlink , a transmitter corresponds to a part of the network node ( 110 ), and a receiver corresponds to a part of the user equipment ( 120 ). in an uplink , a transmitter corresponds to a part of the user equipment ( 120 ), and a receiver corresponds to a part of the network node ( 110 ). herein , the network node ( 110 ) includes a processor ( 112 ), a memory ( 114 ), and a radio frequency ( rf ) unit ( 116 ). the processor ( 112 ) may be configured to realize the processes and / or the methods proposed in the present invention . the memory ( 114 ) is connected to the processor ( 112 ) and stores diverse information associated with the operations of the processor ( 112 ). the rf unit ( 116 ) is connected to the processor ( 112 ) and transmits and / or receives radio signals . the user equipment ( 120 ) includes a processor ( 122 ), a memory ( 124 ), and an rf unit ( 126 ). the processor ( 122 ) may be configured to realize the processes and / or the methods proposed in the present invention . the memory ( 124 ) is connected to the processor ( 122 ) and stores diverse information associated with the operations of the processor ( 122 ). the rf unit ( 126 ) is connected to the processor ( 122 ) and transmits and / or receives radio signals . the network node ( 110 ) and / or the user equipment ( 120 ) may have a single antenna or multiple antennae . the above - described embodiments of the present invention correspond to predetermined combinations of elements and features and characteristics of the present invention . moreover , unless mentioned otherwise , the characteristics of the present invention may be considered as optional features of the present invention . herein , each element or characteristic of the present invention may also be operated or performed without being combined with other elements or characteristics of the present invention . alternatively , the embodiment of the present invention may be realized by combining some of the elements and / or characteristics of the present invention . additionally , the order of operations described according to the embodiment of the present invention may be varied . furthermore , part of the configuration or characteristics of any one specific embodiment of the present invention may also be included in ( or shared by ) another embodiment of the present invention , or part of the configuration or characteristics of any one embodiment of the present invention may replace the respective configuration or characteristics of another embodiment of the present invention . furthermore , it is apparent that claims that do not have any explicit citations within the scope of the claims of the present invention may either be combined to configure another embodiment of the present invention , or new claims may be added during the amendment of the present invention after the filing for the patent application of the present invention . in the description of the present invention , the embodiments of the present invention have been described by mainly focusing on the data transmission and reception relation between the base station and the terminal ( or user equipment ). occasionally , in the description of the present invention , particular operations of the present invention that are described as being performed by the base station may also be performed by an upper node of the base station . more specifically , in a network consisting of multiple network nodes including the base station , it is apparent that diverse operations that are performed in order to communicate with the terminal may be performed by the base station or b network nodes other than the base station . herein , the term base station ( bs ) may be replaced by other terms , such as fixed station , node b , enode b ( enb ), access point ( ap ), and so on . also , the term user terminal may be replaced by other terms , such as ue ( user equipment ), ms ( mobile station ), mss ( mobile subscriber station ), and so on . the above - described embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by using a variety of methods . for example , the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of hardware , firmware , or software , or in a combination of hardware , firmware , and / or software . in case of implementing the embodiments of the present invention in the form of hardware , the method according to the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by using at least one of asics ( application specific integrated circuits ), dsps ( digital signal processors ), dspds ( digital signal processing devices ), plds ( programmable logic devices ), fpgas ( field programmable gate arrays ), processors , controllers , micro controllers , micro processors , and so on . in case of implementing the embodiments of the present invention in the form of firmware or software , the method according to the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a module , procedure , or function performing the above - described functions or operations . a software code may be stored in a memory unit and driven by a processor . herein , the memory unit may be located inside or outside of the processor , and the memory unit may transmit and receive data to and from the processor by using a wide range of methods that have already been disclosed . the present invention may be realized in another concrete configuration ( or formation ) without deviating from the scope and spirit of the essential characteristics of the present invention . therefore , in all aspect , the detailed description of present invention is intended to be understood and interpreted as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention without limitation . the scope of the present invention shall be decided based upon a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims of the present invention and shall come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . therefore , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents , and it is not intended to limit the present invention only to the examples presented herein . the present invention may be applied to mobile communication systems using the femto cell . most particularly , the present invention may be applied to a method for transmitting a common control channel considering the femto cell and an apparatus for the same .
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fig3 and fig4 illustrate a computer network system or a computing system infrastructure according to an embodiment of the present invention . the computing network system includes a container and a plurality of resources , each of which is associated with a user manager . the container includes an application and a plurality of user stores , each of which is associated with one of the user managers . the application is connected to the user stores through a common application programming interface . the application sends commands to the user managers in a single computing language through the user stores . each user store translates the commands into the particular computing languages utilized by its respective user manager . the container may also include a principle map , separate from the application , to store principles received from the user managers . fig3 illustrates a computer network system 50 according to an embodiment of the invention . the computer network system 50 includes a client 52 , a network 54 , a container 56 , user managers 58 1 - 58 n , a default user manager 60 , and resources 62 1 - 62 n . the client 52 is , for example , a computer , or an individual using a computer or another application running on a computer . the network 54 includes a series of points or nodes ( e . g ., switches , routers , etc .) interconnected by communication paths . the network 54 may include one or more of the following : the internet , a public network , or a local area network ( lan ), and a private network . the container 56 , which may be implemented on a server or other computing system , includes an application 64 , a common application programming interface ( api ) 66 , user stores 68 1 - 68 n , a default user store 70 , and a principle map 72 . although only one principle map 72 is illustrated as being connected to one user store 68 1 , it should be understood that other principle maps may be connected to the other user stores 68 1 - 68 n , or the container 56 may contain multiple principle maps , one for each of the user stores 68 1 - 68 n . the common api 66 is a communication syntax between application 64 and each of the user stores 68 1 - 68 n and the default user store 70 . the application 64 can invoke multiple high level commands / requests from the various user managers 58 1 - 58 n with only a single communication protocol through the common api 66 . examples of the high level commands include commands for managing users and groups of users ( e . g ., obtain information from a user account , create a user account , delete a user account , modify a user account , define a group , modify a group , delete a group , add a user to a group , remove a user from a group , and add a group to a group .) the application may also invoke authentication commands through the api 66 such as “ login ” and “ logout .” in an embodiment , authentication commands that flow through the common api 66 are the same as those used in java authentication and authorization service ( jaas ). these commands include login , logout , abort , and commit ). each of the user managers 58 1 - 58 n is responsible for implementing authentication and authorization services for a corresponding one of the resources 62 1 - 62 n , and each of the user stores 68 1 - 68 n within the container 56 is responsible for communicating with a corresponding one of the user managers 58 1 - 58 n in the language / syntax / format that the user manager comprehends . that is , each of the user stores 68 1 - 68 n is able to communicate with the particular user manager 58 1 - 58 n with the communication protocol that it understands . as illustrated , the default user store 70 is associated with the default user manager 60 . fig4 illustrates a template for any one of the user stores ( 68 in fig4 ). the user store 68 includes a “ single user ” module 76 , a “ group user ” module 78 , an authentication module 80 , and a configuration module 82 . each of modules within the user store 68 contains programming code for “ translating ” between : 1 ) the high level commands / requests discussed above provided by the application 64 though the common api 66 ; and 2 ) the particular communication protocols used by the various user managers 58 1 - 58 n . the single user module 76 includes code for translating common api 66 commands from the application 64 dealing with single users ( e . g ., obtaining information from a user account , creating a user account , deleting a user account , modifying a user account , etc .). the group user module 78 includes code for translating common api 66 commands dealing with groups of users ( e . g ., defining a group , modifying a group , deleting a group , adding a user to a group , removing a user from a group , adding a group to a group , etc .). the authentication module 80 includes code for translating common api 66 for commands dealing with the authentication of users ( e . g ., login , logout , abort , commit , etc .). in an embodiment , the authentication module 80 takes the form of the authentication approach shown in fig2 and may also include the same login modules that are used in jaas . here , the login context is invoked through the common api 66 by the application 64 and the appropriate login module is invoked by the login context to carry out authentication with the user manager . the configuration module 82 includes various configurable information used for communication with one of the particular user managers 58 1 - 58 n , such as the ip address and port of the particular user manager . the configuration module 82 may also include restrictions on users , such as a minimum character requirement for attempting to access a particular user manager or resource , and information regarding the use of specific transport protocols for certain types of communication , such as secure socket layer ( ssl ). the default user manager 60 is the user manager that performs authentication and authorization services for the applications within the container ( rather than any of resources 62 1 - 62 n ). therefore , in use , referring again to fig3 , when the client 52 attempts to gain access to the application 64 within the container 56 , the client 52 must first be authenticated and authorized by the default user manager 60 . when the client 52 has been successfully authenticated and authorized for access to the application 64 , a default principle , “ a ” for example , is sent from the default user manager 60 . thus the client 52 is recognized as principle “ a ” for purposes of authorizing the client &# 39 ; s 52 access within the container 56 . the client 52 may then attempt to access one of the resources 62 1 - 62 n . when the client 52 attempts to access one of the resources 62 1 , a high level authentication command , such as “ login ,” is sent through the common api 66 to user store 68 1 associated with user manager 58 1 that communicates with resource 62 1 that the client 52 is attempting to access . in an embodiment , where user store 68 1 conforms to the design approach of fig4 , the authentication module 80 of user store 68 1 is used . if the approach of fig2 is used for the authentication module 80 , the appropriate login module for use with user store 68 1 is invoked by the login context in response to the “ login ” command sent by the application 64 over the common api 66 . once the client 52 , or the application 64 on behalf of the client , 52 has been authenticated for access to user manager 58 1 , another principle for use with user manager 58 1 (“ b ” for example ) is sent from user manager 58 1 to user store 68 1 as illustrated in fig3 . the principle b is then stored within the principle map 72 . here , as part of the application &# 39 ; s 64 initial invocation of user store 68 1 on behalf of the client 52 for authentication services ( i . e ., the aforementioned “ login ” request sent over the common api 66 ), user store 68 1 was told that the authentication was for principle “ a .” that is , for example , the user store 68 1 was instructed to “ login ” principle “ a ” for access to resource 62 1 . the principle map 72 essentially maps the container principle value “ a ” to user manager 58 1 principle value “ b ” for the same user ( in this case , client 52 ). it should be noted that the principle “ b ” received from user manager 58 1 need not be stored within the application 64 . rather , the principle b may be stored within the principle map 72 that is maintained by user store 68 1 ( or same entity other than the application 64 ). through the principle map 72 , user store 68 1 is able to recognize that the principles a and b have been granted to the same client , and thus , when the client 52 , or application 64 on behalf of the client 52 , again attempts to access resource 62 1 , the client 52 is identified as “ a ” across the common api 66 and the user store 68 1 simply sends principle b back to user manager 58 1 . that is , user store 68 1 “ looks up ” the appropriate principle ( b ) from the principle map 72 for the client 52 that is requesting access to resource 62 1 ( who is identified as principle a ). the client 52 may then access various files 74 on resource 62 1 based on the roles that user manager 58 1 has assigned to principle b . if the client 52 also attempts to access a second resource 62 2 , the client 52 must be authenticated and authorized by a second user manager 58 2 that controls access to the second resource 62 2 . the application 64 sends a “ login ” command through the common api 66 along with the identity of the client 52 as recognized by the container 56 ( principle a ) to a second user store 68 2 ( i . e ., using the same communication protocol as was used to access the first resource 62 1 ). the second user store 68 2 invokes authentication services by user manager 58 2 . thus , the application 64 is able to communicate with the different user managers 58 1 - 58 n by sending commands in a single communication protocol and does not have to be programmed with multiple communication protocols . that is , for example , for both of the accesses to resources 62 1 and 62 2 , the application communicated “ login a ” to both of user stores 58 1 and 58 2 . once the client 52 is authenticated by the second user manager 58 2 , the second user manager 58 2 sends a principle , “ c ” for example , to the second user store 68 2 . the principle c may then be stored within a second principle map 84 as illustrated in fig3 . as before , the second principle map 84 maps a relationship between the received principle ( c ) and the default principle ( a ) of the client 52 . thus , the second user store 68 2 , using the second principle map 84 , will be able to recognize that the principle c and the default principle a are for the same client and , as a consequence , will be able to identify client 52 as principle “ c ” for future uses related to resource 62 2 . for example , the second user store 68 2 is able to send principle c back to the second user manager 58 2 so that the client 52 may be authorized to access the files 74 within the second resource 62 2 which are based on the roles that the second user manager 58 2 has assigned to principle c . if the application 64 ( e . g ., at the commands of the client 52 ) attempts to perform a high level modification to the user records of user manager 58 1 such as “ modify user group ,” a high level command is sent through the common api 66 to the user store 68 1 associated with user manager 58 1 that is connected to the resource 62 1 that the client 52 is attempting to access . this high level command is sent in the communication protocol used by the application 64 , in a syntax not particularly utilized by the particular user manager 58 1 . user store 68 1 essentially “ translates ” the high level command into the particular communication protocol and syntax that is used by the particular user manager 58 1 that the client 52 is attempting to access . for example , the “ modify user group ” command may be translated into “ modify_group .” the “ translation ” of the high level command into the particular communication protocol of the particular user manager 58 1 is pulled from one of the modules within the user stores being accessed . for example , as discussed above , the translation for the “ modify user group ” is stored in the group user module 78 as illustrated in fig4 . if the application 64 ( e . g ., at the commands of the client 52 ) attempts to perform a high level modification to the user records of the second user manager 58 2 , such as “ modify user group ,” a high level command is sent through the common api 66 to the user store 68 2 associated with the second user manager 58 2 that is connected to the second resource 62 2 that the client 52 is attempting to access . this high level command is sent in the communication protocol used by the application 64 . the second user store 68 2 translates the communication protocol used by the application 64 into the particular communication protocol and syntax used by the second user manager 58 2 . for example , the “ modify user group ” command may be translated into “ mg .” as illustrated in fig3 , the container 56 may also utilize a centralized principle map 86 . the centralized principle map 86 may be connected to the application 64 and the user stores 68 1 - 68 n through the common api 66 . in such an embodiment , the centralized principle map 86 would be able to store principles received from the default user manger 60 and the user managers 58 1 - 58 n and map relationships between the principles that would be used by the client 52 in accessing the resources 62 1 - 62 n . fig5 is a block diagram of a computing system 200 that can execute program code stored by an article of manufacture . the computing system 200 includes a processor 202 , a memory 204 , a hard drive 206 , a network interface 208 , a removeable media drive 210 , and a cd - rom 212 , and a display device 214 . it is important to recognize that the computing system of fig5 is just one of various computing architectures . the applicable article of manufacture may include one or more fixed components ( such as a hard disk and a memory ) and / or movable components such as a cd - rom , a compact disc , a magnetic tape , etc . in order to execute program code , typically instructions of the program code are loaded into the memory 204 , such as random access memory ( ram ), and the processor 202 , or microprocessor , then executes the instructions . the computing system of fig5 may be incorporated at various places within the networked computing system infrastructure 50 of fig3 . the processes taught by the discussion above can be practiced within various software environments such as , for example , object - oriented and non - object - oriented programming environments , java based environments ( such as a java 2 enterprise edition ( j2ee ) environment or environments defined by other releases of the java standard , or other environments ( e . g ., a . net environment , a windows / nt environment , each of which is provided by microsoft corporation ). processes taught by the discussion above may be performed with program code such as machine - executable instructions which cause a machine ( such as a “ virtual machine ”, general - purpose processor or special - purpose processor ) to perform certain functions . alternatively , these functions may be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the functions , or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components . an article of manufacture may be used to store program code . an article of manufacture that stores program code may be embodied as , but is not limited to , one or more memories ( e . g ., one or more flash memories , random access memories ( static , dynamic or other )), optical disks , cd - roms , dvd roms , eproms , eeproms , magnetic or optical cards or other type of machine - readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions . program code may also be downloaded from a remote computer ( e . g ., a server ) to a requesting computer ( e . g ., a client ) by way of data signals embodied in a propagation medium ( e . g ., via a communication link ( e . g ., a network connection )). while certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the current invention , and that this invention is not restricted to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described since modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art .
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the detailed description as set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention , and does not represent the only embodiment of the present invention . it is understood that various modifications to the invention may be comprised by different embodiments and are also encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present invention . lenticular printing and lenticular lenses are widely adapted for a variety of items such as signs , posters , collectibles , coasters , magnets , postcards and business cards . lenticular technology is also used in packaging , publishing and labeling . lenticular technology is particularly eye catching and is used to draw attention to otherwise two dimensional graphics . lenticular images provide the user with an illusory effect of movement and three dimensional depth in the image . the effect is created by the combination of lenticular lenses ( a series of lenticules ) and underlying lenticular image . the lenticular image is typically a computer generated segmented image . the segmented image can be a series of images that are stripped and interlaced . the user looks through the lenticular lens and an image is assembled from the segmented interlaced images thus constructing a single image which has depth and / or appears to move depending on the visual angle . the lenticules may be cylindrical , pyramidal , trapezoidal or parabolic . lenticular lenses are well known and commercially available . methods for using lenticular lens technology are described in detail in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 113 , 213 and 5 , 266 , 995 , the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . the underlying lenticular images are a composite of two or more composite interlaced pictures and the lenticular lenses are arranged with the segmented portions to provide the desired image effect . the flat back surface of the lenses lays over the interlaced image and the image is viewed through the lenses sheet . such lenticular image configurations are shown in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 488 , 451 ; 5 , 617 , 178 ; 5 , 847 , 808 and 5 , 896 , 230 , the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . early lenticular technology used both the lenticular image and lenticular lenses as separate components . more recently , the lenticular image maybe incorporated directly on to the flat back surface of a lenticular sheet or film as taught in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 457 , 515 and 6 , 424 , 467 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . it should be understood in the discussion with respect to the present invention that lenticular imaging is distinct from holographic imaging . holographic imaging utilizes a three dimensional image that is created using lasers . because both holographic imagery and lenticular images can display depth , the terms are sometimes confused , but should be understood that the holographic images and lenticular images are separate and distinct technologies . holographic images do not employ lenticular lenses , but rather use etching as a means of creating a desired effect . referring particularly to fig4 there is shown a cross - section of the optical disc 64 of the present invention . the disc 64 comprises a first translucent substrate 66 having a generally planar bottom surface 68 and a top surface 70 . the top surface 70 is formed through the injection molding stamping process to include pits that are representative of the recorded data on the disc . the translucent substrate 66 allows an optical beam 72 ( shown in phantom ; see fig4 ) to project through the substrate 66 . because the top surface 70 is incapable of allowing an optical reader ( not shown ) to identify recorded data , the substrate must include a reflective coating layer 74 to be formed on the surface 70 to allow the optical beam to reflect data back to an optical reader ( not shown ). the substrate 66 is formed of polycarbonate , but may be formed of any suitable translucent plastic material such as polyester , vinyl , polycarbonate , polyvinyl chloride , polyethylene , terephthalate and / or amorphous polyethylene terephthalate . a bonding agent 76 is placed between the data disc substrate 66 and a lenticular substrate 78 . the bonding agent secures the lenticular substrate 78 to the data substrate 66 . the bonding agent may be formed of any acceptable bonding agent used in a bonding process but preferably , the adhesive resin is a cationic uv - curable composition . for example , epoxy resins with a glycidyl ether group and a cationic photionitiator . typically , epoxy resins with low chlorine content are preferred in order to prevent corrosion of the reflective layer 74 . the lenticular substrate 78 is generally translucent and has a planar bottom surface 80 and a top surface 82 . the top surface 82 incorporates a plurality of lenticules 84 formed throughout the top surface . the substrate 78 is preferably formed from translucent polycarbonate but may be formed from any suitable plastic material such as but not limited to polyester , vinyl , polycarbonate , polyvinyl chloride , polyethylene terephthalate and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate . a lenticular image ( not shown ) may be formed onto the lenticular substrate 78 through a lithographic printing process . the image can be transferred to the substrate by any number of printing processes including but not limited to sheet - fed printing , web offset printing , flexographic printing , gravure printing , digital printing and electronic deposition printing . if the images are transferred by digital printing , such digital printing can comprise dye - sublimation printing , laser printing , electrostatic printing , ink jet printing and photographic emulsion . thus , the eye of an observer 86 will look through the lenticular substrate 78 to an image ( not shown ) on the bottom surface 80 of the lenticular substrate 78 . thus , three dimensional art works or other identifying material is displayed on the top surface ( non - recordable ) of the optical disc . the optical disc structure as shown in fig4 and as described herein may be utilized for both dvds and cds . the substrate 78 provides additional protection for the aluminum layer 74 in the underlying data surface 70 , which is particularly problematic for today &# 39 ; s existing cds . furthermore , the structure as described in fig4 can be used to produce intricate images viewable through the substrate 78 which would be extremely difficult to reproduce thus providing anti - counterfeiting protection for legitimate dvds and cds in the market place . referring particularly to fig5 there showed a flow chart diagram illustrating the method of forming a lenticular optical disc in accordance with the method of the present invention . a lenticular substrate 88 , which is a lenticular sheet , is formed through any number of known processes . the lenticular substrate 88 has a lenticular image printed 90 onto the flat under surface . the printed lenticular substrate is then cut 92 into the conventional dvd / cd configuration such as a circular configuration . although the present invention contemplates the use of lenticular technology with standard dvd and cd formats ( i . e ., circular ) it is recognized that it may be used with oddly shaped optical media which are useable in today &# 39 ; s dvd / cds format sizing . in this regard , the shape of the optical media may be of any size that is operable with today &# 39 ; s dvd / cd format . in addition , while the present format contemplates use with present day dvd / cd technology it is expected that a lenticular substrate layer maybe added to any format of optical media presently contemplated today , or as yet as to have been developed . a stamper 94 is used in the injection molding process 96 to create a raw data disc with a polyurethane substrate . although the present invention contemplates that the substrate 66 used in injection molding process 96 is formed from a polycarbonate , it is also contemplated that such substrate may be formed from any number of suitable plastic materials including but not limited to polyester , vinyl , polycarbonate , polyvinyl chloride , polyethylene terephthalate and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate . because the pitted data surface 70 is incapable of transmitting data to an optical reader ( not shown ) a reflective coating is applied 98 , thus completing a functional data disc , but with a raw aluminum surface exposed . thus , the lenticular substrate / disc 78 and the data disc 66 are bonded by a bonding agent 76 through a hot melt bonding process 100 . the hot melt bonding process is well know in dvd - 5 fabrication . once bonded , the disc is inspected 102 and a final product or optical data disc having lenticular qualities 64 is available for use by the consumer . it is understood that lenticular disc 78 and the data disc 66 are approximately 0 . 60 mm in depth so that upon bonding and hot melt bonding process 100 a standard dvd - 5 data disc having a depth of approximately 1 . 2 mm is produced . it is understood and contemplated that although typically cds are produced on substrates of approximately 1 . 2 mm in depth , the process for the present invention contemplates use of two substrates each 0 . 60 mm in depth . the resulting product is demonstrated as shown in fig6 which illustrates a top view of the lenticular image 90 as the lenticular image 90 is being viewed through the lenticular substrate 88 . more particularly , fig6 illustrates that image a , b , and c may be selectively and separately viewed through the lenticular substrate 88 as the product is rotated from left to right , respectively . in other words , image a may be viewed when the product is viewed from the left side , image b may be viewed when the product is viewed straight forward , and image c may be viewed when the product is viewed from the right side . this is merely illustrative of an aspect of the present invention and is not meant to limit the same . for example , more than three images may be viewed as the product is rotated from left to right . and , these images may also be viewed in sequence as the product is rotated from right to left . additionally and alternatively , the image ( s ) may be viewed selectively and separately as the product is rotated from top to bottom . referring particularly to fig7 - 9 , it is contemplated by the present invention that the optical disc 64 because of its unique and stunning imagery may be displayed through the jewel case , emery case or other packaging 104 in which an optical disc 64 is sold . accordingly , that disc 64 may reduce costs in manufacturing and labeling as the disc 64 itself may be used as the featured artwork . in other words , a label or insert for the case 104 which serves the purpose of identification of the disc 64 and marketing for the disc 64 does not have to be produced . rather , the lenticular image 90 viewed through the lenticular substrate 88 serves these purposes . as stated above , the aspects of the present invention , namely , a lenticular image 90 and lenticular substrate 88 attached to a translucent substrate 66 may be utilized as an anti - counterfeiting mechanism . moreover , a case such as an emery case or a jewel case 104 may be modified such that the lenticularized image 90 may be viewed even when the case 104 is in a closed position ( see fig7 ). the aspects of the present invention may be useful to prevent counterfeiting of cds and dvds . as a first example , anti - counterfeiting information may be embedded within the lenticular image 90 such that the anti - counterfeiting information is viewable through the lenticular substrate 88 at an angle that is different compared to its normal consumer usage . in particular , if the normal consumer views the lenticular image 90 by rotating the products from left to right then anti - counterfeiting information may be embedded and interlaced with the image 90 to be viewed by the consumer such that the anti - counterfeiting information is viewable at a vertical angle of 45 degrees . in other words , the anti - counterfeiting information is not viewable during the normal usage of the products . this may be accomplished by placing or interlacing the anti - counterfeiting information at a pitch slightly offset from the pitch of the lenticular image 90 to be viewed by the consumer . in this way , as long as the existence of the anti - counterfeiting information and the angle at which the anti - counterfeiting information may be viewed is maintained with secrecy , a counterfeiter would not incorporate the anti - counterfeiting information in the counterfeit version of the disc . the anti - counterfeiting information may also be , in the alternative , embedded in the lenticular image 90 such that the anti - counterfeiting information may be viewed at an angle at which the consumer may view the lenticular image 90 during the products normal usage . in this regard , the anti - counterfeiting information may be an indistinguishable variation of the lenticular image such that the counterfeiter would not be cognizant of the anti - counterfeiting information upon viewing the lenticular image 90 through the lenticular lenses 88 . for example , if the lenticular image 90 comprised of four frames of dolphins swimming in the ocean , then the anti - counterfeiting information may be a non - natural wrinkle of a wave in the lenticular image 90 . by this way , the counterfeiter would attempt to copy the dolphins and its environment and would not be cognizant of the wrinkle . in this regard , as long as the existence of the anti counterfeiting information is maintained with secrecy , the counterfeiter would not incorporate the anti - counterfeiting information into the lenticular image 90 . moreover , the counterfeiter would not be able to copy the lenticular image 90 directly from an authentic product to thereby inadvertently incorporate the anti counterfeiting information in the copied disc . the reason is that the resolution of the lenticular image 90 through the lenticular lenses 88 is lower than the resolution of the lenticular image 90 viewed directly and not through the lenticular lenses 88 . additionally , the counterfeiter would not be able to remove the lenticular image 90 from the bottom surface 80 of the second substrate 78 because of the method by which the lenticular image 90 is attached to and applied to the bottom surface 80 of the lenticular substrate 78 . the lenticular disc of the present invention is particularly resistant to counterfeiter duplication because it is difficult , if not impossible , to separate the lenticular substrate 78 to expose the lenticular image 90 . furthermore , the image 90 cannot be effectively scanned through the lenticular substrate 78 through any known scanning equipment or process . accordingly , a lenticular image which is created from a series of video frames is incapable of being reproduced , unless the counterfeiter has direct access to the original video frame . in this regard , a record company or recording artist could effectively create a video or film segment which would not be released to the general public , and would thus serve as the verification images for purposes of counterfeit protection . in another aspect of the present invention , the cd or dvd which has the lenticular image 90 and lenticular substrate 88 applied thereto may be viewed through a modified emery case or jewel case 104 , or any suitable case to encompass , enclose or hold the product ( see fig7 ). for purposes of illustrating the present invention and not for limiting the same , an emery case similar to the emery case disclosed in mou et al ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 398 , 022 ) will be used to illustrate various aspects of the present invention . the contents of mou et al . are incorporated herein by reference . the emery case 104 may be comprised of a left flap 106 and a right flap 108 . the right flat 108 may additionally have a post 110 directed to an inner cavity of the emery case 104 . the post 110 may be operative to retain the cd or dvd on the post 110 and correspondingly the cd or dvd within the emery case 104 . the left flap 106 may have an aperture 112 ( see fig8 and 9 ) such that when the left and right flaps 106 , 108 are in a closed position , the cd or dvd is viewable through the aperture 112 . in the invention as shown , the diameter of the aperture 112 is less than the diameter of a disc 64 , in order to retain the disc 64 within the packaging 104 . it is contemplated that the entire package could be shrink wrapped for additional security the cd or dvd may have various configurations such as circular , triangular , or trapezoidal . these configurations are merely illustrative of the configurations of which the cd or dvd may have and are not meant to limit the various configurations which the cd or dvd may have . correspondingly , the aperture 112 may have a respective configuration with respect to the cd configuration . for example , if the cd had a triangular configuration , then the aperture 112 may have a triangular configuration . moreover , the aperture 112 may further have a flange 114 which is directed towards the inner cavity 116 of the case 104 . the flange 114 may be operative to apply pressure to the cd or dvd when the cd or dvd is enclosed within the case 104 . this unique modification to the case serves two purposes , mainly , an anti - counterfeiting protection mechanism and a decorative function . with respect to the former , anti - counterfeiting information may be embedded within the lenticular image 90 in the manner discussed above . accordingly , the anti - counterfeiting information may be utilized in the manner discussed above because the anti counterfeiting information may be viewable through the aperture 112 . with respect to the latter , the consumer may be able to view the lenticularized image 90 through the aperture 112 which may be the preferred placement of the lenticularized image 90 based on a view that the cd or dvd is the true product which the consumer is purchasing . in other words , consumers would prefer the true product to be marketably appealing instead of the case 104 that houses the true product . it should be noted and understood that with respect to the embodiments of the present invention , the materials suggested may be modified or substituted to achieve the general overall resultant high efficiency . the substitution of materials or dimensions remains within the spirit and scope of the present invention .
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for a better understanding of the embodiment of the present invention , a conventional header driven type packet switching system will be first described with reference to fig4 through 6 . fig4 shows a block diagram of a conventional header driven type packet switching system disclosed in japanese unexamined patent publication no . 61 - 127250 . in the figure , the system includes a plurality of packet header processing circuits ( ph l ) 41a to ( ph n ) 4na which are provided in a fixed correspondence with incoming lines ic l to ic n , a route setting mechanism 5a and a switch controller 6a including a routing conversion table . fig5 is a view showing a data packet , and fig6 shows the content of the routing converiion table 6a . referring to fig4 and 6 , the operation is as follows . a data packet including a virtual call number vc and data is transmitted from a packet terminal ( not shown in fig4 ) through an incoming line , for example ic l , to a packet header processing circuit ( ph l ) 41a ( also referred to as a packet handler ). in the packet handler 41a , a line number # 1 is given to the packet . this line number # i ( i = 1 , 2 , ..., or n ) is previously stored in the corresponding packet handler ( ph i ) 4ia . the switch controller ( swc ) 6a receives the line number # i and the virtual call number vc from the packet handler ( ph i ) 4ia through a bus ib . the switch controller 6a then looks up the routing conversion table shown in fig6 according to the line number # i and virtual call number vc in the data packet to find an outgoing line number (# j ) and a next virtual call number vc . the switch controller 6a then rewrites the virtual call number of the data packet to the next virtual call number vc and erases the line number . subsequently , the switch controller sends the data packet through the outgoing line number (# j ). accordingly , the data packet transmitted through the incoming line ici is transferred to the outgoing line oc j . the problem in the prior art header driven type packet switching system is that , since each packet handler is provided in a fixed correspondence with one incoming line , if a plurality of data packets are transmitted through , for example , the incoming line ic l , the packet handler ( ph l ) 41a can not process a data packet until the preceding data packet has been processed . that is , the data packets , which are transmitted through the incoming line ic l while the preceding data packet is being processed in the packet handler ( ph l ) 41a , must wait until the preceding data packet has been completely processed . therefore , a considerable delay occurs and much time is wasted , even though the remaining packet handlers are free . fig1 is a block diagram showing a principal function of the header driven packet switching system according to the present invention . to solve the problem mentioned above , the present invention provides , as shown in fig1 incoming line circuits 21 to 26 having fifo type buffers and corresponding to incoming lines 1l to 1n to which user packet terminals ul through un are connected . the incoming line circuits 2l to 2n are connected to a hunting portion 3 , also referred to as &# 34 ; scanning circuits &# 34 ;, for finding a free packet header processing circuit . packet header processing circuits , i . e ., packet handlers ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; ph &# 39 ; s &# 34 ;) 4l to 4m are provided in a ph pool 4 . a routing conversion table 6 is disposed in each of the ph &# 39 ; s 4l to 4m , as typically shown in the figure for the ph 42 . the ph &# 39 ; s 4l to 4m are connected to a route setting mechanism 5 which is constituted by , for example , spatial matrix switches , and connected to outgoing lines 5l to 5n . a data packet dp from , for example , the packet terminal ul ( or a remote exchange ), is stored in the incoming line circuit 21 having an fifo buffer corresponding to the line . the data packet transmitted through the line 11 comprises user data dt and a virtual call number vc ( vc =&# 34 ; a &# 34 ; in the example shown in fig1 ). in the fifo buffer 21 , an incoming line number # i (# i = 11 in this example ) is added to the data packet dp . when the data packet is received by the free ph hunting portion 3 , a free ph ( ph 42 in this example ) is determined from among the ph &# 39 ; s 41 to 43 , which are arranged in the ph pool 4 so as to be independent from the incoming lines , that is , so as not to correspond to the lines . then , a cross point cp1 between the incoming line circuit 21 and the ph 42 in the ph hunting portion 3 is closed to transfer the data packet plus the incoming line number # i = 11 , to the ph 42 . in the ph 42 , the routing conversion table 6 is looked up with regard to the incoming line number and virtual call number of the received data packet , to find an outgoing line number r and a next virtual call number . as a result , the outgoing line number r = 2 , i . e ., the second outgoing line number 52 and the next virtual call number &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;, are determined and then , in the ph 42 , the virtual call number is rewritten to vc = b . in the route setting mechanism 5 , a cross point cp2 connecting the outgoing line number 52 with the ph 42 is closed to transmit the data packet . when a next data packet is received by the free ph hunting portion 3 while the already received data packet is being processed in the ph 42 , the free ph hunting portion 3 will find another free ph other than the ph 42 . therefore , the above - mentioned next data packet can be processed immediately without waiting for the finish of the processing in the ph 42 . in addition , by providing the free ph hunting portion 3 , the ratio of the numbers between the incoming lines 11 to 16 and the numbers of the ph &# 39 ; s 41 to 43 can be arbitrarily determined in accordance with the system design . usually , the processing speed in each ph is lower than the processing speed in each of the incoming line circuits 21 to 26 . therefore , the number of ph &# 39 ; s is usually greater than the number of incoming lines . however , when the traffic in each incoming line is not heavy , the number of ph &# 39 ; s may be less than the number of the incoming lines . fig2 a to 2c are views showing the constitution of an embodiment of the present invention , and the operation thereof will be described with reference to fig3 a through 3c . in fig2 a to 2c , components represented by the same reference marks as those shown in fig1 represent the same components . also , numerals 11 and 12 represent incoming lines , 21 and 22 incoming line circuits , 41 and 42 ph &# 39 ; s , 5a and 5b outgoing line circuits , and 51 and 52 outgoing lines . the incoming line circuits 21 and 22 have the same constitution . the incoming line circuit 21 comprises a scanning circuit 211 for receiving free state signals from the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . , a drive circuit 212 for generating hunt requests with respect to the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . , an incoming line number memory 213 for storing an incoming line number , a control circuit 214 for totally controlling the incoming line circuit 21 , and buffers 215 and 216 for temporarily storing data input from the incoming line 11 . the ph 41 selects a destination of the input data packet and comprises a drive circuit 411 for outputting a signal indicating whether or not the ph 41 is free , a priority control circuit 412 for determining which process request is to be selected when process requests are simultaneously generated by a plurality of the input line circuits 21 , 22 , . . . , a routing conversion table 413 for obtaining an outgoing line number and a next virtual call number vc for the input data packet according to the incoming line number # i and virtual call number vc of the input data packet , a drive circuit 414 for generating connection requests with respect to the outgoing line circuits 5a , 5b , . . . , a receiving circuit 415 for receiving connection completion signals , a control circuit 416 for totally controlling the ph 41 , a gate switch 417 for enabling connection of one of the data transmission lines from among a group of the incoming line circuits , and a buffer 418 for temporarily storing the data packet . the routing conversion table 413 corresponds to the routing conversion table 6 shown in fig1 and the scanning circuit 211 , the drive circuit 212 , and the control circuit 214 correspond to the free ph hunting portion 3 shown in fig1 . the ph 42 has the same constitution as the ph 41 , and comprises a drive circuit 421 , a priority control circuit 422 , a routing conversion table 423 , a drive circuit 424 , a receiving circuit 425 , a control circuit 426 , a gate switch 427 , and a buffer 428 , etc . the routing conversion table 423 may be the same as , for example , the table 413 , which may be prepared simultaneously by a control packet . the outgoing line circuit 5a transmits data packets transferred from the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . to the outgoing line 51 , and comprises a terminating circuit 511 for receiving outgoing line connection requests transmitted from the drive circuits 414 , 424 , . . . of the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . , a drive circuit 512 for outputting connection completion signals to the receiving circuits 415 , 425 , . . of the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . , a control circuit 513 for totally controlling the outgoing line circuit 5a , a gate switch 514 for selectively connecting the outgoing line 51 to the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . , and a ph request fifo type stacking memory 515 ( the contents thereof being ph numbers ) for stacking , in order of arrival , the connection requests transferred from the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . via the terminating circuit 511 . the gate switch 514 includes gates 516 , 517 , 518 , and 519 , and a drive circuit 520 for selectively controlling the gates . the ph request stacking memory 515 processes the outgoing line requests in fifo form so that the order of transfer of the data packets to the outgoing line will not be reversed . the outgoing line circuit 5b has the same constitution as the outgoing line circuit 5a , to transmit data packets to the outgoing line 52 . the operation of the packet switching system of the present invention shown in fig2 a to 2c will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in fig3 a through 3c . ○ 1 in fig2 a to 2c , a data packet from , for example , the incoming line 11 , is stored in the buffer 215 of the incoming line circuit 21 . after the storing , the buffer 215 triggers the control circuit 214 to start a scan by the scanning circuit 211 ( step 301 ). the scanning circuit 211 terminates control lines connected to respective ph &# 39 ; s , for indicating whether the ph &# 39 ; s 41 , 42 , . . . in the next stage are free ( off ) or busy ( on ). the scanning circuit 211 also terminates control lines , connected to respective ph &# 39 ; s , to indicate which of the ph &# 39 ; s is not effective ( for example , has an on indication ). when , for example , the ph 41 is determined to be free ( off ), the control circuit 214 causes the drive circuit 212 to generate a hunt request ( off → on ) which is given to the priority control circuit 412 in the ph 41 ( step 302 ). the control circuit 214 then transits a ph hunt wait state ( step 303 ). the ph hunt wait state is repeated at every certain time limit . ○ 2 the control circuit 416 in the ph 41 starts to operate when activated by the priority control circuit 412 , which terminates hunt request control lines from the incoming line circuits 21 , 22 , . . . . with respect to the process equests from a plurality of the incoming line circuits 21 , 22 , . . . , the priority control circuit 412 controls the competition thereamong and selects one incoming line circuit ( in this example , the circuit 21 ) ( step 304 ). in response , the control circuit 416 opens the gate switch 417 to connect the incoming line circuit 21 to a corresponding gate ( step 305 ), thereby connecting the buffer 215 in the incoming line circuit 21 to the buffer 418 in the ph 41 . in addition , the drive circuit 411 indicates to all of the incoming line circuits 21 , 22 , . . . , that the ph 41 is busy ( off → on ) ( step 306 ), i . e ., is in use , as well as providing a ph hunt effectiveness indication ( off → on ) for the selected incoming line circuit 21 ( step 307 ). the ph 41 then is placed in a data wait state ( step 308 ). ○ 1 the control circuit 214 , which is in the ph hunt wait state , confirms that the ph has been hunted according to the hunt effectiveness indication from the ph 41 to which the hunt request was directed ( step 309 ). the control circuit 214 adds the incoming line number previously written in the incoming line number memory 213 to the data packet stored in the buffer 215 ( step 310 ) and transfers the data packet with the incoming line number to the buffer 418 in the ph 41 ( step 311 ). the second buffer 216 , disposed to correspond to the incoming line , is then checked to see whether or not the data packet is stored therein ( step 312 ). if the data packet is not stored , the incoming line circuit 21 is placed in a free state , ( step 313 ), and if the data packet is stored , the operation returns to stage ○ 1 . ○ 4 the control circuit 416 i the ph 41 , which is in the data wait state , again starts to operate as soon as the dat packet arrives at the buffer 418 , and closes the gate switch 417 to cut the connection between the buffers 215 and 418 . the control circuit 416 indexes the routing conversion table 413 based on the incoming line number and virtual call number of the arrived data packet , takes an outgoing line number and a next virtual call number from the table ( step 314 ), rewrites the virtual call number of the data packet ( step 315 ), and causes the drive circuit 414 to generate an outgoing line connection request ( off → on ) to an outgoing line circuit ( circuit 5a in this example ) corresponding to the outgoing line number ( step 316 ). the ph 41 is then placed in a state for waiting for an outgoing line circuit connection ( step 317 ). ○ 1 the control circuit 513 in the outgoing line circuit 5a synchronously scans ( step 318 ) the ph request stacking memory 515 , which stacks , in order of arrival , outputs , i . e ., outgoing line connection requests from the terminating circuit 511 which receives the outgoing line connection requests from the ph 41 , 42 , . . . , to identify the ph which has generated a particular connection request . therefore , in this example , the control circuit 513 opens and connects the gate 516 of the gate switch 514 corresponding to the ph 41 , and causes the drive circuit 512 to transmit a connection completion signal ( off → on ) to the ph 41 ( step 319 ). the circuit 5a is then placed in a data transfer wait state ( step 320 ). ○ 6 the control circuit 416 in the ph 41 again starts to operate after receiving the connection completion signal generated in stage ○ 5 , and transmits the data packet from the buffer 418 transmission line ( step 321 ). after the completion of the transfer of the data packet , the control circuit 416 causes the drive circuit 414 to send a data transfer completion ( on → off ) to the outgoing line circuit 5a ( step 322 ). the ph 41 is then placed in a completion confirmation wait state ( step 323 ). the data packet will be transferred to the outgoing line 51 through the gate switch 514 in the outgoing line circuit 5a . ○ 7 according to the data transfer completion generated in stage ○ 6 , the control circuit 513 in the outgoing line circuit 5a again starts to operate to close , i . e ., to disconnect , the gate 516 of the gate switch 514 ( step 324 ). the control circuit 513 then causes the drive circuit 512 to send a completion confirmation ( on → off ) to the ph 41 ( step 323 ), and returns to the ph request scanning operation in stage ○ 5 . ○ 8 the control circuit 416 in the ph 41 in the completion confirmation wait state starts to operate upon receipt of the completion confirmation generated in stage ○ 7 , to cause the drive circuit 414 to inform all of the incoming line consists 21 , 22 , . . . that the ph 41 itself is free ( on → off ) ( step 324 ). the ph 41 is then placed in a free state . as described above , a packet switching system can be constituted with simple circuit groups to realize a high speed switching and improve a packet processing capacity of the system . the number of ph &# 39 ; s can be selected depending on traffic conditions so that , if the traffic is light , the number may be smaller than the number of incoming lines , and if the traffic is heavy , the number may be larger than the number of incoming lines . according to the switching system of the present invention , packet processing circuits of the system are arranged so as to be independent from the incoming lines , and therefore , the packet processing circuits act as buffers against traffic congestion in a particular route or against traffic congestion from a particular route , thus improve the flexibility of the system . in addition , the number of ph &# 39 ; s of the system can be determined depending on traffic conditions , so that the system can be optimized , since a ph request stack of the system , of course , processes requests from the respective ph &# 39 ; s in the order of arrival .
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the present invention is a location query service for use with a wireless network that tracks the locations of network users . the location query service provides a requestor with the location of a network user . in providing this service , the present invention contemplates future enhanced digital cellular networks , in which network users will use digital cellular handheld devices to access data from a global computer network , and in which digital cellular network providers will track the location of each network user . referring to fig1 , the primary components of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention include a location server 100 and a user wireless network 102 . user wireless network 102 is in communication with a plurality of network devices 104 . location server 100 is in communication with user wireless network 102 and with a plurality of requestors 106 . the plurality of requestors 106 employ any suitable means to communicate with location server 100 , but preferably use at least one of a pc requestor 108 , a wireless requestor 110 , and a wireline requestor 112 . for communication between location server 100 and pc requestor 108 , the present invention includes a global computer network 114 . for communication between location server 100 and wireless requestor 110 ( which has ip messaging capabilities ), the present invention includes a requestor wireless network 116 and global computer network 114 for ip messaging , and requestor wireless network 116 and a pstn 118 for voice communication . for communication between location server 100 and wireline requestor 112 , the present invention includes pstn 118 . according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , user wireless network 102 is in communication with a location system 120 that provides the locations of the plurality of network devices 104 . location system 120 includes one or both of handheld location systems 122 and a network - based location system 124 . handheld location systems 122 are provisioned in wireless handheld devices 104 . network - based location systems 124 are part of user wireless network 102 . location system 120 provides the location information , e . g ., position coordinates , of a handheld device , which indicates where a network user is located . location system 120 can be a part of the wireless network or can be contained in the handheld devices . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , as shown in fig1 , location system 120 is both a part of the wireless network and is also contained in the handheld devices . for example , suitable methods of determining location as a part of the wireless network include wireless access protocol ( wap ) location services , time difference of arrival ( tdoa ) location systems , angle of arrival ( aoa ) location systems , and other systems using triangulation across cell sites or cell sectors . an example of a suitable location system in the handheld devices is a gps . if location system 120 provides location information in raw form , a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a mapping converter 126 . an example of information in raw form would be gps coordinates , with which the typical telephone user is unfamiliar . as used herein , “ raw ” refers to location information in a rudimentary form , such that a typical telephone user would find it difficult to understand . “ displayable ” refers to location information easily understood by a typical network user . although displayable may imply a visual communication , as used herein , the term extends to other forms of communication , such as audio - based communication . mapping converter 126 includes a cross - referenced database that allows mapping converter 126 to translate raw location information into displayable location information . for example , the database of mapping converter 126 could include an entry associating coordinates “ r - s ” ( raw information ) with the description “ 101 park place ” ( displayable information ). although shown as a separate component of the system in fig1 , mapping converter 126 could be integral to a component described above . one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the functions and structure of mapping converter 126 could be located in several different places , anywhere from location system 120 to the communication devices of the requestors 106 . for example , mapping converter 126 could be located within network - based location system 124 . as another example , mapping converter 126 could also be located within location server 100 . regardless of where mapping converter 126 is provisioned , the desired end result is to deliver displayable location information to the plurality of requestors 106 . location server 100 executes the service logic of the present invention , including receiving location queries from requestors 106 , confirming the access levels of requestors 106 , obtaining the location information of wireless network devices 104 , and returning the location information to requestors 106 . although shown as a separate component in fig1 , one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that location server 100 could be a part of another system component , such as user wireless network 102 , pstn 118 , or global computer network 114 . in a representative embodiment , location server 100 consists of two components . the first component is a locating mechanism ( such as location system 120 ) that determines locations of network devices 104 using various technologies ( e . g ., gps , triangulation , radio signal delay , and cell sector ) and combinations thereof . the location mechanism can reside in a network device ( e . g ., gps ) or within user wireless network 102 . the location mechanism produces x - y coordinates that are typically transmitted to the second component of location server 100 , which could be in the same box or could be connected via an ip network . the second component of location server 100 integrates the coordinate information into various mapping systems and provides an interface to other applications through various protocols , of which ip is the most common . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , location server 100 is in communication with a memory storage 128 . memory storage 128 is a database or other memory storage device that can record relationships between device identifications ( e . g ., mins ) and network user identifications . in addition , memory storage contains authorized requestor lists for each device identification . although fig1 shows memory storage 128 as a separate component of the system accessible to location server 100 , memory storage 128 could be contained within location server 100 . wireless handheld devices 104 operate over user wireless network 102 . familiar examples include pagers and cellular telephones . as a minimum , wireless handheld devices 104 provide network users with wireless communication and cooperate with user wireless network 102 to provide the location of the device . this cooperation may simply involve wireless transmissions to user wireless network 102 that enable network - based location system 124 to ascertain the locations of devices 104 . or , in conjunction with network - based location system 124 , wireless handheld devices 104 may include handheld location systems 122 , such as gpss integral to the devices . to facilitate the alternative exemplary embodiment in which a network user responds to off - list requests , wireless handheld devices 104 include messaging capabilities that can communicate a request for access , the identification of the unauthorized requestor , and a response by the network user . for example , such messaging capabilities can be audio - based , text - based , or graphical . preferably , wireless handheld devices 104 are wap - compatible thin clients having thin browsers adapted to access global computer network 114 and to communicate with , location server 100 . global computer network 114 provides communication between tcp / ip requestor devices and location server 100 . preferably , global computer network 114 is the internet . also , preferably , network 114 provides a user - friendly interface , e . g ., a graphical user interface , through which a requestor can submit a location query . with a graphical user interface ( gui ), the requestor device , such as pc requestor 108 , is provisioned with software that cooperates with the gui . global computer network 114 also preferably supports communication with wap - compatible wireless devices , such as wireless requestor 110 . with these wap - compatible wireless devices , requestor wireless network 116 provides communication between wireless requester 110 and global computer network 114 . pstn 118 provides communication between pstn devices and location server 100 . along with requestor wireless network 116 , pstn 118 also provides communication : between wireless requestors and location server 100 . location server 100 preferably supports a number of different protocols , at least one of which is ip . pstn 118 preferably includes a voice xml ( extensible markup language ) server , which allows pstn 118 to interface with location server 100 and provides a common markup language for supporting voice browsing applications . the voice xml server could include , for example , an ivru allowing a requestor to use a touch - tone pad to navigate the application . the plurality of requestors 106 communicate with location server 100 using a device compatible with location server 100 or compatible with an interface between the requestors 106 and location server 100 . global computer network 114 and pstn 118 are examples of these types of interfaces . compatible devices include personal computers and ip wireless devices for global computer network 114 , and standard wireline telephones for pstn 118 . together , the above components provide the location query service as outlined in the flowchart of fig2 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . while the system operation described herein and illustrated in the diagram and flowchart contains many specific details , these specific details should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention , but rather as examples of exemplary embodiments thereof . as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art , many other variations on the system operation are possible , including differently grouped and ordered method steps . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated , but by the appended claims and their equivalents . as shown in step 200 , a requestor submits a location query to location server 100 . the query includes at least an identification of the requestor and an identification of the network user about whom the requestor desires location information . optionally , the query also includes a password , which enables a location query service provider to allow access to the service only by requestors who pay for the service . alternatively , only the network user pays for the service and gives her authorized requestors a password to gain access to the service . the requestor submits the query using any number of communications media supported by location server 100 and the requestor &# 39 ; s individual communication device . for example , if the requestor uses a personal computer 108 linked to location server 100 through global computer network 114 , the requestor could initiate the query using a graphical user interface . as another example , if the requestor uses a text messaging wireless device 110 linked to location server 100 through requestor wireless network 116 and global computer network 114 , the requestor could initiate the query using a menu driven interface or a series of key sequence inputs . as another example , if the requestor uses a wireline telephone , the requestor could interact with an ivru using the requestor &# 39 ; s touch - tone keys to initiate the query . in an exemplary embodiment , the present invention accommodates the variety of ways in which a requestor can identify the network user that the requestor wishes to locate . for example , the requestor can give a telephone number , name , internet address , or email address of the network user . in response , location server 100 , global computer network 114 , pstn 118 , or a separate system component consults a database cross referencing this information and translates the given identification into an identification of the network user &# 39 ; s wireless device ( e . g ., the min ). as described later in this process , location server 100 provides location system 120 with this device identification to search for the location of the device . once location server 100 has received the query , in step 202 , location server 100 determines whether the requestor is an authorized requestor and whether the network user in question accepts requests from unauthorized off - list requestors to view the network user &# 39 ; s location information . location server 100 determines if the requestor is an authorized requestor by consulting memory storage 128 , which contains a list that the network user provides . the list indicates which people ( requestors ) have access to the network user &# 39 ; s location information . although shown as a separate system component in fig1 , memory storage 128 could be a part of location server 100 , such that the list is stored in location server 100 . along with the access list , the network user specifies a user preference dictating whether the network user will entertain requests to release her location information to requestors not on the access list . the user preference is also preferably stored in memory storage 128 , but can be stored in any location accessible to location server 100 . location server 100 consults this user preference if the requestor is not on the access list . if the requestor is unauthorized and the network user does not accept individual requests to release location information , in step 204 a , location server 100 returns a message to the requestor reporting that the location query has been denied . if the requester is unauthorized , but the network user does entertain requests to release location information , in step 204 b , location server 100 asks the network user if the requestor can receive the network user &# 39 ; s location information . in asking for approval , location server 100 provides the network user with the identity of the requestor . if the network user chooses not to release her location information to the requestor , in step 204 c , location server 100 returns a message to the requester reporting that the location query has been denied . if , in step 204 b , the network user chooses to release her location information to the requestor , in step 204 d , location server 100 proceeds with determining the location information of the wireless device . likewise , if originally in step 202 , location server determines that the requestor is on the access list and is authorized , location server 100 proceeds with determining the location information of the wireless device in step 204 d . in step 204 d , location server 100 asks user wireless network 102 for the location information of the network user . in this inquiry , location server 100 includes the identification of the device corresponding to the network user . in step 206 a , user wireless network 102 uses location system 120 to determine the location of the specified network device . user wireless network 102 monitors wireless handheld devices that are powered on . in most instances , a network user simply turns on his wireless handheld device and , if it is a text messaging device , leaves the network interface open , perhaps to a web page . the initial accessing of the web page or the completion of any other wireless transmission ( e . g ., placing of a wireless telephone call ) provides user wireless network 102 with location and identity information . in addition , each time the web page automatically refreshes , or each time the network user enters a browse command , user wireless network 102 receives updated location information . thus , after location server 100 asks user wireless network 102 for the location of the network user , location system 120 of user wireless network 102 waits for the next transmission by the network device and determines the location information from that transmission . alternatively , instead of having location server 100 query user wireless network 102 for location information regarding a specific mobile device , location system 120 could be configured to continuously track devices and push location information to location server 100 . as another way to avoid a prolonged wait for the transmission providing the location information , in an alternative exemplary embodiment , as shown in fig3 , the present invention periodically records a device &# 39 ; s location in a location database 300 . therefore , instead of activating location system 120 only in response to a request from location server 100 , location system 120 of user wireless network 102 periodically updates location database 300 and always has location information available when location server 100 makes a request . in such a case , as shown in step 206 b , location server 100 checks location database 300 for the location information of the network user . although maintaining a database that is periodically updated for all network devices requires considerable amounts of data storage , this alternative embodiment provides a more immediate response to the requestor . in steps 206 a or 206 b , location system 120 of user wireless network 102 provides the location information in either raw or displayable forms . if location system 120 provides raw location information , such as x - y coordinates , the method of the present invention preferably further includes translating the raw data to a displayable message , easily comprehended by a typical requestor . mapping converter 126 executes this translation and the method of the present invention varies depending upon where mapping converter 126 is provisioned ( as described below and shown in fig4 ). in step 208 , if location system 120 provides raw location information and mapping converter 126 is provisioned in user wireless network 102 , user wireless network 102 translates the raw location information to a displayable form before returning the location information to location server 100 . if location system 120 provides the location information in displayable form , or if location system 120 provides the location information in raw form and user wireless network 102 does not have a mapping converter , user wireless network 102 simply forwards the location information . in step 210 , user wireless network 102 returns the location information , whether raw or displayable , to location server 100 . in step 212 , if the location information is in raw form and location server 100 contains mapping converter 126 , location server 100 translates the location information to displayable form . finally , in step 214 , location server 100 returns the location information of the network user back to the requestor . the benefits of the present invention apply to numerous situations in which a requestor wants to know the location of a network user . the most applicable situations involve network users that require a certain degree of supervision by another ( the requestor ). examples of these types of network users include parolees , the elderly , and children . in each case , the present invention provides a location query service by making use of a wireless device that the network user would otherwise already be using for its primary purpose , e . g ., a cellular telephone used for personal voice communication . as another specific example , the present invention could be implemented in the context of an instant messaging service . a user could have an instant messaging service configured to display only the friends of that user who are in the same city as the user . when a friend &# 39 ; s name appears on the user &# 39 ; s instant messaging screen , the user may want the option to query for the location of the friend to determine , for example , whether the friend is near enough to have lunch and , if so , to select a restaurant that is conveniently located for the friend and the user . using the present invention to obtain the location information would save the user from having to send a message to the friend asking for the location of the friend . the location query of the present invention could be explicit or implicit , occurring in the background of the instant messaging service , as a result of a configuration option or an action in the application . the foregoing disclosure of embodiments 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 forms disclosed . many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure . the scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto , and by their equivalents .
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in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . in this regard , directional terminology , such as “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ front ,” “ back ,” “ leading ,” “ trailing ,” etc ., is used with reference to the orientation of the fig . ( s ) being described . because components of embodiments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations , the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting . it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description , therefore , is not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . fig1 a is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of a mold assembly 30 having moveable liner plates 32 a , 32 b , 32 c and 32 d according to the present invention . mold assembly 30 includes a drive system assembly 31 having side - members 34 a and 34 b and cross - members 36 a and 36 b , respectively having an inner wall 38 a , 38 b , 40 a , and 40 b , and coupled to one another such that the inner surfaces form a mold box 42 . in the illustrated embodiment , cross members 36 a and 36 b are bolted to side members 34 a and 34 b with bolts 37 . moveable liner plates 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , and 32 d , respectively have a front surface 44 a , 44 b , 44 c , and 44 d configured so as to form a mold cavity 46 . in the illustrated embodiment , each liner plate has an associated gear drive assembly located internally to an adjacent mold frame member . a portion of a gear drive assembly 50 corresponding to liner plate 32 a and located internally to cross - member 36 a is shown extending through side - member 34 a . each gear drive assembly is selectively coupled to its associated liner plate and configured to move the liner plate toward the interior of mold cavity 46 by applying a first force in a first direction parallel to the associated cross - member , and to move the liner plate away from the interior of mold cavity 46 by applying a second force in a direction opposite the first direction . side members 34 a and 34 b and cross - members 36 a and 36 b each have a corresponding lubrication port that extends into the member and provides lubrication to the corresponds gear elements . for example , lubrication ports 48 a and 48 b . the gear drive assembly and moveable liner plates according to the present invention are discussed in greater detail below . in operation , mold assembly 30 is selectively coupled to a concrete block machine . for ease of illustrative purposes , however , the concrete block machine is not shown in fig1 . in one embodiment , mold assembly 30 is mounted to the concrete block machine by bolting side members 34 a and 34 b of drive system assembly 31 to the concrete block machine . in one embodiment , mold assembly 30 further includes a head shoe assembly 52 having dimensions substantially equal to those of mold cavity 46 . head shoe assembly 52 is also configured to selectively couple to the concrete block machine . liner plates 32 a through 32 d are first extended a desired distance toward the interior of mold box 42 to form the desired mold cavity 46 . a vibrating table on which a pallet 56 is positioned is then raised ( as indicated by directional arrow 58 ) such that pallet 56 contacts and forms a bottom to mold cavity 46 . in one embodiment , a core bar assembly ( not shown ) is positioned within mold cavity 46 to create voids within the finished block in accordance with design requirements of a particular block . mold cavity 46 is then filled with concrete from a moveable feedbox drawer . head shoe assembly 52 is then lowered ( as indicated by directional arrow 545 onto mold 46 and hydraulically or mechanically presses the concrete . head shoe assembly 52 along with the vibrating table then simultaneously vibrate mold assembly 30 , resulting in a high compression of the concrete within mold cavity 46 . the high level of compression fills any voids within mold cavity 46 and causes the concrete to quickly reach a level of hardness that permits immediate removal of the finished block from mold cavity 46 . the finished block is removed by first retracting liner plates 32 a through 32 d . head shoe assembly 52 and the vibrating table , along with pallet 56 , are then lowered ( in a direction opposite to that indicated by arrow 58 ), while mold assembly 30 remains stationary so that head shoe assembly 56 pushes the finished block out of mold cavity 46 onto pallet 52 . when a lower edge of head shoe assembly 52 drops below a lower edge of mold assembly 30 , the conveyer system moves pallet 56 carrying the finished block away and a new pallet takes its place . the above process is repeated to create additional blocks . by retracting liner plates 32 a through 32 b prior to removing the finished block from mold cavity 46 liner plates 32 a through 32 d experience less wear and , thus , have an increased operating life expectancy . furthermore , moveable liner plates 32 a through 32 d also enables a concrete block to be molded in a vertical position relative to pallet 56 , in lieu of the standard horizontal position , such that head shoe assembly 52 contacts what will be a “ face ” of the finished concrete block . a “ face ” is a surface of the block that will be potentially be exposed for viewing after installation in a wall or other structure . fig2 is a perspective view 70 illustrating a moveable liner plate and corresponding gear drive assembly according to the present invention , such as moveable liner plate 32 a and corresponding gear drive assembly 50 . for illustrative purposes , side member 34 a and cross - member 36 are not shown . gear drive assembly 50 includes a first gear element 72 selectively coupled to liner plate 32 a , a second gear element 74 , a single rod - end double - acting pneumatic cylinder ( cylinder ) 76 coupled to second gear element 74 via a piston rod 78 , and a gear track 80 . cylinder 76 includes an aperture 82 for accepting a pneumatic fitting . in one embodiment , cylinder 76 comprises a hydraulic cylinder . in one embodiment , cylinder 76 comprises a double rod - end dual - acting cylinder . in one embodiment , piston rod 78 is threadably coupled to second gear element 74 . in the embodiment of fig2 , first gear element 72 and second gear . element 74 are illustrated and hereinafter referred to as a gear plate 72 and second gear element 74 , respectively . however , while illustrated as a gear plate and a cylindrical gear head , first gear element 72 and second gear element 74 can be of any suitable shape and dimension . gear plate 72 includes a plurality of angled channels on a first major surface 84 and is configured to slide in gear track 80 . gear track 80 slidably inserts into a gear slot ( not shown ) extending into cross member 36 a from inner wall 40 a . cylindrical gear head 74 includes a plurality of angled channels on a surface 86 adjacent to first major surface 84 of female gear plate 72 , wherein the angled channels are tangential to a radius of cylindrical gear head 74 and configured to slidably mate and interlock with the angled channels of gear plate 72 . liner plate 32 a includes guide posts 88 a , 88 b , 88 c , and 88 d extending from a rear surface 90 . each of the guide posts is configured to slidably insert into a corresponding guide hole ( not shown ) extending into cross member 36 a from inner wall 40 a . the gear slot and guide holes are discussed in greater detail below . when cylinder 76 extends piston rod 78 , cylindrical gear head 74 moves in a direction indicated by arrow 92 and , due to the interlocking angled channels , causes gear plate 72 and , thus , liner plate 32 a to move toward the interior of mold 46 as indicated by arrow 94 . it should be noted that , as illustrated , fig2 depicts piston rod 78 and cylindrical gear head 74 in an extended position . when cylinder 76 retracts piston rod 78 , cylindrical gear head 74 moves in a direction indicated by arrow 96 causing gear plate 72 and liner plate 32 to move away from the interior of the mold as indicated by arrow 98 . as liner plate 32 a moves , either toward or away from the center of the mold , gear plate 72 slides in guide track 80 and guide posts 88 a through 88 d slide within their corresponding guide holes . in one embodiment , a removable liner face 100 is selectively coupled to front surface 44 a via fasteners 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , and 102 d extending through liner plate 32 a . removable liner face 100 is configured to provide a desired shape and / or provide a desired imprinted pattern , including text , on a block made in mold 46 . in this regard , removable liner face 100 comprises a negative of the desired shape or pattern . in one embodiment , removable liner face 100 comprises a polyurethane material . in one embodiment , removable liner face 100 comprises a rubber material . in one embodiment , removable liner plate comprises a metal or metal alloy , such as steel or aluminum . in one embodiment , liner plate 32 further includes a heater mounted in a recess 104 on rear surface 90 , wherein the heater aids in curing concrete within mold 46 to reduce the occurrence of concrete sticking to front surface 44 a and removable liner face 100 . fig3 a is a top view 120 of gear drive assembly 50 and liner plate 32 a , as indicated by directional arrow 106 in fig2 . in the illustration , side members 34 a and 34 b , and cross member 36 a are indicated dashed lines . guide posts 88 c and 88 d are slidably inserted into guide holes 122 c and 122 d , respectively , which extend into cross member 36 a from interior surface 40 a . guide holes 122 a and 122 b , corresponding respectively to guide posts 88 a and 88 b , are not shown but are located below and in - line with guide holes 122 c and 122 d . in one embodiment , guide hole bushings 124 c and 124 d are inserted into guide holes 122 c and 122 d , respectively , and slidably receive guide posts 88 c and 88 d . guide hole bushings 124 a and 124 b are not shown , but are located below and in - line with guide hole bushings 124 c and 124 d . gear track 80 is shown as being slidably inserted in a gear slot 126 extending through cross member 36 a with gear plate 72 sliding in gear track 80 . gear plate 72 is indicated as being coupled to liner plate 32 a by a plurality of fasteners 128 extending through liner plate 32 a from front surface 44 a . a cylindrical gear shaft is indicated by dashed lines 134 as extending through side member 34 a and into cross member 36 a and intersecting , at least partially with gear slot 126 . cylindrical gear head 74 , cylinder 76 , and piston rod 78 are slidably inserted into gear shaft 134 with cylindrical gear head 74 being positioned over gear plate 72 . the angled channels of cylindrical gear head 74 are shown as dashed lines 130 and are interlocking with the angled channels of gear plate 72 as indicated at 132 . fig3 b is a side view 140 of gear drive assembly 50 and liner plate 32 a , as indicated by directional arrow 108 in fig2 . liner plate 32 a is indicated as being extended , at least partially , from cross member 36 a . correspondingly , guide posts 88 a and 88 d are indicated as partially extending from guide hole bushings 124 a and 124 d , respectively . in one embodiment , a pair of limit rings 142 a and 142 d are selectively coupled to guide posts 88 a and 88 , respectively , to limit an extension distance that liner plate 32 a can be extended from cross member 36 a toward the interior of mold cavity 46 . limit rings 142 b and 142 c corresponding respectively to guide posts 88 b and 88 c are not shown , but are located behind and in - line with limit rings 142 a and 142 d . in the illustrated embodiment , the limit rings are indicated as being substantially at an end of the guide posts , thus allowing a substantially maximum extension distance from cross member 36 a . however , the limit rings can be placed at other locations along the guide posts to thereby adjust the allowable extension distance . fig4 a and fig4 b are top views 150 and 160 , respectively , of mold assembly 30 . fig4 a illustrates liner plates 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , and 32 d in a retracted positions . liner faces 152 , 154 , and 154 correspond respectively to liner plates 32 b , 32 c , and 32 d . fig4 b illustrates liner plates 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , and 32 d , along with their corresponding liner faces 100 , 152 , 154 , and 156 in an extended position . fig5 a is a top view 170 of gear plate 72 . gear plate 72 includes a plurality of angled channels 172 running across a top surface 174 of gear plate 72 . angled channels 172 form a corresponding plurality of linear “ teeth ” 176 having as a surface the top surface 174 . each angled channel 172 and each tooth 176 has a respective width 178 and 180 . the angled channels run at an angle ( θ ) 182 from 0 °, indicated at 186 , across gear plate 72 . fig5 b is an end view (“ a ”) 185 of gear plate 72 , as indicated by directional arrow 184 in fig5 a , further illustrating the plurality of angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 . each angled channel 172 has a depth 192 . fig5 c illustrates a view 200 of a flat surface 202 of cylindrical gear head 76 . cylindrical gear head 76 includes a plurality of angled channels 204 running across surface 202 . angled channels 204 form a corresponding plurality of linear teeth 206 . the angled channels 204 and linear teeth 206 have widths 180 and 178 , respectively , such that the width of linear teeth 206 substantially matches the width of angled channels 172 and the width of angled channels 204 substantially match the width of linear teeth 176 . angled channels 204 and teeth 206 run at angle ( θ ) 182 from 0 °, indicated at 186 , across surface 202 . fig5 d is an end view 210 of cylindrical gear head 76 , as indicated by directional arrow 208 in fig5 c , further illustrating the plurality of angled channels 204 and linear teeth 206 . surface 202 is a flat surface tangential to a radius of cylindrical gear head 76 . each angled channel has a depth 192 from flat surface 202 . when cylindrical gear head 76 is “ turned over ” and placed across surface 174 of gear plate 72 , linear teeth 206 of gear head 76 mate and interlock with angled channels 172 of gear plate 72 , and linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 mate and interlock with angled channels 204 of gear head 76 ( see also fig2 ). when gear head 76 is forced in direction 92 , linear teeth 206 of gear head 76 push against linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 and force gear plate 72 to move in direction 94 . conversely , when gear head 76 is forced in direction 96 , linear teeth 206 of gear head 76 push against linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 and force gear plate 72 to move in direction 98 . in order for cylindrical gear head 76 to force gear plate 72 in directions 94 and 98 , angle ( θ ) 182 must be greater than 0 ° and less than 90 °. however , it is preferable that θ 182 be at least greater than 45 °. when θ 182 is 45 ° or less , it takes more force for cylindrical gear head 74 moving in direction 92 to push gear plate 72 in direction 94 than it does for gear plate 72 being forced in direction 98 to push cylindrical gear head 74 in direction 96 , such as when concrete in mold 46 is being compressed . the more θ 182 is increased above 450 , the greater the force that is required in direction 98 on gear plate 72 to move cylindrical gear head 74 in direction 96 . in fact , at 900 gear plate 72 would be unable to move cylindrical gear head 74 in either direction 92 or 96 , regardless of how much force was applied to gear plate 72 in direction 98 . in effect , angle ( θ ) acts as a multiplier to a force provided to cylindrical gear head 74 by cylinder 76 via piston rod 78 . when θ 182 is greater than 45 °, an amount of force required to be applied to gear plate 72 in direction 98 in order to move cylindrical gear head 74 in direction 96 is greater than an amount of force required to be applied to cylindrical gear head 74 in direction 92 via piston rod 78 in order to “ hold ” gear plate 72 in position ( i . e ., when concrete is being compressed in mold 46 ). however , the more θ 182 is increased above 45 °, the less distance gear plate 72 , and thus corresponding liner plate 32 a , will move in direction 94 when cylindrical gear head 74 is forced in direction 92 . a preferred operational angle for θ 182 is approximately 70 °. this angle represents roughly a balance , or compromise , between the length of travel of gear plate 72 and an increase in the level of force required to be applied in direction 98 on gear plate 72 to force gear head 74 in direction 96 . gear plate 72 and cylindrical gear head 74 and their corresponding angled channels 176 and 206 reduce the required psi rating of cylinder 76 necessary to maintain the position of liner plate 32 a when concrete is being compressed in mold cavity 46 and also reduces the wear experienced by cylinder 76 . additionally , from the above discussion , it is evident that one method for controlling the travel distance of liner plate 32 a is to control the angle ( θ ) 182 of the angled channels 176 and 206 respectively of gear plate 72 and cylindrical gear head 74 . fig6 a is a top view 220 of gear track 80 . gear track 80 has a top surface 220 , a first end surface 224 , and a second end surface 226 . a rectangular gear channel , indicated by dashed lines 228 , having a first opening 230 and a second opening 232 extends through gear track 80 . an arcuate channel 234 , having a radius required to accommodate cylindrical gear head 76 extends across top surface 220 and forms a gear window 236 extending through top surface 222 into gear channel 228 . gear track 80 has a width 238 incrementally less than a width of gear opening 126 in side member 36 a ( see also fig3 a ). fig6 b is an end view 250 of gear track 80 , as indicated by direction arrow 240 in fig6 a , further illustrating gear channel 228 and arcuate channel 234 . gear track 80 has a depth 252 incrementally less than height of gear opening 126 in side member 36 a ( see fig3 a ). fig6 b is a side view 260 of gear track 80 as indicated by directional arrow 242 in fig6 a . fig7 is a top view 270 illustrating the relationship between gear track 80 and gear plate 72 . gear plate 72 has a width 272 incrementally less than a width 274 of gear track 80 , such that gear plate 72 can be slidably inserted into gear channel 228 via first opening 230 . when gear plate 72 is inserted within gear track 80 , angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 are exposed via gear window 236 . fig8 a is a top view 280 illustrating the relationship between gear plate 72 , cylindrical gear head 74 , and gear track 80 . gear plate 72 is indicated as being slidably inserted within guide track 80 . cylindrical gear head 74 is indicated as being positioned within arcuate channel 234 , with the angled channels and linear teeth of cylindrical gear head 74 being slidably mated and interlocked with the angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 . when cylindrical gear head 74 is moved in direction 92 by extending piston rod 78 , gear plate 72 extends outward from gear track 80 in direction 94 ( see also fig9 b below ). when cylindrical gear head 74 is moved in direction 96 by retracting piston rod 78 , gear plate 72 retracts into gear track 80 in direction 98 ( see also fig9 a below ). fig8 b is a side view 290 of gear plate 72 , cylindrical gear head 74 , and guide track 80 as indicated by directional arrow 282 in fig8 a . cylindrical gear head 74 is positioned such that surface 202 is located within arcuate channel 234 . angled channels 204 and teeth 206 of cylindrical gear head 74 extend through gear window 236 and interlock with angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 located within gear channel 228 . fig8 c is an end view 300 as indicated by directional arrow 284 in fig8 a , and further illustrates the relationship between gear plate 72 , cylindrical gear head 74 , and guide track 80 . fig9 a is top view 310 illustrating gear plate 72 being in a fully retracted position within gear track 80 , with liner plate 32 a being retracted against cross member 36 a . for purposes of clarity , cylindrical gear head 74 is not shown . angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 are visible through gear window 236 . liner plate 32 a is indicated as being coupled to gear plate 72 with a plurality of fasteners 128 extending through liner plate 32 a into gear plate 72 . in one embodiment , fasteners 128 threadably couple liner plate 32 a to gear plate 72 . fig9 b is a top view 320 illustrating gear plate 72 being extended , at least partially from gear track 80 , with liner plate 32 a being separated from cross member 36 a . again , cylindrical gear head 74 is not shown and angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 are visible through gear window 236 . fig1 a is a diagram 330 illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a gear drive assembly 332 according to the present invention . gear drive assembly 332 includes cylindrical gear head 74 , cylinder 76 , piston rod 78 , and a cylindrical sleeve 334 . cylindrical gear head 74 and piston rod 78 are configured to slidably insert into cylindrical sleeve 334 . cylinder 76 is threadably coupled to cylindrical sleeve 334 with an 0 - ring 336 making a seal . a window 338 along an axis of cylindrical sleeve 334 partially exposes angled channels 204 and linear teeth 206 . a fitting 342 , such as a pneumatic or hydraulic fitting , is indicated as being threadably coupled to aperture 82 . cylinder 76 further includes an aperture 344 , which is accessible through cross member 36 a . gear drive assembly 332 is configured to slidably insert into cylindrical gear shaft 134 ( indicated by dashed lines ) so that window 338 intersects with gear slot 126 so that angled channels 204 and linear teeth 206 are exposed within gear slot 126 . gear track 80 and gear plate 72 ( not shown ) are first slidably inserted into gear slot 126 , such that when gear drive assembly 332 is slidably inserted into cylindrical gear shaft 134 the angled channels 204 and linear teeth 206 of cylindrical gear head 74 slidably mate and interlock with the angled channels 172 and linear teeth 176 of gear plate 72 . in one embodiment , a key 340 is coupled to cylindrical gear head 74 and rides in a key slot 342 in cylindrical sleeve 334 . key 340 prevents cylindrical gear head 74 from rotating within cylindrical sleeve 334 . key 340 and key slot 342 together also control the maximum extension and retraction of cylindrical gear head 74 within cylindrical sleeve 334 . thus , in one embodiment , key 340 can be adjusted to control the extension distance of liner plate 32 a toward the interior of mold cavity 46 . fig1 a is a top view 350 of cylindrical shaft 334 as illustrated in fig1 b , and further illustrates key 340 and key slot 342 . fig1 a is a top view illustrating one exemplary embodiment of a mold assembly 360 according to the present invention for forming two concrete blocks . mold assembly 360 includes a mold frame 361 having side members 34 a and 34 b and cross members 36 a through 36 c coupled to one another so as to form a pair of mold boxes 42 a and 42 b . mold box 42 a includes moveable liner plates 32 a through 32 d and corresponding removable liner faces 33 a through 33 d configured to form a mold cavity 46 a . mold box 42 b includes moveable liner plates 32 e through 32 h and corresponding removable liner faces 33 e through 33 h configured to form a mold cavity 46 b . each moveable liner plate has an associated gear drive assembly located internally to an adjacent mold frame member as indicated by 50 a through 50 h . each moveable liner plate is illustrated in an extended position with a corresponding gear plate indicated by 72 a through 72 h . as described below , moveable liner plates 32 c and 32 e share gear drive assembly 50 c / e , with gear plate 72 e having its corresponding plurality of angled channels facing upward and gear plate 72 c having its corresponding plurality of angled channels facing downward . fig1 b is diagram illustrating a gear drive assembly according to the present invention , such as gear drive assembly 50 c / e . fig1 b illustrates a view of gear drive assembly 50 c / e as viewed from section a - a through cross - member 36 c of fig1 a . gear drive assembly 50 c / e includes a single cylindrical gear head 76 c / e having angled channels 204 c and 204 e on opposing surfaces . cylindrical gear head 76 c / e fits into arcuate channels 234 c and 234 e of gear tracks 80 c and 80 d , such that angled channels 204 c and 204 e slidably interlock with angled channels 172 c and 172 e of gear plates 72 c and 72 e respectively . angled channels 172 c and 204 c , and 172 e and 204 e oppose one another and are configured such that when cylindrical gear head 76 c / e is extended ( e . g . out from fig1 b ) gear plate 72 c moves in a direction 372 toward the interior of mold cavity 46 a and gear plate 72 e moves in a direction 374 toward the interior of mold cavity 46 b . similarly , when cylindrical gear head 76 c / e is retracted ( e . g . into fig1 b ) gear plate 72 c moves in a direction 376 away from the interior of mold cavity 46 a and gear plate 72 e moves in a direction 378 away from the interior of mold cavity 378 . again , cylindrical gear head 76 c / e and gear plates 72 c and 72 c could be of any suitable shape . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of one exemplary embodiment of a mold assembly 430 according to the present invention . mold assembly includes moveable liner plates 432 a through 4321 for simultaneously molding multiple concrete blocks . mold assembly 430 includes a drive system assembly 431 having a side members 434 a and 434 b , and cross members 436 a and 436 b . for illustrative purposes , side member 434 a is indicated by dashed lines . mold assembly 430 further includes division plates 437 a through 437 g . together , moveable liner plates 432 a through 4321 and division plates 437 a through 437 g form mold cavities 446 a through 446 f , with each mold cavity configured to form a concrete block . thus , in the illustrated embodiment , mold assembly 430 is configured to simultaneously form six blocks . however , it should be apparent from the illustration that mold assembly 430 can be easily modified for simultaneously forming quantities of concrete blocks other than six . in the illustrated embodiment , side members 434 a and 434 b each have a corresponding gear drive assembly for moving moveable liner plates 432 a through 432 f and 432 g through 4321 , respectively . for illustrative purposes , only gear drive assembly 450 associated with side member 434 a and corresponding moveable liner plates 432 a through 432 g is shown . gear drive assembly 450 includes first gear elements 472 a through 472 f selectively coupled to corresponding moveable liner plates 432 a through 432 f , respectively , and a second gear element 474 . in the illustrated embodiment , first gear elements 472 a through 472 f and second gear element 474 are shown as being cylindrical in shape . however , any suitable shape can be employed . second gear element 474 is selectively coupled to a cylinder - piston ( not shown ) via a piston rod 478 . in one embodiment , which is described in greater detail below ( see fig1 ), second gear element 474 is integral with the cylinder - piston so as to form a single component . in the illustrated embodiment , each first gear element 472 a through 472 b farther includes a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 484 that slidably mesh and interlock with a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 486 on second gear element 474 . when second gear element 474 is moved in a direction indicated by arrow 492 , each of the moveable liner plates 432 a through 432 f moves in a direction indicated by arrow 494 . similarly , when second gear element 474 is move in a direction indicated by arrow 496 , each of the moveable liner plates 432 a through 432 f moves in a direction indicated by arrow 498 . in the illustrated embodiment , the angled channels 484 on each of the first gear elements 432 a through 432 f and the angled channels 486 are at a same angle . thus , when second gear element 474 moves in direction 492 and 496 , each moveable liner plate 432 a through 432 f moves a same distance in direction 494 and 498 , respectively . in one embodiment , second gear element 474 includes a plurality of groups of substantially parallel angled channels with each group corresponding to a different one of the first gear elements 472 a through 472 f in one embodiment , the angled channels of each group and its corresponding first gear element have a different angle such that each moveable liner plate 432 a through 432 f move a different distance in directions 494 and 498 in response to second gear element 474 being moved in direction 492 and 496 , respectively . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating a gear drive assembly 500 according to the present invention , and a corresponding moveable liner plate 502 and removable liner face 504 . for illustrative purposes , a frame assembly including side members and cross members is not shown . gear drive assembly 500 includes double rod - end , dual - acting pneumatic cylinder - piston 506 having a cylinder body 507 , and a hollow piston rod 508 with a first rod - end 510 and a second rod - end 512 . gear drive assembly 500 further includes a pair of first gear elements 514 a and 514 b selectively coupled to moveable liner plate 502 , with each first gear element 514 a and 514 b having a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 516 a and 516 b . in the illustrated embodiment , cylinder body 507 of cylinder - piston 506 includes a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 518 configured to mesh and slidably interlock with angled channels 516 a and 516 b . in one embodiment , cylinder body 507 is configured to slidably insert into and couple to a cylinder sleeve having angled channels 518 . in one embodiment , cylinder - piston 506 and piston rod 508 are located within a drive shaft of a frame member , such as drive shaft 134 of cross - member 36 a , with rod - end 510 coupled to and extending through a frame member , such as side member 34 b , and second rod - end 512 coupled to and extending through a frame member , such a side member 34 a . first rod - end 510 and second rod - end 512 are configured to receive and provide compressed air to drive dual - acting cylinder - piston 506 . with piston rod 508 being fixed to side members 34 a and 34 b via first and second rod - ends 512 and 510 , cylinder - piston 506 travels along the axis of piston rod 508 in the directions as indicated by arrows 520 and 522 in response to compressed air received via first and second rod - ends 510 and 512 . when compressed air is received via second rod - end 512 and expelled via first rod - end 510 , cylinder - piston 506 moves within a drive shaft , such as drive shaft 134 , in direction 522 and causes first gear elements 514 a and 516 b and corresponding liner plate 502 and liner face 504 to move in a direction indicated by arrow 524 . conversely , when compressed air is received via first rod - end 510 and expelled via second rod - end 512 , cylinder - piston 506 moves within a gear shaft , such as gear shaft 134 , in direction 520 and causes first gear elements 514 a and 516 b and corresponding liner plate 502 and liner face 504 to move in a direction indicated by arrow 526 . in the illustrated embodiment , cylinder - piston 506 and first gear elements 514 a and 514 b are - shown as being substantially cylindrical in shape . however , any suitable shape can be employed . furthermore , in the illustrated embodiment , cylinder - piston 506 is a double rod - end dual - acting cylinder . in one embodiment , cylinder piston 506 is a single rod - end dual acting cylinder having only a single rod - end 510 coupled to a frame member , such as side member 34 b . in such an embodiment , compressed air is provided to cylinder - piston via single rod - end 510 and a flexible pneumatic connection made to cylinder - piston 506 through side member 34 a via gear shaft 134 . additionally , cylinder - piston 506 comprises a hydraulic cylinder . fig1 is a top view of a portion of mold assembly 430 ( as illustrated by fig1 ) having a drive assembly 550 according to one embodiment of the present invention . drive assembly 550 includes first drive elements 572 a to 572 f that are selectively coupled to corresponding liner plates 432 a to 432 f via openings , such as opening 433 , in side member 434 a each of the first drive elements 572 a to 572 if further coupled to a master bar 573 . drive assembly 550 further includes a double - rod - end hydraulic piston assembly 606 having a dual - acting cylinder 607 and a hollow piston rod 608 having a first rod - end 610 and a second rod - end 612 . first and second rod - ends 610 , 612 are stationary and are coupled to and extend through a removable housing 560 that is coupled to side member 434 a and encloses drive assembly 550 . first and second rod ends 610 , 612 are each coupled to hydrautic fittings 620 that are configured to connect via lines 622 a and 622 b to an external hydraulic system 624 and to transfer hydraulic fluid to and from dual - acting cylinder 607 via hollow piston rod 608 . in one embodiment , as illustrated , first drive elements 572 b and 572 e include a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 616 that slideably interlock with a plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 618 that form a second drive element . in one embodiment , as illustrated above by fig1 , angled channels 618 are formed on dual - acting cylinder 607 of hydraulic piston assembly 606 , such that dual - acting cylinder 607 forms the second drive element . in other embodiments , as will be described by fig1 a - 15c below , the second drive element is separate from and operatively coupled to dual - acting cylinder 607 . when hydraulic fluid is transmitted into dual - acting cylinder 607 from second rod - end 612 via fitting 620 and hollow piston rod 608 , hydraulic fluid is expelled from first rod - end 610 , causing dual - acting cylinder 607 and angled channels 618 to move along piston rod 608 toward second rod - end 612 . as dual - acting cylinder 607 moves toward second tod - end 612 , angled channels 618 interact with angled channels 616 and drive first drive elements 572 b and 572 e , and thus corresponding liner plates 432 b and 432 e , toward the interior of mold cavities 446 b and 446 e , respectively . furthermore , since each of the first drive elements 572 a through 572 f is coupled to master bar 573 , driving first gear elements 572 b and 572 e toward the interiors of mold cavities 446 b and 446 e also moves first drive elements 572 a , 572 c , 572 d , and 572 f and corresponding liner plates 432 a , 432 c , 432 d , and 432 e toward the interiors of mold cavities 446 a , 446 c , 446 d , and 446 f , respectively . conversely , transmitting hydraulic fluid into dual - acting cylinder 607 from first rod - end 610 via fitting 620 and hollow - piston rod 608 causes dual - acting cylinder 607 to move toward first rod - end 610 , and causes liner plates 432 to move away from the interiors of corresponding mold cavities 446 . in one embodiment , drive assembly 550 further includes support shafts 626 , such as support shafts 626 a and 626 b , which are coupled between removable housing 560 and side member 434 a and extend through master bar 573 . as dual - acting cylinder 607 is moved by transmitting / expelling hydraulic fluid from first and second rod - ends 610 , 612 , master bar 573 moves back and forth along support shafts 626 . because they are coupled to static elements of mold assembly 430 , support shafts 626 a and 626 b provide support and rigidity to liner plates 432 , drive elements 572 , and master bar 573 as they move toward and away from mold cavities 446 . in one embodiment , drive assembly 550 further includes a pneumatic fitting 628 configured to connect via line 630 to and external compressed air system 632 and provide compressed air to housing 560 . by receiving compressed air via pneumatic fitting 628 to removable housing 560 , the internal air pressure of housing 560 is positive relative to the outside air pressure , such that air is continuously “ forced ” out of housing 560 through any non - sealed openings , such as openings 433 through which first drive elements 572 extend through side member 434 a . by maintaining a positive air pressure and forcing air out through such non - sealed opening , the occurrence of dust and debris and other unwanted contaminants from entering housing 560 and fouling drive assembly 550 is reduced . first and second rod ends 610 , 612 are each coupled to hydraulic fittings 620 that are configured to connect via lines 622 a and 622 b to an external hydraulic system 624 and to transfer hydraulic fluid to and from dual - acting cylinder 607 via hollow piston rod 608 . fig1 a is a top view illustrating a portion of one embodiment of drive assembly 550 according to the present invention . drive assembly 550 includes double - rod - end hydraulic piston assembly 606 comprising dual - acting cylinder 607 and a hollow piston rod 608 with first and second rod - ends 610 and 612 being and coupled to and extending through removable housing 560 . as illustrated , dual - acting cylinder 607 is slideably - fitted inside a machined opening 641 within a second gear element 640 , with hollow piston rod 608 extending through removable end caps 642 . in one embodiment , end caps 646 are threadably inserted into machined opening 641 such that end caps 646 butt against and secure dual - acting cylinder 607 so that dual - acting cylinder 607 30 is held stationary with respect to second drive element 640 . second drive element 640 includes the plurality of substantially parallel angled channels 618 , in lieu of angled channels being an integral part of dual - acting cylinder 607 . with reference to fig1 , angled channels 618 of second gear element 640 are configured to slideably interlock with angled channels 616 of first gear elements 572 b and 572 e . second gear element 640 further includes a guide rail 644 that is slideably coupled to linear bearing blocks 646 that are mounted to housing 560 . as described above with respect to fig1 , transmitting and expelling hydraulic fluid to and from dual - acting cylinder 607 via first and second rod - ends 610 , 612 causes dual - acting cylinder 607 to move along hollow piston - rod 608 . since dual - acting cylinder 607 is “ locked ” in place within machined shaft 641 of second gear element 640 by end caps 642 , second gear element 640 moves along hollow piston - rod 608 together with dual - acting cylinder 607 . as second drive element 640 moves along hollow piston - rod 608 , linear bearing blocks 646 guide and secure guide rail 644 , thereby guiding and securing second drive element 640 and reducing undesirable motion in second drive element 640 that is perpendicular to hollow piston rod 608 . fig1 b is a lateral cross - sectional view a - a of the portion of drive assembly 550 illustrated by fig1 a . guide rail 644 is slideably fitted into a linear bearing track 650 and rides on bearings 652 as second drive element 640 is moved along piston rod 608 by dual - acting cylinder 607 . in one embodiment , linear bearing block 646 b is coupled to housing 560 via bolts 648 . fig1 c is a longitudinal cross - sectional view b - b of the portion of drive assembly 550 of fig1 a , and illustrates dual - acting cylinder 607 as being secured within shaft 641 of drive element 640 by end caps 642 a and 642 b . in one embodiment , end caps 642 a and 642 b are threadably inserted into the ends of second drive element 640 so as to butt against each end of dual - acting cylinder 607 . hollow piston rod 608 extends through end caps 642 a and 642 b and has first and second rod ends 610 and 612 coupled to and extending through housing 560 . a divider 654 is coupled to piston rod 608 and divides dual - acting cylinder 607 into a first chamber 656 and a second chamber 658 . a first port 660 and a second port 662 allow hydraulic fluid to be pumped into and expelled from first chamber 656 and second chamber 658 via first and second rod ends 610 and 612 and associated hydraulic fittings 620 , respectively . when hydraulic fluid is pumped into first chamber 656 via first rod - end 610 and first port 660 , dual - acting cylinder 607 moves along hollow piston rod 608 toward first rod - end 610 and hydraulic fluid is expelled from second chamber 658 via second port 662 and second rod - end 612 . since dual - acting cylinder 607 is secured within shaft 641 by end caps 642 a and 642 b , second drive element 640 and , thus , angled channels 618 move toward first rod - end 610 . similarly , when hydraulic fluid is pumped into second chamber 658 via second rod - end 612 and second port 662 , dual - acting cylinder 607 moves along hollow piston rod 608 toward second rod - end 612 and hydraulic fluid is expelled from first chamber 656 via first port 660 and first rod - end 610 . fig1 is a side view of a portion of drive assembly 550 as shown by fig1 and illustrates a typical liner plate , such as liner plate 432 a , and corresponding removable liner face 400 . liner plate 432 a is coupled to second drive element 572 a via a bolted connection 670 and , in - turn , drive element 572 a is coupled to master bar 573 via a bolted connection 672 . a lower portion of liner face 400 is coupled to liner plate 432 a via a bolted connection 674 . in one embodiment , as illustrated , liner plate 432 a includes a raised “ rib ” 676 that runs the length of and along an lipper edge of liner plate 432 a . a channel 678 in liner face 400 overlaps and interlocks with raised rib 676 to form a “ boltless ” connection between liner plate 432 a and an upper portion of liner face 400 . such an interlocking connection securely couples the upper portion of liner face 400 to liner plate 432 in an area of liner face 400 that would otherwise be too narrow to allow use of a bolted connection between liner face 400 and liner plate 432 a without the bolt being visible on the surface of liner face 400 that faces mold cavity 446 a . in one embodiment , liner plate 432 includes a heater 680 configured to maintain the temperature of corresponding liner face 400 at a desired temperature to prevent concrete in corresponding mold cavity 446 sticking to a surface of liner face 400 during a concrete curing process . in one embodiment , heater 680 comprises an electric heater . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a mold assembly according to the present invention , such as mold assembly 430 of fig1 , further including a controller 700 configured to coordinate the movement of moveable liner plates , such as liner plates 432 , with operations of concrete block machine 702 by controlling the operation of the drive assembly , such as drive assembly 550 . in one embodiment , as illustrated , controller 700 comprises a programmable logic controller ( plc ). as described above with respect to fig1 , mold assembly 430 is selectively coupled , generally via a plurality of bolted connections , to concrete block machine 702 . in operation , concrete block machine 702 first places pallet 56 below mold box assembly 430 . a concrete feedbox 704 , then fills mold cavities , such as mold cavities 446 , of assembly 430 with concrete . head shoe assembly 52 is then lowered onto mold assembly 430 and hydraulically or mechanically compresses the concrete in mold cavities . 446 and , together with a vibrating table on which pallet 56 is positioned , simultaneously vibrates mold assembly 430 . after the compression and vibration is complete , head shoe assembly 52 and pallet 56 are lowered relative to mold cavities 446 so that the formed concrete blocks are expelled from mold cavities 446 onto pallet 56 . head shoe assembly 52 is then raised and a new pallet 56 is moved into position below mold cavities 446 . the above process is continuously repeated , with each such repetition commonly referred to as a cycle . with specific reference to mold assembly 430 , each such cycle produces six concrete blocks . plc 700 is configured to coordinate the extension and retraction of liner plates 432 into and out of mold cavities 446 with the operations of concrete block machine 702 as described above . at the start of a cycle , liner plates 432 are fully retracted from mold cavities 446 . in one embodiment , with reference to fig1 , drive assembly 550 includes a pair of sensors , such as proximity switches 706 a and 706 b to monitor the position of master bar 573 and , thus , the positions of corresponding moveable liner plates 432 coupled to master bar 573 . as illustrated in fig1 , proximity switches 706 a and 706 b are respectively configured to detect when liner plates 432 are in an extended position and a retracted position with respect to mold cavities 446 . in one embodiment , after pallet 56 has been positioned beneath mold assembly 430 , plc 700 receives a signal 708 from concrete block machine 702 indicating that concrete feedbox 704 is ready to deliver concrete to mold cavities 446 . plc 700 checks the position of moveable liners 432 based on signals 710 a and 710 b received respectively from proximity switches 706 a and 706 b . with liner plates 432 in a retracted position , plc 700 provides a liner extension signal 712 to hydraulic system 624 . in response to liner extension signal 712 , hydraulic system 624 begins pumping hydraulic fluid via path 622 b to second rod - end 612 of piston assembly 606 and begins receiving hydraulic fluid from first rod - end 610 via path 622 a , thereby causing dual - acting cylinder 607 to begin moving liner plates 432 toward the interiors of mold cavities 446 . when proximity switch 706 a detects master bar 573 , proximity switch 706 a provides signal 710 a to plc 700 indicating that liner plates 432 have reached the desired extended position . in response to signal 710 a , plc 700 instructs hydraulic system 624 via signal 712 to stop pumping hydraulic fluid to piston assembly 606 and provides a signal 714 to concrete block machine 702 indicating that liner plates 432 are extended . in response to signal 714 , concrete feedbox 704 fills mold cavities 446 with concrete and head shoe assembly 52 is lowered onto mold assembly 430 . after the compression and vibrating of the concrete is complete , concrete block machine 702 provides a signal 716 indicating that the formed concrete blocks are ready to be expelled from mold cavities 446 . in response to signal 716 , plc 700 provides a liner retraction signal 718 to hydraulic system 624 . in response to liner retraction signal 718 , hydraulic system 624 begins pumping hydraulic fluid via path 622 a to first rod - end 610 via path 622 and begins receiving hydraulic fluid via path 622 b from second rod - end 612 , thereby causing dual - acting cylinder 607 to begin moving liner plates 432 away from the interiors of mold cavities 446 . when proximity switch 706 b detects master bar 573 , proximity switch 706 b provides signal 710 b to plc 700 indicating that liner plates 432 have reached a desired retracted position . in response to signal 710 b , plc 700 instructs hydraulic system 624 via signal 718 to stop pumping hydraulic fluid to piston assembly 606 and provides a signal 720 to concrete block machine 702 indicating that liner plates 432 are retracted . in response to signal 720 , head shoe assembly 52 and pallet 56 eject the formed concrete blocks from mold cavities 446 . concrete block machine 702 then retracts head shoe assembly 52 and positions a new pallet 56 below mold assembly 430 . the above process is then repeated for the next cycle . in one embodiment , plc 700 is farther configured to control the supply of compressed air to mold assembly 430 . in one embodiment , plc 700 provides a status signal 722 to compressed air system 630 indicative of when concrete block machine 702 and mold assembly 430 are in operation and forming concrete blocks . when in operation , compressed air system 632 provides compressed air via line 630 and pneumatic fitting 628 to housing 560 of mold assembly 420 to reduce the potential for dirt / dust and other debris from entering drive assembly 550 . when not in operation , compressed air system 632 does not provide compressed air to mold assembly 430 . although the above description of controller 700 is in regard to controlling a drive assembly employing only a single piston assembly , such as piston assembly 606 of drive assembly 500 , controller 700 can be adapted to control drive assemblies employing multiple piston assemblies and employing multiple pairs of proximity switches , such as proximity switches 706 a and 706 b . in such instances , hydraulic system 624 would be coupled to each piston assembly via a pair of hydraulic lines , such as lines 622 a and 622 b . additionally , plc 700 would receive multiple position signals and would respectively allow mold cavities to be filled with concrete and formed blocks to be ejected only when each applicable proximity switch indicates that all moveable liner plates are at their extended position and each applicable proximity switch indicates that all moveable liner plates are at their retracted position . fig1 a through 18c illustrate portions of an alternate embodiment of drive assembly 550 as illustrated by fig1 a through 15c . fig1 a is top view of second gear element 640 , wherein second gear element 640 is driven by a screw drive system 806 in lieu of a piston assembly , such as piston assembly 606 . screw drive system 806 includes a threaded screw 808 , such as an acme or ball style screw , and an electric motor 810 . threaded screw 808 is threaded through a corresponding threaded shaft 812 extending lengthwise through second gear element 640 . threaded screw 808 is coupled at a first end to a first bearing assembly 814 a and is coupled at a second end to motor 810 via a second bearing assembly 814 b . in a fashion similar to that described by fig1 a , second gear element 640 includes the plurality of angled channels 616 which slideably interlock and mesh with angled channels 616 of first gear elements 572 b and 572 e , as illustrated by fig1 . since second gear element 640 is coupled to linear bearing blocks 646 , when motor 810 is driven to rotate threaded screw 808 in a counter - clockwise direction 816 , second gear element 640 is driven in a direction 818 along linear bearing track 650 . as second gear element 640 moves in direction 818 , angled channels . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention . this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein . therefore , it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof .
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in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 and 2 , which is configured for use in the engraving or embossing of indicia into and / or on the surface of curved objects , either cylindrical or irregularly contoured , the operation is as follows : the operator holds handles 5 and 6 to guide tracing stylus 3 over the surface of template 1 . for simplicity , one direction of motion will be discussed at a time . as the operator guides stylus 3 in an upstroke on a letter on template 1 , stylus support 4 moves in a corresponding direction , and causes rods 7 , 8 and rack 9 to move . rods 7 and 8 are slidably supported by pillow blocks 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 on the lowermost side of plate 14 , and rigidly retained by block 15 . rack 9 is rigidly fastened to support 4 and block 15 . the teeth of rack 9 mesh with the teeth of gear 16 and cause gear 16 to rotate . rods 17 and 18 which are slidably attached to gear 16 through bushings 16a and 16b in the face of gear 16 on a diameter of said gear , are rigidly attached to bars 19 , 20 , and cause bars 19 , 20 and shafts 20a and 20b , shaft 20b being rotatably mounted in a hole ( not shown ) in frame 121 , to rotate . movement of bars 19 causes shaft 20a , rotatably mounted through pillow block 21 and sheave 22 , to rotate , causing movement of belt 23 . movement of belt 23 causes rotation of idler sheave 24 and sheave 25 , which is fastened to shaft 26 . rotation of shaft 26 causes rotation of sheave 27 . rotation of sheave 27 causes movement of belt 28 , and rotation of idler sheave 29 and sheave 30 , which is attached to shaft 31 . rotation of shaft 31 causes rotation of sheave 32 , and movement of belt 33 . the opposite end of belt 33 is supported on sheave 34 , which is fastened to shaft 35 , which in turn is rotatably fastened through a pillow block ( not shown ). l - shaped bar 36 is clamped by a clamping device ( not shown ) to the lowermost portion of belt 33 . bar 36 is adjustably fastened to rods 37 , and 38 which pass through holes 39 , 40 in bar 36 . rods 37 , 38 are slidably mounted through pillow blocks 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 and fastened to cutting head baseplate 45 , causing it to move . rotation of object 84 is a result of lateral motion of tracing stylus 3 . movement of stylus 3 in a lateral direction causes lateral motion of rods 7 and 8 which are slidably supported by rods 46 and 47 , which are securely fastened into clamp blocks 48 , 49 , 50 and 51 , which are in turn atttached to frame 121 . rods 46 and 47 pass through pillow blocks 52 , 53 , 54 , and 55 , which are fastened to plate 14 . lateral movement of rods 7 and 8 causes lateral movement of plate 14 , and of rods 56 and 57 which are fastened into plate 14 and retained by screws 58 and 59 . rods 56 and 57 are attached to clamp 60 , which is firmly attached to the lowermost portion of belt 61 . movement of belt 61 causes rotation of support sheave 62 about shaft 63 , and rotation of sheave 64 and sheaves 65 and 66 about shaft 67 . rotation of sheave 66 imparts movement to belt 68 , which in turn causes rotation of sheaves 69 and 70 about shaft 71 . rotation of sheave 70 imparts motion to belt 72 which in turn causes rotation of sheaves 73 and 74 and plate 75 on shaft 76 , which is rotatably supported in a pillow block ( not shown ). rotation of sheave 74 causes motion of belt 77 and rotation of sheave 78 and plate 79 , on shaft 80 , which is rotatably supported in pillow block 81 . disk 82 is attached to plate 75 . elastic band 83 retains object 84 . the cutting head assembly is composed of cutting head baseplate 45 and items 85 through 120 . cutting styli 85 and 86 are attached to heating elements 87 and 88 , which are retained in blocks 89 and 90 . mounting blocks 90 and 91 are attached to baseplate 45 , and pivot shafts 92 and 93 are attached to blocks 90 and 91 . blocks 89 and 90 are rotatably fastened to pivot shafts 92 and 93 . springs 94 , 95 , 96 , and 97 are securely fastened to baseplate 45 at their lowermost end and adjustably fastened to rods 98 , 99 , 100 , and 101 by collars 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 . rods 99 - 101 serve to limit the downward travel of styli 85 and 86 by contacting the rearmost portion of block 90 and 91 , and serve to adjust the range of vertical movement of stylus 85 and 86 . power is supplied to heating elements 87 and 88 , through wires 106 and 107 and socket 108 ( typical ). control means for electric power are not shown . in the embodiment illustrated , pressurized air at a constant pressure is supplied to a foot - actuated control ( not shown ) through filter 109 , regulator 110 , valve 111 , line 112 to a manifold block 113 which is supported by rod 114 , held to baseplate 45 by clamp blocks 115 and 116 . the manifold block 113 distributes air to cylinders 117 and 118 through tubes 119 and 120 . by means of this arrangement , the stylus can be lifted from the object 84 at appropriate times by a foot - operated valve or other known means . in the device described above , linear motion of the tracing stylus is converted to motion of the cutting stylus or object in two separate rotary motion steps so that the size relations between the template and the indicia - outline element mask may be easily varied . in the example above , the relative diameters of sheaves 22 and 25 , or 27 and 30 determines vertical proportioning , and the diameters of sheaves 66 and 69 perform this function for horizontal proportioning . fig3 shows a object 122 and a completed indicia - outline element mask 123 . since the same items , in sequential stages are shown in fig3 - 8 , similar numbering will be used whenever possible . in fig3 area 124 of indicia - outline mask 123 is to be removed to unmask the area to be engraved and / or embossed . in fig4 tweezers 125 are used to remove mask area 124 , exposing engraving area 126 in fig5 . sandblasting nozzle 127 is used to spray abrasive grit against area 126 , with areas not to be engraved and / or embossed protected by the remainder of indicia - outline mask 123 . in fig6 and 7 , indicia outline element mask 123 is being removed from object 122 with tweezers 125 . fig8 shows the completed object . indicia - outline element mask 123 , in one preferred embodiment , is formed by dipping an object 122 or 84 into a coating material , which is allowed to dry before being retained to disk 82 by band 83 , cut by stylus 85 or 86 , and processed as shown in fig3 - 8 . a suitable coating material is a product available from seal - peal inc , located in troy , michigan , as seal glo 434 - t mixed with 1 - 6 % castor oil . the chemical composition of this material is 38 % xylene , 40 % methyl ethyl ketone , 2 . 5 % dioctyl phthalate , and 19 . 5 % polyvinyl chloride resin . it is to be understood that the shape of the object 122 in fig3 - 8 was chosen for convenience of illustration only , and is not intended as a limitation of the object shapes that can be engraved and / or embossed using this invention . fig9 is an illustration of indicia to be engraved and / or embossed according to a second embodiment of the invention . fig1 is an outline of fig9 showing the shape of the cutting edges to be formed on a die , and the pattern of chemically resistant material that must be applied to , or remain on , the surface of a die blank . in the preferred embodiment , the chemically resistant material is a conventional light - sensitive coating , as is used for the making of printing plates . the die may be made from a commerically available pre - coated zinc printing plate blank . fig1 shows a finished die , after the chemically - resistant material has been applied in a predetermined pattern , and the die has been chemically etched to remove areas 130 from die 131 , to a depth of approximately 1 / 16 inch ( 1 . 6 mm ), leaving a cutting edge 132 in the outline of the indicia to be formed . in this regard , it should be noted that photographic techniques are preferably used to make any dies useable with the instant invention , such as by preparing indicia outline element forming dies from oversized artwork . fig1 shows die 131 mounted to heating element 133 , in position over press bed 134 . die 131 is pressed by conventional means , such as air cylinders , into commercially available adhesive - backed thermoplastic film 135 , on heavy paper carrier tape 136 , to cut the indicia outline element in synchronism with separating dies to be described later . it is useful , although not an absolute necessity , to provide heating element 133 with knife edges to form separable indicia - outline element masks , and punches for holes to facilitate synchronization of the elements of this invention by conventional means , such as photodetector devices controlling high speed clutches . fig1 shows a typical thermoplastic film tape 135 after being cut by die 131 into areas 137 and 138 , with frame edge lines 139 . pinch rollers 157 and 158 intermittently draw carrier tape 136 between dies 131 and press bed 134 , and between separating dies 140 and 141 . upper die 142 has a raised portion corresponding in size and shape to area 138 on the thermoplastic film . die 142 may be mechanically machined to this configuration , or may be produced in the same manner as die 131 , as described above , dies 140 and 141 are provided with gates 142 . a source of vacuum is introduced into areas 143 in a conventional manner , to hold tape in position on the die faces . transfer tape 44 , similar in characteristics to conventional masking tape , wound adhesive - side outward , having thin paper side 145 and adhesive side 146 , is pulled from roll 150 by pinch rollers 155 and 156 , in synchronism with pinch rollers 8 and 9 . the dies are closed by conventional means , such as air cylinders . the lower die 141 is preferably , but not necessarily stationary . when the dies 140 and 141 are cloesd , in the embodiment shown , adhesive side 146 of the transfer tape will be forced against cut out area 138 , and will adhere to it . when the dies are opened , area 138 of adhesive - backed thermoplastic film 135 will be removed from the carrier tape 136 , and will adhere to surface 146 of tape 144 , with the adhesive side of area 138 facing outward . in order to make use of areas 138 as &# 34 ; negative &# 34 ; indicia forming masks , and areas 137 as conventional or &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ; indicia forming masks , a tape &# 34 ; sandwich &# 34 ; is fabricated with each type of indicia forming mask . pinch rollers 157 and 158 , which pull carrier tape 135 and areas 137 of film 137 between dies 140 and 141 , also apply transfer tape 147 , similar to tape 144 , having adhesive side 148 and paper backing 149 , to the non - adhesive surfaces of areas 137 of thermoplastic film 135 , and carrier tape 136 . transfer tape 147 is supplied by roll 154 , and the completed &# 34 ; sandwich &# 34 ; tape 160 is collected on reel 153 . in the illustrated embodiment , should tape 160 be separated , thermoplastic film areas 137 would be attached to transfer tape 147 , with the adhesive side of the thermoplastic film facing outward . in order to make use of the &# 34 ; negative &# 34 ; indicia forming masks , areas 138 of film 135 , carrier tape 161 , identical to carrier tape 136 , is supplied from roll 152 , and applied as a protective covering by pinch rollers 155 and 156 . the tape 162 thus produced can be spooled on take up reel 151 . fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment of separating dies 140 and 141 . roll 170 is provided with several dies 172 , which are similar to die 140 , except being curved to fit roll 170 . roll 171 is provided with dies 173 , each similar to die 141 , except curved to fit roll 171 . gates 174 are provided on both rolls 170 and 171 , forming spaces 175 , when a tape is in place . a vacuum source is introduced into areas 175 , by conventional means including a conventional rotary coupling , to hold transfer tape 144 , and carrier tape 136 with thermoplastic film 135 in position . the rotation of rolls 170 and 171 is synchronized with the rotation of pinch rollers 155 , 156 , 157 and 158 using conventional means . it should be noted that tape 144 , with film areas 138 adhered to it , could be directly used , rather than being covered with carrier tape and collected on take up reel 151 , or that tape 160 could be directly used , and not collected on take up reel 153 . fig1 shows a device for automatically applying indicia forming masks to objects to be engraved and / or embossed . it is illustrated in stand - alone configuration for clarity , although in the preferred embodiment of this invention . tape 160 of fig1 can be guided to roll 181 , rather than accumulated , or tape 135 could be guided to roll 182 , rather than covered and accumulated . in the embodiment illustrated , sandwich tape 160 or 162 , as accumulated on take up reels 151 or 153 of fig1 , is transferred to roll 181 . the sandwich is separated and the carrier tape is attached to take up reel 180 . the separated transfer tape 195 with adhesive thermoplastic film areas 137 or 138 attached , is passed over rolls 182 , 183 , 185 , and on to take up reel 184 . the rotation of rolls 182 , 183 , and 185 are synchronized by conventional means . reels 180 and 184 are rotated through conventional slip clutches . objects 191 , such as glasses or mugs , are placed in a conventional carrousel 190 , which rotates in synchronism with rolls 182 , 183 and 185 . roll 185 is a resilient roll used to force the transfer tape 195 toward an object 191 , and cause the thermoplastic film area 137 or 138 to adhere to an object 191 , and separate from the transfer tape 195 . it is desirable , but not an absolute necessity to practice the invention , that roll 185 be mounted to move towards and away from carrousel 190 at appropriate times . this can be accomplished in conventional ways , such as a cam or dogs on carrousel 190 intermittently engaging flexible drive or support means for roll 185 . the intent of this motion is to reduce the chance of an applied indicia forming mask separating from the object , and re - adhering to the transfer tape . if roll 185 forces tape 195 against an object 191 , then withdraws , the tape 195 will be pulled evenly away from object 191 , and forces which could cause separation will not be concentrated at one edge of the applied indicia forming mask , as it is with tangential separation of tape 195 from an object 191 . objects 191 are then removed from carrousel 190 , and the indicia in engraved and / or embossed by blasting with finely - divided abrasive particles , by selectively applying chemical etchants , or by other known means , including painting and application of inks .
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referring first to fig1 wherein are best shown the general features of the invention , the construction system , indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 , is shown in use in displaying items 12 with a sales person 11 in attendance . the display structure shown is generally pyramidal in shape and accessible from all sides , but it will be understood that the specific form of the structure may take any one of a large number of forms . fig2 shows in perspective the important elements of the construction system including a main body 13 and a connecting member 23 . the main body 13 , whose details are best shown in fig3 , and 5 , is shown as being plate - like in nature and in the form of a square having four sides 14 , 15 , 16 , and 17 . these sides are provided , respectively , with triangular recesses 18 , 19 , 21 , and 22 . the connecting member 23 , whose details are shown in fig6 and 7 , is also shown as being plate - like in configuration and in the shape of a somewhat smaller square with beveled corners . extending diagonally from one corner to an opposite corner is a hinge 24 which serves to divide the connecting member into two triangular parts 25 and 26 . in fig3 , and 5 it can be seen that the main body 13 is formed of two - spaced parallel sheets 31 and 32 , between which is sandwiched a cruciform intermediate element 33 . each sheet is formed of a thin material formed as two layers of cardboard between which are sandwiched a layer of resilient foamed plastic ; this material is available commercially under the name &# 34 ; foam cor &# 34 ; manufactured by monsanto company . the cruciform intermediate element 33 is made of two such sheets , so that the recesses 18 , 19 , 21 and 22 are twice as thick as a sheet . because of the nature of the cruciform intermediate element 33 , the recesses are triangular in shape and approximately the same size as each of the parts 25 and 26 of the connecting member 23 . referring next to fig6 and 7 , which show the details of the connecting member 23 , it can be seen that the member is made of the same sheet material as the main body , that is to say , of two layers of cardboard with a layer of resilient foamed plastic sandwiched between them . the hinge 24 is formed by two scores 34 and 35 on opposite sides of the sheet . these scores tend to compress the foamed plastic layer and to provide fairly flexible bending about the hinge line , while increasing the stiffness of the connecting member in the transverse bending direction . it should be noted that the main body 13 is considerably larger than the connecting member 23 , so that the recesses on the main body terminate on their respective sides a substantial distance from the corners , but , nevertheless , each recess is large enough to completely envelope one - half ( a part 25 or 26 ) of the connecting member . it might be said that the cruciform intermediate element 33 could be formed by placing together two sheets that are the same size and shape as the outer sheets 31 and 32 and then removing from the center of each side a 45 ° triangle whose base lies on the side , but terminates a substantial distance from each end of the side . fig1 and 20 show a support element 37 which is useful in connection with the construction system . it consists of an elongated sheet element made of the same sheet material as the connecting member 23 which a main rectangular portion having score lines 42 , 43 , 44 , and 45 which define triangles at the ends of the same size as the triangular parts 25 and 26 of the connecting member . the score lines divide the intermediate portion into three square panels . the operation and the advantages of the present invention are well illustrated in fig8 - 18 . in general , the user is provided with a plurality of the main bodies 13 and of the connecting members 23 ; with these he is able to form a number of desirable supporting structures . in general , two main bodies 13 can be joined in line in the same plane by using two connecting members 13 with their hinge lines lying perpendicular to the sides of the main bodies which are being joined ; this arrangement is shown in fig8 and 9 . fig1 and 11 show the manner in which two main bodies 13 can be joined with their planes at an obtuse angle . in this case , two connecting members 23 are used but their hinge lines lie between and parallel to the adjacent two sides of the main bodies which are being joined . fig1 and 13 show the manner in which three main bodies are joined , two of them being joined together in the same plane and the third being joined at a right angle to the other two . in this case three connecting members are used . one of them is not bent and has its hinge line lying perpendicular to the sides of the main bodies which are to be joined in the same plane . the other two have their hinge lines extending in the opposite direction , that is to say , parallel to the edges of the main bodies which are being joined , so that two parts 25 and 26 are bent at a right angle . fig1 and 15 show the joining of three main bodies 13 at 120 ° to one another , making use of three connecting elements 23 . the hinge line in all three connecting elements is parallel to the sides of the main bodies being joined , and each connecting member is bent at an angle of 120 ° with each triangular half inserted into one of the recesses of the main bodies . fig1 and 17 show the manner in which four main bodies 13 can be joined at right angles to one another to form a cross - shaped configuration . in this case four connecting members 23 are used , each one having its hinge line arranged vertically and lying between the edges of the main bodies which are to be joined . each connecting member is bent at a right angle with its triangular parts 25 and 26 inserted into the recesses of immediately adjacent main bodies . fig1 shows the manner in which five main bodies 13 can be joined by eight connecting members to form an open cube , preferably with the open side facing downwardly to provide an upper horizontal supporting surface . because it is undesirable to bend two connecting members 23 together at a right angle in the same direction , only one connecting member is sued at each joint and the remainder of the recess is provided with a filler element 36 which is formed from the same foamed plastic sheet as the other elements and is in the shape of triangle of the same size and shape as the triangular parts 25 and 26 of the connecting members 23 . this filler element 36 serves to hold the single connecting member snugly in each of the recesses . it can be seen , then , that , by use of the present construction system , it is possible to build a wide variety of supporting and display structures . because of the light weight of the foamed plastic - cardboard sandwich , it is possible to store and transport large numbers of the elements without difficulty . since all of the elements are basically flat panels , they store into a small volume of space . thus , the disassembled elements are not only light in weight , but small in volume , which are the most desirable characteristics for this type of use . since the material from which the elements are made is relatively inexpensive and because they can be formed and cut on simple equipment , they are not expensive to make . furthermore , one is justified in discarding any of the elements that become worn , tattered , or dirty . on the other hand , since it is usual to make the sheet material with glazed outer surfaces , they are easy to keep clean by simple washing and wiping techniques . because ( as has been demonstrated ) it is possible to join the panels in almost any conceivable array , there is a wide range of uses for the panels that is limited only the the imagination and ingenuity of the user . for a more permanent connection , it is possible to provide fastening pins to lock the connecting elements and the main bodies together . otherwise , it can be seen that it is not necessary to use tools in assembling the structure , nor is it necessary to hire labor at the point of assembly . the assembly of the construction system of the invention is not hard physical work , nor does it require any particular mechanical ingenuity . it is possible , therefore , to save a considerable amount of money , because it is not necessary to ship by expensive means or to incurr the expense of storing , maintaining , setting up , etc . as is true with wooden display structures . it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof . it is not , however , desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described , but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed .
