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[ 0051 ] fig1 a , 1b , and 1 c show respectively a side cross - sectional view , an axial view , and a perspective view of a gas discharge tube 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . tube 100 is toroidal in topology , with an inner tube 102 whose interior is optionally open to the outside , and an outer tube 104 . the space between the inner and outer tube is sealed , and filled with a gas with a composition and pressure suitable for a gas discharge lamp , for example argon at a pressure on the order of 1 torr , and optionally a minority species such as mercury vapor or sodium vapor . several electrodes 106 ( six are shown in fig1 b and 1c ) are spaced around the top 108 of tube 100 on the inside , and an equal number of electrodes 110 are spaced around the bottom 112 of tube 100 on the inside , with each bottom electrode directly under one of the top electrodes . ( the words “ top ”, “ bottom ” and “ under ” are used here to refer to the parts of the tube as it is shown in fig1 a and 1c . similar language is used in describing some of the other drawings . in actual use , the tube may of course be oriented in any direction .) when sufficient voltage is applied between any one of the top electrodes and the corresponding bottom electrode , a discharge 114 ( shown only in fig1 a ) is formed between those electrodes . if such a voltage is applied to all of the pairs of electrodes , or to any plurality of the pairs of electrodes , then ( if there is an appropriate impedance connecting each electrode to the power supply ) multiple discharges are formed . depending on the number and spacing of the electrodes , the inner and outer diameter and length of the tube , and other characteristics ( for example , the voltage , the impedance to the power supply , the relative polarity or phase of different electrode pairs , and the pressure and composition of the gas filling the tube ), the discharges may remain separate , or they may merge to form one continuous discharge all around the tube , or they may merge to form one discharge on only one side of the tube . the latter result may be undesirable since it may lead to uneven heating and light output , and discharge characteristics which vary along the length of the tube and around the tube , and are not optimal in some locations , resulting in lower efficiency and less pleasant light . some of the other embodiments of the invention described below include various means to prevent such merging of discharges . on the other hand , a merged discharge which is distributed uniformly around the tube may be desirable , since it may lead to more even heating and hence more efficient cooling , and more light output . for clarity , fig1 and the other drawings have not been drawn to scale . optionally , the tubes are considerably longer than shown in the drawings , relative to their diameter . ( however , if the tube is too long relative to its diameter , the multiple discharges may be more likely to merge on one side of the tube .) for example , in an embodiment of the invention , outer tube 104 is 6 cm in diameter , inner tube 102 is 4 cm in diameter , and the tubes are 60 cm long . in this exemplary embodiment of the invention , there are 15 pairs of electrodes , spaced approximately 1 cm apart , halfway between the inner and outer tubes , and each carrying a current of 0 . 2 amperes , for a total current of 3 amperes , and the voltage is 60 volts , so the electric power is 180 watts . the tube is filled with 10 millibars of argon , and a small amount of mercury to produce mercury vapor , and the inside of the outer tube is coated with a phosphor . it is expected that a fluorescent light of this design will have an output of 10 , 800 lumens , and a lifetime of 30 , 000 hours . other dimensions are also possible , and it may be advantageous to have the inner tube diameter closer to the outer tube diameter than this . optionally , the distance between the inner and outer tubes is made as small as practical , with distances of 0 . 4 , 0 . 3 or even 0 . 1 or a fraction of a millimeter being desirable . while it is believed that a smaller spacing will result in better operation , too low a spacing can result in an insufficient discharge volume to provide adequate light . larger spacing , especially with short tubes , is also possible . optionally , the electrodes , in tube 100 or in other embodiments of the invention , are heated , so that they emit electrons at lower electric field than if they were unheated . this heating reduces the sheath voltage adjacent to an electrode that is acting as a cathode , and reduces the total discharge voltage required for a given discharge current . optionally , each electrode , or one of the pair of electrodes for each discharge , has its own ballast , electrically connected to the power supply in series with the electrode . the ballast may comprise a resistor , capacitor , or inductor . relatively small capacitors and / or coils may be used when the voltage has high enough frequency . any suitable electrode shape as known in the art may be used , such as simple sharp or blunt electrodes , resistive coils or indirectly heated conducting sheaths , which are heated by an internal heater . [ 0056 ] fig2 a is a side cross - sectional view , analogous to fig1 a , of a gas discharge tube 200 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention , and fig2 b is an axial view of tube 200 , analogous to fig1 b . tube 200 , like tube 100 , is toroidal in topology , with an inner tube 102 open to the outside , and a sealed outer tube 104 with a top 108 and a bottom 112 . in addition , tube 200 has an intermediate tube 202 , attached to the bottom of tube 200 , but not extending all the way to the top of tube 200 . six inner electrodes 206 ( optionally a greater or smaller number is used ) are distributed around the bottom inside tube 200 , between inner tube 102 and intermediate tube 202 . an equal number of outer electrodes 210 are distributed around the bottom inside tube 200 , between the intermediate tube and the outer tube , with each outer electrode located across from a corresponding inner electrode . when voltage is applied between each corresponding pair of electrodes , a discharge 214 forms ( shown only in fig2 a ), which goes from the inner electrode , up over the top of the intermediate tube , and down to the outer electrode . this configuration may produce more emitted light per area than tube 100 shown in fig1 since light comes from both the inner and outer part of the discharge . the discharge in fig1 may be limited to the same radial thickness as just the inner part or just the outer part of the discharge in fig2 because of the tendency of discharges to contract to a characteristic width . furthermore , the fact that the discharge in fig1 is less confined in the radial direction than the discharge in fig2 may mean that multiple discharges in fig1 are more likely to merge into a single discharge on one side of the tube . some of the prior art discharge tubes described above also have discharges which are “ folded over ” like that in fig2 . but in those prior art devices the inner part of the discharge is on the axis of the tube , leading to the disadvantages discussed above , including problems with heat transport , and very different characteristics for the inner and outer parts of the discharge . in fig2 the inner and outer parts of the discharge may have similar current density , especially if the intermediate tube is closer in diameter to the outer tube than to the inner tube , so that the cross - sectional area between the intermediate tube and outer tube is approximately equal to the cross - sectional area between the intermediate tube and the inner tube . also , in fig2 both the inner and outer parts of the discharge are adjacent to glass surfaces which are directly in contact with the outside air , so cooling should not be so much of a problem . convective cooling of the inside of the inner tube may be especially efficient if the tube is oriented vertically , and if an electrical fixture ( not shown in the drawings ) that one end of the tube is connected has a hole going through the center , so that air can flow freely through the center of the fixture and through the inner tube of the discharge tube . for some embodiments of the invention , it may be desirable to have a discharge tube comprising two tubes with very little clearance between them , for example the inner and outer tube in fig1 or the intermediate tube and one of the other tubes in fig2 . such a design might prevent adjacent multiple discharges from merging , for example , even if there are many narrow discharges with little distance between adjacent discharges . in these cases , due to imperfect manufacturing of parts , or slight wear or damage of parts during use , the two tubes may be misaligned , and touch each other over a significant area . [ 0059 ] fig3 a , a side cross - sectional view of a discharge tube 300 , which comprises two concentric tubes 302 and 304 , shows a way to prevent this . small bumps 306 on one of the tubes ( they are shown on the outer tube in fig3 a ) contact the other tube , but only over a small area , keeping the tubes at the proper separation distance over most of their surface area . the bumps in fig3 a do not represent belts going all the way around azimuthally , but are very limited in width azimuthally , as they are limited in vertical extent . this may be seen in fig3 b , which shows an axial cross - section of the same discharge tube . the small regions of contact at the bumps do not significantly affect the discharge , which can easily go around a bump which is positioned in the way of the discharge . if the discharge comprises multiple discharges which are not supposed to merge , then the bumps optionally are positioned so that they are between discharges , and do not interfere with the discharges at all . although the bumps can be located on both the inner surface of the outer tube and on the outer surface of the inner tube , putting the bumps on only one tube makes it possible to easily insert the inner tube into the outer tube . if there were bumps on both tubes , and they are not aligned properly during assembly , then the bumps might touch each other and make it difficult to insert the inner tube into the outer tube . optionally the bumps are only at the ends of the tubes . if one of the tubes has bumps only at one end , and the other tube has bumps only at the other end , then the tubes can be assembled without the bumps rubbing against either tube until the tubes are nearly in their final position . it may be desirable in some discharge tubes to use barriers of some kind to prevent adjacent multiple discharges from merging . fig4 shows a discharge tube 400 , with an open inner tube 102 and a sealed outer tube 104 , similar to fig1 . six electrodes 106 are placed around the top and six electrodes 110 are placed around the bottom , as described for fig1 . six vertical baffles 402 extend from the inner tube to the outer tube , separating the six discharges , and preventing them from merging . optionally , the baffles completely seal the discharges off from each other . alternatively , the baffles are not air tight , but impede the discharges sufficiently to prevent them from merging . such loosely fitting baffles may be less expensive to manufacture than baffles that would be air tight , and might work just as well . [ 0061 ] fig5 a and 5b show a potentially even less expensive way to keep multiple discharges separated . in fig5 a , there is discharge tube 500 comprising a smooth sealed outer tube 102 , as in fig1 and an inner tube 504 which is rippled vertically , i . e . fluted . the number of ripples in tube 504 is equal to the number of electrodes at each end of the discharge tube , six in the case of the discharge tube shown in fig5 a . the electrodes at both the top and the bottom , which are arranged as in fig1 are positioned so that the distance between the inner and outer tubes is greatest at the azimuthal position of the electrodes , and smallest at the azimuthal position half - way between two adjacent electrodes . the ripples optionally touch the inside of the outer tube , completely separating the multiple discharges which form between the top and bottom electrodes . alternatively , the multiple discharges are not completely separated from each other , but the minimum distance between the inner and outer tube is small enough to prevent the multiple discharges from merging . [ 0062 ] fig5 b shows a discharge tube 500 similar to that shown in fig5 a , but with a smooth inner tube 104 , and a rippled outer tube 502 . the ripples work in a similar way to the ripples in fig5 a . having the ripples on the outside of the discharge tube instead of on the inside may improve heat transport . customers may also have aesthetic preferences for having the ripples on the outside or the inside . manufacturing a rippled tube may be less expensive than manufacturing six ( or some other number ) of separate tubes to hold separate discharges , particularly if there is no need for the rippled tube to fit very precisely against the other tube . [ 0063 ] fig6 shows a discharge tube 600 with a smooth outer tube 102 , a smooth inner tube 104 , both arranged as in fig1 and a rippled intermediate tube 602 . there are 12 electrodes 606 at the top of the discharge tube , and 12 electrodes 610 at the bottom of the discharge tube , with discharges going between corresponding electrodes . the 12 discharges fit into the six regions between the intermediate and outer tube , and the six regions between the intermediate and inner tube , made by the ripples . as in fig5 the ripples may or may not seal off the regions completely . discharge tube 600 , with twice as many multiple discharges , makes more efficient use of the available space than discharge tube 500 in fig5 a or fig5 b , but may run at a hotter temperature if cooled only by free convection . [ 0064 ] fig7 shows a discharge tube 700 which is similar to discharge tube 600 , with a smooth outer tube 102 , a smooth inner tube 104 , and a rippled intermediate tube 702 . however , unlike in discharge tube 600 , discharge tube 700 has only six pairs of electrodes , and all six pairs are located on the bottom of tube 700 . six inner electrodes 706 of one polarity are located in the six spaces 707 between the rippled intermediate tube and the inner tube , and six outer electrodes 710 are located in the six spaces 711 between the rippled intermediate tube and the outer tube . the ripples in intermediate tube 702 do not extend all the way to the bottom . instead , there are openings 712 between each space 711 , and the space 707 immediately to the right of it . thus , preferably , each of the inner discharge paths is coupled to only one of the outer discharge paths . the openings between adjacent spaces may have any suitable shape . each discharge flows from an outer electrode 710 , up its corresponding space 711 , through the opening 712 connecting that space 711 to the adjacent space 707 , and down through space 707 to the corresponding inner electrode 706 . as in fig5 a , 5b , and 6 , the ripples in discharge tube 700 may completely seal off spaces 707 and 711 from each other , or may only separate them enough to prevent the adjacent discharges from merging . many variations on discharge tube 700 will be apparent to someone skilled in the art , in light of the description of the other figures . for example , optionally the discharge tube is similar to discharge tube 500 in fig5 a and 5b , without an intermediate tube , and the discharges go down the space created by one ripple , and up the space created by the adjacent ripple . if there are six ripples in the tube , then there would only be three pairs of electrodes . another option is to have a discharge go up and down the tube more than once , guided by alternate openings in the rippled tube at the top and bottom . then there would be fewer electrodes for the same number of ripples . optionally , there is only one pair of electrodes , and a single discharge which goes up one ripple and down the next ripple ( with a configuration like any of fig5 a , 5b , and 6 ), all around the discharge tube , ending close to where it started . the construction of fig4 can also be adapted for multiple serial longitudinal paths as described with respect to fig5 - 7 . the constructions of fig4 - 7 indicate that the barriers or ripples contact the adjacent tube . in an embodiment of the invention , the contacts form a seal . in an other embodiment of the invention , the barriers or ripples do not reach all the way to the adjacent tube . rather a space is left between the adjacent paths delineated by the barriers or ripples . in some modes of operation , the barriers may be sufficient to keep the discharges &# 39 ; completely separate . in other embodiments , the discharges may merge , however , the barriers reduce any tendency for the discharges to join together over one or more limited segments of the periphery of the cylinders . as indicated above , it is desirable that the discharges connected with the various pairs of electrodes do not coalesce at only a limited portion of the circumference of the cylinders . in an embodiment of the invention , metal or other conducting elements are situated either within or outside the envelope enclosing the discharges , along the path of the discharge . these elements can then assure that the discharge follows a desired path , be it a long path or around a bend as for example in the embodiment of fig2 a and 2b . when the conducting elements are situated within the envelope , the discharge will preferentially travel between the elements . when the elements are outside the envelope , capacitance introduced by the elements can also guide the discharge . at the “ turn - around ” of the beam , the elements can guide the beams around the edge of element 110 , so that the beams remain distinct . in some embodiments , the inner tube can be removed and only the elements used to guide the discharge . [ 0070 ] fig8 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the invention that may work best at high electrical frequencies . a discharge tube 1000 has six electrodes 1006 at the bottom and six electrodes 1010 at the top . each electrode is connected to the power supply 1005 through a capacitor which limits its current , as is conventional with gas discharge tubes . in fig1 , the six capacitors are comprised by a single lower plate 1007 , and an upper plate 1020 which is divided into six segments , each segment connected to one electrode . if the capacitive impedance is to be several thousand ohms , a typical value for the ballast in a fluorescent light fixture , then a single plate capacitor like that shown in fig8 may only work at frequencies at least several kilohertz or tens of kilohertz . a capacitor system such as that shown is also generally connected to the electrodes on each side of the tube . the tubes are , for example , produced of suitable transparent material for a desired light output . optionally , the inner surface of the outermost tube is coated with a phosphor the tubes are , for example , produced of suitable transparent material for a desired light output . optionally , the inner surface of the outermost tube is coated with a phosphor material that converts light produced in the discharge to a desired wavelength or wavelengths of light . optionally , the inner tube and / or any intermediate tube is also coated with a suitable phosphor . in an embodiment of the invention , electronics , ballast and the like , for operating the discharge tube can be placed inside the inner tube . this allows for a compact system , in which a screw base , as in an ordinary incandescent lamp is mounted on one end of the device . electricity is fed into the electronics from the screw base and distributed from the electronics to the various electrodes . the electrodes can be on one end of the device or on both ends , as shown in the various embodiments . in some embodiments of the invention a reflecting member is placed inside the inner tube . this is especially useful when the electronics is placed in the center of the device , since otherwise , light output would be lost . optionally , the electronics can be packaged in a reflecting tube or the like . optionally , the reflecting material can be coated onto the axial facing surface of the inner tube . while under certain circumstances , the coating can be metallic ( as for example , when the discharge is guided ), in general , it is preferably to use a non - conducting coating such as a dielectric coating or a paint or a coating of a white material such as titanium dioxide . while the invention is disclosed , for simplicity , with discharge paths that are generally in the direction of the axis of the device , it is possible , for example using variations of the embodiments of fig4 - 7 to provide guided paths that are at an angle to the length of the tube . such paths will form a helix path or multiple helix paths about the central axis . the present invention has been described with respect to a number of non - limiting embodiments thereof . it will be clear to a person of skill in the art that not all of the elements shown in a particular embodiment are absolutely necessary to the operation of that embodiment and that elements taken from different embodiments can be combined . as used herein the terms “ include ,” comprises ,” and “ have ” and their conjugates mean “ including but not limited to .”
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the present invention provides cost effective solution for preventing such fraud or misuse scenarios when using a specific service of a public land mobile network by a user equipment . the invention provides a method for preventing fraud or misuse when using a specific service of a public land mobile network by a user equipment , wherein the user equipment comprises a subscriber identity module , wherein the subscriber identity module comprises an address information used for the specific service of the public land mobile network , wherein the subscriber identity module comprises an application program , wherein the application program comprises a reference address information , wherein the application program is provided such that the following steps are executed : in a first step , it is verified whether the address information corresponds to the reference address information , in a second step , and in case that the verification of the first step holds a negative result , either the specific service is blocked , at least temporarily , for the user equipment , or the specific service is invoked using the reference address information . according to the present invention , it is thereby advantageously possible that fraud or misuse can be effectively reduced by enforcing the use of the correct address information , especially for specifying a network node using the address information . according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention , in case that , during the second step , the specific service is blocked for the user equipment , an error message is sent to the public land mobile network . according to the present invention , it is thereby advantageously that the public land mobile network , especially the home public land mobile network is informed about the incorrect setting of the address information such that a self - healing process can be triggered , e . g . by providing a configuration message to the corresponding user equipment in order to change the incorrect address information . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the address information is provided at a specific memory location within the subscriber identity module , wherein the application program is configured such that , during the first step , the specific memory location within the subscriber identity module is verified repeatedly , at least once in a predetermined time interval . thereby , it is advantageously possible according to the present invention that a wrong setting of the address information can be detected easily and quickly . especially , it is advantageously possible to transmit the application program to the user equipment and , without an interruption of the functionality of the user equipment / subscriber identity module ( especially without rebooting the user equipment ), verification of the address information is performed . according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention , a request of the user equipment to use the specific service comprises the address information , wherein the user equipment is configured such that each request of the user equipment to use the specific service is directed to the subscriber identity module , wherein the application program is configured such that , during the first step , the address information of the redirected request of the user equipment to use the specific service is verified . thereby , it is advantageously possible according to the present invention that no request of the specific service can be transmitted to the public land mobile network without the verification by the subscriber identity module ( during the first step of the inventive method ). it is also possible that both a repeated verification of the correct address information and a forced redirection of any requests of the user equipment to the specific service towards the subscriber identity module are performed . according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention , the specific service is the short message service . thereby , it is advantageously possible to avoid fraud and misuse damages for an operator of a public land mobile network in an efficient manner . it is furthermore preferred that the address information and the reference address information relates to the address of a short message service center used by the user equipment . thereby , it is efficiently possible according to the present invention that no short message service functionality can be used by the user equipment without using the correct short message service center . according to the present invention , it is furthermore preferred that the reference address information relates to the address of a short message service center used by the user equipment but that the reference address information is not a complete address information ( being able to specify a network entity in the telecommunications network ) such as , e . g ., a global title , but that the reference address information corresponds to the country code of the correct address information 22 to be used or that the reference address information corresponds to the country code and additionally a certain number ( such as one or two or three or four ) of digits , specifying , e . g ., the public land mobile network of the operator or the like . if in this case a comparison ( during the first step of the method according to the present invention ) of the reference address information with the address information ( or with the corresponding part or with the corresponding part of the address information ) holds that the address information is not correct , the appropriate actions are taken as specified in the second step of the present invention . furthermore , the present invention relates to a subscriber identity module for preventing fraud or misuse when a user equipment equipped with the subscriber identity module uses a specific service of a public land mobile network , wherein the subscriber identity module comprises an address information used for the specific service of the public land mobile network , wherein the subscriber identity module comprises an application program , wherein the application program comprises a reference address information , wherein the application program is provided such that : a verification is executed whether the address information corresponds to the reference address information , and in case that the verification holds a negative result , either the specific service is blocked , at least temporarily , for the user equipment , or the specific service is invoked using the reference address information . additionally , the present invention relates to a program comprising a computer readable program code which , when executed on a computer or on a subscriber identity module , causes the computer or the subscriber identity module to perform an inventive method . still additionally , the present invention relates to computer program product for preventing fraud or misuse when using a specific service of a public land mobile network by a user equipment , the computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a storage medium , the computer program comprising program code which , when executed on a computer or on a subscriber identity module , causes the computer or the subscriber identity module to perform an inventive method . these and other characteristics , features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description , taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings , which illustrate , by way of example , the principles of the invention . the description is given for the sake of example only , without limiting the scope of the invention . the reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings . the present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims . the drawings described are only schematic and are non - limiting . in the drawings , the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes . where an indefinite or definite article is used when referring to a singular noun , e . g . “ a ”, “ an ”, “ the ”, this includes a plural of that noun unless something else is specifically stated . furthermore , the terms first , second , third and the like in the description and in the claims are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order . it is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein . in fig1 , the handling of a mobile originating short message ( sms ) in a telecommunications network is schematically shown . the short message ( sms ) is sent from a user equipment 20 roaming in a visited public land mobile network b which is different from a home public land mobile network a of that user equipment 20 . the user equipment 20 sends a request for using the short message service of the visited public land mobile network b to a specific network node 30 ( typically a mobile switching center 30 ) of the visited public land mobile network b . the request of the user equipment 20 specifies , using address information , the short message service center 240 of the home public land mobile network a and the short message ( sms ) is sent triggering an iot ( inter operator tariff ) charging event 41 from the visited public land mobile network b to the home public land mobile network a and a client charging event 42 from the home public land mobile network a to the user equipment / the subscriber . in fig2 , a fraud or misuse scenario of a mobile originating short message ( sms ) in a telecommunications network is schematically shown . the short message ( sms ) is sent from a user equipment 20 roaming in a visited public land mobile network b which is different from a home public land mobile network a of that user equipment 20 . the user equipment 20 sends a request for using the short message service of the visited public land mobile network b to a specific network node 30 ( typically a mobile switching center 30 ) of the visited public land mobile network b . the request of the user equipment 20 specifies , by using address information , ( and instead of the short message service center 240 of the home public land mobile network a ) the short message service center 220 of a further public land mobile network c . this results in the short message ( sms ) being sent via the further public land mobile network c and bypassing the home public land mobile network a . involving the visited public land mobile network nevertheless triggers an iot ( inter operator tariff ) charging event 41 from the visited public land mobile network b to the home public land mobile network a . however , due to the fact that the home public land mobile network a is bypassed regarding the handling of the short message , a corresponding client charging event 42 ′ from the home public land mobile network a to the user equipment / the subscriber is not possible . that is why huge amounts of short messages can be sent using this fraud or misuse scenario causing at the home public land mobile network massive losses . currently , it is not mandatorily required that the visited public land mobile network b informs the home public land mobile network a about such irregularities . therefore , such frauds or misuses cannot be quickly detected by the home public land mobile network a . according to the present invention , a method is provided that is able to avoid the situation where a user equipment uses wrong address information 22 and hence a wrong network node ( such as a short message service center 220 ). the user equipment 20 is schematically illustrated in fig5 . according to the present invention , this is achieved by providing the subscriber identity module 21 , which is used with the user equipment 20 , such that the subscriber identity module 21 comprises an address information 22 used for the specific service of the public land mobile network , wherein the subscriber identity module 21 comprises an application program 23 , wherein the application program 23 comprises a reference address information 24 , wherein the application program 23 is provided such that the following steps are executed : in a first step , it is verified whether the address information 22 corresponds to the reference address information 24 , in a second step , and in case that the verification of the first step holds a negative result , either the specific service is blocked , at least temporarily , for the user equipment 20 , or the specific service is invoked using the reference address information 24 . thereby , it is possible to provide a detection and / or correction mechanism of wrong address information 22 on the subscriber identity modules 21 of users or subscribers of the home public land mobile network a . thereby , it is advantageously possible to detect wrong settings in the address information 22 . in case that a wrong setting of the address information 22 is detected , different options exist : in one alternative embodiment of the present invention , the specific service — e . g . the short message service — is blocked , i . e . no further service request of this kind ( i . e . a user initiated short message ) can be sent . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , a correction is applied to the false address information 22 and a this wring address information 22 is replaced by a reference address information 24 which part of the application program 23 , i . e . the specific service is invoked using the reference address information 24 . in fig3 , a method for providing a subscriber identity module 21 with an application program 23 for performing the inventive method is schematically shown : a server ( e . g ., an ota server ( ota meaning “ over the air ”)) 55 checks with a database 51 whether a subscriber identity module 21 of a specific user equipment 20 is enabled to receive and store the program information of the application program 23 . the information of the application program 23 is then transmitted to the user equipment 20 , especially using an short message service transmission method , involving an short message service center 52 . the short message service center 52 sends binary short messages 53 comprising the application program 23 to the user equipment 20 . the application program 23 is then saved ( and installed ) to a memory of the subscriber identity module 21 . according to the present invention , it is possible and preferred that once the application program 23 is saved and installed to the subscriber identity module 21 , certain parameters of the application program 23 such as values of the reference address information 24 or parameters defining the appropriate action to be taken in the second step of the inventive method ( in case that it is verified in the first step that the verification of the first step holds a negative result ) are modified . this is preferably be realized by an ota mechanism comparable to the transmission of the application program itself to the subscriber identity module 21 . the application program 23 according to the present invention is preferably a so - called “ sim application toolkit application ” or sat application . the application program 23 or sat application 23 can be provided to any new subscriber identity modules to be distributed to new customers but also to all ( or at least the vast majority ) of subscriber identity modules 21 already circulating . this is because the vast majority of circulating subscriber identity modules 21 are ota enabled such that the application program 23 can be simply stored on such subscriber identity modules 21 . this means that the method according to the present invention can be implemented in a very quick manner . during roll - out of the application program 23 , it is possible to transfer ( or not to transfer ) the application program 23 to different subscriber identity modules depending on an information in a database about the subscriber identity modules . furthermore , especially for the case that some models of user equipments are not compatible with running the application program 23 , it is possible to control the use of the application program 23 via the following steps : in a first step , the application program 23 is stored in the subscriber identity module 21 of a user equipment 20 , in a second step , the application program 23 sends an information to the public land mobile network about the value of the imei ( international mobile equipment identity ), based on this imei information , it is possible to look up in a database whether the subscriber identity module ( and the corresponding user equipment 20 ) are compatible with running the application program 23 . if this is the case the application program 23 is ( remotely ) switched on or off , dependant on the result of the database lookup . fig4 schematically illustrates an implementation of the inventive method , where in a first step , a detection of the address information 22 is provided and compared with a reference address information 24 . the reference address information 24 is either a complete address information ( e . g . in the form of a global title ) being able to specify a network entity in the telecommunications network / public land mobile network . in this case , it is possible according to the present invention to simply replace the use of the address information 22 by the use of the reference address information 24 . however , according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention , it is also possible that the reference address information 24 is not a complete address information ( being able to specify a network entity in the telecommunications network ). for example , the reference address information could simply comprise the country code of the correct address information 22 to use . if in this case a comparison of the reference address information 24 with the address information 22 ( or with the corresponding part of the address information 22 ) holds that the address information 22 is not correct , it is not possible to simply replace the use of the address information 22 by the use of the reference address information 24 . in this case , it will be preferred to block the specific service for the user equipment at least temporarily . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive . it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims . in particular , the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below . additionally , statements made herein characterizing the invention refer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily all embodiments . the terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description . for example , the use of the article “ a ” or “ the ” in introducing an element should not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements . likewise , the recitation of “ or ” should be interpreted as being inclusive , such that the recitation of “ a or b ” is not exclusive of “ a and b ,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing description that only one of a and b is intended . further , the recitation of “ at least one of a , b and c ” should be interpreted as one or more of a group of elements consisting of a , b and c , and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements a , b and c , regardless of whether a , b and c are related as categories or otherwise . moreover , the recitation of “ a , b and / or c ” or “ at least one of a , b or c ” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from the listed elements , e . g ., a , any subset from the listed elements , e . g ., a and b , or the entire list of elements a , b and c .
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the embodiments of portable wireless communication terminals shown in the drawings by way of example include a base band wireless cellular telephony module 1 that processes signals at base band frequencies , adapted for operation on the 2 nd generation gsm standard and on the 3 rd generation wcdma standard . the terminals also include modules 5 and 6 for wireless communication over a personal area network (‘ lan ’) with other equipment and accessories in the vicinity , such as a head - set comprising ear - phones and a microphone , and a printer , for example . the application processor 6 may also provide other functions , such as games , with the possibility of communicating with other terminals . the terminals also include a gps module 8 for wireless communication with satellites of the global positioning system to provide positional information . it will be appreciated that the present invention is also applicable to other wireless communication standards . the embodiments of portable wireless communication terminals shown in the drawings by way of example also include other modules in wired connection , including a video camera 7 and audio coder / decoders (‘ codecs ’) 38 and 39 . the power consumptions of the individual modules are substantial and it is important to be able to activate and de - activate , at least partially , the different modules as and when they are needed . the activation and de - activation can be performed manually but , especially in order to be able to provide standby modes in which the modules monitor the arrival of incoming signals or other events that require full activation of the modules and to shut the modules down at least partially during periods of inactivity , standby managers 30 and 52 are provided to activate and de - activate the modules automatically . referring first to fig1 of the accompanying drawings , the terminal shown , which is not in accordance with the present invention , includes a base band module 1 that processes signals at base band frequencies and co - operates with a receiver and transmitter section ( not shown ). frequency synthesisers 2 and 3 generate frequency reference signals respectively at 13 . 0 mhz for gsm communications and at 15 . 36 mhz for wcdma communications . a power and audio management module 4 receives reference frequency signals at the 13 . 0 mhz or 15 . 36 mhz frequencies , according to whether communications are occurring in gsm or wcdma standard . the terminal also includes a blue tooth module 5 for communication within a personal area network (‘ pan ’) with other devices and accessories , such as a head - set , a printer , a personal computer , for example . the terminal also includes an application processor module that includes control units ( not shown ) for controlling the operations of the other modules and that generates a reference frequency signal at 12 . 0 mhz , which it supplies to the blue tooth module 5 . a video camera 7 also receives the frequency reference signal at 12 . 0 mhz from the application processor 6 . the terminal also includes a gps module 8 for receiving signals from the global positioning system satellites and calculating positional information by triangulation . in order to generate different reference frequencies , the terminal includes a crystal 9 tuned to 26 . 0 mhz for the gsm module 2 , a crystal tuned to 15 . 36 mhz for the wcdma module 3 , a crystal 11 tuned to 12 . 0 mhz for the application processor 6 , the blue tooth module 5 , and the camera 7 , and a crystal 12 tuned to 24 . 5534 mhz for the gps module 8 . in addition to these four radio frequency tuned crystals , the terminal also includes a crystal 13 tuned to a substantially lower frequency of 32 . 768 khz for the power and audio management module 4 , the corresponding reference frequency also being supplied to the 3gbb module 1 and the application processor 6 for the audio channels . the use of four radio frequency crystals in the terminal is expensive . in addition , the resulting reference frequencies are not synchronised relative to each other and this causes problems when two or more modules with different reference frequencies are co - operating together . fig2 shows a terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , which includes modules whose functions are basically similar to those of the terminal shown in fig1 and that have similar references . thus , the terminal includes a 3g base band processor 1 , a power and audio management module 4 , a blue tooth transmitter / receiver module 5 , an application processor module 6 , and a video camera 7 . the terminal also includes a 32 . 768 khz crystal 13 . on the other hand , all the radio frequency reference frequencies and other clock signals are derived from a single , common free running crystal controlled oscillator (‘ vco ’) 14 tuned to 26 . 0 mhz . the common crystal 14 is coupled to a multiple frequency synthesiser and divider module 15 that produces several reference frequency outputs with medium frequency precision ( in this example +/− 2 ppm ). in order to obtain a higher degree of frequency precision tolerance , a cellular interface module 16 produces reference frequency signals that are corrected using automatic frequency control (“ afc ”) derived from the received cellular telephone signals ( gsm or wcdma ) once communication has been established . in more detail , the frequency synthesiser 15 includes frequency synthesiser elements 17 , 18 and 19 that receive the frequency reference signal from the common crystal and associated oscillator 14 and produce the appropriate frequencies for reception and transmission in the cellular telephone systems as a function of the actual rf channel number (“ arfcn ”) and the afc signals when available . in particular , the synthesiser element 17 generates signals for the gsm receiver and transmitter sections , the synthesiser element 18 generates clock signals for the umts receiver section and the synthesiser element 19 generates clock signals for the umts and gprs transmitter sections . in addition , the frequency synthesiser section 15 includes divider and low path filter elements 20 to 24 that generate sine wave signals directly from the frequency reference signal from the common crystal and associated oscillator 14 . the divider element 20 generates a sinusoidal signal at 26 mhz or 13 mhz that is supplied to the cellular interface 16 , the divider element 21 generates a 26 mhz sinusoidal signal that is supplied to the gps module 8 , the divider element 23 generates a 13 mhz sinusoidal signal that is supplied to the blue tooth module 5 and the divider element 24 generates a 13 mhz sinusoidal signal that is supplied to the power and audio management module 4 . separate divider and low path filter elements are used even where identical frequencies are generated , to avoid disturbance to the clock signal supplied to one module when a second module using the same frequency is activated or de - activated . the cellular interface module 16 includes fractional - n pll frequency synthesiser elements 25 and 26 . the element 25 provides a 13 mhz signal for the gsm application of the 3g base band processor module 1 , corrected by the afc signal to achieve a more accurate frequency precision (± 0 . 1 ppm in this example ). the pll synthesiser 26 converts the 13 . 0 mhz signal from the divider element 20 to 15 . 36 mhz and corrects by the afc signal from wcdma communication when available . the square wave signals from the cellular interface module 16 are supplied to the cellular modem processor module 1 , where they are used to time the protocol for frame reception and transmission of the cellular telephone communications . the clock signals from the synthesiser elements 25 and 26 are also supplied to a multiplexer 27 in the 3g base band processor 1 that selects the signal corresponding to the mode of operation ( gsm or wcdma ) of the processor 1 and supplies the corresponding signal to multiplexers 28 and 29 in the power and audio management module 4 . the multiplexers 28 and 29 also receive the clock signal from the divider element 24 of the synthesiser section 15 and the multiplexer 29 also receives the 32 khz signal from the crystal and oscillator 13 . the 3g base band processor 1 and the frequency synthesiser elements 17 , 18 and 19 of the synthesiser section 15 and 25 , 26 of the cellular interface 16 have relatively high power consumption . accordingly , in addition to the full operational mode , in which all these elements are normally supplied with power , and an “ off ” mode in which all these elements are de - activated , so that they are switched off and their power consumption is substantially zero , a stand - by or “ monitoring ” mode is provided in which the relevant element or elements are activated only intermittently to check for the reception of wireless signals , this mode being controlled automatically or possibly manually by deep sleep manager elements 30 in the 3g base band processor 1 and 52 in the application processor module 6 ( to manage the standby modes of the other modules even when the other deep sleep manager is off . in cellular telephone operation , when the 3gbb applications are on , the deep sleep manager 30 or 52 activates the cellular interface 16 and the synthesiser elements 17 to 19 . when the 3g applications are off , in the absence of an activation signal from the processor 1 or 6 , the cellular interface 16 and the synthesiser elements 17 to 19 are put in battery save mode . in stand - by mode , the deep sleep manager 52 is energised and intermittently activates the cellular interface 16 in response to received wireless signals , the synthesiser elements 17 to 19 being continuously activated . in order to enable the blue tooth clock signal to be generated for the blue tooth module when the 3g applications are not activated , a further stand - by control signal is generated by a blue tooth application module 31 in the application processor 6 and applied to the synthesiser section 15 to enable the crystal and oscillator 14 and divider 23 to produce the clock signal for the blue tooth module 5 . the processor 1 also generates higher frequency clock signals for a digital signal processor 32 at 170 mhz , a micro controller unit 33 at more than 95 mhz and a universal serial bus (“ usb ”) 34 at 48 mhz . the processor 1 , synthesiser section 15 and cellular interface 16 also generate clock signals for internal functions . all these clock signals are derived ultimately from the common crystal oscillator 14 . in order to supply the usb when the processor 1 is de - activated , a pll oscillator 35 is provided in the power and audio management module 4 and a pll oscillator 36 is provided in the application processor 6 . a pll oscillator 37 in the application processor 6 also generates a clock signal at 200 mhz from the low frequency 32 . 768 khz clock signal . in partial operation , stand - by or enable control signals from the application processor can activate and de - activate further elements within the synthesiser section 15 , and even the reference frequency generator 14 including the common rf crystal , to minimise power consumption and additionally , the stand - by control signal from the deep sleep manager 30 or 52 may be arranged to activate one only of the synthesiser elements 25 and 26 and the cellular interface 16 to avoid the power consumption of both elements when the portable terminal is operating in a single mode . the power and audio management module 4 controls the multiplexers 28 and 29 to select the source for the clock signal that is applied to a coder / decoder element (“ codec ”) element 37 for voice communication and another clock signal that is applied to a stereo codec ( for high fidelity sound ) 38 . the multiplexer 29 selects the clock signal from multiplexer 27 to generate an afc corrected clock signal when operating in voice mode communication either in gsm or wcdma or the clock signal from divider 24 in the synthesiser 15 which is not afc when operating in play back mode from wire connected or internal memory sources or when no cellular telephony application is running . the clock signal from divider 24 typically has less than 100 ps of jitter in this example which enables the plo 35 to generate a low jitter signal for the stereo codec at higher frequencies . the multiplexer 28 supplies a cbck signal from the multiplexer 27 or the divider 24 to the pll synthesiser 36 of the application processor 6 and the camera 7 . also , for the universal serial bus ( usb ), there is a need to generate a clock at 48 mhz with a low clock jitter less than 100 ps . this clock is derived also from the clock source 14 and 24 . this clock has low jitter since it is directly from the crystal clock 14 . the blue tooth module 5 includes a fractional - n pll frequency synthesiser that receives a clock signal from divider 23 in the synthesiser module 15 and to which an afc correction is applied derived from the signal received from the master terminal in the local area network of the blue tooth system , this clock signal being used for the transmitter and receiver sections . the local area network may include a headset with earphones used for sound output and a microphone for sound input and coupled to the power and audio management section . the blue tooth module may also provide communications with a printer in the local area network , for example , communicating with a personal digital assistant ( pda ) in the application processor . the blue tooth module 5 also includes a fractional - n pll synthesiser 40 that produces a 24 mhz clock signal from the clock signal of divider 23 with afc to the blue tooth master station signal , and a divider 41 that derives an 8 mhz clock signal from the output of the synthesiser element 40 , the 8 mhz clock signal being supplied to the blue tooth application element 31 in the application processor module 6 . the gps module 8 includes a fractional - n pll synthesiser 42 that produces a clock signal from the clock signal of divider 21 with afc to the received signal from the gps satellites . it will be appreciated that all the modules 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 15 and 16 include fractional - n pll synthesiser elements , the primary reference signal for which is the common crystal oscillator 14 . each of these modules is selectively activated or de - activated , so that the power consumption of the frequency synthesiser element associated is only incurred when the corresponding application is operational . different modes of partial operation are possible as summarised in the following table . each synthesizer ( 17 , 18 , 19 , 25 , 26 , 41 , 42 ) has the capability to perform digital automatic frequency correction ( afc ) independently to provide frequency values , the afc for gsm being different from the afc for bluetooth or for gps , for example . the use of fractional - n pll synthesizers allows high resolution of frequency adjustment for the digital afc capabilities . fig3 to 10 show examples of clock generation in partial operation of the terminal . in fig3 , the gsm application in the cellular telephony module is active for voice communication and the wbcdma application is on standby . the reference frequency signal at 26 mhz from the divider 20 is supplied to the fractional - n pll synthesizers 25 and 26 in the cellular interface module 16 , which supply square wave clock signals at 13 mhz and 15 . 36 mhz respectively to a precision of ± 0 . 1 ppm . the multiplexers 27 and 28 select the 13 mhz clock signal for the voice codec 38 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in fig4 , the gsm telephony application is monitoring and the wbcdma telephony application is active for voice communication . the reference frequency signal at 26 mhz from the divider 20 is supplied to the fractional - n pll synthesizers 25 and 26 in the cellular interface module 16 , which supply square wave clock signals at 13 mhz and 15 . 36 mhz respectively to a precision of ± 0 . 1 pm . the multiplexers 27 and 28 select the 15 . 36 mhz clock signal for the voice codec 38 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in both the cases of fig3 and 4 , the frequency synthesizers for the standby telephone application may be energised only intermittently . in fig5 , the wbcdma application is active for voice and video communication , the video camera 7 and the usb 34 are active , and the bluetooth module 5 is active to couple a headset for the voice communication . the reference frequency signal at 26 mhz from the divider 20 is supplied to the fractional - n pll synthesizers 25 and 26 in the cellular interface module 16 , which supply square wave clock signals at 13 mhz and 15 . 36 mhz respectively to a precision of ± 0 . 1 ppm . the multiplexers 27 and 28 select the 15 . 36 mhz clock signal for the voice codec 38 . the multiplexers 29 selects the 15 . 36 mhz clock signal for the camera 7 , and the divider 36 for the usb 34 . the blue tooth module 5 receives the reference frequency sine signal from the divider 23 and the divider 41 supplies the 8 mhz clock signal to the blue tooth application 31 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in fig6 , the gsm and wbcdma telephony module is on standby ( monitoring ), with the organiser (‘ pda ’) module active using a usb connection . a standby signal from the deep sleep manager 30 controls the intermittent operation of the cellular interface 16 and the cellular modem processor 1 . the reference frequency signal at 26 mhz from the divider 20 is supplied to the fractional - n pll synthesizers 25 and 26 in the cellular interface module 16 , which are intermittently awoken to supply square wave clock signals at 13 mhz and 15 . 36 mhz respectively to a precision of ± 0 . 1 ppm . the multiplexer 28 and 29 select the non - afc 13 mhz frequency reference sine signal from the divider 24 for the voice codec 38 and for the divider 36 for the usb 34 , respectively . in fig7 , the gsm and wbcdma telephony module is on standby , the bluetooth module is active to couple an mp3 player and the stereo ( high fidelity ) audio coder / decoder 39 is active . the cellular interface 16 and cellular modem processor 1 are awoken intermittently , as in fig6 and the blue tooth module 5 receives the reference frequency sine signal from the divider 23 and the divider 41 supplies the 8 mhz clock signal to the blue tooth application 31 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in fig8 , the gsm and wbcdma telephony module 1 is switched off and the pda module is on standby . the cellular interface 16 is switched off . the deep sleep manager 52 applies a standby signal to awaken the crystal controlled oscillator 14 and the divider 24 intermittently . the frequency synthesizers 17 , 18 and 19 are switched off . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in fig9 , the gsm and wbcdma telephony module , the bluetooth module and the pda module are on standby . the deep sleep manager 52 applies a standby signal to awaken intermittently the crystal controlled oscillator , the cellular interface 16 , the frequency synthesizers 17 , 18 and 19 and the dividers 20 , 23 and 24 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 . in fig1 , only the pda module is active and the gsm and wbcdma telephony module and the bluetooth module are on standby . the deep sleep manager 52 applies a standby signal to awaken intermittently the crystal controlled oscillator , the cellular interface 16 , the frequency synthesizers 17 , 18 and 19 and the dividers 20 , 23 and 24 . the 32 khz clock signal is supplied continuously to the deep sleep manager 52 and the pll frequency synthesizer 37 for the micro - controller unit of the application processor 6 but only intermittently to the pll synthesizer 32 . the frequency synthesiser elements 17 , 18 and 19 may be of the kind including multi - accumulator elements as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 493 , 700 . however , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , each of the reference pll frequency synthesizers 25 and 26 is of the kind shown in fig1 , which comprises a voltage - controlled oscillator (‘ vco ’) 43 , whose output signal is supplied to a frequency divider 44 that divides the frequency of the vco by an integer factor m to obtain the pll frequency synthesizer output signal . the output signal of the vco 43 is also supplied to a frequency divider 45 that divides the frequency of the vco by an integer factor n , the frequency divider 45 being connected in a feedback loop . the frequency divider 45 includes a multi - accumulator section 46 that enables the factor n to be selected and to which the digital afc may be applied . the phase of the output signal from the frequency divider 45 is compared with the phase of the frequency reference from the crystal controlled oscillator 14 in a phase comparator charge pump device 47 . the phase comparator charge pump device 47 supplies resistor - capacitor circuits 48 and 49 that supply a correction signal to the vco 43 that is a function of the difference in phase between the signals from the divider 45 and the crystal - controlled oscillator 14 .
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hereinafter , example implementations of the disclosed teachings are described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings . [ 0034 ] fig2 is a block diagram that shows a non - limiting example of a configuration of a uwb transceiver apparatus . it includes a filter unit having a plurality of filters , each of which is capable of filtering a specific frequency band according to the disclosed teachings . referring to fig2 the uwb transceiver has a wideband lna 220 covering all frequency bands of a uwb system , a wideband power amplifier 270 , a filter unit 230 including a plurality of filters , a demodulator 240 , a modulator 280 , a baseband controller 250 , and a medium access control ( mac ) 260 . each of the components of the apparatus will now be described in detail . the lna is a typical small signal amplifier . an example of a small signal amplifier is an rf device that is needed for converting a signal . such a signal , while interpretable , has increased noise and weakened intensity as the signal passes through a number of paths in the air . the small signal amplifier is an amplifier that receives not only gain but also the noise component . in this example , a wideband lna covering all the frequency bands of the uwb system is used . each of the filters constituting the filter unit is a band stop filter for selectively filtering out only a specific frequency band used in existing rf systems . each of the band stop filters is required to filter out a specific frequency spectrum when a signal is input to the uwb receiver . because specific frequency bands are filtered out , the uwb system does not interfere with existing wireless communication systems . further , it is likely that new frequency bands that may overlap with the existing frequencies may appear due to the advent of new communication devices . the band stop filter is required to dynamically cope with interference due to such newly overlapped band . for example , the filters may be arranged according to ranges of the frequency band used in the existing wireless communication systems in such a manner that a first band stop filter is used in the global positioning system ( gps ) band and a second band stop filter is used in the 5 ghz wireless lan band , etc . a switch that can be turned on or off is attached in a parallel connection format to each filter . in this configuration , if the switch is in an on state , the signal input is transmitted only along the shorted switch without passing through the filter with predetermined impedance . thus , the band stop filter is in an off state . on the other hand , if the switch is in an off state , the input signal is transmitted through the filter with predetermined impedance . thus , the band stop filter is in an on state . the baseband controller 250 serves to control the overall operation of processing transmission and reception of uwb pulse signals through the transceiver . as shown in fig3 the baseband controller 250 comprises a power measurement unit 251 , an on - off control unit 252 and a power control unit 253 . the functions of the components will be later described in detail with reference to fig3 . the mac 260 is present in the upper layer of the physical layer and serves to manage data communication according to the uwb communication . the mac 260 receives binary signals through the baseband controller or transfers the binary signals to be transmitted to the baseband controller . further , the demodulator 240 serves to demodulate a data sequence of uwb pulse signals received through the antenna into original signals . the modulator 280 modulates binary data of the original signals into uwb pulse signals . the power amplifier 270 amplifies the intensity of the uwb pulse signals input from the modulator 280 via the filter so that they are suitable for uwb channel transmission . in the receiving side of the apparatus , the order between the filter and lna may be changed and all the filters may be located in front or to the rear of the lna . in case of a heterodyne system or direct conversion system where the carrier is used , the signals may be moved to the baseband of the original signals . these signals are then demodulated if the signals pass through the down converter . on the other hand , in case of a baseband system or uwb system where the carrier is not used , the signals may be directly demodulated without passing through the down converter . in the transmitting side of the apparatus , the order between the filter and power amplifier may be changed , and all the filters may be located in front of or to the rear of the power amplifier . in case of a heterodyne system or direct conversion system where a carrier is used , the modulated baseband signals are up - converted into the band around the carrier frequency . here , the up - converted rf signals have a band that is to be sent to a specific band space . in a system where a carrier is not used , the modulated signals are directly sent to the filter without performing the up - conversion process . [ 0043 ] fig3 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary structure of the baseband controller 250 embodying some aspects of the disclosed teachings . the power measurement unit 251 of the baseband controller 250 measures the power intensity of the rf signal entering the band space as each of the filters is turned on or off , thereby turning on or off each of the corresponding lnas . as a result of the measurement , if there is power variation greater than a predetermined value , the power measurement unit 251 determines that another wireless communication system is using the band . the on - off control unit 252 serves to filter out signals in the band that are not to be used . this is done by controlling the turning on or off each of the filters . more specifically , the on - off control unit 252 can dynamically turn on or off the switch by turning on the band stop filter corresponding to a band , which is determined to be used by the other wireless communication system in the power measurement unit 251 , and turning off other band stop filters . further , the on - off control unit 252 serves to filter out signals in the band that are not to be used , by controlling the operation of turning on or off each of the lnas . more specifically , the on - off control unit 252 can dynamically turn on or off the switch by turning off the lna corresponding to a band that has been determined to be used by the other wireless communication systems in the power measurement unit 251 , and turning on the other lnas . further , the power control unit 253 controls the intensity of the transmission power of the uwb pulse signals according to the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) of the received signals . since the respective components of the baseband controller 250 so constructed operate independently from one another , additional components may be added thereto depending on the data transmission method or only some of the components shown in fig3 may be included therein . for example , the baseband controller 250 may be comprised of only the power measurement unit 251 and the on - off control unit 252 . if there is an additional need to control the intensity of the transmission power , the power control unit 253 may be further added to the baseband controller 250 . [ 0046 ] fig4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of the uwb transceiver apparatus including the lna unit with a plurality of lnas and the power amplifier unit with a plurality of power amplifiers arranged according to the frequency bands . only the parts different from the uwb transceiver apparatus shown in fig2 are explained in detail herein . referring to fig4 the exemplary uwb transceiver apparatus comprises the lna unit 420 with a plurality of lnas , the power amplifier unit 470 with a plurality of power amplifiers , the wideband filter 430 covering all the bands of the uwb system , the demodulator 240 , the modulator 280 , the baseband controller 250 , and the mac 260 . the lna unit 420 includes a plurality of lnas and a lna combiner 421 for collecting the outputs from the plurality of lnas and then sending the outputs to a single port . the power amplifier unit 470 includes a plurality of power amplifiers and a power amplifier combiner 471 for collecting the outputs from the plurality of power amplifiers and then sending the outputs to a single port . further , the wideband filter 430 covers all the bands used in the uwb system . when the uwb receiver receives signals , it is designed such that the lna and power amplifier are not used for a specific frequency band spectrum . thus , since a band that will not be used upon transmission and reception due to its overlapping with other communication systems is not subjected to an amplification process through the relevant lna and power amplifier , the uwb system cannot interfere with the existing wireless communication systems and can dynamically cope with interference due to the existing overlapped bands as well as overlapped bands that are likely to appear due to the advent of new communication devices in the future . for example , the filters may be arranged according to the ranges of frequency bands used in the existing wireless communication systems in such a manner that a first lna and power amplifier are used in the global positioning system ( gps ) band and a second lna and power amplifier are used in the 5 ghz wireless lan band , for example . an exemplary implementation that combines the structures of fig2 and 4 are combined with each other can also be created . in such a combined structure , the transceiver system comprising the filter unit with a plurality of filters , the lna unit with a plurality of lnas , and the power amplifier unit with a plurality of power amplifiers are combined . here , if only interference occurring due to a band overlapping with existing wireless communication systems becomes a problem , the problem can be solved only through the embodiment shown in fig2 or fig4 respectively . the lna , the power amplifier , the filter and the like used in the uwb system is required to cover the wideband . therefore , good performance cannot be uniformly obtained throughout the entire frequency band even though a wideband lna , filter and power amplifier are used . further , another problem such as the distortion of signals may be produced in a certain frequency band . on the other hand , if the lna , filter and power amplifier are provided in each of the frequency bands as described in the exemplary implementations embodying the disclosed teachings , problems such as the distortion of signals will not occur . [ 0051 ] fig5 is a flowchart illustrating a technique for dynamically determining a frequency band that is not to be used in the uwb transceiver apparatus using a plurality of filters . the steps in the flowchart of fig5 are performed at a regular interval of time or when the uwb transceiver apparatus is turned on . first , all the filters shown in fig2 are turned off ( s 510 ). then , one of the filters is turned on and the remaining filters remain turned off . next , the next filter is turned on and the other filters remain turned off . this process is performed for all the filters ( s 520 ). through the above processes , it is possible to determine as to which bands the interferences occur . for example , where the second filter can cover the 5 ghz wireless lan band that is currently used by another apparatus , the first to n - th filters are sequentially turned on one by one at a regular interval of time or when the uwb transceiver apparatus is turned on . then , the total intensity of the rf signals coming into the band space will be significantly lowered when the second filter is turned on . therefore , the uwb system can perceive the presence of the 5 ghz wireless lan band through the above process . generally speaking , if the power of the rf signals entering the band space is significantly reduced when a specific band stop filter is turned on ( s 530 ), it is determined that the filter for use in the band is turned on ( s 540 ). otherwise , it is determined that the relevant filter is turned off ( s 550 ). subsequently , it is checked whether the relevant filter is the last n - th filter ( s 560 ). if so , the process goes to next step s 570 . otherwise , the process returns to step s 520 . according to the determined result , the uwb transceiver apparatus turns on only the relevant filters for use in a band from which interference is expected and turns off the other filters ( s 570 ). thus , the uwb board will not be damaged even though higher power is input through the interference band . further , information on the relevant band so determined is transmitted to a communicating uwb transceiver apparatus ( s 580 ). the two uwb transceiver apparatuses make a mutual agreement that they will not use the relevant band ( s 590 ). a method of making an agreement between the two uwb transceiver apparatuses that they will not use a specific band for mutual communication may include a method of producing a management frame in the mac and transceiving the frame between the apparatuses . alternately , this information can be included in a physical layer header and communicated to each other during the wireless data transmission / reception . in such a case , a new frame may be produced , or “ reserved bits ” of the existing frame may be used . [ 0055 ] fig6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for dynamically determining a frequency band that is not to be used in the uwb transceiver apparatus including a plurality of lnas and a plurality of power amplifiers . the steps in the flowchart of fig6 are performed at a regular interval of time or when the uwb transceiver apparatus is turned on . first , all the filters shown in fig4 are turned on ( s 610 ). then , one of the filters is turned off and the remaining filters remain turned on . next , the next filter is turned off and the other filters are turned on . this process is performed for all the filters ( s 620 ). through the above processes , it is possible to determine as to which bands the interferences occur . as such , if the power of the rf signals entering the band space is significantly reduced when a specific lna is turned off ( s 630 ), it is determined that the lna for use in the band is turned off ( s 640 ). otherwise , it is determined that the relevant filter and power amplifier are turned on ( s 650 ). subsequently , it is checked whether the relevant lna is the last n - th lna ( s 660 ). if so , the process goes to step s 670 . otherwise , the process returns to step s 620 . according to the determined result , the uwb transceiver apparatus turns off only the relevant lna for use in the interference band and turns on the other lnas ( s 670 ). further , information on the relevant band so determined is transmitted to a communicating uwb transceiver apparatus ( s 680 ), and then , the two uwb transceiver apparatuses make a mutual agreement that they will not use the relevant band ( s 690 ). [ 0057 ] fig7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a frequency band not to be used and transceiving signals between the uwb systems where a plurality of filters , lnas and power amplifiers are all used . first , the filter unit , the lna unit and the power amplifier unit are set on the basis of the agreement process as described in the embodiment shown in fig5 or fig6 ( s 710 ). then , the modulator of the first uwb transceiver apparatus receives binary signals to be transmitted from the baseband controller ( s 720 ). next , the received binary signals are modulated into uwb pulse signals through the modulator ( s 730 ). where a carrier is used , the signals should first pass through a down converter and be then subject to the modulation process . otherwise , the signals are directly transmitted to the modulator . the modulated signals pass through the filter unit on the transmitting side of the uwb system , in which the signals in the band to be unused are filtered out or stopped ( s 740 ). thereafter , only the signals in the band to be used are amplified through the power amplifier unit ( s 750 ), and the uwb pulse signals are then transmitted through the antenna ( s 760 ). the transmitted signals are propagated through the uwb channel in the air and are received through the antenna of the second uwb transceiver apparatus ( s 770 ). then , the received signals are amplified by passing through the lna unit ( s 780 ), and the signals in the band not to be used are filtered out or stopped through the filter unit on the receiving side of the uwb system ( s 790 ). only the filtered pulse signals are demodulated into binary signals ( s 795 ). where a carrier is used , the pulse signals should pass through the filter unit and then be transmitted to the down converter . where a carrier is not used , the pulse signals are directly sent to the demodulator . the binary signals having passed through the demodulator are transmitted to the baseband controller ( s 799 ). although the disclosed teachings have been described in connection with the disclosed embodiments thereof , it is not limited to these embodiments thereof . therefore , it is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention defined by the appended claims .
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referring now to fig1 , an example digital audio workstation will now be described . this digital audio workstation 100 includes a host computer 102 and one or more control surfaces 104 . the host computer 102 has an interface 106 that connects the host computer to a network 108 , such as an ethernet network . the control surface 104 also includes a network interface 110 that connects the control surface to the network 108 . other devices ( not shown ) also may connect to the network 108 through similar interfaces . the host computer 102 is typically a general purpose computer running a commercially available operating system such as a windows , mac or linux operating system . the host computer may include peripherals for audio processing , such as peripherals that include multiple digital signal processing ( dsp ) chips that can perform a variety of audio processing operations under software control . software on the host computer keeps track of both data files that store multiple channels of audio data and various parameters used to combine them into a composition . the software also may direct a processor in the host computer to perform audio processing functions . the software also provides a graphical user interface to assist the musician or sound engineer to manipulate the composition . an example of such software includes the pro tools software from digidesign , a division of avid technology , inc . the control surface 104 provides a mechanical user interface through which a musician or sound engineer manipulates the composition . such control surfaces often include numerous mechanical control devices including , but not limited to , rotary encoders , potentiometers , faders , loop controllers , joysticks , touchpads , etc . such control surfaces often include numerous display devices including , but not limited to , led displays , alphanumeric displays and graphical displays . as an example , as shown in fig2 , a control surface 200 may include one or more rotary encoders 202 . a rotary encoder may be surrounded by a ring 204 of leds that are used to display the setting defined by the position of the rotary encoder . a control surface also may include , as an example , one or more faders 206 . a variety of other control and display devices may exist on a control surface , and thus the control surface described in fig2 is intended to be merely illustrative . most control surfaces include a large number of such control and display devices . information from the control devices is periodically sent to the host computer for use in editing or playback of the composition . information from the host computer is periodically sent to the control devices to update the displays . to provide more efficient communication between a host computer and a control surface over a network , a protocol uses packets that encapsulate messages in a binary format . such packets include messages having a message identifier and a message length followed by a message body . for high bandwidth status information , such as sets of led meters , the message body includes bytes of data indicating a region of the control surface , identifiers of display devices and state information for those display devices . packets of this type are not acknowledged , whereas packets for other types of information are acknowledged , which permits the host computer and the control surface to still detect whether the connection has been broken . because the high bandwidth status information includes an absolute state of each display device , rather than an update from a previous state , the correct state of the display device can be recovered from subsequent messages even if packets are lost . an ethernet data frame format will now be described in more detail in connection with fig3 a - 3c . in fig3 a , the ethernet data frame includes a preamble field 300 of 62 bits , followed by 2 bits of synchronization information 302 , thus providing 8 bytes . a destination address 304 and source address 306 , of 6 bytes each , follow . an ethernet type field 308 of 2 bytes is then provided . a wrap field 310 ( 16 bytes ) and a body field 312 ( 30 - 1484 bytes ), described in more detail below , contain one or more messages . the last field , an fcs field 314 , is 4 bytes . this field contains the frame check sequence ( fcs ) which is calculated using a cyclic redundancy check ( crc ). the fcs allows the ethernet to detect errors in the ethernet frame and reject the frame if it appears damaged . the combination of the destination address 304 , source address 306 , type 308 , wrap 310 and body fields 312 is considered a packet . a packet may include one or more messages , as defined by the wrap field 310 . the wrap field , as shown in fig3 b , includes a length field 320 of 2 bytes indicating the combined length of the wrap and body fields . a checksum field 322 of 2 bytes stores a checksum of the body . to permit acknowledgements , 4 bytes is used for each of a sequence number 324 ( uniquely generated by the sender for a message ) and an acknowledge sequence number 326 ( which is set by the destination in an acknowledgement to a message from the sender ). the retries field 328 of 2 bytes indicates how many times the packet has been sent because an acknowledgement was not received . the packet type field 330 of 1 byte distinguishes among control packets ( such as for establishing a connection ), normal packets containing messages that require acknowledgement , and normal packets that do not require acknowledgement . the number of messages field 332 is 1 byte and indicates the number of messages in the body . the body , as shown in fig3 c , includes one or more messages . each message includes a message identifier field 340 , a message length field 342 and the body 344 of the message . the message body 344 is in a binary format instead of a midi format . for high bandwidth status information , such as sets of led meters , the message body includes bytes of data indicating a region of the control surface , identifiers of display devices and state information for those display devices . packets of this type are not acknowledged , whereas packets for other types of information are acknowledged , which permits the host computer and the control surface to still detect whether the connection has been broken . because the high bandwidth status information includes an absolute state of each display device , rather than an update from a previous state , even if packets are lost , the correct state of the display device can be recovered from subsequent messages . all messages in a packet are of the same type . messages of different types ( broadcast , non - acknowledged and acknowledged ) are not mixed in a packet . messages for different control surfaces are not mixed in a packet . to achieve this , the host can create different transport objects . in particular , a transport object for non - acknowledged packets and a transport object for acknowledged packets is created by the host for each control surface with which it communicates . the host also creates a transport object for broadcast packets . messages sent by the host are routed to the appropriate transport object . if no acknowledgement is required for a message , the message is sent as soon as possible in a packet . if an acknowledgement is required for a message , then the host waits for any outstanding acknowledgement for another message to be received before the message is sent , possibly with other messages that may have been queued while the host is waiting . the body of the message for such high bandwidth status information , for example , for track meter messages and master meter messages may include the following . the track meter and master meter messages are combined for efficiency and include 32 segments per meter . notably , these meters are tri - color with two independent leds ( green / red ), and each individual led can have its own color . thus , a significant amount of data is used to define the state of each meter . thus , a track meter message is 260 bytes and a master meter message is 68 bytes long . the formats for these messages is as follows : having now described the message format , a flowchart ( fig4 ) describing the processing of messages by a controller of the control surface will now be described . the control surface starts in a state in which it is ready to receive 400 the next packet received by its network interface . when the next packet is received , if the message is a broadcast message , as determined at 402 , the packet is processed 410 , and the control surface returns to its ready state in 400 . if a received message is not a broadcast message , the packet checksum is verified at 404 . if the checksum is not valid , then the message is dropped and the control surface returns to its ready state 400 . if the non - broadcast message has a valid checksum , and if the packet does not require an acknowledgement ( as determined at 406 by examination of the packet type field ), the packet is processed 410 , and the control surface returns to its ready state 400 . if the received message requires an acknowledgement , then an acknowledgement is sent ( 408 ). then the packet is processed 410 and the control surface returns to its ready state 400 . with the foregoing process , for high bandwidth status information , such as sets of led meters , the message body includes bytes of data indicating a region of the control surface , identifiers of display devices and state information for those display devices . packets of this type are not acknowledged , permitting more efficient communication . packets for other types of information are acknowledged , which permits the host computer and the control surface to still detect whether the connection has been broken . having now described an example embodiment , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing is merely illustrative and not limiting , having been presented by way of example only . numerous modifications and other embodiments are within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and are contemplated as falling within the scope of the invention .
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where n = 0 , . . . , n − 1 , f ( n ) is a sampled version of a noiseless continuous signal , and ε ( n ) is the additive white gaussian noise drawn from n ( 0 , σ ε 2 ) basis functions , b k ( n ), on the observation space , b n : f ( n )= σ k = 1 n c k b k ( n ) ( 2 ) c k = b k ( n ), f ( n ) ( 3 ) and ( p , q ) denotes the inner product of vectors p and q . however , given the noisy observations , the coefficients , c k , can only be approximated as follows : ĉ k = b k ( n ), x ( n ) = c k + b k ( n ), ε ( n ) ( 4 ) if f ( n ) can be described with m nonzero coefficients , where m & lt ;& lt ; n , then many estimated coefficients , ĉ k , represent samples of a zero mean gaussian random variable with variance σ ε 2 . a classical approach known as wavelet denoising diminishes the effects of noise by first expanding the noisy signal in terms of orthonormal bases of compactly supported wavelets . the estimated coefficients below some threshold , τ , are disregarded either by hard or soft thresholding . the value of τ is always chosen based on an attempt to minimize the so - called reconstruction error , r e = 1 n f ( n ) - f ^ ( n ) 2 ( 5 ) where ∥·∥ denotes the euclidean norm and { circumflex over ( f )}( ii ) represents the estimated noiseless signal . r e is a sample of random variable r e that has the following expected value : e { r e } = m n σ 2 + 1 n δ m 2 ( 6 ) where m represents the number of coefficients describing f ( n ) in some subspace of b n and δm is a vector of length n - m , representing the coefficients of bases that are not selected to describe the unknown signal . in reality , r e is not available and only the number of coefficients not disregarded by the thresholding operation , { circumflex over ( m )}, is known . in a recent contribution , probabilistic upper and lower bounds for r e were derived based on the available data error : therefore , it , has been shown that the upper bound for r e is equal to r eub ( m ^ ( τ ) , σ 2 , α , β ) = σ ɛ 2 2 m ^ ( τ ) n ( 2 m ^ ( τ ) + β ) + d e - σ ɛ 2 + 2 ασ ɛ n ( ασ ɛ n + α 2 σ ɛ 2 n + d e - ( 1 - m ^ ( τ ) n ) σ ɛ 2 2 ) , ( 8 ) where α and β represent the parameters for validation probability ( p v = q ( α )) and confidence probability ( p c = q ( β )), with q (·) for an argument λ being , defined as in addition , { circumflex over ( m )}( r ) denotes the number of bases whose expansion coefficients are greater than τ in some subspace of b n . it should be note that for some values of { circumflex over ( m )} the reconstruction error given by eqn . ( 5 ) and its upper bound given by eqn . ( 8 ) achieve a minimum due to the bias - to - variance trade - off . the principle of mdl has been borrowed from coding theory to find such a minimum value . also , it has been demonstrated that , smaller reconstruction errors can be achieved with mdl - derived thresholds . the mndl - based approach can be computationally expensive for very long data sets since the bases are incrementally added to the subspace describing the unknown signal . considering the length of acquired dual - axis accelerometry signals (& gt ;& gt ; 10 5 points }, an attempt should be made to minimize the search space , while choosing a threshold that minimizes the reconstruction error . in some cases the mndl - based approach can yield higher reconstruction errors than donoho &# 39 ; s approach . in light of the computational and reconstruction limitations or the mndl - based approach , a new denoising strategy is proposed here . the goal of this new approach is twofold . first , it should be computationally efficient . second , it should attain a minimum reconstruction error . minimization of the search space can be achieved by exploiting the fact that the optimal threshold is usually larger than the actual threshold which minimizes the reconstruction error . the algorithm for determining the optimal threshold is defined through the following steps : 1 . estimate the variance of the noise ε from the median , med x , of n / 2 wavelet coefficients at the finest scale : 2 . based on the estimated noise variance , and for each τ selected from a set 0 & lt ; τ ≦{ circumflex over ( σ )} ε √{ square root over ( 2 log ( n ))}, evaluate the upper bound given by equation ( 8 ). use the soft thresholding procedure to compute the data error required for the evaluation of the upper bound . 4 . denoise a recording using the optimal value of threshold , τ opt , and the soft thresholding procedure . the above procedure is repeated independently for signals acquired from each axis of a dual - axis accelerometer . unlike the mndl - based approach , soft thresholding is applied in the above steps , since it yields an estimated signal as smooth as the original signal with high probability . hard thresholding can produce abrupt artifacts in the recovering signal leading to a higher reconstruction signal . the results of a two - step numerical analysis are presented in this section . first , the performance of the proposed algorithm is examined using two test signals . the goal of this analysis is to compare the performance of the proposed scheme against that of other well - established techniques under well - controlled conditions . in the second step , the proposed denoising algorithm is applied to the acquired dual - axis swallowing accelerometry signals . the goal is to understand the benefits of the proposed approach in the context of a real biomedical application . referring to fig1 , the first test signal is the so - called blocks signal , which is a standard signal used in the analysis of various denoising schemes . assuming that the length of the signal is n = 1024 points , the reconstruction error is evaluated for four methods : the proposed method , and the mndl - based method and a new sure - based approach . the first test is to numerically examine which of the four schemes provides the lowest reconstruction error for 18 mother wavelets ( haar wavelet , daubechies wavelets with the number of vanishing moments varying between two and six , meyer wavelet , coiflet wavelets with the order varying , between one and five , and symlet wavelets with the order varying between two and seven ). the signal is contaminated with zero - mean additive white gaussian noise , and snr = 10 db . for each mother wavelet , 1000 realizations are used . α = 10 and β = 40 are used for both the mndl - based approach and the proposed method . the reconstruction errors for the proposed method ( circles ), the mndl - based denoising ( x &# 39 ; s ), the sure - based approach ( diamonds ) and donoho &# 39 ; s approach ( squares ) are shown in fig1 ( a ). amongst the 18 wavelet functions , considered , the haar wavelet ( the wavelet indexed as 1 on the x - axis of fig1 ( a )) provides the smallest reconstruction error , since , the structure of the wavelet closely resembles the structure of the signal . the next task is to examine the reconstruction error under various snr values with the haar wavelet . one thousand realizations are used for each snr value yielding the results depicted in fig1 ( b ). from the graph , it is clear that the proposed method ( solid line ) provides the smallest error for various snr levels with the mndl - based ( dotted line ) and sure - based ( dashdotted line ) methods also providing a small error . donoho &# 39 ; s approach ( dashed line ) consistently yields the highest reconstruction error . despite the small reconstruction error over different snl levels , the mndl - based method suffers from high computational complexity . to further understand the computational bottlenecks , the snr value is kept constant at 10 db , but the length of the blocks signal is varied between n = 2 10 and n = 2 15 points . the durations required to execute the specific algorithms are tracked using built - in matlab functions . the time to complete the denoising task , averaged over ten realizations of the block signal at each signal length is reported in fig1 ( c ). as expected , as n increases , there is an obvious upward trend for all for algorithms . donoho &# 39 ; s approach ( dashed line ) is the least computationally expensive . however , for the mndl - based approach ( dotted line ) the time required to complete the task increases significantly with signal length . for example , the average duration required for the mndl - based approach to denoise a signal with length of n = 2 15 points is 157 seconds . on the other hand , the time required by the proposed algorithm ( solid line ) to denoise the same signal is 0 . 74 seconds . in fact , computation time of the proposed method increases logarithmically with signal length ( the duration is approximately equal to log 10 ( n 0 . 35 )). to more closely mimic a real swallowing scenario , the test signal shown in fig1 ( d ), is used in the analysis . the signal is defined as : f ( n ) = { f o ( n ) + 0 . 6 cos ( 210 π nt ) 8100 ≤ n ≤ 16430 f o ( n ) + 0 . 5 cos ( 140 π nt ) 11400 ≤ n ≤ 18330 f o ( n ) + 0 . 2 cos ( 120 π nt ) 13200 ≤ n ≤ 25230 f o ( n ) + 0 . 4 cos ( 160 π nt ) 12250 ≤ n ≤ 23400 f ( n ) w ( n ) 8100 ≤ n ≤ 25230 ( 11 ) where w ( n ) is gaussian window with standard deviation σ g = 1 . 9 and f 0 ( n )= 0 . 1 sin ( 8π nt )+ 0 . 2 sin ( 2π nt )+ 0 . 15 sin ( 20π nt )+ 0 . 15 sin ( 6π nt )+ 0 . 12 sin ( 14π nt )+ 0 . 1 sin ( 4π nt ) ( 12 ) with 0 ≦ n ≦ n − 1 , n = 35000 and t = 10 − 4 seconds . the duration of the signal is based on previously reported swallow durations . it should be mentioned that this signal only mimics a realistic signal , and does not represent a model of a swallow . the same group of wavelets as in the blocks signal analysis are used to examine the reconstruction error . it is assumed again that the signal is contaminated with additive zero - mean gaussian noise and snr = 0 . 10 db . for this particular signal , the meyer wavelet ( indexed by number 7 in fig1 ( e )) achieved the smallest reconstruction error since the structure of the wavelet resembles the structure of the signal . it should be pointed out that the mndl - based method consistently provides the highest error for all considered wavelets . given that the method is sensitive to the choice of α and β we varied the two parameters to further examine the obtained error . the mndl method still maintained the highest reconstruction error for this particular signal . the main reason for these results is the hard - thresholding procedure used in this method . consequently , the better results are indeed expected with an approach implementing a soft - thresholding procedure . as the next step , the reconstruction error is evaluated using the meyer wavelet for various snr values for all four approaches . from the results shown in fig1 ( f ), it is obvious that the proposed method ( solid line ) achieves a significantly smaller reconstruction error than the other three methods . during a three month period , four hundred and eight participants ( aged 18 - 65 ) were recruited at a public science centre . all participants provided written consent . the study protocol was approved by the research ethics boards of the toronto rehabilitation institute and bloorview kids rehab , both located in toronto , ontario , canada . as seen in fig3 , a dual - axis accelerometer 102 ( adxl322 , analog devices ) was attached to the participant &# 39 ; s neck ( anterior to the cricoid cartilage ) using double - sided tape , and an output signal of the accelerometer 102 was communicated to a signal processor 104 of a computer 106 . the axes of acceleration were aligned to the anterior - posterior ( a - p ) and superior - inferior ( s - i ) directions . data were band - pass filtered in hardware with a pass band of 0 . 1 - 3000 hz and sampled at 10 khz using a custom labview program running on a laptop computer . with the accelerometer attached , each participant was cued to perform 5 saliva swallows ( denoted as dry in table 1 ). after each swallow , there was a brief rest to allow for saliva production . subsequently , the participant completed 5 water swallows ( denoted as wet in table 1 ) by cup with their chin in the natural position ( i . e ., perpendicular to the floor ) and water swallows in the chin - tucked position ( denoted as wtc in table 1 ). the entire data collection session lasted 15 minutes per participant . the acquired dual - axis swallowing accelerometry signals were denoised using donoho &# 39 ; s approach , the mndl - based approach , the sure - based approach and the proposed approach . in particular , a 10 - level discrete wavelet transform using the meyer wavelet with soft thresholding was implemented . before denoising , the signals were pre - processed using inverse filters to annul effects of the data collection system on the acquired data . in order to compare the performance of the aforementioned denoising schemes , snr values were evaluated before and after denoising using the following formula : snr = 10 log 10 ( e f e ɛ ^ ) ( 13 ) where e f represents the approximate energy of the noise - free signal , and e { circumflex over ( ε )} represents an approximate variance of the white gaussian noise . the approximate energy is calculated as e f ={ circumflex over ( σ )} x 2 ={ circumflex over ( σ )} { circumflex over ( ε )} 2 , where { circumflex over ( σ )} x 2 is the variance of the observed signal , and { circumflex over ( σ )} { circumflex over ( ε )} 2 represents the variance of the noise calculated by ( 9 ). similarly , e { circumflex over ( ε )} ={ circumflex over ( σ )} x 2 for the noisy signals , and for the denoised signals e { circumflex over ( ε )} = r eub ({ circumflex over ( m )}( τ ),{ circumflex over ( σ )} { circumflex over ( ε )} 2 , α , β ) for the threshold estimated by ( 10 ). using the snr metric given by ( 13 ), the results of the analysis are summarized in table 1 . donoho &# 39 ; s approach provides the least amount of improvement in snr as expected , followed by the mndl - based approach . the sure - based approach achieves greater improvement in the snr values in comparison to the other two aforementioned approaches . nevertheless , as demonstrated by the results in table 1 , the sure approach exhibits strong variations in performance . the proposed approach provides the greatest improvement in snr values . on average , the greatest gain in snr is over donoho &# 39 ; s approach ( 3 . 8 db and 4 . 0 db in the a - p and s - i directions , respectively ), while smaller improvements were obtained over the sure - based approach ( 2 . 0 db and 1 . 3 db in the a - p and s - i directions , respectively ). nevertheless , the proposed approach still provides a statistically significant improvement over sure - based approach in denoising the dual - axis swallowing accelerometry signals ( wilcoxon rank - sum test , p & lt ;& lt ; 10 − 10 for both directions ). this improvement was achieved regardless of whether or not the different swallowing types were considered individually or as a group . as a last remark , it should be noted that these snr values were estimated using eqn . ( 13 ), which from our experience with swallowing signals , provides a conservative approximation . in reality , we expect the gains in snr to be even greater . a denoising algorithm is proposed for dual - axis swallowing accelerometry signals , which have potential utility in the non - invasive diagnosis of swallowing difficulties . this algorithm searches for the optimal threshold value in order to achieve the minimum reconstruction error for a signal . to avoid the high computational complexity associated with competing algorithms , the proposed scheme conducts the threshold search in a reduced wavelet subspace . numerical analysis showed that the algorithm achieves a smaller reconstruction error than donoho , mndl - and sure - based approaches . furthermore , the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm increases logarithmically with signal length . the application of the proposed algorithm to dual - axis swallowing accelerometry signals demonstrated statistically significant improvements in snr over the other three considered methods .
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the following description represents the inventors &# 39 ; current preferred embodiment . the description is not meant to limit the invention , but rather to illustrate its general principles of operation . examples are illustrated with the accompanying drawings . fig7 shows a high level flow chart for the software method associated with the system . some operations are only performed on set - up of operation : 99 initial start , 26 loading map database ; 62 create bgrs through sub - routine , and 56 system initialization . the map database 26 can be purchased from any map database vendor , or a crowd - sourced map database can be used . the system initialization includes such administrative routines as forming the nplut , populating the nplut with any available data , creating a user database , populating the user database with any available data , and similar tasks . once the system has been initialized 56 and the bgrs have been created with the bgr sub 62 , the system is capable of taking navigation input 55 . fig1 shows the earth 301 inscribed in a tessellated cube 302 . on a computer , the virtual earth 301 can be rotated or tilted until a geographic land mass of interest is centered . under almost all circumstances , even though the earth 301 is an oblate spheroid , the geographic region of interest can be made to be almost parallel with a face of the inscribing cube 302 . by properly selecting the size of the tessellation on the cube 302 , one can influence the size of the bgr projected onto the earth 301 . this method is called virtual tessellation , because the pattern on the earth 301 is not technically a tessellation , because all of the bgrs will not be the same shape and size . fig8 shows a method of generating bgrs using virtual tessellation . first , the system inscribes the earth in a cube 44 . the center of the cube face 45 is centered over the geographic region of interest . a starting tessellation size 46 for the face of the cube is selected . the standard surface area (“ ssa ”) is the target surface area for the bgrs . a bgr ssa of approximately 1 sq . km seems ideal . next , the variation limit for the ssa 64 is set . this number should be small ( less than 10 %). all bgrs should have a surface area very close to the ssa in order to minimize the potential for confounded data ( non - orthogonal independent variables during an analysis of variance ). if desired , the size of the tessellation squares 47 on the inscribing cube can be varied . although this is computationally more difficult , it will minimize ssa variation ( only the inner most piece is a square , with each proceeding layer being rectangles with higher and higher aspect ratios . the cube tessellation is projected onto the earth 48 to create initial bgrs . the ssa of all bgrs is assessed 49 . if the ssa analysis is okay 50 , the bgrs are stored 53 , and the bgr generation process ends 59 . if the ssa analysis is not okay 50 , all the bgrs are erased 51 . next , the system adjusts the starting tessellation size 52 , the outer layer tessellation ratio ( how quickly the outer layers of the tessellated cube face become rectangles of higher and higher aspect ratio ) is adjusted 63 , and adjust the ssa variation limit 64 . the whole process is then started again 47 . fig9 shows the flow chart for an alternative embodiment for generating bgrs . the process is started 58 by finding the centroid of the geographic region of interest 65 . a single bgr is created 66 with a surface area equal to the ssa and at least four sides . the ssa variation limit is set 64 . a layer of bgrs is created around the existing bgr ( s ), in which the new layer of bgrs has its perimeter minimized 67 . the ssa for the layer is analyzed 49 . as long as the ssa analysis is okay , additional layers of bgrs are added . if the ssa is not okay 50 , the ssa for just the last layer is analyzed 69 . if the last layer includes bgrs which overlap the border of the geographic region of interest 70 , and that is the sole cause of the unacceptable ssa , the bgrs are stored 71 . if it is not edge geography 70 , the last layer of bgrs is erased 51 . the allowable maximum perimeter will be increased by 10 % from the previous iteration 68 , and a new layer of bgrs will be created 67 . the process continues until the entire geographic region of interest is covered with bgrs 72 . in fig7 , once the bgr routine 62 has occurred , fleet set - up 61 ( fig1 ) can occur . in fig1 , each customer or fleet is enrolled with a fleet set up 80 . this includes populating a database with information about the vehicles 81 , drivers 86 , and services offered 91 . data collected about fleet vehicles 81 includes number of vehicles 82 , types of vehicles ( including fuel type ) 83 , mileage of vehicles 84 , and other user defined vehicle data ( independent variable or attribute data ) 85 . data collected about drivers includes name 87 , driver number or identifier 88 , employment type ( employee , independent contractor , owner / operator , etc .) 89 , and other user defined driver data ( independent variable or attribute data ) 90 . data collected about fleet services includes customer type 92 , service standards 93 , service area 94 , and other user defined service data ( independent variable and attribute data ) 95 . the database also allows user defined fueling stations 96 . once all of the data has been defined , it is loaded into a database 97 , and the routine ends 98 . from fig7 , end user nav input request 32 is received via a wireless means . fig1 shows an embodiment of wireless communication and geo - location , which is necessary for navigation . the end user is in a vehicle 201 , which has a remote electronic device (“ red ”), either built - in or mounted . the vehicle 201 geo - locates via a gps chip - set , a gyro , and / or a satellite transceiver . a plurality of satellites 200 provides gps signals to the vehicle &# 39 ; s 201 gps transceiver . the vehicle 201 is then able to communicate its location to a central server 203 , using a wireless network 202 . the wireless network 202 can be a cellular or mobile phone network , a radio - frequency network , or other wireless means . the transmission could also be made over a mixed means network , such as a wi - fi network that downloads and uploads requests to the server via a wired internet connection ( not shown ). fig2 shows an alternative embodiment for the communication and geo - location system . in fig2 , the vehicle 201 has been replaced with a cellphone , mdt , or red 204 . the cellphone , mdt , or red 204 , geo - locates via the satellite network 200 . the cellphone , mdt , or red 204 , communicates with the server 203 , via a wireless network 202 . fig3 shows an alternative embodiment for the communication and geo - location system in fig2 . in this system , the wireless network 202 is used for both geo - location and communication with the server . the cellphone , mdt or red 204 can use multiple cellphone towers or antennae to identify its current location . this data can be transmitted , along with a navigation request , to the remote server 203 . fig4 shows an alternative embodiment for the communication and geo - location system in fig2 . in this system , satellites 200 are used for both geo - location and communication . although gps satellites are not currently multi - tasked for communication , it is conceivable , in the future , that both geo - location information and communication would happen with the same satellite 200 . however , this system is architected according to current satellite trends : one set of satellites 200 provides geo - location information , and another satellite 200 is used for communication to the remote server 203 . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment for the communication and geo - location system in fig1 . in this system , the wireless network 202 is used for both geo - location and communication with the server . the vehicle 201 can use multiple cellphone towers or antennae to identify its current location . this data can be transmitted , along with a navigation request , to the remote server 203 . fig6 shows an alternative embodiment for the communication and geo - location system in fig1 . in this system , satellites 200 are used for both geo - location and communication . one set of satellites 200 provides geo - location information , and another satellite 200 is used for communication to the remote server 203 . in fig7 , an end - user nav request 32 is communicated through one of the communication and geo - location systems in fig1 through fig6 . whether a vehicle 201 or a cellphone , mdt , or red 204 , the user interacts with the system through a user software method , generally referred to as a user application . in fig1 , the user application starts 101 by insuring that the user is registered 102 . if the user is registered 102 , destination input 128 occurs . the user can add multiple destinations 127 , 128 , either specifying the order or allowing the system to order the trip . once input is complete 127 , the data is transmitted 129 to the remote server via the means shown in fig1 - 6 . at this point we will handle the remote server 203 as a black - box that produces a navigation route , given the destination input 128 . the remote server 203 transmits the route , where it is received 129 by the end user . at pre - determined intervals , the end user &# 39 ; s application 101 will ping 130 the remote server 203 , by transmitting 126 its location . the remote server 203 will compare the user &# 39 ; s progress versus what the remote server predicts the user &# 39 ; s progress ought to be — if the progress towards the destination lies outside the acceptance criteria , the remote server 203 will transmit a re - route signal 125 to the user &# 39 ; s application 101 . the end user &# 39 ; s unit will notify the end user of the re - route , while the remote server 203 provides an alternative route . the new route will be received 126 by the end user &# 39 ; s application 101 . eventually , re - route or not , the end user will arrive at the destination 124 . after arriving at the destination , the end user &# 39 ; s application 101 will transmit a final ping 123 to the remote server 203 , so that the remote server has a complete history of the trip . when starting the end user application 101 , if the user is not registered , the unit can allow registration by opening an account 103 . after opening the account 103 , the user selects ping frequency 104 , navigation preferences 106 , and navigation exclusions 105 . the user then has to complete independent variables concerning him - or herself , and his or her vehicle . driver information 107 includes years driving 108 , driving record 109 , miles driven per year 110 , age 111 , marital status 112 , home address 113 , where the user learned to drive 114 , the user &# 39 ; s profession 115 , the user &# 39 ; s gender 116 , and other company - or group - defined data 117 . the vehicle information 118 includes vehicle owner 119 , make and model 120 , model year 121 and miles on the vehicle 122 . the independent variable data should be of very high quality , because the user will be aware that their accuracy in answering the questions may directly relate to how well the system can navigate for them . fig7 shows that guidance 60 occurs after end user input 32 . in fig1 , guidance 60 begins by selecting nav optimizing factors 1 . once the bgrs have been created , it is possible for the invention to create navigation solutions . fig1 shows a single vehicle navigation solution . the user starts by selecting an optimizing factor 1 , or dependent variable : time , distance , fuel , cost , or an user defined dependent variable . next , the user , if desired , excludes certain solutions from consideration 2 , such as interstates , tollways , bridges , or other potential routes . the user enters one or more destinations 3 using the input device . if inputting more than one destination , the user can select 6 an automatic 10 or manual 5 ordering of the destinations . when selecting a manual 5 ordering , the automatic destination ordering module 10 will defer to the manual entry . once ordered , the origin and the next or only destination is identified 9 . if there is only a single destination input at the beginning 7 , the navigation core moves directly to identifying origin and destination 9 . to calculate between an origin and destination , the invention will identify the bgrs that lie , linearly , between the origin and destination 8 , and designates them as active . these bgrs are termed gen 1 . in the bgr containing the origin , the origin is designated the sole entry node 12 . in the bgr containing the current destination 9 , the current destination is designated as the sole exit node 13 . in all other bgrs , node pairs are created by selecting only those nodes which have a bgr on both sides 11 . the navigation core than creates a node pairs list for all active bgrs 16 . in multi - processor systems , the navigation core will simultaneously create a temporary bgr array for all node pairs under consideration 20 , and survey the nplut 14 to see if solutions exist for any node pairs under consideration 17 . if the node pairs solution exists in the nplut , it is placed in the temporary bgr array 20 . if not , using weighting functions for each street classification , the invention makes dependent variable calculations for each node pair of each bgr 19 , capturing route information for each potential solution . the invention will delete any exclusions from the potential solution set 21 . since only a limited set of bgrs are used for the initial calculation , not all nodes of each bgr is a potential entry and / or exit . the data generated from the nodes of interest can be stored in an array , in a temporary database format , or in any other data - handling format that allows quick access 20 . this temporary data can be stored in cache storage , on the hard - drive , or in any other type of suitable memory element . in a multi - core processor environment , such calculations are speedy , because each bgrs can be independently calculated . the invention then creates an initial trial route by finding the initial minimum solution from the origin to the destination , travelling only through bgrs that lie , linearly , between the origin and destination 22 . as a boundary condition for the initial route calculation , the exit node of one bgr is the entry node of the adjoining bgr . by creating a matrix of possible solutions , the invention yields an explicit solution . once the initial trial route is identified , the solution engine adds all bgrs that were adjacent to gen 1 bgrs 23 , 18 , and largely repeats the above process . the new bgrs are termed gen 2 . gen 1 bgrs now use all nodes in the calculation . gen 2 bgrs use a reduced set of nodes , because not all nodes have an adjoining bgr associated with them . to calculate the gen 2 trial route , the potential solutions calculated in the gen 1 calculation are excluded , because they are found in the temporary array 20 . the invention , again , applies the boundary condition that the exit node of one bgr is the entry node of the adjoining bgr . by creating a matrix of possible unique solutions ( excluding gen 1 solutions ), the invention yields an explicit solution , the gen 2 trial route 22 . the process is repeated for gen 3 , in much the same way as for gen 2 23 , 18 . all bgrs adjoining gen 2 bgrs are added to the calculation . all previously considered trial solutions are excluded from the potential solution set . an explicit solution for the gen 3 trial route is calculated . call gen a the optimum solution . the exit criteria is selected so that c generations are completed , where c = a + b , where c is the total number of generations , a is the optimum generation , and b is the number of desired divergent solutions calculated after the optimum solution . for example , if the gen 1 trial route is preferable to the gen 2 or gen 3 trial route , and the calculations stop , presenting the gen 1 trial route to the user as the preferred route , c = 3 , a = 1 , and b = 2 . in practice , b is related to the distance between the origin and destination 23 . additionally , selection of b can be optimized through a simple error feedback function , where the error is related to the distance . the upper limit of b is set by the maximum speed limit . in other words , the process ends when the vehicle would have to exceed the maximum allowable speed limit around the periphery in order to offer a more preferable solution to the dependent variable than the currently available solution . for mvmd navigation , the above process is repeated for all vehicles . initial destinations are determined by minimizing the number of bgrs traversed in order for all vehicles to get to a preliminary destination . for each vehicle and destination pair , the above algorithm creates a route . at the first destination each vehicle is again assigned a destination , with the system attempting to minimize the number of bgrs traversed in order to get all vehicles to their next destination . in this way , it is possible to handle multiple vehicle multiple destination problems , with or without constraints .
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in one embodiment of this invention , the catalyst precursor can be represented by the following formula : where m , n , p , r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 and x are defined above , and r 5 , r 6 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , r 10 , r 11 , and r 12 are independently hydrogen , fluorine , or c 1 - c 20 hydrocarbyl radicals . the organic group connecting between n and p takes the place of y , the hydrocarbyl bridge . in other invention embodiments , r 1 and r 2 are independently c 1 - c 12 hydrocarbyl radicals , c 1 - c 6 hydrocarbyl radicals , or methyl radicals . in these or other embodiments , r 3 and r 4 are independently c 6 - c 20 hydrocarbyl radicals , c 6 - c 12 hydrocarbyl radicals , aromatic radicals , cyclohexyl radicals , or phenyl radicals . specific , invention catalyst precursor examples are illustrated by the following formula where some components are listed in table 1 . for y , alkylenes are diradicals and include all isomers of bridge length 4 or greater , for example , hexylene includes 1 , 6 - hexylene , 2 , 5 - hexylene , 2 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentylene , 3 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentylene , 4 - methyl - 1 , 5 - pentylene , 1 , 5 - hexylene , 3 , 6 - hexylene , 2 - ethyl - 1 , 4 - butylene , 3 - ethyl - 1 , 4 - butylene , 4 - ethyl - 1 , 4 - butylene , and 1 , 4 - hexylene . to illustrate members of the transition metal component , select any combination listed in table 1 . for example , by choosing the first row components , the transition metal compound would be 1 -( n , n - dimethylamino )- 4 -( p , p - dimethylphosphino ) butylene nickel dichloride . by selecting a combination of components from table 1 , an example would be 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( p , p - dicyclohexylphosphino ) biphenyl nickel dibromide . any combination of components may be selected . r 3 and r 4 can further independently be defined as one of the following substituents : where r ′ are independently , hydrogen or c 1 - c 50 hydrocarbyl radicals . additionally , any two adjacent r ′ may independently be joined to form a saturated or unsaturated cyclic structure . y can further be defined as one of the following bridging groups : where r ′ is as defined above , a is a non - hydrocarbon atom or group ( i . e . c ═ o , c ═ s , o , s , so 2 , nr *, pr *, br *, sir * 2 , ger * 2 and the like where r * is independently a hydrocarbyl or halocarbyl radical ), e is a group - 14 element including carbon , silicon and germanium , x is an integer from 1 to 4 , and y is an integer from 0 to 4 . common activators are useful with this invention : alumoxanes , such as methylalumoxane , modified methylalumoxane , ethylalumoxane and the like ; aluminum alkyls such as trimethyl aluminum , triethyl aluminum , triisopropyl aluminum and the like ; alkyl aluminum halides such as diethyl aluminum chloride and the like ; and alkylaluminum alkoxides . the alumoxane component useful as an activator typically is an oligomeric aluminum compound represented by the general formula ( r ″— al — o ) n , which is a cyclic compound , or r ″( r ″— al — o ) n alr ″ 2 , which is a linear compound . in the general alumoxane formula , r ″ is independently a c 1 - c 20 alkyl radical , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , isomers thereof , and the like , and “ n ” is an integer from 1 - 50 . most preferably , r ″ is methyl and “ n ” is at least 4 . methylalumoxane and modified methylalumoxanes are most preferred . for further descriptions see , ep 279586 , ep 561476 , wo94 / 10180 and u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 665 , 208 , 4 , 908 , 463 , 4 , 924 , 018 , 4 , 952 , 540 , 4 , 968 , 827 , 5 , 041 , 584 , 5 , 103 , 031 , 5 , 157 , 137 , 5 , 235 , 081 , 5 , 248 , 801 , 5 , 329 , 032 , 5 , 391 , 793 , and 5 , 416 , 229 . the aluminum alkyl component useful as an activator is represented by the general formula r ″ alz 2 where r ″ is defined above , and each z is independently r ″ or a different univalent anionic ligand such as halogen ( cl , br , i ), alkoxide ( or ″) and the like . most preferred aluminum alkyls include triethylaluminum , diethylaluminum chloride , triisobutylaluminum , tri - n - octylaluminum and the like . when alumoxane or aluminum alkyl activators are used , the catalyst - precursor - to - activator molar ratio is from about 1 : 1000 to 10 : 1 ; alternatively , 1 : 500 to 1 : 1 ; or 1 : 300 to 1 : 10 . additionally , discrete ionic activators such as [ me 2 phnh ][ b ( c 6 f 5 ) 4 ], [ bu 3 nh ][ bf 4 ], [ nh 4 ][ pf 6 ], [ nh 4 ][ sbf 6 ], [ nh 4 ][ asf 6 ], [ nh 4 ][ b ( c 6 h 5 ) 4 ] or lewis acidic activators such as b ( c 6 f 5 ) 3 or b ( c 6 h 5 ) 3 can be used , if they are used in conjunction with a compound capable of alkylating the metal such as an alumoxane or aluminum alkyl . discrete ionic activators provide for an activated catalyst site and a relatively non - coordinating ( or weakly coordinating ) anion . activators of this type are well known in the literature , see for instance w . beck ., et al ., chem . rev ., vol . 88 , p . 1405 - 1421 ( 1988 ); s . h . strauss , chem . rev ., vol . 93 , p . 927 - 942 ( 1993 ); u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 198 , 401 , 5 , 278 , 119 , 5 , 387 , 568 , 5 , 763 , 549 , 5 , 807 , 939 , 6 , 262 , 202 , and wo93 / 14132 , wo99 / 45042 wo01 / 30785 and wo01 / 42249 . invention catalyst precursors can also be activated with cocatalysts or activators that comprise non - coordinating anions containing metalloid - free cyclopentadienide ions . these are described in u . s . patent publication 2002 - 0058765 a1 , published on 16 may 2002 . when a discrete ionic activator is used , the catalyst - precursor - to - activator molar ratio is from 1 : 10 to 1 . 2 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 1 . 2 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 1 . 2 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 1 . 2 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 5 : 1 . the catalyst - precursor - to - alkylating - agent molar ratio is from 1 : 10 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 25 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 10 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 25 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 2 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 25 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 25 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 25 to 25 : 1 ; 1 : 25 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 25 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 25 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 3 to 5 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 10 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 2 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 25 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 3 : 1 ; 1 : 5 to 5 : 1 . the catalyst systems of this invention can additionally be prepared by combining in any order , the bidentate ligand : where n , p , y , r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 are as previously defined and a group - 8 , - 9 , or - 10 halide salt which may optionally be coordinated by solvent ( for example nix 2 or nix 2 . meoch 2 ch 2 ome where x ═ cl , br or i ) in an activator - compound solution ( for example methylalumoxane dissolved in toluene ). the reactants may be added in any order , or even essentially simultaneously . invention catalyst precursor solubility allows for the ready preparation of supported catalysts . to prepare uniform supported catalysts , the catalyst precursor should significantly dissolve in the chosen solvent . the term “ uniform supported catalyst ” means that the catalyst precursor or the activated catalyst approach uniform distribution upon the support &# 39 ; s accessible surface area , including the interior pore surfaces of porous supports . invention supported catalyst systems may be prepared by any method effective to support other coordination catalyst systems , effective meaning that the catalyst so prepared can be used for oligomerizing olefin in a heterogeneous process . the catalyst precursor , activator , suitable solvent , and support may be added in any order or simultaneously . in one invention embodiment , the activator , dissolved in an appropriate solvent such as toluene is stirred with the support material for 1 minute to 10 hours . the total volume of the activation solution may be greater than the pore volume of the support , but some embodiments limit the total solution volume below that needed to form a gel or slurry ( about 100 - 200 % of the pore volume ). the mixture is optionally heated to 30 - 200 ° c . during this time . the catalyst can be added to this mixture as a solid , if a suitable solvent is employed in the previous step , or as a solution . or alternatively , this mixture can be filtered , and the resulting solid mixed with a catalyst precursor solution . similarly , the mixture may be vacuum dried and mixed with a catalyst precursor solution . the resulting catalyst mixture is then stirred for 1 minute to 10 hours , and the catalyst is either filtered from the solution and vacuum dried , or vacuum or evaporation alone removes the solvent . in another invention embodiment , the catalyst precursor and activator are combined in solvent to form a solution . the support is then added to this solution and the mixture is stirred for 1 minute to 10 hours . the total volume of this solution may be greater than the pore volume of the support , but some embodiments limit the total solution volume below that needed to form a gel or slurry ( about 100 - 200 % pore volume ). the residual solvent is then removed under vacuum , typically at ambient temperature and over 10 - 16 hours . but greater or lesser times are possible . the catalyst precursor may also be supported in the absence of the activator , in which case the activator is added to the liquid phase of a slurry process . for example , a solution of catalyst precursor is mixed with a support material for a period of about 1 minute to 10 hours . the resulting catalyst precursor mixture is then filtered from the solution and dried under vacuum , or vacuum or evaporation alone removes the solvent . the total volume of the catalyst precursor solution may be greater than the pore volume of the support , but some embodiments limit the total solution volume below that needed to form a gel or slurry ( about 100 - 200 % of the pore volume ). additionally , two or more different catalyst precursors may be placed on the same support using any of the support methods disclosed above . likewise , two or more activators may be placed on the same support . suitable solid particle supports typically comprise polymeric or refractory oxide materials . some embodiments select porous supports ( such as for example , talc , inorganic oxides , inorganic chlorides ( magnesium chloride )) that have an average particle size greater than 10 μm . some embodiments select inorganic oxide materials as the support material including group - 2 , - 3 , - 4 , - 5 , - 13 , or - 14 metal or metalloid oxides . some embodiments select the catalyst support materials to include silica , alumina , silica - alumina , and their mixtures . other inorganic oxides may serve either alone or in combination with the silica , alumina , or silica - alumina . these are magnesia , titania , zirconia , and the like . lewis acidic materials such as montmorillonite and similar clays may also serve as a support . in this case , the support can optionally double as the activator component . but additional activator may also be used . as well know in the art , the support material may be pretreated by any number of methods . for example , inorganic oxides may be calcined , and / or chemically treated with dehydroxylating agents such as aluminum alkyls and the like . some embodiments select the carrier of invention catalysts to have a surface area of 10 - 700 m 2 / g , or pore volume of 0 . 1 - 4 . 0 cc / g , and average particle size from 10 - 500 μm . but greater or lesser values may also be used . invention catalysts may generally be deposited on the support at a loading level of 10 - 100 micromoles of catalyst precursor per gram of solid support ; alternately from 20 - 80 micromoles of catalyst precursor per gram of solid support ; or from 40 - 60 micromoles of catalyst precursor per gram of support . but greater or lesser values may be used . some embodiments select greater or lesser values , but require that the total amount of solid catalyst precursor does not exceed the support &# 39 ; s pore volume . additionally , oxidizing agents may be added to the supported or unsupported catalyst as described in wo 01 / 68725 . invention polymerization catalyst systems can comprise additional olefin polymerization catalysts . these additional olefin polymerization catalysts are any of those well known in the art to catalyze the olefin to polyolefin reaction . some invention catalysts systems include group - 4 - 6 metallocenes as additional olefin polymerization catalysts . metallocenes include ( un ) bridged compounds containing one ( mono ( cyclopentadienyl ) metallocenes ) or two ( bis ( cyclopentadienyl ) metallocenes ) ( un ) substituted cyclopentadienyl ligand ( s ). in bridged metallocenes , a single , cyclopentadienyl ligand connects to a heteroatom ligand with both coordinating to the metal center , or two cyclopentadienyl ligands connect together with both cyclopentadienyl ligands coordinating to the metal center . typical catalysts and their precursors are well known in the art . suitable description appears in the patent literature , for example u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 871 , 705 , 4 , 937 , 299 , 5 , 324 , 800 , ep - a - 0418044 , ep - a - 0591756 , wo - a - 92 / 00333 and wo - a - 94 / 01471 . some embodiments select the metallocene compounds from mono - or bis - cyclopentadienyl - substituted , group - 4 , - 5 , and - 6 metals in which cyclopentadienyls are ( un ) substituted with one or more groups or are bridged to each other or to a metal - coordinated heteroatom . some embodiments select similar metallocene compounds except they are not necessarily bridged to each other or to a metal - coordinated heteroatom . see u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 278 , 264 and 5 , 304 , 614 . some invention catalysts systems include the following additional olefin polymerization catalysts . metallocene compounds suitable for linear polyethylene or ethylene - containing copolymer production ( where copolymer means comprising at least two different monomers ) are essentially those disclosed in wo - a - 92 / 00333 , wo 97 / 44370 and u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 001 , 205 , 5 , 057 , 475 , 5 , 198 , 401 , 5 , 304 , 614 , 5 , 308 , 816 and 5 , 324 , 800 . selection of metallocene compounds for isotactic or syndiotactic polypropylene blend production , and their syntheses , are well - known in the patent and academic literature , e . g . journal of organometallic chemistry 369 , 359 - 370 ( 1989 ). typically , those catalysts are stereorigid , asymmetric , chiral , or bridged - chiral metallocenes . invention activators are suited for activating these types of catalyst precursors . likewise , some invention catalysts systems include the following additional olefin polymerization catalysts : monocyclopentadienyl metallocenes with group - 15 or - 16 heteroatoms connected , through a bridging group , to a cyclopentadienyl - ligand ring carbon . both the cyclopentadienyl cp - ligand and the heteroatom connect to a transition metal . some embodiments select a group - 4 transition metal . additionally , unbridged monocyclopentadienyl , heteroatom - containing group - 4 components of wo 97 / 22639 will function with this invention . moreover , transition metal systems with high - oxidation - state , group - 5 - 10 transition - metal centers are known and can serve as the additional olefin polymerization catalysts with invention catalyst systems . invention catalyst systems can use non - cyclopentadienyl , group - 4 - 5 precursor compounds as the additional olefin polymerization catalysts . non - cyclopentadienyl , group - 4 - 5 precursor compounds are activable to stable , discrete cationic complexes include those containing bulky , chelating , diamide ligands , such as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 318 , 935 and “ conformationally rigid diamide complexes : synthesis and structure of tantalum ( iii ) alkyne derivatives ”, d . h . mcconville , et al , organometallics 1995 , 14 , 3154 - 3156 . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 318 , 935 describes bridged and unbridged , bis - amido catalyst compounds of group - 4 metals capable of α - olefins polymerization . bridged bis ( arylamido ) group - 4 compounds for olefin polymerization are described by d . h . mcconville , et al ., in organometallics 1995 , 14 , 5478 - 5480 . synthetic methods and compound characterization are presented . further work appearing in d . h . mcconville , et al , macromolecules 1996 , 29 , 5241 - 5243 , describes bridged bis ( arylamido ) group - 4 compounds that are polymerization catalysts for 1 - hexene . additional invention - suitable transition - metal compounds include those described in wo 96 / 40805 . cationic group - 3 - or lanthanide olefin polymerization complexes are disclosed in copending u . s . application ser . no . 09 / 408 , 050 , filed 29 sep . 1999 , and its equivalent pct / us99 / 22690 . a monoanionic bidentate ligand and two monoanionic ligands stabilize those catalyst precursors ; they are activable with this invention &# 39 ; s ionic cocatalysts . other suitable group - 4 - 5 non - metallocene catalysts are bimetallocyclic catalyst compounds comprising two independently selected group - 4 - 5 metal atoms directly linked through two bridging groups to form cyclic compounds . invention catalyst systems can use other transition metal catalyst precursors that have a 2 + oxidation state as the additional olefin polymerization catalyst . typical ni 2 + and pd 2 + complexes are diimines , see “ new pd ( ii )- and ni ( ii )- based catalysts for polymerization of ethylene and α - olefins ”, m . brookhart , et al , j . am . chem . soc ., 1995 , 117 , 6414 - 6415 , wo 96 / 23010 and wo 97 / 02298 . see additionally the related bis ( imino ) group - 8 and - 9 organometallic compounds described by v . c . gibson and others in “ novel olefin polymerization catalysts based on iron and cobalt ”, chem . commun ., 849 - 850 , 1998 . in the invention oligomerization processes , the process temperature may be − 100 ° c . to 300 ° c ., − 20 ° c . to 200 ° c ., or 0 ° c . to 150 ° c . some embodiments select ethylene oligomerization pressures ( gauge ) from 0 kpa - 35 mpa or 500 kpa - 15 mpa . the preferred and primary feedstock for the oligomerization process is the α - olefin , ethylene . but other α - olefins , including but not limited to propylene and 1 - butene , may also be used alone or combined with ethylene . in an embodiment , the catalyst system is reacted with ethylene , propylene , 1 - butene , or a mixture of any two or all three of ethylene , propylene , and 1 - butene . invention oligomerization processes may be run in the presence of various liquids , particularly aprotic organic liquids . the homogeneous catalyst system , ethylene , α - olefins , and product are soluble in these liquids . a supported ( heterogeneous ) catalyst system may also be used , but will form a slurry rather than a solution . suitable liquids for both homo - and heterogeneous catalyst systems , include alkanes , alkenes , cycloalkanes , selected halogenated hydrocarbons , aromatic hydrocarbons , and in some cases , hydrofluorocarbons . useful solvents specifically include hexane , toluene , cyclohexane , and benzene . in an embodiment , the catalyst &# 39 ; s activity exceeds 8000 moles of ethylene per mole transition metal per hour . also , mixtures of α - olefins containing desirable numbers of carbon atoms may be obtained . factor k from the schulz - flory theory ( see for instance b . elvers , et al ., ed . ullmann &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of industrial chemistry , vol . a13 , vch verlagsgesellschaft mbh , weinheim , 1989 , p . 243 - 247 and 275 - 276 ) serves as a measure of these α - olefins &# 39 ; molecular weights . from this theory , where n ( c n olefin ) is the number of moles of olefin containing n carbon atoms , and n ( c n + 2 olefin ) is the number of moles of olefin containing n + 2 carbon atoms , or in other words the next higher oligomer of c n olefin . from this can be determined the weight ( mass ) fractions of the various olefins in the resulting product . the ability to vary this factor provides the ability to choose the then - desired olefins . in an embodiment , the polymerization methods further comprising recovering a product comprising greater than 50 mol % of linear c 4 - c 14 alpha - olefins based on the total weight of polymerized product . alternately the product comprises greater than 80 mol % of linear c 4 - c 14 alpha - olefins . in another embodiment , the polymerization product comprises greater than 50 mol % of linear c 4 and c 6 alpha - olefins , alternately greater than 80 mol % of linear c 4 and c 6 alpha - olefins . invention - made α - olefins may be further polymerized with other olefins to form polyolefins , especially linear low - density polyethylenes , which are copolymers containing ethylene . they may also be homopolymerized . these polymers may be made by a number of known methods , such as ziegler - natta - type polymerization , metallocene catalyzed polymerization , and other methods , see for instance wo 96 / 23010 , see for instance angew . chem ., int . ed . engl ., vol . 34 , p . 1143 - 1170 ( 1995 ); european patent application , 416 , 815 ; and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 198 , 401 for information about metallocene - type catalysts , and j . boor jr ., ziegler - natta catalysts and polymerizations , academic press , new york , 1979 and g . allen , et al ., ed ., comprehensive polymer science , vol . 4 , pergamon press , oxford , 1989 , pp . 1 - 108 , 409 - 412 and 533 - 584 , for information about ziegler - natta - type catalysts , and h . mark , et al ., ed ., encyclopedia of polymer science and engineering , vol . 6 , john wiley & amp ; sons , new york , 1992 , p . 383 - 522 , for information about polyethylene . invention - made α - olefins may be converted to alcohols by known processes , these alcohols being useful for a variety of applications such as intermediates for detergents or plasticizers . the α - olefins may be converted to alcohols by a variety of processes , such as the oxo process followed by hydrogenation , or by a modified , single - step oxo process ( the modified shell process ), see for instance b . elvers , et al ., ed ., ullmann &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of chemical technology , 5th ed ., vol . a18 , vch verlagsgesellschaft mbh , weinheim , 1991 , p . 321 - 327 . a set of exemplary catalyst precursors is set out below . these are by way of example only and are not intended to list every catalyst precursor that is within the scope of the invention . the following examples are presented to illustrate the discussion above . although the examples may be directed toward certain embodiments of the present invention , they do not limit the invention in any specific way . in these examples , certain abbreviations are used to facilitate the description . these include standard chemical abbreviations for the elements and certain , commonly accepted abbreviations , such as : me = methyl , ph = phenyl , cy = cyclohexyl , mao = methylalumoxane , cod = cyclooctadiene and dme = ethylene glycol dimethyl ether . all preparations were performed under an inert nitrogen atmosphere using standard schlenk or glovebox techniques , unless mentioned otherwise . dry solvents ( toluene , diethyl ether , pentane , methylene chloride ) were purchased as anhydrous solvents and further purified by passing them down an alumina ( fluka ) column . ethylene ( 99 . 9 % ) was purchased from boc ( surrey , united kingdom ). 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( dicyclohexylphosphino ) biphenyl and 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( diphenylphosphino ) biphenyl were purchased from strem chemicals , inc . tetramethyltin , nickel ( ii ) bromide ethylene glycol dimethylether complex , and dichloro ( 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene ) palladium ( ii ) were purchased from aldrich chemical company . deuterated solvents were dried with cah and vacuum distilled prior to use . ch 2 cl 2 ( 25 ml ) was added to a schlenk flask containing 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( dicyclohexylphosphino ) biphenyl ( 2 . 00 g , 5 . 10 mmol ) and ( dme ) nibr 2 ( 1 . 23 g , 4 . 0 mmol ) in a dry box . a dark blue solution formed immediately upon mixing . this solution was stirred for 20 hours . then , it was filtered and recrystallized from ch 2 cl 2 / pentane . the product was washed three times with an additional 15 ml of pentane and dried for 1 hour under vacuum . a blue powder was isolated in 49 . 0 % yield . the product was soluble in ch 2 cl 2 . 1 h nmr indicates that it is paramagnetic . anal . calcd for ( c 26 h 36 npbr 2 ni ): c , 51 . 02 %; h , 5 . 94 %; n , 2 . 29 %; p , 5 . 06 %. found : c , 50 . 72 %; h , 6 . 10 %; n , 2 . 12 %; p , 5 . 02 %. the ir ( cm − 1 , kbr ): 272 , v ( ni — br ). this compound has also been characterized by x - ray crystallography . ch 2 cl 2 ( 25 ml ) was added to a schlenk flask containing the 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( diphenylphosphino ) biphenyl ( 2 . 00 g , 5 . 2 mmol ) and ( dme ) nibr 2 ( 1 . 30 g , 4 . 2 mmol ) in a dry box . a green solution formed immediately upon mixing . this solution was stirred for 20 hours . then , it was filtered and recrystallized from ch 2 cl 2 / pentane . the product was washed three times with an additional 15 ml of pentane and dried for 1 hour under vacuum . a green powder was isolated in 69 . 3 % yield . the product was soluble in ch 2 cl 2 . 1 h nmr indicates that it is paramagnetic . anal . calcd for ( c 26 h 24 npbr 2 ni ): c , 52 . 03 %; h , 4 . 08 %; n , 2 . 33 %; p , 5 . 16 %. found : c , 1 . 20 %; h , 4 . 24 %; n , 2 . 14 %; p , 5 . 29 %. ( cod ) pdcl 2 ( 2 . 0 g , 7 . 0 mmol ) was mixed with tetramethyltin ( 1 . 16 ml , 8 . 4 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml ) at room temperature . the mixture was stirred overnight until the bright yellow color of the precursor had vanished . the resulting mixture was filtered through celite yielding a pale yellow solution . the solvent was removed from that solution , leaving behind an off - white solid , ( cod ) pdclme , which was washed twice with diethyl ether and dried under vacuum . a solution of the white ( cod ) pdclme complex ( 0 . 775 g , 0 . 0029 mol dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ) was reacted with 2 -( n , n - dimethlamino )- 2 ′-( dicyclohexylphosphino ) biphenyl ( 1 . 78 g , 0 . 0045 mol ). as a result , a light yellow palladium complex formed . 1 h nmr ( 250 mhz , cd 2 cl 2 , δ , ppm ): 0 . 88 - 2 . 94 m ( 22h , 2 × c 6 h 11 ); 1 . 06 d ( 3h , pdch 3 , j ph = 2 . 5 hz ); 2 . 87 s ( 6h , 2 × ch 3 ); 6 . 75 - 7 . 68 m ( 8h , 2 × c 6 h 4 ). anal . calcd for ( c 27 h 39 npclpd ): c , 58 . 91 %; h , 7 . 16 %; n , 2 . 55 %; p , 5 . 63 %. found : c , 59 . 21 %; h , 7 . 31 %; n , 2 . 38 %; p , 5 . 41 %. oligomerization reactions were run in 300 ml hastelloyc parr reactor equipped with a mechanical stirrer . catalyst ( dissolved in 75 ml toluene ) was added to the reactor under argon . ethylene was added to the reactor at 100 psig , and then , the reactor was vented to maintain an atmosphere of ethylene . methylalumoxane solution ( albemarle , 30 wt % in toluene ) was then cannulated in to the reactor . this process caused catalyst activation to be completed in the presence of the monomer . after activation , the ethylene pressure was adjusted to the desired value . it was attempted to maintain the reactor temperature at room temperature ; but in cases where the exotherm was very large , higher reaction temperatures were reached . after the reaction had run for an hour , the reactor was cooled in an acetone / dry ice bath and vented . the reaction was quenched with methanol . a sample of the product solution was analyzed by gc / ms after adding nonane as an internal standard . in the case of supported transition metal compounds , silica - loaded samples were prepared by adding a solution of the transition metal complex in methylene chloride to silica followed by overnight drying of the silica under vacuum . mao was added to the reactor solution prior to adding the supported transition metal compound . the results of the oligomerization reactions are tabulated below in table 2 . c after removing all volatiles at room temperature under vacuum , traces of higher oligomers were observed by nmr in the residue with 84 mol % of terminal olefins ; gc / ms of the same residue showed c 16 to c 24 oligomers . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown to illustrate the invention , it will be apparent to skilled artisans that various process and product changes from those currently disclosed may be made without departing from this invention &# 39 ; s scope . the appended claims define the invention &# 39 ; s scope . all cited patents , test procedures , priority documents , and other cited documents are fully incorporated by reference to the extent that this material is consistent with this specification and for all jurisdictions in which such incorporation is permitted . certain features of the present invention are described in terms of a set of numerical upper limits and a set of numerical lower limits . this specification discloses all ranges formed by any combination of these limits . all combinations of these limits are within the scope of the invention unless otherwise indicated .
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the description that follows relates to a spinal cord stimulation ( scs ) system . however , it is to be understood that the while the invention lends itself well to applications in scs , the invention , in its broadest aspects , may not be so limited . rather , the invention may be used with any type of implantable electrical circuitry used to stimulate tissue . for example , the present invention may be used as part of a pacemaker , a defibrillator , a cochlear stimulator , a retinal stimulator , a stimulator configured to produce coordinated limb movement , a cortical stimulator , a deep brain stimulator , peripheral nerve stimulator , microstimulator , or in any other neural stimulator configured to treat urinary incontinence , sleep apnea , shoulder sublaxation , headache , etc . turning first to fig3 , an exemplary spinal cord stimulation ( scs ) system 10 generally includes one or more ( in this case , two ) implantable stimulation leads 12 , a pulse generating device in the form of an implantable pulse generator ( ipg ) 14 , an external control device in the form of a remote controller rc 16 , a clinician &# 39 ; s programmer ( cp ) 18 , an external trial stimulator ( ets ) 20 , and an external charger 22 . the ipg 14 is physically connected via one or more percutaneous lead extensions 24 to the stimulation leads 12 , which carry a plurality of electrodes 26 arranged in an array . in the illustrated embodiment , the stimulation leads 12 are percutaneous leads , and to this end , the electrodes 26 are arranged in - line along the stimulation leads 12 . in alternative embodiments , the electrodes 26 may be arranged in a two - dimensional pattern on a single paddle lead . as will be described in further detail below , the ipg 14 includes pulse generation circuitry that delivers electrical stimulation energy in the form of a pulsed electrical waveform ( i . e ., a temporal series of electrical pulses ) to the electrode array 26 in accordance with a set of stimulation parameters . the ets 20 may also be physically connected via the percutaneous lead extensions 28 and external cable 30 to the stimulation leads 12 . the ets 20 , which has similar pulse generation circuitry as that of the ipg 14 , also delivers electrical stimulation energy to the electrode array 26 in accordance with a set of stimulation parameters . the major difference between the ets 20 and the ipg 14 is that the ets 20 is a non - implantable device that is used on a trial basis after the stimulation leads 12 have been implanted and prior to implantation of the ipg 14 , to test the responsiveness of the stimulation that is to be provided . further details of an exemplary ets are described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 895 , 280 , which is expressly incorporated herein by reference . the rc 16 may be used to telemetrically control the ets 20 via a bi - directional rf communications link 32 . once the ipg 14 and stimulation leads 12 are implanted , the rc 16 may be used to telemetrically control the ipg 14 via a bi - directional rf communications link 34 . such control allows the ipg 14 to be turned on or off and to be programmed with different stimulation parameter sets . the ipg 14 may also be operated to modify the programmed stimulation parameters to actively control the characteristics of the electrical stimulation energy output by the ipg 14 . the cp 18 provides clinician detailed stimulation parameters for programming the ipg 14 and ets 20 in the operating room and in follow - up sessions . the cp 18 may perform this function by indirectly communicating with the ipg 14 or ets 20 , through the rc 16 , via an ir communications link 36 . alternatively , the cp 18 may directly communicate with the ipg 14 or ets 20 via an rf communications link ( not shown ). the clinician detailed stimulation parameters provided by the cp 18 are also used to program the rc 16 , so that the stimulation parameters can be subsequently modified by operation of the rc 16 in a stand - alone mode ( i . e ., without the assistance of the cp 18 ). the external charger 22 is a portable device used to transcutaneously charge the ipg 14 via an inductive link 38 . once the ipg 14 has been programmed , and its power source has been charged by the external charger 22 or otherwise replenished , the ipg 14 may function as programmed without the rc 16 or cp 18 being present . for purposes of brevity , the details of the rc 16 , cp 18 , ets 20 , and external charger 22 will not be described herein . details of exemplary embodiments of these devices are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 895 , 280 , which is expressly incorporated herein by reference . as shown in fig4 , the electrode leads 12 are implanted within the spinal column 42 of a patient 40 . the preferred placement of the electrode leads 12 is adjacent , i . e ., resting upon near , or upon the dura , adjacent to the spinal cord area to be stimulated . due to the lack of space near the location where the electrode leads 12 exit the spinal column 42 , the ipg 14 is generally implanted in a surgically - made pocket either in the abdomen or above the buttocks . the ipg 14 may , of course , also be implanted in other locations of the patient &# 39 ; s body . the lead extension 24 facilitates locating the ipg 14 away from the exit point of the electrode leads 12 . as there shown , the cp 18 communicates with the ipg 14 via the rc 16 . referring now to fig5 , the external features of the stimulation leads 12 and the ipg 14 will be briefly described . one of the stimulation leads 12 has eight electrodes 26 ( labeled e 1 - e 8 ), and the other stimulation lead 12 has eight electrodes 26 ( labeled e 9 - e 16 ). the actual number and shape of leads and electrodes will , of course , vary according to the intended application . the ipg 14 comprises an outer case 50 for housing the electronic and other components ( described in further detail below ), and a connector 52 to which the proximal ends of the stimulation leads 12 mate in a manner that electrically couples the electrodes 26 to the internal electronics ( described in further detail below ) within the outer case 50 . the outer case 50 is composed of an electrically conductive , biocompatible material , such as titanium , and forms a hermetically sealed compartment wherein the internal electronics are protected from the body tissue and fluids . in some cases , the outer case 50 may serve as an electrode . as briefly discussed above , the ipg 14 includes battery and pulse generation circuitry that delivers the electrical stimulation energy in the form of a pulsed electrical waveform to the electrode array 26 in accordance with a set of stimulation parameters programmed into the ipg 14 . such stimulation parameters may comprise electrode combinations , which define the electrodes that are activated as anodes ( positive ), cathodes ( negative ), and turned off ( zero ), percentage of stimulation energy assigned to each electrode ( fractionalized electrode configurations ), and electrical pulse parameters , which define the pulse amplitude ( measured in milliamps or volts depending on whether the ipg 14 supplies constant current or constant voltage to the electrode array 26 ), pulse width ( measured in microseconds ), and pulse rate ( measured in pulses per second ), pulse shape , and burst rate ( measured as the stimulation on duration per unit time ). electrical stimulation will occur between two ( or more ) activated electrodes , one of which may be the ipg case 50 . simulation energy may be transmitted to the tissue in a monopolar or multipolar ( e . g ., bipolar , tripolar , etc .) fashion . monopolar stimulation occurs when a selected one of the lead electrodes 26 is activated along with the case 50 of the ipg 14 , so that stimulation energy is transmitted between the selected electrode 26 and case 50 . bipolar stimulation occurs when two of the lead electrodes 26 are activated as anode and cathode , so that stimulation energy is transmitted between the selected electrodes 26 . for example , electrode e 3 on the first lead 12 may be activated as an anode at the same time that electrode e 11 on the second lead 12 is activated as a cathode . tripolar stimulation occurs when three of the lead electrodes 26 are activated , two as anodes and the remaining one as a cathode , or two as cathodes and the remaining one as an anode . for example , electrodes e 4 and e 5 on the first lead 12 may be activated as anodes at the same time that electrode e 12 on the second lead 12 is activated as a cathode . the stimulation energy may be delivered between electrodes as monophasic electrical energy or multiphasic electrical energy . monophasic electrical energy includes a series of pulses that are either all positive ( anodic ) or all negative ( cathodic ). multiphasic electrical energy includes a series of pulses that alternate between positive and negative . for example , multiphasic electrical energy may include a series of biphasic pulses , with each biphasic pulse including a cathodic ( negative ) stimulation pulse and an anodic ( positive ) recharge pulse that is generated after the stimulation pulse to prevent direct current charge transfer through the tissue , thereby avoiding electrode degradation and cell trauma . that is , charge is conveyed through the electrode - tissue interface via current at an electrode during a stimulation period ( the length of the stimulation pulse ), and then pulled back off the electrode - tissue interface via an oppositely polarized current at the same electrode during a recharge period ( the length of the recharge pulse ). turning next to fig6 , the main internal components of the ipg 14 will now be described . the ipg 14 includes analog output circuitry 60 configured for generating electrical stimulation energy in accordance with a defined pulsed waveform having a specified pulse amplitude , pulse rate , pulse width , pulse shape , and burst rate under control of control logic 62 over data bus 64 . control of the pulse rate and pulse width of the electrical waveform is facilitated by timer logic circuitry 66 , which may have a suitable resolution , e . g ., 10 μs . the electrical stimulation energy generated by the output analog circuitry 60 is output via capacitors c 1 - c 16 to electrical terminals 68 corresponding to the electrodes 26 . the analog output circuitry 60 may either comprise independently controlled current sources for providing electrical stimulation energy of a specified and known amperage to or from the electrical terminals 68 , or independently controlled voltage sources for providing electrical stimulation energy of a specified and known voltage at the electrical terminals 68 or to multiplexed current or voltage sources that are then connected to the electrical terminals 68 . the operation of the analog output circuitry 60 , including alternative embodiments of suitable output circuitry for performing the same function of generating stimulation pulses of a prescribed amplitude and width , is described more fully in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 516 , 227 and 6 , 993 , 384 , which are expressly incorporated herein by reference . significantly , as will be described in further detail below , the analog output circuitry 60 presents symmetrical outputs to both the anodes and cathodes that will not be subject to the differential voltage shifts in the circuitry discussed in the background . furthermore , the analog output circuitry 60 references the voltages at the anodes and cathodes to the tissue rather than a voltage internal to the ipg 14 . the ipg 14 further comprises monitoring circuitry 70 for monitoring the status of various nodes or other points 72 throughout the ipg 14 , e . g ., power supply voltages , temperature , battery voltage , and the like . the monitoring circuitry 70 is also configured for measuring electrical parameter data ( e . g ., electrode impedance and / or electrode field potential ). the ipg 14 further comprises processing circuitry in the form of a microcontroller ( μc ) 74 that controls the control logic 62 over data bus 76 , and obtains status data from the monitoring circuitry 70 via data bus 78 . the ipg 14 further comprises memory 80 and oscillator and clock circuit 82 coupled to the microcontroller 74 . the microcontroller 74 , in combination with the memory 80 and oscillator and clock circuit 82 , thus comprise a microprocessor system that carries out a program function in accordance with a suitable program stored in the memory 80 . alternatively , for some applications , the function provided by the microprocessor system may be carried out by a suitable state machine . thus , the microcontroller 74 generates the necessary control and status signals , which allow the microcontroller 74 to control the operation of the ipg 14 in accordance with a selected operating program and stimulation parameters . in controlling the operation of the ipg 14 , the microcontroller 74 is able to individually generate stimulus pulses and electrical background energy at the electrical terminals 68 using the analog output circuitry 60 , in combination with the control logic 62 and timer logic circuitry 66 , thereby allowing each electrical terminal 68 ( and thus , each electrode 26 ) to be paired or grouped with other electrical terminals 68 ( and thus , other electrodes 26 ), including the monopolar case electrode , to control the polarity , amplitude , rate , pulse width , pulse shape , burst rate , and channel through which the current stimulus pulses and associated electrical background energy are provided . the microcontroller 74 facilitates the storage of electrical parameter data measured by the monitoring circuitry 70 within memory 80 . the ipg 14 further comprises a receiving coil 84 for receiving programming data ( e . g ., the operating program and / or stimulation parameters ) from the external programmer ( i . e ., the rc 16 or cp 18 ) in an appropriate modulated carrier signal , and charging , and circuitry 86 for demodulating the carrier signal it receives through the receiving coil 84 to recover the programming data , which programming data is then stored within the memory 80 , or within other memory elements ( not shown ) distributed throughout the ipg 14 . the ipg 14 further comprises back telemetry circuitry 88 and a transmission coil 90 for sending informational data to the external programmer . the back telemetry features of the ipg 14 also allow its status to be checked . for example , when the cp 18 initiates a programming session with the ipg 14 , the capacity of the battery is telemetered , so that the cp 18 can calculate the estimated time to recharge . any changes made to the current stimulus parameters are confirmed through back telemetry , thereby assuring that such changes have been correctly received and implemented within the implant system . moreover , upon interrogation by the cp 18 , all programmable settings stored within the ipg 14 may be uploaded to the cp 18 . the ipg 14 further comprises a rechargeable power source 92 and power circuits 94 for providing the operating power to the ipg 14 . the rechargeable power source 92 may , e . g ., comprise a lithium - ion or lithium - ion polymer battery or other form of rechargeable power . the rechargeable source 92 provides an unregulated voltage to the power circuits 94 . the power circuits 94 , in turn , generate the various voltages 96 , some of which are regulated and some of which are not , as needed by the various circuits located within the ipg 14 . the rechargeable power source 92 is recharged using rectified ac power ( or dc power converted from ac power through other means , e . g ., efficient ac - to - dc converter circuits , also known as “ inverter circuits ”) received by the receiving coil 84 . to recharge the power source 92 , the external charger 22 ( shown in fig3 ), which generates the ac magnetic field , is placed against , or otherwise adjacent , to the patient &# 39 ; s skin over the implanted ipg 14 . the ac magnetic field emitted by the external charger induces ac currents in the receiving coil 84 . the charging and forward telemetry circuitry 86 rectifies the ac current to produce dc current , which is used to charge the power source 92 . while the receiving coil 84 is described as being used for both wirelessly receiving communications ( e . g ., programming and control data ) and charging energy from the external device , it should be appreciated that the receiving coil 84 can be arranged as a dedicated charging coil , while another coil , such as the coil 90 , can be used for bi - directional telemetry . additional details concerning the above - described and other ipgs may be found in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 516 , 227 , u . s . patent publication no . 2003 / 0139781 , and u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 138 , 632 , entitled “ low power loss current digital - to - analog converter used in an implantable pulse generator ,” which are expressly incorporated herein by reference . it should be noted that rather than an ipg , the scs system 10 may alternatively utilize an implantable receiver - stimulator ( not shown ) connected to the stimulation leads 12 . in this case , the power source , e . g ., a battery , for powering the implanted receiver , as well as control circuitry to command the receiver - stimulator , will be contained in an external controller inductively coupled to the receiver - stimulator via an electromagnetic link . data / power signals are transcutaneously coupled from a cable - connected transmission coil placed over the implanted receiver - stimulator . the implanted receiver - stimulator receives the signal and generates the stimulation energy and background energy in accordance with the control signals . as briefly discussed above , the analog output circuitry 60 presents symmetrical outputs to both the anodes and cathodes . for example , with reference to fig7 a , a first voltage source 102 a is coupled to an anode 100 a , and a second voltage source 102 b is coupled to a cathode 100 b . this is in contrast to the single - ended voltage regulated circuit illustrated in fig1 a . thus , because there is a voltage source at both the anode 100 a and the cathode 100 b , voltage shifts within the analog output circuitry 60 will not be conducted to the anode 100 a and cathode 100 b differentially . alternatively , with reference to fig7 b , a first current source 104 a is coupled to the anode 100 a , and a second current source 104 b is coupled to the cathode 100 b . this is in contrast to the single - ended current regulated circuit illustrated in fig1 b . in this case , the current sources present a high impedance to the respective anode 100 a and cathode 100 b , thereby isolating the anode 100 a and cathode 100 b from voltage shifts within the analog output circuitry 60 . as also briefly discussed above , the analog output circuitry 60 references the voltages at the anodes and cathodes to the tissue rather than a voltage internal to the ipg 14 . to this end , the ipg 14 is provided with a grounding electrode 106 configured for being placed in contract with tissue . for example , the grounding electrode 106 may be located on the case 50 or may be the case 50 itself . in the illustrated embodiment , the analog output circuitry 60 regulates the voltages at the anodes and cathodes , such that the common mode signal ( i . e ., the average of the anode voltage shift and cathode voltage shift relative to the reference voltage ( in this case , the grounding electrode 106 )) will be equal to or less than the differential voltage between the cathodes and anodes , as illustrated in fig1 . with reference back to fig7 a , the first voltage source 102 a is electrically coupled between the anode 100 a and the grounding electrode 106 , and the second voltage source 102 b is electrically coupled between the cathode 100 b and the grounding electrode 106 . as a result , the voltages at the respective anode 100 a and cathode 100 b relative to the tissue may be controlled , so that large voltages are not applied to the tissue . the voltage values respectively output by the first and second voltage sources 102 a , 102 b can be set to be equal in order to minimize the maximum voltage seen by the tissue . for example , if the desired voltage potential between the anode 100 a and the cathode 100 b is 5v , the first voltage source 102 a can be set to output a voltage of 2 . 5v relative to the grounding electrode 106 ( and thus , the tissue ), and the second voltage source 102 b can be set to output a voltage of − 2 . 5v relative to the grounding electrode 106 ( and thus , the tissue ). essentially , in this case , the voltage of the common mode signal would be zero . notably , the internal reference voltage of the analog output circuitry 60 is irrelevant , since the voltage sources 102 a , 102 b are not referenced to this internal voltage . with reference to fig7 b , the first current source 104 a is electrically coupled between the anode 100 a and the grounding electrode 106 , and the second voltage source 102 b is electrically coupled between the cathode 100 b and the grounding electrode 106 . thus , the electrical current flowing through each of the anode 100 a and the cathode 100 b can be controlled . in this case , where there the anode 100 a and cathode 100 b are the only active electrodes , the absolute value of the electrical current magnitude flowing through the anode 100 a will be essentially equal to the electrical current magnitude flowing through the cathode 100 b ; however , the electrical currents flowing through the anode 100 a and cathode 100 b will be oppositely polarized . for example , the current output by the first current source 104 a may be set at 2 . 5 ma , while the current output by the second current source 104 b may be set at − 2 . 5 ma . essentially , in this case , the voltage of the common mode signal would be zero assuming that the tissue impedances on the cathodes and anodes are equal . although the current sources 104 a , 104 b regulate the current flowing through the anode 100 a and cathode 100 b , the voltages at the respective anode 100 a and cathode 100 b relative to the tissue may still be controlled , so that large voltages are not applied to the tissue . in particular , the currents required to be output by the respective current sources 100 a , 100 b to achieve the voltage distribution desired at the respective anode 100 a and cathode 100 b relative to the tissue can be computed in a conventional manner . although each of the voltage sources 102 a , 102 b and current sources 104 a , 104 b in the topologies illustrated in fig7 a and 7 b are coupled to only a single electrode , it should be appreciated that each of these sources can be coupled to multiple electrodes ( either a group of anodes 100 a or a group of cathodes 100 b ), as illustrated in fig8 a and 8 b . furthermore , multiple sources of the same type can be respectively connected to multiple electrodes at the same time . for example , two voltage sources 102 a or two current sources 104 a can be respectively connected to two anodes 100 a at the same time , or two voltage sources 102 b or two current sources 104 b can be respectively connected to two cathodes 100 at the same time , as illustrated in fig9 a and 9 b . thus , this concept can be applied to a multiplicity of anodes and a multiplicity of cathodes where the positive shifts in voltage on the anode and negative shifts in voltage on the cathodes are such that the average shift is zero or at least less than one half of the maximum differential voltage between any anode and cathode pair during the stimulation pulse . it can be appreciated from the foregoing that the voltage or voltages at the anode or anodes 100 a relative to the tissue can be regulated , and the voltage or voltages at the cathode or cathodes 100 b can be regulated , while the electrical stimulation energy is conveyed between the anode or anodes 100 a and the cathode or cathodes 100 b . if any of the topologies illustrated in fig7 b , 8 b , or 9 b or used , the currents flowing through the anode or anodes 100 a and the cathode or cathodes 100 b can be regulated although particular embodiments of the present inventions have been shown and described , it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the present inventions to the preferred embodiments , and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present inventions . thus , the present inventions are intended to cover alternatives , modifications , and equivalents , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present inventions as defined by the claims .