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fig1 illustrates the main components of a detonator system according to the invention . the system comprises a portable operating device and a control unit , such as a blasting machine . the control unit is connected to a number of detonators , which together constitute a round . the operating device is used to transmit commands or operating data to the control unit , which in turn is adapted to control the detonators in the round and cause detonation thereof . a summary review of the system will be presented below with reference to fig1 . the control unit , which usually consists of a blasting machine , and the operating device are both equipped with means for radio communication , which enables them to communicate by sending and receiving radio signals . in addition , the blasting machine and the operating device are equipped with batteries , which supply the current to each device . the blasting machine is adapted to cause firing of the round . to this end , it is connected to the round . depending on the design of the detonators constituting the round , the connection may be carried out by means of , for instance , nonel ™- tubing or electrical wires . the operating device is intended to be used by an operator for controlling the blasting machine by sending control data via radio thereto , and for monitoring the blasting machine by receiving status data via radio therefrom . furthermore , the operating device and the blasting machine are assigned unique identities , which they are adapted to transmit together with control data or operating commands , so that the receiver and the sender are able to identify each other in an unambiguous manner during communication . the blasting machine is provided with a holder in which the operating device can be placed when it is not used to control the blasting machine . when the operating device is arranged in the holder , two steps are carried out . one is charging the batteries of the operating device , the other is introducing the operating device and the control unit to each other . in connection with the introduction , the operating device and the blasting machine are associated with each other to allow a secure and unambiguous transmission of data from the operating device to the control unit . during association of the operating device and the control unit with each other , a common , dedicated communication protocol for wireless communication is established , which enables them to communicate wirelessly with each other . in connection with the introduction , any previous association ceases to be valid . thus , each operating device can be associated with no more than one blasting machine at any given moment . correspondingly , each blasting machine can be associated with no more than one operating device at any given moment . the introduction is preferably carried out automatically when the operating device is placed in the holder of the blasting machine . referring to fig2 and 3 , a preferred method for associating the operating device and the blasting machine ( control unit ) will be described in more detail below . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating the process taking place in the operating device , and fig3 is a block diagram illustrating the process taking place in the blasting machine . naturally , the processes in respectively the operating device and the blasting machine are carried out in parallel during the association step . during association , the blasting machine stores the identity of the operating device in a memory and the operating device stores the identity of the blasting machine in a memory . in order to further ensure that only the desired operating device can be used to control the blasting machine , the communication protocol preferably also requires encryption of selected parts of the radio communication by means of a non - reusable one - loop cipher . during association , an encryption table is therefore randomly generated by the blasting machine , said encryption table being then transmitted to the operating device to be used at a later stage in connection with encrypted transmission of data . it is particularly preferred for definite instructions from the operating device , such as arm commands and fire commands , to be transmitted in encrypted form to the blasting machine . all communication , or at least transmission of a fire command , preferably takes place by repeating each data string three times , a decision based on a majority of bits determining if the correct string has been received . thus , each data string is received three times , and two of these strings must be interpreted in the same way to be accepted . in the case of three consecutive non - responses or erroneous responses from the operating device , the blasting machine will return to its normal state and await a new arm signal . during association , a prefix is preferably assigned to each message , said prefix being used by the receiving unit to distinguish different types of messages . in addition , according to the preferred embodiment the light - emitting diode ( led ) marked communication on the transmitting unit will flash during each transmission of data . the step of associating the operating device and the blasting machine with each other is commenced when the operating device is placed in a special holder provided on the blasting machine . as shown in fig2 , the association ( mating ) begins with the blasting machine creating and storing an encryption table comprising a number of encryption blocks . preferably , a new encryption table is generated randomly for each new association procedure . the blasting machine is adapted to hold a transmission pointer indicating one of four different values 0 - 3 , the value 0 meaning that the association is terminated , 1 meaning that the blasting machine should send its own identity together with a relay code , 2 meaning that the blasting machine should request transmission of the identity of the operating device , and 3 meaning that the blasting machine should send an encryption block to the operating device . when the encryption table has been created and stored in the blasting machine , the transmission pointer in the blasting machine is set to 1 . the blasting machine then checks if there is any data in the receive buffer , which at this moment is not the case since the operating device has not yet sent any data . the blasting machine then checks the transmission pointer , which consequently has the value 1 . in accordance with the transmission pointer , the blasting machine thus transmits its own identity , a relay code and the prefix bid , and causes its led marked communication to flash . the identity and relay code of the blasting machine are received and identified in the receive buffer of the operating device . the operating device identifies the prefix bid and stores the identity of the blasting machine in a memory . the operating device then returns the identity of the blasting machine to the blasting machine , including the prefix bid , and causes its led marked communication to flash . the identity returned by the operating device is then checked in the blasting machine . if the identity is incorrect , the blasting machine retransmits its identity to the operating device . if the identity is correct , the transmission pointer value is set to 2 , which causes the blasting machine to send a request for the identity of the operating device having the prefix soi , and to flash the led marked communication . in response to this request , the operating device transmits its identity with the prefix own . the blasting machine now stores the identity of the operating device in a memory , and returns it to the operating device with the prefix tst . the operating device receives its own identity from the blasting machine and checks that it has been correctly interpreted by the blasting machine . if it has not been correctly interpreted , the operating device retransmits its identity to the blasting machine , with the prefix own . this is repeated until the blasting machine returns the correct identity to the operating device . when the correct identity has been received by the operating device , it transmits a message to this effect to the blasting machine , with the prefix dok . when the blasting machine receives the message with the prefix dok , the transmission pointer value is set to 3 and the blasting machine transmits a first encryption block with the prefix dat . the block is received and stored in the operating device in the first available block space in the block memory . the encryption block is returned by the operating device to the blasting machine , with the prefix dat , upon receipt of which the blasting machine checks that the operating device has interpreted the block correctly . if the correct block has been returned , the blasting machine transmits an acknowledgement with the prefix dok . when the operating device receives the acknowledgment , it increments the block pointer one step and waits for the next encryption block . these steps are repeated until all encryption blocks have been correctly transmitted to the operating device . when the transmission of encryption blocks is terminated , an acknowledgment to this effect is transmitted from the blasting machine to the operating device with the prefix eot . this terminates the association procedure , and the operating device and the blasting machine return to their state of rest . in the preferred embodiment of the association , all the transmitted data is returned to the sender , thus allowing the sender to check that the receiver has interpreted the data correctly . accordingly , it is preferred for the association to comprise both the step of transmitting the unique identity of the blasting machine to the operating device and the unique identity of the operating device to the control unit and the step of transmitting an encryption table from the blasting machine to the operating device . the identities are intended to be used in the communication between the operating device and the blasting machine to further reduce the risk of erroneous data being interpreted by the receiving unit . it is preferred for the transmitting unit ( the sender ) to transmit the identity of the receiving unit with each transmission of data . the receiving unit thereby expects its own identity to be included in each piece of received data , and will only accept data containing its own identity . furthermore , for the purpose of additional security selected parts of the data transmitted from the operating device to the blasting machine are encrypted in accordance with the encryption table . when the operating device and the blasting machine have been introduced to each other ( associated with each other ), the operating device can be removed from the holder on the blasting machine and used to wirelessly transmit commands to the blasting machine . one example of controlling by means of the operating device is charging and firing of the detonator round connected to the blasting machine . the signalling procedure for wirelessly charging ( arming ) and firing a round from the operating device will be described below with reference to the block diagram in fig4 . the data transmitted between the operating device and the blasting machine consists of a number of bytes . the following symbols are used to describe the communication protocol : t = a byte in the identity of the blasting machine r = a control byte for the blasting machine m = a byte in the identity of the operating device s = a status byte ( status of the blasting machine ) c = a command byte ( command to the blasting machine ) k = a pointer in an encryption table , randomly selected for each transmission , no byte is indicated more than once o = nul , i . e . byte ooh ( )= parentheses mean that the data is encrypted according to the encryption pointer of the previous message . the communication protocol is based on a majority of two out of three for each byte . this means that each byte is transmitted three times , and that the receiver has to interpret at least two of these as identical for the data to be accepted . encryption / decryption is done by performing an xor operation bit by bit on plain text / encryption text with the byte of the encryption entry indicated by the encryption pointer . this means that , during encryption , a text byte is compared to a byte in the encryption entry , identical bytes giving a 1 and different bytes giving a 0 . the encrypted text thus consist of 1 &# 39 ; s in the positions where the encryption entry corresponds to the plain text and of 0 &# 39 ; s in the other positions . for symmetry reasons , decrypting the encrypted data using the same logic will restore the original plain text . a byte that is first encrypted according to this system and then decrypted with the same encryption byte is guaranteed to be identical to the original byte . in the preferred embodiment , the operating device continuously checks that the association is maintained and that the blasting machine is ready to start a firing sequence . this is done by the operating device transmitting a status enquiry to the blasting machine , which responds by transmitting its status to the operating device . if the association is maintained and the blasting machine is ready to start a firing sequence , the status ok is transmitted to the operating device , which responds by transmitting a new status enquiry . this procedure ensures that the operating device is always updated regarding status data relating to the blasting machine . a firing sequence is initiated by pressing the charge button provided on the operating device and maintaining it in this position . this causes the operating device to send an initial starting signal to the blasting machine . this signal consists of the signal t t t t t t 0 0 , and in response the blasting machine transmits the signal m m m m m m s k . if status byte s contains information that the dead time has not yet run out , the operating device turns on the led marked blocked and the communication is discontinued . if not , the operating device transmits t t t t t t ( r ) ( c ). this signal is decrypted by the blasting machine . if the command c contains information that charging is to be initiated , the blasting machine initiates charging and transmits m m m m m m s k , the status byte s of which contains information that charging is in progress . in response , the operating device turns on the led marked charging , and transmits a status enquiry to the blasting machine , which again responds by transmitting the signal m m m m m m s k , the status byte of which contains information that charging is in progress . this exchange of status enquiries and status enquiry responses continues until the charging of the blasting machine has been completed . the blasting machine then transmits yet another m m m m m m s k signal , the status byte s of which contains information that charging has been completed . in response thereto , the operating device turns on the led marked done . the detonator system is now ready to cause firing of the round . it should be noted that the charge button must be maintained in its depressed position during the whole charging until firing of the round is to be performed . ignition , i . e . the actual firing of the detonators , is initiated by pressing also the button marked ignite provided on the operating device . when this is done , the operating device transmits the signal t t t t t t ( r ) ( c ), the command byte c of which contains a command for igniting ( firing ) the round . during the whole firing sequence , three consecutive non - responses or erroneous responses from the operating device will cause the blasting machine to return to its state of rest , or normal state . this means that it discharges any ignition voltage internally and awaits a new charge signal . in this situation , the buttons of the operating device have to be released and the charge button pressed and maintained in this position once more in order to restart the firing sequence . the led marked communication flashes during each transmission of data , thus informing the operator of the ongoing activity . one example of the actual operation of the system according to the invention will be described below . the example provided below relates to charging and firing a round connected to the blasting machine . in the example , it is assumed that the operating device and the blasting machine have been associated with each other during a preceding introduction procedure as described above . in the preferred embodiment , the blasting machine is equipped with three push buttons : test , on and off . the status of the unit is displayed by means of five leds marked battery , error , communication , ready and active . the operating device is equipped with two push buttons marked charge and ignite , and the system status ( the status of the blasting machine ) is displayed by means of five leds marked battery , communication , blocked , charging and done . preferably , the operating device is further equipped with a third push button marked switch off . the switch off button is intended to be used when the control unit associated with the operating device , i . e . the blasting machine , is to be switched off . it may be desirable , for example , to switch off the blasting machine before someone approaches the blast site or the blasting machine / round . the switch off button is usually protected by a lid , a cover or the like for the purpose of preventing the blasting machine form being switched off inadvertently . initially , the operator pushes the test button on the blasting machine and maintains it in its depressed position . this will cause all the leds on the blasting machine to be turned on , and they will remain turned on for a few seconds . during this time , the blasting machine is adapted to carry out an internal test . if the unit is fully operational all leds will then be turned off , with the exception of the led marked ready . it is possible that also battery remains turned on , which then indicates that the battery of the blasting machine needs to be charged . if the led marked error is not turned off , this indicates that something is defective . it may be , for instance , that the round has been incorrectly connected to the blasting machine or that the blasting machine is defective and in need of repair . if the led marked error remains turned on , the defect has to be remedied before the system can be activated . to activate the detonator system , the operator then pushes the button on , which causes the led marked ready to flash . the operator can now release the two buttons . the fact that the led marked ready flashes indicates that the blasting machine is in operation waiting for a dead time to expire . during this dead time , which may be for example 5 minutes , the blasting machine is blocked and cannot be armed , and it will respond to a call from the operating device with a message saying that it is blocked . when the dead time has expired , the led marked active begins to flash , which means that the blasting machine is active and , thus , responsive to control commands from the operating device . for security reasons , the blasting machine is only active during a limited period of time , for example 30 minutes , and then closes down automatically . to initiate firing of the round , the operator first pushes the charge button on the operating device . this causes the operating device to send a charge command to the blasting machine . if the dead time of the blasting machine has not expired , or if the led marked error provided thereon is turned on , the blasting machine responds by transmitting message indicating that it is blocked to the operating device , the led marked blocked being turned on . the charge button then has to be released , and the expiration of the dead time awaited , or the defect , if any , has to be remedied . however , if the blasting machine is active , charging of the detonators in the round is initiated and charging data is transmitted to the operating device , the led marked charging on the operating device being turned on . if the led marked charging on the operating device is turned on , this means that the blasting machine has accepted the transmitted charge command and that charging is in progress . when charging has been completed , the round thus being armed , the blasting machine transmits data indicating that it is done to the operating device , the led marked done on the operating device being turned on . turning on the led marked done indicates that the blasting machine is charged , or armed , and thus that it is ready to fire the round . by pressing the ignite button , the operator then sends a fire command from the operating device to the blasting machine , which in response thereto causes firing of the round . the invention has been described above by way of a preferred embodiment . it will be appreciated , however , that other implementations are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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with reference initially to fig1 a training device 98 having certain features , aspects and advantage of the present invention is illustrated in perspective view . the device 98 comprises a frame 100 . the illustrated frame 100 comprises a box frame of sturdy construction to support the user &# 39 ; s weight and use of the device 98 . a collapsible frame is shown in fig1 through 13 and is discussed in greater detail below . with continued reference to fig1 the frame 100 preferably rests on level ground 1 . in some arrangements , leveling feet ( not shown ) can be provided and can be attached to the frame 100 in any suitable manner . with reference to fig5 for instance , the frame 100 can comprise a handlebar 150 . the handlebar can extend upward from a portion of the frame assembly . preferably , the handlebar comprises handgrips that are positioned at a height that makes the handgrips easy to hold when using the device . furthermore , in some embodiments , the handlebar height may be adjustable . in some embodiments , the handlebar 150 can substantially encircle a user 601 such that the handlebar 150 can be easily grasped regardless of the orientation of the user 601 . in one embodiment , the frame 100 extends upward a sufficient height that the frame 100 itself can define the handlebar 150 . thus , the user can grasp the handlebar 150 for added stability . for instance , the user can grasp the handlebar 150 when learning to ride a skateboard using the training device 98 or when learning new movements using the training device . a plurality of anchors 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 are attached to the frame 100 and a plurality of elastic cords 501 , 502 , 503 , 504 are connected to the respective anchors 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 on the frame 100 . preferably , four anchors are provided such that the elastic cords are connected to the frame in four locations . four anchors provide enough connection points to sufficiently , but not unduly , restrict movement of the platform . in some embodiments , more than four anchors are used and , in other embodiments , less than four anchors are used . the elastic cords 501 - 504 are attached to a spring board deck 300 in any suitable manner . in some arrangements having four anchors , two elastic cords can be used . moreover , in some arrangements one or more than one elastic cord can be used . the elastic cords 501 - 504 preferably are of a length that allows the spring board deck 300 to be suspended above ground and below the top of the frame 100 when the elastic cords 501 - 504 are connected to both the frame 100 and the spring board deck 300 . furthermore , the elastic cords 501 - 504 desirably are of a spring rate and length such that when a user is properly positioned on and supported by the device 98 , the spring board deck 300 can touch the ground 1 in a controlled manner . with continued reference to fig1 the spring board deck 300 can have any suitable configuration . in the illustrated embodiment , the spring board deck 300 is substantially hourglass - shaped in both a lateral and longitudinal direction . in some embodiments , the spring board deck can be generally rectangular , elliptical , ovular , or the like . a foot deck 400 is mounted to the spring board deck 300 . the foot deck 400 preferably defines a skateboard simular . in other words , the foot deck 400 preferably is sized and shaped to mimic a conventional skateboard . thus , the foot deck 400 is of the similar geometry as a skateboard deck . in the illustrated arrangement , the foot deck 400 is mounted to the spring board deck 300 with a rotational bearing system 350 . the rotational bearing system 350 advantageously allows the foot deck 400 to rotate in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction generally within a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the spring board deck 300 . with reference to fig6 and 7 , the rotational bearing system 350 comprises an adapter 352 . the adapter 352 facilitates connection of the foot deck 400 to the rotational bearing system 350 . advantageously , the adapter can be bowed in some embodiments to accommodate the conventional curve of a bottom surface 401 of the foot deck 400 if a conventional skateboard deck is as the foot deck 400 . the curve of a conventional skateboard deck could result in asymmetric loads to the rotational bearing system 350 and the adapter 375 provides a more stable attachment of the foot deck 300 to the rotational bearing system 350 notwithstanding the asymmetric loading . the adapter preferably can be secured to a flat surface of the rotational bearing system 350 . the rotational bearing system 350 preferably comprises an upper race 353 and a lower race 354 with bearing balls 355 or the like captured therebetween . in the illustrated arrangement , the upper race 353 is formed on an upper plate 356 while the lower race 354 is formed on a lower plate 357 . the upper plate 356 and the lower plate 357 are capable of rotational movement relative to each other . in the illustrated arrangement , the upper plate 356 comprises mounting apertures 358 and the lower plate also comprises mounting apertures 359 . the mounting apertures 358 , 359 accept mounting hardware 360 . any suitable mounting hardware 360 can be used , including but not limited to pins , nuts , bolts , washers , screws , rivets , other threaded members , other interlocking mechanical members or the like . furthermore , the upper plate 356 can be integrated with the foot deck 400 and the lower plate can be integrated with the spring board deck 300 . in some arrangements , the rotational bearing system 350 can comprise slewing ring bearings or the like . with reference to fig3 a wheel / truck simulator 375 can be secured to a lower surface of the spring board deck 300 . the simulator 375 can be located beneath the spring board deck 400 in a position that generally corresponds to the placement of wheels and trucks on a skateboard . the wheel / truck simulator 375 need not comprise wheels or any rotating components . in some embodiments , the simulator 375 comprises a pair of monolithic structures that can be secured to the spring board deck 300 . in other embodiments , the simulator 375 is integrated into the spring board deck 300 such that the deck 300 and the simulator 375 are monolithically manufactured . the wheel / truck simulator 375 also can comprise a flattened surface such that the foot deck 300 will not tilt in a lateral direction ( e . g ., left and right or the short dimension of the foot deck 300 ) when a user is standing on the foot deck 300 with the simulator 375 contacting the ground . with reference now to fig8 , the elastic cords 501 - 504 can be connected to one or more elastic cord length adjustment clamps 525 - 528 . in the illustrated arrangement , each of the elastic cords 501 - 504 is connected to a corresponding adjustment clamp 525 - 528 . in some embodiments , less than all of the elastic cords 501 - 504 is provided with the adjustment clamp 525 - 528 . the adjustment clamps 525 - 528 allow the length of the cords 501 - 504 to be adjusted as needed or desired such that the training device can be reconfigured for different sizes of users . in other words , a lighter user may not weigh enough to fully lower the spring board deck 300 to the desired elevation while a heavy user may weight too much to fully benefit from use of the training device 98 . accordingly , enabling adjustment of the lengths of the cords can allow a user to tune the device to their weight and skateboard riding ability . the clamps can comprise any suitable configuration . in the illustrated arrangement , the clamps 525 - 528 comprise a pair of biased cord locks 530 . the locks 530 are partially captured within a housing 531 . the housing 531 comprises a pair of passageways 532 that extend radially through the housing 531 . each lock 530 comprises a similarly sized passageway 533 that can be aligned with the housing passageways 532 by depressing the locks 530 until the passageways 532 , 533 are properly aligned . the cord length then can be adjusted and , when the lock 530 is released , the locks return toward a biased position that causes the cord to be locked in position as the passageways misalign . in some embodiments , turnbuckles , turnouts , tie downs , cable locks , cord locks , cord stoppers or the like also can be used . with reference to fig1 , a collapsible frame 100 ′ is illustrated . the frame 110 ′ preferably comprises at least 3 legs 110 ′. in the illustrated embodiment , the frame 110 ′ comprises four legs 110 ′. the legs 110 ′ can be secured with a frame lock clamp 175 ′. one possible configuration of the frame lock clamp is shown in fig1 . with reference to fig1 and 12 , each leg 110 ′ preferably comprises a flange 111 ′ with at least two holes 112 ′. the flange 111 ′ of each leg 110 ′ is designed to be secured together with the other flanges in the illustrated arrangement with the frame lock clamp 175 ′. accordingly , the illustrated frame lock clamp comprises a plurality of pin pairs 113 ′ that are accepted by the holes 112 ′ of the flanges 111 ′. the pin pairs 113 ′ can be mounted to one of an upper member 114 ′ and a lower member 115 ′. the upper and lower members 114 ′, 115 ′ can be joined with suitable hardware , such as but not limited to , pins , nuts , bolts , screws , other threaded members , other mechanically interlocking members or the like . in the illustrated arrangement , the flanges 111 ′ are sandwiched between the upper member 114 ′ and the lower member 115 ′ such that the legs 110 ′ are secured together by the frame lock clamp 175 ′. furthermore , the frame lock clamp 175 ′ allows the legs 110 ′ to lock into position when the product is in use and to be unclamped for storage . other suitable manners of connecting the legs 110 ′ also can be used . with reference again to fig1 , as discussed above , the handle bar 150 ′ can be connected to the frame 100 ′. furthermore , a grinding bar 180 ′ can be secured to the frame 100 ′ in any suitable manner . the grinding bar 180 ′ advantageously allows a user to practice mounting and dismounting a grinding rail . the grinding bar 180 ′ preferably is elevated above the ground surface 1 ′ at a height that requires some effort to raise the foot board 400 to a height to land on the grinding bar 180 ′. with reference now to fig1 and fig1 - 16 , two alternative frame designs are illustrated therein . the frame designs can be configured from suitable tubular members . in some embodiments , the tubular members can comprise steel , aluminum or other suitable metal alloys . furthermore , the tubular members can be formed of plastics , carbon fiber or any other suitable materials . the tubular members can be connected in the manners discussed above or any other suitable manner . with reference now to fig1 , the frame 100 ″ comprises four elongated generally u - shaped legs 110 ″. the legs 110 ″ can be secured together with hardware , such as that described above . furthermore , the legs 110 ″ of the illustrated frame can be linked together using a sleeve within a sleeve arrangement where one end of a frame member slides within an end of an adjacent frame member . other suitable connecting techniques also can be used . the cords 501 ″- 504 ″ can be connected to the frame 100 ″ in any suitable manner . the cords can be configured of any suitable material . in one embodiment , the cords 501 ″- 504 ″ can comprise a rubberized cover that is disposed over a small diameter bungee cord - like rope . other types of elastic , resilient or stretchable cords also can be used . the illustrated spring board deck 300 ″ can be formed in any suitable manner of any suitable material . in one embodiment , the deck 300 ″ is molded from a suitable resin based material . in another embodiment , the 300 ″ is made of a thin wood or metal material . in addition , the illustrated foot deck 400 ′ can be formed in any suitable manner of any suitable material . for instance , in one embodiment , the deck 400 ″ can be formed of a clear acrylic material . in another embodiment , the deck 400 ″ can be formed of a wood or metal material . with reference now to fig1 and 16 , the frame 100 ″′ can comprise a hammock - style support . furthermore , the cords 501 ″′- 504 ″′ can be connected to the spring board deck 300 ″′ in any suitable manner . in the illustrated embodiment , caps 700 ″′ are used to lock the cords to a lower surface of the deck 300 ″′. in operation of any of the above - described embodiments , the foot deck and the spring board deck assembly is suspended by the elastic cords above the ground and below the top of the frame . the user then steps onto the foot deck , and the user &# 39 ; s weight stretches the elastic cords and the foot deck and spring board deck assembly preferably touches the ground . from this position , the user may practice and perform various tricks and maneuvers . the user may pitch the board like a skateboard and learn this motion and balance without having a tilting motion to the foot deck . the user may pivot the board on the rotational bearing system located at the center of the deck , to help the user learn balance skills while on the foot deck . the user may jump up to remove weight from the foot deck , and learn to articulate the foot deck as it is lifted off the ground by the spring force provided by the stretched elastic cords . the user may also learn to land on the foot deck and learn overall balance techniques in the process of landing and bringing the foot deck system back to the ground . the user may also jump up , allowing the elastic cord spring load to lift the foot deck , and articulate and rotate the foot deck , to land on the grinding bar and then balance the foot deck on the grinding bar . the user may also combine any one or all of these motions to learn more advanced skills to perform tricks and maneuvers . the user may also hold the handle bar for balance while using the device . the user may also unlock and collapse the frame into a compact storage configuration when the product is not in use . although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments , other embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art also are within the scope of this invention . thus , various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for instance , various components may be repositioned as desired . furthermore , aspects of one illustrated embodiment can be applied to other illustrated embodiments . for instance , the grind rail 180 ′ can be used with any of the disclosed frames . moreover , not all of the features , aspects and advantages of any particular embodiment are necessarily required to practice the present invention . accordingly , the scope of the present invention is intended to be defined only by the claims that follow .
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the ice tray of the present invention is discussed herein with reference to a preferred embodiment . fig1 is a perspective view of an ice tray of the present invention . fig2 is top view of the ice tray , and fig3 is a bottom view of the ice tray . the ice tray generally includes a single body of material comprising an uneven top surface 10 that may be configured and dimensioned to define at least one cavity 12 extending beneath the top surface 10 . the top surface 10 may have an elevated rim 14 to prevent spillage of water when filling the ice tray . fig4 shows an end view of the ice tray , and fig5 shows a side view of the ice tray . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the top surface 10 may also have downwardly angled edges 16 along the outside edge of the rim 14 to act as a lip for ease of lifting . the top surface 10 may have a plurality of raised ridges 18 between and parallel to the cavities 12 to facilitate stacking of two or more ice trays . fig6 is a side view of a cavity 12 of an ice tray ; fig7 is a top view of a cavity 12 of an ice tray filled with ice ; and fig8 is a bottom view of a cavity 12 of an ice tray . the cavities 12 receive water or other liquid to be frozen and formed into one or more ice pieces . preferably , there are 1 to 50 or more cavities 12 , and most preferably five cavities 12 . the cavities 12 may be parallel to each other , or in any other desired configuration . the cavities generally are dimensioned to define an ice piece that can be inserted into the opening and through the mouth of a beverage container . the cavities 12 may have any dimensions , but preferably , at least two transverse dimensions are less than 1 . 0 inch so as to allow the ice piece to be inserted into the opening and through the mouth of a beverage container . preferably , the transverse dimensions are the width , depth , or both , and are more preferably less than 0 . 75 inches and most preferably 0 . 6 inches . preferably , the length of the cavity is about 1 inch to about 8 inches , and preferably about 6 inches . the cavity 12 may contain a protrusion 20 extending from the bottom of the cavity 12 into the cavity 12 itself as shown in fig6 . the protrusion 20 may generally be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cavity 12 , and the height of such protrusion 20 will generally be less than the depth of the cavity 12 . there may be one or more protrusions 20 in the cavity 12 . preferably , there is one protrusion 20 generally in the middle of the cavity 12 . the presence of the protrusion 20 will cause a notch to be formed in the ice piece . the notch is advantageously designed to enable breaking the ice piece into smaller pieces . the cavity 12 may have arcuate - shaped ends 22 that are tapered inward from the top surface 10 to allow for easy removal of the ice pieces . the walls 24 of the cavity 12 may be rounded to form a semi or half cylindroid or half - cylindrical shape . fig3 and 4 show two narrow support feet 26 extending outward from the bottom of the ice tray and perpendicular to the length of the cavities 12 . the support feet 26 allow for level resting on a flat surface . fig9 is a cross - sectional end view along a support foot 26 of an ice tray . the support feet 26 have a plurality of shift - limiting notches 28 which are generally aligned with the ridges 18 on the top surface 10 . the shift - limiting notches 28 may be slight hemispherical indentations between each cavity 12 which are aligned with the ridges 18 on the top surface 10 of the ice tray . the shift - limiting notches 28 conveniently interlock with the ridge 18 on the top surface 10 when multiple ice trays are stacked on top of each other . in particular , the shift - limiting notches 28 rest on top of the ridges 18 of another tray . fig1 is a cross - sectional side view along a cavity 12 of an ice tray , and shows a cross - section of two support feet 26 . the ice tray of the present invention may have more than two support feet 26 in any suitable configuration that allows the ice tray to be balanced on a surface and stacked on top of another ice tray . the ice tray may be manufactured out of any non - toxic plastic , rubber , aluminum , or other suitable material . preferably , the ice tray is made from high - density polyethylene . the material may be formed into the shape of the ice tray by the process of injection molding , blow molding , rotational molding , vacuum forming , stamping , or any other process known in the art . the preferred process is injection molding . the ice tray functions by pouring water or any other desired liquid into the cavities 12 of the tray , and placing the tray in a freezer or otherwise subjecting the tray containing the liquid to a temperature at or below the freezing point of the liquid . once the liquid in the tray freezes , the ice may be released from the tray by placing one hand on opposite corners or sides of the tray and gently twisting the tray . the tray may also be inverted for ease in removing the ice pieces . the ice may also be removed by placing a fingernail or other object under one end of the ice piece and prying the ice loose from the tray . the ice may then be broken where the ice has a notch due to the protrusion 20 in the cavity 12 . the user may then drop the pieces of ice into the mouth of a beverage container to chill a beverage . as the ice pieces melt , the user may add more ice pieces to keep the beverage chilled . by utilizing the claimed invention , retailers of everyday refreshment drinks may maintain a very limited quantity of high priced cold drinks and a higher quantity of low priced room - temperature drinks which may be quickly chilled by utilizing the ice tray of the present invention to chill the drink on demand . this type of “ just in time ” inventorying of cold drinks will result in substantial energy savings for the retailer which may be passed on to the consumer . additionally , many retailers cannot afford the expense of sizable refrigerators for cold drinks . the present invention enables those retailers to offer chilled drinks at a fraction of the cost .
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the present invention is directed to semiconductor optical devices , and more specifically to method of manufacturing micro - and nanotubes and devices incorporating them . reference may be made below to specific elements , numbered in accordance with the attached figures . the discussion below should be taken to be exemplary in nature , and not as limiting of the scope of the present invention . the scope of the present invention is defined in the claims , and should not be considered as limited by the implementation details described below , which as one skilled in the art will appreciate , can be modified by replacing elements with equivalent functional elements . within the text below and the embodiments of manufacturing , use , etc contained within the term “ semiconductor tube ” has been used and refers to either a semiconductor tube or a semiconductor nanotube . similarly whilst reference is made primarily to gaas / inalgaas semiconductors for embodiments of the invention it would be understood by one skilled in the art that other semiconductor material systems may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention according to the optical wavelength of the devices being provided and the constraints of material processing , suitable sacrificial layers , material properties etc . such material systems may include binary , tertiary and quaternary semiconductors within the ingaassb , ingaasp , algaasp , cdznsete , and gaalassb material systems as well as silicon , germanium , and selenides of zn , mg , and cd . fig1 depicts schematics of manufacturing semiconductor tubes using a semiconductor manufacturing methodology with and without structured edges according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown in first deposited layer structure 150 to achieve a free - standing semiconductor tube , a u - shaped mesa is defined within a gaas layer 146 that sits atop a semiconductor epitaxial structure comprising alas 112 , ingaas 114 and gaas 146 layers which were deposited atop a gaas substrate 118 . a mesa was then defined by etching into the ingaas 114 layer , and one edge of the mesa the 112 alas layer , which will form a sacrificial layer , was also etched through . this edge of the mesa is used to define the starting edge of the rolled - up semiconductor tube . the self - rolling process is initiated with the selective removal of the alas 112 sacrificial layer using hf based solutions . as shown in partial etch structure 120 after a certain distance , the middle part of the semiconductor tube separates from the substrate and begins to curl , curled structure 126 , through the stress distribution within the now free layer . further etching in combination with the continuous rolling of the tube on the side pieces results in first free - standing semiconductor tube 165 , as depicted in first finished structure 150 . for example the ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure may be grown as a 50 nm alas layer on gaas substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and comprising a 20 nm in0 . 18ga0 . 82as layer with a 30 nm gaas layer . likewise in second deposited layer structure 110 to achieve a free - standing semiconductor tube , a u - shaped mesa is defined within a gaas layer 116 that sits atop a semiconductor epitaxial structure comprising alas 112 , ingaas 114 and gaas 116 layers which were deposited atop a gaas substrate 118 . a mesa was then defined by etching into the ingaas 114 layer , and one edge of the mesa the alas 112 layer , which will form a sacrificial layer , was also etched through . this edge of the mesa is used to define the starting edge of the rolled - up semiconductor tube . the self - rolling process is initiated with the selective removal of the alas 112 sacrificial layer using hf based solutions . as shown in partial etch structure 120 after a certain distance , the middle part of the semiconductor tube separates from the substrate and begins to curl , curled structure 126 , through the stress distribution within the now free layer . further etching in combination with the continuous rolling of the tube on the side pieces results in second free - standing semiconductor tube 135 , as depicted in second finished structure 130 . in second deposited layer structure 110 the gaas 146 layer is patterned with a predetermined profile 116 a on the inner region , which is evident on the outer surface of the free - standing semiconductor tube 135 . as will be evident below from discussions on the structure of the optical modes within such semiconductor tubes the predetermined profile 116 a can be tailored to adjust the resulting optical mode profile of the semiconductor tube providing a mechanism of tailoring such optical mode profile through the photolithography step defining the etched pattern of the gaas 146 layer . within another embodiment of the invention , not shown in fig1 , a reduction in the radiative loss of the optical modes through the substrate , the region between the two side pieces 116 b and 116 c of the u - shaped mesa is etched through the ingaas 114 , alas 112 and into the gaas substrate 118 . this etching for example being approximately 1 μm and increases the air gap between the central part of the semiconductor tube and the substrate . typically semiconductor tubes fabricated with this method have 1 or 2 revolutions corresponding to wall thicknesses of approximately 50 nm and 100 nm for the epitaxial structure defined supra . typical ; semiconductor tube diameters are approximately 5 μm to 6 μm and are predetermined by the strain of the pseudomorphic ingaas 114 layer and the subsequently gaas 116 layer with or without the quantum dot hetero structure . referring to fig2 there is depicted a schematic of the method showing the incorporation of quantum dots into the semiconductor tube according to an embodiment of the invention . accordingly in curl schematic 210 a quantum dot semiconductor structure is shown during the etching step . accordingly there is a similar structure to that described supra in respect of fig1 comprising an ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure 206 comprising a 50 nm alas layer 204 on gaas substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and comprising a 20 nm in0 . 18ga0 . 82as layer with a 30 nm gaas layer . embedded within the gaas matrix of the ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure 206 are one or two layers of in0 . 5ga0 . 5as quantum dot layers 205 . selective etching of the alas 204 layer causes the ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure 206 to being rolling - up into the semiconductor tube , due to the relaxation of strain . the tube diameter is determined by the bilayer thicknesses and compositions , and the number of rotations is controlled by the etching time . tube schematic 220 showing a single rotation of the ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure 206 thereby forming a cavity 208 within the resulting semiconductor tube . now referring to fig3 exemplary semiconductor epitaxial structures employed in forming semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention are depicted . as shown first epitaxial structure 310 represents a structure such as described supra in respect of fig1 and 2 . according there is shown an ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure grown on a 50 nm alas 302 layer on n + gaas substrate 301 , for example by molecular beam epitaxy . the heterostructure consists of a 20 nm in0 . 18ga0 . 82as 303 layer and a 30 nm gaas layer 304 as well as two vertically coupled in0 . 5ga0 . 5as qd layers 305 embedded in the gaas matrix . accordingly first epitaxial structure 310 allows semiconductor tubes to be fabricated on gaas substrates for either direct integration into microwave , rf or electronic circuits formed on gaas or their removal and transfer to another substrate . second semiconductor structure 320 provides a variant of the structure that is compatible with forming ingaas / gaas semiconductor tubes on silicon wafers . accordingly there is shown the same ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure grown on a 50 nm alas 302 layer where the heterostructure consists of a 20 nm in0 . 18ga0 . 82as 303 layer and a 30 nm gaas layer 304 as well as two vertically coupled in0 . 5ga0 . 5as qd layers 305 embedded in the gaas matrix . however , now the alas 302 layer is grown atop a gaas layer 306 that has been grown on a silicon 307 substrate . in this manner the structures can be integrated with silicon electronics , including for example cmos . now referring to fig4 a depicts a transfer method for semiconductor tubes that can be employed with semiconductor tubes manufactured according to an embodiment of the invention . pseudomorphic ingaas / gaas quantum dot heterostructures were grown on gaas substrates , which consist of a 50 nm alas sacrificial layer 411 and 20 nm in0 . 18ga0 . 82as 414 b and 30 nm gaas layers 414 a . two in0 . 5ga0 . 5as quantum dot layers were embedded in the gaas matrix , not shown for clarity . the use of quantum dots can substantially reduce nonradiative recombination associated with the presence of surface defects , due to the three dimensional localization of carriers in the dots . as shown in pre - etch schematic 410 a strained u - shaped mesa was first defined by etching the gaas 414 a to the ingaas layer 414 b . the alas sacrificial layer 411 was also etched through at the starting edge of the rolled - up semiconductor tube . the self - rolling process was initiated with the selective etching of the alas sacrificial layer 411 using hydrofluoric acid based solutions due to the relaxation of strain in the ingaas / gaas bilayer . after a certain distance , the middle part of the tube is separated from the substrate and as a result , continuous rolling on the side pieces leads to freestanding semiconductor tubes 415 on gaas substrate 412 as illustrated in pre - release schematic 420 . it may be noted that the presence of a sinusoid corrugation at the inner edge of the mesa results in semiconductor tube ring resonators with an engineered geometry as will be discussed below . to achieve semiconductor tube ring resonators employing semiconductor tubes 415 on si substrate 416 , the thin alas sacrificial layer underlying the mesa is completely etched and the fully released quantum dot semiconductor tubes 415 are then registered on the gaas substrate 413 . subsequently , as shown in transfer schematic 430 the gaas substrate 413 is placed directly on top of the si substrate 416 with the presence of an appropriate solvent . when the gaas substrate 413 is removed , freestanding semiconductor tubes 415 preferentially stay on the si substrate 416 due to the gravitational force induced by the solvent in and around the tube . upon drying out the solvent the semiconductor tubes 415 are attached to the si wafer 416 by van der waals bonding as shown in final schematic 440 . referring to fig4 b there are depicted sem micrographs of semiconductor tubes manufactured according to embodiments of the invention such as described above in respect of fig1 through 4a . the scanning electron microscopy sem image of an ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube fabricated on a gaas substrate is shown in first sem 450 , which is evidenced by the presence of an etched gaas mesa upon the formation of the semiconductor tube . second sem 460 shows a quantum dot semiconductor tube transferred on a clean si substrate that is free of any etched pattern . the sinusoidal geometry of the freestanding region of a quantum dot semiconductor tube on si can also be clearly identified , as illustrated in third sem 480 where rolled end 464 is shown along with the body 472 of the central region of the semiconductor tube and the sinusoidal edge of the gaas is shown by line 476 . such quantum dot semiconductor tube exhibit a diameter of approximately 5 . 2 μm and in this example the freestanding region 472 was formed by 2 . 5 revolutions , thereby yielding wall thicknesses of approximately 100 μm and 150 μm for the regions with 2 and 3 revolutions respectively . the air gap between the semiconductor tube and si substrate , determined by the etching time , is estimated to be approximately 0 . 3 μm . the substrate - on - substrate transfer technique allows for the achievement of semiconductor tube ring resonators on si with extremely smooth surface and excellent structural properties that is not possible using either of the dry - printing or solution - casting based processes of the prior art . for 2 . 5 rotations the etching process removed approximately of 21 μm of alas such that where the semiconductor tube is formed and employed on the same substrate without any transfer an region of approximately 25 μm would be devoid of device elements to provide the region for the deposition of the epitaxial structure that would be subsequently rolled up during the etching step . now referring to fig5 a there is depicted a method of manufacturing a gaas / inalas semiconductor tube within a gaas electrical circuit for electrical injection of carriers to provide a semiconductor optical source according to an embodiment of the invention . the electrically injected device heterostructure , shown in pre - etching schematic 500 a is very similar to the ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure described above in respect of fig1 through 4b except that the top gaas 540 and the strained ingaas 530 layers are doped with si and be respectively . self - organized ingaas quantum dot layers are incorporated in the gaas 540 layer as the gain media , but are not shown for clarity . the epitaxial structure further including the alas 520 sacrificial layer between the ingaas 530 and the substrate 510 and an n - metal contact formed in n - metal 550 . during the fabrication process , a u - shaped mesa was first defined using standard photolithography and wet etching techniques , followed by the deposition of the n - metal 550 layer on the end of the mesa and the two side - pieces of the mesa . the free - standing rolled - up semiconductor tube structure 570 was then fabricated by etching the alas 520 layer . subsequently , su - 8 580 , an epoxy based negative photoresist providing a passivation and planarization layer with a thickness of approximately 4 μm to 5 μm , was spin coated onto the wafer . next a p - metal contact was formed in p - metal 590 that was deposited in regions of the free - standing rolled - up semiconductor tube structure 570 where the su - 8 580 is selectively removed , as illustrated interconnected tube schematic 500 b . referring to perspective view 500 c there is shown an alternative embodiment of the structure prior to etching wherein the region between the two sidepieces of the u - shaped mesa was etched to approximately 1 μm deep , with the sidewalls protected by a thin ( approximately 0 . 1 μm ) sinx layer . the trench 5000 providing increased separation of the fabricated semiconductor tube from the substrate . now referring to fig5 b there is depicted an optical micrograph of a semiconductor tube and electrical interconnects manufactured according to the method of fig5 a . the optical micrograph of the electrically injected rolled - up semiconductor tube device clearly depicts the free - standing semiconductor tube 570 , p - metal 590 contact , and the n - metal 550 contact . an sem image of the p - metal contact and the free - standing semiconductor tube region is shown in the inset to the right . accordingly in this design , electrons and holes are injected directly from the supporting side - pieces and the top surface of the free - standing semiconductor tube respectively . the radiative recombination of charge carriers in the quantum dot active region leads to the emission of photons , which can be largely confined in the micro - tube ring resonator formed by the semiconductor tube 570 . referring to fig6 a there are depicted micrographs of semiconductor tubes manufactured according to embodiments of the invention . first image 610 being a scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) image of a single - walled ingaas qd semiconductor tube with approximately 1 . 2 turns wherein the etched gaas , rolled - up semiconductor tube ( semiconductor tube ), and unetched region are easily identified . cathodoluminescence monochromatic analysis of the structures has shown that the ingaas / gaas quantum dot ( qd ) semiconductor tube is highly uniform and bright compared with the as - grown qd layer , suggesting a significant improvement of the qd optical quality . second image 620 shows a scanning electron microscopy image of a semiconductor tube wherein the etched gaas , formed semiconductor tube , and unetched region are easily identified . third image 630 shows in detail a semiconductor tube transferred according to the process described above in respect of fig4 a showing that the excellent structural properties of the semiconductor tube are maintained . fourth image 640 shows an ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube onto si substrate . each of third and fourth images showing the engineered edge profile of the mesa prior to rolling - up that the inventors have identified as allowing precisely tailored optical modes to be achieved . now referring to fig6 b there are micrographs of semiconductor tubes manufactured according to embodiments of the invention . in fifth image 650 the controlled surface geometry of the semiconductor tube is evident where the surface geometry is directly related to the corrugations introduced at the inner edge of the u - shaped mesa . as described supra reduction in radiative losses through the substrate can be achieved when the region between the two side pieces of the u - shaped mesa is etched to approximately 1 μm before the tube formation , thereby increasing the air gap between the central part of the tube and the substrate . this is shown in sixth image where the deeper trench is evident as the central dark region against the lighter surrounding substrate and semiconductor tube . seventh image 670 shows a semiconductor tube transferred onto a si substrate using the newly developed substrate - on - substrate transfer technique described in respect of fig4 a showing the ingaas / gaas qd semiconductor tube after transfer without degradation of the semiconductor tube or the sinusoidal corrugation resulting from the inner edge of the u - shaped mesa being formed with an engineered geometry . the measured tube diameter , shown in the inset of seventh image 670 is approximately 5 . 2 μm . finally in eighth image 680 an sem image of a free - standing ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube semiconductor tube is shown wherein the center part of the semiconductor tube is directly over an etched region of the target substrate to reduce any radiative loss through the substrate . it is also evident in this image that the rolled - up structure has broken so that the edges have layers of decreasing width wherein the material not lifted from the substrate is shown as remaining triangular region . referring to fig7 there is depicted an sem micrograph of a semiconductor tube manufactured according to an embodiment of the invention wherein the etched gaas buffer layer 710 , partially rolled - up semiconductor tube 740 , etched region 720 where the alas sacrificial layer has been etched away and unetched region 730 where the alas sacrificial layer has yet to be etched away where in the ingaas / gaas bilayer is still planar . as shown in the enlarged sem the end of the semiconductor tube is shown with an inner diameter of approximately 5 . 2 μm which is in excellent agreement with the calculated values using continuum mechanical models as will be evident in the results presented below . within the preceding descriptions of manufacturing semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention the semiconductor tube comprises an ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure with quantum dots formed in one or two in0 . 5ga0 . 5as qd layers . the inventors have demonstrated self - organized quantum dots in strained - layer epitaxy of iii - v semiconductors , wherein the coherently strained and nearly defect - free quantum dots are formed in the stranski - krastanow growth mode . both molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ) and metal organic chemical vapor deposition ( mocvd ) have been utilized for the fabrication of self - organized quantum dot heterostructures . in the stranski - krastanow growth mode , the transition from a layer - by - layer growth to the formation of three - dimensional islands is governed by the interplay between the interface energy and strain energy . the critical layer thickness , corresponding to the onset of island formation , being largely determined by the lattice mismatch . above the critical layer thickness , elastic strain relaxation occurs via the formation of coherently strained , defect - free islands . examples of self - organized qd structures on gaas and si layers see z . mi et al in “ iii - v compound semiconductor nanostructures on silicon : epitaxial growth , properties , and applications in light emitting diodes and lasers ” ( j . nanophotonics , vol . 3 , 031602 , 2009 ), p . bhattacharya et al in “ quantum dot lasers : from promise to high - performance devices ” ( j . cryst . growth , 311 , pp 1625 - 1631 , 2009 ), and z . mi et al in “ high performance quantum dot lasers and integrated optoelectronics on si ” ( proc . ieee , vol . 97 , no . 7 , pp 1239 - 1249 ). now referring to fig8 a and 8b there is depicted the origin of the optical mode structure within a semiconductor tube fabricated according to an embodiment of the invention . the unique emission characteristics of a semiconductor tube with quantum dots can be analyzed , if as an approximation , in the simplest case , the semiconductor tube ring structure is considered as a planar dielectric waveguide with periodic boundary conditions . illustrated in fig8 a is an sem image of a semiconductor tube as well as the equivalent waveguide model , wherein the outside edge ( or the surface corrugation ) of the semiconductor tube corresponds to the tapered region of the waveguide . z and l directions , shown in the waveguide model in fig8 a , correspond to the tube axial direction and the direction around the tube circumference , respectively . using this model , effective refractive index , neff ( z ), for photons propagating along the l direction , averaged over the length of the waveguide ( or the circumference of the semiconductor tube ). as a result , neff ( z ) is directly related to the size and shape of the tapered region . since the confined optical modes in a single walled semiconductor tube ring resonator is linearly polarized , with the electric field parallel to the tube wall ( the z axis ), then it is possible to derive the eigenmode distributions of the equivalent two - dimensional waveguide . from the scalar helmholtz equation ( 1 ) below . where e ( l , z ) is the electrical field distribution and k is the vacuum wave vector . utilizing e ( l , z )= φ ( z ) e 1βl , where z is the transverse field distribution along the z direction and β is the propagation constant along the l direction , we can obtain equation ( 2 ) for the transverse optical modes from equation 1 . for any given wavelength , discrete eigenvalues of equation ( 2 ), i . e ., p = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . , can be calculated , which correspond to various transverse modes supported by the waveguide . therefore , dispersion properties of the equivalent planar dielectric waveguide can be obtained by solving equation ( 2 ) over a wide wavelength range . dispersion curves ( p versus photon energy ) for the first three transverse modes ( p = 0 , 1 , and 2 ) are shown in the upper graph 800 a of fig8 b ( solid lines ). in this calculation , the tapered region is approximated as a parabolic shape . the cavity eigenmodes are subsequently determined from the intersections between these dispersion curves and the curves describing the azimuthal resonances ( dashed lines ), i . e . β = 2π × m / l , where l is the circumference of the semiconductor tube and m is the azimuthal mode number . shown in fig8 b , it can be seen that the calculated results are in excellent agreement with the measured values which are shown in the measured spectrum 800 b in fig8 b . now referring to fig9 there are shown simulation results for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention . first simulation 910 and second simulation 920 show optical resonance mode profiles , calculated by the finite - difference time domain method , for both an ideal ring resonator ( first simulation 910 ) and a rolled - up semiconductor tube device ( second simulation 920 ) with the same diameter ( approximately 5 μm ) and wall thickness ( approximately 50 nm ). it is seen that , while photons are well confined in an ideal ring resonator , strong light scattering occurs at the inside and outside edges of a rolled - up semiconductor tube device . the light scattering effect and , consequently , the q - factors of the optical cavities , depend strongly on the number of revolutions of the semiconductor tube . q - factors between approximately 6 , 000 and approximately 40 , 000 have been calculated for rolled - up semiconductor tube ring resonators with 1 and 4 revolutions , corresponding to wall thicknesses of approximately 50 nm and 200 nm respectively . evidently , rolled - up semiconductor tube devices offer the distinct advantages of directional emission as well as controlled output coupling efficiency , which are often difficult to realize in conventional micro - and nanoscale semiconductor optical cavities . also shown in fig9 are third simulation 930 and model 940 . the confined optical mode , from finite - difference time domain method , shown as azimuthal mode profile for photons ( m = 37 ) confined in a rolled - up tube with a diameter of approximately 5 . 6 μm and wall thickness of 100 nm is shown in third simulation 930 . it is seen that coherent emission from rolled - up semiconductor tube is predominantly determined by the photon scattering occurred at the inside edge . the calculated q - factor is & gt ; 14 , 000 , which is primarily limited by the optical scattering at the inside and outside edges and , in practice , any irregularities on the surface of the tube as well . this unique phenomenon is enormously important for achieving micro - and nanoscale lasers with controlled emission direction and output efficiency that are generally difficult to realize using photonic crystal , microdisk , and toroidal based optical cavities . the optical resonance modes in rolled - up semiconductor tube are also strongly influenced by the presence of surface corrugations . the first two axial field distributions associated with each azimuthal optical mode confined in the rolled - up semiconductor tube are schematically shown in model 940 , which explains the observed higher order modes near the dominant azimuthal modes in the emission spectra presented in fig1 to 16 below . as shown within the semiconductor tube 944 are first longitudinal mode 942 and second longitudinal mode 946 . it is also evident that control of the lasing modes can possibly be achieved in rolled - up micro - and nanotube lasers by varying the semiconductor tube surface geometry . the mode competition amongst various azimuthal modes may not be significant , since these modes are separated by approximately 20 mev , which is larger than the homogeneous linewidth of a single dot ( approximately 10 - 15 mev ) at room temperature . however , strong mode competition for the various axial modes associated with the same azimuthal mode number is expected to occur , due to their small ( approximately 2 - 6 mev ) separation in energy . referring to fig1 depicts simulation results for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention for a rolled - up semiconductor tube with a small wall thickness ( approximately 75 nm ), again by finite - difference time - domain methods . it was found that tm modes , with an electric field parallel to the tube wall , can be established as optical resonance modes . the calculated tm mode profiles with and without the presence of a gaas substrate are shown in first and second simulations 1010 and 1020 respectively . radiative losses through the substrate , evident in first simulation 1010 , are identified to be the primary cause for the observed small q factor of semiconductor tubes with small air gaps to the substrate . it is further calculated that significantly improved q factors , & gt ; 5000 , can be readily achieved in free - standing qd semiconductor tube resonators . although an ideal cylindrical resonator consists of a regular sequence of resonance modes , the observed single optical mode of a semiconductor tube is explained by the spiral asymmetry and other imperfections in the semiconductor tube formation . as shown in second simulation 1020 wherein the gaas substrate separation from the semiconductor tube has been increased , e . g . by etching this region of the substrate prior to rolling - up the semiconductor tube , see perspective view 500 c and trench 5000 . now referring to fig1 depicts optical emission spectra for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention . first emission spectrum 1110 depicts cathodoluminescence ( cl ) measurements for an ingaas / gaas qd semiconductor tube ring resonator taken directly from the qd semiconductor tube resonator at 100 k and is also compared with that of the as - grown qd layer ( inset of first emission spectrum 1110 ). an optical resonance mode at approximately 1020 nm can be observed , proving , for the first time , that a rolled - up semiconductor tube , with an average wall thickness of approximately 75 nm , can serve as an optical ring resonator . the emission linewidth is approximately 5 nm , corresponding to a cavity q factor of 204 . it may also be noted that , with the reduced strain distribution in the semiconductor tubes , there is a small red shift ( approximately 10 mev ) in the qd signal . second emission spectrum 1120 depicts for a rolled - up quantum dot semiconductor tubes with an engineered surface geometry where a raman spectrum for these semiconductor tubes is shown , wherein peaks associated with the ingaas and gaas layers , and the si substrate can be clearly identified third emission spectrum 1130 depicts the emission of a freestanding quantum dot semiconductor tube with the presence of corrugations at an excitation power of approximately 30 μw at room temperature is shown . this detailed view of the eigenmodes associated with azimuthal mode number m = 29 is shown with the axial mode numbers ( p ) identified . the two non - degenerate modes associated with p = 0 are induced by the inside and outer side edges around the tube . additionally , associated with each azimuthal mode m is a group of optical resonance modes with different axial field distributions , which are directly related to light localization along the tube axis due to the presence of corrugations . evidently , by varying the tube geometry , an exact tailoring of the 3 - dimensionally confined optical modes can be achieved . a minimum intrinsic linewidth of approximately 0 . 4 nm is derived for these structures , corresponding to a q - factor of ˜ 3 , 000 . it is important to note that such a relatively high q - factor is achieved in a single wall semiconductor structure , with a wall thickness of merely 50 nm . now referring to fig1 there are shown first to fourth optical emission spectra 1210 through 1240 respectively are shown . considering initially first and second optical emission spectra 1210 and 1220 respectively the emission characteristics of a free - standing ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube optical ring resonator on gaas was studied using micro - photoluminescence measurements . in these measurements the semiconductor tube with ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure with approximately 2 . 5 revolutions , therefore with wall thicknesses varying from approximately 100 nm to approximately 150 nm . the sample was mounted on a cryostat with continuous liquid nitrogen flow and cooled to 77 k . a semiconductor laser , with an emission wavelength of 641 nm was focused onto the free - standing region of the semiconductor tube using an objective ( 100 ×, na = 0 . 7 ). the emitted light was collected by the same objective , analyzed by a spectrometer , and detected by a liquid nitrogen cooled ingaas detector and lock - in amplifier . in this measurement scheme , both the excitation and signal collection are located at the same spot . the emission characteristic measured at a pump power of 22 μw is shown in first optical emission spectrum 1010 showing sharp optical resonant modes , spaced apart by approximately 14 mev . it should also be noted that the presence of the inside and outside edges leads to non - degenerate optical modes , illustrated in second optical emission spectrum 1220 . an intrinsic q factor of approximately 3 , 000 was derived for the structure . analysis using finite - difference time domain methods determined that the observed optical modes are tm polarized , with an electric field parallel to the semiconductor tube wall . in third and fourth optical emission spectra 1230 and 1240 respectively the emission characteristic of 3 - dimensionally confined ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor optical ring resonators transferred onto si substrates are presented . the measurement scheme was identical to that described above in respect of first and second optical emission spectra 1210 and 1220 respectively . the photoluminescence spectrum measured from the free - standing quantum dot semiconductor tube is shown in third optical emission spectrum 1230 , which exhibits five dominant optical eigenmodes , curve 1240 a . photoluminescence emission directly from the as grown quantum dot ensemble is also shown for comparison with second curve 1240 b . referring to fourth optical emission spectrum 1140 which is an expansion of a region of third optical emission spectrum 1130 between 1090 nm and 1120 nm axial optical modes can also be observed which are related to the engineered shape of the semiconductor tube optical ring resonator . these measurements being taken with a pump power of 15 μw at 77 k . both the axial and radial modes are therefore illustrated in the fourth optical emission spectrum 1240 . referring to fig1 there are depicted first to third optical emission spectra 1310 to 1330 respectively for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention . the emission characteristics of an ingaas / gaas bilayer heterostructure with quantum dots are shown using micro - photoluminescence spectroscopy at 293 k . shown in first optical emission spectrum 1310 the emission spectrum of semiconductor tube resonators with a wall thickness of approximately 250 nm under a pump power of approximately 30 μw is shown wherein six sharp optical resonant modes , equally separated by approximately 16 mev , can be clearly identified . by reducing the tube wall thickness to approximately 100 nm , the observed spectral eigenmodes related to light localization along the tube axis were observed with an intrinsic linewidth of approximately 0 . 6 nm , corresponding to a q - factor of ˜ 2 , 000 . this being depicted in second optical emission spectrum 1320 . similarly emission characteristics of ingaas / gaas qd semiconductor tubes at 77 k are shown in third optical emission spectrum 1330 for a pump power of 32 μw . six groups of sharp optical resonant modes , corresponding to orders 39 to 44 are evident , with the dominant modes of each group spaced apart by approximately 20 . 5 mev . emission from the as - grown qd layers is also shown for comparison . additionally , associated with each azimuthal mode is a group of at least five spectral eigenmodes , separated by approximately 3 - 4 mev , which are directly related to light localization along the tube axis due to the presence of surface corrugations now referring to fig1 there are depicted first to third optical emission spectra 1410 to 1430 respectively demonstrating the variations of spectra with wall thickness . again free - standing ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube ring resonators were measured using micro - photoluminescence spectroscopy at room temperature wherein the devices were excited with a he — ne laser beam ( λ , = 632 . 8 nm ) through a 60 × objective lens . light emitted from the semiconductor tube was collected by the same objective , analyzed by a high - resolution spectrometer with lock - in amplification , and detected using a liquid nitrogen cooled ingaas detector . in these spectra the semiconductor tube devices exhibit diameters of approximately 5 - 6 μm and have wall thicknesses varying from approximately 50 nm to 200 nm and exhibit an engineered surface geometry , which can be approximated as a parabolic shape . the measured emission spectra of semiconductor tubes with wall thicknesses of approximately 50 nm , 100 nm , and 200 nm are shown in first to third optical emission spectra 1410 to 1430 respectively . it is evident that the emission spectra are characterized by several groups of sharp optical resonance modes , which are denoted by associated azimuthal and axial mode numbers ( m , p ), due to photon confinement around the circumference and axial directions of the tube , respectively . the energy separations between the adjacent azimuthal modes are approximately 24 , 21 and 19 mev , and the energy separations between the adjacent axial modes are approximately 7 , 4 and 2 - 3 mev , for semiconductor tubes with wall thicknesses of approximately 50 nm , 100 nm , and 200 nm , respectively . the dependence of emission characteristics of semiconductor tube ring resonators on the surface geometry can be explained by an equivalent planar waveguide model with periodic boundary conditions . in this model , the unique surface geometry of the semiconductor tube can be modeled by a tapered region in the dielectric waveguide . details about this model are described above . in this analysis , the axial optical field distribution φ ( z ) can be derived from the equation ( 3 ) below . where z represents the tube axial direction , k is the vacuum wave vector , and β is the propagation constant along the tube circumference . neff ( z ) is the effective refractive index averaged over the circumference of the tube , which is directly related to the tube surface geometry . for a given wave vector k , discrete eigenvalues of β , i . e ., βp ( k ) ( p = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 . . . ), can be obtained by solving equation ( 3 ) analytically or numerically . in addition , the optical resonance modes satisfy the azimuthal phase matching condition , described by , βl = 2 πm where l is the circumference of the semiconductor tube and m is azimuthal mode number 0 . 16 , 20 , 22 , etc for example . the eigenenergy of each optical resonance mode can then be derived from the above equations . the optical mode numbers ( m , p ), shown in first to third optical emission spectra 1410 to 1430 were obtained from this model . detailed studies further confirm that these calculations agree well with the experimental results . now referring to fig1 there are depicted first and second optical emission spectra 1510 and 1520 for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention and the i - v curve 1530 for an electrically injected optical semiconductor tube emitter . first and second optical emission spectra 1510 and 1520 representing room temperature lasing in rolled - up ingaas / gaas quantum dot semiconductor tube ring cavities , with a diameter of approximately 5 μm and wall thickness of approximately 125 nm , representing 2 . 5 revolutions . first and second optical emission spectra 1510 and 1520 being measured below ( approximately 3 μw ) and above the threshold ( approximately 25 μw ) respectively . the dominant lasing wavelengths are 1193 . 6 nm , 1216 . 5 nm and 1240 . 7 nm , with the corresponding azimuthal mode numbers of 39 , 38 and 37 respectively . referring to i - v curve 1530 the integrated intensity of the emission peak at 1240 . 7 nm as a function of the absorbed pump power by the semiconductor tube is plotted . an ultralow threshold of approximately 4 μw is estimated . variation of spectral linewidth versus optical pump power is shown in the inset of third optical emission spectrum 1530 . with the increase of pump power , a linewidth reduction from approximately 0 . 6 - 0 . 8 nm to approximately 0 . 4 - 0 . 5 nm is observed , which agrees well with the measured threshold , further confirming lasing from the semiconductor tube cavity . a small increase of the spectral linewidth at higher pump power is also evident , possibly due to heating effect . other lasing modes exhibit similar characteristics . fig1 depicts the variation in optical emission for semiconductor tubes according to embodiments of the invention showing the impact of the profile of the end of the semiconductor “ sheet ” that is rolled up . as above a bilayer heterostructure ingaas / gaas qd semiconductor tube ring resonator was investigated using micro - photoluminescence spectroscopy at 300 k with he — ne laser excitation ( 632 . 8 nm ) to optically excite the device through a 60 ( 0 . 8 na ) objective lens . the spectrally resolved emission is detected by an ingaas detector with lock - in amplification . in regions of the semiconductor tube that are attached to the substrate , a broad emission spectrum is generally observed , shown as the dotted line 1640 in first spectrum 1610 . the absence of any optical resonance modes is largely due to radiative loss through the substrate . a typical emission spectrum measured from the free - standing region of such a semiconductor tube is shown as the solid line 1630 in first spectrum 1610 . this spectrum being characterised by a sequence of regularly spaced optical resonance modes superimposed on a broad ingaas / gaas qd emission spectrum . the pump power was 27 mw . these resonance modes , arising from photons confined around the periphery of the semiconductor tube by total internal reflection , are separated by approximately 19 . 5 mev . the corresponding azimuthal numbers ( m = 38 to 45 ) were derived from modeling the semiconductor tube as being of diameter approximately 6 μm and 2 . 4 revolutions . the relatively small q - factor ( approximately 350 ) is attributed to the poor optical confinement provided by the random surface roughness along the tube axial direction . first insert 1615 shows an sem of the semiconductor tube . a significantly different emission spectra , however , is observed in freestanding semiconductor tubes with an engineered surface geometry , see second insert 1625 in second spectra 1620 . first to third emission spectra 1650 to 1670 being measured at pump powers of 27 μw , 12 μw , and 81 μw respectively at 300 k . the optical resonance mode distribution for the semiconductor tube employed in first spectrum 1620 is also shown ( dotted curve 1680 ) for comparison . careful examination reveals that there are eight groups of eigenmodes , with the lowest energy mode in each group approximately aligned to the modes non - structured design . additionally , each group of resonance modes consists of four sharp peaks , separated by approximately 3 - 5 mev , which are directly related to the strong photon confinement along the tube axial direction by the intentionally introduced corrugations on the tube surface , evident in second insert 1625 . the resulting axial field dispersion also implies that the wave vector of each confined photon is not only determined by the azimuthal mode number ( m ) but also directly related to an additional axial mode number ( p ), thereby leading to different eigen energies . the minimum intrinsic linewidth of 0 . 5 mev at room temperature was established , which corresponds to a maximum q - factor of approximately 2000 . further improvement in the q - factor may be achieved by optimising the optical confinement along the tube axial direction . referring to fig1 there is depicted an i - v plot 1710 for an electrically injected optical semiconductor tube emitter and the polarization behaviour of an optically pumped semiconductor tube according to embodiments of the invention . with the p - contact placed directly near the device active region , the device resistance and heating effect can be drastically reduced . in spite of the presence of metal contacts on the tube surface , optical resonance modes were clearly observed under optical pumping in first spectrum 1720 . the polarization properties of the coherent emission from semiconductor are plotted in polarization plot 1730 . for photons circulating around the periphery of the tube , electric fields of the te and tm modes are defined as parallel and normal to the tube surface , respectively . the polarization measurements were performed by inserting a linear polarizer in the optical beam path . the semiconductor tube and polarizer were carefully aligned such that 0 ° and 90 ° correspond to te and tm polarizations , respectively . the peak intensity was then recorded by varying the polarization angle . plotted in polarization plot 1730 is the intensity of the lasing mode at 1240 . 7 nm as a function of the polarization angle . it is seen that the laser emission is primarily te polarized . this observation is also consistent with recent theoretical and experimental studies that only te optical modes , with an electric field parallel to the tube surface , can be supported by a rolled - up semiconductor tube ring resonator with a relatively thin wall ( approximately 40 nm to 200 nm ). referring to fig1 there is depicted the emission spectrum for a semiconductor tube transferred to a silica substrate . as with previous analysis the emission characteristics of semiconductor tube devices transferred on a fiber facet were studied by micro - photoluminescence spectroscopy at room temperature with optical pumping using a he — ne laser at 632 . 8 nm with an absorbed pump power of 20 μw was obtained . the associated azimuthal mode number ( m ) and eigenmodes ( p ) for each resonance mode are identified against these optical resonances in the graph . the semiconductor tube was positioned according to the technique reported by zhaobing tian et al in “ controlled transfer of single rolled - up ingaas — gaas quantum dot microtube ring resonator using optical fiber abrupt tapers ” ( ieee photonics tech . lett ., vol . 22 ( 5 ), pp 311 - 313 ) that as a low stress method demonstrates that the semiconductor tubes are manufactured with low internal stress . the method exploits optical fiber abrupt tapers , made by a fusion splicer machine , which are inserted into each end of the semiconductor tube as the tube diameter φ is larger than the size of the taper tip . the very small contact area between the free - standing semiconductor tube devices and their initial gaas substrate means that the surface tension is much smaller , compared to conventional planar devices . consequently , detaching the semiconductor tube devices from the host substrate can be achieved without introducing any structural defects and / or mechanical distortion and controllably transferred using either one or two fiber tapers and precisely positioned on a foreign substrate . the energy separations for the dominant modes between two adjacent groups and for the two adjacent modes within the same group are approximately 26 and 7 . 5 mev , respectively , which agree well with our calculations . the measured spectral linewidths are approximately 1 nm , corresponding to a q factor of approximately 1100 . the intrinsic - factor may be significantly higher , due to the presence of two non - degenerate modes induced by the inside and outside edges around the tube and can be further improved by optimizing the design and fabrication process . the emission characteristics of quantum - dot semiconductor tubes transferred on the cleaved facet of a fiber are nearly identical , in terms of both the mode profiles and light intensity , to those of similar quantum - dot semiconductor tube devices fabricated directly on gaas substrates , which further confirms the present fiber taper assisted transfer technique is suitable for achieving high - quality micro - and nanotube - based optical cavities on a foreign substrate . finally , it is important to note that emission from the rolled - up tube cavity devices can also be directly coupled to the optical fiber , with the coupling efficiency precisely determined by the vertical separation , or the number of revolutions of the semiconductor tube sidepieces . with the development of the fiber taper assisted transfer technique , it is also expected that nearly defect - free iii - v micro - and nanotube - based nanophotonic devices can be readily achieved on any foreign substrate . more importantly , it provides a viable approach for the monolithic integration of high - performance iii - v semiconductor micro - and nanoscale lasers with si waveguides and other nanophotonic devices on cmos chips for example . referring to fig1 there is depicted a detector assembly 1900 for an optical photodetector according to an embodiment of the invention . as such there shown a semiconductor tube fabricated according to an embodiment of the invention described above either in - situ or transferred using the fiber taper transfer process . considering the scenario that the semiconductor tube 1960 being disposed upon unetched region 1940 , the etched region 1930 being to the left and upon which are deposited first and second electrodes 1920 and 1910 that connect to photodetector leads 1950 and 1970 respectively . these photodetector leads 1950 and 1970 respectively are each connected to one rolled end of the semiconductor tube 1960 , such as described supra in respect of fig5 a and 5b . accordingly a potential difference exists between photodetector leads 1950 and 1970 such that the semiconductor tube 1960 is reverse biased . an optical fiber , for example corning smf - 28 which is a singlemode optical fiber 1980 with an approximately 8 μm core , is positioned laterally with respect to the semiconductor tube 1960 . the singlemode optical fiber 1980 being positioned within a groove , i . e . v - groove on silicon or u - groove on gaas so that the core is vertically aligned with the semiconductor tube 1960 . accordingly optical signals emitted from the singlemode optical fiber 1980 are coupled to the photodetector , formed by reverse biased semiconductor tube 1960 , and the generated photocurrent coupled to electronic circuitry within the integrated circuit of which detector assembly 1900 forms part . it would be evident that microwave / rf optical systems may exploit gaas electronics as well as 10 gb / s , 20 gb / s , and 40 gb / s telecommunications systems whilst data communications and lower speed telecommunication up to about 10 gb / s may exploit silicon electronics . for example the photodetector may form directly part of a circuit with an fet amplifier . it would also be evident to one skilled in the art that the semiconductor tube 1960 may through the use of multiple quantum well structures and quantum dots be implemented as an avalanche photodiode . additionally whilst the biasing of the photodetector has been described as being along the longitudinal axis of the photodetector it would be apparent that a metallization on the upper surface of the film prior to rolling up may be provided such that a the potential may be provided axially through the thickness of the semiconductor tube wall , particularly when the quantum structures are sandwiched between the inner and outer walls . now referring to fig2 depicts schematics of manufacturing semiconductor tubes with metalized inner surfaces and for fabricating a capacitor according to an embodiment of the invention . referring to first schematic 2010 there is shown a rolling process part - way through processing . accordingly there are shown a substrate 2016 upon which have been deposited sacrificial layer 2014 , tube layers 2018 and an upper layer 2012 . accordingly as the sacrificial layer 2014 is etched away the film 2015 comprising tube layers 2018 and upper layer 2012 curls due to the stress distribution within the layers . as etching proceeds as shown in second schematic 2020 the process has continued and now the rolled - up tube has an inner wall that is now completely “ coated ” with the upper layer 2012 . upper layer 2012 may for example be a metal , such as tungsten or copper , an oxide , a polymer , or an organic receptor . where the upper layer 2012 is a metal the resultant semiconductor tubes may provided novel catalytic environments for chemical reactions or the cracking of water through electrolysis with tungsten / copper surfaces for trapping the generated hydrogen and oxygen . where an oxide is employed one option is titanium oxide for the photolytic cracking of water wherein the walls of the semiconductor tubes are either transparent to the required wavelength of the solar spectrum or due to their low thickness provide relatively low absorption . alternatively tungsten oxide may , through its material properties varying with the present of nitrous oxide , hydrogen sulphide , ethanol , carbon monoxide , ammonia and ozone , provide for a change in the optical properties of the semiconductor tubes that may form the basis for sensing devices . likewise polymer and organic receptor materials may provide a means of implementing sensors as the very high q optical cavities would be easily impacted by small changes in the overall optical cavity that would vary when the refractive index shifted from bonding of antigens to an organic receptor for example . also shown in fig2 is a cross - section of a semiconductor tube capacitor implemented according to an embodiment of the invention . accordingly once the semiconductor tube has been rolled up an oxide 2022 and metallization 2024 are patterned onto the semiconductor tube . accordingly through appropriate design of the metallization 2024 and oxide 2022 a thin film variable capacitor may be implemented without the requirements for high resolution photolithography with very high surface geometry as for example is evident in the work of w . m . farnworth et al in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 081 , 385 entitled “ nanotube semiconductor devices and methods of making the same ” wherein the nanotubes were formed vertically upon the substrate . in contrast the nanotubes provided according to embodiments of the invention may be a few microns , tens of microns , or hundreds of microns long and yet all be of consistent diameter such that planar processing in the subsequent stages is the same for all devices irrespective of the tube length , unlike farnworth . also through the unique properties of the semiconductor tubes it may serve as a dielectric material and hence form a capacitor , and it may equally serve as a semiconductor material and form a transistor channel within the same device . further , the consistency of such nanotubes formed by a simple planar deposition / lithography process prior to their rolling - up will result in improved reproducibility of the characteristics of the devices both device - device , die - to - die , and wafer - to - wafer . referring to fig2 there is depicted a schematic for manufacturing semiconductor tubes with high density according to an embodiment of the invention . accordingly in first schematic 2110 an epitaxial structure 2130 has been formed on the substrate 2115 and comprises first to third sacrificial layers 2112 a through 2112 c respectively and first to third bilayer heterostructure qd layers 2114 a through 2114 c respectively that are alternating within the epitaxial structure 2130 . processing of the epitaxial structure 2130 provides within each of the first to third bilayer heterostructure qd layers 2114 a through 2114 c respectively the mesa and patterned edges for the film prior to rolling up . now , as shown etching of the sacrificial layer proceeds to etch each of the first to third sacrificial layers 2112 a through 2112 c respectively such that the first to third bilayer heterostructure qd layers 2114 a through 2114 c respectively begin to curl . now looking at second schematic 2120 this process has proceeded to the point that each first to third bilayer heterostructure qd layers 2114 a through 2114 c respectively has curled completely once to form first to third semiconductor tubes 2125 a through 2125 c are formed . it would be evident to one skilled in the art that using an epitaxial structure such as epitaxial structure 2130 allows the density of the semiconductor tubes to be increased within the finished device . it would also be evident that each of the first to third bilayer heterostructure qd layers 2114 a through 2114 c respectively may be the same or implemented with a different epitaxial structure so that adjacent tubes exhibit different optical properties . for example three adjacent tubes may be provided that emit in the red , green , and blue wavelength regions to form a pixel within a display , or as with sharp quattron four emitter colors including an additional yellow . accordingly as all “ red ” emitters are formed from the same layer in the epitaxial stack they will have improved uniformity . it would be evident that the above referenced process may also be applied to other materials such as lead zirconium titanate ( pzt ), lanthanum doped lead zirconium titanate ( plzt ) and other ceramics in thin film form to exploit their piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties to yield electrically tunable structures , such as adjusting the diameter of the resonator for example . the above - described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only . alterations , modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto .
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an embodiment of the communication apparatus of the present invention is now explained by a facsimile apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows a correlation between an elapsed time from a previous recovery operation ( an operation to eliminate the clogging of ink discharge nozzles at the start - up ) and a recovery level of the recovery operation in the facsimile apparatus in accordance with the present embodiment . in the present embodiment , the recovery level is divided into three stages depending on the elapsed time and they are called minor recovery , medium recovery and major recovery . the number of times of ink discharge to eliminate the clogging of the ink discharge nozzles increases in the order of minor recovery → medium recovery major recovery → and a longer time is required to complete the recovery operation . in the present embodiment , which recovery level is required is determined by referring time data counted by a recovery timer . fig2 shows a flow chart of a recovery level determination process in the present facsimile apparatus . in a step s1 , whether the time data counted by the timer is smaller than 180 minutes or not is determined , and is it is smaller than 180 minutes , the minor recovery is conducted in a step s2 . if the time data is not smaller than 180 minutes in the step s1 , whether the time data is smaller than 2880 minutes or not is determined in a step s3 . if it is smaller than 2880 minutes , the medium recovery is conducted in a step s4 . if the time data is not smaller than 2880 minutes in the step s3 , the major recovery is conducted in a step s5 . when the recovery operation in the step s2 , s4 or s5 is completed , the process is immediately terminated . fig3 shows a block diagram of a configuration of the facsimile apparatus which can execute the above recovery operation . the facsimile apparatus comprises a facsimile control unit 100 and a printer unit 200 which is the record means adopting an ink jet type . the facsimile control unit 100 comprises the following units : a cpu 1 for controlling the facsimile control unit 100 and containing a recovery timer la as second count means for counting a time during which the facsimile apparatus is in the low power consumption mode ; a rom 2 for storing a control program of the cpu 1 ; an sram 3 for storing image management data , registration data , etc . ; a dram 4 for storing image information ; a console unit 5 for accepting an operation by an operator ; a printer interface ( i / f ) unit 6 as notify means which is connected to a facsimile interface to be described later in the printer unit 200 to communicate with the printer unit 200 ; a contact type read sensor ( cs ) 8 for reading image data of a document sheet ; an image processing unit 7 connected to the cs 8 for image - processing the image information read by the cs 8 ; a modem 9 for modulating and demodulating a digital signal and an analog signal ; a network control unit ( ncu ) 10 connected to a public network for controlling the public network ; and a telephone set 11 used by the operator to speak with a destination station . the cpu 1 , the rom 2 , the sram 3 , the dram 4 , the console unit 5 , the printer i / f unit 6 , the image processing unit 8 , the modem 9 and the ncu 10 are interconnected through a system bus 20 . the cs 8 is connected to the image processing unit 7 and the telephone set 11 is directly connected to the ncu 10 . the modem 9 is connected to the ncu 10 through a data bus 10a . the printer unit 200 comprises the following units : a cpu 12 for controlling the printer unit 200 and for functioning as recovery execution means which contains a recovery timer 12a as first count means for counting an elapsed time from a previous recovery operation ; a facsimile interface ( i / f ) 13 for communicating with the facsimile control unit 100 ; a rom 14 for storing a control program of the cpu 12 ; an sram 15 used as a working area of the cpu 12 ; a print head for printing ; a motor 17 for feeding a record sheet ; and an nvram 18 as back - up memory means for storing setting data of the printer unit 200 and so on : the respective units 12 to 18 are interconnected through a system bus 21 . the printer i / f unit 6 is connected to the facsimile i / f unit 13 by a n image path 22 and a bilateral path 23 for transmitting and receiving commands and data . fig4 shows an interface chart for specifically illustrating the connection between the printer i / f unit 6 and the facsimile i / f unit 13 . in the present embodiment , a parallel i / f compatible to the centronix specification is used as the image path 22 and an asynchronous serial i / f is used as the bilateral path 23 . in fig3 sixteen lines from a &# 34 ; strobe ( data strobe pulse )&# 34 ; to an &# 34 ; error &# 34 ; line constitute the image path 22 , and three lines , a &# 34 ; txd &# 34 ; line , a &# 34 ; rxd &# 34 ; line and a &# 34 ; sg &# 34 ; line constitute the bilateral path . in the above configuration , the facsimile control unit 100 continuously monitors the printer unit 200 to check whether the printer unit 200 is ready to print or not in order to notify to a user or a service man if the printer unit 200 is not ready to print . specifically , as shown in a flow chart of fig5 status request commands for requesting status 0 to 3 are sequentially issued from the facsimile control unit 100 to the printer unit 200 . by checking the reply status , whether the printer unit 200 is ready to print or not is checked . the status request commands include four types sr0 to sr3 as shown in fig6 . in addition to the status request commands , the commands sent from the facsimile control unit 100 to the printer unit 200 include execution commands for directing the execution of operations such as a time data setting command , a reset command and a mis - print release command shown in fig6 . the reply status includes four types of status corresponding to the respective status request commands as shown in fig7 . as shown in fig8 the status request command is of one - byte length , and a bit 0 is used as an odd parity bit and a bit 7 is used as an error . accordingly , an effective data length is 6 - bit length . the status request command is sent from the cpu 1 of the facsimile control unit 100 to the cpu 12 of the printer unit 200 through the printer i / f unit 6 , the bilateral bus 23 and the facsimile i / f unit 13 . the cpu 12 checks the transmitted status request command and if it is interpretable , it sends back a status corresponding to the command . if it is not interpretable , the printer unit 200 sets &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to only the error bit at the bit 7 and sends back 80h . when a parity error occurs during the reception of the status sent back from the printer unit 200 , the facsimile control unit 100 resends the status request command . in the present embodiment , the resending of the status request command is conducted up to three times . the exchange of the time data between the facsimile control unit 100 and the printer unit 200 is expressed by unit of minute and it is sent in two , high order and low order blocks as 6 - bit × 2 numeric data s shown in fig9 . a maximum value represented by the data command of fig9 is 2 12 or 4096 . the counting of the time is conducted by the recovery timer 1a built in the cpu 1 and the recovery timer 12a built in the cpu 12 . in the present embodiment , a maximum time countable by the recovery timers 1a and 12a is 2880 minutes ( two days ). even if a time longer than 2880 minutes is counted , the recovery timer 1a is always kept 2880 minutes and the printer unit 200 conducts the major recovery in this case as shown in fig2 . fig1 shows a flow chart of a detailed process of a printer monitor task conducted in the steps s11 to s14 shown in fig5 . a program for executing the present flow chart is stored in the rom 2 of the facsimile control unit 100 and it is executed by the cpu 1 . when the status request command is to be sent , a counter which indicates the number of times of execution of the process of steps s32 et seq to be described later is first initialized ( step s31 ). then , the status request command is sent ( step s32 ) and 250 ms is set in a timer , not shown , in the cpu 1 as a status reception wait time ( step s33 ). the counter is incremented by one ( step s34 ) and whether the status has been received by the printer interface 6 or not is determined ( step s35 ). if the status has not been received , whether the timer set in the step s33 is timed out or not is determined ( step s36 ). if the timer is not timed out , the process returns to the step s35 to repeat the check of the status reception . if the status has been received in the step s35 , the received status is parity - checked ( step s37 ). if the received status parity is odd , it means that the status has been correctly received without parity error and the process is terminated . if the status is not received in the step s35 and the timer is timed out in the step s36 , or if the parity is even in the step s37 , the content of the counter or the number of times of sending of the status request command is checked ( step s38 ). if the content of the counter is not larger than three , the process returns to the step s32 to repeat the steps s32 to s38 . if the content of the counter is three or larger , the reception of the status is given up and the process is immediately terminated . the status of the printer unit 20 received in this manner is held in the sram 3 of the facsimile control unit 100 and referred as required . fig1 shows a flow chart of an operation process of the printer unit 200 when the status request command sent from the facsimile control unit 100 in accordance with the flow chart of fig1 is received . a program for executing the present flow chart is stored in the rom 14 of the printer unit 200 and it is executed by the cpu 12 . when the status request command is received ( step s41 ), the received status request command is parity - checked ( step s42 ). if the parity is even , it means a command error and only the error bit at the bit 7 is set and 80h is sent back ( step s43 ), and the present process is terminated . if the parity is odd in the step s42 , whether the received command is the status request command or not is determined ( step s44 ). if the received command is the status request command , a status corresponding to the received status request command is sent back to the facsimile control unit 100 ( step s45 ). if the received command is not the status request command , whether the received command is an execution command or not , that is , whether it is one of the commands sr4 , ec0 and ec2 shown in fig6 or not is determined ( step s46 ). if it is the execution command , a status is sent back to notify the accept of the execution command ( step s47 ) and an operation specified by the execution command is executed ( step s48 ). the status to notify the accept of the command is a status 0 in the present embodiment . when the specified operation is completed , the present process is terminated . if the received command is not the execution command in the step s46 , it means that the command interpretation by the cpu 12 of the printer unit 200 is not possible and only the bit 7 is set in a step s43 as it was for the parity error and 80h is sent back , and the process is terminated . by this process , the printer unit 200 can respond to the two types of commands , the status request command and the execution command , without affecting to the image path 22 . fig1 shows a flow chart of a shift process from the normal operation mode to a low power consumption mode ( or ess ( energy saving ) mode ) executed by the facsimile control unit 100 . as shown in fig1 , the status request signal is first sent ( step s51 ), and when the status of the printer unit 200 is received , whether the printer unit 200 may be shifted to the low power consumption mode or not is determined based on the received status ( step s52 ). if any error occurs in the printer unit 200 at this time or the printer unit 200 is driving the print head 16 and busy for printing , that is , if the shift to the low power consumption mode is not permitted , the steps s51 and s52 are repeated and the process waits until the above status is released . if the shift to the low power consumption mode is permitted in the step s52 , a low power consumption mode shift command is sent from the facsimile control unit 100 to the printer unit 200 through the bilateral path 23 ( step s53 ). whether the status sent back from the printer unit 200 for the transmitted low power consumption mode shift command is status 0 or not is determined ( step s54 ). if the sent back status is the status 0 , it is determined that the printer unit 200 correctly received the low power consumption mode shift command and the facsimile apparatus is shifted to the low power consumption mode . at the same time , the recovery timer 1a is started to count the time during which the printer unit 200 is in the low power consumption mode and the counting is started ( step s55 ). fig1 shows a flow chart of an operation process of the printer unit 200 when it is shifted to the low power consumption mode . when the low power consumption mode shift command sent from the facsimile control unit 100 in the step s53 of fig1 is received as the execution command in the step s46 of fig1 , the present process is started . first , the time data counted by the recovery timer 12a in the cpu 12 is stored in the nvram 18 ( step s61 ), and the printer unit 200 is shifted to the sleep mode ( step s62 ). thus , the facsimile apparatus is shifted to the low power consumption mode . fig1 shows a flow chart of an operation process of the facsimile control unit 100 when the facsimile apparatus is raised from the low power consumption mode . first , a wakeup command is issued to the printer unit 200 ( step s71 ). in the low power consumption mode , the printer unit 200 is in the sleep mode and the printer unit is woken up by inputting the wakeup command to a non - maskable interrupt ( nmi ) port , not shown , of the cpu 12 . after the wakeup command , the process is in a wait status for the wakeup of the printer unit 200 ( step s72 ). in the present embodiment , the wait time is 200 ms . after the elapse of the wait time , a command to request a status to determined whether the printer unit 200 has safely woke up or not is sent in accordance with the printer monitor task shown in fig1 and a status corresponding to the request is received ( step s73 ). whether the printer unit 200 safely woke up or not is determined based on the status received in the step s73 ( step s74 ), and if an error is detected , the process returns to the step s71 and the printer unit 200 is restarted up . if the printer unit 200 safely woke up , the time counted by the recovery timer 1a in the step s55 of fig1 is set to the printer unit 200 as the time data in unit of minute in two runs ( step s75 ). detail of the time data sending process conducted in the step s75 is shown in fig1 and 16 . fig1 shows a flow chart of the sequence of commands sent by the facsimile control unit 100 . first , the time data setting command ( sr4 ) is sent ( step s81 ) and then the high order byte data and the low order byte data of the time data shown in fig9 are sequentially sent ( steps s82 , s83 ). fig1 shows a flow chart of a detailed process of the time data setting command sending in the step s81 . steps s91 to s94 are same as the steps s31 to s34 shown in fig1 . as shown in fig6 the time data setting command requests the status 0 as the reply status from the printer unit 200 . thus , in the step s95 , whether the status 0 has been received or not is determined , and if the status 0 has been received , the process proceeds to a step s97 , and if the status 0 has not been received , the process proceeds to a step s97 . the steps s96 to s98 are same as the steps s36 to s38 shown in fig1 . returning to fig1 , when the time data is sent to the printer unit 200 by the process shown in fig1 , the status 0 is sent back to the facsimile control unit 100 from the printer unit 200 as will be described later . the facsimile control unit 100 checks the sent - back status to determine whether the time data has been correctly sent or not ( step s76 ). when it has been correctly sent , the present process is terminated . if it has not been correctly sent , the process returns to the step s75 . fig1 shows a flow chart of an operation process of the printer unit 200 when the time data setting command sent from the facsimile control unit 100 is received . when the time data setting command is received , a multi - byte command receiving counter is first reset to 0 ( step s101 ). in the present embodiment , the multi - byte command receiving counter is provided in the cpu 12 . then , the time data sent from the facsimile control unit 100 is received ( step s102 ) and the time data is parity - checked ( step s103 ). if the parity is even , it means an error and the bit 7 is set to 1 and 80h is sent back ( step s104 ). if the parity is odd , whether the content of the multi - byte command receiving counter is 0 or not is determined ( step s105 ). if the content is 0 , it is determined that the time data received in the step s102 is the first time data or the high order byte data , and it is stored in a predetermined area of the sram 15 as the high order time data ( step s106 ). then , the status 0 is sent back to the facsimile control unit 100 and the content of the multi - byte command receiving counter is incremented by one , and the process returns to the step s102 to receive the next time data . if the count is not 0 in the step s105 , it is determined that the time data received in the step s102 is the second time data or the low order byte data , and it is stored in a predetermined area of the sram 15 as the low order time data ( step s109 ) and the status 0 is sent back to the facsimile control unit 100 ( step s110 ). compete time data is prepared from the high order time data stored in the step s106 and the low order time data stored in the step s109 , and the time data stored in the nvram 18 when the facsimile apparatus enters the low power consumption mode is added to the prepared time data , and the recovery level is determined in accordance with the flow chart shown in fig2 based on the sum time data and the recovery operation is executed ( step s111 ). in accordance with the present embodiment , in the facsimile apparatus constructed to be shifted from the normal operation mode to the low power consumption mode in the wait state in which no action is conducted , the proper recovery operation may be executed at the wake - up from the low power consumption mode without consuming unnecessary ink and the time before the print means is ready to print is shortened so that the practicability of the facsimile apparatus which builds in the ink jet printer is significantly enhanced . in the present embodiment , when the facsimile apparatus enters the low power consumption mode , the content of the recovery timer 12a of the printer unit 200 is stored in the backup nvram and the content of the recovery counter la is added thereto at the time of wakeup from the low power consumption mode to acquire the time to determine the recovery level . alternatively , the content of the recovery timer 12a may be notified to the facsimile control unit 100 when the facsimile apparatus enters the low power consumption mode , the notified count is set in the recovery timer 1a as an initial value and the counting is continued , and the count of the recovery timer 1a may be notified to the printer unit 200 at the time of wakeup from the low power consumption mode . further , the recovery time may be counted by only the timer in the facsimile control unit 100 without providing the recovery timer in the printer unit 200 , and the recovery time may be notified from the facsimile control unit 100 to the printer unit 200 at the time of wakeup from the low power consumption mode . an embodiment 2 of the present invention is explained for a facsimile apparatus as an example of the communication apparatus . fig1 shows a block diagram of the facsimile apparatus in accordance with the embodiment 2 of the present invention . in fig1 , numeral 1000 denotes a facsimile apparatus which is divided into a main unit ( main unit ) 1000a and a recording unit ( recording means ) 1000b . the main unit 1000a comprises a main unit main control unit ( unit control means ) 1101 , a read unit 1102 , a communication unit 1103 , a console unit 1104 , a registration memory 1105 , a main unit i / f ( interface ) unit 1106 , a decoding unit 1107 , a coding unit 1108 and an image memory 1109 . the units 1102 to 1109 are connected to the main unit main control unit 1101 through a main system bus 1110 . the main unit main control unit 1101 controls the entire main unit 1000 and comprises an mpu , a rom and a ram . the read unit 1102 optically reads a document sheet and converts it to image data . the communication unit 1103 conducts the connection and disconnection of a call , the modulation of transmission data and the demodulation of received data , and exchanges data with a destination station through a line . the console unit 1104 inputs and displays various types of information and comprises operation keys and displays . the registration memory 1105 stores telephone number data such as one - touch dial numbers and communication result information . the main unit i / f unit 1106 is an interface with the record unit 1000b . the decoding unit 1107 decodes image data . the coding unit 1108 codes the image data . the image memory 1109 stores the received image . the recording unit 1000b comprises a recording unit main control unit ( record control means ) 1112 , a recording unit i / f ( interface ) unit 1113 , a data buffer 1114 , a font generation unit 1115 , a print buffer 1116 , a print head 1117 and a sheet feed / ejection motor control unit 1118 . the units 1113 to 1118 are connected to the recording unit main control unit 1112 through a system bus 1119 . the recording unit main control unit 1112 controls the entire recording unit 1000b and comprises an mpu ( microprocessor unit ), a rom ( read - only memory ) and a ram ( random access memory ). the bilateral record correction value to be described later is stored ( registered ) in the ram . this operation is conducted from the console unit 1104 of the main unit 1000a in a service mode . the recording unit i / f unit 1113 is an interface with the main unit 1000a . the data buffer 1114 temporarily stores the print data from the main unit 1000a received by the recording unit i / f unit 1113 . the font generation unit 1115 generates the font data corresponding to the print data . the print buffer 1116 stores the raster data before the transfer to the print head 1117 . the print buffer 1116 discharges the ink droplets in accordance with the data from the print buffer 1116 . the sheet feed / ejection motor control unit 1118 controls the motor for feeding the record sheet . the main unit i / f unit 1106 and the recording unit i / f unit 1113 are connected through an i / f ( interface ) signal line 1111 . the main unit main control unit 1101 and the recording unit main control unit 1112 are connected through a signal line 1120 . the ink jet printer which is the recording unit 1000b in the facsimile apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment is of bilateral printing type in which the print head 1117 is reciprocally moved as shown in fig2 . in this type , there is a deviation between a forward print position and a backward print position in an initial state . the deviation is shown in fig2 . since the deviation is prominent when a vertical line is printed , it should be corrected . a correction value for correcting the deviation is the bilateral record correction value . in the present embodiment , when the facsimile apparatus is shifted to an ess mode ( energy saving stand - by mode ), the supply of the power to the recording unit 1000b is completely shut off ( power - off ) and the recording unit main control unit 1112 cannot hold the bilateral record correction value in the internal ram . accordingly , each time the facsimile apparatus is returned from the ess mode to the normal operation mode and the power of the recording unit 1000b is turned on , it is necessary to set the bilateral record correction value to the recording unit main control unit 1112 . in the present embodiment , for the purpose of this setting process , the main unit main control unit 1101 sends the bilateral record correction value to the recording unit main control unit 1112 through the both i / f units 1106 and 1113 each time the power of the recording unit 1000b is turned on . referring to a flow chart of fig1 , a record operation of the main unit 1000a in the facsimile apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment is explained . first , the power of the facsimile apparatus 1000 is turned on in a step s201 to supply the power to the facsimile apparatus 1000 . then , the facsimile apparatus 1000 is internally initialized in a step s202 . in a step s203 , a 3 - day timer ( in unit of minute ) which is a timer to monitor an interval of the recovery operation of the printer unit 1000b which is the recording unit is set to 3 × 24 × 60 . then , in a step s204 , the power of the printer 1000b is turned on to supply the power to the printer 1000b . the subsequent control is described with reference to fig2 . in a step s205 , the 3 - day timer set in the step s202 is transmitted to the printer 1000b . then , in a step s206 , whether record data is present or not is determined , and if it is present , whether the operation mode is the ess ( energy saving ) mode or not is determined in a step s207 . if it is the ess mode , the process returns to the step s204 to turn on the power of the printer 1000b to activate the printer 1000b . if it is not the ess mode , a soft power - on shift command which is a serial command to shift the printer 1000b to be ready to print is sent to the print 1000b in a step s208 and the process proceeds to a next step s209 . in the step s209 , whether the printer 1000b is in the soft power - on state or not is determined until it is rendered to the soft power - on state . when it is rendered to the soft power - on state , a correction value for the deviation of the carriage for the bilateral record is sent to the printer 1000b in a step s210 . in a step s211 , the record data is sent to the printer 1000b through a parallel port . when the recording is completed , a soft power - off shift command which is a serial command to shift the printer 1000b to a rest state is sent to the printer 1000b in a step s212 and the process returns to the step s206 . on the other hand , if the record data is not present in the step s206 , whether the operation mode is the ess mode or not is determined in a step s213 . if it is the ess mode , the 3 - day timer is incremented at an interval of one minute in a step s214 and then the process returns to the step s206 . if it is not the ess mode , whether five minutes has elapsed since factor to operate the facsimile apparatus went or not is determined in a step s215 . if five minutes has not elapsed , the process returns to the step s206 , and if five minutes has elapsed , an energy saving mode ( ess mode ) shift command is sent to the printer 1000b in a step s216 and then the process proceeds to the step s206 . a recording operation of the printer 1000b in the facsimile apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment is now explained with reference to a flow chart of fig2 . when the power of the printer 1000b is turned on ( the power of the printer 1000b is turned on in the step s204 of fig2 ), the setting to initialize the printer 1000b is made in a step s301 . then , in a step s302 , whether the record data has been received at the parallel port or not ( whether the record data is present or not ) is determined . if the record data is present , the record data is outputted in a step s303 and then the process returns to the step s302 . if the record data is not present , whether the serial command has been received or not ( whether the received command is present or not ) is determined in a step s304 . if the received command is not present , the process returns to the step s302 , and if the received command is present , whether the received command is the correction value for the bilateral record or not is determined in a step s305 . if the received command is the correction value for the bilateral record , the correction value for the bilateral record is set in a step s306 and then the process returns to the step s302 . on the other hand , if the received command is not the correction value for the bilateral record in the step s305 , whether it is the 3 - day timer data or not is determined in a step s307 . if it is the 3 - day timer data , the 3 - day timer is set in a step s308 and then the process returns to the step s302 . if it is not the 3 - day timer data , whether it is the energy saving mode ( ess mode ) shift command or not is determined in a step s309 . if it is the energy saving mode shift command , the shift to the energy saving mode is conducted in a step s310 and then the process is stopped . if it is not the energy saving mode shift command , whether it is the soft power - off shift command or not is determined in a step s311 . if it is the soft power - off shift command , the shift to the soft power - off is conducted in a step s312 and then the process returns to the step s302 . on the other hand , if it is not the soft power - off shift command in the step s311 , whether it is the soft power - on shift command or not is determined in a step s313 . if it is the soft power - on shift command , the shift to the soft power - on is conducted in a step s314 and then the process proceeds to a step s315 . in the step s315 , whether the 3 - day timer is not smaller than 3 × 24 × 60 ( 3 days ) or not is determined . if it is smaller than 3 × 24 × 60 , the process returns to the step s302 . if it is not smaller than 3 × 24 × 60 ( 3 days ), the recovery operation is conducted in a step s316 , and after the recovery operation , the 3 - day timer is set to 0 and then the process returns to the step s302 . on the other hand , if it is not the soft power - on shift command in the step s313 , a process for other command is conducted in a step s317 and then the process returns to the step s302 . in accordance with the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment , the internal timer of the ink jet printer 1000b is managed by the main unit 1000a , and when the supply of the power to the printer 1000b is to be stopped for power saving , the non - power - supply time of the printer 1000b is notified from the main unit 1000ato the printer 1000b by the serial communication unit 1102 when the printer is powered on next time so that the internal timer of the printer 1000b is corrected to conduct the recovery operation of the printer 1000b at the correct time interval . since the main unit 1000a manages the bilateral record correction value in the ink jet printer 1000b initially set for each unit , the bilateral record correction value is notified from the main unit 1000a to the printer 1000b through the serial communication when the printer 1000b is rendered to the record stand - by state so that the printer 1000b can be correctly operated in accordance with the initially set bilateral record correction value even if the printer 1000b cannot store the bilateral correction value .
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fig1 illustrates a discontinuous scanning pattern . in the example shown , the scanning starts with site ( x 1 , y 1 ) then ( x 2 , y 1 ) ( x 5 , y 1 ) ( x 6 , y 1 ), and so on . as there is no continuation between ( x 2 , y 1 ) and ( x 5 , y 1 ) and more , all the sites in the broken - line rectangle cannot be processed immediately according to traditional techniques . instead , the images conventionally must be stored until further appropriate ( border ) images are acquired to continue the stitching process . more generally , the scan order can be affected by two major factors . a first factor is the structure of the sample on the slide . a sample can have any shape . an area without a sample present can be ignored to improve throughput and to reduce the volume of the data . a second factor is the scanning hardware , namely the xy stage . the term xy stage refers to a stage that can move in an x direction and a y direction . there is no limitation on the stage moving in other directions , such as in the z direction . due to some hardware limitations , for example , hysteresis , meshing losses and the like , it may be desired to move in one direction rather than change direction for each site or field of view ( fov ). in other words , it may be desired to minimize the reversals in direction . certain embodiments use a priori information about the sites &# 39 ; location in the slide to define the scan order in such a way to minimize the number of sites that cannot be processed immediately after capture . fig2 illustrates a less discontinuous scanning pattern with respect to back - stitching according to certain embodiments . for example , the only case in which a field of view cannot be attached to the immediately preceding field of view is at the transition from x 4 to x 3 , but even there the field of view can be immediately stitched to ( x 4 , y 4 ). by contrast , in fig1 , all the fields of view shown in the dashed box can be held in a buffer until ( x 2 , y 4 ) is scanned . therefore , fig1 is more discontinuous with respect to back - stitching and can impose a greater burden on system resources than the approach shown in fig2 . fig3 illustrates a slide including an area of a global slide image ( gis ) that can be used for obtaining stitching information according to certain embodiments . using a lower magnification and lower resolution image or images , additional information can be gathered about each site position , as shown in fig3 . a stitching quality attribute can be achieved by evaluating the data near the border of each site inside the lower magnification image . based on this attribute , a scan order is deduced that will improve scanning and stitching speed . thus , using gsi data can improve the information per site . in certain embodiments , the goal of scanning may be defined by getting the best throughput and using minimum computing resources . thus , the stitching quality attributes may be related to these definitions . for example , the goal can be to find the scanning route that generates minimal discontinuity in the stitching data , or that generates minimal discontinuity in the stitching data , given a selection of scanning patterns that minimize direction changes . the system can employ various techniques for determining which scanning procedure is best . for example , the system can determine two optional scanning patterns based on two patterns that minimize the number of changes in direction . in one case , the system can determine the two possible scanning patterns shown in fig1 and 2 . the system can then determine , based on the stitching data , that the approach of fig1 will require more buffer resources than the approach in fig2 , and can consequently select the approach in fig2 . the system can alternatively make similar calculations for all possible scanning patterns and select a pattern that minimizes buffer resources , or that provides the best trade - off between consumption of buffer resources and direction changes . thus , by trial run of the optional routes , the system can find the route that has minimal discontinuity . other techniques for finding the optimal route are also permitted . for example , a solution similar to a solution for a travelling purchaser problem may be employed for minimizing the buffer resource requirements while taking into account the effect on direction changes . accordingly , certain embodiments can use a priori information about the site locations to plan the scan order . moreover , certain embodiments can use information from the low resolution image or gsi image to identify additional attributes about each site or field of view . moreover , certain embodiments can rearrange a traditional scan order so as to minimize the number of sites that cannot be processed immediately . accordingly , certain embodiments can provide a flexible scanning engine to support all types of site order combinations . moreover , certain embodiments can use information from a low resolution image or gsi image to decide whether a site is stitchable and for which direction ( s ). as described above , the amount of memory used for storing the images may be substantial , depending on the size of the images and the number of images to be stitched together . to avoid or minimize such requirements for large memory and high throughput , a system can implement a sequence of operations that process the sites &# 39 ; data as soon as possible , to prevent data accumulation and delay in process . for example , the memory can be handled by a memory manager that optimizes the memory for minimal usage . moreover , throughput can be handled by implementing multithreaded architecture taking advantage of the multicore processor &# 39 ; s parallel computing power . fig4 illustrates a method according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig4 , the processing of an image start immediately as it becomes available . to minimize memory usage , the system can copy data from the raw image into the strips repository 21 for stitching . after the image stitch , the tiles including partial tiles can be copied into the tiles repository 22 . as the copy operation is completed the input image buffer is purged . fig5 illustrates x and y overlaps according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig5 , to cover the sample area , the system motorized stage can move from site to site based on a pre - defined scanning plan , which can be optimized as discussed above . each site can have some overlap with its predecessor site . the overlap can be in x or y based on the scanning direction . in fig5 , in a particular example , the first site to be captured can be image 1 ( 30 ). the second site can be image 2 ( 31 ), which overlaps in the y direction with image 1 ( 30 ), as the scanning movement direction is in the y direction . image 5 ( 33 ) can arrive after image 4 ( 32 ). in this case , the overlap is in the x direction , as the stage has moved in the x direction . fig6 illustrates a shift determination according to certain embodiments . a stitch operation can be started by making alignment between the sites . the alignment may be required in order to generate a good mosaic from the sample slide . to measure the shift between two images , the shared area between these two images , namely the strips , can be employed . in fig6 , image a ( 41 ) and image b ( 42 ) can be considered . to find out the amount of misalignment between them the system can take strip a ( 43 ) and strip b ( 44 ), respectively from image a ( 41 ) and image b ( 42 ). then , at 45 , there can be a verification as to whether there is contrast present . if contrast is ok , then at 46 the system can verify focus similarity . if both of these validation tests are passed , then a correlation operator can , at 47 , calculate / measure the alignment in the x and y directions , and return x and y shifts . if the focus check fails , the system can return that there is a focus issue , which can lead , for example , to a re - imaging of the site or an attempt to proceed as though the tiles are not stitchable . if no or insufficient contrast is present , the system can return a “ not stitchable ” result . fig7 illustrates stitching outcomes according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig7 , during the scanning and stitching operation there can arise situations in which images cannot be stitched immediately or at all due to lack of sample information in the share area . in such cases , the system can tag the image as “ not ready ” and can continue to the next image . when the system has found that the stitching conditions are met it , it can go back and stitch all the “ not ready ” images . in fig7 , image 2 stitches to image 1 , image 3 stitches to image 2 and so on until image 7 stitches to image 6 . image 8 is supposed to , or expected to stitch to image 7 , but this failed . the system can tag image 8 as “ not ready ” and can continue by attempting to stitch image 9 to image 8 , which is a success , but when attempting to stitch image 9 to image 6 , the stich failed , and so image 9 is tagged as “ not ready ”. then , the system can stitch image 10 to image 9 successfully , but then fail to stitch image 10 to image 5 , and consequently image 10 can be tagged as “ not ready ”. likewise , the attempt to stitch image 11 to image 10 can be a success , but the attempt to stich image 11 to image 4 can fail and the system can tag image 11 as “ not ready ”. then , the system can stitch image 12 to image 11 successfully and stitch image 12 to image 3 successfully . at this point the system can start the backward stitching by correcting the stitching values of image 11 and tagging it as “ ready ,” correcting the stitching values of image 10 and tagging it as “ ready ,” correct the stitching values of image 9 and tagging it as “ ready ,” and finally correcting the stitching values of image 8 and tagging it as “ ready .” fig8 illustrates a process flow according to certain embodiments . as mentioned above , a memory manager can be designed to handle a memory repository for original images coming from the camera and the tiles that are used to generate the output for the mosaic . to enlarge the amount of available memory , one option is to use an onboard memory on the cuda gpu card . this card may have , for example , 3 . 5 gb of free memory available for the memory manager . if cuda memory is not used , a computer memory repository can be used or both can be used together . as shown in fig8 , if cuda memory is used , the image from the microscope camera can arrive in the computer memory at 61 . next , the system can extract the strip buffers from the image into the strips repository at 62 . then , at 63 , the system can move the image buffer to the cuda memory , where it is received at 64 , and can dispose or purge it from the computer memory . as the application stitches an image it can also instruct , at 65 , the cuda gpu to generate the tiles form this image by using the gpu memory manager code interface , at 66 . a get method in the gpu memory manager can transfer , at 67 , the tile buffer to the computer memory when the application needs to have access to a tile , such as for processing the tile at 68 . fig9 illustrates another process flow according to certain embodiments . fig9 illustrates a case in which cuda memory is not used . as shown in fig9 , the image from the microscope camera can arrive in the computer memory at 71 . next , the computer can , at 72 , extract the strip buffers from the image into the strips repository . then , the computer can , at 73 , move the image buffer and it can be received at 74 in the full image memory repository . as the application stitches an image , it can also generate tiles from this image , through control , at 75 , by using the memory manager code interface at 76 . moreover , a get method in the memory manager at can copy the tile buffer at 77 when the application needs to have access to a tile , such as to process a tile at 78 . fig1 illustrates a pyramidal structure of an image according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , the scanning result can be a multi - resolution image stored in a pyramidal format . in this format , the high resolution image 81 can be subdivided into spatial tiles that can be used for generating the whole image at different resolutions . in the pyramidal format , each level in the pyramid can be constructed from the predecessor level , while the successor level can use the current level . in other words , each level can be constructed from the level preceding it . for example , for the intermediate level 83 a tile 84 is composed from the four tiles 82 in its predecessor level . in the intermediate level 87 , a tile 86 is composed from the four tiles 85 in the layer below it . the last level can be a single tile 88 , which can also serve as a thumbnail . fig1 illustrates an iterative process according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , for each of the levels there can be three major threads that handle the data . for a given level 96 , the “ merge ” thread 92 can be responsible for collecting the appropriate tiles from the “ tiles repository for level ” in the predecessor level 91 . each of the combined tiles can be added to the “ tiles repository for level ” 93 . the “ compress & amp ; save ” thread 94 can be taking in the ready tiles , compressing them , and then saving them to the disk . the compression method can be defined in the graphical user interface of the application . the “ repository maintenance ” thread 95 can be responsible to manage the “ tiles repository for level ” 93 and to delete each of the tiles that has been saved to disk and also has been consumed by the successor level . accordingly , certain embodiments use a repository / queue and multi - threads for high throughput . moreover , certain embodiments do not keep entire the whole slide image , for example high resolution image , in memory . instead , in certain embodiments , it can be removed from memory as soon as shift is calculated . a backward stitching feature can be used to help making a stitching result reliable at an area of less sample availability . fig1 illustrates a method according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , a method can include at 1210 , analyzing , by a machine , a low resolution image of a sample . the low resolution image of a sample can include a low resolution image of an entire slide . the analyzing can include , at 1215 , evaluating a stitching quality attribute by evaluating data near the border of a plurality of sites inside the low resolution image . the method can also include , at 1220 , determining , by the machine , a scan pattern for the sample based on analysis of the low resolution image of the sample . the determining the scan pattern can be based on the stitching quality attribute for each of the sites . the method can , at 1225 , include determining , for each of the plurality of sites , whether a site is stitchable . the method can also , at 1227 , include determining , for each of the plurality of sites , a set of at least one direction in which a site is stitchable . for example , a given site that is rectangular may be stitchable in up to four directions , based on the contents of its strips . the method can further include , at 1230 , controlling , by the machine , the scan based on the scan pattern , wherein the scan pattern is configured to minimize an amount of back - stitching of scans in the scan pattern . meanwhile , the method can also include , at 1240 , scanning the sites and obtaining the images that correspond to the sites . the method can further include , at 1250 , generating , by a machine , strips corresponding to edges of an image to be stitched with another image to form a composite image . the method can additionally include , at 1260 , storing the strips in a strip repository . the strip repository can be referenced when making determinations about whether stitching is in practice possible for a pair of images . the method can also include , at 1270 , moving , by the machine , the image to a full image repository . the full image repository can store the image in the computer memory or gpu memory or in a large volume disk , such as a hard disk drive . the method can further include , at 1290 , processing tiles from a tiles repository , wherein the tiles include at least one tile obtained from the image . the method can additionally include , at 1291 , tile compression and saving the tiles to disk . after that , the method can include removing tiles from the tile repository , at 1293 . the method can also include , at 1292 , removing , by the machine , the image from the memory before a whole slide of which the image is a part has been processed . the method can include , for example , moving the image from a computer memory to a memory of a graphics processing unit after extracting the strips . the method can further include , at 1280 , stitching the image to another image and , at 1292 , removing the image from a buffer after the stitching . in this case , the stitching can be simply a determination and recording of the appropriate shifts for stitching it is not required that the files themselves be combined . fig1 illustrates an imaging system according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , an imaging system 1300 can include a low resolution analysis section 1310 , which can determine the characteristics of the sample to be scanned as well as characteristics of the tiles to be generated from such a scan . the system 1300 can also include a high level image source 1320 , which can be either a camera for capturing a high level , low resolution macro image , or can be a memory in which the images from such a camera are stored . the system 1300 can also include a scan pattern determination section 1330 . this section can determine the appropriate pattern of a scanner with respect to a slide in time . for example , this section can determine an optimal slide pattern that minimizes back - stitching . the system 1300 can include a stage control 1340 , which can be configured to control the stage used for imaging . the system 1300 can also include a multicore processor and controller 1350 , which can be configured to perform multiple processing tasks in parallel . the imaging system 1300 can also include a memory manager 1360 . the memory manager 1360 can be configured to control which images , tiles , and strips are stored , and in which memory such images , tiles , and strips are stored , as well as when such images , tiles , and strips are removed from the memory . the system 1300 can also include a stitching quality determination section 1370 . this section can determine the stitching attributes of a tile , and can more particularly determine whether a particular stitching is successful or not . the stitching quality determination section 1370 can interface with the memory manager 1360 to determine whether an image should be retained because it has not yet been fully stitched as illustrated in fig7 above . the system can further include a graphical user interface 1380 , which can permit user input , retrieval , supervision , and control , as desired . the various sections of the imaging system 1300 are shown connected by a physical bus . other kinds of interconnections are also permitted . it is permitted to divide up the imaging system 1300 into multiple physical sections that are separate from one another , although the various components are shown together . the various sections can be implemented in hardware or in software and hardware combined . fig1 illustrates an imaging system according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , an imaging system 1400 can include at least one processor 1410 and memory 1420 , which can include computer program instructions . the memory 1420 can be a non - transitory computer - readable medium . the imaging system 1400 can also include a first camera 1430 , which may be a low resolution camera , and a second camera 1440 , which may be a high resolution camera . the imaging system 1400 can also include a stage 1450 or other device by which the camera position can be controlled . the imaging system 1400 can additionally include a user interface 1460 , which can be used to input values and configure parameters of the system . fig1 illustrates another imaging system according to certain embodiments . as shown in fig1 , an imaging system 1500 can include at least one strip generator 1510 and strip repository 1520 , which can include respectively generate and store strips for an image . the imaging system 1500 can also include a full image repository 1530 , which can be configured to store full images . the imaging system 1500 can also be equipped with a memory manager 1540 , which can be responsible for the movement , purging , disposal , and copying of information . the imaging system 1500 can further include a processor 1550 or other controller that can be used to perform processing on images , tiles , strips , and the like . the imaging system 1500 can additionally include a buffer 1560 , which can be used for temporary storage of information , with a relative high speed compared to the strip repository 1520 or full image repository 1530 . one having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the invention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order , and / or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed . therefore , although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments , it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications , variations , and alternative constructions would be apparent , while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention . in order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention , therefore , reference should be made to the appended claims . active focus area can refer to the area within a camera fov where the autofocus hardware will evaluate the image information for focus measurement . cuda ™ can refer to a parallel computing platform and programming model of nvidia of santa clara , calif ., which harnesses the power of the graphics processing unit ( gpu ). global slide image can refer to an image that a ccd video camera with appropriate optics is capable of acquiring a full slide in one image . slide can refer to a thin flat piece of glass used to hold objects ( samples ) for examination under a microscope . strip can refer to a slice of the camera image near the image border that is used for stitching to the neighboring image .
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it is noted that a hybrid power integrated transmission system and control or operational method thereof in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is suitable for a wide variety of transmission - related mechanisms of hybrid energy sources and is applicable to transmission gearboxes of hybrid electric vehicles , hybrid power bicycles , hybrid power boats , solar power stations , incinerators , ocean power generators ( e . g ., tidal power generator , wave power generator or ocean current power generator ) or wind power generators , which are not limitative of the present invention . fig1 shows a block diagram of the hybrid power integrated transmission system operated in integrating power inputs and outputting integrated power in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , including fundamentally operational modes of the hybrid power input functions and the hybrid power output functions , for example . referring now to fig1 , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 includes at least one independently controllable transmission mechanism 100 which is operated to integrate a function of complete power supply from a motor ( vehicle starting state ), a function of complete power supply from an engine ( engine hi - speed operation state ) and a function of integrated power supply from a motor and an engine ( vehicle acceleration state ) to thereby provide several operational modes , including a hi - speed low - torque output mode and a low - speed hi - torque output mode or other similar operational modes . fig2 shows a block diagram of power input and output directions of the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention , corresponding to that of fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 includes a first power input end 1 a , a second power input end 1 b , a first power output end 1 c and a second power output or third power input end 1 d which are appropriately arranged in the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 . fig3 shows an internal schematic view of a planetary gear train with a positive - ratio drive train type applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 and 2 . referring to fig3 , the positive - ratio drive train type has three freedom rotor shafts or a rotor device having a similar mechanism . by way of example , the positive - ratio drive train type planetary gear train includes a first sun gear ps 1 , a first sun - gear rotational axle pss 1 , a second sun gear ps 2 , a second sun - gear rotational axle pss 2 , at least one compound planet gear pp 1 , pp 2 and a planet gear carrier pa . when assembled , the compound planet gear pp 1 , pp 2 is commonly engaged with the first sun gear ps 1 and the second sun gear ps 2 . with continued reference to fig3 , the positive - ratio drive train type planetary gear train provides three freedom rotor shafts formed from the first sun - gear rotational axle pss 1 , the second sun - gear rotational axle pss 2 and the planet gear carrier pa . in operation , the first sun - gear rotational axle pss 1 and the second sun - gear rotational axle pss 2 have the same rotational direction if the planet gear carrier pa is fixed . the term “ basic speed - ratio ” defines a ratio of the rotational speed of the first sun - gear rotational axle pss 1 with respect to the planet gear carrier pa to that of the second sun - gear rotational axle pss 2 with respect to the planet gear carrier pa . a value of the basic speed - ratio is positive . fig4 shows an internal schematic view of the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 and 2 . fig5 shows an internal schematic view and numbers of gear teeth of the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 . referring to fig4 and 5 , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 includes a first planetary gear train 10 , a second planetary gear train 11 , a first transmission - connecting set 12 and a second transmission - connecting set 13 which are appropriately connected to form the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 with the arrangement of predetermined numbers of gear teeth . fig6 shows a flow chart of a hybrid power integrated transmission method in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , corresponding to the hybrid power integrated transmission system shown in fig4 and 5 . referring to fig2 , 5 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 1 : providing a first power input end 1 a , as best shown in fig2 , on the first transmission - connecting set 12 . by way of example , the first power input end 1 a selectively connects with at least one engine ( e . g . internal combustion engine ) or other power sources . still referring to fig2 , 5 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 2 : providing a second power input end , a first power output end and a free transmission end on the second transmission - connecting set 13 . as best shown in fig2 , the second power input end 1 b , the first power output end 1 c and the second power output or third power input end 1 d ( free transmission end ) are provided on the second transmission - connecting set 13 . by way of example , the second power input end 1 b is performed as a control end and selectively connects with an electric motor ( or servo motor ) or other power sources . the first power output end 1 c is performed as a prime power output end of the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 while the second power output or third power input end 1 d is performed as a free transmission end of the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 . furthermore , the second power output or third power input end 1 d selectively connects with a motor and generator combined device or a similar device . referring back to fig4 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 3 : connecting the first transmission - connecting set 12 between the first planetary gear train 10 and the second planetary gear train 11 . as best shown in the upper , middle portion of fig4 , the first planetary gear train 10 has a first connection end and a second connection end which are provided on two sides of the first planetary gear train 10 . as best shown in the lower , middle portion of fig4 , the second planetary gear train 11 has a third connection end and a fourth connection end which are provided on two sides of the second planetary gear train 11 . when assembled , the first transmission - connecting set 12 mechanically connects between the first connection end of the first planetary gear train 10 and the third connection end of the second planetary gear train 11 , as best shown in the left portion of fig4 . still referring to fig4 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 4 : connecting the second transmission - connecting set 13 between the first planetary gear train 10 and the second planetary gear train 11 . when assembled , the second transmission - connecting set 13 mechanically connects between the second connection end of the first planetary gear train 10 and the fourth connection end of the second planetary gear train 11 , as best shown in the right portion of fig4 . still referring to fig4 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 5 : controllably shift the free transmission end between a second power output end and a third power input end for integrating input power and transmitting the integrated power . advantageously , the second power output or third power input end 1 d is operated to transmit the integrated power via the second power output end or to recycle waste power ( i . e . braking energy or downhill driving energy ) via the third power input end . still referring to fig4 and 6 , the hybrid power integrated transmission method includes the step s 6 : once reducing or terminating power transmission of the first power output end 1 c , alternatively supplying the power to the second power output end for converting kinetic energy into electric energy ( i . e . driving a generator ) and storing it in a predetermined power storage device ( i . e . battery ) via the second power output end of the second power output or third power input end 1 d . furthermore , a stored power is incorporated into the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 via the second power input end 1 b by utilizing electric energy of the battery to drive a motor or is directly supplied to the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 via the third power input end of the second power output or third power input end 1 d . referring back to fig4 , by way of example , the suitable designs ( equations ) of the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 in accordance with the present invention are given as : ( i ) if α ≠ β , α ≠ 1 and β ≠ 1 , i 0 a = n pss 1 a - n paa n pss 2 a - n paa = n pp 1 a × n p s 2 a n p s 1 a × n pp 2 a = α ( β - 1 ) β ( α - 1 ) ( 1 ) i 0 b = n pss 1 b - n pa b n pss 2 b - n pab = n pp 1 b × n p s 2 b n p s 1 b × n pp 2 b = β - 1 α - 1 ( 2 ) ( ii ) if α = β = 1 , i 0 a = i 0 b ( 3 ) where i 0a is a basic speed ratio of the first planetary gear train 10 , i 0b is a basic speed ratio of the second planetary gear train 11 , n is a rotational speed , and n is a teeth number of gear . with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the design ( ii ) with the condition of α = β = 1 is designated to practice the preferred embodiment of the present invention such that the specifications of gears are similar for reducing the manufacturing cost . however , the relation between rotational speeds of the first power output end 1 c and the second power input end 1 b ( control end ) is linear and the coefficient is 1 . the equation of the relation is given as : with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 selectively connects with an engine , an electric motor and a motor and generator combined device and a relation of the rotational speeds thereof is given as : with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 is selectively designed with clockwise and counterclockwise directions of rotation identified as positive and negative respectively , and input and output power of gears of the independently controllable transmission mechanism 100 identified as positive and negative respectively . the power of rotational shafts thereof is given as : where p is power , t is torque , n is a rotational speed and x is a shaft . with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the power output of the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 in accordance with the conservation law of energy is given as : with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the torque relation of the engine and the motor to the output end applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 is given as : with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the power relation of the engine and the electric motor to the motor and generator combined device applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 is given as : with continued reference to fig4 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 is applied in a hybrid electric vehicle , with engine power 74 kw and rotational speed ranging between 0 - 5 , 200 rpm , with motor power 61 kw and rotational speed ranging between 1 , 450 - 6 , 500 rpm , with motor and generator combined power 42 kw and rotational speed ranging between − 6 , 500 rpm to 6 , 500 rpm , and with total power output 100 kw . referring back to fig5 , by way of example , numbers of gear teeth applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 are designed with the condition α = 1 · β = 1 and all numbers of gear teeth is calculated in equation ( 3 ), as shown in table 1 . the numbers of gear teeth applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 are correspondingly shown in fig5 . fig7 shows a chart illustrating power of a motor and an engine in relation to vehicle speeds applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 and 7 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 is controlled to operate a motor and an engine in four operational stages or more . in first operational stage , the vehicle speed is set 0 - 40 km / hr ( vehicle starting state or low - speed driving state ) and the motor is only operated to supply the power to a spindle of the first power output end 1 c via the second power input end 1 b . in second operational stage , the vehicle speed is set 40 - 60 km / hr ( medium - speed driving state ) and the engine starts running to supply power via the first power input end 1 a while the motor is controlled to gradually reduce supplying the power via the second power input end 1 b . in third operational stage , the vehicle speed is set 60 - 140 km / hr ( hi - speed driving state ) and the engine runs to supply main power via the first power input end 1 a while the motor is only controlled to adjust an output rotational speed of the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 . in fourth operational stage , the vehicle speed is set 140 - 180 km / hr ( top - speed driving state ) and in addition to the engine , the motor is operated to supply auxiliary power via the second power input end 1 b . fig8 is shows chart illustrating torques of a first power output end in relation to torques of a first power input end ( engine ) and a second power input end ( motor ) simulated in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 . referring to fig8 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 selectively connects with the motor providing a predetermined torque 220 nm and the engine providing a predetermined torque 240 nm . the simulated output torques of the first power output end 1 a is calculated in equation ( 8 ). fig9 shows a chart illustrating rotational speeds of a second power output end or a third power input end ( motor / generator combined assembly , free transmission end ) in relation to those of a first power input end ( engine ) and a second power input end ( motor ) simulated in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 . referring to fig9 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 selectively connects with the motor providing a predetermined rotational speed 6 , 500 rpm and the engine providing a predetermined rotational speed 5 , 200 rpm . the simulated output rotational speeds of the motor , the engine and the generator are calculated in equation ( 5 ). fig1 shows a chart illustrating power of a second power output end or a third power input end ( motor / generator combined assembly , free transmission end ) in relation to rotational speeds of a first power input end ( engine ) and a second power input end ( motor ) simulated in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 . referring to fig1 , by way of example , the hybrid power integrated transmission system 1 simulated to operate in vehicle braking or downhill driving state and the generator output power to a predetermined battery for charging or a predetermined load . the upmost rotational speeds of the motor and the engine are 6 , 500 rpm and 5 , 200 rpm respectively . the recycled power in various rotational speeds of the motor and the engine are calculated in equation ( 9 ). the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises one motor and one motor and generator combined device connecting with two rotary shaft ends , and further comprises an engine connecting with an input end and an output end such that the hybrid power integrated transmission system has two freedom rotor shafts and two freedom torque shafts . the rotational speed of the power output end only relates that of a prime motor with a linear function and will not interference with that of the motor and generator combined device so as to simplify the entire structure . in order to reduce the manufacturing cost , a single - function generator can replace the motor and generator combined device . the design of one motor and one motor and generator combined device applied in the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention can simplify the entire control provided with the planetary gear train ( epicyclical gear train ) to avoid a high manufacturing cost of planet gears . in driving vehicles , the hybrid power integrated transmission system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention can provides several operational modes of vehicle starting , hi - speed driving or braking to meet the requirement of the hybrid electric vehicle . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferred embodiment , it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention , as set forth in the appended claims .
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the present invention is specifically described with reference to the following examples , but is not limited to these examples . test example using additive of group ( a ) ( polysaccharides having high formability ) lm pectin ( 10 parts by weight , genu pectin type lm - 102as - j manufactured by cp kelco ) was added and dissolved , by heating if necessary , in purified water ( 989 . 9 parts by weight ). after the mixture was cooled to room temperature , 0 . 1 parts by weight of cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( manufactured by lsl ) was added to the mixture , sufficiently mixed , and dissolved at room temperature . the obtained preparation solution was dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a medicament - containing composition . for a storage stability test , the obtained medicament - containing composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 30 days , and the allergenic activity at day 7 , day 14 , and day 30 of storage was evaluated by the method described below . table 2 shows the results . preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 1 by the same procedure as in test example 1 , and lyophilized to prepare medicament - containing compositions . in test example 2 , hm pectin ( genu pectin type usp - h manufactured by cp kelco ) was used . in test example 3 , dextran 40 ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 4 , dextran 70 ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 5 , starch ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 6 , pullulan ( manufactured by hayashibara co ., ltd .) was used . the medicament - containing compositions obtained in test examples 2 to 6 were subjected to a storage stability test in the same manner as in test example 1 . table 2 shows the results . the allergenic activity of cry j 1 , which is one of the major cedar pollen allergens , was measured using a cedar pollen antigen elisa kit “ cry j 1 ” ( manufactured by seikagaku biobusiness corporation ). the principle of the measurement kit is a sandwich elisa that uses monoclonal antibodies ( 013 and 053 ) specific to cry j 1 , which is one of japanese cedar ( cryptomeria japonica ) pollen antigens . this kit can specifically measure cry j 1 . a standard solution or a sample ( 20 μl ) was added to a reaction buffer solution ( 100 μl ) included in the kit , and a primary reaction was carried out at room temperature for 60 minutes . then , an hrp - labeled antibody solution ( 100 μl ) was added to the reaction product , and a secondary reaction was carried out for 60 minutes . an enzyme substrate solution ( 100 μl ) was added thereto , and a reaction was carried out at room temperature and shielded from light for 30 minutes . finally , a reaction stop solution ( 100 μl ) was added thereto . subsequently , the ultraviolet absorption intensity at 450 nm was measured . a calibration curve was determined based on the absorption intensity of the standard solution at various cry j 1 concentrations , and the cry j 1 allergenic activity ( ng / ml ) of each sample was determined based on the calibration curve . the cry j 1 allergenic activity % was determined after sampling the pharmaceutical compositions subjected to the storage stability test ( at day 7 , day 14 , and day 30 of storage ) and immediately after production ( 30 minutes and 60 minutes after production ). the cry j 1 allergenic activity % was evaluated based on the following scoring criteria . glucose ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was added and dissolved , by heating if necessary , in purified water ( 989 . 9 parts by weight ). after the mixture was cooled to room temperature , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 0 . 1 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to the mixture , sufficiently mixed , and dissolved at room temperature . the obtained preparation solution was dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a medicament - containing composition . for a storage stability test , the obtained medicament - containing composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 30 days , and the allergenic activity at day 7 , day 14 , and day 30 of storage was evaluated by the same method as in test example 1 . table 4 shows the results . preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 3 by the same procedure as in test example 7 , and lyophilized to prepare medicament - containing compositions . in test example 8 , mannose ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 9 , trehalose ( manufactured by hayashibara co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 10 , raffinose ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 11 , maltitol ( manufactured by hayashibara biochemical laboratories , inc .) was used . in test example 12 , isomalt ( galen 800 manufactured by beneo - palatinit gmbh ) was used . in test example 13 , sorbitol ( manufactured by roquette ) was used . in test example 14 , maltodextrin ( amicol 10 manufactured by nippon starch chemical co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 15 , pvp k25 ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 16 , pvp k30 ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in test example 17 , pvp k90 ( wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . the medicament - containing compositions obtained in test examples 8 to 17 were subjected to a storage stability test in the same manner as in test example 1 . table 4 shows the results . cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 0 . 1 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 999 . 9 parts by weight ), and dissolved at room temperature . subsequently , the resultant mixture was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a medicament - containing composition . the obtained medicament - containing composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c ., and the allergenic activity at day 7 , day 14 , and day 30 of storage was evaluated by the same method as in test example 1 . table 4 shows the results . test examples using group ( b ′) ( additives that are sugars but have no stabilizing effect on cedar pollen allergens ) preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 3 by the same procedure as in test example 7 , and lyophilized to prepare medicament - containing compositions . in comparative test example 2 , mannitol ( manufactured by roquette ) was used . in comparative test example 3 , erythritol ( wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in comparative test example 4 , xylitol ( manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in comparative test example 5 , polyethyleneglycol 4000 ( peg4000 manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . in comparative test example 6 , polyethyleneglycol 20000 ( peg20000 manufactured by wako pure chemical industries , ltd .) was used . peg was used as an example to be tested in comparison to pvp , which is also a water - soluble polymer . the medicament - containing compositions obtained in comparative test examples 2 to 6 were subjected to a storage stability test in the same manner as in test example 1 . table 4 shows the results . as shown in table 4 , the sugars and sugar alcohols shown in test examples 7 to 17 were found to act as allergen stabilizers during lyophilization . on the other hand , the results show that the medicament - containing compositions of comparative test examples in which mannitol and the like reportedly capable of stabilizing other allergens and vaccines were used were not necessarily effective against cedar pollen allergens . in regard to the water - soluble synthetic polymers , pvp was found to show a high stabilizing effect on the allergen . guar gum ( 10 parts by weight , meyro - guar csa200 / 50 , manufactured by danisco ) was added and dissolved , by heating if necessary , in purified water ( 989 . 9 parts by weight ). after the mixture was cooled to room temperature , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 0 . 1 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to the mixture , sufficiently mixed , and dissolved at room temperature . the obtained preparation solution was dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a medicament - containing composition . for a storage stability test , the medicament - containing composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 30 days , and the allergenic activity at day 7 , day 14 , and day 30 of storage was evaluated by the same method as in test example 1 . table 6 shows the results . preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 5 by the same procedure as in test example 18 , and lyophilized to prepare medicament - containing compositions . in test example 19 , locust bean gum ( genugum rl - 200 - j manufactured by cp kelco ) was used . in test example 20 , xanthan gum ( echo - gum t manufactured by dsp gokyo food & amp ; chemical co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 21 , tamarind gum ( glyloid 3s manufactured by dsp gokyo food & amp ; chemical co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 22 , tara gum ( mt120 manufactured by mrc polysaccharide co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 23 , ι - carrageenan ( cp gum fa manufactured by dsp gokyo food & amp ; chemical co ., ltd .) was used . in test example 24 , deacylated gellan gum ( kelcogel manufactured by cp kelco ) was used . the medicament - containing compositions obtained in test examples 19 to 24 were subjected to a storage stability test in the same manner as in test example 1 . table 6 shows the results . test examples using group ( c ′) ( additives that are viscous polysaccharides but have no stabilizing effect on the cedar pollen allergen ) preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 5 by the same procedure as in test example 18 , and lyophilized to prepare medicament - containing compositions . in comparative test example 7 , sodium alginate ( kimica algin il - 6 manufactured by kimica corporation ) was used . in comparative test example 8 , κ - carrageenan ( genugel jpe - 126 manufactured by cp kelco ) was used . the medicament - containing compositions obtained in comparative test examples 7 and 8 were subjected to a storage stability test in the same manner as in test example 1 . table 6 shows the results . as shown in table 6 , the gelling agents used in test examples 18 to 24 were found to act as allergen stabilizers during lyophilization . among these gelling agents , guar gum , locust bean gum , xanthan gum , tamarind gum , and tara gum were found to show a high stabilizing effect on the allergen . lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ) and glucose ( 10 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity after storage was evaluated by the same method as in test example 1 . the pharmaceutical composition was also evaluated for its properties and solubility in water by the methods described below . table 9 shows the results expressed as scores . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was evaluated based on the following criteria . thereafter , it was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 3 months , and evaluated again after storage . table 9 shows the results . purified water ( 10 . 0 g ) heated to 37 ° c . was added to the obtained pharmaceutical composition ( 1 . 0 g ), and the dissolution of the pharmaceutical composition was observed at room temperature and evaluated based on the following criteria . table 9 shows the results . allergen - containing preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 7 by the same procedure as in example 1 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in examples 2 to 10 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . dextran 40 ( 60 parts by weight ) and raffinose ( 10 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 800 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 7 by the same procedure as in example 11 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in examples 12 to 18 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ) was added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 8 by the same procedure as in comparative example 1 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in comparative examples 2 to 10 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ) and mannitol ( 10 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 8 by the same procedure as in comparative example 11 , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in comparative examples 12 to 14 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 9 shows the results . as shown in table 9 , the pharmaceutical compositions of comparative examples 1 to 10 consisting of only one additive from group ( a ) or group ( b ) showed poor stability of the allergen and deteriorated properties at day 90 of storage , which would cause problems in use . however , the pharmaceutical compositions of examples showed improvement in the stability of the allergen and the stability of the properties by the combined use of additives from group ( a ) and group ( b ). raffinose ( 50 parts by weight ) and guar gum ( 5 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity and the properties after storage were evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . the solubility in water was also evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . table 12 shows the results expressed as scores . allergen - containing preparation solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 10 by the same procedure as in example 19 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in examples 20 to 28 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 12 shows the results . guar gum ( 10 parts by weight ) was added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 12 shows the results . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 11 by the same procedure as in comparative example 15 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in comparative examples 16 to 20 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 12 shows the results . raffinose ( 50 parts by weight ) and κ - carrageenan ( 5 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity and the properties after storage were evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . the solubility in water was also evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . table 12 shows the results expressed as scores . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 11 by the same procedure as in comparative example 21 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in comparative examples 22 and 23 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 12 shows the results . as shown in table 12 , the pharmaceutical compositions of comparative examples 15 to 20 consisting of only one additive from group ( c ) showed slightly higher stability of the allergen than the pharmaceutical compositions shown in table 9 , which consist of other additives . however , many of these pharmaceutical compositions have poor properties , problems in use , and an unsatisfactory solubility in water . on the other hand , the pharmaceutical compositions of examples showed that the use of an additive from group ( b ) having high solubility in water in combination with an additive from group ( c ) improved the stability of the allergen , the stability of properties , and the solubility in water , thus allowing easy sensitization to the antigen in the oral cavity . lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ) and guar gum ( 5 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity and the properties after storage were evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . the solubility in water was also evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . table 15 shows the results expressed as scores . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 13 by the same procedure as in example 29 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in examples 30 to 42 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 15 shows the results . group ( a )+ group ( c ′) ( polysaccharides having high formability + additives that are viscous polysaccharides but have no stabilizing effect ) lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ) and κ - carrageenan ( 5 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity and the properties after storage were evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . the solubility in water was also evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . table 15 shows the results expressed as scores . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 14 by the same procedure as in comparative example 24 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in comparative examples 25 to 29 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 15 shows the results . as shown in table 15 , the pharmaceutical compositions of examples showed that the combined use of an additive from group ( c ) and an additive from group ( a ) improved the stability of the allergen , the stability of properties , and the solubility in water , thus allowing easy sensitization to the antigen in the oral cavity . in particular , the use of pectin and guar gum or locust bean gum ( both are galactomannans ) was found to show high stability of the allergen . lm pectin ( 30 parts by weight ), raffinose ( 10 parts by weight ), and guar gum ( 5 parts by weight ) were added to purified water ( 850 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at a temperature of 40 to 80 ° c . after dissolution , the mixture was cooled to room temperature . separately , cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder ( 10 parts by weight , manufactured by lsl ) was added to purified water ( 30 parts by weight ), and dissolved therein at room temperature . subsequently , an allergen aqueous solution ( 4 parts by weight ) was added to the above - obtained solution ( in such a manner that the amount of the cedar pollen extract lyophilized powder in the solution would be 0 . 1 parts by weight ) and quickly mixed , and it was made sure that there was no re - gelation . using a ph adjuster ( sodium hydroxide ), the ph was adjusted to 6 . 5 . further , purified water was added to the mixture to adjust the total weight to 1000 parts by weight , thereby obtaining an allergen - containing preparation solution . subsequently , the obtained preparation solution was quickly dispensed in 1 . 0 g aliquots into a vial for lyophilization , and lyophilized to prepare a pharmaceutical composition . the obtained pharmaceutical composition was stored at 40 ± 2 ° c . for 90 days , and the allergenic activity and the properties after storage were evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . the solubility in water was also evaluated by the same method as in example 1 . table 17 shows the results expressed as scores . solutions were prepared with the compositions shown in table 16 by the same procedure as in example 44 , and lyophilized to prepare pharmaceutical compositions . the pharmaceutical compositions obtained in examples 44 to 56 were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 , and the results were expressed as scores . table 17 shows the results . as shown in table 17 , the combined use of all additives from group ( a ), group ( b ), and group ( c ) improved the stability of the allergen , the stability of properties , and the solubility in water , and allowed easy sensitization to the antigen in the oral cavity . the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention contains specific non - gelatin additives in combination with an allergen , and thus has excellent storage stability for preservation and delivery of the allergen . additionally , according to the method for producing the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention , even an allergen known to have very poor thermal stability can be stably maintained during production , and the resulting pharmaceutical composition also has excellent storage stability .
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reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts . refer to fig4 a , which is a schematic diagram illustrating the micromixer with overlapping - crisscross entrance according to an embodiment of the present invention . this present invention consists of two straight , grooved microchannels crossing each other face to face in a tiny area at an angle from 0 to 180 degrees . the construction of the present invention is symmetric with respect to the contact surface between two microchannels . the transverse and longitudinal microchannels 31 , 32 containing fluids a and b respectively are in contact and mix across a small area 33 . the width of each microchannels is about 5 μm to 500 μm and has one inlet and one outlet , wherein the aspect ratio is less than 1 . for detailed investigation of the characteristics of present invention each microchannel has two parts — the inlet ports 33 , 35 , 36 and mixing channel 38 . the inlet ports 33 , 35 , 36 begin from the entrance of the microfluidics device to the end at which two inlet fluids merge . the mixing channel 38 is the region downstream from the inlet port . the longitudinal length l is 2046 . 6 μm ; two microchannels intersect at an angle = 90 . the mixing channel 38 has a plurality of chevron - shaped grooves 39 , 39 ′ which is used for mixing two different fluids . the three - dimension of present invention is numerically analyzed to reveal the velocity field and mixing characteristics of fluid streams . to formulate a mathematical description of mixing processes , some assumptions are proposed as follow . two newtonian fluids with constant density ρ , viscosity μ , diffusion coefficient d are selected . the flow is steady , incompressible and laminar with small reynolds number ( re & lt ;& lt ; 1 ), which signifies that the viscous force dominates and the inertial force is negligible . the body force is negligibly small and scarcely affects the simulation results . the governing equations hence become reduced to continuity eqution : ∂ u i ∂ x i = 0 ( 1 ) momentum equation : 0 = - ∂ p ∂ x i + ∂ ∂ x j [ μ ( ∂ u i ∂ x j + ∂ u j ∂ x i ) ] ( 2 ) species equation : u i ∂ c ∂ x i = d ( ∂ c ∂ x i ) 2 ( 3 ) in which u , c and p denote velocity , concentration and pressure , respectively . these three equations are solved with a computational fluid dynamics ( cfd ) package ( cfd - ace ), and are discretized with a finite - volume method . the simplec algorithm is adopted for pressure correction and the space variable is interpolated with a first - order upwind scheme , which is a highly stable scheme . initial flow speeds and concentration in the inlet of flow a in the y - direction entrance and flow b in the x - direction are v =− 0 . 83 μm / s , c = 0 , and u = 0 . 83 μm / s , c = 1 , with peclet number pe = 2 × 10 5 and reynolds number re = 0 . 01 . no slip boundary conditions are prescribed . to obtain accurate simulation results , during preprocessing a structured mesh of hexahedral elements of high quality is built . intensive elements are established near the inlet port and the mixing channel , at which a strong interaction between the two fluids occurs . in these cases the total number of mesh elements is about 800 , 000 . a fabrication process with a multilayer pattern was adopted to build directly the laminated microstructures with standard photolithographic procedures ; the membrane sandwich method is used for three - dimensional construction . several patterned slabs are assembled one by one or sandwiched with two thicker flat covers using the membrane sandwich method . for a micromixer with a complicated structure , designing a fabrication process is typically a difficult step . because the construction of present invention is symmetric with respect to the contact surface between microchannels , the sandwich method was used ; hence the fabrication procedures for the present invention were significantly simplified . additionally , the cast molding is patterned with a photolithographic process using negative tone photoresist , such as su - 8 ( microchem corp .) or jsr ( jsr corp .). a replicate molding technology is then adopted to mold a poly - dimethylsiloxane ( pdms , sylgard 184 silicone elastomer , dow corning ) or polymethymethacry - late ( pmma ) prepolymer mixture into the microstructures of the present invention . then the degassed mixture is poured onto the patterned cast and peels off the cured replicas . finally , teflon pipes are inserted into the access holes on the reservoirs to connect with a syringe pump . the syringe pump was used to manoeuvre the inlet conditions of the present invention . the mixing fluids were pressure - driven into the reservoirs with teflon tubes ( i . d . 0 . 46 mm , o . d . 0 . 92 mm ) and disposable syringes ( 1 ml , with 25 - gauge needles ). aqueous dye liquor was mixed and filtered with food pigment ( daiwa dyestuff mfg . co ., ltd .) and deionized water . the images of the flow field with an inverted microscope ( leica ) and an assembled digital camera are captured . refer to fig4 b , which is vertical distributed streaklines of flow patterns according to an embodiment of the present invention . the horizontal distribution of the streaklines in z =± 0 . 6 μm of the present invention reveals noticeable transverse advection of two fluids , which overcomes the drawback of slight mixing in the inlet port of many existing micromixers . refer to fig5 a and 5b , which are row streaklines of the upper streams and lower streams according to an embodiment of the present invention . the diverting fluids are dispersed near the downstream region of the transverse microchannel , where there is less flow resistance . the well diffusion occurs with l m = h / 2 in present invention , in which l m is proportional to the square root of the mixing interval ( t ) multiplied by the diffusion coefficient ; i . e ., l m ˜ { square root }{ square root over ( dτ )} . the decrease in l m also significantly decreases the mixing length δy m of present invention . a ratio of initial volumetric flow rate between the y - direction and x - direction upstream , q ty / q is , decreases proportionally to the ratio of mass flow rates of separate streams in the x - direction mixing microchannel , { dot over ( m )} i /{ dot over ( m )} 1 . this approach proves to be an excellent method to manipulate flow mixing between two fluids and is potentially extensible to be an active micromixer . refer to fig6 , which is turning ratios and mass flow rate ratios versus various initial flow rate ratios according to an embodiment of the present invention . the turning ratio is defined as the ratio of the diverted flow rate to the initial flow rate upstream from the crisscross . in this work the turning ratios of the x - direction stream range between 0 . 3 and 0 . 6 , whereas those of the y - direction stream are between 0 . 2 and 0 . 57 . the ratio is modulated by the aspect ratio of each channel and varies from 0 to 1 . refer to fig7 a and 7b , which are bulk concentration contours according to an embodiment of the present invention and the staggered herringbone mixer . by virtue of the asymmetric grooved patterns , the turning fluid streams near the short oblique ridges produce a refilling of the first half cycle of the grooves , where the flow resistance is less in a direction parallel to the patterned structures . in contrast the mixing in the staggered herringbone mixer ( shm ) shows that the shm is negligible before the first groove . for the cross sections near the entrance , the fluids within the shm are separated transversely , whereas mixing within the present invention is mainly in the vertical direction , but mixing in the transverse direction also proceeds . hence the dissimilar flow configurations of the mixing channels are demonstrated . at 990 μm ( 0 . 5l ) downstream , which corresponds to half a cycle of the patterned distribution , fluid a begins to roll over fluid b counter clockwise . the advection between the last half a cycle of the present invention significantly enhances the extent of mixing . the streaklines reveal that the mixing in the shm is transverse , whereas in the present invention it is vertical and more pronounced . to analyze quantitatively the mixing performance of the two micromixers , we adopt a mixing index as follows , mixing index = 1 - σ 2 σ max 2 in σ which is the standard deviation of the concentration across the cross section of the channel at any specific longitudinal location , and σ max is the maximum standard deviation ( unmixed at the inlet ). a smaller standard deviation signifies a greater mixing index , which indicates superior mixing . the value of this mixing index is 0 for completely segregated streams for which σ 2 = σ max 2 , and 1 for completely mixed streams for which σ 2 = 0 . refer to fig8 , which is mixing indexes at various longitudinal distances of x - direction and y - direction channels according to the shm and an embodiment of the present invention . the mixing indexes vary every quarter cycle ( 495 μm ) because the grooved pattern alters periodically every 990 μm . the mixing indexes of the crisscross micromixer vary from 0 . 2 to 0 . 6 as the longitudinal distance increases from 0 to 2000 μm . the same indices are counted to 0 - 0 . 4 for the staggered herringbone mixer . the initial jump of the present invention indicates the effects from the overlapping crisscross entrance , where there is great advection between mixing fluids . in addition , the slope of the mixing index is greater for the present invention than for the staggered herringbone mixer . the flow structure amended by the proposed entrance design is evidently well suited for the patterned groove mixing channel . refer to fig9 , which is the magnified image of the grooves according to fig7 a . fluid a enters from reservoir and leaves through outlet and the other tangential outlet , which is at a direction parallel to the sequence of grooves . refer to fig1 , which is an experimental image of concentration contour on cross sections along the z - axis according to an embodiment of the present invention . the image shows a significant cross flow near the inlet port and similar downstream flow configurations . similar flow patterns between z =± 35 μm and z =± 69 . 7 μm indicate satisfactory agreement of mixing performance between x - direction and y - direction mixing channels . refer to fig1 , which is an experimental image of flow visualization of mixing between ( a ) air and de - ionized water and ( b ) red and white water according to an embodiment of the present invention . mixing fluids of air and deionized water demonstrate the fluid separation as a result of the effects of the overlapping crisscross entrance . by virtue of the reverse distributions between the mixing fluids after flowing into the entrance of the mixing channels , the reverse flow arrangement between red and white water is also displayed . the detailed results of velocity distributions and streaklines reveal that the overlapping crisscross entrance enlarges the contact area between the two mixing fluids and induces tumbling to generate a vertical component of flow . a significant crossflow is developed about the inlet port of the micromixer and activates a restructuring of the flow configuration and mixing patterns in the grooved channels , for which the visual images of our experiments also reveal similar consequences . refer to fig1 , which is a schematic diagram according an embodiment of the present invention . the shape of microchannels 51 , 52 is saw - toothed , wherein the special patterns are grooved in the wall of mixing channels . two microchannels 51 , 52 of same structure repetitively overlap each other in a series of symmetry at angle θ . the present invention combines the overlapping crisscrossed mechanism provides transversal momentum and the groove infrastructure offers fluid spiral momentum , which connected in series has some nodes 53 , 54 , 55 made by way of contacting on periodic exchange and enhances folding and stretching effect in those nodes 53 , 54 , 55 . the advantage of this invention is not only having good mixing efficiency , but also easy for fabrication . because upper and lower fluids of laminar are symmetrical with each other at angle θ , the present invention can make two same flow channels at the same time . modulating the ratios of initial flow rates generates varied ratios of rates of mass flow between the two fluid streams in the mixing chamber . the present invention hence achieves an excellent manipulation of flow mixing between two fluids and is possibly extensible to become a satisfactory active micromixer . comparison of the mixing performance of this novel micromixer indicates that the mixing index ranges from 0 . 2 - 0 . 6 for the present invention and is 0 - 0 . 4 for the staggered herringbone micromixer . obviously , many variations can be made to the above example . for example , the content , number of users , providers , content location , etc . can be changed or adapted according to requirements . 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 scope or spirit of the invention . in view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the invention and its equivalent .
| 1 |
an ignition chamber 2 of an internal combustion engine in accordance with the present invention is provided in a threaded socket 3 carrying a hexagonal wrench insert 4 . the threaded socket 3 has a wall 5 which is curved and extends into a not shown main combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine . passages 6 and 7 communicate the main combustion chamber with the interior of the ignition chamber 2 . the passage 6 extends substantially in an axial direction of the threaded socket 3 , whereas the passage 7 opens substantially tangentially into the ignition chamber . adjacent to the passages 6 and 7 , the ignition chamber has a narrower part 8 on which a wider part 9 and finally a part 9a are provided . a center electrode extends advantageously coaxially with the threaded socket 3 . the center electrode 11 is provided , at the height of a transition between the parts 8 and 9 , with a free end 13 . the center electrode 11 is carried by an insulator 12 inserted into the threaded socket 3 . the center electrode 11 is formed hollow , starting from its free end 13 in direction toward the insulator 12 and is designed as a heat pipe 14 . an insulator shoe 15 is formed on the insulator 12 and surrounds the center electrode 11 concentrically . the transition 10 is eccentric relative to the center electrode 11 . a narrowest point between the center electrode 11 and the transition 10 forms a spark gap 16 . adjacent to the spark gap 16 , the transition 10 serves as a counterelectrode 17 for the center electrode 11 . as seen from the spark gap 16 , a recess 18 is formed in the threaded socket 3 behind the counterelectrode 17 . the recess 18 is formed so that the counterelectrode 17 extends as a nose of the threaded socket 3 against the center electrode 11 , so as to form a further wall for the ignition chamber 2 . by this design of the counterelectrode 16 , it is heated fast to a desired working temperature by burning gases . a fuel - air mixture which is aspirated into the main combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine or produced in the latter is passed during a subsequent compacting stroke of the machine from the main combustion engine via the passages 6 and 7 into the part 8 of the ignition chamber and finally into the wider part 9 . because of the tangential arrangement of the passage 7 , the pressed mixture obtains a whirling movement whose axis of rotation is substantially parallel to the center electrode 11 . the mixture is ignited in the spark gap 16 , so that it surrounds the center electrode 11 in burning condition . this burning gas heats predominantly the center electrode 11 and the counterelectrodes 17 as well as the insulator shoe 15 . after a certain time of operation of the internal combustion engine , the center electrode 11 obtains a predetermined temperature . this can be retained constant with the aid of the heat pipe 14 which transmits subsequently supplied heat to the insulator 12 . from there the heat is transmitted in a known manner via the threaded socket and a not shown connecting end for supplying the ignition voltage to a cylinder head 19 of the internal combustion engine and to the surrounding atmosphere . the arrangement of the heat pipe 14 makes it possible that the temperature of the center electrode is selected very high and during the operation is reliably kept below such a temperature as could cause uncontrolled or surface ignition . heating of the center electrode and the counterelectrode 17 results in the fact that during normal operation of the internal combustion engine , the mixture travelling in the spark gap is heated and thereby made ready for ignition . because of this , and because of the stream in the wall close region of 16 , it is possible to reliably ignite the mixture with air surplus . the heat pipe 14 conducts either heat from the center electrode 11 to the insulator shoe 15 or heat from the latter to the insulator 12 . thereby after the start of the internal combustion engine , the insulator shoe 15 is heated fast to a desired free burning temperature , and at the same time is protected against unacceptable heating which can cause uncontrolled ignition . for preventing unnecessary cooling the ignited mixture afterwards , the cross - section of the free end 13 of the center electrode 11 is smaller than the electrode cross - section in the region of the heating pipe 14 of the insulator shoe 15 . the cross - section reduction is formed by provision of two faces 20 . between these faces 20 , the free end 13 has the form of a wedge facing toward the spark gap 16 . the nose - like form of the counterelectrode 17 acts in the same way . the cross - section reduction provides also for an improved supply of the mixture into the spark gap 16 . the threaded socket 3 has a thread 21 at its end facing toward the main combustion chamber and is screwed with the thread into a cylinder head 19 . a surface 22 which is circumferentially closed and formed as a circular ring is located between the thread 21 and the range part 4 and provided with the thread socket 3 . the surface 22 is utilized for limiting the screwing depth of the ignition chamber 2 into the cylinder head 19 and sealing the main combustion chamber from the surrounding atmosphere of the internal combustion engine . between the thread 21 and the surface 22 , the threaded socket 3 is formed as a cylindrical neck 23 concentric with the thread 21 . the diameter of the cylindrical neck 23 and the inner diameter of a hole 24 of the cylinder head 19 surrounding the neck 23 are so selected relative to one another , that when the engine is cooled a certain play is available . this play is so selected depending upon the material of the cylindrical neck 23 and the cylindrical head 19 , that by attaining a desired working temperature of the ignition chamber this play disappears , and the cylindrical neck 23 abuts against the cylindrical head 19 . this abutment provides for transmission of all heat from the neck 23 to the cylinder head 19 so that the desired working temperature of the ignition chamber is not exceeded . in the ignition chamber in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention , a free end 13 &# 39 ; of an electrode 11 &# 39 ; is offset relative to a counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ; in direction of an insulator 12 &# 39 ;. thereby a spark gap 16 &# 39 ; extends between the end 13 &# 39 ; of the center electrode 11 &# 39 ; and the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ; not normal to the axis of the insulator 12 &# 39 ;, but inclined relative thereto , as can be seen from fig3 . this inclined arrangement of the spark plug 16 &# 39 ; acts also for providing an improved supply stream of the fuel - air mixture to be ignited to the spark gap 16 &# 39 ;. a further improvement is attained when the end 13 &# 39 ; is formed semicircular and the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ; is rounded . a recess 18 &# 39 ; between the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ; and the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ; serves so that the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ; extends as a nose and after the start of the internal combustion engine can attain a desired temperature very fast . the special feature of a thread 21 &# 39 ; provided on the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ; of the ignition chamber 2 &# 39 ; of fig3 is that at least in the region which is adjacent to the main combustion chamber , this thread 21 &# 39 ; has an insignificantly smaller pitch than a threaded hole arranged in the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ;. thereby not only lies the thread course of the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ; located closest to the insulator 12 &# 39 ;, on the thread course of the threaded hole in the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ;, but also the thread course which is located in the immediate vicinity of the main combustion engine . via the first - mentioned thread course , the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ; withdraws from the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ; in the region from a wall 5 &# 39 ; with openings 6 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 39 ; and extending into the main combustion engine , so much heat that the wall 5 &# 39 ; is protected from undesirable overheating . disadvantageous uncontrolled ignition is thereby avoided . cooling of the center electrode 11 &# 39 ; and the insulator shoe 15 &# 39 ; formed on the insulator 12 &# 39 ; is also controlled by the construction of the electrode 11 &# 39 ; as a heat pipe . in the ignition chamber in accordance with a third embodiment shown in fig4 and 5 , a center electrode 11 &# 34 ; is formed behind its free end 13 &# 34 ; extending into an ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;, as a heat pipe 14 &# 34 ;. the end 13 &# 34 ; is first conical and then semicircular and extends in a direction which deviates from the axial direction of an insulator 12 &# 34 ;. thereby the end 13 &# 34 ; is directed against a threaded socket 3 &# 34 ; which forms a wall of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;. the threaded socket 3 &# 34 ; serves as a counterelectrode . between the same and the end 13 &# 34 ; there is provided a spark gap 16 &# 34 ;. the threaded socket 3 &# 34 ; has a thread 21 &# 34 ; adjacent to a sealing surface 22 &# 34 ;. substantially over half the length of the threaded socket 21 &# 34 ;, a ring - shaped recess 31 is provided in the interior of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;. starting from a wall 5 &# 34 ; extending into the main combustion engine , the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; is provided in the region of the recess 31 advantageously with three slots 32 . the slots 32 extend in direction of the insulator 12 &# 34 ; up to the ring - shaped recess 31 . between the ring - shaped recess 31 and the thread 21 &# 34 ;, the threaded socket 3 &# 34 ; forms one or more elastic hinges . the longitudinal portion of the thread 21 &# 34 ; which extends between the main combustion chamber and the end of the slot 32 has a certain small play to the cylinder head 12 &# 34 ;. when the fuel - air mixture pressed from the main combustion chamber into the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; is ignited and then expanded , the passages 6 &# 34 ; and 7 &# 34 ; provide for throttling and cause a negative pressure inside the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; relative to the main combustion chamber . this negative pressure expands , after aspiration of the mixture into the internal combustion engine , the slotted part of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; elastically more or less . as soon as the negative pressure exceeds a preselected value , the thread course of the thread 21 &# 34 ; abuts against the cylinder head 19 &# 34 ; and transmits a part of such heat which is generated during burning of the mixture inside the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;. thereby the temperature of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; is regulated in the region of the wall 5 &# 34 ;. the temperature regulation is performed in dependence upon the negative pressure in the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; which depends upon the loading of the internal combustion engine . in the region between the recess 31 and the main combustion chamber , instead of a thread a not shown conical or cylindrical neck can be arranged on the threaded socket 3 &# 34 ;. an associated hole in the cylinder head 19 &# 34 ; is designed as a negative to the neck . there is also a possibility to form the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ; in registry to the cylinder head 19 &# 34 ; especially thin - walled , so that small or no slots 32 at all are required . an ignition chamber 2 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention has a counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; which is pin - shaped , and a center electrode 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; from the previous embodiment . the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is pressed in a hole 33 which is drilled in a threaded socket 3 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; can be connected by soldering or welding with or without additional material in a known manner with the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. there is also a possibility to weld the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; flush in the threaded socket 3 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. the counterelectrode 17 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; improves the supply stream of the fuel - air mixture to a spark gap 16 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; which extends through the center electrode 11 &# 34 ; and cools the mixture after the ignition to only a small extent . in the ignition chamber shown in fig7 a threaded socket composed of an upper part 3a and a lower part 3b has an ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; which is located inside the part 3b , an axial opening 6 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and tangential opening 7 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, a center electrode 11 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and an insulator 12 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. the center electrode 11 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; extends from an insulator shoe 15 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; which is formed on the insulator 12 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and has a free end 13 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. the part 3b has at its periphery a thread 21 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. substantially over half the length thereof the part 3b has a ring - shaped recess 31 . the portion from the upper end of the recess 31 to the lower end 34 of the part 3b is determined so as to extend into a main combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine , and the part 3b is provided with slots 32 which extend advantageously in planes in which the longitudinal axis of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is located . the recess 31 reduces the wall thickness of the part 3b and forms thereby an elastic hinge 35 for the region of the part 3b , which is located below the hinge 35 between the slots 32 . below the ring - shaped recess , a receiving opening 35 is provided in the part 3b , and an expander ring 37 is inserted in this opening . in axial direction , the expander ring 37 is secured by a shoulder 38 adjacent to the receiving opening 36 and a nose 39 . the expander ring 37 can also be soldered or welded by zones in the part 3b . it can be composed , for example , of the steel alloy with 20 % of nickel . the part 30b can be composed of a steel alloy with 36 % of nickel . thereby when both parts 36 and 37 are heated by the same degrees , the heat with thermal expansion of the expander ring 37 is greater than that of the part 3b . the expander ring 37 can press against a cylinder head 19 of an internal combustion engine only selective zones of the part 3b which , for example , are subjected to stronger heat loading than other zones . in the above described case , these zones are the hinges 35 up to the end 34 . the expander ring 37 forms a ground electrode . between the expander ring 37 and the free end 13 &# 34 ; of the center electrode 11 &# 34 ;, a spark gap 16 &# 34 ; is formed . the parts 3a and 3b are inserted into one another and soldered or welded with one another . the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is screwed into the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ; of the internal combustion engine so that the lower end 34 extends into a not shown combustion chamber of the engine . the passages 6 &# 34 ; and 7 &# 34 ; communicate the main combustion engine with the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;. in the compressed stroke of the internal combustion engine , the fuel - air mixture to be ignited flows into the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; and also flows into the spark gap 16 &# 34 ;. in this spark gap 16 &# 34 ;, the fuel - air mixture is ignited . the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ; is cooled in known manner by cooling air or cooling water . the inflamed mixture provides an especially fast heating of the part 3b and the expander ring 37 to a desired temperature , under the hinges 35 . heating of the expander ring 37 causes an increase of its outer diameter and an expansion of the part 3b . additionally , during the energy conversion in the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ;, an expansion takes place because of gas pressure . thereby , there is provided below the hinges 35 between the thread course of the thread 21 &# 34 ; and the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ; a strong contact with a predetermined loading of the internal combustion engine . because of this , such quantity of heat energy is withdrawn from the part 3b to the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ; that the temperature of the part 3b and the expander ring 37 does not exceed a preselected highest temperature . since this contact is considerably increased by attaining of a predetermined loading of the internal combustion engine , the temperature region which varies within the working temperature of the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is very narrow . the expansion of the expander ring 37 can be further improved when at least one groove - shaped recess 40 is arranged on its periphery . thereby two peripheral faces 41 and 42 are formed on the expander ring , and both sides of these faces are jointly smaller than the height of the expander ring 37 . the recess 40 serves for a partial heat insulation of the expander ring 37 relative to the part 3b , and a heat withdrawal from the expander ring 37 to the part 3b takes place predominantly via the faces 41 and 42 . thereby the expander ring 37 receives a considerably higher temperature than the part 3b . because of this the expander ring 37 expands more to provide for an increased pressure of the threaded course of the part 3b against the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ;. this produces a steeper regulating characteristic line and thereby a yet narrower temperature range within which the temperature changes during the operation of the internal combustion engine . the maximum temperature of the expander ring 37 is determined by the dimension of the recess 40 . the latter is so dimensioned that the temperatures lies as close as possible below the uncontrolled ignition temperature for the mixture supplied into the ignition chamber . advantageously , the region of the highest temperature is located in the region of the spark gap 16 &# 34 ;. instead of the expander ring 37 formed as an insertable structural element , a not shown expander ring may be provided in the part 3a by forming an annular bead , a ring - shaped rib or the like . in acccordance with a further embodiment shown in fig8 and 9 , the ignition chamber 2 &# 34 ;&# 34 ; is provided , instead of the expander ring 37 , with an expander pipe 50 . an end 51 of the expander pipe 50 forms , in the region of the center electrode 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;, a ground electrode 52 by its free end 13 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. another end 53 forms an ignition chamber end wall 54 in which an axially directed passage 6 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; and several passages 7 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; with tangential component are provided . the threaded socket 3c has a hollow threaded nut 3d which has at its outer periphery an annular groove 55 and at its height a ring - shaped closed collar 56 . the expander pipe 50 is inserted into the collar 56 and fixed therein . the expander pipe 50 and the collar 15 are , for example , welded and / or soldered with one another . a free end 57 of the threaded nut 3b , a further inwardly directed ring - shaped collar 58 is arranged . in condition of cold threaded nut 3d and cold expander pipe 50 , an annular gap 59 takes place between the expander pipe 50 and the collar 58 . the threaded nut 3d is slotted in the region between the free end 7 and the first ring - shaped closed collar 56 , so that it is elastically expansible relative to a threaded hole 60 in the cylinder head 19 of the internal combustion engine . for example , three or more slots 61 which are located in planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the expander pipe 50 are sawed in the threaded neck 3b . during start - up of the internal combustion engine , the expander pipe 50 is heated . below the collar 56 where the higher thermal loading takes place , the heating is fast , since there , because of the annular gap 59 , no heat conducting contact to the threaded neck 3d is available . prior to the part of the expander pipe 50 located below the collar reaching its allowable maximum temperature , the annular gap 50 changes because the expansion of the expander pipe 50 relative to the collar 58 . finally , the expander pipe 50 presses against the lower collar 58 and expands thereby the lower part of the threaded neck 3d so that the latter abuts against the wall of the threaded hole 60 located in the cooled cylinder head 19 &# 39 ;. the lower part of the threaded neck 39 and the collar 58 form now a thermal bridge through which the heat is withdrawn from the expander pipe 50 to the cylinder head 19 &# 39 ;. this heat withdrawal prevents in desirable manner a further temperature increase in the expander pipe 50 . the expander pipe 50 can , as the expander ring 37 of the preceding embodiment , have a greater thermal expansion coefficient than the threaded neck 3d . the passages 7 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; provide , during a compression stroke of the internal combustion engine , along the inner periphery of the expander pipe 50 , a whirling flow of fuel - air mixture , which rotates about the longitudinal axis of the pipe and is increasing . the whirling of the mixture finally reaches a spark gap 62 between the electrode 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; and the end 51 of the expander pipe 57 as a ground electrode 62 , and is ignited there . the end 51 has a recess 63 which is located , in direction of flow of the fuel - air mixture , behind the spark gap 62 relative to the ground electrode 52 . the ignited mixture can unobjectionably expand through the recess 63 also transverse to the expander pipe 50 in the threaded neck 3d . it is thereby avoided that the expander pipe 50 with the freshly inflamed fuel - air mixture prevents the temperature increase desired for further flame generation and expansion and the complete burning . this construction of the ground electrode 52 with the subsequently arranged recess 63 can also be selected for spark plugs whose hollow threaded neck and center electrodes are different as compared with those described above . at the height of the free end 13 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; of the center electrode 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;, an opening 64 directed toward the spark gap 62 is provided in the threaded neck 3d . the length of the spark gap 62 is measured by this opening 64 and is adjustable by bending of the center electrode 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ;. a further opening 65 can be used for illumination of the spark gap 62 during measuring and bending or cleaning . the openings 64 and 65 can also serve for orientation during assembly of the individual parts 3d , 11 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; and 50 . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an internal combustion engine and an ignition chamber thereof , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown , since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention .
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the structure and operation of preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described , after first briefly describing the drawings . fig1 is an isometric view of a catheter of this invention . fig2 is an enlarged sectional view of the tip of the catheter of fig1 . fig3 is an enlarged isometric view of an insert portion of fig2 . fig4 is an enlarged isometric view of a transducer portion of fig2 . fig5 is a view similar to fig4 showing an alternate transducer . fig7 is a view similar to fig2 showing an alternate transducer construction . fig8 is a view similar to fig2 showing yet another embodiment . fig9 is a view similar to fig2 showing yet another embodiment . fig1 is a view similar to fig2 showing yet another embodiment . referring to fig1 - 6 , catheter 10 has a generally cylindrical soft plastic tube 12 ( e . g ., of pvc ) cut away at its tip 14 to provide a sloping surface 16 and a platform 18 . main lumen 20 extends along the central axis 22 of the catheter and communicates with rectangular opening 24 through platform 18 . lumen 26 is parallel to lumen 20 and opens to the exterior through hole 28 in surface 16 . rectangular ( 2 × 10 mm ) stainless steel plate 40 is mounted in opening 24 and fixed to stainless steel tube 42 in lumen 20 . transducer 50 , a thin piezoelectric polymer ( preferably poled capacitor grade solvay polyvinylidene fluoride , &# 34 ; pvf 2 &# 34 ;) film 52 carrying vacuum deposited silver electrodes 54 and 56 on one side , is cemented to plate 40 with the electrodes face down and communicating with lumen 20 through opening 58 in plate 40 and through cavity 59 in tube 42 . as shown in fig2 piezoelectric film 52 is supported at its periphery on plate 40 and is unsupported where it overlies opening 58 . leads 60 and 62 connected to the electrodes pass through lumen 20 for connection to external circuitry ( not shown ). as shown in fig4 electrodes 54 and 56 have alternating , evenly spaced interlocking fingers 64 , 66 , 68 , and 70 arranged in a generally oval &# 34 ; interdigitated &# 34 ; pattern , and opening 58 is oval to match . alternatively ( fig5 ), the electrode pattern can be rectangular , or ( fig6 ) even circular ; the shape of plate 40 and its opening 58 would vary correspondingly . the tip of the catheter is potted with epoxy at 72 , and epoxy seals plate 40 to tube 12 at 74 . the embodiments of fig7 - 10 have elements corresponding to those of fig1 - 4 , as indicated by the use of common reference numerals ; we now describe how these embodiments differ . in fig7 electrodes 84 and 86 are on opposite sides of piezoelectric pvf 2 membrane 88 , and lead 90 from electrode 84 passes through epoxy 74 to lumen 20 . insulating layer 91 covers outer electrode 84 . in fig8 stainless steel frame 94 has a main cylindrical body 96 , a cylindrical portion 98 of reduced diameter that fits the end of the catheter lumen 20 , and an annular tip 100 . bore 102 communicates between lumen 20 and circular opening 104 in tip 100 . circular , concave , piezoelectric membrane 110 , with two electrodes 112 ( e . g ., in the form shown in fig6 ) on one surface , is cemented electrodes - down to the rim of the bore 102 . leads 114 and 116 run from the electrodes through bore 102 and lumen 20 . epoxy is provided at 118 and 120 . the diameter of bore 102 is large enough at its top to fully expose electrodes 112 . in fig9 the catheter tube 140 is itself of pvf 2 , potted at its tip with epoxy 142 . electrodes 144 and 146 are concentric , 5 mm wide rings of metal deposited on the inner and outer walls of tube 140 , respectively . leads 148 and 150 run from the electrodes through lumen 152 . the portion of tube 140 between the electrodes , at 154 , is made piezoelectric by poling the pvf 2 there after application of the electrodes . parylene insulation 160 covers outer electrode 146 . a calibration lumen , as in fig2 may be added . in fig1 the inner electrode ring 144 of fig9 is replaced by electrically conductive liquid 180 sealed in lumen 182 , and lead 184 is embedded in the wall of tube 140 . lead 186 is inserted directly into the liquid and exits through plug 188 at the rear of the catheter . in the embodiment of fig1 - 6 catheter 10 is first prepared by filling lumen 26 with liquid , preferably a saline solution , and is connected to external transducer 200 through 3 - way valve 202 . catheter 10 is introduced into the desired organ where actual intraorgan pressure is measured as follows . stress generated by pressure ( in both audible and inaudible frequency ranges ) in an organ acts to deform piezoelectric film 52 inwardly , thereby producing strains along its surface . cavity 59 , defined by the perimeter of opening 58 and the inner walls of stainless tube 42 , is large enough to permit the unobstructed flexing of piezoelectric film 52 as it deforms inwardly , so - called &# 34 ; bending mode &# 34 ; operation . film 52 being piezoelectric , strains therein generate an electrical charge , which is proportional to the strain , between interdigitated electrodes 54 and 56 which are attached to the surface of the film where the piezoelectric effect is very strong . advantageously , because transducer 50 carries electrodes on one surface only , excellent sensitivity is achieved , not only because the piezoelectric effect is strongest near the surface of film 52 where the strain is greater and where the electrodes are located , but also because electrodes 54 and 56 , being on the inner surface of piezoelectric film 52 , are electrically and thermally insulated by the thickness of film 52 , thus avoiding electrical &# 34 ; noise &# 34 ; and various artifacts due to imperfect insulation or temperature fluctuations . the free flexing permitted by cavity 59 also enhances sensitivity . the interdigitated pattern of electrodes 54 and 56 forms relatively long and narrow evenly spaced gaps between interlocking fingers 64 , 66 , 68 , and 70 , increasing the piezoelectric effect when film 52 flexes . further , the location of electrodes 54 and 56 on the surface of film 52 , where the strain is greatest , permits use of film of increased thickness , where , for example , higher blood pressures will be encountered . due to the wide bandwidth of piezoelectric polymers , sound and pressure can be detected using the same sensor . the signal , transmitted through leads 60 and 62 from electrodes 54 and 56 to external circuitry ( not shown ), is electronically filtered , using conventional means , in two different ranges ( e . g ., 0 - 40 hz and 50 - 500 hz ) and the two resulting signals are read out as pressure and sound respectively . the rigidity of stainless steel plate 40 and stainless steel tube 42 assists in assuring proper control of the rotation and direction of the catheter tip , and avoids any undesirable artifacts due to inadvertent bending of the catheter tip by pressure acting thereon . the mean value of intraorgan pressure is transmitted through lumen 26 ( which is too long and has too large a diameter to respond with sensitivity to the detailed fluctuations in pressure measured through film 52 ) to transducer 200 . by combining the output of transducer 200 with the outputs from leads 60 and 62 , a display can be generated showing fluctuation of intraorgan pressure about its mean baseline . the baseline can be calibrated from time to time by turning valve 202 to expose transducer 200 to the atmosphere . in the embodiment of fig7 with electrodes 84 and 86 on opposite sides of membrane 88 , operation is in the &# 34 ; bending &# 34 ; mode as that of the embodiments of fig1 - 6 but , here , in addition , the continuous electrodes on both sides of the membrane are sensitive to strain uniformly distributed throughout the thickness of the film . insulating layer 90 thermally and electrically insulates outer electrode 84 . in the embodiment of fig8 piezoelectric membrane 110 also operates in the &# 34 ; bending &# 34 ; mode . rigid frame 94 ensures that there is no bending of piezoelectric membrane 110 other than inwardly of bore 102 which is wide enough to permit unobstructed flection of the membrane . annular tip 100 acts as a cage to avoid dangerous contact between membrane 110 and , for example , the inner walls of blood vessels . in the embodiments of fig9 and 10 the wall of the catheter itself beneath electrode 146 is piezoelectrically activated with the result that the inner to outer diameter ratio of tube 104 can be chosen so as to enhance sensitivity ( the thinner the wall , the greater the sensitivity ). the piezoelectrically activated portion of the catheter wall operates in the &# 34 ; bending &# 34 ; mode as the embodiment of fig7 with parylene insulation 160 thermally and electrically insulating outer electrode 146 . these embodiments offer the advantages of great simplicity in , and ease of , construction together with robustness . moreover , reduced cost due to the ease of construction makes possible the commercial production of relatively cheap disposable catheters , there being no separate sensor . the use of a liquid electrode in fig1 further simplifies construction .
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reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . the base station system shown in fig1 includes a baseband processing device rec ( radio equipment controller ) which is connected to a radio network control device rnc ( radio network controller ) via the interface called lub in umts . the baseband processing device rec is connected to the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 ( re : radio equipment ) via a respective cpri interface cpri . the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 emit subscriber station data to subscriber stations and receive such data from them . fig1 shows , by way of example , the subscriber station ms which is connected to the transmission and reception unit re 1 via the radio interface called uu in umts . each transmission and reception unit re 1 , re 2 and re 3 is responsible for emitting radio signals on a radio frequency or in a frequency band and / or to a sector . the cpri interface is described in the currently valid standard version cpri specification v2 . 0 , whose content is referred to here and which is part of the disclosure of the application . the cpri interface uses an electrical and / or optical transmission method on the physical layer . the cpri interface is used to transmit various data types , namely synchronization information , control information and useful data , using a time - division multiplex method . the cpri standard defines layers 1 and 2 of the iso / osi protocol stack of the cpri interface . in line with the related art , the information transmitted via the cpri interface is a continuous synchronous data stream which includes the time - division multiplexed data types . the cpri data , i . e . the information transmitted between the baseband processing device rec and the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 via the cpri interface cpri , are transmitted as ethernet packets . as fig2 shows , this is done by virtue of the baseband processing device rec being connected to an ethernet switch ethernet switch which is connected to the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 . this means that the ethernet protocol ethernet is used for the cpri data on the bottommost layer of the iso / osi protocol stack . in contrast to the related art , a continuous synchronous data stream is not transmitted via the cpri interface , but rather ethernet packets . above the ethernet layer there are layers specified on the basis of cpri for processing the cpri data . in line with the current cpri standard , the physical layer permits data rates of 614 . 4 mbit / s , 1228 . 8 mbit / s or 2457 . 6 mbit / s . for transmission via ethernet lines , data rates of 10 mbit / s , 100 mbit / s , 1 gbit / s or 10 gbit / s are possible . it would therefore be necessary to use a 1 gbit / s ethernet line for the 614 . 4 mbit / s cpri connection , two 1 gbit / s ethernet lines for the 1228 . 8 mbit / s cpri connection and three 1 gbit / s lines for the 2457 . 6 mbit / s cpri connection . to reduce the number or bandwidth of the ethernet lines required for transmitting cpri data , and hence to be able to transmit the cpri data efficiently as ethernet packets , the following modifications are possible : for the cpri line code , 8 respective bits are complemented by two bits of redundancy on the physical layer . if this line code is dispensed with , this reduces the cpri data rate to 491 . 520 mbit / s , 983 . 040 mbit / s or 1966 . 080 mbit / s . the use of the ethernet protocol on the physical layer adds a line code , which means that the cpri data are transmitted in line - encoded form despite the disappearance of the cpri line code . in line with the related art , during the cpri transmission , the receiver can identify from the line code what components of the cpri data can be found at what location within the continuous cpri data stream . if the cpri line code is dispensed with , an association should be provided between the structure of the cpri data and the ethernet packets which contain the cpri data . by way of example , the ethernet packets can have information fields added to them which indicate the start and end of the cpri frame and the cpri hyperframe . removal of the manufacturer - specific information and / or of the bits reserved for future expansions : the removal of the manufacturer - specific control information from the cpri data results in a reduction in the cpri data rate by the removal of the bits reserved for future expansions from the cpri data results in a reduction in the cpri data rate by depending on the form of the base station , a different number of antenna signals is required , an antenna signal being understood to mean the signal emitted or received by an antenna . usually , a umts base station has six antennas , whereas a micro base station has just one antenna . the different number of antennas used means that it is possible that transmission resources which are provided and reserved for antenna signals are not used in the case of cpri . for unused antenna signals , zeros are transmitted between the baseband processing device rec and the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 . removing these unused resources from the cpri data reduces the bandwidth required for transmitting cpri data further . using the measures explained , it is possible to transmit a connection for cpri data , which originally requires 1228 . 8 mbit / s , via 1 gbit / s ethernet line , a 2457 . 6 mbit / s cpri connection via two 1 gbit / s ethernet lines and a 614 . 4 mbit / s cpri connection via a few 100 mbit / s ethernet lines . if the cpri data are transmitted using ethernet packets , existing ethernet lines can be used to connect the baseband processing device rec to the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 . fig3 a and 3b show examples of the use of existing ethernet lines for the connection between the baseband processing device rec and the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 . the configuration shown in fig3 a is particularly suitable for indoor applications , i . e . for cases in which the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 are inside a building . the baseband processing device rec is connected to the ethernet switch ethernet switch by a gigabit ethernet line gbe , whereas the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 are respectively connected to the ethernet switch ethernet switch by two 100 mbit ethernet lines 100 mbe . it is naturally possible for the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 to be respectively connected to the ethernet switch ethernet switch by different numbers of ethernet lines . an indoor base station usually provides coverage for just one radio cell , a radio cell being understood to mean a particular sector in combination with a particular frequency band . an indoor base station therefore has no requirement for high data rates to be transmitted from and to the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 , which means that the two 100 mbit ethernet lines 100 mbe are sufficient to supply one transmission and reception unit re 1 , re 2 or re 3 each . in the case of 100 mbit ethernet lines , an electrical transmission method is used , and the range of these connections is several 100 meters at most . many buildings are wired with 100 mbit ethernet lines , which means that already existing lines can be used for transmitting the cpri data . the configuration shown in fig3 b is particularly suitable for metro applications , i . e . for instances in which the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 are distributed within an area which is approximately the size of a town . the baseband processing device rec is connected to the ethernet switch ethernet switch by a gigabit ethernet line gbe , and the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 are also respectively connected to the ethernet switch ethernet switch by a gigabit ethernet line gbe . for radio coverage in an urban area , the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 need to cover a larger geographical area in comparison with the indoor scenario , and in this case a base station usually provides coverage for a plurality of radio cells . a larger volume of information is therefore sent to and received from subscriber stations by the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 than in the case of the indoor scenario , which means that it is appropriate to connect the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 by gigabit ethernet lines gbe . for the gigabit ethernet lines gbe , an optical transmission method is used , which means that the gigabit ethernet lines can extend over several kilometers . instead of the gigabit ethernet lines gbe , it is also possible to use 10 gigabit ethernet lines . transmitting cpri data over gigabit ethernet lines is advantageous because these connections are not expensive and are increasingly being laid . it is advantageous if the ethernet lines are used to transport not exclusively cpri data but also other data . the ethernet lines &# 39 ; transmission resources can therefore be split between the cpri application and other applications . since the cpri data need to be transmitted in real time , it is advantageous to use the vlan ( virtual local area network ) technology known from ethernet . this allows the cpri data to be allocated a higher priority than the data of the other applications . vlan is described by way of example in ieee : carrier sense multiple access with collision detection ( csma / cd ) access method and physical layer specification , ieee standards ieee 802 . 3 , 2002 , part 1 , particularly pages 42 and 43 , and 802 . 1q , ieee standards for local and metropolitan area networks , virtual bridged local area networks , may 7 , 2003 . if a plurality of parallel ethernet lines are being used , as in fig3 a between the ethernet switch ethernet switch and the transmission and reception units re 1 , re 2 and re 3 , for example , it is appropriate to use the link aggregation method known from ethernet , described by way of example in ieee : carrier sense multiple access with collision detection ( csma / cd ) access method and physical layer specification , ieee standards ieee 802 . 3 , 2002 , part 2 , particularly pages 269 ff . in this context , data are alternately passed to the plurality of lines . the system also includes permanent or removable storage , such as magnetic and optical discs , ram , rom , etc . on which the process and data structures of the present invention can be stored and distributed . the processes can also be distributed via , for example , downloading over a network such as the internet . the system can output the results to a display device , printer , readily accessible memory or another computer on a network . a description has been provided with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “ at least one of a , b and c ” as an alternative expression that means one or more of a , b and c may be used , contrary to the holding in superguide v . directv , 358 f3d 870 , 69 uspq2d 1865 ( fed . cir . 2004 ).
| 7 |
the present invention is directed to a coating of a hard material on the surface of a soft material . the product , which is preferably , tubing or film , a multilayered article that has soft characteristics for flexibility , patient comfort and ease of clamping to control the flow of fluids . for medical grade tubing , the product preferably has good bonding properties and minimizes risk of exposing a patient to substances that can migrate from the tubing to medical fluids , such as blood , saliva , etc . in one embodiment , the hard material , or coating , and soft material are polymers that are characterized as essentially linear , segmented , aliphatic polyurethane elastomers . this family of polymers , being aliphatic and polyether or polycarbonate - based with 100 % urethane linkages in the molecular backbone , exhibit superior flexural life and outstanding hydrolytic stability . in addition , the polymers can be pelletized and extruded to form a variety of shaped devices . in one embodiment , the soft material is a soft / tacky polyurethane . soft grades of polyurethane alone are tacky . tacky materials are difficult to handle and they stick together and to other materials , such as packaging . tacky materials are difficult to separate , especially when clamped , and are difficult to move passed each other and passed other materials . when the tacky materials are warm , the tack points create optical defects . these defects may effect the performance of the product . however , with a hard material , such as polyurethane coating , placed on the soft material , such as polyurethane , the problems associated with tacky materials diminish . basic polyurethanes are reaction products of at least one polyol , which can be a polyether , polycarbonate or polyester , with a diisocyanate or polyfunctional isocyanate material . typically , a polyurethane has three basic building blocks : a polyol , a diisocyanate and a chain extender . polyurethane polymers contain hard segments and soft segments , which gives it rubbery properties . the soft segment is made up of the polyol , while the hard segment is made up from the diisocyanate and the chain extender . the hardness of the polyurethane can be adjusted by the amount of the reactants used to make the polyurethane . greater amounts of polyol will give softer materials while greater amounts of diisocyanate and chain extender give harder materials . the polyol used in this invention is preferably a polycarbonate glycol , such as polycarbonate diol or a polyether diol . hydroxyl terminated polycarbonates can also be used as the polyol for the polyurethanes of this invention . molecular weight ( mn ) of the polycarbonate polyol can vary from about 500 to about 10 , 000 but in a preferred embodiment , it will be in the range of about 500 to about 2 , 500 . when polycarbonate is used as the polyol , the resulting polyurethane is referred to as a polycarbonate polyurethane . the hydroxyl terminated polycarbonate polyol can be prepared by reacting a glycol with a carbonate . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 131 , 731 discloses hydroxyl terminated polycarbonates and their preparation . hydroxyl terminated polyether polyols are derived from a diol or polyol having a total of from 2 to 15 carbon atoms , preferably an alkyl diol or glycol which is reacted with an ether comprising an alkylene oxide having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms , typically ethylene oxide or propylene oxide or mixtures thereof . for example , hydroxyl functional polyether can be produced by first reacting propylene glycol with propylene oxide followed by subsequent reaction with ethylene oxide . primary hydroxyl groups resulting from ethylene oxide are more reactive than secondary hydroxyl groups and thus are preferred . useful commercial polyether polyols include poly ( ethylene glycol ) comprising ethylene oxide reacted with ethylene glycol , poly ( propylene glycol ) comprising propylene oxide reacted with propylene glycol , poly ( tetramethyl glycol ) comprising water reacted with tetrahydrofuran ( ptmg ). polytetramethylene ether glycol ( ptmeg ) is the preferred polyether polyol . polyether polyols further include polyamide adducts of an alkylene oxide and can include , for example , ethylenediamine adduct comprising the reaction product of ethylenediamine and propylene oxide , diethylenetriamine adduct comprising the reaction product of diethylenetriamine with propylene oxide , and similar polyamide type polyether polyols . copolyethers can also be utilized in the current invention . typical copolyethers include the reaction product of thf and ethylene oxide or thf and propylene oxide . these are available from basf as poly thf b , a block copolymer , and poly thf r , a random copolymer . the various polyether polyols generally have a number average molecular weight ( mn ), as determined by assay of the terminal functional groups which is an average molecular weight , of from about 500 to about 10 , 000 , desirably from about 500 to about 5 , 000 , and preferably from about 700 to about 3 , 000 . the diisocyanate is an isocyanate compound with the functionality of two isocyanates . exemplary aliphatic diisocyanates include hexamethylene diisocyanate ( hdi ), isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ), trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate ( tmhdi ), dicyclohexyl methane diisocyanate ( hmdi ), and dimer acid diisocyanate ( ddi ). the diisocyanate is preferably hmdi . suitable chain extenders are lower aliphatic or short chain glycols having from about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms and include for instance ethylene glycol , diethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , 1 , 6 - hexanediol , 1 , 3 - butanediol , 1 , 5 - pentanediol , 1 , 4 - cyclohexanedimethanol hydroquinone di ( hydroxyethyl ) ether , neopentylglycol , and the like . the preferred chain extender is 1 , 4 - butanediol . the mechanical properties of the polyurethane tend to change with changes in molecular weight , intermolecular forces , and building blocks of the polyurethane . the ratio of polyol to diisocyanate generally determines the hardness of the polyurethane . preferably , the soft and tacky polyurethanes have a shore durometer of from about 40a to about 95a , preferably from about 65a to about 85a , and the hard polyurethanes have a shore durometer of from about 95a to about 85d , preferably from about 40d to about 75d . the durometers are determined by astm d2240 . if a polycarbonate aliphatic polyurethane is used as the hard layer , a slightly lower shore hardness may be used than when a polyether aliphatic polyurethane is used . when a polycarbonate aliphatic polyurethane is used as the hard layer , the shore hardness of the hard layer will be from about 70a to about 80d , preferably from about 95a to about 60d . polycarbonate polyurethanes are not as tacky as polyether polyurethanes and therefore less hardness is required in the polycarbonate polyurethane to remove the tack problem . other chemical , mechanical , and biological properties of the soft material and the hard material include high tensile strength , high ultimate elongation , good biocompatibility , high abrasion resistance , good hydrolytic stability , capability of sterilization with ethylene oxide and gamma radiation , retention of elastomeric properties at low temperature , and good melt processing characteristics for extrusion , injection molding , and other processes . exemplary polyurethanes include thermoplastic polyurethanes , available from thermedics polymer products and commercially available as tecoflex ® polyurethanes , tecothane ® polyurethanes , and carbothene ® polyurethanes . other ingredients may be added to the polyurethane polymers used in this invention . such other ingredients can include catalysts , antioxidants , lubricants , tinting agents , and the like as are well known to those skilled in the art . preferably , the other ingredients are added to the reactants before the reaction occurs to form the polyurethane . the polyurethanes may be synthesized to range from very hard to soft to tacky . the polyurethanes may be manufactured by reacting a hydroxyl group of the polyol , or polycarbonate glycol , with an isocyanate group of the diisocyanate component and the other isocyanate group of the diisocyanate with a terminal hydroxyl or amine group of the chain extender . in one embodiment , the polymerization is carried out in the presence of a solvent . in another preferred embodiment , the polymerization involves a bulk polymerization process . in the bulk polymerization process , all of the raw materials are melted and placed in a reactor , where the reaction is initiated with the addition of isocyanate . the polymerization takes place in the presence of a difunctional hydroxyl compound . for example , as shown in fig1 , the polyurethane may be prepared from two components , which can be referred to as part a and part b . part a is the aliphatic diisocyanate . part b is comprised of the polyol , the glycol chain extender , a catalyst , an antioxidant , and a lubricant . the proper stoichiometric proportions of part a and part b are emulsified by a mixer at room temperature to form a moderately reactive thixotropic mixture having a viscosity below about 2500 cps . since the emulsification introduces air into the reactive mixture , the air must be removed . the air bubbles are removed by placing a vessel containing the emulsion under a bell jar and evacuating the air from the bell jar with a suction device . the bell jar is evacuated to a pressure of about 0 . 3 microns and the mixture is kept under the bell jar about 8 minutes causing the mixture to appear to boil . after the emulsion is taken from the bell jar , it is allowed to stand until the exothermic reaction that is taking place brings it to a temperature of about 40 ° c . at this point , the emulsion is preferably poured into a pan where it is allowed to flow to form uncured sheets . the pan with the sheets is then placed in an oven and heated at a temperature of at least 110 ° c . for four hours or more until the elastomer is cured . the sheets are then chopped up or pelletized in a standard pelletizer resulting in pellets approximately ¼ inch in length . these pellets are then used in machinery suitable for an extrusion of the desired product . alternatively , the pellets may be dissolved in a solvent , such as dimethyl acetamide , tetrahydrofuran , 1 , 4 dioxane and m - pyrrol . the solution may then be used to make an article by a solvent casting method . these methods are further described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 447 , 590 , the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the hard material ( e . g ., polyurethane ) coating decreases tubing chemical susceptibility ( solvent attack ), cosmetic defects found with the soft extruded materials , and tack found with the soft material . the coating of hard material ( e . g ., polyurethane ) improves the strength of the tube , decreases drug interactions with the tube , and improves biocompatibility of the tube surfaces . the coating also allows the use of soft / tacky material ( e . g ., polyurethane ) without any additives that would reduce the tack through chemistry . in particular , at least the fluid contacting surfaces of the tubing contain no phthalate or citrate esters or other plasticizers , which are capable of leaching into pharmaceutical fluids . blood clotting , rejection responses , and tissue inflammation are minimized . the polymeric blends , tubing , and tubing assemblies also preferably avoid absorption of solvents , drugs , pharmaceutical agents and other materials that come in contact with them . the polyurethanes of this invention pass biocompatibility and biostability testing . to demonstrate the biocompatibility of the aliphatic polyurethanes used in this invention , the following tests are used : to demonstrate the biostability of the aliphatic polyurethanes used in this invention , the test used was the implantation test , 2 - week histopathology . the test was conducted in accordance with iso standards 10993 — part 6 ( 1994 ); tests for local effects after implantation . the hard and soft layers of the articles made according to this invention both pass all of the above listed tests for biocompatibility and biostability . this is an important feature of this invention . since the end use products , such as tubing , of this invention are to be used in medical applications , it is important that they exhibit biocompatibility and biostability . the hard material ( e . g ., polyurethane ) can be placed on the outer surface , the inner surface or both surfaces of the soft material ( e . g ., polyurethane ). for example , fig2 shows a device , such as medical tubing , having a hard material 10 on an outer surface 12 of a soft material 14 , fig3 shows coatings 20 and 21 placed on an outer surface 22 and inner surface 23 , respectively , of a soft polyurethane 24 . the inner and outer hard coating materials may be the same materials , similar materials , or different materials . fig4 shows a hard coating 31 placed on an inner surface 33 of a soft polyurethane 34 . although fig2 - 4 show the coatings on a round device , the device may be of any shape and size . for example , the tubing may be a profile tube , as shown in fig5 , where a coating 40 is placed on an outer surface 42 of a soft polyurethane 44 . in addition , the hard materials may be placed on other medical devices , as well as non - medical devices that contain tacky materials . for example , the hard material may be placed on piping used as process lines in aqueous systems , such as water treatment systems , potable and non - potable water supply lines , low pressure feed lines , exhaust lines , water or aqueous discharge lines , gas vents , conduit for dry solids , underground conduit for wiring , and overhead conduit and on piping used in secondary containment systems , sewer lining systems , irrigation systems , production wells , monitoring wells , injection wells , leachate collection systems , and sprinkler systems . the coating may also be used on sheeting , including stockpile covers ( e . g ., cover contaminated soils to prevent rainwater from infiltrating soils and groundwater ), pond , container , and lagoon liners , truck bed liners , dump truck covers , foundation liners , boots for sealing piping with other structures , barriers in slurry walls , and dust control enclosures and grids and mesh , including geo - grids for soil stabilization , temporary fencing , sacrificial layer in underground utilities , wick drains , filter applications such as in soil collection systems , and silt fence . further applications include drums , lids , and other containers , temporary dam structures , concrete form for underwater applications , pontoons and other buoyancy devices , and disposable boots and boot liners , gloves , and sampling devices . the hard material improves handling of the article and is placed on the article in a thickness not to effect the soft characteristics of the article . the thickness of the coating must be large enough to reduce the surface tack , but small enough to not significantly change the stiffness of the article . in one embodiment , the thickness of the coating ranges from about 0 . 0001 to 0 . 010 inches , depending on the size of the tube . for example , for a tube with a 0 . 025 inch wall , the preferred coating thickness is about 0 . 0005 to 0 . 001 inches . for larger tubes , the thickness of the hard material could be thicker than 0 . 001 inches . in one embodiment , processing of the materials is performed under common coextrusion techniques . coextrusion is a polymer processing method for bringing different polymeric materials together to form unitary layered structures , such as films , sheets , fibers , and tubing . this allows for unique combinations of materials , and for structures with multiple functions , such as , barrier characteristics , radiation resistance , and heat sealability . in coextrusion processes , different extruders are used for each different material used in making the desired article . for example , if two materials are used , such as a soft and hard polyurethane , two extruders would be used . the melt streams are brought together to form the coextruded final article . the materials are brought together hot in the coextrusion process and are melt bonded together . if three materials are used , then three extruders would be used , and so forth . the shape and / or thickness of the coextruded layers depends upon the efficiency of the particular extrusion equipment utilized . coextrusion may also be combined with blown film processing so that film structures can be made with no inherent waste and much lower capital investment over flat film coextrusion . however , flat film processing techniques provide an excellent method for making multilayered structures . film made according to this invention can be fabricated into containers , such as blood and iv bags by heat sealing the film . component polymer or copolymer materials according to the present invention can be coextruded from the melt state in any shape , which is rapidly cooled to obtain a multilayered structure . the shape and / or thickness of the coextruded structure will be dependent upon the efficiency of the particular extrusion equipment employed and the quenching systems utilized . generally , films and tubes are the preferred coextruded structures . the components are thoroughly mixed prior to being charged to the extruder ( e . g ., pellets of the individual materials are blended together prior to being charged into the extruder where they are further mixed by the extruder and extruded ). alternatively , the materials may be individually metered into the extruder in the correct proportion . the pellets should be dried to a moisture content of 0 . 05 % or less prior to extruding . in one embodiment , once the tubing has been extruded in appropriate lengths and sizes , tubing assemblies may be formed by bonding these lengths to one or more plastic fluid transporting components . for tubing , the sizes may range from about 0 . 003 inch inner diameter ( id )× about 0 . 011 inch outer diameter ( od ) to about 0 . 500 inch id × about 0 . 550 inch od . preferably , the od ranges from about 0 . 06 inches to about 0 . 2 inches with a wall thickness of about 0 . 01 to 0 . 03 inches . the length may be about 0 . 125 inches or longer . the preferred dies used to manufacture coextruded tubing are generally commercially available , i . e ., genca in clearwater , fla . however , any available dies may be used . the standard extrusion conditions for the materials of interest will work for this application . to co - extrude a tube as shown in fig2 , the soft layer 14 is an aliphatic polyurethane having a shore hardness of 80a and the hard layer 10 is an aliphatic polyurethane having a shore hardness of 60d . both the soft and hard polyurethanes are extrusion grade and are commercially available as tecoflex ® from thermedics polymer products in wilmington , mass ., u . s . a . prior to extruding , the pellets of the soft and hard polyurethanes are dried to a moisture content of 0 . 05 % or less . two extruders are used , a 1 inch extruder for the hard layer and a 1½ inch extruder for the soft layer . each extruder has 4 heat zones . the extruder heat zone temperatures and conditions for the soft layer is as follows : zone 1 - 330 ° f . ± 25 ° f . zone 2 - 340 ° f . ± 25 ° f . zone 3 - 350 ° f . ± 25 ° f . zone 4 - 360 ° f . ± 25 ° f . melt temp . - 360 ° f . ± 25 ° f . die temp . - 360 ° f . ± 25 ° f . pressure - 1 , 000 - 2 , 500 psi screen pack - 500 mesh the extruder heat zone temperatures and conditions for the hard layer is as follows : the pellets of the soft and hard polyurethane layers are fed to their respective extruder and coextruded into a tube shape using a commercially available die from genca in clearwater , fla ., u . s . a . the coextruded tube is cooled and wound into a roll . if harder of softer materials are used for the two layers , the recommended extrusion temperatures will need to be adjusted , as is well known to those skilled in the art of extrusion . usually , for a harder polyurethane , the extrusion temperature is adjusted higher and for a softer polyurethane , the extrusion temperature is adjusted lower . the individual layers of the tube pass biocompatibility and biostability testing . in addition , coating could be added by common solution cast methods . in one example of a common solution cast method , 10 grams of hard polyurethane are dissolved in 500 grams of tetrahydrofuran . dimethyl acetamide , cyclohexanone , cyclopentanone , dimethyl formamide , methylene chloride , or dioxane may also be used . the solution is placed into a dipping tank and the tubing is attached to an apparatus to dip the tubing . at a controlled rate ( for example , 20 inches / minutes ), the tube is dipped into the solution and retracted . the excess solvent is allowed to drip off the tube and the solvent is evaporated . tubing and tubing assemblies according to the present invention can be utilized in a wide range of both medical and non - medical products . in the medical area , the tubing and tubing assemblies are suitable for replacing chlorine - containing pvc tubing , such as is utilized with iv fluid administration sets , infusion sets , cassettes , arthroscopy fluid control systems , cardiovascular systems and blood gas monitoring systems . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .
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before the present methods of measuring g protein - bound guanine nucleotides in cells and tissue are described , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular g protein or methods described as such g proteins and methods may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention , the preferred methods and materials are now described . all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to describe and disclose specific information for which the reference was cited . increased levels of ras - bound gtp have been found in cell lines exhibiting abnormally high levels of cell proliferation . for example , elevated ras . gtp levels have been demonstrated in neurogenic sarcoma cell lines from nf1 - deficient patients , which cell lines do not express neurofibromin but have normal levels of p120 - gap ( declue j . et al ., ( 1992 ) cell 69 : 265 - 273 ; basu t . et al ., ( 1992 ) nature 356 : 713 - 715 ). the role of nf1 as a negative regulator of ras was demonstrated when in vitro proliferation of neurogenic sarcoma cells from nf1 - deficient human patients was inhibited by transfection of the gap related domain portion of neurofibromin , thereby restoring gap function . in addition , proliferation of the sarcoma cell line was also inhibited if the sarcoma cells were microinjected with neutralizing ras antibodies ( declue j . et al ., ( 1992 ) cell 69 : 265 - 273 ; basu t . et al ., ( 1992 ) nature 356 : 713 - 715 ). the method of the invention provides that g protein - bound guanine nucleotide measurements are standardized to non - nuclear cellular protein content or cellular dna content . such measurements offer an advantage since the invention uniquely provides that an increase in the standardized amount of activated g protein is discernable and comparable between cell populations . as shown in table i , ltr - cha - ras ( n ) ( cells transformed with wild - type cha - ras ) contain markedly increased amounts of total ras ( ras . gtp + ras . gdp ) but similar levels of activation (% gtp /( gdp + gtp ) relative to parental , untransformed cells . interestingly , cells transformed with ltr - cha - ras ( a ) ( activated ras ) had similar total amounts of ras as cells transformed with ltr - cha - ras ( n ). however , the former cells had a much greater amount of ras in the active gtp - bound state . the ability to measure the total amount of ras in a sample and to compare measurements between different cell types is a unique advantage of the invention . a 32 po 4 - incorporation method developed by satoh , et al . ( satoh , t . et al ( 1990 ) proc . nat . acad . sci . usa 87 : 5993 - 5997 ; satoh , t . et al . ( 1990 ) proc . nat . acad . sci . usa 87 : 7926 - 7929 ) for the determination of ras - bound gtp had the disadvantage that the procedure itself adversely affected the accuracy of the method . in the satoh method , the percentage of ras proteins in the gdp and gtp bound states was determined by incubating cells with 32 po 4 to radiolabel the intracellular gdp and gtp pools and , therefore , the gdp and gtp bound to ras ( satoh , t . et al . ( 1988 ) febs letters 236 : 185 - 189 ; satch , t . et al . ( 1990 ) proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 87 : 7926 - 7929 ; gibbs , j . b . et al . ( 1987 ) j . biol . chem . 262 : 10426 - 10429 ). ras was first immunoprecipitated from cell extracts and the bound , labeled gdp and gtp were eluted and separated by thin layer chromatography ( tlc ). as generally applied , this 32 po 4 - incorporation method measured only the relative amounts of each guanine nucleotide bound to ras without standardization of the bound gtp and gdp to a cellular standardization function . additionally , it required that cells be incubated for several hours in phosphate - free medium which markedly decreases the intracellular concentration of phosphorylated intermediates and , as demonstrated herein , can adversely affect the accuracy of the method by changing the amount of ras - bound gtp . the following examples are presented so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to use the methods of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of what the inventors regard as their invention . efforts have been made to insure accuracy with respect to numbers used ( e . g . amounts , temperature , etc .) but some experimental errors and deviation should be accounted for . unless indicated otherwise , parts are parts by weight , temperature is in degrees c ., and pressure is at or near atmospheric . there now follows a description of the methods for determining the amounts of ras - bound gtp and ras - bound gdp in a mammalian cell or tissue sample , for the determination of g protein activation . the examples below are provided for the purpose of illustrating the invention , and should not be construed as limiting . while the examples relate to the g protein , ras , the methods are useful for the determination of any g protein which can be isolated in the gtp - and gdp - bound state using an appropriate antibody raised to that g - protein . nih3t3 cells were grown in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle &# 39 ; s medium ( dmem ) supplemented with 10 % transferrin - enriched calf serum ( ecs ) and were harvested at confluence by washing the cells once with ice - cold phosphate - buffered saline and scraping the cells off the plate with a rubber policeman . cultured test cells ( for example , hl - 60 cells ) were grown in rpmi 1640 medium supplemented with 10 % ecs and were harvested at end log phase by centrifugation . cell culture according to the method of the invention includes culture medium that contains standard physiological concentrations of phosphate and which is not phosphate - free . preferably , the culture medium contains approximately at least 1 mm phosphate . tissue specimens from human patients were sectioned , inserted into cryo - vials and flash frozen in liquid nitrogen , preferably within 30 seconds of extraction from the patient , in accordance with the university of toronto human ethics committee guidelines . two neurogenic sarcomas ( two measurements on different portions of one tumor , and three measurements from a second tumor ), four neurofibromas from different nf1 - deficient patients , and four schwannoma specimens obtained from non - nf1 patients were examined . two cryo - vials from each tumor , each containing approximately 1 cm 3 of specimen , were used for the ras assay . an additional cryo - vial was used to extract total rna for rt - pcr ( reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction ). formalin - fixed sections used for neuropathological diagnosis of the tumors were utilized for neurofibromin immunohistochemistry . ras - bound gtp levels were measured in rt8 cells ( v - ha - ras transformed fibroblasts , a gift from dr . j . stone , jackson laboratory , maine , usa ) in each experiment as positive controls . harvested cells were resuspended at a density of 50 × 10 6 cells / ml in 50 mm hepes , ph 7 . 4 , 10 mm mgcl 2 , 150 mm nacl , 1 % nonidet p - 40 , 0 . 5 mm phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride and 10 μg / ml of aproprotinin , leupeptin and pepstatin ( extract buffer ) ( satoh , t . et al . ( 1988 ) febs letters 236 : 185 - 189 ; gibbs , j . b . et al . ( 1990 ) j . biol . chem . 265 : 20437 - 20442 ). after gentle shaking for 10 min at 4 ° c ., the lysed cells were centrifuged at 11 , 000 × g for 10 min and supernatants were applied to 0 . 6 × 7 . 5 cm sephadex g25 ( pharmacia ) columns equilibrated in extract buffer . protein - containing fractions were pooled and nacl , sds and deoxycholate were added to final concentrations of 500 mm , 0 . 05 % and 0 . 5 %, respectively . the samples were divided in half and either 3 μg of the anti - ras antibody y13 - 259 ( experimental sample , furth , m . e . et al . ( 1982 ) j . virology 43 : 294 - 304 ) or 3 μg of rat igg ( blank sample ) were added . to both samples 30 μg of goat anti - rat igg ( calbiochem , san diego , calif .) and 15 μl of protein - g agarose ( calbiochem ) were also added . the sample tubes were rotated gently for 16 h at 4 ° c . and centrifuged at 11 , 000 × g for 20 sec . protein was measured in the supernatants by the bradford method ( bradford , m . m . ( 1976 ) anal . biochem . 72 : 248 - 254 ) and the pellets containing the immunoprecipitate were washed eight times with 50 mm tris - hcl , ph 7 . 4 , 10 mm mgcl 2 , 500 mm nacl , 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 0 . 005 % sds and three times with 20 mm tris - po 4 , ph 7 . 8 . after the last wash , the immunoprecipitates were resuspended in 30 μl of a solution of 5 mm tris - po 4 , ph 7 . 4 , 2 mm dtt , 2 mm edta and heated at 100 ° c . for 3 min ; the samples were cooled on ice and centrifuged at 11 , 000 × g for 5 min . the primary antibody , y13 - 259 ( furth , m . e . et al . ( 1982 ) supra ), was preferably incubated overnight with the cell extracts to quantitatively immunoprecipitate ras ( nanberg , e . and westermark , b . ( 1993 ) j . biol . chem . 168 : 18187 - 18194 ) under conditions which inhibit the conversion of ras - bound gtp to ras - bound gdp and also inhibit dissociation of guanine nucleotides from ras . at 4 ° c . the rate of dissociation of gdp and gtp from ras is extremely slow in the presence of mg ++ and y13 - 259 , while high salt concentrations inhibit gap activity ( torti , m ., et al . ( 1992 ) j . biol . chem . 267 : 8293 - 8298 ; peuerstein , j . et al . ( 1987 ) j . biol . chem . 262 : 8455 - 8458 ; hattori , s . et al . ( 1987 ) mol . cell . biol . 7 : 1999 - 2002 ). heating the immunoprecipitates at 100 ° c . for 3 min quantitatively eluted gtp and gdp from ras and destroyed less than 5 % of the gdp and gtp . gdp and gtp were measured in the immunoprecipitate supernatants as described below . ras - bound gdp was measured using the same procedure for cell culture samples and tumor specimen . gdp was measured by conversion to γ - 32 p ! gtp using ndp kinase ( nucleoside diphosphate kinase ) and γ - 32 p ! atp : ## str1 ## the reaction mixture contained , in a final volume of 10 μl , 500 pmol tris - hcl , ph 7 . 4 , 100 pmol mgcl 2 , 250 fmol atp , 2 . 5 milliunits ndp kinase , 0 . 01 μci γ - 32 p ! atp and either 5 μl of sample ( supernatant containing eluted gdp ) or 5 - 100 fmol of gdp standard . preferably , conversion of gdp to gtp was performed by incubating the reaction mixture for 90 min at 37 ° c . γ - 32 p ! gtp was separated from excess γ - 32 p ! atp by tlc on plastic - backed cellulose plates developed for 8 h in saturated ammonium sulfate / water / 3m sodium acetate , ph 5 . 5 / 10n sodium hydroxide / isopropanol ( 80 / 10 / 6 / 2 / 2 ). the areas corresponding to gtp and atp were identified either by nonradioactive markers visualized under ultraviolet light or by exposing the tlc plates to x - ray film . the separated radiolabelled gtp and atp spots were cut out and radioactivity was quantitated by liquid scintillation counting . the ratio of radioactivity incorporated into gtp over that in atp + gtp ! was used to calculate a conversion factor to correct for possible errors incurred during spotting the tlc plates . gdp measurements were linear over a range from 5 - 75 fmol ( fig1 filled circles ); higher amounts of gdp could be measured by increasing the amount of atp in the incubation mixture . when the amount of ras - bound gdp was measured in nih3t3 cells ( control ), it increased linearly with the number of cells extracted ( over a range from 0 . 5 , 1 , and 2 × 10 6 cells ( fig1 filled triangles ) yielding 33 fmol / 10 6 cells . each data point of fig1 is the mean ± sd of three independent experiments performed in duplicate . when the data were expressed per milligram of non - nuclear cellular protein , nih3t3 cells ( control ) and hl - 60 cells ( ras - transformed cells ) were found to contain approximately the same amount of ras - bound gdp ( 509 ± 74 and 615 ± 95 fmol / mg protein , respectively ; table i ). table i______________________________________ras - bound gdp and gtp in nih3t3 and hl - 60 cells gtp / gdp gtp ( gdp + gtp ) cell type fmol / mg of protein % ______________________________________parental nih3t3 509 ± 74 1 . 3 ± 0 . 3 0 . 25cellsltr - cha - ras ( n ) 7008 ± 825 21 . 3 ± 7 . 1 0 . 30ltr - cha - ras ( a ) 5013 ± 613 2049 ± 332 29hl - 60 cells 615 ± 95 58 ± 7 . 1 8 . 6______________________________________ nih3t3 fibroblasts were grown to confluence , harvested , and lysed as described herein . ltrcha - ras ( nonactivated ) and ltrcha - ras ( activated ) cell are stable transfectants of nih3t3 cells overexpressing wildtype and activated haras , respectively , under control of the murine mammary tumor virus promoter ( schonthal , a . et al . ( 1988 ) cell 54 : 325 - 334 ). the cells were treated with 1 μm dexamethasone for 24 hr prior to harvesting . gdp and gtp were measured by the method of the invention . the data are expressed as fmol of guanine nucleotide per milligram of cellular protein and are the means ± s . d . of at least three independent experiments performed in duplicate . nih3t3 cells overexpressing wild - type ha - ras contained 7008 ± 825 fmol of ras - bound gdp per mg of protein or about 14 times more ras - bound gdp than parental cells , while cells overexpressing activated ha - ras contained about 10 times more ras - bound gdp than parental cells ( table 1 ). ras - bound gtp was measured using the same procedure for cell culture samples and tumor specimen . eluted gtp was converted to atp in the presence of adp and ndp kinase ; atp was measured using luciferase and luciferin ( lemasters , j . j . and hackenbrock , c . r . ( 1978 ) methods enzymol . 57 : 36 - 50 ; scheele , j . s ., et al ., ( 1994 ), proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 92 : 1097 - 1100 ). ## str2 ## the reaction mixture contained , in a final volume of 15 μl , 1 . 5 μmol glycine , ph 7 . 8 , 120 nmol mgso 4 , 10 nmol edta , 15 nmol dtt , 10 pmol adp , 4 nmol luciferin , 2 . 5 milliunits ndp kinase , 8 × 10 8 light units of luciferase , 15 μg bovine serum albumin and either 10 μl of sample ( supernatant of the immunoprecipitate ) or 0 . 5 - 20 fmol of gtp standard . in replicate tubes , the ndp kinase was omitted to check for atp contamination . the reaction was started by adding the sample to the reaction mixture . light emission was measured over a ten minute interval using either a liquid scintillation counter or a photon counting luminometer . the amount of gtp in the samples was obtained from a standard curve , and corrected by subtracting the gtp value obtained from the rat igg immunoprecipitated sample from the corresponding sample immunoprecipitated with ras - specific y13 - 259 antibody . this corrected gtp value was expressed per mg protein or per μg dna ( table 1 ). gtp measurements were linear over a range from 0 . 5 - 5 fmol ( fig2 standard samples are filled circles ); at higher gtp concentrations light emission no longer increased linearly , presumably because of product ( oxyluciferin ) inhibition of luciferase ( lemasters , j . j . and hackenbrock , c . r . ( 1978 ) methods enzymol . 57 : 36 - 50 ). when the amount of ras - bound gtp was measured in nih3t3 cells , it increased linearly with increasing amounts of cells ( fig2 test samples are filled triangles ) yielding 0 . 1 fmol / 10 6 cells . hl - 60 cells express a mutated n - ras in which the glutamine at position 61 is replaced by a leucine ( bos , j . l . et al . ( 1984 ) nucl . acids res . 12 : 9155 - 9163 ); this change markedly decreases the intrinsic gtpase activity of ras and gap stimulation of ras gtpase activity , thereby increasing the amount of gtp bound to ras ( santos , e . and nebreda , a . r . ( 1989 ) faseb j . 3 : 2151 - 2163 ; polakis , p . and mccormick , f . ( 1993 ) j . biol . chem . 268 : 9157 - 9160 ). consistent with this activating mutation of n - ras , hl - 60 cells contained 58 ± 7 . 1 fmol / mg protein of ras - bound gtp or approximately 45 times as much ras - bound gtp as nih3t3 cells ( table i ). thus , a transformed cell line ( hl - 60 ) is demonstrated to have higher amounts of ras . gtp than a nontransformed cell line ( nih3t3 ) using the method of the invention . to determine the amount of gdp in a sample , the conversion factor of the blank sample was subtracted from the conversion factor of the experimental sample . generally , for gdp the conversion factor of the blank sample was less than approximately 10 % of the experimental sample . to determine the amount of gtp in a sample , light emission in the absence of ndp kinase was subtracted from light emission in the presence of ndp kinase for both the blank and experimental samples ; the blank sample value was then subtracted from the experimental sample value . gtp light emission by the blank sample was less than approximately 10 % of the experimental sample . the amounts of gdp and gtp in the samples were determined from standard curves and the data were expressed as fmol of gdp or gtp per 10 6 cells , per milligram of non - nuclear cellular protein , or per μg of cellular dna . flash frozen tumor specimens were immersed in 2 . 5 ml of freshly prepared cold ras lysis buffer ( 10 mm hepes ph 7 . 4 ; 1 mm mgcl 2 ; 1 μg / ml leupeptin and aprotinin ; 0 . 25 μg / ml pepstatin a ; 150 mm nacl ; 1 % np - 40 ; 0 . 5 mm pmsf ) and homogenized . preferably , all steps of the procedure , including the immunoprecipitations , prior to heat - induced elution of guanine nucleotides were performed at 4 ° c . from the homogenate , 100 μl was aliquoted for dna extraction and quantitated using a standard trichloroacetic acid ( tca ) precipitation procedure ( sambrook , j . et al . ed . molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , 2nd ed ., cold spring harbor laboratory press , 1989 , appendix e . 18 ). rt8 cells ( v - ha - ras transformed fibroblasts as positive controls ) were washed with cold pbs , suspended in 600 μl of pbs , centrifuged , and the pellet lysed in 200 μl of ras lysis buffer . the homogenates were centrifuged for 30 min . at 10 , 000 × g to remove nuclear and other cellular debris . following lysis of cells in a tissue sample , the procedure for measurement of g protein - bound gtp and gdp is essentially the same as for tissue culture samples . the procedure followed for the exemplified tissue samples is provided as additional guidance to one of ordinary skill in the art . sephadex - g25 columns ( 10 ml size , pharmacia ) were pre - cleared with hnmn buffer ( 50 mm hepes ph 7 . 4 ; 150 mm nacl ; 10 mm mgcl 2 ; 1 % np - 40 ). the supernatants ( approximately 2 . 5 ml ) from the tumor homogenates and from the rt8 fibroblasts were loaded onto separate columns , and protein containing fractions for each sample were isolated and pooled . to half of each pooled protein sample was added 3 μg of the monoclonal anti -( ha , ki , n ) ras antibody ( y13 - 259 ; oncogene science ), and to the remaining half was added 3 μg of rat igg . the samples were gently shaken overnight with 30 μg of goat anti - rat igg : fc ( calbiochem ) and 30 μl of protein - g agarose beads ( calbiochem ). the agarose beads were centrifuged at 11 , 000 × g for 5 min ., and the supernatant was retained for protein determination by the method of smith , p . k . et al ., anal . biochemistry 150 : 76 - 85 ( 1985 ). the agarose pellets were washed eight times in 1 . 5 ml of 50 mm hepes ph 7 . 4 , 10 mm mgcl 2 , 500 mm nacl , 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 0 . 005 % sds , three times with 20 mm tris - po 4 ; and once with 5 mm tris - po 4 . gtp and gdp bound to ras were eluted in 30 μl of 5 mm tris - po 4 , 2 mm dtt , 2 mm edta by heating at 100 ° c . for 3 min . the eluted samples were stored at - 70 ° c . until assay of gtp and gdp content . quantitation of ras - bound gtp and gdp in positive control rt8 cells rt8 cells were analyzed along with the tumor specimens in each tissue assay experiment as a positive control . the amount of ras bound to gtp and gdp in ras - transformed rt8 fibroblasts was 83 ± 24 fmol / mg protein and 276 ± 88 fmol / mg protein , respectively ( table iii ). converted to percentage gtp !/( gdp + gtp !× 100 ), approximately 25 %± 3 % of the total ras was in the activated gtp bound state in these positive control cells ( fig3 ). gdp was measured using nucleoside diphosphate kinase ( ndp kinase , sigma , st . louis , mo . ), which converted eluted gdp to detectably labelled gtp ( scheele j . s ., et al . ( 1994 ) proc . natl . acad . sci usa 92 : 1097 - 1100 ). a 5 μl aliquot of eluted sample or 0 - 100 fmol of gdp standards were mixed with 0 . 01 μci of γ - = p ! atp ( new england nuclear ) in the presence of ndp kinase . the excess γ - 32 p ! atp was separated from the synthesized γ - 32 p ! gtp by thin layer chromatography . the amount of gdp in the sample , expressed in fmol as a function of the amount of γ - 32 p ! gtp produced , was obtained from a standard curve . the values obtained from the rat igg immunoprecipitated samples ( control sample ) were subtracted from the corresponding samples immunoprecipitated with the y13 - 259 antibody ( test sample ) to provide a corrected gdp value expressed per mg of non - nuclear cellular protein in non - nf1 and nf1 mutant tissues ( table 1 ). ras - bound gtp was measured by conversion of eluted gtp to atp and detection of atp by a luciferase assay using the procedure described in example 2 . the results provided in table ii demonstrate that the amount of ras - bound gtp increases at least an average of two - fold in tumor tissue relative to control tissue . enough tissue was available for two experiments from patient # 1 and three experiments from patient # 2 , both involving nf1 neurogenic sarcomas ( two cryo - vials of specimen per experiment ). the percentage of the total ras that was activated ( gtp !/ gdp + gtp !× 100 ) ranged between 7 - 35 % ( table ii ) with an average value of 15 . 4 ± 5 . 2 % in the nf1 neurogenic sarcomas , when normalized against total non - nuclear cellular protein ( fig3 ). the results of the assay for ras . gtp in nf1 sarcoma tumor specimens were in agreement with the results for the control , cultured rt8 fibroblasts ; ras . gtp was elevated in abnormally highly proliferating cells ( table ii ). levels of ras . gtp were elevated approximately 15 - fold in the nf1 sarcomas , compared with non - nf1 schwannomas . furthermore by rt - pcr analysis of nf1 expression and immunohistochemistry of nf1 production , nf1 expression was markedly diminished in the sarcoma , with only a small amount of the type 1 nf1 isoform being detected . the enzymatic - based method of the invention provided herein , enabled a determination of ras . gtp levels in benign nf1 neurofibromas , which do not grow in culture and therefore , cannot be analyzed by the 32 po 4 - incorporation method . compared to non - nf1 schwannomas , levels of ras . gtp were increased approximately four - fold in these nf1 neurofibromas ( table ii ). other methods of associating cellular function with cellular proliferation in nf1 deficiency - related disease have shown no difference between non - proliferative and abnormally proliferating tissue , making the method of the invention a necessary tool for ras . gtp determination in tissue . for example , no differences in nf1 expression were detected by rt - pcr between these two tumor groups . many different cell types are found in neurofibromas , with the actual transformed cell ( s ) that give rise to the tumor , presently unknown ( guha a . et al ., ( 1995 ) neurological surgery , fourth edition , philadelphia : w . b . saunders ; peltonen j . et al ., ( 1983 ) acta neuropathologica 61 : 275 - 282 ). therefore , the nf1 expression determined by rt - pcr may reflect fibroblasts or other non - transformed cells associated with the neurofibromas , rather than the actual tumor cells . in addition , despite abundant nf1 expression demonstrated by rt - pcr , point mutations leading to decreased functional neurofibromin and hence increased ras . gtp levels in the neurofibromas , may also be present . immunohistochemistry was unable to prove or disprove this hypothesis conclusively . less overall neurofibromin staining was observed in the neurofibromas compared to the non - nf1 schwannomas . however , the neurofibromas had a more myxoid acellular background compared to the schwannomas . although most of the cells expressed neurofibromin as seen by immunohistochemistry , the non - expressing cells are likely to be the transformed cells that form the neurofibromas and contribute to the elevated levels of activated ras . gtp . table ii__________________________________________________________________________ras . gtp levels in human peripheral nerve tumorssample patient # gdp ( fmol / mg protein ) gtp ## str3 ## ## str4 ## __________________________________________________________________________rt8 276 ± 88 83 ± 24 25 ± 3v - rastransformednf1 sarcoma 1 114 9 7 1 90 10 10 61 2 84 17 17 33 2 47 4 8 55 2 113 61 35 35nf1 neuro - 1 409 13 3 8 fibroma 2 211 18 8 11 3 561 6 1 14 4 198 27 12 20non schwan - 1 412 5 1 4nf1 noma 2 291 4 1 2 3 547 5 1 5 4 386 6 2 3__________________________________________________________________________ to standardize for the heterogeneity within and between tumor samples with regard to cellularity , dna was extracted from the pellets which contain nuclei and other cellular debris of the homogenized tumor specimens . expression of the total amount of gtp bound to ras per μg of extracted dna more accurately reflects the amount of activated ras in tumor cells . in sarcoma tissue , the amount of gtp bound to ras ranged between 33 - 61 fmol / μg dna ( table ii , fig3 ) with an average value of 46 . 0 ± 7 . 0 fmol / μg dna . the four nf1 benign neurofibroma specimens had between 1 - 12 % or an average of 6 . 0 ± 2 . 5 % ras in the gtp bound state ( table ii , fig3 ). this represented 8 - 20 fmol gtp / μg dna or an average 13 . 3 ± 2 . 6 fmol gtp / μg dna ( table ii , fig3 ). levels of activated ras - bound gtp in the benign neurofibromas , expressed either as a percentage of total ras or in total amounts per μg dna , were approximately one - third the levels detected in the neurogenic sarcomas . in the four non - nf1 benign schwannomas , the percent of activated ras - bound gtp ranged between 1 - 2 % with an average 1 . 3 ± 0 . 3 % ( table ii , fig3 ). in standardized amounts this represented 2 - 5 fmol gtp / μg dna or an average 3 . 5 ± 0 . 6 fmol gtp / μg dna ( table ii , fig3 ). these levels of activated ras - bound gtp in the benign schwannomas were approximately 8 % and 21 % of the levels found in the nf1 neurogenic sarcomas and neurofibromas , respectively . while analysis of positive control rt8 fibroblasts demonstrated that the method of the invention yields results for cultured cells that are comparable to the 32 po 4 - incorporation ras loading technique , the use of which is limited to cells in culture , this example demonstrates that ras - bound guanine nucleotide levels can also be measured in tissues from a mammal , such as a human patient . there are several advantages of the method of the invention , in addition to its use in tissues . first , the assay does not require pre - incubation in phosphate - free medium , which decreases intracellular levels of phosphorylated intermediates including atp , potentially altering multiple biochemical processes ( atkinson , d . e . ( 1968 ) biochemistry 7 : 4030 - 4034 ). second , the method provides for the determination of g protein - bound gtp or g protein - bound gdp standardized to cellular protein or cellular dna content for more accurate comparison between samples and tissue types . the method also avoids the use of large amounts of radiolabelled phosphate required for the 32 po 4 - incorporation ras loading technique ( satoh , t ., et al . ( 1990 ) pnas 87 : 5993 supra ; satoh , t . et al . ( 1990 ) pnas 87 : 7926 supra ; declue , j . et al . ( 1992 ) cell 69 : 265 - 273 ; basu . t . et al . ( 1992 ) nature 356 : 713 - 715 ). the method of the invention , preferably the enzymatic technique of the method , is applicable to the study of pathological systems where ras - mediated or other g protein - mediated signaling is implicated . preferably , at least approximately 5 - 10 million cells from cell culture or tumor tissue are utilized . studies may require more tissue if a tumor is small or diffuse within a nontumor cellular matrix . the amount of tissue required will depend on the cellular density of the tissue . thus , tumors with a large amount of non - cellular necrotic material will require relatively more tissue than tumors with densely packed cells , and in some of the examples described herein , 2 cm 3 of tissue were assayed . it is also preferred that specimens be flash frozen ( for example , within 30 sec . of removal from the patient , as disclosed herein ), although the exact time before significant phosphatase and protease activity leads to degradation of the samples is not known . the measurements described herein of ras - bound guanine nucleotides are from the entire tumor sample , and do not specify the levels specifically found in the tumor cells only , as distinct from infiltrating and surrounding cells . hence , both tumor and non - tumor cells ( a variable and occasionally significant proportion of the cells in some tumors ) within the specimens , contribute to the measured values of g protein - bound gtp and g protein - bound gdp . the sensitivity of the method of the invention has the advantage of allowing detection of elevated g protein . gtp levels in such tissue samples . it is within the scope of the method of the invention that an antibody specific for a g protein of interest would be used to isolate the g protein of interest bound to gtp or gdp . it is also within the scope of the method of the invention that an antibody specific for the ras . gtp activated form or the ras . gdp form would be utilized to specifically isolate ras . gtp or ras . gdp , respectively , for analysis of ras - bound guanine nucleotides in various tissues . expressing levels of activated ras in the specimens as a percentage ( gtp !/ gdp + gtp !× 100 ), or standardized amounts of ras - bound gtp per μg dna , minimizes a potential source of variability between tumors due to the amount of acellular areas in a tumor . the acellularity of a tissue may alter the measured levels of ras - bound guanine nucleotides if expressed in terms of protein . the conclusions regarding the levels of activated ras in the three tumor groups were similar using standardization factors of cellular non - nuclear protein content or cellular dna content in these examples . overexpression of the erbb - 2 gene product , the her - 2 / neu receptor , by as much as 30 - fold occurs in up to 40 % of breast cancers and appears to correlate with a more malignant phenotype ( slamon , et al ., ( 1989 ), science , 244 : 707 - 712 ; and slamon , d . j ., et a ., ( 1987 ), science , 235 : 177 - 182 ). similarly , the erbb - 1 gene product , the epidermal growth factor ( egf ) receptor , is overexpressed in approximately 45 % of breast cancers and appears to be an adverse prognostic factor ( sainbury , j . r ., et al ., ( 1987 ), lancet , 1398 - 1402 ). the erbb - 2 receptor and the egf receptor are tyrosine kinases that signal through the ras / mitogen - activated protein ( map ) kinase pathway , implicating ras activation in breast cancer ( slamon , d . g ., et al ., ( 1987 ), science , 235 : 177 - 182 ). in erbb - 2 and erbb - 1 overexpressing breast tumors , and potentially in other breast cancers , there may be a high percentage of ras molecules in the active gtp - bound state . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 84 , 7159 - 7163 ; and difiore , p . o ., et al ., ( 1987 ), cells , 51 : 1063 - 1070 ). overexpression of the egf receptor in fibroblasts results in cellular transformation and is associated with increased activation of ras and of the ras / map kinase pathway ( satoh , t ., et al ., ( 1990 ), proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 87 : 7926 - 7929 ). defining which breast cancers show increased ras activation will provide determination of appropriate treatment strategy using inhibitors of ras function and of the ras / map kinase pathway . thus , the invention is useful for determining an appropriate mechanism - based treatment strategy for breast cancer . it is most relevant to ask in what percentage of breast cancers is ras in a more activated state than in normal breast tissue since it is only activated ras molecules that can interact with downstream effector molecules . clearly the presence of more ras molecules in a cell does not necessarily lead to more activated ras molecules because the activation state of ras is tightly regulated by rasgap &# 39 ; s and guanine nucleotide exchange factors . the most accurate way to determine whether there are an increased number of ras molecules in the activated state in breast cancer is to directly measure ras - bound gtp and gdp in breast tumors . because standardized amounts of ras . gtp and ras . gdp are measured using the method of the invention , an accurate percentage of ras . gtp is calculated . in addition , the sum of ras . gtp and ras . gdp will provide a measurement of ras expression in breast cancer cells . an alternative protocol for procurement of breast cancer cells is used : immediately after resection of the breast tumor , scrapings from the tumor surface are taken and applied to a glass slide which is rapidly frozen on dry ice and stored at - 80 ° c . a typical scraping provides approximately 1 × 10 6 cells per slide . the cells are extracted at a convenient time by lysing them directly on the slide in an ice - cold hepes - based buffer system containing protease inhibitors and 1 % nonidet p - 40 . a major advantage of the scraping procedure is that it provides predominantly tumor cells with very little underlying stroma and connective tissue . thus , approximately four slides of cells are needed to measure ras . gtp and ras . gdp because approximately 5 × 10 6 cells are needed for the method of the invention . it is an advantage of the invention , and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , that once the cell lysate is prepared , determination of g protein - bound gtp and g protein - bound gdp levels is performed by the procedures described above whether the cells were grown in culture or whether the cells were excised from tumor tissue or other disease tissue . an aliquot of the cell lysate is saved to measure protein and dna content ( as described below ). the remainder of the lysate is centrifuged and supernatants applied to small sephadex g25 columns to remove cytosolic gtp and gdp . immunoprecipitation of ras . gtp and ras . gdp is performed as described above for analysis of tissue samples . the eluted gtp is converted to atp in the presence of adp and ndp kinase and the atp is measured using luciferase and luciferin ( scheele , j . s ., et al ., ( 1995 ), proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 92 : 1097 - 1100 ) as described above . gdp is measured by conversion to γ - 32 p ! gtp using ndp kinase and γ - 32 p ! atp . the resulting radioactive gtp product is separated from atp by tlc and is quantitated by liquid scintillation counting as described above . the amounts of gdp and gtp in the samples are determined from standard curves as described above . the standardized amounts are expressed as fmol of gtp or gdp per μg dna or per milligram protein . protein and dna are measured by the bradford method ( bradford , m . m ., ( 1976 ), anal . biochem ., 72 : 248 - 254 ) and by fluorescence ( brunk , c ., et al ., ( 1979 ), anal . biochem ., 92 : 497 - 500 ), respectively . the bradford assay is sensitive to 1 μg of protein , and using the fluorescent dye bisbenzimidazole , 10 ng of dna can be measured . screening ras inhibitors in cell lines using the method of the invention the method of the invention is useful to screen candidate compounds for an affector of g protein activation . such affector compounds include , but are not limited to , regulators of ras activation or of rasgap activity . the screening method involves contacting cells with a candidate compound , followed by assaying the cells for a change in the level of g protein activation . the cells useful in the screening method may be cultured transformed cells ( such as ras - transformed rt8 cells ) or they may be tissue from an animal model ( such as ras activation - associated tumor tissue from a mouse ). concentrations of test compounds in contact with the test cells or dosages administered to a test animal are readily determined by one of ordinary skill in the art . the effect of ras inhibitors ( or other g protein inhibitors ) on the morphology of the transformed test cells or transformed tissue in an animal is correlated with the level of g protein activation . such a correlation allows evaluation of candidate inhibitors for usefulness in the treatment of ras activation - associated diseases . for in vitro screening , cultured g protein transformed cells are contacted with the candidate compound at a concentration and for a time sufficient to affect activation of the g protein of interest , such as ras . cells are harvested rapidly by washing once in ice cold phosphate - buffered saline and extracted in situ in a detergent - based lysis buffer . ras is immunoprecipitated from cell lysates and ras . gtp and ras . gdp are measured as described above . for in vivo screening , a candidate g protein activation inhibitor is administered to a mammal having tissue transformed by g protein activation . preferably , the candidate compound is administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the transformed tissue of the animal is sampled and the amount of gtp and gdp bound to ras or other g protein is determined by the method of the invention as described above for assay of tissue samples . an alteration in the amount of ras activation , measured as the standardized amount of ras in the activated ras . gtp state , is monitored relative to g protein - transformed tissue from an untreated mammal for each candidate compound . candidate inhibitors which reduce the level of g protein activation are selected for further study . methods are disclosed herein to measure standardized amounts of ras - bound gdp and gtp in cultured cells and tissue expressing ras . the gdp measurement relies on the extremely high specific activity of commercially available γ - 32 p ! atp . the gtp measurement relies on the exquisite sensitivity of luciferase for measuring atp ( lemasters , j . j . and hackenbrock , c . r . ( 1978 ) methods enzymol . 57 : 36 - 50 ). the method avoids exposing cells to phosphate - free medium which can adversely affect the accuracy of the gtp and gdp measurements . it also avoids the danger and high cost of using large amounts of radiolabelled orthophosphate to label cells in culture . the method has the advantage of being useful for measuring g protein - bound gtp levels and g protein - bound gdp levels in tissue samples for the purpose of determining g protein activation levels in cells and tissue from a patient . the method is applicable to the measurement any g protein - bound guanine nucleotides for which a specific antibody to the g protein is obtainable . the non - limiting examples provided herein describe the method applied to the g protein , ras , and the diagnosis of disease associated with an increase in g protein - bound gtp in tissue samples . such a measurement is not possible by the 32 po 4 - incorporation method since 32 po 4 incorporation is applicable only to cells in tissue culture . the method of the invention is also useful in providing a screening method for candidate compounds that affect the regulation of g protein activation in cultured cells or in tissue . the instant invention is shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical , and the preferred embodiments . it is recognized , however , that departures may be made therefrom which are within the scope of the invention , and that obvious modifications will occur to one skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure .
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fig1 illustrates schematically three stacked hub units , designated ‘ unit 1 ’, ‘ unit 2 ’, and ‘ unit 3 ’, connected together to form a ring for the circulation of packets that may be put on the ring by any one of the units . it will be understood that only one unit at any time may in normal operation place packets on the ring . each of the units is similar and for convenience only the middle unit will be described in detail . this unit is a hub unit 10 which has two duplex ports , a first port 11 , conveniently called ‘ down ’ port and a second port 12 , conveniently called ‘ up ’ port . the unit 10 has two signal paths . a first path , which for various reasons is preferably termed the arbitration path , proceeds from the ‘ down ’ port 11 of the unit to the ‘ up ’ port 12 . it is convenient to sub - divide the functions of the ports into receive and transmit ( rx and tx respectively ). thus the arbitration path proceeds from the down rx terminal to the up tx terminal . a second or return path 14 extends from the port 12 to the port 11 , and in particular from the ‘ up rx ’ part of the second port 12 to the ‘ down tx ’ part of port 11 . the forward or arbitration path 13 includes a processing section 15 which in the normal operation of the hub unit cooperates with arbitration packets that are sent around the ring and which , as briefly described later , and more fully described in the aforementioned applications , enable the units to determine which will be the master unit ( placing packets on the ring ) at any time in a manner which grants the units a fair access to the ring . in fig1 the processing function 15 is shown as connected to a transmit ( tx ) section 17 and a receive ( rx ) section 18 . these are intended to represent the transmitting and receiving functions respectively of the hub unit , which in respect of its connection to ports ( not shown ) is intended to be of known form . a single hub can broadcast a packet received at any port to all its other ports and the purpose of stacking units is to provide a hub unit with many more ports than can conveniently be provided on a single commercially acceptable unit . fig2 illustrates a simple way of connecting a cascade of units so that they form a mutual ring as indicated in fig1 . in the simple connection shown in fig2 the ‘ up ’ port of the lower of each adjacent pair of units is connected by a known form of cable to the ‘ down ’ port of the next unit up . fig2 illustrates four stacked units arranged in this manner . before leaving fig2 and by way of introduction to fig3 it may be remarked that each unit is adapted to sense whether a given port is connected to another operative unit . this may be performed in known manner , by the process set out in ieee standard 802 . 3 - 1998 , clause 37 , but briefly , the effect is that if a port is not connected to another operative unit , the unit causes that port to be internally bypassed by packets which would otherwise proceed towards that port . thus as shown for unit 1 , for which the ‘ down ’ port is not connected to another unit , packets that would proceed along the return or repeat path towards the down port internally bypassed that port and proceed to the first or arbitration path . likewise , as shown for unit 3 , of which the ‘ up ’ port is not connected to another unit , packets that proceed towards the ‘ up ’ port along the arbitration path internally bypassed that port to the return path . in this manner , as also explained in the aforementioned patent applications , the units define a cascade within which is provided a ring for the circulation of packets , enabling both arbitration for access to the ring and also enabling packets to pass from one unit to the others . in the example shown in fig1 unit 1 is at the ‘ bottom ’ of the stack as will be further explained hereinafter , owing to the possibility of the use of ‘ resilient ’ cable or incorrect combinations of cables , it cannot be presumed that unit 1 will be at the bottom of the stack and it is desirable to provide a configuration process by means of which the unit that effectively is at the bottom of the stack is determined . fig3 illustrates the general layout of a unit . this is generally in the form described in the earlier applications and accordingly need only be described in a summary form signals received at the down rx terminal 101 are de - serialised block 102 , aligned in block 103 , decoded in an 8b10b decoder 104 , stored temporarily in elastic buffer 105 , and coupled to one input of multiplexer 106 . the output of multiplexer 106 is coupled to an arbitration unit 107 ( generally described in the aforementioned applications ) and the arbitrator path includes a multiplexer 108 , an 8b 10b encoder 109 , and serialiser 110 coupled to the up transmit terminal 111 . the down path commences with the up receive terminal 112 and proceeds through a deserialiser 113 , an alignment block 114 , an 8b10b decoder 115 , an elastic buffer 116 , a multiplexer 117 , an 8b10b encoder 118 , and a serialiser 119 to the down transmit terminal 120 . a conventional auto - negotiation circuit 123 is coupled to the decoder 104 and the encoder 118 and a corresponding auto - negotiation circuit 124 is connected to the decoder 115 and the encoder 109 . among other things , the purpose of the multiplexers 106 and 117 is to provide a bypass of the down port ( 101 / 120 ) and one purpose of the multiplexer 108 and the multiplexer 117 is to provide bypass of the up port ( 111 / 112 ). multiplexer 108 also serves , under the control of the arbitration unit 107 , to provide packets onto the ring if the unit is acting as a master , as described in the aforementioned applications . packets from ports ( not shown ) arrive by way of a bus 125 . packets can leave the ring at arbitration unit 107 , if the respective unit is the ‘ master ’, and travel by way of bus 126 to those ports . at all other units in the ring , the arbitration unit copies the packet to the encoder 109 via the multiplexer 108 and , if the relevant destination box id is set , also copies the packet to the bus 126 . a link detection function 128 coupled to decoder 104 is generally configured as a rx sync function in accordance with the ieee standard 802 . 3 - 1998 clause 37 , but may include an error rate threshold counter with a threshold which , if exceeded , is used as a criteria for a link fail . thus if the down port ( 101 / 120 ) is not receiving signals , either the unit is at the bottom of the stack or a stack failure has occurred . there is also a link detect function 127 which is coupled to decoder 115 the link detect functions 127 and 128 can determine by way of the cascade configuration function 129 , operate multiplexers 106 , 108 and 117 , depending on circumstances , so that if there is no unit connected to the down port , packets or headers arriving at multiplexer 117 will be routed by way of multiplexer 106 back to the up path . likewise , if there is no unit connected to the up port , packets or headers passing through arbitration unit 107 and arriving at multiplexer 108 will be routed by way of multiplexer 117 , thereby bypassing the up port . thus when a cascade port is connected to another port it will first use ( in this example ) the rx sync function to establish if a valid connection exists . if so , it will auto - negotiate to establish the capabilities of the connected device and , if the device is capable of being connected in the cascade , this will be indicated to the link detect block and the multiplexers will be set such that the port is connected into the cascade ring . fig8 illustrates a standard form of connector , an eight pin shielded ansi fibre channel style - 2 connector which may have a mechanical mating interface as defined by iec 61076 - 3 - 103 . in essence pins 1 and 3 of this connector constitute the transmit path and pins 6 and 8 constitute the receive path , pins 1 and 8 being positive and pins 3 and 6 being negative . connection of pins 4 and 5 denotes a ‘ resilient ’ cable . the connection may be sensed internally by means of a pull - up resistor connected to pin 4 and a ground connection to pin 5 , so that pin 4 will go ‘ low ’ for a resilient cable . in the simply connected system shown in fig2 it is easy to identify which unit is at the ‘ bottom ’ of the stack . however , it is not necessary to make such a simple connection wherein each unit has its ‘ up ’ port connected to the ‘ down ’ port of the unit which is physically next to it in the ascending direction . furthermore , it is customary and desirable to employ a loop back cable such as is shown in fig4 wherein unit 4 in that figure has its ‘ up ’ port connected to the ‘ down ’ port of unit 1 . the advantage of using a resilient cable is that it enables a maximum of units to continue functioning in the event that one of the units is subject to failure . the configuration phase has several sub phases . first , it needs to detect valid code words and auto - negotiation to determine that a connection with valid coding exists on its cascade up or cascade down ports and that the connected unit is either operating as a cascade unit or is capable of so doing . second , having verified that a valid connection exists , the unit must connect to that unit by setting the data path multiplexers appropriately so that the up or down port ( or both of them as the case may be ) is no longer bypassed . third , it needs to send configuration frames ( which may be generated in the arbitration unit 107 ) in order to resolve the bottom of the stack condition and unit numbering . once the ‘ bottom of stack ’ has been resolved , a unit needs to enter the idle master arbitration state if the unit is at the bottom of the stack or the idle state if it is not . configuration may need to be performed when power is turned on or reset . further , link status changes can occur when units power up or down or cables are removed . the insertion or removal of a cable may cause several status changes because in practice a resilient cable detection circuit is separate from the data circuit . further , a system may enter the configuration state if a unit fails to detect an arbitration header within a set length of time , typically set to be twice the maximum length of the packets plus some arbitrary margin . furthermore , whenever a packet passes the ‘ bottom of stack ’ unit , that unit sets a bit ( illustrated as the ‘ boss ’ bit ) to indicate its presence . this provides two detectable error conditions . first , if the master is stripping its own packet off , the bit is not set then a ring master error has occurred . second , if the bottom of stack unit receives a packet with the boss bit set and no parity error , there is a boss error either because there are no masters on the ring or there is a second unit that is acting as if it were the bottom of the stack . the general principle is that if any of the above circumstances are detected , then a unit may send out a configuration packet . these packets are sent out without arbitrating for access to the ring . such a packet is shown in fig5 . fig5 illustrates a configuration packet as put on the ring . it has an arb / gnt field set to ‘ 0 ’ to indicate that it is not an arbitration packet and a ‘ config ’ field set to ‘ 1 ’ to indicate that it is a configuration packet . the ‘ boss ’ field is ‘ 0 ’ because the bottom of the stack has not yet been restored . the packet will have its ‘ loop ’, ‘ none ’ and ‘ normal ’ bits set as indicated below and its boxid field set as explained below . fig6 illustrates a configuration packet which is provided by a unit in a repeat mode . the symbol r means that the values possessed by a packet as received are merely repeated . the only change is the incrementing of the boxid field by unity . a packet such as shown in fig5 indicate the down port status of its source unit and will be compared with the down port status of a unit that receives it , according to the table shown in fig7 . in the configuration packets and fig7 ‘ nothing present ’ means that there is no other unit connected to the relevant down port that is to say nothing being received is indicated by the link configuration for that port . this would normally indicate that the unit is at the bottom of the stack but it could occur ( as indicated above ) if a unit in the middle of the stack failed , leaving the unit above it seeing ‘ nothing present ’. ‘ resilient cable ’ means that the down port has a resilient cable present , as indicated by a status signal specific to this type of cable on one of its connector pins . this parameter is asserted regardless of whether anything is being received on the down port . ‘ normal cable ’ means that there is a unit connected to the down port of the unit , and valid activity is being received from it , as indicated by the link configuration . these three parameters in the source unit are indicated by the ‘ none ’, ‘ loop ’ and ‘ normal ’ fields and are used to determine if a unit is at the bottom of the stack by the following reasoning : ( a ) if there is no resilient cable being used within a stack and all the units are working correctly , only the ‘ bottom ’ unit will see ‘ nothing present ’. all the other units will see ‘ normal ’ cable at their down ports . clearly therefore the bottom unit is at the bottom of the stack . if a resilient cable is being used in the stack it must be connected between the bottom of the stack unit and the top of the stack unit ( units 1 and 4 in fig4 ). since there is now no unit present in the stack with nothing present , the only way of distinguishing the bottom of the stack unit is by way of the presence of the resilient cable on the down port . if while a resilient cable is being used one of the units in the stack fails , then the unit above it will see nothing present . in this case the unit with the resilient cable connected to its down port is still the ‘ bottom of stack ’. however , there are other circumstances which can be accommodated by the resolution scheme shown in the table . if a customer chooses to use several resilient cables within a stack or if he chooses to try and use a normal cable as a resilient cable , it is desirable to ensure that the stack still works even though the stack numbering may not be conventional and to resolve a single unit to perform the bottom of stack functions . the table summarises the decision each receiving unit must make based on the cable status of its own cascade down port versus that indicated by the configuration packet . if the result is ‘ win ’ the unit enters the configuration master mode and must continue as a source for configuration packets until it sees its own packet returned , as indicated by unique mac address for each unit . if the result is ‘ lose ’, the unit must enter a configuration repeat mode wherein it repeats the incoming configuration packets , but modifies them so as to increment the unit number in the status box location as shown by the packet in fig6 . the configuration master mode will provide such a packet with this value set to zero . the resulting number is stored and will become the stack unit of that number , that is to say the physical location of the stack , once the ‘ bottom of stack ’ is resolved . if the result is ‘ lowest address wins ’, there is a mis - configuration in the stack and the unique mac address value is used to resolve the decision . the option shown in fig7 is either ‘ lose ’ or ‘ lowest mac address wins ’. the former will prevent a loop being made with normal cables because the configuration process would continue indefinitely but the latter will allow a loop to be made with normal cables instead of a resilient cable . the result of this process is that one and only one unit will remain as the configuration master , sourcing configuration packets onto the ring while all the other units merely repeat the packet and store the result of the incremented status box value as there are source unit numbers . the single remaining configuration master will thus be ‘ bottom of the stack ’ and all the other units will be numbered in ascending order above it . in the case of a mis - configuration the units will still be numbered in ascending order from the configuration master which will assume the ‘ bottom of stack ’ function , but its location may be anywhere within the stack .