| 0 |
a psk demodulator is connected to the input side of the viterbi decoder of fig1 and in the case of a qpsk modulation emits two data streams q1 and q2 for each one bit . these data streams inherently have interference such as noise , amplitude errors , and so forth . however , there are still other possible kinds of interference , which do not have to do with the quality of reception at the time but instead are intrinsic in the system : that is , phase ambiguity , which is associated with the carrier recovery in the demodulator , caused by the fact that the process of demodulation ( eliminating the carrier ) is not definite ( is ambiguous ). it is expressed in the data stream in such a way that ( a ) with 180 ° errors , both bits appear in inverted form ( q1 appears - q1 , q2 appears as - q2 ), ( b ) with + 90 ° errors , one bit appears in inverted form and both appear transposed with one another ( e . g . q1 appears as - q2 and q2 appears as - q1 ). such errors will remain until corrected . ( c ) with - 90 ° errors the other bit appears in inverted form and both appear transposed with one another ( e . g . q1 appears as - q2 and q2 appears as - q1 ). such errors will remain until corrected . in order to reverse this transposition and inversion , there is a transformation network at the digital input of the viterbi decoder -- that is , immediately following the a / d converters -- which being in the form of a final control element is capable of cancelling or reversing the transposition and inversion . for triggering this final control element , control signals are required . in the example of a qpsk modulation shown here , two control bits c1 and c2 are required as control signals which have values according to the phase angle as below . fig2 shows an example for such a transformation network , which is described at length in applicant &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . no . 4 , 757 , 506 and german patent no . 36 00 905 . 9 ( but with the distinction that the control signals c1 and c2 were different and required to undergo a code conversion ). ______________________________________phase angle c1 and c2______________________________________ 0 ° 0 0 90 ° 0 1180 ° 1 0270 ° 1 1______________________________________ the transformation network includes multiplexers mx1 and mx2 for crosswise channel transposition , which are each controlled via a respective exclusive or element e01 or e02 by the control bits c1 and c2 . the output signals of the two multiplexers are carried in accordance with the number n = 8 of quantizing ( soft decision ) stages in the a / d conversion , first to the exclusive or gates ( g1 , g2 , g3 , g7 , g8 , g9 ) and second to exclusive nor gates ( g4 , g5 , g6 , g10 , g11 , g12 ). input signals q1 and q2 are always split between multiplexers mx1 and mx2 . thus , if multiplexer mx1 has selected q1 , then multiplexer mx2 selects q2 and vice versa . the quantized variables q1 and q2 are thus available , each in both inverted and noninverted form . by means of adders add1 - add4 connected to the output side , the four branch metrics r00 , r10 , r01 and r11 are available at the output of the transformation network for further processing in the acs ( add - compare - select ) networks of the viterbi decoder . with each new input q1 and q2 , the respective branch metrics at the adder outputs shift according to the values of c1 and c2 . suitable acs networks are known to those in the profession ; for example , see the proceedings of the ieee , vol . 61 , no . 3 , march 1973 , pages 268 - 277 , in particular fig1 , page 273 along with the description . a particularly suitable acs network is disclosed in the above u . s . pat . no . 4 , 757 , 506 . a particularly advantageous arrangement of acs networks is illustrated in fig5 - 9 and described in detail below . this acs network furnishes among others the maximum and minimum path metrics , the difference between which is obtained by mean of the delta - m stage ( also described in the above u . s . pat . no . 4 , 757 , 506 ). from this path metric difference , the phase error signal fail is now obtained , as will be described in further detail in connection with fig4 a and 4b . it serves as the control signal for the phase ambiguity resolution stage , which generates the control bits c1 and c2 for the transformation network , or for furnishing a synchronizing signal sync , for instance if a punctured code is used . the triggering of the transformation network can in principle be done in a plurality of ways . as an exemplary embodiment , qpsk modulation will be discussed . in that case there are four different possibilities of correct phase location , coded with the states 00 , 11 , 01 , 10 . to encompass them , two control bits c1 and c2 are required , c1 being the first digit , c2 being the second digit . in n - psk signals , correspondingly more control bits are necessary . if the carrier phase of the demodulator now jumps from one state to another , then an examination must be made as to whether the reaction of the decoder must take place in a pseudo - random manner , or in a manner determined in some way . in the method according to the prior art , this reaction was performed in a pseudo - random manner . in the invention , contrarily , the point of departure is the recognition that any demodulator system will inherently exhibit a preferential direction in phase jumps . as a consequence , the decoder is furnished thereby with an additional datum ( the preferential direction ), which it can use with appropriate processing to reduce the correction time . the triggering of the transformation network as a final control element is accordingly to take place by learning -- what the preferential direction of phase jumps is -- that is , adaptively . as will also be explained in connection with fig4 a and 4b , the difference between the maximum and minimum path metric is evaluated , because it is a unique criterion for the current or prior - to - current quality of reception . first , however , the phase ambiguity resolution stage will be discussed , which serves directly to trigger the final control element -- i . e ., the transformation network -- and takes note of the preferential direction . its circuit is shown in fig3 . the basic principle of adaptive triggering is to compare the new triggering state ( the presence or absence of a fail signal ) with the most recent , that is , the preceding triggering state and thereupon to effect a corresponding reaction . first , the counter cnt will be considered . via its enable input , it is made to count by a phase error signal fail , the generation of which will be explained in connection with fig4 a and 4b ; this counting is done at a speed that must be adapted to the recognition speed of the viterbi decoder . between the finding of the current phase state and the completion of calculation of the differential metric , a certain period of time elapses ( the metric calculation time ), and this must be waited out . for this reason , the counter cnt does not receive its counting pulses directly from the system clock signal cl of the viterbi decoder , but rather via a system clock divider stt , which subdivides the system clock signal cl . this system clock divider stt takes into account the metric calculation time constant . the frequency divider stt may be a commonly used frequency divider of cascaded flip - flops providing a clock signal cl &# 39 ;, with a lower frequency than cl . the reason for this lower clock signal cl &# 39 ; being provided to counter cnt : if counter cnt does a counting step , the reaction time of the viterbi decoder has to be waited for until the next counting step is admitted to appear . the clock signal cl on the other hand should be as high as possible , depending on digital circuitry available , to perform real - time processing . frequency divider stt is reset in the case of a fail to avoid wasting time until the first step of the counter cnt . therefore , frequency divider stt is reset via its reset input . the counter cnt now counts several clock signal pulses cl &# 39 ; ( in binary ) in accordance with the binary value , that are furnished to it by the output of the system clock signal - divider stt and passes its counter state on to a subtractor sub . the counter state of counter cnt is also stored in the register regi as a two - bit datum , that is , as one of four states . the previous counter state stored in the register regi is compared with the current counter state by means of the subtractor sub . this subtractor sub determines the direction of a phase jump in the following manner : the result of comparison controls a command logic circuit bg via an address control input . at its four data inputs 0 , 1 , 2 and 3 , in response to the binary inputs 0 , 1 , 2 , and 3 from subtractor sub , the command circuit bg receives a signal representing an &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; instruction for counter cnt , e . g ., a logic high value , or a &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; instruction , e . g ., a logic low value -- input 1 or 3 , respectively -- or for maintaining the previous state -- inputs 0 and 2 -- in the event of a phase jump difference of 180 °. these possible designations are stored in command logic circuit bg , are output in response to the input from the subtractor sub and may be overridden by the output of the register regii . if circuit bg is a multiplexer , address controlled by its input signals ( output signals of subtractor sub ), up and down states are stored in a rom having two storage cells for logic high , e . g ., up state , and logic low , e . g ., down state . in terms of circuitry , the command logic circuit bg can be realized by means of a multiplexer , as a function generator , or by means of a read - only memory or eprom . the output datum of the command logic circuit bg reaches a register regii , which cannot change its state if a fail signal is fed via its disable input . for this period of time ( when there is a fail signal ), the output datum of the register regii furnishes the counter cnt , via its counting direction control input , with the information for counting upward or downward , up / down . the up or down state depends on whether the up / down input of counter cnt is high or low active , e . g ., if counter cnt is driven into the down counting mode , the down input of command logic circuit bg ( multiplexer input 3 ) has to be set to logic low voltage and the up input has to be set to logic high voltage . both logic values are stored in circuit bg . the counter cnt only counts up or down if it is enabled by the fail signal . if the fail signal disappears , then the register regii is re - updated with the next system clock signal pulse cl . on the other hand , a reupdate also occurs in the register regi , to which the fail signal is supplied via its disable input , so that at the output of the subtractor sub a 0 appears when the fail signal disappears . in the contents of the register regii , however , this does not cause any error because the content of the register regii is fed back to command logic circuit bg via its zero input . the function of the circuitry of fig3 is shown in greater detail in fig3 a to be described below . the other states at the data inputs of the command circuit bg are as follows : &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; state for input 1 , because then the counter state of the counter cnt has become greater than that of the register reg1 , or in other words a future counting must be effected upward . when there is a fail signal , the register regii is disabled to change its contents so that the old state is supplied to the input 2 , because if , a 180 ° jump is involved , which can have arisen ambiguously , involving two values -- that is , forwards or backwards , it is to be assumed that the error has occurred in the same direction as before ( the old preferential direction is assumed ). thus , the output of register regii overrides the 0 and 2 values of circuit bg which is an erasable memory . on the other hand , in the absense of a fail signal , register regii is enabled so that the resultant zero input to command logic circuit bg is stored in register regii so tha output of the latter will not override the zero value of circuit bg . finally , the &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; state corresponds to input 3 , since in this case the counter state must be decreased by one as compared with the prior state . then subtraction -- or decrementing -- should also take place in the future . fig3 a shows the reaction of register regi , counter cnt , subtractor sub , command logic circuit bg and register regii to the occurrence of a fail signal . the output of counter cnt represents the control bits c1 , c2 for the transformation network illustrated in fig2 . the control bits c1 , c2 drive the inputs of this transformation network so the error in the demodulator bits q1 , q2 is reversed by the correction represented by control bits c1 , c2 and represent the reverse demodulation error . in order that the circuit will exhibit the behavior described , the n - psk signal is encoded in accordance with the invention in such a way that the binary value is in proportion to the phase angle . the association of the phase states for a q - psk modulation is as in the following table i : table i______________________________________phase angles binary states______________________________________ 0 ° 0 0 90 ° 0 1180 ° 1 0270 °( equals - 90 °) 1 1______________________________________ the difference between two steps thus always equals 90 °. because the encoding of the individual phase states increases in binary fashion , the direction of the jump can be obtained by forming the difference between the old and new values . in the case of an 8 - psk modulation , the encoding should be performed a in the following table ii : table ii______________________________________phase angles binary states______________________________________ 0 ° 0 0 0 45 ° 0 0 1 90 ° 0 1 0135 ° 0 1 1180 ° 1 0 0225 ° 1 0 1270 ° 1 1 0315 ° 1 1 1______________________________________ the addresses of the command logic circuit bg are associated with these binary states . the command circuit bg then functions , for instance , as follows : in a phase jump of 180 ° for 8 - psk , a well known ambiguity exists . in order to resolve it , the command circuit is equipped with a further address input , so that two different values are obtainable for 180 °, for instance : this would require additional imput addresses for circuit bg . the control signals c1 and c2 are available at the control signal output sta and represent the counter state of the counter cnt . the registers regi and regii are controlled by the system clock signal cl . fig4 a and 4b illustrate alternate circuits for the generation of the phase error signal fail , that the phase ambiguity resolution stage of fig3 is supplied with for phase ambiguity resolution . however , before the generation of the phase error signal fail according to fig4 a and 4b is explained , it should be explained why it is precisely the difference between the maximum and minimum path metric that is used for deriving the error signal . on the precondition that the minimum path metric can be extracted sufficiently quickly by means of the acs network , an important criterion for evaluating the reception quality is available . small path metrics characterize &# 34 ; good paths &# 34 ; in the viterbi decoder used as a example . conversely , large metrics characterize very improbable paths , and the maximum metric in particular is associated with the path that can be precluded under all circumstances . this latter statement , however , precisely like that pertaining to the minimum metric , is an unequivocal evaluation of the reception quality , although indirectly indicated . this will readily be appreciated if it is considered that for the case of an absent reception signal ( noise only ), a total levelling of all the path metrics occurs ; that is , the decoder no longer finds any relevant code at all and thus can no longer classify any states as to quality . expressed numerically , all the metrics meet at a mean value ; that is , in the case of the qpsk signals , where the metric is between 0 and 15 , then they meet at approximately 7 or 8 . thus , the differential metric -- which henceforth will also be called the delta metric and is calculated by a delta metric calculating circuit delta - m -- becomes zero . in the best reception case , contrarily , it is 15 . accordingly , the delta metric encompasses the entire range of values defined for metrics , rather than only half of it , which would be the case if only the minimum or the maximum were utilized . path metrics are composed of a memory content and the branch metrics . noise is expressed in the branch metrics as a deviation from the ideal value ( from the metric without noise ), which can be in the range from 0 to 14 . more precisely , there are exactly three ideal values ( assuming interference - free reception ). these are , namely , 0 for the matching pattern , 14 for the opposite pattern , and 7 for the mixed pattern common to both . once again , it is important to note that good reception quality is associated only with high unequivocality of the values , not merely with a minimizing of all the values . this subject matter is decisive for recognizing phase error states . such phase error states in fact cause the calculation of entirely invalid extreme - value branch metrics , which naturally are the more extreme the less noise is involved . reference is made here to the following equations for calculating the branch metrics : q1 and q2 here are the known soft decision values and range from 0 to 7 . let it be assumed that the correct reception pattern is &# 34 ; 01 &# 34 ;; then q1 must assume the value of 0 , and q2 the value of 7 , while r01 becomes zero from the above equation . thus , and with a minimum value , the metric of the optimal path is formed , which consequently assumes a minimum value . now let it be assumed that noise is fed to the channel . in that case , the statistical mean values continuously move over a plurality of bits , averaged for q1 , between 0 and 3 . 5 and for q2 between 7 and 3 . 5 . if this is entered with the extreme value ( most noise ) into the above equation , then for the maximum value that appears the following is obtained : and for the minimum value ( least noise ) that occurs , the following is obtained : this is the &# 34 ; deviation range &# 34 ; that occurs here , depending upon noise . in the above discussion , the doubtlessly allowable assumption has been made that the values q1 and q2 converge with increasing noise toward a mean value of 3 . 5 , one converging toward the value from below and the other from above . now let it be assumed that a phase jump of + 90 ° occurs . in that case , for the transposition and inversion already described , the following process occurs : these phase jumps are in accordance with and inherent in qpsk and 8psk modulation deriving from the fact that q1 and q2 are different expressions of the same data , which is related in this manner . the &# 34 ; new &# 34 ; q1 now moves between 7 and 3 . 5 and the &# 34 ; new &# 34 ; q2 moves between 7 and 3 . 5 because of the inversion . then , with such a phase jump the metric r01 with and without noise is calculated as follows : the result is interesting from the standpoint that r01 no longer comes under the &# 34 ; 7 &# 34 ; and thus indicates a &# 34 ; poor &# 34 ; situation . it should be noted here that the values move between 7 and 14 in the case of a 180 ° jump ; that is , the situation becomes still more unequivocal . the situation is similar with the other phase states and branch metrics , as can easily be confirmed . now that it is clear that the entire metric movement reacts extremely sensitively to phase jumps , an evaluation of these events can be derived from this . ( 1 ) the temporal differential quotient , or only its algebraic sign (+ or -), that is the amount and / or direction of a change with time of the maximum metric minus the minimum metric ( the differential metric ), ( 3 ) a time - related sum of numbers corresponding to a time integral of the differential metric , which represents a time constant until the attainment of a threshold , which then sets off the fail signal . one point should be added about the last - mentioned variable above : it is intended to aid in preventing so called false alarms in the case of brief interference , the amplitude of which can still be high , however . in a first realization of circuitry for obtaining the fail signal , ( error signal calculating circuit ) shown in fig4 a , the invention goes one step further : the increment and decrement of the time - related sum of numbers are intended not to be constant , but rather dependent on the current reception quality . thus , depending on the interference situation , various contributions are obtained . algorithmically , the definition should be such that in case of interference , incrementing is done with the complement of the delta metric ( 15 - delta metric ), but decrementing should be done with the delta metric itself . the reason for this is as follows : with initially good reception , the delta metric is high ; that is , its complement is low . if the channel is very disturbed , all metrics have the same value . if a brief interference occurs , for instance the intrusion of noise , then incrementing is performed by calculating 15 - delta metric , which has increased only a little ; with a threshold set at a low level , a false alarm is not issued . contrarily , if a phase jump occurs , then as explained the complement increases sharply , because the delta metric itself becomes very small . thus , the threshold is attained very quickly , which causes setting of the fail signal . the resynchronization time ( the time to obtain a reliable metric decision ), however , should be shortened to correct phase errors quickly . therefore to achieve this , the decrement in the time related sum is effected with a delta - m stage which is greater when a phase error or jump occurs , and not earlier , such as if an apparently correct code is mistakenly produced because of an interference burst . upon actual resynchronization , the decrement takes place quickly , contrarily , because the delta metric builds up anew . according to fig4 a , the difference between the minimum and maximum path metric -- that is , the delta metric is formed by subtraction in the stage delta - m . the output of the stage delta - m is connected via a switchable inverter inv , for instance an exclusive or gate , with the first data input of a switchable adder / subtractor add / sub . the inverter inv , when enabled functions with stage delta - m to effectively calculate 15 - delta metric . optionally , a divider tl is also disposed before the inverter inv , for example comprising a multiplier with a switchable dividing ratio . a second data input of the switchable adder / subtractor is connected to the output of a first register reg a . the output value of the adder / subtractor add / sub is applied to the data input of this register reg a . the adder / subtractor add / sub has a control input by way of which a signal can be supplied that determines whether addition or subtraction is to be performed . the adder / subtractor add / sub , together with the register reg a , functions as a so - called random walk counter with an arbitrary increment / decrement it is supplied with this increment in the decrement form of a delta metric via the switchable inverter inv . the overflow or &# 34 ; carry &# 34 ; of the adder / subtractor add / sub is supplied to the register reg a via its disable input . the output of the first register reg a is input to a subtractor subi , which compares it with a threshold value thri . the process takes place over a width of eight bits , for example , in order to attain a wide range for the threshold value setting . the sum formation can also make this range necessary . the command to add / subtract is rigidly coupled to the invert / non - invert command for the inverter inv ; that is , it is incremented with the complement of the delta metric 15 - delta metric and decremented with the delta metric itself ; the delta metric can be valuated with variable factors by divider tl . this command is derived in turn from the aforementioned conditions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ); that is , the delta metric itself is first compared with a threshold thrii , with the aid of a subtractor subii . furthermore , a formation of the algebraic sign (+ or -) of the temporal differential quotient is effected with the aid of a second register reg b and a further subtractor subiii , in such a manner that the old delta metric value is subtracted from the new one , and the result leaves the subtractor subiii via the carry . both results reach a command logic circuit bgv . this logic device , from among the four possible combinations for the algebraic signs of the differential quotient and the carry signal , furnishes at its output a command , as to whether adding or subtracting in the add / sub circuit , and inversion or non - inversion in the inv circuit , are to be performed . an inversion here corresponds to an addition by adder / subtractor add / sub and a non - inversion corresponds to a subtraction by adder / substractor add / sub . one possible set of commands of circuit bgv is shown in the following truth table , table iii : table iii______________________________________output outputof subiii of subii output of bgv______________________________________0 0 low ( substract )& lt ; 0 0 high ( add ) 0 & lt ; 0 high ( add )& lt ; 0 & lt ; 0 high ( add ) ______________________________________ in this example , adding is performed if one of these conditions will lead to a false signal ; otherwise , subtraction is performed . the command circuit logic bgv may be implemented in the form of an eprom or of a multiplexer as a function generator , depending upon the speed required . the command signal output by the command circuit logic bgv is delivered to the control input of the switchable adder / subtractor add / sub , the control input of the switchable inverter inv , and optionally to a control input of the divider tl . the registers reg a and reg b are controlled by a common system clock signal cl to repectively input the data from adder / subtractor add / sub and the delta - m stage . in fig4 b there is shown a second realization of an error signal calculating circuit . in this circuit , as in the circuit of fig4 a , the delta metric mmax - mmin calculated by a delta - m stage , is fed to two subtractor stages subii and subiii . subtractor stage subii compares the delta metric with a threshold thrii . in addition , like the error signal calculating circuit of fig4 a , a temporary differential quotient signal is formed with the help of a register reg b and a further subtractor subiii in such a way that the old metric value is subtracted from the new one and the result leaves the subtractor subii over the carry . fig4 c shows a numerical example of the formation of the temporary differential quotient and the evaluation of its sign ( output of subtractor subiii ). the actual metric values are shown in the first line of fig4 c , and the previous ones in the second line . both results reach logic command circuit bgv . as in the circuitry shown in fig4 a , the command logic circuit bgv can be realized by a known state of the art eprom with the truth table shown in table iv below . table iv______________________________________output output outputof subiii of subii of bgv______________________________________0 ≧ 0 low & lt ; 0 0 high0 & lt ; 0 high & lt ; 0 & lt ; 0 high______________________________________ the output signal of circuit bgv is fed to the enable input of an up counter up - cnt . short time pulses delivered by circuit bgv represent an error signal for those cases where the threshold conditions fixed by the truth table of circuit bgv are violated ( high levels ). these short time pulses have to be counted for a reasonable time ( considering the fact that changes due to noise and lasting only a short time are to be suppressed ) and compared with a threshold thri with the aid of subtractor stage subi . this &# 34 ; integrate and dump &# 34 ; processing is done by an up counter up - cnt , a down counter down - cnt and an or stage . a minimum time of counting by counter up - cnt is established by the threshold thri . a maximum time period on time for counting tc is established whereby a fail signal will be output only if the count of the counter up - cnt reaches threshold thri within the time period tc . the maximum time for counting is set by down counter down - cnt , which is fed with the counting time constant tc via its load inputs . a load command lc to perform the parallel load of the time constant tc is represented by the output of an or gate whose inputs are a zero input from the carry output of counter down - cnt and the output of subtractor stage subi . both counters and register reg b are clocked by clock signal cl . down counter down - cnt begins to count down until 0 . if down counter down - cnt has reached 0 before up counter up - cnt reaches the threshold thri , subtractor stage subi will not output a fail signal . up counter up - cnt is reset and down counter down - cnt is loaded again with the counting time constant tc in response to the load command lc . if up counter up - cnt has reached threshold thri before down counter down - cnt reaches 0 a fail signal at the output of subtractor stage subi will appear , which is fed to the phase ambiguity resolution stage ( see fig3 ) via a flip flop ff , which is clocked by clock signal cl &# 34 ;, being slower than either clock signal cl or clock signal cl &# 39 ;. the reason that clock signal cl &# 34 ; is made slower is that the fail signal has to be held for the time of further processing performed by the phase ambiguity stage . the fail signal must be stable and must not pulse during an incorrect counterstate . therefore , the relationship between the time constant tc and the threshold thri is chosen as described above . a fail signal may not correct a false demodulator phase ambiguity state . time constant tc is an integration time constant to distinguish properly between metric errors due to channel noise and synchronization errors . in the case of expected phase jumps in accordance with qpsk or n - psk signal modulation , the threshold thri is reached very fast , consequently producing a fail signal . error bursts , which simulate apparently correct codes are neglected . an improved acs circuit which calculates the maximum and minimum metrics mmax and mmin input to the differential metric stage delta - m shown in fig1 a and 4b , is shown in detail fig5 - 9 . in the fundamental circuit diagram of fig6 two of a total of 16 acs networks are shown , each of which compares the effect of one of 16 possible transitions between 4 - bit numbers in a shift register when a most significant bit is released and a least significant bit is added . in each of these acs networks , this is accomplished by adding respective opposed branch metrics to one of two previously ascertained metric data . the respective two results of addition are compared with one another . the results of comparison from all of the acs networks are then collected and evaluated in terms of extreme - value metrics . from the metric datum msel ( msel1 , msel2 , . . . ) obtained by means of each of the acs stages acs0 , acs1 , . . . , the extreme - value metric obtained from the collected results of comparison -- in this case the minimum metric mmin -- is subtracted in a subtraction stage sub0 , sub1 , . . . . a respective memory st0 , st1 , . . . associated with each acs network is updated with the result of the subtraction , its memory contents being available as the &# 34 ; previously ascertained metric data &# 34 ; for the next addition . as fig6 shows , in the first acs network acs0 , the particular current branch metric r00 is added by means of a first adder add1 , to the contents of the memory st0 . by means of a second adder add2 , the particular current branch metric opposed to r00 , that is , r11 , is added to the contents of the memory st1 associated with the next acs network acs1 . the additions are performed in the arithmetic domain , that is , with conventional 4 - bit binary adders . by means of transformation stages , the two 4 - bit - wide arithmetic output data of the adders add1 and add2 are transformed into the logical domain . this transformation can for example be attained by means of multiplexers dmx1 , dmx2 , . . . , which convert the 4 - bit - wide binary number into a 2 4 - wide binary stream , in which the binary number is identified as a bit position , for example as a logical zero state among solely logical one states , or as a logical one state among solely logical zero states . fig7 schematically illustrates such a transformation . in each respective logical comparison stage , and1 , and2 , . . . , the two logically transformed addition results of each acs network are compared with one another . this comparison is effected in the logical domain , bit by bit , by means of an and linkage . at the output of each comparison stage and1 , and2 , . . . , a 16 - bit - wide binary stream then reappears , characterized by the bit position . the results of all of the comparison stages and1 , and2 , . . . are collected in the logical domain by means of a multi - and linking stage m - and . the structure of this linking stage m - and is shown schematically in fig8 and can be realized by a wired and structure using diodes and resistors in a conventional manner or by cascading usual and arrays . at the output of the multi - and linking stage , two priority encoders pre - ma and pre - mi are provided . the priority encoder pre - mi localizes the least significant bit position , and emits it in the form of a binary number , that is , arithmetically , in the form of a minimum metric - path metric - mmin . the priority encoder pre - ma localizes the most significant bit position and makes the maximum metric mmax available . from the minimum and maximum metric , the differential metric is formed by subtraction in the stage delta - m . the differential metric ascertained is required for instance for synchronization or for phase ambiguity resolution in viterbi decoding as will be described below . the output of each logical comparison stage and1 , and2 , . . . of one acs network is connected to a priority encoder pre1 , pre2 , . . . , which selects the extreme value bit position - in the exemplary embodiment the least significant bit position - from each comparison result and emits it in the form of a binary number in the arithmetical operation domain . this binary number is emitted in the form of the metric datum msel to one of the subtractors sub0 , sub1 , . . . associated with the acs stages , with 4 - bit - wide processing , for subtraction of the minimum metric mmin and updating of the respective memory st0 , st1 , . . . . the memories st0 , st1 , . . . must receive only 4 - bit - wide words , because the subtractors connected to their input side and the adders connected to their output side operate in the arithmetical operation domain . which metric datum of an acs network is carried to which one of the subtractors depends upon the trellis diagram for the acs networks which shows all of the possible transitions ; this is sufficiently familiar from the literature . the trellis diagram is shown in fig9 for a possible viterbi decoding . see also fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 757 , 506 showing the same trellis diagram and the accompanying description . it shows on the basis of which transitions new source bits q1 and q2 can be produced and the postscripts of the branch metrics r00 , r01 , r10 , r11 associated with each transition . thus , the output of the priority encoder pre of the ith acs network acsi ( i = 0 , . . . , 15 ) as identified in the left had column in fig9 is input to the subtractor subj associated with the jth acs network acsj ( j = 0 , . . . , 15 ) as identified in the right hand column in fig9 connected therewith by a solid line for the outputs of encoders pre of the 0th through 7th acs networks and by a dashed line for the outputs of encoders pre of the 8th through 15th acs networks . for example , the metric datum msel0 obtained by means of the network acs0 is carried to the subtractor sub0 , but the metric datum msel1 obtained by means of the network acs1 is carried to the subtractor sub2 , which is associated with the network acs2 ; and the subtractor sub1 associated with the network acs1 receives the metric datum msel8 of the network acs8 . furthermore , the output of each memory stj associated with the acs network acsj is input to one of the adders of the assocated acs network acsj and to the other adder of a acs network with which it is paired , the pairings being indicated in fig8 by those acs networks listed in the right hand column which are coupled by dashed and solid line to the same acs networks listed in the left hand column . thus , acs0 and acs1 , acs2 and acs3 , acs4 and acs5 , acs6 and acs7 , acs8 and acs9 , acs10 and acs11 , acs12 and acs13 , acs14 and acs15 are respectively paired in accordance with this trellis diagram . fig5 shows the connecting routes between most of the 16 acs networks . each acs network includes still another stage , which has not yet been discussed . this involves comparators dt1 , dt2 , . . . , each for obtaining one path decision datum dec0 , dec1 , . . . , which may be required for some types of further viterbi decoding . the comparators dt1 , dt2 , . . . each compare the respective addition results of the two adders add1 , add2 , . . . prior to the transformation into the logical domain in each acs network in the arithmetical operation domain , that is , with respect to 4 - bit - wide words . whether the difference between the two addition results is equal to 8 or less than 8 is in each case emitted as path decision data . the present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in federal republic of germany patent applications no . p 37 25 655 . 6 filed aug . 3rd , 1987 , no . 37 24 536 . 8 filed july 24th , 1987 , p 37 24 537 . 6 filed july 24 , 1987 , the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference . it will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications , changes and adaptations , and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims .
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now referring to the drawings , the improved booth seating system bs will be described in detail . the booth seating system bs comprises three basic elements ; namely , a universal a - frame a , a table top t , and a seating unit su , which may be either a single seating unit ssu or a double seting unit dsu . the seating units su are constructed and defined on the basis of a single frame unit sfu having a removable leg sul . the seating units su are also universal ; no lefts or rights . the single frame seating unit sfu is utilized at the ends of the booth system bs wit the double seating units dsu used for successively adjacent units between the ends as illustrated in fig1 . the frame units sfu and dfu are the basic frames for receiving the upholstered seating units usu and the upholstered back rest ubr and which are secured thereto . the seating units may be provided with ornamental trim elements tr as illustrated in fig1 and 4 , for example : the details of the universal a - frame a will now be examined in detail . the a - frame a is the basic module of the booth seating system bs and is defined as a universal element , that is , no right hand units or left hand units need be considered . the a - frame a includes a pair of spaced apart frame rails 10 and 11 arranged in a longitudinal parallel relationship and in the same horizontal plane . the rails 10 and 11 can be constructed of hollow , square structural elements such as 2 inch × 2 inch elements . each rail 10 and 11 has a leg secured adjacent the ends thereof . the rear leg for the rail 10 is identified as the rail 10r while the front leg is identified as 10f . similarly , the legs for the rail 11 are identified as rear leg 11r and 11f for the front leg . the rear legs 10r and 11r are mounted in a flush relationship or in the same vertical plane as the rails , as illustrated in fig4 . the front legs 10f and llf are offset from the rails 10 and 11 respectively , and from the rear legs 10r and 11r , by being secured to the outside surfaces of the rails 10 and 11 respectively . each of the legs 10r , 10f , 11r and 11f are provided with mounting feet for supporting the a - frame on a mounting surface . the mounting feet for the rail are identified as the feet 10m , while the mounting feet for the rail 11 are identified as the feet llm . the feet 10m and 11m are secured to the four legs of the a - frame as illustrated in fig5 and will be discussed in more detail hereinafter . the a - frame a also includes a hollow structural element of the type of the rails 10 and 11 welded to the rear ends of each rail 10 and 11 and to angularly extend outwardly therefrom in a cantilevered relationship at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the rails 10 and 11 . the structural elements 12 and 13 are secured to the inner edges of the rails 10 and 11 respectively to extend angularly upwardly therefrom and towards the opposite rail . a similarly defined structural element 14 is secured in a cantilevered relationship between the free ends of the elements 12 and 13 by welding and arranged in a horizontal plane to complete the a - frame . the top surface of the element 14 is arranged to be parallel to the top surface of the rails 10 and 11 for providing a mounting surface for the table top t . the table mounting element 14 has a pair of cross members 15 and 16 secured thereto for securing the table top t thereto . the cross member 16 is secured to the element 14 adjacent the free end thereof while the cross member 15 is secured intermediate the ends of the element 14 . each of the cross members 15 and 16 are provided with apertures for securing the table top t thereto by means of fasteners , as is evident from examining the drawings . it should be noted that an important feature of the a - frame is the arrangement of the offset legs 10f and llf . the provision of the legs 10f and 11f in an offset relationship or spaced outwardly from the vertical plane of the outside faces of the rails 10 and 11 permits the plurality of the a - frames a to be stacked in a nesting relationship , as can be appreciated from examining fig6 and 7 . the a - frames can then be stacked by placing one a - frame a on top of an a - frame a resting on the ground by approaching the frames a from the rear thereof to stack them up in any desired number at the factory for ease of handling and shipment . in the shipping of the stacked frames a , the table tops t can be stacked in the space on the inside of the a - frames a , as illustrated in dotted outline in fig6 for shipping purposes resulting in economies in space for shipping . another important feature of the a - frame a is the provision of the pair of mounting plates secured to each of the rails 10 and 11 . the front mounting plate 10fp for the rail 10 is secured to the front leg 10f and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally aligned , spaced mounting apertures 10fpa . similarly , a rear mounting plate 10rp having a single slot is secured , by welding , to the outside face of the rail 10 intermediate the ends thereof , as is evident from fig4 . the rail 11 is provided with a front mounting plate llfp secured to the leg 11f and provided with mounting apertures llfpa along with the rear mounting plate llrp . the front mounting plates 10fp and llfp are longitudinally aligned to secure a seating unit and the rear plates 10rp and llrp are similarly longitudinally aligned and defined . the mounting plates 10fp , 10rp , llfp , and llrp are illustrated as spaced slotted apertures for providing infinite adjustment but also could be spaced round apertures to provide incremental adjustment or pierced apertures . referring now to fig4 in particular , the modular assembly of the seating units su will be described for both the single seating units ssu and the double seating units dsu . the single seating unit ssu will first be described . the single seating unit ssu is constructed on the basis of the single frame unit sfu which consists of an angle structural element 20 and an angle element 21 , both elements being the same length and arranged in a parallel spaced apart relationship . these elements 20 and 21 are secured together by a pair of angle elements 22 and 23 to form a rectangle . the angle elements 22 can be considered the rear element and the element 23 can be considered the front element . the elements 20 , 21 , 22 and 23 are all welded together to define the rigid single frame unit sfu . the angle elements 22 and 23 are arranged with an arm extending in the same horizontal plane and outwardly from the frame unit sfu proper and each having one arm dependent therefrom as can best be seen in fig4 . the dependent arms of the elements 22 and 23 are provided with a plurality of aligned , spaced apart mounting slots 22s and 23s corresponding to the mounting slots for the mounting plates 10rp , 11rp , 10fp and 11fp respectively on the a - frames a . the mounting brackets for the a - frame a are provided for adjustably securing the frame sfu to the brackets 11fp and 11rp in accordance with the desired spacing available by means of fasteners . the single frame unit sfu is secured to the brackets 11fp by means of the pair of front fasteners ff to be mounted in the openings 11fpa ( illustrated in exploded relationship therewith ) and into the desired mounting slots 23s on the frame unit sfu . similarly , the rear fastener rf is secured to the slots 22s for the element 22 by means of the aperture for the rear mounting plate 11rp . the sfu frame is utilized for the end seating units of the booth system bs and therefore is provided with an upstanding leg or legs sul that is secured to the plate 21 by means of a fastener 25 intermediate the ends thereof , as shown in exploded relationship in fig4 and in a secured relationship in fig1 . the frame unit sfu is completed by means of a u - shaped seat back frame identified by the reference numeral 26 . the u - shaped frame 26 is secured to the frame unit sfu at the right hand end or the outer end thereof as illustrated in fig4 by means of the fasterners 27 and 28 . the frame unit sfu can be upholstered or covered with a molded plastic seat base and molded backrest . in the drawings the frame unit sfu is illustrated as being upholstered by means of a seating unit usu secured to the top side of the elements 22 and 23 and with an upholstered backrest ubr secured to the back frame element 26 . suitable trim elements tr may be provided along the outside edges for the seating units as well as decorative u - shaped elements surrounding the frame 26 for the upholstered backrest ubr . the double seating unit is constructed by means of a double frame unit dfu ( see fig4 ) which is generally of the same configuration as the single frame unit sfu but has a seating frame on opposite sides of the backrest frame 26 . to this end for the purposes of the double frame unit dfu , the angular elements 22 &# 39 ; and 23 &# 39 ; are approximately doubled in length with respect to the elements 22 and 23 so that the backrest frame unit 26 is secured intermediate their ends , as is evident from examining the exploded relationship in fig4 . the cross members 20 &# 39 ; and 21 &# 39 ; for the double frame unit dfu are both illustrated as structural angle elements and are oriented in the same fashion as the angular elements 22 and 23 to form a rectangular frame . in this instance , the side faces adjacent each end of the elements 22 &# 39 ; and 23 &# 39 ; are provided with a plurality of adjusting apertures 22 &# 39 ; s and 23 &# 39 ; s arranged in a spaced , aligned relationship to correspond to the slots on the adjusting plates 10fp , 10rp , etc . for the a - frames a . each side of the backrest frame element 26 when secured to the frame dfu then secures an upholstered or molded seat of conventional construction and identified as the element usu . each upholstered seat usu is secured to the frame element dfu by means of suitable apertures provided in the element 22 &# 39 ; and 23 &# 39 ; and fasteners along with an upholstered backrest ubr secured to the backrest frame element 26 . suitable trim elements tr may be secured to the outside faces of the upholstered seating elements usu as indicated in fig4 along with the decorative u - shaped element tr secured between the upholstered backrest elements ubr . it should be recognized that the seating units ssu and dsu are assembled at the factory and shipped in assembled fashion to the point of use as a seating module . this then only requires that the modules be assembled to the a - frames a at the installation site as indicated in fig1 . now referring to fig5 the typical section through a hollow structural element will be examined to show the manner of securing the elements together as well as the mounting feet 10m for the booth seating system bs . the hollow , square elements each include a plate 30 welded to the inside of the hollow structural element 26 which is shaped and threaded to receive a fastener 31 . the shaped element 30 is defined with sufficient depth to securely hold the fastener 31 and the elements 23 &# 39 ; and 26 together . the shaped plate 30 is secured a preselected distance d from the free end of the element 26 to allow the elements to be readily secured in the correct relationship . the manner of assembling the modular units at the point of use should now be appreciated . the stacked a - frame elements a and the table tops t along with the required number of upholstered seating units can be readily uncrated and assembled at the point of use with a minimum of effort and inexpensive labor . for this purpose , the longitudinal dimension l which runs from center line to center line of the tables t is originally defined for the area in which the booth system bs is to be installed . the a - frame elements a are first spaced on the supporting surface with the center line of the a - frame elements a spaced in coincidence with the ends of the dimension l that has been preselected . this is to allow the booth system to be customized for the particular area available for such a booth seating system . the double seating units dsu then may be mounted on the a - frame rails 10 and 11 for the successive adjacent booths by resting them on the rails 10 and 11 and then securing them to the plates 11fp and 11rp , etc . into the particular adjusting apertures ; see the right hand end of fig1 . it should be noted that the seating units dsu will be supported on the frames a without being secured thereto . this is done for each of the adjacent booth systems and then a single seating unit ssu is secured in the same fashion to the outside rail element 10 and 11 , the left and right ends of the booth system bs as viewed in fig1 . the tables t may then be secured to the cantilevered arms 14 for the a - frame a at the cross members 15 and 16 by means of the fasteners provided therefor . it should also be noted that for the single seating units ssu the leg sul must be secured on site to the frame element 21 to support the ends of the single seating units ssu .
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the following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention . the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . the light source control module 30 of the present invention can be used for various types of light sources . a laser main body 10 is described as a light source . the light control module 30 of the present invention can be used with the laser main body 10 as a power switch . a laser generator 101 and a battery 102 ( providing power for the laser generator 101 ) are disposed in the laser main body 10 . the laser generator 101 can be a conventional laser generator . referring to fig2 and 3 , the light source control module 30 has a housing that includes a cover 31 and a connection sleeve 39 . receiving spaces 312 and 392 are defined inside the cover 31 and the connection sleeve 39 , respectively . a power cable 341 is connected to the cover 31 and a power switch 34 . screw threads 311 and 391 are defined on the inner wall of the cover 31 and the outer wall of the connection sleeve 39 , respectively . a plurality of grooves 393 are defined on the outer wall of the connection sleeve 39 for receiving one or more rings 394 . external screw threads 397 are defined on the other end of the connection sleeve 39 for engaging corresponding internal screw threads 11 in the laser main body 10 . a modulation circuit board 36 is disposed in the cover 31 . the power switch 34 is electrically connected to the modulation circuit board 36 for turning the laser main body 10 on and off to - emit modulated laser beam . the modulation circuit board 36 contains a modulation circuit ( which can be conventional circuitry ) that is designed to control the laser generator 101 to emit different modulated beams . the modulation circuit can also be provided on the circuit board 33 described below . the modulation circuit has multi - frequency adjusting function for modulating the laser beam to have various flashing frequencies . the modulation circuit board 36 is driven by the battery 102 disposed in the laser main body 10 . in addition , an independent power supply device may be used to provide power for the modulation circuit board 36 . the modulation method of the modulation circuit 36 can either be analog modulation or digital modulation , which are well known in the art . the connection sleeve 39 , a conducting spring 35 , the modulation circuit board 36 , and a pressing ring 37 are disposed inside the receiving space 312 . a contact 361 , a plurality of batteries 32 , a battery tube 38 , a conducting spring 331 , a circuit board 33 and a contact 332 are disposed inside the receiving space 392 of the connection sleeve 39 . the conducting spring 35 is disposed at the proximal - most end of the receiving space 312 , with the modulation circuit board 36 pressed against the conducting spring 35 , and the pressing ring 37 pressed against the modulation circuit board 36 . the power cable 341 passes through the cover 31 and is electrically connected to the contact 361 on the modulation circuit board 36 . the circuit board 33 is positioned at the distal - most end of the receiving space 392 , with the conducting spring 331 disposed on one side of the circuit board 33 facing the cover 31 , and the contact 332 disposed on the other side of the circuit board 33 . an opening 396 is defined on the distal end of the connection sleeve 39 . the contact 332 may extend through the opening 396 by a predetermined distance h measured from the distal end of the connection sleeve 39 . one or more batteries 32 are placed in the receiving space 392 . the positive end 321 of the distal - most battery 32 contacts the conducting spring 331 and the negative end 322 of the proximal - most battery 32 contacts the contact 361 disposed on the modulation circuit board 36 . the connection sleeve 39 is received from the distal end of the cover 31 into the receiving space 312 . the ring ( s ) 394 can be used to seal the screwed cover 31 and connection sleeve 39 . the pressing ring 37 is pressed by the edge 395 of the connection sleeve 39 to ensure that the modulation circuit board 36 contacts the conducting spring 35 for electrical conduction therebetween . the batteries 32 are pressed by the conducting spring 331 to ensure that the batteries 32 constantly engage the contact 361 . as best shown in fig3 and 4 , the light source control module 30 can be engaged with the tail of the laser main body 10 via the screw thread 397 . the exposed contact 332 can contact the corresponding contact disposed on the tail of the laser main body 10 for electrical conduction between the light source control module 30 and the laser main body 10 . the laser main body 10 is then turned on and off by the power switch 34 . when the power switch 34 is turned on , the laser generator 101 emits a flashing laser beam . the power switch 34 can be either externally disposed and connected to the cover 31 via the power cable 341 , or can be directly disposed on the cover 31 . although the present invention is applicable to a laser main body as described herein , the principles of the present invention can also be applicable to other light sources such as a flashlight . the modulation circuit of the present invention can control the flashlight to emit various flashes . in addition , various modulation modes such as morse codes may be stored into the modulation circuit in advance so that the flashlight can be used as a communication instrument . as described above , the modulation switch of the present invention replaces the conventional on / off switch so that the light source can be used not only for lighting purposes , but also for communication , warning and signal transmission purposes . the modulation circuit is removably secured in a housing to simplify the structure , and allow it to be compatible with conventional light sources . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention .
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for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . fig1 a shows a flexible recloseable container 20 for containing a product , container 20 being useful for being formed , filled , and sealed with goods , and also being useful when sold as an empty container . container 20 comprises first and second sidewalls 22 and 24 , respectively , which may be made from any suitable thermoplastic film such as , for example , low density polyethylene , linear low density polyethylene , or similar materials . sidewalls 22 and 24 include first left transverse side seal 28 and second right transverse side seal 30 . container 20 also includes a bottom edge 26 generally opposite a pair of interlocking fastener strips 32 and 34 . bottom edge 26 may include a fold between sidewalls 22 and 24 , such as for a container formed using vertical form , fill and seal apparatus , or alternatively edge 26 may include a seal between sidewalls 22 and 24 , such as for a container 20 formed using a horizontal form , fill , and seal apparatus . interlocking strips 32 and 34 of fastener profiles run along the top edge of container 20 . strips 32 and 34 are sealed together at endstops 36 and 38 . a formed docking station 39 is located near endstop 36 . as an alternative to a formed docking station , strips 32 and 34 can also incorporate one or more vertical slits 37 a and / or 37 b , as will be described later . strips 32 and 34 are sealed to each other and also to sidewalls 22 and 24 at corner seals 40 and 42 . comer seals 40 and 42 are located along their respective edges of container 20 . seals 40 and 42 are generally located below shoulders 45 and 47 of fastener strips 32 and 34 , respectively . in one embodiment of the present invention , container 20 includes a tamper - evident seal 43 between sidewalls 22 and 24 . seal 43 may be an extension of the interlocking strips that extend internally across the opening of container 20 . seal 43 may be integrally molded with the strips , or may be attached separately . the broken or unbroken state of seal 43 provides evidence to the user of whether or not container 20 has been previously opened . a tamper evident seal is especially useful with a form , fill , and seal machine that inserts an edible product into container 20 . referring to fig1 a and 1b , slider 148 is slidable upon fastener strips 32 and 34 . fastener strips 32 and 34 include a pair of vertical walls 80 b and 80 a , respectively . a male profile element 82 b projects outwardly from wall 80 b . a female profile element 82 a projects outwardly from wall 80 a . slider 148 is shown enclosing non - interlocked portions of fastener strips 34 and 32 . movement of slider 148 along the fastener strips results in either an interlocking of profiles 82 a and 82 b , or an unlocking of profiles 82 a and 82 b . female profile 82 a includes an upper member 81 a which projects outwardly from strip wall 82 a to a greater extent than lower member 81 b . because of the greater length of upper member 81 a over 81 b , during interlocking of strips 32 and 34 male profile element 82 b comes into contact first with upper member 81 a , and second with lower member 81 b . in one embodiment of the present invention slider 148 includes a separator 162 having a vertical depth from central portion 151 b sufficient to separate elements 82 a and 82 b as slider 148 is moved along the fastener strips in an opening direction . feet 160 b and 160 a of slider 148 retain the slider on the interlocking strips by shoulders 45 and 47 , respectively . in another embodiment of the present invention , container 20 contains one or more vertical slits 37 a and 37 b that extend downward through fastener strips 32 and 34 through the top portion of the fastener strips , but preferably not through the interlocking profile elements of the fastener strips . these slits 37 a and 37 b reduce the stresses imposed upon the fastener strips due to the presence of the slider separator when the slider is proximate to one of the endstops . for example , slit 37 b of bag 20 increases the flexibility of the top portion of the fastener strips such that there is reduced separation force on the interlocked profile elements near endstop 38 when the slider and separator are docked adjacent to endstop 38 . it should be understood ; however , that not all embodiments of the invention include vertical slits 37 a and 37 b . for example , in one embodiment of the invention , a docking station 39 is formed by pressing the slider against a heated still - formable endstop 36 . in such an embodiment the slits 37 a and 37 b are not necessary and not present . fig2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 present top , end , bottom , and side elevational views of a slider 48 according to one embodiment of the present invention . slider 48 includes a body 49 which is preferably injection molded from a plastic material . in one embodiment , slider 48 slidingly engages a pair of interlockable fastener strips of a flexible , reclosable container , similar to that shown in fig1 a and 1b . as best seen in fig2 , body 49 includes a closing end 49 a , through which passes a pair of interlocked fastener strips as slider 48 is moved in a closing direction along the fastener strips . body 49 further includes an opening end 49 b , through which passes the unlocked pair of fastener profile strips as slider 48 is moved in a closing direction along the strips . referring again to fig2 - 5 , body 49 also includes a top 50 having a pair of central portions 51 a and 51 b which transversely span from one top edge 51 c to an opposing top edge 51 d . a pair of opposing sidewalls 52 a and 52 b depend downward from edges 51 c and 51 d , respectively , of top 50 . sidewalls 52 a and 52 b each include a bottom edge 54 a and 54 b , respectively , which are generally vertically opposite of top edges 51 c and 51 d , respectively . top 50 and sidewalls 52 a and 52 b bound an interior 55 of slider 48 . projecting from each sidewall toward interior 55 are one or more feet . as best seen in fig4 , projecting inwardly from sidewall 52 a are feet 56 a , 58 a , and 60 a . projecting inwardly from sidewall 52 b are feet 56 b , 58 b , and 60 b . preferably , feet 56 a and 56 b are aligned facing each other along the length of slider 48 . further , feet 58 a and 58 b are aligned facing each other , and feet 60 a and 60 b are aligned facing each other . preferably , slider 48 includes three pair of feet , with adjacent pairs of feet being spaced apart by a gap . referring to fig4 and 5 , feet 56 a and 58 a are spaced apart by a gap 57 a , and feet 58 a and 60 a are spaced apart by a gap 59 a . further , feet 56 b and 58 b are spaced apart by gap 57 b , and feet 58 b and 60 b are spaced apart by gap 59 b . feet 56 a and 56 b are located proximate opening end 49 b ; feet 60 a and 60 b are located proximate closing end 49 a . the pairs of feet of the slider co - act with shoulders of the fastener strips to maintain the slider engaged with the fastener strips , and further to assist in guiding the sliding motion of the slider along fastener strips . as best seen in fig1 b , shoulders 45 and 47 are located within the corners formed by the union of foot 160 b and sidewall 152 b and foot 160 a and sidewall 152 a , respectively . any attempt to vertically lift slider 148 from strips 32 and 34 is resisted by interference of shoulders 45 and 47 with feet 160 b and 160 a , respectively . however , the integrity of shoulders 45 and 47 is sometimes compromised by other features of container 20 . referring to fig1 a , the placement of fused endstops 36 and 38 at opposite ends of fastener strips 32 and 34 can distort or eliminate the edgemost portions of shoulders 45 and 47 . this distortion can reduce the co - action of the shoulders and feet that keeps the slider engaged to the bag . for example , moving the slider as far as possible toward endstop 38 can result in disengagement of the endmost feet from the shoulders . on a slider having only two pairs of opposing feet , the disengagement of one pair of feet from the shoulder permits the user to inadvertently rotate the slider about the remaining pair of engaged feet , and subsequently lift the slider from the fastener strips . however , a slider according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a central pair of feet such as feet 58 a and 58 b . even if feet 60 a and 60 b become disengaged from shoulders of the fastener strips , the central feet 58 a and 58 b and opening end feet 56 a and 56 b remain engaged with the shoulders , discouraging or preventing rotation of the slider and its subsequent pull - off from the fastener strips . the placement of gaps between adjacent pairs of feet permits some embodiments of the present invention to reduce the material cost and weight of the slider , in comparison to those sliders which include a continuous foot along the length of the sidewalls from the opening end to the closing end . in addition , as best seen in fig2 and 5 , the placement of the gaps can also facilitate design and fabrication of the injection molding dies and also facilitate the injection molding process . for example , gap 59 b is located below central portion 51 a and closing bars 64 a and 64 b . gap 57 b is located below central portion 51 b and separator 62 . in some embodiments , slider 48 is injection molded in a two - part die , with the two die parts coming together in the vertical direction ( vertical with reference to fig5 ). in addition , central portions 51 a and 51 b of top 50 are spaced apart by a gap 61 b . central portion 51 a is spaced apart from edge 49 a of body 49 by a gap 61 a . central portion 51 b is spaced apart from edge 49 b of body 49 by gap 61 c . as best seen in fig5 , gaps 61 a , 61 b , and 61 c are arranged in alternating sequence with gaps 59 b and 57 b . thus , a die half for injection molding of slider 48 extending downward ( as viewed on fig5 ) includes solid portions which correspond to gaps 61 a , 61 b , and 61 c . the die half for injection molding of slider 48 which extends vertically upward ( to join with the top die half ) includes solid portions generally within gaps 57 b and 59 b . referring again to fig2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , slider 48 includes a triangular - or wedge - shaped separator 62 which extends from central portion 51 b downward into interior 55 . separator 62 includes a narrow portion 62 b which begins spreading apart interlocked profiles when the slider is moved along the fastener strips toward the separator . a pair of closing bars 64 a and 64 b project downward from central portion 51 a . closing bars 64 a and 64 b are adapted and configured to interlock fastener strips sliding between the closing bars . fig6 , 7 , 8 , and 9 depict top , end , bottom , and side elevational views of a slider according to another embodiment of the present invention . the use of an “ n ” 100 series prefix ( nxx ) with an element number ( xx ) refers to an element that is the same as the non - prefixed element ( xx ) previously described or depicted , except for the differences which are described or depicted hereafter . slider 148 is substantially the same as slider 48 , with one difference being the manner of coupling the separator to a central portion of the top . referring to fig9 , a triangular - or wedge - shaped separator 162 is attached to central portion 151 b of top 150 by an intermediate attachment portion 163 . this attachment portion has a width 163 a perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of slider 148 that is less than a separating width 162 a of separator 162 . attachment portion 163 is depicted with a square cross section , but can have a cross section of any shape . preferably , attachment portion 163 is integrally molded with separator 162 and central portion 151 b . this incorporation of a reduced width attachment portion above the separator assists in maintaining slider 148 in engagement with a pair of fastener strips . referring to fig1 b , slider 148 is shown engaged with a pair of fastener strips 32 and 34 . each fastener strip includes a top flange 84 a and 84 b which projects inwardly from sidewalls 80 a and 80 b , respectively , of fastener strips 34 and 32 , respectively . flanges 84 a and 84 b provide a top closure of the fastener strips when the fastener strips are interlocked . further , top flanges 84 a and 84 b are captured within interior 155 between the top surface of separator 162 and the bottom surface of central portion 151 b . flanges 84 a and 84 b extend inwardly from their respective sidewalls toward the interior such that a flange and sidewall wrap around separator 162 . the use of a reduced width section 163 accommodates the flanges by providing sufficient lateral space for their sliding movement through the slider . further , any attempt to pull slider 148 off of bag 120 results in interference between the top corners of separator 163 and the inside surfaces of the flanges , thus increasing the strength of the attachment of the slider 148 to strips 32 and 34 . fig1 , 11 , 12 , and 13 present top , end , bottom , and side elevational views of a slider 248 according to one embodiment of the present invention . slider 248 includes a body 249 which is preferably injection molded from a plastic material . in one embodiment , slider 248 slidingly engages a pair of interlockable fastener strips of a flexible , reclosable container , similar to that shown in fig1 a and 1b . body 249 includes a closing end 249 a , through which passes a pair of interlocked fastener strips as slider 248 is moved in a closing direction along the fastener strips . body 249 further includes an opening end 249 b , through which passes the unlocked pair of fastener profile strips as slider 248 is moved in a opening direction along the strips . referring again to fig1 - 13 , body 249 also includes a top 250 having a central portion which transversely spans from one top edge 251 c to an opposing top edge 251 d . a pair of opposing sidewalls 252 a and 252 b depend downward from edges 251 c and 251 d , respectively , of top 250 . sidewalls 252 a and 252 b each include a bottom edge 254 a and 254 b , respectively , which are generally vertically opposite of top edges 251 c and 251 d , respectively . top 250 and sidewalls 252 a and 252 b bound an interior 255 of slider 248 . projecting from each sidewall toward interior 255 are a pair of opposing feet . as best seen in fig1 and 12 , projecting inwardly from sidewall 252 a is foot 256 a , and projecting inwardly from sidewall 252 b is foot 256 b . preferably , feet 256 a and 256 b are aligned facing each other along the length of slider 248 . the pair of feet of the slider co - act with shoulders of the fastener strips to maintain the slider engaged with the fastener strips , and further to assist in guiding the sliding motion of the slider along fastener strips . referring to fig1 b , shoulders 45 and 47 are located within the corners formed by the union of foot 256 b and sidewall 252 b and foot 256 a and sidewall 252 a , respectively . any attempt to vertically lift slider 248 from strips 232 and 234 is resisted by interference of shoulders 45 and 47 with feet 256 b and 256 a , respectively . slider 248 incorporates various improvements which reduce the possibility a user will inadvertently pull slider 248 off of a pair of fastener strips . as best seen in fig1 , each foot 256 a and 256 b is inclined upward toward top 250 , forming an angle 256 c between the upper surface of the foot and the inner surface of the corresponding sidewall that is less than 90 degrees . in a more preferred embodiment , angle 256 c is less than about 75 degrees and more than about 20 degrees . further , although fig1 depicts an angled foot with substantially linear surfaces , the present invention also contemplates the use of a hook - shaped cross section , including radiused or rounded portions . separator 262 of slider 248 includes a nose section 262 b which extends from the triangular - or wedge - shaped portion of separator 262 having a width 262 a to the face of the closing end 249 a . a nose 262 b that extends flush to the face of closing end 249 a limits the maximum travel of slider 248 . for example , as best considered in reference to fig1 a , movement of a slider 248 toward endstop 36 results in contact of nose 262 b with the innermost fused area of endstop 36 . this contact limits the sliding travel of slider 248 , making it more difficult for a user to slide slider 248 such that a portion of the feet are no longer in contact with the fastener strip shoulder , and thus more difficult to pull slider 248 out of engagement with fastener strips 32 and 34 . as best seen in fig1 and 13 , closing bars 264 a and 264 b project inwardly from sidewalls 252 a and 252 b toward interior 255 . preferably , closing bars 264 a and 264 b are located vertically between the bottom surface of separator 262 and the top surface of feet 256 a and 256 b . this manner of vertical location facilitates the use of a dieset for injection molding that couples together along the longitudinal axis of the slider , with reference to fig1 ( i . e ., a dieset that couples together in a direction parallel to the length of the fastener strips ). as can be best seen in fig1 and 13 , slider 248 includes features with different vertical orientations to facilitate injection molding by a pair of dies that couple together in a longitudinal direction ( i . e . the dies come together such that one die approaches from opening side 249 b toward another die that approaches from closing side 249 a ). in this manner , it is possible to mold certain features , such as the angled interior corner represented by angle 256 c , that are difficult to fabricate with dies that approach each other vertically . this difficulty arises because of the vertical alignment of closing bars 264 a and 264 b directly above the angled interior surfaces of feet 256 a and 256 b , respectively . in contrast , in one embodiment of the present invention the dies approach each other longitudinally , and the open , interior volume beneath the bottom of the closing bars and the top of the angled feet is easily reproduced by a complementary - shaped solid portion of a longitudinally - approaching die member . fig1 - 21 , 22 a , and 22 b depict a slider according to another embodiment of the present invention . these figures depict the two pieces of a two - part slider 348 for a reclosable container . fig1 - 17 show a body 349 with a pair of sidewalls 352 a and 352 b . fig1 - 21 show a separately molded top 350 which is slidingly received within a track 366 of body 349 . fig2 a and 22b show top and end views , respectively , of the assembled slider 348 . fig1 - 17 depict a body 349 which is similar to body 249 previously discussed . however , body 349 includes a top transverse section 368 which connects sidewalls 352 a and 352 b . sidewalls 352 a and 352 b each include a channel section 366 a and 366 b , respectively , which extend from the face from opening end 349 b toward an inner vertical wall of top transverse section 368 . extending inwardly from sidewalls 352 a and 352 b are closing bars 364 a and 364 b which function to interlock fastener strips sliding between the closing bars . sidewalls 352 a and 352 b bound an interior 355 of slider 348 . projecting inwardly from sidewall 352 a are feet 356 a , and projecting inwardly from sidewall 352 b are feet 356 b . fig1 - 21 depict a top portion 350 , which includes a separator 362 having a nose portion 362 b similar to nose portion 262 b previously described . however , top portion 350 is adapted and configured to be slidingly received within channels 366 a and 366 b , resulting in a slider 348 which is substantially similar to one piece slider 248 . preferably , separable top portion 350 is received within channels 366 a and 366 b in light interference fit , such that friction maintains top 350 coupled to body 349 . body 349 also includes a top 350 having a central portion 351 a which transversely extends from one top edge 351 c to an opposing top edge 351 d . separator 362 has a width 362 a . fig2 a and 22b show top and end views , respectively , of an assembled two piece slider 348 . top 350 is shown inserted in channels 366 a and 366 b . fig2 , 24 , and 25 a depict top , end , and side elevational views , respectively , of a separable top 350 ′ for a slider 348 ′. fig2 b is an end view of an assembled slider 348 ′. slider 348 ′ includes top 350 ′, slidingly received within channels 366 a and 366 b of body 349 . top 350 ′ is the same as top 350 , except that separator 362 ′ is spaced apart from and underneath the bottom surface of slider 348 ′ or top 350 ′ by an attachment portion 362 a ′ of wedge - shaped separator 362 ′. fig2 and 27 depict a body 349 ″ and separable top 350 : which can be assembled to form a slider . body 349 ″ includes a top transverse section 368 ″ which connects sidewalls 352 a ″ and 352 b ″. body 349 ″ is the same as body 349 , except that channels 366 a ″ and 366 b ″ include angled interior surfaces , as best seen in fig2 . channels 366 a ″ and 366 b ″ are closest together at a location near 349 b ″, with the distance between opposing walls of the channels increasing as the channels extend toward closing and 349 a ″. fig2 depicts a top 350 ″ which is the same as top 350 , except that top 350 ″ includes angled side surfaces 351 c ″ and 351 d ″ that are complementary in shape to the inner walls of channels 366 a ″ and 366 b ″, respectively . as best seen in fig2 , the width of top 350 ″ is narrowest toward the opening end ( i . e ., proximate the widest portion of separator 362 ″), and widest near the closing end ( i . e ., near the distal end of separator nose 362 b ″). top 350 ″ is slidingly received within the channels of body 349 ″. as the widest ( or closing ) end of top 350 ″ is pressed into the narrowest ( or opening ) end of body 349 ″, sidewalls 352 a ″ and 352 b ″ are spread apart . lead - in chambers or tapers may be provided on both of the channel inlets of body 349 ″. alternatively the insertion edge of top 350 ″ may have tapered corners , as shown , to assist in the insertion and spreading apart of the sidewalls . after insertion , the sidewalls 352 a ″ and 352 b ″ resiliently spring back to their original position , thus locking top 350 ″ in place . although fig1 - 27 depict a separable top which is inserted into a body proximate the opening end 349 b , the present invention further includes separable tops and receiving channels adapted and configured for insertion from opening end 349 a . further , although what has been shown and described is a separable top that is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis , the present invention also contemplates those separable tops in which only one side includes an angled surface or some other feature which co - acts with the respective channel to lock the positioned top in place in the body . fig2 shows an end elevational view of a slider 248 ′ according to another embodiment of the present invention . slider 248 ′ is the same as slider 248 , except that the sidewalls 252 a ′ and 252 b ′ are angled inward toward interior 255 ′, such that the bottom end of the sidewalls near feet 256 a ′ and 256 b ′ is narrower than the distance between the sidewalls toward top 250 ′. slider 248 ′ includes a separator 262 ′. top 250 ′ and sidewalls 252 a ′ and 252 b ′ bound an interior 255 ′ of slider 248 ′. the included angle 252 c ′ between top surface 250 ′ and the exterior surface of sidewall 252 a ′ is less than 90 degrees , and in a preferred embodiment is less than about 85 degrees and more than about 60 degrees . the included angle 252 d ′ between top surface 250 ′ and the exterior surface of sidewall 252 b ′ is less than 90 degrees , and in a preferred embodiment is less than about 85 degrees and more than about 60 degrees . although what has been shown and described are inwardly angled walls with substantially flat surface , the present invention also contemplates those embodiments in which the walls include rounded , non - planar surfaces . fig2 - 34 present various views of a slider 448 according to one embodiment of the present invention . slider 448 includes a body 449 which is preferably injection molded from a plastic material . in one embodiment , slider 448 slidingly engages a pair of interlockable fastener strips of a flexible , reclosable container , similar to that shown in fig1 a and 1b . body 449 includes a closing end 449 a , through which passes a pair of interlocked fastener strips as slider 448 is moved in a closing direction along the fastener strips . body 449 further includes an opening end 449 b , through which passes the unlocked pair of fastener profile strips as slider 448 is moved in a opening direction along the strips . referring again to fig2 - 34 , body 449 also includes a top 450 having a central portion which transversely spans from one top edge 451 c to an opposing top edge 451 d . a pair of opposing sidewalls 452 a and 452 b depend downwardly from edges 451 c and 451 d , respectively , of top 450 . sidewalls 452 a and 452 b each include a bottom edge 454 a and 454 b , respectively , which are generally vertically opposite top edges 451 c and 451 d , respectively . top 450 and sidewalls 452 a and 452 b bound an interior 455 of slider 448 . projecting from each sidewall toward interior 455 are a pair of opposing feet . projecting inwardly from sidewall 452 a is foot 456 a , and projecting inwardly from sidewall 452 b is foot 456 b . preferably , feet 456 a and 456 b are aligned facing each other along the length of slider 448 . the pair of feet of the slider co - act with shoulders of the fastener strips to maintain the slider engaged with the fastener strips , and further to assist in guiding the sliding motion of the slider along fastener strips . referring to fig1 b , shoulders 45 and 47 are located within the corners formed by the union of foot 456 b and sidewall 452 b and foot 456 a and sidewall 452 a , respectively . any attempt to vertically lift slider 448 from strips 32 and 34 is resisted by interference of shoulders 45 and 47 with feet 456 b and 456 a , respectively . slider 448 incorporates various improvements which reduce the possibility a user will inadvertently pull slider 448 off of a pair of fastener strips . as best seen in fig3 , each foot 456 a and 456 b includes an upstanding projection or lip 457 a and 457 b , respectively . these projections 457 a and 457 b extend generally toward interior 455 of slider 448 from a generally horizontal central portion of feet 456 a and 456 b , respectively . further , although fig3 depicts an upwardly angled projection with substantially linear surfaces , the present invention also contemplates the use of a hook - shaped cross section , including radiused or rounded portions . separator 462 of slider 448 includes a nose section 462 b which extends from the triangular - or wedge - shaped portion of separator 462 to the face of the closing end 449 a . a nose 462 b that extends flush to the face of closing end 449 a limits the maximum travel of slider 448 . for example , as best considered in reference to fig1 a , movement of a slider 448 toward endstop 36 results in contact of nose 462 b with the innermost fused area of endstop 36 . this contact limits the sliding travel of slider 448 , making it more difficult for a user to slide slider 448 such that a portion of the feet are no longer in contact with the fastener strip shoulder , and thus more difficult to pull slider 448 out of engagement with fastener strips 32 and 34 . as best seen in fig3 , closing bars 464 a and 464 b project inwardly from longitudinal midpoints of sidewalls 452 a and 452 b toward interior 455 . preferably , closing bars 464 a and 464 b are located vertically between the bottom surface of separator 462 and the top surface of feet 456 a and 456 b , as best seen in fig3 . this manner of vertical location facilitates the use of a dieset for injection molding that couples together along the longitudinal axis of the slider ( i . e ., a dieset that couples together in a direction parallel to the length of the fastener strips ). slider 448 includes features with different vertical orientations to facilitate injection molding by a pair of dies that couple together in a longitudinal direction ( i . e . the dies come together such that one die approaches from opening side 449 b toward another die that approaches from closing side 449 a ). in this manner , it is possible to mold certain features , such as the lowered elevational portion of the feet between the innermost projections ( 457 a and 457 b ) and the inner surface of the walls of the slider body ( 452 a and 452 b , respectively ), that are difficult to fabricate with dies that approach each other vertically . this difficulty arises because of the vertical alignment of closing bars 464 a and 464 b directly above the interior surfaces of feet 456 a and 456 b , respectively . in contrast , in one embodiment of the present invention the dies approach each other longitudinally , and the open , interior volume beneath the bottom of the closing bars and the top of the angled feet is easily reproduced by a complementary - shaped solid portion of a longitudinally - approaching die member . slider 448 also includes exterior features which provide a more positive feel and improved gripping surface for the user , regardless of whether the slider is moved in the opening or closing direction . slider 448 includes angled or contoured exterior surfaces 472 a and 472 b which extend outwardly away from interior 455 as the exterior surfaces traverse longitudinally from closing end 449 a toward the middle of slider body 449 . likewise , the other half of the slider body includes walls 452 a and 452 b which include exterior surfaces 470 a and 470 b that extend away from interior 455 in a direction from opening end 449 b toward a midpoint of the slider body . the juncture of outer surfaces 470 a and 472 a meet along a generally vertical ridge 474 a which is preferably near a midpoint along the length of body 449 . the juncture of outer surfaces 470 b and 472 b meet along a generally vertical ridge 474 b which is preferably near a midpoint along the length of body 449 . as best seen in fig3 , ridges 474 a and 474 b are located a greater distance from the centerline of body 449 b than other points along vertical walls 452 a and 452 b , respectively . these central ridges and angled or curving exterior walls provide for easier gripping and control of slider 448 by the user . for example , when moving the slider in a direction to interlock the profiles , the user places his fingers on the outwardly flaring wall surfaces 472 a and 472 b and pushes gently against ridges 474 a and 474 b , which is gripped more easily and with less need for surface friction than otherwise flat , planar exterior wall surfaces . as another example , when moving the slider in a direction to unlock the profiles , the user places his fingers on the outwardly flaring wall surfaces 470 a and 470 b and pushes gently against ridges 474 a and 474 b , which is gripped more easily and with less need for surface friction than otherwise flat , planar exterior wall surfaces . in one embodiment , the present invention includes an apparatus for a reclosable container , comprising a pair of fastener strips each having a sidewall with a top , the fastener strips including a pair of opposing interlockable profile elements projecting from the sidewalls of the fastener strips and adapted and configured for repeated locking and unlocking of the fastener strips . each fastener strip has a flange extending from a location proximate the top of the respective fastener strip . the apparatus further includes a slider comprising a body including a top with a pair of opposing sides and a central portion therebetween , a pair of opposing sidewalls , and a separator for unlocking the profile elements . each sidewall depends downward from opposing edges of the top . the separator depends downward from the central portion of the top , and has a first portion with a first width adapted and configured for unlocking the profile elements . the separator is attached to the top by an attachment portion having a second width that is less than the first width . when the slider is coupled to the fastener strips , at least one of the flanges is able to slide between the top of the body and the first portion , and also past the attachment portion . preferably , the flanges overlap one another when the profile strips are interlocked . in another embodiment , the present invention includes a slider for locking and unlocking the fastener profiles of a flexible , reclosable container , comprising a body including a top and a pair of opposing sidewalls . each of the sidewalls depend downward from the top and have a bottom edge spaced away from the top . the body has an interior bounded by the top and the sidewalls . the apparatus includes a first pair of feet for retaining the slider on the fastener profiles and guiding the slider along the fastener profiles , each of the first pair of feet projecting from a different one of the sidewalls toward the interior along the bottom edge . the apparatus includes a second pair of feet for retaining the slider on the fastener profiles and guiding the slider along the fastener profiles , each of the second pair of feet projecting from a different one of the sidewalls toward the interior along the bottom edge . the apparatus includes a third pair of feet for retaining the slider on the fastener profiles and guiding the slider along the fastener profiles , each of the third pair of feet projecting from a different one of the sidewalls toward the interior along the bottom edge . the second pair of feet are placed between and spaced apart from the first pair of feet and the third pair of feet along the bottom edge . the apparatus preferably includes a pair of closing bars , each of the bars projecting from a different one of the sidewalls toward the interior and located intermediate of the top and the respective bottom edge . the closing bars are located along the respective sidewall in between the first pair of feet and the second pair of feet . preferably , each of the first pair of feet opposes each other , each of the second pair of feet opposes each other , and each of the third pair of feet opposes each other . referring now to fig3 - 42 , there is illustrated a further embodiment of the present invention . referring particularly to fig3 there is shown a cross sectional view similar to fig1 b of a slider 548 which is slidable upon fastener strips 532 and 534 . the description and showing above with reference to fig1 a is also pertinent as regards the construction application and operation of the embodiment of fig3 - 42 . referring to fig3 , slider 548 is slidable upon fastener strips 532 and 534 . fastener strips 532 and 534 include a pair of vertical walls 580 a and 580 b , respectively . a male profile 582 b projects outwardly from wall 580 a . a female profile element 582 a projects outwardly from wall 580 b . slider 548 is shown enclosing non - interlocked portions of fastener strips 534 and 532 . movement of slider 548 along the fastener strips results in either an interlocking of profiles 582 a and 582 b , or an unlocking of profiles 582 a and 582 b . female profile 582 a includes an upper member 581 a and also a lower member 581 b . slider 548 includes a separator 562 having a vertical depth from central portion 551 b sufficient to separate elements 582 a and 582 b as slider 548 is moved along the fastener strips in an opening direction . feet 560 b and 560 a of slider 548 retain slider 548 on the interlocking strips by shoulders 545 and 547 , respectively . referring to fig3 - 42 , slider 548 includes a body 549 which is preferably injection molded from a plastic material . body 549 includes a closing end 549 a through which passes interlocked fastener strips of a flexible , reclosable container such as that shown in fig1 a . when the slider 548 is moved in a closing direction along the fastener strips , the interlocked profiles pass out of the closing end 549 a . body 549 further includes an opening end 549 b through which passes the unlocked pair of fastener profile strips as slider 548 is moved in a opening direction along the strips . body 549 also includes a top 550 and a pair of opposing side walls 552 a and 552 b which depend from the top 550 . projecting inwardly from sidewall 552 a is foot 556 a . projecting inwardly from sidewall 552 b is foot 556 b . the feet 556 a and 556 b are relatively stout or thick and also extend the entire length of the slider from the closing end 549 a to the opening end 549 b . the single pair of feet of the slider coact with the shoulders 545 and 457 to firmly retain the slider on the fastener strips . because the feet and 556 a and 556 b extend the entire length of the slider there is little tendency for the feet to become disengaged with the shoulders thus preventing or reducing pull off of the slider from the fastener strips . the slider 548 further includes the separator 562 which as shown in fig3 , 39 , 40 and 41 has , at least in part , a wedge - shaped or diamond - shaped portion 562 a and straight or elongated portion 562 b . the separator 562 is adapted and configured to unlock and separate the profiles as shown in fig3 when the slider is moved in the opening direction on the fastener strips . mounted on the sidewalls 552 a and 552 b are closing bars 564 a and 564 b which are adapted and configured to interlock fastener strips sliding between the closing bars . the slider 548 includes features with different vertical orientations to facilitate injection molding by a pair of dies that couple together in a longitudinal direction ( i . e . the dies come together such that one die approaches from closing end 549 a toward another die that approaches from opening end 549 b ). a pair of slots 570 are provided to facilitate orienting the sliders when it is fed in a parts feeder for assembly on the fastener strips . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected . in the following claims the terms vertical , horizontal , above and the like are used not in an absolute sense but instead in a relative sense so as to orient the various elements of the claim relative to one another .
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as seen in fig1 and 2 , tidal waterway 4 may have , in places , an original bottom 41 as illustrated by the dotted - dashed line in fig1 . the original river bottom 41 shown generally runs at an angle up to a shore or bank 42 of the waterway and is generally flattened in the middle . at the barrier , a bottom 21 of the waterway 4 , which waterway is illustrated in fig2 and which bottom substantially replaces the original river bottom 41 at the barrier location , comprises a foundation 2 . the foundation 2 may form an inclined plane 22 , which plane preferably begins from points above the river bank to the deepest point of the waterway , which point may be approximately in the middle of the river . in the vicinity of the bank 42 , the bottom 21 is may be generally flatter and / or smoother , and , in the middle of the waterway 4 , may be deeper than the original bottom 41 . the latter characteristic is generally to the advantage of a ship channel 43 in the middle of the river . fig2 shows tracks 23 of dam walls 11 and bracing walls 12 on the foundation 2 . together , a dam wall 11 and a bracing wall 12 together preferably form one gate element 1a to 1d . the bracing walls 12 generally have no covers and preferably have openings between their beams . fig1 is the ocean - side view of one - half of the barrier in a closed position , or a position in which the barrier is extended and thus prepared to counter a storm tide or flood . as shown , reference number 44 indicates what may be an average high water level , and reference number 45 indicates what may be a maximum high water level . the illustrations of fig1 and 2 , showing the closed position , show how the gate elements 1a to 1d may overlap under one another on their vertical end edges 14 . elements 1a - 1d also preferably have seals 15 on the overlapping points of the dam walls , which seals preferably come into contact with bead - shaped contact surfaces ( not shown ) on the next - higher element . the seals 15 are preferably elastic in nature . the gate elements 1a to 1d all preferably have an identical shape , but may be of different sizes . the upper edges 13 of the elements 1a - 1d are preferably inclined in relation to the inclined plane 22 , but may also be configured differently from those illustrated ; for example , they may be flatter . the elements 1a to 1d preferably become smaller going from the middle of the river to the shore , and are designated by the letters a to d . in fig1 for example , elements 1a - 1d are illustrated in a substantially exaggerated manner . in practical terms , as an example , one side of the barrier may be formed by about 3 to 5 elements , whereby the height of the largest element may be between about 25 and about 30 m and the lengths of the elements may be between about 100 and about 200 m . the overlaps for the intermediate seals 15 may be between about one and generally several meters long , for example . for the seals of the uppermost movable gate element 1d , a wall 5 with a corresponding contact surface 51 may be constructed on the upper portion of the inclined plane 22 . above this wall 5 , the gate elements 1a to 1d are preferably inserted in one another telescopically , above the average high water level 44 , as shown by the dashed lines in fig1 . to move the gate elements 1a to 1d , lantern gears or toothed racks may be used , among other things , and the opening movement may also be assisted by traction means driven by winches . the required drive machines are preferably installed in a machine house 6 . preferably , each of the gate elements 1a - 1d , as well as the drive machinery in machine house 6 , is also connected to a control apparatus 16 , which may be located in the machine house 6 or in a separate location . control apparatus 16 may include an electrical arrangement with simple switches . preferably , control apparatus 16 is provided to allow for each of the gate elements 1a - 1d to be seperately driven . in this way , the gate elements 1a - 1d may be driven separately , in pairs , or in any combination or configuration desired by an operator . examples of such combinations and configurations are discussed further below in relation to fig5 . fig3 shows a cross - sectional view of the foundation 2 , preferably made of concrete . the foundation 2 preferably includes , among other things , cable ducts ( not shown ) and galleries 28 . one such gallery which is shown here by way of example , located in the center of the foundation 2 . below the dam wall side of the gate elements 1a to 1d , the foundation 2 is preferably anchored in either the ground or the bottom of the waterway 21 and is preferably protected against scouring and erosion . the tracks 23 for the bracing walls 12 and the dam walls 11 may be located on the foundation 2 . these tracks 23 preferably have the same configuration for both dam walls 11 and bracing walls 12 , and preferably have a substantially trough - shaped cross section with diagonal flanks 26 . the generally identical lower edges 3 of all the gate elements 1a to 1d are preferably in contact with the flanks of the trough - shaped track 23 by means of rollers 31 . the flanks 26 are preferably at an angle of 45 degrees and the rollers 31 of the gate elements 1a to 1d may , accordingly , be oriented at a right angle to one another . the arrangement of the rollers 31 or the slope of the flanks 26 thus may allow for a favorable support of the dam and bracing walls 11 , 12 . additional configurations with flanks inclined at different angles are conceivable , to which the rollers 31 may be adapted . a combination of flanks at different inclinations in one track or group of tracks 23 may also be possible , as a function of the dam wall 11 or bracing wall 12 . the gate elements 1a to 1d are shown in a rest position , pushed together above the wall 5 . the seal 15 ( see fig1 and 2 ) on the inside 16 on the end edges 14 of the gate elements 1a - 1d is not shown . on the dam walls 11 , skinplates 18 of the gate elements are indicated by hatch - marks . fig4 shows an enlarged detail of a bottom edge 3 of a gate element in a track 23 . the track flanks 26 preferably contain embedded reinforcements 24 , such as h - beams , on which the rollers 31 may travel . the flanks 26 and reinforcements 24 may also be in the shape of a rail , as shown . preferably , on both sides of a bottom edge 3 of the gate element , very near the rollers 31 , there are preferably included skids 32 , on which a gate element 1 may slide if rollers are not present . in front of the dam wall 11 , shown in partial cross section , of a gate element 1 , a plate 33 preferably projects from a lower edge 3 . a rubber profile 35 is preferably fastened to the underside 34 of the plate 33 . the profile 35 , which generally runs along the lower edge 3 , is preferably laid into a contact surface 27 , which preferably runs in a trough - like manner near track 23 , on the ocean side of track 23 . preferably , profile 35 is pressed against the contact surface 27 by water pressure , thereby substantially preventing the seepage of sea water below the dam walls 11 . fig5 shows various possible operating positions a to e of one - half of the barrier . in position a , all the gate elements 1a to 1d are in the rest position above the wall 5 . in position b , one element , namely element 1b , has been extended ahead of the others , for example , for maintenance activities . at an average low water level 46 , the element may be completely out of the water ; at the average high water level 44 , it may be partly in the water . position c is a position of readiness , and position d is a position of increased readiness , when a storm tide is expected . but as the cross section of the waterway becomes narrower , the speed of the current may be extraordinarily accelerated , and an increasing gradient may also be formed . that , in turn , tends to cause an increasing load on the gate elements 1a to 1d , and it may be problematic to quickly move the gate elements into the closed position one after the other . on account of the individual drive mechanisms and the mobility of the elements 1a to 1d , which may move independently of one another , it is possible to partly reduce the cross section of the waterway and to achieve a shorter closing time in emergencies , whereby , simultaneously , the main ship channel 43 may be kept open for a very long time , as shown in position d . the barrier may also be opened therefrom correspondingly quickly , thereby generally reducing the time ship traffic is blocked . position e shows the barrier in the closed position , with the indicated maximum high water level 45 . since the current pressure of the rising water exerts significant additional forces on the moving gate elements 1a to 1d , it is generally advantageous to provide flow openings for relief in the dam walls 11 of the individual elements 1a to 1d . preferably , these relief openings are configured to be closed only after the gate element has reached the final closed position , e . g . by rollers on suitable rails or louvered gates . as a function of the overall height of the elements 1a - 1d , various devices may be considered which can also make the height of the upper edge of the gate element changeable , such as a structure with hanging flaps in a frame structure . the diagonal upper edge corresponding to the slope of the track must be replaced by a horizontal support structure for the mounting of the wickets of the weir . the wickets , which are held approximately horizontal during the movement of the elements , are lowered into the diagonal position only for the final closing , which corresponds to the slope of the dam walls of the other gate elements . to recapitulate , the storm tide flood barriers of the prior art for damming tidal surges have the particular disadvantages of expensive construction , a modification of the river cross section , complex and expensive methods to keep them clear of sand and silt deposits , and difficult service and maintenance . it must also be possible to maintain a continuous ship channel at least 200 to 400 m wide with sufficient depth at average low water . one feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier , in particular for the damming of a tidal waterway in the event of a storm tide , with a barrier having an approximately triangular cross section shape , whose one inclined wall forms a dam wall 11 and whose other wall forms a bracing wall 12 , which walls are connected to one another via a common upper edge 13 , and which can be moved on a foundation 2 between a rest position on the edge of the waterway and a closed position in the waterway , characterized by the fact that : the barrier comprises several movable gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d ; that the foundation 2 forms inclined planes 22 adapted to the bottom of the waterway 21 , on which the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d can be moved ; that all the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d have a geometrically similar triangular cross - section shape , but are of different sizes as a function of their position in the closed position , and are configured and arranged so that in the rest position they are telescoped into one another on the edge , preferably on the shore of the waterway , and in the closed position they are extended as a function of their size to the deepest point of the waterway , and ; that on the end edges 14 of the skinplates 11 , there are elastic seals 15 , which in the closed position always close the gap between two overlapping gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d . another feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the end edges 14 of the dam wall and the bracing wall 11 , 12 of the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d are designed at least in part so that they define vertical planes . yet another feature resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the dam wall 11 is curved or arched and that the bracing wall 12 is configured in the manner of a frame . a further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the foundation 2 contains 2 parallel tracks 23 , the tracks 23 run along the inclined plane 22 , and have a trough - shaped cross section 25 , whereby the cross section 25 has diagonal flanks 26 . a yet further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d are guided with elastically mounted roller and / or skid devices , which are located on the bottom edges 3 of the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d , each in a track 23 under the dam wall 11 and a track 23 under the bracing wall 12 , and are braced at least on the flanks 26 of the trough - shaped cross section 25 , whereby they are self - centering . a still further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that on the bottom edges 3 of the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d there are sweeper elements , which consist at least partly of plates in front of and behind each roller and / or skid apparatus 31 , 32 . a still yet further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that there are water pipes on the foundation 2 which are located at least partly in the tracks 23 , 24 , whereby the water pipes have nozzles from which pressurized water is discharged , and the tracks 23 are flushed clean or cleared by the pressurized water . a still yet another feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the seals 15 on the end edges 14 of the dam walls 11 are installed on the inside shore - side 16 of the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d , that on the river - side end edge 14 , there are contact surfaces with a bead - like shape on the dam wall 11 , and that the seals 15 can be pressed by water pressure against the bead - shaped contact surfaces 17 of the next - higher gate element 1b , 1c , 1d . a still yet further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that on the bottom edges 3 of the dam wall 11 , solid plates 33 are installed which project ahead of the dam wall 11 and have on their underside 34 a rubber profile 35 , which runs along the bottom edges 3 of the dam wall 11 and that there are contact surfaces 27 on the foundation 2 in front of the dam wall 11 , whereby the plates 33 can be pressed by the water pressure against the contact surfaces 27 . a yet further feature of the invention resides broadly in a barrier characterized by the fact that the gate elements 1a , 1b , 1c , 1d have closable openings in their dam walls 11 , by means of which a pressure equalization becomes possible during extension into the closed position . all , or substantially all , of the components and methods of the various embodiments may be used with at least one embodiment or all of the embodiments , if any , described herein . all of the patents , patent applications and publications recited herein , if any , are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein . the details in the patents , patent applications and publications may be considered to be incorporable , at applicant &# 39 ; s option , into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentably distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art . the invention as described hereinabove in the context of the preferred embodiments is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details thereof , since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
| 4 |
ester ( 4 ) can be synthesized by reacting a phenol of formula ( 2 ): wherein r is an acid protecting group , such as methyl or ethyl , with the bromo compound of formula ( 3 ): in an organic solvent , for example acetone , methylethylketone , diethylketone or dimethylformamide . the reaction may be conducted from below room temperature up to the reflux temperature of the solvent , in the presence of an inorganic base , e . g ., potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate . the addition of potassium iodide is also recommended . analogues of compound ( 3 ) having alternative leaving groups , such as chloro and tosylate , may be used to effect the coupling reaction . removal of the acid protecting group by alkaline ester hydrolysis and extractive work - up gives compound ( 1 ) as a white solid . recrystallization of the white solid to give essentially pure form a crystals ( fig6 ), ( e . g ., 90 % or more , preferably at least 95 %) can be accomplished by dissolving compound ( 1 ) in 5 to 10 parts by weight of ethanol at 25 - 40 ° c . to give a yellow to orange solution . the ethanol solution is charged with 1 - 10 parts of water and agitated at 20 - 25 ° c . for about 15 - 60 minutes and then at 5 - 10 ° c . for an additional period of 1 - 4 hours , preferably 2 . 0 - 3 . 0 hours , resulting in an off - white suspension . to this suspension is added 5 - 15 parts of water and the mixture is agitated at 5 - 10 ° c . for an additional 1 - 4 hours , preferably 1 . 5 - 2 . 0 hours . a solid , white to off - white product is isolated by vacuum filtration and the filter cake is washed with water and dried in a vacuum at 25 - 40 ° c . for 12 - 24 hours . other recrystallization conditions are also able to produce form a , such as dissolving compound ( 1 ) in a lower alcohol ( isopropanol ), and cooling the solution form crystals . pharmaceutical compositions containing the orthorhombic form of compound ( 1 ) may be formulated for oral administration with inert excipients , such as a starch binder excipient , alone or in combination with microcrystalline cellulose and a suitable lubricant . other suitable excipients include polyvinylpyrrolidinone , gelatin , hydroxy cellulose , acacia , polyethylene glycol , mannitol , sodium chloride , sodium citrate or any other excipient known to those of skill in the art of pharmaceutical compositions . excipients in tablets are generally classified according to their function , such as diluents ( also called bulking agents and fillers ), binders which hold the ingredients together in the compressed tablet , disintegrants which help facilitate the break - up of the tablet when placed in a fluid environment to release the active ingredient , and lubricants to improve the release of the compressed tablet from the die and punches . in addition , tablets may contain other substances intended to improve the tabletting process , such as flow additives , flavors , sweeteners and anti - oxidants . tabletting and some capsule filling operations are based on the ability of certain powders to bind under compression . compressed tablets may be prepared by wet granulation , dry granulation , or direct compression . the wet granulation process includes mixing the components in powder form , preparing the granulating binder solution , thoroughly mixing the components with the granulating binder solution to form a dough , coarse screening the mass through a sieve , drying , grinding , adding the lubricant and compressing the tablets from the resulting mixture . a preferred tablet formulation is a wet granulation containing polymorphic form a of compound ( 1 ) lactose regular , microcrystalline cellulose 101 , crosscarmellose , magnesium stearate and purified water , coated with opadry ii white . the tablets should weigh from 100 mg to 1000 mg , preferably 250 mg to 500 mg . dry granulation involves the steps of mixing the powder components , compressing the mixture into hard slugs , grinding the slugs into desired particle size , screening , adding other excipients if necessary , and compressing the mixture into tablets . the most economical tabletting method , direct compression , requires only two steps , mixing the dry components and compressing the mixture into tablets . suitable direct compression binders include microcrystalline cellulose , compressible sugars , certain calcium salts , lactose and dextrose . of these , microcrystalline cellulose is preferred . that excipient also displays good disintegration properties . other good binders include calcium phosphates and compressible sugars . calcium salt binders generally require the use of disintegrants . mannitol and sorbitol have certain taste advantages , but they lack binding properties and require a disintegrant . the tablets typically exhibit a tablet hardness of greater than 2 kilopond ( kp )/ cm . sup . 2 , more preferably a tablet hardness of greater than 5 , most preferably about 10 to about 20 kp / cm . sup . 2 and a disintegration time of less than 30 minutes , more preferably less than 15 minutes as measured utilizing the standard usp disintegration test in water . the polymorphic form a of compound ( 1 ) may also be formulated in capsules . solid carriers include starch , lactose , calcium sulfate , di - hydrate , teffa alba , magnesium stearate or stearic acid , talc , pectin , acacia , agar or gelatin . the carrier may also include a sustained release material such as glycerol monostearate or glycerol di - stearate , alone or with a wax . the amount of solid carrier varies but , preferably , will be between about 20 mg to about 1 gram per dosage unit . encapsulation can be done in any suitable manner , typically by use of a polymer coating used for microencapsulation , enteric coatings , multiple coatings , and the like . the polymer coating may resist disintegration upon contact with the saliva but instantly release the compound upon contact with gastric juice in the stomach , in order to control the taste of the composition . alternatively , the polymer coating may be one that resists rapid disintegration in the presence of gastric juice . suitable coating polymers include biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid , polygycolic acid , copolymers of lactic and glycolic acid , polyorthoesters , and polyanhydrides thereof . the compound also can be encapsulated by a polymer coating such as a polysaccharide ( e . g ., methyl or ethyl cellulose ) or within a liposomal delivery system . suitable methods of preparing compositions containing microencapsulated active ingredients are described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 462 , 982 , 4 , 710 , 384 , 5 , 178 , 878 , and 5 , 709 , 886 . preferably , the microencapsulated compounds have a mean particle size of about 50 microns to about 120 microns ( e . g ., about 70 microns to about 100 microns ). typical doses of compound ( 1 ) in tablets and capsules are from about 1 . 0 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg . administration intervals vary with the patient &# 39 ; s age , weight and general condition . in general , the drug is administer from one to four times daily . in general , tablets are formed utilizing a carrier such as modified starch , alone or in combination with 10 % by weight of carboxymethyl cellulose ( avicel ). the formulations are compressed at from 1 , 000 to 3 , 000 pounds pressure in the tablet - forming process . the tablets preferably exhibit an average hardness of about 1 . 5 to 8 . 0 kp / cm . sup . 2 , preferably 5 . 0 to 7 . 5 kp / cm2 . disintegration time varies from about 30 seconds to about 15 or 20 minutes . the following examples give specific embodiments of the invention but should not be construed as limiting its scope . to a stirred mixture of ethyl 4 -( 6 - acetyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 - propylphenoxy ) butyrate ( 1 . 6 g ), potassium iodide ( 0 . 5 g ) and potassium carbonate ( 1 . 45 g ) in acetone ( 30 ml ) was added drop wise a solution of 4 -( 3 - bromopropylthio )- 2 - hydroxy - 3 - propylphenyl - ethanone ( 1 . 9 g ) in acetone ( 10 ml ) with heating to reflux . after refluxing six hours the mixture was cooled to room temperature and inorganic materials were separated by filtration . the filtrate was concentrated and the residue was separated and purified by silica - gel column chromatography ( eluting with benzene : ethyl acetate = 9 : 1 ) to give the title compound as crude crystals ( 2 . 1 g , 72 . 4 %) which were recrystallized from ethanol to give colorless crystals , mp 65 - 66 ° c . to a mixture of ethyl 4 -[ 6 - acetyl - 3 -[ 3 -( 4 - acetyl - 3 - hydroxy - 2 - propylphenylthio ) propoxy ]- 2 - propylphenoxy ] butyrate ( 2 . 1 g ) in ethanol ( 10 ml ) was added a solution of sodium hydroxide ( 0 . 26 g ) dissolved into water ( 10 ml ). after heating on a hot water bath for 5 minutes , the mixture was cooled by adding ice - water and was made acidic by addition of hydrochloric acid , followed by extraction with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was washed with water , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated . the resultant residue was separated and purified by silica - gel column chromatography ( eluting with ethanol : methylene chloride = 3 : 100 ) to give the title compound ( 1 . 3 g , 65 . 2 %) as colorless crystals , mp 79 - 81 ° c . after re - crystallization with individual solvents , compound ( 1 ) was subjected to powder x - ray diffractometry , thermal analysis and determination of solubility in ether ; thus an exploratory evaluation of the crystalline polymorphism was made . the results demonstrate that compound ( 1 ) is present in 5 different crystalline polymorphs . fig1 - 5 show the powder x - ray diffraction patterns and dsc for metastable crystal types i through v . table 1 shows the preparatory procedures for types i through v and their solubility in ether . table 1 shows that the crystallization temperature was critically important in preparing the various crystalline polymorphs . when the bulk ingredient is prepared , crystallization takes place on a large scale and failure in controlling the exact temperature can result in a mixture of stable and metastable crystals , giving a larger variance in the physicochemical properties and bioavailability among production lots , against which precautions should be taken . bulk crystallization procedure for obtaining orthorhombic polymorph , crystal type v ( form a ). off - white solid compound ( 1 ) 34 g was dissolved in 204 ml ( 6 parts wrt mass of dry filter cake ) of ethanol ( 40 ° c .) giving a yellow to orange solution . with moderate agitation , the ethanol solution was charged with 43 ml ( 1 . 3 parts ) of water . the reaction mixture was cooled to 20 - 25 ° c . and agitated at 20 - 25 ° c . for about 15 minutes and then at 10 - 15 ° c . for an additional period of 1 - 2 hours , appearing as an off - white suspension . to the resulting suspension was then charged 364 ml ( 10 . 7 parts ) of water and the mixture was agitated at 5 - 10 ° c . for an additional 1 - 2 hours . a solid , white to off - white product was isolated by vacuum filtration . the filter cake was washed with 2 × 30 ml of water . the off white solid was dried in a vacuum at 35 - 40 ° c . for 24 hours . samples of compound ( 1 ) ( 5 g ) were suspended in ethanol / water ( 2 : 1 , 100 ml ) and stirred for one hour at temperatures of 22 ° c ., 30 ° c ., and 40 ° c ., respectively . the suspensions were filtered and the solids dried in a vacuum oven at room temperature overnight to give the insoluble material . the solubilities were calculated by subtractive means based on recovered material . in general wet granulation tablets were prepared with a binding solution comprised of an aqueous solution of hydroxypropylcellulose . granulation was performed with a high shear granulator , the resultant wet mass was fluid bed dried , milled , blended with extragranular excipients to aid disintegration , flow and compressibility , and subsequently tabletted on a tablet press . these core tablets were film coated to standardize appearance and to improve compliance ( i . e . ease of swallowing ). excipients included , but were not limited to croscarmellose sodium , magnesium stearate , hydroxypropylcelluse , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , lactose , glyceryl behenate , polyvinylpyrrolidine , mannitol , titanium dioxide and microcrystalline cellulose . in general , the dry granulation formulation was formed by dry blending ( in a tumble blender or high shear mixer ) a portion of the binding , disintegration and lubrication powders . this dry powder blend was formed into granules through the use of a roller compactor equipped with an oscillating ( shear ) granulator . the ss mesh screen , gap width , gap force , roller speed and granulator speeds were defined to optimize the formulation physical parameters as apparent to those skilled in the art of pharmaceutical processing . excipients included , but were not limited to croscarmellose sodium , magnesium stearate , hydroxypropylcelluse , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , lactose , glyceryl behenate , polyvinylpyrrolidine , mannitol , titanium dioxide and microcrystalline cellulose . table 3 . 4 . 1 proposed initial formulation compositions for dry granulation prototyping prototype 1 prototype 2 no . ingredient ( mg / tablet ) ( mg / tablet ) 1 compound ( 1 ), type v ( form a ) 250 250 2 lactose regular / fast flow 7 . 5 — 3 microcrystalline cellulose ph101 31 31 4 croscarmellose sodium 20 20 5 hydroxypropylcellulose 80 — 6 magnesium stearate 2 . 0 — 7 hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 8 . 0 — 8 titanium dioxide 1 . 0 — 9 carnauba wax 0 . 5 0 . 5 10 polyvinylpyrrolidone — 85 11 mannitol — 3 . 5 12 glyceryl behenate — 2 . 0 13 opadry ii ( white ) — 8 . 0 total 400 mg 400 mg the dry granulation process is given in the chart in fig7 . table 3 . 4 . 2 proposed initial formulation compositions for wet granulation prototyping prototype 3 prototype 4 no . ingredient ( mg / tablet ) ( mg / tablet ) 1 compound ( 1 ), type v ( form a ) 250 250 2 lactose regular / fast flow 7 . 5 — 3 microcrystalline cellulose ph101 32 32 4 croscarmellose sodium 25 25 5 hydroxypropylcellulose 25 — 6 magnesium stearate 2 . 0 — 7 hydroxypropylmethylcellulose 2910 7 . 0 — 8 titanium dioxide 1 . 0 — 9 carnauba wax 0 . 5 0 . 5 10 polyvinylpyrrolidone — 30 11 mannitol — 3 . 5 12 glyceryl behenate — 2 . 0 13 opadry ii ( white ) — 7 . 0 total 350 mg 350 mg the wet granulation process is given in the chart in fig8 . the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above in detail . various modifications and improvements thereto will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art . the foregoing examples are intended to be non - limiting and exemplary of the invention described in the foregoing specification and claimed below . the samples were prepared by a normal front packing technique and run on a siemens d5000 diffractometer system . a high - resolution cu - kα - source was used , operating at 50 kv / 35 ma . the secondary beam was monochromatized by a kevex solid state detector . the step scan mode was used for data collection within the range of 2 . 5 °- 35 ° ( 2 - theta ). the obtained data were processed by diffrac plus ™ software . the parts of the diffraction patterns of three different polymorphs are shown in fig6 , determined as form a ( likely an orthorhombic structure , specified type v ), form b ( i ) and form c ( ii ) ( both monoclinic lattices ) are also shown . as on can see the top pattern is quite different from the other two . the differences are clearly marked with arrows above the top trace . most of the single peaks on the upper pattern became doublets on the other two . this strongly suggests a structural transition with lowering of the overall symmetry . in order to find out some criteria for better distinguishing of these polymorphous , an attempt for indexing the unknown lattices was performed . the results reveal an orthorhombic lattice ( top trace , form a ) and a monoclinic one ( middle trace , form b ). the bottom trace ( form c ) has also a monoclinic lattice very similar to that one of form b , but with some missing reflections ( marked with arrows ) that could result from some structural differences . the structure of our form a is very close to form v in table 1 and fig5 , although there are some differences at the range 19 - 25 ° 2 - theta . on the other hand , the diffraction patterns for polymorphous form i and form ii match well with forms b and c , as they all apparently show the splitting of the main reflections due to reducing the overall symmetry from orthorhombic to monoclinic . because crystallographic characterizations of all five polymorphous described in table 1 are difficult to reproduce , we will characterize the structural state of compound ( 1 ) in pharmaceutical samples only by means of its appearance as form a , as defined by pxrd .
| 0 |
fig1 shows a light shelf assembly 10 mounted to structural members 12 a , 12 b , e . g ., metal studs of a wall of a building or a mounting framework for a plurality or array of light shelves , e . g ., stacked one above another with a spacing there between . the assembly 10 may include a shelf 14 with a panel 16 formed from sheet metal , such as aluminum or an aluminized plastic to confer reflectivity to the surface ( s ) of the panel 16 . the panel 16 may be painted with reflective paint , such as aluminum or white paint . in addition , the panel 16 could be made from a polymeric material , which could be translucent or opaque . alternatively , the panel 16 may be composed of a variety of rigid or flexible materials with a variety of visual characteristics . in the embodiment shown , the panel 16 is supported in a frame 18 , e . g ., made from extruded aluminum alloy , like that used to make aluminum windows and doors . alternatively , the frame may be made from other materials , such as plastic , wood , stainless steel or other types of metals . the frame 18 and / or panel 16 is attached to a base member 20 that spans the width of the panel 16 and frame 18 . as shall be described further below , the base member 20 is connectable to a structure via mounting assemblies 22 , 24 . fig2 and 3 show that the mounting assemblies , 22 , 24 feature a receiver portion 26 ( receiver ) and an inserter portion 28 ( inserter ). the receiver 26 may be fastened to a support member , such as structural member 12 a or 12 b , via fasteners 30 , such as bolts , screws , rivets , nails , etc . alternatively , the receiver 26 may have other coupling features , such as integral hooks that insert into apertures in a structural member 12 a or 12 b , similar to peg board hooks or other conventional removable shelf hooks . in the embodiment shown , the receiver 26 may be used in both mounting assemblies 22 and 24 to support both sides of the shelf 14 , such that specialized right and left receivers are not required . the receiver 26 has a lower bracket 32 and an upper bracket 34 which extend laterally from an upright portion 36 , which extends longitudinally and which receives the fasteners 30 to hold the receiver 26 to a structural member 12 a or 12 b . as described below in reference to fig1 , in another embodiment , the lower bracket 32 and the upper bracket 34 may extend at different angles relative to the upright portion 36 to accommodate different installation requirements . the lower bracket 32 and the upper bracket 34 are separated by a slot 38 . the inserter 28 has an insertion leg 40 , a pair of base attachment legs 42 , 44 , and an abutment leg 46 with an extension 48 to which the frame 18 may be attached . as described below in reference to fig8 a - 10 c , the inserter 26 may utilize features that promote bending of an overloaded mounting assembly too avoid disengagement from a structural member 12 a , 12 b . the inserter 28 may be fastened to a base member 20 by sliding the base attachments legs 42 , 44 into a hollow 50 of the base member 20 , and retained therein by fasteners 52 that are received in apertures 54 . similarly , the frame 18 is held to the extension 48 by fasteners 56 and apertures 58 . a groove 60 may be provided in the base member 20 to receive a panel 16 , which is not shown in fig2 and 3 . the depth and width of the groove 60 may be varied to accommodate panels 16 having different sizes and thicknesses . a set screw 61 is received in threaded aperture 61 a in abutment leg 46 and may be used to adjust the position of the shelf 14 , i . e ., by encountering abutment support surface 70 and pushing the abutment leg 46 away from the abutment surface 70 to a selected degree . fig4 a shows a receiver 26 fastened to a structural member 12 b juxtaposed next to an inserter 28 . the inserter 28 has an insertion leg 40 and an abutment leg 46 . a frame 18 is attached to the inserter 28 and depends downwardly therefrom for supporting a panel 16 ( not depicted ) of a shelf 14 . the shelf 14 would typically be held by a person ( installer ) in their hands and lifted and moved through the sequence of movements shown in fig4 a - 4 f in order to assemble and position the inserter 28 into the receiver 26 to hold the shelf 14 at a desired position . the lower bracket 32 of the receiver 26 has a floor 62 extending between a back wall 64 and a front wall 66 , which extends upwardly to form a lip 68 . the lip 68 is adjacent an abutment support surface 70 . the upper bracket 34 has a downwardly depending block 72 which defines a recess 74 proximate back wall 64 and a relief 76 opposite to the lip 68 of the lower bracket 32 , which defining a threshold gap 78 through which the insertion leg 40 may be passed into the slot 38 . fig4 b shows the insertion leg 40 as it is inserted into the threshold gap 78 . in the embodiment shown , the insertion leg 40 has a rectangular cross - section , such that the insertion leg will only clear the threshold gap 78 if held in the orientation depicted , i . e ., with the smaller dimension of the rectangular cross - section of the insertion leg 40 parallel to the threshold gap 78 , i . e . extending across the gap 78 . this dimensional relationship may be used to control the angle at which the insertion leg 40 may be passed into and out of the slot 38 , e . g ., to prevent inadvertent removal during assembly , adjustment and disassembly of the light shelf assembly 10 ( and consequently the orientations of the shelf 14 that enable / disable these functions ). in the embodiment shown in fig4 b , the shelf 14 is perpendicular to the horizon / ground for insertion . the threshold gap 78 may be modified to permit / require different angles of insertion of the insertion leg 40 and may be enlarged so as to allow insertion at any angle . as shown in fig4 c , once past the threshold gap 78 , the insertion leg 40 may drop down and rest on the floor 62 proximate the lip 68 . since a pair of mounting assemblies 22 , 24 may be used to support a shelf 14 , the engagement between the inserter portion 28 and the receiver portion 26 may take place on the mounting assemblies 22 , 24 on opposite sides of the base member 20 , such that the shelf 14 may be hung in the position shown in fig4 c without the support of a person . the installer can therefore release the light shelf 10 and it will hang from the assemblies 22 , 24 . fig4 d and 4 e show that the shelf 14 can be pivoted up on the insertion leg 40 within the slot 38 and slid back until the insertion leg 40 encounters back wall 64 . as shown in fig4 d , the pivoting of the insertion leg 40 is conducted while the insertion leg 40 is positioned proximate the lip 68 , allowing the abutment leg 46 to clear the lower bracket 32 as it swings upward . fig4 e shows that once the abutment leg 46 is clear of the lower bracket 32 and held at an angle b relative to the horizontal h , the insertion leg 40 can be slid back to the rear wall 64 , bringing the abutment block 46 over the abutment support surface 70 . fig4 f shows that when the shelf 14 is then swung down to the horizontal position , the abutment leg 46 or the adjustment set screw 61 ( see fig3 ) comes to rest upon the abutment support surface 70 and the insertion leg 40 pivots up into engagement with the recess 74 and is held in that position by the force of gravity g . the insertion leg 40 engaging the recess 74 resists forces directed perpendicular to the support member 12 b , and in cooperation with the abutment leg 46 and abutment support surface 70 , provides a cantilevered mounting for the shelf 14 , which is held in a horizontal orientation . if removal of the shelf 14 is desired , it can readily be accomplished by reversing the foregoing procedure . as can be appreciated , the shelf 14 can be adjusted between a depending orientation to a horizontal orientation and installed and removed from a mounted receiver 26 without tools . referring to fig2 and 3 , one or more set screws 79 may be used to adjust the angle of the shelf 14 . more particularly , the degree to which the set screw 79 protrudes through the abutment leg 46 and pushes the abutment leg away from the abutment surface 70 can be adjusted by turning the screw 79 in or out , varying the angle of the shelf 14 relative to the horizontal orientation . fig5 shows a corner 80 , e . g ., of a room in which a pair of light shelf assemblies 82 a , 82 b have been installed . the light shelf assemblies 82 a , 82 b have similar features as the light shelf assembly 10 described above in reference to fig1 - 4 , except for mitered edges 84 a , 84 b , which allow close relative juxtaposition in corner 80 . as before , the light shelf assemblies 82 a , 82 b are mounted to structural members 86 , e . g ., studs of a wall of a building or a mounting framework for a plurality or array of light shelves . the light shelf assemblies 82 a , 82 b may include a shelf 88 a , 88 b , with a panel 90 a , 90 b , respectively , formed from the same type of materials described above in reference to the embodiment shown in fig1 . the panels 90 a , 90 b may be supported in a corresponding frame 92 a , 92 b , respectively , e . g ., made from extruded aluminum alloy , like that used to make aluminum windows and doors . alternatively , the frame 92 a , 92 b may be made from other materials , such as plastic , wood , stainless steel or other types of metals . the frames 92 a , 92 b and / or panels 90 a , 90 b are attached to base members 94 a , 94 b . as before , the base members 94 and 94 b are connectable to a structure via mounting assemblies 96 a , 96 b that are like the mounting assemblies 22 , 24 described above , but also by mitered corner mounting assemblies 98 a , 98 b that have features providing a relative mitered fit one to another . fig6 and 7 show that the mitered mounting assemblies , 98 a , 98 b feature a receiver portion 100 having a mitered face 102 which is disposed at angle c , e . g ., 45 degrees relative to opposing face 104 . the inserter portion 106 features an extension 108 with a distal portion 110 that extends from a root portion 112 at an angle d , e . g ., 135 degrees . the angled extension 108 holds frame 92 a at acute angle e , e . g ., 45 degrees , relative to base member 94 a when coupled to the inserter portion 106 . end 114 of frame 92 a is cut at an angle f , e . g ., 45 degrees , to cover distal portion 110 up to the root portion 112 . as shown in fig5 , the mitered mounting assemblies 98 a , 98 b are mirror images of one another , such that they conjoin in a complementary , mitered relationship to fit in corner 80 . beyond the foregoing differences , the mitered mounting assemblies 98 a , 98 b are constructed and function in a similar manner to the mounting assemblies 22 , 24 described above in relation to fig1 - 4 . each of fig8 a - 10 c show inserters 120 . 130 . 140 , respectively , which have the same basic form and function as the inserters 28 and 106 described above with respect to fig1 - 7 , but illustrating different approaches to limiting the bending strength thereof . more particularly , fig8 a and 8 b show an inserter 120 having an aperture 122 extending through the inserter 120 proximate the junction of the extension 126 and the abutment leg 128 and having an orientation approximately perpendicular to the threaded aperture 124 ( which would receive an adjustment set screw ( not shown ) like screw 61 of fig3 ). the aperture 122 is dimensioned to reduce the bending strength of the inserter 120 , such that the extension 126 is likely to bend relative to the abutment leg 128 prior to the failure of mounting screws 30 ( see fig3 ) holding a cooperating receiver 26 , e . g ., as shown in fig3 . in the instance of an unexpected loading of a light shelf , e . g ., 14 or 88 a , e . g ., due to an installer pulling on the shelf 14 or 88 a , bending is preferred in that it occurs more gradually , allowing perception of the bending movement and corrective action to be taken ( encouraging the installer to stop pulling on the shelf . in addition , early bending limits the amount of force that can build up in the system . fig1 shows a receiver 150 affixed to a structural member 152 that is disposed at an angle k relative to plumb p . the receiver 150 has a lower bracket 154 and an upper bracket 156 that extend from the base attachment leg 158 at an angle that , in cooperation with an inserter 160 supports the light shelf 162 in a horizontal orientation . a receiver 26 like that shown in fig2 and 3 would have an orientation like that illustrated by the lower bracket 164 shown in dotted lines , if installed on an angled structural member 152 and would require a re - orientation through angle q , in order to hold the shelf horizontal . a receiver 26 , 152 may be selected with a lower bracket 32 , 154 and upper bracket 34 , 156 orientation that provides a desired incidence angle i and reflection angle r for light l , such that the reflected light rl is directed to a desired location within a given building for any given structural member 12 a , 152 orientation . it will be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter . for example , while the disclosure has been expressed in terms of apparatus for supporting light shelves , the apparatus disclosed herein could be utilized to support other types of horizontal members , shelves and support surfaces , e . g ., storage shelves . all such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims .
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fig1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for supporting injection mixing work according to the present invention . the apparatus for supporting injection mixing work comprises a memory device 1 , an input / output device 2 and a central processing unit 3 . the memory device 1 includes an injection prescription data file , a mixing work supporting data file , an incompatibility data file , an attention information data file , a composition alteration record file , and several kinds of master files . the injection prescription data file stores , as shown in fig2 , only the code data of the injection prescription data ( fig3 ) for the one day on which an injection is conducted . concretely , the code data includes an input date , a patient number , the date of practice , a mixing result flag and a prescription number . the input date and the date of practice are represented by numbers showing the year , month and day . the patient number , which is unique for each patient , comprises a patient code represented by eight figures and code numbers corresponding to the ward , sickroom , clinic and doctor . the mixing result flag comprises code numbers 0 , 1 and 2 allocated for “ not mixing ”, “ mixing ok ” and “ generation of composition alteration ”, respectively . the mixing result flag is used as a discriminant or criterion when reading the injection prescription data as described hereinafter . the prescription number comprises code numbers allocated for each injection prescription data . thus , data is read from the several kinds of master files in accordance with these code data . generally , the doctor conducts the direction of injection prescriptions for several days together . in conformity with this practice , therefore , the injection prescriptions for several days are also stored together in the injection prescription data file . in the case where the doctor conducts the direction of an injection prescription one after another due to a change in the condition of the patient , a plurality of different injection prescription data would be present for the same patient and for the same injection day . the injection prescription data can be inputted by a keyboard 8 or a mouse 9 , or otherwise can be automatically read from the host computer 12 . the mixing work supporting data file stores all kinds of necessary data to operate the apparatus for supporting injection mixing work . such data is set for each medicament code as shown in table 1 . in table 1 , the medicament code is expressed by abbreviation so that the pharmacist can easily input it and the quantity of data can be reduced . for example , the medicament code of injection e is expressed by inje . the medicament code is the same as one stored in a medicament master file which will be described hereinafter . the ph - value is an index number of a hydrogen ion within the medicament . the injection is apt to cause composition alteration based on the ph - value . the transfusion flag serves to show whether the medicament is transfusion or not . if the medicament is transfusion , then the transfusion flag is “ 0 ”; and if the medicament is not transfusion , then the transfusion flag is “ 1 ”. in general , the injection of more than 100 ml is defined as transfusion . the transfusion is administrated after mixing with another small quantity of injection . the mixing attention flag serves to show whether any attention ( by the user ) is necessary or not when mixing injections . if no attention is necessary , then the mixing attention flag is “ 0 ”; if any attention is necessary because of a possible composition alteration resulting from mixing injections , then the mixing attention flag is “ 1 ”; and if there is need to solely administrate the medicament without mixing , then the mixing attention flag is “ 2 ”. the stability time after dissolution means a time for which , after dissolving the powder injection , the dissolved injection holds its stability . the reason why the injection has a state of powder is that if the medicament has a state of liquid , it has poor stability . in table 1 therefore , the column of stability time after dissolution for the liquid medicament is blank . the incompatibility data file stores information about an incompatibility between two kinds of injections as shown in table 2 . in table 2 , the incompatible flag is used to show the content of such an incompatibility . if the content is a conditional incompatibility ( shown by symbol of “ δ ”), then the incompatible flag is “ 0 ”; and if the content is a full incompatibility ( shown by symbol of “ x ”), then the incompatible flag is “ 1 ”. the phrase conditional incompatibility means a mixed injection that can be used within 6 hours after mixing but cannot be used after over 6 hours , which is measured from the time of mixing , has elapsed . the attention information data file stores attention matters when using an injection as shown in table 3 . the master files include a medicament master file , a patient master file , a manipulation master file , a usage master file , a ward master file , a clinic master file , a doctor master file , a nurse master file and so on . each file stores code numbers corresponding to item names . the input / output device 2 includes a liquid crystal display 4 , a touch panel 5 , a printer 6 , an identification code reader ( barcode reader ) 7 , a keyboard 8 , a mouse 9 and so on . the liquid crystal display 4 is used to display all kinds of data and so on . the liquid crystal display 4 may be replaced by a crt display . the touch panel 5 is provided in order to enhance the operation of inputting data . the touch panel 5 can be substituted by the liquid crystal display 4 , the keyboard 8 , the mouse 9 and so on . the identification code reader 7 is used to read the identification code ( barcode ) of the injection prescription and the injection . the identification code is not limited to a barcode and may be a two - dimensional code of a small surface area . the cpu 3 has an internal random - access memory ( ram ) 10 to store all kinds of data and an internal read - only memory ( rom ) 11 to store a control program . the cpu 3 executes a support process for injection mixing work in response to an input signal from the input / output device 2 , which will be described hereinafter . the numeral 12 designates a host computer which transmits injection prescription data to the aforementioned apparatus for supporting injection mixing work external to the apparatus . hereinafter , an operation of the apparatus for supporting injection mixing work will be explained in accordance with the flowchart as shown in fig4 . when an operator pushes a button of “ injection prescription data input ” on a menu screen ( not shown ) displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 , an injection prescription data input screen is displayed ( step s 1 ). the injection prescription data input screen comprises , as shown in fig3 , columns of “ patient attribute information ”, “ date of practice ”, “ mixing results ” and “ prescription ”, the current date , and operating buttons of “ new input ”, “ input ok ”, “ cancel ” and “ end of mixing work ”. the column of “ patient attribute information ” includes a patient number , patient name and so on . in the column of “ date of practice ”, the current date is indicated . if the desired date is inputted , the injection prescription data corresponding to the desired date is read in and displayed on the column of “ prescription ”. in the column of “ mixing results ”, the content of the mixing result flag for each injection prescription data is indicated . generally , the content of the mixing result flag is “ 0 ; not mixing ”. if desired , “ 1 ; mixing ok ” or “ 2 ; generation of composition alteration ” can be inputted to be read in the specified kind of injection prescription data . in the column of “ prescription ”, displayed is a prescription number , medicament code , medicament name , manipulation ( injection manipulation : intravenous injection , intravenous drip injection , hypodermic injection , intramuscular injection ), usage , and one dose rate . all columns of the injection prescription data input screen are blank in the initial state . thus , an input process of injection prescription data from the injection prescription file is executed ( step s 2 ). in the process of inputting injection prescription data , as shown in fig5 the operator conducts an input operation by using the identification code reader 7 , the key board 8 , the mouse 9 and so on ( step s 21 ). for example , identification codes of injection prescription sheets are read by using the identification code reader 7 , and operation buttons ( mouse button , touch panel , etc ) are operated . then , it is judged whether or not the identification code is inputted ( step s 22 ). if the identification code is inputted , the injection prescription data corresponding to the identification code is read from the injection prescription file , whereby data corresponding to patient attribute information , as well as the injection prescription data , is indicated on the screen ( step s 23 ). since the injection prescription data has already been automatically read in from the host computer 12 and stored in the injection prescription data file , the injection prescription data is read from the injection prescription data file . in the injection prescription data file , as described before , only medicament codes are stored . therefore , the formal medicament name corresponding to the medicament code is read in from the medicament master file . for example , in the case of the medicament code “ inja ”, the formal medicament name “ injection a ; 10 ml ” is read in from the medicament master file . the injection prescription sheet may be a list such as an injection work sheet . the identification code may be printed directly on the injection prescription sheet . alternatively , a sheet on which the identification code is printed may be stuck on the injection prescription sheet . the contents of the identification code can be a patient number , an injection prescription number , an id number of injection prescription data or so on . on the contrary , if the identification code is not inputted , it is judged whether or not the button of “ new input ” is operated ( step s 24 ). if the button of “ new input ” is operated , the injection prescription data input screen is made blank . thus , the operator can input the injection prescription data ( step s 25 ). when the patient number is inputted in the column of “ patient attribute information ”, patient name sexuality and birth are read in from the patient master file in order to display them on the column “ patient attribute information ”. the age of a patient is calculated based on birth and the current date and is then displayed . as to the ward , sickroom , clinic and doctor , when the operator inputs the code numbers for such information , the corresponding data is read in from the respective master file in order to display these data items . for example , when the operator inputs code “ 60 ” for the ward , data of “ 6 floors ward ” is read in and displayed . in the same manner , when code numbers for each column are inputted , the corresponding data are read in from the respective master file so as to be displayed . subsequently , when the button of “ cancel ” is operated ( step s 26 ), each data displayed on the injection prescription data input screen is erased ( step s 27 ). when the button of “ input ok ” is operated instead of the button “ cancel ” ( step s 28 ), the process of inputting injection prescription data is terminated in order to return to the main process . when the button of “ end of mixing work ” is operated because of no injection prescription data ( step s 29 ), the input process of inputting injection prescription data is terminated in order to return to the main process . thus , the injection prescription data input screen is changed to the menu screen . when the button of “ input ok ” on the screen of “ injection prescription data input ”, as shown in fig3 , is operated to terminate the input process of prescription data as shown in fig5 , a screen of “ injection mixing support ”, as shown in fig1 , is displayed ( step s 3 ). in this screen , the column of “ patient attribute information ” ( patient number to doctor ) is first displayed . the injection prescription data which has the mixing result flag of “ not mixing ” is read in from the injection prescription file ( step s 4 ). thus , in accordance with the injection prescription data read in at the step s 4 , decision process of injection mixing order is executed ( step s 5 ). in the decision process of the injection mixing order , as shown in fig6 , after acquiring ph values of medicaments from the mixing work supporting data file by using the medicament codes as a search key , the medicaments are rowed in order in accordance with the ph values thereof ( step s 31 ). the medicament of transfusion is moved to the forefront ( step s 32 ). if there are a plurality of medicaments of transfusion , the medicaments are moved to the forefront keeping the order of ph values as it is . then , the medicament corresponding to a sole administration is moved to the rear ( step s 33 ). in this embodiment , the medicament with the mixing attention flag of “ sole administration ” is moved to the rear . if there are a plurality of medicaments of sole administration , in the same manner as in the case of a plurality of medicaments of transfusion , the medicaments are moved to the rear keeping the order of ph values as it is . thus , the mixing order of the remaining medicaments which are not moved is decided ( step s 34 ). after the mixing order of the medicaments within the injection prescription data is decided in the decision process of injection mixing order as described above , the mixing order is indicated on the screen of “ injection mixing support ” as shown in fig1 and printed by the printer 6 ( step s 6 ). in this stage , the columns of “ incompatibility ” and “ number ” are blank . subsequently , a decision process of the incompatibility of injections is executed ( step s 7 ). in the decision process of the incompatibility of injections , as shown in fig7 , it is judged whether or not the medicaments with the mixing order decided as described above are incompatible in accordance with the incompatible combination stored in the incompatibility data file ( step s 41 ). if there is an incompatible combination ( step s 42 ), data corresponding to the incompatible combination is read in from the incompatibility data file ( step s 43 ). the contents of the data corresponding to the incompatible combination are indicated on a screen showing a content of a composition alteration , which is a different window from the screen of “ injection mixing support ” as shown in fig1 ( step s 8 ). the content of composition alteration can be printed by pressing the button of “ print ”. the content of incompatibility is indicated by the symbols “ δ ” or “ x ” in the column of “ incompatibility ” on the screen of “ injection mixing support ”. after the decision process of incompatibility of injections is terminated , the attention information is obtained from the attention information data file ( step s 9 ). then , the attention information is indicated on a attention information screen as shown in fig1 ( step s 10 ). the order of the indication is the same as in the decision process of the mixing order ( step s 5 ). the indicated attention information can be printed by pressing the button of “ print ”. after completion of preparation for mixing the injections , a management process of a mixing - work progress situation is executed ( step s 11 ). in the management process of the mixing - work progress situation , as shown in fig8 and 9 , the medicament to be mixed is indicated by marking “★” on the beginning of the line ( step s 51 ) and reversing the representation of the line . thus , the operator can recognize the medicament to be mixed at a glance . then , the operator conducts an input operation of injections which are used in the mixing work ( step s 52 ). in this input operation , the operator can read the identification code of the medicaments ( injections ) to be mixed by using the identification code reader 7 and operating the operation buttons ( mouse button , touch panel , etc ). then , it is judged whether or not the identification code is inputted ( step s 53 ). if the identification code is inputted , then it is judged whether or not the medicament with the identification code inputted is in conformity with the medicament indicated at step s 51 ( step s 54 ). if no , a nonconformity error is indicated ( step s 55 ). if yes , the number indicated on the column of “ number ” is incremental and it is judged whether or not the number reaches the specified mixing number ( step s 56 ). if no , the flow is returned to step s 52 to repeat the same process until the number reaches the specified mixing number . for example , as the mixing number of the injection a as shown in fig1 is two , the process is repeated twice . the operator ( nurse ) proceeds the mixing work of the medicaments for each time when he / she confirms the conformity . if the number reaches the specified mixing number , it is judged whether or not the input process of the medicaments to be mixed is finished ( step s 57 ). if no , the next medicament to be mixed is indicated ( step s 58 ). the sequential process is executed until the input and mixing process of all medicaments to be mixed is finished . if the input and mixing process of all medicaments to be mixed is finished , it is confirmed that a button of “ record of composition alteration ” is not operated , and then the mixing result flag of the injection prescription data in the injection prescription file is set to “ mixing ok ” ( step s 59 ). on the other hand , if the identification code of the medicament to be mixed is not inputted at step s 53 , the operation buttons on the injection mixing support screen of fig1 are operated due to the operator &# 39 ; s own discrimination . thus , it is judged whether or not the button of “ go to next medicament ” is operated ( step s 60 ). for example , in the case where the reading is out because the identification code reveals an undesirable medicament , the operator can operate the button of “ go to next medicament ” to proceed to the next medicament . if it is judged that the button is operated , then the flow is returned to step s 57 and the same process is repeated . in the case where it has been already confirmed that the mixing is proper ( ok ) because of the same combination of injections , the operator can operate the button of “ mixing ok ”. if it is judged that the button is operated ( step s 61 ), then the flow is returned to step s 59 and the same process is repeated . in the case where the mixing is not proper because the composition alteration is caused during mixing of the medicaments , the operator can operate the button of “ record of composition alteration ”. if it is judged that the button is operated ( step s 62 ), a screen of a record of the composition alteration , as shown in fig1 , is displayed . then , the operator inputs the content ( comment ) of the composition alteration ( step s 64 ) and operates the button of “ record ok ”. thus , the content of the composition alteration inputted by the operator is written in the composition alteration record file ( step s 65 ). subsequently , the mixing result flag of the injection prescription data in the injection prescription file is set to “ generation of composition alteration ” ( step s 66 ). at this stage , only the fact that the composition alteration is caused due to the combination of plural injections contained in the injection prescription data is recorded . afterward , an experiment is conducted on the basis of the record . as a result , if a combination of two kind of injections causes the composition alteration , such a combination can be specified , and the combination is recorded in the incompatibility data file . in the case where the record of composition alteration is not desired , the operator can operate the buttons of “ cancel ” or “ end of mixing work ”. if it is judged that the button is operated ( step s 63 ), the management process of a mixing - work progress situation is compulsorily terminated . when the button of “ end of mixing work ” is operated , the injection mixing support screen is changed to the menu screen . by operating the button of “ print ”, the content of the injection mixing support screen can be printed . according to the management process of the mixing - work progress situation it is possible to surely confirm whether or not the selected injection is in conformity with the indicated injection . finally , it is judged whether or not all of the injection prescription data for the present patient are treated ( step s 112 ). if no , the flow is returned to step s 4 and the same process is repeated with respect to the next injection prescription data . if yes , the flow is returned to step s 1 and the same process is repeated with respect to the next patient . in the case where a plurality of prescriptions is issued for one patient , the column of “ prescription ” of the injection prescription data input screen is shown in fig1 . the cpu 3 , the liquid crystal display 4 , the keyboard 8 , the mouse 9 and memory device 1 in the above described embodiment can be substituted by a personal computer . the memory device 1 may be an independent file server ( with a cpu built - in ). the system may be a client / server architecture in which the cpu 3 , as a client terminal , is connected to the server via the network ( lan ). for example , the server is disposed in a medicine information office of a medicament division of hospital , and a plurality of client terminals are disposed in each nurse station of the ward . according to this arrangement , all data which the apparatus needs for supporting injection mixing work can be controlled by the nurse through the server . although the present invention has been fully described by way of the examples with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted here that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless such changes and modifications otherwise depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention , they should be construed as being included therein .