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the construction of an optical disk drive of the invention will be described first with reference to fig1 and 2 . referring to fig1 , there are shown a disk 1 for recording / reproducing data , an objective lens 2 for use in gathering beam flux on the disk 1 , a focusing actuator 3 to drive the objective lens 2 in the rotation - axis direction of the disk 1 , a tracking actuator 4 to drive the objective lens 2 in the radius direction of the disk 2 , an aberration correcting lens 5 for correcting the aberrations and an aberration correcting actuator 6 to drive the aberration correcting lens 5 in the optical - axis direction . in addition , there are shown an optical detector 7 for optically detecting the disk 1 , a position detector 8 for detecting the position of the aberration correcting lens , a position signal generator 9 for setting the operating point and sensitivity relative to the output from the position detector 8 , and an aberration correction control signal generator 10 to control the aberration correcting actuator 6 so that the aberration correcting lens 5 can be set in a predetermined position . moreover , there are shown an aberration - correcting actuator drive unit 11 for driving the aberration correcting actuator , a focusing error signal generator 12 for generating a signal of the focusing - direction error of the objective lens relative to the disk , a focusing - control signal generator 13 to control the focusing actuator so that the beam spot can be located just on the recording surface or reproducing surface of the disk , a focusing - actuator drive unit 14 for driving the focusing actuator , and a tracking - error signal generator 15 for generating a signal of the tracking error of the objective lens relative to the track of the disk . also , there are shown a tracking - control signal generator 16 to control the tracking actuator so that the beam spot can be located just on a predetermined track of the disk , a tracking - actuator drive unit 17 for driving the tracking actuator , a spindle motor 18 for rotating the disk , a frequency generator 19 for generating a signal proportional to the rotation speed of the spindle motor , a motor control unit 20 to control the spindle motor to rotate with a predetermined speed , and a temperature sensor 21 . in addition , fig2 is a block diagram of the aberration correction control signal generator 10 . in fig2 , there are shown a target position setting unit 101 for setting the target position of the aberration correcting lens , a low - pass compensation filter 102 , a phase compensation filter 103 , a target range judging unit 104 for judging whether the error between the aberration correcting lens position and the target position is within a predetermined range , and a dither signal generator 105 . the outline of the operation of each block and the relation between the blocks will be described next . referring to fig1 , the focusing actuator 3 moves the objective lens 2 in the rotation axis direction of the disk , and the tracking actuator 4 moves the objective lens 2 in the radius direction of the disk . the optical detector 7 converts the reflected light into an electric signal , and supplies the electric signal to the focusing - error signal generator 12 and tracking - error signal generator 15 . the focusing - error signal generator 12 generates a focusing error signal based on the fed signal , and supplies it to the focusing - control signal generator 13 and aberration - correction control signal generator 10 . the focusing - control signal generator 13 generates a focusing control signal based on the fed signal , and supplies it to the focusing - actuator drive unit 14 . the focusing - actuator drive unit 14 drives the focusing actuator 3 in accordance with the fed signal . the tracking - error signal generator 15 generates a tracking error signal based on the fed signal , and supplies it to the tracking - control signal generator 16 and aberration - correction control signal generator 10 . the tracking - control signal generator 16 generates a tracking control signal based on the fed signal , and supplies it to the tracking - actuator drive unit 17 . the tracking - actuator drive unit 17 drives the tracking actuator 4 in response to the fed signal . in addition , the aberration correcting actuator 6 moves the aberration - correcting lens 5 in the optical - axis direction . the aberration - correcting lens position detector 8 converts the aberration correcting lens position into an electric signal , and supplies it to the position signal generator 9 . the position signal generator 9 corrects its operating point and sensitivity relative to the fed signal , and supplies the corrected signal to the aberration - correction control signal generator 10 . in the aberration correction control signal generator 10 , the target - position setting unit 101 compares the fed signal with a target value , and supplies the resulting signal to the low - pass compensation filter 102 , phase compensation filter 103 and target range judging unit 104 . the temperature sensor 21 converts the drive - inside temperature into an electric signal , and supplies it to the dither signal generator 105 . the target - range judging unit 104 uses the fed signal from the target - position setting unit 101 to judge whether the aberration - correcting lens is out of a predetermined range with respect to the target position , and supplies the judgment signal to the dither signal generator 105 . the dither signal generator 105 determines the frequency and amplitude of a dither signal based on the signal fed from the temperature sensor 21 , and turns the generation of this dither signal on or off in accordance with the signal fed from the target range judging unit 104 . the aberration correction control signal generator 10 produces a sum signal of the output signals produced from the low - pass compensation filter 102 , phase compensation filter 103 and dither signal generator 105 , and supplies it to the aberration - correcting actuator drive unit 11 . the aberration - correcting actuator drive unit 11 drives the aberration correcting actuator 6 in response to the fed signal . the spindle motor 18 drives the disk 1 to rotate . the frequency generator 19 converts the rotation speed information of the spindle motor 18 into an electric signal , and supplies it to the motor control unit 20 . the motor control unit 20 controls the spindle motor 18 for rotating the disk 1 to rotate with a predetermine speed based on the fed signal . the adjustment of the operating point and sensitivity of the position signal generator 9 to the input signal will be first described with reference to fig4 . here , the adjustment of the operating point and sensitivity means that the offset and gain of the signal to the aberration correction control signal generator 10 that makes digital processing are adjusted before the supply of this signal to the generator 10 so that the maximum resolution can be surely obtained within the practical movement range of the aberration correcting lens . in other words , the operating point is adjusted by the offset control , and the sensitivity is adjusted by the gain control . thus , this adjustment enables the aberration to be corrected with high precision . the aberration - correcting lens is required to move within a wide range and to control with high precision , and thus it needs a high resolution . in order for both wide dynamic range and high resolution to be achieved when the control system partially makes digital processing , it is considered to employ a method for increasing the bit number or bit - precision of the ad converter . however , since the specification of dsp ( digital signal processor ) is necessary to change , it is not easy to achieve . therefore , first the operating point and sensitivity are adjusted according to the method shown in fig4 . as illustrated in fig4 , the movable range of the aberration correcting lens has a practical range and an unused range . the practical range is the region lying between the target positions of the aberration - correcting lens relative to the layers of the two - layer recording / reproducing disk . the unused range is the region corresponding to the distance by which the aberration - correcting lens can be additionally moved considering the optical pickup assembly tolerance , but it is not used in the actual operation . although the location of the practical range in its movable range depends upon each optical disk drive , it suffices to detect the position signal within the practical range if it can be detected after the target position of the aberration - correcting lens is determined relative to the 0 - layer or 1 - layer of the disk on each drive . ( fig4 shows the case in which the practical range lies substantially at the center of the movable range .) accordingly , the operating point of the position signal generator 9 can be adjusted to lie at the center of the signal level by applying an offset to the input signal as indicated by ( 1 ). in addition , the practical range can be adjusted to enter in the whole dynamic range of dsp by controlling the gain as indicated by ( 2 ), thus assuring the resolution . when the target position of the aberration correcting lens is determined relative to the 0 - layer or 1 - layer , adjustment is performed so that the position signal within the movable range can be detected as shown in fig5 . in other words , the position signal generator 9 determines the target position under the conditions that an offset is applied to the input signal as indicated by ( 3 ) and that the gain is set as indicated by ( 4 ). description will be made of the operation of the target position setting unit 101 at the focusing jump time when the beam spot moves between the layers of the two - layer disk . when the beam spot moves between the layers , it is necessary to also change the target position of the aberration - correcting lens . when the aberration - correcting lens moves slower than the focusing control in which the objective lens is moved in the focusing direction , the target position of the aberration - correcting lens is required to previously change to the destination layer . however , when the aberration - correcting lens is moved from the original - layer target position , the amplitudes of the focusing and tracking error signals are reduced , thus making the focusing and tracking control unstable . when the target position is abruptly changed in a single step as shown in fig6 a , the operation of the aberration - correcting lens gives rise to an overshoot , incurring further instability . thus , the target - position setting unit 101 changes from the original position to the destination target position in steps as shown in fig6 b to reduce the overshoot . alternatively , the low - pass compensation filter 102 and phase compensation filter 103 may be changed in their characteristics to achieve the same effect . in addition , the tracking control in which the error signal amplitude could be remarkably reduced may be disabled before the aberration - correcting lens switches the target positions . the operation of the target - range judging unit 104 will be described in detail with reference to fig7 . the aberration - correcting lens position target range of the target - range judging unit 104 is set according to the suppression specification of the deviation and variation necessary for each layer as shown in fig7 . fig7 is graphs schematically showing the lens position for the movement of the beam spot between the layers , the on / off of the dither signal ( high - frequency signal ), and the aberration - correction control signal . before the change of the target position , the target - range judging unit 104 turns on the output of the dither signal generator 105 . then , the target - position setting unit 101 sets the target on the destination layer . the purpose of the application of the dither signal to the drive signal for driving the spherical aberration correcting element is to enable it to be smoothly driven . in other words , the linear actuator for use in driving the beam expander for correcting the spherical aberration enables the optical pickup to be small - sized as compared to the current stepping motor , and it has a merit of lower cost than the piezoactuator . however , the friction to the drive shaft increases for the necessity of looseness reduction and high retainability . therefore , if the object to be driven is tried to control without application of dither signal , it suddenly moves , thus accurate control being difficult . in this case , if the dither signal is applied to the drive signal for the spherical aberration correcting element , or for the linear actuator , the actuator is continuously controlled to perate finely as indicated at the bottom graph in fig7 , thus less affected by the static friction so that it can be smoothly driven . the target range judging unit 104 maintains the dither signal generator 105 to operate until the output of the target position setting unit 101 enters in the target range . after the output of the target position setting unit 101 moves into the target range , the judging unit 104 controls the dither signal generator 105 to be made in the off - state . when the position of the actuator is being changed through the stepwise ranges toward the target range as described above , the dither signal generator 105 is kept in operation to output fine signals or to be ceased even if the output of the target position setting unit 101 comes into each of the stepwise ranges . in other words , the dither signal is applied only when the linear actuator is being driven . the dither signal is not impressed when it is not driven , or during the recording or reproduction . if the dither signal were always applied , the spherical aberration correcting element would continue to finely vibrate even after the arrival at the target position , thus adversely affecting the focusing control . the phrase “ linear actuator is being driven ” given above means that , when the target position is controlled to change , the high - frequency signal is continuously applied to the element to adjust its position until the element arrives in the target range . in addition , the driving of the linear actuator as described above is performed before the reproduction processing of the read - out signal from the optical disk , or before the demodulation of the read - out signal from the optical disk and production of video signal or audio signal . moreover , the dither signal generator 105 generates such a signal as to start changing with a zero - amplitude phase and to stop at another zero - amplitude phase as shown in fig8 . alternatively , it generates such a signal as to gradually increase the amplitude when starting to produce the signal and to gradually decrease the amplitude when stopping from producing the signal . the reason why the dither signal is started to apply at the zero - amplitude phase or stopped from applying at the zero - amplitude phase is that the sudden application or stop of the dither signal might adversely affect the control even if the dither signal is a very small oscillation as compared with the drive signal . in this connection , the start or stop of application of the dither signal at the zero - amplitude phase will result in smooth control , thus better results being acquired . the gradual increase or decrease of the amplitude of the dither signal at the start or stop of application will also result in smooth control . description will be made of a method for determining the frequency and amplitude of the signal produced from the dither signal generator 105 . the signal from the dither signal generator 105 needs a predetermined frequency or below and a predetermined amplitude or above in order that the movable portion of the aberration correcting mechanism including the aberration correcting lens can be operated without influence of the static friction to the stationary part . in addition , in order to suppress the effect of the movement of the aberration correcting lens on the focusing control and tracking control , the frequency and amplitude of the signal must be increased above and decreased below predetermined values , respectively . the influence on the focusing control and tracking control is determined according to the amplitude variation of the focusing error signal and tracking error signal before the application of the dither signal . alternatively , it is determined on the basis of the performance fluctuation of the reproduction of the data recorded on the disk . thus , the dither signal generator 105 determines the amplitude and frequency for each temperature that meet these conditions , and generates the most appropriate dither signal based on the output from the temperature sensor 21 . in other words , the amplitude of the signal must be set so high as to reduce the effect of the static friction and so low as not to adversely affect the focusing control and tracking control . similarly , the frequency needs to be determined so high as not to adversely affect the focusing control and tracking control and so low as to reduce the effect of the static friction . here , the frequency will be specifically mentioned . the frequency f of the dither signal takes the following range . in other words , if the main resonance of the aberration correction driving actuator is represented by f0_s , the control bandwidth of the aberration correction driving actuator by fc_s , the control band of the focusing actuator by fc_f , and the control band of the tracking actuator by fc_t , then the following expressions can be obtained . in the present circumstances , the condition of fc_s = 0 . 5 khz & lt ; fc_f , fc_t = 5 ˜ 10 khz is estimated . the construction of the optical disk drive of the invention will be described with reference to fig1 and 3 . in the embodiment 2 , the blocks 1 through 21 shown in fig1 are the same as in embodiment 1 , and thus will not be described . fig3 is a block diagram of the aberration correction control signal generator 10 of the embodiment 2 . the blocks 101 through 104 shown in fig3 are the same as in embodiment 1 , and thus will not be described . in fig3 , there are shown a timer 106 , a gain control unit 107 for the aberration correction control , and a gain amplifier 108 of the aberration correction control loop . the outline of the operation of each block and the relation between the blocks will be described . the focusing control , tracking control and spindle control are the same as in embodiment 1 , and thus will not be described . the aberration correcting actuator 6 moves the aberration correcting lens 5 in the optical - axis direction . the aberration - correcting lens position detector 8 converts the position of the aberration correcting lens into an electric signal , and supplies it to the position signal generator 9 . the position signal generator 9 corrects the operating point and sensitivity given for the fed signal , and supplies the corrected signal to the aberration correction control signal generator 10 . in the aberration correction control signal generator 10 , the target position setting unit 101 compares the fed signal and the target value , and supplies the compared result to the low - pass compensation filter 102 , phase compensation filter 103 and target range judging unit 104 . the temperature sensor 21 converts the drive - inside temperature into an electric signal , and supplies it to the gain control unit 107 . the timer 106 supplies time information to the gain control unit 107 . the target range judging unit 104 judges whether the aberration correcting lens is located out of a predetermined range of the target position on the basis of the fed signal , and supplies the judgment result signal to the gain control unit 107 . the gain control unit 107 determines a set value of gain on the basis of the signals from the temperature sensor 21 and target range judging unit 104 , and sets the gain of the gain amplifier 108 according to the set value . the aberration correction control signal generator 10 supplies the sum signal of the low - pass compensation filter 102 and phase compensation filter 103 to the aberration correcting actuator drive unit 11 through the gain amplifier 108 . the aberration correcting actuator drive unit 11 drives the aberration correcting actuator 6 according to the fed signal . the operation of the main blocks will be described in detail . the adjustment of the operating point and sensitivity of the position signal generator 9 is the same as in embodiment 1 . the operation of the target position setting unit 101 at the time of focusing jump is the same as in embodiment 1 . the operation of the target range judging unit 104 and gain control unit 107 will be described in detail with reference to fig9 and 10 . the target range of the target range judging unit 104 about the position of the aberration correcting lens is set according to the deviation and variation suppression specification necessary for each layer as shown in fig9 . the target range judging unit 104 judges whether the signal fed from the target position setting unit 101 is within the target range , and supplies the judgment result signal to the gain control unit 107 . the gain control unit 107 judges the signal fed from the temperature sensor 21 by using thresholds t 1 and t 2 ( t 1 & lt ; t 2 ), and sets g 01 , g 02 , g 03 , g 11 , g 12 and g 13 in the gain amplifier 108 according to the judgment result signal fed from the target range judging unit 104 . the gains have the relations of g 01 & lt ; g 11 , g 02 & lt ; g 12 , g 03 & lt ; g 13 . in addition , when the static friction between the movable portion and fixed portion of the aberration correcting mechanism decreases with the increase of temperature , the relations of gains are g 01 & lt ; g 02 & lt ; g 03 , and g 11 & lt ; g 12 & lt ; g 13 . when the static friction increases with the increase of temperature , the relations of gains are g 01 & gt ; g 02 & gt ; g 03 , g 11 & gt ; g 12 & gt ; g 13 . here , the target range judging unit 104 may have one or more target ranges except the target range based on the suppression specification as shown in fig1 . in this case , the gains g 21 , g 22 , g 23 , g 31 , g 32 and g 33 are added on the table of fig1 as established gains . the gain control unit 107 has the table shown in fig1 . in this case , the gains respectively take the lowest values in the target range 0 that means that the lens has arrived at the target position , and take higher values in the other ranges as the lens approaches to the target range , that is , g 01 & lt ; g 31 & lt ; g 21 & lt ; g 11 , g 02 & lt ; g 32 & lt ; g 22 & lt ; g 12 , g 03 & lt ; g 33 & lt ; g 23 & lt ; g 13 . in addition , the gain control unit 107 increases the gains to be set in the gain amplifier 108 to exceed the values shown in the above table according to the time information fed from the timer 106 when the signal fed from the target position setting unit 101 does not come into each target range in a predetermined time . the flowchart of a specific control in embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig1 and 14 . first , referring to fig1 , when the aberration correcting element needs to be driven with the focusing control on and with the tracking control off , condition setting is first performed in order to suppress the effect of the superposition of high - frequency signal and the drive signal for the aberration correcting element on the focusing control . at this time , the condition setting is made so that the focusing error signal can be observed when the focusing control and tracking control are both turned off . in addition , the high - frequency signal is not applied . then , the focusing error signal amplitude is acquired under the condition that the high - frequency signal is not applied ( s 11 ). this value is represented by fe 0 . next , the dither signal ( high - frequency signal ) is added to the drive signal for the aberration correcting element ( s 12 ). at this time , the initial amplitude ( scd 0 ) of the high - frequency signal is assumed to be small enough such as zero . then , the output amplitude of the position sensor is measured , and the amplitude of the high - frequency signal is increased δscd by δscd ( s 15 ) until the measured amplitude ( se 1 ) becomes larger than a predetermined value ( seth ) ( s 14 ). the amplitude of the high - frequency signal satisfying the condition of se 1 & gt ; seth is represented by scd 1 . then , the amplitude of the focusing error signal is measured ( s 16 ), and the amplitude of the high - frequency signal is increased δscd by δscd ( s 18 ) until the absolute value of the difference between the measured amplitude ( fe 1 ) and the previously given amplitude fe 0 becomes larger than a predetermined value ( feth ) ( s 17 ). the amplitude of the high - frequency signal satisfying the condition of | fe 1 − fe 0 |& gt ; feth is represented by scd 2 . the actually used high - frequency signal amplitude scd is set to satisfy the condition of scd 1 & lt ; scd & lt ; scd 2 by using the obtained values scd 1 and scd 2 . for example , the amplitude scd may take an intermediate value between scd 1 and scd 2 , or as scd =( scd 1 + scd 2 )/ 2 . referring to fig1 , when the aberration correcting element needs to be driven with the focusing control on and the tracking control on , it is necessary to suppress the effect of the superposition of the high - frequency signal and the drive signal for the aberration correcting element on the focusing control and tracking control . in this case , the processing shown in fig1 is necessary in addition to that shown in fig1 . the condition setting in the flowchart of fig1 is performed so that the tracking error signal can be observed with the focusing control on and tracking control off . in addition , the high - frequency signal is not applied . then , the tracking error signal amplitude is acquired with the high - frequency signal not applied ( s 101 ). this value is represented by te 0 . next , the high - frequency signal is added to the drive signal for the aberration correcting element ( s 102 ). at this time , the initial amplitude ( scd 1 ) of the high - frequency signal is assumed to be the value detected in the flowchart shown in fig1 . then , the tracking error signal amplitude is measured ( s 103 ), and the amplitude of the high - frequency signal is increased δscd by δscd ( s 105 ) until the absolute value of the difference between the measured amplitude ( te 1 ) and the above given te 0 becomes larger than a predetermined value ( teth ) ( s 104 ). the amplitude of the high - frequency signal satisfying the condition of | te 1 − te 0 |& gt ; teth is represented by scd 3 . the actual used high - frequency signal amplitude scd is set to satisfy the condition of scd 1 & lt ; scd & lt ; scd 2 or scd 3 ( any smaller one ) by using the above scd 1 , scd 2 and scd 3 . for example , the amplitude may take an intermediate value between scd 1 and scd 2 or scd 3 , or as scd =( scd 1 + scd 2 or scd 3 )/ 2 in order to assure the margin to the environmental change such as temperature change . as described above , according to the above embodiments , when the aberration correcting lens is moved , the dither signal is superimposed on the control signal or the gain of the control loop is increased , thereby enabling the aberration correcting lens to be controlled with high precision . therefore , the linear actuator can be used with less lens tilt and less looseness in the aberration correcting mechanism , and thus a small - sized and inexpensive optical disk drive can be provided . it should be further understood by those skilled in the art that although the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention , the invention is not limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims .
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with reference to fig1 a crystallization tray 100 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention will now be described . the tray 100 is especially useful in crystallizing biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids ; however , the tray 100 may be used to crystallize any crystallizable substance . some general material properties of the tray 100 will first be described , followed by a description of the elements of the tray 100 and the tray 100 in use . the tray 100 preferably has a single - piece , integrated construction and is manufactured using an injection molding process . the tray 100 is preferably made from an optically clear , plastic material such as , but not by way of limitation , a clear polystyrene material or polypropylene polymer . an optically clear , inert , plastic material allows crystal growth to be viewed under a microscope . crystal growth may also be viewed using an imaging system , such as , for example , a video camera operably linked to a computer having a computer monitor that can display the image . the plastic material of the tray 100 preferably is a low - wettability material having a relatively high contact angle with respect to water so that the solution of the sample to be crystallized will tend to form discrete drops when placed in contact with the crystallization tray 100 . the plastic material selected should be moldable so that the inner surfaces of the tray 100 that come into contact with the macromolecule solution have a smooth texture . the material used should be resistant to chemicals such as methyl pentane diol , organic acids and alcohols , and should be stable for long term storage in ph 3 - 10 solutions . the tray 100 includes a rectangular base 110 with an array of crystallographic cells 120 and a rectangular skirt 130 joined with the base 110 through a step 140 . the rectangular dimensions of the base 110 are slightly smaller than the rectangular dimensions of the skirt 130 , and the undersurface of the rectangular skirt 130 is open and hollow , allowing for stacking of multiple trays 100 . the base 110 includes a first side wall 150 , a second side wall 160 , a first end wall 170 , a second end wall 180 , and a top wall 190 . where the first side wall 150 and first end wall 170 would normally intersect , the base 110 includes a single beveled or cut corner 200 for orienting the tray 100 ( e . g ., always knowing which way is up ) and to denote a first cell 210 in the array . in a preferred embodiment , the tray 100 includes ninety - six cells 120 organized in twelve columns denoted respectively by the numbers 1 - 12 and eight rows denoted respectively by the letters a - h . the beveled corner 200 preferably indicates the position of the a - 1 cell ( i . e ., the first cell , the cell in the first row and first column , or the cell located in column a , row 1 ). the top wall 190 preferably includes three knobs 220 that are used for orienting the tray 100 in the imaging system . with reference to fig2 - 5 and especially fig3 - 5 , the crystallization cells 120 will now be described in more detail . each cell 120 generally includes a reservoir 230 , a shelf 240 , and a sample receptacle 250 . the cell 120 is generally defined by opposite side walls 260 , a first end wall 270 , a second end wall 280 comprised of a lower wall portion 290 and an upper wall portion 300 joined by the shelf 240 , and a bottom wall 310 . the side walls 260 and end walls 270 , 280 terminate at the top of the cells 120 in ridges 320 . the ridges 320 include top walls 330 that define a second plane that is parallel with and extends above a first plane defined by the top wall 190 of the base . when a cover is applied to the top of the tray 100 , the cover is supported by the ridges 320 . the cover seals each cell 120 along the cell &# 39 ; s surrounding ridge 320 and isolates the cell 120 from adjacent cells 120 . the space between adjacent ridges 320 is preferably just wider than a blade of a cutting instrument for selectively cutting the cover around one or more select cells 120 in the tray 100 to access the crystallized substance in the cell ( s ) 120 without disturbing the cover for adjacent cells 120 . widening the ridges 320 , causing the space between adjacent ridges 320 to be narrower , creates a better top wall sealing surface around the cells 120 for the cover and creates a better , more defined cutting path for the blade of the cutting instrument . the reservoir 230 is preferably a generally rectangular block - shaped void . in a preferred embodiment , the reservoir 230 is sized to accommodate approximately 100 μl of equilibrating solution . in alternative embodiments , the reservoir 230 may have a different configuration and / or may be sized to accommodate other volumes of equilibrating solution . with reference to fig4 the sample receptacle 250 is preferably cup - shaped with a flat bottom surface 340 . the flat bottom surface 340 allows for optical clarity for viewing the drop , and the size of the sample receptacle 250 helps to keep the sample solution held together in a tight drop and prevents spreading of the drop . this makes the sample receptacle 250 appropriate for both macromolecule crystallography and for more general crystallography . this also keeps the drop centered , in a consistent position for visualization with a microscope . the sample receptacle 250 is preferably sized to accommodate a 2 μl sample drop . sizing the sample receptacle this small is advantageous because it limits where the sample is in the receptacle , making it easier to locate for visualization , removal , etc . the flat bottom surface 340 of the sample receptacle 250 is curved at the edge where it meets the side wall of the sample receptacle 250 , allowing for a crystallization sample retrieving device ( e . g . nylon fiber microloop connected to shaft ) to be used to smoothly scoop the crystal out of the well without jarring the crystal against the side wall . preferably , the ratio of the reservoir volume to the sample receptacle volume is at least large enough to create an appropriate gradient to drive the concentration of the protein drop high enough to cause the protein to crystallize . those of ordinary skill in the art are aware that the larger the reservoir volume , as compared to the sample receptacle volume , the steeper the gradient will be . this allows for more reproducibility , and the easiest way to determine the likeliness that the crystallization step has been driven to completion . the ratio , however , is preferably within a practical range that allows for high - throughput crystallization . thus , the ratio of the reservoir volume to sample size may be , for example , at least about 500 : 1 , preferably at least about 100 : 1 , preferably at least 75 : 1 , more preferably at least about 50 : 1 , preferably at least about 40 : 1 , and preferably at least about 25 : 1 . in one preferred example , the reservoir is sized to accommodate an equilibrating solution volume of about 100 μl and the sample receptacle is sized to accommodate a sample volume of about 2 μl . with reference back specifically to fig2 the shelf 240 carries the sample receptacle 250 adjacent one of the side walls 260 and includes a flat upper surface 350 . a majority portion 360 of the flat upper surface 350 is located between the sample receptacle 250 and opposite side wall 260 . as used herein , “ majority ” means greater than 50 %. when the tray 100 is oriented in the standard position shown in fig2 so that the a - 1 cell 210 is the upper - left corner of the tray 100 ( i . e ., beveled corner 200 is upper - left corner of tray 100 ), the majority portion 360 of the flat upper surface 350 is located away from the user with respect to the sample receptacle 250 it has been determined by the inventor of the present invention that locating the flat surface of the shelf 240 in this position is ideal for right - handed users ( right - handed users are statistically more common than left - handed users ) because it allows the crystallized sample to be easily moved forward onto the flat surface of the shelf 240 with a crystallization sample retrieving device ( e . g . nylon fiber microloop connected to shaft ). it has been determined that this is more convenient for the user than drawing or dragging the crystallized sample rearward , towards the user . further , when the tray 100 is oriented in the position shown , the shelf 240 is located on the left side of the cell 120 . because the crystallization sample retrieving device is typically operated by the right hand of a right - handed user , locating the shelf 240 on the left side of the cell 120 allows for easier access to the sample receptacle 250 and shelf 240 with the crystallization sample retrieving device . the majority portion 360 of the flat upper surface 350 of the shelf 240 may serve as a cryoprotection holding area for the crystallized sample between crystallization and x - ray diffraction . it is important to cryoprotect the crystallized sample after crystallization and before x - ray diffraction . instead of having to remove the crystallized sample from the cell and cryoprotect outside of the cell , this can be done in the holding area , within the cell 120 . providing a cryoprotection holding area is important because once the crystallized sample is removed from the cell 120 , it may quickly deteriorate in the air because a macromolecule crystal is about 50 % solvent and prone to dehydration . the majority portion 360 of the flat upper surface 350 may also hold a sample drop in addition to , or instead of , the receptacle 250 . this may be desirable for performing , in each cell , two different experiments with the same type of sample or different types of samples , or a single experiment with the sample only placed on the shelf 240 . because the shelf 240 is flatter than the receptacle 250 , the drop spreads out more when placed on the shelf 240 , increasing the surface - to - volume ratio of the drop , changing the kinetics of the equilibrium experiment . in use , the tray 100 is oriented in the standard position shown in fig2 so that the a - 1 cell 210 is the upper - left corner of the tray 100 ( i . e ., angled corner 200 is upper - left corner of tray 100 ). each reservoir 230 is carefully filled with a selected equilibrating solution . different equilibrating solutions can be added to each of the reservoirs 230 if this is desired . typically , aqueous mixtures of buffer , salts , and precipitants such as polyethylene glycol or ammonium sulfate are used as precipitating agents in the equilibrating solution . this solution may contain other components such as organic molecules or other additives . preferably , approximately 100 μl of equilibrating solution is added to each of the reservoirs 230 . in alternative embodiments , the amount of equilibrating solution added to each of the reservoirs 230 may be greater than 100 μl , less than 100 μl , different amounts of equilibrating solution may be added to the reservoirs 230 , and / or different types of equilibrating solution may be added to the reservoirs 230 . following the addition of the equilibrating solution to the reservoirs 230 , a selected macromolecule ( e . g ., protein ) solution drop is deposited within each sample receptacle 250 . the drop is preferably approximately 2 μl and includes a protein in a buffered salt solution containing a lower concentration of the same precipitating agent used in the equilibrating solution . usually , a concentrated protein solution is mixed with the equilibrating solution to obtain the final total volume of , for example , 2 μl . the ratio of protein to equilibrating solution may be varied , and may be , for example , 1 : 1 . it is to be understood that the equilibrating solution as well as the macromolecule solution drops may be added to the cells 120 either by hand or by a sophisticated automated pipetting apparatus which is readily commercially available . because of the novel construction of the tray 100 and the systematic placement of the reservoirs and receptacles , the tray 100 is readily adaptable to most commercially available pipetting systems . once the equilibrating solution and protein drops have been added to the apparatus in the manner described , the cover is carefully placed over the tray 100 so that the top walls 330 of the ridges 320 are positively sealed relative to atmosphere . the tray is designed to provide effective sealing between the top walls 330 and the under surface of the cover , using adhesive tape or a plate sealer . alternatively , a layer of grease , such as silicon grease , or petroleum jelly , may be applied manually or automatically to the top walls 330 of the ridges 320 , and some other clear , impermeable layer plated over the tray . instead of a sitting - drop technique , in an alternative embodiment , a hanging - drop technique may be used for applying the protein drops to the cells 120 . the protein drops may be applied to an undersurface of the cover ( with the undersurface face up ), and the cover may be inverted and the undersurface sealed against the top walls 330 of the ridges 320 so that the protein drops are hanging into the cells 120 . with either technique , each protein drop is positively sealed within each reservoir cell 120 and can equilibrate against the particular equilibrating solution that was earlier deposited into the particular reservoir 230 . since the starting concentration of precipitating agent is always higher in the reservoir 230 than in the protein drop , once the cell 120 is sealed , water will diffuse from the protein drop to the reservoir 230 until the concentration of precipitating agent at equilibrium is the same in the drop as in the reservoir 230 . in general , this diffusion results in a controlled steady increase in the concentration of both the protein and precipitating agent within the drop which forces the protein to come out of solution , hopefully as a crystal . or , in the instance where there is a dilution effect , where the buffer that is in the protein sample is more concentrated than in the reservoir , the protein is said to “ salt into solution ” and the crystallization drop tends to grow . because the tray 100 is made of an optically clear material , the crystallization of each sample may be viewed using a microscope or other visualization apparatus . following crystallization of the protein drops , the cover of the tray 100 is removed . as described above , a blade may be used between the ridges 320 to cut the cover into one or more cover segments that may be individually removed from the top wall 330 of the ridge 320 . after removal of the cover segment ( s ), the crystals are preferably moved onto the majority portion 360 of the flat surface 350 of the shelf 240 with the crystallization sample retrieving device . the flat surface 360 may serve as a cryoprotection holding area for the crystal . a cryoprotectant may be added to the shelf 240 before or after , preferably before , the crystallized sample is moved to the majority portion 360 of the shelf 240 . the crystallized sample may then be swept through the cryoprotectant . as indicated above , moving the crystallized sample to the cryoprotection holding area before removing the sample from the cell 120 helps preserve the crystallized protein . from the flat surface 360 , each crystal may be removed from the cell 120 with the crystallization sample retrieving device and analyzed through x - ray diffraction . in alternative embodiments , the crystals may be analyzed within the tray 100 , the crystals may be removed directly from the receptacles 250 or removed in another manner , and / or the crystals may be analyzed by a technique other than x - ray diffraction . because the crystallization tray 100 includes a rectangular array of ninety - six crystallization cells 120 , the user may simultaneously screen up to ninety - six different combinations of factors that affect crystallization . additionally , the number of factors that can be simultaneously tested can be increased by placing an additional sample drop on the flat majority portion 360 of the shelf 240 . thus , the crystallization tray 100 offers many advantages over crystallization trays in the past , some of which are summarized below . the shelf 240 provides a cryoprotection holding area and additional flat sample holding surface for performing an additional and / or different type of crystallization experiment in the cell 120 . the shape of the sample receptacle 250 maintains the sample drop held together , in a tight drop , and prevents spreading of the drop . the small size of the sample receptacle 250 makes it easy to locate the crystallized sample in the receptacle 250 . the configuration of the shelf 240 makes it ideal for right - handed users to access , move , and / or remove the crystallized sample . the three knobs 220 on the top wall 190 of the tray 100 help for orientation and calibration of the tray 100 . the cut corner 200 also helps for orienting the tray 100 and quickly identifying the first cell in the array . the raised , rectangular ridges 320 provide a sealing support surface for the cover ( s ), allow the cover ( s ) around individual cells 120 to be selectively removed without disturbing the cover ( s ) on adjacent cells 120 , and allow access between ridges for cutting away the cover ( s ) around one or more selected cells . the flat bottom 340 of the sample receptacle 250 allows for ease of imaging . the curvature of the angle between the walls and the bottom of the sample receptacle 250 is suitable for sweeping out the crystallized sample with a mounting loop . it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that still further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .
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fig1 shows the inventive rectifier assembly 11 including case , casing or housing 13 formed as a can - like container preferably of a relatively high density plastic . casing 13 is closed at one end 15 and open at its other end 17 . a mounting flange 19 has suitable mounting holes 20 to enable the assembly 11 to be mounted in position on a suitable bracket or board . the closed end of the casing 13 includes an extending lug 18 to provide additional shielding and strain relief for the lead 21 connecting to the rectifier assembly 11 . referring now also to fig2 and 4 , a rectifier diode 23 is positioned within the casing 13 and an electrical connection made from lead 21 to one electrode of the rectifier 23 and the other elctrode of the rectifier 23 is connected in series to a second rectifier 24 . rectifier 24 connects to a suitable cylindrical terminal 25 . in operation , a . c . input cap 29 is snapped over terminal 25 substantially to shoulder 23 on terminal 25 to make a good electrical connection . lead 21 connects to the anode of the associated picture tube , not shown . in assembly , one or more rectifier diodes 23 and 24 ( indicated schematically in fig4 ) are mounted concentrically along the axis of the casing 13 . note that as shown in fig5 the rectifier diodes 23 and 24 may be poled in either direction . also , the rectifier diodes of either fig4 or 5 can be mounted or formed in a single block as indicated in fig5 . the encapsulating or potting compound 37 , of any known suitable dielectric , is then poured through the open end 17 of the casing 13 and allowed to solidify . the encapsulating compound 37 thus securely mounts the rectifier diodes 23 and 24 in concentric axial relation within the casing 13 . note that casing could likewise be square or rectangular in cross section , and the rectifier diodes would be mounted in the cross section center . fig2 also shows a square mounting flange 22 for the casing 13 and includes mounting holes 20a positioned on one side of the mounting flange 22 to permit mounting casing 13 such as along the side of a chassis . fig5 shows another embodiment of the inventive assembly 11a wherein the assembly 11a is formed with the casing and the encapsulating compound being of the same material . also , in fig5 in addition to the rectifier diodes 23 and 24 , a resistor 41 may be mounted in series with the diodes ; and , a capacitor 43 may be mounted to have one plate connected to the junction of resistor 41 and diode 35 , and the other plate of capacitor 43 may connect externally of assembly 11a through a suitable lead 44 . in fig5 diodes 23 and 24 are connected in series with the anode of the diode 23 connected to lead 19 , and the cathode of the diode 24 connected to the cap or terminal 25 to thereby provide a relatively negative voltage through lead 31 and contacts 33 to the anode . in the structure of fig5 the various components may be initially assembled and positioned , and the entire assembly molded by insert or transfer molding techniques as one compositely housed assembly . also as shown in fig5 the metal cap 25 can be directly mounted in an associated electrical mounting receptacle indicated generally as 40 . fig6 shows another embodiment of the invention showing a mounting flange 45 comprising a pair of semi - circular members formed around the periphery of the casing 13 and extending normally to the surface of case 11 . a basic advantage of the structure of fig6 is that the case 11 can be snapped or plugged into position . for this purpose , snap - in flexible lugs 47 and 49 are formed in spaced circumferential position to extend outwardly and at an angle with respect to the surface of the case 11 and to cooperate with an outwardly extending flange 45 . the lugs 47 and 49 extend outwardly to approximately the same diametrical dimension as the edge of the flange 45 . as seen in fig7 the upper edges of the lugs 47 and 49 are cut along a horizontal line to thereby accommodate and fit snuggly against the bottom surface of the associated mounting panel 50 ; and , with the bottom surface of the flange 45 fitting against the top of the panel 50 . flange 45 is notched along its lower peripheral surface as at 52 to accommodate or fit within the opening 51 in the panel 50 , to thereby secure the casing from sideward movement . additionally , a lower support 55 can accommodate the lower end of casing 13 . while the invention has been particularly described with reference to a preferred embodiment , 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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the compositions of the invention can be single - component silicone compositions or two - component silicone compositions . in the latter case , the two components of the compositions of the invention can comprise all of the constituents in any desired combination , generally with the proviso that a component does not simultaneously comprise siloxanes having an aliphatic multiple bond , siloxanes having si - bonded hydrogen , and catalyst , i . e . in essence does not simultaneously comprise the constituents ( a ), ( b ), and ( d ) or , respectively , ( c ) and ( d ). however , it is preferable that the compositions of the invention are single - component compositions . the single - component silicone elastomer compositions of the invention are produced via mixing of the constituents , via mixing of components ( a ), ( b ), ( d ), and ( e ), or ( c ), ( d ), and ( e ) as in the prior art . the compounds ( a ) and ( b ) or , respectively , ( c ) used in the addition - crosslinking compositions of the invention are selected in a known manner so as to permit crosslinking : by way of example , compound ( a ) has at least two aliphatically unsaturated moieties and ( b ) has at least three si - bonded hydrogen atoms , or compound ( a ) has at least three aliphatically unsaturated moieties and siloxane ( b ) has at least two si - bonded hydrogen atoms , or else siloxane ( c ) is used instead of compound ( a ) and ( b ) and has aliphatically unsaturated moieties and si - bonded hydrogen atoms in the abovementioned ratios . another possibility is mixtures of ( a ) and ( b ) and ( c ) using the abovementioned ratios of aliphatically unsaturated moieties and si - bonded hydrogen atoms . it is preferable that the silicone compositions of the invention comprise , as constituent ( a ), at least one aliphatically unsaturated linear organosilicon compound , and it is possible here to use any of the aliphatically unsaturated linear organosilicon compounds used hitherto in addition - crosslinking compositions . organosilicon compounds ( a ) used which have sic - bonded moieties having aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bonds are preferably linear organopolysiloxanes made of units of the general formula ( ii ) r are mutually independently identical or different organic or inorganic moieties free from aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bonds , r 1 are mutually independently identical or different monovalent , substituted or unsubstituted , sic - bonded hydrocarbon moieties having at least one aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bond , a is 1 , 2 , or 3 , and b is 1 or 2 , with the proviso that the sum a + b is less than or equal to 3 , and at least 2 moieties r 1 are present in each molecule . moiety r can be mono - or polyvalent moieties , and the polyvalent moieties , for example bivalent , trivalent , and tetravalent moieties , then bond a plurality of siloxy units of the formula ( ii ) to one another , for example 2 , 3 , or 4 siloxy units . other examples of r are the monovalent moieties — f , — cl , — br , — or 2 , — cn , — scn , — nco , and sic - bonded substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon moieties which can be interrupted by oxygen atoms or by the group — c ( o )—; other examples of r are divalent moieties si - bonded on both sides as in formula ( ii ). if moiety r is an sic - bonded , substituted hydrocarbon moiety , preferred substituents are halogen atoms , phosphorus - containing moieties , cyano moieties , — or 2 , — nr 2 —, — nr 2 2 , — nr 2 — c ( o )— nr 2 2 , — c ( o )— nr 2 2 , — c ( o ) r 2 , — c ( o ) or 2 , — so 2 — ph , and — c 6 f 5 . r 2 are mutually independently , identical or different , and are hydrogen or monovalent hydrocarbon moieties having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms . ph is the phenyl moiety . examples of moieties r are alkyl moieties , for example the methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , tert - butyl , n - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , and tert - pentyl moieties , hexyl moieties such as the n - hexyl moiety , heptyl moieties such as the n - heptyl moiety , octyl moieties such as the n - octyl moiety and isooctyl moieties such as the 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylpentyl moiety , nonyl moieties such as the n - nonyl moiety , decyl moieties such as the n - decyl moiety , dodecyl moieties such as the n - dodecyl moiety , and octadecyl moieties such as the n - octadecyl moiety , cycloalkyl moieties such as the cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , and methylcyclohexyl moieties ; aryl moietiese such as the phenyl , naphthyl , anthryl , and phenanthryl moieties ; alkaryl moieties such as the o -, m -, p - tolyl moieties , xylyl moieties , and ethylphenyl moieties ; and aralkyl moieties , for example the benzyl moiety , and the α - and the β - phenylethyl moieties . examples of substituted moieties r are haloalkyl moieties , for example the 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoro - n - propyl moiety , the 2 , 2 , 2 , 2 ′, 2 ′, 2 ′- hexafluoroisopropyl moiety , and the heptafluoroisopropyl moiety ; haloaryl moieties , for example the o -, m -, and p - chlorophenyl moieties , —( ch 2 )— n ( r 2 ) c ( o ) nr 2 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — c ( o ) nr 2 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — c ( o ) r 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — c ( o ) or 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — c ( o ) nr 2 2 , —( ch 2 )— c ( o )—( ch 2 ) m c ( o ) ch 3 , —( ch 2 )— o — co — r 2 , —( ch 2 )— nr 2 —( ch 2 ) m — nr 2 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — o —( ch 2 ) m ch ( oh ) ch 2 oh , —( ch 2 ) n ( och 2 ch 2 ) m or 2 , —( ch 2 ) n — so 2 — ph , and —( ch 2 ) n — o — c 6 f 5 , where r 2 and ph are defined as above , and n and m are identical or different integers from 0 to 10 . examples of r as a divalent moiety si - bonded on both sides as in formula ( ii ) are moieties derived from the monovalent examples of moiety r above in that an additional bond replaces a hydrogen atom , examples of moieties of this type being —( ch 2 )—, — ch ( ch 3 )—, — c ( ch 3 ) 2 —, — ch ( ch 3 )— ch 2 —, — c 6 h 4 —, — ch ( ph )— ch 2 —, — c ( cf 3 ) 2 —, —( ch 2 ) n — c 6 h 4 —( ch 2 ) n —, —( ch 2 ) n — c 6 h 4 — c 6 h 4 —( ch 2 ) n —, —( ch 2 o ) m , ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) m , —( ch 2 ) n — o x — c 6 h 4 — so 2 — c 6 h 4 — o x —( ch 2 ) n —, where x is 0 or 1 , and ph , m , and n are defined as above . it is preferable that moiety r is a monovalent , sic - bonded , optionally substituted hydrocarbon moiety having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms and free from aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bonds , particularly a monovalent , sic - bonded , hydrocarbon moiety having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and free from aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bonds , in particular the methyl or phenyl moiety . moiety r 1 can be any desired group amenable to an addition reaction ( hydrosilylation ) with an sih - functional compound . if moiety r 1 is an sic - bonded , substituted hydrocarbon moiety , preferred substituents are halogen atoms , cyano moieties , and — or 2 , where r 2 is as defined above . it is preferable that moiety r 1 is an alkenyl or alkynyl group having from 2 to 16 carbon atoms , for example vinyl , allyl , methallyl , 1 - propenyl , 5 - hexenyl , ethynyl , butadienyl , hexadienyl , cyclopentenyl , cyclopentadienyl , cyclohexenyl , vinylcyclohexylethyl , divinylcyclohexylethyl , norbornenyl , vinylphenyl , and styryl moieties , and it is particularly preferable here to use vinyl , allyl , and hexenyl moieties . the molar mass of the constituent ( a ) can vary widely , for example from 10 2 to 10 6 g / mol : the constituent ( a ) can by way of example be a relatively low - molecular - weight alkenyl - functional oligosiloxane , for example 1 , 2 - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane but can also be a high - polymeric polydimethylsiloxane having si - bonded vinyl groups within the chain or at chain ends , and having a molar mass of , for example , 10 5 g / mol ( number average determined by means of nmr ). the addition - crosslinking silicone composition of the invention preferably comprises from 30 to 80 % by weight of ( a ), more preferably from 40 to 70 % by weight of ( a ). organosilicon compound ( b ) used can be any of the hydrogen - functional organosilicon compounds used hitherto in addition - crosslinkable compositions . organopolysiloxanes ( b ) used which have si - bonded hydrogen atoms are preferably linear organopolysiloxanes made of units of the general formula ( iii ) r is defined as above , c is 0 , 1 , 2 or 3 , and d is 0 , 1 , or 2 , with the proviso that the sum c + d is less than or equal to 3 , and at least two si - bonded hydrogen atoms are present in every molecule . it is preferable that the organopolysiloxane ( b ) used in the invention comprises a quantity in the range from 0 . 02 to 1 . 7 % by weight of si - bonded hydrogen , based on the total weight of the organopolysiloxane ( b ). the molar mass of the constituent ( b ) can likewise vary widely , for example from 10 2 to 10 6 g / mol : the constituent ( b ) can by way of example be a relatively low - molecular - weight sih - functional oligosiloxane , for example tetramethyldisiloxane but can also be a high - polymeric polydimethylsiloxane having sih groups within the chain or at chain ends , or a silicone resin having sih groups . there is moreover no defined structure of the molecules forming the constituent ( b ); in particular , the structure of a relatively high - molecular - weight , i . e . oligomeric or polymeric , sih - containing siloxane can be linear . linear polysiloxanes ( b ) are preferably composed of units of the formula r 3 sio 1 / 2 , hr 2 sio 1 / 2 , hrsio 2 / 2 , and r 2 sio 2 / 2 , where r is defined as above . it is also possible , of course , to use mixtures of different siloxanes complying with the criteria for the constituent ( b ). in particular , the molecules forming the constituent ( b ) can optionally also simultaneously comprise aliphatically unsaturated groups in addition to the obligatory sih groups . particular preference is given to the use of low - molecular - weight sih - functional compounds such as tetrakis ( dimethylsiloxy ) silane and tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane , and also of relatively high - molecular - weight , sih - containing siloxanes , for example poly ( hydrogenmethyl ) siloxane and poly ( dimethylhydrogenmethyl ) siloxane with viscosity of from 10 to 10 , 000 mpa · s at 25 ° c ., or analogous sih - containing compounds in which some of the methyl groups have been replaced by 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl or phenyl groups . the addition - crosslinking silicone composition of the invention preferably comprises from 0 . 5 to 20 % by weight of ( b ), particularly from 1 to 15 % by weight of ( b ). the quantity of constituent ( b ) in the crosslinkable silicone compositions of the invention is preferably such that the molar ratio of sih groups to aliphatically unsaturated groups from ( a ) is from 0 . 1 to 20 , particularly from 0 . 2 to 2 . 0 . components ( a ) and ( b ) used in the invention are commercially available products or can be produced by processes that are commonly used in chemistry . the silicone compositions of the invention can comprise , instead of component ( a ) and ( b ), linear organopolysiloxanes ( c ) which simultaneously have aliphatic carbon - carbon multiple bonds and si - bonded hydrogen atoms . the silicone compositions of the invention can also comprise all three of components ( a ), ( b ), and ( c ). if siloxanes ( c ) are used , these are preferably those made of units of the general formulae ( iv ), ( v ), and ( vi ) f is 1 , 2 , or 3 , g is 1 or 2 , and h is 1 or 2 , with the proviso that at least 2 moieties r 1 and at least 2 si - bonded hydrogen atoms are present in every molecule . the addition - crosslinking silicone composition of the invention preferably comprises from 30 to 80 % by weight of ( c ), particularly from 40 to 70 % by weight of ( c ). it is preferable that the average viscosity of the organopolysiloxanes ( c ) is from 0 . 01 to 500 , 000 pa · s , particularly from 0 . 1 to 100 , 000 pa · s , in each case at 25 ° c . organopolysiloxanes ( c ) can be produced by methods commonly used in chemistry . hydrosilylation catalyst ( d ) used can be any of the catalysts useful in hydrosilylation reactions . component ( d ) can be a platinum group metal , for example platinum , rhodium , ruthenium , palladium , osmium , or iridium , an organometallic compound , or a combination thereof . examples of component ( d ) are compounds such as hexachloroplatinic acid , platinum dichloride , platinum acetylacetonate , and complexes of said compounds , encapsulated within a matrix or within a core - shell - type structure . among the platinum complexes with organopolysiloxanes of low molecular weight are platinum 1 , 3 - diethenyl - 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - tetramethyldisiloxane complexes . other examples are platinum phosphite complexes , platinum phosphine complexes , and alkylplatinum complexes . these compounds can have been encapsulated within a resin matrix . the quantity of component ( d ) can be from 0 . 1 to 1000 parts per million ( ppm ), from 0 . 5 to 100 ppm , or from 1 to 25 ppm , of the platinum group metal , based on the total weight of the components . the curing rate can be low when the platinum group metal constituent is below 1 ppm . use of more than 100 ppm of the platinum group metal is uneconomical , or can reduce the stability of the composition . in the filler made of porous glass particles ( e ), the density of the lattice of the glass matrix of these glasses that , for the purposes of the invention are porous , is from 1 . 0 to 3 . 0 g / cm 3 . the associated pore diameter is from 1 . 0 × 10 − 10 m to 20 × 10 − 10 m , i . e . from 1 to 20 angstroms . the doped glass particles ( e ) are produced via comminution of foamed glass until the average particle size is from 1 to 50 μm , preferably from 2 to 15 μm , and subsequent mixing with a dissolved silver salt , preferably silver nitrate solution . quantities of the silver salt solution incorporated into the mixture , based on the glass particles , are from 1 to 15 % by weight , preferably from 4 to 7 % by weight . the porosity of the glass particles causes these to absorb the silver solution . no clumping of the glass particles occurs here . a conditioning / drying process then takes place in order to fix some of the silver ions on the pore walls of the glass particles by way of ionic bonding , and to reduce the moisture content of the silver - containing porous glass particles . the silver content of the porous glass particles is from 0 . 5 to 30 % by weight , preferably from 1 to 10 % by weight , based on ( e ). the amount of the introduced silver in ionic form which is present as silver ions , is preferably from 5 to 50 % by weight , more preferably from 15 to 35 % by weight . the silicone elastomer composition of the invention can , if desired , comprise a proportion of from 0 up to 70 % by weight , preferably from 1 to 40 % by weight , of other additives ( f ) as constituents . these additives can be reinforcing and inert fillers differing from ( e ), rheology - modifying additives , flame retardants , agents for influencing electrical properties , dispersing agents , solvents , adhesion promoters , pigments , dyes , plasticizers , organic polymers , heat stabilizers , etc . examples of adhesion promoters that can be used as additional substances ( f ) are silanes having hydrolyzable groups and sic - bonded vinyl , acryloxy , methacryloxy , epoxy , anhydride , acid , ester , or ether groups ; other examples of these adhesion promoters are partial hydrolyzates and cohydrolyzates , preference being given here to silanes having vinyl groups and silanes having epoxy groups which comprise ethoxy or acetoxy groups as hydrolyzable moieties , particular preference being given here to vinyltriethoxysilane , vinyltriacetoxysilane , epoxypropyltrimethoxysilane , and their partial hydrolyzates and cohydrolyzates . quantities of adhesion promoters ( f ) in the silicone composition of the invention are preferably from 0 to 5 % by weight , with preference from 0 . 3 to 3 % by weight . the combination of porous surface structure with silver doping which provides the silver predominantly in ionic form in order to bind the sulfur - containing pollutant gases has proven to be particularly effective for protecting encapsulated electronic components from sulfur - containing pollutant gases . by virtue of component ( e ) with its porous surface structure , the addition - crosslinking silicone compositions of the invention provide a markedly larger effective surface area for the adsorption of pollutant gases . the silver predominantly present in ionic form has also proven to be particularly advantageous , alongside the increased surface area of said fillers , for the protection of metallic surfaces from sulfur - containing pollutant gas . the compositions of the invention are used for the encapsulation of electrical or electronic components . the present invention therefore further provides encapsulated electrical or electronic components characterized in that the encapsulation material is a polymerized silicone composition of the invention . unless otherwise stated in the examples described below , all parts and percentages stated are based on weight . unless otherwise stated , the examples below are carried out at the pressure of the ambient atmosphere , i . e . at about 1000 hpa , and at room temperature , i . e . at about 20 ° c ., or at a temperature that becomes established when the reactants are combined at room temperature without additional heating or cooling . all viscosities below relate to dynamic viscosity at a temperature of 20 ° c . and at a shear rate of 1 s − 1 . the examples below illustrate the invention , but without any resultant restrictive effect . all of the examples give the overall composition of the crosslinked products , irrespective of whether these are formulated as single - or two - component compositions . vinylpolymers 1 and 2 : these are vinyldimethylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxanes with different viscosities , produced by conventional processes . sih crosslinking agent h018 : this is a trimethylsilyl - terminated dimethyl / methylhydrocopolysiloxane with viscosity 180 mpa · s and 0 . 17 % by weight h content . h polymer : this is an h - dimethylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane with viscosity 65 mpa · s . catalyst masterbatch ep : karstedt catalyst with 1 % by weight of platinum in pdms . filler 1 : amorphous , porous silicate glass particles , typical particle diameter about 10 μm , silver content 3 . 1 % by weight , silver ion content 0 . 26 mg / l filler 2 : amorphous , porous silicate glass particles , typical particle diameter about 10 μm , silver content 3 . 1 % by weight , silver ion content 0 . 37 mg / l filler 3 : amorphous , porous silicate glass particles , typical particle diameter about 10 μm , silver content 7 . 6 % by weight , silver ion content 2 . 4 mg / l filler 4 : spherical silicate glass particles coated with metallic silver , particle diameter from 15 to 50 μm , density 2 . 6 g / cm 3 , silver content 8 . 0 % by weight . filler 5 : spherical copper metal particles coated with metallic silver , particle diameter from 10 to 30 μm , silver content 17 . 0 % by weight the compositions were mixed in suitable mixers . after mixing , the silicone compositions were degassed for 5 min at 10 mbar . filler content ( fillers 1 to 5 ) was always 50 % by weight , based on the entire formulation . corrosion test : the test substrates were composed of aluminum oxide ceramic of thickness 1 mm onto which undulating silver conductor tracks were printed . the track width of the conductor tracks was 0 . 5 mm . the flowable mixtures 1 - 6 are applied at a layer thickness of 2 mm to the test substrates , degassed , and hardened at 150 ° c . for 60 min . soft silicone gels are obtained . the test substrates were placed in a 1 l desiccator together with 1 g of elemental sulfur powder . the desiccator was sealed and heated to 80 ° c . for a total of 14 days . at defined intervals , the test substrates were removed , the silicone gel was removed , and the silver conductor track was checked visually for corrosion . the test sample was assessed as good ( g ) if the silver track had not discolored and had metallic luster . the test sample was assessed as poor ( p ) if the silver track had discolored to become dark or black , indicating corrosion . table 1 shows the composition of examples 1 - 6 , and also the corrosion test results . examples 1 - 4 of the invention : silicone compositions with fillers made of amorphous , porous silicate particles and of predominantly ionic silver coating . example 5 , not of the invention , with spherical silicate glass particles and metallic silver coating . example 6 , not of the invention , with spherical copper metal particles and metallic silver coating by analogy with ep1295905a1 . examples 1 - 4 of the invention show that only the silicone compositions of the invention with amorphous , porous silicate particles and with predominantly ionic silver doping can provide durable and lasting protection of the substrates to be protected , and therefore of the electronic components .
| 2 |
the imaging lens of the present invention has a two - group , two - lens - element construction . more specifically , it includes , in order from the object side : an aperture stop , a first lens element , and a second lens element . the first lens element has positive refractive power near the optical axis , with an object - side surface that is aspherical and convex near the optical axis . the surface on the image side is aspherical and either convex or concave near the optical axis . the second lens element has positive refractive power with its surface on the object - side being aspherical and convex near the optical axis . the surface of the second lens element oil the image side is aspherical and concave near the optical axis , but becomes convex in its peripheral region . in addition , the following conditions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) are satisfied : d2 is the distance on the optical axis between the image - side surface of the first lens element and the object - side surface of the second lens element , in the imaging lens of the present invention , because it has the referenced construction , miniaturization is achieved , the various aberrations are favorably corrected , and thus the optical performance is enhanced compared with prior art imaging lenses of one - piece construction . by satisfying condition ( 1 ) curvature of field is suppressed and distortion is favorably corrected , and by satisfying condition ( 2 ) it becomes especially easy to correct on - axis chromatic aberration . in the imaging lens of the present invention , it is further desirable that it is constructed to satisfy the following condition ( 3 ): bf is the back focal length of the imaging lens , namely , the distance from the image - side surface of the second lens element to the image plane . by satisfying condition ( 3 ), it becomes easier to secure a sufficient space between the final lens element surface and the image plane , and the curvature of field is suppressed . in the imaging lens of the present invention , it is desirable that the aspherical shape of the object - side surface and the image - side surface of the second lens element be defined using at least one non - zero , odd - order coefficient ai , where the aspherical shape of the surface is defined using the following equation ( a ): z = cρ 2 /( 1 +( 1 − k c 2 ρ 2 ) 1 / 2 )+ σ a i · ρ i equation ( a ) z is the length of a perpendicular line drawn from a point on an aspherical surface at a height p from the optical axis to the contact plane ( a plane perpendicular to the optical axis ) of the apex of the aspherical surface , c is the paraxial curvature of the aspherical surface (= 1 / r , where r is the radius of curvature of the aspherical surface on - axis ), and a i is the i th order aspherical coefficient , where i equals 3 through 10 . by defining the shapes of the object - side surface and the image - side surface of the second lens element using at least one non - zero , odd - order coefficient a i in equation ( a ) above , curvature of field is suppressed and distortion is more easily corrected . the properties of the imaging lens of the present invention will vary somewhat depending on the particular image detecting device used . thus , optimal optical performance for a given application will require selecting the lens element construction that is best suited for a given application . the invention will first be discussed in general terms with reference to the drawings . fig1 - 4 show construction examples of the imaging lens according to embodiments 1 - 4 , respectively , of the present invention . it should be noted that fig1 - 4 are for purposes of explanation and are not drawn to scale . in fig1 - 4 , the labels ( r 1 )-( r 4 ) indicate the paraxial radius of curvature of the lens element surfaces s 1 - s 4 , in order from the object side , of the two lens elements l 1 and l 2 , and the labels d 1 - d 4 indicate the surface spacings along the optical axis z 1 , as illustrated . d 0 indicates the on - axis surface spacing of a stop st that is placed to the object side of the lens element surface s 1 of lens element l 1 . shown in broken lines in each of fig1 - 4 is a plane - parallel plate sg , such as a cover glass . the image plane is indicated by simg . referring to fig1 which is specifically representative of embodiment 1 but also illustrates the following general features of the invention , the present invention is an imaging lens having a two - lens - element construction . in order from the object side along an optical axis z 1 , there are : an aperture stop st , a first lens element l 1 and a second lens element l 2 . an image detector such as a ccd , not shown , may be positioned at the image plane simg of the imaging lens in order to capture the images of the imaging lens , and a plane - parallel plate sg such as a cover glass may be inserted between the second lens element l 2 and the image plane simg so as to protect optical filters and imaging elements that may also be inserted in this region . for the imaging lens embodiment shown in fig1 the first lens element l 1 has positive refractive power , an object - side surface s 1 that is aspherical and convex , and an image - side surface s 2 that is aspherical . the image - side surface s 2 is concave near the optical axis but the curvature becomes convex in its peripheral region . the second lens element l 2 has positive refractive power , an object - side surface s 3 that is aspherical and convex near the optical axis but the curvature becomes concave in its peripheral region , and an image - side surface s 4 that is aspherical and concave near the optical axis but the curvature becomes convex near in its peripheral region . on the other hand , for the imaging lens embodiments shown in fig2 - 4 , the first lens element l 1 of positive refractive power has an object - side surface s 1 that is aspherical and convex near the optical axis but the curvature may become concave in its peripheral region , and an image - side surface s 2 that is aspherical and convex near the optical axis , but the curvature may become concave in its peripheral region . the imaging lenses shown in fig1 - 4 are further constructed so as to satisfy the above conditions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). in addition , it is desirable that the imaging lens be constructed to satisfy the above condition ( 3 ). furthermore , it is desirable that the aspherical shapes of the object - side surface s 3 and the image - side surface s 4 of the second lens element l 2 are expressed using at least one odd - order aspherical coefficient ai when the aspherical shape of the surface is expressed using equation ( a ) above . for the shapes of the first lens element l 1 and the second lens element l 2 , one of the constructions shown in fig1 - 4 can be selected according to the particular application . the actions and effects of the imaging lens of the present invention will now be discussed . in the imaging lens of the present invention , because all four of the lens surfaces that constitute the two - group , two - lens - element construction are made to be aspherical in shape , various aberrations can be favorably corrected while achieving miniaturization . also , because the aperture stop st is positioned at the most object side of the imaging lens , the overall length of the imaging lens can be shortened , and the light that is incident onto the image plane simg can be made to be almost parallel to the optical axis z 1 . in other words , the imaging lens can be made to be substantially telecentric while also providing for a compact construction . the reason it is desirable that the light that is incident onto the image plane be almost parallel to the optical axis z 1 is for more efficient detection of the light at the image plane when capturing images using an image detector , such as a ccd . having the object - side surface s 1 of the first lens element l 1 convex near the optical axis allows for the overall length of the imaging lens to be shortened as compared with the case where this surface is concave near the optical axis . furthermore , having the image - side surface s 4 of the second lens element l 2 be an aspherical shape that is concave near the optical axis and becomes convex toward the periphery enables the curvature of field to be especially favorably suppressed . furthermore , because the constructions in fig1 - 4 satisfy condition ( 1 ), distortion can be favorably corrected while suppressing the curvature of field . if the upper limit of condition ( 1 ) is exceeded , the curvature of field becomes large in the positive direction , making it impossible to obtain good optical performance . on the other hand , if the lower limit of condition ( 1 ) is not satisfied , although the distortion is advantageously reduced , the curvature of field becomes negative , making it impossible to obtain good optical performance . also , because the thickness of the second lens element l 2 becomes too thin , it becomes difficult to manufacture this lens element . in addition , for the constructions shown in fig1 - 4 , because condition ( 2 ) relating to the abbe numbers is satisfied , the on - axis chromatic aberration can be especially well corrected . however , because each of the first lens element l 1 and the second lens element l 2 have positive refractive power , if the lower limit of condition ( 2 ) is not satisfied , it becomes difficult to correct the on - axis chromatic aberration of the imaging lens . furthermore , for the constructions shown in fig1 - 4 , by satisfying condition ( 3 ), a sufficient space between the final lens element surface s 4 and the image plane simg is assured , while shortening the overall length of the imaging lens . satisfying condition ( 3 ) also enables the curvature of field to be reduced . if the lower limit of condition ( 3 ) is not satisfied , the distance between the final lens element surface s 4 and the image plane simg decreases to the extent that it becomes difficult to insert other optical components such as a lowpass filter , an 1r - blocking filter , etc . on the other hand , if the upper limit of condition ( 3 ) is not satisfied , the back focal length bf becomes too large , causing the overall length of the imaging lens to be excessive . in addition , when the upper limit of condition ( 3 ) is exceeded , it becomes impossible to sufficiently correct the curvature of field . in addition , for the constructions shown in fig1 - 4 , when the aspherical shapes of the object - side surface s 3 and the image - side surface s 4 of the second lens element l 2 are expressed using at least one odd - order aspherical coefficient ai , it is easy to favorably correct distortion while suppressing the curvature of field . furthermore , when the aspherical shapes of the object - side surface s 3 and the image - side surface s 4 of the second lens element l 2 are expressed using only even - order aspherical coefficients ai , correction of the curvature of field , especially in the tangential plane , tends to become insufficient . in this way , because the imaging lens of the present invention is equipped with , in order from the object side , an aperture stop st , a first lens element l 1 , and a second lens element l 2 , with all four lens element surfaces being aspherical in shape , an optical image is produced having a quality sufficient for capture using a high - pixel image detecting device . also , by selecting from among the constructions shown in fig1 - 4 according to the properties of the image detecting element used , an optical performance optimally matched to the properties of that image detecting element can be provided . four embodiments of the imaging lens of the invention will now be discussed in detail . [ 0052 ] fig1 shows a cross section of an imaging lens of the invention according to embodiment 1 . table 1 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side , the radius of curvature r near the optical axis ( in mm ), the on - axis surface spacing d ( in mm ), as well as the index of refraction n d and the abbe number υ d ( both at the d - line of 587 . 6 nm ) of each lens element according to embodiment 1 . those surfaces that are aspheric are listed with a * to the right of the surface number , and the aspheric surface shape is defined using equation ( a ) above . table 2 below lists the values of the constant k and of the aspherical coefficients a 3 - a 10 used in equation ( a ) above for each of the aspherical surfaces indicated in table 1 . an “ e ” in the data indicates that the number following the “ e ” is the exponent to the base 10 . for example , “ 1 . 0e - 02 ” represents the number 1 . 0 × 10 − 2 . fig5 a - 5 c show the spherical aberration , astigmatism , and distortion , respectively , of the imaging lens of embodiment 1 . these aberrations are based on the d - line ( wavelength = 587 . 6 nm ). in fig5 b , the astigmatism is shown for both the sagittal s and the tangential t image planes . [ 0056 ] fig2 shows a cross section of an imaging lens of the invention according to embodiment 2 . table 3 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side , the radius of curvature r near the optical axis ( in mm ), the on - axis surface spacing d ( in mm ), as well as the index of refraction n d and the abbe number υ d ( both at the d - line of 587 . 6 nm ) of each lens element according to embodiment 2 . those surfaces that are aspheric are listed with a * to the right of the surface number , and the aspheric surface shape is defined using equation ( a ) above . table 4 below lists the values of the constant k and of the aspherical coefficients a 3 - a 10 used in equation ( a ) above for each of the aspherical surfaces indicated in table 3 . an “ e ” in the data indicates that the number following the “ e ” is the exponent to the base 10 . for example , “ 1 . 0e - 02 ” represents the number 1 . 0 × 10 − 2 . fig6 a - 6 c show the spherical aberration , astigmatism , and distortion , respectively , of the imaging lens of embodiment 2 . these aberrations are based on the d - line ( wavelength = 587 . 6 nm ). in fig6 b , the astigmatism is shown for both the sagittal s and the tangential t image planes . [ 0060 ] fig3 shows a cross section of an imaging lens of the invention according to embodiment 3 . table 5 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side , the radius of curvature r near the optical axis ( in mm ), the on - axis surface spacing d ( in mm ), as well as the index of refraction n d and the abbe number υ d ( both at the d - line of 587 . 6 nm ) of each lens element according to embodiment 3 . those surfaces that are aspheric are listed with a * to the right of the surface number , and the aspheric surface shape is defined using equation ( a ) above . table 6 below lists the values of the constant k and of the aspherical coefficients a 3 - a 10 used in equation ( a ) above for each of the aspherical surfaces indicated in table 5 . an “ e ” in the data indicates that the number following the “ e ” is the exponent to the base 10 . for example , “ 1 . 0e - 02 ” represents the number 1 . 0 × 10 − 2 . fig7 a - 7 c show the spherical aberration , astigmatism , and distortion , respectively , of the imaging lens of embodiment 3 . these aberrations are based on the d - line ( wavelength = 587 . 6 nm ). in fig7 b , the astigmatism is shown for both the sagittal s and the tangential t image planes . [ 0064 ] fig4 shows a cross section of an imaging lens of the invention according to embodiment 4 . table 7 below lists the surface number #, in order from the object side , the radius of curvature r near the optical axis ( in mm ), the on - axis surface spacing d ( in mm ), as well as the index of refraction n d and the abbe numbered ( both at the d - line of 587 . 6 nm ) of each lens element according to embodiment 4 . those surfaces that are aspheric are listed with a * to the right of the surface number , and the aspheric surface shape is defined using equation ( a ) above . table 8 below lists the values of the constant k and of the aspherical coefficients a 3 - a 10 used in equation ( a ) above for each of the aspherical surfaces indicated in table 7 . an “ e ” in the data indicates that the number following the “ e ” is the exponent to the base 10 . for example , “ 1 . 0e - 02 ” represents the number 1 . 0 × 10 − 2 . fig8 a - 8 c show the spherical aberration , astigmatism , and distortion , respectively , of the imaging lens of embodiment 4 . these aberrations are based on the d - line ( wavelength = 587 . 6 nm ). in fig8 b , the astigmatism is shown for both the sagittal s and the tangential t image planes . table 9 below lists the values of the ratios of conditions ( 1 ) and ( 3 ) for each embodiment . as is apparent from comparing the values listed in table 9 with the acceptable ranges given in conditions ( 1 ) and ( 3 ), each embodiment satisfies conditions ( 1 ) and ( 3 ). furthermore , as shown in tables 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 , the abbe numbers υ1 and υ2 of the first and second lens elements l 1 and l 2 , respectively , satisfy condition ( 2 ). as shown in tables 2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 , in embodiments 1 - 4 , the aspherical shapes of the surfaces s 3 and s 4 of the second lens element l 2 are defined using multiple odd - order terms ( i = 3 , 5 , 7 , and 9 ) and multiple even - order terms ( i = 4 , 6 , 8 , and 10 ) as the aspherical coefficients ai . on the other hand , the aspherical shapes of the surfaces s 1 and s 2 of the first lens element l 1 are defined using only the even - order terms ( i = 4 , 6 , 8 , and 10 ) since the odd - order terms have coefficients ai that are zero . as seen from the above lens data and aberration plots , the various aberrations are favorably corrected for each embodiment , and performance that is optimal for mounting the imaging lens of the present invention within compact imaging devices such as portable devices , etc ., is obtained . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . for example , the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments , as various modifications are possible . for example , the values for the radii of curvature r , on - axis surface spacings d , index of refraction n d , and abbe number υ d of each lens element are not limited to those shown above for each embodiment , as other values can be adopted . also , although the aspherical shapes of the surface s 3 and the surface s 4 of the second lens element l 2 have been expressed using multiple odd - order terms as the aspherical coefficients ai in the present embodiments it is also possible to use only one , or more than one , odd - order term ( s ). such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . rather , the scope of the invention shall be defined as set forth in the following claims and their legal equivalents . all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .
| 6 |
an objective lens adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below referring to fig1 to 5 . as shown in fig2 , an objective lens adapter 1 according to this embodiment , which is an objective lens adapter 1 that is attachably / detachably attached to an objective lens 3 for in vivo observation and that has a small - diameter distal - end portion 2 , is provided with a fixed member 5 that is fixed to a lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 , a distal - end member 6 that is disposed so as to cover the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 of the objective lens 3 , and a compression coil spring ( elastic member ) 7 that is disposed between the distal - end member 6 and the fixed member 5 . the fixed member 5 is formed substantially cylindrically , has an inside diameter that allows it to fit on the lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 , and has an inner - rib like inner flange portion 5 a on one end extending radially inward . the inner flange portion 5 a is provided with a through - hole 5 b that penetrates in the axial direction . the fixed member 5 can be fixed onto the lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 by friction from pressing the distal end of a set screw 8 , which is screwed into a threaded hole 5 c penetrating in the radial direction thereof , against the external surface of the lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 . the distal - end member 6 is provided with a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 6 a , a prism ( optical element ) 9 fixed on one end of the tubular portion 6 a , and an outer - rib like outer flange portion 6 b that extends radially outward on the other end of the tubular portion 6 a . the tubular portion 6 a has an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the through - hole 5 b of the inner flange portion 5 a . in addition , the outer flange portion 6 b has an outside diameter sufficiently larger than the inside diameter of the through hole 5 b . reference sign 6 d in the drawings is a stopper that sets the position of the distal - end member 6 to a predetermined position with respect to the fixed member 5 . the tubular portion 6 a has a sharp portion 6 c whose distal end is in a cut - off configuration at a 45 ° angle with respect to the axis line . the prism 9 is formed in a columnar shape as shown in fig3 and has a reflection surface 9 a inclined at 45 ° with respect to the axis line . the prism 9 is fittingly accommodated in the sharp portion 6 c at the distal end of the tubular portion 6 a . as shown in fig3 and 4 , a ring shaped spacer 10 whose thickness is controlled is disposed on the surface of the prism 9 inside the tubular portion 6 a . by inserting the spacer 10 , direct contact between the prism 9 and a lens ( not shown ) at the distal end of the objective lens 3 is avoided , thereby preventing damage to the prism 9 and the lens at the distal end of the objective lens 3 . in addition , as shown in fig4 and 5 , a part of the side wall of the tubular portion 6 a is cut away on the side of the sharp portion 6 c , exposing the prism 9 accommodated inside . in addition , so as not to form a large level difference between the surface of the prism 9 exposed to the outside and the tubular portion 6 a , the side wall of the tubular portion 6 a is also cut away in an area continuous with the prism 9 and is sealed by bonding a plate portion 11 whose plate thickness gradually increases . the reflection surface 9 a is covered by a cover member 12 , and , as shown in fig1 to 3 , the surface of the cover member 12 opposing the reflection surface 9 a is provided with a concave portion 12 a close to the center position thereof . by disposing the concave portion 12 a opposite the reflection surface 9 a of the prism 9 , an air layer can be formed on the back surface side of the reflection surface 9 a , and thus total reflection of light at the reflection surface 9 a is possible . by having the tubular portion 6 a penetrate the through - hole 5 b , the compression coil spring 7 is disposed in a position sandwiched in the axial direction between the outer flange portion 6 b disposed inside the fixed member 5 and the inner flange portion 5 a of the fixed member 5 . thus , by relatively moving the fixed member 5 and the distal - end member 6 in the axial direction , the amount of elastic deformation of the compression coil spring 7 is changed , causing mutual elastic forces to act . the operation of the thus - configured objective lens adapter 1 according to this embodiment will be described below . to attach the objective lens adapter 1 according to this embodiment to the distal end of the objective lens 3 having the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 , the fixed member 5 and the distal - end member 6 of the objective lens adapter 1 are placed thereon from the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 side of the objective lens 3 to bring the prism 9 into contact with the distal - end surface of the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 via the spacer 10 . from this state , the fixed member 5 is moved with respect to the distal - end member 6 , in a direction indicated by an arrow a in fig2 , toward the proximal end of the objective lens 3 ; thereby the compression coil spring 7 sandwiched between the outer flange portion 6 b of the distal - end member 6 and the inner flange portion 5 a of the fixed member 5 is compressed , generating an elastic force . then , the set screw 8 provided on the fixed member 5 is screwed into the threaded hole 5 c in a state wherein the compression coil spring 7 is elastically deformed enough to obtain a predetermined elastic force ; the fixed member 5 can be fixed in that position by pressing the distal end of the set screw 8 against the external surface of the lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 . by doing so , the prism 9 can be precisely positioned with respect to the objective lens 3 because the state in which the prism 9 is pressed onto the distal end of the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 via the spacer 10 is maintained by means of the elastic force of the compression coil spring 7 . in addition , generation of an excessive pressing force is prevented because the pressing is achieved by means of the elastic force of the compression coil spring 7 , and thus occurrence of the problem of the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 of the objective lens 3 and the prism 9 being damaged can be proactively prevented . in particular , in the case of the objective lens 3 for observing the internal condition of brain tissue , the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 is extremely thin , and therefore , attachment / detachment by screws tends to apply an excessive pressing force ; however , an advantage of this embodiment is that there is no such problem . with the objective lens adapter 1 according to this embodiment , attached to the distal end of the objective lens 3 in this way , it is possible to simplify the procedure of piercing biological tissue with the sharp portion 6 c provided on the distal end . in other words , whereas a part of the biological tissue is crushed when piercing with the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 of an objective lens 3 with a flat distal end as it is , causing severe damage , according to this embodiment , there is an advantage in that , due to the sharp portion 6 c , the objective lens 3 can pierce the biological tissue without inflicting damage . in addition , because the side wall adjacent to the sharp portion 6 c is cut away to expose a part of the prism 9 , when piercing the biological tissue , the biological tissue can be brought into contact with the exposed surface of the prism 9 . furthermore , because the objective lens adapter 1 is configured so as not to form a level difference between the surface of the prism 9 and the external surface of the tubular portion 6 a , when piercing the biological tissue , the problem of the biological tissue being scraped by the level difference thereby inflicting damage can be prevented . then , the illumination light guided from the objective lens 3 side is emitted from the small - diameter distal - end portion 2 , is incident on the prism 9 , is deflected 90 ° at the reflection surface 9 a of the prism 9 , and thus the illumination light is radiated onto the biological tissue in contact with the surface of the prism 9 from a notch 6 e provided in the tubular portion 6 a . in the case where the illumination light is excitation light , the illumination light excites a fluorescent substance that exists in the biological tissue , generating fluorescence , and the generated fluorescence returns along the same path to be collected by the objective lens 3 . in this case , because the cover member 12 , disposed so as to cover the reflection surface 9 a of the prism 9 , has the concave portion 12 a that forms the air layer with the prism 9 , it is possible to bring about total reflection of light at the reflection surface 9 a . as a result , reduction of the intensity of the illumination light radiated onto the biological tissue and the detected light , such as fluorescence obtained from the biological tissue , is prevented ; the illumination efficiency and the detection efficiency are improved ; and it is thus possible to conduct observation with a bright image . in addition , with the objective lens adapter 1 according to this embodiment , when conducting multiple observations of the same site with time intervals therebetween , after conducting an observation with the objective lens 3 , having the objective lens adapter 1 attached thereto , piercing biological tissue , the set screw 8 is loosened to release the fixing of the fixed member 5 to the lens tube 4 of the objective lens 3 , thereby making it possible to withdraw the objective lens 3 from the objective lens adapter 1 while leaving the objective lens adapter 1 piercing the biological tissue . then , to resume observation , the objective lens 3 may be inserted into and fixed to the objective lens adapter 1 that pierces the biological tissue . note that , in this embodiment , the sharp portion 6 c , which is shaped as if the distal end of the tubular portion 6 a is cut off at an angle , is provided , and the prism 9 , having the reflection surface 9 a inclined at 45 °, is disposed inside ; however , instead , a prism 9 having a reflection surface 9 a inclined at an angle other than 45 ° may be adopted . although the cover member 12 having the concave portion 12 a opposing the reflection surface 9 a of the prism 9 is provided , instead , a metallic thin film , a dielectric multilayer film , etc ., may be formed on the reflection surface 9 a . in this case , the reflection efficiency becomes lower than in the case of total reflection , but it is advantageous in that the cover member 12 and the concave portion 12 a are not necessary . in addition , although the prism 9 having the reflection surface 9 a is adopted as an optical element in this embodiment , instead , a glass flat plate member that transmits light in the optical axis direction may be adopted . by doing so , the working distance can be adjusted to the optimal position . in addition , although the columnar prism 9 is accommodated in the cylindrical tubular portion 6 a , instead , a triangular prism ( not shown ) may be employed , and an accommodation portion may be formed at the distal end of the tubular portion 6 a in such a shape that the triangular prism can be accommodated therein . further , when using the triangular prism , as shown in fig6 , the plate member 11 may be omitted by providing a thick - walled tubular portion 6 a . additionally , as shown in fig7 , the plate member 11 may be omitted while keeping the outside diameter small by decentering the inside diameter and outside diameter of the tubular portion thereby forming a thick - walled portion .
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the present invention relates to a system and method for reducing the time and power consumption required for reading data from a cache such as a trace cache . with the use of an abridged code referred to as a “ mini - tag ,” a trace cache read operation avoids the need to arrive at the desired information by first reading out an entire collection of data entries for an addressed row and then multiplexing out the desired data entry . moreover , by performing a victim selection operation to select which portion of a trace cache is to be written over with data that a prior read operation revealed as being absent from the cache , each mini - tag within each addressed row of the trace cache is ensured to be unique and can thereby serve as a basis for a trace cache reading operation . fig3 shows an embodiment of an arrangement of information in a trace cache 300 . in this example , a trace cache 300 is illustrated as containing 256 rows of addressable data entries ( rows 1 , 2 , and 256 are shown in fig1 with dots indicating that the same pattern continues with the rows that are not displayed ). within each row 310 is an alternating sequence of tags 320 , shown represented by “ t ,” and associated data entries 315 , shown represented by “ d .” as shown in fig1 the term “ way ” refers to each vertical column 305 of tags 320 in the trace cache 300 . in the embodiment shown in fig3 each row contains eight ways . each data entry 315 is addressable via its associated tag 320 ( e . g ., a 24 bit identifier ), and each row in the trace cache may be identified and accessed using a row or “ set ” address . a “ mini - tag ” is an abridged version of the full tag discussed above . in the example of a 32 bit address scheme , a mini - tag may be implemented , for example , by designating bits 2 - 4 and 12 - 14 of a tag address as the bits of the mini - tag . the mini - tag can thus be realized by taking , for example , six bits from the full tag to make a partial tag . by using a mini - tag in the trace cache reading operations , it is not required to read out every data entry of an accessed row 310 . therefore , for example , a 32 - bit address is not required to perform the data accessing operations , and the mini tag can be compared to only a portion of a requested address . by avoiding the need to perform a tag comparison operation that requires the reading out of every data entry in a particular trace cache row , the time and power required to perform trace cache read operations may be reduced . fig4 illustrates a flow diagram representing the steps of a trace cache read operation , according to an embodiment of the invention . the process is initiated , for example , when the processor of a computer system is required to perform a data read operation . this “ requested data ” may be identified by a “ requested address .” the requested address may include , for example , a set address used to identify a row of the trace cache , and a requested tag used to identify the location of the requested data within the identified row . as with prior read operation techniques , in step 400 the read operation according to the present invention begins with the use of the set address to access one of the rows 310 in the trace cache 300 . in step 405 , the full tag for each way in the accessed row 310 is read . for example , all eight ways , but not the associated data entries , may be read from the accessed row 310 . in step 410 , the mini - tags of the accessed ways are read from the accessed row . these read operations ( steps 405 , 410 ) may , for example , be performed in parallel ( i . e ., at the same time ). when read from the trace cache 300 , the tags and mini - tags may be stored , for example , in a latch before being sent to a comparator . in step 415 , the mini - tags are compared against the selected portions of the requested address . the mini - tags may be used to estimate the particular one of the , for example , eight ways in the trace cache identifying where the desired data entry is located . in step 420 , it is determined whether a “ hit ” occurs with a mini - tag of the row 310 being tested ( i . e ., whether the mini - tag matches the select portion of the requested address ). if no mini - tag hit occurs in a row 310 , a true “ least recently used ” (“ lru ”) victim selection and write operation is performed in step 425 . this technique will be described in more detail below , in connection with fig8 . if a mini - tag hit occurs in step 420 , the data entry identified by the mini - tag is read out ( e . g ., to a latch ) in step 430 , since the presence of the desired information in the selected row 310 , though not yet assured , may be determined as more likely . a full tag comparison is performed in step 435 , in order to ensure that the desired information is in fact in this row 310 . this step may be performed , for example , in parallel with the read out of the data entry performed in step 430 . therefore , time ( and consequently power ) may be saved . in step 440 , it is determined whether the full tag hit . if both the full tag and the mini - tag have hit , then the previously read out data entry is validated ( e . g ., by setting a validation bit ) in step 450 and the data is allowed to pass through to the processor . the processor may then proceed to the next trace cache read operation . if the full tag misses , then a “ full tag miss ” victim selection and write operation is performed in step 445 . this operation will be explained below in connection with fig9 . the trace cache read operation terminates in step 455 . fig5 is a time flow diagram showing elements of the trace cache read operation of fig4 . certain steps of the process of fig4 are shown , along with a representation of a clock cycle 500 of a processor to illustrate the time sequence of an embodiment of the invention . as shown in the embodiment of fig5 the mini - tag read operation 410 and the mini - tag compare operation 415 are performed in parallel with the full tag read operation 405 , as described in connection with fig4 . these operations may be performed , for example , in the first half of a processor clock cycle . in the second half of the processor clock cycle 500 , for example , the data read out operation 430 may be performed in parallel with the full tag compare operation 435 . the data validation operation 450 is performed after the full tag compare , if the full tag compare returns a hit . in this embodiment as shown in fig5 the system does not need to wait for a time consuming full tag read to read out the data entry . furthermore , the system does not need to perform a power - consuming read out of all the data entries for the selected row of the trace cache . therefore , both time and power consumption may be reduced . according to the embodiment described above , each mini - tag is unique . in order to ensure the uniqueness of each mini - tag , a “ victim selection ” operation may be performed . when a processor performs the trace cache read operation as discussed above , it continues to do so as long as the mini - tags and full tags involved in the operation continue to hit . when a full tag miss occurs , however , the processor fetches the desired data from another data storage resource ( e . g ., main memory , disk drive , cd rom ) and writes the data into the trace cache . since the trace cache most likely will not have an empty storage location for this new data , some portion of the data in the trace cache will need to be written over . the “ victim selection ” process determines which data entry (“ victim ”) is to be written over with the new data entry . one way to perform a victim selection is to overwrite the least recently used (“ lru ”) way . the trace cache may include , for example , in the trace cache that keeps track of the lru way by mapping not only the lru way for each row , but also the most recently used (“ mru ”) way as well . in order to better explain this operation , reference is made to the diagram of fig6 a and 6 b . these figures show a logical representation of the contents of an lru / mru unit 600 . each circled number in this diagram represents a particular way . for simplicity , only three ways are illustrated . in fig6 a , the lru is way 3 and the mru is way 1 . each line between the ways is an edge 605 representing a relationship . for an edge 605 between two particular ways , the arrow for the edge 605 points away from the more recently used and toward the lesser recently used . therefore , for the lru 3 , the arrow of each edge 605 emanating therefrom points away from way 1 and way 2 and for the mru , the arrows of each edge 605 emanating therefrom points to way 2 and way 3 . in a logic diagram such as fig6 a , an arrow pointed in one direction may be represented , for example , by a binary digit 1 , and an arrow pointed in the opposite direction may be represented by a binary digit 0 . thus , in fig6 a , since the edges 605 of way 1 all point away from way 1 , it can be identified as the mru , and since the edges of way 3 all point to way 3 , it can be identified as the lru . if a hit is received on way 2 , however , way 1 is no longer the most recently used way . consequently , the processor adjusts the mapping in the lru component of the trace cache . in particular , the edge 605 pointing in fig6 a from way 1 to way 2 is reversed , so that way 2 can be identified as the mru way . this situation is shown in fig6 b with ways 1 ′, 2 ′, and 3 ′. if the number of ways is increased to eight , then 28 edges would be required to characterize the relationships existing among the ways of each row in the trace cache . by constantly adjusting these relationships for each hit and maintaining them mapped in the lru component of the trace cache , the processor will be able to access the information necessary to perform a victim selection . for a trace cache that , for example , contains 8 ways for each row , the lru component stores , for example , 28 bits for each such row . a write operation may be performed when a tag operation misses and an instruction is fetched from a source other than the trace cache . this can happen in two situations : first , when the mini - tag misses ( and , therefore the full tag would also miss ), and second , when the mini - tag hits but the full tag misses . before writing into the trace cache , a victim selection must be performed in order to determine which way will have its associated data entry written over . if the mini - tag hits but the full - tag misses , the victim will be the way that the mini - tag hit on , according to the “ full tag miss ” victim selection procedure . the mini - tag is selected as the victim in this situation in order to maintain the uniqueness of the mini - tags . in order to illustrate the principle , reference is made to fig7 . fig7 illustrates a logical example of a row 700 of a trace cache containing only three ways 10 , 11 , 12 . for the purposes of this illustration , the full number shown in each way 10 , 11 , 12 represents a full tag and the second digit of this number 10 , 11 , 12 corresponds to a mini - tag . if a requested address 20 is used as the basis of a multi - tag comparison , there will be a mini - tag hit with respect to way 10 , because the second digits of both this way and the requested address are the same . nevertheless , a full tag miss will occur because the first digits of these addresses ( the numbers 1 and 2 ) do not match . according to an embodiment of the invention , way 10 will , therefore , be selected as the victim and will be written over with requested address and data corresponding to requested address 20 will be written into the data entry identified by the way 10 that is overwritten . the uniqueness of the mini - tags will be ensured because after the writing operation is performed , there will still only be one way with a mini - tag of zero . had the address 20 been written into any other location , the mini - tag would have been duplicated and its uniqueness eliminated . fig8 shows the true lru victim selection and write step 425 of fig4 in more detail . this lru victim selection and write method is a true lru method , as opposed to the pseudo lru method described in association with the prior art . when a miss occurs because both the mini - tag and the full tag missed , then the victim to be written over corresponds to the lru way 3 for that row , which can be determined by looking it up in the lru / mru unit 600 of the trace cache in step 800 . once the lru way 3 is determined , it is selected in step 805 , and overwritten in step 810 , for example , with the requested address that the mini - tags were being compared to . in step 815 , the data entry corresponding to the lru way is overwritten with the data corresponding to the requested address that was written into the lru way 3 . the lru victim selection and write operation terminates in step 820 . fig9 shows the “ full tag miss ” victim selection and write operation step 445 of fig4 in more detail . in step 900 , the way representing the mini - tag that was a hit , but having a full tag that was a miss is selected . the selected way is overwritten with the requested address being used to compare to the tags to determine a hit or a miss in step 905 . in step 910 , the data entry corresponding to the selected way is overwritten with the data corresponding to the requested address that was written into the selected way . the “ full tag miss ” victim selection and write operation terminates in step 915 . thus , by maintaining the uniqueness of each mini - tag , the processor may rely on the mini - tags to perform the read operation described above and thereby conserve time and power when accessing the trace cache . although an embodiment is specifically illustrated and described herein , it is to be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims , without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention . it is to be understood , for example , that elements of the present invention may be implemented in hardware , software , or any combination thereof . one skilled in the art will also appreciate that the term “ data ” used throughout the application can include control information , address information , instructions , micro - operations (“ micro - ops ”), and other such information . furthermore , although an embodiment is described for a trace cache , the invention can be implemented with any type of cache in a processor / cache system .
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as those in the art will appreciate , the foregoing detailed description describes certain preferred embodiments of the invention in detail , and is thus only representative and does not depict the actual scope of the invention . before describing the present invention in detail , it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular aspects and embodiments described , as these may vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims . as used herein , “ cosmetics ” is defined as articles intended to be rubbed , poured , sprinkled , or sprayed on , introduced into , or otherwise applied to the human body . . . for cleansing , beautifying , promoting attractiveness , or altering the appearance [ fd & amp ; c act , sec . 201 ( i )]. such products include , e . g ., skin moisturizers , perfumes , lipsticks , fingernail polishes , eye and facial makeup preparations , shampoos , permanent waves , hair colors , toothpastes , and deodorants , as well as any material intended for use as a component of a cosmetic product . as used herein , a “ pharmaceutical ” is defined as a medicinal drug . the term “ cosmeceutical ”, as used herein , is a hybrid of the terms cosmetics and pharmaceutical and is understood to define an active ingredient in a cosmetically or pharmaceutically acceptable ( suitable for use in a human or other mammal ) excipient , carrier or vehicle . the active ingredient is typically one which has been approved for a non - cosmetic use and has been re - formulated for a new consumer use ( e . g ., uses a lower concentration of the active ingredient than the approved use ). active ingredients contemplated for use in the improved formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention include naturally - occurring prostaglandins and / or synthetic prostaglandin analog ( s ) ( pg analogs ) described in the art and discussed herein . prostaglandins are unsaturated carboxylic acids , consisting of a 20 carbon skeleton that also contains a five member ring and are based upon the fatty acid , arachidonic acid . there are a variety of structures : one , two , or three double bonds . on the five member ring there may also be double bonds , a ketone , or alcohol groups . methods of obtaining and isolating naturally - occurring prostaglandins and / or synthesizing synthetic pg analogs contemplated for use in the present invention are well documented and understood by those skilled in the art . the present invention relates to the use of at least one prostaglandin analog as an active ingredient for the manufacture of an improved formulation and / or cosmeceutical suitable for topical administration , i . e ., applied at a targeted site for exertion of local action , and intended to promote eyelash growth . accordingly , the formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention may be presented in the form of aqueous solutions , creams , ointments or oils exhibiting physiologically acceptable osmolarity by addition of pharmacologically acceptable buffers and salts . importantly , in view of the known effects and various side effects associated with the current use of pg analogs as intraocular pressure ( iop )- lowering drugs , the improved formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention have viscosity greater than that of simple aqueous solutions so as to decrease variability in delivery the formulations and provide for application in a accurate , specific , targeted manner . as such , the formulations will comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable viscosity building agent . viscosity building agents contemplated for use in the present invention include , e . g ., polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , and water - soluble cellulosic polymers such as methyl cellulose , hydroxy propyl methylcellulose , hydroxyethyl cellulose , carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc ), hydroxy propyl ethyl cellulose or other agents known to those skilled in the art . additional viscosity enhancers contemplated for use include : natural hydrocolloids such as acacia , tragacanth , alginic acid , carrageenan , locust bean gum , guar gum , gelatin , and hyaluronic acid ; and , synthetic hydrocolloids such carbopol ®, peg , pvp , pva , pluronics , dextran sulfate . such agents are typically employed at a concentration between about 0 . 01 % and about 3 % by weight . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the viscosity building agent was cmc at a concentration of 0 . 5 - 1 %. multi - dose forms of the improved formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention are also contemplated for use . as such , the formulations may require the addition of preservatives to prevent microbial contamination during use . suitable preservatives include : benzl alcohol , phenol , cresol , meta - cresol / prophyl cresol , benzalkonium chloride , thimerosal , chlorobutanol , methyl paraben , propyl paraben , phenylethyl alcohol , edetate disodium , sorbic acid , onamer m ®, phenylmercuric acetate , phenylmercuric nitrate or other agents known to those skilled in the art . such preservatives are typically employed at a concentration between about 0 . 001 % and about 1 . 0 % by weight . due to the limited solubility in water of several prostaglandins and their derivatives , the formulations may require a surfactant or other appropriate co - solvent in the composition . such surfactants include anionic surfactants chosen , e . g ., from optionally unsaturated fatty acid salts having from 12 to 18 carbon atoms , alkali metal salts of salts of organic bases with ( c 2 - c 18 ) alkylsulfuric acids , alkali metal salts of salts of organic bases with ( c 12 - c 18 ) alkylsulfonic acids , alkali metal salts of salts of organic bases with ( c 6 - c 18 ) alkylarylsulfonic acids , and ether sulfates ; nonionic surfactants , chosen , e . g ., from polyalkoxylated surfactants and polyglycerolated surfactants , such as fatty acids , fatty acid amides , fatty alcohols , alkylphenols ; esters of fatty acids and polyols , alkanediols , alkyl ethers of alkanediols ; and at least one compound chosen from alkyl carbamates of triglycerol , oxyethylenated derivatives of lanolin alcohols , propoxylated derivatives of lanolin alcohols , and lanolin fatty acids ; and cationic surfactants , chosen , e . g ., from quaternary ammonium derivatives . such co - solvents include : polysorbate 20 , 60 and 80 ; pluronic f - 68 , f - 84 and p - 103 ; tyloxapol ®; cremophor ® el ; sodium dodecyl sulfate ; glycerol ; peg 400 ; propylene glycol ; cyclodextrins ; or other agents known to those skilled in the art . the preparations of the present invention may contain additional pharmaceutically acceptable auxiliary substances as required to approximate physiological conditions and as necessary to prepare compositions for convenient administration , such as ph adjusting and buffering agents , and delivery vehicles . for example , tonicity adjustors may be added as needed or convenient . they include , but are not limited to , salts , particularly sodium chloride , potassium chloride , mannitol and glycerin , or any other suitable tonicity adjustor . various buffers and means for adjusting ph may be used so long as the resulting preparation is pharmaceutically acceptable . such buffers include acetate buffers , citrate buffers , phosphate buffers and borate buffers . actual methods for preparing pharmaceutically administrable compounds will be known or apparent to those skilled in the art and are described in detail in , for example , remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical science , mack publishing co ., easton , pa . ( 1985 ), which is incorporated herein by reference . additional ingredients may be added according to the understanding of those familiar with the art in order to vary the texture , consistency , viscosity , and appearance of the formulation . these additional ingredients include emulsifying agents such as non - ionic ethoxylated and nonethoxylated surfactants , fatty alcohols , fatty acids , organic or inorganic bases , preserving agents , wax esters , steroid alcohols , triglyceride esters , phospholipids such as lecithin and cephalin , polyhydric alcohol esters , fatty alcohol ethers , hydrophilic lanolin derivatives , hydrophilic beeswax derivatives , hydrocarbon oils such as palm oil , coconut oil , mineral oil , cocoa butter waxes , silicon oils , ph balancers and cellulose derivatives . the cosmeceutical may also contain amino acids , polyols , urea , allantoin , sugars and sugar derivatives , water - soluble vitamins , plant extracts ( those from iridacea plants or from soybean ) and hydroxy acids ( fruit acids or salicylic acid ); or lipophilic and chosen from retinol ( vitamin a ) and its derivatives , especially an ester ( retinyl palmitate ), tocopherol ( vitamin e ) and its derivatives ( tocopheryl acetate ), essential fatty acids , ceramides , essential oils , salicylic acid derivatives , for instance 5 - n - octanoyl salicylic acid , hydroxy acid esters , and phospholipids , for instance lecithin , and mixtures thereof . the improved preparations of the present invention may further comprise at least one additional agent commonly used in cosmetics , chosen , for example , from trace elements , demulcents , sequestrants , perfumes , oils , silicones , thickeners , vitamins , proteins , ceramides , plasticizers , coalescing agents , cohesion agents , alkalinizing agents , acidifying agents , and emollients . the improved preparations of the present invention may be combined with one or more known agents for the promotion of hair growth . specifically , the compounds of the present invention may be combined with : i ) minoxidil ( pharmacia ) and minoxidil - type compounds ; ii ) finasteride ( merck ) and finasteride - type compounds ( dihydrotestosterone ( dht ) blockers ); and iii ) copper - peptides or retinoic acid related compounds . the improved preparations of the present invention may be in the form of a pigmented or unpigmented wax - in - water dispersion , wax - in - oil dispersion , a gelled oil or an aqueous gel mascara , to be applied with an improved device of the present invention . examples of mascara formulations may be found in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 274 , 131 , and references cited therein . the present invention further relates to providing an improved delivery device for the application of the improved preparations of the present invention . importantly , the delivery devices provide for easy , accurate and targeted application of the preparations only to the area to be treated . the delivery device may be a pen - shaped device having a barrel with a reservoir containing the preparation and comprising a slidable push button located on one end of the barrel and an application element at the other end of the barrel . the pen is actuated by depression of the slidable push button which then drives a shaft connected to a piston located within the barrel to drive forward the preparation out of the reservoir and through the application element whereby it is dispensed specifically and directly to the desired area . the delivery device may comprise a receptacle containing the preparation and an applicator comprising a stem ( e . g ., a wand ) having a application element on one end of the stem and a cap on the other which is intended to cover the receptacle and is attached to the receptacle via the applicator . manipulation of the applicator is accomplished by simultaneously holding the cap and the receptacle , preferably with both hands , one in each hand . the application element is specifically designed for fine and precise application , preferably for the purpose of creating lines . the delivery device may be a pen and / or pencil apparatus comprising a first end containing lead or ink for writing , and a second end containing the preparation to be applied and comprising an application element for applying the preparation . the application element may be a tip that is flat , rounded or brush shaped for applying the preparation . the first and second ends of the pen and / or pencil may have caps to cover the ink / lead , or preparation when not in use . the delivery device may be a pen comprising a pen body having a cavity to contain the preparation ; a head portion located at one end of the pen body and having a brush partially protruded out to the exterior thereof , a cap body mounted at one end of the pen body for the capping of the head portion ; a application element including a rotational cap , a driving rod , a compression spring , a ratchet wheel , a securing seat , a piston rod and a piston , wherein the rotational cap is mounted at the other end of the pen body and has one end extended to the driving rod within the pen body , and the compression spring and the ratchet wheel are mounted onto the driving rod , and the securing seat is mounted to the pen body with the end of the driving rod , and the bottom face of the securing seat and the top face of the ratchet wheel are provided with mutually engaged teeth , and the end portion of the driving rod has a screw hole and the piston rod is mounted within the screw hole and passes through the securing seat , and the end portion of the piston rod is provided with the piston ; and a specified amount of the preparation at the lower section of the head portion of the pen body and the cavity located above the application element . the delivery device may be a hollow eyeliner brush that , in a manner similar to that of a ball point pen , dispenses with one click a precise quantity of the preparation into the brush - bristles at the tip if the eyeliner brush . this device would provide : ( 1 ) precision , because the eyeliner brush itself permits the preparation to be applied in a very precise fashion only to the base of the eyelashes ; and ( 2 ) quantitative control , thereby reducing the risk of excess active ingredient going into the eye ( where it can effect the intraocular pressure , cause redness , and / or change the color of the iris ) or onto the skin of the eyelids ( where it can cause a darkening of the skin ). as such , the device is more economical and user friendly in that the user will feel more confident that they are using the exact amount of the preparation intended to be delivered , with no waste . referring now in more detail to the drawings , fig1 shows a delivery device 100 contemplated for use . the delivery device 100 comprises a receptacle body 110 having a rollerball tip applicator 120 at one end , and capable of receiving a cartridge 130 and a mascara brush 140 at the other end . the rollerball tip applicator 120 has a removable cap 150 . the cartridge 130 has an open end 160 which receives the preparation , and has a removable cap 170 . the mascara brush 140 has an attached cap 180 . fig2 shows a delivery device 200 contemplated for use . the delivery device 200 comprises a receptacle body 210 having an eyelash curling device 220 at one end , and capable of receiving a cartridge 230 and a mascara brush 240 at the other end . the eyelash curling device 220 has a retractable scissor arm 250 attached thereto which together function to dispense the preparation from the cartridge 230 . the cartridge 230 has an open end 260 which receives the preparation , and has a removable cap 270 . the mascara brush 240 has an attached cap 280 . fig3 shows a delivery device 300 contemplated for use . the delivery device 300 comprises a receptacle body 310 having a finger hole attachment 320 , and having an eyelash curling device 330 at one end , and capable of receiving a cartridge 340 at the other end . the eyelash curling device 330 has a retractable scissor arm 350 attached thereto which together function to dispense the preparation from the cartridge 340 . the cartridge 340 has an open end 360 which receives the preparation , and has a removable cap 370 . the present invention further provides a method of administering to the skin in the area in which hair growth is desired , an amount effective for achieving said desired effect , of the formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention using a delivery device as described in the preceding paragraphs . depending on the actual formulation and prostaglandin analogue to be used , various amounts of the drug and different dose regimens may be employed . typically , the daily amount of prostaglandin for treatment of the eyelid may be about 0 . 1 ng to about 100 mg per eyelid , more preferably about 1 ng to about 100 μg per eyelid . effective amounts of the active derivatives will vary depending on the derivative employed , frequency of application and desired result , but will generally range from about 0 . 0000001 % to about 50 % by weight of the dermatological preparation . the actual dose of the active ingredients of the present invention depends on the specific compound , and on the condition to be treated . determination and selection of such appropriate dose is well within the knowledge of the skilled artisan . in this example , various preparations were prepared and used in studies conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of targeted application of the improved formulations and / or cosmeceuticals of the present invention in promoting eyelash growth . the preparations were prepared in accordance with methods and procedures known and understood by those skilled in the art . the following preparations were prepared : preparation a — xalatan ® ( latanoprost 0 . 005 %), 0 . 5 % carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc ); preparation b — travatan ® ( travoprost 0 . 004 %), 0 . 5 % carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc ); and preparation c — lumigan ® ( bimatoprost 0 . 03 %), 0 . 5 % carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc ). protocol . patients were treated and studied using the following protocol : the preparation was applied to eyelids of the patient once a day for nine weeks . importantly , the preparations were carefully applied only to the base of the eyelashes using a specialized eyeliner brush . measurements of the length of each patient &# 39 ; s eyelashes were taken prior to treatment (“ baseline ”), and at time intervals of approximately 3 weeks , 6 weeks , and 9 weeks thereafter . in the studies , ten patients were treated with preparation a , three patients were treated with preparation b , and six patients were treated with preparation c . results . preparation a : with specific reference to the increase in length of the eyelashes above the baseline starting point , the average amount of eyelash growth was not measurable ( i . e ., no growth beyond baseline starting point ) at 3 weeks or at 6 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at an average of 0 . 5 mm ( range of 0 mm - 1 mm ) at 9 weeks . no thickening or darkening of the eyelashes was observed in any of the patients . preparation b : with specific reference to the increase in length of the eyelashes above the baseline starting point , the average amount of eyelash growth was measured at 2 . 5 mm ( range : 2 mm - 3 mm ) at 3 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at 7 . 0 mm ( range 4 . 0 mm - 9 . 0 mm ) at 6 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at an average of 10 . 5 mm ( range : 8 mm - 12 mm ) at 9 weeks . all 3 patients experienced a significant and noticeable increase in the length of their eyelashes . in addition , all 3 patients noted both a thickening of their eyelashes as well as a darkening of the lashes , and 2 patients also reported an actual increase in the number of eyelashes along the lid margin . preparation c : with specific reference to the increase in length of the eyelashes above the baseline starting point , the average amount of eyelash growth was measured at 2 mm ( range : 1 mm - 3 mm ) at 3 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at 6 mm ( range from 3 mm - 8 mm ) at 6 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at an average of 10 mm ( range of 8 mm - 12 mm ) at 9 weeks . all 6 patients experienced a significant and noticeable increase in the length of their eyelashes . in addition , all 6 patients noted both a thickening of their eyelashes as well as a darkening of the lashes , and 3 patients also reported an actual increase in the number of eyelashes along the lid margin . importantly , one of the patients in the preparation c treatment group had recently undergone aggressive chemotherapy for a recurrence of metastatic breast cancer . after her chemotherapy , 90 % of her previously long eyelashes fell out . the few remaining eyelashes were noted to be sparse , short , light in coloration , and narrow in diameter . after treatment with preparation c , a remarkable increase in the number , length , and thickness of the eyelashes was noted . these lashes were also noted to be darker in color . in addition , the response to preparation c was rapid ; that is , after 3 weeks , several new eyelashes had begun to sprout , and the remaining eyelashes had grown ˜ 3 mm . after 6 weeks , many additional new growth sprouts were noted , and there was a significant increase in the length of the existing lashes ( 8 mm of growth ). after 9 weeks , the increased length of the existing lashes was 12 mm . this result suggests the possibility that stimulation of eyelash growth with a prostaglandin analogue , in individuals who have lost their eyelashes due to aggressive chemotherapy , may be an especially effective and helpful treatment , both cosmetically and in terms of helping their self - image . in this example , a study was performed wherein one patient was treated using preparation b and preparation c , alternating daily for a period of nine weeks . preparation b was applied to the base of the eyelashes once a day on the “ even ” days of the month , and preparation c applied to the base of the eyelashes once a day on the “ odd ” days of the month . with specific reference to the increase in length of the eyelashes above the baseline starting point , the average amount of eyelash growth was measured at 3 . 5 mm at 3 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at 8 . 5 mm at 6 weeks . average eyelash growth was measured at an average of 11 . 5 mm at 9 weeks . in addition , at 3 weeks the patient noted a significant increase in the number of eyelashes along the lid margin , as well as a darkening and thickening of the new eyelashes . the results of this study suggest that a regime of daily alternating applications of preparation b and preparation c to the eyelid margins may be more effective in stimulating new eyelash growth than either preparation by itself . all of the articles and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the articles and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . all such variations and equivalents apparent to those skilled in the art , whether now existing or later developed , are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . all patents , patent applications , and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains . all patents , patent applications , and publications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes and to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety for any and all purposes . the invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element ( s ) not specifically disclosed herein . thus , for example , in each instance herein any of the terms “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ”, and “ consisting of ” may be replaced with either of the other two terms . the terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . thus , it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features , modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art , and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims .
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referring to fig1 a graph 90 resulting from the trivial example discussed in the summary of the invention section is illustrated . blocks 10 , 20 , 30 , and 40 represent the nodes . block 10 represents the choice of the one bit quantizer used to encode the bits on the left side and block 20 , the choice of the one bit quantizer to encode the bits on the right side . block 30 represents the choice of the two bit quantizer used to encode the bits on the left side and block 40 , the choice of the two bit quantizer to encode the bits on the right side . a starting node s and an end node e are also defined to indicate the starting node and the ending node of the optimization problem respectively . each node , including 10 - 40 , s and e is linked with another node by a directed line segment , also called a “ transition ” in some of the art . the lines indicating transitions 45 , 50 , 55 , 60 , 65 , 70 , 75 , and 80 are directed such that progress is only permitted in the left - to - right direction as indicated by the arrows . each node 10 - 40 has associated with it a distortion cost . as discussed in the summary section , each node 10 - 40 also has associated with it a bit requirement for encoding the corresponding image portion ( l , r ). the total bits required so far are also stored within the node . after initializing the graph 90 and a heap ( not shown ) ( with the starting node s , s having zero distortion ( cost ) and zero “ bit requirement ”), the a * algorithm begins by calculating the distortion and bit requirement ( i . e ., sum of distortion from s to the node ) for each of the neighboring nodes 10 and 30 . if the total bit requirement for a node is below the stipulated ceiling , then the total distortion ( and pointer to the node ) is placed in the heap , with the one corresponding to the lower total distortion rising to the top . if the node corresponding to the lower distortion is node 10 , then its neighbors 20 and 40 will be expanded next ; that is , the distortion and bit rates corresponding to each calculated and added to the base distortion and bit rate corresponding to node 10 . thus , node 20 will have a distortion which is the total of nodes 10 and 20 and s and similarly for node 40 . also , the totals for the bit rates will be calculated as well . if both are below the bit rate budget , the values of the total distortions will be placed on the heap . if not , only the distortion value that corresponds to the path within the bit budget will be placed in the heap . within each node , a pointer to the best “ parent ” node is maintained . the parent is the node that imparted the lowest cost . in this example , parents are to the left of each node , and are indicated as 81 to 85 . the final path is traced from e to s and is then reversed to give the optimal path . the lower of the two final results , assuming both are within the bit budget , will be the provisional optimized path . recall that the optimization problem can have a time limit for the compression operation . if there is time left in the time limit , then the neighborhood of node 30 may be expanded if this total distortion is less than the distortion at e . in the hypothetical example , the rate and distortion corresponding to the transitions 70 and 80 are identical to those for the transitions 50 and 75 , but in general this may not be the case , depending on the compression problem . the process would continue as for node 10 with the result that the values at nodes 20 and 40 are not improved , and therefore they are not added to the heap . the lower total distortion node — let node 40 be lower for this example — will be next to expand . since 60 has transition cost ( zero ), then e is reached . this may signal the end of the search . if there were other values in the heap , having values less than node 40 , the search could proceed further . note that in this case , the end node is a stand - in and transitions 55 and 60 are not be associated with any incremental rate or distortion , so the search goes directly to e when either node 20 or 40 is reached . after as many searches as can be done — in the present case there is only one expansion possible for each of the two possible beginning transitions — the parent node giving the lowest total distortion cost is chosen . referring to fig2 which is from u . s . pat . no . 5 , 778 , 192 for “ method and device for optimal bit allocation between different sources of information in digital video compression ,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein , a lowest cost path search problem identified with video compression is illustrated . the diagram of fig2 represents a multi - level trellis that represents the allowed choices of quantizers for a 32 pixel by 32 pixel image block in which the block is segmented using a quadtree structure that is permitted to be developed down to level 3 . that is , segments of 8 by 8 , 16 by 16 , and 32 by 32 are permitted . the quadtree structure corresponds to the white ovals 115 , 120 , and 125 , each of which designates a set of nodes , for example 110 , 130 , and 140 , which are indicated by the black dots . note that only representative ones of the ovals and nodes are labeled with reference numerals to keep the drawing from being overly busy . although only two nodes 110 , 111 , 112 , 130 , and 140 are shown in each set , the number can be any number of nodes , each corresponding to the number of admissible state values for the individual blocks at different levels . in other words , each node corresponds to a choice of quantizer for a particular aspect of the video stream . the scheme discussed in the above - identified patent is a motion compensation scheme . in that scheme , the auxiliary nodes , start s , and termination z , are used to initialize the differential pulse code modulation ( dpcm ) of the motion vectors and to select the path with the smallest total cost from a rate / distortion standpoint . as discussed in the above patent , the goal is to identify a path through the trellis that corresponds to the lowest total rate / distortion cost . the path must be made up of allowed transitions , e . g ., 100 , 101 , and 102 . this amounts to the problem of allocating an available bit budget among various different kinds of data . in the example from the above - mentioned patent , there are three critical types of data involved in a particular kind of compression scheme : segmentation , motion vectors , and prediction error . for purposes of understanding the invention , the details of the compression scheme are not important because many compression schemes give rise to such graph search problems , even though many may not be representable as a trellis . the complex optimization problem in all cases results because of the difficulty presented by the fact that the amount of distortion suffered by forsaking one bit for a particular type of data is not equivalent to that suffered by the forsaking of another bit representing some other type of data . the basic objective is to optimally encode a given frame or video sequence in the rate - distortion sense . that is , optimally allocate bits , given bit budget of a given the encoding scheme , that will result in the smallest possible distortion or vice versa . for purposes of the invention , the particulars of the encoding scheme and the particulars of the graph search problem resulting from it are unimportant as long as the graph search problem has the following characteristics : 1 . the topology of the path space defines a directed graph consisting of a set of nodes with some allowed transitions therebetween . some nodes may not be reachable from other nodes and cyclic connections are permissible . 2 . a cost , to be optimized , can be defined for each transition . the cost must be non - negative . 3 . the cost at each node may be a function of prior nodes included in the path . there must be a start and at least one goal or terminating condition , but these can be arbitrarily defined as in the simple example discussed above . referring now to fig3 the neighborhood of the starting node s is expanded first . this is the first step in the stepwise propagation of a least - cost wave . a bit rate and distortion is calculated for each transition 147 , 148 , 145 , 146 , 149 , and 151 , which encompasses the neighborhood of the starting node s . all distortion values are placed in the heap 5 . the rate is also calculated , and is stored in each node . a pointer from each node to the start is also added . assuming the transition 145 to the node 130 corresponds to the lowest distortion cost that remains under the bit rate ceiling , the node 130 will rise to the top of the heap causing the neighborhood of node 130 to be expanded as shown in fig4 and costs and rates calculated for each of a new set of transitions 173 . further , the “ best path ” parent is also identified . in this figure , we omit the parent arrows for graphical simplicity . this process continues until , as illustrated in fig5 a final optimized path 210 that reaches the end node z is found . again , the process can continue , beginning with the lowest remaining total cost node , to find a more global optimum , unless some time , other constraint prevents it , of it the total cost is not less than that of z . referring to fig6 a device for implementing the processes on a data stream is illustrated . a data source 310 applies a data stream to a processor 300 that is programmed to implement a compression algorithm optimizing quantizers in accord with the invention . the processor then outputs a compressed video data stream 320 . referring to fig7 a flow chart illustrates a process in which a data stream is compressed in an environment that imposes a time limit , or processing resource limit , on the compression process . a new set of data is accepted in step s 10 . for example , a video frame could be accepted for processing in step s 10 . a timer is then initialized in step s 15 ( or a processing resource quantifier ). the timer is then checked for expiration in step s 20 and if there is time ( or processing resources ) remaining , a new optimal path is propagated according to the optimal path algorithm discussed above in step s 25 . flow then returns to input a new set of data at step s 10 . if the timer times out in step s 20 , a best ( least cost ) path among the candidate paths found in each iteration of step s 25 is identified in step s 30 . then , in step s 35 , the data is compressed according to the quantizers identified in step s 30 , the compressed data is output , and the process flows back to step s 10 . it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments , and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes 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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the preferred embodiment is directed to etching the top working surface of a wafer to form a silicon stylus with a predetermined geometry . here and throughout the descriptions , working surfaces refer to the surfaces of interest that a specified operation is being performed on . for ease of presentation , “ top ” refers to the working surfaces of the wafer that are part of the silicon stylus formed or to be formed , while “ bottom ” refers to working surfaces that are not part of the silicon stylus to be formed or formed . the wafer is typically either a silicon wafer , a p - doped silicon wafer , an n - doped silicon wafer , a p - doped silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) wafer or a n - doped silicon - on - insulator wafer . fig1 a - 1d show steps for making a silicon nitride layer with a protruding silicon stylus . a wafer 50 is provided with a top silicon working surface 52 and a bottom silicon working surface 54 . the wafer 50 is a silicon wafer or a silicon - on - insulator wafer . in the case shown , the wafer is a silicon wafer that is p - doped , n - doped or un - doped silicon . the top working surface 52 , as shown in fig1 a , has been etched , according to known techniques , the details of which are readily available to produce a silicon stylus 60 with a height from 0 . 1 μm to 50 μm , but typically about 10 μm . the silicon stylus 60 is a tapered silicon structure that has an apex 62 and a base 64 , as shown in fig1 a . note that the silicon stylus 60 can be doped at any time during the method described when the silicon stylus or stylus apex is exposed . the preferred method for doping the stylus is by ion implantation , but any known method may be employed . notably , doping is useful for altering the conductivity of the tip itself . there are many reasons to control the conductivity including reducing electrostatic effects during dynamic operation , and having the ability to use the tip as an electrical ohmic point probe or an electric field probe . when using the tip 60 in such electrical applications , a metal element ( not shown ) may be connected from the tip 60 to the die or probe mount ( not shown ) in order to facilitate connection to the instrument . doping may also be changed in order to use the high doping as an etch stop , for example , in order to make a “ shell ” tip . it is well known that silicon highly doped with boron is an effective etch stop in silicon anisotropic etches ( i . e ., koh , edp , tmah ). by intensely boron doping the tip , the body of the tip can be etched away from the back side , leaving only the outside shell of the tip . this is advantageous because it will reduce the mass of the tip without affecting its functionality . operationally , the benefit of a lower mass tip is that it will cause the resonant frequency of the device to increase . higher resonant frequency cantilevers , with similar spring constants , have been shown to provide higher resolutions and faster responses when used as sensors . turning to fig1 b , a silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ) layer 66 , is grown over the wafer including the silicon stylus 60 . this layer is grown in conventional fashion in a manner that will cause the silicon tip to become sharper . an example of this would be an oxidation step using steam at 950 degrees c ., a well known process . the thickness of the resulting oxide layer should be great enough to serve as an etch stop for the subsequent silicon nitride etch . typically , 0 . 25 nm is a preferred thickness for the oxide layer . a silicon nitride layer 68 is then deposited over the silicon dioxide layer 66 . the silicon nitride layer 68 is deposited by one of a group including chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition , chemical deposition , evaporation and sputtering , and is preferably 10 nm to 10 μm thick . as will become apparent , it is the oxide layer 66 that operates not only as an etch stop but as an intermediate “ bonding ” layer between the silicon tip and the silicon nitride cantilever . a protective coating 70 is then deposited on the silicon nitride layer 68 . preferably , coating 70 is a photoresist applied by spin coating , so that the coating thickness is less than the height of the silicon nitride covered silicon stylus 60 . an additional lithography step , which clears any resist from the apex 62 of tip 60 , could be used at this point . more particularly , the height of the tip 60 is known from prior processing . and , the properties of the resist are typically well known by the manufacturer , with the resist typically being provided with a look - up table that contains values for the final resist thickness for different spin speeds and durations . notably , even though the apexes of the tips may be covered by the initial application of the resist , the subsequent spin planarazation will clear them adequately . if this is a concern , a quick resist etch may be applied to clear any residual resist “ scum ” from the apex 62 . this process will leave a very thin coating , to no coating , of resist on the apex of the stylus . turning to fig1 c , a silicon nitride covered silicon stylus 60 is etched to expose the underlying silicon dioxide layer 66 , but not over - etched to the point that the silicon stylus 60 is exposed . the etch control is accomplished by knowing the etch rates of both the film being etched , the etch stop , and the etch mask of the particular etch tool being used . with these numbers , along with knowledge of the thickness of the film being etched , the etch stop , and the etch mask , a process window can be calculated that will give a range of etch times that will clear the stylus without clearing the etch stop or the etch mask . if these calculations do not yield an adequate etch window , the etch process or etch tool must be changed to increase the selectivity of the etch to the etch stop and the etch mask . this protects the apex 62 of the stylus 60 from this etch , and the subsequent cantilever release etch . in many cases , the combination of the etch selectivity between silicon nitride 68 and the resist 70 , and the height of the silicon nitride coated stylus will require multiple coatings of resist 70 to be applied . this would occur if all the resist is etched off the wafer before the silicon nitride on the silicon stylus is completely removed . the old resist can optionally be stripped off and new resist applied , and the etch continued . notably , during the clearing of the apex it is often convenient to pattern the shape of the cantilever . this is done by standard photolithography either during the stylus clearing or in a subsequent lithography step . it should be noted that photoresist need only be used if lithography is employed . otherwise polyimides , epoxies , waxes , etc . can be used for the tip definition . also , consumption of resist by the etch can be used , in conjunction with the total resist thickness , to tailor the amount of the stylus 60 that will be exposed . after the stylus has been exposed by the etch , the remaining resist is removed from the top silicon working surface of the wafer in conventional fashion . turning to fig1 d , a device is now released by etching away the back side silicon . this etch is stopped when the silicon is removed from under the silicon nitride layer 68 ( i . e ., cantilever ), but before the silicon stylus 60 is removed . in the case of an soi wafer , the middle oxide is used as an etch stop . the silicon dioxide layer 66 may then be removed . the protective oxide layer is preferably removed in an etch that is highly selective to silicon nitride and silicon , such as 6 : 1 buffered oxide etch , so that the characteristics of the tip ( for example , sharpness ) are not compromised . as a result , the silicon dioxide is removed without unbonding the silicon tip 60 from the silicon nitride cantilever . in sum , an oxide layer 66 is inserted so that the tip 1 ) is protected to the end of the process ( i . e ., the oxide operates as a passivating layer ), and 2 ) is coupled to the silicon nitride , albeit via the oxide . in the completed device , the tip 60 is cleared of oxide on its apex , but again not in the region that affixes the tip 60 to the silicon nitride 68 . therefore , the method removes the silicon nitride from the tip 60 while at the same time preserves the designed characteristics of the tip . notably , because the oxide passivation layer protects the tip throughout the entire process , including the exposing of the apex , but also through the release of the cantilever structure , the step of releasing the cantilever 68 via the backside silicon wafer etch does not ruin the tip 60 . a reflective coating 72 may then be deposited on a back side 74 of the cantilever 68 . again , this coating 72 may serve multiple purposes including , for example , a surface for reflecting a laser beam toward a photodetector in an optical beam - bounce measurement apparatus . the reflective coating can optionally be applied , in process , on the front side of the cantilever . this is advantageous because the reflective coating can be patterned into a specific shape . an example of a useful shape would be a reflective coating near the free end of the cantilever but not on the base of the cantilever . this configuration also would minimize the residual bending of the cantilever due to stress in the applied reflective film , and bending from thermal effects . fig2 a - 2d illustrate steps for making a silicon nitride layer with a protruding silicon stylus and a front side reflective coating . the process is the same as with respect to fig1 a - 1d , only now a reflective film 80 is deposited over the silicon nitride 68 . this film 80 may or may not be patterned separately from patterning the cantilever structure . the film is patterned separately when the desired shape of the reflector is different from the desired shape of the cantilever . this may be done to optimize cantilever parameters such as stress or reflectivity . if patterned separately , it is removed from the stylus stack before the silicon nitride stylus clearing etch . if a separate lithography is not used , this reflective coating can be cleared in the same manner as the silicon nitride 68 , only with a suitable etch . an additional lithography , which clears the resist 70 from the apex 62 of the tip 60 , could be used at this point . notably , the process illustrated in fig2 a - 2d is contrary to conventional practice in , for example , producing probes for surface analysis tools such as an atomic force microscope . again , in conventional production , the metal reflector is disposed on the back side of the cantilever in the final step of production because the laser used in the measurement apparatus ( e . g ., using an optical beam - bounce technique ) is typically reflected off the back side of the cantilever . and , in conventional production , the last step is the first time the back side of the cantilever is revealed so it cannot be deposited earlier in the process . the result of the process illustrated in fig2 d is a reflector on the front side of the cantilever , disposed in process prior to the back side being revealed . because the cantilever is transparent , a suitable reflector results , much how the metalization on a household mirror is disposed on the far side of the glass . this technique has significant advantages including the fact that the metal reflector can be shaped , and thus can be kept separate from critical elements . moreover , it is easier to process and more robust , and stress can be better controlled because the substrate is more stable . and , the process yields less worry about residual coating of the tip 60 because the reflective film 80 is actively etched away . moreover , this technique is particularly useful when producing thin cantilevers that need reflectors . the afm industry , for one , seems to be moving towards thinner levers , and therefore thinners reflectors . this process of producing a front side reflector can offer improvements over bulk back side coating because , as noted above , by patterning the reflector just where you need it , you can eliminate stress problems and thermal drift problems . fig3 a - 3d illustrate the fundamental steps for making a silicon nitride layer with a protruding metal stylus 90 . the same process is used as in forming the silicon stylus ( fig1 a - 1d ), only the etch is not stopped when the field silicon is clear , but when all the silicon is consumed , as shown in fig3 c . if an soi wafer is used , an extra oxide etch must be inserted , as appreciated by those skilled in the art . a metal film 90 is then deposited from the back side of the cantilever until the hole or aperture 92 formed by the removed silicon stylus is filled with metal and metal protrudes beyond silicon nitride cantilever to define stylus or tip 90 . the result of the deposition will be the formation of a metal tip 90 with electrical contact to the base of the cantilever . notably , the metal tip will be self - sharpening to a degree . as the aperture closes the apex will come to a point . however , it typically is not nearly as sharp as the silicon tip . this is acceptable as “ metal tip ” applications usually do not require a tip as sharp as applications that require a silicon tip . fig4 a and 4b illustrate the fundamental steps for making a silicon nitride layer with a protruding thermally sensitive stylus . the structure of fig3 a to 3d is formed and therefore the previous steps will not be repeated . thereafter , a dissimilar metal 100 is then deposited on the front or top surface 102 of the cantilever . the junction of the two metals 90 , 100 , which only occurs substantially at the apex 110 of tip 108 , forms a thermocouple . as previously noted , it is well known that dissimilar metals in contact will produce a voltage that is proportional to temperature . electrical contact is made to the thermocouple from contacting the respective metals 90 , 100 on the mounting section area 104 , 106 , respectively . turning to fig5 , a method 110 of producing a silicon nitride cantilever having a silicon tip is shown . initially , in block 112 , a substrate , such as a silicon wafer or a silicon - on - insulator wafer , is provided . then , one or more tips or styluses are formed on the working surface of the substrate in block 114 . at this point , an optional doping step may be performed to alter the make - up of the silicon stylus ( es ) in block 116 , as described previously . again , this doping step may be performed to alter electrical properties of the tip , or to form a “ shell ” tip , etc . next , in block 118 , an oxide layer is deposited on the top working surface of the substrate . preferably , this oxide layer acts as a sharpening step that results in a silicon dioxide layer residing on the silicon substrate including the silicon tips . then , a cantilever material layer ( preferably , silicon nitride ) is deposited on the silicon dioxide layer in block 120 . once the silicon nitride layer is formed so as to provide a cantilever having a selected thickness , a protective coating is deposited on the top working surface in block 122 . preferably , this is a spin coated resist that is deposited in conventional fashion . in block 124 , the apex of the tip is cleared of the silicon nitride . this is accomplished by using an appropriate etch . notably , the shape of the cantilever can be patterned in an optional operation as part of block 124 . importantly , upon completion of clearing the apex in block 124 , the protective silicon dioxide layer remains on the tip . in block 126 , the cantilever is released by etching away the silicon from the back side of the wafer . notably , the integrity of the characteristics of the tip are maintained in this step due to the fact that the silicon dioxide layer remains on the tip . once the cantilever is released in block 126 , the silicon dioxide on the tip ( and back side of substrate ) is removed using an appropriate etch so as to not compromise the integrity ( e . g ., sharpness ) of the tip in block 128 . then , in block 130 , a reflective coating is deposited on the cantilever of the probe from the back side working surface . of course , as highlighted above in discussing fig2 a - 2d , this reflective coating may be deposited on the front side working surface of the wafer during formation of the cantilever , after deposition of the silicon nitride layer in block 120 . method 110 is terminated in block 132 , to produce a scanning probe device suitable for use in , for example , an atomic force microscope . although the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out the present invention is disclosed above , practice of the present invention is not limited thereto . it will be manifest that various additions , modifications and rearrangements of the features of the present invention may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept . the scope of still other changes to the described embodiments that fall within the present invention but that are not specifically discussed above will become apparent from the appended claims .