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identical or similar components in different figures have the same reference characters . the illustrations in the figures are diagrammatic and not to scale . fig1 shows an arrangement of a vacuum system for aircraft with a pressurised cabin . in each case first containers 3 to accommodate a material 2 to be conveyed are connected by means of an actuating valve 4 to a connecting line 5 leading to a central second container 7 . at the inlet to the second container 7 there is a special tank inlet protection device 6 , which among other things is designed to reduce the kinetic energy of the material 2 to be conveyed , so as to protect the second container 7 . by means of a further connecting line 11 the collecting tank 7 is connected , by way of a separator 10 which includes a tank return and by way of a compressor element 12 , to the second pressure level 14 , here the environment outside the aircraft . parallel to the compressor element 12 a return valve 13 is arranged . if the pressure difference between the first pressure level 1 ( ambient pressure at the feed - in location 3 , for example cabin pressure ) and the second pressure level , i . e . between the cabin 1 and the environment 14 , is inadequate , the system is operated with the compressor element 12 ( operating mode i ). in this way the compressor 12 starts at the latest when a flushing procedure is requested . during the time interval of a few seconds until the opening of the actuating valve 4 , negative pressure is already generated in the second container 7 . thus , as soon as the flush valve 4 is opened , conveyance to the tank , of the material 2 to be conveyed , commences . the compressor element 12 continues to run at least until the actuating valve 4 is closed again , thus maintaining negative pressure in the tank 7 for continuous conveyance . the separator 10 prevents any material 2 to be conveyed from escaping from the collecting container 7 , and protects the compressor 12 and the environment 14 from contamination . the nonreturn valve 13 remains closed in this operating mode . in an alternative operating mode ii with sufficient pressure difference between the cabin 1 and the environment 14 the compressor element 12 remains switched off . when the actuating valves 4 are closed , the tank 7 is subjected to the same low pressure as in the environment 14 outside the aircraft , if the flush valve 4 is open , negative pressure in the tank 7 is maintained in that the air flows out by way of the nonreturn valve 13 . up to now the compressor elements 12 have mostly been designed so as to provide just adequate conveyance behaviour when the aircraft is on the ground . the nonreturn valve can already fully open at a small pressure difference , and the airflow through it can take place with minimum loss of pressure . downstream of the separator 10 a non - regulated throttle device 15 a is provided for easy adaptation of the conveyance behaviour . however , generally speaking , this throttling position cannot be considered optimal for all forms of application because part of the expensively generated pressure difference is degraded during compressor operation 12 . in fig2 a further arrangement for reducing noise at the feed - in locations of the material 2 to be conveyed has been provided by limiting the driving pressure difference to an extent necessary for the flushing procedure , preferably in operating mode ii . for reliable operation , this design point should be above the behaviour with compressor operation . this still leaves sufficient potential to reduce noise at cruising altitude , at which normally the maximum pressure difference occurs . this applies in particular since in most cases this state represents the main share of the time vacuum systems in aircraft are used . essentially the air volume 9 in the collecting tank 7 causes a non - stationary pressure gradient in the second container 7 during the flushing procedure . thus , most of the time , the pressure in the collecting tank 7 increases until the stationary state has been reached . this increase in pressure is determined by the flow losses from 9 to 14 in the stationary case . the pressure difference between the cabin 1 and the collecting tank 7 induces a corresponding time gradient of the air entry speed , and thus of the generated noise level at the first container 3 . in order to limit noise emission , an essentially constant pressure difference from 1 to 7 has to be ensured , generally speaking an additional ventilation valve 16 a - 16 d according to fig2 can handle this task before , during and after the flushing procedure . however , this can be associated with high speeds or high volume flows between the connecting lines 5 or 11 or the tank 7 and the ventilation valve 16 a - 16 d . this can be compensated for by using a further regulable throttle valve 17 a or 17 b downstream of the ventilation valve 16 a - 16 d . if a throttle valve 15 , 17 is used on its own , its influence is however limited to the duration of the flushing process . the greater the air volume 9 in the tank , the stronger the effect the initial tank pressure has on the flushing process . in this case a stationary state only occurs after a relatively long opening time of the flush valve 4 ( compare fig3 ). thus in this case ventilation assumes decisive importance . in such a cases where a small second container 7 is used , the air volume 9 is small . it may thus be possible to abandon a ventilation valve 16 a - 16 d , in the case of a small number of connected receiving containers 3 , which are installed at similar distances from the tank 7 , it is also possible to provide a non - regulated throttling element , for example at position 15 b . at this position , compressor operation 12 is not affected by the reduction . reduced conveyance performance at low flight altitudes , i . e . at small pressure differences , without compressor operation 12 can also be compensated for by extending compressor operation if need be . moreover , the use of the system in this boundary region does not represent a typical application case . in principle the actuating valve 16 can be installed at positions 16 a - 16 d , immediately after a request of a flushing procedure said actuating valve 16 sets the required tank pressure until the flush valve 4 is opened , this procedure can be interpreted as a counterpart to the evacuation phase during compressor operation 12 . subsequently , for example , the throttle valve keeps the tank pressure constant at position 17 a or 17 b during the flushing procedure . since the loss of pressure 1 - 9 depends on the length and the gradient of the connecting line 5 , the pressure difference to be set should be implemented depending on the position of the first container 3 . in this way the often very different transportation behaviour of receiving containers 3 with different distances from the collecting tank 7 can be made to be uniform , in the case of malfunction a ventilation valve 16 should assume a fully closed state , while a regulable throttle valve 17 should assume a fully open state , both without any auxiliary energy . in this way the system remains functional , also of interest is the combination of ventilation function and throttle function at positions 16 d and 17 a to a component . as far as regulation is concerned , access to data that is already available in the aircraft system presents itself ; such data being for example cabin pressure , ambient pressure and tank fill level ( to determine the air volume in the tank ). furthermore , fill level determination based on two absolute pressure sensors directly provides information on the pressure in the tank 7 . the use of additional sensors can thus be minimised by suitable system linkages . from the regulating deviations for a flushing procedure that only involves air , it is furthermore possible to obtain information concerning possible blockages in the regions 1 - 9 and 9 - 14 . this diagnostic function can also be transferred to conventional vacuum systems . in addition it should be pointed out that “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps , and “ a ” or “ one ” does not exclude a plural number . furthermore , it should be pointed out that characteristics or steps , which have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps of other embodiments described above . it should also be noted that reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims .
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referring to fig1 - 4 , safety catheter assembly 10 consists of an elongated housing 12 made up of two parts 12a and 12b parted along line 14 ( as seen in fig4 ), and having a slot 16 along the face of part 12a . if desired , housing 12 may be constructed as a single member . visible in fig1 - 4 are pushers 18 and 22 , and needle catch 24 to be further described . in fig2 needle 26 sheathed in and having its tip extending out of catheter 28 , extends out of housing 12 and is ready to be inserted into the arm 32 of the patient . in fig3 and 4 needle 26 has been retracted into housing 12 leaving catheter 28 in place with its tip in the arm 32 of the patient . housing 12 is moved transversely as shown by the arrows in fig3 permitting catheter 28 to pass out of slotted opening 34 in housing 12 . for the details of construction of assembly 10 , reference is made to fig5 a , 6 , and 7 . it will be seen that housing part 12b is provided with one half of a main central passageway 36 of semi circular cross section and a one half of secondary passageway 38 also of semi circular cross section parallel to and adjacent passageway 36 . the two passageways are joined by a slot 42 for a purpose to be later described . housing part 12b is provided with matching passageways and slot so that when the two parts 12a and 12b are assembled as in fig1 - 4 , there are two passageways circular in cross section with a slot joining them . within main passageway 36 for slideable movement is a plunger 44 . the latter consists of a cylindrical barrel 46 with a pair of circular grooves 47 and 48 , a passageway 49 connecting needle 26 to a port 26a , and end portions 52 and 54 of reduced diameters the latter of which is to accomodate catheter 28 shown in fig6 . extending from end portion 54 of plunger 44 is hollow needle 26 . as seen in fig5 catheter 28 ( shown in phantom for illustrative purposes ) encloses needle 26 with the adaptor 56 portion of catheter 28 fitting over end portion 54 of plunger 44 , and the tip of needle 26 exposed from the end of the body 58 of catheter 28 . a floating cylindrical ring 62 rides over end portion 52 of plunger 44 thus filling the space between the right end of catheter 28 and the left end of cylindrical barrel 46 when the catheter and the plunger are assembled within housing 12 as illustrated in fig5 and 6 . ring 62 and barrel 46 are provided with push rods 22 and 18 , respectively , previously identified , extending out of slot 16 in housing part 12a as shown in fig1 , and 3 . the left end of housing 12 is provided with a slotted opening 64 which communicates with slotted side opening 34 previously identified . this communication of the two slotted openings 34 and 64 renders corner 66 of housing 12 open to permit catheter 28 to slide out of housing 12 as illustrated in fig3 and 4 . mounted within secondary passageway 38 is a spring 68 attached to the left end of passageway 38 . extending into passageway 38 through the slotted opening 42 between the two passageways 36 and 38 is a compression pin 72 . when plunger 44 is pushed to the left using push rod 18 as will be explained later , pin 72 will compress spring 68 thereby resulting in plunger 44 being biased to the right . housing 12 is also provided with the needle catch 24 which consists of a member 73 pivoted at a pin 74 in a slot 76 also seen in fig4 large enough to accomodate member 73 as is illustrated . at one end , member 73 is provided with a claw 77 extending into passageway 36 through slot 76 while at the other end a spring 78 is provided to bias claw 77 into passageway 36 . claw 77 has a sloped side 82 on the right side and a surface 84 on the left side which is substantially vertical to the axis of plunger 44 . also provided in housing 12 is a safety catch pin 86 ( see fig3 and 4 ) located in housing portion 12a aligned with groove 48 with plunger 44 in its position shown in fig5 and normally in the retracted position shown . catch pin 86 consists of a barrel 88 and a mushroom shaped cap 92 . as will be seen below , after assembly 10 has been used and catheter 28 has been removed , and needle 26 retracted into housing 12 , catch 86 would be depressed so that the bottom tip of barrel 88 would enter groove 48 and prevent needle 26 from accidentally being extended out of housing 12 . catch pin 86 is designed so that once it is depressed it can no longer be accidentally retracted . this is accomplished by the use of the mushroom shaped cap which does not provide an edge along the surface of housing 12 which can be caught , or it can be slightly countersunk to prevent accidental retraction of the catch . any other suitable design may be employed if it is desired to make the device tamper proof . in the operation of the apparatus just described , the combined catheter and needle assembly 10 is delivered ready for use as shown in fig1 and 5 , with needle 26 retracted and catheter 28 covering needle 26 with the tip exposed . the medical professional holds assembly 10 in one hand , and with the other hand slides pusher 18 to the left , moving needle 26 and catheter 28 to become exposed as shown in fig2 compression pin 72 compressing spring 68 . the left end of plunger 44 contacting the sloped side 82 of claw 77 raises the latter which drops into groove 47 thereby locking plunger 44 along with needle 26 and catheter 28 in the extended position shown in fig2 . it will be noted that floating ring 62 with its pusher 22 extending out of slot 16 will be moved along with plunger 44 and will end up in the position shown also in fig2 . the worker then gently inserts needle 26 into the patient , in this case , for illustrative purposes , arm 32 . the presence of a drop of blood coming out of the distal end of needle 26 through port 26a confirms that the needle had entered a blood vessel . the professional then slides the tip of the catheter 28 into the opening of the blood vessel by moving pusher 22 to the left , so that floating ring 62 moves catheter 28 . the professional will then hold catheter 28 in place using a thumb or other finger to press catheter 28 against the skin of the patient , and depress member 73 against spring 76 , raising claw 77 out of groove 47 thereby releasing plunger 44 which will be pushed back into housing 12 by spring 68 , leaving catheter 28 in the position shown in fig4 . then , unit 10 is gently moved transversely as shown in fig3 letting catheter 28 pass through opening 34 and remaining on the arm of the patient . the professional will then adjust catheter into the position desired and tape it down against the arm of the patient . catheter 28 may then be capped for later use , or the iv can be attached in conventional fashion to adaptor 56 on catheter 28 . safety pin 88 would then be depressed to enter groove 48 thereby insuring that needle 26 will not be accidentally exposed , and the whole remaining assembly , minus catheter 28 , will be deposited in a repository for such used medical equipment for proper disposal . instead of employing pusher 18 extending out of slot 16 , the arrangement shown in fig8 may be employed to move plunger 44 to the left . as seen in fig8 assembly 10 &# 39 ; otherwise identical to assembly 10 previously described , is provided with a plunger 44 &# 39 ; identical to plunger 44 except that pusher 18 is removed and the distal end of plunger 44 &# 39 ; is extended to pass out of housing 12 &# 39 ; so that the rear end 44a &# 39 ; can be pushed by a finger , for example , to move plunger 44 &# 39 ; toward the proximate end of housing 12 &# 39 ;. it is thus seen that there has been provided a unique combination of a needle and catheter in a compact assembly which is convenient to use , is disposable , and at the same time sheaths the needle after use so that there is no risk of accidental puncture afterwards . while only certain preferred embodiments of the invention has been described it is understood that many variations are possible without departing from the principles of this invention as defined in the claims which follow .
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inks typically used in ink jet recording devices are primarily water based and comprise water , a solvent , colorants , and additives . in fact , generally speaking an ink jet ink is required to possess the following characteristics : ( 1 ) inks should produce a uniform image having high resolution and high density , and also images free from any blur or fog once on paper . ( 2 ) inks should bring about no clogging at the tip of an ink jet nozzle caused by dried ink , and also always have a high level of jetting responsibility and stability . any one or more of the above desired characteristics for ink jet inks can be interfered with by a naturally occurring event such as the evaporation of water from the ink . in fact , the concept that water evaporation can be a significant issue with regard to ink jet inks can be easily understood once one realized the large amount of water that is generally present in these inks . the water used in a water based ink for ink jet recording is preferably ion exchanged water , ultrapure water , distilled water or ultrafiltered water , so that mixing of impurities can be prevented . the water is preferably contained in an amount of from 25 to 95 wt % based on the entire weight of the ink for ink jet recording . if the water content is less than 25 wt %, the ejection related properties are generally deteriorated , whereas if the water content exceeds 95 wt %, disadvantages such as clogging of the nozzle tend to occur . inks exhibit various sensitivities with regard to water loss . this effects an ink &# 39 ; s functional window as far as the shelf and operational life of an ink jet cartridge containing the ink , is concerned . if enough water evaporates from the ink solution , the ink will generally no longer perform efficiently and will not meet print process requirements thereby resulting in a complete malfunction of the ink jet system . features of the present invention as illustrated in fig1 to control water evaporation from ink jet inks propose adding a moisture barrier 11 between the ink reservoir 10 and ambient air 12 to prevent or slow down water evaporation through the ink tank vent hole 14 . the moisture barrier would be made up of micro encapsulated water beads 15 , i . e . water in a capsule that would evaporate over time thus humidifying the air inside the tank . the resulting highly humid air would release water molecules to the ambient air through the ventilation path if the ambient environment is less humid then the air in reservoir 10 . the evaporation of water from the ink is therefore decreased due to the pressure of highly saturated adjacent air . the sustained release of water from the water beads can be in a timed relation to the evaporation of water from the ink so that there is an equilibrium established as far as the water content of the ink is concerned . this would guarantee that there was always a water content in the ink present for the life of the ink cartridge . an example of the kind of microencapsulated water beads that can be used with the present invention are water microspheres manufactured by the brace co . ink reservoirs 10 that can be used with the present invention can just about be any ink reservoir , ( i . e . a tank ) such as an individually replaceable ink tank or a larger reservoir such as a fwa or bulk storage tank . the microspheres can be designed to time release water in a timed relation to the normal evaporation rate from an ink supply vent . one embodiment of the present invention would have the microspheres in communication with the ink so that the water microspheres would humidify the vent path . while this invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment 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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reference is made to fig1 - 5 for illustrating one preferred embodiment of a computer - implemented network system 10 for implementing an automatic auction process in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the networked computer system 10 is operable for providing interactive auctioning of goods and / or services between multiple buyers or bidders and sellers and an intermediary internet service provider ( isp ). included in the system 10 is a multiplicity of clients 20 for use by auction bidders and / or sellers . the clients 20 are linked by appropriate bi - directional communications lines through a computer network 30 to an application server 40 , of for instance an isp , that includes a server computer system 42 . preferably , the computer network 30 is the internet ( world wide web ) and the website . the clients and servers are typically in communication with a plurality of computers , servers , networks and / or related computer / databases that form the internet . other networks such as local - area networks / wide - area networks lan / wan are contemplated as well as wireless networks . communications using the networked computer system 10 are accomplished by known client / server communication protocols , for instance , http . many different network protocols are known in the art and are clearly envisioned . networking software typically defines a protocol for exchanging information between computers on a network . although a client / server architecture is herein described , peer - to - peer architecture , thin - client / server architecture , and other computational networking architectures may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . appropriate networking interfaces of course provide communication of a computer system to the network . as noted , the application server 40 includes a computer system 42 that is particularly adapted to host and monitor online auctions at a website on the internet . in this embodiment , as will be described , the computer system 42 includes auction applications that fulfill a client &# 39 ; s request by performing the tasks requested for operating online auctions . for instance , the server &# 39 ; s programs generally receive requests from client programs , execute database retrieval and updates , and manage data integrity and dispatch responses to requests from individual bidders . referring to fig2 a server computer system 42 can be a generic type and in this embodiment is an enhanced ibm as / 400 computer system . it represents one suitable type of computer system that can be networked together in accordance with the preferred embodiment . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms and apparatus of the present invention apply equally to any computer system that can be networked together with other computer systems . the server computer system 42 includes a processor 50 configured to support the operations of the invention , a main storage memory device 52 , such as a random access memory ( ram ) 54 , read only memory ( rom ) 56 , input / output ( i / o ) ports 58 connected to an input device 59 , such as a mouse , and an output device 60 , such as a display or printer ; and , a database 62 . also , provided is at least one system bus 64 that performs system operations and to which the above components are connected for communication with each other . the contents of the ram may be retrieved from the storage memory device . the processor 50 sends and receives information to and from each of the computer &# 39 ; s components and performs system operations based upon the requirements of the computer &# 39 ; s operating system ( os ) 70 and application programs 75 that are installed . it will be recognized that such applications need not be stored in a single computer , but can be distributed among the network . the operating system 70 is an os / 400 type ; however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to any one operating system . the operating system ( os ) 70 provides a mechanism as a graphical user interface ( gui ), such as the screen 100 ( fig3 ) in response to a client request . the gui screen 100 can have a header as well as a series of fields 102 - 112 for allowing the seller to supply appropriate information concerning the goods / services to be auctioned and for establishing acceptance parameters to be used to configure settings of the bid - monitoring program to be described . such information will be used to configure the settings of the bid - monitoring program to be described . in this particular embodiment , the seller inputs a description of the goods / services to be auctioned , the auction id is , however , already provided , the seller id , as well as exclusionary information concerning registration date and bid amount . when the seller completes registration , then the ordering button 114 is activated and a bidding signal indicative of the bidding information is transmitted by the browser to the server whereby participation in the auction is registered . if the seller decides against continuing the auction , the cancel button 116 is activated . although a graphical user interface is discussed hereinafter , it will be appreciated that other user interfaces can also be used , such as a command prompt interface . the database 62 is stored locally but may also be accessed from remote locations in known manners . the database 62 will generally be substantial in size and contains the categorized lists generated by the application server 40 . the categorized lists include bidder &# 39 ; s membership history as well as bidder &# 39 ; s bidding history or other features that the present invention envisions as being useful in terms of allowing the seller to preclude bids . since these files are readily available by an isp , the processor can efficiently search the information . once the application server acquires the necessary seller information , than it is ready to begin monitoring the bidding . in this process the application server may utilize various known auction - monitoring processes . for example , the application server may use known search techniques to search the database . in order to make this determination , the application server cross references the categorized sales and user files . the application programs 75 are specialized applications and include a suitable conventional auction programs including an auction monitoring application 87 , as well as the item registration and bid monitoring programs 90 and 95 ; respectively , of this invention which may be plug - ins . the auction programs allow for dynamic real time exchange of information between the bidders and the application server . each of the clients includes a computer system that has client applications that are stored in a suitable memory . the application server includes a server computer system 42 having the server applications stored therein . it can be appreciated that any computer can be turned into a client or server by installing appropriate client or server software and connecting the machine to the internet . there are many web server software applications that can be used . the client computers can be a variety of computer systems , however , personal computers ( pc ), a workstation or the like would be typical . a person skilled in the art will recognize that a laptop computer , a hand - held device or the like can also be used . the client computer system includes in essence the same basic hardware as the application server and thus details thereof need not be described and only those used in a description of this invention will be described . it will be appreciated that any computer can be converted into a client or server depending on the kind of software that is installed . the client application process also manages the local resources that the user interacts with such as the monitor , keyboard , processor , and peripherals . the client program also controls operation of the graphical user interface ( gui ). a browser program is associated with each client terminal and supports graphical and textual information . the web browser program is a client program that is operable for requesting services ( the sending of web pages or files ) from the server 40 and sends a message to a server process program requesting that the server perform a service . several other suitable internet browsers are contemplated for supporting protocols and file formats found on the world - wide web , such as ftp . at the client terminals , information regarding an auction from the auctioneer server 40 can be displayed . the application server 40 requests originating from the client terminals send this information . the information communicated can relate to the selected auction subject , a desired price , and the highest possible price in competition for the desired good or service . in this embodiment , the bidding plug - in is activated by a potential bidder within a browser window . reference is made to the flowchart of fig4 for depicting the steps of a preferred item registration method 300 of this invention . the item registration method 300 , when implemented , is used by the seller for identifying and controlling conditions for an auction . the controlling conditions include setting or establishing of parameter values to be used for automatically precluding submitted bids from active consideration during an auction . at step 302 of the method , the seller starts an auction from his client computer system by activating its web browser for requesting information regarding the auction . in response , the application server 40 activates its auction applications as well as the noted item registration application and serves the latter to the seller &# 39 ; s web browser . at step 304 , the method 300 presents the seller with the gui screen 100 ( fig3 ). the seller interacts with the screen 100 for inputting information to the fields 104 - 108 . in the case of field 102 , the auction id information is pre - registered , a description of the goods to be auctioned , the starting bid price , and ; the seller &# 39 ; s id respectively . the seller further inputs information to the fields 110 , 112 for establishing the exclusionary or blocking parameters for use during the bid monitoring method to be described . at the field 110 , the seller may input information identifying a date to be used for precluding submitted bids . in particular , this date can be a cut - off date indicative of the amount of time a bidder has been bidding with the particular website . if a registered bidder has been bidding with the particular isp since before the cut - off date , such a bidder would be allowed to continue in the bidding of the instant auction . if not , the bidder would be blocked from participation . advantageously as a result of this feature , only potential bidders having a bidding history of a seller defined sufficient duration would be allowed to continue in the seller &# 39 ; s auction . at field 112 , the seller may input information identifying an exclusionary parameter value for the bid . as will be described hereafter , if a bid should fall below the exclusionary value such bid would not be considered during an auction as will be described . advantageously as a result of this feature , only potential bidders having a bidding history of a seller defined sufficient bid amount would be allowed to continue in the seller &# 39 ; s auction . the method then proceeds to step 306 whereupon the seller determines whether to register the item with the application server . if the seller does not proceed to register , the “ cancel ” button 116 is activated and the item registration method terminates . if the seller activates the “ ok ” button 116 and the seller &# 39 ; s client browser will cause the item registration information to be stored locally and as well as stored in appropriate database files at the application server . at step 308 it is determined by the isp processor whether or not there is an exclusion date . if it is determined that there is no exclusion date then the method 300 proceeds to step 312 . if it is determined that there is a date , then such date will be set a parameter value to update the registration date exclusion column / file of the database at step 310 for subsequent use by the isp processor in configuring the bid monitoring method to be described . once this column / file is updated the method proceeds to step 312 . as a result , a parameter value is set or established for use in the bid monitoring method to be described which parameter value has the attribute of precluding submitted bids from being considered during the auction should the submitted bid fall after the entered date . at step 312 , a determination is made whether an exclude by bid amount has been entered for purposes of configuring the bid monitoring method to be described . if the seller has entered no amount during registration then the method proceeds to exit at step 316 . if the seller entered an exclusionary amount , then such amount is updated in the update column / file at step 314 . as a result , a parameter value is set or established for use in the bid monitoring method to be described which parameter value has the attribute of precluding submitted bids from being considered during the auction should submitted bids fall below the preselected amount . once this column / file is updated at step 314 then the method proceeds to exit at step 316 . after the item is registered and the item registration parameter values are appropriately saved in database files the item is ready for auctioning . advantages of the foregoing approaches are that the seller can independently set several parameter values independently to satisfy the seller &# 39 ; s concerns over potentially disrupting bidders . once the application server has acquired the necessary information then the application server is ready to begin monitoring the information submitted by potential bidders . reference is now made to fig5 for illustrating the steps of a preferred bid monitoring method 500 conducted by the application processor . at step 502 , the bid - monitoring program is running under the control of an auction monitor . at step 504 the bid monitoring application 95 of the application processor awaits for input to the auction from the bidders . the bidders through their web browser &# 39 ; s request information pertaining to an auction from the application server . the application server in response serves the requested auction information from its updated database and , in particular , provides a graphical user interface screen ( not shown ) to the requesting bidders thru the latter &# 39 ; s web browsers . each of the bidders supplies the requested information , such as bidder id , information regarding the bidder , the date the bidder has been registered as well as initial bid thereby forming a bid file . the method then proceeds from step 504 to step 506 . at step 506 the auction application of the isp processor accepts the bidder &# 39 ; s information and determines if the bid is for the particular auction . if the auction manager makes no match , the bid monitoring application terminates at step 516 . if , however , at step 506 the bid is determined to be for the particular auction then step 508 . at step 508 the auction application retrieves the seller &# 39 ; s sale file from the database . following the gaining of access , step 510 follows . at step 510 , the bid - monitoring program determines if the seller placed a bid entry . if no bid entry has been made then step 518 follows . if a registration date has been entered , the method proceeds to step 512 whereby the entered date is compared to the set parameter of the date exclusion file stored in the database as a result of the item registration method . if the bid date is not accepted , then step 514 follows , whereby at step 514 a message is served by the isp processor under control of the auction manager to the respective web browser of the affected bidder advising that such bid is not accepted and the reason for it . the method then terminates at step 516 . if the bid date is accepted , the method proceeds to step 518 . at step 518 the auction manager application retrieves the seller &# 39 ; s sale file from the database . at step 518 the bid monitoring application determines if the bidder entered a bid amount . if no bid amount entry has been made , then step 522 follows , whereby the bid is allowed to be placed in the auction by the auction manager of the application server . if a bid amount has been entered the method proceeds to step 520 , whereby the entered date is compared to the set parameter value of the bid amount exclusion file that has been entered by the item registration method above . if the bid date is not accepted then step 514 follows , whereby a message is served by the application server to the bidder that the bid is not accepted and the reason for it . the bid - monitoring program terminates at step 516 . at step 520 , if the bid satisfies the parameter value , then step 522 of the bid monitoring program accepts the bid for consideration by the auction manager of the auction program and the bid monitoring process terminates for that particular bid . at this point , it is important to note that while the present invention has been and will continue to be described in the context of a fully functional computer system , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms , and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution . examples of suitable signal bearing media include : recordable type media such as floppy disks and cd rom , and transmission type media such as digital and analog communications links . one skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations are possible within the scope of the present invention . thus , while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .
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the subject invention will be described within the context of a signal acquisition device such as a digital signal oscilloscope ( dso ). however , it will be appreciated that the subject invention has applicability to other signal acquisition devices and , more particularly , those signal acquisition devices or display devices providing time - based display of acquired data or other information . the invention facilitates the analysis of long data records by identifying anomalies or other areas of interest ( a of i ) in a given portion of the data record and processing the a of i in such a manner as to find a correlation between the a of i and the rest of the data record without having to visually inspect or otherwise perform time consuming calculations to determine where and when such anomalies occur again in the data record . fig1 depicts a high level block diagram of a signal acquisition system 100 according to one embodiment of the invention . specifically , the system ( signal acquisition system 100 ) of fig1 comprises an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter 110 , a clock source 130 , an acquisition memory 140 , a controller 150 , an input device 160 , a display device 170 and an interface device 180 . the a / d converter 110 receives and digitizes a signal under test ( sut ) in response to a clock signal clk produced by the clock source 130 . the clock signal clk is preferably a clock signal adapted to cause the a / d converter 110 to operate at a maximum sampling rate , though other sampling rates may be selected . the clock source 130 is optionally responsive to a clock control signal cc produced by the controller 150 to change frequency and / or pulse width parameters associated with the clock signal clk . a digitized output signal sut ′ produced by the a / d converter 110 is stored in the acquisition memory 140 . the acquisition memory 140 cooperates with the controller 150 to store the data samples provided by the a / d converter 110 in a controlled manner such that the samples from the a / d converter 110 may be provided to the controller 150 for further processing and / or analysis . the controller 150 is used to manage the various operations of the system 100 . the controller 150 performs various processing and analysis operations on the data samples stored within the acquisition memory 140 . the controller 150 receives user commands via an input device 160 , illustratively a keypad , pointing device , one or more knobs or selection buttons , and the like . the controller 150 provides image - related data to a display device 170 , illustratively a cathode ray tube ( crt ), liquid crystal display ( lcd ) or other display device . the controller 150 optionally communicates with a communications link comm , such as a general purpose interface bus ( gpib ), internet protocol ( ip ), ethernet or other communications link via the interface device 180 . it is noted that the interface device 180 is selected according to the particular communications network used . an embodiment of the controller 150 will be described in more detail below . the system 100 of fig1 is depicted as receiving only one sut . however , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many suts may be received and processed by the system 100 . each sut is preferably processed using a respective a / d converter 110 , which respective a / d converter may be clocked using the clock signal clk provided by a common or respective clock source 130 or some other clock source . each of the additional digitized suts is coupled to the acquisition memory 140 or additional acquisition memory ( not shown ). any additional acquisition memory communicates with the controller 150 , either directly or indirectly through an additional processing element . the details of an embodiment of controller 150 are depicted in fig2 . the controller 150 comprises a processor 230 as well as memory 240 for respectively executing and storing various control programs 244 and files including but not limited to the correlation method of the subject invention . the processor 230 cooperates with conventional support circuitry 220 such as power supplies , clock circuits , cache memory and the like , as well as circuits that assist in executing the software routines stored in the memory 240 . as such , it is contemplated that some of the process steps discussed herein as software processes may be implemented within hardware , for example as circuitry that cooperates with the processor 230 to perform various steps . the controller 150 also contains input / output ( i / o ) circuitry 210 that forms an interface between the various functional elements communicating with the controller 150 . for example , in the embodiment of fig1 , the controller 150 optionally communicates with the clock source 130 ( via clock control signal cc ). the controller 150 also communicates with the input device 160 via a signal path in , a display device 170 via a signal path out and the interface device 180 via a signal path int and the acquisition memory 140 via signal path mb . the controller 150 may also communicate with additional functional elements ( not shown ), such as those described herein as relating to additional channels , sut processing circuitry , switches , decimators and the like . it is noted that the memory 240 of the controller 150 may be included within the acquisition memory 140 , that the acquisition memory 140 may be included within the memory 240 of the controller 150 , or that a shared memory arrangement may be provided . although the controller 150 is depicted as a general purpose computer that is programmed to perform various control functions in accordance with the present invention , the invention can be implemented in hardware as , for example , an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). as such , the process steps described herein are intended to be broadly interpreted as being equivalently performed by software , hardware or a combination thereof . the signal acquisition system 100 of fig1 generally receives signals under test ( sut ) which are digitized , decimated and subsequently processed to create a data record from which respective waveforms for display are derived . the displayed waveforms have associated with them a horizontal parameter and vertical parameter . the horizontal parameter comprises a time parameter while the vertical parameter comprises an amplitude parameter . control circuitry is responsive to user inputs to adjust the timebase ( i . e ., time per horizontal division ) and amplitude ( i . e ., volts per vertical division ) of displayed waveform ( s ). that is , in an oscilloscope having a display device including a grid pattern , a user may select the number of volts represented by each vertical segment and the amount of time represented by each horizontal segment . fig3 depicts a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the invention . specifically , fig3 shows a series of method steps 300 for carrying out the method of identifying similar events in long data records captured by the signal acquisition system 100 . the method starts at step 302 and proceeds to step 304 where an a of i of a displayed waveform is identified from the long data record and extracted . identification can be made by known means familiar to those skilled in the art and , in one embodiment of the invention , includes marking the start and end of the a of i with a pair of vertical cursors controlled by a general purpose knob and a selection button that is part of the input device 160 . once identification of the a of i is made , the a of i can be saved as a file to memory ( e . g ., memory 240 or other suitable device or locations ) for future recall and use . at step 306 , the a of i is normalized . specifically , and in one embodiment of the invention , the normalization includes performing a calculation of a mean value of all the sample values in the a of i and subsequently subtracting that mean value from each sample value in the a of i . at step 308 , each of the normalized values are then organized and inserted as coefficients of a finite impulse response ( fir ) response filter . that is , from the mathematical point of view , the fir filter is in the form of a matrix wherein the coefficients of said matrix define the characteristics of the filter . in one embodiment , the filter matrix is a one dimensional matrix of 2n + 1 coefficients . for each point on the acquired waveform ( defined as a center point for each normalization step ), there are n coefficients on either side of the center point where 2n + 1 is the number of samples in the a of i . all coefficients are multiplied by their corresponding sample values on the waveform which are then summed up to arrive at the correlation output value . in one example , up to 480 coefficients are stored and processed . in this particular case , the characteristics are derived by the normalized values of the sample values of the a of i . after the filter coefficients are derived and the filter is created , the data record is filtered by the fir filter at step 310 . the filter output generates a correlation curve . the values of the correlation curve are compared with one or more user defined thresholds , and positions where the value exceeds a threshold are marked on a display of the original waveform at step 312 . methods of marking are selected from the group consisting of highlighting the a of i matching portion of the original waveform and applying tick marks to correlating points . in one embodiment of the invention , highlighting is performed by displaying points of interest in a first color and displaying the original waveform in a second color . for example , amber is used to identify points of interest , although any other colors within the specifications of a display device are possible . in an alternate embodiment , the highlighting is performed by displaying the points of interest at a relatively different display intensity . in one embodiment , the highlighting is performed by reducing the relative displayed intensity of the original waveform and displaying points of interest at a higher relative intensity . the method ends at step 314 . the correlation curve is a visual representation of a comparison of the a of i to the rest of the original waveform . specifically , positive peaks are produced that correspond to areas with the same subsets of positive and negative values ( as compared to the original waveform ). the filter also outputs negative peaks corresponding to areas with inverted subsets of positive and negative values ( in compared to the acquired waveform ). note that normalization removes the dc component from the filter output . in one embodiment of the invention , specially designed hardware is included in the system 100 to perform fir filtering and to apply the threshold to the correlation curve output . in an alternate embodiment , general purpose central processing units ( cpus ) or digital signal processors ( dsps ) are used to perform the same function . the merits of the subject invention can be more greatly appreciated and understood by inspection of fig4 . specifically , fig4 depicts a display screen 400 depicting four reference waveforms ( labeled on the screen as r1 , r2 , r3 and r4 . specifically , first reference waveform r1 shown as a second waveform 404 on screen 400 is the particular waveform that is being acquired and subsequently analyzed . reference waveform r4 depicted as first curve 402 on screen 400 is an identified a of i of reference waveform r1 . reference waveform r2 is shown as a fourth curve 408 at the bottom of screen 400 which depicts the correlation output of waveform r1 with the identified a of i waveform r4 . specifically , waveform r2 shows major positive peaks at positions 30 and 130 where there is a high degree of correlation in the subsets of positive and negative values between the a of i waveform r4 and the acquired reference waveform r1 . oppositely , major negative peaks are shown at positions 24 , 300 and 492 where there is an extremely low degree of correlation ( inversion of subsets of positive and negative values between a of i waveform r4 and acquired reference waveform r2 ). for sake of completion , reference waveform r3 , depicted as third curve 406 on screen 400 , is a decimated version of reference waveform r2 . specifically , only every second sample point from the a of i and the reference waveform are used to compute and subsequently display a correlation output . as such , the same relative peaks and valleys still exist as those shown in reference waveform r2 ; however , the relative accuracy of waveform r3 is slightly less than that of reference waveform r2 . the degree of correlation ( and the resultant relative increase or decrease in the peaks of the correlation curves 406 or 408 ) is fine tuned by a threshold level being established during processing . the threshold can be for example a user defined variable that is inserted into one of the programs 244 , calculated during the extraction of the a of i or dynamically controlled via feedback about the number and location of events whose correlation value exceeds the threshold . one skilled in the art understands that a higher relative threshold reduces the number of correlation events . additionally , one of the programs ( or the method in general ) incorporates the concept of holdoff to improve data acquisition and correlation . holdoff prevents the capturing of new data for a given time x after a trigger event because there is a reasonable and statistical assurance that another trigger event will not occur during the x - defined interval . specifically and in one embodiment , if a high degree of correlation is found between the a of i and the acquired waveform , correlation processing of subsequent portion of the waveform immediately following the high correlation event ( the trigger event ) is not performed for x amount of time and then restarted . non - processing is based on the statistical assumption that another high degree of correlation will not occur during the interval x . as such , the total processing time for correlation is reduced . one skilled in the art will also appreciate that by processing less data ( especially during a statistically low correlation interval ), there is also a reduced likelihood of false alarms . the above - described invention advantageously provides an apparatus and means to extract an arbitrary section of an acquired waveform and use such arbitrary section ( a of i ) as a baseline to review the remaining portion of the waveform . the method does not rely on fixed , known shapes ( which may or may not be present in the acquired waveform ) which may result in a poor correlation curve characteristic . instead , the method takes advantage of operator - defined points of interest in the acquired waveform and uses such points of interest to create a more highly accurate depiction of the correlation between the a of i and the acquired waveform . the subject invention also takes advantage of the fact that the complexity of the waveform ( and the a of i ) does not complicate the analysis of the acquired waveform . that is , since the complexity of the waveform is reduced to a series of mathematical calculations rather than a visual inspection of the curve , it is possible to have a higher accuracy in the correlation than previously possible . while the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow .
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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 will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . fig2 and 3 show an icemaker according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 and 3 , an icemaker 10 comprises a cup 11 for storing water fed from a water supply hose ( not shown ), an ice mold 12 for receiving the water from the cup 11 and freezing the water using cool air in a freezing compartment , a heater 130 for heating the ice mold 12 to separate pieces of the ice , the heater 130 being mounted on the ice mold 12 , an ejector 14 for ejecting the pieces of the ice out of the ice mold 12 , the ejector 14 being pivotally mounted on the ice mold 14 , a motor ( not shown ) for generating torque for driving the ejector 14 , a slider 16 for directing the pieces of the ice ejected by the ejector 14 to the ice bank 20 , a detecting lever 17 for detecting the ice bank 20 fully filled with the pieces of the ice , a controller 18 for , in accordance with whether the ice bank 20 is fully filled with the pieces of the ice , controlling a temperature of the ice mold 12 , the operations of the heater 130 , the motor , and a water supply valve controlling the water supply to the cup 11 . the ice mold 12 is provided with a space in which the water is frozen and a plurality of partition 121 for dividing the space into a plurality of freezing sections to make the pieces of the ice . the ice mold 12 is further provided at a rear end with connection parts 122 for fixing the icemaker 10 on a rear wall of the freezing compartment . the ejector 14 comprises a pivoting shaft 141 installed on the ice mold 12 and pivoted by the torque of the motor and a plurality of scoops 142 extending from the pivoting shaft 141 . the number of the scoops 142 is identical to that of the freezing sections divided by the partitions 121 . the scoops 142 are located in the respective freezing sections to scoop the corresponding pieces of the ice out of the freezing sections . the motor is installed in the controller 18 disposed on a side of the ice mold 12 and is connected to the pivoting shaft 141 . the controller 18 may be provided with a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the ice mold 12 and an ice detecting sensor for detecting a rotating position of the detecting lever 17 to determine if the ice bank is fully filled with the pieces of the ice . the heater 130 may be formed of an induction heater that can uniformly heat the ice mold 12 . the water is first fed to the ice mold 12 via the cup 11 and is then frozen , after which a surface of the frozen water is uniformly heated by the heater 130 such that the pieces of the ice can be separated at a surface where they contact the ice mold 12 . then , the pieces of the ice are ejected out of the ice mold . that is , as the pivoting shaft 141 pivots , the pieces of the ice are scooped by the scoops 142 . the scooped pieces of the ice are stacked in the ice bank 20 along the slider 16 . fig4 is a sectional view taken along line a - a ′ of fig2 . as shown in the drawing , there are shown the ice mold 12 , the ejector 14 and the slider 16 . the heater 130 is disposed on a circumferential outer bottom of the ice mold 12 . the heater 130 is designed to be heated by an induction heating manner . that is , the heater 130 comprises a heating coil generating eddy current by high frequency current applied from an external side to convert the electric energy into the thermal and a heater body 134 in which the heating coil is buried , the heater body 134 being formed in a circular arc shape to enclose the circumferential outer bottom of the ice mold 12 . the heater body 134 separates the pieces of the ice 21 from the inner surface of the ice mold 12 using induction energy inducted from the heating coil 132 . an induction heating principle will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig5 is a view illustrating an induction heating principle , and fig6 is a hysteresis loop according to an induction heating . referring first to fig5 , an electric conductor in a coil along which alternating current ( high frequency current ) flows generates heat by an eddy current loss and a hysteresis loss ( in case of a magnetic body ). that is , the induction heating is realized by such heat generated by the eddy current loss and the hysteresis loss . particularly , a high frequency induction heating uses high frequency current . at this point , as shown in fig5 , alternating magnetic flux ( high frequency magnetic flux ) is generated in a coil along which alternating current ( high frequency current ) i 1 and induced current ( induced electromotive force ) is generated in the electric conductor in a magnetic field . particularly , the current generated by the electromotive force is called eddy current . when the eddy current flows along the electric conductor ( to - be - heated - object ) having a predetermined amount of resistance , the electric conductor generates the joule heat . this is called the eddy current loss that will be a primary heat source in the induction heating . the eddy current loss can be illustrated as the following formula according to joule &# 39 ; s law . as illustrated by the formula , the eddy current loss is proportional to the square of the frequency . therefore , when the frequency is higher than 100 khz , the heating is realized by the eddy current loss . when the frequency is less than 100 khz , the heating is realized by the hysteresis loss . when the to - be - heated - object is formed of magnetic material and alternating current is applied to a heating coil wound around the to - be - heated object , the to - be - heated - object is magnetized . at this point , when intensity of the magnetic field is gradually increased , a curve representing the variation of the magnetic flux density b is not identical to that representing the magnetic field intensity h . that is , as shown in fig6 , a loop shape is defined by the curves , providing a hysteresis phenomenon . this loop shape is called a hysteresis loop . particularly , the larger the area defined by the hysteresis loop , the higher the hysteresis loss . that is , as the area defined by the hysteresis loop is increased , the high frequency induction heating efficiency is increased in the induction heating . this can be illustrated as the following formula . ( nh : a constant of applied metal core , f : frequency , and bm : magnetic flux density ) when the frequency is increased above 50 khz , since the eddy current loss proportional to the square of the frequency becomes greater than the hysteresis loss . in addition , when the frequency is further increased , the hysteresis loss may be almost ignored . when magnetic or nonmagnetic material such as cu or al is heated above a transformation point , the hysteresis loss does occur . that is , the heating is realized only by the eddy current loss . in the present invention , the heating body 134 functions as the electric conductor along which induced current flows when alternating current is applied to the heating coil 132 . the separation process of the ice from the ice mold 12 will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig7 shows a heating process by the heater 130 before the ejector 14 is operated , and fig8 shows an ejecting process by the ejector 14 after the ice is separated from the inner surface of the ice mold 12 . referring first to fig7 , when the water is completely frozen in the ice mold 12 to form the ice 21 , the ice 21 is closely adhered to the inner surface of the ice mold 12 . in order to separate the ice 21 from the inner surface of the ice mold 12 , electric power is applied to the heater 130 disposed on the circumferential outer bottom of the ice mold 12 . that is , when the electric power is applied to the heater 130 , eddy current is generated by the heating coil of the heater 130 . the eddy current flows along the heater body 134 to covert the electric energy into the thermal energy , thereby generating the joule heat in the heater body 134 . at this point , since the eddy current flows through the entire area of the heater body 134 , the heater body 134 uniformly generates the heat through its entire area . when the ice mold 12 is uniformly heated by the heat uniformly generated through the entire area of the heater body 134 , as shown in fig7 , the adhering portion of the ice to the inner surface of the ice mold 12 uniformly melts , making it easy to quickly separate the ice from the ice mold 12 . as described above , since the ice mold 12 is uniformly heated by the induction heating manner , the ice 21 can be more quickly separated from the ice mold 12 . when the adhering portion of the ice to the inner surface of the ice mold 12 melts , as shown in fig8 , the shaft 141 of the ejector 14 is rotated by the motor such that the scoop 142 can scoop the ice 21 out of the ice mold 12 , thereby directing the ice 21 to the ice bank 20 . meanwhile , the heating coil 132 is buried in the heater body 134 . however , the present invention is not limited to this case . that is , the heating coil 132 may be formed on a surface of the heater body 134 in a predetermined pattern . preferably , the heater body 134 is formed of metal having a predetermined amount of resistance , and the heating coil 132 is formed in a predetermined pattern having a uniformly spaced line through the entire area of the heater body 134 . in addition , the heater body 134 is designed corresponding to the circumferential outer bottom of the ice mold 12 so that the heat conduction can be quickly realized . when the ice mold 12 is formed of conductive material such as metal , the heat generated by induction heating can be directly transmitted to the ice , making it possible to more quickly make the ice . in this case , the induced heating coil may be directly formed on an outer surface of the ice mold 12 . the above - described icemaker can be applied to a side - by - side type refrigerator as well as freeze - top - type refrigerator . in the icemaker of the present invention , since the ice mold 12 is uniformly heated by the induction heating manner , the pieces of the ice 21 can be more quickly separated from the ice mold 12 , being formed in an identical shape . furthermore , the electric power used for the ice separation as well as the ice making time can be saved . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention . 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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a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be presented with reference to fig1 - 8l . as used herein , the words “ tubes ” or “ tubing ” refer to supply lines for providing water and / or nutrients . as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art , such “ tubes ” or “ tubing ” do not necessarily need to be cylindrical , but may be of any suitable shape , and no limitation is intended by the use of these words . described herein are a system and method of supplying water and / or nutrients to the roots of growing plants wherein the water and / or nutrients are released to the plants as needed by the individual plants . herein the term “ plants ” should be construed broadly , and can include , for example , grasses . although not intended as a limitation on the invention , it is believed that when under water stress , plant roots can emit exudates or surfactants that promote the release of water and / or nutrients stored under the conditions described below . specifically , the plants are supplied water and / or nutrients from supply lines or feeder tubes , at least portions of which are hydrophilic . in some embodiments , the tubing may include a plurality of holes that are covered by hydrophilic membranes ; in other embodiments , the entire tubing , the below - surface portion thereof , or a significant portion thereof is hydrophilic . in yet other embodiments , the system may include a surface tube that is water - impermeable or hydrophobic , the tube being connected to a plurality of hydrophilic tubes that can be inserted into a support medium for supplying the roots . one or more hydrophilic tubes may be inserted into a quantity of support medium such that the tubes are at least partially below the surface of the support media . the support media may be selected from any suitable medium or mixture of media suitable for supporting growing plants and roots . examples , which are not intended as limitations , of such support media can include sand , soil , rockwool , polyurethane foam , fleximat ™, sri cellulose - based growth media , and the like . other suitable media known in the art , such as continuous - fiber growth media , may also be used . in particular embodiments , plants are planted in the support medium and the respective tubes are connected to reservoirs containing water , nutrients , or a mixture thereof . in some embodiments , two tubes may feed a row of plants : a water tube and a nutrient tube . as discussed above , it has previously been shown that the plants are capable of distinguishing between these tubes . alternatively , nutrient ( s ) can be added to a water reservoir for distribution through a unitary tube . thin - walled microporous hydrophilic tubes are not known at present to be commercially available for use as irrigation tubing . in a particular embodiment , hydrophilic materials , including cell - force ™ and flexi - sil ™, may be made into hydrophilic tubes . alternatively , some existing hydrophobic thin - walled tubes can be made hydrophilic by a process that uses a water - insoluble hydrophilic polymer ( e . g ., polyhydroxystyrene , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 045 , 869 , incorporated herein by reference ; structure illustrated in fig6 ) as a surface coating . such solutions applied as a coating to and impregnated with microporous hydrophobic plastic tubing have been shown not to clog the pores and to remain hydrophilic for many years . thus continuous tubes of tyvek ® ( a microporous polyethylene material made from very fine , high - density polyethylene fibers , dupont , richmond , va .) in a radius of 5 - 10 mm ( irrigro - international irrigation systems ) have been used after being made hydrophilic and have been shown to act as a membrane that is responsive to the roots of plants in a subsurface irrigation system . tyvek ® is available in a plurality of styles , each having different properties . although not intended to be limiting , two particular types have been found to be most beneficial for use in the present invention : 1059b and 1073b . as discussed above , it has been shown that hydrophilic membranes can become hydrophobic over time owing to organic impurities in the water adsorbed onto the membrane . because of the variability of the impurities in water , we have added organic substances to the water which can be adsorbed onto the exit pore walls , making the membrane hydrophobic , and thereby reducing the flow of water or nutrient solution through the membrane . examples of suitable organic substances include , but are by no means limited to , humic acid , kerosene , turpentine , pinene , paraffin , and hexadecane . in other embodiments , other suitable c8 - c16 saturated hydrocarbons may be used . the amounts added ranged from 10 ppb to 10 ppm to the irrigating medium . as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art , in some embodiments , the addition of the organic substance may not be essential , depending on the quality of the water . when growing crops in soil , the addition of nutrient on a continuous basis is not essential ; however , when growing crops in sand , fleximat , or rockwool , a nutrient solution , for example , any suitable nutrient solution known in the art such as those commonly used in hydroponic systems , e . g ., hoegland solution , peter &# 39 ; s solution , miracle - gro , or other less dyed fertilizer such as schultz export may be added to the water supply or may be fed directly to the plants in a separate tube , as described above , and thus the roots of the plant can be allowed to take as much water and nutrient as required . however , for growth in artificial media the inclusion of nutrients and micronutrients is important . fig1 a and 1b illustrate a system 10 that uses twin irrigation tubes 11 , 12 for delivering water and nutrient solution to plants 13 growing in a growing medium 14 . in this embodiment 10 , the tubes 11 , 12 are running through the root systems 15 of the plants 13 . it has been found in experiments in both sand and potting soil that the higher the concentration of nutrients used , the smaller the volume of the nutrient solution that is released to the roots 15 , which is illustrative of the water conservation achieved by the current invention . it will be understood by one of skill in the art that the tubes 11 , 12 could be provided as a single composite double - lumen tube without departing from the spirit of the invention . the diameters of the two portions could be in a proportion commensurate with a plant &# 39 ; s requirements for water versus nutrient , for example , double the size for the water tube , although this is not intended as a limitation . in some embodiments , since subsurface thin - walled microporous tubing can be collapsed if sufficient pressure is applied , a spiral 60 comprising , for example , plastic , can be incorporated into a tubing such as tubing 11 or 12 to form a tube 61 that is more resistant to collapsing ( fig1 c ). fig2 illustrates a system 20 for the irrigation of grass 21 where the subsurface tubes 22 are spaced 1 - 2 feet apart and are substantially continuously fed with water under low constant pressure , with nutrients added to the aqueous solution as desired . the irrigation systems and methods described herein are believed superior to any other watering system currently in use , and further are independent of atmospheric pressure , making them usable for astroculture or micro - gravity conditions , as well as others . in one embodiment of the invention 30 ( fig3 ), for example , a continuous fiber growth medium 31 such as rockwool or the spongy fleximat ( from grow - tech ) can be used to support the plants 32 and their roots 33 . in this embodiment 30 , both of the reservoirs 34 comprise a container 35 that has an interior space 36 for holding the water and nutrient solution therein . the containers 35 are formed similar to a bellows , and are movable between an expanded state when containing solution and a retracted state when solution has been removed . the containers 35 also comprise a filling inlet 37 that is in fluid communication with the containers &# 39 ; interior space 36 for adding solution thereto . distribution tubes 38 are also in fluid communication with the containers &# 39 ; interior spaces 36 and with inlets 39 of the hydrophilic tubes 40 . this arrangement provides solution to the tubings &# 39 ; lumina 40 . the distribution tubes 38 also have check valves 41 therein for preventing backflow of solution from the tubes 40 toward the containers &# 39 ; interior spaces 36 . support for plants and their roots can be provided for in the present system under zero gravity , for example , with the use of a monolithic contiguous material such as rockwool or fleximat , a spongy hydrophilic porous material made by grow - tech or the newly developed artificial sponge such as , for example , agri - lite ( sri enviro - grow ). by using these materials to surround twin microporous hydrophilic irrigating tubes , one supplying water while the other supplying a nutrient solution , it is possible to achieve complete conservation of water and nutrients supplied to growing plants . such a system can also be applied to arid or desert environments where water conservation is desirable . early laboratory tests showed that using nutrients in water , it was possible to grow tomatoes in sand with amerace a10 membranes 42 ( 50 % silica gel in polyethylene ) glued over holes 43 in a subsurface pvc tube 44 ( fig4 ). the holes 43 in the pvc tube 44 were 12 mm in diameter , spaced 10 cm apart , drilled in 17 - mm - id rigid pvc tubing . the holes 43 are believed to have limited the amount of water and nutrient available to the growing plant , and the system proved to be inadequate when the plants began to bear fruit and needed more membrane area to supply the plants &# 39 ; requirements . increasing the total surface area of the membrane by drilling and covering more holes improved the system . however , a best mode of practicing the invention at the present time favors the use of a continuous tube . because of the brittle nature of amerace , membrane tubes made of this material tended to crack and leak . tyvek ® ( dupont ) in tube form has been used for irrigation purposes under elevated water pressure for gardens and row crops . however , the hydrophobic nature of the polyethylene material permits it to act as a drip source of water for plants without any control by the exudates of the plant roots . the conversion of a hydrophobic surface to hydrophilic has been described ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 045 , 869 ) and can be used to make tyvek ® tubing hydrophilic and responsive to the water and / or nutrient needs of the plant . when the tubing has been made hydrophilic by coating and impregnating it with an alcohol solution of polyhydroxystyrene , the tubing was found to be permeable to water at much lower pressures , and showed a decrease in water permeability as the organic compounds in water are adsorbed onto the exit pore walls . this can be considered a “ conditioning phase ,” during which permeability can be decreased by as much as 80 % by the addition of hydrocarbons to the tap water . the present invention is believed to be the first to provide a plurality of feeding tubes arranged to extend beneath the surface of a support medium to feed a plurality of plants or a row of plants . furthermore , a clear advantage of tubes comprising a hydrophilic material is that a greater area of the support medium is fed water and nutrients compared to a single horizontal membrane . the invention will now be described by way of examples ; however , the invention is not intended to be limited by these examples . a 4 ft . length of tyvek ® tubing (# 1053d ) was made hydrophilic with an alcoholic solution of polyhydroxystyrene and submerged in a 4 . 5 ft by 13 cm wide by 10 cm deep planter , covered with soil and connected to a constant supply of nutrient solution at a constant head of 35 cm of water . ten cherry tomato ( lycopersicon sp .) seedlings were planted at even distances next to the tube where water and nutrients were supplied . fluorescent lighting was supplied to the plants for 18 hours per day . the average consumption of water was 75 ± 10 ml / hr when the plants were 15 cm high and 125 ± 20 ml / hr when the plants were 25 cm high . when rainfall was simulated by spraying the bed with 100 ml of water , the consumption of water dropped to zero for 2 hours and slowly over the next 3 hours returned to the normal rate . the plants grew to two feet in height , and numerous tomatoes were harvested . at the end of the experiment , the system was examined to determine if there was any competition between the plants for space on the membrane . an examination of the root system indicated that the roots encircled the membrane only within about 1 - 2 inches from the plant stem . this indicates that it should be possible to increase the density of plant growth to an extent that would only be limited by the photochemical flux available and mutual interference . when a dual - tube system was used to supply both water and nutrient separately , the ratio of water consumed to nutrient solution consumed was approximately 2 . 5 to 1 for 8 cherry tomato plants in sand . again , little or no fluctuations were observed when the size of the plants reached a height of 35 cm . a continuous irrigation tube can be unnecessary for plants such as grape vines or kiwi vines that are spread apart from each other by distances as much as 20 to 40 cm . in these situations 50 , it is more practical to use a main flexible surface distributing tube 51 of from 20 - 30 mm id , out of which are drawn satellite tubes 52 that feed a short length of from 10 to 30 cm , depending of the size of the vine , of thin - walled microporous hydrophilic irrigating tube 53 , closed at its end 54 , surrounding the roots 55 of the vine or bush 56 , as illustrated in fig5 a and 5b . a tomato plant was planted in potting soil , into which was also placed two 20 - cm - long microporous hydrophilic tubes of 1 cm radius . the tubes were connected to reservoirs of water and nutrient which were kept full . the soil remained dry while the plant grew to produce numerous tomatoes . another experiment was conducted with tyvex ® tubing (# 1053b ), 1 . 25 m long and 1 cm radius . the tubing was sealed at one end that was made hydrophilic with a 3 % solution of polyhydroxystyrene ( novolac grade from triquest ) in ethanol . the tubing was submerged in a 1 . 4 - m planter , covered with soil , and connected to a supply of nutrient solution at a constant head of 35 cm of water . ten cherry tomato ( lycopersicon sp ) seedlings were planted at even distanced next to the tube , by which water and nutrients were supplied . the plants grew during the conditioning phase while exposed to fluorescence lighting for 16 hr / day . the average consumption of water was 75 ± 10 ml / hr when the plants were 15 cm in height and 125 ± 20 ml / hr when the plants were 25 cm in height . rainfall was simulated by spraying the bed with 100 ml water , following which the consumption of water dropped to zero for 2 hours and then slowly , over the next 3 hours , returned to the normal rate . the plants grew to 60 cm in height , and an abundance of tomatoes was harvested . at the completion of the experiment , the system was examined to determine if there had been any competition between the plants for space on the membrane . an examination of the root system indicated that the roots encircled the membrane only within about 2 . 5 - 5 cm from the plant stem . this finding would seem to indicate that it should be possible to increase the density of plant growth to a level only limited by the light flux available and mutual interference . it has also been shown that different plants requiring different rates of water and nutrient can grow together with each being satisfied individually without monitoring . when a dual membrane system was used to supply both water and nutrient separately , the ratio of water consumed to nutrient solution consumed was approximately 2 . 5 to 1 for 8 cherry tomato plants in sand . once again , there was little or no fluctuation observed when the size of the tomato plants reached a height of 35 cm . a planter 115 cm long , 13 cm wide , and 10 cm deep , was set up in a greenhouse with dual - feed membrane tubes for water and nutrient through the center of a bed comprising 50 cm of flexmat and 50 cm of rockwool separated by 15 cm of polyurethane foam . the seeds or seedlings of canola ( brassica sp ), beans ( phaseolus sp ), corn ( zea mays sp ), and tomatoes ( lycopersicon sp ) were planted in each of their respective media and their growth patterns observed . growth , which was favored in the fleximat , proceeded normally , except for the polyurethane foam , with each crop growing at its own rate under a light flux of 50 - 60 mw / cm 2 . root crops such as carrots ( daucus carota var sativa sp ), radishes ( raphanus sativus sp ), beets ( beta vulgaris sp ), and onions ( allium sp ) were grown in soil and peat , while potatoes ( solanum tuberosum sp ), parsnips ( pastinaca sativa sp ), and parsley ( petroselinum sativum var tuberosum sp ) were grown successfully in vermiculite . a cellulose material ( sri petrochemical co .) can also be used as an artificial growth medium . it was determined that grass ( gramineae sp ) can be successfully irrigated for 3 successive years with submerged tubular membranes spaced 40 - 50 cm apart . in another case , two hydroponic planters ( 30 × 30 × 30 cm ) were fitted with a membrane tube for a water / nutrient solution approximately 7 cm from the bottom . the media comprised a soil - less mixture approximately 25 - 26 cm deep in the planters . this depth allowed the root crops to produce straight tap roots , which is of concern to consumers when purchasing vegetables . one planter was seeded with parsnips ( daucus carota var . sativa sp ). the other planter was seeded with parsley ( petroselinum sativum var . tuberosum var . tuberosum sp ), a dual - purpose crop of foliage and root stocks . plant competition controlled the over - seeding issue with each planter . the plants received only natural sunlight , reducing the risk of “ bolting .” extreme warm temperatures were a concern for the health of the plants . the parsnip roots were straight in growth , and produced a total weight of 38 . 9 g . the texture and flavor were excellent . the parsley produced straight tap roots , giving a total weight of 38 . 3 g . the foliage produced had longer petioles than usually purchased , yet the total weight was 58 . 9 g . it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that plants with varying water requirements can be satisfied by the embodiments of the present invention , wherein one continuous porous hydrophilic irrigating tube is used to allow each plant to take its water requirements independently of the other plants . such requirements are often needed in greenhouses , where many different plants are cultivated under one roof . it has also been shown that a hydrophilic irrigation tube with two channels , one for water and the other for nutrients , can fully satisfy the plants &# 39 ; requirements and also increase the density of the plants , limited only by the sunlight available . it has also been shown that commercially available thin - walled microporous hydrophobic tubes can be converted to hydrophilic tubes and thereby become responsive to plants and their roots . such tubes may include , but are not intended to be limited to , high - pressure irrigation hoses , although their use in the present invention does not require the use of high pressure . it has also been shown how a dual - membrane tube can be incorporated into a container for one or more plants so that the plants can be fed on demand both water and nutrients from separate reservoirs and thereby require no attention or supervision as long as there is water available in the tube reservoirs . in a particular embodiment , a diametric ratio of 3 : 1 for the water tube over the nutrient tube is optimal , although this is not intended as a limitation , and obviously is dependent upon nutrient concentration and plant type . it has additionally been shown that water systems that are free of contaminated organic substances and unresponsive in the irrigation system can , by the addition of trace amounts of one or more hydrocarbons to the water supply , become responsive to the irrigation system . it has also been shown that the irrigation system of the present invention can be used to replace the emitter in a drip irrigation system , thereby making the release of water and / or nutrient responsive to the roots . in a particular embodiment , a factor of from 100 to 500 has been found for the difference in water volume used between the known drip irrigation systems and that of the present invention . sectors of grass are known to be grown substantially in isolation , for example , on golf courses wherein the greens are formed within soil - filled depressions in the ground and continuously or at predetermined intervals fed with water and nutrients . in such an arrangement , the system of the present invention can ideally provide water and nutrients to the grass roots on an on - demand basis , thereby saving both water and nutrients , and also ensuring optimal sustenance of the greens . the following tables 1 - 4 include data on experiments conducted indoors ( table 1 ) and outdoors ( table 2 ), and the flow rates for water and nutrient ( table 3 ) and for watering results in series and for single plants ( table 4 ). a planter with two tubes , one for water ( w ), the other for nutrient solution ( n ). the reservoirs were interchanged periodically to cancel any membrane effects . flow rates in ml / hr ; experiment time march 18 to july 16 . another aspect of the invention is directed to the making of tubing for use with a “ water - on - demand ” system . in one method , sheets of a low - porosity substance are coated with the aforementioned polyhydroxystyrene , and formed into cylinders by , for example , thermal , ultrasonic , or impulse means . although not intended as a limitation , a possible explanation of the operation of the polyhydroxystyrene polymer ( fig6 ) will now be presented . first , how the polyhdroxystyrene attaches to the membrane : polyhydroxystyrene has two groups , an hydroxyl ( oh ), which is hydrophilic and can hydrogen bond with water , and the styrene groups , which include a benzene ring (— c 6 h 4 —) attached to an ethylene group (═ ch — ch 2 —), both of which are hydrophobic and can stick to the hydrophobic polyethylene membrane , leaving the hydrophilic ( oh ) group , which forms a weak hydrogen bond with water . as discussed above , the polymer can act as a capillary through the membrane . it has been shown that organic impurities in water are 10 5 - 10 6 times more likely to stick at the exit end wall of the capillaries , where there is a gas - liquid - solid equilibrium ( i . e ., air - water - membrane ). the organic impurities are in equilibrium along the walls of the capillary , where the equilibrium is only between liquid and solid . thus the surface of the exit pores become hydrophobic due to the adsorption of the trace organic impurities in water and / or nutrient solution . when a plant is in need of water , it emits chemicals called exudates that can include a surfactant that removes the adhering organic compounds at the exit wall and liquid from the irrigation tube now is allowed to flow . this has been shown for two different membranes in the prior art , as discussed above with reference to fig7 - 8l . high - purity water is free of organic impurities . some domestic water supplies are often purified to such an extent that very little organic impurities remain . this would result in pore closure only after a large , and usually unnecessary , volume of water had passed through the membrane . the result would not be suitable because of the time delay between the removal of the organics and their deposition onto the membrane and the closure of the pores . on the other hand , too much organic content in the water could result in a delay in opening the closed pores because of the limited amount of surfactant that is released by the roots . it has been found that in general the membrane area needed for a plant is best supplied by a tube of diameter equal to about a 1 - cm radius , with a thickness of 0 . 5 mm maximum and pore sizes of from 0 . 1 to 5 μm , with a preferred average of 0 . 4 μm , although this is not intended as a limitation , and other porosity values can be used . this segment of the membrane is to be in contact with the roots of the plant . short segments of membrane tubing can be supplied with water and / or nutrient solution by smaller diameter tubing , but care must be taken to prevent air locks in the line . tubing of 1 - cm id would not be considered too large . since the feed lines are exposed to light ( sunlight or artificial lighting ), it is necessary to use opaque tubing , or the solar active light will result in algae formation that can eventually block the pores . it is believed that the coating of the hydrophobic membrane is primarily to allow the resulting hydrophilic surface to become hydrophobic and to close the pores . leaving the inner pore uncoated would restrict the flow of water through the membrane . in the foregoing description , certain terms have been used for brevity , clarity , and understanding , but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art , because such words are used for description purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed . moreover , the embodiments of the apparatus illustrated and described herein are by way of example , and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction . having now described the invention , the construction , the operation and use of preferred embodiments thereof , and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby , the new and useful constructions , and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art , are set forth in the appended claims .
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the various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to fig1 through 7 of the drawings . the elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale , emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention . throughout the drawings , like numerals are used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings . this invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein . the embodiments described above are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner . the following claims rather than the foregoing description indicate the scope of the invention . furthermore , reference in the specification to “ an embodiment ,” “ one embodiment ,” “ various embodiments ,” or any variant thereof means that a particular feature or aspect of the invention described in conjunction with the particular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , the appearance of the phrases “ in one embodiment ,” “ in another embodiment ,” or variations thereof in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to its respective embodiment . terms such as “ aft ,” “ rear ,” “ forward ,” “ front ,” “ lateral ,” or “ outward ,” or the like , and derivatives thereof are to be understand in relation to the truck or vehicle on which the fifth wheel is mounted . on the other hand , rotational terms such as “ clockwise ” and “ counter - clockwise ” are to be understood as viewed in the figure ( s ) referenced in the detailed description . however , it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations , except where expressly specified to the contrary . it is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings , and described in the following specification are exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims . hence , specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting , unless the claims expressly state otherwise . fifth wheel hitches are well known in the field of towing trailers using a truck or tractor . fig1 depicts an exemplary tractor and trailer hitch arrangement employing a fifth wheel hitch 103 . tractor 100 is affixed with a fifth wheel hitch 103 to rear of parallel tractor frame members 105 . fig1 a through 1c depict another view of an exemplary tractor and trailer hitch arrangement employing a fifth wheel hitch . tractor 100 is affixed with a fifth wheel hitch 103 positioned rearward on the tractor frame 105 . fifth wheel hitch 103 includes a fifth wheel hitch assembly 110 pivotally mounted on slide assembly 155 . fifth wheel hitch assembly 110 comprises hitch plate 130 which houses a locking mechanism underneath with slot 135 opening toward the aft end of fifth wheel assembly 110 for receiving a kingpin 111 from trailer 119 . kingpin 111 typically extends downward from a trailer bearing plate 107 , which rests upon fifth wheel assembly , specifically , upon load area 145 of fifth wheel hitch plate 130 . kingpin is , typically , a unitarily constructed article comprised of a lower flange 115 capping a shank 113 which extends from collar 117 . fig1 d depicts an example of a conventional slide rail where slide rail assembly 120 a is comprised of left and right slide rail plates 102 a , b tied in parallel by two or more tie bars 104 a , b which form slide frame 121 . left slide rail 151 b is attached to the upper surface of left slide rail plate 102 a and right slide rail 151 a is attached to upper surface of right slide rail plate 102 b such that fifth wheel hitch assembly 110 and slide assembly 155 are located therebetween , inboard of the left and right slide rails 102 a , b . slide rail plates 102 a , b and slide rails 151 a , b each have longitudinal axes which parallel the longitudinal axis of tractor 109 and are typically mounted , either with welding or fastening , to parallel longitudinal truck frame members ( not shown ), usually with using interposing angle iron members . slide stop blocks 105 a - d are located at each end of each slide rail plate 102 a , b . slide stop blocks 105 a - d prevent over travel of slide assembly 155 . as is shown in the illustration , slide rails 151 a , b of the prior art are typically a flange extending inboard of the assembly , slidably receiving laterally extending flanges 111 , 114 of slide assembly 155 . slide rails 151 a , b typically include gaps , or detents , 176 spaced along the length of the slide rail . the slide assembly 155 may include a means for selectively locking the bracket in position longitudinally with respect to the slide rail assembly . one example , shown in fig1 d , is a pneumatic cylinder 177 mounted in the assembly from which laterally extend plunger arms 173 a , b . a fork member 179 may be mounted to the respective lateral ends of plunger arms 173 , where the fork member includes projections , or prongs , 181 that insert into the slide rail gaps 176 when the plungers arms are extended . the engagement of the projections 181 into the gaps 176 , thus , prevents longitudinal movement of the slide assembly 155 , and , therefore , the fifth wheel assembly . slide assembly 155 also comprises brackets 165 which provide attachment support for the hitch assembly 110 , configured to allow the hitch assembly to pivot in the longitudinal plane . referring to fig2 , another prior art slide assembly is shown with wedges that engage the slide rail and are held in place in the slide rail by spring force . in fig3 , a new slide assembly arrangement includes a toggle lock . the wedges in this arrangement are also held in place in the slide rail by spring force , but the added toggle lock acts as a back - up . in the event that the wedges begin to disengage from the slide rail , spring force resists this disengagement . if the retraction force on the wedges exceeds the spring force , the toggle lock prevents the wedges from retracting fully from the rail . one end of the wedge linkage bar attaches to the wedge through a bolted joint that rotates freely . the other end of the wedge linkage bar attaches to the toggle cam through a slotted joint that allows for both rotation and linear motion . this liner motion is necessary to allow the wedge to seat fully in the slide rail . in the closed position , the toggle cam rotates over center and rests against the toggle cam stops . as described above and shown in the associated drawings , the present disclosure is drawn to a fifth wheel slide assembly secondary lock . while particular embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood , however , that the invention is not limited thereto , since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art , particularly in light of the foregoing teachings . it is , therefore , contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention .
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fig1 illustrates , in a partially sectioned , exploded perspective view , a tape reel contemplated for use in a video cassette tape and fig2 represents a perspective bottom view of the integral combination of the hub and the flange to illustrate the characteristics of this invention to advantage . the half portions omitted from the drawing of fig1 and the half portions illustrated therein are symmetrical relative to the plane intersecting the respective whole portions , with the exception of the tape retaining part to be fully described afterward . in this tape reel like the conventional countertype , a hub 1 and a flange 2a at one axial end thereof are integrally molded of a plastic material to form a part 3 , and a flange 2b at the other ( free ) end of the hub 1 is separately molded of a plastic material . various methods are available for the purpose of fastening the separate flange 2b to the free end 4 of the hub . the manner in which this fastening is accomplished is outside the technical scope of this invention . it may be effected by adopting any freely chosen known means such as , for example , ultrasonic welding or snapping engagement . in the case of the illustrated embodiment , this fastening is designed to be obtained by means of a resilient retainer piece formed on the cassette housing side and a fastener 5 possessed of a small protuberance 15 adapted for engagement with a resilient retainer piece in the recording and playback machine . to be specific , the fastening is effected by admitting into the recess 7 in the free end 4 of the hub 1 the portion 6 &# 39 ; of the central depression 6 protruding from the rear side of the separate flange 2b , optionally positioning the protruding portion 6 &# 39 ; relative to the recess 7 so that the bosses 8 formed on the recess fit into the holes 9 formed in the depression 6 of the flange , then poising the fastener 5 from above and inserting the engaging legs 12 of the fastener through corresponding openings 10 of the flange 2b into circumferential grooves 11 in the free end 4 of the hub and allowing the claws 14 at the leading ends of the engaging legs to be caught on the lower surfaces of crosspieces 13 formed across the grooves . consequently , the flange 2b is squeezed between the free end 4 of the hub and the fastener 5 and held fast in position . in the case of the illustrated embodiment , two pairs of engaging legs 12 are diametrically ( 180 °) opposed to each other and the claws formed at the leading ends of the engaging claws of each pair are directed away from each other in the circumferential direction . correspondingly , two pairs of crosspieces are formed in all , including the half portion omitted from the illustration . the number of these corresponding pairs may be greater , or the direction in which the claws are directed and the direction in which the crosspieces ( stepped faces ) are directed may be different from those illustrated . optionally , the fastener 5 may be dispensed with by directly providing the engaging legs 12 on the flange 2b . the mere push - in engaging construction may be replaced by a construction such that the fastening of the flange to the hub is effected by applying the flange 2b to the hub and rotating them relative to each other thereby causing hooks to be brought into engagement with the corresponding crosspieces . in a construction designed for ultrasonic welding , the bosses such as are shown in the drawing may be elongated enough to pierce through and protrude from the corresponding holes 9 in the flange 2b and the protruding portions of the bosses can be crushed and welded onto the flange 2b with sufficient fastness to retain the flange 2b fast in position . in this invention , the fastening may be accomplished by any of the methods described above . besides the means required for the purpose of the fastening , the components of the tape reel of the present invention which are known to the art are as follows . on one end of the hub , there is provided a small protuberance which is adapted to be held in position by a resilient piece ( not shown ) provided within the cassette . on the other end , there is provided an empty space 16 which opens at the aforementioned other end and extends in the axial direction . on the wall surface of this opening , a plurality of ribs 17 extending in the axial direction and projecting inwardly in the radial directions are spaced in the circumferential direction . the opening with these ribs is adapted to come into engagement with the reel engaging shaft ( not shown ) of the tape transport system . at one position in the external wall of the hub , there is provided a retainer 18 which is a radial depression for retaining in position the tape end . a stopper member ( not illustrated ) is used together with this retainer to pinch the tape end and keep it fast in position . to permit removal of the tape end which has been fastened as described above , the flange 2a in the integral combination is provided with a pinhole 19 ( fig2 ) through which a pin may be pierced upwardly to push up the stopper . optionally , the separate flange may be provided with an opening 20 through which the stopper will be drawn out . for the hub 1 to be made suitable for use with a tape designed exclusively for a relatively short period of video recording and playback , the outer cylindrical part 1b is given a diameter large enough to be amply separated from the inner cylindrical part 1 in the radial direction . in the tape reel incorporating all these known components , the first point of improvement in accordance with this invention manifests itself in the construction of the annular portion 21 connecting the outer cylindrical part 1b and the inner cylindrical part 1a of the hub . in most conventional tape reels , the annular portion has assumed the shape of a simple ring serving to connect the axial edges 22 , 23 of the inner and outer cylindrical parts 1a , 1b in the horizontal direction as indicated by an imaginary line 21 &# 39 ; in fig1 . in the ordinary molding method wherein the molten resin is cast through the other end of the inner cylindrical part 1a , sink marks are caused along the joined portion ( axial edge of the outer cylindrical part ) between the annular connection portion 21 &# 39 ;, outer cylindrical part 1b and flange 2a to impair the dimensional accuracy of the flange 2a and that of the outer cylindrical part 1b . moreover , the other end 24 of the outer cylindrical part is at times deformed by sustaining an inward twist as indicated by the arrow p , possibly degrading the strength of the produced tape reel . in the present invention , the annular connection portion which spans in the radial direction is bent up toward the axial direction halfway along the radial width thereof so that while the inner boundary joins the axial edge 22 of the inner cylindrical part 1a , the outer boundary joins the outer cylindrical part 1b at a point 25 halfway along the axial length thereof . owing to this construction of the annular connection portion , the flow of the molten resin is extended in the direction of the outer cylindrical part from the connection point 25 as the branching point and , therefore , the distance over which the molten resin is contracted at the time of curing is uniformized and the inclination of the resin to be warped toward the interiors of the opposite edges 23 , 24 of the outer cylindrical part is intercepted by the annular connection portion 21 . further , since the edge 23 of the outer cylindrical part forms part of the path to the flange 2a and constitutes a part of the path for the molten resin , no sink occurs on the surface of the flange . thus , the produced tape reel is not impaired in dimensional accuracy or in commercial value . in the case of the illustrated embodiment , the outer boundary in the radial direction of the annular connection portion 21 joins the outer cylindrical part at a point nearly halfway along the axial length . from the design point of view , this point may be varied in the vertical direction . it is not desirable for this point to be moved so much as to reach the other edge 24 of the outer cylindrical part 1b . this is because when the point reaches the other edge 24 , the edge 23 to which the flange 2a is connected becomes liable to bend inwardly . in addition to the construction described above , the rising of the annular connection portion 21 in the axial direction gives rise to an inwardly facing wall surface 26 . optionally , a plurality of reinforcing crosspieces ( not shown ) may be provided as suitably spaced in the circumferential direction between this wall 26 and the outer surface of the inner cylindrical part 1a . with a view to uniformizing the wall thicknesses of various parts as much as possible and ensuring the uniformity of the flow of molten resin and the speed of curing , the rear portions of the shaft engaging ribs 17 which would acquire a large wall thickness may be notched with slits 27 . the second characteristic of the present invention resides in the fact that since the annular connection portion 21 is bent up in the axial direction halfway along the distance from the inner cylindrical part 1a to the outer cylindrical part 1b as illustrated in fig2 the portion which turns off in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the raised portion and reaches the outer cylindrical part 1b forms beneath its bottom a depression 29 as seen from the reverse side . within this annular depression 29 , a plurality of ribs are disposed in the radial directions and spaced at suitable circumferential intervals . these ribs 30 ( six ribs spaced at angular intervals of 60 ° in the illustrated embodiment ) are vestiges of the auxiliary flow paths which have served to distribute the molten resin outwardly in the radial direction during the injection molding of the integral combination within a molding die . now , the effect of these ribs 30 will be described . generally , when the injection gate in the molding die is positioned at a point corresponding to the center of the free end 4 of the hub 1 , for example , the paths for the molten resin from that gate to the various points on the outer wall of the hub and the outermost boundary of the integrated flange 2a vary considerably in length and the flow speed and flow volume of the molten resin also vary . for example , the portion of the molten resin which flows through the molding chamber for the tape retainer 18 to the outermost boundary of the flange as illustrated has to follow a detour . when the tape reel is composed of the three component parts as illustrated and these parts are designed to be assembled by means of the part 5 , separation of the parts after their assemblage may be accomplished by forming through openings 31 in the portions falling beneath the points of engagement between the engaging legs 12 and the crosspieces 13 thereby enabling a tool to be inserted through any of these openings 31 . in this case , the paths for molten resin to the hub surface or the flange portions falling on the radial extensions of the openings 31 are also destined to follow detours . when the integral combination is molded by regarding the paths for molten resin from the injection gate to the various points on the hub surface and on the outermost boundary of the flange without paying due attention to the different lengths of the paths as in the conventional method , it is difficult to impart true circularity to the hub and the flange . in an extreme case , the produced tape reel may sustain clearly visible lines or stripes of surface disturbance in the zones where the front lines of the molten resin have merged into one another during the molding . the present invention , therefore , provides the ribs 30 serving concurrently as auxiliary paths for molten resin in the annular depression formed on the rear side of the annular connection portion to make it possible to design the lengths of the paths for the molten resin and the equivalent flow rates thereof at will . for example , where the distribution of molten resin is retarded , the speed of its flow may be increased by increasing the thickness t of the ribs falling near the zone in question ( that is by enlaring the widths of the paths of molten resin ). where the distribution occurs too fast , the speed of the flow may be lowered by decreasing the thickness t . naturally from the standpoint of this concept , the number of these auxiliary paths for molten resin and the circumferential intervals separating these paths will be understood to be matters of design . by this invention , the dimensional accuracy , the commercial value , and the like of the tape reel can be readily improved . besides , the ribs concurrently serving as auxiliary paths for molten resin further function as reinforcements and , therefore , have an effect of imparting increased strength to the tape reel . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .
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the copolymers used herein are generally recognized and commercially available block copolymers , catagorized as a - b - a block polymers , where the a block comprises styrene or homologues thereof , e . g ., alkpha - methyl styrene , and the b block is isoprene . they are most commonly linear in nature although some radial block copolymers are available . the copolymers generally have a styrene or styrene homologue content within the range of about 10 to 35 % by weight with the remainder of the copolymer comprising the isoprene component . these copolymers may be prepared using methods taught , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 239 , 478 ; 3 , 427 , 269 ; 3 , 700 , 633 ; 3 , 753 , 936 ; and 3 , 932 , 327 . alternatively , they may be obtained from shell chemical co . under the trademarks kraton d1107 , d1117 , d1112 , d1111 ; from eni chem elastomeri ( italy ), as europrene sol t190 and europrene sol t - 192 ; from fina ltd . ( netherlands ), as finaprene 414 ; and from dow as xu 16500 ( an alpha methyl styrene - isoprene - alpha methyl styrene block ). commercially available copolymers in this class have styrene content of approximately 14 to 25 % by weight . for use herein , these copolymers are generally present in the hot melt adhesive in an amount of 25 to 50 % by weight , preferably 30 to 40 %. the low softening point essentially aliphatic resin which is in the adhesive of the present invention are those essentially aliphatic resins which have a softening point less then about 30 ° c . as determined by astm e - 28 ring and ball method . since most hydrocarbon resins of this category contain a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic groups , we have found as a useful guideline in determining whether a resin is sufficiently aliphatic to be used herein to employ a modified version of the astm aniline point test d611 - 82 , the mixed methylcyclohexane aniline point test ( mmap ). this test measures the compatibility of a resin with methylcyclohexane and aniline and a value is reported as the temperature at which a specified mixture will give a cloudy appearance , having been cooled from a temperature at which the liquid mixture was clear . for use herein , we have found that the resins should have a mmap value higher than about 40 ° c ., preferably higher than 50 ° c . suitable commercially available low softening point aliphatic resins for use herein include regalrez 1018 ( mmap = 63 ° c .) available from hercules ; exxon ecr140a ( mmap = 42 ° c .) and exxon ecr 327 ( mmap = 77 ° c .) from exxon ; wingtack 10 ( mmap = 78 ° c .) from goodyear ; and zonarez alpha - 25 ( mmap = 61 ° c .) from arizona chemical . these resins are used in the removable hot melt adhesive compositions in amounts of 20 to 50 % by weight , preferably 20 to 30 % by weight . the metallic salts of fatty acids utilized herein are the metallic salts of fatty acids with c 14 to c 19 chains such as the metallic stearates and oleates with zinc or calcium stearates being preferred due to their commercial availability . these salts are used in amounts of 0 . 25 to 3 % by weight , preferably 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 % by weight . the hot melt adhesive compositions also generally contain 0 . 2 to 2 % by weight , preferably about 1 . 5 %, of an antioxidant . among the applicable stabilizers or antioxidants utilized herein are included high molecular weight hindered phenols and multifunctional phenols uch as sulfur and phosphorous - containing phenols . hindered phenols are well known to those skilled in the art and may be characterized as phenolic compounds which also contain sterically bulky radicals in close proximity to the phenolic hydroxyl group hereof . in particular , tertiary butyl groups generally are substituted onto the benzene ring in at least one of the ortho positions relative to the phenolic hydroxy group . the presence of these sterically bulky substituted radicals in the vicinity of the hydroxyl group serves to retard its stretching frequency and , correspondingly , its reactivity ; this steric hindrance thus providing the phenolic compound with its stabilizing properties . representative hindered phenols include : 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethyl 2 , 4 , 6 - tris ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxybenzyl ) benzene ; pentaerythrityl tetrakis - 3 ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propionate ; n - octadecyl - 3 -( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propionate ; n - octadecyl - 3 ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propionate ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- methylenebis ( 2 , 6 - tertbutylphenol ); 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- thiobis ( 6 - tert - butyl - o - cresol ); 2 , 6 - di - tertbutylphenol ; 6 -( 4 - hydroxyphenoxy ) 2 , 4 - bis ( n - octyl - thiol )- 1 , 3 , 5 - triazine ; di - n - octadecyl 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxy - benzylphosphonate ; 2 -( n - octylthio ) ethyl 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxy - benzoate ; sorbitol hexa [ 3 -( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propionate ]; zinc diethyl dithiocarbamate and zinc dibutyl dithiocarbamate . the performance of these antioxidants may be further enhanced by utilizing , in conjunction therewith known synergists such , for example , as thiodipropionate esters and phosphites , particularly useful is distearylthiodipropionate . in addition to the required components as recited above , the removeable hot melt adhesives of the invention may also contain up to about 30 % by weight , preferably 20 - 25 % by weight , of an essentially aliphatic resin having a softening point within the range of about 80 ° to 150 ° c . as discussed previously , the mixed methylcyclohexane aniline point test is used to categorize the aliphatic nature of the hydrocarbon resin . suitable resins include c 5 synthetic terpene resins such as wingtack 95 from goodyear ( mmap is approximately 93 ° c . ); terpene resins derived from alpha or beta - pinene or dipentene resins such as nirez 1100 or 1115 from reichhold ; resins derived from dipentene or d - limonene such as zonarez 7100 from arizona chemical and resins derived from isoprene such as escorez 1310 ( mmap = 93 ° c .) from exxon . the adhesives may further contain up to about 25 % by weight , preferably 10 - 20 % by weight , of a plasticizing or extending oil in order to provide wetting action and / or viscosity control . the above broadly includes the usual plasticizing oils such as paraffinic and naphthenic oils . the petroleum derived oils which may be employed are relatively high boiling materials containing only a minor proportion of aromatic hydrocarbons ( preferably less than 30 % and , more particularly , less than 15 % by weight of the oil .) alternatively , the oil may be totally non - aromatic . other additives such as plasticizers , pigments , dyestuffs conventionally added to hot melt adhesives for various end used contemplated may also be incompated in minor amounts into the formulations of the present invention . the adhesive compositions are prepared by blending the components in the melt at a temperature of about 130 °- 200 ° c . until a homogeneous blend is obtained , approximately 2 hours . various methods of blending are known to the art and any method that produces a homogeneous blend is satisfactory . an exemplary procedure involves placing the block copolymer , antioxidants and a portion of the oil preferably under an inert gas environment in a jacketed mixing kettle , preferably in a jacketed heavy duty mixer of the baker - perkins or day type , which is equipped with rotors and thereupon raising the temperature to a range of from about 120 ° to 180 ° c . when the mixture has been masticated to a uniform consistency , the tackifying resin and the remainder of the oil are slowly added over a period in order to avoid the formation of lumps . mixing and heating are continued until a smooth , homogeneous mass is obtained whereupon the remainder of the tackifying resin and the oil are thoroughly and uniformly admixed therewith . the resultant hot melt adhesives are generally produced in bulk form and packaged in release coated containers or they may be coated directly onto the tape or label stock . the adhesive is useful on any conventional label or other face stock including not only paper , but also including those substrates made from printed plastic foils or films or metal or metallized foils . the paper face stock is generally a lithographic or chrome coated paper which may or may not be preprinted on one or both sides . the release liner is generally bleached kraft stock which has been coated with silicone release agent although other release liners known in the art may also be employed . the composite lamination is typically manufactured by coating the hot melt in a molten state at a temperature greater than about 130 ° c . from a slot or roll coated onto the release liner at approximately 10 . 0 - 14 . 0 lbs / ream ( 3000 sq . ft .). the coated release liner is then laminated to the face stock by a nip roll using pressure between a rubber roll and a steel roll . this technique effects a transfer of the adhesive mass to the face stock with a minimum of penetration . the adhesives of this invention , while disclosed with regard to their use on labels , may also be used in other hot melt applications to join two or more substrates together if separation thereof is later desired . this invention can be further illustrated by the following examples of preferred embodiments thereof , although it will be understood that these examples are included merely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention unless otherwise specifically indicated . in the following examples , all adhesive formulations were prepared in a sigma mixer heated to 170 ° c . by blending the components until homogeneous . the adhesives were then transfer coated , applied to a 40 lb . kraft siliconized release liner , then nipped to the backside of a 60 lb . kromekote paper label stock at approximately 11 . 0 / lbs / ream . all samples were not tested immediately but aged for at least 24 hrs . to permit the adhesive mass to key into the untreated side of the 60 lb . kromokote . the adhesives were tested using pstc # 1 to standard pstc stainless steel panels . residence time on the panels were recorded as indicated , then allowed 1 hr . at room temperature ( 22 ° c .) prior to a peel test on an instron run at 12 inches / minute . the initial peel from the stainless steel panel is generally below 1 . 0 lb . or 16 oz . per linear inch . the criteria for removability is aging the panels with 1 &# 34 ;× 6 &# 34 ; strips of label stock on the panel at room temperature and elevated temperature ( 48 ° c . ), cooling 1 hour at room temperature , then again running a peel adhesion of the label stock off the panel it has been aged on . the resultant peel should be below 2 . 5 lbs . or 40 oz . values above this can result in paper tear which would indicate the product is not removable . it is desired that the adhesive value after aging on the panel be no different from the initial value or show only a very small increase ( value below 2 . 0 lbs . 32 oz .). the following formulations were made to demonstrate effect of the low softening resin on removability . in these formulations , the sample designated a has all low softening resin with subsequent increases in higher melting resin until it is totally replaced with high softening resin in sample e . ______________________________________ a b c d e______________________________________kraton d1112 35 35 35 35 35regalrez 1018 50 . 0 37 . 5 25 . 0 12 . 5 --( mmap = 63 ° c .) wingtack 95 -- 12 . 5 25 . 0 37 . 5 50 . 0 ( mmap approx . 93 °) white mineral oil 15 15 15 15 15coad 50 * 1 1 1 1 1irganox 1010 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5datainitial peel 0 . 6 lbs 0 . 7 lbs 0 . 6 lbs 7 . 0 lbs tear24 hrs peel @ rt 1 . 0 lbs 1 . 1 lbs 0 . 8 lbs tear tear24 hrs peel @ 48 ° c . 1 . 1 lbs 1 . 2 lbs 0 . 8 lbs tear tear1 week peel rt 1 . 0 lbs 1 . 4 lbs 1 . 1 lbs tear tear1 week peel @ 48 ° c . 1 . 2 lbs 1 . 4 lbs 1 . 7 lbs tear tear______________________________________ * a mixture of zinc and calcium stearate from mathe company , lodi , nj the results show that adhesive formulations d and e which do not contain adequate levels of the low softening point aliphatic resin exhibit an unacceptably high initial peel and , after aging , are no longer removeable . the following example demonstrates the need for the metallic salts in the formulations of the invention . ______________________________________ f g h______________________________________kraton d1112 35 . 0 35 . 0 35 . 0regalrez 1018 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5wingtack 95 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5petrolatum 7 . 5 7 . 5 7 . 5coad 50 -- 0 . 5 1 . 5mineral oil 12 . 0 12 . 0 12 . 0ethox 330 ( antioxidant ) . 25 . 25 . 25santavar a ( antioxidant ) . 25 . 25 . 25datainitial peel s / s 1 . 3 lbs 1 . 2 lbs 0 . 6 lbs24 hours @ rt s / s 1 . 5 1 . 3 0 . 824 hrs @ 48 ° c . s / s 2 . 4 2 . 1 1 . 21 week @ rt 1 . 8 1 . 3 0 . 71 week @ 48 ° c . tear 2 . 6 1 . 4______________________________________ the results show that , on aging , sample f prepared without the metallic salt builds up adhesion and is no longer removeable . the following example illustrates the use of different types of rubbery block copolymers in the formulations . ______________________________________ j k l m n______________________________________kraton d1112 35 -- -- -- --( sis ) kraton d1117 -- 35 -- -- --( sis ) kraton d1107 -- -- 35 -- --( sis ) kraton g1657 -- -- -- 35 --( sebs ) kraton 1102 -- -- -- -- 35wingtack 95 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 -- wingtak 86 -- -- -- -- 25regalrez 1018 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 22 . 5 25white mineral 12 . 0 12 . 0 12 . 0 12 . 0 15 . 0oilpetrolatum 7 . 5 7 . 5 7 . 5 7 . 5 -- coad 50 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 5ethox 330 . 25 . 25 . 25 . 25 . 50santavar a . 25 . 25 . 25 . 25 . 50______________________________________kraton d1112 14 % styrene / 86 % isoprene low molecular weightkraton d1117 17 % styrene / 83 % isoprene low molecular weightkraton d1107 14 % styrene / 86 % isoprene medium molecular weightkraton g1657 14 % styrene / 86 % ethylene butylenekraton 1102 30 % styrene / 70 % butadieneinitial peel 0 . 8 lbs 1 . 2 lbs 1 . 2 lbs 1 . 2 0 . 6 ghost24 hrs @ rt 1 . 1 1 . 7 1 . 9 1 . 3 0 . 6 ghost24 hrs @ 48 ° c . 1 . 3 2 . 0 2 . 2 tear 1 . 1 ghost72 hrs @ rt n / t n / t n / t n / t . 75 ghost72 hrs @ 48 ° c . n / t n / t n / t n / t 1 . 2 ghost / tear1 week @ rt 1 . 4 2 . 1 2 . 1 tear n / t1 week @ 48 ° c . 1 . 8 1 . 4 2 . 6 tear n / t______________________________________ n / t = not tested the above results demonstrate the specific utility of sis type rubber . the kraton g1657 showed excessive build up resulting in tear on aging . in addition to exhibiting some build up on aging , the kraton 1102 left a substantial amount of residue which could mar or stain the surface when the labels were removed . this experiment demonstrates the necessity for a substantially aliphatic hydrocarbon resin . the preferred resins tested were : ______________________________________resin soft point______________________________________regalrez 1018 17 ° c . exxon ecr 140a & lt ; 30 ° c . wingtack 10 10 ° c . ______________________________________ the above can all be described as aliphatic resins with softening points less than 30 ° c . for comparative purposes , piccovar l30 , an aromatic resin having a softening point less than 35 ° c . but an mmap of 8 ° c . and stabelite ester # 3 , a rosin ester of ethylene glycol were also tested . ______________________________________ o p q r______________________________________formulationskraton d1112 35 . 0 35 . 0 35 . 0 35 . 0wingtack 10 25 . 0 -- -- -- exxon ec 140a -- 25 . 0 -- -- stabelite ester # 3 -- -- 25 . 0 -- piccovar l30 -- -- -- 25 . 0wingtack 95 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0mineral oil 15 . 0 15 . 0 15 . 0 15 . 0coad 50 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0 1 . 0antioxidant 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5datainitial peel 0 . 8 lbs 0 . 5 lbs 3 . 6 lbs 2 . 1 lbs24 hrs @ rt 1 . 2 0 . 7 tear 2 . 624 hrs @ 48 ° c . 1 . 5 0 . 8 tear 4 . 01 week @ rt 1 . 5 0 . 8 tear tear1 week @ 48 ° c . 1 . 7 1 . 7 tear tear______________________________________ the results demonstrate the necessity for the use of soft essentially aliphatic resins since the more aromatic resins exhibited a high degree of initial tack which increased on aging so they were no longer removeable . this example demonstrates the necessity for utilizing the fatty acid in the form of its metallic salt . ______________________________________ s t u v______________________________________kraton d1112 35 . 0 35 . 0 35 . 0 35 . 0regalrez 1018 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0wingtack 95 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 0white mineral oil 15 . 0 15 . 0 15 . 0 15 . 0coad 20 ( zn . sup .++ stearate ) 1 . 5coad 10 ( ca . sup .++ stearate ) 1 . 5 -- -- -- aluminum stearate -- -- 1 . 5 -- stearic acid -- -- -- 1 . 5antioxidants 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5datainitial peel 1 . 0 1 . 3 1 . 0 1 . 1 ghost24 hrs @ rt 1 . 2 1 . 7 1 . 3 1 . 1 ghost24 hrs @ 48 ° c . 1 . 0 2 . 0 1 . 9 1 . 2 ghost1 week @ rt 0 . 8 1 . 0 1 . 0 0 . 6 ghost1 week @ 48 ° c . 1 . 1 1 . 4 1 . 1 0 . 7 ghost______________________________________ the results show that while the stearic acid is effective in preventing adhesive build up , it leaves a greasy deposit referred to as a &# 34 ; ghost &# 34 ; which could stain and mar a surface . the metallic stearates do not do this . we have also noted in some cases after long aging , there is an actual drop in adhesion with the metallic stearates , indicating a surface phenomenon or orientation of the metallic stearate at the adhesive / surface interface that prevents tack build up and does not exude to mar the surface , an important feature herein . now that the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , various modifications of improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims , and not by the foregoing disclosure .
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referring firstly to fig1 reference numeral 20 denotes a paint spray chamber in which different objects such as parts of car bodies for example are sprayed with paint . after the spraying operation the coated objects are transferred to an evaporation zone 21 communicating with the spray chamber . both the spray chamber 20 and the evaporation zone 21 are divided into an upper space where the actual spraying operation takes place and into a lower space serving for inspecting the chamber and the evaporation zone . the upper space is separated from the lower space by a grate 18 . the paint drops or paint particles dripping from the paint mist resulting in the spray chamber 20 are taken along by a stream of supply air 22 driven into the chambers 20 and 21 through inlet openings provided in the ceiling of the chambers and the mixture is discharged as exhaust air through the grate 18 against a circulating endless filtering band 1 . if needed , electric potential can be applied via conductor 1c shown in fig1 a at least to the lower run of the filter band 11 to assist in the precipitation of the residual paint droplets . if the exhaust air stream passing the filtering conveyor band 1 has not been completely freed from the paint mist , the remainder of the paint particles are intercepted by a pressure distributing device 17 in the form of a bed or layer of granular particles . the device 17 , however , serves primarily for equalizing the pressure of the exhaust air stream so that the underlying circulating second endless filter band in the form of a conveyor band 30a carrying adsorption material 30 preferably in the form of a continuously deposited layer of activated carbon , is slowly and uniformly penetrated by the stream of pressure equalized exhaust air . in passing through the conveyor band 30a the exhaust air transfers particles of solvent contained therein into the adsorbing material that is continuously discharged fo further processing as it will be explained below . after passing this stage , the exhaust air has been completely purified and is subsequently sucked by ( schematically illustrated ) outlet air system 19 and discharged into the outer atmosphere or is reintroduced through return conduits 23 as supply air into the chamber 20 or evaporation zone 21 . paint remainders or residual paint particles deposited on the filtering band 1 are transferred by the filtering band 1 into a washing chamber 8a in which it is soaked in the same solvent as used in spraying . in the shown embodiment , the cleaning process of the conveyor 1 is initiated by rinsing the latter by means of solvent jetted through nozzles 4 in a first treatment zone of the washing chamber . the used paint solvent is collected in a flooding container 5 located under the nozzles 4 . the filtering conveyor 1 is then advanced through the flooding container 5 and during this movement the still adherent paint is once more intensively soaked and softened . in a subsequent treatment zone , the conveyor band 1 is rinsed again by solvent jetted through intermediate nozzle 6 so that by the action of the dynamic pressure of the washing liquid the soaked paint deposits are further released from the filtering band . before the treated part of the conveyor belt 1 emerges from the washing chamber in the direction to the spray chamber , a final rinsing is made by solvent jetted through nozzles 7 . the total amount of the washing liquid admitted into the cleaning process and including the dissolved residual paint and solvents , is collected in a collecting container 8 . a circulation pump 9 sucks the washing liquid mixture and delivers it to a filtering device 10 that partially separates the solvent and the paint . the purified solvent after its separation from the paint is delivered through conduit 11 back to the nozzle system in the washing station 8a whereas paint separated in the filter is fed through conduit 12 to an additional filtering station 13 that serves for separating the last remainders of solvents contained in the paint and for concentrating the solvent . the resulting filtrate is returned through conduit 14 into the collecting container 8 so that no solvent is wasted . in order that the acquired paint might be concentrated according to a program determined by particular operational conditions , a storing container 15 is provided from which the paint is supplied for additional filtration in the filtering station 13 and this filtering process can be repeated until the desired thickness or concentration of the paint is achieved . the concentrated paint is delivered to container 16 and therefrom discharged from the system . another possibility of paint recovery is shown in fig1 a where the filter band 1 and the grate 18 are constructed as a single unit &# 39 ; where the aforedescribed cleaning process is carried out . solvent vapors created in the washing chamber 8a are cooled in a cooling device 3 and condensed . in addition , to relieve pressure in the washing chamber 8a , the solvent vapor can be discharged through the chamber 8a via pressure relieving conduit 2 into the spray chamber 20 or into the evaporation zone 21 where it is sucked off by the stream of supply air 22 passing through the spray chamber . solvent contained in the stream of exhaust air is adsorbed by the activated carbon when the exhaust air loaded with the solvent particles is passing through the activated carbon layer 30 . the layer 30 is continuously discharged into a dosing container or tub 31 that is preferably equipped with a vibrator and a dosing device and therefrom it is fed into a desorption container 32 in which it is by a continuous or intermittent operation desorbed so as to be recycled for another exposure to the exhaust air stream . in the embodiment shown in fig1 the desorption of the activated carbon is effected by means of steam . steam is introduced into the desorption container 32 via a conduit 33 . the desorbate ( solvent mixed with steam ) is fed from the desorption container 32 via a conduit 34 into a condenser 35 that also admits exhaust air from the evaporation zone 21 . the condensate formed in the condenser 35 is fed to a rectification device or column 36 , where the solvent and water are separated . for example , upon fractionization in the column 36 , the solvent is accumulated in container 37 and made ready for recycling whereas the condensed water is discharged in a water reservoir 38 . from this reservoir water is pumped to a steam generator or boiler 39 in which it is heated and delivered as hot steam via conduit 33 into desorption container 32 for desorbing activated carbon container therein . carbon dust remaining after the desorption of the activated carbon in the desorption container 32 is discharged into a carbon dust trap at the top of separator 4 and therefrom it is delivered via conduit 43 to boiler 39 where it serves as a supplemental fuel for the primary heating fuel supplied via conduit 47 . hot water from boiler 39 is supplied to a heat exchanger 44 which draws in fresh air that , via conduit 45 , is fed into the desorption container 32 for drying the activated carbon . activated carbon after being freed from carbon dust is discharged on the bottom of the separator 41 and delivered pneumatically by means of fans 40 to a loading station 42 that cooperates with the conveyor 30a to deposit thereon a continuous layer of reactivated carbon 30 . the station 42 acts at the same time as a dosing device to dischrge the activated carbon in a predetermined quantity . the device as illustrated schematically in fig1 makes it possible to remove practically all paint residuals and solvents contained in the exhaust air stream coming from the spray chamber and thus producing practically pure outlet air that through the outlet system 19 or 46 can be dischrged into the outer atmosphere without causing pollution . at the same time , due to the recycling of auxiliary materials such as additional solvents or activated carbon , the consumption of such auxiliary materials is reduced to minimum or almost to zero . also by reusing waste materials considerable amount of energy is saved . by utilizing heat generated for desorption and additional drying processes and also by recycling purified water it is possible to further increase the effectiveness of the device . in the embodiment according to fig2 the last two digits in reference numerals correspond to the like reference numerals in fig1 . filtering conveyor 101 in the form of a continuously circulating conveyor serving for intercepting paint remnants dripping from the spray chamber 120 , is advanced through the inner container 151 of a doubled walled cleaning container 150 . in the container 151 jets of sand heated to about 350 ° to 700 ° c . remove the paint from the conveyor band surface and the clean conveyor part is advanced through a cooling device 152 to the lower part of the spray chamber 120 . the mixture of sand and paint remnants removed from the conveyor 101 is transported , via a vibrator if needed , to a combusiton chamber 153 into which contaminating substances escaping from the container 151 of the cleaning container are also supplied via conduits 154 and 155 . the mixture of paint remnants , sand and contaminating substances is burned in chamber 153 by means of supplied fuel and air , and the resulting fumes as well as the sand are sucked up through a conduit 156 into a separator 157 having the form of a cyclone and thereafter are sucked into a second cyclone - like separator 158 . the cyclone - like separators separate sand from fumes whereby sand is moved by pressure resulting in cyclones 157 and 158 and fed via conduit 159 into nozzles 160 acting as a sand jet blower ; the funes are fed via conduit 161 into the interspace 162 of the cleaning container 150 and are employed for heating the inner container 151 of the cleaning container . fumes purified from paint particles and other contaminants , are discharged from the interspace 162 through conduit 163 into the outer atmosphere or are fed via a spray tower 164 acting as a cooler and mixer with water spray , and therefrom are supplied via conduit 165 into the desorption container 132 to act as a desorption agent for regenerating used adsorption material 130 ( such as activated carbon saturated with solvent ). the used adsorption material is discharged from the circulating conveyor band 130a into a storing tube 131 and after desorption in container 132 is fed through a separator 141 again to loading point 142 for being redeposited on the conveyor 130a . a pressure equalizing device for example in the form of a gravel layer can be again arranged if desired , between the two conveyors 101 and 130a . fumes employed as desorption agent in the regenerator or desorption container 132 in the form of a whirling shaft reactor , are supplied via conduit 155 into the combustion chamber 153 for burning contaminating substances contained therein as it has been described before . the adsorption material ( activated carbon ) can also be regenerated by sand instead of fumes . in the embodiment shown in fig3 in instances where similar apparatus is used , the last two digits of reference numerals correspond to reference numerals of like parts in fig1 . in this device the residual paint from the spray station 220 is deposited on a fill or layer 266 of alumina al 2 o 3 . this alumina layer is discharged on the circulating conveyor band 201 at the loading station 267 and at the opposite end of the conveyor the alumina with the intercepted paint is discharged into a collecting container 268 from which it is supplied to a furnace 269 such as a whirl shaft furnace for example . in the furnace the paint particles are expelled from the alumina and , in a partially combusted condition , are supplied via conduit 270 into a combustion chamber 253 ; the separated alumina is fed into a desorption container in the form of an oven 232 such as a shaft furnace , for example , where it is mixed with adsorption material 230 such as activated carbon delivered from the conveyor band 230a and collecting container 231 and in the oven 232 the mixture is heated by fumes delivered via conduit 271 from combustion chamber 253 . at the same time , conduit 272 supplies the fumes into heating furnace 269 for heating the same . in the heating oven 232 the adsorption material is freed from solvent particles that via conduit 273 are supplied to combustion chamber 253 for being burned . alumina and adsorption material are separated from one another in a separator such as for example a vibrating sieve 276 whereupon alumina is supplied via a cooler 274 and a conduit 274a to the loading station 267 ; the adsorption material is supplied via cooler 275 and a conduit 275a to the loading station 242 . exhaust air purified from paint mist and solvent particles is fed through return conduit 219 to air supply 223 and therefrom it is forced through the spray chamber 220 or through chamber 220a ( used for preliminary cleaning ) and / or through the evaporation zone 221 . in the modification illustrated in fig4 component parts corresponding to those in the preceding embodiments are designated by identical last two digits in corresponding reference numerals . similarly as in the preceding examples , the treatment chamber 320 has an evaporation zone 321 and also a stream of supply air ( not shown ) is blown from inlet openings at the ceiling of the chamber past conveyors 301 and 330a . this air stream takes along paint particles as well as solvent particles and the paint particles are intercepted by a steel wool layer provided on conveyor 301 . paint particles attached to the steel wool are delivered by the conveyor 301 through a pyrolyzing device 376 where it is subject to heat treatment and to the influence of acids . a layer of adsorption material 330 that is continuously laid on the conveyor 330a is continuously discharged into a tub 331 and therefrom fed through conduit 380 into desorption container 332 where it is also exposed to heat treatment . the desorption container 332 is preferably constructed as a whirl shaft furnace having radiation traps for transferring heat by radiation . combustion products generated within burner 353 are fed through conduits 377 and 378 both into the pyrolyzer 376 and into desorption container 332 and through conduit 379 are returned to the burner 353 . the lower conveyor 330a conveying the continuously deposited adsorption material or if needed also aluminum oxide and the like , extends below the evaporation zone and discharges the adsorption layer 330 ( activated carbon ) after its saturation with solvent particles contained in the exhaust air stream from chamber 320 and zone 321 , into the collecting tub ( carbon collecting tub ) 331 from which the adsorption material is fed via a chute 380 on an additional conveyor band 381 circulating in the desorption container 332 . the adsorption material on conveyor 381 is relieved from adsorbed solvent particles and the latter are fed together with fumes through conduit 379 into burner 353 where they are burned . adsorption material regenerated by the desorption process is cooled in cooler 375 and is returned on conveyor band 330a . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , will 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 specific embodiments of the device for separating paint residuals and solvents from exhaust air of a spray chamber , 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 . for instance , the device of this invention is applicable in existing devices of this kind that can be converted into a device according to this invention by a relatively simple reconstruction .
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in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , systems and methods are provided for dynamically managing deception policies for an enterprise network , which adapt to changes that occur in the network environment . reference is made to fig2 , which is a simplified diagram of an enterprise network 200 with network surveillance , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . network 200 includes a deception management server 300 , a database 220 of decoy attack vectors , a policy database 230 and decoy servers 240 . in addition , network computers 110 and servers 120 are grouped into groups g 1 , g 2 , g 3 and g 4 . database 220 stores attack vectors that fake movement and access to computers 110 , servers 120 and other resources in network 200 . attack vectors include inter alia : each decoy attack vector in database 220 may point to ( i ) a real resource that exists within network 200 , e . g ., an ftp server , ( ii ) a decoy resource that exists within network 200 , e . g ., a decoy server 240 , or ( iii ) a resource that does not exist . in the latter case , when an attacker attempts to access a resource that does not exist , access governor 150 recognizes a pointer to a resource that is non - existent . access governor 150 responds by notifying deception management server 300 , or by re - directing the pointer to a resource that does exist in order to track the attacker &# 39 ; s moves , or both . the attack vectors stored in database 220 are categorized by families , such as inter alia credentials for a computer b that reside on a computer a provide an attack vector for an attacker from computer a to computer b . reference is made to fig3 , which is a screenshot of a user interface for configuring files deceptions , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig3 , decoy attack vectors for files comprise deceptive information relating to saved credentials in local files . the decoy attack vectors tempt an attacker to access a file of decoy usernames and passwords , and to use those credentials to access network resources . the access attempt triggers an alert that exposes the attacker &# 39 ; s activity . database 220 communicates with an update server 260 , which updates database 220 as new types of attack vectors for accessing , manipulating and hopping to computers evolve over time . update server 260 may be a separate server , or a part of deception management server 300 . policy database 230 stores , for each group of computers , g 1 , g 2 , . . . , policies for generating decoy attack vectors on computers in that group . each policy specifies decoy attack vectors that are generated in each group , in accordance with attack vectors stored in database 220 . for user credentials , the decoy attack vectors planted on a computer lead to another resource in the network . for attack vectors to access an ftp or other server , the decoy attack vectors planted on a computer lead to a decoy server 240 . deception management server 300 includes six primary components ; namely , a deployment governor 310 , a deception deployer 320 , a deception adaptor 330 , a deception diversifier 340 , a deployment monitor 350 and an attack risk inspector 360 . deployment governor 310 defines a deception policy . the deception policy defines different deception types , different deception combinations , response procedures , notification services , and assignments of policies to specific network nodes , network users , groups of nodes or users or both . the deception policy specifies one or more decoy attack vectors ; one or more resources in network 200 in which the one or more decoy attack vectors are “ planted ”, i . e ., generated ; and a schedule for generating the one or more decoy attack vectors in the one or more resources . once policies are defined , they are stored in policy database 230 with the defined assignments . deception deployer 320 plants one or more decoy attack vectors on one or more resources in network 200 , in accordance with the deception policy specified by deployment governor 310 . deception deployer 320 plants each decoy , based on its type , on network resources , as appropriate . deception deployer 320 plants the decoy attack vectors in such a way that the chances of a valid user accessing the decoy attack vectors are low . deception deployer 320 may or may not stay resident on resources . deception adaptor 330 is an environment discovery tool that auto - learns the enterprise environment , including inter alia conventions for usernames , workstation names , server names and shared folder names . deception adaptor 330 analyzes the organization of network 200 and dynamically triggers changes in the deception policy based on changes in network 200 . deception adaptor 330 extracts characteristics of network 200 from multiple sources , including inter alia : management tools , e . g ., directories such as ad and ldap ; asset management , e . g ., tivoli and hpov ; configuration management , e . g ., cmdb ; network management , e . g ., cisco works and sdn ; user management ; tools — general and third party tools ; device management , e . g ., endpoints , mobile devices , and windows / linux / mac / ios / android servers ; applications , e . g ., portal , ftp client , and database ; data , e . g ., files and sharepoint . reference is made to fig4 , which is a simplified diagram of deception diversifier 340 , which specifies levels of deception diversity to be applied across resources in the network , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . deception diversifier 340 generates a current view of the network from the characteristics extracted by deception adaptor 330 and , based on changes identified in the view , generates deception policy changes , including inter alia a specification of levels of deception diversity to be applied across resources in network 200 , as shown in fig4 . the deception policy changes are provided to deception governor 310 , and then deployed by deception deployer 320 . fig4 shows respective options 344 and 346 for automatic and custom diversification . for the custom diversification option , the levels of diversification are set manually by an administrator of network 200 . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the levels of diversification are randomly set . reference is made to fig5 , which is a screenshot of a user interface for configuring deceptions for browser history , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 , decoy attack vectors relate to web hosts in a domain . the decoy attack vectors lure an attacker to attempt to access decoy web servers . the access attempt triggers an alert that exposes the attacker &# 39 ; s activity . sliders 370 are used to set levels of deception diversity for the decoy web servers . deception diversifier 340 responds to various change triggers extracted from the above sources . changes in deception policy may be performed manually by an administrator , scheduled via policy governor 310 , or performed autonomously . the need for change can be triggered by the environment , or can be self - triggered . reference is made to fig6 , which is a simplified diagram of self - triggered deception changes , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig6 shows an activity log of login access and data editing at a decoy resource , at a first point in time t ( n ). deception adaptor 330 analyzes the activity logs and dynamically changes them as appropriate so that the decoy resource appears to an attacker as being active in enterprise network 200 . e . g ., fig6 shows that the last modified time has been changed to 2 / 14 / 15 , and the last accessed time has been changed to 2 / 13 / 15 . the activity log at time t ( n + 1 ) appears as shown in fig6 and , as such , the decoy resource appears to an attacker as being active . deception diversifier 340 includes five primary modules . a change profiler 341 analyzes changes in network 200 including inter alia changes in nature , entities , scope , form and naming convention . a change policy manager 343 defines deception deployment logic changes . a change policy assigner 345 defines deception deployment scope changes , such as on which network entities changes should be deployed . a change policy scheduler 347 defines deployment schedule changes . a change policy deployer 349 transmits changes to deception governor 310 . deployment monitor 350 collects information about the current deployment of decoys across the network , and presents this information to an administrator of network 200 in an interactive way whereby the administrator is able to interactively change the deployment policy via deployment governor 310 . in an embodiment of the present invention , deployment governor 310 uses deployment monitor 350 to automatically recommend changes to the administrator , so as to ensure that the enterprise always uses optimal fitted deceptions . attack risk inspector 360 inspects network 200 to search for real attack vectors that exist in network 200 , and to find elements and artifacts in network 200 that can be used by an attacker as attack vectors , including inter alia credentials and connections to ftp , ssh and rdp servers . based on the elements and artifacts found by attack risk inspector 360 , deception governor 310 and deception diversifier 340 generate policies that resemble real attack vectors present in network 200 , thereby ensuring that the deceptions deployed by deception deployer 340 are custom - fit in type , profile and ratio , to create an optimal deceptive environment . once an attacker is detected , a “ response procedure ” is launched . the response procedure includes inter alia various notifications to various tools , and actions on the source node where detection of use of a decoy has occurred , such as launching a forensics collection and investigation process , and isolating , shutting down and re - imaging one or more network nodes . the response procedure collects information available on one or more nodes that may help in identifying the attacker &# 39 ; s attack acts , intention and progress . each decoy server 240 activates a forensic alert module 242 , which alerts deception management server 300 that an attacker is accessing the decoy server via a computer 110 on the network . access governor 150 also activates a forensic alert module 252 , which alerts deception management server 300 that an attacker is attempting to use a decoy credential . notification servers ( not shown ) are notified when an attacker uses a decoy . the notification servers may discover this by themselves , or by using information stored on access governor 150 and siem 160 . the notification servers forward notifications , or results of processing multiple notifications , to create notification time lines or other such analytics . reference is made to fig7 , which is a simplified flowchart of a method for deception management in network 200 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . operations 1010 - 1040 shown in fig7 are performed repeatedly over time . at operation 1010 a deception management server , such as deception management server 300 , specifies a current deception policy that includes ( i ) one or more decoy attack vectors , ( ii ) one or more resources from network 200 , and a deployment schedule . at operation 1020 the deception management server generates the one or more decoy attack vectors in the one or more resources in network 200 in accordance with the deployment schedule . at operation 1030 the deception management server analyzes network 200 for changes in the network , and extracts current characteristics of the network . at operation 1040 the deception management server triggers changes in the deception policy based on the changes in the network characteristics identified at operation 1030 . deception management server 300 also monitors network 200 for decoy attack vectors that were improperly deployed or that were removed from one or more resources , e . g ., when a machine is re - booted , and regenerates those decoy attack vectors on those resources . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to the specific exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .
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the preferred embodiments of the present invention stem from the realization that interconnect mechanical stability can be increased — and , therefore , interconnect susceptibility to electromigration and stress migration decreased — without compromising interconnect electrical conductivity by selectively modifying the periphery of the individual metal lead . the modified periphery limits void and hillock formation while the inner core of the interconnect serves as a high conductance pathway for current flow . as would be evident to a person of ordinary skill , numerous methods exist for the selective modification of interconnects . therefore , without limiting the scope of the present invention , some preferred embodiments involve modification of the interconnect periphery selectively implanting or diffusing one or more desired chemical species into the exterior surface of an interconnect . according to some other preferred embodiments of the present invention , the modified periphery is generated by depositing one or more chemical species onto the exterior surface of an interconnect . the preferred embodiments of the present invention are generally applicable to interconnects in any type of integrated circuit processing and construction . therefore , without limiting the scope of the invention , the preferred embodiments involve modifications to a cmp process for damascene construction . damascene interconnect construction derives its name from the ancient artisans of damascus , who created intricate patterns using metal inlays . akin to its ancient origins , damascene construction in semiconductor processing creates interconnect lines by etching a recess or trench in a planarized insulator layer , filling the trench with a encapsulating / containment barrier metal and the lead metal ( e . g ., aluminum or copper ), and then removing excess metal material by planarization to yield a damascene structure . fig3 a and 3b show cross sections of an ic employing damascene construction . fig3 a shows “ single damascene ” construction whereas fig3 b shows “ dual damascene ” construction . [ 0039 ] fig3 a depicts a semiconductor substrate 25 having disposed thereon patterned insulator and interconnect layers . inter - layer dielectric (“ ild ”) 26 contacts semiconductor substrate 25 and provides electrical insulation between semiconductor substrate 25 and first interconnect 30 . barrier layer 28 limits diffusion of chemical species between ild 26 and first interconnect 30 . capping layer 32 , typically an insulator , covers ild 26 and first interconnect 30 except where via 34 and barrier layer 36 connect first interconnect 30 to second interconnect 38 . ild 35 provides additional electrical isolation between first interconnect 30 and second interconnect 38 . capping layer 40 provides both electrical isolation and surface protection to the completed integrated circuit . damascene construction typically begins with semiconductor substrate 25 . ild 26 is deposited on semiconductor substrate 25 and planarized using cmp . numerous materials can be employed effectively as ilds in semiconductor processing . therefore , without limiting the scope of the present invention , the preferred embodiments of the present invention employ silica - containing materials such as organosilica glasses or doped silica such as fluorine - doped silica glasses . after planarization of the ild 26 , a trench is etched in ild 26 and a barrier layer 28 is deposited in the trench followed by first interconnect 30 . in general , barrier layers serve to hinder the metal ( e . g ., copper ) from diffusing into adjacent ilds . the material deposited to form barrier layer 28 generally depends on the chemical composition of the interconnect . for example , when first interconnect 30 comprises tungsten ( w ), barrier layer 28 typically comprises titanium ( ti )— e . g ., ti , titanium nitride ( tin ), or a ti / tin stack . however , when first interconnect 30 comprises copper ( cu ), barrier layer 28 typically comprises tantalum ( ta )— e . g ., ta , tantalum nitride ( tan ) or a ta / tan stack . according to one preferred embodiment , first interconnect 30 comprises copper and barrier layer 28 comprises ta or tan or ta / tan bilayer , and possibly another layer to increase adhesion between the tan and the dielectric . following the application of the barrier layer 28 , first interconnect 30 is deposited and then planarized using cmp . as mentioned above , metal interconnects typically comprise aluminum or copper but may be any material , including metal alloys , that exhibit satisfactory electrical and mechanical properties . capping layer 32 preferably is deposited on first interconnect 30 and ild 26 following planarization . capping layer 32 typically comprises an insulating capping film , silicon nitride or silicon carbide , and may be patterned using photolithography techniques so as to leave an opening for via 34 . as shown in fig3 a , via 34 may be surrounded by barrier layers . via 34 may comprise the same type of metal used in first interconnect 30 or may be a different material altogether . ild layer 35 ( which may or may not be of the same composition as ild 26 ) is then deposited on top of capping layer 32 , and preferably is further patterned ( or etched ) to allow for via 34 , barrier layer 36 , and second interconnect 38 . the patterning step for ild 35 and the patterning step for capping layer 32 may be combined in order to speed up fabrication time . the composition of barrier layer 36 , like barrier 28 , is typically selected based upon the materials surrounding it ( i . e ., via 34 ), and may therefore comprise the same material as barrier 28 described above . second interconnect 38 fills the remaining trench created in ild 35 . second interconnect 38 may be of the same material as first interconnect 30 and / or via 34 , or may be a completely different material altogether . for example , first interconnect 30 and second interconnect 38 may be comprised of copper while via 34 may be comprised of tungsten . capping layer 40 is applied above second interconnect 38 following planarization . although not specifically shown in fig3 a , capping layer 40 may be patterned , like capping layer 32 , in anticipation of subsequent interconnect layers . the semiconductor structure shown in fig3 a is referred to as a “ single damascene ” or damascene structure because via 34 and second interconnect 38 are formed in separate steps . [ 0046 ] fig3 b , in contrast to fig3 a , depicts a “ dual damascene ” structure in which via 34 and second interconnect 38 are formed in a single step and there is no barrier separating them . in this case , via 34 and second interconnect 38 typically comprise the same material ( e . g ., copper ). note that the term “ trench ” and “ recess ” are used synonymously herein to indicate a void that may be created in any layer . furthermore , a recess may include additional trenches , for example , in fig3 a the electrically - insulating layer 35 may have a recess that comprises a secondary trench created for via 34 and a primary trench created for interconnect 38 . when current flows in the interconnect , the momentum due to electron flow cause the atoms of the interconnect to migrate in the direction of electron flow along grain boundaries . this migration pattern sometimes results in voids ( depletions in the conductor at grain boundary intersection point ) and hillocks ( accumulation of atoms in the conductor at grain boundary intersection points ). the voids and hillocks produced by electromigration may lead to the failure of an ic by causing open circuits and short circuits of interconnects , respectively . interconnect migration failure may also be the result of stress induced voiding as observed in “ stress induced voiding under vias connected to wide cu metal leads ” by e . t . ogawa et al ., which is hereby incorporated by reference . in general , interfacial surface stress , or the stress that exists at the seam of two adjacent layers , is thermally induced and is further exacerbated by electrical stresses . as temperatures and electric stresses fluctuate , the inherent interfacial stress can cause voids at the seam of adjacent layers . voiding resulting from both stress migration and electromigration is especially problematic where the via surface meets the interconnect surface in damascene construction . it is believed that many migration failures occur in the vicinity of the via / interconnect interface . from an electromigration standpoint , as electrons flow from the via to the interconnect or vice versa , the electrons are required to “ turn the corner ”— i . e ., to abruptly change their direction of flow to a narrower path . the reduction of electron path width increases electrical resistance and current crowding , resulting in the heating of the via / interconnect interface and increasing the susceptibility of the interface to migration problems . from a stress - induced migration standpoint , because the barrier , via , and interconnects are typically deposited under different pressures and temperatures , an inherent stress mismatch exists between these adjacent layers that is agitated by increases in temperature . thus , electromigration and stress - induced migration combine synergistically to accelerate failure conditions at via / interconnect interface . to combat the susceptibility of interconnects to stress - induced migration and electromigration , the preferred embodiments of the present invention involve modifications to the interconnects that enhance their mechanical stability . the surface of the interconnect is modified rather than the bulk interconnect . consequently , the interconnect benefits from mechanical stability while retaining the electrical properties of the unmodified interconnect material . a number of preferred embodiments are disclosed herein that relate in general to damascene construction and more particularly to specific surfaces on interconnects . additionally , as will be understood by a person of skill , the techniques and modifications described herein are applicable to any interconnect in an integrated circuit . according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention , an interconnect layer is implanted with ions in the vicinity of the via / interconnect interface . referring to fig4 the dual damascene structure of fig3 b is shown prior to application of the capping layer 40 . after the second interconnect 38 is deposited and planarized by cmp , an ion implantation step is performed in the area patterned by mask 42 . preferably , mask 42 restricts ion implantation to the vicinity of the interconnect / via interface . alternatively , a chemical species may be introduced into second interconnect 38 by diffusion or by sputtering . in one embodiment , second interconnect 38 is copper and the implanted material is selected from the group consisting of arsenic , antimony , chromium , palladium , tin , magnesium , aluminum , cobalt , and zirconium , and combinations thereof . preferably , implantation depth varies between about 50 and 500 angstroms and the composition of implanted material in this depth range varies between about 0 . 1 and about 10 percent by weight . according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention , an alloy layer is deposited on top of second interconnect 38 as shown in fig5 . referring now to fig5 the dual damascene structure of fig3 b is shown in which second interconnect 38 has been etched to create a trench and alloy layer 44 has been applied to the trench . the etch step may be selective — i . e ., confined to a specific area in the vicinity of the interconnect / via interface — or may apply generally to the entire second interconnect 38 . in one embodiment , second interconnect 38 is copper , alloy layer 44 is a copper alloy comprising copper and a material selected from the group consisting of arsenic , antimony , chromium , palladium , tin , magnesium , aluminum , cobalt , and zirconium , or combinations thereof . preferably , the thickness of alloy layer 44 , or the depth of the trench in second interconnect 38 , varies between 50 and 500 angstroms , and the percent composition of the material added to the copper varies between varies between about 0 . 1 and about 10 percent by weight . preferably , after alloy layer 44 is applied , a cmp step is performed prior to applying capping layer 40 . as will be evident to a person of ordinary skill , numerous techniques exist for depositing alloy layer 44 . one embodiment includes electroless plating . electroless plating involves metal deposition through a chemical reduction reaction from an aqueous metal salt solution containing also a reducing agent . deposition temperature is typically between 30 to 80 ° c . no external power supply is necessary for the metal reduction reaction . the semiconductor wafer is immersed in a plating bath , wherein metal ions react with reducing agents on a catalytic surface , thereby enabling plating on interconnects that are electrically isolated . depositing alloy layer 44 in this manner is advantageous because alloy layer 44 is selectively applied to the desired interconnect . other preferred embodiments for depositing alloy layer 44 include vapor deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (“ cvd ”) and physical vapor deposition (“ pvd ”). in general , these techniques involve using a volatile chemical species to create a film at the surface of the semiconductor substrate . these techniques are referred to as gross deposition techniques because there is no selectivity of deposition and a film of the material to be deposited forms over the whole surface of the wafer . accordingly , one embodiment that uses vapor deposition techniques to form alloy layer 44 may involve a cmp step after depositing the alloy layer 44 in order to maintain electrical isolation between metal interconnects . another method of maintaining electrical isolation between metal interconnects while using vapor deposition techniques includes employing a mask to limit the deposition of the desired material to only the exposed metal layers . more particularly , the mask may limit the deposition of the desired material to the vicinity of the interconnect / via interface . in yet another embodiment , the trench formed prior to the application of alloy layer 44 may be formed by over - polishing during a cmp step , with a desired trench depth of 50 to 500 angstroms . traditionally , after second interconnect 38 is deposited , a cmp step may be performed to polish the final surface , and over - polishing used to create the trench in the second interconnect 38 for the alloy layer 44 may be accomplished during this traditional cmp step . another embodiment of the present invention involves selective application of a thin seed layer , on the order of about 10 to 50 angstroms thick , in the trench so as to coat the walls of the trench with the thin seed layer 46 as shown in fig6 . in one embodiment , second interconnect 38 is copper and thin seed layer 46 is a copper alloy comprising copper and a material selected from the group consisting of arsenic , antimony , chromium , palladium , tin , magnesium , aluminum , cobalt , and zirconium and combinations thereof . preferably , the deposition of alloy layer 46 is accomplished using the selective electroless plating techniques described above . also , alloy layer 46 , as shown in fig6 or layer 44 in fig5 may be deposited using atomic layer growth methods . as described above , interfacial stresses at the boundaries between adjacent materials that cause metal migration are more easily activated than other migration inducing phenomena , or have the lower “ activation energy .” typically , metal layers are about 3000 angstroms thick , and modifying them to a depth of 500 angstroms maximum still leaves at least 80 % of the metal layer unmodified . thus , implantation and deposition methods of the preferred embodiments advantageously modify the interconnect where the interconnect is most susceptible to migration , at the interface between adjacent layers . also , because the modified interconnect of the preferred embodiments is not comprised entirely of the alloy material , as was the case in wang , the overall sheet resistance is decreased . this resistance savings benefit has a more pronounced affect on longer interconnects , and is especially beneficial when the modification is limited to the via / interconnect interface because the span in between vias remains unmodified . as a result of selective modification ( through electroless deposition and masking ), the concerns of selecting materials with minimal resistance contribution are lessened and therefore more materials such as arsenic and antimony are available for selective implantation , or deposition . also , the use of arsenic and antimony is beneficial because they are more common in semiconductor ic fabrication and would therefore be easier to implement as disclosed . an additional benefit of some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is galvanic corrosion protection . during the course of integrated circuit processing — e . g ., during cmp processing — both copper surfaces and barrier metal surfaces may be exposed . differences in the galvanic potentials of the exposed metals can give rise to a type of corrosion in which the more easily oxidized metal is etched from the wafer surface . this phenomenon is frequently referred to as galvanic corrosion . because of its galvanic potential , copper is particularly susceptible to galvanic corrosion . generally speaking , the modification of the top of the interconnect layer according to some of the preferred embodiments , results in copper interconnects with reduced susceptibility to corrosion . also , providing a metal migration inhibiting exterior surface for the interconnect according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention impedes metal movement , thereby eliminating the need for a separate barrier . this could be especially beneficial in next generation ics , which will likely employ narrower vias so that removing the barrier layer at the bottom and or top surfaces of the via will be particularly desirable . note that there are often many interconnect layers processed in manufacturing an ic , and the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any or all of those interconnect layers as deemed necessary . for example , the ic designers may note a metal migration problem at the first interconnect layer , while the other metal layers do not exhibit such behavior . in this case , an alloy layer may be employed at the first interconnect according to the embodiments disclosed herein , thereby reducing the potential for excessive limitations of the maximum allowed current density design guidelines for metal interconnect . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention . the embodiments described herein are exemplary only , and are not intended to be limiting . many variations and modifications of the invention disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above , but is only limited by the claims which follow , that scope including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . each and every claim is incorporated into the specification as an embodiment of the present invention . thus the claims are a further description and are an addition to the preferred embodiments of the present invention . use of the term “ optionally ” with respect to any element of a claim is intended to mean that the subject element is required , or alternatively , is not required . both alternatives are intended to be within the scope of the claim . the discussion of a reference in the description of related art is not an admission that it is prior art to the present invention , especially any reference that may have a publication date after the priority date of this application . the disclosures of all patents , patent applications and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference , to the extent that they provide exemplary , procedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein .