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fig1 schematically shows the components of a vehicle with two - axle steering , to the extent that they are needed to comprehend the invention . the vehicle , not shown in further detail , has a front axle 1 and a rear axle 3 , each of which is embodied as steerable . to that end , each axle has a translationally movable steering gear 5 , which is movable by means of a hydraulic cylinder 7 . the hydraulic cylinder 7 of the front axle 1 communicates via hydraulic lines 9 , 11 with connections a , b of a 6 / 4 - steering mode selection valve 13 . other connections c , d of the steering mode selection valve 13 communicate with the hydraulic cylinder 7 of the rear axle 3 via hydraulic lines 16 , 17 . if one of the hydraulic cylinders 7 is acted upon by the hydraulic medium on one side , then the applicable steering gear 5 of the respective axle 1 , 3 moves in the direction determined by the pressure force and induces a corresponding steering operation . the swiveling motion of the applicable wheel is attained by means of one schematically shown steering suspension each . for instance , if the hydraulic cylinder 7 of the front axle is acted upon with the pressure medium via the line 9 , then the steering gear 5 moves to the right , creating the steering motion of the wheels of the front axle 1 toward the left . correspondingly , by action on the hydraulic cylinders 7 , the desired steering motions of the axles 1 , 3 can be brought about . the steering mode selection valve 13 has two further connections l , r , which are connected via hydraulic lines 9 , 21 to a steering controller 23 of the vehicle . the steering controller 23 includes a unit 25 whose outputs are connected to the hydraulic lines 19 , 21 . the unit 25 is coupled to a steering wheel 27 of the vehicle . when the steering wheel 27 is turned to the left , the unit 25 brings about an inflow of hydraulic medium into the line 19 . correspondingly , when the steering wheel is turned to the right the unit 25 brings about an inflow of hydraulic medium into the hydraulic line 21 in the direction of the steering mode selection valve 13 . the quantity of hydraulic medium delivered into the respective line 19 , 21 depends on the rotational angle of the steering wheel 27 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the steering mode selection valve 13 has four switching positions , marked i , ii , ii , iv . switching position i defines exclusive control of the vehicle by means of the front axle ( front - axle steering ), while switching position iii defines exclusive control of the vehicle by means of the rear axle 3 ( rear - axle steering ). switching position ii brings about two - axle steering , in which the front axle 1 and rear axle 3 are each triggered in the same direction . in other words , at the same time , a steering motion of both the front and rear axle to the right or left is generated at the same time . the switching position iv brings about so - called crab steering of the vehicle , in which the front axle 1 and the rear axle 3 are each triggered in opposite directions . in other words , if at the front axle 1 a steering motion to the left is brought about , then at the rear axle 3 a steering motion to the right is generated , and vice versa . to select the steering modes in switching positions i - iv , the steering mode selection valve 13 has an actuating arrangement 29 . the actuating arrangement includes at least one or more mechanical actuators for actuating the valve positions , and the selection of valve positions can be done by means of electrical triggering ( not shown ) of the actuating arrangement . fig2 a shows the schematic layout of the steering mode selection valve 13 of the invention ; switching position iii is shown , that is , rear - axle steering of the vehicle . as can be seen from fig2 a , the 6 / 4 - way valve 13 is formed by a total of seven 2 / 2 - way valves 31 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 43 , which communicate via hydraulic lines in such a way that the switching positions i - iv of the steering mode selection valve 13 can be realized by means of corresponding switching positions of the 2 / 2 - way valves 31 - 43 . the 2 / 2 - way valves are embodied as seat valves , each of which has one open position and one blocked position . embodying them as seat valves offers the advantage that in the blocked state , no leakage whatever occurs . each of the 2 / 2 - way valves are actuated by means of resilient elements 31a - 43a in such a way that if the actuating motion is absent they are transferred to the blocked state . for actuating the position - seat valves 31 - 43 , these valves each have a respective tappet 31b - 43b . the actuating arrangement 29 of the exemplary embodiment shown in fig2 a - 2d includes a shaft 45 , on which cam disks 47 , 49 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 57 , 59 are provided . the cam disks 47 - 59 are solidly joined to the shaft 45 , so that upon a rotation of the shaft 45 , the tappets 31b - 43b of the position - seat valves 31 - 43 are actuated in the desired way by the cam disks . to that end , it is understood that the contours and phase relationships of the cam disks be selected in a suitable way . in the rear axle steering shown in fig2 a , only the cam disks 53 and 61 act upon the valves 33 and 39 , so that in each case a connection of the input l to the output d and a connection of the input r to the output c of the steering mode selection valve 13 is made . all the other position - seat valves are in the blocked state . fig2 b , conversely , shows switching position i of the steering mode selection valve 13 , i . e ., front - axle steering , in which the input l is connected to the output a , and the input r is connected to the output b . to that end , as can be seen in fig2 b , only the position - seat valves 35 and 43 are in the open position and to that end are acted upon in a suitable way by the cam disks 57 and 59 , respectively . all the other position - seat valves are again in the blocked state . fig2 c shows two - axle steering of the vehicle , in which the input l of the steering , mode selection valve 13 is connected to the output a and the input r is connected to the output c , and furthermore the outputs b and d are connected to one another . thus when pressure is exerted by the line 19 , for instance , the front axle 1 undergoes a steering motion to the left ( pressure imposition by the line 9 ) and by pressure imposition through line 17 as a consequence of the communication with the &# 34 ; return line &# 34 ; 11 , a steering motion to the left is also brought about at the rear axle 3 . as can be seen in fig2 c , to that end the position - seat valves 31 , 35 and 39 are controlled to the open state . this is done by a corresponding rotation of the shaft 45 via the cam disks 49 , 51 and 57 associated with the respective seat valves . finally , fig2 d shows the switching positions of the position - seat valves 31 - 43 for the switching position iv of the steering mode selection valve 13 , that is , for so - called crab steering . a s can be seen from fig1 to this end the input l may be connected to the output a , and the input r must be connected to the output d , and the output b must also be connected to the output c of the valve . to achieve this , the seat valves 35 , 37 , 41 must be directed to the closed state ( see fig2 d ). all the other seat valves are in the blocked state . in this switching position , when pressure is exerted through the line 19 , for instance , the front axle 1 is steered to the left , while the rear axle 3 , because of the communication of the &# 34 ; return line &# 34 ; 11 with the line 15 , is steered to the right . in order upon a rotation of the shaft 45 to direct only the appropriate seat valves into the open state , the cam disks must have the form and angular position relative to one another that can be seen in fig2 a - 2d . these depend naturally on the orientation of the tappets 31b through 43b of the seat valves 31 - 43 . in this respect , the embodiment of the cam disks in fig2 a - 2d should be considered merely a schematic example . as can be seen in fig2 a , the actuating arrangement 29 can have an actuating gear or detent locking gear 61 . the actuating gear comprises a toothed wheel 63 , which is solidly connected to the shaft 45 and is acted upon by an actuating element 65 in the form of a displaceable tappet . the tappet 65 is retained in an outset position by a spring 67 and can be deflected vertically downward , in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig2 a , by means of an electromagnet 69 . this causes a rotation of the toothed wheel 63 and thus of the shaft 45 . the deflection of the actuating element 65 by the electromagnet 69 should be dimensioned such that upon each displacement motion of the actuating element 65 , the toothed wheel 63 is rotated onward by an angular amount corresponding to one tooth each time . after each displacement motion of the actuating element 65 , this element is moved back again to the outset position by the spring 67 , so that upon another activation of the electromagnet 69 , another indexing onward of the actuating gear by one tooth of the toothed wheel 63 takes place . to prevent reverse rotation of the toothed wheel 63 , a locking latch 71 , embodied as a spring - impinged displaceable tappet , engages the teeth of the toothed wheel 63 . it is understood that any arbitrary other actuating gear may be used , instead of the embodiment shown in fig2 a - 2d . in principle , an electric motor rotary drive is also suitable for moving the shaft 45 . however , using an actuating gear has the advantage that at least in the switching positions , detent positions exist . to that end , naturally the actuating gear may also be embodied such that on each shifting operation of the actuating gear ( by one tooth ), a transition occurs from one switching position i - iv of the steering mode selection valve 13 to the respective next switching position . moreover , the use of an actuating gear makes it possible in a relatively simple way to achieve manual emergency actuation of the gear , in case the electromagnetic actuation of the actuating element 65 fails . fig3 shows concrete embodiment for the actuating gear 61 , in section . the toothed wheel 63 , which is solidly joined to the shaft 45 ( not shown in fig3 ) is surrounded by an annular element 73 , which together with a driving element or pin 75 guided substantially radially displaceably in the annular element 73 forms the actuating element 65 . the annular element 73 is surrounded on its outside by a curved resilient element 76 , which with its resilient leg acts upon the outside of the pin 75 , while a bent - over region of the other end of the spring 76 , for the sake of connection with the annular element 73 , engages a slit in the annular element 73 . the entire actuating gear 61 is disposed in a housing 77 of the steering mode selection valve 13 . also disposed in this housing 77 is the locking latch 71 , which has a pin that acts upon the teeth of the toothed wheel 63 . the pin is held displaceably and under spring action in a part that is screwed into the housing 77 . am o ring 79 for sealing purposes is disposed between the housing 77 and the retaining part of the locking latch 71 . the annular element 73 , with a portion of its circumference , engages the inside of a fork 81 and is connected to the ends of the fork by means of a pivot pin 63 . upon a substantially vertical motion of the fork 81 , accordingly , this substantially translational motion is converted into a rotary motion of the annular element 73 . an end of the tappet 85 that is provided with a thread is screwed into the upper region of the fork 81 . the tappet engages the inside of a power region of a magnet tube 87 of the electromagnet 89 . the magnet tube has a male thread on its lower end , with which it is screwed into a bore with a female thread in the housing 77 . for sealing off from the housing 77 , an o ring 89 is again provided between a shoulder of the magnet tube 87 and the housing 77 . above the tappet 85 in the magnet tube 87 , a stationary element 91 of a ferromagnetic material , preferably steel , is provided . the element 91 has a central bore which is engaged by an upper region of the tappet 85 . below this upper region , the tappet 85 has a flange 85a , which is acted upon by a spring 93 that is supported by its lower end on the top of a nut 95 that is screwed from below into the magnet tube 87 . thus in the inactive state of the electromagnet 69 , the tappet 85 is moved with its flange 85a against the underside of the element 91 , and in this way an outset position of the tappet 85 or of the annular element 73 is defined . the nut 95 has a bore 95 a , which has a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tappet 85 . as a result , adequate play for the tappet 85 is made possible , so that upon a vertical motion the tappet can execute a slight tilting motion , which is necessary in order to create a rotary motion of the annular element 73 . on the other hand , the diameter of the bore 95a is selected to be small enough that adequate guidance of the tappet 85 is assured . inside the central bore of the element 91 , the tappet 85 is acted upon from above by a pin 97 , which is solidly joined to a main tappet 99 . the main tappet 99 is guided displaceably substantially in the upper half of the magnet tube 87 , that is , in a space above the element 91 . the magnet tube is encompassed by a winding 101 , whose terminals are extended outward into a plug element 103 . the plug element 103 can thus be coupled with a cable , not shown in further detail , so that in this way the winding 101 can be acted upon by current . when current is exerted on the winding 101 , the winding generates a magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit , which is formed by the armature parts of ferromagnetic material 105 , 107 , by the upper portion of the magnet tube 87 and by the main tappet 99 , as well as by the element 91 and the lower portion of the magnet tube 87 . to avoid a magnetic short circuit , the magnet tube 87 , in a middle region , has an insulating region 109 of a magnetically insulating material . in this way it is assured that when current is imposed on the winding 101 , the main tappet 99 together with the pin 97 is moved vertically downward . in this process the pin 97 acts upon the tappet 85 , thus generating a rotary motion of the annular element 73 , so that a shifting operation of the actuating gear is performed . for the sake of completeness , it will be noted that the winding 101 is naturally shielded from the armature part 105 by an insulating layer 111 . the armature parts 107 ( which may be embodied as disks ) and the armature part 105 are also surrounded by a further insulating layer 113 , to protect them against environmental factors and mechanical damage . on its upper end , the magnet tube 97 has a central bore , in which a manually actuatable emergency actuation pin is retained in displaceable fashion . this pin , on its lower end , has a region of widening diameter , so that together with an inner shoulder of the magnet tube 87 a stop is formed for the emergency actuation pin 115 . with its underside , the emergency actuation pin 115 acts upon the main tappet 99 , so that even if the electromechanical actuation by an imposition of current on the winding 101 fails , manual actuation of the actuating gear is still possible . to that end , the upper end of the emergency actuation pin 115 , which protrudes past the magnet tube 87 or is at least accessible at the upper end thereof , can be manually actuated .
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the present invention as shown in fig1 is a locking key ring 10 comprising a quarter turn lock cylinder assembly 12 including a cam lock 14 and a housing 16 , and a shackle 18 in the form of a key ring for supporting one or more keys k . the housing 16 preferably carries identifying and instructional data in the form of indicia i . the identifying information could include a company or an individual &# 39 ; s name , an address , and a phone number . the instructional information would inform a locksmith to notify an authority prior to duplicating the key or keys k . fig2 shows the locking key ring 10 further comprising an irregular shaped ninety degree turn stop 20 , a cylindrical bushing 22 , and a circular locking cam 24 . the cam lock 14 , as shown in fig1 has a key hole 26 disposed at a proximal end thereof and a tail shaft 28 ( in the form of a double - d shaft ) extending from a distal end . the tail shaft 28 carries the ninety degree turn stop 20 , the bushing 22 , and the locking cam 24 . the turn stop 20 and the locking cam 24 are each provided with an aperture which matingly engages the tail shaft 28 . without the presence of the turn stop 20 , the operating key ( not shown ) could rotate the tail shaft 28 indefinitely . the turn stop 20 functions in cooperation with a protrusion 30 extending from a lower rear portion of the cam lock 14 . it is this cooperative relationship which limits the rotational travel of the tail shaft 28 to ninety degrees or one quarter turn . the bushing 22 disposed between the turn stop 20 and the locking cam 24 provides a desired spatial separation between the turn stop 20 and the locking cam 24 . the locking cam 24 includes two semi - circular notches 32 disposed 180 degrees apart about the outer periphery thereof . the housing 16 contains the cam lock 14 , the turn stop 20 , the bushing 22 and the locking cam 24 . a pin 34 is engagable with a hole 36 in the housing 16 and a hole 38 in the cam lock 14 which coaligns with a hole 36 in the housing 16 . the pin 34 maintains the cam lock 14 in a position relative to the housing 16 retaining the cam lock 14 , the turn stop 20 , the bushing 22 and the locking cam 24 therein . two openings 40 are located at the rear of the housing 16 which are purposed to receive end portions of the shackle 18 . the shackle 18 is substantially u - shaped and the end portions thereof each include a reduced diameter end portion 42 and an intermediate shoulder 44 . referring now to fig2 and 3 , and more specifically to fig3 showing the relationship between the shackle 18 and the locking cam 24 . interiorly of the rear end of the housing is 16 disposed a blind hole 46 to accommodate the distal end of the tail shaft 28 . the space provided between the rear interior surface of the housing 16 and the rear surface of the cam lock 14 provides a loose fit for the turn stop 20 , the bushing 22 and the locking cam 24 disposed therebetween . the locking key ring 10 is shown in a locked position with the ninety degree turn stop 20 rotated fully clockwise and the locking cam 24 engaging the reduced diameter end portion 42 of the shackle or key ring 18 . the washer 22 maintains the locking cam 24 in a spaced apart relation relative to the ninety degree turn stop 20 . in this position , the shackle 18 is not removable from the rear of the housing 16 . the housing 16 is fixed relative to the cam lock 24 preventing the shackle 18 and the housing 16 alike from being rotated to release the shackle 18 . by turning the cam lock 14 counter clockwise ninety degrees rotating the tail shaft 28 and , in turn , the ninety degree turn stop 20 and locking cam 24 , the semi - circular openings 32 are aligned with the end portions of the shackle 18 permitting the shackle 18 to be released from the rear of the housing 16 . fig4 and 5 show an alternative locking key ring 110 comprising a lock assembly 112 including a cam lock 114 , a housing 116 and a rear housing plug 118 , and a shackle or a key ring 120 . the tail shaft 122 extending from the rear of the cam lock 114 is provided with a male thread which is threadably engagable with a female threaded aperture 124 centrally located in a forward portion of the rear housing plug 118 . elongated concave slots 126 are provided within the inner peripheral walls of the housing 116 and are spaced one hundred and eighty degrees apart . the rear housing plug 118 has a reduced diameter surface 128 and a head 130 . similar to the housing 116 , the reduced diameter surface 128 also has elongated concave slots 132 spaced one hundred and eighty degrees apart and which mutually align with respective elongated slots 126 located interiorly of the housing 116 . these slots 126 , 132 mutually align to form an elongated circular opening . the shackle 120 is substantially u - shaped and has substantially circular end portions 134 which are each engagable with a respective circular opening form by respective concave slots 126 , 132 . each end portion 134 of the shackle 120 further includes an offset segment 136 . notches 138 are provided in the rear shoulder 140 of the housing 116 adjacent the rear extremity of the elongated slot 126 . according to this embodiment , with an operating key ( not shown ), the tail shaft 122 may be rotated clockwise or counter clockwise indefinitely . to lock the shackle 120 in the locked position shown in fig5 the circular end portions 134 of the shackle 120 are inserted into the housing 116 and so as to engage the concave slots 126 therein . the aperture 124 in the plug 118 is aligned with the threaded tail shaft 122 while at the same time , the concave slots 132 associated with the plug 118 are aligned with both the circular end portions 134 and the concave slots 126 disposed interiorly of the housing 116 alike . as the tail shaft 122 is rotated clockwise , the plug 118 is drawn into the housing 116 until the shoulder 142 of the head 130 contacts the shoulder 140 of the housing 116 . with the tail shaft 122 fully engaging the aperture 124 in the plug 118 , the shackle 120 is intact . the circular end portions 134 occupy the circular openings defined by the mutually corresponding concave slots and the offset segments 136 each extend through the notches 138 . with the circular end portions 134 occupying the circular openings , the plug 118 remains fixed relative to the housing 116 and similar to the first embodiment , the housing 116 remains fixed relative to the cam lock 114 by a pin 144 mutually engagable with the housing 116 and the cam lock 114 . to disengage the shackle 120 , simply rotate the operating key counter clockwise which , in turn , rotates the tail shaft 122 counter clockwise causing the tail shaft 122 to disengage the aperture 124 further causing the plug 118 to egress from the housing 116 . it should be noted that the principle of the underlying invention remains irregardless of the materials and the particular configurations shown . the material used in fabricating the locking key rings 10 , 110 is not limited to a particular material and the configuration may be arranged in any suitable manner to produced the instant invention as claimed . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims .
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hereinafter , an explanation is given of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory according to embodiment 1 of the present invention with reference to the drawings . fig1 a to 1c , 2 a to 2 c and 3 are sectional views illustrating the steps of manufacturing a dram of a cub structure according to embodiment 1 of the present invention . according to the method of the present embodiment , in the step shown in fig1 a , an sti 1 is formed first to surround part of a silicon substrate 20 where a transistor will be formed . then , a gate insulating film 2 a of 6 nm in thickness is formed on the silicon substrate 20 . further , polysilicon ( not shown ) is deposited on the gate insulating film 2 a and then dry - etched using a mask ( not shown ) formed on the polysilicon , thereby forming a gate electrode 2 b of 150 nm in thickness which functions as a word line . then , ion implantation is carried out using the gate electrode 2 b as a mask to form an impurity diffusion layer 3 of 100 nm in thickness in part of the silicon substrate 20 located at each side of the gate electrode 2 b . then , a first interlayer insulating film 4 made of bpsg ( boron phospho - silicate glass ) is deposited on the silicon substrate 20 to cover the gate electrode 2 b . the first interlayer insulating film 4 is then planarized by cmp so that it has a uniform thickness of about 500 nm . then , in the step shown in fig1 b , a mask ( not shown ) is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 4 and etching is carried out to form a bit line contact hole ( not shown ) and a capacitor contact hole ( not shown ) which penetrate the first interlayer insulating film 4 to reach a drain region and a source region in the impurity diffusion layer 3 , respectively . then , the surfaces of the bit line contact hole and the capacitor contact hole are covered with barrier metals 5 a and 6 a made of tin of 10 nm in thickness , respectively , and the contact holes are filled with conductive films 5 b and 6 b made of tungsten , respectively . thus , a bit line contact 5 and a capacitor contact 6 are formed . then , an insulating film 7 such as a silicon nitride film of 50 nm in thickness is deposited on the first interlayer insulating film 4 . further , in the step shown in fig1 c , a second interlayer insulating film 8 of 800 nm in thickness made of bpsg is formed on the insulating film 7 . then , a resist mask ( not shown ) having an opening corresponding to a capacitor region is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 8 and dry etching is carried out to remove the second interlayer insulating film 8 and the insulating film 7 in the capacitor region . thus , a storage node hole 9 is formed . when viewed in plan , the top end part h 1 of the storage node hole 9 ( part of the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 closer to the top surface of the interlayer insulating film 8 ) is in the form of a rectangle having a long side length of 0 . 5 μm and a short side length of 0 . 2 μm . the storage node hole 9 is formed by two - step dry etching . more specifically , first dry etching is carried out using the insulating film 7 as an etch - stop to remove the second interlayer insulating film 8 until the surface of the insulating film 7 is exposed , and then second dry etching is carried out to selectively remove the exposed insulating film 7 . then , in the step shown in fig2 a , a tin film of 30 nm in thickness ( not shown ) is formed over the bottom surface and the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 and the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 outside the storage node hole 9 . then , a resist ( not shown ) is applied to the substrate and light exposure is carried out over the entire surface of the substrate to leave the resist ( not shown ) only in the storage node hole 9 . then , anisotropic etching is carried out to selectively remove the tin film , thereby forming a lower electrode 10 made of tin of 30 nm in thickness on the bottom surface and the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 . at this time , the anisotropic etching is carried out such that the tin film is removed by about 80 nm in thickness , thereby positioning the upper end of the lower electrode 10 lower than the top surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 by about 50 nm . that is , the lower electrode 10 is formed on the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 at a deeper position than the top surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 by about 50 nm or more . then , in the step shown in fig2 b , a capacitive insulating film 11 made of ta 2 o 5 of 20 nm in thickness is deposited over the lower electrode 10 and the second interlayer insulating film 8 . since the lower electrode 10 is positioned lower than the top surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 , part of the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 which is not in contact with the lower electrode 10 , i . e ., the surface of the top end part h 1 of the storage node hole 9 , comes into direct contact with the capacitive insulating film 11 . thereafter , a tin film of about 50 nm in thickness ( not shown ) is formed on the capacitive insulating film 11 to form an upper electrode 12 . then , in the step shown in fig2 c , a mask ( not shown ) having an opening in a bit line contact region is formed on the upper electrode 12 and etching is carried out to form an opening 17 . at this time , the upper electrode 12 is over - etched by about 30 %, i . e ., about 15 nm in terms of the tin film , so as not to leave the upper electrode 12 and the capacitive insulating film 11 in a bit line contact region the memory cell region and the other regions than the memory cell region . fig2 c shows that the opening 17 is misaligned from the desired position and the left end of the opening 17 reaches the capacitor in the storage node hole 9 . the misalignment of the opening 17 is derived from the mask ( not shown ) for forming the opening 17 which is misaligned from the desired position . then , in the step shown in fig3 , a third interlayer insulating film 13 of 600 nm in thickness made of bpsg is deposited on the upper electrode 12 and planarized by cmp such that the thickness thereof on the upper electrode 12 outside the storage node hole 9 is reduced to 200 nm . then , a bit line contact 14 is formed through the third interlayer insulating film 13 and the second interlayer insulating film 8 below the opening 17 to reach the bit line contact 5 . then , a first wiring layer 15 is formed on the third interlayer insulating film 13 to be in contact with the bit line contact 14 . through the above steps , a capacitor of a cub structure is obtained . hereinafter , the effect of the manufacturing method of the present embodiment will be described in comparison with that of the conventional method . in the conventional method , a margin c shown in fig8 b is narrowed as the device is further miniaturized . therefore , as shown in fig8 a , an opening 117 is misaligned and an upper electrode 112 at the top end part h 3 of a storage node hole 116 is removed to expose a capacitive insulating film 111 . on the other hand , in the present embodiment , the lower electrode 10 is positioned lower than the top surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 as shown in fig2 c . accordingly , at the top end part h 1 of the storage node hole 9 , the upper electrode 12 is formed along the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 . as a result , part of the upper electrode 12 at the top end part h 1 of the storage node hole 9 is given with a large thickness as compared with that obtained by the conventional technique . therefore , in the step of forming the opening 17 , even if the opening 17 is misaligned to overlap the capacitor and the upper electrode 12 is over - etched in the vertical direction , part of the capacitive insulating film 11 which stores the capacitance of the capacitor will not be exposed . the part of the capacitive insulating film 11 which stores the capacitance of the capacitor mentioned herein is part of the capacitive insulating film 11 sandwiched between the upper and lower electrodes 12 and 10 . for example , the lower electrode 10 does not exist at part of the capacitive insulating film 11 sandwiched between the top end part h 1 of the storage node hole 9 and the upper electrode 12 . therefore , even if the capacitive insulating film 12 is exposed as shown in fig2 c , adverse effect such as the occurrence of leakage current is not caused . as described above , if a capacitor is formed by the method of the present embodiment , the capacitance of the capacitor will not be affected even if the opening 17 is formed to overlap the capacitor . this eliminates the need of providing an alignment margin c between the opening 17 and the capacitor in the storage node hole 9 , though it has been necessary in the conventional method . that is , according to the present embodiment , the storage node hole 9 is enlarged to be in contact with the opening 17 at the top end part h 1 as shown in fig4 , while the memory cell size is not changed . thus , a larger amount of capacitance is stored in the capacitor while device miniaturization is achieved . fig4 is a view illustrating a planar configuration of the semiconductor memory of embodiment 1 of the present invention . next , a comparison as to the total area of the capacitor is made between the capacitor of the present embodiment and a conventional capacitor . the total area of the capacitor mentioned herein is the sum of the area of the capacitor at the bottom of the storage node hole 9 ( bottom area ) and the area of the capacitor at the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 ( lateral area ). the conventional capacitor shown in fig8 b has a short side length a of 0 . 2 μm , a long side length b of 0 . 45 μm and an alignment margin c of 0 . 05 μm and the storage node hole 9 has a height of 0 . 85 μm ( height of the capacitor region ). under these conditions , the total area of the conventional capacitor is calculated as follows . on the other hand , the present embodiment eliminates the need of the alignment margin . therefore , the long side length of the capacitor increases by 0 . 05 μm in a memory cell having the same area as the conventional memory cell . further , at the top end part of the storage node hole 9 , the lower electrode 10 is formed at a deeper position than the top surface of the second interlayer insulating film 8 by 50 nm or more . therefore , the height of the capacitor becomes smaller by 0 . 05 μm than the conventional capacitor . as a result , the capacitor of the present embodiment has a short side length a of 0 . 2 μm , a long side length b ( including the margin c ) of 0 . 5 μm and the height of 0 . 8 μm . under these conditions , the total area is calculated as follows . from the above results , it is understood that the capacitor of the present embodiment is given with a larger area than the conventional capacitor . hereinafter , with reference to the drawings , an explanation is given of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory according to embodiment 2 of the present invention . fig5 a to 5c , 6 a to 6 c and 7 are sectional views illustrating the steps of manufacturing a dram of a cub structure according to embodiment 2 of the present invention . according to the method of the present embodiment , an sti 1 is formed in a silicon substrate 20 , and then a gate insulating film 2 a , a gate electrode 2 b , an impurity diffusion layer 3 and a first interlayer insulating film 4 are formed in the step shown in fig5 a in the same manner as embodiment 1 . then , in the step shown in fig5 b , a bit line contact 5 , a capacitor contact 6 and an insulating film 7 are formed . then , in the step shown in fig5 c , a second interlayer insulating film 21 of 750 nm in thickness is formed on the insulating film 7 and an insulating film 22 of 50 nm in thickness is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 21 . the second interlayer insulating film 21 is made of a material which is wet - etched at a higher rate than the insulating film 22 . for example , the second interlayer insulating film 21 may be made of psg and the insulating film 22 may be made of nsg . as described later , the wet etching mentioned herein is carried out to etch the second interlayer insulating film 21 and the insulating film 22 to form a storage node hole 9 . then , a resist ( not shown ) having an opening corresponding to the capacitor region is formed on the insulating film 22 and dry etching is carried out using the resist as a mask , thereby forming a storage node hole 9 which penetrates the insulating film 22 , the second interlayer insulating film 21 and the insulating film 7 to reach the top surface of the capacitor contact 6 . then , wet etching is carried out using a hydrofluoric acid solution under such conditions that the second interlayer insulating film 21 is etched faster than the insulating film 22 . thus , in the storage node hole 9 , the second interlayer insulating film 21 is removed more than the insulating film 22 . as a result , part of the storage node hole 9 where the second interlayer insulating film 21 forms the sidewalls thereof becomes about 40 nm larger in diameter than part of the storage node hole 9 where the insulating film 22 forms the sidewalls thereof . instead of forming the second interlayer insulating film 21 and the insulating film 22 from different materials , boron may be implanted into the top part of an interlayer insulating film ( not shown ) so that the top part of the interlayer insulating film is given with an etch rate different from that of the other part . for example , the interlayer insulating film is formed to have a thickness of 800 nm and then boron is implanted therein down to a depth of 50 nm from the top surface thereof . since the wet - etch rate decreases with an increase in boron concentration , the top part of the interlayer insulating film becomes lower in etch rate than the other part . then , in the step shown in fig6 a , a tin film of 30 nm in thickness ( not shown ) is formed on the bottom surface and the sidewalls of the storage node hole 9 . thereafter , a resist ( not shown ) is applied to the substrate and light exposure is carried out over the entire surface of the substrate , thereby leaving the resist only in the storage node hole 9 . then , etching is carried out to remove only 130 nm of the tin film to form a lower electrode 23 made of tin . in this etching step , the upper end of the lower electrode 23 which is uncovered with the resist is thinned down to about 10 nm in thickness , while the other part of the lower electrode 23 remains unetched because it is covered with the resist . then , in the step shown in fig6 b , a capacitive insulating film 24 made of ta 2 o 5 of 20 nm in thickness is formed on the lower electrode 23 in the storage node hole 9 and the insulating film 22 outside the storage node hole 9 . then , an upper electrode 25 made of tin of 50 nm in thickness is formed on the capacitive insulating film 24 . then , in the step shown in fig6 c , a mask 26 having an opening corresponding to a bit line contact region is formed on the upper electrode 25 , and then dry etching is carried out using the mask 26 to form an opening 27 . fig6 c shows the opening 27 which is misaligned from the desired position and the left end of the opening 27 reaches the capacitor in the storage node hole 9 . the misalignment of the opening 27 is derived from the mask 26 which is misaligned from the desired position . then , in the step shown in fig7 , a third interlayer insulating film 13 , a bit line contact 14 and a first wiring layer 15 are formed in the same manner as embodiment 1 . through the above - described steps , a capacitor of a cub structure is obtained . in the capacitor of the present embodiment , as shown in fig5 c , the side edge of the insulating film 22 at the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 protrudes toward more inside of the storage node hole 9 than the side edge of the second interlayer insulating film 21 . since the lower electrode 23 is not formed on the protruding side edge of the insulating film 22 at the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 , the capacitive insulating film 24 formed on the insulating film 22 at the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 does not store the capacitance . therefore , no problems arise even if the opening 27 is misaligned to overlap the capacitor as shown in fig6 c , thereby removing parts of the upper electrode 25 and the capacitive insulating film 24 formed at the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 . on the other hand , the capacitance is stored in the lower electrode 23 , capacitive insulating film 24 and upper electrode 25 which are formed at a level lower than the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 . as shown in fig7 , since the insulating film 22 at the top end part h 2 of the storage node hole 9 protrudes toward inside of the storage node hole 9 to generate a dent part below it , the upper electrode 25 is reduced in level difference which is generated at part thereof covering the boundary between the insulating film 22 and the dent part below it . therefore , even if the opening 27 is misaligned to overlap the capacitor , the lower electrode 23 , capacitive insulating film 24 and upper electrode 25 formed in the storage node hole 9 at a level lower than the insulating film 22 are less likely to be removed . as described above , in the capacitor manufactured by the method of the present embodiment , the capacitive insulating film 24 which contributes to the capacitance will not be damaged even if the opening 27 overlaps the capacitor . therefore , unlike the conventional method , there is no need of providing an alignment margin between the opening 27 and the capacitor in the storage node hole 9 . more specifically , in the present embodiment , the capacitor in the storage node hole 9 is enlarged to be in contact with the opening 17 , while the memory cell size is not changed . as a result , a larger amount of capacitance is stored while device miniaturization is achieved . in the present embodiment , the following conditions are preferably satisfied so as to prevent the capacitive insulating film 24 which contributes to the capacitance from damage even when the opening 27 overlaps the capacitor . as a first condition , the side edge of the insulating film 22 is formed to protrude toward more inside of the storage node hole 9 than the side edge of the second interlayer insulating film 21 by the length same as or larger than the thickness of the lower electrode 23 . if the protruding length of the side edge of the insulating film 22 is smaller than the thickness of the lower electrode 23 , as a second condition , the upper electrode 25 is formed to have a thickness larger than the difference between the thickness of the lower electrode 23 and the protruding length of the insulating film 22 ( the thickness of the lower electrode 23 minus the protruding length ). if one of these conditions is satisfied , the capacitive insulating film 24 which contributes to the capacitance will not be damaged by dry etching for forming the opening 27 . the opening 27 is allowed to overlap the capacitor as long as it does not exceed a boundary d shown in fig6 c , i . e ., as long as the capacitive insulating film 24 formed at the bottom of the storage node hole 9 is not exposed .
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in fig1 a camera 10 is schematically shown . an accessory support member 12 , generally called a tray in the art , is fastened to the bottom of camera 10 with a screw 14 using a standard mounting position . for descriptive purposes , three arm segments 16 are shown in fig1 clamped to each other in a desired configuration by side clamps 18 . the lower arm segment 16 is connected to tray 12 by any suitable means and is not described here . a strobe light 20 is mounted on the upper arm segment 16 with a saddle clamp 22 which is described later with respect to fig8 . side clamps 18 are depicted in fig2 . fig2 shows that the arm segments 16 are provided with spherical ball ends 24 . side clamp 18 has a pair of clamping plates 26 . each plate 26 has two spherical indentations 28 therein , sized to accept balls 24 in intimate and extensive contact . indentations 28 , if desired , may comprise holes that extend through plates 28 with beveled edges to engage balls 24 . a threaded bolt 30 passes through both plates 28 and into the deeply threaded hub 32 of an adjustment knob 34 . since the hub 32 is threaded , a large number of threads are available to engage bolt 30 , thus , allowing a wide range in adjustment of the pressure of plates 26 on balls 24 . with knob 34 slightly loosened , each segment 16 can be angled through an arc of nearly 270 degrees , because of the narrow necks 36 , and also rotated about its own axis , so that virtually any relative position may be achieved . the knob 34 is then retightened to lock the segments in place . referring simultaneously to fig3 - 5 , it may be seen that arm segments 16 comprise cylindrical rods with a central longitudinal axis 38 , and four longitudinal channels 40 formed along the sides of the segment . channels 40 are sized to leave four strips or ribs of material 42 at the maximum diameter of segment 16 so as to maintain the strength and rigidity of arm segment 16 . this configuration also gives segment 16 a generally square cross section that is easy to grip in an underwater environment . channels 40 and ribs 42 are easiest to visualize in the cross sectional view of fig4 . returning to fig3 a series of transverse holes 44 are visible that extend from one channel 40 through to the opposite channel 40 . there is also a series of orthogonal transverse holes that intersect holes 44 . if segment 16 is rotated 90 degrees about its central axis 38 in fig3 it would appear exactly the same as fig3 except that the orthogonal holes 44 would now be visible . the diameter of holes 44 should be as large as possible without cutting through ribs 42 . as can be seen in the sectional view of fig5 the diameter of holes 44 are about 40 to 50 percent the diameter of segment 16 . the separation of holes 44 along the longitudinal axis is also kept to a minimum without eliminating the wall of material 46 that spaces ribs , as most easily seen in fig4 and 7 . as shown in fig7 the thickness t of wall 46 is less than half the diameter of holes 44 , preferably , about or even less than 15 percent of the diameter of holes 44 . with the holes 44 this proximate to each other , water can easily flow not only through the individual holes , but also in one hole and easily out the orthogonal intersecting hole as illustrated by the arrows 50 in fig5 . thus , underwater movement of the camera and strobe arms is much easier because water resistance is very much lower as the water flows with minimum turbulence and direction change . fig6 further demonstrates the transparency of the arm segments to water flow . in fig6 the portion of segment 16 shown in fig3 is shown rotated 45 degrees about longitudinal axis 38 . this view direction is that indicated by arrows 48 in fig4 and 5 . as can be seen in fig4 - 6 , water can flow through the openings in numerous ways so as to minimize resistance . however , the segment 16 remains very rigid due to the preservation of longitudinal ribs 42 transversely located by walls 46 . strobe lights and other accessories may be attached to the articulated collection of arm segments with a segment that is designed to connect to the accessory , as necessary , and also designed with a ball end 26 , so that side clamps 18 may be employed to locate it . alternatively , fig8 shows a saddle clamp 22 that is similar to side clamp 18 with clamping plates 52 , a knob 54 , and a bolt 56 . however , plates 52 have projections 58 that rest in channels 40 . with this arrangement , the saddle clamp 22 can be slid along the length of segment 16 to any desired position , and locked in place by tightening knob 54 on bolt 56 . plates 53 then clamp a ball end 60 which is connected by a neck 62 to the desired accessory mount . saddle clamp 22 also allows a new branch of connected arm segments to be started . it is evident that any collection of strobes and accessories , in any position , may be quickly and easily assembled from the novel segments and clamps of the present invention . the resulting collection is light , rigid , and low in water resistance . we intend to be limited not to the specific arrangements shown in the drawings , but only by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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where r and r 2 are as defined above for the formula ( i ) compound is reacted with the desired amine r 1 h as defined for the r 1 group , to give the intermediate enamine ( ib ) where r 1 is as defined above for the formula ( i ) compound , which is subsequently transformed into the final compound ( i ). the transformation from compound ( ia ) to ( ib ) is accomplished with known techniques , but it has been seen that the reaction is conveniently achieved by treating compound ( ia ) with the amine r 1 h in the presence of lewis acids , for example triflates , such as trimethylsilyltrifluoromethane sulphonate , or protic acids , such as sulphonic acids , e . g . p - toluenesulphonic acid . the reaction is carried out in a solvent which is inert to the reagents and the reaction products , or , in a preferred embodiment , the amine r 1 h can be used in relation to compound ( ia ) in an excess such as to constitute the reaction medium . the reaction parameters are not critical and can be determined by a technician with average experience in the field on the basis of his or her own general knowledge of the subject . for example , the molar ratios of compound ( ia ) to amine r 1 h may range from 1 : 1 to an excess of amine in the sense referred to above . the reaction temperature will be selected also in relation to the type of reagents used , their molar ratios , and the optional presence of a solvent , in which case it may even be as high as the boiling temperature of the solvent , providing this does not lead to decomposition of the reagents themselves . the reaction times are selected on the basis of the parameters outlined above and will be such as to complete the reaction . attempts to optimise the reaction do not constitute an additional experimental burden and are part of the normal techniques used in chemical synthesis . the transformation of the enamine into the formula ( i ) compound is achieved by means of the reduction of the double enamine bond and falls within the sphere of the normal expertise of the average technician . suitable reducing agents can be retrieved in the relevant literature manuals and do not require any particular specialist knowledge . for example , one suitable reducing agent is sodium borohydride . for this second step , too , the considerations outlined above regarding the reaction parameters and solvents hold good . the isolation and purification of the formula ( i ) compound are accomplished with normal known procedures ; in particular , the separation of the enantiomorphs can be done , amongst other things , as described in the above - mentioned patent application . the process according to the invention described herein can be used to prepare benzothiazepines in general and , on proceeding with the reduction of the enamine , dihydrobenzothiazepines . in a first preferred embodiment of the invention , the formula ( ia ) compound is reacted with amine r 1 h , using the latter as a reaction medium , when its physicochemical characteristics so permit . the triflate preferred is trimethylsilyltrifluoromethane sulphonate . the reaction temperature is approximately 120 ° c . and the reaction time approximately 3 hours . in a second preferred embodiment of the invention , the formula ( ia ) compound is reacted with amine r 1 , using the latter as the reaction medium , when its physicochemical characteristics so permit . the preferred sulphonic acid is p - toluenesulphonic acid . the reaction temperature is approximately 180 ° c . and the reaction time approximately 1 - 2 hours . the isolation and purification of the formula ( i ) compound are achieved with normal known procedures ; in particular , the separation of the enantiomorphs can be accomplished , amongst other things , as described in the above - mentioned patent application , or , according to one embodiment of the invention described herein , by fractionated crystallisation . examples are provided for the preparation of (±)- 7 - chloro - 9 -( 4 - methylpiperazin - 1 - yl )- 9 , 10 - dihydropyrrolo [ 2 , 1 - b ][ 1 , 3 ] benzothiazepine ( st1455 ), one of the preferred compounds described in patent application wo 00 / 06579 . it is perfectly obvious that the examples provided here apply to all formula ( i ) compounds , with suitable modifications which can be implemented by the average technician in the field . to a mixture of ketone [ 9b ] ( 4 . 5 g ; 18 mmol ) and n - methylpiperazine ( 15 ml ) was added drop - wise trimethylsilyl - trifluoromethane sulphonate ( 5 . 7 ml ; 31 . 5 mmol ) in 5 minutes . the reaction temperature was brought up to 120 ° c . the reaction , monitored via tlc , was completed in 3 hours . the reaction mixture was left to cool at ambient temperature and the resulting solid mass was dissolved in methylene chloride ( 50 ml ) and washed with water ( 2 × 30 ml ). the organic phase was anhydrified on sodium sulphate and filtered . evaporation of the solvent at reduced pressure enabled a crude reaction product to be recovered , which , when chromatographed on silica gel ( n - hexane / ethyl acetate 50 : 50 ) finally yielded 4 . 7 g of the title compound . yield : 78 % tlc ( acoet ) rf = 0 . 25 ; mp : 127 ÷ 128 ° c . 1 h - nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 7 . 6 ( d , 1h , j = 2 . 1 hz ); 7 . 4 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 5 hz ); 7 . 2 ( dd , 1h , j 1 = 8 . 4 hz , j 2 = 2 . 0 hz ); 6 . 7 ( m , 1h ); 6 . 6 ( m , 1h ); 6 . 2 ( m , 1h ); 6 . 1 ( m , 1h ); 2 . 9 ( m , 4h ); 2 . 6 ( m , 4h ); 2 . 3 ( s , 3h ). 13 c - nmr ( 300 mhz cdcl 3 ) δ 143 . 8 ; 140 . 5 ; 137 . 9 ; 134 . 8 ; 133 . 2 ; 129 . 8 ; 129 . 6 ; 127 . 9 ; 123 . 2 ; 112 . 7 ; 111 . 6 ; 111 . 2 ; 55 . 2 ; 50 . 1 ; 46 . 2 . elemental analysis : ( c 17 h 18 cln 3 s ): compliant a mixture of ketone [ 9b ] ( 0 . 15 g ; 0 . 6 mmol ), n - methylpiperazine ( 0 . 18 g ; 1 . 8 mmol ) and p - toluenesulphonic acid ( 0 . 296 g ; 1 . 56 mmol ) was heated to 180 ° c . the reaction , which rapidly took on a dark colouring , was completed in 1 . 5 hours ; the mixture was left to cool at ambient temperature and the resulting - solid mass was dissolved in methylene chloride ( 10 ml ) and washed with water ( 2 × 10 ml ). the is organic phase was anhydrified on sodium sulphate and filtered . evaporation of the solvent at reduced pressure yielded a crude reaction product which was chromatographed on silica gel ( n - hexane / ethyl acetate 50 : 50 ) giving the title compound . the compound [ 10b ] ( 2 . 97 g ; 8 . 97 mmol ) was dissolved in acetic acid ( 25 ml ); the solution was brought down to a temperature of 0 ° c . and nabh 4 ( 400 mg ) was added cautiously . the reaction was completed in 2 hours the mixture was evaporated at reduced pressure . methylene chloride was added , and three washings with water and bicarbonate were done . the organic phase was anhydrified on sodium sulphate , filtered and evaporated at reduced pressure . 2 . 75 g of product were obtained with 95 % purity , as calculated at hplc . the tables given here below show the values of the individual process steps according to the invention described herein ( table 1 ) as compared to the process described in patent , application wo 00 / 06579 ; see in particular pp . 29 - 30 and example 2 of the patent application cited ( table 2 ). the racemic mixture obtained was separated into the two optically active isomers by means of fractionated crystallisation of the diastereoisomeric salts obtained by salification with tartaric acid , according to the procedure outlined here below . 2 . 5 g of st1455 ( 7 . 5 mmol ) were dissolved hot in ethanol and added with 1 . 12 g of d (−) tartaric acid ( 7 . 5 mmol ). the solution was held overnight at ambient temperature . the tartrate crystals thus obtained were filtered and recrystallised by a 3 : 1 ethanol / methanol mixture . the solution was held overnight - at ambient temperature . after filtration , 1 . 1 g of tartrate of the (+) enantiomorph were obtained , which at hplc presented an optical purity of 97 . 3 . column : chiralpack - ad ( 5 m ), 4 . 6 × 250 mm ; t = 23 ° c . ; mobile phase : n - hexane - ethanol , tea ( 95 / 5 / 0 . 1 v / v ); flow : 1 ml / min ; rt = 5 . 6 min the tartrate was then converted to a free base by treatment with nahco3 and extraction by acoet . similarly , st1455 was treated with l (+) tartaric acid to yield the corresponding tartrate of the (−) enantiomorph . the method of separating the racemic mixture by fractionated crystallisation is particularly advantageous compared to that obtained by separation on a semipreparative chiral column , whenever the amounts of product required are considerably greater than those normally deriving from a laboratory synthesis process .
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an understanding of the present invention will be had by taking into consideration the following description in connection with the drawings . referring first to fig1 a drive motor b1 is positioned on a suitable mounting plate or base with the drive shaft mounted below the base as may be seen by reference to fig2 . located on the upper surface of the base are guide posts g1 , g2 , g3 , g4 and g5 respectively on which tape tp1 is positioned . as may be noted , tp1 includes a 180 ° twist or turn as may be noted between guides g1 and g2 . a recording playback head pu1 is positioned so that the tape surface of tape tp1 rides across its surface in a conventional manner . drive for the tape is provided by either capstan c1 or c2 which are kept in contact with the tape by means of pressure rollers pr1 or pr2 respectively which in turn are actuated by electromagnets m1 or m2 respectively which may be seen by referring to fig2 . one or the other of these pressure rollers maintain a constant pressure against the tape , placing it in contact with its associated driving capstan , which in turn is rotated from below the base by a pulley combination which may be seen by reference to fig2 . a constant pressure is also placed upon the tape tp1 by a guide tag projecting upward from tension arm ta which is located below the base and projects upward through a slot in the base . also included on the base as may be noted in fig1 is a light source mounting ls in which is mounted a light source ls1 . also positioned in such a manner so that a reflective surface on the tape will reflect light from light source ls1 onto its surface , is a photosensitive device lr1 which is mounted in photosensitive device mounting lr . by reference to fig2 it will be noted that motor b1 &# 39 ; s drive shaft has mounted thereon two drive pulleys pu1 and pu2 connected by means of drive belts db1 and db2 to pulleys pu3 and pu4 respectively which are directly connected to capstans c1 and c2 . pulley pu3 is fastened to the lower end of capstan c1 and pulley pu4 to capstan c2 , which project through the base to drive the tape as noted in fig1 . as noted previously , a tension arm guide as seen in fig1 projects through a slot in the base but is connected to the tension arm ta . tension arm ta is pivoted at point pv and maintained under tension by coil spring s . from the above it would be obvious that motor b1 drives capstan c1 and c2 , and that the combination of either pressure roller pr1 and capstan c1 or pressure roller pr2 and capstan c2 may be employed to advance the tape . the tension arm ta is biased by coil spring s to keep the tape at a constant pressure on the tape head . also mounted on the bottom of the base are magnets m1 and m2 which are associated with pressure rollers pr1 and pr2 respectively . it is actuation of these magnets that causes the selected pressure roller to be employed to cause drive at the appropriate speed . pressure roller pr1 actuated by magnet m1 causes the advance of the tape at normal speed while operation of magnet m2 operates pressure roller pr2 to drive the tape at the fast forward speed . as may be noted by referring to the schematic diagram of fig4 light sensitive device lr1 has been shown as a photosensitive diode while the associated light source ls1 has been shown as an incadescent lamp . it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that other forms of light source may be employed as well as other types of photosensitive devices . referring now to the partial schematic circuit diagram of the present invention shown in fig4 light source ls1 , as will be noted , provides light when a reflective surface on the tape is properly located to cause operation of light sensitive diode lr1 whose output will be amplified to provide an operating signal to relay k1 . also shown is relay k2 which operates to break the operating path from magnet m1 and actuates magnet m2 in response to an amplified signal from magnetic pickup pu1 . referring to the above drawings now in combination , a description of the operation of the present invention is as follows : assume that tape tp1 is positioned on the device and that its reflective surface located on the tape ( as may be seen in reference to fig3 ), will cause an output at light sensitive device lr1 which will cause operation of relay k1 . since relay k1 is operated at its contacts k1a , the normal operating path from motor b1 is open and the device is at rest . assume now that switch s1 ( which may be operated in any conventional manner ) is operated , power will be supplied from a dc power source to motor b1 causing it to operate and advance the tape tp1 . as the reflective segment of the tape advances so that light is no longer reflected on light sensitive diode lr1 , relay k1 will restore and at contacts k1a an operating path will be maintained for motor b1 even though switch s1 may have been restored . as it will be observed , magnet m1 is also actuated and will cause pressure roller pr1 to engage the tape and force it against capstan c1 . the tape now in response to drive from capstan c1 will make one complete revolution but becuase of the 180 ° twist occurring in the tape the light reflective surface will now be positioned on the opposite side of the tape and unless other means are provided will continue on to make a second complete revolution returning the reflective segment on the tape again to its homing position wherein light would be reflected from light source ls1 onto light sensitive diode lr1 to cause the reoperation of relay k1 which at its contacts k1a will break the operating power for motor b1 . assuming however that the entire tape length has not been utilized for recording information , it is desirable to rapidly return the tape to its homing position after completion of the message . to accomplish this a tone signal is prerecorded on the tape at the completion of the information . this tone signal is picked up by magnetic pickup pu1 , amplified and utilized to drive tone sensitive relay k2 . on operation relay k2 transfers operating potential from magnet m1 to magnet m2 . in this manner in a response to the release of the magnet m1 , pressure roller pr1 is withdrawn from contact with the tape and pressure roller pr2 is placed in contact with the tape , causing the tape to be advanced by capstan c2 instead of capstan c1 . because of the different pulley and capstan diameters employed , pressure roller pr2 will advance the tape at a much higher speed than that caused by capstan c1 . in one practical embodiment of the present invention the reduction provided in the slow speed ratio by the combination of pulley pu1 the flywheel diameter of flywheel f1 and the capstan diameter of capstan c1 will provide a tape speed of approximately 0 . 5 inches per second . the speed provided by pulleys pu2 and pu4 and capstan c2 was approximately 30 inches per second . this arrangement gave a ratio of approximately 60 to 1 over the slow speed . in other words a 30 second message after being delivered would take approximately 1 / 2 second to reset by fast forwarding the tape to the homing position . inasmuch as magnets m1 and m2 are both operated from make break contacts k2a of relay k2 , the system is electrically interlocked so that both drives cannot operate simultaneously . when magnet m2 is operated , the tape advances at the fast speed until the reflective surface again appears and the motor b1 is rendered inoperative in the manner previously described , returning the system to rest . in addition to its simplicity the present system has the advantages of long tape life , becuase there is no layer - to - layer friction causing wear of tape such as is present in tape cartridges . the system also incorporates economic advantages since the cost of a simple magnetic tape loop is substantially less than that of cartridges or cassettes . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention which shall be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto .
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hereinafter , examples of the present invention will be described , and molecular weights , fourier transform infrared ( ft - ir ) spectroscopy results , and x - ray diffraction ( xrd ) results were measured by the following methods . number - average molecular weight ( mn ), weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) and molecular weight distribution ( mw / mn ) when converted into polystyrene were measured by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ). sample preparation method : 1 mg of a polymer obtained from the final polymerization reaction was dissolved in 1 ml of tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), and then 100 μl of the resulting solution was injected . solvent : the molecular weights were measured by injecting thf at a rate of 1 ml / min . other environmental conditions : a gpc column was made by connecting two zorbax mixed - b columns , and then used at 40 ° c . detection method : a refraction index ( ri ) was detected by a refractometer . sample preparation method : 3 mg of a sample was well mixed with 1 g of completely - dried kbr in a mortar , and then a pellet was made for use in a diameter of 10 mm by applying a pressure of 10 gpa . sample preparation method : a sample was sintered at 1200 ° c . for 4 hours , and then scanned at a rate of 0 . 500 °/ min to obtain xrd data . 2 l of a toluene solvent was first placed in a 4 - neck round flask , and 320 g of metal sodium cut into a size of 8 cm 3 was then mixed with the solvent and stirred in a nitrogen atmosphere . the mixture was heated to 110 ° c . to disperse the metal sodium in the toluene organic solvent . an allylmethyldichlorosilane monomer was mixed with a phenylmethyldichlorosilane monomer in a molar ratio of 9 : 1 , and 800 ml of the mixed monomer solution was injected into the solution in which the metal sodium was dispersed at a rate of 100 ml / hr using a funnel for 12 - hour reaction at 110 ° c . when a purple precipitate formed after the reaction , the resulting product was cooled to room temperature , treated with methanol to remove remaining sodium , and washed with distilled water and alcohol after filtering , thereby obtaining white polyallylphenylsilane powder . the white polyallylphenylsilane powder was dried in vacuum , and transferred to an autoclave , in which a first conversion reaction was performed under 10 atm at 350 ° c . for 6 hours , and then a second conversion reaction was performed at 450 ° c . for 6 hours , resulting in the synthesis of polyallylphenylcarbosilanes having various molecular weights . the entire experiment was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere , and during the reaction , the reactants were stirred by a stirrer . after the final reaction , the reactant was dissolved in hexane and filtered to remove polyallylphenylcarbosilane that was not dissolved in hexane . after distilling hexane , polyallylphenylcarbosilane was obtained . a yield of the polyallylphenylcarbosilane was about 65 %, the weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) when converted into polystyrene measured by gpc was 2180 . according to the ft - ir measurement results shown in fig1 , a strong peak of — si — ch 2 — si was shown at 1035 cm − 1 . from these data , it can be confirmed that polyallylphenylcarbosilane includes a structural unit of formula 3 containing allyl and phenyl groups . in addition , the polyallylphenylcarbosilane was treated with heat at 1200 ° c . in an argon atmosphere , and analyzed by xrd . the result , as shown in fig2 , was matched with that of β - sic , and thus it can be confirmed that the polyllaylphenylcarbosilane is a suitable material for a sic precursor . the polyallylphenylcarbosilane yielded in example 1 of the present invention was dissolved in hexane to a concentration of 30 wt % and thus could be used as a precursor for sic coating . 2 l of toluene solvent was first placed in a 4 - neck round flask , and 320 g of metal sodium cut into a size of 8 cm 3 was then mixed with the solvent in a nitrogen atmosphere . the mixture was heated to 110 ° c . and stirred to disperse the metal sodium in the toluene organic solvent . an allylmethyldichlorosilane was mixed with a phenylmethyldichlorosilane monomer in a molar ratio of 5 : 5 , and 800 ml of the mixed monomer solution was injected into the solution in which the metal sodium was dispersed at a rate of 100 ml / hr using a funnel for 12 - hour reaction at 110 ° c . when a purple precipitate formed after the reaction , the resulting product was cooled to room temperature , treated with methanol to remove remaining sodium , and washed with distilled water and alcohol after filtering , thereby obtaining white polyallylphenylsilane powder . the white polyallylphenylsilane powder was dried in vacuum , and transferred to an autoclave , in which a first conversion reaction was performed under 10 atm at 350 ° c . for 6 hours , and a second conversion reaction was then performed at 450 ° c . for 6 hours , resulting in the synthesis of polyallylphenylcarbosilane . the entire experiment was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere , and during the reaction , the reactants were stirred by a stirrer . after the final reaction , the reaction product was dissolved in hexane and filtered to remove polyallylphenylsilane that was not dissolved in hexane . in the case of mixing the allylmethyldichlorosilane monomer with the phenylmethyldichlorosilane monomer in the molar ratio of 5 : 5 , a large quantity of high molecular - weight polyallylphenylcarbosilane ( mw = 6000 or more ) that was not dissolved in hexane was produced . after distilling hexane , polyallylphenylcarbosilane having a low molecular weight that was dissolved in hexane was recovered . a yield of the polyallylphenylcarbosilane was about 40 %, and a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) when converted into polystyrene measured by gpc was 3140 . according to the ft - ir measurement results shown in fig3 , a strong peak of — si — ch 2 — si was shown at 1035 cm − 1 , and thus it can be confirmed that polyallylphenylcarbosilane has a structural unit of formula 4 including allyl and phenyl groups . the polyallylphenylcarbosilane yielded in example 2 of the present invention was dissolved in hexane to a concentration of 30 wt %, and thus could be used as a precursor for sic coating . 2 l of toluene solvent was first placed in a 4 - neck round flask , and 320 g of metal sodium cut into a size of 5 cm 3 was then mixed with the solvent in a nitrogen atmosphere . the mixture was heated to 110 ° c . and stirred to disperse the metal sodium in the toluene organic solvent . 340 ml of allylmethyldichlorosilane and 460 ml of phenylmethyldichlorosilane were individually prepared in a molar ratio of 5 : 5 , and then both monomers were simultaneously injected into both sides of the round flask at a rate of 100 ml / hr for 12 - hour reaction at 110 ° c . while a purple precipitate formed after the reaction , the resulting product was separated into two layers , in which one layer floated over the toluene solvent and the other layer was precipitated to the bottom . that is , the allylmethyldichlorosilane monomer was separated from the phenylmethyldichlorosilane monomer , and thus polyallylphenylcarbosilane was not synthesized . after that , the resulting product was cooled to room temperature , treated with methanol to remove remaining sodium , and washed with distilled water and alcohol after filtering , thereby obtaining white powder . the powder was dried in vacuum , and transferred to an autoclave , in which a first conversion reaction was performed under 10 atm at 350 ° c . for 6 hours , and a second conversion reaction was performed at 450 ° c . for 6 hours . however , no change occurred , that is , no polyallylphenylcarbosilane was produced . although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention , the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents .
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the invention relates to multipulse converter arrangements of the 12 - pulse and 18 - pulse types using a special fork connected auto transformer with appropriate phase shift and conduction angle which eliminates the need for interphase transformers and provides a symmetry such that step up or step down voltages can be obtained without causing unbalance effects . this arrangement when combined with appropriate ac line reactances , or with appropriately designed transformer leakage reactance , leads to reduction of harmonic currents such that equipments can easily meet prevailing harmonic distortion specifications . the decision to use 12 - pulse or 18 - pulse is a matter of system and equipment design trade - offs . the final approach rests upon the observation that higher order harmonic frequencies have frequency of ( kq ± 1 ) with amplitudes of 1 /( kq ± 1 ) where q is the pulse number , and k is any integer . a similar transformer with fork winding construction is used for 12 - pulse and 18 - pulse cases , but with different turns ratios and winding sections . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 124 , 904 achieves similar excellent harmonic reduction results , but due to an inherent increase of about 10 . 3 % in the dc output voltage it has the disadvantage in most cases of requiring an additional winding rated at full current to step down the voltage to be within 5 % of the dc voltage corresponding to a three - phase bridge converter . the new fork transformer overcomes this disadvantage and inherently provides a converter dc output within 4 . 2 % of a three - phase bridge converter . in common with u . s . pat . no . 5 , 124 , 904 there is no need for an interphase transformer and for providing a neutral reference point between the converter bridges , also the transformer rating is less than that of the load . referring to fig2 a basic three - phase rectifier bridge is shown in which 6 diodes are connected to a three - phase supply and a dc circuit incorporating a load and dc filter components . the open circuit dc output voltage from this circuit is given by : the line current harmonics of this circuit under load are at harmonic frequencies of the form ( 6k ± 1 ) and with amplitude 1 /( 6k ± 1 ), where k is any integer . fig3 a and 3b show a basic arrangement of a 12 - pulse symmetrical fork transformer arrangement and computer calculated results for the ac line currents of the form i h where h is the harmonic number . referring to fig3 a and 3b , a three - phase power source is applied to terminals a , b , and c . this generates 12 ac outputs , numbered 1 through 12 , suitable for powering a 12 - pulse converter . the transformer windings are shown as blocks . each phase of the transformer comprises a main winding n m , two auxiliary windings n x , two extender windings n y , and one delta winding n d . the delta winding can have any convenient number of turns . the object of the invention is to establish unique ratios between n m , n s , and n y to give the desired characteristics . outputs such as v 1 - n , v 2 - n , etc . are all equal in amplitude . ( n . sub . x + n . sub . y )/ sin 45 °= n . sub . m / sin 75 ° thus n . sub . y = 0 . 464 n . sub . m ( 2 ) using the desirable ratios , given in equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) the output voltages such as v 1 are given by : the converter open circuit dc output voltage , v do , is given by : v . sub . do = 2 √ 2 v . sub . o ( 3 / π ) ∫ cos wt dwt over the range (- π / 6 ) to ( π / 6 ) in a straight - through three - phase bridge converter connection without transformer , such as used in the ubiquitous variable frequency drive , and shown in fig2 the open circuit dc output voltage is given by : thus the proposed 12 - pulse arrangement has a dc voltage which is only 3 . 4 % greater than a straight through connection . this is easily tolerated in most practical designs . further , it allows for the inclusion of additional ac line reactance to filter and reduce the residual harmonic currents . typical ac line current waveforms are shown in fig3 a and 3b . fig4 shows idealized theoretical waveshapes of current in the 12 - pulse version of the new fork transformer . fig5 shows application of the new 12 - pulse transformer with a symmetrical overwind coil n r to supply power for a regeneration converter . for reliable regeneration performance , i . e ., dc to ac power flow , it is essential to ensure satisfactory commutation of the thyristors under inverting conditions . to achieve this it is known to use a step - up transformer to raise the voltage applied to by appropriately sizing the extra winding n r on the fork the inverting bridge by about 15 %. this is very readily achieved transformer . a complete scheme for regeneration is shown in fig5 . in this figure the inverting bridge is shown in a 6 - pulse arrangement . the extra harmonic currents associated with 6 - pulse conversion should not be a concern for loads with intermittent regeneration requirements , however , where the regeneration feature is a large part of the duty cycle an option is known to obtain 12 - pulse regeneration by using a method which reverses the dc link voltage . in this case the extra coil n r is not required . fig6 shows the symmetrical fork transformer connected to produce a nine phase supply suitable for powering an 18 - pulse converter . the three - phase input is connected to terminals a , b , and c , and the nine outputs which are at a slightly lower voltage are numbered 1 through 9 . in this figure the windings on the symmetrical fork transformer are given a different terminology to those on the 12 - pulse arrangement for the purposes of discussion . solving for the geometry of the voltage vectors in fig6 it is determined that for an 18 - pulse converter the open circuit dc output voltage is given by : where v l - n is the line to neutral voltage of the three - phase power source applied to terminals a , b , and c . thus the dc output is only 4 . 2 % greater than that provided by a straight - through three - phase bridge connection . fig7 a and 7b show complete idealized waveforms of current in the 18 - pulse connection . practical transformer turns must be integer values . some practical turns for equipments up to 480 - v , 500 - kw rating are shown in table 1 for 12 - pulse converters and table 2 for 18 - pulse converters . table 1______________________________________practical examples of turns for the 12 - pulseauto fork transformer . n . sub . m n . sub . y n . sub . xmain extender auxiliary______________________________________26 12 741 19 1156 26 15______________________________________ table 2______________________________________practical examples of turns for 18 - pulse fork transformer . ______________________________________zig winding 16 22 60 97teaser winding 3 4 11 18long winding 22 29 80 131amplitude error - 0 . 3 % - 0 . 35 % + 0 . 16 % -. 012 % phase error - 0 . 8 ° + 0 . 893 ° + 0 . 425 ° - 0 . 11 ° ______________________________________ it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same winding topology shown in fig1 and 2 can be used if the power source is applied to the delta windings . by these means the same optimum features are retained but the dc isolation associated with double - wound transformers is provided . in this case there is no inherent restriction on the range of output voltage available .
| 7 |
according to the present invention , a bag is provided for encasing an item , such as a corsage . broadly , the bag is constructed from a sheet of material having a bonding material disposed on isolated and individualized sections of the sheet of material . once the bonding material is on the sheet of material , it is articulated into a bag having fin and / or lap seams at the point of sealing . in one embodiment , the bonding material may be a heat sealable lacquer which is applied to isolated and individualized sections of the sheet of material . referring now to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 shown therein and designated by reference numeral 5 is a sheet of material . the sheet of material 5 is articulated into a bag 10 as shown in fig2 . the term “ sheet of material ” when used herein means at least one flexible sheet of material . the thickness of the sheet of material may vary , but generally the sheet of material will have a thickness in a range from about 0 . 0002 mil to about 30 mil , and more desirably from about 0 . 01 mil to about 20 mil . the sheet of material may be any material capable of being articulated into a bag configuration , such as polymeric film , foil , paper , tissue , laminations and combinations thereof . the sheet of material may have a substantially textured surface . the term “ paper ” as used herein , means treated or untreated paper , corrugated paper or cardboard or any other form of paper material . the term “ polymeric film ” means a synthetic polymer such as polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane . a polymeric film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing as might be the case with paper or foil . when the sheet of material is a polymeric film , a flexible sheet of liquified thermoplastic film can be extruded from an extruder in a conventional and well known manner . the flexible sheet of liquified thermoplastic film can be passed through a cooler which cools the liquified thermoplastic film into a sheet of solidified thermoplastic film , i . e . the sheet of material . the sheet of material may also be formed of two or more sheets of material which have been laminated or adhesively connected to one another . the sheet of material may also vary in color . further , the sheet of material may be provided with designs or decorative patterns which are printed , etched , and / or embossed therein using inks or other printing materials . when printed and embossed , the design or decorative patterns may be in register , may be out of register , or may be partially in register and partially out of register . an example of an ink which may be applied to the surface of the sheet of material is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 147 , 706 entitled “ water based ink on foil and / or synthetic organic polymer ” issued to kingman on sep . 15 , 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference . additionally , the sheet of material may have various colorings , flocking and / or metallic finishes , or other decorative surface ornamentation applied separately or simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent , translucent , transparent , iridescent or the like qualities . each of the above named characteristics may occur alone or in combination . the sheet of material may also be opaque , translucent , partially clear , and / or tinted yet having some transparency . as shown in fig1 the sheet of material 5 has a first surface 30 , the first surface 30 having a first edge portion 40 , a second edge portion 50 , and a third edge portion 55 . a bonding material 58 is disposed on a portion of the first surface 30 such that the bonding material 58 extends along the first edge portion 40 , the second edge portion 50 , and the third edge portion 55 substantially as shown in fig1 . thus , the first , second , and third edge portions 40 , 50 , and 55 of the first surface 30 define areas of adhesion 57 . the remaining portion of the sheet of material 5 , which is free of adhesive , defines a substantially open area 59 which does not have the bonding material 58 thereon . the bonding material 58 may be disposed in a continuous manner across the entirety of the first edge portion 40 , the second edge portion 50 , and the third edge portion 55 of the first surface 30 . in an alternative embodiment , the bonding material 58 may be selectively applied in such a manner as to not completely cover the first edge portion 40 , the second edge portion 50 , and the third edge portion 55 . in this embodiment , the bonding material 58 may be applied as a plurality of dots , strips , or dabs of the bonding material 58 which are applied to alternating areas of the first edge portion 40 , the second edge portion 50 , and the third edge portion 55 . furthermore , the bonding material 58 can be applied in any geometric form and in any pattern . in any event , it is to be appreciated that the bonding material 58 is not applied to the entirety of the sheet of material 5 , but rather to selective parts of the sheet of material 5 to leave the open area 59 on the first surface 30 of the sheet of material 5 . the bonding material 58 may be applied to the sheet of material 5 in any manner which allows for the timely and economical placement of the bonding material 58 onto the sheet of material 5 . for example , the bonding material 58 may be printed onto the sheet of material 5 by brushes , rollers , wires , sponges , and / or other mechanical and / or automated processes . furthermore , the bonding material 58 may be printed onto the sheet of material with a jet printer , such as an ink jet printing apparatus . in any event , any mechanical or automated process which allows for the correct placement of the bonding material 58 onto the sheet of material 5 is contemplated for use . the term “ bonding material ” may be any material capable of bondingly holding at least two surfaces in a substantially adjacent position . the bonding material may be a hot stamped adhesive , a pressure adhesive , a hot melt adhesive , a water - proof adhesive , a cohesive , a heat sealable lacquer and combinations thereof . the term “ heat sealable lacquer ” as used herein means a coating substance consisting of resinous materials , such as cellulose esters , cellulose ethers , shellac , gum , alkyd resins and the like , which are dissolved in a solvent that evaporates rapidly on application such as ethyl alcohol , thereby leaving a tough , adherent film . lacquers which are useful in the present invention maybe mixtures , such as lacquers produced by mixing styrene - acrylic emulsions , such as lucidene 603 and lucidene 395 ( morton international , inc ., 100 north riverside plaza , chicago , ill . 60606 ) with a non - ionic surfactant , such as sufynol 465 ( air products and chemicals , inc ., 751 hamilton boulevard , allentown , pa . 18195 - 1501 ) and ammonia ( g . s . robbins and company , 126 chateau avenue , st . louis , mo . 63102 ). the lacquer produced as described above may also contain a wax emulsion in water , such as liquitron 440 ( carrol scientific , inc ., 5401 s . dansher road , countryside , ill . 60525 ). as stated above , the bonding material 58 may be an adhesive , such as a pressure sensitive adhesive , or a cohesive . where the bonding material 58 is a cohesive , a similar cohesive material must be placed on both surfaces which are to be bonded together . as stated above , the bonding material 58 may be heat sealable and in this instance , the adjacent portions of the materials must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied to affect the seal . the lacquers described above are but one type of the bonding material 58 which is heat sealable . the bonding material 58 may also be a material which is sonic sealable and vibratory sealable . in the case of one type of heat sealable lacquer , the heat sealable lacquer may be applied to a sheet of material 5 and then heat , sound waves , or vibrations are then applied to effect the sealing . the term “ bonding material ” also includes any heat or chemically shrinkable material , static , electrical or other electrical , magnetic , mechanical or barb - type fastening or clamps , curl - type characteristics of the film and the materials in a sheet of material which cause the sheet of material to take on certain shapes , and any type of welding method which may weld the sheet of material into an articulated bag . the sheet of material 5 may further include at least one scent , the bonding material 58 may also include a scent , or both the sheet of material 5 and the bonding material 58 may include a scent . the scent may be incorporated into the structure of the sheet of material 5 during the fabrication of the sheet of material 5 or may be applied to the sheet of material 5 after it has been manufactured and before the sheet of material 5 is articulated into the bag of the present invention , such as bag 10 ( fig2 ). the scent may also be applied to the bag 10 of the present invention after it has been articulated from the sheet of material 5 . examples of scents utilized herein include floral scents ( flower blossoms or other portions of plants ), food scents ( chocolate , sugar , fruits ), herb or spice scents ( cinnamon ), and the like . additional examples of scents include flowers ( i . e . roses , daisies , lilacs ), plants ( i . e . fruits , vegetables , grasses , and trees ), foods ( i . e . candies , cookies , cake ), food condiments ( i . e . honey , sugar , salt ), herbs , spices , woods , roots , and the like , or any combinations of the foregoing . such scents are known in the art and commercially available . the scent may be applied to the sheet of material 5 by spraying the scent thereon , painting the scent thereon , brushing the scent thereon , lacquering the scent thereon , immersing sheet of material the 5 in a scent - containing liquid , exposing the sheet of material 5 to the scent containing gas or any combination thereof . the scent may also be incorporated onto the sheet of material 5 during the manufacture , extrusion , and / or lamination of the sheet of material 5 . when articulated , the sheet of material 5 forms a generally tubular sheath , indicated by reference numeral 60 shown in fig2 . the tubular sheath 60 is provided with an interior surface 70 , an exterior surface 80 , a end top 90 , and a bottom end 100 . the tubular sheath 60 is articulated from the sheet of material 5 by folding the sheet of material 5 over and onto itself such that the first edge portion 40 of the sheet of material 5 is substantially adjacent the second edge portion 50 thereof . as shown in fig2 where the first edge portion 40 is adjacent the second edge portion 50 , a first area of engagement 120 is defined . when the sheet of material 5 is folded over and onto itself , the third edge portion 55 folds over and onto itself as well , thereby defining a second area of engagement 130 . the first area of engagement 120 is exaggerated in size in fig2 for purpose of description and it should be appreciated that the first area of engagement 120 , in practice , may be substantially smaller and less noticeable . the first area of engagement 120 is generally shaped and sized as a fin seal — i . e ., the first edge portion 40 is directly adjacent and in alignment with the second edge portion 50 . the first area of engagement 120 also has an amount of the bonding material 58 disposed between the first edge portion 40 and the second edge portion 50 of the sheet of material 5 for affecting a seal therebetween . when sealed in this manner , the sheet of material 5 is articulated into the tubular sheath 60 having a fin seal seam , defined generally by the first area of engagement 120 . as stated above , the second area of engagement 130 is created by the third edge portion 55 being folded over onto itself . through the creation of the second area of engagement 130 , the bottom end 100 of the tubular sheath 60 is generally flattened . an amount of the bonding material 58 , which is disposed on the third edge portion 55 , is thus operably interspersed in the second area of engagement 130 such that the bottom end 100 is substantially closed . in the embodiment shown in fig2 the bottom end 100 is sealed in a fin seal manner generally along the second area of engagement 130 . thus , as shown in fig2 when the first and second areas of engagement 120 , 130 have been articulated and bondingly sealed , the bag 10 is formed . the bag 10 defines an interior retaining space 140 which is suitable for holding and retaining an item , such as a floral grouping or a corsage . thus , the top end 90 of the bag 10 is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space 140 of the bag 10 and the top end 90 coordinates with the interior retaining space 140 to provide egress to the interior retaining space 140 . after an item is placed in the interior retaining space 140 , the top end 90 may be crimped , folded , stapled , glued and / or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item within the interior retaining space 140 of the bag 10 . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , shown in fig3 and 4 , a bag 10 a ( fig4 ) is formed from a sheet of material 5 a ( fig3 ) having a first surface 30 a and a second surface 150 . the first surface 30 a includes a first edge portion 40 a and a second edge portion 50 a . the second surface 150 includes a third edge portion 55 a . the third edge portion 55 a does not extend the entire length of an outside edge 160 located on the second surface 150 of the sheet of material 5 a : rather , the third edge portion 55 a extends generally to a midpoint 165 of the sheet of material 5 a , with the midpoint 165 being indicated generally by a dashed line shown in fig3 . a bonding material 58 a is disposed on at least a portion of the first , second , and third edge portions 40 a , 50 a , and 55 a , respectively . thus , the first , second , and third edge portions 40 a , 50 a , and 55 a , respectively , define areas of adhesion 57 a . the remaining portion of the sheet of material 5 a which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area 59 a which does not have the bonding material 58 a thereon . still referring to fig4 when articulated , the sheet of material 5 a forms a generally tubular sheath 60 a , having an interior surface 70 a , an exterior surface 80 a , a top end 90 a , and a bottom end 100 a . the tubular sheath 60 a is articulated from the sheet of material 5 a by folding the sheet of material 5 a over and onto itself such that the first edge portion 40 a is substantially adjacent the second edge portion 50 a . the sheet of material 5 a is folded generally along the midpoint 165 when forming the tubular sheath 60 a . as shown in fig4 when the bag 10 a is articulated , i . e . where the first edge portion 40 a is adjacent the second edge portion 50 a , a first area of engagement 120 a is generally defined . also , when the bag 10 a is articulated , the third edge portion 55 a is folded up toward the top end 90 a such that the third edge portion 55 a bondingly engages the exterior surface 80 a of the tubular sheath 60 a , and thereby defines a second area of engagement 130 a . in the embodiment shown in fig3 and 4 , the first area of engagement 120 a is generally sized and shaped as a fin seal — i . e . the first edge portion 40 a is adjacent the second edge portion 50 a . the bonding material 58 a is located between the first edge portion 40 a and the second edge portion 50 a of the sheet of material 5 a such that first and second edge portions 40 a and 50 a are bondingly connected to one another so as to form the fin seal where the fin seal is generally defined by the first area of engagement 120 a . the second area of engagement 130 a is generally characterized as being defined by a lap seal , i . e ., the third edge portion 55 a is folded up toward the top end 90 a such that the third edge portion 55 a bondingly engages the exterior surface 80 a of the tubular sheath 60 a . by creating this lap seal at the second area of engagement 130 a , the bottom end 100 a is substantially flattened and closed , thereby providing the tubular sheath 60 a having two sealed areas of engagement 120 a , 130 a , respectively , and the substantially open top end 90 a . thus , as shown in fig4 when the first and second areas of engagement 120 a , 130 a have been articulated and bondingly sealed the bag 10 a is formed . the bag 10 a has an interior retaining space 140 a which is suitable for holding and retaining an item , such as a floral grouping or a corsage . the top end 90 a is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed within the interior retaining space 140 a . after an item is placed in the interior retaining space 140 a , the top end 90 a may be crimped , folded , stapled , and / or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item in the interior retaining space 140 a . in another embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig5 and 6 , a bag 10 b ( fig6 ) is formed from a sheet of material 5 b . the sheet of material 5 b has a first surface 30 b and a second surface 150 b . the first surface 30 b includes a first edge portion 40 b and a second edge portion 50 b . the second surface 150 b includes a third edge portion 55 b . a bonding material 58 b is disposed on at least a portion of the first edge portion 40 b , the second edge portion 50 b , as well as on the third edge portion 55 b . thus , the first , second and third edge portions 40 b , 50 b , 55 b , respectively , define areas of adhesion 57 b . the remaining portion of the sheet of material 5 b which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area 59 b which does not have the bonding material 58 b thereon . when articulated , the sheet of material 5 b forms a generally tubular sheath 60 b . the tubular sheath 60 b further includes an interior surface 70 b , an exterior surface 80 b , a top end 90 b , and a bottom end 100 b . the tubular sheath 60 b is articulated from the sheet of material 5 b by folding the sheet of material 5 b over and onto itself such that the second edge portion 50 b overlaps and is substantially adjacent the third edge portion 55 b . as shown in fig6 where the second edge portion 50 b overlaps the third edge portion 55 b , a first area of engagement 120 b is defined . when the sheet of material 5 b is folded , the first edge portion 40 b is folded onto itself and defines a second area of engagement 130 b . the first area of engagement 120 b is generally sized and shaped as a lap seal , i . e ., the third edge portion 55 b is adjacent the second edge portion 50 b . the first area of engagement 120 b also has an amount of the bonding material 58 b disposed between the third edge portion 55 b and the second edge portion 50 b . the bonding material 58 b holds and seals the second edge portion 50 b adjacent the third edge portion 55 b . when folded and sealed in this manner , the sheet of material 5 b is articulated into the tubular sheath 60 b having a lap - seal seam . this lap seal is defined generally by the first area of engagement 120 b . as stated above , the second area of engagement 130 b is created by the first edge portion 40 b being folded over and onto itself . through the articulation of the second area of engagement 130 b , the bottom end 100 b of the tubular sheath 60 b is generally flattened . the bonding material 58 b , which is disposed on the first edge portion 40 b , is thus operably interspersed within the second area of engagement 130 b such that the flattened bottom end 100 b of the tubular sheath 60 b is held and sealed by the bonding material 58 b . in the embodiment shown in fig6 the bottom end 100 b of the tubular sheath 60 b is sealed in a fin seal manner generally along the second area of engagement 130 b . thus , as shown in fig6 when the first and second areas of engagement 120 b and 130 b have been articulated and bondingly sealed , the bag 10 b is formed . the bag 100 b has an interior retaining space 140 b which is suitable for holding and retaining an item , such as a floral grouping or a corsage . the top end 90 b is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space 140 b . after an item is placed in the interior retaining space 140 b , the top end 90 b may be crimped , folded , stapled , curved , and / or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item within the interior retaining space 140 b . in an additional embodiment of the present invention , shown in fig7 and 8 , a bag 10 c is formed from a sheet of material 5 c . the sheet of material 5 c has a first surface 30 c and a second surface 150 c . the first surface 30 c includes a first edge portion 40 c . the second surface 150 c includes a second edge portion 50 c and a third edge portion 55 c . the third edge portion 55 c does not extend along the entire length of an outside edge 160 c of the second surface 150 c ; rather , the third edge portion 55 c extends generally to a midpoint 165 c of the sheet of material 5 c , with the midpoint 165 c being indicated generally by a dashed line in fig7 . a bonding material 58 c is applied to at least a portion of the first , second , and third edge portions 40 c , 50 c , and 55 c , respectively . thus , the first , second and third edge portions 40 c , 50 c , and 55 c , respectively , define areas of adhesion 57 c . the remaining portion of the sheet of material 5 c which is free of adhesive defines a substantially open area 59 c which does not have the bonding material 58 c thereon . when articulated , the sheet of material 5 c forms a generally tubular sheath 60 c , having an interior surface 70 c , an exterior surface 80 c , a top end 90 c , and a bottom end 100 c . the tubular sheath 60 c is articulated from the sheet of material 5 c by folding the sheet of material 5 c over and onto itself such that the first edge portion 40 c overlaps and is substantially adjacent to the second edge portion 50 c . as shown in fig8 where the first edge portion 40 c overlaps the second edge portion 50 c , a first area of engagement 120 c is defined . during folding , the third edge portion 55 c is folded over and onto itself defining a second area of engagement 130 c . the first area of engagement 120 c is generally sized and shaped as a lap seal , i . e ., the first edge portion 40 c is adjacent the second edge portion 50 c . the first area of engagement 120 c also has an amount of the bonding material 58 c disposed between the first edge portion 40 c and the second edge portion 50 c . the bonding material 58 c holds and seals the first edge portion 40 c adjacent the second edge portion 50 c . when folded and sealed in this manner , the sheet of material 5 c is articulated into the tubular sheath 60 c having a lap seal seam . this lap seal seam is defined generally by the first area of engagement 120 c . the second area of engagement 130 c is generally formed into a lap seal , i . e ., the third edge portion 55 c is folded up and bonded to the top end 90 c of the tubular sheath 60 c such that the third edge portion 55 c bondingly engages the exterior surface 80 c of the tubular sheath 60 c . by creating this lap seal at the second area of engagement 130 c , the bottom end 100 c of the tubular sheath 60 c is substantially flattened , closed , and sealed by the bonding material 58 c disposed on the third edge portion 55 c . the tubular sheath 60 c is thereby provided having the two sealed first and second areas of engagement 120 c , 130 c and the substantially open top end 90 c . thus , as shown in fig8 when the first and second areas of engagement 120 c , 130 c have been articulated and bonded , the bag 10 c is formed . the bag 10 c has an interior retaining space 140 c which is suitable for holding and retaining an item , such as a floral grouping or a corsage . the top end 90 c is in a substantially open and unobstructed configuration prior to an item being placed in the interior retaining space 140 c . after an item is placed in the interior retaining space 140 c , the top end 90 c may be crimped , folded , stapled , and / or mechanically closed in any manner whatsoever which allows for the retention of the item in the interior retaining space 140 c . thus it should be apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a bag that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forth above . although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims .
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the paper punching mechanism of the invention may desirably take the form illustrated in prior u . s . pat . no . 3 , 227 , 023 . as there shown , an oscillating punch drive shaft successively and sequentially operates a plurality of punch pins by a pair of spaced radially extending actuator elements that are angularly offset with respect to each other to effect operation of the punched pin pressure bar from one end toward the other . in the schematic illustration of fig1 the punch comprises a pierced die member 10 having a plurality of apertures 11 through which punch pins 12 are driven by a pressure bar 13 which is driven downwardly , and then upwardly , by actuating elements 14 and 15 carried by the punch drive shaft 16 . the punch drive shaft 16 is driven by a reduction gear transmission 17 driven by a motor 20 which is of a conventional split phase capacitor run type such as , for example , marketed by von weise . the output shaft 21 of the motor 20 carries a brake 22 which will , as described below , be engaged prior to reverse actuation of the motor in either normal or jam type operation . functionally , the system can be understood from a consideration of fig2 . as there shown , both normal and jam cycles are shown for comparison . in the normal cycle the motor 20 operates in the clockwise ( cw ) mode in the direction for driving the punches downwardly to punch the paper . counterclockwise rotation operates , conversely , to positively withdraw the punches from the paper . accordingly , upon the application of a trigger pulse , which occurs upon a manual switch application , the motor is , in a normal cycle , driven clockwise during a time time period t1 to t2 through a distance sufficient to drive the pins completely through the lift of paper , which distance is shown as x in fig2 . upon passage of the pins through the lift , the motor is deenergized and a brake momentarily applied during the period t2 through t3 . at this time the motor is reversed and driven counterclockwise during the period from t3 through t6 to the at - rest condition , at which it remains until again supplied with a manual trigger pulse . as shown in the lower portion of fig2 a jam cycle provides a somewhat different sequence of operation . as there shown , upon the application of the trigger pulse , the motor rotates in the clockwise direction , but achieves only a distance y , insufficient to penetrate the complete lift of paper , even though the time extends beyond t2 . in the jam situation , after completion of t4 , even without completion of the punching of the lift , the motor is deenergized and the brake actuated during the time period t4 to t5 . following this point in the operation , the motor is energized in the reverse , or counterclockwise direction at t5 and returns the system to the at - rest condition upon the completion of the time t7 . from the at - rest condition , the punch may be reenergized by a new trigger pulse , in which case , the motor tries to complete the piercing operation in a recycling manner . the manual trigger may be pulsed as many times as desired in an effort to complete the punch . however , in practice , it is preferred that having recognized a jam condition , by virtue of the fact that the lift has not been completely pierced , the operator will divide the lift into two parts which may be recycled separately . upon using the punch for a very short period of time , the usual operator has no difficulty in sensing the proper lift size to allow non - jamming , normal , cycling , even though that lift size is substantially less than the lift opening provided in the punch . control of the motor and the brake is accomplished by way of an electrical controller indicated at 25 in fig1 . the controller 25 , which is shown in schematic detail in fig3 provides , as there shown , a power source , typically 15 volt alternating current at p1 , p2 . photon coupled interrupter mechanisms , such as for example , general electric part no . h2 2 b3 , are provided for detecting the position of the punch drive shaft 16 . as shown in fig1 the shaft 16 drives a flag element 26 between an upper position in which the punch has completed punching of the lift , and the at - home position , in which the punches have moved upwardly to their maximum , at - rest condition in which the lift opening of the punch is open for insertion of a new lift of paper to be punched . in the drawing the photon coupled interrupter mechanisms include a light - emitting diode q2a which energizes the switch q2b to disconnect operation of the motor reversing circuit upon achievement of the at - rest , home , condition . similarly , the photon coupled interrupter combination q3a and q3b operate to terminate operation of the forward motor energization when the flag 26 reaches the punch complete position , as shown in fig1 . in the circuit shown in fig3 q14 comprises a light - emitting diode providing illumination for the switch s1 which may be pulsed by momentary closure to trigger a timer element which may , for example , comprise an r . c . a . part no . ca 555 - ce . the timer q4 starts , with current flowing through q3b energizing the diode actuated triac q8 energizing the forward direction motor windings via triac q11 . the optical coupled triacs q8 , q9 , and q10 may comprise optron part nos . opi 3022 and the triacs q11 and q13 may comprise teccor part nos . q601025 . similarly , the triac q12 may comprise a teccor part no . q600424 . upon the initial operation of the switch s1 , above described , current is supplied via q3b to the optical coupled triac q8 and the optical coupled triac q9 which , when thus energized , energizes a brake release mechanism removing brake force from the shaft 21 to permit rotation of the shaft while the motor is energized in the forward direction . at this time , current flowing through r8 is diverted to a momentary ground at terminal 7 of the second timer q6 , so that the optical coupled triac q10 is not energized . when the photon coupled interrupter q3b is interrupted by movement of the flag 26 , following completion of the punching stroke , the circuit is interrupted and q8 and q9 are deenergized , with the result that the brake 22 is applied . interruption of the circuit initiates timer q6 which then , via terminal 3 energizes the optical coupled triacs q9 and q10 , releasing the brake 22 and energizing the motor in the reverse direction , which reverse action is terminated when the photo coupled interrupter q2b is interrupted . in the event of a jam situation , the photon coupled interrupter q3b is not interrupted , since the flag 26 never completely obscures the light emitting diode q3a , in this event , the timer q4 operates to interrupt the circuit powering q8 and q9 by interrupting current flow at time t4 shown in fig2 . this interruption operates , as in a normal cycle , to provide application of the brake and timed operation of the reverse motor optical coupled triac q10 . the circuit shown in fig3 may , of course , be modified and is shown as a satisfactory embodiment only . circuit values as there shown are as follows : r1 , r2 are 100 , 000 ohms each ; r3 is 470 , 000 ohms ; r4 is 22 , 000 ohms ; r5 is 10 , 000 ohms ; r6 is 22 , 000 ohms ; r7 is 1 , 000 ohms ; r8 is 560 ohms ; r9 , r10 , r11 are 100 ohms each and r12 is 220 ohms . capacitances c1 and c2 are 100 microfarads each ; c3 is 0 . 1 microfarad ; c4 is 0 . 01 microfarad ; c5 is 2 . 2 microfarads ; c6 is 2 . 2 microfarads and c7 is 6 . 8 microfarads . the diodes d2 , d3 , d4 , d5 and d6 may comprise part nos . in914 with d1 being for example , part no . in4002 . the npn transistor q5 may comprise part no . 2n4400 and the pnp transistor q7 may , similarly , comprise part no . 2n3905 . it will , of course , be obvious that different timer and motor controller elements may be used , and that depending upon the inertia characteristics of the motor and the transmission , the brake may be modified or eliminated . accordingly , it is our intention that the scope of the present invention be limited by that of the appended claims only .
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a preferred embodiment of the proposed system for de - icing is illustrated in fig1 . the nozzle 10 for supplying a de - icing liquid is supported by a first pivot support that is attached to an extendable support arm 15 . the first pivot support 12 provides an adjustable orientation of the nozzle 10 by a horizontal pivot axis allowing a pivotal motion in a vertical plane embedding the adjustable support arm 15 , and a normal pivot axis allowing sideways motions with respect to the extendable support arm 15 . the first pivot support 12 is also provided with actuation mechanisms enabling an automated pivotal motion of the nozzle 10 . the nozzle is supplied with de - icing liquid via conduits 14 . the support arm is provided with conduit supports 16 for preventing a slackening of the conduits 14 when the length of the extendable support arm 15 is changed . the support arm 15 is divided into three segments that can slide with respect to one another , thereby enabling a extension of the support arm 15 by a telescopic action . in fig1 the support arm is shown at its maximum extension . the support arm 15 is supported by a second support 17 attached to a boom 21 . the second pivot 17 defines a horizontal pivot axis allowing a pivotal motion in a vertical plane and a vertical pivot axis allowing a pivotal motion in a horizontal plane . a cabin 18 is connected to the vertical pivot axis so that the turning of the cabin 18 is synchronized with the horizontal turning of the support arm 15 . the boom 21 in turn is supported by a third pivot support 22 . the third pivot 22 defines a horizontal pivot axis allowing a pivotal motion in a vertical plane . the boom 21 is provided with a parallel displacement joint 20 which is connected to the third pivot support 22 via the boom 21 itself and a parallel displacement bar 30 to define a parallelogram linkage . thereby , the vertical pivot axis of the second pivot 17 is maintained in a vertical orientation , even though the inclination of the boom 20 is changed . the third pivot support 22 is anchored to the roof 23 of a housing 26 on a truck 29 behind the driver &# 39 ; s cabin 28 . a hand rail 24 traces the edge of the roof 22 , which can be reached from the ground via a ladder 25 at the back of the truck 29 . the housing 26 encloses a tank for storing the de - icing liquid and a pump for supplying the nozzle 10 with pressurized de - icing fluid via the conduits 14 . the housing also encloses a heater that can optionally heat the de - icing fluid . the inside of the housing 26 can be reached via a sliding door 27 . a pair of distal contact sensors 47 , in form of freely extending rods , is mounted in a downward orientation at the distal end of the support arm 15 . if any of these contact sensor sensors come in physical contact with another object , all movements of the support arm 15 and the boom 21 will terminate , which will reduce the risk for collisions with the aircraft while de - icing . a preferred embodiment of the distal end of the support arm of the de - icing system is illustrated in fig2 a . a first pivot support 12 is attached to the distal end of the distal telescopic segment 31 of the extendable support arm 15 . the first pivot support 12 supports a nozzle 10 through which a de - icing liquid can be expelled under pressure . the orientation of the nozzle 10 can be changed by pivoting it around a horizontal pivot axis 32 , allowing a pivotal motion in a vertical plane , and a normal pivot axis 33 allowing sideways motions with respect to the extendable support arm 15 . a distance sensor 11 in the form of an ultrasonic range finder is rigidly mounted onto the nozzle 10 by a fixed attachment 34 . in alternative embodiments the distance sensor 11 can be a laser , radar , or infrared rangefinder . the measurement direction 35 of the distance sensor 11 points in the general direction 36 of the expelled liquid 37 . the position of the distance sensor 11 relative to the nozzle 10 is such that , under normal operation conditions , the distance measurements are through the expelled de - icing liquid . the distance sensor 11 also doubles as a detector for detecting the edges of an aircraft wing 38 by reacting to rapid changes in the distances measured or the loss of a reflexion signal . for example , the distance sensor 11 typically measures a distance in the range of 0 . 5 to 2 meters to the upper surface 39 of the aircraft wing . if the distance sensor instead would point at the ground , the distance measured would at least be larger than 2 . 5 meters . the rapid change from a measured distance in the range of 0 . 5 to 2 meters to a measured distance larger than 2 . 5 meters then correspond to a detection of the leading edge 40 or the trailing edge 41 . an alternative embodiment of the distal end of the support arm of the de - icing system is illustrated in fig2 b . all features that are common to this embodiment and the previously described embodiments have been given the same index numbers . in this alternative embodiment , the sensor 11 is connected to the nozzle 10 via a pivotal support 42 , allowing the sensor 11 to sweep independently from the nozzle , both in a vertical plane and sideways with respect to the nozzle . another alternative embodiment of the distal end of the support arm of the de - icing system is illustrated in fig2 c . all features that are common to this embodiment and to the previously described embodiments have been given the same index numbers . in this alternative embodiment the sensor 11 is connected to the part of the first pivot support 12 that is fixed relative to the distal segment 31 of the telescopic support arm 15 . the connection is achieved via a pendulum sensor support 43 and orients the sensor 11 so that its measurements direction 35 of the sensor 11 is held essentially vertical by the force of gravity . yet another alternative embodiment of the distal end of the support arm of the de - icing system is illustrated in fig3 . all features in common with the previously described embodiments have been given the same index numbers . in this alternative embodiment , the sensor 11 is connected to the nozzle 10 via a fixed attachment 34 , where the distance sensor 11 is a rotating sensor that scans in a vertical plane to detect the surface of the aircraft wing and the distance thereto . by the mounting 49 the rotating sensor 11 is fixed to the fixed pivot support 12 , whereby the rotating sensor 11 follows the support arm 15 . yet another alternative embodiment of the distal end of the support arm of the de - icing system is illustrated in fig4 . all features that are common to this embodiment and the previously described embodiments have been given the same index numbers . in this alternative embodiment , the sensor 11 is connected to the nozzle 10 via a fixed attachment 34 . an additional sensor 44 is connected to the nozzle 10 via an additional fixed attachment 45 . the sensor 11 is oriented so that , at typical operation conditions , its line of measuring does not point towards the expelled de - icing liquid 37 . similarly , the additional sensor 11 is oriented so that , at typical operation conditions , its line of measuring 46 does not cross the expelled de - icing liquid 37 . the placement of the two sensors is such that the two lines - of - measuring are on opposite sides of the expelled de - icing fluid 37 . by this , if the sensors are used to detect the edges of the aircraft wing in a vertical sweep by the nozzle 10 , the projected de - icing liquid will not cross the edge before detection of the same . hence , the amount of de - icing liquid lost outside the upper surface 39 of the wing 38 is significantly reduced . a preferred embodiment of the proposed method for de - icing is illustrated in fig5 as a flow - chart 59 . initially , the extendable support arm is manually controlled so that the distance sensor and the nozzle are positioned directly above an aircraft wing . a preferred vertical distance between the distance sensor and the aircraft wing is defined in the step of defining parameters 60 . the preferred vertical distance in question has the value r 0 . in the step of defining a fluid application path 61 , a horizontal plane having the cartesian coordinates ( x , y ) is first defined , in which the fluid application path is embedded . the fluid application path is defined as changes in the x and y coordinates , where each change in the x coordinate is represented by the incremental step dx i , and each change in the y coordinate is represented by the incremental step dy i . here , the subscript i correspond to the order in which the incremental steps are performed . this way , the polygonal fluid application path in the horizontal plane is non - localised and completely defined by the two sets dx and dy having the same integer number n of elements . the two sets can be written as : dx ={ dx 1 , dx 2 , . . . , dx n - 1 , dx n } and dy ={ dy 1 , dy 2 , . . . , dy n - 1 , dy n }. here , dx i and dy i are real - valued , i . e . they can be positive , zero , or negative . if ( x 0 , y 0 ) are defined as the starting coordinates , the localized fluid application path can then be described by a sequence of the coordinates : in addition to the fluid application path , a vertical line having the coordinate z is defined . naturally , the vertical line is normal to the horizontal surface embedding the fluid application path . further , an incremental step dz is defined along the vertical line , where the step has the absolute value | dz |. a de - icing fluid is applied to the aircraft wing in the step of applying a de - icing fluid 62 . this step 62 is performed continuously during all of the following steps , which is illustrated in fig5 by placing all the following steps inside the step of applying a de - icing fluid 62 . this means that the de - icing fluid is applied continuously to the aircraft wing during operation . in the step of measuring 63 , an integer counter q , which has the initial value of 0 , is first increased by one , whereupon the first distance to the aircraft wing is measured along a vertical measurement direction , giving the measured distance value p q . in the following step of evaluating 64 the preferred distance value r 0 is recalled 75 and subtracted 76 from the measured distance value p q . from the result of the subtraction 76 it is determined whether p q is smaller than r 0 77 , is equal to r 0 78 , or p q is larger than r 0 79 . in the subsequent step of deriving a control signal 65 , the incremental steps dx q and dy q are recalled from dx and dy 83 , respectively , where q correspond to q &# 39 ; th element of the sets . the incremental step dz q is set to +| dz | if p q is smaller than r 0 80 , to 0 if p q is equal to r 0 81 , or to −| dz | if p q is larger than r 0 82 . the combined incremental steps ( dx q , dy q , dz q ) correspond to a single step in three - dimensions , which is subsequently inserted into a function f translating it into machine instructions s 85 . the machine instructions s are sent as a control signal 70 to an automated control system . in the subsequent step of controlling 66 the automated control system carries out the instructions and moves the nozzle according to the combined incremental steps ( dx q , dy q , dz q ). in the subsequent step of repeating 67 , the operation returns 72 to the step of measuring 63 , from which the described process is repeated again , but with the integer counter q increased by one . for the sake of clarity , in fig5 the connection 73 has been indexed to stress that r 0 is defined in the step of defining parameters 60 , while the connection 74 has been indexed to stress that dx q and dy q are defined in the step of defining a fluid application path 61 . in fig6 an aircraft wing 110 having a leading edge 112 and a trailing edge 113 is illustrated . the wing 110 is connected to the fuselage 111 of the aircraft . a fluid application path 121 defining a fixed horizontal distance to the leading edge of an aircraft wing has been outlined . in a preferred embodiment , the fluid application path 121 is achieved by detecting at least two points on the leading edge 112 . these points are used to define a horizontal straight line for the case of two points , or polygon in a horizontal plane for the case of more points . the fluid application path is then defined by parallel transporting the straight line or polygon in a horizontal direction so that all the points shift the same horizontal distance . here , the horizontal shift corresponds to the fixed horizontal distance . in fig7 a fluid application path 122 defining a fixed horizontal distance to the trailing edge 113 of an aircraft wing 110 is illustrated , which instead is achieved by detecting at least two points on the trailing edge 113 . a fluid application path 124 defining a fixed horizontal distance to the bisector 123 of an aircraft wing 110 is illustrated . the bisector 123 is determined by detecting the horizontal position of at least two equidistant points on the leading edge 112 in a first series , and the same number of equidistant points on the trailing edge 113 in a second series . the distance between the points in the first series is the same as between the points in the second series . the points on each edge are ordered according to their distance to the fuselage . points of the same order in the two series are paired together , where each pair define a line . the bisector 123 is then defined as the polygon through the middle points of these lines . the fluid application path 124 is then defined by a parallel transport of the bisector 123 in the preferred horizontal direction . fig9 and fig1 illustrate fluid application paths defining a series of single - loops having smooth turns 126 and sharp turns 127 , respectively . in a preferred embodiment , the fluid application paths are initially non - localized and have no pre - defined orientations with respect to the aircraft wing 110 . the placing and orientation are manually defined by an operator by setting two coordinates corresponding to the start point 128 and end point 129 of the fluid application path . fig1 illustrates a fluid application path 134 defining a zigzag pattern along an aircraft wing 110 . in a preferred embodiment , this is achieved by defining a first line 139 and a second line 140 in a horizontal plane . the lines are non - parallel , initially non - localized , and have no pre - defined orientation with respect to the aircraft wing , but have a fixed orientation with respect to one another . an operator defines the start point 135 and the direction for the first line 139 , while the end point 136 is determined by detecting the first edge , which in this example is the leading edge 112 . the end point 136 is located at a certain distance from the first edge and is subsequently defined as the start point 136 for the second line 140 . the direction of the second line 140 is already determined by its predefined relative orientation with respect to the first line 139 . the end point 137 of the second line 140 is determined by detecting the second edge , which in this example is the trailing edge 113 . the end point 137 is located at a certain distance from the second edge and is subsequently defined as the start point 137 for another line , thereby allowing the fluid application path to be extended in zigzag pattern following a recursive sequence involving the described steps of a detecting edges and defining start and end points . fig1 illustrates a fluid application path 141 defining a zigzag pattern across an aircraft wing 110 . in a preferred embodiment this is achieved by combining the methods described in connection with fig6 and fig7 , i . e . by defining a first line 142 being parallel to the leading edge 112 and a second line 143 being parallel to the trailing edge 113 . the first turn point 144 and the one or more intermediary turn points 145 of the zigzag pattern are predefined by an operator ; while the last turn point 146 is defined by detecting the edge , which in this example is the trailing edge 113 . the last turn point is located at a certain distance from the edge . fig1 illustrates a fluid application path 147 defining a square pattern along an aircraft wing . in a preferred embodiment , this is achieved by defining a first line 148 at a first fixed distance from the edge and a second line 149 at a second fixed distance form the edge . in this example , the edge is the leading edge 112 and the first distance is smaller than the second distance . the fixed distances are obtained by a method similar to that discussed in connection with fig6 . the fluid application path is then defined by connecting the paths at predefined intervals , where the connections 150 are substantially perpendicular to the edge . 121 fluid application path defining a fixed horizontal distance to the leading edge 122 fluid application path defining a fixed horizontal distance to the trailing edge 124 fluid application path defining a fixed horizontal distance to the bisector 126 fluid application path defining a series of single - loops having smooth turns 127 fluid application path defining a series of single - loops having sharp turns 134 fluid application path defining a zigzag pattern along an aircraft wing 141 application path defining a zigzag pattern across an aircraft wing 147 fluid application path defining a square pattern along an aircraft wing
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the inventors have found purinergic ( p2x ) receptors in extracellular body fluids of individuals having various forms of cancer . this is a surprising finding as all p2x7 receptors to date have been found to be anchored into the cell surface lipid bilayer by one or two transmembrane spanning domains . hence the teaching in the art to date has been that purinergic ( p2x ) receptors are expressed predominantly on the cell membrane . the finding that certain purinergic ( p2x ) receptors are found in the extra - cellular body fluids of individuals having various disease and conditions , or predisposed to same is significant because in certain embodiments individuals may be screened on the basis of an extra - cellular body fluid sample , which is generally much more simple to isolate than a tissue biopsy . the latter has been required to determine cell membrane expression of purinergic p2x receptors to date . in certain embodiments there is provided an isolated purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , p2x monomer or fragment thereof obtainable from an extra - cellular body fluid . typically the receptor is a p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . in certain embodiments , a p2x7 receptor includes all receptors including at least one p2x7 monomer sequence , whether or not the p2x7 receptor is functional in the sense of capable of binding to atp and or forming a pore for ingress of cations into a cell leading to programmed cell death . an example of a p2x7 receptor that has impaired atp binding function is a receptor having a cis isomerisation at proline 210 of the sequence shown in seq id no : 1 . the fluid may be selected from the group consisting of blood , plasma , serum , lymph , urine , semen , saliva , sputum , ascites , faeces , uterine and vaginal secretions , bile , amniotic fluid , cerebrospinal fluid and organ and tissue flushings . the extra - cellular body fluid is typically cell - free although in some circumstances it may contain residual cells or fragments thereof . the receptor , monomer or fragment thereof may include an amino acid sequence as shown in table 1 below . the receptor , monomer or fragment thereof may have an amino acid sequence consisting of part of any one of the sequences listed in table 1 . typically a fragment is part of a monomer of at least about 10 amino acid residues length and no more than about 595 amino acids in length . the receptor , monomer or fragment thereof may be linked to a fragment of a cell membrane . the cell membrane fragment may be the result of cell lysis or membrane blebbing . the cell membrane fragment may be provided in the form of a liposome - like or micelle - like structure with purinergic ( p2x ) receptors located thereon . in certain embodiments the receptor is linked to a solid phase , such as an assay plate , bead or tissue culture vessel . these forms of the receptor are particularly useful for preparation of antibodies to the receptor described further below which may be used in the diagnostic and therapeutic applications described further below . in another embodiment there is provided an immune complex formed from the binding of an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof to a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof as described above . generally an immune complex otherwise known as an antigen - antibody complex is a product that is formed from the binding of an antibody via an antibody binding site to an epitope on a antigen against which the antibody was raised . the complex may or may not consist of more than one antibody . typically the receptor is a p2x7 receptor and the antibody is an anti p2x7 antibody or fragment thereof . the immune complex is particularly important as detection of this in vitro or in vivo is indicative of presence of , or predisposition to a disease or condition including preneoplasia and neoplasia . these detection methods are described in more detail below . as is generally understood in the art , neoplasia is literally new growth and usually refers to abnormal new growth or proliferation generally persisting in the absence of an original growth stimulus . neoplasia may be benign or malignant . pre - neoplasia is generally a form of cellular growth or transformation preceding neoplasia . it may be characterised by hyperplasia and / or appearance of mitotic figures histologically without marked anaplasia or loss of cell differentiation . pre - neoplastic tissue is sometimes found in regions adjacent to a tumour lesion . the extra - cellular body fluid is typically cell - free although in some circumstances it may contain residual cells or fragments thereof . however , the immune complexes are predominantly formed from antibody binding to receptors , monomers or fragments thereof that are not located on a cell surface of an intact or whole cell , but rather to receptors , monomers or fragments thereof that are suspended or dissolved in the body fluid . the antibody may be a whole antibody of any isoform . the antibody may be one obtained from monoclonal or polyclonal antisera . the antibody may be produced by hybridoma , or by recombinant expression . the antibody may be human or one formed by grafting cdrs onto a xenogeneic or allogeneic framework . where the antibody is an antibody fragment , the antibody fragment is selected from the group consisting of a dab , fab , fd , fv , f ( ab ′) 2 , scfv and cdr . the antibody may bind to an extra - cellular domain of a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor . in one embodiment , the purinergic ( p2x ) receptor is a p2x7 receptor . as discussed herein , there are a number of isoforms of the p2x7 receptor . the antibody may bind to any one of the domains of these isoforms . a full length isoform includes an intra - cellular n - terminal domain , a transmembrane domain , an extra - cellular domain , a further transmembrane domain and a c - terminal intra - cellular domain . examples of epitopes located on an extra - cellular domain of a p2x7 receptor are set forth in table 2 . the antibody or antibody fragment may be attached to a solid phase , such as a bead or a plate , or blotting paper , for example nitrocellulose paper , so that the immune complex is attached to a solid phase when formed . in this embodiment the antibody may function as a “ capture ” antibody . alternatively , a receptor or fragment thereof is attached to a solid phase . the anti p2x7 receptor antibody may be labelled for detection of formation of the immune complex . the immune complex may further include a further antibody or fragment thereof , for example for capture of the immune complex . the further antibody or fragment thereof may be bound to the anti p2x7 receptor antibody . also the further antibody or fragment thereof may be bound to the receptor or fragment thereof . the further antibody or fragment thereof may be bound to a solid phase such as a phase described above . the further antibody or fragment thereof may be labelled for detection of formation of the immune complex . examples of labels include fluorophores , dyes , isotopes etc . as an alternative , a complex may be provided by contacting a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , such as a p2x7 receptor to a compound capable of binding to the receptor to form a detectable complex . thus in a further embodiment them is provided a complex formed from the binding of a purine or purine related compound to a p2x7 receptor , monomer , or fragment thereof as described above . an example is atp or atp analogue such as benzoyl - benzoyl atp . the atp may be bound or conjugated to a label to facilitate detection of formation of the complex . in still further embodiments there is provided an antibody or fragment thereof for binding to an epitope on an extra - cellular purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof , the epitope not being found on a purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof that is expressed on a cell surface membrane . typically the antibody binds to an epitope on an extra - cellular p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . an example of an antibody fragment includes a dab , fab , fd , fv , f ( ab ′) 2 , scfv and cdr . in certain embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an extra - cellular body fluid contains a purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof including : contacting an extra - cellular body fluid with an anti purinergic receptor antibody or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex , and detecting whether an immune complex has been formed , wherein the detection of an immune complex indicates that the fluid contains a purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . typically the antibody is an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody such as an anti p2x7 receptor antibody or , fragment thereof . in other embodiments there is provided a use of an anti p2x7 - receptor antibody or fragment thereof in the manufacture of means for determining whether an extra - cellular body fluid contains a p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . in other embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an extra - cellular body fluid contains an antibody against an extra - cellular purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof including : contacting extra - cellular body fluid with a purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex between the purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof and an antibody against an extra - cellular purinergic receptor , and detecting whether an immune complex has been formed ; wherein the detection of an immune complex indicates that the fluid contains an antibody against an extra - cellular purinergic receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . typically the purinergic p2x receptor is a p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof . in other embodiments there is provided a use of a p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof obtainable from an extra - cellular body fluid in the manufacture of means for determining whether an extra - cellular body fluid contains an anti - p2x7 receptor antibody . the presence of a given protein , or level of expression of a given protein such as a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor or fragment thereof in an extra - cellular body fluid can be detected by any number of assays . examples include immunoassays , chromatography and mass spectrometry . immunoassays , i . e . assays involving an element of the immune system are particularly preferred . these assays may generally be classified into one of : ( i ) assays in which purified antigen is used to detect an antibody in host serum . for example , purified antigen is bound to solid phase by adsorption or indirectly through another molecule and host serum or other body fluid is applied followed by another antibody for detecting presence or absence of host antibody ; ( ii ) assays in which purified antigen is used to detect immune cells , such as t and b lymphocytes . for example , peripheral white cells are purified from a host and cultured with purified antigen . the presence or absence of one or more factors indicating immunity are then detected . other examples include assays that measure cell proliferation ( lymphocyte proliferation or transformation assays ) following exposure to purified antigen , and assays that measure cell death ( including apoptosis ) following exposure to purified antigen : ( iii ) assays in which purified antibody specific for antigen is used to detect antigen in the host . for example , purified antibody is bound to solid phase , host extra - cellular body fluid is then applied followed by another antibody specific for the antigen to be detected . there are many examples of this approach including elisa , ria and the like ; ( iv ) assays in which a purified anti - idiotypic antibody is used to detect host antibody . for example , anti - idiotypic antibody is adsorbed to solid phase , host serum is added and anti - fc antibody is added to bind to any host antibodies having been bound by the anti - idiotypic antibody . ( v ) assays in which extra - cellular body fluid is separated from a protein component contained within it , the protein component is then fixed onto a solid phase and the probed with an antibody . examples include dot blotting and western blotting . a further assay format which does not require formation of an immune complex is one in which an assay output is the result of catalysis of a substrate and the output is observed for example by measuring a change in optical density . the extra - cellular body fluid to be assessed in the above described embodiments of the invention may be selected from the group consisting of blood , plasma , serum , lymph , urine , semen , saliva , sputum , ascites , faeces , uterine and vaginal secretions , bile , amniotic fluid , cerebrospinal fluid , tear , and organ and tissue flushings . the extra - cellular body fluid is typically cell - free although in some circumstances it may contain residual cells or fragments thereof . it will be appreciated that any disease where a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor is expressed in extra - cellular body fluid can be detected by these methods . the disease is typically a cancer such as carcinoma , sarcoma , lymphoma , leukaemia or other parenchymal cell growth abnormality . carcinomas that may be detected include , but not limited to , prostate , breast , skin , lung , cervix , uterus , stomach , esophagus , bladder , and colon cancers . as generally understood , a cancer or tumour is a neoplastic state and may be benign or malignant . in certain embodiments the cancer is metastatic disease . whilst any body fluid can be used to detect any of these diseases , in certain embodiments , some body fluids may be more appropriate than others to detect certain diseases , for example urine may be more appropriate to detect prostate cancer . blood may be more appropriate for detecting blood cancers such as lymphoma . in another embodiment there is provided a method for determining whether an individual has a cancer including the steps of : collecting a sample of extra - cellular body fluid from the individual and contacting extra - cellular body fluid with an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex as described above , and detecting whether an immune complex has been formed . in a further embodiment there is provided use of anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof for determining whether an individual has a cancer . in yet further embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an individual has cancer , or is predisposed to cancer including the steps of : providing a sample of extra - cellular body fluid obtained from an individual in whom the presence or absence of cancer or predisposition thereto is to be determined ; contacting the sample with an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex ( as described above ) between a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof in the extra - cellular body fluid in the sample and the antibody or fragment thereof ; and detecting whether the immune complex has been formed , thereby determining whether the individual has a cancer or predisposition thereto . in one embodiment the method is implemented as a direct , indirect or sandwich elisa , ria or like assay involving the application of a liquid sample to an assay system . the sample may or may not be processed prior to contact with an antibody . in yet further embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an individual has cancer , or is predisposed to cancer including the steps of : providing a sample in the form of a tissue biopsy including an extra - cellular body fluid , the sample being obtained from an individual in whom the presence or absence of cancer or predisposition thereto is to be determined ; contacting the sample with an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex between a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof , in or derived from , the extra - cellular body fluid in the sample and the antibody or fragment thereof ; and detecting whether the immune complex has been formed , to determine whether the individual has or is predisposed to a cancer . in one embodiment the method is implemented in an immuno - histochemical format whereby a tissue section containing extra - cellular body fluid is applied to a slide leading to fixing of protein in the fluid to the slide and staining with an antibody . according to these embodiments , the method includes the step of assessing the sample , for example the tissue section , for the presence or absence of the immune complex in an extra - cellular space . examples of these spaces include those in the form of a lumen of a gland , duct or vessel such as a blood vessel or lymphatic . other extra - cellular spaces include those defined by an impermeable or semi - permeable layer of epithelial cells , one example of the former being the space defined by the blood brain barrier , an example of the latter being a convoluted tubule of a nephron . in yet further embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an individual has cancer or is predisposed to cancer including the steps of : administering an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof to an individual in whom the presence or absence of cancer or predisposition thereto is to be determined in conditions for forming an immune complex between the antibody or fragment thereof and a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof in the extra - cellular body fluid of the individual ; and detecting whether the immune complex has been formed to determine whether the individual has a cancer or predisposition thereto . the method may include the step of obtaining a sample of extra - cellular body fluid from the individual and determining whether the sample contains the immune complex , to detect whether the immune complex has been formed . alternatively , the method may include the step of obtaining a sample in the form of a tissue biopsy including an extra - cellular body fluid from the individual and assessing the sample for the presence or absence of the immune complex in an extra - cellular space of the tissue biopsy , to detect whether the immune complex has been formed . in yet further embodiments there is provided a method for determining whether an individual has cancer or is predisposed to cancer including the steps of : providing a sample of extra - cellular body fluid obtained from an individual in whom the presence or absence of cancer or predisposition thereto is to be determined ; applying the sample to a solid phase in conditions for fixing a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof in the extra - cellular body fluid of the individual to the solid phase ; contacting the solid phase with an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof in conditions for forming an immune complex between a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer or fragment thereof fixed to the solid phase and the antibody or fragment thereof ; and detecting whether the immune complex has been formed , thereby determining whether the individual has cancer or predisposition thereto . in yet further embodiments there is provided a kit or composition for determining whether an extra - cellular body fluid contains a purinergic ( p2x ) receptor , monomer of fragment thereof as described above , or an antibody against an extra - cellular p2x7 receptor or fragment thereof as described above including : an anti purinergic ( p2x ) receptor antibody or fragment thereof ; and / or a p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof obtainable from extra - cellular body fluid as described above ; and optionally a further antibody for binding to the antibody or fragment thereof or the p2x7 receptor , monomer or fragment thereof ; written instructions for use of the kit in a method described above . the following protocols are provided as non - limiting examples of suitable methods for detecting p2x7r in a sample of extra - cellular fluid for the purpose of illustrating the invention . detection of ( p2x ) purinergic receptors in extra - cellular body fluid by direct elisa . plasma samples ( 1 ml ) obtained from 9 patients with grade iii ovarian adenocarcinoma were diluted 1 : 50 for direct elisa in triplicate . control plasma are the 3 samples at left ( fig1 ). only low volumes of samples were required for reliable detection of shed receptor sourced from cancer cells in the patients &# 39 ; plasma . detection of ( p2x ) purinergic receptors in extra - cellular body fluid by indirect elisa . shed receptor from bladder cancer patients was detected in urine . patients with extant disease and those in remission following treatment could be separated using a competition elisa . urine was diluted 1 : 10 and the spiked p2x7 antibody was used at 2 . 5 ug / ml ( fig1 ). test sample 1 was a patient in remission , close to the control level , while test sample 2 had existing disease manifest by the presence of shed receptor . urine samples ( 1 ml ) were sufficient for detection ( in triplicate ). detection of ( p2x ) purinergic receptors in extra - cellular body fluid by dot blotting . samples of urine from patients with ovarian and bladder cancer were examined using dot blots and a range of antibodies to p2x7 receptors . pvdf sheets were wet in pbs for 15 min then air dried . sheets were then dotted with urine or sera ( neat or diluted ) and dried at 37 c . sheets were then placed at 4 c ( dry ) until ready to test . sheets were wet in tbs before blocking in 3 % bsa / tbs for 1 hr . antibodies were added into bags containing nitrocellulose sheets ( 1 sheet per bag ) at 50 ug / ml in 3 % bsa / tbs and incubated on rocker for 2 hrs . sheets were washed three times in tbs before conjugates were added at 1 / 1k concentration in 3 % bsa / tbs and placed on rocker for 1 . 5 hrs . sheets were washed in tbs for 4 solution changes then developed using chloro - 1 - napthol . staining was neutralized in tap water before air drying and photographing with video camera . fig1 is an example of results obtained with ovarian and bladder cancer patients as well as controls . urine from all cancer positive patients was observed to contain p2x7 while the control urine samples were devoid of detectable levels of receptor . detection of ( p2x ) purinergic receptors in extra - cellular body fluid by immuno histochemistry . in one embodiment of the invention we have detected shed receptor in lymph nodes draining the area of identified tumours . in the absence of metastatic cells , lymph nodes considered sentinel nodes for breast and prostate cancers were removed in the course of surgery , fixed and embedded . sections were stained for the presence of non - functional p2x7 receptor . receptor was detected in the sentinel nodes whereas control nodes were devoid of shed receptor in the medulla . examples , include prostate ( a ) and breast ( b ) where brown stain in the form of dab reveals the presence of receptor , ( fig1 ). detection of prostate cancer by detection of ( p2x ) purinergic receptors in serum and urine . in one embodiment of the invention we have used a direct elisa to detect the presence of p2x7 receptor in urine and serum from a patient with advanced prostate cancer . the microtitre plate - based eia kit consists of 12 strips of 8 wells each , pre - coated with e80 , e140 or e200 antibodies to p2x7 . the assay operates on the basis of competition between the shed receptor in the sample and the receptor - enzyme conjugate for the limited number of specific binding sites on the pre - coated microtitre plate . after overnight incubation , unbound reagents were removed by rinsing wells with pbs . the enzyme conjugate utilised horseradish peroxidase ( hrp ) as a tracer . the amount of p2x7 - hrp bound was measured by adding the chromogen substrate 2 , 2 ′- azino - bis ( 3 - ethylbenzthiazoline - 6 - sulfonic acid ) diammonium salt ( arts ). bound p2x7 - hrp conjugate converted the colourless abts solution to a blue product . the abts reaction was stopped by the addition of the stopping solution , 5 % oxalic acid , which converted the solution to a yellow - coloured product . the colour intensity was measured at 405 nm with reference at 490 nm using a microplate reader . the colour intensity was inversely proportional to the p2x7 epitope concentration in the calibrator or sample . faecal samples from two patients with established adenocarcinomas were collected and shed cells buffer extracted . the samples were run on polyacrylamide gels and major p2x7 protein bands identified in a western blot . the figure shows two major bands at molecular weights of 75 kda and 30 kda respectively using an antibody to seq id no : 2 corresponding with full length receptor and a truncated piece of receptor containing the epitope 200 - 216 .
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approximating language , as used herein throughout the specification and claims , may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related . accordingly , a value modified by a term or terms , such as “ about ”, is not limited to the precise value specified . in at least some instances , the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value . range limitations may be combined and / or interchanged , and such ranges are identified and include all the sub - ranges stated herein unless context or language indicates otherwise . other than in the operating examples or where otherwise indicated , all numbers or expressions referring to quantities of ingredients , reaction conditions and the like , used in the specification and the claims , are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term “ about ”. “ optional ” or “ optionally ” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur , or that the subsequently identified material may or may not be present , and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs or where the material is present , and instances where the event or circumstance does not occur or the material is not present . as used herein , the terms “ comprises ”, “ comprising ”, “ includes ”, “ including ”, “ has ”, “ having ”, or any other variation thereof , are intended to cover a non - exclusive inclusion . for example , a process , method , article or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements , but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , article , or apparatus . the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . turning to the drawings , fig1 and 1a show rotatable sputter target assembly 10 comprising cylindrical target 20 concentrically mounted over cylindrical backing tube 40 . the target 20 and backing tube 40 are adapted for rotation around a central axis 80 of the assembly . means for imparting the desired rotation can be seen for example in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 262 , 032 and 5 , 464 , 518 , both of which are herein incorporated by reference . a backing material 60 is located between the inner surface 22 of target 20 and the outer surface 41 of backing tube 40 . in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , target 20 may be comprised of a ceramic or metal oxide material , such as indium tin oxide ( tto ) or aluminum zinc oxide ( azo ). the backing tube 40 may be comprised of al , al alloy , stainless steel , copper , titanium , or any other material deemed suitable by a person having ordinary skill in the art . as shown in the drawings , a backing material 60 occupies the annular space between the target 20 and backing tube 40 . in some embodiments backing material 60 is corrugated sheet metal . in other embodiments , backing material 60 is mesh metal . backing material 60 resiliently connects the target 20 and backing tube 40 along a multitude of support locations on the inner surface 22 of the target 20 . backing material 60 could be connected to the target 20 and backing tube 40 by a mechanical or chemical fastener . alternatively , backing material 60 could be secured to the target 20 and backing tube 40 only by friction , such as through a friction fit . accordingly , in one embodiment , this invention utilizes a backing material 60 that is rolled around backing tube 40 . the cylindrical , rotatable ceramic target 20 is then fitted on top of the backing material 60 . backing material 60 functions like multiple springs so as to provide a resilient , fixed mount of the target 20 to the backing tube 40 . resiliently connecting the target 20 and backing tube 40 along a multitude of support locations prevents the formation of concentrated heat areas in the target 20 . thereby reducing the likelihood of crack and nodule formation in or on target 20 . fig2 shows a cross section taken at 1 a of fig1 of an embodiment of the invention which utilizes corrugated sheet metal 60 rolled around the backing tube 40 . the cylindrical , rotatable ceramic target 20 is fitted on top of the corrugated sheet metal 60 . the outer ridges 61 of corrugated sheet metal 60 contact the inner surface 22 of target 20 , and the inner ridges 62 of corrugated sheet metal 60 contact the outer surface 41 of backing tube 40 . in some embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run parallel to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly 10 . in other embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run perpendicular to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly 10 . in additional embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run both perpendicular and parallel to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly ( e . g ., a crisscross pattern ). in additional embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run neither parallel nor perpendicular to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly . in some embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run parallel with respect to each other . in other embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run perpendicular with respect to each other . in additional embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 run both perpendicular and parallel with respect to each other ( e . g ., a crisscross pattern ). in some embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 form an obtuse angle with respect to each other . in other embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 form a reflex angle with respect to each other . in other embodiments , ridges 61 and 62 form an acute angle with respect to each other . the inner ridges 62 and outer ridges 61 of the corrugated metal 60 functions like multiple springs so as to provide a resilient , fixed mount of the target 20 to the backing tube 40 . resiliently connecting the target 20 and backing tube 40 along a multitude of support locations prevents the formation of concentrated heat areas in the target 20 . thereby reducing the likelihood of crack and nodule formation in or on target 20 . fig3 shows a cross section taken at 1 a of fig1 of an embodiment of the invention which utilizes mesh metal 60 rolled around the backing tube 40 . the cylindrical , rotatable ceramic target 20 is fitted on top of the mesh metal 60 . the outer wire 61 of mesh metal 60 contact the inner surface 22 of target 20 and the inner wire 62 of mesh metal 60 contact the outer surface 41 of backing tube 40 . in some embodiments , wires 61 and 62 run perpendicular to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly 10 . in additional embodiments , wires 61 and 62 run both perpendicular and parallel to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly ( e . g ., a crisscross pattern ). in additional embodiments , wires 61 and 62 run neither parallel nor perpendicular to the central axis 80 of the sputter target assembly . in some embodiments , wires 61 and 62 run perpendicular with respect to each other . in additional embodiments , wires 61 and 62 run both perpendicular and parallel with respect to each other ( e . g ., a crisscross pattern ). in some embodiments , wires 61 and 62 form an obtuse angle with respect to each other . in other embodiments , wires 61 and 62 form a reflex angle with respect to each other . in other embodiments , wires 61 and 62 form an acute angle with respect to each other . the wires 62 and 61 of mesh metal 60 function like multiple springs so as to provide a resilient , fixed mount of the target 20 to the backing tube 40 . resiliently connecting the target 20 and backing tube 40 along a multitude of support locations prevents the formation of concentrated heat areas in the target 20 . thereby reducing the likelihood of crack and nodule formation in or on target 20 . another embodiment of this invention is comprised of a method of fabricating a rotatable sputter target assembly 10 comprising the steps of : providing a cylindrical target 20 , a cylindrical backing tube 40 , and a backing material 60 ; the cylindrical backing 40 tube further comprising an outer surface 41 and the cylindrical target 20 further comprising an inner surface 22 . the method is further comprised of rolling the backing material 60 onto the outer surface 41 of the cylindrical backing tube 40 and fitting the cylindrical target 20 on top of the backing material 60 . when assembled , the cylindrical target 20 and the cylindrical backing tube 40 are concentric . the backing material 60 resiliently connects the cylindrical target 20 and the cylindrical backing tube 40 along a multitude of support locations on the inner surface 22 of the target 20 . in one embodiment , the backing material 60 is corrugated sheet metal . in another embodiment , the backing material 60 is mesh metal . in one embodiment , the cylindrical target 20 is comprised of a ceramic or metal oxide material . in another embodiment , the cylindrical target 20 is comprised of at least one of indium tin oxide ( tto ) or aluminum zinc oxide ( azo ). in some embodiments , the cylindrical backing tube 40 is comprised of at least one of al , al alloy , stainless steel , copper , or titanium . another embodiment of this invention is comprised of another method of fabricating a rotatable sputter target assembly 10 . in this method , a cylindrical target 20 and a cylindrical backing tube 40 are provided . the cylindrical backing tube 40 further comprises an outer surface 41 and the cylindrical target 20 further comprises an inner surface 22 . the cylindrical target 20 and cylindrical backing tube 40 are resiliently connected along a multitude of support locations on the inner surface 22 of the target 20 by a backing material 60 , wherein the cylindrical target 20 and the cylindrical backing tube 40 are concentric . in one embodiment , the backing material 60 is corrugated sheet metal . in another embodiment , the backing material 60 is mesh metal . while this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments described above , it is evident that many alternatives , combinations , modifications and variations are apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the preferred embodiments of this invention , as set forth above are intended to be illustrative only , and not in a limiting sense . various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . therefore , the technical scope of the present invention encompasses not only those embodiments described above , but also all that fall within the scope of the appended claims . this written description uses examples to disclose the invention , including the best mode , and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention , including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated processes . the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims , and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art . these other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims , or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims .