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with reference to fig1 a strip of elastomeric material is illustrated in oblique view . the strip ( 1 ) has a transverse width w and an indefinite length designated by the l direction . the strip ( 1 ) is transported upon a conveyor means ( not shown ) in the direction d . the strip ( 1 ) comprises one or more elastomeric components . the dotted line ( 3 ) shows the location or path of a lateral cut that is to be made across the width of the strip ( 1 ) of elastomeric material . the path ( 3 ) which extends across the width w of the strip ( 1 ) can be perpendicular to the length l of the strip or obliquely traversing across the width w t . if the strip ( 1 ) has one or more layers of parallel cords ( 22 ) that are similarly oriented , then it is preferred that the path ( 3 ) is similarly oriented relative to the cord ( 22 ) path . if the strip ( 1 ) is not reinforced by cords ( 22 ), then the location or path ( 3 ) can be in whatever path direction provides a sufficient amount of splice surface area . in some cases , the oblique path ( 3 ) may be preferred to satisfy the need for increased splice adhesion surface area . in the various figures shown , the elastomeric strips ( 1 ) are various components used in the manufacture of tires . fig2 a and 2b , for example , is a detailed view of a multi - component strip ( 1 ) of elastomeric material , the strip ( 1 ) as shown has ply ( 20 ) inserts ( 30 ), shoulder gum strips ( 40 ), a liner ( 50 ), a pair of chaffer strips ( 60 ), and a pair of sidewall components ( 70 ). in fig3 the strip is a strip of non - cord reinforced material for a tread or a sidewall component for a tire . in fig4 a and 4b , multi - component strips are shown . in fig4 a , the combination of tire components of fig2 are combined with a bias ply ( 20 ) reinforced by cords ( 22 ) that are parallel and similarly oriented at an oblique angle relative to the length of the ply ( 20 ), generally in an angular orientation of 30 ° to 65 °. in fig4 b , the combination tire components of fig2 a and 2b is combined with a ply ( 20 ) having parallel and similarly oriented cords ( 22 ) that are inclined at an angle in the range of 65 ° to 90 ° relative to the length of the strip ( 1 ). in fig4 a and 4b , the cords of the multi - component strip ( 1 ) are substantially shorter in length than the path ( 3 ) across the strip . in such a case , the ends of the cords ( 22 ) are not exposed making it very difficult to form a splice end without cutting or damaging a cord ( 22 ). while the inventive method of the present invention is not limited to the creation of splice surfaces for tire components and is readily applicable to any elastomeric strip having tacky surface adhesion properties , for the purpose of discussing the inventive method and apparatus , tire components as described above will be used to exemplify the inventive principles of the claimed method and apparatus . in practicing the invention , it is understood that the forming of the ends ( 12 , 14 ) of a segment ( 10 ) taken from a strip ( 1 ) of elastomeric material is accomplished in a similar way regardless of the component types . this is true if the strip ( 1 ) is reinforced with parallel cords ( 22 ) or not reinforced with cords . the only additional consideration when cords ( 22 ) are in the strip ( 1 ) is that the depth of the first cutting and the second cutting must take into consideration the location and orientation of the cords ( 22 ). in practicing the invention , as shown in fig5 a through 5d , a strip ( 1 ) of elastomeric material is shown on an edge view . as shown in fig5 a , the preferred method has the strip ( 1 ) supported on a second side ( 4 ) and a first cutting element ( 120 ) passes through the strip ( 1 ) along a path that transverses across the entire width of the strip ( 1 ). the first cutting element ( 120 ) is positioned to cut at a very low skive angle θ of less than 30 ° relative to the first side ( 2 ) of the strip ( 1 ) to a depth ( d ) the depth ( d ) being less than the total depth or thickness t of the strip ( 1 ). in other words the first cut does not cut through into the second side ( 4 ). as shown in fig5 b after the first cut is initiated , a second cut is made from the second side ( 4 ) to a depth intersecting the cutting path or plane ( p ) of the first cut , preferably intersecting the low angle skive surface ( 6 ) formed by the first cutting element ( 120 ) at a depth preferably sufficient to meet the location of the first cut depth ( d ). this second cut is preferably made by a second cutting element ( 122 ) set at an angle β , β being at a high skive angle most preferably about normal to the second side ( 4 ). this resultant cutting forms a low skive angle surface ( 6 ) for splicing which extends across the width of the strip ( 1 ) and an abutment surface ( 8 ) which also extends across the width of the strip ( 1 ). the combination of the low skive angle surface ( 6 ) and the abutment surface ( 8 ) create unique ends ( 12 , 14 ) for a splicing joint . the abutment surface ( 8 ) forms a distinct and abrupt surface which creates an indicator as to where the first and second ends ( 12 , 14 ) should be joined when making a splice . the first end ( 12 ) as shown in fig8 a has the low angle skive surface ( 6 ) extending inward along the length of the segment from the abutment surface at location s 1 . in fig8 b , the second end ( 14 ) has the abutment surface ( 8 ) at location s 2 and the low skive angle surface ( 6 ) extends outwardly from the location s 2 forming an elastomeric flap ( 7 ) ideally suited for forming the splice joint when the first end ( 12 ) is spliced to the second end ( 14 ). in tire building this joining of the splice ends occurs when the cut to length segment is cylindrically formed around a tire building drum as shown in fig6 a and 6b . as shown the tire builder ideally brings the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) together in a butting relationship . this precisely sets the circumferential length of the segment ( 10 ). the low angle skive surfaces ( 6 ) are then pressed together in a technique commonly referred to as stitching . as can be readily seen in fig5 a - 5d , the method of forming the first end ( 12 ) of a segment ( 10 ) simultaneously forms the second end ( 14 ) of an adjacent segment ( 10 ). by fixing the apparatus ( 100 ) cutting elements ( 120 , 122 ) for forming these ends insures that the cut or formed surfaces when joined have precisely the correct amount of elastomer . since the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) when aligned and abuttingly joined fixes the location the low skive angle surfaces ( 8 ) when mated together the amount of elastomer is for all practical purposes precisely the same as the remainder of the segment ( 10 ). this feature insure no mass imbalances can occur at the splice . this feature is capable of being fully used in automated or manual tire building . the resultant effect is that the splice joint has the precision of butt splicing on strips ( 1 ) having irregular thickness or are very thin while also having the superior surface adhesion area found in lap type splices . as shown in fig8 c the total length l t of the segment ( 10 ) can be substantially greater than the predetermined length l 1 , l 1 being the length of the segment between location s 1 and s 2 as measured in any plane parallel to the segments edges ( 18 , 19 ). the tip - to - tip , or total length l t , of a segment whose ends are formed diagonally across the width of the segment ( 10 ) is naturally longer . the use of the abutment surface ( 8 ) to define the predetermined length l 1 , even in the case where the low skive angle surfaces ( 6 ) are normal or perpendicular to the width of the strip ( 1 ) or segment ( 10 ) formed from the strip ( 1 ), it is believed most beneficial to use the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) and the respective distance l 1 there between to define the segment length l 1 . the reason is that the overhanging low skive angle surface ( 6 ) can be cut so thin that the ends ( 14 ) can be distorted whereas the abutment surface ( 8 ) are not prone to folding or bending . in one category of segment forming the elastomeric strip ( 1 ) has at least one cord reinforced layer ( 20 ), preferably for this invention , the cords ( 22 ) are laid on a diagonal ( bias ) or normal to the length of the strip ( 1 ). the cords ( 22 ), when laid in about the same direction as the length , creates a cut path that is generally too long for practical purposes . this is so because for the invention to achieve its desired benefits the low skive angle surface ( 6 ) and the abutment surface ( 8 ) must be in a path parallel to the reinforcing cord ( 22 ) orientation . therefore , in tire building , the invention is most suited for use in bias or radial carcass plies ( 20 ) but not as well suited in overlays or belts having angles less than 17 ° relative to the length of the strip ( 1 ). in the preferred method of practicing the invention it is most desirable to support the strip ( 1 ) on the second side ( 4 ). the second side ( 4 ) of the strip ( 1 ) is manufactured preferably substantially flat whereas the first side ( 2 ) can be flat or irregular in contour . as shown in fig5 a and 5b , it is most preferred that the second side ( 4 ) is supported by a support that has a bend or contour support ( 108 ) in an area occupying a path ( 3 ) upon which the low angle skive surfaces ( 6 ) and the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) are to be formed . by contouring or bending the strip ( 1 ) across its width w the low angle skive surfaces ( 6 ) of the adjacent segments ( 10 ) as they are being formed naturally separate . as the overhanging skive surface ( 6 ) is cut , it is free to extend or open from the bent portion of the strip ( 1 ). the freshly cut elastomer is so tacky that unless the surfaces ( 6 ) are spaced from re - contacting they will rejoin automatically as though no cutting had occurred . the use of a contoured or bent surface achieves a simple yet reliable way to avoid this problem . in the preferred method the first cut is achieved by employing a first cutting element ( 120 ), preferably an ultrasonic cutting element ( 120 ). the first cutting element ( 120 ) is oriented at an angle θ relative to the general horizontal surface or plane of the first side of the strip ( 1 ), it being understood that the first side ( 2 ) can be irregular or contoured . preferably the angle θ is less than 30 ° as measured at or near the abutment surface . the inclined or contoured surface ( 108 ) supporting the cutting path ( 3 ) means that the skive angle θ may not be a constant , particularly when the bending of the strip ( 1 ) creates a slight radius of curvature . nevertheless it is believed desirable that the skive surface ( 6 ) be inclined generally less than 30 ° and preferably about 10 ° or less as measured on the skive surface ( 6 ) near the abutment surface ( 8 ). in one method employed to accomplish this low skive angle surface ( 6 ) the first cutting element ( 120 ) is oriented across a cutting path at an angle θ of about 0 ° to about 10 ° and is positioned to cut into the elastomeric strip ( 1 ) to a depth ( d ) wherein ( d ) is less than the total or maximum thickness t of the strip ( 1 ) and about aligned with the upper surface of the parallel cords ( 22 ). in other words , the first cut penetrates from the first side ( 2 ) to adjacent the one or more cords ( 22 ) regardless of the inclination θ of the first cutting element ( 12 ). the second abutment forming cut passes through two parallel adjacent cords ( 22 ) along the cut path ( 3 ) of the first cutting element ( 120 ). the second cutting element ( 122 ) is oriented at a high angle β , β preferably being normal or perpendicular to the length of the strip ( 1 ). by moving or advancing the strip ( 1 ) a predetermined distance relative to the means ( 120 ) for forming the low angle skive surface ( 6 ) and the abutment surface ( 8 ) and repeating the method for forming these surfaces the second end ( 14 ) can be formed thereby completing the steps needed to make the segment ( 10 ). the steps are best accomplished by an apparatus ( 100 ) for forming segments ( 10 ) from a long strip ( 1 ) of elastomeric material . the apparatus ( 100 ) has a means ( 120 ) forming a low angle skive surface across the width of the strip . the means preferably is a first cutting element ( 120 ). in the most preferred apparatus , the first cutting element ( 120 ) is an ultrasonic knife . as shown in fig7 a , the knife ( 120 ) preferably has a somewhat wedge - like shape with a cutting edge ( 124 ) that is oriented at a fixed angle θ relative to the strip ( 1 ) and also is canted at a slight angle ψ such that the cutting edge ( 124 ) is inclined slightly . the dual angle setting of the first cutting element ( 120 ) achieves a superior and more uniform cut because the knife &# 39 ; s cutting edge ( 124 ) is really the tip of a chisel type - cutting tool . unlike a conventional ultrasonic low amplitude high frequency knife that cuts along a side of the blade , the chisel type blade has no node along the cutting edge ( 124 ) because the cutting edge is really the tip of the blade tilted slightly . this means that the excitation frequency is traveling the same distance all along the cutting edge ( 124 ). this fact enables the rubber to be cut more uniformly than conventionally by standard ultrasonic blade type cutters . a second feature of the preferred apparatus ( 100 ) is a means ( 130 ) for moving the means for forming ( 120 ). the means ( 130 ) for moving preferably has a motor driven mechanism that slidably traverses the means for forming ( 120 ) across the width of the strip . the means for forming ( 120 ) ideally can be moved angularly relative to the strip length l to accommodate cutting along any bias angle . the means for moving ( 130 ) also may include a means ( 140 ) for orienting the means ( 120 ) for forming at range of angles θ and ψ to achieve optimal skive surface area ( 6 ). the means for forming also includes a second cutting element ( 122 ) for forming the abutment surfaces ( 8 ). the second cutting element ( 122 ) may be a hot knife or blade which preferably is oriented at an angle β . optimally the same means for moving the first cutting element ( 120 ) can be used to move the second cutting element ( 122 ) along the cutting path ( 3 ). the step of cutting with the second cutting element ( 122 ) sequentially preferably should follow the cutting of the low skive angle surfaces ( 6 ) and , thus , completes the formation of the ends ( 12 , 14 ) of a segment ( 10 ). as shown the preferred apparatus may include a conveyor means ( 150 ) to advance the strip along the direction of the strip length l . preferably the conveyor means ( 150 ) would be capable of advancing the strip ( 1 ) to a predetermined distance to enable the strip ( 1 ) to be cut to form a segment ( 10 ) having a fixed length l 1 between the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) at location s 1 and s 2 as discussed . the conveyor ( 150 ) can be part of the means for supporting ( 140 ), preferably a first substantially flat portion ( 110 ). adjacent this first substantially flat portion ( 110 ) is shown a second inclined or contoured portion ( 108 ) wherein the strip can be supported on one side and bent along this second inclined or contoured portion to form a cutting path ( 3 ) parallel to the direction of the bend in the strip ( 1 ). in the case where the strip has parallel cords ( 22 ), this bend path is also parallel to the orientation of the cords ( 22 ). as previously noted by bending the strip ( 1 ) as shown the cutting of the low angle skive is facilitated because the cut surfaces remain spaced but equally importantly the strip itself is moved partially out of the way of the first cutting element ( 120 ) enabling the angle of cutting to be substantially lower than was heretofore achievable . as can be seen the angle θ can be as low as 0 ° relative to the horizontal plane of the strip , even lower if so desired . this feature enables the first cutting element ( 120 ) to be able to cut a very large low angle skive surface area ( 6 ) for improved splice joints . in the case of cord reinforced strips ( 1 ), the first cutting element ( 120 ) can cut to a depth ( d ) tangent to one or more cords ( 22 ). this cutting is similar to filleting the fleshy part of a fish adjacent but slightly above the rib bones of the fish . the resultant cut can be so close the cords ( 22 ) are similarly exposed along the cutting path ( 3 ). this means that the forming of the abutment surfaces ( 8 ) can be simplified because the cut depth can be very thin particularly when the cord reinforced layer is the second side ( 4 ) or a part thereof . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the means for supporting could alternatively be of a cylindrical shape enabling the bend to be anywhere along the circumference of the cylinder . the result being that a portion of the strip is bent out of the way of the cutting path . it is believed important that the strip should be sufficiently bent to insure the low angle skive surfaces do not reattach after cutting . once cut the segment ( 10 ), when used as a tire component , is cylindrically formed by splicing the cut ends ( 12 , 14 ) as previously discussed . the segment can be thin , thick , flat or irregularly contoured , a single component , a multi - component , multi - material elastomer reinforced with cord or unreinforced as discussed . the angular orientation of the surfaces can be selected for the optimal splicing joint for the particular strip . while the strip may include some cured or partially cured components it is preferred that portions of the strip ( 1 ) be uncured or at least partially uncured . this permits the splice surfaces to exhibit the tacky self - sticking properties to facilitate joint adhesion . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention .
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fig1 is a functional block diagram showing a connection system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 , a connection system 100 provided by the embodiment of the invention and a computer ( not shown ) are located at the same side , and the connection system 100 allows the computer device to be connected to the internet 144 via a communication device 140 and a connection service 142 such as a third generation communication network . in the embodiment , the computer device may be a desktop personal computer or a portable computer . the communication device 140 may be , for example , a mobile phone with a mobile internet access function or a modem or a network card having a related function . a connection interface of the communication device 140 may be a wireless ( such as bluetooth transmission ) or wired ( such as a universal serial bus ) interface . the connection system 100 of the embodiment is connected to the communication device 140 via a connection interface 120 on the computer device . generally speaking , the connection interface 120 may be a wireless connection interface or a wired connection interface . the wireless connection interface includes a bluetooth transmission interface , a wireless network interface and so on , and the wired connection interface may be a universal serial bus ( usb ) interface or a memory card interface . as shown in fig1 , the connection system 100 at least includes a search unit 102 , a connection unit 104 , a setting unit 106 and a dial - up unit 108 . in the embodiment , the search unit 102 is coupled to a user interface 110 , the connection unit 104 , the setting unit 106 , the dial - up unit 108 , a database 112 and the communication device 140 , respectively . the connection unit 104 is coupled to the setting unit 106 , and the setting unit 106 is coupled to the dial - up unit 108 . in some embodiments , the connection system 100 may include the user interface 110 , and the user interface 110 may be coupled to the search unit 102 , the connection unit 104 and the setting unit 106 , respectively . in other embodiments , the setting unit 106 may be coupled to the database 112 . fig2 is a flow chart showing a connection method for internet access by a communication device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig1 and fig2 , when a user starts a function of accessing the internet by a communication device via the user interface 110 , the user interface 110 can generate a network connection request , and the network connection request is transmitted to the search unit 102 to allow the search unit 102 to search for a communication device with a mobile internet access function as shown in the step s 202 . fig3 is a flow chart showing the detailed steps of the step s 202 in fig2 . as shown in fig1 and fig3 , when the user interface 110 sends out a network connection request , the search unit 102 receives the network connection request as shown in the step s 302 . afterwards , the search unit 102 performs the step s 304 . that is , the search unit 102 detects whether a communication device having priority is connected to the computer device . when the search unit 102 finds that the communication device having priority is connected to the computer device (“ yes ” in the step s 304 ), the communication device having priority is directly connected as shown in the step s 306 . if the search unit 102 finds that no communication device having priority is connected to the computer device (“ no ” in the step s 304 ), the step s 308 is performed . that is , a communication device for network connection is searched for . for example , the search unit 102 can check whether a dial - up networking ( dun ) profile of a device exists or perform an at command to check whether a communication device is connected to the computer device in a bluetooth transmission mode or a wired transmission mode . if the search unit 102 finds that no communication device with a mobile internet access function is connected to the computer device via the connection interface 120 (“ no ” in the step s 308 ), a message showing that no communication device for network connection exists is sent out via the user interface 110 to notify the user in the step s 310 . if the search unit 102 searches out at least a communication device connected to the computer device via the connection interface 120 (“ yes ” in the step s 308 ), the search unit 102 detects whether a plurality of communication devices for network connection exist in the step s 312 . if one communication device is connected to the computer device via the connection interface 120 (“ no ” in the step s 312 ) only , a device connection request is generated and sent to the connection unit 104 to automatically connect the only communication device in the step s 314 . if the search unit 102 searches out more than one communication device connected to the computer device (“ yes ” in the step s 312 ), the step s 316 is performed . that is , the communication devices for network connection are listed and displayed via the user interface 110 for a user to select . in the embodiment , the communication device can be listed in sequence according to , but not limited to , priority , the number of times of successful connection and so on . when the user selects one of the communication devices ( such as 140 ) via the user interface 110 for network connection , the search unit 102 detects the input of the user via the user interface 110 to send out a device connection request to the connection unit 104 in the step s 318 . as shown in fig2 and fig4 , after the step s 202 is performed , the connection unit 104 allows the communication device 140 which is searched out to be connected in the step s 204 . fig4 is a flow chart showing the detailed steps of the step s 204 in fig2 . as shown in fig4 , when the search unit 102 sends out a device connection request as shown in fig3 , the connection unit 104 can receive the device connection request as shown in the step s 402 and check whether the communication device 140 which needs to be connected is connected to the computer device in a wireless or wired mode as shown in the step s 404 . when the connection interface 120 utilizes the wireless mode (“ wireless ” in the step s 404 ), the step s 406 is performed . that is , whether the communication device 140 can wirelessly communicate is tested . if the wireless connection is a bluetooth transmission connection , the connection unit 104 confirms whether the communication device 140 can perform a bluetooth pairing . if the connection unit 104 confirms that the communication device 140 can be wirelessly connected ( for example , the communication device 140 is successfully paired by bluetooth ), the step s 408 is performed . that is , a connection success message is sent out via the user interface 110 . on the contrary , if the connection unit 104 finds that the communication device 140 cannot be wirelessly connected ( for example , the communication device 140 refuses to pair or closes its bluetooth function ), the step s 410 is performed . that is , a connection failure message is sent out to notify the user via the user interface 110 . if the connection interface 120 utilizes a wired mode , the connection unit 104 tests whether a connection port of the communication device 140 can normally operate as shown in the step s 412 . if the connection unit 104 confirms that the connection port of the communication device 140 can normally operate (“ yes ” in the step s 412 ), the step s 408 is performed . on the contrary , if the connection unit 104 finds that the connection port of the communication device 140 cannot normally operate (“ no ” in the step s 412 ), the step s 410 is performed . as shown in fig1 and fig2 , when the communication device 140 is connected , the step s 206 is performed . that is , the setting unit 106 performs the setting steps . fig5 is a flow chart showing the detailed steps of the step s 206 in fig2 . as shown in fig5 , after the connection unit 104 allows the communication device 140 to be connected , the setting unit 106 can obtain corresponding parameter values from the database according to the type of the communication device 140 to set dial - up network of the communication device as shown in the step s 502 , and the setting unit 106 checks whether the database has the setting of an internet service provider ( isp ) having priority as shown in the step s 504 . if the setting unit 106 finds the setting of the internet service provider ( isp ) having priority in the database (“ yes ” in the step s 504 ), the step s 506 is performed . that is , additional initialization instruction is set according to the isp having priority , and the step s 510 is performed , that is , the dial - up network connection is set . when the setting unit 106 does not find the setting of any isp having priority (“ no ” in the step s 504 ), corresponding additional initialization instruction is set according to the isp that the communication device is connected to as shown in the step s 508 . for example , if the service interface 142 is a third generation communication network , the setting unit 106 can select a corresponding initialization string to set according to a look - up table stored in the database 112 . the initialization string may be as follows : in some embodiments , if the setting unit 106 does not find corresponding initialization instruction in the database 112 , it can require the user to input via the user interface 110 and store data input by the user into the database 112 to facilitate the next connection of the computer device . after the step s 508 is performed , the setting unit 106 can set a dial - up network connection via the communication device 140 and generate corresponding setting values as shown in the step s 510 . in some embodiments , the setting unit 106 can store the setting values into the database 112 as priority setting to increase the connection speed of the computer device via the communication device 140 next time , as shown in the step s 512 . assuming that the connection interface 120 is a bluetooth transmission interface , after the setting unit 106 sets the dial - up network , the communication device 140 has corresponding address information at the bluetooth interface . the setting unit 106 can store the address information into the database 112 at that moment . when the computer device needs to access the internet via the communication device 140 next time , the search unit 102 can directly obtain the address information having high priority from the database 112 , and then whether the communication device 140 exists is checked via the address information before a complete search . the setting unit 106 can directly obtain corresponding setting values from the database 112 to set the communication device 140 . as shown in fig2 , after the setting unit 106 performs the step s 206 , the dial - up unit 108 is notified . in this way , the dial - up unit 108 performs the dial - up internet access via the communication device 140 and the service interface 142 according to the dial - up network set by the setting unit 106 , and then a data package transmission path is built between the computer device and the internet 144 . to sum up , since the invention utilizes a communication device to perform common dial - up internet access , additional software does not need to be installed . in the invention , different setting may be done according to the type of communication devices and isps , and therefore , the connection efficiency increases . the invention allows the user to set parameters himself , and data set by the user can be stored . thus , the invention is further flexible in use . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention . persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above .
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referring to fig1 , there is illustrated a prior art chair 1 of a preferred type having a swinging seat that is useful in combination with the chair backrest of the present invention . chair 1 includes a seat assembly 2 including a seat 3 , a backrest 4 and a mounting assembly 5 mounting the seat 3 in a near horizontal orientation for movement along an upwardly concaved arcuate seat path having a center of curvature proximate the center of mass of a person seated on the seat , and mounting the backrest 4 in a near vertical orientation for movement independently of the seat along a forwardly concaved arcuate path having a center curvature proximate the center of mass of the person . other aspects of the prior art chair of fig1 are shown and described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 234 , 775 to serber , which is hereby incorporated by reference . referring to fig2 - 5 , there is illustrated an example of a preferred chair of the type as illustrated in fig1 except that the backrest 4 has been replaced with a backrest 16 configured in accordance with the present invention to stimulate mechanoreceptors in the spine and its structures , including the intervertebral disc , facet joints , synovial lining of the facet joints , ligaments , tendons , golgi apparatus , muscles and cutaneous skin . mechanoreceptors are sensory receptors of nerves that are sensitive to mechanical changes involving movement , tension , pressure , vibration , or another mechanical stimulus , and provide the person with information about such mechanical changes . some aspects of a chair backrest according to the present invention are intended to : 1 . create afferentation of the mechanoreceptors to establish normoexcitatory reflexes to the spinal dorsal root ganglion and brain ; 2 . produce healthy endorphine production to relieve pain and create a sense of well - being in a patient ; 3 . regain afferentation in chronic pain patients who have lost their receptors to the process of deafferentation ; 4 . block pain by stimulation of the internuncial neuron in the dorsal root ganglion . this is accomplished by stimulating the large a fibers for touch , temperature , and pressure . no stimulation of nociceptors ( pain producers ) is done ; and , 5 . reduce chemical inflammation of the disc and facet joints via stimulation of joint blood circulation . principles of pain control : the balance of activity in the large a fibers for touch , temperature and pressure with the small nociceptive pain fibers is important for pain control and proprioception balance of the nervous system . stimulation of large myelinated mechanoreceptors restores normal activity and balance between small nociceptive pain fibers and the large myelinated fibers and pain is relieved . the concept of pain relief being the balance of activity in nociceptive pain afferents and non nociceptive large nerve fibers is called the gate control theory and simply says that non - nociceptive afferents close and nociceptive afferents open a gate to the central transmission of noxious input . ( eric kandel , james schwartz , thomas jessell . principles of neural science , third edition , 1991 , appleton & amp ; lange 392 ) the validity of the gate control theory is supported by dickenson et al . ( dickenson a h : gate control theory of pain stands the test of time : british j of anaesthesia . june 2002 ; vol 88 ; no 6 : p 755 - 57 ) kirkaldy - willis discussed how the key to successfully managing chronic low back pain is through the utilization of applied motion . the motion ranges from active range of motion , passive range of motion , and motion beyond normal or physiological range of motion which is a spring like end feel . ( kirkaldy - willis w h , cassidy j d : spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain ; canadian family physician ; march 1985 , vol 31 . pp . 535 - 40 ) ( kirkaldy - willis : the perception of pain . managing low back pain . 1983 : 45 - 49 , churchill - livingstone ). it is this concept that this patented back rest is developed . proprioception is the awareness of position and / or movement and is derived from mechanoreceptive nerve endings in the muscles , tendons , and articular joints . information from these mechanoreceptors is transmitted to the sensory neurons to the spinal cord and brain via the dorsal horn . adverse or inappropriate mechanical events can create a mismatch of communication within the feedback loop , which is deleterious and opens pain channels , ( kandel e r , schwartz j h , jessell t m ; principles of neural science , appleton & amp ; lange : 359 - 362 ). afferentation : afferentation is the sum total of sensory input from a body part or region . deafferentation is the loss of afferentation from the peripheral body to the brain due to such conditions as degenerative disease ( disc , meniscus , and muscle ), arthritis , bursitis , sedentary life , depression , nutritional disease , etc . afferentation results from the stimulation of mechanoreceptors in the human skin , joints of the spine including the intervertebral disc , facet joints , ligaments , tendons and muscles , and linings of the spinal joints and appendicular joints . stimulation of mechanoreceptors results in afferentation that can also block pain reflexes to the brain or spinal cord . physiologists have recognized for decades that alterations in muscle activity have the potential to alter cerebral function . this relationship is perhaps best defined by the afferentation theory of cerebral arousal . in its simplest form , afferentation theory predicts that agents or maneuvers that produce muscle stretch or contraction , or directly stimulate muscle stretch receptors ( i . e ., muscle afferents ), will produce cerebral stimulation . ( lanier w l , the affeventation theory of cerebral arousal . developments in critical care medicine and anesthesiology . neuroanesthesia , vol . 32 , 1997 : 27 - 38 . neck , costovertebral , and upper back pain , depending upon the degree of pain , show decreased cerebral perfusion in the frontal and parietal areas of the brain as measured with spect ct scanning . spinal joint dysfunction may be involved via hyperactivity in the regional sympathetic nervous system . the anatomy of the somatosensory system allows both serial and parallel information flow but the conditions involving each mode of processing is a matter of debate . in a functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fmri ) study , cutaneous electrical stimulation was applied to human volunteers at three intensities ( low - innocuous , moderate - noxious and high - noxious ) to investigate interactions between contralateral primary and secondary somatosensory cortices of the brain . the more intense stimulus also induced significantly more interactions between the brain cortices , ( knoshnejad m , piche m , saleh s , duncan g , rainville p . sensory processing in primary and secondary somatosensory cortex : a dcm analysis of human fmri data in response to innocuous and noxious electrical stimulus . neurosci lett . 2014 jun . 13 . pii : s0304 - 3940 ( 14 ) 00485 - 6 . doi : 10 . 1016 / j . neulet . 2014 . 06 . 013 .). intervertebral disc nerve innervation : the presence of nerve elements within the intervertebral disc indicates that the mechanical status of the disc is monitored by the central nervous system . these mechanoreceptors provide basic proprioception function , specifically the sense of compression , deformation , and alignment . the intervertebral disc is innervated with mechanoreceptors which may go as deep as the nucleus pulposus of the disc . these mechanoreceptors provide basic proprioceptive function , specifically the sense of compression , deformation , and alignment . ( mendel t , wink c s , zimny m l : neural elements in human cervical intervertebral discs . spine 1992 : 17 ( 2 ); 132 - 5 ) ( roberts s , eisenstein s m , menage j , evans e h , ashton i k : mechanoreptors in intervertebral discs : morphology , distribution , and neuropeptides . spine 1995 ; 20 ( 24 ); 2645 - 51 ) an abundant network of encapsulated and non - encapsulated receptors in the intervertebral discs of the lower lumbar spine n normal human subjects is found which monitor position , velocity and acceleration ( kinesthesia ). they maintain normal muscle tone and when dysfunctional can create intense muscle spasms . these mechanoreceptors in the lumbar discs provide basic proprioceptive function , specifically for the sense of compression , deformation , kinesthesia , and alignment . ( dimitroulias a , tsnidis c , natsis k , veniaelos i , djau sn , tsitsopoulow p : an immunohistochemical study of mechanoreceptors in lumbar spine intervertebral discs . journal of clinical neuroscience ; 2010 ; 17 ( 6 ); 742 - 45 ) ( yamashita , minaki y , oota i , yokogushi k , ishii s , mechanosensitive affevent units in the lumbar intervertebral disc and adjacent muscle , spine 1993 , 18 ( 15 ): 2252 - 56 . muscle pain involvement : one muscle of importance to activate is the multifidus muscle which is found deep in the back muscles . it is reported to reflexly recruit deep core muscles of the torso to provide a sensitive and reactive protective contractile response . the multifidus muscle is a key component in the deep stabilization of the spine and is particularly susceptible to inhibition and atrophy following back injury . it does not naturally recover from post injury inhibition and atrophy . research is ongoing to find a reversal of this malady . spinal manipulation has been found to enhance and protect core muscles and the multifidus muscle . exercise is also found to enhance the stabilization of these muscles . passive , active and reactive treatment of spinal and core torso muscles is needed to attain maximum patient outcomes . ( morgan w . manipulation activates muscles of the core . aca news november 2014 . jaca online ) hip extension in the prone posture may be effective for selective activation of the lumbar multifidus muscles . ( kim j s , kang m h , kim j w , lee d k , yoon t h , oh j s : hip extension in a prone position may be effective for selective activation of the lumbar multifidus muscles in healthy males . j phys ther sci . 2014 ; 26 ( 8 ): 1223 - 4 ) incorporation of the concepts of this patent application have potential to rehabilitate the multifidus muscle . facet joint pain origin : the facet capsules are densely populated with mechanoreceptors . encapsulated mechanoreceptors are found in the cervical human facet joints . their presence indicates that the mechanical state of the joint capsule is under constant surveillance of the central nervous system for position , tension , pressure , etc . ( mclain r f ; mechanorecptor endings in human cervical facet joints . spine 1994 ; 19 ( 5 ): 495 - 501 ) these mechanoreceptors for detecting motion and tissue distortion are also found in the thoracic and lumbar facet joints and again they communicate with the central nervous system to provide basic proprioceptive function for motion , tissue distortion , and position . ( mclain r f ; mechanorecptor endings in human cervical facet joints . spine 1998 ; 23 ( 2 ): 168 - 73 ). increased proprioceptive input in the form of spinal mobility tends to decrease the central transmission of pain from adjacent spinal structures by inhibiting pain reflexes . any therapy which induces motion into articular structures will help inhibit pain transmission by this means . ( kirkaldy - willis w h , cassidy j d : spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain ; canadian family physician ; march 1985 , vol 31 . pp . 535 - 40 ) mechanoreceptor stimulation aid in the perception of joint position and adjustment of muscle tone of the vertebral column . mechanoreceptors have three primary functions : 1 . enhance spinal function and protect spinal joints against additional injury and future degenerative processes . 2 . provide proprioceptive senses to the central nervous system . 3 . reduce pain . stretching of facet joint capsules will fire mechanoreceptors which will reflexly inhibit facilitated motoneuron pools which are responsible for muscle spasm that commonly accompany low back pain . ( kirkaldy - willis w h , cassidy j d : spinal manipulation in the treatment of low back pain ; canadian family physician ; march 1985 , vol 31 . pp . 535 - 40 ). 1 . stretching of the facet joint capsules to fire capsular mechanoreceptors which will reflexly inhibit facilitated motorneuron pools which are responsible for the muscle spasms that commonly accompany low back pain . this relieves pain and improves spinal motion , improves mechanoreception , improves proprioception ( balance ), and inhibits pain . 2 . in chronic cases , there is a shortening of the periarticular connective tissues and intra articular adhesion may form . spinal manipulation will stretch or break these adhesions and enhance remodeling of other fibrotic tissue changes . this improves patient long term improvement in joint function , mechanoreception , proprioception , neuromuscular controls and pain inhibition . it is this mechanoreceptor stimulation and afferentation that is proposed in this patent for seated benefit for those suffering from or wishing to prevent back pain and its accompanying conditions such as headache , arm and leg pain , loss of balance and equilibrium , and general loss of good health . muscle , fascia , tendon , ligament mechanoreception and afferentation . the following prominent muscles , tendons , fascia and ligaments known to cause back pain are believed to be affected by the chair back of the present invention that applies pressure point therapy to mechanoreceptors for afferentation : 1 . longissimus dorsi : attached to lumbar vertebrae transverse processes and lumbosacral fascia and attaches to the thoracic spine transverse processes and ribs ; 2 . longissimus cervicis : arises from transverse processes of upper thoracic vertebrae to insert into the transverse processes at the second to sixth cervical vertebrae ; 3 . longissimus capitis : arises at tendons of transverse process at the upper 4 th and 5th thoracic vertebrae to insert at the mastoid processes ; 4 . spinalis dorsi : from tendons at the first two lumbar and last two thoracic vertebral spinous processes to insert into the spinous processes of the upper thoracic vertebrae ; 5 . spinalis cervicis : from ligamentum nuchae in cervical spine to spinous process of axis ; 6 . semispinalis dorsi , cervicis , capitis : these muscles run from transverse processes to spinous processes in the neck , thoracic and occiput ; 7 . multifidees : these muscles fill the groove alongside the spinous processes from sacrum to axis . they originate at the sacrum , sacroiliac ligaments , transverse processes and articular processes and cross over from two to four vertebrae toward the mid line to insert into the spinous process from the last lumbar to the axis . this is a very important muscle and some feel it is the most pain producing muscle in the lumbar spine ; 8 . interspinalis : between spinous processes ; 9 . intertransversarii : between transverse processes of vertebrae ; 10 . lumbodorsal fascia : it is the sheath of the sacrospinalis muscle . it is formed from fascia of deep muscles and attaches to the spines of the vertebrae , supraspinal ligaments , and the medial sacrum , iliac crests and sacrum lateral crests . its deep layers extend over the sacrospinalis and attach to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae . it forms a strong sheet reaching from the twelfth rib to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae . it overlies the quadratus lumborum muscle and psoas muscle ( it is noted that at study of the mechanoreceptors in fascia includes include the golgi reflex arc , ruffini and pacini corpuscles for pressure found in ligaments , tendons , aponeuroses , joint capsules , and muscle fascia . they are active in stretch and pressure application . ruffini corpuscles are also found in the dura mater . stimulation of ruffini corpuscles lowers sympathetic nervous system activity and relaxes local tissues . our largest and richest sensory organ is not the eyes , ears , skin , or vestibular system but is in fact our muscles type iii and iv receptors have autonomic connections and function and stimulation of them leads to a change in heart rate , blood pressure , respiration , etc . type iv stimulation tends to raise blood pressure type ii can raise or lower blood pressure . interstitial tissue receptors can find tune the nervous system &# 39 ; s regulation of blood flow according to local demands . see fascial mechanoreceptors and their potential role in deep tissue manipulation , excerpt from : schleip r 2003 ; fascial plasticity — a new neurobiological explanation . journal of bodywork and movement therapies 7 ( 1 ): 11 - 19 and 7 ( 2 ): 104 - 116 . ); 11 . quadratus lumborum : arises from the iliolumbar ligament and iliac rest and inserts into the lower last rib border . also may originate from the transverse processes of the lower three or four lumbar vertebrae and insert into the last rib ; and , 12 . ligament mechanoreceptors have mechanoreptors embedded within them of 4 types : 1 . type i : small low threshold , slow adapting in both static and dynamic settings . 2 . type ii : medium low threshold , rapidly adapting in dynamic settings . 3 . large high threshold , slowly adapting in dynamic settings . 4 . very small high threshold pain receptors that communicate injury . ( mechanoreceptor — wikipedia ) referring again to fig2 - 5 , chair 10 has a seat assembly 12 including a seat 14 , a backrest 16 and a mounting assembly 18 mounting the seat 14 in a near horizontal orientation for movement along an upwardly concaved arcuate seat path 15 having a center of curvature 17 proximate the center of mass of a person seated on the seat . the mounting assembly 18 further mounts the backrest 16 in a near vertical orientation for movement with or independently of the seat 14 along a forwardly concaved arcuate path 19 having a center curvature 17 proximate the center of mass of the person . with particular reference to fig3 , backrest 16 is shown sectioned bilaterally by a sagittal plane aligned with the center line of the spine 20 of a person as it would be oriented relative to backrest 16 while the person is sitting in chair 10 . backrest 16 includes a back plate 22 concavely curved toward the spine 20 in the sagittal plane , or otherwise shaped as desired for aesthetic and structural reasons . back plate 22 is relatively rigid to resist flexing and can be made of metal , plastic , composite , or other suitable material . back plate 22 is secured to mounting assembly 18 for movement as controlled and permitted by mounting assembly 18 preferably in the manner disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 234 , 775 to serber . a curved sheet 24 that is sufficiently stiff to resist buckling or sharp bending , but flexible enough to permit its curved shape to be changed or adjusted , is secured to and supported by back plate 22 via adjustable supports 26 . sheet 24 is anatomically curved to correspond generally in shape to the curvature of the human spine 20 , i . e ., having a curvature that is lordotic in the cervical and lumbar regions , and that is kyphotic in the thoracic and sacral regions . as preferred , the shape of the curve of sheet 24 can be adjusted to fit a particular person by varying the length of a plurality of adjustable supports 26 to alter the local spacing between sheet 24 and back plate 22 at a number of locations in backrest 16 . adjustable supports are preferably in the nature of screw assemblies that can be adjusted with a suitable tool , such as a hex head wrench , inserted from the rear of back plate 22 to engage a hex recess in the head of the screw , or otherwise configured for external adjustment by tool or by hand . sheet 24 can be made of sheet metal , plastic or composite material , or other material having the desired mechanical qualities discussed above . affixed to the forward face 28 of sheet 24 is a plurality of pegs , protrusions , protuberances or pressure points 30 each preferably configured as a solid cylinder with a rounded pressure point or tip 31 at the forward facing end thereof . there are a total of 24 horizontal rows of pegs 30 and pressure points 31 extending symmetrically to either side of the vertical centerline of backrest 16 . each horizontal row of pressure points 31 corresponds to one of the vertebrae of the cervical , thoracic , lumbar and sacral sections of the spine 20 . more particularly , the first six rows of pressure points 31 , from the top downward , correspond to the 2 nd through 7 th cervical vertebrae , respectively . the next following twelve rows of pressure points correspond to the 1 st through 12 th thoracic vertebrae , respectively . the next following six rows of pressure points correspond to the 1 st through 5 th lumbar vertebrae and the 1 st sacral vertebrae , respectively . each of the pegs 30 extends generally normally from the curved front face 28 of sheet 24 and the spacing between rows is selected such that the pressure points 31 of each row align with and point generally toward a transverse imaginary line intersecting the facet joints of the corresponding vertebrae . consequently , the vertical spacing between horizontal rows of pressure points varies according to the anatomical variation in the height of the vertebrae along the spine . the rows of pressure points in the vicinity of the cervical section of the spine 20 are more closely spaced than those in the vicinity of the thoracic and lumbar sections , for example . to accommodate the close spacing , the cervical pegs 30 are preferably about 0 . 25 to about 0 . 375 inches in diameter , whereas the thoracic , lumbar and sacral pegs 30 are preferably about 0 . 5 inches in diameter . interspersed between pegs 30 and forward of sheet 24 is a layer of elastomeric foam 32 to support the back of the person sitting in the chair and generally maintain the spacing between adjacent pegs 30 while allowing for some relative movement between pegs 30 and hence between pressure points 31 . covering foam layer 32 and the rounded tips or pressure points of pegs 30 is a flexible backrest cover 34 that can be made of leather , synthetic plastic material such as upholstery vinyl , natural or synthetic fiber cloth , or other suitable material that is flexible and comfortable . the layer of foam 32 includes a back supporting surface 33 and a recessed surface 35 that preferably is recessed about 0 . 5 inches back from supporting surface 33 , leaving a void space 36 defined between recessed surface 35 of foam 32 and cover 34 ( between the tip regions 31 only of adjacent pegs 30 ) and between recess side walls 37 . the rounded tips 31 of pegs 30 project proudly from recess surface 35 and are disposed free of foam 32 within void 36 . with particular reference to fig5 , void space 36 is revealed by cover 34 being shown partially cut away . void space 36 permits cover 34 to contact pressure points 31 of pegs 30 directly and conform thereto as the person leans back against backrest 16 , thereby allowing pressure points 31 to generate sufficient pressure against the person &# 39 ; s back to effect afferentation of the mechanoreceptors to alleviate pain . referring especially to fig4 , the location of the rows of pressure points 31 relative to each of the spinal vertebrae and the centerline cl of the spine 20 is illustrated . the first row a of pressure points 31 corresponding to the 2 nd cervical vertebrae includes four horizontally spaced pressure points . two medial pressure points are spaced on centers located approximately 0 . 5 inches either side of the center line cl . an additional lateral pressure point is spaced approximately 0 . 5 inches center to center laterally of each medial pressure point . the 16 th row p of pressure points 31 corresponding to the 10 th thoracic vertebrae includes four horizontally spaced pressure points . two medial pressure points are spaced on centers located approximately 0 . 75 inches either side of the center line cl . an additional lateral pressure point is spaced approximately 0 . 75 inches center to center laterally of each medial pressure point . each of the rows b through o between rows a and p similarly include four horizontally spaced pressure points 31 , however , between rows a and p , the horizontal spacing of the medial pressure points 31 of each row b through o from center line cl vary linearly from 0 . 5 to 0 . 75 inches according to the distance of the row from row a . the spacing between the medial and lateral pressure points likewise varies according to the same taper , from 0 . 5 inches to 0 . 75 inches . each of rows a through p ) includes four horizontally spaced pressure points 31 . rows q and r , corresponding to the 11 th and 12 thoracic vertebrae , each include four pressure points 31 located and spaced horizontally the same as the pressure points of row p . likewise , rows s through x , corresponding to the 1 st lumber vertebrae through the 1 st sacral vertebrae , also each include four pressure points 31 located and spaced horizontally the same as the pressure points of row p . however , in row s , an additional lateral pressure point is spaced approximately 1 . 0 inch center to center laterally of the second pressure point on either side of the cl of spine 20 , thereby providing a total of six pressure points in row s . in each of rows t , u and v , corresponding to the 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th lumbar vertebrae , an additional lateral pressure point is spaced approximately 1 . 0 inch center to center laterally of the previously outermost pressure point , such that row t has a total of eight pressure points , row u has a total of 10 pressure points , and row v has a total of twelve pressure points . rows w and x , corresponding to the 5 th lumbar vertebrae and the 1 st sacral vertebrae , are configured the same as row v with a total of twelve pressure points in each row . the number and horizontal spacing of pressure points 31 in each of rows a through x , relative to the centerline cl of spine 20 , are selected to correspond approximately to the locations of the bladder meridians of a person seated in chair 10 whereby mechanoreceptors thereat are engaged and stimulated by pressure points 31 to cause afferentation for the relief of pain . in a static chair , the mechanoreceptors are stimulated by minor movement of the person sitting back against the pressure points . in a dynamic chair such as a swing chair of the type illustrated herein , the mechanoreceptors are further stimulated as a result of the movement of the person &# 39 ; s back while the person rocks thereon . alternatively , the backrest of the present invention can be utilized with a typical rocking chair and other chairs with backrests which are dynamic / moveable . preferably , the chair backrest is custom formed to a person &# 39 ; s back thereby fitting the surface of the back of the chair against the person &# 39 ; s back and accurately locating the projections at the person &# 39 ; s bladder meridians and in corresponding alignment with the vertebrae . the following measured parameters of the spine are useful for constructing an ergonomic seat back : ( 1 ) from the sagittal weight bearing line to the maximum lordotic level of the sagittal cervical spine curve ; ( 2 ) from the sagittal weight bearing line to the maximum kyphotic thoracic spine level ; ( 3 ) from the sagittal weight bearing line to the maximum lumbar lordotic curve ; and , ( 4 ) from the sagittal weight bearing line to the posterior sacrum at maximum kyphosis . other useful measured parameters include the vertical distances between the maximum lordotic level of the sagittal spine and the maximum kyphotic level of the thoracic spine , and from the latter to the maximum lordotic level of the lumber spine , and thence from the latter to the maximum kyphosis level of the posterior sacrum . using the above measurements , a backrest is constructed wherein the vertical location of each row of pressure points 30 and their angular orientations in the sagittal plane are custom selected so that each row is placed and oriented as first described above with respect to fig3 and 4 . while this invention has been described as having an exemplary design , the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles .
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in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the communications electronic warfare trainer comprises two major components : the master control unit and the receiver unit . the master control unit is used by the training umpire to control which victim communications systems in the communications network are to be jammed and the jamming duration . the master control unit comprises a transmit key , a hex keypad , a dual tone modulated frequency ( dtmf ) encoder , and internal power source . the transmit key serves two purposes . first , when the transmit key is pressed , a ground is connected to the umpire &# 39 ; s communications system key control line causing the umpire &# 39 ; s communications system to transmit the baseband signal present on the umpire &# 39 ; s communications system &# 39 ; s audio line . second , pressing the transmit key supplies power to the dtmf encoder chip , whose output is connected to the audio input line of the umpire &# 39 ; s communications system causing transmission of the code representative of each keypad digit pressed by the umpire on the keypad connected to the input of the dtmf encoder . the master control unit is readily understood and easily constructed by a person with ordinary skill in the art . to initiate jamming of a victim communications system or a group of systems in a communications network operating on a common frequency , the training umpire presses the transmit key on the master control unit followed by the two digit address of the victim communications system ( s ) to be jammed , then presses the one digit jamming duration followed by the enter key . the control signal containing this information is fed into the umpire &# 39 ; s communications system and transmitted by that system using the same frequency as the receiver of the victim communications system . referring to fig1 ( a ), ( b ), ( c ), ( d ), & amp ; ( e ), the control signal is received and demodulated by the victim communications system ( not shown ) generating an audio output signal . the audio output signal is carried by a feedline ( not shown ) connected to a normal audio output jack on the victim communications system to the receiver unit input . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the receiver unit is external to the victim communications system , although it could also be an integral component of the victim communications system . also , in the preferred embodiment , the receiver unit is powered by a 12 volt direct current power supply depicted in block 11 comprising 8 commercially available aa cell batteries , although other power means could also be employed . the audio signal passes through the feedline and into block 1 which is a bandpass filter comprising capacitor c1 and inductors l1 and l2 . the filter minimizes the amount of out - of - band noise of the audio signal inputted into dual tone modulated frequency ( dtmf ) decoder u1 . from block 1 the signal passes into block 2 comprising capacitors c2 and c3 , which are direct current ( dc ) blocks . the signal next passes into block 3 , comprised of resistors r1 , r2 , r3 , and r4 , which also set the differential input to the dtmf decoder u1 of block 4 to mid rail , which allows for maximum swing at this point . resister r5 of block 4 sets the gain of an operational amplifier internal to dtmf decoder u1 to unity . crystal y1 of block 4 sets the internal clock rate of the dtmf decoder u1 to 3 . 58 mhz . the output audio signal from block 3 is inputted into block 4 that includes the dtmf decoder u1 . the dtmf decoder u1 decodes the input signal by splitting and filtering the input signal into two frequency ranges , the low band and the high band . the two signals are then limited and fed into zero crossing detectors . the two outputs from the detectors are fed into frequency counters and digital detection circuitry which determines whether two valid frequencies exist simultaneously . if two valid frequencies are detected , the code of the detected pair is set on outputs q1 through q4 of dtmf decoder u1 and the est output of dtmf decoder u1 is asserted . after a delay that is determined by capacitor c4 and resistor r6 of block 4 , the delayed output , std of dtmf u1 , is asserted . at this point , a valid input digit has been detected and either an enter or shift operation will occur depending on the value of the code ( q1 through q4 of dtmf decoder u1 ) detected . a code of zero indicates an enter operation and a nonzero code indicates a shift operation . to jam a victim communications system , the training umpire normally enters three digits followed by an enter command on the master control unit . these digits appearing on outputs q1 through q4 of dtmf decoder u1 are shifted through an array of shift registers in block 5 . when the training umpire presses a first digit , the first digit is shifted into j / k flip - flop u2 . when the first digit is pressed and the std line of dtmf decoder u1 is asserted , the output of and gate u9b is asserted because the output of the nor gate u5a is low due to the nonzero code . the output of and gate u9b is connected to the clock inputs of j / k flip - flops u2 , u3 , and u4 . the output of dtmf decoder u1 ( q1 through q4 ) is thus shifted to j / k flip - flop u2 ; the output of j / k flip - flop u2 is shifted to j / k flip - flop u3 ; and the output of j / k flip - flop u3 is shifted to flip - flop u4 ; continuing until the first , second , and third digits are present on the outputs of j / k flip - flops u4 , u3 , and u2 , respectively . the outputs of j / k flip - flops u4 and u3 represent the most significant digit ( msd ) and the least significant digit ( lsd ) of the victim communications system address respectively . the value of the victim communications system address is determined by setting dual inline package ( dip ) switch u13 , which is connected to pull - up resistors u12 . block 6 comprises an arrangement of logic gates which determine if the address set on dip switch u13 matches the msd and lsd of the address of j / k flip - flops u4 and u3 of block 5 . the exclusive or gates u6a through u6d compare the address set on dip switch u13 to the lsd of the address that has been shifted into j / k flip - flop u3 . if an address match occurs , the output of nor gate u11a is asserted . likewise , the exclusive or gates u7a through u7d compare the address set on the dip switch u13 to the msd of the address shifted into j / k flip - flop u4 . if an address match occurs , the output of nor gate 11b is asserted and in turn the output of and gate u9d is asserted and the output of inverter u10b is deasserted . this state only occurs when an address match is found and one digit representing the jamming duration has been sensed . when an enter command is pressed by the training umpire on the master control unit , a jammer source ( block 10 ) is turned on because when enter is pressed , the detected zero code at dtmf u1 will assert the output of and gate u5a and the std line of dtmf u1 is asserted thus asserting the and gate u9a causing the deassertion of the output of inverter u10c . because as stated previously the output of and gate u10b is also deasserted , nor gate u5b is asserted . the output of nor gate u5b is connected to the program enable input of down counter u14 of block 7 . the time present at the input of down counter u14 is loaded into the down counter and the countdown commences . the clock input to d flip - flop usa is simultaneously asserted causing logic 1 to appear at output q of d flip - flop u8a . this turns on transistor q1 which is connected to the jammer source of block 10 and thus turns on the jammer source . the jammer source is turned on until down counter u14 reaches zero and resets d flip - flop u8a turning off the jammer source . the circuit of block 8 , comprising capacitor c8 , inverter u10d and resister r10 , prevents feedback when j / k flip - flops u2 , u3 , and u4 are reset when the jammer source is turned on . the circuit of block 9 , comprising a general purpose timer u15 , capacitors c5 and c6 , and resisters r7 and r8 make up a basic 1 pulse per minute ( ppm ) clock that is used by down counter u14 . the jammer source of block 10 is depicted in detail in fig2 . the jammer source generates a jamming signal by running a nand gate in feedback mode which generates a series of very closely spaced step functions . the resulting frequency components extend across the frequency range of interest . the inputs to all of the nand gates on chip u22 are tied together to effect inverters . the jamming signal begins at nand gate u22c . the inverted signal from nand gate u1c is fed through resister r13 to nand gate u22d where it is inverted again and finally to nand gate u22b where it is inverted again . when the signal at the input of nand gate u22c goes high , the signal at the output of nand gate u22a goes low . at this point in time , capacitor c10 connected to the inputs of nand gates u22c and u22d will start to discharge until nand gate u22c changes state and the output of nand gate u22a goes high . the nand gates will continue to oscillate in this manner at a very high rate as determined by resister r13 connected to the output of nand gate u22c and the input of u22d and by capacitor c10 connected to the input of nand gate u22c and the input of nand gate u22b . nand gate u22b , which is connected to the input of nand gate u22c and the output of nand gate u22a , the capacitors c11 and c12 and resister r15 , all of which are connected to the output of nand gate u22b , are used to buffer the jamming signal and isolate the circuit from effects of loading from the circuit to which the output is connected . the resulting jamming signal output is an effective broadband noise jammer in the 30 mhz to 88 mhz frequency range in the preferred embodiment . in the preferred embodiment , the output jamming signal is coupled into the victim communication system by means of a coaxial cable ( not shown ) connected at one end to the output of the jammer source and at the other end coupled to the antenna of the victim communications system &# 39 ; s receiver ( not shown ). the noise received by the victim antenna disrupts the normal operation of the communications system &# 39 ; s reception . although certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the described embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , although in the preferred embodiment the present invention is employed in a radio communications network configuration , the present invention could also be employed in a wire communications network configuration . in that configuration , the encoded signal would be transmitted from the master control unit and received by the receiver unit by wire means , instead of by radio wave means . accordingly , the invention herein is not to be construed as being limited , except insofar as expressly provided for or as the claims may require .
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first of all , the configuration of a mobile terminal used in a cdma mobile communication system according to the present invention will be described by referring to fig8 . a received signal of a carrier frequency received from an antenna is lowered in frequency by an rf unit 801 . the received signal of the baseband is inputted to a cell searcher 805 and a receiver 804 via an rf interface 802 . the cell searcher 805 conducts the above described cell search . the receiver 804 conducts despreading , error correction and the like of physical channels other than the perch channels . the decoded received signal is outputted via a user interface 807 , and subjected to subsequent processing . a transmission signal to be transmitted to the base station is inputted to a transmitter 803 via the user interface 807 . the transmitter 803 conducts coding and spreading of the transmission signal . a controller 806 conducts initial value setting in various units and timing management by using a dsp ( digital signal processor ). fig9 to 12 show configuration examples of blocks 810 - 812 of fig8 . fig9 shows the configuration of a timing synchronizer 810 . in the timing synchronizer 810 , it is necessary to derive correlation values of timing corresponding to one symbol . therefore , an mf 901 capable of providing correlation results at a plurality of timing instants at a time is used . as for coefficients of the mf 901 , csc generated from a csc encoder 902 is used . an accumulator 903 accumulates correlation values outputted from the mf for a plurality of slots . a peak detector 904 detects such a timing as to maximize the accumulated correlation values , as slot timing . fig1 shows a configuration example of a gisc detection unit 811 . fig1 shows a configuration example of a first long code detection unit . fig1 shows a configuration example of a second long code detection unit . a long code detection unit 812 includes a first long code detection unit and a second long code detection unit . in these circuits , frame / slot timing is already known by a timing detection unit . by arranging correlators 1001 in parallel for conducting despreading at one detected timing instant , high speed processing can be conducted efficiently . the gisc detection unit 811 ( fig1 ) stores a received signal of a long code masked symbol in a ram 1002 . giscs are specified in a gisc encoder 1003 one after another by the dsp . correlation for each chip is thus derived . a correlation value in one symbol is derived by an accumulator 1004 . such processing can be conducted at high speed by suitably conducting parallel processing . by selecting the highest one of the derived correlation values , the gisc is detected . the first long code detection unit ( fig1 ) calculates correlation values over approximately 10 symbols , and detects a long code used by the base station out of long codes belonging to a class corresponding to the detected gisc . long codes specified in a long code generator 1102 one after another by the dsp are multiplied by a short code of the perch channels generated by a short code generator 1103 . correlation of each timing is derived by a correlator 1001 . correlation values corresponding to 10 symbols are accumulated by an accumulator 1101 . this processing is conducted in parallel with different long codes . on the basis of a result of accumulation of correlation values over approximately 10 symbols , a probable long code is designated . for the long code designated by the first long code detection unit , the second long code detection unit ( fig1 ) conducts processing similar to that of the first long code detection unit over one frame section and outputs the result to delay locked loop 813 . in the case where a predetermined accumulation value has been obtained , the cell search is completed . a cdma communication system performing a cell search method using the long code mask symbol will now be described centering around an example in which only the long code masked symbol portion of the perch channels typically transmitted at 16 ksps ( spreading factor 256 ) is made to have a spreading factor of 64 . the spreading factor is not limited to 64 . similar effects can be obtained so long as the spreading factor is less than 256 . as a first embodiment , fig3 shows a channel format and transmission power in the case where spreading factors of the csc and gisc are made smaller ( 64 in the example ) than those of other symbols of the perch channels , and the csc and gisc are inserted at different timing instants . in order to prevent other ordinary symbol portions from being affected , a masked symbol section 131 is made to have 256 chips in the same way as the conventional system . the csc and gisc may be inserted in any section of four sections ( 133 , 134 , 135 and 136 ) obtained by dividing the mask symbol section at intervals of 64 chips . in the case where the symbol length of the gisc becomes short and consequently the number of giscs is not enough for the number of classes of the long code which giscs are assigned to , it is also possible to adopt such a method that long code identification groups are sorted out according to which of the tour insertion sections they are inserted . in the masked symbol section , sections other than those of csc and gisc are provided with no symbols . if the symbol length is shortened , the number of times of possible accumulation times decreases . for obtaining the same receiving sensitivity , therefore , the transmission power must be raised . however , the perch channels are always subjected to transmission with constant power . in addition , the long code masked symbol portion is poor in orthogonality , and therefore , tends to exert interference power to other channels . therefore , it is desirable to suppress the transmission power as low as possible . in the present embodiment , therefore , the csc and gisc are not multiplexed , but the csc and gisc are transmitted by time division in the long code masked symbol portion . even if the spreading factor is reduced to ¼ at this time , transmission power p 3 of the csc is twice the transmission power p 1 of the conventional technique and the same reception sensitivity is obtained . the same is true of the transmission power p 4 of the gisc . as a second embodiment , fig4 shows a channel format and transmission power in the case where the spreading factors of the csc and gisc are made sufficiently small ( 16 in the example ) as compared with other symbols of the perch channels , and the csc and gisc are multiplexed and transmitted . it is necessary to make transmission power p 5 of the csc and transmission power p 6 of the gisc large so as to correspond to the spreading factors . if the symbol rate of channels other than perch channels is fast , then the number of perch channels which are affected by the fact that the perch channel power is increased will become large . in such a case , by multiplexing the csc and gisc to shorten the section in which the transmission power becomes large as in the present embodiment , although the influence of the perch channels on other channels may be large , the shortening of the affecting symbol section surely causes influence as a whole to be lightened . as a third embodiment , fig5 shows a channel format and transmission power in the case where the spreading factors of the csc and gisc are made sufficiently small ( 64 in the example ) as compared with other symbols of the perch channels , and the gisc is repeated a plurality of times ( three time in the example ). by transmitting the gisc repetitively n times , the number of accumulation times is increased , and accordingly transmission power p 8 of the gisc of one time is equal to 1 / n of transmission power p 7 of the csc . as a result , influence on other channels is suppressed . as a fourth embodiment , fig6 shows a channel format and transmission power in the case where the spreading factor of the csc is made smaller than that of the gisc ( in the example , the spreading factor of the csc is 64 and the spreading factor of the gisc is 256 ). in the above described three stages of the cell search , the gisc detection can be conducted by despreading only at timing designated from the csc , and a correlator is used instead of the mf in many cases ( as shown in fig1 , for example ). as in the present embodiment , therefore , the speed of the search can be raised while suppressing the interference on other channels , by making the spreading factor of the csc affecting the number of taps of the mf small and making the spreading factor of the gisc larger than it in order to suppress the transmission power . in fig7 , there is shown a list of time required at each stage of the cell search obtained when the spreading factor of the long code masked symbol and the number of taps of the mf are changed . by thus making the spreading factor of the long code masked symbol small , the time required for timing synchronization can be made shorter than that of the conventional method , and the number of taps of the mf can be shortened , resulting in reduced gate size and power consumption . the present invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiments . those skilled in the art can apply various modifications to the embodiments on the basis of the disclosure . all modifications existing within the true spirit and scope of the present invention are incorporated in the claims .