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referring to the block diagram of fig1 an audio input signal is applied to the input of a variable gain amplifier 1 and the input of a vibrato circuit 2 . the audio input signal is amplified by the variable gain amplifier 1 and the output of the variable gain amplifier 1 is applied to a reverb tank 3 . the reverb tank 3 adds a reverb effect to the amplified audio input signal producing a reverb effect output signal which is then applied to the input of a tremolo circuit 5 in a modulation circuit 4 . the dwell of the reverb effect is determined by the gain of the variable gain amplifier 1 . a higher amount of gain results in a longer dwell of the reverb effect due to the increased power applied to the reverb tank 3 . the modulation circuit 4 comprises the vibrato circuit 2 , the tremolo circuit 5 , and a mixer circuit 7 . the tremolo circuit 5 and the vibrato circuit 2 share a controllable resistance 6 and a tremolo / vibrato selector switch 7 . the output of the tremolo circuit 5 having a reverb effect and the output of the vibrato circuit 2 are both input to a mixer circuit 8 which mixes the two outputs together to produce the final modulated output of the electron tube preamplifier . the modulation circuit 4 is responsive to an oscillator output signal supplied by an oscillator 9 . the controllable resistance 6 is the element of the modulation circuit 4 that is responsive to the oscillator output signal and in turn induces modulation of the modulated output signal appearing at the output of the mixer circuit 8 via one of the tremolo circuit 5 and the vibrato circuit 2 depending upon the position of the tremolo / vibrato selector switch 7 . the mixer circuit 8 variably combines the outputs of the tremolo circuit 5 and the vibrato circuit 2 and in doing so controls the level of reverb effect in the modulated output because the reverb effect passes through the tremolo circuit and appears in the tremolo circuit output . the configuration in fig1 results in a preamplifier having a reverb effect and a tremolo / vibrato effect wherein the reverb circuitry operates independently of the tremolo and vibrato . in fig2 the oscillator circuit 9 is shown in detail . the oscillator circuit 9 has a frequency adjustment consisting of a variable resistor 10 for varying the frequency of the oscillator output signal and thus the speed of the vibrato or tremolo effect . the oscillator utilizes an electron tube 11 of the twin triode variety as an active element . one triode is used in an oscillator 12 while the other is used in an amplifier circuit 13 to provide the oscillator output signal of such a magnitude so as to drive the modulation circuit 4 , shown in fig1 . a connector 14 is provided so that an external vibrato - tremolo switch may be connected . the vibrato - tremolo switch when closed causes the oscillator to cease oscillating and thus turns off the vibrato and the tremolo effect . the vibrato - tremolo switch provides a remote means for controlling the electron tube preamplifier . referring now to fig3 a detailed schematic of the variable gain amplifier 1 is shown . an audio input signal is applied to the audio input of the variable gain amplifier 1 . a first stage 19 of the variable gain amplifier utilizes one half of a twin triode electron tube 17 and drives a potentiometer 18 with its output . the wiper of potentiometer 18 is connected to the input of a second stage 20 of the variable gain amplifier 1 . the potentiometer 18 serves as a gain adjustment and thus controls the dwell of the reverb effect . the output stage 22 of the variable gain amplifier 1 utilizes transformer tr2 to couple its output to the reverb tank 23 . the reverb tank 23 then adds the reverb effect to the output stage output with a reverb effect output signal appearing at the output of the reverb tank 23 . a jack 24 is connected to the output of the reverb tank 23 so that an external reverb switch 25 may be used remotely to turn off the reverb effect by grounding the output of the reverb tank 23 . fig4 shows a detailed schematic of the modulation circuit . the controllable resistance 6 includes an opto - isolator gas discharge tube 26 and a potentiometer 27 . the oscillator output signal is applied to the input of the controllable resistance and drives the opto - isolator gas discharge tube 26 . the photo - resistive element 28 of the opto - isolator gas discharge tube 26 has a resistance that varies with the photon emissions of the opto - isolator gas discharge tube 26 . the resistance characteristic with respect to time is generally sawtooth in nature , with the period of the sawtooth characteristic coinciding with a firing of the opto - isolator gas discharge tube . one side of this photo - resistive element 28 is connected to ground and at the other side it is connect to the wiper of potentiometer 27 . the potentiometer 27 has a first terminal connected to ground and a second terminal connected to the pole of vibrato / tremolo selector switch 7 . varying the wiper position changes the range of variation of the controllable resistance to ground at the second terminal . the potentiometer 27 thus serves as a resistance range adjustment and thereby controls the depth of the tremolo and vibrato effects . it has been found that the use of a potentiometer with a reverse audio taper as potentiometer 27 lends itself well to the control of the vibrato effect . however , the invention does not limit itself to this type of potentiometer . the vibrato / tremolo selector switch 7 connects the controllable resistance to one of the tremolo circuit 5 and the vibrato circuit 2 thus determining which effect is produced . the vibrato circuit 2 utilizes half of a twin triode electron tube 29 as an active element in a cathode follower amplifier . the controllable resistance 6 is capacitively coupled via c3 to a control grid of the cathode follower amplifier loading the bias circuit and the audio input signal applied to the audio input 16 thus creating a modulated output at the output of the cathode follower amplifier and thus a vibrato effect . the vibrato effect comprises both distortion and clipping of the modulated output thus introducing harmonic frequencies of the input audio signal and thus a fluctuation in the harmonic content of the modulated output so as to introduce what is perceived to be shimmering of upper frequencies of the audio spectrum while introducing a lesser amount of this effect upon lower frequencies of the audio spectrum . the selection of the value of c3 controls the quality of the vibrato effect and may be varied to achieve a desired range of distortion and clipping . generally , a value of 0 . 022 microfarads in conjunction with the associated circuitry , provides an even balance of the vibrato effect across the audio spectrum as a listener perceives the effect . however , while a value of 0 . 022 microfarads provides a balance as stated , values in the range of 0 . 01 - 0 . 1 microfarads may be employed to achieve a desired balance . lower values of capacitance accentuate the effect in the upper frequency range of the audio spectrum . although a range of capacitance has been noted , it is understood that it is the time constants of the bias circuit that are created due to the controllable resistance that are of importance in achieving the desired effect . when modulation is not applied , the cathode follower serves as low output impedance buffer for the audio input signal so that it may then be mixed in the mixer circuit with the reverb effect present at the output of the tremolo circuit 5 . the mixer circuit 8 controls the desired amount of reverb in the modulated output signal appearing at the modulated output 30 by means of mixer potentiometer 31 . mixer potentiometer 31 has a wiper connected to the modulated output 30 , a first terminal connected to the output of the tremolo circuit 5 , an output of the vibrato circuit 2 . the wiper position determines the levels of the output signals of the tremolo circuit 5 , and the vibrato circuit 2 that appear at the modulated output 30 and thus the amount of reverb effect present . the tremolo circuit 5 includes the second half of the twin tetrode electron tube 29 &# 39 ; in an amplifier circuit 32 for amplifying the reverb effect output signal and isolating the reverb tank 23 from the following circuitry . the output of the amplifier circuit 32 is capacitively coupled to a tone control circuit 34 including tone adjustment potentiometer 33 , capacitor c1 , and capacitor c2 . the controllable resistance 6 is selectably coupled via vibrato / tremolo selector switch 7 to a first terminal of the tone adjustment potentiometer 33 where the output of the amplifier circuit is also coupled . a second terminal of the tone potentiometer 33 is coupled to ground via capacitor c1 . a wiper of tone potentiometer 33 is capacitively coupled to the first terminal of mixer potentiometer 31 in the mixer circuit 8 . the values of mixer potentiometer 31 , tone potentiometer 33 , capacitor c1 , and capacitor c2 are such that the position of the wiper of the tone potentiometer 33 primarily determines the amount of attenuation of higher audio frequencies appearing at the modulated output 30 . the value of c2 being chosen so as to have an impedance comparable to the mean impedance of the mixer circuit 8 at a frequency in the mid - range of the audio spectrum . the controllable resistance 6 loads down the output of the amplifier circuit 32 thereby modulating the amplified reverb effect output signal . the controllable resistance 6 also loads the tone potentiometer 33 thereby modulating the attenuation of the tone control circuit 34 . a tremolo effect is thus produced upon the modulated output signal . the tremolo effect produced comprises fluctuation in amplitude of the modulated output signal wherein such fluctuation is perceived to be as substantially even across the audio frequency spectrum . the electron tube preamplifier as shown in fig1 - 4 provides both a reverb effect and a tremolo or vibrato effect . the reverb effect may be used simultaneously with either the tremolo or vibrato effects . each effect may be turned off via the use of remote switches connected to the electron tube preamplifier . the adjustments for the dwell , speed , depth , and mixer are all continuously variable . thus a combination of features is provided that is not existing in the prior art . the electron tube preamplifier along with power supply circuitry is housed in a chassis with dimensions of 183 / 4 &# 34 ;× 8 &# 34 ;× 71 / 8 &# 34 ;. this permits the electron tube amplifier to be more readily transportable than electron tube amplifiers of the prior art having a reverb effect because of their larger dimensions . having described a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment disclosed , and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention defined in the appended claims .
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the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process steps and / or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention . while not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed by the inventor herein that in a plasma processing system , that faceting and / or corner sputtering ( generically , etch profile ) is strongly influenced by ion energy . ion energy , in turn , is strongly influenced by the rf configuration of the bias rf signal , particularly to the frequency component of the bias rf signal . the ion energy is also influenced by the power component of the bias rf signal . the invention thus addresses the use of bias rf signal configuration in plasma processing systems in order to minimize faceting and / or corner sputtering and / or improves the vertical etch profile in dielectric etches , particularly in dielectric etched through low - k layers . it is believed that plasma is generally comprised of weakly ionized plasma . because the plasma discharge is rf driven and weakly ionized , electrons in the plasma are not in thermal equilibrium with ions . that is , while the heavier ions efficiently exchange energy by collisions with the background gas ( e . g ., argon , etc . ), electrons absorb the thermal energy . because electrons have substantially less mass than that of ions , electron thermal velocity is much greater than the ion thermal velocity . this tends to cause the faster moving electrons to be lost to surfaces within the plasma processing system , subsequently creating positively charged ion sheath between the plasma and the surface . ions that enter the sheath are then accelerated into the surface . lower bias rf frequencies tend to cause plasma ions to cross the sheath in less than one rf cycle . generally speaking , lower bias rf frequencies tend to result in higher ion energy , which leads to faceting and / or corner sputtering if the rf bias signal not optimized . likewise , higher bias rf frequencies tend to cause plasma ions take several rf cycles to cross the sheath . generally speaking , the higher bias rf frequencies tend to result in lower ion energy , which results in inadequate etching or non - anisotropic etching if the rf bias signal is not optimized . it is believed that if the ion energy is not properly optimized , the etch is slowed down to the point where the etch rate becomes unduly slow for efficient production . alternatively and / or additionally , faceting and / or corner sputtering occurs . fig3 shows the situation wherein the ion energy is not optimized during the imd trench etch that is employed to create a second metal layer and etch through a via hole to contact barrier layer 104 , resulting in cornering sputtering / faceting . in comparison to etch profile 118 in fig1 h , etch profile 416 has been substantially corrupted due excessive ion energy ( e . g ., by using a bias rf signal with an unduly low frequency ), causing severe faceting and / or corner sputtering . this corner sputtering can be clearly seen by the excessive material removed from the corner regions in mask layer 102 and imd layer 106 . fig4 shows the situation wherein the ion energy is not optimized during the imd trench etch that is employed to create a second metal layer and etch through a via hole to contact barrier layer 104 , resulting in a taper trench profile and an incomplete via etch . referring now to fig5 , a simplified diagram comparing faceting ( represented by the dashed line and measured against axis 502 ), etch rate through the low - k layer ( represented by the solid line and measured against axis 504 ) as a function of the bias rf frequency ( shown on axis 506 ) at a given power level . faceting may be measured using conventional faceting measurement methodology . fig5 intends to illustrate that as the bias rf frequency is increased , the etch rate increases and the amount of faceting / corner sputtering decreases ( e . g ., from about 2 mhz to about 60 mhz in our example ). in particular , the increase in etch rate is rapid to about 30 mhz , and then increases less rapidly to about 60 mhz where the etch rate essentially flattens out until about 70 mhz . after about 70 mhz , the etch rate begins to slow down dramatically ( e . g ., from about 70 mhz to about 100 mhz ), signifying that the ion energy level is now below what is necessary for an efficient etch . at the bias rf frequency of 60 mhz 512 , it is observed by the inventors that the etch rate is at its maximum while the faceting is near its minimum . however , an advantageous process window exists when the bias rf signal is between about 30 mhz and about 80 mhz , and even an even more advantageous process window exists when the bias rf signal is between about 45 mhz and abut 75 mhz where the etch rate is high and the faceting / corner sputtering is low . generally speaking , increasing the bias rf power at a given bias rf frequency setting will cause an increase in both the etch rate and the amount of faceting / corner sputtering . too much bias rf power will cause an excessive amount of faceting / corner sputtering while too little bias rf power will unduly decrease the etch rate . thus , power setting is another knob for controlling the process to stay within the desired etch rate vs . faceting / corner sputtering parameters . in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , in order to optimize the plasma etch rate while also minimizing faceting in a plasma processing system , a bias rf signal of between about 27 mhz and about 90 mhz in frequency may be employed for a dual damascene trench etch through the low - k dielectric layer . bias frequency is important as it controls the ion energy distribution . at a higher bias frequency , the ion energy distribution is narrow and contributes to the reduction of the corner sputtering / faceting problem . the bias rf signal is preferably selected with an optimal combination of bias rf frequency / bias rf power such that the ion energy is optimized and minimal and / or commercially acceptable faceting and corner sputtering is achieved while maintaining a commercially acceptable vertical profile . as the term is employed herein , commercially acceptability denotes that the result falls within specification for satisfactory operation of the final semiconductor product under fabrication . the optimal bias frequency / bias power combination may be empirically determined for a test substrate and the optimal parameters found may be employed during production . of course the optimal bias frequency / bias power combination varies depending on the chemistry employed and the composition of the layer being etched . for example , at about 27 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 100 w and about 1500 w , more preferably between about 200 w and 1 , 200 w , and preferably at about 400 w . for example , at about 90 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 200 w and about 2 , 000 w , more preferably between about 400 w and 1 , 500 w , and preferably at about 1 , 000 w . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , in order to optimize the plasma etch rate while also minimizing faceting in a dual frequency triode plasma processing system , a bias rf signal of between about 30 mhz and about 80 mhz in frequency may be employed . the bias rf signal is preferably selected with an optimal combination of bias rf frequency / bias rf power such that the ion energy is controlled and minimal and / or commercially acceptable faceting and corner sputtering is achieved while maintaining a commercially acceptable vertical profile . for example , at about 30 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 100 w and about 1500 w , more preferably between about 200 w and 1 , 200 w , and preferably at about 400 w . for example , at about 80 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 200 w and about 1 , 800 w , more preferably between about 400 w and 1 , 200 w , and preferably at about 800 w . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , in order to optimize the plasma etch rate while also minimizing faceting in a dual frequency triode plasma processing system , a bias rf signal of between about 45 mhz and about 75 mhz in frequency may be employed . the bias rf signal is preferably selected with an optimal combination of bias rf frequency / bias rf power such that the ion energy is controlled and minimal and / or commercially acceptable faceting and corner sputtering is achieved while maintaining a commercially acceptable vertical profile . for example , at about 45 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 100 w and about 1500 w , more preferably between about 200 w and 1 , 200 w , and preferably at about 400 w . for example , at about 75 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 200 w and about 1 , 800 w , more preferably between about 400 w and 1 , 200 w , and preferably at about 800 w . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , in order to optimize the plasma etch rate while also minimizing faceting in a dual frequency triode plasma processing system , a bias rf signal of about 60 mhz is found to be particularly suitable . the bias rf signal is preferably selected with an optimal combination of bias rf frequency / bias rf power such that the ion energy is controlled and minimal and / or commercially acceptable faceting and corner sputtering is achieved while maintaining a commercially acceptable vertical profile . for example , at about 60 mhz of bias frequency , the rf power setting may be between about 200 w and about 1 , 500 w , more preferably between about 400 w and 1 , 000 w , and preferably at about 600 w . in conjunction with the guidelines discussed above , a graph similar to fig5 also furnishes a way for a process engineer to tune a particular dielectric etch process to a particular plasma processing chamber configuration . if a set of data for etch rate vs . faceting / corner sputtering is empirically obtained for a range of bias rf frequencies of interest and / or a range of rf power settings of interest , the process engineer can more accurately obtain the desired process window with the bias rf frequency knob and the bias rf power knob for a particular dielectric etch process and / or a particular plasma processing system while still achieving the desired parameters ( i . e ., at particular values or within an acceptable range of values ) with respect to the etch rate and faceting / corner sputtering ( generically , etch profile ). with respect to the discussion above , it is noted that the plasma processing chamber may be of a dual frequency design , i . e ., one having a separate source rf signal and a separate bias rf signal . the source rf signal and the bias rf signal may be provided in a dual - frequency diode configuration ( wherein both the source rf signal and the bias rf signal are applied to the substrate such as in an excelan ™ series machine by lam research corporation of fremont , calif . ), a dual - frequency triode configuration ( wherein only the rf bias signal is applied to the substrate ). additionally , the plasma processing chamber may be of a single frequency design , i . e ., only rf bias signal with no separate source rf signal . since the bias rf signal controls the ion energy , proper control of the bias rf signal results in the desired minimization of faceting and corner sputtering while maintaining a commercially acceptable vertical profile . it has been found that with a single - frequency design , a bias rf frequency signal of between about 45 mhz and about 75 mhz is particularly useful for minimizing faceting and / or corner sputtering while maintaining the aforementioned commercially acceptable vertical etch profile . in particular , it has been found that the single frequency design , when operated at a bias rf signal of about 60 mhz is particularly well - suited to for minimizing faceting and / or corner sputtering while maintaining the aforementioned commercially acceptable vertical etch profile for a dual - damascene trench etch . furthermore , it is not necessary that the plasma processing chamber be of a capacitively coupled plasma design . for example , the top rf source may be an inductive coil ( such as those in tcp ™ plasma etchers available from lam research corporation of fremont , calif . ), and the bias rf signal may still be provided to the substrate and controlled during etching . likewise , the top rf source may be an ecr ( electron cyclotron resonance ) source , and the bias rf signal may still be provided to the substrate and controlled during etching . in fact , it is contemplated that the source rf signal may be furnished using any rf signal generation arrangement since the invention deals with controlling the bias rf frequency and / or bias rf power to achieve the desired etch rate and low faceting / corner sputtering parameters . while this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention . for example , although the present invention has been described in connection with lam research plasma processing systems ( e . g ., exelan ™, exelan hp ™, exelan hpt ™, exelan 2300 ™, etc . ), other plasma processing systems may be used . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods of the present invention . advantages of the invention include the optimization of rf configurations in a plasma processing system , in which an optimum set of frequencies and an optimum set of power settings are employed to substantially control faceting . additional advantages include optimizing rf configurations in dual damascene plasma processing applications in order to substantially control faceting . having disclosed exemplary embodiments and the best mode , modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the subject and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims .
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in the description which follows , like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same numerals , respectively . the drawing fig3 b through 3d are intended to be viewed end to end as indicated by the arrangement of the brackets 3b through 3d in fig2 . in the description which follows , the terms &# 34 ; upward &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; downward &# 34 ; are used for convenience in describing the relative positions of the components of the apparatus when viewing the drawings and in the normal attitude of the apparatus in most applications . however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the apparatus may be inverted or used in a generally horizontal or other directional attitude . referring to fig1 briefly , the apparatus of the present invention comprises a device known in the art as a drilling jar which is adapted to deliver impact blows in an upward or downward direction to dislodge a drill stem which may be stuck in a well bore or to dislodge a component which is to be retrieved from a well bore or the like . fig1 illustrates the drilling jar of the present invention disposed in a generally vertical well bore 10 , and generally designated by the numeral 12 . the drilling jar 12 is provided with an upper end portion having a threaded box provided with internal threads for connection to the lower end of a drill stem 16 . the drill stem 16 normally extends upward to connection with a component for rotating the stem such as a kelly or the like , not shown , engaged with suitable rotary driving apparatus mounted on a drilling rig , also not shown . the drill stem 16 would also be adapted for vertical movement under the control of hoisting apparatus such as a drawworks or the like comprising part of the drilling rig . the lower end of the jar 12 includes a threaded pin portion adapted to be connected to suitable drill collars 20 when the jar is interposed in a conventional drill string , as shown . it will be understood that the jar 12 may be used in various arrangements and the arrangement illustrated in fig1 is exemplary of a particular location and specific application of the jar . as with most drilling operations , a cutting evacuation fluid is pumped down through a central bore in the drill stem and in the jar 12 , through orifices in a drill bit 21 and up through the annulus formed between the drill stem and the well bore . referring now to fig2 the drilling jar 12 is illustrated in the totally collapsed or telescoped condition and is characterized by an elongated cylindrical body member , generally designated by the numeral 22 , which is made up of an upper sub part 24 , a main body member 26 , a floater body 28 and a lower sub 18 . the upper sub 24 is connected to the main body 26 through a conventional cooperating threaded portion 30 , fig3 a , with appropriate sealing members 32 interposed between the upper end of the main body member 26 and a reduced diameter portion of the upper sub . the upper sub 24 also includes an upwardly facing annular impact surface 34 which is adapted to be impacted by a removable cylindrical anvil member or knocker 36 having a downwardly facing anvil surface 37 . the knocker 36 is suitably removably connected to the upper end portion 14 of an elongated mandrel , generally designated by the numeral 42 , by cooperating threads 38 . referring to fig3 d , the lower end of the main body member 26 is threadedly connected to an upper end of the floater body 28 and the floater body is threadedly connected at its lower end to the upper end of the lower sub 18 . the lower sub 18 and the floater body 28 are both provided with suitable annular seals 40 to prevent leakage of fluid in the well bore into the interior of the jar body at the respective threaded connections . in the preferred embodiment of the jar 12 , the upper sub 14 is integrally formed with the elongated cylindrical mandrel member 42 which is disposed in telescoping sleeved relationship within the body 22 . referring to fig3 a through 3c , the mandrel 42 includes an elongated first part 41 having a threaded portion 43 at its lower end which is adapted to be engaged with a member 44 comprising a continuation of the mandrel and commonly referred to as a wash pipe . the wash pipe 44 extends downwardly through the body member 26 , the floater body 28 and into an interior bore 19 of the sub 18 . the mandrel 42 , including part 41 and the wash pipe 44 , is operable to move axially relative to the body 22 and is journaled for relative axial sliding movement by spaced apart sleeve bearings 46 disposed in the sub 24 , bearings 48 disposed in the floater body 28 , and additional bearings 50 disposed in the upper end of the lower sub 18 . the bearings 46 , 48 and 50 may be formed of suitable bearing material such as a carbon filled plastic or the like . referring to fig3 a , an annular wiper seal ring 52 is disposed in a suitable recess in the sub 24 and engageable with a cylindrical surface or seal diameter 54 of the mandrel part 41 . the wiper 52 is provided with a bronze backing member 56 . additional o - ring or quad ring type seals 58 may be provided in the sub 24 and sealingly engaged with the surface 54 . the knocker 36 is provided with a plurality of radial passages 37 to permit drilling fluid to flow freely in and out of the annular chamber 60 formed between the knocker member and the mandrel 42 . the downward facing annular end face 61 of the sub 24 faces an elongated interior chamber formed between the cylindrical surface 54 and the body member 26 , which chamber is designated by the numeral 62 . referring to fig3 c , the chamber 62 is also delimited by a reduced diameter or restricted bore portion 64 of the body member 26 . a second annular chamber 66 is formed between the wash pipe 44 , the upper end of the floater body 28 , and a cylindrical interior wall 69 of the body member 26 . the restricted bore portion 64 on the body member 26 is delimited by upper and lower control edges 70 and 71 , the function of which will be described in further detail herein . the mandrel 42 is provided with an improved removable sleeve member generally designated by the numeral 72 in fig3 b . the mandrel sleeve 72 includes an upper transverse anvil surface 74 which is coactable with the anvil surface 61 on the sub 24 to deliver an impact blow to the body 22 and the drill stem connected thereto in response to rapid movement of the mandrel upwardly with respect to the body . the mandrel sleeve 72 is removable from the mandrel part 41 and is nonrotatably secured thereto by two opposed elongated keys 73 interfitted in suitable slots formed in the sleeve and the mandrel part 41 , as shown also in fig4 . the mandrel sleeve 72 is retained on the mandrel part 41 by the wash pipe 44 , as shown . in the secured and locked position of the wash pipe 44 on the mandrel 42 , a small end clearance on the order of 0 . 020 - 0 . 030 inches is permitted between the lower end of the mandrel sleeve and the upper end face 45 of the wash pipe . the wash pipe 44 is also provided with one or more radially disposed locking screws 47 which are seated in a cooperating annular groove 49 in the lower end of the mandrel part 41 to prevent unwanted disengagement of the wash pipe from the remaining part of the mandrel . the mandrel sleeve 72 is prevented from axial displacement upward with respect to the mandrel part 41 by cooperating undercut shoulder portions designated by the numeral 80 in fig3 b . as shown in fig4 the mandrel sleeve 72 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending splines 75 which are interfitted in cooperating grooves 77 in the body member 26 so that rotary driving torque may be transmitted from the mandrel to the body or vice versa . however , the interfitting splines between the mandrel sleeve 72 and the body part 26 permit relative axial movement of the mandrel 42 with respect to the body 22 . the mandrel sleeve 72 transmits all of the rotary driving torque between the mandrel 42 and the body 22 , provides an anvil surface for delivering impact blows to the body 22 when jarring in the up direction , and may be easily replaced , if damaged or worn , without requiring replacement of the entire mandrel part 41 . moreover , the sleeve 72 is easily removed from the mandrel part 41 by releasing the screws 47 and unthreading the wash pipe 44 from the lower end of the mandrel part whereby the sleeve 72 may be axially removed from the lower end of the mandrel . referring now to fig3 c , and briefly to fig5 the upper portion of the wash pipe 44 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced , axially extending grooves 82 formed in the outer cylindrical surface 68 of the wash pipe and which extend axially downward to a cylindrical portion 84 having a circumferential seal ring groove 86 formed therein . a second set of axial grooves 88 corresponding substantially to the grooves 82 extend between the cylindrical portion 84 and a second axially spaced cylindrical portion 90 having a circumferential seal ring groove 92 formed therein . downward from the seal ring groove 92 , the outer diameter of the wash pipe is defined by a cylindrical surface 94 which is of a diameter less than the cylindrical surface portion 68 . referring still further to fig3 c , respective positive mechanical seal assemblies 96 and 98 are disposed in the grooves 86 and 92 . the seal assemblies 96 and 98 will be described in further detail herein . the seal assemblies 96 and 98 are adapted to be in sealing engagement with the wall of the restricted bore 64 to substantially seal the chamber 66 from the chamber 62 whereby fluid transferring from one chamber to the other , must pass through a control orifice formed in one of two plugs 100 , depending on the position of the wash pipe with respect to the restricted bore 64 . referring briefly to fig8 the plug 100 is characterized as a round head screw having an orifice 102 extending therethrough and formed of a predetermined diameter . the plugs 100 are interposed in respective passages 101 and 103 which interconnect the grooves 82 with one of the grooves 88 , and the one groove with the portion of the chamber 66 below the cylindrical part 90 of the wash pipe , respectively , as shown . relatively unrestricted flow of fluid between the chambers 62 and 66 is also provided around the respective seal assemblies 96 and 98 by back - to - back check valves 104 and 106 interposed in suitable passages 108 and 110 , respectively . the passages 108 and 110 are arranged to interconnect one or more of the grooves 82 with another one of the grooves 88 and with the portion of the chamber 66 below the enlarged diameter portion 90 of the wash pipe as shown in fig3 c . the check valves 104 and 106 provide for fluid flow to effectively bypass the respective seal assemblies 96 and 98 when the seals are passing through the restricted bore 64 depending on the direction of movement of the mandrel 42 with respect to the body 22 . the outer diameter of the wash pipe 44 between the cylindrical diameter portions 84 and 90 is sufficiently less than the restricted bore 64 to permit relatively unrestricted flow of fluid between respective ones of the grooves 88 . the grooves 88 could be replaced by an annular recess but the lands formed between the grooves are provided to assist in guiding the wash pipe in the bore 64 . the chambers 62 and 66 are adapted to be filled with hydraulic fluid , preferably a fluid having a reduced viscosity variation with temperature , but having suitable lubricity to minimize wear on the cooperating sliding surfaces of the mandrel and the bearings as well as the splines 75 , and the seal assemblies 96 and 98 with respect to the restricted bore 64 . even though the cooperating parts of the jar 12 are designed for minimal wear , the upper end of the floater body 28 is adapted to provide a reservoir portion 29 which , in the normal attitude of the jar 12 , will collect loose wear material which settles out of the chambers 62 and 66 . referring to fig3 d , hydraulic fluid may be introduced into the entire interior cavity formed between the mandrel and body portions of the jar , including the chambers 62 and 66 , through a reservoir chamber 110 formed between the lower end of the wash pipe 44 and the inner bore wall 112 of the floater body 28 . a removable reservoir fill plug 114 is suitably disposed in a cooperating threaded passage in the floater body 28 , as illustrated , for filling the aforementioned chambers . the floater body 28 is provided with elongated passages 116 which interconnect the chamber 110 and the chamber 66 . the minimum working pressure of the fluid within the chambers 110 , 62 and 66 is preferably maintained at a level corresponding to the pressure of the drill cuttings evacuation fluid which is delivered to the bit through an elongated central passage 83 formed by suitable bores in the mandrel part 41 , the wash pipe 44 and a passage 85 in the bottom sub 18 , fig2 . referring further to fig2 and fig3 d , fluid in the passage 83 flows into the annular space between the circumferential surface 94 of the wash pipe and the bore wall 19 of the sub 18 into a passage 120 to a chamber formed between the upper end face 121 of the sub 18 and an annular floater piston 122 . the piston 122 also defines the lower end of the chamber 110 . pressure exerted on the piston 122 by fluid introduced through the passages 120 will cause the pressure in the chambers 62 , 66 and 110 to be nominally equal to the pressure in the passage 83 , which pressure normally exceeds the fluid pressure in the wall annulus . accordingly , any leakage of fluid with respect to the chambers 62 , 66 and 110 will tend to flow out into the well annulus to reduce any tendency to contaminate the interior fluid chambers of the jar 12 . pressurizing the chambers 62 , 66 and 110 to a minimum nominal pressure corresponding to the drilling fluid pressure eliminates any pressure differential across the seals between the passage 83 and these chambers which would tend to cause leakage of the drill cuttings evacuation fluid into the chambers from the passage 83 . moreover , the provision of the floater piston 122 and the reservoir 110 reduces or substantially eliminates any adverse effects resulting from fluid compressibility entrained gases in the hydraulic fluid and thermal expansion of the fluid . the jar 12 may be operated in either the totally telescoped or collapsed condition as illustrated in the drawing figures , in a partially extended condition of the mandrel 42 with respect to the body 22 , and in a totally extended condition of the mandrel with respect to the body wherein the cooperating anvil surfaces 61 and 74 are in engagement . an operation to provide an upward jarring action on the body 22 and the drill stem portion connected to the sub 18 will now be described assuming the jar is initially in the operating condition illustrated in the drawing figures or at least in a condition wherein the seal assembly 98 is below the control edge 71 , viewing fig3 c . if an upward jar is required , the rig operator hoists the drill stem to begin pulling up on the mandrel 42 . as the mandrel and wash pipe assembly move upward relative to the body 22 , and the seal assembly 96 passes the control edge 71 thereby moving into sealing engagement with the wall of the restricted bore 64 , the movement of the mandrel is not retarded thanks to the provision of the passage 108 and the check valve 104 which permits free flow of fluid from the chamber 62 into the chamber 66 . fluid is displaced from the chamber 62 during upward movement of the mandrel 42 due to the fact that the diameter of the portion of the wash pipe 44 delimited by the cylindrical surface 68 is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical surface 54 which is in sealing engagement with the upper sub 24 . accordingly , as the wash pipe 44 moves further into the chamber 62 , the volume of this chamber is decreased and fluid must be displaced into the chamber 66 , which is permitted because the volume of chamber 66 is increasing due to the difference between the diameters of the cylindrical surfaces 68 and 94 . as the seal assembly 96 passes upwardly through the restricted bore 64 , fluid is permitted to flow freely into the chamber 66 until the seal assembly 98 passes the control edge 71 and moves into sealing engagement with the wall of bore 64 . at this point , as the mandrel 42 is pulled upward by the drill stem , fluid displaced from the chamber 62 must flow through the orifice 102 in the lower plug 100 . the retarding effect of the orifice will result in an increased tension in the drill stem above the jar 12 and the stem will be elastically elongated to become , in effect , a tension spring . as the mandrel 42 moves upward with respect to the body 22 at the controlled retarded rate , the tension in the drill stem is maintained until the seal assembly 98 moves upwardly past the upper control edge 70 . at this point , fluid in the chamber 62 may flow freely into the chamber 66 to release the mandrel for sudden relatively free upward movement . since the drill stem , being of substantial length and having undergone substantial elongation , is now permitted to relax somewhat , the mandrel is moved upward rapidly until the anvil surface 74 engages the surface 61 with a substantial impact or jarring below . in normal drilling operations , the jar 12 would be extended , that is , the mandrel 42 would be extended from the upper end of the body 22 to its limit position with the surfaces 61 and 73 engaged . accordingly , when the rig operator sensed the need for applying an upward jarring movement to , for example , loosen a stuck portion of the drill stem below the sub 18 , the operator would slack off hoist tension on the drill stem until the hoist load weight indicator displayed a marked decrease in tension on the drill stem . the weight loss would indicate that the mandrel 42 had moved axially downward with respect to the body 22 until the seal assembly 96 passed the control edge 70 into the restricted bore 64 . the operator could then mark the position of a portion of the drill stem or kelly at the rig floor with respect to a reference point ( such as the kelly bushing ). in the position wherein the seal assembly 96 has passed downward past the control edge 70 the seal assembly 98 is in the restricted bore 64 or has passed below the control edge 71 , depending on the axial spacing of the grooves 86 and 92 and the spacing of the control edges 70 and 71 . the operator could then apply a predetermined upward pull on the drill stem in excess of the drill stem weight to impose an axial load on the mandrel , for example , 50 , 000 lbs ., and set the brake on the drawworks . the action of the jar would then be a retarded upward movement of the mandrel 42 until the seal assembly 98 cleared the control edge 70 and the mandrel would be free to permit rapid elastic contraction of the drill stem to draw the mandrel rapidly upwardly until the anvil surfaces 74 and 61 impacted each other . the operator , upon sensing the tripping of the jar , could then repeat the cycle of cocking or resetting the jar by slacking off less weight on the drill stem with each repeated cycle in order to not let the seal assembly 98 move quite as deep into the restricted bore 64 between the control edges 70 and 71 , thereby taking less time to pull the jar through the tensioning and tripping portion of the cycle . by viewing the position of the mark placed on the drill stem after each jarring action is completed , the operator may recognize any upward movement or loosening of the stuck portion of the stem . the aforedescribed procedure is exemplary but is indicative of a preferred method of using the inventive jar 12 . in order to perform a jarring action in the downward direction , and assuming that the jar in in the extended condition initially , the mandrel 42 is lowered into the body 22 . as the seal assembly 98 passes the control edge 70 and into the restricted bore 64 pressure fluid is allowed to flow freely around the seal assembly through the passage 103 and check valve 106 , from chamber 66 to chamber 62 , until the seal assembly 96 passes the control edge 70 and into the restricted bore 64 . at this point , movement of fluid from the chamber 66 to the chamber 62 may take place substantially only by flow through the orifice 102 in the plug 100 adjacent to the seal assembly 96 . as the seal assembly 96 enters the restricted bore 64 , the drill stem above the jar 12 may undergo some compressive deflection under its own weight as may that portion of the drill stem below the jar . moreover , the weight of the drill stem itself may be sufficient to deliver a substantial blow by engagement of the cooperating anvil surfaces on the sub 24 and the knocker 36 . this action will take place as the seal assembly 96 moves downward past the control edge 71 whereby fluid may rapidly flow out of the chamber 66 into the chamber 62 to permit rapid collapsing of the mandrel into the body and the deliverance of an impact blow to the anvil surface 34 . repeated downwardly directed impact blows may be obtained by pulling upward on the mandrel 42 until the seal assembly 96 moves past the control edge 71 and at least somewhat into the restricted bore 64 , followed by slacking off of the hoisting effect on the mandrel sufficiently to permit the weight of the drill stem to force the mandrel back toward the collapsed condition . the operator may be assured that the seal assembly 96 has moved upward past the control edge 71 by observing an increased reading on the hoist load or weight indicator caused by movement of the seal assembly 98 into the restricted bore 64 . thanks to the provision of the separate upper and lower orifice plugs 100 the orifice size may be selectively varied in one or both plugs to vary the maximum jarring action in one or both directions and to compensate for various types of fluid as well as operating temperature effects on fluid viscosity . although only one orifice plug is shown for controlling the flow around the respective seal assemblies , multiple passages and orifices could be provided to bypass each seal 96 and 98 . those skilled in the art will recognize from the foregoing description that an improved hydraulic bidirectional drilling jar is provided by the apparatus 12 . moreover , the jar 12 may also be used as a suspension tool to control weight on the drill bit . for example , during drilling operations , the rig operator may observe the hoist weight indicator to sense an increase in the suspended weight of the drill stem and then lowering the drill stem a predetermined length , but not enough to place the seal assemblies 96 or 98 downward past the control edge 70 , followed by setting the drawworks brake until the weight indicator again indicates an increase in the suspended weight of the stem . this procedure can be repeated and as long as the mandrel is not fully extended from the body 22 , the weight on the bit will remain substantially constant . accordingly , the jar 12 may be utilized to control weight on the drill stem and bit below the point in the stem where the jar is located . the development of the improved hydraulic drilling jar 12 includes the provision of the improved seal assemblies 96 and 98 . the operating pressures experienced in the cavities 62 and 66 may result in a pressure differential across the seal assemblies 96 and / or 98 of as much as 40 , 000 to 50 , 000 psi . these operating pressures cannot be withstood by conventional seal elements such as o - rings , quad rings , chevron packings and other conventional elastomeric sealing elements . furthermore , in many instances the operating temperatures experienced by downhole tools , and particularly a tool such as the jar 12 , cannot be withstood by the aforementioned types of seals . although a conventional split cylindrical piston ring type seal may be capable of withstanding the aforementioned pressure differentials and the temperature conditions , this type of seal provides a leakage path at the gap where the ring itself is split . this gap becomes another factor in the overall liquid flow area which controls the dashpot action of the drilling jar . moreover , conventional piston ring type seals have a tendency to fail when required to move from a radially free position to a constrained position and vice versa such as is experienced by a seal entering and leaving the restricted bore 64 . in accordance with the present invention , an improved seal assembly is provided by a somewhat spiral type seal ring which is disposed around the periphery of an axial split cylindrical piston ring seal member . referring now to fig6 and 7 , the elements making up the seal assemblies 96 and 98 are illustrated in detail , particularly in fig6 . each of the seal assemblies 96 and 98 includes a spiral seal ring generally designated by the numeral 130 . the seal ring 130 comprises a spring tempered metal band of rectangular cross - section and forming aa plurality of convolutions 131 , 132 and 133 . the convolutions 131 , 132 and 133 are configured so as to provide a ring having flat and parallel opposed sides 134 and 136 . the transition between the convolution 131 and 132 is provided by a relatively short axially aligned portion 137 and the transition between the convolution 132 and 133 is provided by a second angled portion 139 . the distal end of the convolution 131 is tapered at 140 and the opposing distal end of the convolution 133 is tapered at 142 so that the ring 130 assumes the shape of a substantially cylindrical annular member with flat parallel sides or end faces 134 and 136 . the tapered ends 140 and 142 are feathered to essentially a sharp edge to provide a smooth surface of the faces 134 and 136 , respectively , thereby minimizing any possible leakage space formed along the respective radially extending end edges of the ring . the convolutions 131 , 132 and 133 are adapted to lie contiguous with each other to minimize or eliminate any leakage flow path between the axial facing surfaces of the convolutions . alternatively , the convolutions of the ring 130 could follow a continuous helix and the parallel surfaces 134 and 136 could be formed by grinding the outer end faces of the convolutions 131 and 133 . the seal assemblies 96 and 98 also include , respectively , an annular piston ring type seal member 146 provided with an axial gap 148 . the ring 146 is proportioned to be capable of elastic radial contraction to fit within the inside diameter or bore of the spiral seal ring 130 and thereby urge the ring 130 to expand radially to the extent that the outside circumferential surface of the ring 130 will be in fluid sealing engagement with the wall surface of the bore 64 . in the assembled relationship of the rings 130 and 146 , the gap 148 is preferably rotatively positioned opposite the tapered end portions of the convolutions 131 and 133 . referring to fig7 the seal assembly 98 is shown , by way of example , disposed in the groove 92 . the scale of drawing fig7 is exaggerated somewhat to show the small clearances that will be developed as a result of pressure fluid acting against the seal assembly in , for example , the operating condition wherein the mandrel 42 is being pulled out of the body 22 and a pressure differential has developed across the restricted bore 64 between the control edges 70 and 71 . the pressure of the fluid trapped in the chamber 62 thus acts against the face 134 forcing the seal ring 130 against sidewall 93 of groove 92 . the small clearance developed between the surface 134 and the groove opposite sidewall 95 will allow fluid to flow into the groove and also act in a radial outward direction against the inner diameter 150 of the seal ring 146 . accordingly , pressure fluid entering the groove 92 from either end of the restriction formed by the bore 64 will aid in forcing the seal ring members 130 and 146 into engagement with each other and radially outward into sealing engagement with the wall surface of bore 64 , as illustrated in fig7 . however , the seal assembly 98 is required to perform a sealing function in only one direction and the seal assembly 96 is operable , in its groove 86 , to perform a sealing function in the opposite direction . the provision of the composite seal assembly formed by the seal rings 130 and 146 eliminates the leakage path formed by the axial gap in conventional piston rings and also provides for radial expansion and contraction of the seal assembly for insertion and removal of the seal assemblies with respect to the grooves 90 and 92 and to provide for positive engagement of the seal assemblies with the wall of the restricted bore 64 . moreover , the contiguous flat sides of the convolutions of the spiral seal ring 130 and the tapered free end minimizes the fluid leakage flow path area which , in fact , is nil with the configuration of the member illustrated and described . the tapered ends 140 and 142 may be eliminated in the arrangement illustrated using the piston ring seal 146 as long as the piston ring is of a width at least as great as the spiral ring whereby fluid cannot flow radially inward or outward due to the seal barrier formed by the piston ring seal itself . the seal ring 130 may be formed of a suitable material such as beryllium copper or phosphor bronze of spring temper grade . the piston ring type seal member 146 may be formed of a suitable piston ring material such as steel or cast iron . the arrangement of the seal assemblies 96 and 98 is also advantageous in that as they move into and out of engagement with the wall of the restricted bore 64 , radial compression of the seal ring 130 , which is required as the seal assembly engages the control edges 70 or 71 , is obtained without a tendency to break the seal rings 130 or 146 , or the control edges 70 and 71 . the control edges 70 and 71 are defined by respective bevel surfaces intersecting the bore 64 as illustrated . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the jar apparatus 12 is provided with a number of improved features which coact to improve the performance of hydraulic drilling jars and the like and , particularly , those types adapted for use in delivering impact blows in opposite directions . various modifications and substitutions may be made to the specific arrangement disclosed herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as recited in the appended claims .
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fig1 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief , general description of a suitable computing environment in which the present invention may be implemented . although not required , the invention will be described in the general context of computer - executable instructions , such as program modules , being executed by a personal computer . generally , program modules include routines , programs , characters , components , data structures , etc ., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices . with reference to fig1 an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a conventional personal computer 20 , including a processing unit 21 , system memory 22 , and a system bus 23 that couples various system components including the system memory 22 to the processing unit 21 . the system bus 23 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus , and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . the system memory includes read - only memory ( rom ) 24 and random access memory ( ram ) 25 . a basic input / output system ( bios ) 26 , containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the personal computer 20 , such as during start - up , is stored in rom 24 . the personal computer 20 further includes a hard disk drive 27 for reading from and writing to a hard disk 39 , a magnetic disk drive 28 for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk 29 , and an optical disk drive 30 for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 31 , such as a cd - rom or other optical media . the hard disk drive 27 , magnetic disk drive 28 , and optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus 23 by a hard disk drive interface 32 , a magnetic disk drive interface 33 , and an optical drive interface 34 , respectively . the drives and their associated computer - readable media provide non - volatile storage of computer - readable instructions , data structures , program modules , and other data for the personal computer 20 . although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk 39 , a removable magnetic disk 29 , and a removable optical disk 31 , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer - readable media that can store data that is accessible by a computer , such as magnetic cassettes , flash memory cards , digital video disks , bernoulli cartridges , random access memories ( rams ), read - only memories ( roms ), and the like , may also be used in the exemplary operating environment . a number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk 39 , magnetic disk 29 , optical disk 31 , rom 24 or ram 25 , including an operating system 35 , one or more application programs 36 , other program modules 37 and program data 38 . a user may enter commands and information into the personal computer 20 through input devices such as a keyboard 40 and pointing device 42 . other input devices ( not shown ) may include a microphone , joystick , game pad , satellite dish , scanner , or the like . these and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 21 through a serial port interface 46 that is coupled to the system bus 23 , but may also be connected by other interfaces , such as a parallel port , game port or a universal serial bus ( usb ). a display in the form of a monitor 47 is also connected to the system bus 23 via an interface , such as a video card or adapter 48 . one or more speakers 57 may also be connected to the system bus 23 via an interface , such as an audio adapter 56 . in addition to the display and speakers , personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices ( not shown ), such as printers . the personal computer 20 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more personal computers , such as a remote computer 49 . the remote computer 49 may be another personal computer , a server , a router , a network pc , a peer device or other common network node , and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the personal computer 20 . the logical connections depicted in fig1 include a local area network ( lan ) 51 and a wide area network ( wan ) 52 . such networking environments are commonplace in offices , enterprise - wide computer networks , intranets , and the internet . when used in a lan networking environment , the personal computer 20 is connected to the local area network 51 through a network interface or adapter 53 . when used in a wan networking environment , the personal computer 20 typically includes a modem 54 or other means for establishing communications over the wide area network 52 , such as the internet . the modem 54 , which may be internal or external , is connected to the system bus 23 via the serial port interface 46 . in a networked environment , program modules depicted relative to the personal computer 20 or portions thereof may be stored in the remote memory storage device . it will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary , and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used . the present invention is embodied in the system memory 22 of the computing environment of fig1 . fig2 a and 2b are an architecture diagram illustrating the key components of an exemplary system for implementing the invention on a computer system such as the one illustrated in fig1 . fig2 a and 2b illustrate a management system that includes multiple management applications 62 executing in a user mode 60 . the management system may be any cim schema compliant management system , such as the wmi management system . although embodiments of the present invention may be described here in cooperation with the wmi management system , the present invention is equally applicable to other management systems . reference here to the wmi management system is for illustrative purposes only , and does not limit the applicability of the invention . interfacing with the management applications 62 is a wmi agent 64 . the wmi agent 64 maintains and provides access to a wmi store 65 , which is a database containing management information exposed by the management system . the management information contained in the wmi store 65 comes from multiple providers , such as components 66 and 68 . when the wmi agent 64 receives a request from a management application 62 , for information that is not available in the wmi store 65 , or for notification of events that the wmi agent does not support , the wmi agent forwards the request to an appropriate provider . the provider then supplies the information or event notification requested . one such provider is the wmi extensions to windows driver model ( xwdm ) provider ( the “ wmi provider ”) 70 . the wmi provider 70 includes two parts : a user mode portion of the wdm provider 72 and a kernel mode portion of the wdm provider 74 . the user mode driver 72 communicates with the kernel mode driver 74 in order to pass messages between user mode 60 and kernel mode 76 . thus , the wmi provider 70 allows devices to make management information available to management applications 62 by providing a pipeline between user mode 60 and kernel mode 76 . kernel mode 76 , as shown in fig2 b , includes several hardware devices . the hardware devices shown in fig2 b are hardware storage devices , including : smart disk drives 60 , which includes smart scsi and smart ata / atapi disk drives ; standard , non - smart disk drives , which includes scsi and ata / atapi disk drives 61 ; proprietary disk drives 62 ; other standard storage devices 64 , for example , tape storage devices , dvd roms , cd - roms , etc . ; and non - standard storage hardware , such as a ram disk or a raid controller 65 . each hardware device has an associated device driver . smart hardware devices 60 communicate with a smart aware port driver 70 . for example , a smart scsi device communicates with a scsi port driver , and a smart ata / atapi device communicates with an ata / atapi port driver . although the current implementation of the smart specification only supports scsi and ata / atapi devices , if other devices are implemented as smart devices in the future , the invention shown and described can accommodate additional smart devices in the same manner as the currently supported smart devices . standard , non - smart disk drives 61 communicate with a port driver 71 . proprietary disk drives 62 communicate with a proprietary failure prediction enabled port driver 72 . other standard storage devices 64 , such as tape storage devices , cd - roms , and dvd roms , communicate with a storage device port driver 74 . similarly , non - standard , or proprietary , storage devices , such as a raid controller or a ram disk 65 communicate with a failure prediction enabled storage device driver 75 or a proprietary port driver 72 . a device driver may have an associated failure prediction filter driver . smart hardware devices 60 , e . g ., smart scsi drives and smart ata / atapi drives , do not require a failure prediction filter driver , however , a failure prediction filter driver 80 may optionally be included . standard , non - smart hardware devices 61 , such as a non - smart scsi drive or a non - smart ata / atapi drive , require a failure prediction filter driver 81 . non - standard , proprietary , disk drives 62 may optionally communicate with a failure prediction filter driver 82 . standard devices other than scsi and ata / atapi devices , such as tape drives , dvds , and cd - roms may optionally include a failure prediction filter driver 84 . failure prediction filter drivers are described in greater detail in the discussion accompanying fig4 below . the device drivers for smart devices generally interface with a storage management driver 86 , e . g ., disk . sys . device drivers for smart devices , such as smart scsi and smart ata / atapi devices , can perform the functions generally performed by the storage management driver , e . g ., disk . sys . the device driver of a smart device or a proprietary device can communicate directly with the storage management driver 86 or via a failure prediction filter driver 80 , 82 , respectively . the device drivers associated with standard , non - smart devices communicate with the storage management driver 86 via a failure prediction filter driver 81 . other devices , i . e ., devices that do not adhere to the smart standard , such as tape storage devices , dvd roms and cd - roms , can also interface with a storage management driver 88 . these devices may communicate with the storage management driver 88 via a failure prediction filter driver 84 . other proprietary storage devices 65 , such as a ram disk , may or may not interface with a storage management driver 89 . if a proprietary storage device does interface with a storage management driver 85 then the proprietary storage device can have a failure prediction filter driver that reports the failure predictions to the storage management driver . a failure prediction filter driver can be used to send a proprietary request to the hardware for a hardware device that does not conform to the smart specification , for example , a raid controller . alternatively the proprietary device can have a failure prediction enabled port driver that interfaces directly with the wmi provider . a third possibility is a device driver that does not communicate with a storage management driver 89 and must perform the responsibilities that would otherwise be performed by the storage management driver , including : file system access , polling at a specified time interval , and exposing wmi classes for failure prediction . this driver can also communicate directly with the wmi provider . another embodiment of the invention includes a failure prediction agent 69 in user mode 60 . this agent is used in lieu of the wdm provider 70 described above . this agent could perform all of the work in user mode , for example by accessing device information using public or private apis . the implementation of the invention extends existing smart functionality . this embodiment of the invention makes use of the following new global universal identifications ( guids ) which are associated with wmi classes in the windows wmi schema : ( 1 ) read failure predict status ; ( 2 ) read failure predict data ; ( 3 ) failure predict event ; and ( 4 ) perform failure predict function . the perform failure predict function guid has the following five methods associated with it : ( 1 ) enable / disable hardware failure prediction ; ( 2 ) enable / disable failure prediction polling ; ( 3 ) enable / disable performance degradation for better prediction ; ( 4 ) get failure prediction mechanism ( e . g ., smart ioctl , scsi smart , and ioctl for filter drivers ); and ( 5 ) enabling off - line diagnostics ( ata / atapi only ). fig3 a - 6 are flow diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a process for carrying out the invention . fig3 a - 3b are a flow diagram illustrating the overall logic of this embodiment . the logic of the flow diagrams classifies devices into three categories : smart scsi devices , smart ata / atapi deices and non - smart devices . since the invention extends smart functionality , as described above , the rationale for describing the invention based on these categories is based on the fact that smart scsi and smart ata / atapi devices are currently the only supported smart devices . the embodiment described herein is implemented using the wdm provider 70 . the logic of fig3 a moves from a start block to block 100 where registration with the wmi component is performed . preferably , this is through an api call . next , initialization for each storage device is performed beginning at block 102 . for each storage device , a “ query ” is performed to determine if the device supports failure prediction . see block 104 . this can be accomplished by examining the device type to determine whether the device type is scsi . if so , a hardware command is sent to the disk to try to enable informational exceptions reporting . if this succeeds , the device is a smart scsi device . if the device type is ata / atapi , the ata / atapi identify information contains a flag indicating whether the device supports smart . if the device type is neither scsi nor ata / atapi , a failure prediction ioctl is sent to the device . a successful completion indicates that the device stack includes a failure prediction filter driver . the logic then moves to decision block 106 where a test is made to determine if the device supports failure prediction . if so , the logic moves from decision block 106 to decision block 108 where a test is made to determine if the device is a smart scsi device . if so , the logic moves to block 110 where a read is sent to the smart scsi device , and the resultant sense codes are interpreted to determine if a failure is being predicted , as illustrated in detail in fig4 and described later . if the device is not a smart scsi device , the logic moves from decision block 108 to decision block 112 where a test is made to determine if the device is a smart ata / atapi device . if so , the logic moves to block 114 where the smart ata / atapi device is queried for status , as illustrated in detail in fig5 and described later . if the device is neither a smart scsi device nor a smart ata / atapi device , the device may be a device with a failure prediction filter driver , and the logic moves from decision block 112 to block 116 where the failure prediction filter driver is “ queried ” for status , as illustrated in detail in fig6 and described later . after sending a read to the smart scsi device and interpreting the resultant sense code for failure prediction status 110 , querying the smart ata / atapi device for status 114 , “ querying ” the failure prediction filter driver for status 116 , or if the device does not support failure prediction ( no in decision block 106 ), the logic returns to block 102 where the processing of blocks 102 - 116 is repeated for the next device . when all of the devices have been processed , the logic moves to decision block 120 ( fig3 b ) where a test is made to determine if it is time to exit . for example , an exit signal may be received if the computer is being shut down . it will be appreciated that the logic shown allows for continuous monitoring for the prediction of storage device failures . if it is not time to exit , the logic moves to decision block 122 where a test is made to determine if it is time to check for storage device failures . checking for storage device failures can be performed on a timed bases , e . g ., every hour , or on a request basis , such as at boot or by user request . preferably , an interrupt is used to signal that it is time to check for storage device failures . if it is time to check for storage device failures , the logic moves to decision block 124 where a test is made to determine if the device to be checked is a smart scsi device . if so , the logic moves to block 126 where a read is sent to the smart scsi device so that the resultant sense code can be interpreted to obtain a failure prediction status , as illustrated in fig4 and described later . if not , the logic moves to decision block 128 where a test is made to determine if the device to be checked is a smart ata / atapi device . if so , the logic moves to block 130 where the smart ata / atapi device is queried for status , as illustrated in fig5 and described later . if it is time to check for a storage device failure on a device that is neither a smart scsi device nor a smart ata / atapi device , the logic moves to block 132 where a failure prediction filter driver is “ queried ” for status , as illustrated in fig6 and described later . if it is not time to check for storage device failure (“ no ” in decision block 122 ) or after a smart scsi device has been sent a read so that the resultant sense code can be interpreted for status 126 , a smart ata / atapi device has been queried for status 130 , or a failure prediction filter driver has been queried for status 132 , the logic returns to decision block 120 where the test is repeated to determine if it is time to exit . the processing of blocks 120 - 132 is repeated until it is time to exit , at which point the logic of fig3 a and 3b ends . fig4 illustrates in detail the logic of reading a smart scsi device for status . the logic of fig4 moves from a start block to block 150 where a read request is sent to the scsi device . the disk storage management driver 86 , disk . sys , is capable of communicating directly with a scsi device . scsi devices typically do not have a query smart status command , therefore , a read may be performed in order to obtain a sense code which can be interpreted to determine the failure prediction status . a read can be sent specifically for this purpose . alternatively , any time the scsi device performs i / o for any purpose , the resultant sense code can be interpreted in order to determine if there is a potential storage device failure that should be reported . next failure prediction filter driver functions can optionally be performed . see block 152 . these functions are performed by the optional failure prediction filter driver 80 . for example , statistical analysis can be performed by a failure prediction filter driver 80 . statistical analysis can alter the determination of whether a storage device failure should be reported . for example , if the number of retries is increasing linearly , a failure may be reported . another example of using a failure prediction filter driver is that failures should be reported much sooner for a critical system , such as that used by an airline , than for a non - critical system , such as a home computer system . a failure prediction filter driver can also be used to report failures for devices that do not provide status information . for example , a disk may not provide status information , however the type of disk in question may historically experience storage device errors after a certain amount of use , for example after 5 , 000 hours of use . a failure prediction filter driver can track the amount of usage and report potential storage errors after 5 , 000 hours . next , the logic moves to block 154 where the sense code is interpreted . it will be appreciated that some failure prediction filter driver functions 152 can be performed after interpreting the sense code in addition to , or instead of performing failure prediction filter driver functions 152 before interpreting the sense code 154 . the logic then moves to decision block 156 where a test is made to determinate if a storage device failure should be reported . if so , failure event data is propagated to the management application 62 . preferably , this is done through the use of an api call . if there is not a storage device failure event to propagate , or after the event is propagated , the logic moves to block 160 where the read interval is reset . for example , if the device is read once an hour to check for storage device failures , the interval is reset for the next hour . this allows for continued monitoring of the storage device for potential storage errors that should be reported . this interval is used in order to determine whether it is time to check for storage device failures in block 122 of fig3 b . the logic of fig4 then ends and processing returns to fig3 a or fig3 b . fig5 illustrates in detail the logic of querying a smart ata / atapi storage device for status . the logic of fig5 moves from a start block to block 170 where a read smart status command is sent to the smart ata / atapi storage device . unlike scsi devices , the storage management driver 86 disk . sys can not communicate directly with the ata / atapi device . the logic for obtaining status from an ata / atapi device is divided between the disk storage management device 86 , e . g ., disk . sys , and the ata / atapi port driver 80 or 81 . the logic then moves to block 172 where failure prediction filter driver functions may be performed by a failure prediction filter driver 81 . next , in block 174 , the status response is read . it will be appreciated that some failure prediction filter driver functions 172 can be performed after reading the status response in addition to , or instead of performing failure prediction filter driver functions 172 before reading the status response 174 . the logic then moves to decision block 176 where a determination is made whether there is a smart ata / atapi storage device failure that should be reported . if so , failure event data is propagated to the management application 62 in block 178 . if there was not a failure to report , or after the event is propagated , the logic moves to block 180 where the query interval is reset . the logic of fig5 then ends , and processing returns to fig3 a or fig3 b . fig6 illustrates the logic of “ querying ” a non - smart device that has a failure prediction filter driver . the logic moves from a start block to block 190 where a failure prediction filter driver device is “ queried ” for status . the method for determining if failure is predicted for the device is dependent upon the type of device . for example , the device may be queried similar to a smart ata / atapi device , or a read may be required , similar to a smart scsi device , or any other acceptable method as defined by the manufacturer of the device . examples of these storage devices include ram disks , cd - roms , dvd roms , and tape storage devices . it will be appreciated that the foregoing examples are illustrative , and other types of devices may be included . the logic then moves to block 192 where information may be obtained from the device hardware . based upon this information or other information maintained by the failure prediction filter driver , a determination of the failure prediction status is made . a storage management driver 88 may query the filter driver in order to obtain failure prediction information that is maintained within the failure prediction driver 84 . the failure prediction driver can employ various mechanisms , for example , statistical analysis , in order to determine the failure prediction information . the storage management driver 88 may also query the failure prediction filter driver so that the failure prediction filter driver can perform a hardware request to a storage device 64 . the failure prediction filter driver 84 interprets the results and determines whether a failure is being predicted . the interpretation could be determined using a variety of mechanisms , for example , statistical analysis , breaches of predetermined thresholds , or propagating a fail / no fail result . the logic then moves to decision block 196 where a test is made to determine whether there is a storage failure to report for the device . if so , the logic moves to block 198 where failure event data is propagated to the management application 62 . if there is no information to report to the management application 62 , or after the information is reported , the logic moves to block 200 where the query interval for the device is reset . the logic of fig6 then ends and processing returns to fig3 a or fig3 b . alternatively , a failure prediction enabled storage driver 75 or a failure prediction port driver 72 , as described above , can communicate directly with the wdm provider 70 instead of via a storage management driver . in this case the failure prediction enabled storage driver and the failure prediction port driver can use any mechanisms available to them to determine the failure prediction status . it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the logic of fig4 and 6 is similar . one relevant difference between these figures is that the method for obtaining storage device failure information is device specific . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts . fig1 and 2 are schematic cross - sectional views showing the steps for forming a silicon nitride layer of different thickness over a silicon oxide layer and a substrate simultaneously according to one preferred embodiment of this invention . as shown in fig1 a substrate 100 is provided . the substrate 100 is preferably a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate . since a native oxide layer ( not shown ) can easily form over the substrate 100 surface , a series of cleaning steps are often conducted to remove the native oxide and obtain a pure silicon surface . the native oxide can be removed by placing the substrate 100 onto a tank 10 full of rca cleaning solution using a robotic hand . the rca solution is a cleaning agent that includes ammonium hydroxide ( nh 4 oh ), hot de - ionized water ( hdiw ) and hydrogen peroxide ( h 2 o 2 ). at a common boiling temperature , the native oxide on the surface of the substrate 100 is removed . in the subsequent step , the substrate 100 is dipped into a hot quick - dump rise ( hqdr ) bath . using large quantity of de - ionized water , any residual rca solution from the substrate 100 is removed by rinsing . the substrate 100 is next immersed in a bath full of dilute hydrofluoric acid ( hf ) solution for a dilute hydrofluoric ( dhf ) acid treatment that removes not only the native oxide layer but also organic material and micro - particles . a silicon oxide layer 102 is formed over a portion of the substrate 100 . the silicon oxide layer 102 is formed , for example , by thermally oxidizing a portion of the substrate 100 . as shown in fig2 a nitrogen - containing gas , preferably an ammonia ( nh 3 ) gas , is used to perform a surface treatment . the ammonia gas is passed over the silicon oxide layer 102 and the substrate 100 for a pre - defined period . the surface treatment period can be varied according to demand . after treating the surface with ammonia for a period , silicon nitride is deposited over the substrate 100 and the silicon oxide layer 102 to form a silicon nitride layer 104 a and a silicon nitride layer 104 b . in the surface treatment process , a temperature of between 600 ° c . to 1000 ° c . and a pressure of between 0 . 3 torr to 760 torrs is preferably used . in the process of forming the silicon nitride layers 104 a and 104 b , a depositing pressure equal to or smaller than 0 . 3 torr is preferably used . if ammonia ( nh 3 ) and dichloro - silicon hydride ( sih 2 cl 2 ) is the reactive gas for depositing silicon nitride , the ratio of the gas flow rates between the two can be equal to or greater than 3 : 1 . according to experimental results , after treating a surface with ammonia for a defined period , the silicon nitride layer 104 a has a greater thickness than the silicon nitride layer 104 b . thickness difference ratio between the silicon nitride layer 104 a and the silicon nitride layer 104 b ranges from 50 % to 120 %. the thickness difference ratio is computed using the formula : ( tsi − tox )/[( tsi + tox )/ 2 ], wherein tsi is the thickness of silicon nitride on the substrate surface , that is , thickness of the silicon nitride layer 104 a ; tox is the thickness of silicon nitride on the silicon oxide layer , that is , thickness of the silicon nitride layer 104 b . to increase the thickness difference ratio between the silicon nitride layer 104 a and the silicon nitride layer 104 b further , depositing pressure can be lowered and / or flow rate of the gaseous reactants can be increased . in addition , the treatment period using ammonia can be increased or decreased according to actual need . fig3 is a bar chart showing the relationship between the treatment conditions with nh 3 and the ratio of thickness of the silicon nitride layer formed over an oxide layer and substrate . as shown in fig3 thickness difference ratio of the silicon nitride layer with ammonia treatment is much greater than one without ammonia treatment . the thickness difference ratio is computed using the formula : ( tsi − tox )/[( tsi + tox )/ 2 ]. tsi is the thickness of silicon nitride on the substrate 100 surface , that is , thickness of the silicon nitride layer 104 a . tox is the thickness of silicon nitride on the silicon oxide layer 102 , that is , thickness of the silicon nitride layer 104 b . fig4 is a bar chart showing the relationship between the pressure used in the deposition of silicon nitride and the ratio of thickness of the silicon nitride layer formed over an oxide layer and a substrate . as shown in fig4 the thickness difference ratio of the silicon nitride layer is the greatest at a pressure of 0 . 125 torr . in other words , the lower the depositing pressure , the greater will be the thickness difference ratio of the deposited silicon nitride layer over a silicon oxide layer and a substrate . fig5 is a bar chart showing the relationship between the relative gas flow rates in the deposition of silicon nitride and the ratio of thickness of the silicon nitride layer formed over an oxide layer and a substrate . as shown in fig5 the relative gas flow rate is between ammonia and dichloro - silicon hydride . according to experiment , the higher the relative flow rates of the two gaseous reactants , the greater will be the thickness difference ratio of the deposited silicon nitride layer over a silicon oxide layer and a substrate . in this invention , ammonia nh 3 is used to perform a surface treatment of the substrate surface and the silicon oxide surface . after the surface treatment , a single deposition step can be used to deposit silicon nitride to a different thickness over the silicon oxide layer and the substrate . since there is no need to perform separate deposition steps to form a silicon nitride layer over the silicon oxide layer and the substrate , manufacturing is simplified . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . in view of the foregoing , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .
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there are at least four major approaches to making aba polymers according to the invention . they are : ( 1 ) start with a monofunctional initiator and polymerize in three steps , gma first , which makes the first a segment , followed by methyl methacrylate ( mma ) which adds onto the a segment and makes an ab polymer , and finally gma again which completes the aba structure ; ( 2 ) start with a difunctional initiator and polymerize the monomers in two steps , mma first , which creates the middle b segment , followed by gma which will add onto both ends simultaneously because of the difunctional initiator , making the aba polymer ; ( 3 ) start with monofunctional initiator , polymerize in two steps , gma first , making the a segment , followed by mma , making an ab polymer , and finally coupling the polymer to unite the two ab polymers at the b end and create an aba polymer ; ( 4 ) start with an epoxy containing initiator , the a segment , polymerize the mma , making an ab polymer , and finally , couple the polymer which unites the two ab polymers at the b end and creates an aba polymer . monomers which can be used to prepare the center section include , for example , alkyl methacrylates and acrylates that can be used to prepare acrylic polymers . included are methyl methacrylate , ethyl methacrylate , butyl methacrylate ( bma ), hexyl methacrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl methacrylate , nonyl methacrylate , lauryl methacrylate , stearyl methacrylate , cyclohexyl methacrylate , isodecyl methacrylate , propyl methacrylate , phenyl methacrylate , isobornyl methacrylate , ethyl acrylate , propyl acrylate , isopropyl acrylate , butyl acrylate , isobutyl acrylate , hexyl acrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , nonyl acrylate , lauryl acrylate , stearyl acrylate , cyclohexyl acrylate , isodecyl acrylate , phenyl acrylate , isobornyl acrylate , blocked ( meth ) acrylic acid monomers which can be unblocked after polymerization , including trimethyl silyl methacrylate and 1 - butoxyethyl methacrylate , and the like . both the end and center sections can include other functionality , such as for crosslinking , so long as it does not interfere with polymerization . example 1 describes ( 3 ), supra , how one might make gma // bma // gma using monofunctional initiator , two monomer feeds , and a coupling agent . example 2 describes ( 4 ), supra , how one might make gma // bma // gma using an epoxy initiator , a monomer feed , and a coupling agent . the coupling agent is preferably diphenyl terephthalate , but it could be other suitable materials . following are definitions of terms used in the summary of the invention , supra . by &# 34 ; acyl &# 34 ; is meant the moiety which remains after removal of a hydroxy group from an organic carboxylic acid . by &# 34 ; sulfonyl &# 34 ; is meant the moiety which remains after removal of a hydroxy group from an organic sulfonic acid . by &# 34 ; hydrocarbyl radical &# 34 ; is meant a radical consisting essentially of hydrogen and up to about 20 carbon atoms . by &# 34 ; substituted hydrocarbyl radical &# 34 ; is meant hydrocarbyl which contains one or more functional substituents that are inert under reaction conditions and / or one or more ether oxygen atoms within aliphatic segments thereof . by &# 34 ; polymeric radical &# 34 ; is meant a polymeric radical containing more than 20 carbon atoms ; the radical may contain the intra - chain heteroatoms o , n or s and / or non - functional or functional substituents that are inert under reaction conditions . by &# 34 ; aryl &# 34 ; is meant an aromatic radical having at least six carbon atoms . by &# 34 ; substituted aryl &# 34 ; is meant aryl which contains one or more aliphatic substituents or functional substituents that are inert under reaction conditions . by &# 34 ; a selected anion or oxyanion &# 34 ; is meant a fluoride , difluorotrimethylsilicate , bifluoride , cyanide or azide anion , or an oxyanion which forms a conjugate acid having a pka ( dmso ) of about 5 to about 24 , preferably about 6 to about 21 , more preferably 8 to 18 as defined in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 588 , 795 , column 5 , lines 15 - 18 . by conjugate acid is meant the acid formed by protonating the catalytic oxyanion . by pka ( dmso ) of the conjugate acid is meant the negative logarithm of the acidity constant of the conjugate acid , measured in dimethylsulfoxide at 25 ° c . ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 588 , 795 , column 5 , lines 24 - 30 ). the catalysts which are sources of a selected anion or oxyanion also include the group transfer polymerization catalysts described in the aforesaid gtp patents and applications , especially in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 508 , 880 and 4 , 588 , 795 , which are incorporated herein by reference . representative examples of the catalysts which are sources of a selected oxyanion in &# 39 ; 795 are given in col . 6 , line 52 to col . 7 , line 6 . the catalysts which are sources of a selected anion in &# 39 ; 880 , at col . 11 , lines 45 - 54 , in part , include : tris ( dimethylamino ) sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate , tris ( dimethylamino ) sulfonium cyanide , tetraphenylarsonium cyanide , tris ( dimethylamino ) sulfonium azide , tetraethylammonium azide , alkali metal fluorides , alkali metal cyanides , alkali metal azides , tris ( dimethylamino ) sulfonium difluorotriphenylstannate , tetrabutylammonium fluoride , tetramethylammonium fluoride , and tetraethylammonium cyanide . lewis acids are not catalysts for the present process . it is believed that the selected anion or oxyanion of the catalyst starts the reaction by associating with and activating the silicon of part of the silylketene acetal . as a result of this activation , it is believed , the silylketene acetal reacts with the sulfonyl or acyl compound generating free group y (-- f or -- oar ) or &# 34 ; silicon activating group &# 34 ; x . it is believed that groups x or y sustain the reaction by further associating with and activating silicon on the remaining , as yet unreacted , part of the silylketene acetal . by &# 34 ; silicon activating group &# 34 ; ( x ) is meant a leaving group which is capable of displacing silicon from the silylketene acetal under reaction conditions . it is believed that free x is generated during the reaction and sustains the reaction in the manner described above . because suitable silicon activating groups , which include -- f , -- oar or -- oc ( o ) r 6 , sustain the reaction , as described , they reduce the amount of added catalyst required for the reaction . in the above formula r 6 is hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl . by &# 34 ; leaving group &# 34 ; is meant a group which can be released from the acyl compound . the term &# 34 ; leaving group &# 34 ; is described in j . march , &# 34 ; advanced organic chemistry : reactions , mechanisms and structure &# 34 ;, mcgraw - hill , new york ( 1968 ), pp . 199 - 200 . it is exemplified in that reference for alkyl compounds on pp . 251 - 252 and for acyl compounds on pp . 274 - 275 , in particular with reference to the group &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; in equations 1 and 2 at the top of page 275 . the following preferred embodiments are within the scope of the invention as described in the summary of the invention , supra . q is -- r 1 , and r 1 is c 1 - 8 alkyl or aryl , most preferably methyl ; r 4 is a polymeric radical , more preferably a substituted polymeric radical ; still more preferably the substituent is ester or protected hydroxyl ; preferably the polymeric radical is comprised of acrylic monomer units , most preferably methyl methacrylate units . most preferred silylketene acetals are &# 34 ; living &# 34 ; acrylic polymers prepared by group transfer polymerization ( gtp ). preferred acyl compounds are those of the formula [ xc ( o )] n r 5 wherein : x is -- f , -- oar or -- oc ( o ) r 6 wherein ar is phenyl or substituted phenyl , and r 6 is c 1 - 8 alkyl , aryl or substituted aryl ; preferred catalysts are sources of fluoride , bifluoride or selected oxyanions ; bi - oxyanions , especially biacetate , are most preferred . the beta - ketoester or beta - sulfonylester products of the invention process are of the formulas [ r 2 o 2 c -- c ( r 3 )( r 4 )-- c ( o )] a r 5 [ c ( o ) x ] n - a and [ r 2 o 2 c -- c ( r 3 )( r 4 )-- s ( o ) 2 ] a r 5 [ s ( o ) 2 y ] n - a , respectively , wherein the symbols are defined as above ; preferably a is 1 or 2 . the ketoester or sulfonylester products wherein r 4 is limited to r 8 , defined above as a polymer radical comprised of acrylic monomer units , are believed to be novel . it is to be understood that , in the fully converted ketoester or sulfonylester products of a stoichiometric reaction between the acyl or sulfonyl compound and ska , a is essentially equal to n . products prepared by employing a stoichiometric excess of acyl or sulfonyl compound will contain -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y groups ( n & gt ; a ), provided n is at least 2 . these groups are then available for subsequent reaction with other , different , silylketene acetals and / or with other reagents , as discussed hereinafter . silylketene acetals are &# 34 ; capped &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; coupled &# 34 ;, or branched , or combinations thereof , by reaction with acyl or sulfonyl compounds according to the invention process , depending on the magnitude of n , and on the molar ratios of the reactants employed , as discussed hereinafter . especially preferred polymers can be prepared by coupling protected hydroxyl - functional polymeric silylketene acetals ( ska ) by means of diacyl compounds wherein n is 2 , or by capping polymeric ska with monoacyl compounds wherein n is 1 . substituents that are , in most cases , unreactive under reaction conditions include , but are not limited to , -- co 2 r , -- oc ( o ) r , -- n ( r 1 ) 2 , -- c ( o ) n ( r 1 ) 2 , -- cn , -- ch ═ ch 2 provided such groups are not conjugated with carbonyl or cyano groups , -- p ( o )( or 1 ) 2 , -- c ( o ) r 1 , and -- oh and -- co 2 h if chemically protected . in these substituents r is hydrocarbyl other than aryl and r 1 is defined as above . as indicated above , most preferred ska are &# 34 ; living &# 34 ; acrylic polymers prepared by group transfer polymerization , as described in the foregoing patents and applications , the disclosures of which have been incorporated herein by reference . particularly useful polymeric ska of this type also contain terminal silyl ether groups at non - living ends ; these groups are introduced , e . g ., by use of an appropriate gtp initiator containing at least one ska moiety of the formula & gt ; c ═ c ( osi [ q ] 3 )( or 2 ) wherein q and r 2 are defined as above , the r 2 group containing a trialkylsiloxy group . in the polymerization process , this group becomes located at a non - living end of the polymer chain . an example of such an initiator is [( 2 - methyl - 1 -[ 2 -( trimethylsiloxy ) ethoxy ]- 1 - propenyl ) oxy ] trimethylsilane ( tteb ). in the invention process , a solvent is desirable but is not essential unless neither reactant is a liquid . suitable solvents are those described in the aforesaid gtp patents and applications ; aprotic liquids such as tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), toluene , benzene and the glymes are preferred . solvent mixtures may be especially suitable . total reactant concentration should be at least about 1 % ( w / v ), preferably in the range 5 - 60 % ( w / v ). the process of the invention is carried out at a temperature of about - 100 ° c . to + 150 ° c ., preferably about - 15 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., most preferably 10 ° to 60 ° c . silylketene acetal concentration can vary from about 0 . 1 % to 100 % ( w / w ). polymeric ska which are viscous liquids or solids can be used at concentrations of about 25 - 80 % ( w / w ), depending on molecular weight . the acyl or sulfonyl compound can be used at a concentration such that the molar ratio of acyl or sulfonyl compound to ska is about 0 . 01 to about 100 , preferably about 0 . 25 to about 10 , more preferably about 0 . 5 to about 5 . catalyst concentration can be about 0 . 0001 to about 50 mol % of the ska present , preferably about 0 . 001 to about 10 mol %. as already indicated , the invention process leads to capping and / or coupling of ska molecules , depending on functionality and concentration of acylating or sulfonating compound employed . in general , to cap an ska , a monofunctional ( n is 1 ) acylating or sulfonating compound is employed at a molar ratio to ska of at least 1 : 1 . for coupling , a polyfunctional ( n is 2 or more ) acylating or sulfonating compound is employed at a molar ratio to ska of not more than 1 : 2 . a mixture of capped and coupled ska products can be produced by employing a mixture of mono - and polyfunctional acylating or sulfonating compounds . preferred telechelic polymers are prepared in the present invention process by coupling a polymeric ska containing a suitable functional group , such as a protected hydroxyl , e . g . trialkylsiloxy , as described above , using a difunctional acyl or sulfonyl compound in the molar ratio to ska of about 1 : 2 in the presence of catalyst . the polymer product contains approximately two trialkylsiloxy groups per molecule ; these can be converted to hydroxyl by hydrolysis with , e . g . hydrochloric acid in methanol . the telechelic polymer is recovered by precipitation in non - solvent . the telechelic polymer prepared by ska coupling , as described above but with difunctional compound in slight molar excess of 1 : 2 can , before precipitation , be &# 34 ; finished &# 34 ; to give more precisely two terminal functions per molecule by following the above acylation - coupling procedure with the addition of a stoichiometric excess of a -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y reactive compound such as ethylene glycol , to convert residual -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y polymer end groups to oh , together with an organic base such as an amine to consume by - product hx or hy , thus driving the reaction to completion . -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y ends introduced by capping a ska with a stoichiometric excess of di - or polyfunctional acylating compound can also be used to provide other functional end groups , e . g ., oh , co 2 h , sh and nh 2 , for later use in chain extension or coupling , by subsequent reaction of -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y ends with appropriate reagents such as glycols , water , dimercaptans , aminoalcohols and diamines . -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y end groups can also be reacted (&# 34 ; finished &# 34 ;) by use of monofunctional reagents containing the above functions . such reactions will be well known to those skilled in the art . telechelic polymers can also be prepared by a combination of coupling and finishing wherein the ska is reacted with slightly more than 0 . 5 mole of difunctional acylating compound per mole of ska . -- c ( o ) x or -- s ( o ) 2 y groups present in the product are then finished as described above . if only -- c ( o ) x groups are required , with minimal coupling , the ska can be reacted with a large excess of acylating agent , followed by sufficient finishing agent to react all -- c ( o ) x ends plus residual acylating compound . in general , such reactions are preferably carried out in solution . the process of the invention is believed to proceed according to the following illustrative equation : ## str8 ## it will be understood that the ( n - a ) residual -- c ( o ) x ( or -- s ( o ) 2 x ) moieties can react with other ska molecules in the presence of catalyst , or with other reactants as discussed above . in the following examples of the invention process , and in comparative experiments , parts and percentages are by weight and temperatures are in degrees celsius unless otherwise specified . a 250 ml round bottom flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer , thermometer , and nitrogen inlet , is charged with dimethoxyethane -- glyme --( 18 . 6 g ), 1 - trimethylsiloxy - 1 - i - butoxy - 2 - methylpropene ( 2 . 1 g , 0 . 0097 mole ), and glycidyl methacrylate ( 5 . 6 g , 0 . 0394 mole ). the flask is cooled to 10 ° c . tetrabutylammonium m - chlorobenzoate tbacb ( 200 μl of a 1 . 0m solution in acetonitrile ) is injected into the flask . feed i consists of glyme ( 3 . 0 g ) and tetrabutylammonium m - chlorobenzoate ( 200 μl of a 1 . 0m solution ). it is started 10 minutes after the first injection of tbacb . it is added over 56 minutes . feed ii is methyl methacrylate ( 20 . 0 g , 0 . 20 mole ). it is started simultaneously with the start of the feed i . feed ii is added over 35 minutes . twenty minutes after feed ii is completed , diphenyl terephthalate ( 1 . 54 g , 0 . 0048 mole ) is added and the reaction is allowed to remain at room temperature overnight . this couples living polymer chains together . then methanol ( 4 . 0 g ) is added . this should be an aba block polymer ( gma // mma // gma 4 // 40 // 4 ) with 4 epoxy groups on each end of the polymer chains . a 250 ml round bottom flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer , thermometer , and nitrogen inlet , is charged with tetrahydrofuran ( 18 . 6 g ), and 1 - trimethylsiloxy - 1 - glycidoxy - 2 - methylpropene ( 2 . 16 g , 0 . 010 mole ). the flask is cooled to 10 ° c . tetrabutylammonium m - chlorobenzoate ( 100 μl of a 1 . 0m solution in acetonitrile ) is injected into the flask . feed i consists of tetrahydrofuran ( 4 . 0 g ) and tetrabutylammonium m - chlorobenzoate ( 100 μl of a 1 . 0m solution in acetonitrile ). it is started 10 minutes after the first injection of tbacb . feed ii is methyl methacrylate ( 20 . 0 g , 0 . 20 mole ). it is started simultaneously with feed i and is added over 30 minutes . twenty minutes after feed ii is completed , diphenyl terephthalate ( 1 . 08 g , 0 . 005 mole ) is added and the reaction is allowed to remain at room temperature overnight . this couples the living polymer chains together . this should be an aba block polymer ( gma // mma // gma 1 // 40 // 1 ) with one epoxy group on each end of every polymer chain . the following discussion is relevant to examples 3 to 18 which are provided hereinbelow . all glassware , including syringes , and syringe needles were dried in a 165 ° c . oven overnight prior to use . rubber septa , teflon parts , and other polymeric materials were dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 65 ° c ., with a slight nitrogen purge . argon ( air products ) was purified by passage through a molecular sieve trap for drying and a reduced girdler g - 33 nickel oxide catalyst trap from united catalyst , inc ., for removal of oxygen . glassware was assembled while hot , flushed with argon with additional external heating , and then maintained at room temperature ( rt ) under a slightly positive pressure of argon . the joints of the glassware were connected without grease and wrapped with parafilm ® m laboratory film . serum caps , for syringe introduction of solvents and reagents , were secured onto openings in the glassware by tightly - wrapped nylon ties . methyl methacrylate ( mma , aldrich chemical co .) was purified and dried by passage through a column of anhydrous alumina , neutral grade ( woelm ), exiting the column through a syringe needle into a serum - capped bottle kept under a slightly positive pressure of argon . tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) was dried over sodium and distilled from sodium benzophenone ketyl immediately before use . acetonitrile was dried by distillation from p 2 o 5 . initiators were distilled in a 12 - inch spinning band column . dried solvents , initiators , and catalyst solutions were stored in &# 34 ; aldrich &# 34 ; bottles in drierite - packed desiccators . 1 h - nmr spectra were recorded with a nicolet 360wb spectrometer . molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) using a waters associates gpc with a 590 pump , 401 r . i . detector and 4 microstyrogel columns , 100 , 000 , 10 , 000 , 500 , and 100 . polydispersity ( d ) is given by the formula d = mw / mn where mw and mn are , respectively , weight and number average molecular weight . hydroxy - pmma and a , ω - dihydroxy - pmma content of the product was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography , employing a du pont instruments series 800 gradient controller and chromatographic pump and a waters associates r401 refractive index detector . a 100 - ml 3 - neck r . b . flask was outfitted with a magnetic stirring bar , argon inlet adapter , serum cap , and thermowell . the apparatus was dried as usual and maintained under a slight positive pressure of argon . to the flask were added dry thf ( 30 ml ), mts ( 1 . 6 ml , 8 . 0 mmol ), benzoyl fluoride ( 0 . 87 ml , 8 . 0 mmol , aldrich , 99 % pure ), and , last , 0 . 5m tetrabutylammonium biacetate ( bu 4 noac . hoac )/ ch 3 cn ( 40 μl , 0 . 25 mol % of mts ). within one minute , the temperature rose from 25 ° c . to 36 ° c ., then receded . stirring was continued for 2 h , and then the solvent and volatile silyl fluoride by - product were removed with a rotary evaporator . the liquid product was dissolved in deuterochloroform ( cdcl 3 ) for proton nmr analysis , which showed it to be virtually pure methyl 2 - benzoylisobutyrate . nmr ( cdcl 3 , δppm ): 1 . 5 ( s , 6 . 0 h , ch 3 ), 3 . 6 ( s , 2 . 9 h , ch 3 o ), and 7 . 4 , 7 . 5 and 7 . 8 ( m , 5 . 1 h , c 6 h 5 ). the reaction described in example 3 was repeated except that acetyl fluoride ( aldrich ) was used in place of benzoyl fluoride and 1m tris ( dimethylamino ) sulfonium bifluoride ( tashf 2 )/ ch 3 cn ( 40 μl , 0 . 5 mol %) in place of biacetate . the acetyl fluoride was delivered from a cylinder into 15 ml of thf in a serum - capped erlenmeyer flask . the amount of acid fluoride was measured by difference in weight , and thereby its concentration in solution determined . thus , 1 . 37 g of reagent was added to the thf , which required 5 . 9 ml of solution to be syringed into the reaction flask in order to deliver 0 . 50 g of acetyl fluoride ( 8 . 0 mmol ). the nmr of the liquid product showed it to be virtually pure methyl 2 - acetylisobutyrate . nmr ( cdcl 3 , δppm ): 1 . 3 ( s , 6 . 0 h , ch 3 ), 2 . 1 ( s , 3 . 3 h , ch 3 co ), and 3 . 65 ( s , 3 . 0 h , ch 3 o ). methyl methacrylate ( 25 ml ) was polymerized by group transfer polymerization ( gtp ) in a 250 - ml , 4 - neck r . b . flask , equipped with an argon inlet , thermocouple well , serum cap , and magnetic stirring bar , charged with dry thf ( 75 ml ), [( 2 - methyl - 1 -[ 2 -( trimethylsiloxy ) ethoxy ]- 1 - propenyl ) oxy ] trimethylsilane ( tteb ) ( 2 . 5 ml , 7 . 9 mmol ), 0 . 5m bu 4 noac . hoac / ch 3 cn ( 8 μl , 0 . 051 mol % of tteb ). the mma was added by syringe pump at 0 . 5 ml / min only after an incubation period of 20 min . upon addition of mma , the temperature rose from 24 . 2 ° c . to 39 . 4 ° c . in 36 min ( 18 ml mma added ) and declined slowly thereafter to 38 . 8 ° c . the polymer solution was stirred for 1 h , and benzoyl fluoride ( 1 . 7 ml , 15 . 6 mmol , aldrich , 99 % pure ) was syringed in . the temperature rose only from 24 . 5 ° c . to 24 . 8 ° c ., so an additional 30 μl of biacetate catalyst was added ( net catalyst = 0 . 24 % of tteb - derived living ends ). within 3 min , the temperature rose to 25 . 7 ° c ., then declined very slowly thereafter , falling to 24 . 7 ° c . 45 min after addition of the last measure of catalyst ( 55 min after benzoyl fluoride addition ). the reaction was left unstirred overnight , concentrated to dryness on a rotary evaporator , dissolved in about 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 , and precipitated in a large excess of stirred ( magnetic bar ) hexane ( hexane : solution = 10 : 1 , v / v ). the precipitate was filtered on a vacuum filter funnel , rinsed three times with hexane , partially dried on the funnel , and dried overnight in an evaporating dish in a fume hood . a sample was dissolved in cdcl 3 for proton nmr analysis , the remainder dried for 24 h at 65 ° c . in a vacuum oven , to constant weight . the dry sample was weighed and a portion dissolved in thf for gpc analysis . the weight of recovered poly ( methyl methacrylate ) ( pmma ) was 21 . 08 g , the calculated tteb residue 1 . 7 g . the mma conversion was thus 83 . 7 %, theor . mn ( 100 % basis ) was 3260 . gpc analysis gave mn = 2840 , mw = 3100 , mw / mn = 1 . 09 . duplicate vpo ( thf ) gave mn = 3200 . compared with the theoretical mma / end - group value of 29 . 4 , nmr gave 34 . 4 ( meo / phco ) and 37 . 2 ( meo / me 3 sio ). the mma / benzoyl - capped end ratio was calculated from proton nmr spectra , by comparing peak areas for the mma resonance at δ 3 . 55 ppm ( meo ) and benzoyl resonance at δ 7 . 2 - 7 . 7 ppm ( ph ). as an internal check , the mma / initiator fragment ratio was also calculated from δ 3 . 55 ppm ( meo ) and the initiator fragment &# 39 ; s δ 0 . 1 ( me 3 sio ) peaks . the procedure of the previous example was repeated except that 1 . 7 g ( 27 . 4 mmol ) of acetyl fluoride dissolved in about 17 ml of thf was used in place of benzoyl fluoride . the acetyl fluoride caused a temperature rise from 25 . 1 ° c . to 25 . 7 ° c . after 10 min , the temperature began to decrease , and 30 μl of biacetate was added . the temperature rose to a peak of 26 . 7 ° c . in another 3 min . the recovered pmma weighed 23 . 81 g , a conversion of 96 . 7 %. theor . mn ( 100 %) was 3200 . gpc gave mn = 2660 , mw = 2890 , mw / mn = 1 . 09 . compared with the theoretical mma / end - group value of 29 . 4 , nmr gave ca . 27 ( meo / ch 3 co ) and 27 . 5 ( meo / me 3 sio ). the monomer / end - group ratio was calculated from nmr resonances for mma at δ 3 . 55 ( meo ), acetyl cap at δ 2 . 05 ( overlapping slightly with polymer resonances ), and initiator fragment at δ 0 . 1 ( me 3 sio ). the procedure of example 5 was repeated with the following changes : mma was polymerized using 50 μl of 0 . 045m bu 4 noac . hoac / thf , all of which was added at the start . mma was fed in over a 55 - min period , from a pressure - equalizing dropping funnel instead of a syringe pump . the polymer solution was stirred thereafter for 4 h and then capped by a solution of 3 . 1 g phenyl benzoate ( 15 . 6 mmol ) in 25 ml of very dry thf , transferred by cannula . the temperature rose very little and more catalyst was added ( 100 μl of 0 . 045m bu 4 noac . hoac / thf and 100 μl of 0 . 2m bu 4 noac . hoac / ch 3 cn ). the temperature rose 0 . 5 ° c . and the solution slowly acquired a slight yellow color . total recovered pmma was 25 . 0 g , a 93 . 3 % mma conversion . theor . mn was 3260 and gpc gave mn = 2800 , mw = 3200 , mw / mn = 1 . 14 . the theoretical mma / end - group ratio was 29 . 4 ( 100 % conversion basis ) and nmr on polymer purified by re - precipitation gave 41 . 3 for mma / capping fragment ( meo / ph ) and 35 . 6 for mma / initiator fragment ( meo / me 3 sio ). the procedure described in example 5 was repeated with the following changes : mma was polymerized using 35 μl of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6 h 2 o / thf and mma was fed in over a 65 min period , from a pressure - equalizing dropping funnel . the polymer solution was stirred thereafter for 21 / 2 hours and then capped by a solution of 3 . 6 g benzoic anhydride ( 15 . 9 mmol ) dissolved in 10 ml of very dry thf and transferred by cannula . after 200 μl catalyst was added , the temperature rose 2 . 3 ° c . the recovered pmma , 32 . 6 g , was dried only at room temperature ( rt ), then dissolved in 70 ml ethyl acetate and mixed with 2 . 3 g koh in 70 ml deionized water , to remove unreacted benzoic anhydride . after vigorous stirring for 30 min ., the mixture was shaken in a separatory funnel and the aqueous phase removed . the ethyl acetate layer was extracted with three 70 - ml portions of deionized water , dried 2 h over anhydrous mgso . sub . 4 and filtered . the filtrate was poured into well - stirred hexane to precipitate the polymer . the polymer was dried only at rt and after 3 days weighed 26 . 7 g . theor . mn ( 100 % basis ) was 3300 and gpc gave mn = 2900 , mn = 3400 , mw / mn = 1 . 15 . the theoretical mma / end - group ratio was 29 . 4 and nmr gave 32 . 7 for mma / capping fragment ( meo / ph ) and 66 . 8 for mma / initiator fragment ( meo / me 3 sio ); the high latter value arose from hydrolytic loss of me 3 si end groups caused by koh treatment . the procedure of example 5 was repeated except for the replacement of benzoyl fluoride by 1 . 8 ml benzoyl chloride ( 2 . 2 g , 15 . 5 mmol ). the temperature rose from 27 . 4 ° to 27 . 6 ° c . when the chloride was added , but did not rise further upon addition of 30 μl of biacetate catalyst solution . the recovered pmma weighed 23 . 8 g , a 95 . 4 % conversion of mma . theor . mn ( 100 % basis ) was 3260 and gpc gave mn = 2580 , mw = 2900 , mw / mn = 1 . 12 . nmr analysis showed no resonance for a benzoyl cap at δ 7 . 2 - 7 . 7 , indicating that acid chloride , which is usually more reactive than acid fluoride , failed to react with ska . a 250 - ml r . b . flask , fitted with magnetic stirring bar , serum cap , reflux condenser and argon inlet tube , was flushed with argon and then loaded with : a solution of 18 - crown - 6 ( aldrich , 99 %, 3 . 0 g , 0 . 011 mol ), in ch 2 cl 2 ( fisher , reagent grade , 60 ml ), prepared in a bottle in the dry box . when the mixture was stirred , it began to reflux . it was maintained at reflux for two hours and stirred at rt for 1 h , under slight argon pressure . the kf / kcl residue was removed by vacuum filtering the solution under nitrogen and rinsing the residue three times with 50 - ml portions of ch 2 cl 2 , also under nitrogen . the solvent was removed from the filtrate on a rotary evaporator with house vacuum . the solid was sublimed three times , under strong vacuum , at 100 ° c . the sublimer was assembled and disassembled in a glove bag , under nitrogen . the product from the respective sublimations was weighed and its m . p . measured : 20 . 5 g ( 90 °- 108 ° c . ), 20 . 0 g ( 115 °- 123 ° c . ), and 18 . 1 g ( 115 °- 124 ° c .). the product from the third sublimation was recrystallized overnight from 70 ml dry toluene / 150 ml petroleum ether . the mother liquor was removed from the solid by transferring it via a cannula to a serum - capped flask , under argon . the solid was rinsed five times with 50 - ml portions of 1 : 2 . 2 toluene - petroleum ether , the rinsings removed each time by cannula transfer to the mother liquor . the solid was blown dry by a nitrogen sweep through the flask used for the recrystallization . a second crop was taken by concentrating the combined mother liquor plus rinsings with a nitrogen sweep applied to the heated liquid . the volume of the concentrate was tripled by the addition of petroleum ether , and the solution allowed to cool to rt and then set aside for 3 days . the product / solvent mixture was chilled 1 h in ice water and the mother liquor transferred away by cannula . the solid was rinsed at rt with four 30 - ml portions of petroleum ether and dried as above . the crops were weighed and portions placed in melting point tubes , in a dry box . the combined yield was 14 . 2 g , 71 % of theory ( 20 . 0 g ). a 250 - ml 4 - neck r . b . flask was outfitted with a magnetic stirring bar , pressure - equalizing dropping funnel , thermowell ( for thermocouple ), and argon inlet tube . after being heated with a heat - gun under argon flush , the apparatus was allowed to cool to rt and kept under a slight argon pressure . ______________________________________thf ( distilled from sodium benzophenone 75 mlketyl ) tteb 5 . 0 ml ( 15 . 7 mmol ) 0 . 041 m bu . sub . 4 noac . hoac . 6 h . sub . 2 o in thf 25 μl______________________________________ the mixture was stirred and 25 ml mma was dripped in over a 50 min period , from the dropping funnel . additional biacetate solution ( 25 μl ) was added 30 min into the monomer addition . the mixture was stirred for an additional 41 / 2 h to complete polymerization ( polymeric ska ) prior to the coupling reaction . a solution of terephthaloyl fluoride ( 1 . 34 g , 7 . 88 mmol ), prepared in part a , in still - dried thf ( 10 ml ) was cannula - transferred to the polymeric ska prepared above and a 0 . 1 ° c . temperature rise was observed . biacetate catalyst solution ( 200 μl ) was added to the stirred mixture and a 3 . 5 ° c . temperature rise observed over the next 13 minutes . the reaction was left to stir an additional 1 h , then left unstirred at rt for 16 h . the solution slowly yellowed . an aliquot of the α , ω - di ( trimethylsiloxy )- pmma product was removed and precipitated in a 20 - fold excess of hexane in a stirred beaker -- sample a . the remaining solution was treated with 6 . 0 ml of 10 % ( w / w ) hcl -- meoh and stirred for 3 h at rt to hydrolyze trimethylsiloxy end groups . the solution became colorless . the solution was concentrated and polymer precipitated when it was poured slowly into a 20 - fold excess of hexane , rapidly stirred in a large beaker -- sample b . recovered weights ( excluding 0 . 3 g remaining on glassware )-- a : 1 . 4 g ; b : 24 . 2 g ( dried 32 h / 65 ° c ./ vac oven ). gpc analysis : a -- theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and 100 % coupled )= 3500 . mn = 3400 , mw = 4000 , mw / mn = 1 . 19 ; b -- theor . mn ( 100 % basis )= 3300 . mn = 3300 , mw = 4000 , mw / mn = 1 . 19 ; nmr analysis : a -- theoretical mma / end - group = d . p . before coupling = 14 . 7 ; theoretical mma / coupling agent ( assuming 100 % coupling )= 2 × d . p . before coupling = 29 . 4 actual mma / end - group ( from meo at δ 3 . 55 and initiator me 3 sio fragment at δ 0 . 1 )= 15 . 7 actual mma / coupling agent ( from meo at δ 3 . 55 and c 6 h 4 at δ 7 . 65 )= 33 . 0 . the procedure of example 9b was repeated but without adding more biacetate catalyst during coupling . the temperature rose only 0 . 3 ° c . during coupling . recovered pmma ( dried 48 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven ) weighed as follows ( excluding 0 . 3 g remaining on glassware ): a -- 1 . 2 g , b -- 24 . 8 g . the overall mma conversion was 94 . 5 %. nmr analysis : a -- actual mma / end - group = 14 . 6 ( theor 14 . 7 ) actual mma / coupling agent = 36 . 6 ( theor . 29 . 4 ) the three analyses show a substantial level of coupling even when no further catalyst is used for acylation . the procedure of example 9b was repeated with the following changes : mma was polymerized with 50 μl of 0 . 033m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6 h 2 o / thf catalyst , all of which was added at the start , and mma feed took 1 h . coupling was started 2 h after the completion of mma feed , with 2 . 50 g diphenyl terephthalate ( 7 . 85 mmol ) in 150 ml of very dry thf . the solution yellowed but there was little exotherm . biacetate catalyst solution ( 100 μl , 0 . 033m ) was added and the color darkened and the temperature rose 0 . 4 ° c . over the next 5 min . all the polymer ( sample a ) was isolated , washed , and dried ; recovery 26 . 1 g ; 93 . 8 % mma conversion . twenty g of a were dissolved in 100 ml of very dry thf and converted to α , ω - dihydroxy - pmma ( sample b ) by treatment with 5 . 1 ml of 10 % ( w / w ) hcl / methanol for 3 h at rt . the polymer was isolated by precipitation in excess hexane , washing , and drying at rt and in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven . a 3 - neck , 500 - ml r . b . flask , equipped with a magnetic stirring bar , reflux condenser connected to nitrogen , and a pressure - equalizing dropping funnel , was flushed with nitrogen and held under a slightly positive nitrogen pressure . the flask was charged with 200 ml chcl 3 ( e . merck ), 20 . 0 g terephthaloyl chloride ( aldrich , 97 %, mw = 203 . 0 , 0 . 099 moles assuming 100 % purity ), and 24 . 1 g benzoic acid ( aldrich , 99 +%, mw = 122 . 1 , 0 . 197 moles ). triethylamine ( 20 . 0 g , fisher , 0 . 198 moles ) was dripped slowly into the stirred flask , and stirring continued 11 / 2 h thereafter . after 7 ml of solution was consumed in solubility tests , the remainder was extracted with three 250 - ml portions of deionized water , the lower chloroform layer filtered . concentrating the chloroform solution with a rotary evaporator gave 34 . 5 g of product ( theor . yield 36 . 9 g ). after small - scale recrystallization trials , which consumed 1 . 4 g of product , the solid was dissolved in 200 ml hot benzene and left at rt for 21 / 2 days . the first crop was obtained by vacuum filtration . the mother liquor was concentrated to about 150 ml and a second crop obtained by filtration . a third crop was obtained after concentrating the mother liquor to ca . 75 ml . in all cases , an unusual melting point behavior of the samples suggests decomposition . at fast heating rates , the solids melt at about 140 °- 150 ° c . and resolidify , melting again only at about 280 °- 310 ° c . at slow heating rates , a slight amount of melting occurs at ca . 140 ° c ., but most melts only at 280 °- 320 ° c . theory for c 22 h 14 o 6 : c , 70 . 6 %, h , 3 . 8 %, o , 25 . 6 %. 1 h nmr ( cd 2 cl 2 , δppm ): 7 . 55 ( t , 3 . 9h , c 6 h 5 - meta h ), 7 . 7 ( tt , 2 . 1h , c 6 h 5 - para h ), 8 . 15 ( d , 4 . 0h , c 6 h 5 - ortho ), and 8 . 3 ( s , 4 . 0h , c 6 h 4 ). the procedure of example 9b was repeated with the following changes : mma was polymerized with 2 . 5 ml tteb initiator ( 7 . 9 mmol ) and 20 μl 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf catalyst , and mma feed took 55 min . coupling was started 3 h thereafter , with 1 . 47 g of tdb ( first crop , 3 . 93 mmol ) in 60 ml of very dry thf . the temperature rose 0 . 1 ° c ., and 0 . 2 ml of biacetate catalyst was added . the temperature rose another 0 . 1 ° c . no aliquot was removed before hydrolysis to hydroxyl ends . recovered pmma ( dried 48 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven ), 23 . 8 g . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and coupling )= 6400 . m n = 3700 , mw = 4900 , mw / mn = 1 . 33 ; a 300 - ml r . b . flask , equipped with a magnetic stirring bar was charged with 7 . 85 g sodium hydroxide ( fisher , 0 . 197 moles ) in 75 ml of deionized water and then , to the stirred solution , 27 . 40 g of p - nitrophenol ( aldrich , 98 %, 0 . 197 moles ) was added . the solution turned orange and a considerable amount of yellow solid was present . a solution of 20 . 04 g of terephthaloyl chloride ( aldrich , 97 %, 0 . 0987 moles assuming 100 % purity ) in methylene chloride was dripped into the flask from a dropping funnel . the flask was stirred another 15 min and the mixture filtered through a whatman &# 39 ; s # 1 filter paper disk on a buchner funnel . the filtrate was almost clear and the solid on the filter was washed with a few portions of water in the funnel and with two small portions of acetone . the solid was dried by briefly drawing air through it in a vacuum funnel and then , broken into finer pieces , in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven . the crude product weighed 36 . 1 g ( theory , 40 . 2 g ) and melted at 228 °- 243 ° c . fifteen g of the product was dissolved in 2275 ml of thf at reflux ; the solution was slightly cloudy . solid slowly crystallized on the walls of the flask upon cooling to rt and a first crop was obtained by vacuum filtration after leaving the flask overnight . the solid was dried 1 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven . a second crop was obtained by concentrating the mother liquor to about 200 ml and allowing the solution to cool . first crop : 10 . 6 g , mp = 245 °- 7 ° c . ( lit . 242 ° c . ; m . j . s . dewar et al ., j . org . chem ., 35 , 2711 ( 1970 )) combined yield ( adjusted for use of only 15 . 0 g of the 36 . 1 g crude product ), 71 . 8 %. elemental analysis ( first crop ): c , 59 . 2 %, h , 4 . 0 %; n , 6 . 2 %, o , 30 . 2 %. theory for c 20 h 22 n 2 o 8 : c , 58 . 8 %; h , 3 . 0 %; n , 6 . 9 %; o , 31 . 4 %. 1 h nmr ( cd 2 cl 2 , δppm ): δ7 . 6 ( d , 4 . 0 h , c 6 h 4 no 2 , h meta to no 2 ), δ8 . 4 ( d and s , 7 . 7 h , terephthaloyl and c 6 h 4 no 2 , h ortho to no 2 ). the procedure of example 12b was repeated except that coupling was begun 2 . 5 h after the mma feed with 1 . 60 g of solid dnpt ( 7 . 9 mmol ). additional biacetate catalyst ( 100 μl ) caused the temperature to rise 0 . 2 ° c . and a yellow color to appear temporarily . much of the solid did not dissolve even overnight . the solid was filtered off and the polymer hydrolyzed to diol and isolated as usual . no aliquot was removed before hydrolysis . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and coupling )= 6400 ; mn = 3100 , mw = 3900 , mw / mn = 1 . 26 ; the procedure of example 12b was repeated except that polymerization used 35 μl of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf , and coupling was begun 4 . 5 h after the mma feed , with 1 . 25 g diphenyl isophthalate ( polysciences , 3 . 9 mmol ) in 12 ml of very dry thf . after a temperature rise of 0 . 1 ° c ., 200 μl of biacetate solution was added and the temperature rose an additional 0 . 4 ° c . and the solution yellowed slightly . recovered pmma ( dried 32 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven ) weighed 25 . 0 g , a 98 . 1 % conversion of mma . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and coupling )= 6400 ; mn = 3600 , mw = 4300 , mw / mn = 1 . 20 ; the procedure of example 12b was repeated except that 35 μl of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf was used for polymerization , mma feed took 45 min and coupling was started 4 . 75 h after the mma feed with 1 . 1 ml triethylamine ( fisher , 99 %, 7 . 8 mmol ) and 0 . 82 g terephthaloyl chloride ( aldrich , 97 %, 3 . 9 mmol ) in 16 ml of very dry thf . the solution turned yellow . there was a 0 . 1 ° c . rise , but 0 . 2 ml of biacetate solution caused no further change , and 2 ml of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac ( fluka )/ thf , added 1 h later , similarly caused no change . recovered pmma ( dried 32 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven ) weighed 22 . 2 g , an 86 . 4 % conversion of mma . the above experiment was essentially repeated except that 4 - dimethylaminopyridine in dry thf was used to absorb acidic by - products of a potential coupling reaction . analysis of the recovered polymer again showed that no coupling had occurred . the mixed sulfonic - carboxylic dianhydride , terephthaloyl bis ( p - toluenesulfonate ), was prepared according to c . g . overberger and e . sarlo , j . am . chem . soc ., 85 , 2446 ( 1963 ). a pure sample , mp 173 °- 6 ° c . ( lit . 174 °- 6 ° c .) was obtained . the procedure of example 12b was repeated in a 500 - ml r . b . flask , except that coupling was begun 3 . 5 h after the mma feed with 1 . 86 g of the mixed anhydride described above ( 3 . 9 mmol ) in 190 ml of very dry thf . the temperature rose 1 . 1 ° c . when 0 . 2 ml of biacetate solution was added , there was no further exotherm and so another 0 . 8 ml was added over the next 10 min , without an effect on temperature . these analyses show that no coupling occurred , and that me 3 sio groups were quantitatively converted to oh . sequential terephthaloyl fluoride capping and ethylene glycol finishing of polymeric ska the procedure of example 12b was repeated except for the use of 35 μl of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf at the start of the mma feed , and another 15 μl 10 min into the mma feed , after 7 ml of mma had been fed in . the mma feed took 1 h . five hours after the mma feed was completed , the solution was treated with 1 . 7 g terephthaloyl fluoride ( tf 2 ) ( 10 . 0 mmol ) in 10 ml of very dry thf . the temperature rose 0 . 1 ° c ., and 0 . 2 ml of biacetate solution was added , causing the temperature to rise 1 . 5 ° c . and the solution to yellow slightly . the reaction mixture was left unstirred for 17 h at rt . for other purposes , 50 ml of solution was removed by syringe . the remaining solution was treated at rt with 1 . 8 ml ethylene glycol ( eg ) ( 32 . 3 mmol ) and 1 . 2 ml triethylamine ( 8 . 6 mmol ), causing a 2 . 4 ° c . temperature rise . the solution was stirred 7 h then left unstirred at rt overnight . the solution was then treated , while being stirred , with 4 . 0 ml of 10 % ( w / w ) hcl / meoh ( 11 mmol of hcl ), sufficient to render the mixture acidic . solids were removed by filtration and the solution was concentrated as usual and poured into well - stirred hexane to cause polymer to precipitate . the polymer , dried 48 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven , weighed 12 . 3 g . polymer from the 50 ml sample removed earlier weighed 11 . 6 g . recovered pmma was thus 23 . 9 g . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and tf 2 and eg capping ; no coupling )= wt mma / moles tteb + fragments of tteb , tf 2 , and eg = 2950 + 132 + 132 + 61 = 3300 . mn = 3400 , mw = 4200 , mw / mn = 1 . 24 ; hplc analysis : pmma 1 . 4 %; pmma - oh 6 . 3 % and ho - pmma - oh 92 . 2 %; the latter showed a double peak representing diol by coupling and finishing . nmr analysis ( cdcl 3 , δppm ): theor . mma / tf 2 end - group = d . p . before capping = 29 . 4 ; actual mma / tf 2 ( meo at δ3 . 55 vs . c 6 h 4 at δ7 . 7 and 8 . 05 )= 24 . 0 the δ7 . 7 multiplet represents tf 2 - coupling ( cf . example 9b ), and perhaps half of the protons of the tf 2 - capping moieties . the δ8 . 0 multiplet represents tf 2 capping . these analyses show that much of the polymer is capped , some is coupled , and most chains have 2 oh termini . sequential tf 2 capping and 1 , 4 - butanediol ( bdo ) finishing of polymeric ska the procedure of example 12b was repeated except for the use of 35 μl of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf and a 70 - min mma feed . the polymer solution was treated with 1 . 34 g of tf 2 ( 7 . 9 mmol ) in 10 ml of very dry thf , 4 . 5 h after the mma feed . after 0 . 2 ml of biacetate was added , the temperature rose 2 . 0 ° c . and the solution yellowed slightly . the flask was stirred 1 h and left unstirred 17 h . the stirred solution was then treated with 2 . 8 ml bdo ( aldrich , 31 . 6 mmol ) and 1 . 2 ml triethylamine ( fisher , 8 . 6 mmol ) and stirred 1 h at rt . a 1 - ml aliquot was removed by syringe , injected into 0 . 5 ml of 10 % ( w / w ) hcl / meoh , evaporated to dryness , and redissolved in ch 2 cl 2 . polymer was isolated by filtration after precipitation in excess hexane -- sample a . the remaining solution was treated with 1 . 1 ml ( 9 . 5 mmol ) of aldrich 5 - amino - 1 - pentanol , then hydrolyzed with 10 ml of 10 % ( w / w ) hcl / meoh and stirred 1 h at rt . it was concentrated to dryness in a rotary evaporator , the residue dissolved in 75 ml ch 2 cl 2 , extracted with three 50 - ml portions of deionized water and then with 50 ml saturated aqueous nacl . the ch 2 cl 2 phase , about 75 ml in volume , was poured slowly into about 1 . 5 l of well - stirred hexane to precipitate polymer . the solid was vacuum filtered , washed 3 times with hexane and dried at rt and then in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven for 56 h -- sample b . the combined pmma samples weighed 24 . 7 g , representing a 91 . 8 % conversion of mma . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and tf 2 and bdo capping ; no coupling )= wt mma / moles tteb = fragments of tteb , tf 2 , and bdo = 2950 + 132 + 132 + 89 = 3300 . a -- mn = 3600 , mw = 4600 , mw / mn = 1 . 27 ; b -- mn = 3000 , mw = 3700 , mw / mn = 1 . 24 ; hplc analysis : a -- pmma or impurity 3 . 0 %, pmma - oh 4 . 1 % and ho - pmma - oh 92 . 9 %: b -- pmma or impurity 2 . 5 %, pmma - oh 5 . 2 % and ho - pmma - oh 92 . 3 %. two diol peaks representing capped and coupled products were obtained . nmr analysis ( cdcl 3 , δppm ): theor . mma / tf 2 end - group = 29 . 4 ; b -- actual mma / tf 2 ( δ3 . 55 vs . δ7 . 7 and 8 . 05 )= 29 . 8 ; the δ7 . 7 multiplet represents tf 2 coupling and perhaps half of the protons of the tf 2 - capping moieties . the δ8 . 05 multiplet represents tf 2 - capping . the analyses show that much of the polymer is capped , some is coupled , and most chains have hydroxyl groups at each end . a separate experiment was run to prove that the above telechelic ( dihydroxy ) polymer can be chain - extended by coupling of the terminal hydroxyl groups . a tared , dry 50 - ml r . b . flask was stoppered with a serum - cap and cooled under argon . about 0 . 60 ml of molten bis ( p - isocyanatophenyl ) methane ( mdi , upjohn , isonate 125m ), stored in a 50 °- 60 ° c . oven for 1 week , was injected into the flask with a syringe pre - warmed in the same oven . the weight of mdi , 0 . 622 g , was obtained by re - weighing the r . b . flask . α , ω - dihydroxy - pmma , sample b prepared above , after drying for 3 days in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven , was weighed out quickly while hot . the stopper was briefly removed from the flask while 8 . 57 g of pmma ( ca . 1 : 1 mole ratio ) and a magnetic stirring bar were introduced . stoppered again , and under argon , the flask was charged with 10 ml of very dry thf . the flask was stirred for 15 min to dissolve all ingredients and then 4 drops of dibutyltin dilaurate ( t - 12 catalyst , m and t chemical co . ), were added by disposable pasteur pipette . no viscosity increase was seen after 5 min , but stirring was difficult after 15 min . after 1 h 20 min , a sample ( c ) was removed from the flask with a spatula . the reaction flask was connected to a dried short - path still head and receiving flask , the assembly kept under argon . the reaction flask was heated to reflux to drive off the thf and then held in an oil bath at 115 ° c . for 0 . 5 h and at 107 ° c . for 3 h . it was then left at rt for 12 h . the solid residue was dissolved in the reaction flask in 25 ml thf . the solubility of the solid suggested that cross - linking reactions had largely been avoided . the solution was diluted further with 45 ml thf and dripped into 500 ml of well - stirred hexane , to precipitate polymer . the fibrous product was vacuum filtered and rinsed 3 times with hexane . after drying 40 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven , this sample ( d ) weighed 8 . 8 g . samples c and d had a combined weight of 9 . 5 g . gpc analysis : α , ω - dihydroxy - pmma ( sample b ): mn = 3000 , mw = 3700 , mw / mn = 1 . 24 ; c -- mn = 24 , 400 , mw = 72 , 700 , mw / mn = 2 . 98 ; d -- mn = 20 , 700 , mw = 64 , 800 , mw / mn = 3 . 13 ; both c and d have low molecular weight peaks in the range of dihydroxy - pmma representing about 5 % of the peak area of the product . the results show that the dihydroxy - pmma substrate contained a sufficient number of difunctional hydroxyl - terminated chains to be extended to high molecular weight polymer by reaction with mdi . a 1000 - ml round - bottom flask , equipped with a mechanical stirrer , pressure - equalizing dropping funnel , nitrogen inlet tube , and thermowell , was purged with and then held under a slightly positive pressure of nitrogen . the flask was charged with 300 ml of pyridine ( dried over molecular sieves ), and 23 . 2 ml of sebacyl chloride ( 0 . 10 moles , d = 1 . 121 g / ml , mw = 239 . 1 , aldrich , 92 %) were syringed into the stirred solvent . a yellow solid precipitated . the dissolution of 32 . 92 g of 2 , 4 - dichloro - phenol ( 0 . 2 moles , mw = 163 . 0 , aldrich , 99 %) in 100 ml of dry pyridine was accompanied by a small exotherm . the solution was dripped slowly into the flask from the dropping funnel , without heat evolution . the flask was stirred for 6 h thereafter and left unstirred another 72 h . the mixture was slightly acidified with 10 % aq hcl . a fine solid precipitated which was isolated by vacuum filtration , rinsed twice with water on the funnel , and dried in part on the funnel . the slightly wet , waxy crude product weighed 66 . 2 g ( theory , 49 . 2 g ). the produce was tested with a variety of recrystallization solvents , then 31 . 7 g thereof was dissolved in 50 ml of thf and solid impurities removed by gravity filtration of the hot solution . mixing with 500 ml of water gave 28 g of precipitate which was redissolved in about 80 ml of thf , the solution filtered through celite ® to remove additional solid impurities . the clear thf solution was concentrated to about 50 ml and , still hot , brought to the point of just becoming cloudy by adding about 25 ml of methanol . the product which crystallized overnight was isolated by vacuum filtration , rinsed twice with 2 : 1 methanol / thf , and dried 1 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven . this first crop weighed 9 . 35 g . the filtrate was concentrated to 20 ml and 10 ml methanol were added . the second crop obtained from overnight crystallization was isolated as above and weighed 1 . 57 g . the 2 crops together weighed 10 . 9 g , a 46 % yield ( theoretical yield , 23 . 6 g , based on 31 . 7 g of crude product ). the products were further purified by dissolving both crops in 50 ml of hot ethyl acetate , filtering out impurities , concentrating to about 15 ml , and adding 8 ml of hexane to reach the cloud point . solids began to appear in 1 h and were voluminous in 3 h . the solid was isolated by vacuum filtration , rinsed with 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexane , and dried on the filter and then for 1 h in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven with slight nitrogen bleed . it weighed 4 . 3 g ( 18 . 3 % yield ), its elemental analysis and proton nmr spectrum consistent with theory . calcd . for c 22 h 22 o 4 cl 4 : c , 53 . 7 ; h , 4 . 5 ; o , 13 . 0 ; cl , 28 . 8 . found : c , 54 . 2 ; h , 4 . 7 ; o , 13 . 1 ; cl , 27 . 7 . proton nmr ( cdcl 3 , δppm ): δ1 . 4 ( m , 8 . 6 h ), 1 . 8 ( pentet , 4 . 0 h ), 2 . 6 ( t , 4 . 0 h ), 7 . 0 ( d , 2 . 0 h ), 7 . 2 ( dd , 2 . 2 h ), 7 . 4 ( d , 1 . 8 h ). melting points : first crop -- 95 °- 98 . 5 ° c ., re - recrystallized , 97 °- 98 . 5 ° c . the procedure of example 9b was repeated twice , with changes noted below : ______________________________________ sample a sample b______________________________________tteb initiator , ml ( mmol ) 2 . 5 ( 7 . 9 ) 2 . 5 ( 7 . 9 ) 0 . 04 m bu . sub . 4 noac . hoac . 6 30 60h . sub . 2 o / thf , μlmma feed time , min 65 65coupling begun after ( h ) 2 . 5 3 . 5re - recrystd . dcpseb / thf , 1 . 94 1 . 94g ( mmol )/ ml ( 3 . 9 )/ 50 ( 3 . 9 )/ 20temperature rise , ° c . 0 00 . 04 m bu . sub . 4 noac . hoac . 6 0 . 2 0 . 5h . sub . 2 o / thf , mladditional temperature 0 . 4 1 . 1rise , ° c . ______________________________________ the solutions were left for 18 h and then the polymer was hydrolyzed to hydroxyl end - groups by stirring each with 5 ml of 10 % hcl / methanol for 1 h at room temperature . no aliquot was removed prior to hydrolysis . the polymer was precipitated and isolated as above and dried to constant weight in a 65 ° c . vacuum oven , yielding 24 . 6 g of sample a . only a portion of sample b was so isolated for gpc and hplc analysis . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and coupling )= 6400 ; sample a -- mn = 3200 , mw = 4500 , mw / mn = 1 . 38 ; sample b -- mn = 3600 , mw = 4500 , mw / mn = 1 . 26 ; hplc analysis : sample a -- pmma 1 . 2 %, unknowns 31 . 7 %, pmma - oh 25 . 9 : and ho - pmma - oh 41 . 2 %: sample b -- pmma 1 . 8 %, unknown 21 . 0 %, pmma - oh 17 . 4 % and ho - pmma - oh 59 . 7 %. the nitrogen - purged apparatus described in example 17a for the preparation of dcpseb was charged with 300 ml of molecular sieves - dried pyridine and 20 . 3 g of terephthaloyl chloride ( 0 . 10 moles , mw = 203 . 0 , aldrich , 97 %), which gave a cloudy , yellow mixture . a solution of 32 . 6 g of 2 , 4 - dichlorophenol ( 0 . 20 moles ) in 100 ml of dry pyridine was dripped into the stirred mixture over 15 min , causing a 1 . 3 ° c . exotherm . the mixture thickened and turned white . it was stirred 6 h more and left unstirred overnight . the mixture was slightly acidified with 10 % aq hcl , the crude product isolated from it by vacuum filtration , then rinsed twice with ethanol on the funnel and dried on the funnel to 62 g of slightly wet solid . the product gave a hazy solution in 1200 ml of hot thf , which was filtered hot . after 2 h , a first crop of recystallized solid was isolated by vacuum filtration and rinsed with a minimum of thf . more solids appeared in the filtrate after concentration to 200 ml . a second crop was taken as above after crystallization . the 2 crops were dried on their respective filtration funnels and then overnight at room temperature in a vacuum oven with a slight nitrogen bleed . the combined weight , 27 . 1 g , was 60 % of the theoretical 45 . 6 g . elemental analysis is consistent with theory . calcd . for c 20 h 10 o 4 cl 4 : c , 52 . 7 ; h , 2 . 2 ; cl , 31 . 1 . found : c , 52 . 8 ; h . 2 . 2 ; cl , 31 . 5 . yields and melting points : first crop -- 21 . 5 g , 220 °- 221 . 5 ° c . second crop -- 5 . 6 g , 219 °- 222 . 5 ° c . the procedure of example 9b was repeated with the following changes . mma was polymerized with 2 . 5 ml tteb initiator ( 7 . 9 mmol ) and 30 microliters of 0 . 04m bu 4 noac . hoac . 6h 2 o / thf catalyst , and mma feed took 80 min . coupling was begun 3 h thereafter with 1 . 80 g ( 3 . 9 mmol ) of the first crop of recrystallized dcpt in 250 ml of very dry thf and 0 . 2 ml of 0 . 04m biacetate catalyst , the temperature rising 1 ° c . because of the warmth of the dcpt solution . after 18 h , the polymer was hydrolyzed to hydroxyl end - groups by stirring 1 h at room temperature with 5 ml of 10 % hcl / methanol . no aliquot was removed prior to hydrolysis . the recovered , 65 ° c . vacuum oven - dried pmma weighed 28 . 5 g . gpc analysis : theor . mn ( 100 % conversion and coupling )= 6400 ; mn = 4800 , mw = 5700 , mw / mn = 1 . 18 ; hplc analysis : pmma 4 . 6 %, unknown 22 . 5 %, pmma - oh 10 . 1 % and ho - pmma - oh 62 . 9 %.
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in accordance with the present invention , the liquid heat - sterilised food may be , for instance , a dairy product such as white coffee , or cocoa or tea . the heat - sterilisation may be carried out in an air - tight vessel , e . g . when the liquid food is canned or bottled . the ingredients of white coffee may be instant coffee powder , coffee extract , coffee concentrate or roast and ground coffee together with water , sucrose and milk , as well as with small amounts of optional ingredients such as dipotassium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate . preferably , the milk ingredient is a mixture of high - fat cream and skim milk powder . the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid is produced by the action of a phospholipase on the phospholipid to give a lysophospholipid . phospholipids , which may advantageously be used in a powdered or paste form , form a class of chemical compounds comprising phosphatidylcholine ( lecithin ) and phosphatidylethanolamine as the main elements . phospholipase a is an enzyme which may be manufactured from porcine pancreatic glands and which hydrolyses phospholipids by specific cleavage of the bond binding a fatty acid ester to the glycerol part of the phospholipid molecule thereby replacing the fatty acid ester by a hydroxyl group . the hydrolysis results in an increase of free fatty acids and a conversion of the phosphatidylcholine ( lecithin ) and phosphatidylethanolamine into several substrates such as lysophosphatidylcholine , lysophosphatidylethanolamine , phosphatidylcholine glycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine glycerol . phospholipase a - 2 ( sold commercially under the trade name lecitase ) is the preferred enzyme and cleaves the bond binding a fatty acid ester to the glycerol part of the phospholipid molecule , mainly at position 2 . the degree of conversion is the proportion of phosphatidylcholine present before hydrolysis that is converted into lyso - phosphatidylcholine , expressed in mol %. in the present invention , the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid preferably has a degree of conversion of at least 90 % and more preferably , of at least 95 %. the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid is conveniently an enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin which is produced by the action of phospholipase a - 2 on the lecithin to give a lysolecithin . commercial lecithin is predominantly soybean lecithin obtained as a by - product in the manufacture of soybean oil . lecithin can also be isolated from eggs and can be obtained synthetically . it can be used in a powdered or paste form . one method for the enzymatic hydrolysis of phospholipids is claimed in japanese laid - open patent application no . jp - a - 63 44893 in which the phospholipid is hydrolysed with phospholipase a after adding 0 . 1 to 1 part by weight of water to 1 part by weight of phospholipid . the degree of conversion of phospholipid to lysophospholipid in the practical embodiments varies from 80 to 90 %. it is stated that larger amounts of water and / or agitated conditions give lower degrees of conversion . we have found that by using more than 1 part by weight of water to 1 part by weight of phospholipid in the enzymatic hydrolysis of a phospholipid using agitated conditions , we can obtain a degree of conversion greater than 90 % or even 95 %. in carrying out the hydrolysis process of the present invention , the amount of water present in the aqueous medium is preferably from 1 . 5 to 7 . 5 parts , more preferably from 2 to 6 parts , even more preferably from 3 to 5 parts , and most preferably from 3 . 5 to 4 . 5 parts by weight per part by weight of phospholipid . the water of the aqueous medium may be ordinary tap water , distilled water , or ion - exchanged water . the amount of the phospholipid may be from 5 to 40 %, preferably from 10 to 30 % and especially from 15 to 25 % by weight based on the weight of the reaction mixture . the phospholipid may be added in one , two or more stages . the phospholipase may be used in an amount of from 0 . 05 to 0 . 5 %, preferably from 0 . 1 to 0 . 4 % and especially from 0 . 15 to 0 . 3 % by weight based on the weight of the aqueous medium . the enzymatic reaction is preferably carried with slow or gentle agitation . the presence of a water - soluble calcium salt , e . g . 0 . 01 to 0 . 25 % and preferably from 0 . 025 to 0 . 15 % by weight based on the weight of the aqueous medium , is desirable during the reaction . calcium is a co - factor to the phospholipase enzyme . calcium chloride is the preferred salt and is most preferably used in the dihydrate form . the hydrolysis is carried out conveniently in the aqueous medium at a temperature of from 25 ° c . to 70 ° c ., preferably from 30 ° c . to 60 ° c ., more preferably from 40 ° c . to 55 ° c ., and at a ph of from 5 to 9 and preferably of from 6 to 8 . the duration of the hydrolysis reaction may conveniently be from 30 minutes to 5 hours , preferably from 1 to 4 hours , and more preferably from 1 . 5 to 3 hours . although longer times may be used , e . g . up to 50 hours , there is no special advantage obtained in using such longer periods . after the reaction , the mixture is advantageously pasteurised and then dried . after pasteurisation and before drying , antioxidants such as vitamin c , vitamin e , tea extracts , and / or bha / bht may be added to protect the flavour , and a carrier such as maltodextrin , non - fat dried milk , starch , or gum arabic , may be added to the mixture . the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid may be used in a powder or paste form . as stated above , sterilisation has been carried out usually at a temperature of about 121 ° c ., e . g . 1150 ° to 125 ° c ., over a period of from about 20 - 30 minutes , or under uht conditions , e . g . 140 ° to 150 ° c . for from 5 to 20 seconds , and such conditions may be used in the present invention . however , we have found that , by sterilising at 121 ° c . in the presence of an enzymatically - modified phospholipid in accordance with the present invention , the spoilage of liquid heat - sterilised food preparations is significantly less than by sterilising in the presence of ordinary phosphatides even if the period of the sterilisation is much less than 30 minutes . for instance , we have found that periods as low as 5 minutes , preferably from 6 to 15 minutes and more preferably from 7 to 10 minutes , can achieve reduced spoilage . the amount of enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid present in the liquid heat - sterilised food may be from 0 . 005 to 2 %, preferably from 0 . 01 to 1 . 25 %, more preferably from 0 . 025 to 1 . 0 % and especially from 0 . 04 to 0 . 75 % by weight based on the weight of the mixture . in the preparation of canned or bottled white coffee , the coffee ingredients and the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid are mixed in the appropriate proportions , homogenised , canned or bottled , and then sterilised or retorted , followed by cooling to ambient or refrigeration temperatures . the amount of the enzymatically - hydrolysed phospholipid may be from 0 . 1 to 15 %, preferably from 0 . 25 to 10 %, more preferably from 0 . 5 to 7 . 5 % and especially from 1 . 0 to 5 . 0 % by weight based on the weight of the coffee solids . the canned or bottled white coffee is transported and normally stored at ambient or refrigeration temperatures . if used in a vending machine , the storage temperature during the winter months may be from about 55 °- 60 ° c ., and we have found that by sterilising the ingredients in the presence of an enzymatically hydrolysed phospholipid in accordance with the present invention , there is significantly less spoilage of the coffee drink than when sterilising the ingredients alone or in the presence of conventional emulsifiers such as a phospholipid which has not been enzymatically hydrolysed . the coffee drink may be stored for several weeks without spoilage . the following examples further illustrate the present invention . parts and percentages are given by weight . the powdered enzymatically hydrolysed lecithin used in the examples according to the invention was prepared as follows : 100 parts of tap water is slowly stirred in a jacketed kettle at 30 ° c . and at ph 8 . 0 . 1 part of calcium chloride dihydrate and 0 . 22 part of phospholipase a - 2 are added and the ph adjusted to 7 , if necessary , by using 10n potassium hydroxide while the temperature is slowly increased to 50 ° c . 10 parts of powdered deoiled soy lecithin ( half the total ) are slowly added to the mixture , whereupon an immediate drop in the ph is observed which indicates that an enzymatic reaction is taking place . the ph is readjusted to 7 by using 10n potassium hydroxide , and the reaction is allowed to proceed for 30 minutes , after which time a further 10 parts ( the second half ) of the lecithin is added and the reaction is allowed to proceed for a further 90 minutes with the necessary ph adjustment to 8 as before . after the reaction , the product is pasteurised by heating to 95 ° c . for 5 minutes to deactivate the enzyme and then cooled to 75 ° c . 10 parts of maltodextrin is added , and the product is mixed into a homogeneous slurry while being cooled to ambient temperature . the slurried product is finally spray - dried at a rate of about 0 . 3 kg per minute where the inlet temperature is 160 ° c . and the outlet temperature is 95 ° c . a white coffee mix is prepared by mixing the following ingredients in the amounts indicated : ______________________________________water 85 . 815cream , 40 % fat 2 . 260skim milk powder 2 . 160sucrose 5 . 500coffee powder , nescafe classic 1 . 100dipotassium phosphate 0 . 080sodium bicarbonate 0 . 060enzyme modified lecithin powder 0 . 025 ( 50 % maltodextrin ) sucrose ester p - 1670 -- water to standarize 3 . 000total 100 . 000 % ______________________________________ after mixing the ingredients , the mix is heated to 76 ° c ., canned , retorted at 121 ° c . for 8 minutes and cooled to ambient temperature . the canned white coffee is incubated at 60 ° c . for 14 days , after which time the spoilage was less than 1 % ( 0 / 100 cans ), and ph drop was zero . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed except that , after canning , the mix was held at 76 ° c . for three hours before retorting . the canned white coffee is incubated at 60 ° c . for 14 days , after which time the spoilage was less than 1 % ( 0 / 100 cans ), and ph drop was zero . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed but using 0 . 25 %, instead of 0 . 025 %, of ! powdered enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin based on the total weight of the coffee mix . the canned white coffee is incubated at 60 ° c . for 14 days , after which time the spoilage was less than 1 % ( 0 / 100 cans ), and ph drop was zero . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed , but excluding the powdered enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin . after incubation of the canned white coffee at 60 ° c . for 14 days , the spoilage was 99 % and the ph drop was 90 / 91 . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed , but adding 0 . 25 % of powdered lecithin instead of the powdered enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin there used . after incubation of the canned white coffee at 60 ° c . for 14 days , the spoilage was 7 . 5 % and the ph drop was 6 / 79 . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed , but adding 0 . 2 % of powdered lecithin instead of the powdered enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin there used . after incubation of the canned white coffee at 60 ° c . for 14 days , the spoilage was 48 % and the ph drop was 42 / 87 . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed , but adding a mixture of 0 . 09 % durem 207 ( mono and diglycerides ) supplied by van den berg food and 0 . 01 % tween 80 ( polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate ) instead of the powdered enzymatically - hydrolyzed lecithin there used . after incubation of the canned white coffee at 60 ° c . for 14 days , the spoilage was 27 % and the ph drop was 24 / 90 . a similar procedure to that carried out in example 1 was followed , but adding a mixture of 0 . 09 % durem 207 and 0 . 01 % panodan pvk ( diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides ) supplied by grindsted ingredients , instead of the powdered enzymatically - hydrolysed lecithin there used . after incubation of the canned white coffee at 60 ° c . for 14 days , the spoilage was 20 % and the ph drop was 18 / 90 .
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an automobile steering lock in the present invention , as shown in fig1 comprises an inner half housing 1 , an outer half housing 2 , a stop member 3 , an elongate rod 4 , a head bolt 5 , a motor 6 , an electronic alarm set 7 and a cap 8 as main components combined together . the inner half housing 1 has a block portion 16 , a length - wise passageway 10 in an upper section of the block portion 16 , a stop edge 100 of a small size , a chamber 11 formed in a rear end of the passageway 10 , a motor hole 12 in parallel to the passageway 10 in the lower section of the block portion 16 , a cover annular edge formed in an outer end of the motor hole 12 for a cover 63 to fit therein , a vertical deadbolt hole 13 provided in the lower section and communicating with the passageway 10 and the motor hole 12 , an outer annular edge 130 in the deadbolt hole 13 for a cover 55 to fit therein , two vertical bolt holes 14 , 14 are provided in the bottom of a rear end of the block portion 16 for a pair of bolts , to fit upwardly therethrough , and a curved semiround portion 15 formed to abut at a right angle on the block portion 16 and able to fit around an outer surface of a portion of the steering wheel of an automobile . the outer half housing 2 has a curved semiround portion 20 , a vertical wall 21 extending up from a center section of the semi - round portion 20 , a locking rod 22 extending horizontally inward from an upper end of the vertical wall 21 and having a plurality of straight transverse grooves 23 in a bottom surface , an annular groove 24 in the end of the locking rod 22 , and each of the grooves 23 having a sloped face 231 and a vertical face 230 adjacent each other . the curved semiround portion 15 and 20 fit around outer and inner surfaces of a portion of the steering wheel of an automobile so that the two half housings 1 and 2 may surround the portion of the steering wheel in locking engagement therewith . the stop member 3 is shaped as a rectangular ring , having an aperture 31 in one side and a large center hole for engaging annular groove 24 . the elongate rod 4 has two bolt holes 42 , 42 in the front end for the bolts 14 , 14 to fit upwardly therethrough so as to fit through the bolt holes 14 , 14 in the inner half housing 1 to combine the rod 4 with the half semiround housing 1 , a recess 40 in a front end face for disposing a spring 41 therein , a cord hole 43 in the front bottom , a chamber 44 with an upper opening in a rear portion , and a cord hole 440 in a front wall of the chamber 44 . the deadbolt 5 is to be disposed in the vertical deadbolt hole 13 of the block portion 16 of the inner half housing 1 , and has a sloped face 50 and a vertical face 51 at its upper end formed to selectively engage any of grooves 23 , a flat recess 52 cut in an intermediate portion , a spring recess 53 in a bottom to receive a spring 54 therein , and a cover 55 fitting and welded in the opening edge 130 of the deadbolt hole 13 to stop and bias the spring 54 . the motor 6 is disposed in the motor hole 12 of the inner half housing 1 , and has a shaft 60 extending to the front , a semi - round activating block 61 fixed at the front of the shaft 60 , a power cord 62 coming out of the end of the motor 6 , and a cover 63 fitting and welded in the opening edge 120 of the motor hole 12 of the inner half housing 1 . the electronic alarm set 7 is disposed in the chamber 44 of the elongate rod 4 , and has a power cord 70 connected with the power cord 62 of the motor 6 for giving out high decibel sounds in case the steering wheel is rotated or the body of the automobile is touched by a would - be thief after this lock is installed . the alarm set 7 is controlled by a remote controller . the cap 8 is provided to close the upper opening of the chamber 44 to protect the electronic alarm set 7 after the set 7 is disposed therein . in assembling , referring to fig1 and 2 , firstly , the locking rod portion 22 of the outer half housing 2 is fitted the passageway 10 of the inner half housing 1 , with the stop member 3 engaged in the annular groove 24 of the locking rod 22 to secure it in position and preventing it from completely separating from the block portion 16 . then the deadbolt 5 is inserted in the deadbolt hole 13 of the inner half housing 1 , with the vertical face 51 engaging the vertical face 230 of one of the grooves 23 of the locking rod 22 , the spring 53 is disposed in the recess 52 , and with the cover 55 is fitted in the opening edge 130 of the deadbolt hole 13 and welded thereon . next , the electronic alarm set 7 is disposed in the chamber 44 of the elongate rod 4 , with its power cord 70 extending out of the hole 440 of the chamber 44 and out of the cord hole 43 in the front bottom of the elongate rod 4 and connected with the power cord 60 of the motor 6 . after that , the cover 8 is used to close up the chamber 44 , the spring 41 is disposed in the recess 40 , and the front end of the elongate rod 4 is inserted in the chamber 11 of the inner half housing 1 . the two bolts 14 , 14 are threadedly engaged through the bolt holes 42 , 42 and 14 , 14 , thus finishing the assemblage . if this lock is to be applied on the steering wheel of an automobile , referring to fig3 and 5 , firstly , the semiround portion 15 of the inner half housing 1 is fitted around the outer surface of an upper portion of the steering wheel , letting the elongate rod 4 extend to the corner between the gauge panel and the wind shield of the automobile , with the spring 54 pushing the deadbolt 5 upward to always engage one of the grooves 23 of the locking rod 22 of the outer half housing 2 in case of the deadbolt 5 being disposed in a locked condition . when the vertical face 51 of the deadbolt 5 engages a vertical face 230 of one of the grooves 23 , the outer half housing 2 cannot be pulled outward but can be pulled inward because the sloped face 50 of the deadbolt 5 permits it to slide along the sloped face 231 of grooves owing to resilience of the spring 54 , thus permitting the semiround portion 20 of the outer half housing 2 to closely surround the steering wheel , and the end of the locking rod 22 pressing the spring 41 , with the elongate rod 4 having its end sticking to the corner of the gauge panel and the windshield , thus preventing the steering wheel from being rotated . in addition , a remote controller is operated to turn on the electronic alarm set 7 , which is ready to give out a high decibel alarm if the lock being moved by rotating the steering wheel or by contacting the body of the automobile . if this steering lock is to be disengaged from the steering wheel , referring to fig3 and 4 , the remote controller is operated to cut off the electronic alarm set 7 , and the motor 6 is started through the power cord 70 , rotating the shaft 60 and the semiround block 61 for 180 ° degrees to push down the deadbolt 5 so that the vertical face 51 may separate from the vertical face 230 of the groove 23 , letting the spring 41 resiliently push the locking rod 22 outward for such a distance as to enable the outer half housing 2 to be released from the steering wheel . then the stop member 3 will prevent the locking rod 2 from being completely pulled out of the block portion 16 of the inner half portion . as can be understood from the above description , this automobile steering lock has the following advantages . 1 . locking and unlocking this lock is operated by means of the remote controller , this is very convenient and handy . 2 . the deadbolt moves steadily in engagement and disengagement from any one of the grooves of the locking rod , thus assuring that the locking or unlocking action is stable and accurate . 3 . the remote controller makes the locking or unlocking action accurate and convenient , thus preventing the automobile from being stolen , and also providing an alarm .
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the invention will be described in terms of a glass fiber forming operation , although it is to be understood that the invention can be practiced using other heat softenable mineral material , such as rock , slag , and basalt . as shown in fig1 glass spinner 10 rotates on axis of rotation 12 and is driven by shaft 14 . the spinner is supplied by molten stream of glass 16 which is centrifuged through the walls of the spinner of form glass fibers18 . the glass fibers are maintained in a soft , attenuable state immediatelyoutside the spinner by the heat from annular burner 20 . the radially - traveling glass fibers are turned down by blower 21 into a cylindrically shaped veil 22 of fibers , traveling downwardly , i . e ., in thedirection of the axis of the spinner . the process for creating the downwardly moving cylindrical veil of glass fibers is well known in the art . it is to be understood that the mineral fibers can be established by other means , such as through a spintex or wheel throwing process , or such as an air blown process . in any event , polymeric fibers are directed toward the stream of mineral fibers to cause an intermingling . positioned beneath the glass spinner is a rotatable device for distributingpolymeric fibers into contact with the veil from a position within the veil . the embodiment shown in fig1 includes the use of a second spinner , polymer spinner 24 , for distributing polymeric material into contact with the veil . the polymer spinner can be mounted for rotation in any form . as shown , it can be mounted with supports 26 into direct contact with the glass spinner for rotation . the polymer spinner is supplied with stream 28 of molten polymer material . as shown , this stream can be fed through the hollow portion of the glass spinner shaft . the molten polymer can be produced or supplied by using extruder equipment commonly known to those in the art of polymeric materials , such as pet . depending on the viscosities , surface tension and other parameters of the polymeric material , and on the rotation rate and orifice sizes of the polymer spinner , polymer fibers 30 may be produced from the polymer spinner . the polymer fibers travel radially outwardly where they meet and intermingle with the mineral fibers . since the glass fibers and glass spinners operate at a temperature of around 1 , 700 ° f ., the polymer fibers are rapidly thrust into a region of high temperature , causing the polymer fibers to soften . it has been found that some of polymer fibers melt , forming droplets or other particles which attach themselves to some of the mineral fibers . others ofthe polymer fibers retain their fibrous shape , resulting in the presence ofpolymer fibers in the mineral fiber pack 32 . the reason that some of polymeric material retains its fibrous shape , while other portions of the material form polymeric particles which attach themselves to the mineral fibers is not known . it may be that some of the polymer fibers do not soften to the extent required to cause them to lose their fibrous shape and turn into a more spherical shape . alternatively , it may be that although all polymer fibers are softened , only a portion of them come intocontact with mineral fibers while in a softened condition . in order to make sure that the polymeric material does not experience a temperature exceeding the degradation or oxidation limit , a cooling means , such as water distributor 35 can be used to control the temperature regime which is experienced by the polymer fibers or polymeric material . the water distributor can be any suitable means for supplying finely divided moisture into the vicinity of the traveling polymer material . another example of a cooling means is an air flow device , not shown , which directsair toward the polymer particles or fibers to control temperature at the point where the polymeric material meets the mineral fibers . after the intermingled polymeric material and mineral fibers are collected to form a pack , optionally the pack can be passed through oven 34 to resetthe form of the mineral fiber pack in order to produce mineral fiber product 36 . as shown in fig2 the glass fiber product is comprised of mineral fibers 18 and polymer fibers 30 . some of the mineral fibers have particulate polymer material attached to them , and some of the mineral fibers may be completely coated with polymer material . although the invention shown in fig1 used pet polymer material , it shouldbe understood that other high molecular weight polymeric material can be used in this invention . examples include polycarbonate material , polypropylene , polystyrene , and polysulfide . it should also be understood that various amounts of polymeric material andmineral fiber material can be provided in the ultimate mineral fiber product . for example , typical building insulation has about 5 % by weight of phenol / formaldehyde , and the insulation product resulting from this invention could have a similar weight ratio of polymeric material to the weight of the mineral fiber product . insulation molding media products could have polymeric material within the range of from about 5 to about 40percent , and preferably from about 10 to about 30 % by weight of the mineralfiber product . other mineral fiber products could include amounts of polymeric material exceeding 50 % by weight of the mineral fiber product and possibly even exceeding 70 percent . the method of the invention was employed to make a pet / glass fiber product . the glass fiber spinner had 50 , 000 orifices and was operated at a throughput of approximately 1 , 100 lbs . per hour . the pet material was supplied to a polymer spinner mounted for rotation beneath the glass spinner . the polymer spinner had approximately 7 , 000 orifices , and a throughput of approximately 50 lbs . per hour . the pet material had a molecular weight in excess of 200 , 000 . the spinners were maintained at different temperatures to successfully process the glass and the polymer material , respectively . the resulting product was a uniform blend of glass and polymer fibers , withsome of the polymeric material being attached to the glass fibers , and someof the polymeric material being retained as intermingled polymer fibers . the product from this trial was found to be more flexible and more resistant to breaking under deflection than traditional glass fiber wool molding media . when molded in a typical glass fiber wool molding media apparatus , the product of the invention gave superior results , primarily in terms of resistance to breaking under deflection . this benefit was evident when molded , both as produced , and when post - treated with a resin such as a phenol / formaldehyde . prior to molding , the product also exhibited increased recovery characteristics over that of the standard phenol / formaldehyde products . also , application of ultra - violet light to the product gave a clear indication that the pet / glass fiber product had agreater uniformity of binder distribution than exhibited in typical phenol / formaldehyde products . it will be evident from the foregoing that various modifications can be made to this invention . such , however , are considered as being within the scope of the invention . this invention will be found useful in the production of mineral fiber products , such as glass fiber products , for such uses as thermal insulation and glass fiber structural products . high performance polymer fibers such as pps can be substituted for the mineral fibers to make an all - polymer product .
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fig1 shows a tag 1 removably attached to a trailer 2 . in an embodiment the tag is mounted in the lower right hand corner on the front end of a trailer 3 - 8 inches from the right and 6 - 18 inches up from the bottom of the trailer . other objects to be tracked may include vehicles such as trucks , intermodal containers , and railcars , as well as containers , packages , baggage , and the like . fig2 is a perspective view of a removable tag 1 . as shown in fig2 the top of the tag is composed of the enclosure 3 , and handles 4 , 5 . in an embodiment the enclosure is designed and constructed from materials that allow the tag to withstand vibration and mechanical shock , for example such as a drop from 6 feet onto a concrete surface , as well as be waterproof , and resistant to uv light and chemical hazards , for example such as sulfuric acid and salt water . further , in an embodiment the enclosure is designed and constructed from materials that allow the tag to deliver excellent performance and reading stability across fluctuating temperatures in operating temperatures at least in the range of about − 40 to + 65 ° c . however , for tags that are used in milder climates less costly materials that do not meet theses temperature range requirements may be used to produce tags for less . in the preferred embodiment the enclosure 3 is constructed of abs plastic , however other materials may be used such as other plastics , metals , papers , and composites . further , those skilled in the art will appreciate that other materials and combination thereof can be used to construct the enclosure . the enclosure , as well as other components of the tag , may be constructed using a material that may be made to a custom color , or may have a coating , such as a paint , applied to it to give it a custom color . the purpose of such custom color may be for military purposes , or for quick visual reference to determine information such as ownership , contents , or point of origin . further in an embodiment the enclosure may glow in the dark . in an embodiment the enclosure is designed to meet or exceed many standards including an environment sealing rating of ip68 and shock and vibration endurance per mil std 810 - f and bs en 60068 - 2 . fig3 shows the bottom side 6 of the enclosure 3 . in an embodiment the bottom side is generally rectangular in shape with rounded ends , however those skilled in the art will appreciate that the bottom side may be of any shape designed to fit in specific spaces . in an embodiment , the enclosure is flush with the surface to which the tag is attached . in the case of a flat surface , the bottom side of the housing is preferably flat , and in the case of a curved surface the bottom side is preferably curved to match the curve of the surface . the enclosure may be constructed to be rigid or it may be constructed to be slightly deformable to be flush when attached to support surfaces that are imperfect or that deflect or change shape during use . this prevents the tag from being inadvertently removed if it is not perfectly flush with such surfaces . further , the bottom side of the enclosure may have a rubberlike coating or layer that increases friction and flushness between the tag and the surface to which it is mounted . further , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the bottom side can be formed to match the shape and surface features of any surface the tag it to be attached . in addition to the bottom side of the enclosure being flush with the surface to which it is attached , it is also desirable for the tag to be generally flush with the object to which it is attached and , in general , to have a low profile . to achieve this in the preferred embodiment , the enclosure 3 has a maximum thickness of 1 inch ( 2 . 5 cm ), this thickness is defined as the distance between the bottom side 6 and the top surface 7 . this thin design prevents the tag from being inadvertently dismounted due to contact with passing objects , as well as being more aerodynamic . further , in an embodiment the enclosure does not have sharp edges and hook - like features that would be prone to snagging and pulling the tag away from the surface to which the tag is attached . in an embodiment , the bottom edges of the enclosure include curved ends 8 , 9 and straight sides 10 , 11 . further , the tag is intended for use outdoors and the tag includes design features that are optimized to slough off accumulation of water and snow . to do this , the top side of the enclosure 3 does not have cavities where water and ice could accumulate . as shown in fig4 , fig5 , and fig6 , the top side includes a beveled and curved surface and edges that allow water to run over the tag . further , the tag may be treated with coatings designed to repel snow or water . in an embodiment , the enclosure 3 has a top surface 7 to which an adhesive label may be affixed . in an embodiment , the size of the face and label allow for seven characters to be visible from a distance of five feet away . further , the housing may contain a space on the side or top surface on which a barcode label may be placed which , in an embodiment a 13 digit barcode . the label and the barcode label are preferably weather resistant . handles are provided to make it easy for a person to place and remove the tag without the use of any special tools . fig2 shows an embodiment with two handles 4 , 5 that are affixed to the enclosure 3 in a way that allows them to be operable to selectively rotate from a deployed position as seen in fig2 to a stowed position as seen in fig4 . in an embodiment , the two handles 4 , 5 are on each end of the enclosure . each handle is composed of a u - shaped member . in an embodiment the u - shaped member has an opening with a diameter that is sufficient to allow access of a gloved finger , which in practice has been found to be about one inch . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the u - shape member and opening may be of other sizes and shapes . the u - shaped member comprises two axels 12 that engage within pivot points 13 located on the enclosure 3 to allow the u - shaped member to pivot relative to the enclosure between a stowed position ( fig4 ) and deployed position ( fig2 ). alternatively , the u - shaped member may comprise two pivot points and the enclosure may contain one or more axels to engage within the pivot points of the u - shaped member . the pivot points and axels may contain detents that allow the handle to remain in a fully deployed position until a threshold holding force toward the stowed position is exceeded wherein the handle may be returned to the stowed position . in the stowed position , the assembly of a handle and the enclosure has a lower profile than the deployed position . as shown in fig4 in an embodiment the handles are flush with the enclosure while in the stowed position . to accomplish this the enclosure 3 has channels 14 which cradle the handles 4 , 5 , when the tag is in the stowed position . in an embodiment , the channel 14 has a u - shape complementary to the handle &# 39 ; s u - shape and extends from a pivot point associated with a handle around the end of the enclosure and to the other pivot point associated with the handle . the stowed position advantageously protects the handles from damage . further , the handles being flush with the enclosure are not susceptible to being snagged open and causing the tag to be inadvertently dismounted . further , the stowed position is more aerodynamic than the deployed position . further , the flush design of the enclosure and handles in the stowed position also prevent accumulation of water , snow , and dirt . to ensure that the handles do not inadvertently become deployed from the stowed position detents on the handle , enclosure , or both hold the handle in the stowed position , until a threshold holding force is exceeded . in an embodiment , each channel contains a channel detent 19 which engages with the inner surface of the u - shape member of the handle to hold the handle in the stowed position until a threshold holding force is exceeded , at which point the channel detent disengages with the inner surface of the u - shaped member . to enable a user to manipulate the handle in a stowed position to exert the threshold holding force on the handle , the enclosure 3 has depressions 15 located on each end of the channels so that the under side of the handle is exposed when in the stowed position and a user can place the tip of a finger under the handle to exert force on the handle toward the deployed position . as shown in fig2 , once in the deployed position the handles are in a position to allow the tag to be manipulated easily by a user to mount and dismount the tag to and from a support surface . in an embodiment , the handles are made of a high strength pc / abs blend or other engineered thermoplastic . the handles may be constructed using the same material or a different material than that of the enclosure . further , each handle may be formed integrally with the enclosure , or each handle may be composed of multiple components . fig3 shows the bottom side of the tag . the tag is to be attached to an object , such as a trailer , truck , railcar , intermodal container , forklift , pallet , or crate by way of an attachment mechanism , which may include magnets , electromagnets , adhesives , suction , or mechanical fasteners such as velcro ®, a slot and groove combination , or a clip and flange combination , or any combination thereof . trucks , semi - trailers , intermodal containers , railcars , and other equipment commonly used in the shipping , transportation , and warehouse industries contain metal surfaces to which a magnet can be attached using magnetic forces . therefore , in an embodiment the attachment mechanism is preferably one or more magnets . as shown in fig3 , an embodiment includes two magnets 16 located toward the ends of the bottom 6 of the tag . the magnets may be encapsulated within the enclosure , or they may be attached to the enclosure inside of a recess . in an embodiment , each magnet has a rating of 18 . 5 lbs , is mounted to the underside of the tag within a recess 17 , and is held in place with countersunk screws 20 . in this embodiment , 20 lbs of force is needed to remove the tag using the handles . with this configuration of magnets , the tag can be mounted and dismounted over 2 , 000 times . in a preferred embodiment , the holding ability of the magnets exceeds any challenges posed by snow , rain , and vibration . in a preferred embodiment , the tag has the holding ability to be placed with a two - inch clearance from a trailer bottom and remains in place for at least three days of use . further , the tag can do this over the entire lifetime of the tag . further , in a preferred embodiment the tag is mountable on a wet surface , or a surface covered with one mm of either ice , mud , or both . however , if stronger magnets are used the tag can be mounted on surfaces with more than one mm of either ice , mud , or both but would require more force for a user to remove . a preferred embodiment is designed so that a 5 ′ 0 ″ person , who weighs 90 pounds wearing gloves could remove the tag from a mounted surface within three seconds . further , the installation of the tag on a wet , iced , or muddy surface averages about 15 seconds . within the enclosure 3 is a rfid device 21 . in an embodiment the rfid device is located within a void in the enclosure . in an embodiment , the rfid device is of the long range uhf passive type . in an embodiment , the rfid device is produced only within the fcc - approved band of 902 - 928 mhz . the rfid device has a read distance of at least 40 - 50 feet on - metal with existing reader and antenna setups . further , off - metal tethered performance is the same as that of current permanent tags . in a preferred embodiment , the rfid device is an alien higgs 3 having 512 bits of user memory , and the epc code is permanently locked in an effort to keep costs down . although the invention is described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment , one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other applications may be substituted for those set forth herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention should only be limited by the claims included below .
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fig1 schematically illustrates an example gas turbine engine 20 that includes a fan section 22 , a compressor section 24 , a combustor section 26 and a turbine section 28 . alternative engines might include an augmenter section ( not shown ) among other systems or features . the fan section 22 drives air along a bypass flow path b while the compressor section 24 draws air in along a core flow path c where air is compressed and communicated to a combustor section 26 . in the combustor section 26 , air is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high pressure exhaust gas stream that expands through the turbine section 28 where energy is extracted and utilized to drive the fan section 22 and the compressor section 24 . although the disclosed non - limiting embodiment depicts a turbofan gas turbine engine , it should be understood that the concepts described herein are not limited to use with turbofans as the teachings may be applied to other types of turbine engines ; for example a turbine engine including a three - spool architecture in which three spools concentrically rotate about a common axis and where a low spool enables a low pressure turbine to drive a fan via a gearbox or fan drive gear system , an intermediate spool that enables an intermediate pressure turbine to drive a first compressor of the compressor section , and a high spool that enables a high pressure turbine to drive a high pressure compressor of the compressor section . the example engine 20 generally includes a low speed spool 30 and a high speed spool 32 mounted for rotation about an engine central longitudinal axis a relative to an engine static structure 36 via several bearing systems 38 . it should be understood that various bearing systems 38 at various locations may alternatively or additionally be provided . the low speed spool 30 generally includes an inner shaft 40 that connects a fan 42 and a low pressure ( or first ) compressor section 44 to a low pressure ( or first ) turbine section 46 . the inner shaft 40 drives the fan 42 through a speed change device , such as a geared architecture also referred to as a fan drive gear system 48 , to drive the fan 42 at a lower speed than the low speed spool 30 . the high - speed spool 32 includes an outer shaft 50 that interconnects a high pressure ( or second ) compressor section 52 and a high pressure ( or second ) turbine section 54 . the inner shaft 40 and the outer shaft 50 are concentric and rotate via the bearing systems 38 about the engine central longitudinal axis a . a combustor 56 is arranged between the high pressure compressor 52 and the high pressure turbine 54 . in one example , the high pressure turbine 54 includes at least two stages to provide a double stage high pressure turbine 54 . in another example , the high pressure turbine 54 includes only a single stage . as used herein , a “ high pressure ” compressor or turbine experiences a higher pressure than a corresponding “ low pressure ” compressor or turbine . the example low pressure turbine 46 has a pressure ratio that is greater than about 5 . the pressure ratio of the example low pressure turbine 46 is measured prior to an inlet of the low pressure turbine 46 as related to the pressure measured at the outlet of the low pressure turbine 46 prior to an exhaust nozzle . a mid - turbine frame 58 of the engine static structure 36 is arranged generally between the high pressure turbine 54 and the low pressure turbine 46 . the mid - turbine frame 58 further supports bearing systems 38 in the turbine section 28 as well as setting airflow entering the low pressure turbine 46 . the core airflow c is compressed by the low pressure compressor 44 then by the high pressure compressor 52 mixed with fuel and ignited in the combustor 56 to produce high speed exhaust gases that are then expanded through the high pressure turbine 54 and low pressure turbine 46 . the mid - turbine frame 58 includes vanes 60 , which are in the core airflow path and function as an inlet guide vane for the low pressure turbine 46 . utilizing the vane 60 of the mid - turbine frame 58 as the inlet guide vane for low pressure turbine 46 decreases the length of the low pressure turbine 46 without increasing the axial length of the mid - turbine frame 58 . reducing or eliminating the number of vanes in the low pressure turbine 46 shortens the axial length of the turbine section 28 . thus , the compactness of the gas turbine engine 20 is increased and a higher power density may be achieved . the disclosed gas turbine engine 20 in one example is a high - bypass geared aircraft engine . in a further example , the gas turbine engine 20 includes a bypass ratio greater than about six ( 6 ), with an example embodiment being greater than about ten ( 10 ). the example fan drive gear system 48 is an epicyclical gear train , such as a planetary gear system , star gear system or other known gear system , with a gear reduction ratio of greater than about 2 . 3 . in one disclosed embodiment , the gas turbine engine 20 includes a bypass ratio greater than about ten ( 10 : 1 ) and the fan diameter is significantly larger than an outer diameter of the low pressure compressor 44 . it should be understood , however , that the above parameters are only exemplary of one embodiment of a gas turbine engine including a geared architecture and that the present disclosure is applicable to other gas turbine engines . a significant amount of thrust is provided by the bypass flow b due to the high bypass ratio . the fan section 22 of the engine 20 is designed for a particular flight condition — typically cruise at about 0 . 8 mach and about 35 , 000 feet . the flight condition of 0 . 8 mach and 35 , 000 ft ., with the engine at its best fuel consumption — also known as “ bucket cruise thrust specific fuel consumption (‘ tsfc ’)”— is the industry standard parameter of pound - mass ( lbm ) of fuel per hour being burned divided by pound - force ( lbf ) of thrust the engine produces at that minimum point . “ low fan pressure ratio ” is the pressure ratio across the fan blade alone , without a fan exit guide vane (“ fegv ”) system . the low fan pressure ratio as disclosed herein according to one non - limiting embodiment is less than about 1 . 50 . in another non - limiting embodiment the low fan pressure ratio is less than about 1 . 45 . “ low corrected fan tip speed ” is the actual fan tip speed in ft / sec divided by an industry standard temperature correction of [( tram ° r )/ 518 . 7 ) 0 . 5 ]. the “ low corrected fan tip speed ”, as disclosed herein according to one non - limiting embodiment , is less than about 1150 ft / second . the example gas turbine engine includes the fan 42 that comprises in one non - limiting embodiment less than about 26 fan blades . in another non - limiting embodiment , the fan section 22 includes less than about 20 fan blades . moreover , in one disclosed embodiment the low pressure turbine 46 includes no more than about 6 turbine rotors schematically indicated at 34 . in another non - limiting example embodiment the low pressure turbine 46 includes about 3 turbine rotors . a ratio between the number of fan blades 42 and the number of low pressure turbine rotors is between about 3 . 3 and about 8 . 6 . the example low pressure turbine 46 provides the driving power to rotate the fan section 22 and therefore the relationship between the number of turbine rotors 34 in the low pressure turbine 46 and the number of blades 42 in the fan section 22 disclose an example gas turbine engine 20 with increased power transfer efficiency . referring to fig2 with continued reference to fig1 , the example fan drive gear system 48 comprises an epicyclical gear box that includes a sun gear 66 that is attached to a connector shaft 62 . the sun gear 66 is engaged to drive intermediate gears 68 that are in turn intermeshed with a ring gear 70 . the intermediate gears 68 are supported for rotation on journal bearings 72 . the journal bearings 72 are in turn supported by a carrier 74 . in this example , the fan drive gear system 48 comprises a star gear system where the carrier 74 remains fixed such that the intermediate gears 68 are driven by the sun gear 66 but remain in a specific location as is fixed by the carrier 74 . the ring gear 70 is driven for rotation about the intermediate gears 68 to drive a fan shaft 64 . the fan shaft 64 extends forward of the fan drive gear system 48 to drive the fan section 22 . as appreciated , although a star gear system is disclosed ; other gear systems such as a planetary gear system are within the contemplation of this disclosure . in a planetary gear system , the carrier is mounted for rotation such that the intermediate gears 68 rotate about the sun gear 66 and the ring gear 70 is fixed . a lubrication system 82 ( fig3 ) provides lubricant to the geared fan drive gear system 48 . in this example , a lubricant manifold 76 ( fig2 ) is mounted to the fan drive gear system 48 to provide lubricant to the journal bearings 72 . lubricant expelled from the fan drive gear system 48 during operation is captured by a gutter 78 . the gutter 78 is circumscribed about an outer periphery of the ring gear 70 . in this specification , the term oil and lubricant are utilized to describe a fluid that supplied to the journal bearings and gears to provide both desired lubricity along with heat removal . any oil or lubricant could be utilized with the example system and are within the contemplation of this disclosure . referring to fig3 and 4 with continued reference to fig2 , the example fan drive gear system 48 is supplied with lubricant by the lubrication system 82 . the example lubrication system 82 comprises a main system 84 and an auxiliary system 86 . the main system 84 includes a main tank 90 and a main pump 92 that pumps lubricant through a main passage 114 to the gears 66 , 68 , 70 and journal bearings 72 . during normal operation , the main system 84 supplies lubricant of sufficient volume to the gears 66 , 68 , 70 and journal pin 72 to remove heat from the fan drive gear system 48 and to provide sufficient lubricant to maintain a desired operability of the gears and journal bearings . the example auxiliary system 86 provides lubricant to the gears 66 , 68 , 70 and journal bearings 72 during interruption in lubricant supplied by the main system 84 . the auxiliary system 86 collects oil that is accumulated in the gutters 78 and supplies that oil to an inlet 104 of auxiliary pump 102 . the auxiliary pump 102 pumps lubricant through auxiliary passage 108 that is in communication with bearing passage 80 that supplies lubricant to the journal bearing 72 . the auxiliary pump 102 utilizes lubricant obtained from the gutter 78 to supply a sufficient amount of lubricant to the inlet 104 of the auxiliary pump 102 such that it remains sufficiently primed . an inlet passage 98 is in communication with the gutter 78 through a port 120 . lubricant that is flung radially outward from the fan drive gear system 48 is captured within the gutter 78 and communicated through the port 120 to the inlet passage 98 then on to the auxiliary pump 102 . the amount of lubricant captured during normal operation of the fan drive gear system 48 exceeds the capacity of the inlet passage 98 and therefore a bypass 100 is provided in communication with the inlet 98 . lubricant overflows from the inlet passage 108 into the bypass 100 where it is directed through openings 122 to a sump 88 or a bearing compartment . a sump pump 94 may be included to pump lubricant to the main tank 90 . the example auxiliary lubricant system 86 includes reservoirs 110 and 112 that maintain a sufficient amount of lubricant within the auxiliary passage 108 to sustain operation of the fan drive gear system 48 for a brief period during intermittent interruptions in operation of the main lubricant system 84 . the example first and second reservoirs 110 and 112 are disposed after the auxiliary pump 102 and are continually charged or filled with lubricant . the example first reservoir 110 is disposed between the outlet 106 of the auxiliary pump 102 and the pressure responsive valve 96 . the second reservoir 112 is disposed between the pressure responsive valve 96 and the bearing passage 80 . because lubricant is stored within the reservoirs 110 , 112 , the auxiliary system 86 includes a sufficient amount of lubricant to compensate for intermittent interruptions of oil flow from the main lubricant system 84 . a volume 116 , 118 of each of the reservoirs 110 , 112 , provides for the storage of lubricant in a quantity determined to continue lubricant flow to the journal bearings 72 for a desired time . the volumes 116 , 118 are greater than a comparable volume within the auxiliary passages 108 . in other words , the reservoir 110 , 112 include a volume over a fixed length greater than a volume of the auxiliary passage 108 over a length equal to that of the reservoir 110 , 112 . as appreciated , although the disclosed example includes two reservoirs 110 , 112 located in different points along the auxiliary passage 108 , any number of reservoirs could be located within the auxiliary passage 108 to store and provide lubricant when required . a pressure responsive valve 96 is provided in the auxiliary passage 108 that directs lubricant flow responsive to a condition in the main lubricant system 84 . in the disclosed example , the valve 96 is responsive to a pressure within the main lubricant passage 114 . when pressure is at a desired level indicative of normal operation , the valve 96 directs lubricant flow from the auxiliary passage 108 back to the main tank 90 , or some other lubricant supply location . however , in response to a drop in pressure within the main lubricant system 84 and passage 114 , the valve 96 will direct lubricant flow to the bearing passage 80 and to the journal bearings 72 . the example auxiliary system 86 supplies lubricant to the journal bearings 72 only , as the journal bearings 72 have limited capacity for operation without lubricant . however , it is within the contemplation of this disclosure that the auxiliary system 86 could direct lubricant to any structure or assembly determined to require lubricant during periods of interruption of main lubricant flow . during normal operation , the main lubricant system will provide lubricant to journal bearings 72 and to the gears 66 , 68 , 70 . the auxiliary lubricant system 86 operates by gathering lubricant expelled radially outward with the gutter 78 . from the gutter 78 , lubricant is communicated through the port 120 to the inlet passage 98 . the inlet passage 98 fills with lubricant to maintain a pressure and supply of lubricant at the pump inlet 104 . excess lubricant is directed into the bypass 100 and out through openings 122 to the sump 88 or bearing compartment . the pump 102 pumps lubricant through the outlet 106 into the auxiliary passage 108 . reservoirs 110 and 112 are filled with lubricant and maintained by a continual flow from the pump 102 . the valve 96 directs lubricant flow back to the main tank 90 for use by the main lubricant system 84 . during interim periods of interruption caused by aircraft maneuvers or conditions such as low , zero or negative g maneuvers , lubricant may not flow as desired from the main lubricant system 84 . accordingly , a pressure within the main passage 114 drops causing actuation of the valve 96 to direct oil from the auxiliary passage 108 to the bearing passage 80 and finally to the journal bearings 72 . the gutter 78 does not recover all of the lubricant communicated to the journal bearings 72 and gears 66 , 68 , 70 , and therefore some lubricant is lost in each pass through the auxiliary system 86 . accordingly , the reservoirs 110 and 112 store additional lubricant to extend the duration that the auxiliary lubrication system 86 can maintain a desired supply to the journal bearings 72 . the example auxiliary lubricant system includes reservoirs that are downstream of the auxiliary pump to provide and push the lubricant in a volume sufficient to maintain operation of the fan drive gear system for an extended amount of time . moreover , the example auxiliary lubrication system includes a gutter fed auxiliary pump that is charged with lubricant from lubricant normally expelled from the fan drive gear system . although an example embodiment has been disclosed , a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this disclosure . for that reason , the following claims should be studied to determine the scope and content of this disclosure .
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as used in this disclosure , reference to a vacuum source is to be taken to include a source of suction , and includes a suction or vacuum source or sources , or any other source of suction or vacuum . to refer to the drawings , fig1 shows a typical preform assembly 8 created by the preform assembly method ( pam ) comprising a distance fabric 10 which has a first sheet 12 and second sheet 14 comprising extensible threads 16 extending therebetween . a first face sheet 18 is attached to first sheet 12 by a first thermoadhesive film 20 ; and a second face sheet 22 is attached to a second sheet 14 by a second thermoadhesive film 24 . the attachment of the face sheets 18 and 22 to the distance fabric 10 occurs during pam . the pam process depends strictly on the requirements of the adhesive film used to attach the adjacent sheets . the process to be described is for the adhering of the face sheets 18 and 22 to the distance fabric 10 using two thermoplastic adhesive films 20 and 24 requiring heat and pressure for correct application . fig2 shows the preform 8 in place on a flat base plate 1 . over the plate is placed a vacuum diaphragm 2 . this diaphragm 2 extends beyond the perimeter of the flat base plate 1 . under the diaphragm 2 is placed a vacuum port 36 , breather material 35 , and thermocouple schematically shown as 3 , the thermocouple being to measure the temperature of the adhesive films 20 and 24 . the diaphragm 2 is sealed against the base plate 1 using a sealing bead 4 of mastic . the assembly is then placed in an oven . a vacuum source is applied to the vacuum port 36 to give an appropriate consolidation pressure for the adhesive films 20 and 24 . the oven heats the adhesive films to the appropriate bonding temperature . alternatively , heated pressure rollers and / or a heated press ( with or without pressure ) may be used . when the appropriate temperature is shown by the thermocouple 3 , the temperature is maintained for the recommended bond time for the adhesive film . the base plate 1 and preform assembly 8 are then removed from the oven and allowed to cool . upon cooling , the preform is removed from the base plate 1 and checked for good adhesive film bonding . if the bond is adequate , the preform 8 is ready for infusion . during the following description , all sheets assembled against the first sheet 12 during the preform assembly method will collectively be called the first sheet 12 , and all sheets assembled against the second sheet 14 during the preform assembly method will collectively be called the second sheet 14 . the preform 8 is located in a second portion 26 of a mold generally designated as 30 , which also has a first portion 28 ( fig4 ). the second portion 26 has a peripheral frame 32 , to which is applied a sealing bead 34 . between first face sheet 18 and first portion 28 there is located a diaphragm 38 , which extends to and beyond plate 32 and over the sealing bead 34 . the first face sheet 18 is temporarily bonded to the diaphragm 38 . as is shown in fig5 and 6 , rather than peripheral frame 32 there may be provided a tapered frame 48 around the periphery of second portion 26 to aid the deformation of the diaphragm 38 . both frame 32 and frame 48 assist to create a first chamber 40 between diaphragm 38 and first portion 28 , and a second chamber 42 between diaphragm 38 and second potion 26 . seals 44 may be provided in addition to , or in place of , sealing bead 34 . both first portion 28 and second portion 26 have a vacuum ports 36 which , as shown in fig5 , may be centrally located in the relevant portions 26 , 28 . resin inlet ports 46 are provided in second portion 26 , although they may be in frame 48 , if desired . the resin inlet ports 46 are preferably located between the periphery 50 of preform 8 , and the inner edge 52 of frame 32 , or inner edge 54 of tapered frame 48 . as will be realized from the above description , the frame 48 is used when the frame 32 is not used , and vice versa . therefore , upon first portion 28 engaging with second portion 26 , diaphragm 38 seals on sealing bead 34 and is secured between the peripheries of the first and second portions 26 , 28 . suction ( vacuum ) is then applied to vacuum port 36 in second portion 26 , so that the preform 8 will be securely drawn into second portion 26 , as will be the attached diaphragm 38 ( fig3 ). with an appropriate resinous compound ( not shown ) being fed into second chamber 42 , the reduced pressure in second chamber 42 will draw the resinous compound into and through the chamber 42 and the preform 8 . the resinous compound may have a positive pressure applied to it , if desired . if a positive pressure is used , a higher positive pressure must be applied in the first chamber 40 to restrict the diaphragm 38 from rising . as diaphragm 38 presses on first face sheet 12 , and as second face sheet 14 presses on second portion 26 , the resinous compound is drawn through the preform 8 and thereby coats the infusible surfaces of those sheets , as well as the extensible threads 16 extending therebetween . any surplus resinous compound will exit through vacuum port 36 , where it can be recovered in an appropriate trap . the feed of the resinous compound continues until all threads 16 and the infusible surfaces of first sheet 12 and second sheet 14 are coated . this time will depend on the nature of the resinous compound , the sheets 12 , 14 the number and size of threads 16 , and the size of the preform 8 . when the resinous compound has fully infused the preform 8 , the resin inlet ports 46 are closed and the vacuum port 36 in second portion 26 is closed . the suction ( vacuum ) is then applied to vacuum port 36 in first portion 28 . the second chamber 42 is simultaneously or earlier vented to the atmosphere by the vent port 37 , and / or by resin inlet ports 46 , so that second chamber 42 returns to atmospheric pressure . the vent port 37 may , if desired , be through frame 48 . alternatively , a positive pressure can be applied to second chamber 42 so that the first chamber 40 is at a relatively lower pressure . by virtue of the vacuum applied to vacuum port 36 in first portion 28 , first chamber 40 is of reduced pressure . this therefore creates a pressure differential between first chamber 40 ( low pressure ) and second chamber 42 ( higher pressure ), causing diaphragm 38 to be drawn towards first portion 28 , thus drawing first sheet 12 upwardly and away from second sheet 14 which is non - permanently adhered to the second mold portion 26 so that it will not move relative thereto during the molding process . therefore , the extensible threads 16 are extended . the distance between the first and second face sheets 12 , 14 is that which is desired , as set by the mold cavity height ( the sum of the heights first chamber 40 and second chamber 42 ). this height is usually predetermined by the height of frame 32 or frame 48 . hence , due to the pressure differential the diaphragm 38 and first sheet 12 are drawn up to the first mold portion . the suction ( vacuum ) is maintained in the vacuum port 36 in first portion 38 , and second chamber 42 is sealed to allow the resinous compound to set and cure . alternatively , self - foaming resins can be used to infuse the preform . in this case , the pressure differential between the second chamber 42 and the first chamber 40 is created by the foaming of the resin . in this case , after the resinous compound has fully infused the preform 8 , the resin inlet ports 46 are closed and the vacuum port 36 in second portion 26 is closed . the second chamber 42 is then vented to the atmosphere by the vent port 37 and / or by resin inlet ports 46 , so that the second chamber 42 returns to atmospheric pressure . the first chamber 40 remains at atmospheric pressure . the foaming reaction of the resin , initiated chemically or by the application of heat , creates the pressure differential between the first chamber 40 ( low pressure ) and the second chamber 42 ( high pressure ), causing diaphragm 38 to be drawn towards the first portion 28 . thus , the first sheet 12 is drawn upwardly and away from the second sheet 14 . the distance between the first and second face sheets 12 , 14 is that which is desired , as set by the mold cavity height . the penetration of the first sheet 12 by the foaming resin is resisted by the bonding of the impermeable diaphragm 38 directly on the first sheet 12 during preform assembly . the penetration of the second sheet 14 is similarly resisted by the bonding of the impermeable second portion 26 directly onto the second sheet 14 . when an appropriately engineered foaming resinous compound is used , an excellent quality infusion and finish in the skin in combination with a quality foam core will result . when using this type of foaming resin to create a sandwich structure , the distance fabric 10 may or may not be left out of the preform assembly 8 and , hence , the resulting sandwich structure . in the case of the distance fabric 10 being left out of the preform 8 , the first sheet 12 is bonded to the diaphragm 38 and the second sheet 14 is bonded to the second portion 26 , but they are not bonded to each other . this allows for their separation during the foaming of the resin . maximum separation distance is again set by the mold cavity . if desired , the mold 30 may be heated to assist the setting and curing of the resinous compound . heating may be by heating elements being placed in mold 30 , or by placing mold 30 in an oven . alternatively , hot air could be introduced to second chamber 42 through resin inlet ports 46 and / or venting port 37 in second portion 26 . upon setting , and preferably curing , of the resinous compound , the mold 30 is separated , diaphragm 38 removed , and the expanded composite structure removed . if desired , external caul plates 56 and 60 ( fig8 ) may be used , particularly for the embodiment of fig1 . for the embodiment of fig1 clamping bars 62 , spaced apart by spacer elements 64 , are used to support the separation of the external caul plates 56 and 60 , which in turn give the desired final dimensions of the preform 8 during the later stages of the infusion process and during curing processes . the vacuum ports 36 and / or inlet ports 46 and / or vent port 37 may be beyond the periphery of the preform 8 , if desired . however , the vacuum port 36 and inlet ports 46 should not be adjacent . the diaphragm 38 is preferably a non - porous film capable of holding a vacuum of the order of 100 kpa . it may be elastic or semi - elastic . examples of suitable materials include silicon rubber sheet , latex rubber sheet , and a nylon bagging film , etc . as the resinous compound may contaminate the diaphragm 38 during infusion and / or expansion of the preform 8 , the diaphragm 38 and the resinous compound should be such that there is no chemical interaction between them . if desired , a caul plate 59 may be used ( fig6 ). the caul plate 59 is placed between the first sheet 12 and the diaphragm 38 to aid control , and / or to improve the surface quality of first sheet 12 . in addition , the use of caul plate 59 may assist in reducing peeling - off effects as the diaphragm 38 may initially stretch over the entire area of the caul plate 59 . furthermore , the caul plate 59 may slightly enhance the infusion of the resinous compound as improved flow paths may result . the caul plate 59 is preferably at least as large as the preform 8 and may , if desired , be releasably or securely attached to the diaphragm 38 or first sheet 12 by , for example , double - sided tape . the attachment to the caul plate 59 may also occur during preform assembly method . furthermore , a carrier mesh 58 may also be used to assist the resinous compound to pass from the inlet ports 46 to the preform 8 . the carrier mesh 58 is attached to the interior of second portion 26 at or adjacent the inlet ports 46 and extends to and along the side edges of preform 8 . the carrier mesh 58 may extend totally or partially around the periphery of preform 8 . one example of the production of a composite sandwich structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described below . the surface of plate 1 is cleaned with acetone , with the surface being flat and free of debris and lumps . a single layer of non - perforated adhesive film is cut to dimensions identical to the preform 8 . this layer 20 is to provide a bond between the outer preform surface 18 and the bagging film 38 . layers of perforated adhesive film 20 are cut to provide a bonding / interleaf layer between all preform - to - preform surfaces . the lower preform surface 22 is placed on plate 1 . alternate layers of perforated adhesive film 20 and preform fabrics are then placed above lower sheet 22 as required . a layer of the perforated adhesive 20 is placed on all preform - to - preform surfaces to bond the preform surfaces and also allow resin to move between the surfaces . a layer of non - perforated adhesive film is placed on top of preform 8 . mastic tape or other similar sealant is applied to the tooling plate , outside of the perimeter of the preform 8 . a thermocouple 3 is placed on the edge of the preform 8 , such that it is contacting the adhesive film 20 . the vacuum source fittings are connected to the vacuum port 36 in plate 1 . a full vacuum (˜ 100 kpa ) is applied to enable checks of vacuum leaks . the oven is preheated to the required temperature for adhesive bonding ( or just above bonding temperature ), and the vacuum is set to the bonding pressure . the plate 1 with preform 8 is placed in the oven and heated until the thermocouple 3 shows that the thermoadhesive film 20 , 24 has reached its / their bonding temperature . the temperature is held for the appropriate time . the plate 1 and preform 8 are removed from the oven and allowed to cool . the vacuum fittings and thermocouple 3 are removed . the bagging / preform is removed from the plate 1 without peeling the bag from the preform 8 . the excess bag / preform is removed to give a net - shape preform with bagging on the skins . all mold surfaces ( inside of mold , caul plate ) are cleaned with acetone , with there being no remains of resin flash on mold surfaces and resin inlet channels . all required hoses are fastened to the appropriate ports in the mold by using compression fittings . strips of double - sided tape are applied to the edges of both sides of the preform 8 and the caul plate 59 . the preform 8 is fixed to the caul plate 59 using this tape . the preform 8 is placed in the center of the second portion 26 of the mold and pressed to achieve a proper bond . the carrier mesh 58 is attached to both inlet ports 46 . mastic tape is applied to the outside of the mold , using extra strips to seal the corners . the diaphragm 38 is fixed to the mold plate , hence , sealing the mold . the vacuum and the first venting hose are connected to a resin trap to catch any excess resin . the vacuum source is then attached to the resin trap lid and the resin inlet and the venting hoses are clamped . the lid is closed and securing bars placed in position , and fastening bolts gently tightened . full vacuum is applied for infusion . an appropriate amount of resin is mixed for a predetermined gel time . the two resin inlet hose ( s ) are inserted into the cup . the infusion time is recorded . at the first sign of resin in the exit line , the vacuum pressure is reduced to 40 kpa for 3 minutes . the resin inlet lines and exit line are then closed . a full vacuum is then applied to the resin trap , and , after connecting in the vacuum line of the lid directly to the vacuum , full vacuum is applied . the venting hoses are opened and the vacuum in the resin trap reduced to zero at a rate of 2 kpa / sec . the resin lines are removed , and the resin cup and excess hoses also removed . after approximately 2 hours the first venting hose is closed and 5 kpa vacuum applied to the first venting hose . this ventilates the mold and accelerates the curing by replacing the styrene . curing for several hours is allowed . the clamps are then removed and excess lines cut . the clamping bars are removed from the tool and the lid opened . the diaphragm is removed and the tooling plate released from the expanded structure . the expanded structure is removed from the mold . although the present invention has been discussed in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments , other embodiments are possible . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of preferred embodiments contained in this disclosure . all references cited herein are incorporated by reference to their entirety .
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referring now to the drawings in detail , reference is first made to fig1 and particularly to the lower end thereof , wherein there is illustrated a battery , generally designated by the numeral 10 , disposed upon a conveyor 11 , having a plurality of transverse rollers 12 , for movement of the battery 10 from left to right , as viewed in fig1 across the rollers 12 . a plurality of cells ( six in number ), such as those 13 and 14 are illustrated , in which are disposed a plurality of plates 15 extending downwardly from plate straps such as those 16 and 17 , the plate straps 16 and 17 having been already connected to the plate 15 , by any suitable means , such as that described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 395 , 748 , or by any other means . the cells 13 and 14 are separated by suitable cell partitions 18 , constructed of an inert material , such as plastic or rubber ( due to the presence of battery acid within the cells 14 , 15 , etc .). the partition 18 extends vertically upwardly between posts 20 and 21 of adjacent cells 14 and 13 , respectively , with the partition 18 terminating at its upper end short of the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21 , leaving a space 22 therebetween . it is this space 22 that , upon welding by the use of open flame being applied to posts 20 and 21 , may become filled with molten or liquid lead ( or other post material ) from the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21 , and flow downwardly to solidify in the space 22 just above the separator plate 18 , without application of a proper amount of heat to those portions of the posts 20 and 21 , below the upper ends thereof as illustrated in fig5 a , in the vicinity of the upper end of the cell partition 18 . a templet 23 , constructed of some material ( preferably metal ) having a melting point substantially in excess of that of the material of the posts 20 and 21 , is provided , on the battery , at the upper ends thereof , as illustrated in fig1 with pairs of posts 20 and 21 extending upwardly through voids 24 therein . it will be clear that the voids 24 extend entirely through the templet 23 , and that the voids 24 comprise central portions 25 of a desired size and configuration corresponding to the posts , to easily receive and contain the same . the upper and lower ends of the voids 24 are countersunk as at 26 and 27 , to permit reception of posts 20 and 21 through the lower ends 27 of the voids 24 , and to provide a dished portion 26 at the upper end of each void 24 , to accommodate the reception of molten metal during the welding operation , with the lower countersink or cut - away portion 27 also facilitating the removal of the templet 23 after the welding operation is complete , with the weldments solidified . it will further be noted that the templet 23 is received on the upper lip of the casing 28 of the battery 10 , as illustrated in fig1 . with particular reference to fig5 a , and 5b and 5c , it will be seen that a heated element 30 that has been heated by means later to be described herein , to a temperature sufficient to melt the upper ends of posts 20 and 21 of adjacent battery cells , across the top of a partition 18 , is lowered into engagement with the upper ends of the posts 20 and 21 , and proceeds to melt the same , into a liquid state , and then continue its downward move at , penetrating the liquid portions of the post members 20 and 21 being progressively melted as the element 30 moves downwardly , throughout a predetermined vertically downward stroke of movement of the element 30 , such stroke also including a dwell time at the lower end thereof , as illustrated in fig5 b , if desired ( but such dwell not being required ), followed by retraction , or vertically upward movement of the element 30 , in the direction of the arrow 31 illustrated in fig5 c , whereby the mass of liquid melt displaced into the zone 26 of the templet 23 during that portion of the operation illustrated in fig5 b , is free to fill the zone 25 of the void 24 of the templet 23 , above the upper end of the partition 18 , as illustrated in fig5 c , for cooling and solidification of the melt in the zone 25 . it will be noted that a plurality ( five in number ) of such elements 30 may be utilized simultaneously , in order to simultaneously effect five different welds , between posts of adjacent battery cells , or in fact any desired number of such weldments may be effected , for battery cells , or for any other purpose , by the above - mentioned method of maintaining a constant temperature for the element 30 and delivering such temperature completely throughout the zone of the posts 20 and 21 , or other members , in which the weldment is desired . furthermore , it will be noted that the voids 24 , and particularly the central portions 25 thereof , comprise molds for the welds , during solidification and cooling thereof . after the welds are solidified , the templet 23 may be removed from the casing 28 of the battery 10 , for reuse , as desired . with particular reference to fig5 d , it will be apparent that a battery cover 32 , having an annular cylindrical protrusion 33 , for each pair of battery posts welded together , may be disposed over the upper end of the battery , with each weld 34 being received within a corresponding annular protrusion 33 , for purpose of aligning the battery cover 32 , if desired , and for facilitating the covering of the welds 34 and retention of the cover 32 on the battery 10 . it will further be noted that the welds 34 are simultaneously effected , for a given battery , and are all uniform , as regards their electrical qualities , and as regards their general height and other physical characteristics . particularly as regards the height of the same , it will be noted that , all being of the same general height , the battery cover 32 will more easily fit thereover , with posts having welds 34 at the upper ends thereof , all being uniformly received in uniformly sized annular protrusions 33 of the covers 32 . referring now to the welding apparatus of this invention specifically illustrated in fig1 through 4 , it will be seen that an apparatus 40 is presented , for carrying a plurality of heating elements or heat sinks 30 protruding outwardly ( downwardly ) from the lower end thereof . the apparatus 40 comprises a post 41 of cylindrical configuration , connected by any suitable means , such as threading or the like , as at 42 , through a manifold head 43 , and through a base member 44 , to be secured by means of a nut 45 therebeneath . the base member 44 is of channel - like construction , being generally of inverted u - shape in transverse cross - sectional configuration , as best illustrated in fig2 and 4 . the manifold head 43 is secured to the upper end of the base 44 , by any suitable means , such as screws or the like . the manifold head 43 is provided with a pair of conduits 46 and 47 extending longitudinally therethrough , each connected at one end to an associated gas distribution conduit 48 or 50 , provided with associated on - off inlet valves 51 , as desired . the conduits 48 and 50 are connected to suitable sources of gases , such as natural gas and oxygen , respectively , or any other gases that will facilitate and support combustion at the desired temperatures . thus , acetylene gas may replace the natural gas if desired , as may a mixture of other gases , such as air , replace the oxygen , if desired . the left - most end of each of the manifold channels 46 and 47 is closed , as blind conduits ( not illustrated ). five element heating means , generally designated each by the numeral 42 are provided , each of substantially identical construction , so that only one need be described in detail , and each of which is carried at the lower end of the base member 44 , by a suitable horizontal plate 53 , secured by means of a cap headed screw 54 or the like extending therethrough , in engagement within a nut 55 disposed within the base 44 . thus , the position of any given element heating means 52 may be altered by loosening the screw 54 , and repositioning such desired element heating means by moving the plate 53 longitudinally of the base member 44 . each of the heating means 52 is constructed as an independent torch , being provided at its upper end with a mixing device 57 , having upper inlets 58 and 60 for receiving for example gas and oxygen therein from respectively associated hoses 61 and 62 that , in turn are respectively connected to associated manifold ducts 46 and 47 , for supplying gas and oxygen to a chamber 63 disposed within the device 57 , in which they are mixed . accordingly , the inlets 58 and 60 communicate respectively with the chamber 63 . a pair of needle adjustments 64 and 65 are provided , associated with respective inlets 58 and 60 , each comprising a thumb screw or the like 66 , operative through a boss 67 in threaded engagement with the device 57 at 68 , for adjusting the position of a needle 70 in the associated inlet , for regulating the amount of gas to be mixed with oxygen , and the converse . upon arriving at a desirable gas - oxygen mixture , the mixture passes through the conduit 71 , to discharge from the device 57 , through a distribution line 72 , that in turn is connected to an element holder 73 , by suitable nuts 74 or the like in threaded engagement with threads 75 , wherein the delivery line 76 is bifurcated at 77 , into a pair of delivery lines 78 and 80 that are inwardly bent at the lower ends , and have nozzles 81 and 82 respectively carried thereby , in the vicinity of the upper ends of the elements 30 , for heating the elements at a location spaced above the lowermost , or free ends thereof . the elements 30 are connected within bores or recesses 83 , by suitable screws 84 , for ease of replacement . thus , the application of open flame due to the elimination of gas and oxygen from nozzles 81 and 82 , to the elements 30 , will heat the elements 30 as aforesaid . it will be noted that elements 30 may also be heated by induction heating ( not illustrated ), or by other suitable means , if desired . in any event , heat is built up and stored in the element 30 , and in order to facilitate this end the element 30 may be constructed of a high temperature alloy , ceramic , or any other suitable material . it will be noted that the flame may continually be applied to the element 30 during the descent thereof and its retraction , as illustrated in fig5 b and 5c , throughout its engagement with and projection into the material of the battery posts 20 and 21 , if desired , or the heat may be applied to the elements 30 only when the same are in their uppermost or retracted positions , as desired . in any event , there will be a transfer of heat from the elements 30 to the upper ends of the battery posts 20 and 21 , that will be constantly replenished by the application of heat to the elements 30 , by virtue of the application of open flame thereto as described above , or by induction heating , or the like . furthermore , it will be noted that the heating elements or tips 30 may take on various desired physical configurations and sizes , depending upon the particular application . another feature of this invention resides in the use of a plate 90 secured to the member 44 , by a pair of screws such as 91 and 92 , for ease of removal of the same , with the plate 90 having a plurality of openings , voids , notches or the like , disposed in a uppermost set 93 , and a lowermost set 94 . the lowermost set 94 is arranged to accommodate plates 53 , in accordance with a desired predetermined spacing of element 30 relative to each other , as measured horizontally , and relative to posts 20 and 21 of a battery 10 to be welded therebeneath , and also relative to the templet 23 mounted on the battery 10 and disposed therebeneath . accordingly , placement of the plates 53 , in desired ones of the notches 94 , will readily accurately position the elements 30 , in accordance with the desired position for welding the posts of a given battery , for example . however , the assembly illustrated in fig4 may readily accommodate an alternative placement of the elements 30 , by merely removing the plate 90 , and inverting the same such that the notches 93 are disposed downwardly , whereby another placement of the element 30 relative to each other may readily be effected quickly and economically , with minimum set - up time . with particular reference to fig1 it will be noted that the rod 41 is either mounted to , or comprises , the piston rod of a piston ( not shown ), disposed within a piston cylinder 96 , mounted on a suitable frame 97 . the cylinder 96 is provided with suitable fluid inlets 98 and 100 , respectively for providing a downward driving force , for lowering the elements 30 , or for retracting the same , depending upon the position of the two way valve 101 . it will be noted that the fluid supplied through the lines 98 and 100 may be any desirable hydraulic , pneumatic fluid or the like , and that the piston within the cylinder 96 would be driven either upwardly or downwardly , depending upon the setting of the valve 101 . it will be noted that the stroke of the piston contained within the cylinder 96 is controlled to automatically re - set the valve , upon the piston disposed therein reaching the lower end of a predetermined stroke , in order that the elements 30 may be retracted prior to striking the separator plates or partitions 18 . however , in the event of misalignment of elements 30 relative to posts 20 , 21 , or relative to the templet 23 , or relative to anything else wherein it is desired to prevent a striking of the same by the element 30 , or even in the event that a battery 10 is raised , for example at one end , due to the presence of a foreign item between the lower end of the battery and the conveyor rollers 12 , such that the battery is &# 34 ; cocked &# 34 ;, upon the striking of the elements 30 against any solid member , a sensor of pressure , force or the like 102 , which is particularly responsive to pressure required to lower the piston contained within the cylinder 96 , and consequently responsive to resistance to vertical downward movement that the elements 30 may meet , will be operative to actuate the valve 101 , to cause an upward movement , or retraction of the assembly 40 , and consequently of the elements 30 carried thereby , in order to prevent damage of the apparatus , or to batteries being welded . also , with reference to fig1 it will be noted that the rod 41 is provided with a guide , comprising a plate 103 having a boss 104 disposed about the rod 41 , and carried by the plate 103 , and with a guide rod 109 being provided , mounted in a suitable bushing 105 carried by a plate 106 , such that , upon downward movement of the rod 41 , the same is guided against undesirable lateral mvoement , due to the presence of the guide plate and rod 103 and 109 . it will thus be seen that the apparatus of this invention is adapted toward accomplishing its desired ends , both in broad respects , and in specific respects , regarding the construction of multiple - cell lead - acid storage batteries . it will further be noted that the particular inwardly bent orientations of the nozzles 81 and 82 , present the application of heat to adjacent areas , thereby concentrating the heat on the elements 30 themselves . it will also be noted that the element 30 may be adjustably positioned vertically within the blind hole 83 , by merely loosening the screw 84 and repositioning the element 30 . furthermore , in operation , a proper positioning of the battery can actuate a switch ( not shown ), that in turn will cause the piston within the cylinder 96 to be actuated , if desired . in view of the above - discussed invention , it has been possible to cut down the time necessary for completing a weld from thirty seconds to four seconds . accordingly , aside from accomplishing improved welds , both insofar as their physical appearance and construction is concerned , and insofar as improving the uniformity and electrical conductivity of the same is enabled , the overall economics of battery manufacture is greatly improved , due to the automation of what has previously been a manual function . an additional advantage over prior techniques of battery post weldment is also made possible with weldments of this invention . such resides in the formation of a homogeneous weldment of adjacent battery posts . spectrographic analysis of battery posts welded by conventional application of gas and oxygen flame directly to the post results in a tendency toward concentration of antimony from the posts at or near the bond of the weld , apparently caused by more severe heat at such locations relative to less heat applied to other areas of the weld . in thermal relay welding as taught by the instant invention , spectrographic analysis will reveal similar grain structures throughout the weld , in that the entire post area is heated uniformly and therefore cools evenly , without causing an antimony precipitation that would result in an antimony concentration . consequently , the possibility of electrolysis at the antimony interface that forms the junction of dissimilar metals upon use of the battery in an electrical circuit is avoided by this invention , along with any corrosion attendant thereto . furthermore , the structural strength of the post weldment is better , because of the absence of substantial discontinuities that would be formed by such antimony precipitation . the foregoing discussion has emphasized the structure of the heating elements and the apparatus whereby combustible gases are delivered for the heating thereof . fig6 through 9 show an alternate illustrative embodiment wherein the heating elements are integrated with the templets lowered over the battery to form molds for the foregoing heating and melting process of the terminal posts . moreover , the embodiment of fig6 through 9 features the heating elements and the molds in an integral adjustable configuration such that batteries having widely disparate structural characteristics may be processed efficiently without requiring extensive overhaul of the processing mechanism . in the following description , many elements are identical both in structure and in function to corresponding elements in the foregoing discussion . many of these are numbered similarly to the identical corresponding element , but further including a prefixed &# 34 ; 7 &# 34 ;. thus , for example , heating elements 730 in fig6 and 7 correspond identically to the heating elements 30 in fig1 through 5d . unless otherwise specified , these identical elements shall not be discussed in detail , but shall be assumed to be disclosed completely in the foregoing . in fig6 a welding mechanism is set up for forming two terminal posts for batteries . thus , while the foregoing embodiment included six welding mechanisms for cell to cell relays in batteries , the embodiment of fig6 through 9 is configured only to form the positive and negative terminal posts . it is to be understood , however , that any desired number of heating elements might be included in order to fulfill the desired welding requirements for given batteries . likewise , the embodiment of fig6 through 9 includes several features which enhance the adaptability and therefore the utility of thermal welding apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention . in the figures , a pair of heating elements represented generally as 752 are affixed to a pair of mounting blocks 612 and 613 , which in turn are slidably mounted on a transverse rod 611 . this transversely movable mounting permits lateral adjustment of the heating elements 752 to accomodate batteries having terminal posts located at different points . the transverse rod 611 upon which the blocks 612 and 613 are mounted is terminated at either end by a pair of elements 610 . overlaying both of the mounting blocks 612 and 613 and affixed to the elements 609 and 610 is a plate 623 which affords control of the adjustability function and which shall be described in more detail hereinafter . also mounted on the rod 611 is a fixed block 930 which is in turn connected to the piston 830 of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 630 . together , the blocks 609 , 610 , 612 , 613 and 930 , with the rod 611 and the plate 623 , form a &# 34 ; carriage &# 34 ; to which the heating elements 752 are attached , by means of which the heating elements may be moved vertically ( such as shown in phantom in fig7 ) and upon which the respective heating elements may be adjusted transversely . the terminating blocks 609 and 610 of the carriage upon which the heating elements 752 are mounted are in turn slidably mounted on posts 607 and 608 , respectively , by means of bearings , not shown . thus , under the control of the cylinder 630 and piston 830 , the carriage arrangement including the heating elements 752 is moved vertically on the posts 607 and 608 which are connected at their tops and bottoms , as shown , to elements 616 , 617 and 631 . topmost element 631 in turn is mounted on posts 632 and 633 , which constitute part of a structural fframe for the mechanism . also fixedly mounted on the posts 607 and 608 is a manifold head 743 which defines conduits 746 and 747 fed by lines 601 and 602 with a combustible gas for flame heating of the heating elements 730 . as in the foregoing embodiments , the gases pass through the conduits 746 and 747 , through hoses 761 and 762 and into mixing devices 757 , and thence downwardly into the heating means 752 . as shown , only two sets of hoses connect the heating means 752 with the manifold head 743 , but it is clear that any number , as desired , might similarly be connected . also mounted on he manifold heads 743 is the cylinder 630 whereby the mounting carriage for the heating means 752 is movable . an aspect of the embodiment of fig6 through 9 which exhibits substantial operational efficiency but which was not shown in detail in the foreging embodiments is the inclusion of a pair of molds 619 and 620 which respectively are connected to the mounting blocks 612 and 613 for the heating means 752 . the molds 619 and 620 are slidably mounted on a transverse post 618 through bearings such as 818 and are respectively mounted on shafts 626 and 627 which are slidably movable through the blocks 612 and 613 . it may therefore be seen that the molds 619 and 620 are movable as a unit with the upper mounting carriage for the heating means 752 but furthermore are separately movable together by means of the sliding of shafts 626 and 627 through the mounting blocks 612 and 613 . the molds 619 and 620 are advantageously constructed to provide superior operational efficiency , which in turn is enhanced by their adaptability to process batteries of variable size . this may appreciated by consideration of the various cutaway views in fig7 and 8 . the principal structural member of the molds 619 includes a hollow channel 834 which is fed and exhausted by a pair of lines 634 and 934 . the channel 834 provides a circulation route for water or other similar cooling fluids to be passed through , and thereby to prevent damage due to the extreme amounts of heat applied by the heating elements 730 to make the molten terminal posts . centrally located on the flat portion of the structural housing 619 is a mold member 621 which mates with the structural housing and which actually forms the voids in which the melting and casting process takes place . the mold members 621 and 622 fit into a hole through the structures 619 and 620 and are locked therein by means of a slotted key 901 which locks the mold member 621 in place when situated as shown in fig7 and 8 , but which allows for removal of member 621 when rotated 180 ° because the slot 905 then clears the outer periphery of the member 621 . lever arm 903 on the key 901 limits the rotary motion of the key by cooperating with extension members 902 and 904 . the mold members 621 and 622 are configured as shown to define voids 721 having an upper portion which is countersunk . thus , when the heating member 730 is lowered as shown in phantom in fig7 to heat and melt the terminal posts as shown in fig1 a through 10d the level of the molten metal rises up into the countersunk portion , but when the heating element 730 is removed , the level settles back into the lower portion of the void 721 to dry in the standard configuration of a terminal post . in accordance with standardized procedures , positive andd negative terminals of batteries are of different dimension in order to facilitate proper connection with external apparatus . in order to accommodate the wishes of various customers , the mold members 621 and 622 may have different sized voids 721 , and may be re - arranged between the molds 619 and 620 as desired . moreover , the molds 621 and 622 shown may be freely interchanged with other similar members of different inner - configuration to process battery elements of varying size and configuration , as desired . fig9 shows a view of the overlying plate 623 which is affixed in the carriage assembly to end blocks 609 and 610 by means of cam means 624 and 625 , and which , when so situated , determines the lateral position of the heating means 752 . more particularly , the securement means 624 and 625 fit through slots 906 and 911 in the plate 623 and screw or bolt into the terminating blocks 609 and 610 . the face of the plate defines first and second sets of openings 907 and 910 , and a plurality of sets of openings such as 908 and 909 extending across the face of the plate . once the securement members 624 and 625 mount the plate into the carriage assembly , set screws such as 912 through select ones of the end holes 907 and 910 establish the vertical location of the plate 623 . thereupon , a position is established for the support blocks 612 and 613 because they are affixed to the plate 623 by screws 628 and 629 through appropriate ones of the holes 908 and 909 . thus , use of particular ones of the holes 907 and 910 establish which of the holes 908 and 909 ( or any other such sets of holes , as desired ) to which the blocks 612 and 613 shall be mounted . it is to be understood that by alteration of the holes such as 908 and 909 , any desired position of the heating means 752 on the shaft 611 may be established . since the molding apparatus 619 and 620 is affixed to the respective blocks by means of posts 626 and 627 , similar positioning is established for the molding apparatus 619 and 620 on the lower shaft 618 . likewise , in order to accomodate different numbers of heating means 752 , it would only be required to establish correspondingly more sets of holes in the plate 623 . in a preferred mode of operation , the embodiment in fig6 through 9 operates as shown in fig1 a through 10d . in fig1 a through 10d , a bushing 920 is mounted around the post hole of the battery casing 732 as is practiced in the art . thereupon , as the casing is assembled , a terminal post 921 fits into the metallic bushing , to be welded thereto by application of apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention . in order to prepare the machinery of fig6 through 9 for operation , the plate 623 first is adjusted as desired to locate the heating means and the molding means appropriately over batteries to be processed . once a battery is positioned beneath the fig6 apparatus by means of a conveyor or the like , not shown , the cylinder 630 and piston 830 are energized to lower the carriage assembly and the molding apparatus downwardly onto the battery as shown in fig1 a . the first portion to make contact with the battery includes the molding means , which seat as appropriate over the portion to be processed as shown in fig1 b . thereupon , however , the cylinder 630 and piston 830 continues to exert downward force upon the carriage assembly , as shown in fig1 b , and a sliding of the carriage over the downward shafts 607 , 608 , 626 , and 627 results , such as shown in phantom in fig7 . once the heating means 752 are lowered to the desired position , as shown in fig1 c , the melting process of bushing 920 and post 921 as described hereinbefore is conducted , after which the heating means 752 first are withdrawn and sufficient time is allowed for the molten terminal post to set , as shown in fig1 d , and the entire assembly is then withdrawn upwardly . it may therefore be seen that the principles of the present invention provide substantial flexibility , in that variable numbers of heating means 752 may be utilized , but all are freely adjustable in accordance with the established structure of the plate 623 . by utilizing associated molding mechanisms , further adaptability is provided , since , first , unitary mold mechanisms are not needed , and , secondly , the interchangeable mold members 621 and 622 facilitate processes of different types . it will also be noted that , while the invention is described and illustrated above , it is principally for use with multiple - terminal applications , the same may be used for single applications , regarding the welding of batteries , and with respect to other types of welding . furthermore , various changes in the details , materials and arrangement of parts , as well as in the use and operation thereof may be effected , all within the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in the appended claims .
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in the description herein , numerous specific details are provided , such as examples of components and / or methods , to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention . one skilled in the relevant art will recognize , however , that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details , or with other apparatus , systems , methods , components , materials , parts , and / or the like . in other instances , well - known structures , materials , or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention . fig1 is a block diagram of an apparatus ( system ) 100 that can implement an embodiment of the invention . the apparatus 100 includes two nodes 105 a and 105 b ( generally , node 105 ) that are connected by a link 110 . the nodes 105 a and 105 b are network devices such as , for example , network switches . the nodes 105 a and 105 b includes fault finders 115 a and 115 b , duplex mismatch detect module 120 a and 120 b , event log message generator module 125 a and 125 b , processors 130 a and 130 b , and phy ( physical link layer ) 135 a and 135 b ( generally , phy 135 ), respectively , as shown in fig1 . the phys 135 a and 135 include port 140 a and 140 b , respectively , and include other suitable standard hardware components in network devices and permit the transmission of data over the link 110 . for example , a phy 135 typically includes an mdi ( medium dependent interface ) which is the connection to the link ( medium ) 110 ( i . e ., the direct physical and electrical connection to the link ). auto - negotiation automatically configures duplex and speed . it is also possible to turn off auto - negotiation and forced both speed and duplex . the duplex mismatch detect module 120 and event log message generator 125 can be integrated into a single module which can be called as a duplex mismatch finder . the fault finders 115 a and 115 b , duplex mismatch detect module 120 a and 120 b , and event log message generator module 125 a and 125 b are typically implemented in software and are stored in a memory ( e . g ., memory 132 a and 132 b ) in the nodes 105 . the fault finders 115 a and 115 b , duplex mismatch detect module 120 a and 120 b , and event log message generator module 125 a and 125 b are typically programmed in a suitable programming language , such as , for example , c , and are created by use of known code programming techniques . the processors 130 a and 130 b ( generally , processor 130 ) execute the fault finders 115 a and 115 b ( generally , fault finder 115 ), duplex mismatch detect module 120 a and 120 b ( generally , module 120 ), and event log message generator module 125 a and 125 b ( generally , module 125 ), respectively , and also execute other software or firmware in a node 105 . the fault finder 115 is a module that detects for fault conditions in a network . a fault condition can include , for example , a loop configuration in the network . a fault condition can also include over threshold late collisions and over threshold cyclic redundancy check errors , as described below . an embodiment of the fault finder 115 is implemented in , for example , the procurve 5304 and 5308 switches and other switches which are commercially available from hewlett - packard company . the fault finder , 115 a will check the error counters 145 a and 150 a , while fault finder 115 b will check the error counters 145 b and 150 b . the fault finder 115 a will generate an event log message 155 a , based upon the values in the late collision counter 145 a and crc error counter 150 a exceeding threshold values that are set by the user and based upon whether the port is set to forced mode or auto - negotiation mode , as discussed below . when the collision counter 145 a exceeds a threshold value ( a user - settable boundary ), the fault finder 115 a sets a flag 155 a . when the crc error counter 150 a exceeds a threshold value ( a user - settable boundary ), the fault finder 115 a sets a flag 160 a . the flags 155 a and 160 a are typically values that are set in a memory ( e . g ., memory 132 a ) in the node 105 a . similarly , the fault finder 115 b will generate an event log message 155 b , based upon the values in the late collision counter 145 b and crc error counter 150 b exceeding threshold values that are set by the user , as discussed below . when the collision counter 145 b exceeds a threshold value ( a user - settable boundary ), the fault finder 115 b sets a flag 155 b . when the crc error counter 150 b exceeds a threshold value ( a user - settable boundary ), the fault finder 115 b sets a flag 160 b . the flags 155 b and 160 b are typically values that are set in a memory ( e . g ., memory 132 b ) in the node 105 b . various parameters are then checked by the duplex mismatch detect modules 120 and event log message generator 125 ( i . e ., parameters are checked by the duplex mismatched finder ) in order to detect a duplex mismatch , as discussed below , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . various standard components and / or software in the nodes 105 a and 105 b ( and in the network 100 ) have been omitted in fig1 for purposes of clarity and for purposes of focusing on the functionalities of embodiments of the invention . it should be appreciated that , in alternative embodiments , the network system 100 may include components and products other than those discussed above . moreover , the network system 100 can be implemented on different hardware . those skilled in the art will recognize that other alternative hardware and software environments may be used without departing from the scope of embodiments of the invention . as such , the exemplary environment in fig1 is not intended to limit embodiments of the invention . fig2 is a block diagram of a method 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in block 205 , the late collision error flag 155 is set if the late collision error counter 145 exceeds a user settable threshold value , or the crc error flag 160 is set if the crc error counter 150 exceeds a user settable threshold value . the threshold value for late collision error counter 145 and for the crc error counter 150 are typically measured in errors per second and can be set to any suitable values depending on , for example , implementation . the fault finder 115 checks the counters 145 and 150 and sets the flags 155 and 160 if one of the counters 145 and 150 exceeds the user settable threshold value . late collision error is defined in the ethernet specification . late collisions occur when there is a late occurrence of a collision on the link . in an ethernet network , a collision is the result of two devices on the same ethernet network attempting to transmit data at exactly the same time . the network detects the “ collision ” of the two transmitted packets and discards them both . late collision is a very good indication that one node is trying to transmit data , while the opposite node in the link is transmitting data , and therefore , a duplex mismatch may be present . crc is a method of checking for errors in data that has been transmitted on a communications link . a sending device applies a 16 - bit or 32 - bit polynomial to a block of data that is to be transmitted and appends the resulting cyclic redundancy code ( crc ) to the block . the receiving end applies the same polynomial to the data and compares its result with the result appended by the sender . if the devices agree , the data has been received successfully . if not , the sender can be notified to resend the block of data . if there is a duplex mismatch , then a node 115 will see a late collision error or a crc error , depending on whether the node 115 is set for full - duplex or half - duplex . after the late collision error flag 155 is set ( i . e ., the late collisions exceeded a user settable threshold value ) or crc flag 160 is set ( i . e ., the crc errors exceeded a user settable threshold value ), then in block 210 , a check if a node port 140 is connected to a link 110 . if , in block 210 , the node port 140 is not connected to a link 110 , then , in block 215 , the flags 155 or 160 are cleared and a duplex mismatch is regarded as not present or as not possible . in block 220 , the method 200 returns to block 205 where the fault finder 115 will check the late collision error counter 155 and the crc error counter 160 and set the flags 155 or 160 if the collision error counter 155 or the crc error counter 160 , respectively , exceeds a user settable threshold value . if , in block 210 , the node port 140 is connected to a link 110 , then , in block 225 , the port 140 is checked if it is a 100tx port or 1000t port ( i . e ., the port 140 is checked if it is a copper port , since a duplex mismatch can only occur between copper ports ). if , in block 225 , the node port 140 is not a copper port , then blocks 215 and 220 are repeated as discussed above , and a duplex mismatch is regarded as not present or as not possible . therefore , fiber ports are not checked for duplex mismatches . if , in block 225 , the node port 140 is connected to a copper port , then , in block 230 , a check is performed to determine if the port 140 is connected to a gigabit link ( 1000t link ) ( i . e ., the port is up in gigabit mode ). a duplex mismatch will typically not occur in gigabit mode because the gigabit ethernet standard typically only supports full - duplex for connected device ( although the gigabit ethernet standard has the half - duplex mode , it does not use the half - duplex mode ). if , in block 230 , the port 140 is connected to a gigabit link , then blocks 215 and 220 are repeated as discussed above , and a duplex mismatch is regarded as not present or as not possible . if , in block 230 , the port 140 is not connected to a gigabit link , then , in block 235 , a check is performed on the configuration to determine if the port is set in forced mode . the forced mode can be 10hdx ( half - duplex ), 10fdx ( full - duplex ), 100hdx , or 100fdx . if forced mode is set in block 235 , then , in block 245 , the is forced flag ( generally flag 170 , and specifically flags 170 a or 170 b in fig1 ) is set by the duplex mismatch detect module 120 . if forced mode is not set in block 235 , then , in block 240 , a check is performed to determine if auto - negotiation was completed successfully . the duplex mismatch detect module 120 checks the phy 135 to determine if auto - negotiation has failed . the auto - negotiation process is disclosed in the standard ieee 802 . 3 clause 36 , which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference . if auto - negotiation is not completed successfully in block 240 , then blocks 215 and 220 are repeated as discussed above , and a duplex mismatch is regarded as not present or as not possible . if auto - negotiation is completed successfully in block 240 , then , in block 250 , the autohdx flag ( generally flag 175 , and specifically flags 175 a or 175 b in fig1 ) is set by the duplex mismatch detect module 120 , to indicate that the port 140 is in auto - negotiation mode and in half duplex . note that it may be possible for a port be in auto - negotiation mode and in full duplex . however , in the embodiments described herein , the flag is looking for a possible error condition which can only occur when the port comes up in half duplex while in auto - negotiation mode . the flags 170 and 175 are values that are set in memory in a node 105 . in block 255 ( with the “ return duplex mismatch is possible flags ”), at this point it is known that a duplex mismatch is possible , so a message will be sent which includes the error condition denoted by these flags . the duplex mismatch detect module 120 performs the above - mentioned actions in blocks 210 through 255 . the following blocks then insure that the correct counter has matched the perceived side of the duplex mismatch . when there is a duplex mismatch , one node 115 will detect the late collisions , while the opposite node 115 will detect the crc errors . in block 260 , if the autohdx flag 175 is set and the late collision counter 145 has exceeded the user settable threshold , then , in block 270 , the user is informed of a duplex mismatch and a suggestion is made to the user to set the port 140 to full duplex . the autohdx flag 175 indicates that the port 140 is currently in auto - negotiation mode and in half duplex . in block 280 , the information that is generated in block 270 is provided to the user by sending an event log message 155 , and the method 200 then returns to block 205 where the fault finder 115 will check the late collision error counter 155 and the crc error counter 160 and set the flags 155 or 160 if the collision error counter 155 or the crc error counter 160 , respectively , exceeds a user settable threshold value . the event log message generator 125 ( fig1 ) informs the fault finder 115 to generate an event log message 155 with the information in block 270 . on the other hand , in block 260 , if the autohdx flag 175 is not set or if the late collisions counter 145 did not exceed the user settable threshold , then the method 200 proceeds to block 265 . in block 265 , if the isforced flag 170 is set and the crc error counter 150 has exceeded the user settable threshold , then , in block 275 , the user is informed of a duplex mismatch and a suggestion is made to the user to set the port to auto - negotiation mode . the isforced flag 170 indicates that the port 140 is currently in forced mode . in block 280 , the information that is generated in block 275 is provided to the user by sending an event log message 155 , and the method 200 then returns to block 205 where the fault finder 115 will check the late collision error counter 155 and the crc error counter 160 and set the flags 155 or 160 if the collision error counter 155 or the crc error counter 160 , respectively , exceeds a user settable threshold value . the event log message generator 125 ( fig1 ) informs the fault finder 115 to generate an event log message 155 with the information in block 275 . on the other hand , in block 265 , if the isforced flag 170 is not set or if the crc error counter 150 did not exceed the user settable threshold , then blocks 215 and 220 are repeated as discussed above , and a duplex mismatch is regarded as not present or as not possible . the event log message generator 125 performs the above - mentioned actions in blocks 260 through 275 . therefore , blocks 260 and 265 inform the user of a duplex mismatch and to set ( change ) the port 140 to either auto - negotiation mode or to full duplex . if the user is told to change the port 140 setting to full duplex ( see block 270 ), then this means the link partner to this port 140 ( i . e ., where the link partner is the node 115 on the other end of link 110 ) is in forced mode ( forced full duplex mode ), and this port 140 is in auto - negotiation mode and is in half duplex due to the fact that auto - negotiation did not complete successfully . on the other hand , if the user is told to change the port 140 setting to auto - negotiation ( see block 275 ), then this means the link partner to this port 140 is in auto - negotiation mode , while this port is in forced mode ( forced full - duplex mode ). based on the event log message 155 that is sent to the user of the port 140 , the user can change the port 145 settings in order to eliminate the duplex mismatch . it is also within the scope of the present invention to implement a program or code that can be stored in a machine - readable medium to permit a computer to perform any of the methods described above . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ”, “ an embodiment ”, or “ a specific embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , the appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ”, “ in an embodiment ”, or “ in a specific embodiment ” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . furthermore , the particular features , structures , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . other variations and modifications of the above - described embodiments and methods are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure . it will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings / figures can also be implemented in a more separated or integrated manner , or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certain cases , as is useful in accordance with a particular application . additionally , the signal arrows in the drawings / figures are considered as exemplary and are not limiting , unless otherwise specifically noted . furthermore , the term “ or ” as used in this disclosure is generally intended to mean “ and / or ” unless otherwise indicated . combinations of components or steps will also be considered as being noted , where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability to separate or combine is unclear . as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow , “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” includes plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . also , as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow , the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on ” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . the above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention , including what is described in the abstract , is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . while specific embodiments of , and examples for , the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes , various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention , as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize . these modifications can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description . the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims . rather , the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims , which are to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation .
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fig1 illustrates an example wireless communications network using picocells for facilitating mobile device access . picocells 101 are mounted on overhead , open - air cables 102 connected between utility poles 103 . each picocell 101 provides coverage to a coverage area 104 . a mobile device in coverage area 104 will be able to communicate with the network coupled to picocells 101 . providing continuous access to the network coupled to picocells 101 as a mobile device moves between coverage areas 104 is a goal of the wireless communications network . fig2 illustrates the various aspects of a picocell device . a base band unit 201 controls communication between the larger communications network and mobile devices . the radio processor 202 is configured to transmit and receive signals to and from one or more antennas 203 . antenna 203 is the physical device that broadcasts and receives wireless signals to and from mobile devices . a difficulty in providing an increasing number of picocell devices is that when creating the network , each picocell &# 39 ; s base band unit must be provisioned , commissioned , and managed individually , in a similar fashion to base stations with larger coverage areas . however , since the picocell device &# 39 ; s coverage area 104 is relatively small , many more picocells must be deployed for an equivalent amount of coverage . the result is that the overhead of provisioning , commissioning , and managing the picocell device must be repeated many more times when using picocell devices to cover a large area , when compared to a base stations with a larger coverage area . another difficulty when using picocells is the scalability of network traffic management as the number of picocells grows . in a long term evolution (“ lte ”) wireless communications network , data links are required between every cell in a cluster in order to facilitate fast and seamless hand - off between the different cells as a mobile device moves from one coverage area to another . in addition , a data link is required to connect the picocell to the service provider &# 39 ; s core network . as a result , the number of connections required for n nodes is on the order of magnitude of n squared . managing an exponentially growing number of connections is a scalability problem when considering the large number of picocells required to serve a large network area . a third difficulty when using picocells is that when cascading them in long chains , a mobile device travelling through multiple picocell coverage areas generates multiple hand - offs , requiring action from the network to correctly predict the movement of the mobile device and hand - off the mobile device to the next picocell coverage area . this hand - off requires time and system resources . generally speaking , moving from one picocell coverage area to another picocell coverage area requires an inter - node hard handoff . this requires , for example , finding a new target picocell to connect to the mobile device based on estimations of the mobile device &# 39 ; s location , speed , the original picocell &# 39 ; s signal strength and coverage area , and the target picocell &# 39 ; s signal strength and coverage area . once the new target picocell is determined , the original picocell communicates a handoff order comprising the target picocell &# 39 ; s frequency or time slot to the mobile device . the target picocell informs the communications network and the communication link between the communications network and the mobile device is established through the target picocell . a common possible side effect may be a short loss in communication , or even a dropped communication connection . since a picocell coverage area may be small , a mobile device may experience many handoffs as it moves through many picocell coverage areas . one approach to addressing some of these issues may be to utilize a remote radio head means of implementing a picocell . in such a case , base band unit 201 is separate from the combination of the radio processor 202 and the antenna 203 . the radio processor 202 in this configuration may be known as a remote radio head . in fig1 , each picocell 101 may be replaced by a remote radio head and multiple remote radio heads may be coupled to a single base station 201 . however , when configuring the system to include cascaded chains of remote radio heads coupled to a base band unit , some difficulties remain . for example , the base band unit 201 requires a data connection to each remote radio head , and the resulting data throughput requirements limit the size of cascaded chains . in addition , such connections often occur over a dedicated network line . the present invention contemplates solutions to this problem while achieving the benefits of cascaded radio heads . fig3 illustrates an example embodiment of the present invention for a wireless communications network 301 utilizing distributed cascaded remote radio heads over a shared network . wireless communications network 301 may have one or more base band units 302 . base band unit 302 may be coupled to one or more mobile network clusters 303 via a general purpose , fiber - optic backhaul network 304 and shared network 318 . backhaul network 304 may carry general data telecommunications and / or multimedia traffic to and from networks and devices , such as cable services network 314 , core wireless network 312 , internet service network 316 , land - based service subscribers 311 , mobile devices 308 , and other networks and devices not pictured . backhaul network 304 may comprise a fiber - optic network . shared network 318 may comprise a fiber , electromagnetic , or hybrid transmission lines . shared network 318 may carry general data telecommunications and / or multimedia traffic to and from devices in or in communication with cluster 303 and networks connected to backhaul network 304 . shared network 318 may be coupled to backhaul network 304 by means of an optical switch 305 . in one embodiment , optical switch 305 may comprise an optical add / drop multiplexer . cluster 303 may be coupled to shared network 304 . base band unit 302 may be coupled to multiple clusters 303 . each cluster 303 may comprise one or more remote radio heads 306 cascaded in a chain topology . the one or more remote radio heads 306 may be coupled to one other through optical fiber . each remote radio head 306 may be coupled to one or more antennas 307 . antennas 307 send and receive wireless signals to and from one or more mobile devices 308 . cluster 303 may also be coupled to an optical node 309 . optical node 309 may be configured to transfer signals from an optical fiber to an electromagnetic transmission line 310 . in one embodiment , electromagnetic transmission line 310 comprises a coaxial cable transmission line . optical node 309 may be coupled to one or more land - based service subscribers 311 through electromagnetic transmission line 310 . land - based service subscribers 311 may receive any number of services by being coupled to optical node 309 , including cable television services , voice , or data . the optical fiber coupling optical switch 305 , remote radio heads 306 , and optical node 309 in conjunction with the electromagnetic transmission line 310 coupling optical node 309 and land - based service subscribers 311 may comprise a shared network 118 . the wireless communications network may be coupled to a core wireless network 312 that may transmit voice , data , or other digital information . the core wireless network 312 may comprise one or more wireless or hard - wired networks . core wireless network 312 may provide voice , data , or other digital information services to devices of wireless communications network 301 . core wireless network 312 may provide voice , data , or other digital information connections between remote devices ( not shown ) coupled to core wireless network 312 and devices of communications network 301 . the core wireless network 312 may be coupled to the wireless communications network 301 through shared network 318 via an optical switch 305 . wireless communications network 301 may be coupled to a cable services network 314 that may transmit television data , telephony data , or other data services . cable services network 314 may comprise one or more networks . cable services network 314 may provide television data , telephony data , or other data services to land - based service subscribers 311 . cable services network 312 may be coupled to wireless communications network 301 shared network 318 via an optical switch 305 . wireless communications network 301 may be coupled to an internet service network 316 that may transmit digital data comprising telephony , internet , multimedia , or other services . the internet service network 316 may comprise one or more networks . internet service network 316 may provide services to land - based service subscribers 311 . internet service network 316 may be coupled to the wireless communications network 301 through shared network 318 via an optical switch 305 . in operation , a voice or data connection may be established between a node in wireless communications network 301 ( or in core wireless network 312 ) and mobile devices 308 . for example , mobile device 308 a may send a signal to wireless communications network 301 which is first received by the antennas 307 a of a remote radio head 306 a . other remote radio heads 306 b , 306 c , 306 d may also receive through antennas 307 b , 307 c , 307 d the signal from mobile device 308 a . simultaneously , other mobile devices 308 b , 308 c , may be transmitting to wireless communications network 301 through one or more of the remote radio heads 306 . after receiving a wireless transmission from mobile device 308 a , and possibly other mobile devices 308 b , 308 c , remote radio head 306 a may process the received signals and transmit them via shared network 318 to the next upstream remote radio head 306 b in the cascaded chain . remote radio head 306 b may have also received wireless transmissions through its antennas 307 b from mobile devices 308 a , 308 b , 308 c which are processed by remote radio head 306 b . remote radio head 306 b may also receive a transmission from remote radio head 306 a . remote radio head 306 b may add the signals received through its antennas 307 b to the transmission from remote radio head 306 a . the resulting signal may be transmitted via shared network 218 upstream in the cascaded chain of radio heads to the next remote radio head 307 c . a similar process may occur utilizing remote radio heads 307 c and 307 d . the resulting transmission , representing the received signals from all mobile devices 308 communicating with cluster 303 , may be added to the shared network 218 . shared network 218 may transport the received signals to backhaul network 304 via optical switch 305 , whereupon the transmission reaches base band unit 302 . base band unit 302 may be coupled to core wireless network 312 to provide communication to mobile devices 308 . base band unit 302 may connect each transmitted signal through the backhaul network 304 to the appropriate destination , which may be in wireless communications network 301 or in core wireless network 312 . when data is transmitted from the destination node , which may be in wireless communications network 301 or in core wireless network 312 , back to mobile devices 308 , the data may flow through backhaul network 304 to the cluster 303 by way of optical switch 305 and shared network 318 . several such downstream data connections may be made to multiple mobile devices 308 on the cluster 303 . a single composite signal composed of the multiple downstream connections may be broadcast simultaneously on all remote radio heads 306 in the cluster 303 . remote radio head 306 a may receive the composite signal and broadcast it to relevant mobile devices 308 within range . the ability of a mobile device 308 a to send and receive signals from a remote radio head 306 a may constitute a voice or data connection with the wireless communications network 301 or core wireless network 312 . when a mobile device 308 a moves from the coverage area of one remote radio head 306 a to the coverage area of another remote radio head 306 b , no hand - off , hard or soft , may be necessary . when a mobile device moves from the coverage area of a cluster 303 of remote radio heads to a different cluster , an intra - node hand - off may be used instead of an inter - node hand - off . thus , operation of wireless communications network 301 implemented with distributed radio heads may resemble the operation of a network implemented with macrocells , but with the benefits of a network implemented with picocells . in addition to communicating with mobile devices 308 , communications with land - based service subscribers 311 or other subscribers connected to cluster 303 may be provided by shared network 318 . backhaul network 304 may connect television , multimedia , internet , voice , or other data services to cluster 303 . communications with land - based service subscribers 311 may originate in cable services network 314 , internet service network , or another provider in communication with backhaul network 304 . the television , multimedia , voice , or other data services for land - based service subscribers may 311 be transported by shared network 318 between optical switch 305 and optical node 309 . the data and services between optical node 309 and land - based service subscribers 311 may be transported by electromagnetic transmission line 310 . communications with land - based service subscribers 311 may happen simultaneously with voice and data connections between mobile devices 308 and wireless communications network 301 . a method of communication between remote radio heads 306 may comprise a digital radio interface . in one embodiment , common public radio interface (“ cpri ”) may be utilized . cpri is an interface between radio equipment control ( such as base band units ) and radio equipment ( such as base band units ). the cpri protocol specifies transport , connectivity , and control between these communications devices , specifically for layer 1 and layer 2 . the cpri protocol does not , however , specify how to accomplish a cascaded chain of remote radio heads without the significant data requirements mentioned above in the discussion of fig1 . fig4 illustrates an example embodiment of a system 400 utilizing cpri to communicate between a cascaded chain of remote radio heads . one or more remote radio heads 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may be chained together using cpri . each remote radio head 401 may communicate with a wireless device 402 by sending and receiving wireless signals 403 a , 403 b , 403 c to and from wireless device 402 . each remote radio head 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may utilize a set of one or more antennas 405 a , 405 b , 405 c to send and receive wireless signals 403 a , 403 b , 403 c . remote radio heads 401 a , 401 b , 401 c are coupled to each other and to base band unit 404 through pairs of data links 406 a , 406 b , 406 c . pairs of data links 406 may be configured to carry upstream and downstream communication , and may be physically implemented with optical fiber . pairs of data links 406 may comprise a cpri link . each remote radio head 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may comprise a layer 1 module 407 a , 407 b , 407 c . layer 1 modules 407 may comprise any combination of hardware and / or software configurable to send and receive signals in a physical layer optical interface . each remote radio head 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may comprise a layer 2 module 408 a , 408 b , 408 c . layer 2 modules 408 may comprise any combination of hardware and / or software configurable to provide means of accessing or repackaging information being transported by layer 1 modules 407 . layer 2 modules 408 may comprise any combination of hardware and / or software configurable to implement a data link layer . a layer 1 module 407 a , 407 b , 407 c may be coupled to its respective layer 2 module 408 a , 408 b , 408 c . each remote radio head 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may comprise a processing unit 409 a , 409 b , 409 c . processing units 409 may be coupled to layer 2 modules 408 and to antennas 405 . processing units 409 may be configured to send / receive information about wireless signals 403 to / from antennas 405 . processing units 409 may be configured to send / receive data to / from layer 2 modules 408 , or otherwise access information being transported by layer 1 modules 407 by way of layer 2 modules 408 . processing units 409 may be configured to process information , received or to be sent , in such a way to facilitate cpri communication in the system 400 for between base band unit 404 and wireless device 402 through remote radio heads 401 . in one embodiment , processing units 409 may be partially implemented by the radio processor 202 of fig2 . remote radio heads 401 and base band unit 404 may comprise any system , device , or apparatus configured to interpret and / or execute program instructions and / or process data . in certain embodiments , a remote radio head 401 or a base band unit 404 may comprise a processor , 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 . in some embodiments , a remote radio head 401 or a base band unit 404 may interpret and / or execute program instructions and / or process data stored in a memory . a memory be coupled to a remote radio head 401 or a base band unit 404 and may include 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 ). in operation , wireless device 402 may broadcast a signal 403 c . remote radio head 401 c may receive the signal 403 c through its antennas 405 c . information about the signal 403 c may be sent to processing unit 409 c . processing unit 409 c may prepare the information for transport to the remainder of the wireless network and may use layer 2 module 408 c to package information about the signal 403 c to be sent by layer 1 module 407 c . information about signal 403 c may be sent to remote radio head 401 b through data link 406 c . remote radio head 401 b may receive information about signal 403 c through layer 1 module 407 b . remote radio head 401 b may receive signal 403 b through its antennas 405 b . information about signal 403 b may be sent to processing unit 409 b . processing unit 409 b may access information about signal 403 c by utilizing layer 2 module 408 b to interface with layer 1 module 407 b . processing unit 409 b may process information about signal 403 c and signal 403 b so as to accurately present the information to base band unit 404 . additional possible implementations of such operation of processing units 409 are given in fig5 , below . processing unit 409 b may use layer 2 module 408 b to package information about signal 403 b , or post - processing information about signals 403 b , 403 c , to be sent by layer 1 module 407 b . the information may be sent to remote radio head 401 a through data link 406 b . remote radio head 401 a may receive information about signals 403 b and 403 c through layer 1 module 407 a . remote radio head 401 a may receive signal 403 a through its antennas 405 a . information about signal 403 a may be sent to processing unit 409 a . processing unit 409 a may access information about signals 403 b and 403 c by utilizing layer 2 module 408 a to interface with layer 1 module 407 a . processing unit 409 a may process information about signals 403 a , 403 b , 403 c so as to accurately present the information to base band unit 404 . processing unit 409 a may use layer 2 module 408 a to package information about signal 403 a , or post - processing information about signals 403 a , 403 b , and 403 c to be sent by layer 1 module 407 a . the information may be sent to base band unit 404 through data link 406 a . fig5 illustrates an example embodiment of a system 500 of upstream cpri communication between cascaded remote radio heads showing example signal processing . one or more remote radio heads 401 a , 401 b , 401 c may be coupled together using cpri . as noted above , each remote radio head 401 may receive a signal 503 a , 503 b , 503 c through its antennas from a wireless device . each remote radio head 401 may comprise elements for processing wireless signals 503 . for example , each remote radio head 401 may comprise a delay compensation buffer 502 a , 502 b , 502 c , as well as an adder 504 a , 504 b for adding the wireless signals 503 a , 503 b received through antennas to signal received from another remote radio head 401 . each remote radio head 401 may be configured to transmit the resultant signal using the cpri protocol upstream to the next remote radio head 401 ; or in the case of remote radio head 401 a , to the base band unit 404 . in operation , remote radio head 401 c receives a wireless signal 503 c through its antennas ( not shown ). because remote radio head 401 c is the last remote radio head in the cascaded chain , it may simply transmit the signal to remote radio head 401 b using the cpri protocol . remote radio head 401 b does not receive the signal from remote radio head 401 c instantaneously ; there may have been some delay 505 c . thus , the received signal 506 c is the wireless signal 503 c with some delay 505 c . remote radio head 401 b may also receive a wireless signal 503 b from its own antennas . to correctly add the wireless signal 503 b to the received signal 506 c , delay compensation buffer 502 b may add an estimation of delay 505 c to wireless signal 503 b , resulting in delay - compensated wireless signal 507 b . delay compensation buffer 502 b may be configured at installation , taking into account the distance between remote radio heads 401 b , 401 c , the equipment used , and any other factors that contribute to delay . alternatively , the delay 505 c may be measured during installation and delay compensation buffer 502 b set accordingly . the two signals , delay - compensated wireless signal 507 b and received signal 506 c , may be added using digital signal bits addition . the resulting signal 508 b may comprise wireless signals 503 b , 503 c adjusted for time or phase associated with delay 505 c . the resulting signal 508 b may be transmitted using cpri to the next upstream remote radio head 401 a . similarly , remote radio head 401 a may receive received signal 506 b that comprises the resulting signal 508 b and some delay 505 b . remote radio head 401 a may also receive a wireless signal 503 a from its own antennas . to correctly add the wireless signal 503 a to the received signal 506 b , delay compensation buffer 502 a may add an estimation of delays 505 b , 505 c to wireless signal 503 a , resulting in delay - compensated wireless signal 507 a . delay compensation buffer 502 a may be configured at installation , taking into account the distance between remote radio heads 401 a , 401 b , 401 c , the equipment used , and any other factors that contribute to delay . alternatively , the delays 505 b , 505 c may be measured during installation and delay compensation buffer 502 a set accordingly . the two signals , delay - compensated wireless signal 507 a and received signal 506 b may be added using digital signal bits addition . the resulting signal 508 a may comprise wireless signals 503 a , 503 b , 503 c adjusted for time or phase associated with delays 505 b , 505 c . the resulting signal 508 a may be transmitted using cpri to the base band unit 404 . in one embodiment , the digital signal bits addition may be accomplished by sampling , at each remote radio head , a particularly frequency of the wireless signal with an accuracy of twelve bits . using digital signal bits addition , three bits may be allocated for carry - over bits , resulting in the ability to cascade up to eight remote radio heads with a 1 . 2 gbps fiber connection for bidirectional traffic . in a further embodiment , cascading remote radio heads may be based upon the cpri standard , version 4 . in yet a further embodiment , additional remote radio heads may be supported with a larger word size . fig6 is a diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a method 600 of upstream communication for a cascaded chain of remote radio heads over a shared network . simultaneously , upstream communication with wireless mobile devices , as well as bi - directional communication with land based service subscribers , may be possible . upstream communications may be of the form wherein a wireless device may send a signal , packet , or transmission to a device in the core wireless network through a remote radio head . downstream communications may be of the form wherein a device in core wireless network may send a signal , packet , or transmission to a wireless device through a remote radio head . for upstream mobile communications , in step 601 wireless signals may be obtained from one or more mobile devices in one more remote radio heads in a single cluster . each remote radio head may receive the wireless signals through its own antennas . for all the remote radio head devices in a single cluster , obtaining wireless signals may happen simultaneously . in step 602 , the wireless signal may be compensated for the cumulative delay occurring in all upstream wireless signal acquisitions . the compensation may be configured at installation , taking into account the distance between the remote radio head and the downstream remote radio heads . as a result , the compensated wireless signal will have minimal time or phase differences from signals received in step 603 . if the remote radio head is at the bottom of the cascaded chain of remote radio heads , no compensation may be necessary . in step 603 , the remote radio head may receive a signal from a downstream remote radio head , the signal containing the received wireless radio signals received by all downstream remote radio heads . if the remote radio head is at the bottom of the cascaded chain of remote radio heads , the remote radio head might not receive a signal from a downstream remote radio head . in step 604 , the delay compensated wireless signal and the received signal may be added together using digital signal bits addition . in step 605 , it may be determined whether or not the top of the chain of remote radio heads has been reached . if the top of the chain of remote radio heads has been reached , then in step 606 , the resulting signal may be transmitted to the base band unit . the resulting signal in this step may represent the received signals from all mobile devices communicating with the cluster . if the top of the chain of remote radio heads has not been reached , then in step 607 , the resulting signal may be transmitted upstream to the next remote radio head via the cpri protocol . steps 602 - 607 may be repeated for the next upstream remote radio head . for downstream mobile communications , an inbound signal to a wireless device in communication with a cluster may be routed over the backhaul network to the appropriate cluster . the signal may be routed to each remote radio head in the cluster using a single cpri link . the signal may be broadcast simultaneously through each remote radio head &# 39 ; s antennas and received by the wireless device . for communications with land based service subscribers , an inbound signal to a land based service subscriber coupled to an optical node , the optical node coupled to a cluster , may be routed over the backhaul network to the appropriate cluster . the signal may be transported over fiber through remote radio heads . the signal may then be routed over an electromagnetic transmission line to the target land - based service subscriber . these steps may describe a downloading process ; an uploading process may be accomplished simply by reversing the order of the steps . although fig6 discloses a particular number of steps to be taken with respect to an example method 600 , method 600 may be executed with more or fewer steps than those depicted in fig6 . in addition , although fig6 discloses a certain order of steps to be taken with respect to method 600 , the steps comprising method 600 may be completed in any suitable order . for example , steps 602 - 606 may be conducted in parallel , simultaneously or at different times , at each remote radio head within the cascaded chain of remote radio heads . in addition , step 603 may be completed before completing step 602 , since both steps are independent of each other and are predicate to step 604 . method 600 may be implemented using the network of fig3 , the system of fig5 , or any other system operable to implement method 600 . in certain embodiments , method 600 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 electromagnetic and / or optical carriers ; 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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the invention is explained in more detail in the following drawings and examples . as indicated schematically in fig1 , the most important parts of the coating device are the pouring plates ( 1 ) with the laterally mounted lateral limiter plates ( 2 ). the free fall of the curtain ( 6 ) begins at lip ( 4 ) of the pouring front plate ( 5 ). from this point , the curtain ( 6 ) is stabilized by the lateral guides ( 7 ). the coating device further comprises a web ( 8 ), which is guided around the pouring roll ( 9 ) in the indicated rotational direction and underneath the coating device in order to be coated . in the coating device according to the invention , the laterally limiting liquid film ( 11 ) is supplied transversally to the curtain , as shown in fig2 . the supplying slit ( 12 ) has such a shape that the flow direction of the liquid film ( 11 ) at the exit of the slit is the same as for the falling curtain ( 6 ) in order to minimize disturbances of the speed profile of the falling curtain . the lateral flow liquid consists mainly of water , eventually containing surfactants , inorganic or organic salts , polymers , pigments or ingredients of the coating solutions . it is also possible to use non - aqueous liquids as lateral flow liquid . the width l of the groove ( 13 ) in fig3 , the real guide surface of the curtain , is from 4 mm to 15 mm , preferably from 6 mm to 8 mm . within this range of widths of the groove ( 13 ), an optimal stability of the curtain is obtained with very small quantities of lateral flow liquid as measured by the amount of the coating solutions minimally necessary for curtain formation and where the curtain just does not detach from the lateral guides . the physical properties of the surface of the groove ( 13 ) are of utmost importance . rough surfaces are preferred , in particular surfaces with incorporated channels in the flow direction of the curtain . the channels may be of sinusoidal , triangular or rectangular profile or a mixture of these profiles , independent of the fact that such rough surfaces are considerably more difficult to clean than smooth surfaces . the incorporated channels are arranged in the direction of the falling curtain , either continuously or discontinuously . the distance between the channels is from 10 μm to 1000 μm , in particular from 100 μm to 250 μm . the depth of the channels is from 1 μm to 500 μm , in particular from 30 μm to 100 μm . a stable coating process is possible with amounts of the lateral flow liquid lower than 3 l / h with this device according to the invention . in contrast all devices known up to now , as for example the combination of the lateral guides described in patent application ep 0 &# 39 ; 740 &# 39 ; 197 with the suction device described in patent application ep 0 &# 39 ; 841 &# 39 ; 588 , need high amounts of lateral flow liquid , typically from 8 l / h to 24 l / h . the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention unexpectedly need considerably lower amounts of lateral flow liquid using the same coating solutions , due to the optimized surface structure and width of the groove compared to the same device and method without the optimized surface structure and width of the groove . the stability of the border area of the curtain near the lateral guides has been considerably improved by this optimized width and surface structure of the groove . there is therefore no longer a need to remove the border areas of the curtain by a separation device during the coating process . at the lower ends ( 14 ) of the lateral guides ( 7 ), the whole amount of the coating solutions and of the lateral flow liquid are deposited on the moving web ( 8 ), as is illustrated in fig4 . in order to prevent the separation of the curtain from the lateral guides , the angle α between the two sides of the protruding edge needs to be between 0 ° and 90 °, in particular between 10 ° and 60 °. the added , mainly aqueous lateral flow liquid at the lateral guides leads to a more or less pronounced dilution of the border areas of the curtain resulting in local reductions of the viscosity of the coating solutions and higher coating weights in the border areas . furthermore air may be entrapped below the falling curtain , inducing further coating defects . in order to prevent this air entrapping , in particular with low coating weights and low viscosities of the coating solutions , the lower ends of the laterals guides need to be of optimal shape . the lower ends ( 14 ) of the lateral guides ( 7 ), directed towards the curtain , have the shape of a downward protruding edge , as illustrated in fig4 . this edge may be sharply defined or slightly rounded . the size of the height and of the width of this edge is in the region of some millimeters . the angle β between the horizontal line and the side of the protruding edge facing the curtain is from 0 ° to 90 °, in particular from 30 ° to 90 °. at the lowest ends of the lateral guides , the falling curtain separates from the lateral guides and falls unguided onto the moving web below the lateral guides . in this unguided region , the curtain shows the tendency to contract due to the surface tension forces of the coating solutions . this leads to a more or less pronounced bead at the border of the coating with all the devices known up to now in the curtain coating process . such beads have to be prevented , because the higher amounts of coating solutions in these regions do not dry sufficiently fast , which may lead to sticking of the different loops on the wound rolls . in order to minimize the size of the formed beads , the distance d between the protruding edge at the lower ends ( 14 ) of the lateral guides ( 7 ) and the moving web ( 8 ) to be coated needs to be from 0 . 05 mm to 3 mm , in particular from 0 . 4 mm to 1 . 5 mm , as shown in fig4 . liquids in the border region of the curtain ( a mixture of lateral flow liquid and coating solutions ) may be drawn below the elements of the lateral guides , depending on the coating weights and viscosities of the coating solutions , leading to strong soiling in the region of curtain impingement . in order to prevent this soiling , the distance d has to be adapted to the coating weights and viscosities of the coating solutions . the surfaces of the undersides of the lower ends ( 14 ) of the lateral guides ( 7 ) need to be hydrophobic . the free surface energy of these undersides has to be in the range of 10 mnm to 60 mnm , in particular in the range of 20 mnm to 45 mnm . suitable surface coatings of the underside consist of amorphous carbon or teflon ( polytetrafluoroethylene ). a particularly preferred surface coating is teflon ( polytetrafluouroethylene ). it is to be understood that the device according to the invention may be varied with respect to the indicated dimensions and adapted to a wide variety of coating conditions occurring during coating processes . while each measure individually allows considerable improvements with respect to coating quality , the combination of the improvements described above for the lateral guides ( suitable angles a and β , optimal surface structure and width of the groove and a suitable surface coating of the undersides of the lower ends ) gives a method and a device , where separation and suction devices are no longer needed and where the quality of the coating on the moving web is nevertheless impeccable . there is no need for a costly infrastructure for separation and drainage systems for the separated coating solutions . there are less coating interruptions caused by obstruction of sucking devices , because these trouble prone devices are no longer necessary . it is possible to coat highly reactive coating solutions . the device according to the invention will be compared with a device representing the state of the art in the following examples . however , it has to be understood that the present invention will not be restricted or limited in any way by these specific examples . a first coating solution containing the ingredients of table 1 was prepared . the quantities , with the exception of water , are those of the coated and subsequently dried layer . the lanthanum - doped aiooh was prepared according to the method described in patent application ep 0 &# 39 ; 967 &# 39 ; 086 , example 1 . polyvinyl alcohol a is mowiol 26 – 88 , polyvinyl alcohol b is mowiol 56 – 98 , both available from omya a g , oftringen , switzerland ; plasticizer 1 is 1 , 1 , 1 - tris -( hydroxymethyl )- propane , available from fluka - chemie , buchs , switzerland ; plasticizer 2 is glycerol ; the surfactant is triton x - 100 , available from christ chemie ag , reinach , switzerland . a second coating solution containing the ingredients of table 2 was prepared . the quantities , with the exception of water , are those of the coated and subsequently dried layer . the gelatin is a limed bone gelatin , available from deutsche gelatinefabriken , eberbach , germany ; the bactericide is 4 - chloro - m - cresol , available from chemia brugg a g , brugg , switzerland ; surfactant b is niaproof 04 , available from fluka chemie gmbh , buchs , switzerland and surfactant c is olin 10g , available from arch chemicals , norwalk , usa . a curtain was formed with these two coating solutions using the curtain coating device incorporating the lateral guides according to the invention . the stability of the curtain was evaluated by determining the minimal quantities of the coating solutions that were necessary for the formation of a stable curtain between the lateral guides according to the invention . water with a small addition of sodium chloride was used as lateral flow liquid . the addition of sodium chloride is necessary in order to allow the adjustment of the flow rates by magneto flows . results obtained with the device according to the invention are presented in table 3 . the width of the groove ( 13 ) was 7 mm , the angle α was 45 °, the angle β was 90 °, surface structure of the groove consisted of continuous channels of serrate profile with a depth of 50 μm at a distance of 150 μm of each other . results obtained with the device described in patent application ep 0 &# 39 ; 841 &# 39 ; 588 are presented in table 4 . in this case , the width of the groove ( 13 ) was 17 mm , the angle α was 45 °, the angle β was 90 ° and the groove had a smooth surface . a comparison of the results in tables 3 and 4 immediately shows that the minimal quantities of the two coating solutions necessary for the formation of a stable curtain are considerably lower with the device according to the invention compared to the device forming the state of the art . the needed quantity of lateral flow liquid is also much lower . the prepared coating solution was applied to a commercially available polyethylene coated paper support with the aid of a curtain coating device . water with a small addition of sodium chloride was used as lateral flow liquid . the distance d between the lower end of the lateral guides and the moving web was varied in the range between 0 . 4 mm and 3 . 0 mm . the underside of the lateral guides had a teflon ( polytetrafluoroethylene ) surface coating . the quality of the of the border areas ( beads ) and of the amount of liquid entrapment ( coating solution and lateral flow liquid ) below the elements of the lateral guides were evaluated using the following five - grade scale : regular border , width of the bead from 3 . 5 mm to 5 mm the results obtained for the quality of the border areas ( beads ) and the tendency for liquid entrapment below the lateral guides are presented in table 5 for different distances between the lower ends of the lateral guides and the moving web to be coated . the results of table 5 immediately show that the optimum distance between the lower ends of the lateral guides and the moving web to be coated is between 0 . 4 mm and 1 . 5 mm . the prepared coating solution was applied to a commercially available polyethylene coated paper support with the aid of a curtain coating device . water with a small addition of sodium chloride was used as lateral flow liquid . the distance d between the lower end of the lateral guides and the moving web was 1 . 0 mm . the surface of the underside of the lateral guides was coated with different materials . the results obtained for the quality of the border areas ( beads ) and the tendency for liquid entrapment below the lateral guides are presented in table 6 for the surface of the undersides of the lower ends of the lateral guides coated with different materials . the results in table 6 immediately show that teflon polytetrafluoroethylene ) is an especially suitable material for the surface coating of the underside of the lower end of the lateral guides according to the invention . finally , variations from the examples given herein are possible in view of the above disclosure . therefore , although the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments , it will be appreciated that other coating solutions may be devised and used in the method and device described herein , which are nevertheless within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto . the foregoing description of various and preferred embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration only , and it is understood that numerous modifications , variations and alterations may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims .
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a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . in the following description , particular reference is made to one specific circuit configuration — the ica0000035 — used by the assignee of the present invention . it will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the design of the audio mux asic without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . one version of the asic of the present invention , shown schematically in fig1 , contains 28 pins which are described next . this input is the master system clock for the ica0000035 circuits . it is used for the internal microcontroller core clock and also is divided down by four for to generate the internal sampling clock for the delta sigma this input is aserted every time the ica0000035 circuit is powered - up this signal will initialize all critical internal registers and counters . it also will document . it is an open - drain bidirectional signal . external pullup of 4 . 7k interupt input for embeded pic microcontroller . this interupt may be level this input is normally bumpered to irq and t x r x so that the fir circuit this analog input is an input which is internally filtered and scaled filtered . it available through mux selection at either the tx output or the rcvr output . one level of filtered synth signal is available at the tx output and three levels are available for output at the rx out output pin . this input is buffered by a pre - amp and provides an unfiltered gain output if selected at four different gain levels . the actual gain selected is this input is buffered by a pre - amp and provides an unfiltered gain output this signal is normally the dtmf signal from the micro asic ( 40a ). like the modem signal , this input may be selected for output without this input accepts a modem input for multiplexed selection to the tx output . when selected it is unfiltered and fed directly to the tx output . it auxiliary audio input . this input is filtered and gained to three different levels for selection at the rx out . output and filtered and gained at one level for output to the tx output . see table 1 for signal details . output may be used by external circuits but must be buffered if it is to this pin is an output which is set under program control by the embedded plc microcontroller formware . it is used as a reference to compare to this is on of two mux outputs for different audio inputs . it is generally used to output a scaled and filtered audio input and feed it to the phone receiver ( handset ). this is an audio output but is in bitstream form and therefore must be filtered using a second or third order filter . this is on of two mux outputs for different audio inputs . it is generally used to output a scaled and filtered audio input and feed it to the phone transmit circuits ( line ). this is an audio output but is in bitstream form and therefore must be filtered using a second filter which can also developed for this purpose and is presented in the interface requirements this output provides zero crossing information if an incoming audio tone . in the case where this output is being used for modem carrier , mark or bitstream . the analog value of this bitstream output is determined by the value written to portc of the internal pic microcontroller . this value is general purpose digital i / o point . this input / output pin may be used as an input1 output or bidirection i / o as programmed by the microcontroller via the one wire serial interface . if bit 4 of creg1 is ’ 0 &# 39 ; then this pin is used to control the pic clock . a high enables the clock input and a low will drop the clock input frequency by 64 , 536 thus reducing the cpu poer general purpose digital i / o point . this input / output pin may be used as an input , output or bidirection i / o as programmed by the microcontroller general purpose digital i / o point . this input / output pin may be used as an input , output or bidirection i / o as programmed by the microcontroller the purpose of the ica000035 circuit is to provide selection and conditioning of audio signals in protel &# 39 ; s payphones . these signals are divided into two categories , receive circuits and transmit circuits . the receive circuits are those that eventually get transmitted ( via the rx out pin ) to the handset receive device ( ear piece ). signals that are available for output on to the handset receive circuits are : rcv audio signal from the phone line interface dtmf confidence tone for phone generated dtmf signaling , and synth voice synthesis signal form icd0000050a asic . aux an auxiliary analog input to the chip tone output from an onchip dual tone generator xmtr transmitter signal fed back to the receiver ( typically for sidetone ) transmit circuits are those that eventually are output ( via the tx out pin ) to the two - to - four - wire phone line interface . signals that are available for output to the two - to - four - wire phone line interface are : fig2 a and 2 b provide a detailed block diagram of the ica000035 internal circuits and fig3 and 4 show the details of receive and transmit selection circuits . the design philosophy chosen for this design was to transform audio inputs into digital bitstreams that have ben noise shaped using delta - sigma technology . this approach will allow for easy and area efficient manipulation of the audio analog signals . any mention in the rest of this document to bitstreams will mean an analog signal that has been noise shaped using delta - sigma technology . the heart of the control of the analog signals is provided by an imbedded microcontroller that has been customized for the specific requirements of the ica0000035 circuits . see section 3 for detailed description of the imbedded microcontroller . one of its primary purposes , however , is to provide the command interpretation for signals present on the one - wire chip interface . the one wire interface is described in section 4 of this document . all communication with the ica0000035 circuits is performed over this interface . microcode to provide this functionality is permanently programmed into the chip via on board rom circuits . refer to section two for details on the interface protocol . additional code may be ‘ downloaded ’ via this same interface into on chip ram which will allow the user to modify existing code or add additional code for the imbedded microcontroller . other , on chip , non - audio circuits which provide added capabilities are described in section 1 . 4 of this document . cr2 7 cr2 6 input selected 0 0 xmtr 0 1 dtmf 1 0 modem 1 1 aux cr4 7 cr4 6 xmt signal selected 0 0 xmtr_ds 0 1 rcv_ds 1 0 synth 1 1 tone note , that the selected bitstreams may be additionally attenuated via control register bits cr 4 5 . 3 and cr 5 5 . 3 for the . this attenuation is described in more detail in section 2 . 1 of this document . the final output bitstream is filtered by a passive lrc two pole lowpass filter which is designed to provide line impedance matching ( 600 ohm ) as well as noise filtering , additional signal selection is provided for both the transmit and receive circuits before the tx — out and rx — out signals are output from the chip . for the transmit circuit the tx_ds output may be directly output by setting bit 3 of control register 3 to a ‘ 0 ’ state . setting this bit to a ‘ 1 ’ will select the transmit bitstream attenuator output as the signal to be output on the tx — out pin . this option is provided primarily for full duplex fsk modem operation where dual use of the xmtr output is required . ( see description of modem operation in this section below ). normally bit 3 of control register 3 is set high and the transmit bitstream attenuator is selected for output to the tx — out pin . as described above the ica0000035 circuit functions to provide signal conditioning and selection of 10 different audio signal types . these signals are aux , dtmf , rcv , modem , synth , xmtr , and a in0 . . . a in3 . table 1 below provides a description of these signal characteristics . source source name signal level voltage type frequency impedance aux 2 . 5 volts ac - sine wave 660 hz to 1 . 6 khz ≈ 200k ohms dtmf 2 . 5 volt p - p ac - sine wave 600 hz to 1 . 6 khz & lt ; 100 ohms rcv 3 . 0 volts audio voice ( bw = 3 khz ) & lt ; 100 ohms modem 5 volts ac sine wave & lt ; 2400 hz & lt ; 100 ohms synth 5 volt bitstream 890 & lt ; 100 ohms khz ( bw = 3 khz ) xmtr & lt ; 500 mv audio 600 hz to 1 . 6 khz & lt ; 100 ohms a in0 . . . a in3 . 5 to a vdd −. 5 analog & lt ; 100 hz & lt ; 1k ohms audio input selection multiplexers are provided on the chip for selection of both analog audio inputs as well as off - chip and on - chip bitstream generated audio signals . sections 1 . 2 and 1 . 3 describe the details of these signal selection for the tx out and rx out circuits . fig3 and 4 show details of the signal flow for audio input signals that may be selected for output on the tx out and rx out output pin . the tx out pin is connected to a passive lrc filter for noise filtering if the output signal or bitstream . as shown seven audio input selections may be made . five of these signals are input into the chip as analog and then modulated before being fed to the digital signal selection logic . tw of the signals are in digital ( bitstream form ). the first is the synth pin which is a bitstream signal for voice encoding from the protel 50a series asic the other is a bitstream output from an on - chip dual tone generator . the selection of these signals are controller by control register 4 bits 7 and 6 for the transmit circuits and control register 5 bits 7 and 6 for the receive signal selection . the analog inputs are selected by controlling control register 2 bits 7 and 6 . additionally the rx out circuits allow for side - tone cancellation . this is accomplished as shown in fig2 by adding in a portion of the audio signal being output to the line to the receive circuits . control register bit cr5 7 determines whether or not the side tone circuit is used , see table below : the level of the sidetone is controlled by the bitstream delay register ( control register 6 – 7 : 0 ) and phase control bit ( bit 1 of control register 3 ). normally this bit is set to a ‘ 1 ’ so that the bitstream adder subtracts a scaled portion of the transmit signal from the incoming receive in the case where the protel 65c02 microprocessor is being used to perform 300 / 1200 fsk modem operation this sidetone circuit may be used for carrier cancellation . the operation is as follows , dtmf is transmitted by the 65c02 , the transmit selection logic selects the dtmf in its bitstream form . this bitstream is selected and attenutated and delayed such that when it is added back to the rcv signal it exactly cancels that portion of the rcv signal that is due to the transmitted carrier . this nulled rcv signal is then fir filtered by the limiter circuit of fig3 and the rxc signal is output which is an indication of the phase of the nulled and filtered rcv signal . in addition to selection control of audio input and output circuits , the ida0000035 design also provides an auxiliary a / d circuit independent of the audio circuits . this circuit is four channel a / d measurement circuit and its operation is described below . the four channel a / d measurement circuit is comprised of a four - channel analog multiplexer circuit which selects one of four analog inputs . an additional input reference pin is provided to this circuit . this reference pin is typically connected to a low pass filtered version of on chip d / a modulator output ( see below ). the selected pin is successively compared with the current modulator d / a output . this d / a output is thus ‘ ramped ’ up or down until the comparitor trips . it is at this point that the current digital value in the d / a register may be read . the read value reflects the current value of the selected analog signal . port mapping of the signal selection is as follows : three digital i / o lines are also available for other phone functions . these signals are programmed and controlled via the one - wire serial interface . these pins are mapped to porta bits 0 – 2 of the imbedded microcontroller . an on chip da converter is provided whose output is available to the mod out pin of the ica0000035 asic . this converter also uses second order delta - sigma modulation techniques . digital values written to port c of the imbedded pic microcontroller are modulated into a second order noise shaped bitstream . this bitstream is the signal that is output on the mod out pin . to recover the analog signal a simple multi - pole rc filter may be used . an on chip tone generator is provide for the user to use for future applications requiring a stable tone or sine wave generator . the sine wave generation does not use the standard look - up - table method . it is a circuit implementation of the solution to the differential equation for a sine wave give by which is the circuit shown in fig4 . the frequency is determined by the input divide - by - n clock divider and the sine wave circuit itself . the sine wave circuit has been designed so that there are 25 . 1 clocks per cycle . this is accomplished by accomplishing the 1 / ω 2 multiplication of the output as a 4 bit shift . therefore therefore the frequency of the final sine wave is given by the inverse of the output of the divide - by - n counter times 25 . 13 . or two of these sine wave generators are provide as part of the tone generation circuit . the value of n for each tone is set by control registers cra and crb . the amplitudes may be set by setting the initial condition on the first integrator of each tone generation circuit . the amplitude setting requires eight bits from control registers cr8 and cr9 . the table below summarizes the use of control registers cr8 , cr9 , cra and crb for amplitude and frequency control of the two tone generators . the tones from the on chip tone generator may be selected for output using the following selection logic : several on chip clocks are required to operate the circuit blocks described in this document . one master clock is provided to the chip and all internal clocks are derived from this single master clock . the required on chip clocks and their relationship to the master clock are summarized in the table below : clock description clk imbedded pic microcontroller clk ph1 clk + 4 ph1a ph1 clock with trailing edge advanced ph1b ph1a clock with trailing edge advanced ph2 clk + 4 , ph1 inverted and non overlapping ph2a ph2 clock with trailing edge advanced ph2b ph2a clock with trailing edge advanced bitclk clk + 4 , bitstream clock for bitstream building blocks the timing diagrams of fig4 c show the clocks and their timing . all analog signals which are processed on - chip are converted to bitstream which are noise shaped . this conversion is accomplished via modulators which modulate analog signals into a bit - density modulated format whose nose characteristics are such that noise in the signal band is suppressed and out - of - band noise is shaped such that it increases at a rate of 15 db per octave . it is important that as the signals are manipulated that noise shaping is maintained . on - ship bitstream function blocks are provided which will perform analog equivalent functions on the bitstreams without requiring the bitstreams to be converted to parallel data structures . this bitstream manipulation will maintain the required second order noise shaping of the original signal . the table below shows these building blocks ( and the addition of the modulator ) and their equivalent analog functions : the sections below give detailed explanations of these building blocks as well as details on port mapping required for control and monitoring . it should be noted that , throughout the bitstream building block descriptions , the scaling is such that all one &# 39 ; s is considered positive full scale , all zero &# 39 ; s is considered negative full scale and 50 % density ( equal number of one &# 39 ; s and zero &# 39 ; s ) is considered to have a signal value of zero . fig5 show a block diagram of the bitstream modulator . two of these building blocks are provided on the ica0000035 asic . one is dedicated for receive circuits and the other is dedicated for transmit signals . these modulators are identical in design with the exception of the specific port mapping used to control these modulators . the modulators , as shown , may be partitioned into two stages . first a programmable gain stage is provide which will precondition the input signal for the proper dynamic range of the modulator . second the pre - conditioned signal is then modulated with the second order delta - sigma modulator . the result is a bitstream output who &# 39 ; s bit density is proportional the analog value . scaling is such that an analog value of mid - reference will produce a 50 % bit stream density . the pre - amp is a switched capacitor , double sampled capacitive reset circuit . this circuit will cancel any circuit offsets , 1 / f noise and errors due to finite amplifier gain to a first order approximation . simulations show that these input signal errors are reduce by a factor of about − 60 db or better . non - overlapping and delayed phased clocks are provided to operate the switched capacitor circuits in a way so as to reduce the effects of charge injection as well . the clock timing is described in section 1 . 4 . 5 “ clock generation ”. gain selection is the only control ( other than clocks ) required by the modulator block . this is accomplished via control register bits of the imbedded microcontroller . the tables below show the available gain selections and their corresponding control register bits for each of the two modulators . maximum signal range into the modulator should be kept at 15 % to 85 % of full scale for best modulator performance . full scale is defined as the difference of a vdd and a vss . for a 5 volt system this would reflect to a signal range of 2 . 5 volts ± 2 . 125 volts . a good practice would be to design for a maximum input of ± 2 . 0 volts to the modulator after the signal has been pre - scaled by the programmable gain input stage . these recommended maximum operating signal ranges for each gain setting are shown in the last column of the tables above . the modulator output is buffered . this helps to isolate any output signal loading in the digital portion the chip from the modulator itself . additionally the buffer is driven from d vdd and d vss so as not to cause any analog supply noise which may get folded back into the analog signal . the bitstream attenuator is comprised of two main components , the signal selection mux and the attenuation circuits ; this is shown in block diagram form by fig6 . this block is entirely digital . the input signal selection mux is 4 - to - 1 signal selector and is controlled by select bits sel 1 , and sel 0 . in the current form of the ica0000035 only two inputs are required for either the receive circuit or the transmit circuit , however control bits from the imbedded microcontroller are still connected to allow for test features which will allow the bitstreams to be set high or low . like the modulator blocks there are one of these blocks for the receive circuit and one for the transmit circuit . the tables below show the available signal selections and their corresponding control register bits for each of the two attenuation blocks . the attenuation portion of the circuit produces an output bitstream who &# 39 ; s density is the input density times the attenuation gain factor or more explicitly with scaling taken into account , where gain is the digital value of bits cr 4 5 . 0 and cr 5 5 . 0 for the transmit and receive circuits respectively . there is a slight delay and noise penalty for passing a signal through this attenuation block . therefore a special case has been provided for which will allow the signal to pass straight through unmodified . this exception to the above gain equation occurs when gain = 63 . according to the formula above the resultant gain would be 63 / 64 . however to allow signals to be ‘ passed - through ’ the block additional circuitry has been provided to look for the special case of gain = 63 and produce a gain value of 1 . it is important to note here that the convention of signal value of zero being a 50 % duty - cycled bitstream is maintained . this means that an attenuation of gain = 0 will produce a bitstream density of 50 % not a constant stream of “ 0 &# 39 ; s ” s . fig7 shows a simplified version of the bitstream adder block . the current bit value of the ‘ a ’ input is added to the current value of the ‘ b ’, input and the remainder from add . there is an arbitrary scaling performed which therefore allows the output to be defined as note that the noise shaping is maintained since the residual is fed back for the next computation and is not thrown away . in actuality the circuit is a bit more complex than what is shown . in the actual implementation there are two stages of integration ( the adder and latch compose a single stage integrator ). the integrator bit sizes become multi - bit in nature and add circuits are required to keep these integrators from overflowing . the size that the integrators are allowed to ‘ wind - up ’ determines the range of the input signal before clamping . this bitstream adder will allow signals from 10 % to 90 % before any noise is introduced as a result of clamping . it should be noted that with the convention of bitstream zero being a 50 % duty cycle waveform that the bit stream adder may become a bitstream subtractor simply by inverting the input to be subtracted or for example when the ‘ b ’ input is inverted before being input to the bitstream adder the result is : other than the input clock , which must be at the bit rate , no control registers are required for the bit stream adder . in the ica000035 asic this bitstream adder is used in two ways . first during normal voice communication a small part of the handset transmit signal is partially nulled out to provide partial sidetone cancellation to the handset receiver . this level can be set by controlling the gain input of the transmit bitstream attenuator ( see section 2 . 2 — bitstream attenuator ). secondly this circuit is used when the protel 65c02 processor us used as a 300 / 1200 fsk modem . in this case the entire transmitted signal ( carrier ) is canceled so that the receive signal may be discriminated carrier free . in this case the phase an magnitude of the transmitted carrier must be exactly matched and subtracted from the receive signal . this requires the use of a delay circuit ( to match phase ) as well as the bit stream attenuator . ( refer to section 1 . 4 bitstream delay circuits and section 1 . 5 — bit stream comparitor for further details . the bitstream delay circuit is intended to provide enough delay in the transmitted modulated dtmf bit stream so as to exactly equal the phase shift experienced by the modulated dtmf bitstream through the output lrc filter . the phase shift will be different from phone installation to phone installation even though the filter remains constant due to different line impedances . the output of this filter is fed back to the receive input and remodulated . once the phase is matched it is a simple take to adjust the amplitude to exactly cancel out the original dtmf carrier . referring to fig8 , the circuit operation is as follows . the input bitstream is fed into a 256 bit shift register . with a one megahertz clock this will provide over 90 ° of phase shift ( well more than what is expected in the field ). each bit of the shift register is then input to a 256 to 1 selector and the eight bit control register input c9 ( 7 .. 0 ) then selects the appropriate phase shift . this procedure requires support from the firmware form the phone microprocessor . this delay is set - up once automatically at installation and the need not change any more the control value register however must be stored in the system nonvolatile ram . fig9 shows the block diagram of the comparator . this block is used to detect the incoming fsk modem signal and well as tone detection . its bitstream input is fed into a low pass fir filter . this filter will pass signals up to 20 khz but will reject signals and nose above 30 khz with over 60 db rejection . this filter also maintains the scaling principal set forth for bitstream scaling in that a 50 % output value will be equivalent to a 50 % a bitstream input . the fir filter outputs a 12 bit value and hbyte control signal will select either the high byte ( creg3 bit 7 high ) or the low byte ( creg3 bit 7 low ) for output on on filter value register ( sreg3 bit 7 to 0 ). the value select input will determine if the value output is the actual filter value ( creg3 bit6 high ) or the derivative of the value ( creg3 bit 6 low ). the remaining three control bits ( creg3 bits 5 , 4 & amp ; 3 ) are used for changing the method of deglitching used on the zero crossing detector . except for very special filtering applications these may be left in the default state . see the register map in section 3 for more details on this functionality . the state machine for the ica0000035 has been implemented using a microcontroller core . this microcontroller core has been modeled after the microchip pic architecture . this core is very similar to the pic16c56 microcontroller but has been optimized for the protel application . this section will describe the details of operation of the protel pic core . features which have been added , modified or enhanced from the microchip version are : one clock cycle for all instructions internal timer timer interrupt external interrupt built - in dallas 1 - wire serial port 256 words of downloadable program memory ram d / a port 4 channel a / d the protel pic core ( ppc ) is a high performance risc like architecture microcontroller modeled after the microchip pic16c56 ( pic ) microcontroller . unlike the pic the ppc is able to execute all instructions , including program branches , in a single machine cycle . the ppc also differs from the pic in that a machine cycle is only a single clock whereas the pic machine cycle is four clocks . both the pic and the ppc utilize a 12 bit data / instruction word . the ppc has been designed specifically to provide an interface between protel audio circuits fn the ica0000035 asic and the main phone microprocessor . the ppc also provides for general purpose digital i / o for future phone applications . from an i / o point of view the ppc has the following i / o interfaces ; clock input master clock input for ppc . each instruction executes in one clock period . max clock frequency 20 mhz mrstn master reset - reset the ppc core and initializes all non - general purpose registers . and preset the d / a port to 2 . 5 volts ( mid supply ) irq_in irq input , edge triggered interrupt input . the ppc is programmable to trigger an interrupt on either edge . the default ( initialized upon mrstn ) is negative edge trigger . this interrupt is maskable and is shared with the timer interrupt . 8 bit d / a port c of the ppc is mapped to a 8 bit first order delta sigma modulator , its output is a single density modulated bitstream . the minimum duration for a one or zero is one clock cycle . to obtain the analog form of this output a simple 2nd order passive filter is all that is required . more specific details on this output are provided in section 1 . 4 . 4 . single - wire port the single - wire port is in one embodiment a dallas one wire protocol compatible interface . this is a dallas semiconductor proprietary interface supported by a large number of devices such as silicon serial numbers , distributed i / o , temperature sensors and serial eerom to mention a few . the implementation of this port is a super set of the dallas &# 39 ; s published protocol and may coexist with other dallas devices . the protel 50a asic currently has a hardware state machine controlled by the phone &# 39 ; s microprocessor which acts as the master dallas controller on the 1 - wire bus . 3 digital i / o in its current configuration three digital i / o lines are available for general purpose use . these lines are controlled by the software . since they are general purpose in nature their use would require program memory to operate out of the downloadable ram . dio2 and dio1 are configured as an outputs and dio3 is configures as an input . when creg1 ( r17 ) bit 4 is high then dio3 controls the pic clock when in this state a high on dio3 rins the cpu at full clock speed ; when dio3 is low it runs at a 61 hz rate conserving power . 8 pic registers eight of the internal registers are reserved for the ppc operation . these registers include such things as indiredt addressing register , program counter , status register and register mapped i / o . for more details on register specifics refer to section 3 . 3 . 0 “ operational registers ”. 11 ppc general registers r8 through r15 and registers r28 - r31 are available to purpose registers the ppc firmware . see section 3 . 4 . 0 general purpose registers ” 12 amx configuration twelve eight - bit configuration registers are supported by the ppc registers design . these registers are used for configuring operating parameters of the amx chip that control the phone audio circuits . see section the ppc is a register based architecture in which the instruction ‘ opcode ’ and ‘ data ’ share the same memory word and are fetched together . most instructions use the ‘ w ’ or working register for data operations however certain data operation such as bit testing and register to register moves may be performed without the use of the working register . each instruction opcode is decoded and directs the appropriate data through and on chip alu to the proper result register . the ppc is comprised of four basic building blocks . the cpu , the alu the register / file block and timer . the cpu logic provides all of the ppc instruction decode and control functions . it is responsible for decoding all signal and providing proper file selection addresses and data . it also provides the proper control and data selection for the ppc alu unit . instructions are not latched , but rather are permitted to ‘ ripple through ’ in a combinatorial manner . this allows for faster speed of operation since it will essentially permit access times of up to one full clock period . the overall approach to the cpu control is to maintain all decode , select and control as combinatorial logic and allow data to ‘ ripple ’ through the alu . then once everything is settled the result of the instruction ( execution ) is latched along with the program counter . the alu is also non sequential , allowing for maximum use of the clock bandwidth . the alu contains both arithmetic as well as logical functions . the alu is also responsible for determining the state of the status flags for each instruction . in non arithmetic / logical functions such as movlw ( move literal . . . ) the alu is used as a data pipeline allowing data to flow through unmodified , but directed to the proper register file input . the register / file ( regs ) block is organized into four types of registered data . the first group is the ‘ operational ’ register files . there are eight of these files : the next group of registers are the general purpose working registers the address space for these are split as follows . the third group of registers are the ‘ read - only ’/‘ write - only ’ registers . these two sets of registers share the same address space but are physically two separate sets of registers ; one for the read - only and the other for the write - only data . they occupy the register / file address space show below : f16 read register 10h f16 write register 10h f17 read register 11h f17 write register 11h f18 read register 12h f18 write register 12h f19 read register 13h f19 write register 13h the fourth group of registers are actually part of the cpu and are non addressable registers with control the program flow , these registers are : 1 program counter 9 bits 4 stack registers 10 bits ( top bit is a ram / ram flag ) 1 stack pointer 2 bits 1 prescale counter 5 bits 1 rtc counter 8 bits the program memory maintains a paged architecture where page 0 is designated as rom program memory and page 1 is designated as ram program memory . for the goto and call instructions the upper address bit ( page selection bit — pc ( 8 )) of the pc is set by the page select bit ( b 5 ) of the status register . pc ( 8 ) for normal program execution assumes its proper incremented value when the pc is simply incremented . ( for example — pc = 0 ffh will over flow to 100 h if a call , goto or interrupt is not encountered at 0 ffh . the lower eight bits of the program counter are determined by the direct setting of the pc by the goto , call instructions or incrementing during normal program execution . the lower 8 bits of the pc may also be affected indirectly by one of two methods : 1 ) direct file operation to register f 2 — if a file operation ( eg . movwf f 2 ) is performed on the program counter register f 2 then the results of that operation are loaded into the lower eight bits of the pc . 2 ) interrupt — if an interrupt occurs the lower 8 bits of the pc are loaded with the value of the register pointed to by bits 4 though 0 of the interrupt control register f 1 . program rom is executed when pc ( 8 )=‘ 0 ’ and program ram is executed when pc ( 8 )=‘ 1 .’ note : this program memory map is significantly different than the pic in that the pic uses all nine bits from the goto to set pc ( 8 : 0 ) and pc ( 8 )=‘ 0 ’ for all call operations . this mapping leaves ‘ memory holes ’ for call operations and is not desirable for our application . this register is not actually implemented but rather signals the cpu that indirect data addressing is to take place . if a file operation is performed with ‘ f 0 ’ as the destination the actual register affected is the register pointed to by bits 4 : 0 of the file selection register ( fsr ). because this register is not physically implemented , an attempt to read to it ( by setting fsr = 0 ) will result in ‘ 00 ’ for data and a write will be the equivalent of a nop instruction where no flags or registers are affected . bits 4 : 0 of this register provide the pointer to the register which contains the lower eight bits of the interrupt vector . bit 5 of this register is the page select bit for the interrupt vector pc ( 8 ), bit 6 contains the interrupt enable status (‘ 1 ’= interrupt enable , ‘ 0 ’ = interrupt disable { default state }). bit 6 is automatically set to ‘ 0 ’ when an interrupt is detected . bit 7 of this register is unused . the program counter register f 2 is actually the bottom eight bits of the pc mapped into the ppc register address space . read operations on f 2 will return pc ( 7 : 0 ). write operations to register f 2 will place the result into the lower eight bits of the pc . the pc register is normally incremented after each instruction is executed , exceptions to this are as follows : branch instructions - pc ( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;= [ pc + 2 ]( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;== page offest pc ( 8 ) & lt ;= [ pc + 2 ]( 8 ) & lt ;== page select btfss btfsc incfsz decfsz direct writes to f2 - pc ( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;= new computed value of f2 pc ( 8 ) & lt ;= pc ( 8 ) ( unaffected ) all byte oriented file register operations with f2 as destination . call instruction - pc ( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;= instr ( 7 : 0 ) pc ( 8 ) & lt ;= status ( 5 ) goto instruction - pc ( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;= instr ( 7 : 0 ) pc ( 8 ) & lt ;= status ( 5 ) retlw - pc ( 8 : 0 ) & lt ;= current stack ( 8 : 0 ) interrupt ( rtc / ext ) pc ( 7 : 0 ) & lt ;= fx ( 7 : 0 ) where ‘ x ’ is register pointed to by bit 4 : 0 of f1 . pc ( 8 ) & lt ;= f1 ( 5 ) preassigned bits of the status register are mapped to current cpu status information . the bit assignment is as follows : status ( 7 ) unused status ( 6 ) interrupt enable flag status ( 5 ) pc ( 8 ) for call and goto instructions status ( 4 ) unused status ( 3 ) unused status ( 2 ) z flag status ( 1 ) dc flag status ( 0 ) c flag status information is pushed into a status holding register when an interrupt occurs . this allows transparent saving of all pre - interrupt status information . this status holding register is not readable . the status register is restored with the value of the status holding register when a retlw instruction is executed at the end of an interrupt routine . the status register is unaffected by a retlw from within a called subroutine . this register may be used to as a pointer to an indirect register address for instructions that designate f 0 as a destination . bits 4 : 0 contain the address of one of the 32 file registers and a file operation with f 0 as a destination will use the register who &# 39 ; s address is fsr ( 4 : 0 ). bits 7 : 5 are unused and may be used for program specific flags . if indirect addressing is not used this register may be used as a general purpose register . fsr is pushed into an fsr holding register when an interrupt occurs . this allows transparent saving of the pre - interrupt fsr value . the fsr holding register is not readable . the fsr register is restored with the value of the fsr holding register when a retlw instruction is executed at the end of an interrupt routine . the fsr register is unaffected by a retlw from within a called subroutine . f 5 porta is a bidirectional tristateable port . all but three of these bits are dedicated for ica0000035 asic specific functions . the mapping is as follows : porta ( 7 ) dallas 1 - wire input porta ( 6 : 4 ) general purpose bidirectional / tristateable i / o porta ( 3 : 0 ) upper program data bits ( 11 : 8 ) for program ram write operations . f 6 portb is a bidirectional tristateable port . all bits are dedicated for ica0000035 asic specific functions . the mapping is as follows : portb ( 7 : 0 ) lower program data bits ( 7 : 0 ) for program ram write operations . if program ram is not used this register may be used as a general purpose internal working register . this may also be done after program ram data has been successfully downloaded into the on chip program ram . f 7 portc is a reserved port which is mapped to the delta sigma d / a converter . the eight bit value loaded into this register is first - order - modulated into a bitstream , which when filtered will produce an analog value proportional to the current value of f 7 portc . the filtered analog value will be determined by equation 1 below : the general purpose registers are read / write registers which can be used for general program data space . the ppc has 16 such registers divided into two address ranges : reg08 through reg15 file addresses 08h through 0fh reg29 through reg31 file addresses 1dh through 1fh the table on the next few pages describe the register mapping of all registers including the registers r 8 through r 31 which are used by the amx circuit for configuration and status reporting . ref0 ( x00h ) d7 .. d0 indirect addressing “ xxxxxxxx ” not a real register reg2 ( x02h ) d7 .. d0 program counter “ 00000000 ” pc ( 7 : 0 ) reg4 ( x04h ) d7 .. d0 file select register “ 00000000 ” indirect addr . register d7 .. d5 unused “ 000 ” d4 .. d0 points to register with “ 00000 ” value for pc ( 7 : 0 ) when f0 is specified as the file register reg5 ( x05 ) d7 .. d0 ( see below ) “ zzzzzzzz ” pic porta d7 txrx output pine ‘ z ’ d6 dio3 / pic clk ctrl when bit4 of r17 is ‘ 1 ’ dio3 = ‘ 1 ’ =& gt ; clk = clk ‘ 0 ’=& gt ; clk = clk / 65536 d5 dio2 general purpose out d4 dio1 general purpose out d3 .. d0 d11 .. d8 for ram used during ram fill reg7 ( x07h ) d7 .. d0 portc “ 10000000 ” modout - dsout - 1pin ref9 ( x09h ) d7 .. d0 general purpose reg . “ xxxxxxxx ” not initialized reg11 ( x0bh ) d7 .. d0 general purpose reg . “ xxxxxxxx ” not initialized reg13 ( x0dh ) d7 .. d0 general purpose reg . “ xxxxxxxx ” not initialized reg15 ( x0fh ) d7 .. d0 general purpose reg . “ xxxxxxxx ” not initialized reg16 ( x10h ) d7 .. d0 real time clock ( rtc ) “ 11111111 ” not initialized d7 .. d0 write puts invert of rtc counts up file data in rtc d7 .. d0 rtc current count read only reg18 ( x12h ) d7 .. d0 preamp control “ 01001001 ” write only data creg2 d7 , d6 tx_mux_sel “ 01 ” ‘ 00 ’ sel xmtr ‘ 01 ’ sel dtmf ‘ 10 ’ sel modem ‘ 11 ’ sel aux d5 .. d3 tx_gain ( 2 : 0 ) ‘ 001 ’ gain = b ( 2 : 0 ) + . 5 d2 .. d0 rcv_gain ‘ 001 ’ gain = b ( 2 : 0 ) + . 5 reg18 ( x12h ) d7 .. d0 a / d compare & amp ; “ xxxxxxx ” ( read only register ) security code sreg2 d7 a / d comparitor out n / a comp input - read only d6 unused d5 .. d0 security code 1 of 64 codes programmed at time of chip bonding r20 ( x14h ) d7 .. d0 xmtr attenuator ctrl “ 00111111 ” creg4 - r / w reg d7 , d6 signal selection ‘ 00 ’ sel ‘ 01 ’ select rcv mod xmtr ‘ 10 ’ select synth ‘ 11 ’ select tone gen d5 .. d0 bitstream attenuation ‘ 111111 ” attn = b ( 5 : 0 )/ 64 r21 ( x15h ) d7 .. d0 xmtr attenuator ctrl “ 00111111 ” creg5 - r / w reg d7 , d6 signal selection ‘ 01 ’ sel ‘ 00 ’ select xmtr mod rcv mod ‘ 10 ’ select synth ‘ 11 ’ select tone gen d5 .. d0 bitstream attenuation ‘ 111111 ” attn = b ( 5 : 0 )/ 64 r22 ( x16h ) d7 .. d0 delay register “ 00000001 ” creg6 , r . w register delay = b ( 7 : 0 ) us r24 ( x18h ) d7 .. d0 tone 0 ampl . control not set creg8 , r / w register ampl = b ( 7 : 0 )/ 256 r26 ( x2ah ) d7 .. d0 tone0 freq control not set crega , r / w register freq = 895khz 25 . 13 ·( n + 1 ) r28 ( x2ch ) d7 .. d0 a / d sig sel & amp ; pic lim not set cregc , r / w register d7 .. d3 unused d2 pic lim circuit not set d1 : d0 signal selection not set ‘ 00 ’ select ain0 ‘ 01 ’ select ain1 ‘ 10 ’ select ain2 ‘ 11 ’ select ain3 r30 ( x2eh ) d7 .. d0 general purpose reg not set crege , r / w register the ‘ w ’ register in the ppc acts an accumulator and holds the second operand in two operand operations . in file register operations the w register may be specified as the destination rather than the file itself . this allows a file operation result to be used as a second operand in the following instruction and allows the original file value to remain unmodified . the w register is pushed onto a temporary holding register after an interrupt and will be restored automatically when a retlw instruction is executed at the end of an interrupt routine . the w register is also used as the program ram address during program ram write operations . note : this means that the value of w specified in the retlw instruction , when issued at the end of an interrupt routine , will be ignored . two register not in the register map are provided which control the tristate state of ports a and b . both of these registers are eight bit with each bit corresponding to the tristate control line on the respective port bit . a bit value of logic 1 will tristate the appropriate port bit and allow that port bit to be used as an input . porta bits 3 : 0 and portb bits 7 : 0 must be configured as outputs when modifying program ram . a two bit stack pointer register is provided to keep track of the current stack level . the stack level is incremented each time an interrupt occurs or a call instruction is executed . the stack pointer register is decremented each time a retlw instruction is executed . a stack pointer value of “ 00 ” indicates that program execution is in the main program code and not in any called subroutines or interrupt service routines . the max level of the stack is 3 this allows interrupts to be enabled in subroutines and still be able to call a subroutine from within an interrupt service routine . the stack registers are ten bit registers , the lower nine bits store the current value of the pc + 1 ( which is a 9 bit value ). the upper bit of each stack registers stores a flag which indicates whether the program branch was caused by a call instruction or an interrupt . if the program branch was initiated by a call instruction then the 10th bit statusx ( 9 ) of stackx is cleared . if the program branch was initiated by an interrupt ( external or timer ) then the statusx ( 9 ) bit is set . this flag bit ( when set ) is used when a retlw is executed to signal the control circuits to restore the fsr , status and w registers to their pre - interrupt values . if the flag bit is cleared when a retlw is executed the w value specified in the retlw operand is loaded into w and the status and fsr registers are left unchanged . the prescale counter register is a 5 bit divide by 18 counter . it is preset by mrstn or an overflow of the prescale counter . setting the rtc_en bit ( b 3 of f 17 ) will also preset the prescale register to its initial value . the overflow of the prescale register is used as a timer tic for the main rtc counter . using a color burst crystal of 3 . 579 mhz produces a tic time of approximately 5 us . note : the prescale register is not settable ( other than resetting it with rtc_en ) and it is not readable . the realtime counter is an eight bit counter initialized to 00 h upon power - up and once enabled it will produce wrap around every 256 tic times . thus for a 3 . 579 mhz clock the max timer over flow time will be 1 . 28 ms . if interrupts are enabled an interrupt will occur each time the rtc counter overflows . the current value of this register may be read by reading the read only port from file register f 16 . the rtc may be set to produce shorter roll over times simply by writing to the write only rtc register , at file register write address space f 16 . the number of prescale tics to produce an overflow is given by n + 1 where n is the value loaded into the write only rtc register . once a value is written to file register f 16 the rtc register may be loaded in one of three ways . first if rtc is already enabled loading a new count value into f 16 will not take effect until the current value in the rtc has completed timing out . thus if the lat value in rtc was set to 1 ms and the new value is set to 0 . 5 ms the rtc will complete the 1 ms time out before setting itself for the new 0 . 5 ms value . secondly , if the rtc is already enabled and it is desired that the new value take effect immediately ( next prescale tic ) then a clrwdt instruction may be issued and the new value will start timing immediately . finally , if rtc is not enabled and a new timer value is loaded by writing f 16 the new time will start timing on the next rising clock edge of the system clock . enabling the rtc also reinitializes the prescale counter register . file register f 17 , address 11h , provides control and status information for the rtc and irq circuits . this address actually contains two separate 4 bit registers . one is read only which provides status information , the other is write only which provides control information for the rtc and irq circuits . if this read only register ( f 17 ) is accessed , two bits of information are provided as shown by the port map below : f17 ( 3 ) ‘ 0 ’ f17 ( 2 ) ‘ 0 ’ f17 ( 1 ) ext_irq flag (‘ 1 ’ = external interrupt has occurred ) f17 ( 0 ) rtc_irq flag (‘ 1 ’ = rtc overflow has occurred ) note : reading this port will clear both flags . ( see interrupt operation for further details ) if the write only register ( f 17 ) is modified , then action is taken according to the bit map show below : f17 ( 3 ) rtc_en (‘ 1 ’ enables rtc and starts timer ) f17 ( 2 ) irq_ext_edg (‘ 0 ’ sets irq to occur on falling edge ) f17 ( 1 ) irq_ext_en (‘ 1 ’ enables external interrupts f17 ( 0 ) irq_rtc_en (‘ 1 ’ enable rtc to interrupt cpu upon overflow ), all bits in both the registers are initialized to ‘ 0 ’ on power - up ( mrstn =‘ 0 ’). two methods of interrupting the ppc are provided , external - edge - triggered and real time counter overflow . both of these signals share the same internal interrupt . if both are enabled then if either signal occurs the cpu is interrupted and vectored to a predetermined interrupt handling routine . a register is provided which can be read to find out which interrupt occurred . either or both of the interrupts may be disabled . the cpu has a separate master irq enable which will globally disable or enable irq activity . this is controlled by bit 6 of the interrupt control register f 01 ( 01h ). if this bit is set , interrupts are enabled , if it is cleared interrupts are disabled . each time an interrupt occurs the cpu automatically disables interrupts by clearing this bit ; this prevents additional interrupts from occurring until the present one has been properly handled . the user must re - enable interrupts by setting this bit before any other interrupts can occur . the user must also read the rtc / irq status register f 17 ( 11h ) before reenabling the cpu interrupt or another interrupt will occur . when an interrupt occurs the current instruction is executed and the next instruction will be an internally generated irq instruction . this internally generated irq instruction takes one clock cycle just like all other ppc instructions . the following actions occur as part of the irq instruction : 1 ) no status flags are affected . 2 ) the current status , w and fsr registers are pushed onto temporary holding registers and are restored when a retlw is issued at the end of an interrupt handling service routine . 3 ) the stack level pointer is incremented by one . 4 ) the current pc value + 1 is placed in the proper stack register . the interrupt flag bit of this stack register is set ( stackn ( 9 )=‘ 1 ’) to indicate to the retlw instruction that the return is from an interrupt and not a call . 5 ) pc ( 7 : 0 ) is loaded with the value of the register pointed to by bits 4 : 0 of the interrupt control register f 01 ( 01h ) and the rom / ram selection bit pc ( 8 ) is set to the value specified by bit 5 of the interrupt control register f 01 ( 01h ). 6 ) the cpu interrupt enable bit , bit 6 of the interrupt control register f 01 ( 01h ), is cleared . prior to returning from an irq service routine the following must be done to allow further interrupts to occur : 1 ) read irq status word f 17 ( 11h ); this will clear both irq flags . if this is not done another interrupt will occur as soon as interrupts are re - enabled . 2 ) re - enable the cpu interrupt by setting bit 6 of the interrupt control register f 01 ( 01h ). after an interrupt has been serviced a retlw is issued and the following actions are taken as part of the retlw execution : 1 ) the current status , w and fsr registers are restored to their pre - interrupt values . 2 ) the current pc ( 8 : 0 ) is loaded with stackn ( 8 : 0 ). 3 ) the stack level pointer is decremented by one . 4 ) program execution continues from where it left off prior to the interrupt . the cpu interrupt is asserted whenever either the rtc or ext interrupt occurs . the rtc interrupt occurs when the rtc times out from its preset value . the ext interrupt occurs when a signal on pin irq of the ica0000035 asic transitions . this can be configured to occur on the rising or falling edge of the irq input pin . this is accomplished by writing bit 2 of the rtc / irq control register ( f 17 { 11h }); a ‘ 1 ’ in this bit position configures the circuit for rising edge trigger and a ‘ 0 ’ configures it for falling edge . the enables for the rtc and external interrupts are controlled separately by writing to the rtc / irq control register ( f 17 { 11h }). setting bit 0 of this register enables the rtc interrupt and setting bit 1 enables the external interrupt . the rtc may be separately enabled and disabled independent of the state of the rtc_irq enable . this is accomplished by writing bit 3 of the rtc / irq control register ( f 17 { 11h }). disabling the rtc and re - enabling will cause the rtc to be reloaded with the preset value stored in file register f 16 . this architecture would thus allow a software watch dog timer to operate simply by having the main program disable and re - enable the rtc at a rate faster than that which is set into the rtc register . ( conditions dvdd =+ 2 . 7 to + 5 . 5 volts ; avdd = 4 . 5 to 5 . 5 volts ; avss = dvss = 0 . 0 volts ; t a = min to t max ; parameter notes symbol min typ max units analog character - istics accuracy gain error 1 error gain − 10 ± 2 + 10 % gain drift − 50 ± 10 + 50 ppm /° c . offset error v offset − 15 ± 5 + 15 mv offset drift − 50 ± 10 + 50 μv /° c . output noise 2 1 μv √ hz − 1 / 2 i dd analog 3 — 1 . 5 2 ma notes : 1 even though this specification specifies all gains in db the error specification is absolute . specifically it is the expected gain minus the actual gain expressed as a percentage of the expected gain . 2 output noise is expressed as noise density ( rms ) as should be at 100 hz or below . 3 i dd analog measured with a vdd = 5 . 5 volts dc . note that specified current is over temperature . ( conditions dvdd =+ 2 . 7 to + 5 . 5 volts ; avdd = 4 . 5 to 5 . 5 volts ; avss = dvss = 0 . 0 volts ; t a = min to t max ; c load = 50 pf , unless otherwise noted ) parameter notes symbol min typ max units digital characteristics digital inputs input low voltage 1 v il 0 . 3 0 . 5 0 . 4 vdd threshold input high voltage 1 v ih 0 . 6 0 . 5 0 . 7 vdd threshold input current 2 i il & amp ; h — ± 1 ± 10 μa input capacitance c in — ± 5 ± 10 pf i dd digital 3 — 100 200 μa notes : 1 input threshold levels are expressed as a multiple of dvdd to account for the wide range of allowable supply voltage . 2 these current levels are for valid input levels only . 3 i dd digital measured with d vdd = 5 . 5 volts dc . note that specified current is over temperature . current measurement is made with input clock frequency = 500 khz . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made in the design of the integrated circuit configurations and methods described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , a number of register map and pic microcode configurations will be generally known to those skilled in the art . however , specific formats are disclosed in appendix a and d , respectively , in the above - identified provisional application , which are incorporated herein by reference . further , to the extent that the skilled artisan is interested in determining differences between the particular pic configuration of the present invention with other commercially available designs , such information may be found at appendix b to the above - identified provisional patent application ; likewise , appendix c of the provisional application contains a description of a one - wire protocol . both appendix b and c are also incorporated herein by reference . there is of course significant additional information which will be readily available to those skilled in the art in practicing these inventions , which is not incorporated herein for purposes of brevity .
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the compounds of formulae i and ii are prepared according to procedures described in belgian pat . no . 854 , 655 . a suitable process begins with appropriately substituted anilines , e . g ., 3 - hydroxy - 5 -( z - w - substituted ) anilines , ( iii ) or derivatives thereof in which the 3 - hydroxy group is protected by a group ( y 1 ) easily removable to regenerate the hydroxy group ; e . g . methyl , ethyl , benzyl , substituted benzyl wherein the substituent is , for example , alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms , halo ( cl , br , f , i ), and alkoxy having from one to four carbon atoms . when z is --( alk 1 ) m -- x --( alk 2 ) n --, y 1 is preferably benzyl or a substituted benzyl group since it can subsequently be removed without detriment to the z group . the protected aniline derivative ( iii ) is then converted to a compound of formula iv by known technology as described below . an abbreviated reaction sequence ( flow sheet a ) for preparing representative compounds of formula via - c beginning with a 3 -( protected hydroxy )- 5 -( z - w - substituted ) aniline ( iii ) wherein -- z -- w is och 3 is given below . ## str8 ## r ° in the above flow sheet represents alkyl having from one to six carbon atoms . ( r 5 , for the purpose of illustration in the overall flow sheet , is represented as hydrogen . however , in the sequence iii → iv or iii → vi - b , r 5 can be hydrogen , methyl or ethyl .) the 5 - substituent of formula iii compounds can be group -- z -- w desired in compounds of formulae ii or i , or a group readily convertible to said group . when the z moiety of group -- z -- w is --( alk 1 ) m -- x --( alk 2 ) n -- wherein x is o or s and each of m and n is 0 , the 5 - substituent , when w is hydrogen , is -- xh ( i . e ., oh or sh ) or a protected -- xh group of the formula -- x -- y 1 wherein y 1 is as defined above . when , of course , -- z -- w is --( alk 1 ) m -- x --( alk 2 ) n -- w wherein m is 1 , n is 0 and w is hydrogen , the 5 - substituent becomes --( alk 1 ) m -- x -- h . the -- xh group is advantageously protected in the manner described below . the appropriate 3 -( protected hydroxy )- 5 - substituted anilines are reacted with an alkyl β - ketoester in the presence of acetic acid in a reaction - inert solvent such as benzene or toluene at temperatures of from about 50 ° c . to the reflux temperature of the solvent under conditions which result in removal of by - product water to provide the corresponding β -[( 3 - protected hydroxy )- 5 - substituted anilino ]- β -( r 4 )- acrylate ( iv ). the alkyl β - anilino - β -( r 4 )- acrylate ( iv ) is then reduced to the corresponding alkyl - 3 -[( 3 - protected hydroxy )- 5 - substituted anilino ]- 3 -( r 4 )- propionate ( v ) by , for example , sodium borohydride - acetic acid or catalytic hydrogenation ( heterogeneous or homogeneous ). of course , when the protecting group or groups are benzyl or substituted benzyl , catalytic hydrogenation will result in their removal . for this reason , methyl or ethyl groups are preferred as protecting groups for the 3 - and / or 5 - hydroxy groups of formula iii reactants . alternatively , compounds of formula v can be prepared directly from compounds of formula iii by reaction of formula iii compounds with an alkyl 3 , 3 - r 4 r 5 - acrylate in acetic acid at temperatures ranging from 0 ° c . to the reflux temperature . alternatively , compounds of formula vi - b can be prepared directly by condensation of equimolar quantities of iii with the appropriate substituted acrylic acid ( r 4 r 5 c ═ ch -- cooh ) in pyridine hydrochloride at 150 °- 200 ° c . in addition , when the r 4 , r 5 groups are both alkyl , treatment of iii and the alkyl r 4 , r 5 acrylate in a reaction - inert solvent , e . g . tetrahydrofuran , with mercuric acetate followed by reduction with sodium borohydride gives v . direct conversion of compounds of formula iii to compounds of formula v is also conveniently achieved by treating a 3 , 5 -( diprotected hydroxy ) aniline hydrochloride with an excess of an alkyl acetoacetate , e . g . ethyl acetoacetate , in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride in a solvent such as methanol . the alkyl 3 - anilino - 3 -( r 4 )- propionate ( v ) is then cyclized to the corresponding 2 -( r 4 )- quinolin - 4 - one ( formula vi - a or - b ) by means of a suitable cyclizing agent such as polyphosphoric acid ( ppa ), hydrogen bromide - acetic acid , sulfuric acid , and others known to those skilled in the art . the ether protecting , or blocking , groups on the 3 -( and 5 -) hydroxy groups can be removed at the time of cyclization through the use of 48 % hydrobromic acid in acetic acid as cyclizing agent and deblocking agent . however , when z is --( alk 1 ) m -- x --( alk 2 ) n -- cyclization agents such as polyphosphoric acid or trifluoroacetic acid must be used to avoid cleavage of the ether or thioether linkage . alternatively , the protecting group ( or groups ) can be removed subsequent to the cyclization reaction . when the protecting groups are benzyl or substituted benzyl groups , they can be removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis using palladium or platinum supported on carbon or by solvolysis using trifluoroacetic acid . of course , when group -- z -- w contains sulfur , acid debenzylation rather than catalytic debenzylation is used . group r 6 , if not already present in compounds of formula vi - a - c , can be introduced into said compounds by reaction with the appropriate cl - r 6 or br - r 6 reactant according to known procedures . of course , when an acyl , e . g . acetyl , group r 6 is desired in products of formulae i or ii , such groups are generally introduced at that point in the reaction sequence ( flow sheet b ) following formation of formula ii compounds wherein r 6 is hydrogen , e . g ., by acylation with the appropriate acyl halide according to known procedures . compounds of formula vi and , of course , of formula vi - a - c , are converted by the following illustrative sequence ( flow sheet b ) to representative compounds of formulae ii and i ( r 5 and r 6 = h in the illustration ). ## str9 ## the quinolines of formula vi are converted to hydroxymethylene derivatives of formula vii by reaction with ethyl formate and sodium hydride . the bis - formylated derivative thus produced is treated with methyl vinyl ketone to give a mixture of the corresponding mono - n - formylated michael adduct ( viii ) and 1 , 3 - bis - formylated michael adduct . the two products are conveniently separated by column chromatography on silica gel . aldol condensation of the mono - n - formyl compound of formula viii affords the enone ix . the enone ( ix ) is converted by birch reduction to a compound of formula ii . the birch reduction is favored because it offers stereoselectivity resulting in formation of the desired trans - ketone of formula ii as the major product . the hydroxy ketones of formula ii ( compounds wherein r 1 is hydrogen ) and the dihydroxy compounds of formula i ( r = or 1 = oh ) appear to be rather unstable to oxidation as evidenced by formation of purple to red colors upon standing . they can be stabilized by acylation , particularly acetylation , of the 1 - hydroxyl group ( or 1 ) with acetic anhydride in pyridine , and by formation of acid addition salts , e . g ., hydrochlorides . chemical ( sodium borohydride ) reduction of the 9 - oxo group of compounds of formula ii , and preferably , for reasons of stability mentioned above , of the acetylated derivative of formula ii , via metal hydride reduction affords compounds of formula i wherein the hydroxyl group at the 1 - position is present as its acetylated derivative . alternately , and more desirably , compounds of formula ix , especially those wherein the 1 - hydroxy group is protected as an ester or benzyl ether , are converted to compounds of formula i by catalytic ( pd / c ) hydrogenation . the acetylated derivatives of formula i thus produced are converted to the corresponding hydroxy derivatives by cleavage of the acetyl group by standard methods . esters of compounds of formula ii wherein r 1 is alkanoyl or -- co --( ch 2 ) p -- nr 2 r 3 are readily prepared by reacting formula ii compounds with the appropriate alkanoic acid or acid of formula hooc --( ch 2 ) p -- nr 2 r 3 in the presence of a condensing agent such as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide . alternatively , they are prepared by reaction of a formula ii compound with the appropriate alkanoic acid chloride or anhydride , e . g ., acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride , in the presence of a base such as pyridine . esters of formula i compounds in which each of the r and r 1 groups is esterified are prepared by acylation according to the above - described procedures . compounds in which only the 9 - hydroxy group is acylated are obtained by mild hydrolysis of the corresponding 1 , 9 - diacyl derivative , advantage being taken of the greater ease of hydrolysis of the phenolic acyl group . formula i compounds in which only the 1 - hydroxy groups is esterified are obtained by borohydride reduction of the corresponding formula ii ketone esterified at the 1 - position . the thus - produced formula i compounds bearing 1 - acyl - 9 - hydroxy substitution or 1 - hydroxy - 9 - acyl substitution can then be acylated further with a different acylating agent to produce a diesterified compound of formula i in which the ester groups at the 1 - and the 9 - positions are different . the presence of a basic group in the ester moiety ( or 1 ) in the compounds of this invention permits formation of acid - addition salts involving said basic group . when the herein described basic esters are prepared via condensation of the appropriate amino acid hydrochloride ( or other acid addition salt ) with the appropriate compound of formula i - ii in the presence of a condensing agent , the hydrochloride salt of the basic ester is produced . careful neutralization affords the free base . the free base form can then be converted to other acid addition salts by known procedures . acid addition salts can , of course , as those skilled in the art will recognize , be formed with the nitrogen of the benzo [ c ] quinoline system . such salts are prepared by standard procedures . the basic ester derivatives are , of course , able to form mono - or di - acid addition salts because of their dibasic functionality . the antiemetic properties of the compounds of formulae i and ii are determined in unanesthetized unrestrained cats according to the procedure described in proc . soc . exptl . biol . and med ., 160 , 437 - 440 ( 1979 ). the compounds of the present invention are active antiemetics via oral and parenteral administration and are conveniently administered in composition form . such compositions include a pharmaceutical carrier selected on the basis of the chosen route of administration and standard pharmaceutical practice . for example , they may be administered in the form of tablets , pills , powders or granules containing such excipients as starch , milk sugar , certain types of clay , etc . they may be administered in capsules , in admixtures with the same or equivalent excipients . they may also be administered in the form of oral suspensions , dispersions , solutions , emulsions , syrups and elixirs which may contain flavoring and coloring agents . for oral administration of the therapeutic agents of this invention , tablets or capsules containing from about 0 . 01 to about 100 mg . are suitable for most applications . the physician will determine the dosage which will be most suitable for an individual patient and it will vary with the age , weight and response of the particular patient and the route of administration . generally , however , the initial antiemetic dose of drug is administered in an amount effective to prevent nausea . such dosage in adults may range from 0 . 01 to 500 mg . per day in single or divided doses . in many instances , it is not necessary to exceed 100 mg . daily . the favored oral dosage range is from about 0 . 01 to about 300 mg ./ day ; the preferred range is from about 0 . 10 to about 50 mg ./ day . the favored parenteral dose is from about 0 . 01 to about 100 mg ./ day ; the preferred range from about 0 . 01 to about 20 mg ./ day . the compounds ( drugs ) described herein can be formulated for administration in solid or liquid form for oral or parenteral administration . capsules containing compounds of formulae i or ii are prepared by mixing one part by weight of drug with nine parts of excipient such as starch or milk sugar and then loading the mixture also telescoping gelatin capsules such that each capsule contains 100 parts of the mixture . tablets are prepared by compounding suitable mixtures of drug and standard ingredients used in preparing tablets , such as starch , binders and lubricants , such that each tablet contains from 0 . 01 to 100 mg . of drug per tablet . suspensions and solutions of these drugs , particularly those wherein r 1 ( formulae i and ii ) is hydroxy , are generally prepared just prior to use in order to avoid problems of stability of the drug ( e . g . oxidation ) or of suspensions or solution ( e . g . precipitation ) of the drug upon storage . compositions suitable for such are generally dry solid compositions which are reconstituted for injectable administration . the examples presented below illustrate the preparation of preferred compounds useful in the process of this invention . they are representative of procedures which can be used to synthesize compounds of formulae i and ii described herein . a mixture of 3 , 5 - dimethoxyaniline ( 4 . 6 g ., 0 . 03 mole ), crotonic acid ( 2 . 54 g ., 0 . 03 mole ) and pyridine hydrochloride ( 3 . 0 g ., 1 . 26 moles ) is heated at 185 °- 200 ° c . for 45 minutes . the cooled reaction mixture is suspended in water ( 500 ml .) ( ph ˜ 3 ) and the ph adjusted to 7 and the resultant mixture stirred for 10 minutes . the organic layer is separated , dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated to 3 . 2 g . of a yellow oil . a mixture of glacial acetic acid ( 110 ml . ), 48 % hydrobromic acid ( 110 ml .) and the yellow oil is refluxed for one hour and is then concentrated in vacuo to a dark oil . the oil is dissolved in water and the aqueous solution neutralized to ph 6 - 7 with 1 n sodium hydroxide . a saturated solution of salt water is added and the resulting mixture extracted with ethyl acetate . the extracts are combined , dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated under reduced pressure to a dark oil ( 2 . 8 g .). column chromatography of the crude residue on silica gel using benzene - ether ( 4 : 1 ) as eluant gives an additional 510 mg . of product , m . p . 168 °- 170 ° c . further purification is achieved by recrystallizing the product from ethyl acetate ; m . p . 173 °- 174 ° c . analysis : calc &# 39 ; d for c 10 h 11 o 3 n : c , 62 . 16 ; h , 5 . 74 ; n , 7 . 25 %; found : c , 62 . 00 ; h , 5 . 83 ; n , 7 . 14 %. a mixture of 5 - phenyl - 2 -( r , s )- pentanol ( 16 . 4 g ., 100 mmole ), triethylamine ( 28 ml ., 200 mmole ) and dry tetrahydrofuran ( 80 ml .) under a nitrogen atmosphere is cooled in an ice / water bath . methanesulfonyl chloride ( 8 . 5 ml ., 110 mm ) in dry tetrahydrofuran ( 20 ml .) is added dropwise at such a rate that the temperature holds essentially constant . the mixture is allowed to warm to room temperature and is then filtered to remove triethylamine hydrochloride . the filter cake is washed with dry tetrahydrofuran and the combined wash and filtrate evaporated under reduced pressure to give the product as an oil . the oil is dissolved in chloroform ( 100 ml .) and the solution washed with water ( 2 × 100 ml .) and then with saturated brine ( 1 × 20 ml .). evaporation of the solvent affords 21 . 7 g . ( 89 . 7 %) yield of the mesylate of d , l - 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentanol which is used in the next step without further purification . a mixture of d , l - 5 , 7 - dihydroxy - 2 - methyl - 4 - oxo - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline ( 114 . 8 g ., 0 . 594 mole ), potassium carbonate ( 174 . 8 g ., 1 . 265 moles ), n , n - dimethylformamide ( 612 ml .) and d , l - 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentanol mesylate ( 165 . 5 g ., 0 . 638 mmole ), under a nitrogen atmosphere , is heated to 80 °- 82 ° c . in an oil bath for 1 . 75 hours . the mixture is cooled to room temperature and then poured into ice / water ( 4 liters ). the aqueous solution is extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 4 liters ) and the combined extracts washed successively with water ( 4 × 2 liters ) and saturated brine ( 1 × 2 liters ). the extract is then dried ( mgso 4 ), and evaporated to give the product ( 196 g .). it is used without further purification . 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) β cdcl . sbsb . 3 tms ( ppm ): 12 . 73 ( s , 1h , oh ), 7 . 22 ( s , 5h , aromatic ), 5 . 80 ( d , j = 3 h 3 , 1h , meta h ), 5 . 58 ( d , j = 3 h 3 , 1h , meta h ), 1 . 25 ( d , 6h , ch 3 -- ch -- n and ch 3 -- ch -- o --), 1 . 41 - 4 . 81 ( m , 11h , remaining protons ). a solution of d , l - 5 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline ( 195 g ., ca . 0 . 58 mole ) in ethyl formate ( 1140 g ., 14 . 6 moles ) is added dropwise to sodium hydride ( 72 g ., 3 . 0 moles , obtained by washing 144 g . of 50 % sodium hydride with hexane , 3 × 500 ml . ), with good stirring . after about 1 . 5 hours when 2 / 3 of the ethyl formate solution is added , the addition is discontinued to allow the vigorous foaming to subside . diethyl ether ( 600 ml .) is added and the mixture stirred for 15 minutes before adding the remainder of the ethyl formate solution . when addition is complete , diethyl ether ( 600 ml .) is added , the reaction mixture stirred for an additional 10 minutes and then poured onto ice water ( 2 liters ). it is acidified to ph 1 with 10 % hcl and the phase separated and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 2 liters ), brine ( 1 × one liter ) and dried ( mgso 4 ). concentration gives 231 g . of red - brown oil which is used without further purification . r f = 0 . 1 - 0 . 5 ( stretched ) on thin layer chromatography , silica gel plates , benzene / ether ( 1 : 1 ). to a solution of d , l - 1 - formyl - 3 - hydroxymethylene - 5 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline ( 229 g ., ca . 0 . 58 mole ) in methanol ( 880 ml .) under a nitrogen atmosphere is added triethylamine ( 27 . 2 ml .) with stirring . methyl vinyl ketone ( 97 . 0 ml .) is then added and the mixture stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction is complete at this point and comprises a mixture of the title compound and d , l - 1 , 3 - diformyl - 5 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 3 -( 3 - oxobutyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline . the following steps are required to convert the diformyl compound to the desired title compound . the reaction mixture is diluted with ether ( 6 liters ) and then washed successively with 10 % aqueous sodium carbonate ( 4 × 1700 ml . ), brine ( 1 × 2 liters ) and then dried ( mgso 4 ). concentration of the solution affords 238 g . of a red - brown oil . the oil is dissolved in methanol ( 1920 ml .) and the solution cooled to 0 ° c . potassium carbonate ( 21 . 2 g .) is added , the mixture stirred for 3 hours at 0 ° c . and then treated with acetic acid ( 18 . 7 g .). the methanol is removed under reduced pressure and the resultant oil stirred with water ( 2 liters ) and ethyl acetate ( 2 liters ) for 10 minutes . the aqueous phase is separated , extracted with ethyl acetate ( 1 × 2 liters ) and the combined ethyl acetate solutions washed with water ( 2 × 2 liters ), brine ( 1 × 2 liters ) and dried ( mgso 4 ). concentration under reduced pressure and chromatography of the concentrate on silica gel ( 1 . 8 kg .) gives 159 g . of the title product . 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ cdcl . sbsb . 3 tms ( ppm ): 12 . 7 ( s , 1h , oh ), 8 . 78 ( bs , 1h , -- cho ), 7 . 22 ( s , 5h , aromatic ), 6 . 22 ( bs , 2h , meta h &# 39 ; s ), 2 . 12 , 2 . 07 ( s , 3h , -- ch 3 -- co --), 1 . 31 ( d , 3h , -- ch 3 -- c -- o --), and 1 . 57 - 5 . 23 ( m , 13h , remaining protons ). similar treatment of 35 g . ( 0 . 09 mole ) of dl - 1 - formyl - 5 - hydroxy - 3 - hydroxymethylene - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 4 - phenylbutyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline gives 22 . 7 g . ( 60 %) of dl - 1 - formyl - 5 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 4 - phenylbutyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 3 -( 3 - oxobutyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline , m . p . 101 °- 103 ° c . the analytical sample is obtained by recrystallization from methanol , m . p . 104 °- 105 ° c . calc &# 39 ; d . for c 25 h 29 o 5 n : c , 70 . 90 ; h , 6 . 90 ; n , 3 . 31 %; found : c , 70 . 77 ; h , 6 . 81 ; n , 3 . 46 %. 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ cdcl . sbsb . 3 tms ( ppm ): 12 . 88 ( s , 1h , -- oh ), 9 . 08 ( bs , 1h , -- cho ), 7 . 29 ( s , 5h , c 6 h 5 ), 6 . 25 ( bs , 2h , meta h &# 39 ; s ), 4 . 88 - 5 . 43 ( m , 1h , -- chn ), 3 . 86 - 4 . 21 ( m , 2h , -- ch 2 -- o --), ca . 2 . 49 - 3 . 02 [ m , 7h , arch 2 , --( ch 2 ) 2 -- c (═ o )--, -- ch -- c (═ o )], 2 . 18 [ s , 3h , ch 3 -- c (═ o )], 1 . 68 - 2 . 03 [ m , 4h , --( ch 2 ) 2 --], 1 . 13 ( d , 3h , ch 3 ). m / e - 423 ( m + ). a solution of d , l - 1 - formyl - 5 - hydroxy - 2 - methyl - 7 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- 4 - oxo - 3 -( 3 - oxobutyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline ( 174 g ., 0 . 398 mole ) in methanolic 2 n koh ( 5 . 9 liters ) and methanol ( 5 . 9 liters ) is stirred and heated at reflux overnight under a nitrogen atmosphere . to the cooled solution is added acetic acid ( 708 g .) dropwise with stirring over a 15 minute period . the resulting solution is concentrated by rotary evaporation ( in vacuo , water aspirator ) to a semisolid which is filtered and washed first with water to remove potassium acetate and then with ethyl acetate until all the black tar is removed . yield = 68 g . ( 44 %) yellow solids , m . p . 188 °- 190 ° c . recrystallization from hot ethyl acetate affords the pure product , m . p . 194 °- 195 ° c . analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 25 h 29 o 3 n : c , 76 . 09 ; h , 7 . 47 ; n , 3 . 58 %; found : c , 76 . 43 ; h , 7 . 48 ; n , 3 . 58 %. 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ tms ( 100 mg . dissolved in 0 . 3 ml . cd 3 od and 0 . 3 ml . cd 3 s ( o ) cd 3 ) ( ppm ): 7 . 21 ( s , 5h , aromatic ), 5 . 80 ( s , 2h , meta h &# 39 ; s ), 1 . 20 ( d , 6h , ch 3 -- cho and ch 3 -- ch -- n ). from the mother liquors , a small amount of the corresponding axial methyl derivative is obtained upon evaporation . it is purified by column chromatography on silica gel using benzene / ether ( 1 : 1 ) as eluant . evaporation of the eluate and recrystallization of the residue from ether / hexane ( 1 : 1 ) affords analytically pure material , m . p . 225 °- 228 ° c . its r f value upon thin layer chromatography on silica gel using 2 . 5 % methanol in ether as eluant and visualization with fast blue is 0 . 34 . the 6β - methyl derivative exhibits r f = 0 . 41 . 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ tms ( 100 mg . dissolved in 0 . 3 ml . cd 3 od and 0 . 3 ml . cd 3 s ( o ) cd 3 ) ( ppm ): 7 . 19 ( s , 5h , aromatic ), 5 . 75 ( s , 2h , meta h &# 39 ; s ), 1 . 21 ( d , 3h , ch 3 -- cho --), and 0 . 95 ( d , 3h , ch 3 -- ch -- n ). ammonia ( 1150 ml .) is condensed directly into a flame - dried 3 liter / 3 neck flask ( under a nitrogen atmosphere ) equipped with mechanical stirrer , a 500 ml . dropping funnel and solid co 2 / acetone cooling (˜- 75 ° c .). lithium wire ( 2 . 2 g ., cut into 1 / 4 &# 34 ; pieces ) is added and a characteristic blue color forms immediately . to the stirred blue solution at - 78 ° c . is added d , l - 5 , 6 , 6a , 7 - tetrahydro - 1 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one ( 21 . 5 g ., 0 . 055 mole ) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran ( 250 ml .) dropwise over a 10 minute period . after an additional 5 minutes of stirring at - 78 ° c ., the reaction mixture is quenched by the addition of dry ammonium chloride ( 20 g .). the cooling is then discontinued and the reaction mixture warmed slowly on a steam bath to evaporate the ammonia . when almost dry , ethyl acetate ( 2 liters ) and water ( 1 liter ) are added and the mixture stirred for 10 minutes . the layers are then separated and the aqueous phase is extracted once more with ethyl acetate ( 500 ml .). the combined organic extracts are washed once with water ( 1 liter ), dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated to a brown semi - solid (˜ 28 g .). this residue is immediately dissolved in methylene chloride ( 200 ml . ), 4 - dimethylaminopyridine ( 7 . 5 g ., 0 . 061 mole ) and triethylamine ( 6 . 1 g ., 0 . 061 mole ) added and the stirred solution cooled to 0 ° c . ( ice / water cooling ) under a nitrogen atmosphere . acetic anhydride ( 6 . 1 g ., 0 . 061 mole ) is then added dropwise over 5 minutes with good stirring . after an additional 30 minutes of stirring at 0 ° c ., the reaction mixture is diluted with ethyl acetate ( 2 liters ) and water ( 1 liter ) and stirred for 10 minutes . the aqueous is extracted once more with water and the combined organics washed successively with water ( 4 × 1 liter ), saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 1 × 1 liter ), brine ( 1 × 1 liter ), dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated to a light brown oil (˜ 27 g .). the residue is chromatographed on 1 . 8 kg . of silica gel using benzene 15 / ethyl acetate as the eluting solvent . one liter fractions are collected . after elution of less polar impurities , fractions 16 - 20 are combined and evaporated to a residue which is crystallized from ether / petroleum ether to yield 5 . 6 g . ( 23 . 4 %) of the trans - isomer of the title product . fractions 21 - 27 are combined to give 7 . 6 g . ( 31 . 8 %) of a mixture of the trans - and cis - isomers , and fractions 28 - 32 are combined to give 2 . 5 g . ( 10 . 4 %) of the cis - isomer of the title product . 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ cdcl . sbsb . 3 tms ( ppm ): 7 . 24 ( s , 5h , aromatic ), 5 . 97 ( s , 2h , meta h &# 39 ; s ), 2 . 28 ( s , 3h , ch 3 -- coo ), 1 . 23 ( d , 3h , ch 3 -- ch -- o --), 1 . 20 ( d , 3h , ch 3 -- ch -- n ), 1 . 3 - 4 . 5 ( m , 17h , remaining protons ). analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 33 o 4 n : c , 74 . 45 ; h , 7 . 64 ; n , 3 . 22 %; found : c , 74 . 15 ; h , 7 . 68 ; n , 3 . 18 %. analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 33 o 4 n . hcl : c , 68 . 71 ; h , 7 . 26 ; n , 2 . 97 %; found : c , 68 . 86 ; h , 7 . 16 ; n , 2 . 97 %. sodium borohydride ( 7 . 57 g ., 0 . 20 mole ) is added to methanol ( 200 ml .) under a nitrogen atmosphere and cooled in an acetone / dry ice bath to about - 75 ° c . the mixture is stirred for about 20 minutes to dissolve most , if not all , the sodium borohydride . a solution of d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 10 , 10aα - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one ( 8 . 71 g ., 0 . 02 mole ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 88 ml .) is cooled to about - 50 ° c . and then added dropwise over a 5 - 10 minute period to the sodium borohydride solution . the reaction mixture is stirred at about - 70 ° c . for 30 minutes and is then poured onto a mixture of water ( 1000 ml .) containing ammonium chloride ( 45 g ., 0 . 80 mole ) crushed ice ( 250 ml .) and ethyl acetate ( 250 ml .). the layers are separated and the aqueous extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 200 ml .). the combined extracts are washed with water ( 1 × 100 ml .) and dried ( mgso 4 ). the dried extract is cooled to about 5 ° c . a solution of ethyl acetate ( 15 ml . )/ hcl , 1 . 5 n ( 0 . 025 mole ) is then added dropwise over a 15 minute period . upon stirring the mixture at 0 °- 5 ° c ., the hydrochloride salt of the title product precipitates . the mixture is stirred for a half - hour , filtered and the salt dried at 25 ° c ./ 0 . 055 mm . to give 6 . 378 g . ( 67 . 3 %) of product , m . p . 195 °- 198 ° c . ( dec .). to a solution of d , l - cis - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 10 , 10aβ - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- benzo [ c ] quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one ( 1 . 0 g ., 2 . 296 mmole ) in dry tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml .) at - 78 ° c . is added , with stirring , potassium tri - sec - butyl borohydride ( 4 . 6 ml ., of 0 . 5 m , 2 . 296 mmole ) dropwise over a period of five minutes . the reaction mixture is stirred an additional 30 minutes at - 78 ° c . and is then poured , with stirring , into a solution of 5 % acetic acid ( 250 ml .) and ether ( 500 ml .) pre - cooled to 0 ° c . the layers are separated and the aqueous layer extracted with additional ether ( 250 ml .). the combined ether extracts are washed successively with water ( 2 × 250 ml . ), saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 1 × 250 ml .) and brine ( 1 × 250 ml . ), dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated in vacuo to give a yellow oil ( 1 . 4 g .). the crude oil is chromatographed on silica gel ( 100 g .) using benzene / ether ( 3 : 1 ) as eluant . after elution of less polar impurities , the title compound is isolated as a clear oil ( 700 mg .). the oil is dissolved in ether ( 35 ml .) and treated with ether saturated with hcl gas to give the hydrochloride salt of the title compound ( 448 mg . ), m . p . 115 °- 124 ° c . after recrystallization from ether / chloroform . analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 35 o 4 n . hcl : c , 68 . 41 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 2 . 96 %; found : c , 68 . 52 ; h , 7 . 91 ; n , 2 . 73 %. a solution of 145 mg . d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline and 46 mg . potassium carbonate in 35 ml . methanol is stirred at room temperature . after 30 minutes , the reaction mixture is neutralized with acetic acid and concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue is dissolved in ether ( 100 ml . ), washed successively with water ( 2 × 35 ml . ), saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 1 × 35 ml . ), brine ( 1 × 40 ml . ), dried ( mgso 4 ) and concentrated under reduced pressure to give d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline . to a stirred solution of 436 mg . of d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 10 , 10aα - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one in 3 ml . acetonitrile cooled to 15 ° c . is added 0 . 5 ml . 37 % aqueous formaldehyde followed by 100 mg . sodium cyanoborohydride . acetic acid is added to maintain a neutral ph until the reaction is complete as evidenced by no remaining starting material by thin layer chromatography . the product is isolated in the following manner . ice water and ether is added to the reaction mixture , the ether layer separated and the aqueous extracted once more with ether . the combined ether layers are combined , dried and evaporated to yield the desired d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 10 , 10aα - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 , 6β - dimethyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one ; an oil . analysis of hydrochloride calc &# 39 ; d . for c 28 h 35 o 4 n . hcl : c , 69 . 19 ; h , 7 . 47 ; n , 2 . 88 %; found : c , 68 . 72 ; h , 7 . 18 ; n , 2 . 74 %. analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 28 h 35 o 4 n : c , 74 . 80 ; h , 7 . 85 ; n , 3 . 12 %; found : c , 74 . 66 ; h , 8 . 05 ; n , 2 . 66 %. formaldehyde ( 1 . 1 ml . of 37 % aqueous ) is added to a solution of d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 10 , 10aα - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinoline - 9 ( 8h )- one in acetonitrile ( 15 ml .) at room temperature , followed by sodium cyanoborohydride ( 0 . 262 g .). the reaction mixture is stirred for one hour during which time the ph is maintained at neutral ph by addition of acetic acid as needed . additional sodium cyanoborohydride ( 0 . 262 g .) and methanol ( 15 ml .) are added to the reaction mixture , which is then acidified to ph 3 , stirred for two hours , and concentrated under reduced pressure to an oil . the oil is diluted with water ( 50 ml . ), the ph then adjusted to 9 - 10 by means of aqueous sodium hydroxide , and the alkaline mixture extracted with ether ( 3 × 200 ml .). the combined ether extracts are washed with brine , dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated under reduced pressure to a clear oil . the oil is then dissolved in 50 % ether - hexane and charged to a silica gel column . the column is eluted first with 50 % ether - hexane followed by 60 %, 70 % and 75 % etherhexane . the eluate is monitored by thin layer chromatography ( ether - 10 , hexane - 1 ). the first product collected is d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6a , 7 , 10 , 10a - hexahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 , 6β - dimethyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinolin - 9 ( 8h )- one . d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 , 6β - dimethyl - 9β - hydroxy - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , which is isolated as the hydrochloride salt ; m . p . 163 °- 165 ° c . to a stirred solution of 1 . 0 g . ( 0 . 0021 moles ) ( 2 &# 39 ; r , 6s , 6ar , 9r , 10ar )-(-)- 1 - acetoxy - 5 , 6 , 6a , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10a - octahydro - 9 - hydroxy - 6 - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- benzo [ c ] quinoline hydrochloride in 30 ml . chcl 3 is added 30 ml . saturated nahco 3 solution , and the mixture stirred 5 minutes at room temperature . the layers are separated and the aqueous layer re - extracted with 20 ml . chcl 3 . the combined chloroform layers are dried ( mgso 4 ), filtered and the solvent removed in vacuo to yield the free base as a colorless foam . this foam is dissolved in 40 ml . tetrahydrofuran and combined with 1 . 0 g . 5 % pd / c , 1 . 05 ml . ( 0 . 018 moles = 8 . 7 equiv .) glacial acetic acid and 15 . 8 ml . ( 0 . 20 moles = 100 equiv .) 37 % aqueous formaldehyde . the mixture is placed in a parr apparatus at 50 p . s . i . and hydrogenated for 50 minutes . the catalyst is filtered through diatomaceous earth , washing well with ethyl acetate . the filtrate is diluted to 150 ml . with ethyl acetate then washed successively 3 × with 100 ml . saturated nahco 3 solution , 75 ml . h 2 o 3 ×, 75 ml . brine 1 ×, and dried over mgso 4 . the solvent is filtered and removed in vacuo yielding a yellow viscous oil which is chromatographed on 50 g . silica gel ( 0 . 04 - 0 . 63 mm .) and eluted with toluene / diethyl ether ( 1 : 1 ). similar fractions are combined and removed in vacuo to yield a colorless oil which is redissolved in 50 ml . diethyl ether and dry hcl bubbled in under a nitrogen atomsophere with stirring . the resulting white solid is filtered under a nitrogen atmosphere and dried in vacuo ( 0 . 1 mm .) for 24 hours at room temperature to yield 0 . 45 g . ( 44 %) of the title product , m . p . 90 °- 95 ° c . ( d ). nmr ( cdcl 3 ) - 2 . 73 ppm . singlet , 3h ( n -- ch 3 ). calc &# 39 ; d . for c 28 h 37 o 4 n . hcl : c , 68 . 90 ; h , 7 . 85 ; n , 2 . 87 %; found : c , 68 . 60 ; h , 7 . 92 ; n , 2 . 77 %. a stirred suspension of 47 . 4 g . ( 0 . 10 mol ) of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1 - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , hydrochloride and 500 ml . of chcl 3 under a n 2 atmosphere is cooled to 0 ° c . and treated with 250 ml . pyridine followed by 58 ml . ( 0 . 50 mole ) benzoyl chloride in 500 ml . chloroform . the resultant homogeneous solution is then refluxed on a steam bath for one hour . the reaction mixture is poured onto crushed ice and extracted with chloroform . the organic extracts are combined , washed successively with water ( 2 × 500 ml . ), 10 % hydrochloric acid , saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 500 ml .) and saturated brine solution ( 500 ml . ), dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated to give 119 g . of a light yellow oil . chromatography on 2000 g . silica gel ( 20 % etoac - cyclohexane ) affords 50 . 5 g . ( 78 %) of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1 - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , m . p . 125 °- 30 ° c . anal . calc &# 39 ; d . for c 41 h 43 o 6 n : c , 76 . 24 ; h , 6 . 72 ; n , 2 . 17 %. found : c , 76 . 35 ; h , 6 . 92 ; n , 2 . 19 %. recrystallization of 50 . 5 g . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1 - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline from 2 l . 2 - propanol yielded 23 . 8 of white solids , m . p . 136 °- 8 °, which are recrystallized twice more from 2 - propanol and once from acetonitrile to yield 5 . 7 g . of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , m . p . 148 °- 9 ° c . the filtrate from the original 2 - propanol recrystallization of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1 - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline is evaporated to a white foam and triturated with 500 ml . ether to yield 12 . 9 g . of white solids , m . p . 129 °- 132 °. these solids are triturated twice again with ether to yield 3 . 8 g . of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1α - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , m . p . 139 °- 141 ° c . to a stirred solution of 2 . 0 g . lithium aluminum hydride in 150 ml . tetrahydrofuran under a nitrogen atmosphere is added a solution of 5 . 7 g . ( 8 . 8 mmole ) dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline in 112 ml . tetrahydrofuran dropwise over a five minute period . the resultant mixture is heated at reflux for 45 minutes , cooled and poured carefully onto an ice cold mixture of 1125 ml . 5 % acetic acid in water and 2250 ml . ether . this biphasic mixture is stirred for ten minutes and the layers separated . the aqueous layer is extracted with an additional 500 ml . ether and the combined ether extracts ae washed successively with water ( 3 × 500 ml . ), saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 2 × 500 ml .) and saturated brine solution ( 1 × 500 ml . ), dried over mgso 4 , filtered and evaporated to yield 5 . 4 g . dl - 5 - benzyl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline as a light purple oil . dl - 5 - benzyl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy )- benzo [ c ] quinoline is immediately taken up in 450 ml . methanol and hydrogenated at atmospheric pressure over 4 . 27 g . pd / c for 3 hours to yield dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline after filtration of the catalyst and evaporation of the methanol . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline is immediately dissolved in 210 ml . methylene chloride , cooled to 0 ° c . under a nitrogen atmosphere , and treated successively with 1 . 35 ml . triethylamine , 1 . 19 g . ( 9 . 7 mmol ) of 4 - dimethylaminopyridine and finally with 0 . 834 ml . ( 8 . 8 mmol ) of acetic anhydride . after stirring for 30 minutes , the reaction mixture is poured onto 250 ml . of water and the organic layer separated . the aqueous layer is extracted once more with methylene chloride and the combined methylene chloride layers washed successively with a saturated sodium bicarbonate solution ( 2 × 150 ml . ), wate ( 150 ml .) and a saturated brine solution , dried over mgso 4 , filtered , evaporated and chromatographed on 300 g . silica gel using 33 % ether - toluene as eluent to give 1 . 4 g . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , as the free base . treatment of dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , in ether with hcl ( gas ) yields 795 mg . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α ,- 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1β - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline , hydrochloride , m . p . 213 °- 215 ° c . after filtration and trituration in acetone , m / e = 437 ( m + , 100 %). anal . calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 35 o 4 n . hcl : c , 68 . 42 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 2 . 96 . found : c , 68 . 48 ; h , 7 . 63 ; n , 3 . 05 . similarly prepared from 3 . 8 g . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 5 - benzoyl - 9 - benzoyloxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1α - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline is 1 . 1 g . dl - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9α , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 - acetoxy - 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 1α - methyl - 4 - phenylbutoxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinoline hydrochloride , m . p . 202 °- 205 ° ( d . ), m / e = 437 ( 100 %, m + ). anal . calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 35 o 4 n . hcl : c , 68 . 42 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 2 . 96 . found : c , 68 . 20 ; h , 7 . 56 ; n , 3 . 04 . to a 25 ° c . solution of d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy )- benzo [ c ] quinoline ( 1 . 0 g ., 2 . 53 mmoles ) in methylene chloride ( 20 ml .) is added 4 - n - piperidylbutyric acid hydrochloride ( 0 . 524 g ., 2 . 53 mmoles ) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 0 . 573 g ., 2 . 78 mmoles ). the reaction mixture is stirred at 25 ° c . for 6 hours and then cooled for 12 hours and filtered . evaporation of the filtrate and trituration of the residue with ether gives 1 . 3 g . of solid of the monohydrochloride salt . preparative layer chromatography of a portion of this solid on 0 . 5 mm . thick silica gel and elution with 10 % methanol - methylene dichloride affords the free base , d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 -( 4 - n - piperidylbutyryloxy )- 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline . 1 h nmr ( 60 mhz ) δ cdcl . sbsb . 3 tms ( ppm ): 1 . 12 ( d , j = 7 hz , c - 3 side - chain methyl ), 1 . 25 ( d , j = 6 hz , c - 6 methyl ), 5 . 84 ( s , two arh ) and 7 . 16 ( s , 5h ). treatment of this free base with excess hydrogen chloride in ether yield the dihydrochloride salt as a hygroscopic powder . to a 25 ° c . solution of d , l - 5 , 6 , 6a , 7 - tetrahydro - 1 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinoline - 9 ( 8h )- one ( 550 mg ., 1 . 41 mmole ) in methylene chloride ( 26 ml .) is added 4 - n - piperidylbutyric acid hydrochloride ( 291 mg ., 1 . 41 mmole ) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 319 mg ., 1 . 55 mmole ). this reaction mixture is stirred for 18 hours and is then cooled to 0 ° c . and filtered . evaporation of the filtrate and trituration of the residue with ether gives 800 mg . of d , l - 5 , 6 , 6a , 7 - tetrahydro - 1 -( 4 - n - piperidylbutyryloxy )- 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline - 9 ( 8h )- one hydrochloride as a hygroscopic yellow powder . ir ( chcl 3 ): 2 . 92 , 4 . 14 ( hn . sup .⊕ =), 5 . 69 ( ester ), 6 . 00 , 6 . 20 and 6 . 40μ . in like manner , d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 -( 4 - n - morpholinobutyryloxy )- 9 - hydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ] quinoline hydrochloride is prepared from 4 - n - morpholinobutyric acid and d , l - trans - 5 , 6 , 6aβ , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 10aα - octahydro - 1 , 9 - dihydroxy - 6β - methyl - 3 -( 5 - phenyl - 2 - pentyloxy ) benzo [ c ]- quinoline : excess hydrogen chloride is passed into a solution of the appropriate benzo [ c ] quinoline of formulae i and ii and the resulting precipitate separated and recrystallised from an appropriate solvent , e . g . methanol - ether ( 1 : 10 ). analysis : calc &# 39 ; d . for c 27 h 36 o 4 ncl : c , 68 . 48 ; h , 7 . 70 ; n , 2 . 89 %; found : c , 68 . 42 ; h , 7 . 66 ; n , 2 . 96 %.
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[ 0023 ] fig1 shows a flow chart as applied to apparatus used in implementing the present invention . the flow chart illustrates an embodiment according to the method and apparatus of the present invention . the shown embodiment applies the above described public key encryption method in combination with a signed public key and certificate , respectively . a typical exemplary scenario shall be described below to enlighten the virtue of the software protection method against unauthorized use . hardware devices and the corresponding software can be purchased via the internet using a web shop of the manufacturer or distributor or via a classical shop . if the purchase is performed via the internet contact information like mail address or e - mail address are submitted to the vendor . the hardware devices and the corresponding software are put together and sent to the purchaser . the respective hardware identification numbers can be obtained for example by the serial number of the hardware products . the unique hardware identification numbers and serial numbers are linked by a database system . to allow the use of the software also the license key has to be submitted to the purchaser . the hardware identification numbers are encrypted using a secret key according to a public key encryption method . in order to ensure a certain security of the secret key the encryption of the hardware identification numbers and the coding of the encrypted numbers in the license key should be performed by a single key authority to avoid a wide distribution of the secret key . the generated license key is submitted using preferably another way of submission . it is also possible that the license key has to be requested by the user . the user submits for example the serial number of the hardware devices in his property or the unique hardware identification numbers determined by a special software tool and a contact address to the key authority . the key authority has to be able to check the hardware numbers to ensure that the hardware device is authorized to be used in combination with the software . the user is now in possession of the hardware devices , the corresponding software and a personal license key . a public key according to the secret key has also to be provided . coding of the public key would be the simplest but also an unsafe way of providing . according to the currently preferred embodiment the public key is provided as a certificate or signed public key . the signed public key involves a third party key authority which encrypts the public key according to the secret key used for encrypting the hardware identification numbers contained in the license key . both the signed public key and the public key of the third party key authority can be submitted to the user via e - mail or can be accessed by the user using the internet . the software can now decrypt the hardware identification numbers of the license key in a two step decryption . in a first decryption step the signed public key or certificate , respectively , is decrypted using the public key of the third party key authority . this decryption results in the public key of the manufacturer or distributor . the following second decryption step involving the gained public key and the license key results in revelation of the hardware numbers contained in the license key . the contained hardware numbers are now compared with the hardware identification numbers read out by the software of the accessible hardware devices . if the numbers match access to the software and its execution is permitted to the user . in the other case it is for example possible to permit access to the software with limited functionality . due to the additional encryption of the public key used for decrypting the license key data the manipulation of the software and thereupon the unauthorized use of the software is made more difficult in comparison to using a coded public key for decryption . the certificate ensures that only the public key of the manufacturer or distributor is a legal public key . additionally , if the certificate and the corresponding public key of the third party key authority are submitted in any way parallel to the submission of the license key , the exchange of the keys is easier and once compromised keys can be exchanged against new secure ones . [ 0028 ] fig2 is a flow chart illustrating the steps and functions of the method and apparatus performed to activate repeatedly the protected software after the first activation . in the present embodiment according to fig2 the public key of the third party authority or certificate , respectively , the public key of the manufacturer or distributor and the license key are stored . each time the software is restarted the signed public key is decrypted using the public key of the manufacturer or distributor and subsequent the contained hardware identification numbers are decrypted and extracted for the license key and compared with the accessible hardware devices in order to ensure that the authorized hardware devices are used . this proceeding ensures that the public key of the manufacturer can not be exchanged against a public key of an authorized party . hereby , a complete protection against misuse of the software program is given . often software programs once installed on a computer system can not be copied and reinstalled on another one . in this case the protection against exchange of the public key of the manufacturer or distributor is not necessary any more . hence , it can be sufficient to check only once the public key to ensure the origin of the public key from an authorized source . only the decrypted certificate and the license key have to be stored which saves the execution of one decrypting process . the complete software protection is to be preferred , since the same decryption methods and algorithms are often used and the implementation of the complete staggered decryption process does not extend the software program to much . [ 0030 ] fig3 shows a possible arrangement of two computers 301 each equipped with a bluetooth ™ network interface 303 as an example of a hardware arrangement . the both bluetooth ™ network interfaces 303 each comprise a unique hardware identification address . both identification addresses can be read out by both software installed on one of the both computers 301 since bluetooth ™ network interfaces 303 are accessible from each other and all network interface cards have to comprise a unique hardware identification address to recognize them worldwide . software applying the protection method according to the present invention can be installed on one of the two computers and checking if at least two bluetooth ™ network interfaces 303 comprising certain hardware identification address are accessible . it is even possible to co - code additional license conditions . for example , it could be coded that one of the bluetooth ™ network interface 303 has to be connected electrically to the computer which executes the software and the other network interface 303 is accessed via radio frequency transmission 305 . obviously , the number of verified hardware devices comprising unique hardware identification addresses can vary according to the license conditions . [ 0031 ] fig4 shows a possible arrangement of a mobile terminal 401 and a mobile phone 403 each equipped with a bluetooth ™ network interface 303 , 405 as a further example of a hardware arrangement . this arrangement is similar to the arrangement shown in fig3 . a mobile phone 403 is used for linking a mobile terminal 401 to an access server to the internet . the data communication between mobile phone 403 and mobile terminal 401 is performed using bluetooth ™ network interfaces 303 , 405 . a special software is implemented on the mobile terminal 401 which use is only authorized in combination with a mobile phone 403 of a certain manufacturer . the manufacturer of the bluetooth ™ network interface 405 plugged on the mobile phone 403 distributes the necessary communication software which shall only be usable if this certain bluetooth ™ network interface 405 is connected . the software executed on the mobile terminal is protected against unauthorized use applying the method according to the present invention . the license key contains the bluetooth ™ hardware address of the bluetooth ™ network interface 405 . the corresponding bluetooth ™ network interface 303 connected to the mobile terminal 401 is not involved in the verification process so that a bluetooth ™ network interface of any manufacturer can be used . [ 0032 ] fig5 shows a further embodiment involving a controller unit like a mobile phone 403 or a personal computer 301 both equipped with a bluetooth ™ network interface 303 to control a home electronic device 501 like digital versatile disk player ( dvd ), video recorder ( vcr ), digital video recorder ( dvcr ). rising numbers of features included in home electronic devices requires just operable user interfaces . particularly , video processing devices comprising multiple features are suitable to be equipped with interface devices for remote controlling by another terminal device , e . g . personal computer , mobile phone or the similar devices able to execute controlling software . a bluetooth ™ network interface can be implemented as preferred interface device . related controlling software executed on the controlling devices has to be protected and shall only be usable in combination with the home electronic device of the certain manufacturer but executable on controlling devices of several manufacturer . therefore , the method of the present invention is suitable to prevent unauthorized use of the software for controlling unauthorized devices of a competitor which implement the same controlling interface . the forgoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto . the method and apparatus to prevent unauthorized software use applies a unique hardware identification sequence of hardware devices accessed by the software . the identification sequence is compared with coded sequences in a special license key comprising hardware identification sequences . to protect the contained hardware identification sequences against unauthorized manipulation the sequences can be encrypted using different encryption methods according to the desired degree of protection . accordingly , software which use is bonded to certain hardware devices can be protected effectively and reasonably by employing the method of the present invention .
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digital video signals generally comprise a series of image frames , which include a large number of image pixels to formulate a desired image . these image frames are processed at a high rate of speed , typically on the order of several image frames per second ( e . g . 60 frames per second ). image frames have heretofore been processed according to a constant nonlinear transfer function defining light intensity output in terms of the applied voltage video signal . the principles of the present disclosure , however , seek to improve a resulting video image by allowing for frame - to - frame image adjustment . in one aspect , frame - to - frame image adjustment may be accomplished by altering the nonlinear transfer function ( graphically depicted as a gamma curve ) between video signal input and light intensity output . in other words , the nonlinear transfer function can be altered for each image frame , thus allowing each image frame to have a tailored gamma correction for optimal image quality . referring to fig3 , in one embodiment , frame - to - frame gamma correction may vary between a standard gamma curve 30 and an s - shaped gamma curve 32 . for example , image frames that have a large number of dark or light pixels will typically have better image quality when following the standard gamma curve 30 than when following the s - shaped gamma curve 32 . however , image frames that comprise a large number of pixels falling between the extremes of excessively dark and bright images generally have better image quality when following the s - shaped gamma curve 32 than when following the standard gamma curve 30 . accordingly , it is desirable to incorporate a process during conditioning of a video signal that allows for adjustment of gamma correction between the standard gamma curve 30 and the s - shaped gamma curve 32 for each individual frame of a video image . the standard gamma curve 30 and the s - shaped gamma curve 32 as discussed herein do not correspond to defined nonlinear transfer functions . rather , varying standard gamma curves and varying s - shaped gamma curves are contemplated as falling within the scope of this disclosure so long as varying standard gamma curves generally correspond in shape to the standard gamma curve 30 and varying s - shaped gamma curves generally correspond in shape to the s - shaped gamma curve 32 . fig4 illustrates an exemplary video signal path 40 for conditioning a video signal v to achieve frame - to - frame gamma correction adjustment . the video signal path 40 begins with transmission of a video signal v from a video signal generator 42 . the video signal generator 42 may be any device capable of transmitting an analog or digital video signal , such as a cable box , a digital videodisc player , or a videocassette recorder . the video signal v feeds into a digital video processor 44 , which conditions the video signal for digital output . the video signal v then feeds into a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) 46 , which includes various video - processing modules for manipulating the video signal as will be further described . after leaving the fpga 46 , the video signal v passes through an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) 48 , which converts the video signal into displayable bit planes . a digital micro mirror device ( dmd ) 50 receives the bit planes from the asic 48 and displays an image defined by the bit planes on a digital display device 52 , such as a digital television . the term “ digital television ” is meant to include both television monitors and those digital televisions having built - in tuners . in practice , the digital video processor 44 , the fpga 46 , the asic 48 , and the dmd 50 may all be provided inside the digital display device 52 . more particularly , the fpga 46 and asic 48 may be implemented via a printed circuit board housed within the digital display device 52 . the foregoing video signal path 40 is only exemplary , and other hardware implementations are contemplated . for example , specific hardware implementations , such as the fpga 46 and the asic 48 , may be replaced or otherwise altered without departing from the scope of the disclosure . also , the dmd 50 may be replaced with some other optoelectronic device , such as an lcd device . still further , the digital display device 52 may be any digital video display device . for example , the digital display device 52 may be any digital display device other than a digital television , such as a plasma display or a cathode ray tube ( crt ). the digital display device 52 may also be utilized in front projection systems . in one embodiment , the fpga 46 may include processes for conditioning the video signal v for frame - to - frame gamma correction adjustment . referring to fig5 , the fpga 46 includes an rgb2hsv block 54 , which provides conventional color space conversion for the video signal v . the rgb2hsv block 54 generally converts color components r , g , b of the video signal v into hue , saturation , and value h , s , v components , which can be read and processed by subsequent conditioning modules . two video paths leave the rgb2hsv block 54 , with one path leading to a histogram block 56 and the other path leading to a gamma - shaping block 58 . a third path depicts the hue h and saturation s components being transferred to a back - end conditioning block as will be further described . the histogram block 56 generally conditions the video signal v by segregating pixels of an image frame and transmitting the resulting information v hist to the gamma - shaping block 58 . the gamma - shaping block 58 , in turn , performs additional conditioning processes on the video signal v received from the rgb2hsv block 54 using the information v hist received from the histogram block 56 . the resulting video signal output , v ″, along with the hue h and saturation s components are then passed into an hsv2rgb block 60 , which provides conventional color space conversion to r ′, g ′ and b ′ values . the r ′, g ′ and b ′ values are then passed to the asic 48 for further processing . as discussed previously , the video signal v is conditioned on a frame - to - frame basis . each frame comprises a predetermined amount of pixels depending on the input spatial resolution . in some embodiments , the number of pixels for any given frame can number in the millions . each pixel has an associated intensity value , which falls within a certain range depending on the defined intensity resolution . for example , an 8 - bit intensity resolution includes 256 different levels of intensity , which collectively form the image . accordingly , each pixel is assigned a value between 0 and 255 to indicate the level of intensity associated with the pixel , wherein 0 indicates the lowest level of intensity ( e . g . darkest pixel ) and 255 indicates the highest level of intensity ( e . g . brightest pixel ). an exemplary embodiment will be described with respect to the conditioning of a video signal having 8 - bit resolution images , but it is understood that the present disclosure equally applies to images of varying intensity resolutions . referring to fig6 , the histogram block 56 may be set up to divide the individual pixels of any given frame into three separate bins — hist 1 , hist 2 , hist 3 . in this example , hist 1 is categorized as receiving all pixels having an intensity value between 0 and 79 , hist 2 is categorized as receiving all pixels having an intensity value between 80 and 179 , and hist 3 is categorized as receiving all pixels having an intensity value between 180 and 255 . the demarcations between hist 1 and hist 2 and between hist 2 and hist 3 may be arbitrarily defined , and therefore are not limited to the exemplary values indicated in fig6 . separating pixels according to intensity gives a general idea as to the relative darkness or lightness of a particular frame . the v hist values ( i . e . v hist1 , v hist2 and v hist3 ) of the three bins hist 1 , hist 2 , and hist 3 are then transferred to the gamma - shaping block 58 ( fig5 ) for manipulation of the video signal v . referring again to fig5 , the video signal v is not only sent from the rgb2hsv block 54 to the histogram block 56 , but is also sent directly from the rgb2hsv block to the gamma - shaping block 58 . referring to fig7 , the gamma - shaping block 58 conditions the video signal v to undergo transfer functions to map the digital video signal to an output light intensity . in some embodiments , it may not be desirable to make sharp gamma correction adjustments , which may occur between frames having marked differences in intensity resolution . such gamma correction adjustments may lead to poor image quality . accordingly , in an effort to produce gradual and smooth frame - to - frame gamma correction adjustments , weighting calculations 70 may be determined according to the v hist values supplied by the histogram block 56 . these weighting calculations are then incorporated into the transfer functions to ensure smooth frame - to - frame gamma correction adjustments . the weighting calculations 70 generally produce two values — w b and w d , which when applied to first and second transfer functions 72 and 74 , respectively , dictate the amount of transfer function to apply to the input video signal v and v ′, respectively . the w b and w d values may be calculated according to different bit weights . in this example , the w b and w d values are calculated in 8 - bit weights . more particularly , the w b value is calculated by first multiplying the number of dark pixels ( v hist1 ) by a user - defined parameter , typically provided by an original equipment manufacturer of the digital display device 52 ( fig4 ). this value is then subtracted from 256 : the w d value may be calculated in a similar manner by first multiplying the number of light pixels ( v hist3 ) by a user - defined parameter , again , typically provided by an original equipment manufacturer of the digital display device 52 ( fig4 ). this value is then subtracted from 256 : the w b value is used in manipulating a v lut1 value returned from a first lookup table ( lut 1 ) 76 . the video signal v received by the first transfer function 72 is also 8 - bit weighted and has a defined value falling somewhere between 0 and 255 . the first transfer function 72 sends this value for the video signal v to the first lookup table 76 , which returns a lut 1 value ( v lut1 ) to the first transfer function . in practice , lut 1 values are programmable values that correspond to weighted input values . in one example , if v were to equal 55 , the lut 1 would return a value v lut1 corresponding to the 55 th entry in the lut 1 . the first transfer function 72 further processes the video signal v to arrive at an output video signal v ′ by multiplying v lut1 by the w b value and dividing the returned value by 256 . this value is then added to v to arrive at v ′. accordingly , v ′ may be calculated as follows : the v ′ value is then transferred into the second transfer function 74 , which sends the v ′ value to a second lookup table ( lut 2 ) 78 . as with the video signal v , the v ′ value is 8 - bit weighted and has a defined value falling somewhere between 0 and 255 . the second lookup table 78 returns a lut 2 value ( v lut2 ) to the second transfer function . from here , the second transfer function 74 further processes the video signal v ′ to arrive at an output video signal v ″ by multiplying v lut2 by the w d value and dividing the returned value by 256 . this value is then added to v ′ to arrive at v ″. accordingly , v ″ may be calculated as follows : therefore , each frame is processed to have an output video signal v ″ that has an optimal gamma correction for the particular image displayed by the frame . referring again to fig4 , the video signal v ″ leaves the fpga 46 and enters the asic 48 , which further conditions the video signal v ″ before transmitting the signal to the dmd 50 and ultimately the digital display device 52 . as discussed above , the weighting calculation values w b and w d are used in tailoring an appropriate gamma correction for a particular frame . however , a gamma correction for a subsequent frame may be substantially different than the preceding frame , thus leading to an undesirable resulting video image . accordingly , the weighting calculations 70 may be manipulated to ensure a smooth transition between gamma corrections for adjacent frames . referring to fig8 , an additional process 80 may be implemented into the gamma - shaping block 58 , and more particularly , into the weighting calculation 70 , for adjusting the weighting calculation values w b and w d for each subsequent frame . in one embodiment , the process 80 generally involves application of an algorithm for evaluating the weighting calculations values w b and w d for a current frame against the weighting calculation values w b and w d for the previous frame . for the sake of clarity , the current weighting calculation values are referred to as w bn and w dn and the previous weighting calculation values are referred to as w bo and w do . the process 80 begins with calculating the w bn and w dn values 82 for the current frame . each of the w bn and w dn values are then evaluated to determine the ultimate weighting calculations w b and w d , which will be applied in determining v ′, and ultimately , v ″. however , prior to evaluating the w bn and w dn values , a determination should be made as to whether adjustment of the w bn and w dn values is desired . for example , drastic changes in gamma correction may occur at a scene cut ( i . e . changing of one scene of a video to a different scene of the video ). in these instances , drastic changes in gamma correction will not adversely affect the quality of the resulting image because continuity of images will not be an issue . scene cuts generally correspond to large changes in the v hist values described above . accordingly , the v hist values for a current frame can be compared with the v hist values for the previous frame to determine if there has been a large enough change in any of the v hist values to merit a large gamma correction difference between frames . in one embodiment , if any of the v hist values ( i . e . for any one of the three bins ) is larger than a certain val new value 82 , 84 , then the weighting calculation will forego any further processing and the current weighting calculation w b , w d , respectively may be used in the transfer function 86 , 88 , respectively . the val new value may be any prescribed value , which represents a large enough change in v hist1 , v hist2 , or v hist3 values to indicate that a scene cut has taken place . if none of the changes in v hist values rise above the val new value , then further evaluation of the weighting calculation values takes place . assuming that none of the changes in v hist values rises above the val new value , the current w bn and w dn values are then evaluated against the previous w bo and w do values , respectively . for example , the current w bn and w dn values may be evaluated to determine if they are larger than the respective previous w bo and w do values 90 , 92 . if the current w bn and w dn values are greater than the respective w bo and w do values , then the weighting calculations to be introduced into the respective transfer functions may be calculated as w bo + 1 ( 94 ) and w do + 1 ( 96 ). similarly , the current w bn and w dn values may be compared against the previous w bo and w do values to evaluate whether the current w bn and w dn values are lesser than the respective w bo and w do values 98 , 100 . if the w bn and w dn values are lesser than the respective w bo and w do values , then the weighting calculations to be introduced into the respective transfer functions may be calculated as w bo − 1 ( 102 ) and w do − 1 ( 104 ). of course , should the current w bn and w dn values equal the previous w bo and w do values , the previous w bo and w do values 106 , 108 may be used in the respective transfer functions . in this manner , large changes in weighting calculations within continuous scenes will not translate into sharp changes in gamma corrections . also , in some instances , the w bn value may increase relative to the previous w bo value , while the w dn value decreases relative to the previous w do value . accordingly , an increase in one value does not necessarily correspond to an increase in the other value . rather , each weighting calculation w bn value is independent of the w dn value for the same frame . while various embodiments for making frame - to - frame gamma correction adjustments according to the principles disclosed herein have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only , and not limitation . for example , weighting calculation adjustments have been described with respect to certain finite adjustments . however , the precise frame - to - frame adjustments may vary beyond the described embodiments . thus , instead of adding or subtracting “ 1 ” to a determined weighting calculation , the weighting calculation may be modified in other manners without departing from the scope of this disclosure . still further , the equations described with respect to calculating the output voltage signal may vary and are not meant to limit this disclosure to any particular embodiment . for example , different image resolutions may account for changes to these equations . rather , the following claims should be construed broadly to cover any embodiment tailored to achieve frame - to - frame adjustment of gamma correction . thus , the breadth and scope of the invention ( s ) should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with any claims and their equivalents issuing from this disclosure . furthermore , the above advantages and features are provided in described embodiments , but shall not limit the application of such issued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all of the above advantages . additionally , the section headings herein are provided for consistency with the suggestions under 37 cfr 1 . 77 or otherwise to provide organizational cues . these headings shall not limit or characterize the invention ( s ) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure . specifically and by way of example , although the headings refer to a “ technical field ,” such claims should not be limited by the language chosen under this heading to describe the so - called technical field . further , a description of a technology in the “ background ” is not to be construed as an admission that technology is prior art to any invention ( s ) in this disclosure . neither is the “ brief summary ” to be considered as a characterization of the invention ( s ) set forth in issued claims . furthermore , any reference in this disclosure to “ invention ” in the singular should not be used to argue that there is only a single point of novelty in this disclosure . multiple inventions may be set forth according to the limitations of the multiple claims issuing from this disclosure , and such claims accordingly define the invention ( s ), and their equivalents , that are protected thereby . in all instances , the scope of such claims shall be considered on their own merits in light of this disclosure , but should not be constrained by the headings set forth herein .
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this invention relates to compounds of formula i ## str1 ## having a monosubstituted ester or amide linked moiety -- coz ( r 1 ) n ( r 2 ) m wherein when z is o or nh , n is 0 , m is 1 and r 2 is a straight or branched c 16 . 50 alkyl , alkenyl or alkoxy and when z is n , n is 1 , m is 1 , and r 1 and r 2 are each a straight or branched alkyl , alkenyl or alkoxy and r 1 and r 2 together have a total 16 - 50 carbons , and the monosubstituted moiety may be at the 2 , 3 , or 4 position on the pyridine ring , y is a c 1 - 3 alkyl and x - is a water soluble anion . the term &# 34 ; water soluble &# 34 ; means that the cationic compounds of formula i remain dispersed throughout the laundry solution during the washing process . preferred compounds of formula iinclude those wherein when z is 0 or nh , r 2 is a straight or branched c 24 - 40 alkyl and when z is n , r 1 and r 2 are each a c 16 - 25 alkyl . the anion x - is preferably the anion of a strong acid such as , for example , chloride , bromide , iodide , sulfate and methyl sulfate . the anion may carry a double charge in which case x - represents half a group . preferred compounds of formula iinclude salts of a c 24 - 50 alkyl ester of n - methyl 3 - carboxypyridinium , c 24 - 50 alkyl ester of n - methyl 2 - carboxypyridinium , and c 24 - 50 alkyl ester of n - methyl 4 - carboxypyridium ; and n - methyl n , n dioctadecyl , 3 - carboxamide pyridinium and n - methyl n , n dioctadecyl , 4 - carboxamide pyridinium . the compounds of the invention are prepared from pyridine and quaternary sources which are naturally occurring and not synthetically produced . upon degradation , these compounds are reduced to their natural sources to form environmentally friendly compounds . pyridine carboxylic acid chloride hci salt is added to an alkanol or dialkyl amine in a suitable solvent , such as methylene chloride , toluene and xylene , and the mixture allowed to react at 0 ° to 160 ° c . for 10 - 24 hours . the mixture is treated with sodium carbonate solution , and the isolated pyridine ester or amide is reacted with a methylating agent such as dimethyl sulfate or methyl halide . optionally , a base such as pyridine may be added to neutralize the hci salt . the products may be isolated as waxy materials . useful alkanols include straight or branched chains up to c 50 such as dodecanol , octadecanol , and c 24 - 28 primary branched alcohols known as guerbet alcohols . long chain amines which can be used include dihexadecyl amine having up to two c 32 chains , and mixtures of chains . long chain esters such as n ( ch 2 ch 2 oco 2 c 17 h 35 ) 2 are also possible . the novel compounds may be formulated in a variety of physical forms to form a fabric conditioning composition . such a composition would comprise from about 1 to about 99 wt . % of a compound of formula i and from about 1 to about 99 wt . % water . such compositions may be prepared by any conventional method known in the art . it may be understood that the compounds of the invention may be combined with conventional fabric conditioning components to form a mixture of fabric conditioning actives useful in preparing fabric conditioning compositions . such conventional conditioning agents include acyclic quaternary ammonium salts such as ditallowdimethylammonium - methylsulfate , cyclic quaternary ammonium salts , particularly those of the imidazolinium type , diamido quaternary ammonium salts , tertiary fatty amines having at least 1 and preferably 2 c 8 to c 30 alkyl chains , carboxylic acids having 8 to 30 carbon atoms and one carboxylic group per molecule , esters of polyhydric alcohol such as sorbitan esters or glycerolstearate , fatty alcohols , ethoxylated fatty alcohols , ethoxylated fatty amines , mineral oils , polyols such as polyethyleneglycol , silicone oils and mixtures thereof . suitable conventional fabric conditioning compounds are described in taylor et al ., u . s . pat . no . 5 , 254 , 269 , herein incorporated by reference . additionally , one or more optional additives may be incorporated in the fabric conditioning composition selected from the group consisting of perfumes , dyes , pigments , opacifiers , germicides , optical brighteners , fluoresers , anti - corrosion agents and preservatives . the amount of each additive in the composition is up to about 0 . 5 % by weight . it has been found that the conditioning compositions of the present invention can be incorporated into both granular and liquid detergent formulations with little detrimental effect on cleaning . the compositions are typically used at levels up to about 30 % of the detergent composition , preferably from about 5 to 20 % of the composition . detergent surfactant included in the detergent formulations of the invention may vary from 1 % to about 98 % by weight of the composition depending on the particular surfactant ( s ) used and the cleaning effects desired . preferably , the surfactant is present in an amount of from about 10 to 60 % by weight of the composition . combinations of anionic , preferably alkyl sulfates , alkyl ethoxylated sulfates , linear alkyl benzene sulfonates , and nonionic , preferably alkyl polyethoxylated alcohol surfactants are preferred for optimum cleaning , softening and antistatic performance . it may be appreciated that other classes of surfactants such as ampholytic , zwitterionic or cationic surfactants may also be used as known in the art . as generally known , granular detergents incorporate the salt forms of the surfactants while liquid detergents incorporate the acid form where stable . examples of surfactants within the scope of the invention are described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 913 , 828 issued to caswell et al ., herein incorporated by reference . builders , accumulating agents and soil release agents known in the art may also be used in the detergent formulations . examples of suitable such components are described in caswell et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 91 3 , 828 , herein incorporated by reference . optional ingredients for the detergent compositions of the present invention other than those discussed above include hydrotropes , solubilizing agents , suds suppressers , soil suspending agents , corrosion inhibitors , dyes , fillers , optical brighteners , germicides , ph adjusting agents , enzyme stabilizing agents , bleaches , bleach activators , perfumes and the like . the following non - limiting examples illustrate the compounds , compositions and method of the present invention . all percentages , parts and ratios used herein are by weight unless otherwise specified . c 24 -- c 28 alkyl ester of n - methyl 3 - carboxypyridinium methyl sulfate was prepared as follows . 7 . 2 g ( 0 . 04 mole ) nicotinic acid chloride hydrochloride in 30 ml methylene chloride was reacted with 15 . 2 g ( 0 . 041 mole ) exxal 26 ( c 24 -- c 28 guerbet alcohol ). the mixture was refluxed for 24 hours , then a solution of 40 g sodium carbonate in 180 ml water was added and the mixture shaken in a separatory funnel . the layers were separated and the methylene chloride layer was dried over mgso 4 . after distilling off the solvent , 17 . 6 g ( 0 . 036 mole ) of nicotinic acid ester was obtained . this product was redissolved in 30 - 40 ml methylene chloride and 4 . 6 g ( 0 . 036 mole ) of dimethyl sulfate was added . the mixture was fluxed for 16 hours , 300 ml methylene chloride added and the solution extracted with water to remove impurities . 21 . 1 g of c 24 -- c 28 alkyl ester of n - methyl 3 - carboxypyridinium methyl sulfate was obtained . n - methyl , n , n dioctadecyl , 3 - carboxamide pyridinium methyl sulfate was prepared as follows : 17 . 8 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of nicotinic acid chloride hydrochloride in 200 ml toluene was added to 54 . 7 g ( 0 . 105 mole ) dioctadecyl amine and 30 g pyridine . the solution was stirred at 50 ° c . for 30 hours , was cooled and filtered , to remove insolubles . the toluene solution was evaporated on a roto evaporator and the residue was dissolved in methylene chloride . the solution was allowed to sit and insolubles were filtered . the methylene chloride flitrate was evaporated to a liquid to afford 44 g ( 0 . 07 mole ) n , n dioctadecyl 3 - carboxy pyridine . this product was dissolved in 150 ml methylene chloride and reacted with 9 . 4 g ( 0 . 075 mole ) dimethyl sulfate for 24 hours . the solution was extracted with water to remove impurities and the methylene chloride layer was evaporated to afford 54 . 9 g of waxy n - methyl , n , n dioctadecyl , 3 - carboxamide pyridinium methyl sulfate . compounds of examples 1 and 2 are used to prepare fabric conditioning formulations as follows . sample a contains 50 % by weight of the compound of example 1 . the compound is heated to 60 ° c . to form a premelt which is then added to water of 60 ° c . under stirring to form a dispersion . a salt solution as necessary to obtain a desired viscosity is also added . sample b containing 30 % of the compound of example 2 is prepared as described above . to test softening performance , two grams of each of sample a and b are separately added to one liter of tap water of ambient temperature containing 0 . 001 % by weight of sodium alkyl benzene sulphonate to simulate the carry over of anionic detergent active from a wash . 800 ml of the obtained solution are put in a tergotometer pot and four pieces of terry towel ( 40 g total weight ) are added . the cloths are treated for 5 minutes at 60 rpm , spun dried and line dried . the dried fabrics are assessed for softeners by an expert panel . as a control , sample c is prepared as described in example 3 and contains 40 % by weight 1 , 2 ditallow oxy trimethyl ammonium propane chloride .
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with reference now to the figures , and in particular with reference to fig2 there is depicted one embodiment 10 of the polarized illumination system of the present invention . system 10 is particularly adapted for use with a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) projector , and the combination generally comprises a light source or lamp 12 , a collimator or parabolic reflector 14 , means 16 for separating p - and s - polarized light , taking the form of a polarizing beam splitter ( pbs ), mean 18 for redirecting one of the polarized beams ( in this case , the reflected beam ) parallel with the other polarized beam ( the transmitted beam ), taking the form of a right angle prism reflector , a half - wave retarder plate 20 , a spatial integrator cell 22 , an analyzer 26 , an lcd panel 24 , and a projection lens 28 . embodiment 10 is a single - panel , transmissive lcd projector , but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the general principle can be extended to color and pseudo - color transmissive lcd projectors using multiple panels , as well as reflective lcd light valve projectors . randomly polarized light from light source 12 is collimated by parabolic reflector 14 ( or some other means ) and enters pbs cube 16 . the p - polarized light is transmitted and the reflected s - polarized light is turned 90 ° by light angle reflecting prism 18 , where it is then converted to p - polarized light by half - wave ( λ / 2 ) retarder plate 20 . the adjacent and spatially separated collimated light beams enter the microprismatic spatial integrator cell 22 where they are spatially integrated and exit as a single collimated polarized beam . components 12 - 18 are individually known in the prior art and nearly any conventional components will suffice . therefore , in embodiment 10 , the primary novelty resides in spatial integrator 22 . fig3 shows spatial integrator cell 22 . each adjacent entrance beam is equally deviated by the first microprismatic element 32 , which consists of a series of 60 ° equilateral linear microprisms 34 ( see fig3 a ). half of the light passes directly to a second , oppositely disposed microprismatic element 36 . the other half of the light is reflected off side mirrors 38 and 40 , where it then passes to the opposite microprismatic element 36 . by controlling the length of cell 22 , both beams exit the cell as a spatially integrated and collimated beam . the spatial integrator cell length l = a tan ( π / 6 ), where a is the half - height of the cell ( see fig5 ), and light rays entering the center of cell 22 exit at the edge of the cell . fig3 a shows an enlarged section of first linear microprismatic element 32 , where all the prism angles α = 60 °, and the deviation angle δ = 60 °. there is no refraction , hence no chromatic dispersion , at either microprismatic element since all ray deviations occur by total internal reflection ( tir ), i . e ., the angle of incidence at the interface between air and the microprismatic element is zero . for slight deviations from perfect collimation , there is substantially no chromatic dispersion for rays which are refracted at either surface , and also reflected from the tir facets , since the microprisms are 60 ° equilateral triangles . since pbs cube 16 forms adjacent square beams , each having an aspect ratio ar = 1 : 1 , the polarization converted beam entering and exiting the spatial integrator cell has an ar = 2 : 1 . since most lcd panels have an ar = 4 : 3 = 1 . 33 , the ar should be adjusted for efficient illumination of the lcd panel . one standard method of aspect ratio conversion that preserves the direction of the light beam is by the use of positive and negative cylinder lenses 42 and 44 , respectively , as shown in fig4 . a novel variation of this method is used in the current invention by forming a positive cylinder fresnel lens 46 in the exit surface of the spatial integrator cell 48 , as shown in fig5 . the negative cylinder lens 50 can be continuous or of the fresnel type . another standard method of converting aspect ratio , or anamorphic beam compression , uses a pair of identical prisms as shown in fig6 . the chromatic dispersion of the first prism 52 is canceled by the opposite dispersion of the second prism 54 , and the direction of the collimated light is preserved . a similar effect may be achieved in the current invention by forming the first element as a series of linear microprisms on the exit element 56 of a spatial integrator cell 58 . a second linear microprismatic element 60 is then set at an oblique angle 6 equal to the ray deviation of the first element , as shown in fig7 . for example , for acrylic plastic ( n d = 1 . 492 ) with prism angles α = 40 . 52 °, and δ = 35 . 25 °, the aspect ratio of the beam is converted from 2 / 1 to 4 / 3 , with no chromatic dispersion . it is also possible to perform anamorphic beam compression in conjunction with the present invention with a 90 ° beam deviation , by using two prisms as shown in fig8 . here the first refracting prism 62 is followed by a second prism 64 that deviates the beam by refraction and total internal reflection . by specifying the vertex angles and tilt angles as shown , the chromatic dispersion of the first prism is canceled out by the dispersion of the second prism . for example , using optical crown glass ( n d = 1 . 523 ) for both prisms , and φ 1 = 30 °, φ 2 = 8 °, α 1 = 18 . 6 °, α 2 = 68 °, α 3 = 38 . 2 °, then the beam is converted from an ar = 2 : 1 to an ar = 4 : 3 with negligble chromatic dispersion . if a beam deviation of 90 ° is introduced between the spatial integrator and the lcd panel , there are several other methods of achieving the desired aspect ratio conversion . one method is shown in fig9 which utilizes a reflective wedge prism 66 . the incident beam , having an ar = 2 : 1 is converted to an output beam with an ar = 4 : 3 by specifying the tilt angle φ and the prism wedge angle α . here the φ value shown is an approximation . in practice , it is necessary to account for the varying prism thickness and its effect on the compression of the exit beam . thus φ and α are iteratively adjusted until the exit beam is compressed to achieve the desired aspect ratio . for a reflecting wedge prism 66 of optical crown glass ( n d = 1 . 523 ), φ ≈ 17 . 0 °, and α ≈ 13 . 9 °, a beam compression ratio a &# 39 ;/ a = 0 . 375 can be obtained . fig1 shows a spatial integrator 70 where anamorphic beam compression and spatial integration of dual incoming beams has been performed using reflecting wedge prisms 72 and 74 , and auxiliary planar side mirrors 76 and 78 . the prism deviation angle δ is 60 °, and the entrance angle for the 60 ° linear microprismatic elements 80 and 82 is 60 °. for the figure shown : θ = angle of incidence of exiting reflected ray at refracting surface of wedge prism , θ &# 39 ;= angle of refraction of entrance ray at refracting surface of wedge prism , and for c = 2 / 3 , two adjacent collimated entrance beams of the same polarization , each of cross - section a × a , are combined into an integrated , collimated and polarized exit beam of cross - section 4a / 3 × a , having an aspect ratio ar = 4 : 3 , each reflecting wedge prism has refractive index n d = 1 . 523 , φ = 26 . 0 °, and α = 15 . 2 °. in the system of fig1 , the reflecting surfaces of the wedge prisms are generally opposed , but not parallel . fig1 shows a compact lcd illumination and projection system 84 using this combined spatial integrator and anamorphic beam compressor . fig1 shows a polarization converter 86 that uses two reflecting prisms 88 and 90 and a single 60 ° microprismatic element 92 to spatially integrate the two beams and convert the aspect ratio . collimated light enters a polarization beam splitter 94 where the p - polarized light is transmitted and s - polarized light is reflected and converted to p - polarized light by the half - wave retarder 96 . the two beams enter reflecting prisms at a 45 ° entrance angle , are compressed by a factor c , and exit the prisms at an angle of 60 °. there is a 75 ° deviation angle δ between the input and exit beams of the reflecting prism . the compressed beams are then spatially integrated into a single collimated polarized beam by the 60 ° microprismatic element . an incoming beam having an aspect ratio ar = 1 can be converted to an outgoing beam having an aspect ratio ar = 4 : 3 by the use of reflecting prisms having a refractive index n d = 1 . 523 , a vertex angle α = 10 . 3 °, a tilt angle φ = 26 °, and an anamorphic compression factor c = 2 / 3 . a single panel lcd projection system was constructed as an optical breadboard to evaluate components of the current invention . a 24 volt , 250 watt tungsten - halogen lamp ( ehj type ) having a spherical back reflector , produced a beam of collimated light of ≈ 50 mm diameter by means of a pair of glass condensing lenses . the beam was masked down to a 32 mm by 32 mm square aperture , and a piece of heat reflecting glass was positioned near this square aperture . a broadband 450 - 680 nm pbs cube ( melles griot # 03 pbb 007 ) produced a transmitted p - polarized beam and a reflected s - polarized beam . a 45 ° uncoated prism ( edmund scientific # 32531 ) deviated the reflected beam 90 ° by total internal reflection to be adjacent to the transmitted beam . the s - polarized beam was converted to a p - polarized beam by a half - wave retarder sheet ( polaroid # 605208 ). a spatial integrator cell was constructed using two linear 60 ° microprism elements , each element 32 mm wide by 64 mm high , of 2 mm thick acrylic , with each microprism width = 0 . 25 mm . the separation of the microprism elements was l = 18 . 5 mm . spatial integration and common polarization of the two beams was verified by examining the output from the spatial integrator cell . an anamorphic beam - compressing reflecting wedge prism was constructed from acrylic plastic ( n d = 1 . 492 ), having a length of 100 mm , a width of 38 mm , and a wedge angle = 14 . 3 °. the reflecting wedge prism changed the beam dimension exiting the spatial integrator from 64 mm by 32 mm ( ar = 2 : 1 ) to 32 mm by 24 mm ( ar = 4 : 3 ). a vga compatible 1 . 3 &# 34 ; diagonal monochrome lcd module ( seiko epson # p13vm115 / 125 ), with an analyzer on the exit side , was illuminated by the collimated and polarized light beam exiting the wedge prism . a piano - convex field lens focused the light from the lcd module into a 3 &# 34 ; focal length , f / 2 . 5 coated anastigmat projection lens ( jml optical industries ). using a spectra - physics brightness spot meter , measured brightness increase of the projected screen image was ≈ 70 %, when the output of the converted polarized light was added to the primary beam . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiment , as well as alternative embodiments of the invention , will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention . it is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .
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