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the hypoxia installation shown in fig1 includes the following component parts : a recreation room — hereinafter referred to as the room 1 — for human beings and / or animals to stay and perform physical activities therein , a buffer container 2 , a mixing chamber 3 , an air moisture processing unit 32 , a temperature processing unit 33 , a regulated ioniser 4 , a particle filter 5 , a first pump 61 , a second pump 62 , electronically or otherwise regulatable through - flow valves ( mfc or others ) 71 to 79 , an inlet for spent room air 81 , an inlet 82 for nitrogen , a first inlet 83 for fresh air , a second inlet 84 for fresh air , an outlet 88 for spent room air , a mixing chamber outlet 89 , a communicating line 90 , a distributor 91 for freshly mixed room air , a receiver and delivery device 92 for spent room air , a second communicating line 93 , a scrubber 12 for chemical elimination of carbon dioxide , a central unit 100 for electronic control and regulation ( ddc or others ) and sensors 110 for oxygen , carbon dioxide , water vapor , temperature , air pressure , air quality and ozone . the terms room air and atmosphere are used hereinafter as synonyms and concern the air in the room 1 and the associated room air installation . a distinction is to be made in respect of the outside atmosphere which surrounds the room 1 and which is formed by fresh air . operation of the hypoxia installation shown in fig1 is as follows : the installation serves either for producing an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; 0 . 04 % by volume ) in a closed or almost closed room 1 and / or regulation of an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value ) in a closed or almost closed room when human beings and / or animals are in the room , with or without involving physical activity . the production , described hereinafter , of an oxygen - reduced atmosphere is referred to as a passive mode of operation . the production of an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; 0 . 04 % by volume ) in the closed or almost closed room 1 is effected in a passive mode of operation as follows : by opening the valves 77 , 79 and 72 nitrogen (% by volume n 2 78 ; o 2 & lt ; 20 . 9 ; co 2 & lt ; 0 . 04 ; h 2 o towards 0 ) is passed into the closed or almost closed room 1 by way of the inlet 82 by means of the pump 61 or by the inherent pressure of the nitrogen if it is taken from a pressure vessel , by way of the communication 90 and special venting passages 91 which ensure uniform mixing of the nitrogen with the respective atmosphere in the room . by means of the pump 62 or by means of an increased pressure in the room 1 , by way of regulated opening of the valve 71 when the valve 75 is closed , by way of special venting passages 92 which ensure that the freshly mixed room atmosphere is uniformly sucked away , only so much room atmosphere is discharged into the ambient atmosphere by way of the outlet 88 that an overpressure is maintained in the room . that process is maintained until the desired oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; 0 . 65 % by volume ) prevails in the room 1 . regulation , supplemental to or alternatively to production , of an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) in a closed or almost closed room 1 , when human beings or animals are in the room and / or with physical activity , is effected in an active mode of operation either in a partly closed circulatory air system or in a closed circulatory air system . the active mode of operation ( regulation of the atmosphere ) in a partly closed circulatory air system will first be described . regulation of an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) in a closed or almost closed room 1 with the presence therein and / or with physical activity on the part of human beings or animals is effected in the active mode in a partly closed circulatory air system as follows : the circulatory air circuit arrangement is completely set in operation . the valve 75 is opened so that the atmosphere sucked out of the room 1 passes into the mixing chamber 3 by way of the inlet 81 , through a particle filter 5 and a regulated ioniser 4 which removes all hydrocarbon - based pollutants from the atmosphere . a scrubber 12 which eliminates carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by chemical binding procedures can be selectively interposed into the air flow . nitrogen , by way of the inlet 82 , and ambient air , hereinafter referred to as fresh air , which passes a particle filter 5 , by way of the inlet 83 , are passed into the mixing chamber in a ratio by volume relative to each other which corresponds to that of the desired reduced oxygen concentration in the room 1 . a further amount of fresh air is passed into the mixing chamber by way of the inlet 84 , by way of a particle filter 5 . that amount of fresh air is equal to the oxygen consumption of the human beings or animals in the room 1 . it is in a given relationship to the intensity of movement of the human beings or animals in the room 1 and is established by way of the dynamics of oxygen consumption in the room 1 and automatically regulated . in that case the amount of oxygen contained in the amount of fresh air must be greater than the consumed amount of oxygen . the volume of nitrogen ( inlet 82 ) and fresh air ( inlets 83 and 84 ) corresponds in that respect to the sum of the amount by volume of consumed atmosphere which was previously discharged into the ambient atmosphere by way of the outlet 85 and the volume of the amount of consumed atmosphere which escapes from the circuit arrangement into the ambient atmosphere due to existing leaks continuously or due to disturbances such as people or animals passing into and out of the room through an air lock arrangement . the amount by volume which is discharged to the ambient atmosphere or which is freshly produced by mixing nitrogen and fresh air is established by way of the dynamics of the carbon dioxide concentration and the established levels of limit concentration of carbon dioxide in the room 1 and automatically regulated in such a way that an equilibrium condition ( steady state ) occurs or established limit values are not exceeded . the oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) produced in the mixing chamber , comprising processed spent atmosphere and fresh proportions of nitrogen and fresh air , is processed by air conditioning procedures prior to leaving the mixing chamber 3 in such a way that the desired temperature and air humidity occur in stable manner in the room 1 . in addition further air conditioning of the atmosphere can take place in the room 1 . from the mixing chamber , the processed atmosphere is passed into the closed or almost closed room through the outlet 89 and the valve 72 by means of the pump 62 or due to the inherent pressure of the processed atmosphere either by way of a buffer vessel 2 which can store the processed atmosphere or directly by way of the communicating line 90 and special ventilation passages 91 which ensure uniform mixing of the nitrogen with the respective atmosphere in the room . regulated opening of the valves 74 and 75 provides that so much room atmosphere is discharged by way of the outlet 88 into the ambient atmosphere as is required to maintain the predetermined limit values in respect of the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 1 and maintaining an overpressure in the room , by means of the pump 62 or the present increased pressure in the room by way of special ventilation passages 92 which ensure uniform continuation of the spent room atmosphere . the spent room atmosphere which is reduced by the portion by volume which was discharged to the ambient atmosphere through the outlet 88 is passed into the mixing chamber by way of the particle filter 5 and the regulated ioniser 4 for renewed processing thereof . optionally the remaining spent room atmosphere can be passed by way of a scrubber 12 for additionally eliminating carbon dioxide . the mixing operation in the mixing chamber 3 can take place under a slight overpressure , a great overpressure , or a reduced pressure . when mixing oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere ( established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) at a slight overpressure the components spent atmosphere , nitrogen and fresh air are passed into the mixing chamber at a pressure which is above the pressure of the atmosphere in the room 1 and the pressure of the freshly produced atmosphere is reduced by way of the valve 79 and the feed lines 90 and 91 so that the pressure prevailing in the room 1 remains constant . upon mixing at a reduced pressure oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) is discontinuously produced and continuously passed by way of the buffer into the room 1 . the pump 61 withdraws finished atmosphere from the mixing chamber by way of the valve 79 while the valves 75 , 76 , 77 and 78 are closed . by subsequent regulated opening of those valves , the components spent atmosphere , nitrogen and fresh air are passed into the mixing chamber in a regulated fashion , being differentiated in respect of time and quantity , and are processed to afford a new atmosphere . that procedure is repeated with closure of the valves 75 , 76 , 77 and 78 . the pump 61 conveys the finished atmosphere into the buffer container by way of which regulated continuous discharge of that finished atmosphere is effected by way of the special ventilation passages 91 . upon mixing at a high overpressure oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) is discontinuously produced and passed into the room 1 continuously by way of the buffer . the components spent atmosphere , nitrogen and fresh air are passed into the mixing chamber in a differentiated manner in respect of time and quantity , by way of the inlets 81 , 82 , 83 and 84 , at a high overpressure , while the valve 79 is closed . the valve 79 is opened after closure of the valves 75 , 76 , 77 and 78 . that procedure is repeated with the closure of the valve 79 . the pump 61 conveys the finished atmosphere into the buffer container , by way of which regulated continuous discharge of that atmosphere is effected by way of the special ventilation passages 91 . the nature of the mixing operation — at a low overpressure , a high overpressure or a reduced pressure — influences the quality of the atmosphere produced and is determined in dependence on the desired composition of the atmosphere in the room 1 , the required volume flow and the disturbing factors involved . the active mode of operation for a closed circulatory air system will now be described . regulation of an oxygen - reduced (& lt ; 20 . 9 % by volume ) and carbon dioxide - poor atmosphere (& lt ; established limit value , for example 1 % by volume or 0 . 65 % by volume ) in a closed or almost closed room 1 in the presence of and / or with physical activity on the part of human beings or animals is effected in the active mode in a closed circulatory air system as follows : the circulatory air circuit arrangement is completely set in operation by means of the pumps 61 and 62 . the valve 74 is closed and the valve 75 is opened so that the atmosphere which is sucked out of the room is passed out of the room 1 through a particle filter 5 and a regulated ioniser 4 which removes all hydrocarbon - based pollutants from the atmosphere , by way of the inlet 81 into the mixing chamber 3 , the communicating line 90 and the special ventilation passages 91 , back into the room 1 . optionally a scrubber 12 which eliminates carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by chemical binding effects can be interposed into the air flow . the closed system can be operated as long as limit values in respect of carbon dioxide concentration are not exceeded and the oxygen concentration does not go outside its normal ranges . those conditions are afforded in the case of very large room volumes . after the limit values are reached either the atmosphere can be completely exchanged or the method is switched over to operation of a partly closed circulatory air system . for all modes of operation , all hardware components are controlled by way of a central microelectronic control unit in the form of a ddc - installation and , by means of sensors for oxygen concentration , carbon dioxide concentration , water vapor concentration and pollutant concentration and for the volume flows spent atmosphere , nitrogen , fresh air and produced atmosphere as well as the temperature in the room 1 are regulated to the desired reference values . fig2 shows aeration and ventilation of the room 1 . the meanings of the reference numerals are as follows : 1 — a gas mixture feed line with a variable volume flow and inclinedly forwardly directed outlet flow openings 2 — suction removal near the floor of the circulatory air system 3 — a pollutant elimination installation in the circulatory air system 4 — discharge flow openings for the cleaned and carbon dioxide - enriched gas mixture 5 — a suction removal line of controllably variable cross - section 6 — the training or recreation room under hypoxia . positive control implementation is provided for the feed and discharge of the gas mixture . the amount of gas mixture which varies according to the requirements is blown under a slight increased pressure from the ceiling inclinedly downwardly ( fig2 ). after it has passed the persons who are training , it is sucked in by a circulatory air system which is near the floor and which cleanses the resulting mixed atmosphere of pollutants and is blown by the front and side walls for further use into the room in such a way that a rearwardly directed movement of air is produced . at the rear side of the room the same amount of air is actively sucked away at a slightly reduced pressure which corresponds to the overpressure when the air is blown in . the rolling movement of air through the room guarantees that the carbon dioxide - loaded gas mixture is transported away better than upon diffuse discharge through differently predetermined openings . suction removal openings which flexibly adapt to the inflowing amount of gas mixture ( cross - section ) for the spent gas mixture permit continuing operation with different and changing numbers of people . the fig3 arrangement of the recreation room 300 and the room air installation 310 differs in particular in respect of the room air installation 310 from the room air installation shown in fig1 . common component parts are an air feed 312 and an air suction removal 314 in the recreation room 300 . the room air which is discharged from the recreation room 300 is fed again by way of a pump 316 , an ioniser 318 and filter 320 , a scrubber 322 , a mixing chamber 330 and a second pump 332 in a circulatory mode of operation to the air feed 312 in the recreation room 300 . in that respect and also in respect of the valves and so forth which are not shown in greater detail here , the circulatory air installation shown in fig3 does not differ from that of fig1 . the installations are also the same in regard to the fact that fresh air and nitrogen - bearing gas mixture or nitrogen is fed to the mixing passage 330 . the same applies for a buffer container 334 for pressure equalisation which is possibly required . all valves are connected to a control and regulating system ddc which is shown in fig1 and which is also connected to sensors in the recreation room 300 . the arrangement shown in fig3 of the recreation room 300 and the circulatory air installation 310 differs from that shown in fig1 however essentially in that there is provided an air separation . unit 340 for producing the nitrogen or the nitrogen - bearing gas mixture which is fed to the mixing chamber 330 . that air separation unit 340 is connected on the input side to the recreation room 300 by way of a line 342 in such a way that the separation unit 340 receives room air from the recreation room 300 , separates that air into a nitrogen - enriched proportion and an oxygen and carbon dioxide - enriched proportion and feeds the nitrogen - enriched proportion of the gas to the mixing chamber 330 . the nitrogen - enriched component produced by the air separation unit 340 can in that case also be approximately pure nitrogen which was obtained by air separation of the room air from the recreation room 300 . the nitrogen - enriched gas component which is fed by the separation unit 340 to the mixing chamber 330 is mixed with fresh air in the mixing chamber 330 in the same manner as is the case in the room air installation shown in fig1 . the fact that the air fed to the air separation unit 340 is the room air from the recreation room 300 has the advantage that this room air already has an increased proportion of nitrogen and that in addition , upon air separation in the air separation unit 340 , at least a part of the carbon dioxide to be removed from the room air in the recreation room 300 , is separated off and passed outwardly . the arrangement shown in fig4 with two recreation rooms , namely a first recreation room 400 with oxygen - reduced room air and a second recreation room 410 with oxygen - enriched room air can correspond in respect of many details in relation to the circulatory air installation , associated with a respective recreation room 400 or 410 , of the assembly shown in fig3 . an essential component part of a circulatory air circuit arrangement 402 for the recreation room 400 and a second circulatory air circuit arrangement 412 for the recreation room 410 is a respective mixing chamber 404 and 414 respectively . both mixing chambers 404 and 414 are fed from an air separation unit 420 . that air separation unit 420 is not connected at the input side to one of the recreation rooms but is supplied with fresh air ( inlet 422 ). the nitrogen - enriched gas mixture which occurs in the air separation procedure is fed by way of a line 424 to the mixing chamber 404 for the first recreation room 400 with oxygen - reduced room air . the oxygen - enriched gas mixture which is also produced in the air separation procedure is fed by way of a line 426 to the second mixing chamber 414 for the circulatory air circuit arrangement 412 of the second recreation room 410 with oxygen - enriched room air . in this case , the configuration of the room air installation for the first recreation room 400 with oxygen - reduced room air can precisely correspond to the room air installation shown in fig1 and 3 . with regard to the room air installation for the second recreation room 410 with oxygen - enriched room air , there is a difference in relation to the mixing chamber 414 , namely that the mixing chamber , instead of a single inlet for oxygen - enriched gas mixture which would correspond to the inlet for oxygen - enriched gas mixture in fig1 and 3 , also has a further inlet 428 for oxygen or oxygen - enriched gas mixture . fig5 shows a particular variant of a recreation room 500 with oxygen - reduced or oxygen - enriched atmosphere . the particularity of the recreation room 500 is that it has a partition or separating wall 504 which extends into a water tank 502 and which ends below a water level 506 and which allows the water tank also to extend outside the recreation room 500 , for example in an adjoining room or also in the free air . satisfactory sealing of the recreation room 500 with respect to the ambient atmosphere is afforded by the water tank 502 and the partition 504 which projects thereinto . that allows swimmers to dive through the water tank into the recreation room and out of same . as already shown in relation to the recreation rooms in fig1 and 3 , in each case there are provided a feed line 508 and a discharge line 510 for the feed of oxygen - enriched or oxygen - reduced room air and for the discharge of the room air . an entry air lock arrangement 512 allows dry access to the recreation room 500 without major air exchange between the room air in the recreation room 500 and the ambient air . finally fig6 shows a recreation room 600 with an ice surface or a snow piste track 602 . just by way of example , the ice or snow piste track 602 is shown in the form of an elliptical track , over which the recreation room 600 with oxygen - reduced or oxygen - enriched room air is delimited by suitable room walls 604 and a ceiling 606 . a particular feature of the recreation room 600 is that the feed of oxygen - reduced or oxygen - enriched gas mixture occurs in the proximity of the floor near the ice or snow piste track 602 through feed lines 610 extending along the ice or snow piste track 602 . the gas mixture which is supplied through the feed lines 610 can be cooled in that case and can thus advantageously assist with maintaining the ice or snow piste track . the gas mixture is preferably carried away by way of a discharge line 610 which extends in the region of the ceiling 606 of the recreation room 600 along the ice or snow piste track 602 .
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the present invention may be described herein in terms of functional block components , screen shots , optional selections and various processing steps . such functional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and / or software components configured to perform to specified functions . for example , the present invention may employ various integrated circuit components ( e . g ., memory elements , processing elements , logic elements , look - up tables , and the like ), which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices . similarly , the software elements of the present invention may be implemented with any programming or scripting language such as c , c ++, java , cobol , assembler , perl , extensible markup language ( xml ), javacard and multos with the various algorithms being implemented with any combination of data structures , objects , processes , routines or other programming elements . further , it should be noted that the present invention may employ any number of conventional techniques for data transmission , signaling , data processing , network control , and the like . for a basic introduction on cryptography , review a text written by bruce schneier entitled “ applied cryptography : protocols , algorithms , and source code in c ,” published by john wiley & amp ; sons ( second edition , 1996 ), herein incorporated by reference . in addition , many applications of the present invention could be formulated . the exemplary network disclosed herein may include any system for exchanging data or transacting business , such as the internet , an intranet , an extranet , wan , lan , satellite communications , and / or the like . it is noted that the network may be implemented as other types of networks , such as an interactive television network ( itn ). further still , the terms “ internet ” or “ network ” may refer to the internet , any replacement , competitor or successor to the internet , or any public or private inter - network , intranet or extranet that is based upon open or proprietary protocols . specific information related to the protocols , standards , and application software utilized in connection with the internet may not be discussed herein . for further information regarding such details , see , for example , dilip naik , internet standards and protocols ( 1998 ); java 2 complete , various authors , ( sybex 1999 ); deborah ray and eric ray , mastering html 4 . 0 ( 1997 ); loshin , tcp / ip clearly explained ( 1997 ). all of these texts are hereby incorporated by reference . by communicating , a signal may travel to / from one component to another . the components may be directly connected to each other or may be connected through one or more other devices or components . the various coupling components for the devices can include but are not limited to the internet , a wireless network , a conventional wire cable , an optical cable or connection through air , water , or any other medium that conducts signals , and any other coupling device or medium . where required , the system user may interact with the system via any input device such as , a keypad , keyboard , mouse , kiosk , personal digital assistant , handheld computer ( e . g ., palm pilot ®, blueberry ®), cellular phone and / or the like ). similarly , the invention could be used in conjunction with any type of personal computer , network computer , work station , minicomputer , mainframe , or the like running any operating system such as any version of windows , windows nt , windows 2000 , windows 98 , windows 95 , macos , os / 2 , beos , linux , unix , solaris or the like . moreover , although the invention may frequently be described as being implemented with tcp / ip communications protocol , it should be understood that the invention could also be implemented using sna , ipx , appletalk , ipte , netbios , osi or any number of communications protocols . moreover , the system contemplates the use , sale , or distribution of any goods , services or information over any network having similar functionality described herein . a variety of conventional communications media and protocols may be used for data links providing physical connections between the various system components . for example , the data links may be an internet service provider ( isp ) configured to facilitate communications over a local loop as is typically used in connection with standard modem communication , cable modem , dish networks , isdn , digital subscriber lines ( dsl ), or any wireless communication media . in addition , the merchant system including the pos device 106 and host network 108 may reside on a local area network which interfaces to a remote network ( not shown ) for remote authorization of an intended transaction . pos 106 may communicate with the remote network via a leased line , such as a t1 , d3 line , or the like . such communications lines are described in a variety of texts , such as , “ understanding data communications ,” by gilbert held , which is incorporated herein by reference . a transaction device identifier , as used herein , may include any identifier for a transaction device which may be correlated to a user transaction account ( e . g ., credit , charge debit , checking , savings , reward , loyalty , or the like ) maintained by a transaction account provider ( e . g ., payment authorization center ). a typical transaction account identifier ( e . g ., account number ) may be correlated to a credit or debit account , loyalty account , or rewards account maintained and serviced by such entities as american express , visa and / or mastercard , or the like . to facilitate understanding , the present invention may be described with respect to a credit account . however , it should be noted that the invention is not so limited and other accounts permitting an exchange of goods and services for an account data value is contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention . a transaction device identifier may be , for example , a sixteen - digit credit card number , although each credit provider has its own numbering system , such as the fifteen - digit numbering system used by american express . each company &# 39 ; s credit card numbers comply with that company &# 39 ; s standardized format such that the company using a sixteen - digit format will generally use four spaced sets of numbers , as represented by the number “ 0000 0000 0000 0000 ”. in a typical example , the first five to seven digits are reserved for processing purposes and identify the issuing bank , card type and , etc . in this example , the last sixteenth digit is used as a sum check for the sixteen - digit number . the intermediary eight - to - ten digits are used to uniquely identify the customer . the account number stored as track 1 and track 2 data as defined in iso / iec 7813 , and further may be made unique to rfid transaction device . in one exemplary embodiment , transaction device identifier may include a unique rfid transaction device serial number and user identification number , as well as specific application applets . transaction device identifier may be stored on a transaction device database located on transaction device . transaction device database may be configured to store multiple account numbers issued to rfid transaction device user by the same or different account providing institutions . in addition , where the device identifier corresponds to a loyalty or rewards account , rfid transaction device database may be configured to store the attendant loyalty or rewards points data . the merchant database locations maintained on database 116 by server 110 are provided a distinct merchant identifier . database discussed herein may be a graphical , hierarchical , relational , object - oriented or other database , and may be maintained on a local drive of a server or on a separate computer coupled to the server via a local area or other network ( not shown ). in one embodiment , databases disclosed are a collection of ascii or other text files stored on a local drive of server . database information is suitably retrieved from the database and provided to transaction processing systems upon request via a server application , as described more fully below . in addition to the above , transaction device identifier may be associated with any secondary form of identification configured to allow the consumer to interact or communicate with a payment system . for example , transaction device identifier may be associated with , for example , an authorization / access code , personal identification number ( pin ), internet code , digital certificate , biometric data , and / or other secondary identification data used to verify a transaction device user identity . it should be further noted that conventional components of rfid transaction devices may not be discussed herein for brevity . for instance , one skilled in the art will appreciate that rfid transaction device and rfid reader disclosed herein include traditional transponders , antennas , protocol sequence controllers , modulators / demodulators and the like , necessary for proper rfid data transmission . as such , those components are contemplated to be included in the scope of the invention . it should be noted that the transfer of information in accordance with this invention , may be done in a format recognizable by a merchant system or account issuer . in that regard , by way of example , the information may be transmitted in magnetic stripe or multi - track magnetic stripe format . because of the proliferation of devices using magnetic stripe format , the standards for coding information in magnetic stripe format were standardized by the international standards organization ( iso ). typically , magnetic stripe information is formatted in three tracks . certain industry information must be maintained on certain portion of the tracks , while other portions of the tracks may have open data fields . the contents of each track and the formatting of the information provided to each track is controlled by iso standard iso / iec 7811 . for example , the information must typically be encoded in binary . track 1 is usually encoded with user information ( name ) in alphanumeric format . track 2 is typically comprised of discretionary and non - discretionary data fields . in one example , the non - discretionary field may comprise 19 characters and the discretionary field may comprise 13 characters . track 3 is typically reserved for financial transactions and includes enciphered versions of the user &# 39 ; s personal identification number , country code , currently units amount authorized per cycle , subsidiary accounts , and restrictions . as such , where information is provided in accordance with this invention , it may be provided in magnetic stripe format track . for example , counter values , authentication tags and encrypted identifiers , described herein , may be forwarded encoded in all or a portion of a data stream representing data encoded in , for example , track 2 or track 3 format . further still , various components may be described herein in terms of their “ validity .” in this context , a “ valid ” component is one which is authorized for use in completing a transaction request in accordance with the present invention . contrarily , an “ invalid ” component is one which is not authorized for transaction completion . in addition , an invalid component may be one which is not recognized as being permitted for use on the secure rf system described herein . fig1 illustrates an exemplary secure rfid transaction system 100 in accordance with the present invention , wherein exemplary components for use in completing a rf transaction are depicted . in general , system 100 may include a rfid transaction device 102 in rf communication with a rfid reader 104 for transmitting data there between . rfid reader 104 may be in further communication with a merchant point - of - sale ( pos ) device 106 for providing to pos 106 data received from rfid transaction device 102 . pos 106 may be in further communication with an acquirer 110 or an account issuer 112 via host network 108 for transmitting a transaction request , including information received from rfid reader 104 , and receiving authorization concerning transaction completion . although the point - of - interaction device ( pos ) is described herein with respect to a merchant point - of - sale ( pos ) device , the invention is not to be so limited . indeed , a merchant pos device is used herein by way of example , and the point - of - interaction device may be any device capable of receiving transaction device account data . in this regard , the pos may be any point - of - interaction device enabling the user to complete a transaction using a transaction device 102 . pos device 106 may receive rfid transaction device 102 information and provide the information to host network 108 for processing . as used herein , an “ acquirer ” may be a third - party entity including various databases and processors for facilitating the routing of the transaction request to an appropriate account issuer 112 . acquirer 110 may route the request to account issuer in accordance with a routing number provided by rfid transaction device 102 . the “ routing number ” in this context may be a unique network address or any similar device for locating an account issuer 112 on host network 108 . traditional means of routing the payment request in accordance with the routing number are well understood . as such , the process for using a routing number to provide the payment request will not be discussed herein for brevity . additionally , account issuer 112 (“ account provider ” or “ issuer system ”) may be any entity which provides a transaction account for facilitating completion of a transaction request . the transaction account may be any credit , debit , loyalty , direct debit , checking , or savings , or the like . the term “ issuer ” or “ account provider ” may refer to any entity facilitating payment of a transaction using a transaction device , and which includes systems permitting payment using at least one of a preloaded and non - preloaded transaction device . typical issuers may be american express , mastercard , visa , discover , and the like . in the preloaded value processing context , an exchange value ( e . g ., money , rewards points , barter points , etc .) may be stored in a preloaded value database ( not shown ) for use in completing a requested transaction . the preloaded value database and thus the exchange value may not be stored on transaction device itself , but may be stored remotely , such as , for example , at account issuer 112 location . further , the preloaded value database may be debited the amount of the transaction requiring the value to be replenished . the preloaded value may be any conventional value ( e . g ., monetary , rewards points , barter points , etc .) which may be exchanged for goods or services . in that regard , the preloaded value may have any configuration as determined by issuer system 112 . in general , during operation of secure system 100 , rfid reader 104 may provide an interrogation signal to transaction device 102 for powering device 102 and receiving transaction device related data . the interrogation signal may be received at a transaction device antenna 120 and may be further provided to a transponder ( not shown ). in response , a transaction device processor 114 may retrieve a transaction device identifier from a transaction device database 116 for providing to rfid reader 104 to complete a transaction request . typically , transaction device identifier may be encrypted prior to providing the device identifier to a modulator / demodulator ( not shown ) for providing the identifier to rfid reader 104 . it should be noted that rfid reader 104 and rfid transaction device 102 may engage in mutual authentication prior to transferring any transaction device 102 data to rfid reader 104 . for a detailed explanation of a suitable mutual authentication process for use with the invention , please refer to commonly owned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 340 , 352 , entitled “ system and method for incenting payment using radio frequency identification in contact and contactless transactions ,” filed jan . 10 , 2003 , incorporated by reference in its entirety . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , a rf transaction using a rfid transaction device is secured by limiting the number of transactions which may be performed with a particular transaction device . once the maximum transactions value is reached , transaction device may automatically disable itself against further usage . alternatively , account issuer 112 may flag the transaction account correlating to transaction device such that account issuer system automatically prevents completion of transactions using transaction device as such , rfid transaction device 102 in accordance with the present invention further includes a counter 118 for recording and reporting the number of transactions performed with a particular transaction device 102 . counter 118 may be any device capable of being initiated with a beginning value and incrementing that value by a predetermined amount when transaction device 102 is presented for completion of a transaction . counter 118 may be a discrete electronic device on the transponder , or may be software or code based counter as is found in the art . the initial counter value may be any value from which other similar values may be measured . the value may take any form , such as , alpha , numeric , a formation of symbols , or any combination thereof . to facilitate understanding , the following description discusses all values to be in numeric units ( 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 . . . n ). thus , counter values , the value amount to be incremented , the total transactions counted value , and the maximum transactions value , are all whole numbers . it should be noted that account issuer 112 may preset the initial counter value at any initial value as desired . account issuer 112 may also predetermine the value amount to be incremented by counter 118 when transaction device is used to complete a transaction . further , account issuer 112 may assign different values to be incremented for each distinct transaction device 102 . further still , account issuer 112 may determine the maximum transactions value , which may be particular to each individual transaction device 102 issued by account issuer 112 . where counter 118 value equals a maximum transactions value , the system 100 prevents the usage of transaction device 102 to complete additional transactions . account issuer 112 may prevent the usage of transaction device 102 where account issuer flags the transaction account corresponding to transaction device 102 , thereby preventing authorization for using the account to complete transactions . alternatively , transaction device 102 may self - disable . for example , counter 118 value may trigger transaction device processor 114 to provide a signal for preventing the transfer of transaction device 102 identifier . for example , account issuer 112 may preset the initial counter value at 5 units and counter value to be incremented at 10 units per transaction . account issuer 112 may determine that transaction device 102 may be used to complete a total transaction value of 20 transactions . since counter 118 increments counter value by the value to be incremented ( e . g ., 10 units ) for each transaction , then for a total of 20 transactions permitted , the maximum transactions value will be 205 units . once counter value equals 205 units , then the operation of transaction device 102 may be disabled . the operation of the exemplary embodiment described above , may be understood with reference to fig1 and to the method of securing a rfid transaction described in fig2 . the operation may begin when rfid transaction device 102 is presented for completion of a transaction . transaction device 102 may be placed in an interrogation field generated by rfid reader 104 ( step 202 ). rfid reader 104 may interrogate rfid transaction device 102 enabling transaction device 102 operation . in response , rfid transaction device 102 may retrieve transaction device 102 identifier , account issuer 112 routing number and encrypted transaction device identifier from database 116 for providing to rfid reader 104 ( step 204 ). once rfid transaction device 102 detects the interrogation signal provided by rfid reader 104 , counter 118 may increment its counter value ( step 206 ). counter 118 value may be incremented by an amount predetermined by account issuer 112 ( e . g ., value amount to be incremented ). the resulting counter 118 value after incrementing is the total transactions counted value . upon determining the total transactions counted value , rfid transaction device 102 may provide the total transactions counted value , the encrypted transaction device 102 identifier , and account issuer 112 routing number to rfid reader 104 via rf transmission ( step 208 ). rfid reader 104 may , in turn , convert transaction device 102 identifier , routing number , and total transactions counted value into merchant pos recognizable format and forward the converted information to merchant pos 106 ( step 210 ). a merchant system , including pos 106 , may then provide a transaction request to acquirer 110 via network 106 . the transaction request may include the information received from transaction device 102 along with information ( e . g ., amount , number of product , product / service identifier ) concerning the transaction requested to be completed ( step 216 ). the transaction request may include information relative to rfid reader 104 . acquirer 110 may receive the transaction request and forward the transaction request to the appropriate account issuer 112 in accordance with the routing number provided ( step 218 ). account issuer 112 may then identify that a transaction request is being provided that relates to a transaction device . for example , merchant pos 106 may provide a code appended to the transaction request specially configured for identifying a transaction device transaction which may be recognized by account issuer 112 . alternatively , transaction device identifier , or a portion thereof , may be identified by account issuer 112 as originating with a rfid transaction device 102 . in one exemplary embodiment , account issuer 112 receives the transaction device 102 identifier and checks to see if the transaction device identifier corresponds to a valid transaction account maintained on account issuer 112 system ( step 220 ). for example , account issuer 112 may receive the encrypted transaction device identifier and locate the corresponding decryption key relating to the transaction account . if the encrypted identifier is invalid , such as , for example , when account issuer 112 is unable to locate the corresponding decryption key , account issuer 112 may provide a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 ( step 228 ). transaction device 102 user may then be permitted to provide an alternate means of satisfying the transaction , or the transaction is ended ( step 230 ). if the rfid transaction device 102 encrypted identifier corresponding decryption key is located , the encrypted identifier is considered “ valid ” and account issuer 112 may then use the corresponding decryption key to “ unlock ” or locate transaction device account correlative to transaction device 102 . account provider 112 may then retrieve all information relating to the usage limits which have been predetermined by account issuer 112 . account issuer 112 may be able to determine if a particular transaction device 102 has reached its limit of available transactions . for example , account issuer 112 may check to see if the total transactions counted value equals or exceeds the maximum transactions allowed ( step 224 ). if the maximum transactions allowed have been reached then counter value is met or exceeded , and the transaction is considered “ invalid .” as such , account issuer 112 may then provide a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 ( step 228 ). in addition , account issuer 112 may determine whether the total transactions counted value is the next expected value . if not , then the transaction is considered “ invalid ” and account issuer 112 may also provide a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 ( step 228 ). the transaction device 102 user may then be permitted to provide alternate means of completing the transaction ( step 226 ) or the transaction is ended . alternatively , where the total transactions counted value does not exceed or meet the maximum transactions allowed value , counter value is considered valid and a “ transaction valid ” message is sent to merchant pos 106 ( step 230 ). the merchant system may then complete the transaction under business as usual standards as are employed by the merchant . in accordance with the various embodiments described , the present invention addresses the problem of securing a rf transaction completed by a rfid transaction device . the invention provides a system and method for an account issuer to determine if rfid transaction device is a valid device for completing a transaction on a rf transaction system . account issuer can determine whether transaction device is valid by verifying transaction device counter , and encryption identifier . it should be noted , however , that the present invention contemplates various arrangements wherein rfid reader may also be validated . fig3 illustrates another method 300 for usage of rfid transaction device counter 118 value for securing a rf transaction . in accordance with the method depicted , rfid reader 104 includes a random number generator 120 , for producing a random number to be used in secure transactions . random number generator 120 may be any conventional random number generator as is found in the art . method 300 may begin when a user presents rfid transaction device 102 for transaction completion ( step 302 ). the user may , for example , place rfid transaction device 102 into the interrogation zone provided by rfid reader 104 . the interrogation zone may be the area or zone defined by the interrogation signal cast by rfid reader 104 . upon presentment of transaction device 102 , rfid reader 104 may provide the random number to rfid transaction device 102 ( step 304 ). rfid transaction device 102 may receive the random number and use it to create a rfid transaction device authentication tag ( step 306 ). rfid transaction device 102 may receive the random number and use the random number , counter value , transaction account number and rfid transaction device encryption key to create a rfid transaction device authentication tag . rfid transaction device 102 may provide rfid transaction device authentication tag to rfid reader 104 . rfid transaction device 102 may also provide in - the - clear data , counter value , random number to rfid reader 104 , along with rfid transaction device authentication tag ( step 308 ). rfid transaction device processor 114 may increment counter 118 using any of the incrementing methods discussed above ( step 310 ). rfid reader 104 may receive the data provided by rfid transponder 102 , and use the data to create a rfid reader authentication key using a rfid reader encryption key ( step 312 ). rfid reader 104 may use the transaction data and rfid reader 104 encryption key to encrypt the authentication tag created by the rf transaction device using common techniques such as des and triple des and pass the modified authentication tag together with the in - the - clear data , random number , counter value , modified rfid transaction device authentication tag , and rfid reader authentication tag into a format readable by pos 106 ( step 314 ) and provide the converted data to pos 106 ( step 316 ). in an alternate embodiment , rfid reader 104 may receive the data provided by rfid transaction device 102 , and use the data to create a rfid reader authentication key using a rfid reader encryption key ( step 312 ). the reader authentication key is a digital signature created using the reader encryption key , rfid transaction device transaction data , and reader random number . rfid reader 104 may then pass the transaction data provided by the rf transaction device plus the reader authentication tag to pos 106 . pos 106 may seek satisfaction of the transaction ( step 318 ). for example , pos 106 may form a transaction request using the data received from rfid transaction device 102 , and rfid reader 104 encryption key and forward the transaction request to acquirer 110 who may forward the transaction request to account issuer 112 using the routing number . account issuer 112 may receive the transaction request and verify that rfid reader 104 and rfid transmission device 102 are valid . account issuer 112 may validate rfid reader authentication tag by decrypting rfid reader authentication tag using a rfid reader encryption key stored on an account issuer database ( not shown ) ( step 320 ). if the decryption is unsuccessful , then issuer system 112 may provide a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 ( step 322 ) and the transaction is terminated . alternatively , if decryption is successful , issuer system 112 may seek to validate rfid transaction device authentication tag ( step 332 ). for example , account issuer 112 may use the rf transaction device account number to locate a rfid transaction device encryption key stored on the issuer 112 ( step 324 ) database and use rfid transaction device encryption key to decrypt rfid transaction device authentication tag ( step 326 ). if decryption is unsuccessful then issuer system 112 provides a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 ( step 322 ) and the transaction is terminated . alternatively , if the decryption is successful , then issuer system 112 may validate counter value ( step 328 ). issuer system 112 may compare counter value to an expected counter value . in another exemplary embodiment , issuer system 112 may subject counter value received from rfid transaction device 102 to an algorithm the results of which are validated against an expected counter value . issuer system 112 determines the expected value by referencing the algorithm used to increment counter value . for example , rfid transaction device 102 may have an algorithm ( e . g ., “ counter algorithm ”) stored on transaction device database which may be used to increment counter value . in an exemplary embodiment , issuer system 112 , stores a substantially similar copy of counter algorithm on issuer system 112 which is used to determine an expected counter value based on transactions known to issuer system 112 . in some instances , the expected counter value and counter value are not the same . that is , there may be differences due to , for example , transactions being processed off - line using rfid transaction device 102 . by “ off - line ” what may be meant is that the transaction is not immediately reported to issuer system 112 . instead , the transaction may be approved for processing without prior approval from issuer system 112 , and issuer system 112 is notified of the transaction at a later date ( e . g ., not in real - time ). in this case , counter algorithm may be such that a valid value is a value within an expected error range . if counter value is unsuccessfully validated , then issuer system 112 may provide a “ transaction invalid ” message to pos 106 . otherwise , issuer system 112 may process the rfid transaction account number under business as usual standards ( step 330 ). in this way , the transaction is secured using a counter , by using counter to validate a rfid transaction device authentication tag and a rfid reader authentication tag . fig4 illustrates another exemplary embodiment wherein rfid transaction device 102 is validated using counter value . in this exemplary embodiment , rfid transaction device 102 is presented ( step 302 ) and rfid reader 104 sends a random number to rfid transaction device 102 ( step 304 ). rfid transaction device 102 receives the random number and creates a rfid transaction device authentication tag using the random number , the in - the - clear data , and a counter value ( step 306 ). rfid transaction device 102 may then provide rfid transaction device authentication tag , random number , counter value , and in - the - clear data to rfid reader 104 ( step 308 ). rfid transaction device 102 may increment counter value by a predetermined value ( step 310 ). rfid reader 104 may receive rfid transaction device authentication tag , in - the - clear data and counter value and convert counter value , in - the - clear data and rfid transaction device authentication tag to a merchant pos 106 format ( step 414 ). rfid reader 104 may then provide the converted data to pos 106 ( step 316 ). merchant pos 106 may then provide the data received from rfid reader 104 to issuer system 112 for transaction satisfaction ( step 318 ). issuer system 112 may receive the data and verify rfid transaction device authentication tag ( step 332 ). for example , issuer system 112 may validate the rfid transaction authentication tag and counter value in accordance with steps 324 - 328 . under yet another embodiment , fig5 illustrates an aspect of the invention wherein rfid reader 104 is validated , when rfid transaction device 102 is not . according to the invention rfid transaction device 102 is validated using counter value . in this exemplary embodiment , rfid transaction device 102 is presented for transaction completion ( step 302 ). rfid transaction device 102 may then provide counter and the in - the - clear data to rfid reader 104 ( step 508 ). rfid transaction device 102 may increment counter value by a predetermined value ( step 310 ). alternatively , rfid reader 104 may provide a signal to transaction device 102 for use in incrementing the counter value . rfid reader 104 may receive the in - the - clear data and counter value and prepare rfid reader authentication tag using a rfid reader encryption key ( step 512 ). rfid reader may then convert the in - the - clear data and rfid reader authentication tag to a merchant pos 106 format ( step 514 ) and provide the converted data to pos 106 ( step 316 ). the merchant pos 106 may then provide the data received from rfid reader 104 to an issuer system 112 for transaction satisfaction ( step 318 ). in one exemplary embodiment , the merchant pos 106 provides issuer system 116 with a pos identifier associated with pos 106 ( step 519 ). issuer system 116 may then seek to verify rfid reader 104 ( step 532 ). for example , issuer system 112 may receive the pos identifier , and locate a related pos encryption key stored on an issuer system database ( step 524 ). issuer system 112 may receive the encryption key data and verify rfid reader authentication tag using the pos encryption key data ( step 526 ). for example , issuer system 112 may validate the rfid transaction authentication tag by attempting to decrypt rfid reader authentication tag using the pos encryption key ( i . e ., step 526 ). if rfid reader authentication tag is successfully decrypted , then the transaction may be processed under business as usual standards ( step 330 ). in another exemplary embodiment , prior to processing the transaction request ( step 330 ), issuer system 112 may further verify rfid reader 104 by verifying counter value used to create the rfid authentication tag ( step 528 ), in similar manner as was done with step 328 . the preceding detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention makes reference to the accompanying drawings , which show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration . while these exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , rfid reader may include an rfid reader encrypted identifier stored in the reader database , which may be validated by account issuer in similar manner as with transaction device encrypted identifier . moreover , counter may increment the total transactions counted value by the predetermined incremental value at the completion of a successful transaction . in addition , the steps recited in any of the method or process claims may be executed in any order and are not limited to the order presented . further , the present invention may be practiced using one or more servers , as necessary . thus , the preceding detailed description is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation , and the scope of the invention is defined by the preceding description , and with respect to the attached claims .
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the best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment , herein depicted within fig1 through 5 . however , the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention , and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention . it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the terms “ a ” and “ an ” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity , but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items . in accordance with the invention , the present disclosure will be made to certain embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . referring now to fig1 through 5 , which depict a hunting blind ( herein described as a “ device ”) 10 , where like reference numerals represent similar or like parts . all terminology is used for the sake of clarity and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific terminology selected and it is to be understood that each described element or part includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish similar functions . as used herein , the term tree stand 12 refers to any type , design , or model of tree stand , including climbing stands , ladder stands , hanging stands , box stands , or any other similar open or enclosed platforms used by hunters 100 . these types of tree stands typically include a platform secured to a tree 11 in order to elevate the user / hunter 100 to provide a better vantage point . the device 10 provides concealed observation and a firing supported rifle rest 40 for use with the tree stand 12 at an elevated position or for use upon a ground surface . the device 10 is coupled to a tree 11 , either at an upper position above the tree stand 12 or at a lower position above the ground surface to surround and conceal the user 100 . as shown in fig1 , the device 10 comprises a back rest 20 , a securing mechanism 30 , and a firing support 40 . the device 10 includes a plurality of hooks 60 that are removably connected to the firing support 40 . the hooks 60 provide an adjustable support member for hanging various articles in order to keep them off of the floor of the tree stand 12 or the ground surface . the back rest 20 includes a cushion 21 affixed to a rigid back plate 22 using adhesives or equivalent means . the back plate 22 is a generally rectangular member and is fabricated of a strong , lightweight material , such as fiberglass , plastic , or lightweight metal . the lower end of the back plate 22 includes an integral tree support member 23 which provides a rearwardly protruding and curved form - fitting surface which contacts the tree 11 in a stabilizing manner ( see fig3 ). the securing mechanism 30 includes a pair of straps 31 and a ratchet mechanism 32 for securely attaching the back rest 20 to the tree 11 . the straps 31 are fabricated from a durable material , such as nylon or similar natural or synthetic materials . each strap 31 has a free end and a sewn looped end portion being insertingly attached to a tube attachment 24 . a pair of upright tube attachments 24 is rigidly affixed to opposing sides of the back plate 22 using fasteners 80 such as clips , screws , or the like . the ratcheting mechanism 32 is affixed to a free end of one ( 1 ) of the straps 31 and is adapted to receive the free end of the opposing strap 31 through a ratchet slot . actuation of a handle portion of the ratchet mechanism 32 draws the free end of the opposing strap 31 inwardly , thus shortening its length and reducing the diameter of the securing mechanism 30 tightly around the tree 11 . the firing support 40 comprises a tubular framework having a round or rectangular cross - sectional shape which surrounds the tree stand 12 and user / hunter 100 during use . the firing support 40 is rigidly attached to the back rest 20 and is oriented perpendicularly to the tree 11 when the device 10 is in use . the firing support 40 supports a firearm or bow during firing and provides a safety guardrail for the user / hunter 100 when at an elevated position . the firing support 40 is fabricated from a strong and lightweight material , such as plastic , polycarbonate , or aluminum . it can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other lightweight materials can be utilized without departing from the present invention . in certain embodiments , the firing support 40 comprises a single circular section of frame tube 41 that attaches to the back plate 22 . the tube 41 end portions are to be insertingly attachable to the tube attachment 24 and selectively secured using spring pin 82 and aperture 84 portions to form the generally circular perimeter around the user / hunter 100 . in certain embodiments , the firing support 40 includes a padded covering 43 wrapped around the exterior of the tube 41 . the covering 43 is fabricated from a water resistant and durable padded material , such as foam . in the various embodiments of the device 10 , the firing support 40 and the tube attachments 24 have a circular or a square cross - section . referring now to fig2 , an environmental view of the device 10 , shown in use over an existing tree stand , in accordance with the present invention , is disclosed . the device 10 is illustrated in use upon a tree 11 and covering the tree stand 12 . the back rest 20 is removably secured around the tree 11 at the upper location via the securing mechanism 30 . the firing support 40 extends outwardly from the back rest 20 and defines a perimeter around the tree stand 12 and the user / hunter 100 . the blind panel 50 hangs downwardly from the firing support 40 to conceal the user / hunter 100 , whether in the tree stand 12 or upon the ground surface . the device 10 may be utilized with or without the blind panel 50 . in such cases , the device 10 provides the support and stability of the firing support 40 alone . the blind panel 50 is fabricated from a lightweight material being slidingly attached to the firing support 40 ( see fig5 ). referring now to fig3 and 4 , partially exploded and rear views of the firing support hunting blind 10 , in accordance with the present invention , are disclosed . the lower end of the back plate 22 includes a tree support member 23 which provides an arcuate exterior surface for making stable contact with a portion of the circumference of the tree 11 when the device 10 is secured . the tube attachments 24 provide removable attachment of respective tube portions 41 of the firing support 40 . each end portion of the tube 41 comprises an “ l ”- shape having an upwardly extending and perpendicularly bent end portion 42 . each end 42 removably attaches to a respective tube attachment 24 . the ends 42 have a diameter suitable sized and shaped to be inserted into an open lower end of the tube attachment 24 . each tube attachment 24 comprises a locking mechanism , preferably being a spring pin 82 or similar mechanism which provides selective and adjustable engagement into corresponding aperture portions 84 being arranged in a linear pattern and located along a bottom portion of the tube attachment 24 . in other embodiments , the firing support 40 comprises a pair of generally semi - circular frame tubes 41 , being attached via a diametrically enlarged end of one ( 1 ) tube 41 and a normal end portion of the other tube 41 . referring now to fig5 , a cross section view of a blind panel 50 portion of the device 10 , is disclosed . in another embodiment , the present invention 10 utilizes a removably attachable draped blind panel 50 further comprising a circularly - wrapped sleeve portion 52 disposed about the upper edge for receiving the firing support 40 . it is envisioned that an upper edge portion of the sleeve 52 is preferably wrapped around the firing support 40 and fastened back upon itself via a fastening mechanism 54 , preferably being a hook - and - loop - type fastener . the fastening mechanism 54 can comprise an equivalent means such as snap fasteners , or may be sewn together to form a tunnel feature . the position of the blind panel 50 is adjustable by sliding it along the firing support 40 . the blind panel 50 is to be fabricated from a lightweight material , such as nylon , polyester , or similar durable natural or synthetic fabric . in certain embodiments the blind panel 50 is imprinted with a camouflage pattern for blending into the surrounding environment . the firing support 40 is envisioned to comprise a padded covering 43 which surrounds an exterior surface of the tube 41 to provide protection and comfort to the user 100 . the covering 43 is preferably fabricated from a water resistant and durable padded material such as plastic - coated urethane foam or equivalent material . in other embodiments , the blind panel 50 is envisioned to comprise a plurality of apertures spaced apart along the upper edge for receiving the firing support 40 therethrough . the apertures can also include grommets for increased durability . in yet other embodiments the blind panel 50 may includes a plurality of individual sections . in certain other embodiments the blind panel 50 includes two ( 2 ) or more sections . it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training . after initial purchase or acquisition of the device 10 , it would be installed as indicated in fig1 and 2 . the method of utilizing the device 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps : procuring a model of the device 10 having a desired color and pattern ; mounting an existing tree stand 12 to the tree 11 at a desired height off the ground surface ; mounting the device 10 to the tree 11 at a desired distance above the tree stand 12 by positioning the back rest 20 at a corresponding location upon the tree 11 with the back plate 22 and tree support member 23 in contact with the surface of the tree 11 ; wrapping the strap portions 31 around the tree 11 ; securing the straps 31 using the ratcheting mechanism 32 ; attaching the firing support 40 to the back rest 20 by inserting the end portions 42 of the tubes 41 into the respective tube attachment portions 24 ; securing the tube 41 and tube attachment 24 portions together at a desired relative position using the spring pin 82 and aperture 84 portions ; wrapping an upper edge portion of the blind panel 50 around the firing support 40 ; attaching the blind panel 50 around said firing support 40 by pressing the portions of the fastening mechanism 54 together ; and , utilizing the device 10 to hunt game , observe wildlife , or similar activities . the device 10 may be positioned at a lower position upon the tree and above the ground surface , as desired . the straps 31 are wrapped around the tree 11 and the free end of one ( 1 ) strap 31 is inserted into the ratchet mechanism 32 . the ratchet mechanism 32 is actuated to draw in the inserted strap 31 to shorten its length and tighten the straps 31 around the tree 11 . it is understood that the firing support 40 can be attached to the back rest 20 before or after mounting the device 10 to the tree 11 . in certain embodiments , the firing support 40 comprises a single circular section of frame tube 41 , said tubes 41 are joined via insertion of diametrically enlarged and normal end portions . in like manner , the tube 41 end portions 42 are to be insertingly attachable to the tube attachments 24 and selectively secured thereto using spring pin 82 and aperture 84 portions to form the generally circular perimeter around the user / hunter 100 . the firing support 40 can be easily and quickly detached from the back rest 20 for transportation to and from a hunting site . the device 10 can be utilized with or without attachment of the blind panel 50 . with the blind panel 50 draped over the firing support 40 , the user / hunter 100 is concealed from the surrounding environment whether in the tree stand 12 or upon the ground surface . the user / hunter 100 can support and rest a rifle , bow , or other weapon upon the firing support 40 during firing for added stability . the firing support 40 also provides a safety guard to prevent the user / hunter 100 from falling from the tree stand 12 during firing . a desired number of hooks 60 may be affixed to the firing support 40 to provide a means to temporarily suspend various hunting related articles , thus keeping them out of the way and easily accessible . the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed . obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application , and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient , but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention .
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fig1 of the drawings shows an apparatus 10 for dispensing fluent solid material 4 into receptacles such as bag 2 . of course , the type of receptacle is not important , and may include drums , boxes , open troughs , and others . apparatus 10 includes a storage hopper 12 having a plurality of chutes 14 disposed in communication with hopper 12 . the fluent material 4 is stored in hopper 12 and discharged through chutes 14 into the receptacle . storage hopper 12 includes an unbroken bottom wall 13 and the chutes 14 are all located on the rear wall 15 of storage hopper 12 . hopper 12 may have a roof 16 or other cover to protect contents . illustratively , salt , which is commonly employed to melt ice on roadways in cold climates , would fuse into a solid mass if subjected to rain . an openable closure such as doors 18 provided on a lateral side of hopper 12 are provided if roof 16 is not hinged or otherwise rendered openable . the closure enables loading hopper 12 from a conveyor ( not shown ), mobile earth moving equipment ( not shown ), or any other equipment suitable for discharging the fluent material 4 into hopper 12 . doors 18 are secured in place in any suitable way , such as by retaining device 19 . device 19 comprises a handle for grasping and maneuvering , and a finger which is rotated into a position obstructing downward swing of door 18 . device 10 is rotatably fastened to a wall of hopper 12 . fluent material 4 is transported to each chute 14 from the interior storage chamber of hopper 12 by a suitable conveyor . a preferred form of conveyor is screw auger 20 . augers 20 are rotated by a power plant , such as diesel engine 22 . although shown only diagrammatically , engine 22 will be understood to include all components conventionally furnished with engines for supporting all necessary functions enabling the engine to be self - contained and to operate independently of external connections and components . illustratively , such components include battery , ac or dc generator , fuel tank and conduits , exhaust system , radiator and associated conduits , starting motor , and the like . output of engine 22 is distributed by a suitable transmission 24 to each individual rotatable power shaft of each auger 20 . transmission 24 may comprise an arrangement of chains , belts , rods , gears , and shafts ( none shown ) necessary to accomplish distribution of rotary output of engine 22 . transmission 24 encompasses any suitable mechanical , hydraulic , pneumatic , or electrical device transmitting rotary motion from engine 22 to each chute 14 . although rotational speed may , if desired , be increased or decreased over that of the output of engine 22 , this characteristic is not necessarily accomplished in transmission 24 . each power shaft of each auger 20 is controlled by a suitable clutch 26 which selectively drives its associated shaft from transmission 24 and isolates the shaft from transmission 24 . each clutch 26 is of any suitable type , such as electrical or mechanically operated friction type . each clutch 26 is operated by a pedal 50 ( see fig3 ) accessible to an operator filling a bag 2 . each pedal 50 is associated with a controller 36 ( see fig2 ) for controlling each auger 20 independently of other augers 20 . because apparatus 10 is mobile , it includes wheels 28 suitably connected to apparatus 10 by a suitable suspension 30 . apparatus 10 will be understood to include a frame or chassis ( not separately shown ), if construction of hopper 12 is not sufficiently stout to provide an equivalent function . wheels 28 and suspension 30 may be provided with springs , pivotal components , and the like for supporting hopper 12 above the ground , providing steering and turning functions and to comply with irregular surfaces . apparatus 10 may be provided with brakes ( not shown ), if desired . apparatus 10 also has an arm 32 projecting horizontally and forwardly from apparatus 10 . arm 30 terminates in a trailer hitch 34 mounted thereon , so that apparatus 10 is readily towed by a tow vehicle ( not shown ). arm 32 may assume the configuration of a so - called gooseneck ( not shown ), being curved so as to approach the connection of the tow vehicle from above , rather than extending horizontally as depicted . also , it will be appreciated that trailer hitch 34 is shown only in a representative capacity , and may be replaced by other types of releasable connectors for connection to a tow vehicle . fig2 clearly reveals the arrangement of augers 20 , which are arranged abreast and disposed to discharge at the rear of apparatus 10 . each auger 20 has a foot pedal control mechanism 36 located proximate its respective chute 14 , which control mechanism 36 at a minimum operates its respective clutch 26 by a suitable control connection represented by electrical conductor 38 . however , control mechanism 36 preferably also controls a clamp indicated generally at 40 in fig2 . better shown in fig3 clamp 40 is arranged to support a bag 2 below associated chute 14 . clamp 40 comprises a contact block 42 which pins bag 2 against the rear wall of hopper 12 . contact block 42 is supported on an arm 44 pivotally supported on the rear wall of hopper 12 by a suitable journalling or trunnion fitting 46 . a hydraulic cylinder assembly 48 is arranged to pivot arm 44 and thus contact block 42 into and away from the clamping position illustrated in fig3 . cylinder assembly 48 may be controlled by pedal 50 of control mechanism 36 in any suitable way . in one example , control mechanism 36 includes a switch ( not separately shown ) which makes a circuit represented by conductor 52 supplying electrical power to a hydraulic pump 54 . hydraulic fluid is supplied under pressure to cylinder assembly 48 and returned to pump 54 by conduits 56 , 58 . of course , clamp 40 may be electrically , pneumatically , or manually operated , if desired . fig4 illustrates an optional feature of apparatus 10 . the storage chamber existing inside hopper 12 may be utilized as storage space when apparatus 10 is in transit . the storage chamber of hopper 12 is provided with a perforated metal grate 60 which serves as a floor enabling the storage chamber to contain cargo . grate 60 has openings enabling passage of fluent material 2 to augers 20 disposed below grate 60 . however , grate 60 will support large objects , such as small motorized earth moving equipment 6 , tools ( not shown ), and the like to be stored within hopper 12 when fluent material is not present . a full height door 62 , preferably located on an end wall 64 ( see fig2 ) of hopper 12 , swings down to reveal the storage chamber . end wall 64 is either the front or rear wall of hopper 12 , as contrasted with a lateral wall 66 ( see fig2 ). of course , doors 18 ( see fig1 ) could be full height to accomplish a similar purpose , if desired . however , it is contemplated that objects such as equipment 6 will be of such a length that it will prove more feasible to align the respective longitudinal dimensions of apparatus 10 and equipment 6 to be parallel . door 62 is supported on , or alternatively , replaced by , a ramp 68 . ramp 68 engages hopper 12 by a finger and socket arrangement shown in fig5 . the socket is formed by a member 70 which is solidly fixed to the rear wall of hopper 12 or to the frame ( not shown ) of apparatus 10 . member 70 receives a cooperating member 72 fixed to ramp 68 . regardless of their precise configurations and natures , members 70 and 72 interlock to enable ramp 68 to be secured to apparatus 10 . additional accommodation for cargo and human riders may be provided in the embodiment of fig4 . as shown in fig6 a shelf 74 may be attached to a wall of hopper 12 . shelf 74 is preferably of the fold up or fold down type , having a chain 76 supporting shelf 74 horizontally . shelf 74 may support personnel , if desired . the present invention is susceptible to variations and modifications which may be introduced without departing from the inventive concept . for example , the conveyor is preferably a screw auger , but may be a continuous or segmented endless belt , a fan or similar pneumatic driver , a movable magnet , or any other device suitable for transporting the fluent material to a chute from the storage chamber of hopper . the various doors may be arranged as desired , at any location and height with respect to the height of hopper 12 , and in any number . augers 20 may be arranged at any desired orientation within hopper 12 , such as extending from one lateral side to the other , instead of front to rear . they may also depart from their orientation in the horizontal plane , as illustrated . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims .
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fig1 is a side elevational medial cross sectional view showing an interface of the prior art interposed between a hopper 12 and a feeder 14 . typically , the hopper 12 has the form of a hollow inverted 4 - sided pyramid truncated by a horizontal plane so that the outlet 16 of the hopper is a rectangular slot lying in the truncating plane . because it is rectangular , the outlet of the hopper 12 includes two spaced parallel longer edges and two spaced parallel shorter edges . typically , the feeder includes a belt 18 having a loading surface 20 on which the discharged material lies while it is transported by the belt in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig1 . ordinarily this direction is parallel to the longer edges of the outlet of the hopper . in the interest of clarity , the upper edge 22 of the interface is shown slightly separated from the lower edge 24 of the hopper in fig1 but in actual use , the upper edge 22 of the interface is attached to the lower edge 24 of the hopper . fig1 is a cross sectional view taken at a vertical plane that passes through the centerline of the belt 18 . the prior art interface of fig1 consists of four plates , which are : two converging side plates 26 ( visible in fig1 ) and 28 ( best seen in fig2 ), a laterally - extending vertical plate 30 , and a strike - off plate 32 . the converging side plates 26 and 28 slope downwardly and inwardly as if they were swung about the lower edge 24 of the hopper . the converging side plates are truncated by an imaginary plane 34 that is inclined in the direction of travel of the loading surface 20 , and that is seen edge - on in fig1 . the inclined imaginary plane 34 intersects the converging side plates 26 and 28 in two edges 36 and 38 that are the lower edges of the converging side plates . these edges 36 and 38 not only are inclined in the direction of travel of the loading surface 20 , but also diverge laterally in the direction of travel of the loading surface , as best seen in fig2 . the four plates that make up the prior art interface are also visible in fig2 and they are among the components of the present invention . the geometric relationship of these four plates must be clearly understood if one is to understand the present invention . in addition to showing the four plates of the prior art interface , fig2 shows the vertical side plates 40 and 42 that are not found in the prior art interfaces and that are unique to the present invention . the vertical side plates 40 and 42 lie in vertical planes that pass through the lower edges 36 and 38 of the converging side plates 26 and 28 respectively . accordingly , the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 is equal to the average lateral distance between the lower edges 36 and 38 of the converging side plates 26 and 28 , respectively . the vertical side plates 40 and 42 extend downwardly to horizontal lower edges 44 and 46 that are adjacent to but spaced from and parallel to the loading surface 20 of the feeder . the vertical side plates 40 and 42 are unique to the present invention , but the present invention also includes other structures , shown in fig3 and 5 . in particular , the present invention includes the vertical center plate 48 which is inclined upwardly in the direction of travel of the loading surface of the belt and which is located mid - way between the converging side plates 26 and 28 . the vertical center plate 48 has a lower edge 50 that lies in the imaginary plane 34 and has an upper edge 52 that is parallel to the lower edge . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the height of a vertical cross section through the vertical center plate 48 is approximately equal to w / 6 , where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . it is generally known in the art that the downward pressure at the outlet of a converging hopper is proportional to the width of the outlet . the vertical center plate 48 divides the width of the outlet in half , and thereby also reduces the downward pressure to half of what it would be if the vertical center plate 48 were not present . it is a reasonable concern that the downward pressure might be reduced too much , in which case flow might not occur . fortunately , it can be shown mathematically that flow will always occur so long as the height of a vertical cross section through the vertical center plate 48 does not exceed w / 6 , as best seen in fig5 where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . lowering the outlet pressure reduces the force required to shear the particulate material from the hopper , thereby reducing drag on the loading surface 20 , and also reduces the downward force on the loading surface 20 . both of these reductions act to reduce the power required to drive the feeder . the vertical side plates 40 and 42 serve to prevent the particulate material from spilling laterally over the side of the belt , thereby reducing the required belt width . this also reduces the power required to operate the feeder . as best seen in fig3 the strike - off plate 54 of the present invention is connected to the vertical center plate 48 . in the first preferred embodiment shown in fig3 and 5 , the strike - off plate 54 extends laterally on both sides from the vertical center plate to lateral edges that are attached to the converging side plates 26 and 28 . unlike the strike - off plate 32 of the prior art , shown in fig1 in accordance with the present invention , the lower edge 56 of the strike - off plate 54 is arched upwardly between each lateral edge and the vertical center plate 48 . the arched shape of the lower edge 56 more closely conforms to the preferred imaginary three - dimensional surface on which the shear force imparted by the belt is imposed on the flowing mass of a particulate material thereby facilitating the shearing action . also , the arched lower edge 56 of the strike - off plate 54 relieves the tendency of the material to build up in front of the strike - off plate , where the build - up would oppose the shearing action . thus , the upwardly arched lower edge 56 further reduces the power required to operate the feeder . in the first preferred embodiment shown in fig3 the lower edge of the strike - off plate is arched upwardly an amount approximately equal to w / 8 , where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . in the first preferred embodiment of fig3 the vertical center plate 48 is connected to the converging side plates 26 and 28 by one or more lateral support plates , of which the lateral support plates 58 and 60 are typical . the lower edges 62 and 64 respectively of the lateral support plates 58 and 60 are arched upward an amount approximately equal to w / 8 , where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . fig6 and 8 show a second preferred embodiment of the present invention . the second preferred embodiment differs from the first preferred embodiment of fig3 and 5 in that a center converging member 66 is used in place of the vertical center plate 48 ; the strike - off plate 68 and the lateral plates ( of which the lateral plate 70 is typical ) are attached to the center converging member 66 , but the strike - off plate 68 and the lateral plate 70 extend to lateral edges 76 and 78 respectively that are adjacent to , but spaced from the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . further , in the second preferred embodiment of fig6 and 8 , the center converging member 66 is pivotally connected by the pin 88 of fig7 to the laterally - extending vertical plate 30 to permit limited pivotal motion of the center converging member 66 in a vertical plane . a metal strap 90 is attached to and extends upward from the end of the center converging member 66 nearest the strike - off plate 68 . the strap 90 includes a number of vertically - spaced holes , of which the hole 92 is typical . the plate 80 includes a laterally - centered hole . a bolt 94 passed through the hole in the plate 80 and through one of the holes in the strap 90 secures the center converging member 66 at a selected inclination with respect to the belt loading surface 20 . the purpose of being able to pivot the center converging member 66 in a vertical plane is to permit alteration of the rate at which the particulate material is removed from the hopper . as in the first preferred embodiment , the lower edge 72 of the strike - off plate 68 is arched upwardly between the lateral edge 76 and the center converging member 66 . in the preferred embodiment , the amount of this arching is approximately equal to w / 8 , where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . likewise , the lower edge 74 of the lateral plate 70 is arched upwardly between the lateral edge 78 and the center converging member 66 . in the preferred embodiment , the amount of arching is approximately equal to w / 8 where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . as best seen in fig8 the height of a vertical cross section through the center converging member 66 is approximately equal to w / 6 , where w is the average lateral distance between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . when the angle of inclination of the center converging member 66 is adjusted to smaller angles , the center converging member 66 lies between the vertical side plates 40 and 42 . if the center converging member 66 were a simple vertical plate as in the first preferred embodiment , there would be no downward convergence between the center member and the vertical side members , and this would not reduce the pressure on the particulate material at the shear interface , since the material would be confined between non - converging surfaces . therefore , in order to provide a downwardly - converging - surface situation for the particulate material , in the second preferred embodiment , the sides 82 and 84 of the center converging member 66 must converge downwardly toward the vertical side plates 40 and 42 respectively . the adjustability of the second preferred embodiment allows a very large feed depth adjustment with only minor negative effects . this feed depth adjustment permits the feed rate to be varied without having to use a variable speed drive on the feeder . when the teachings of the present invention have been applied to practical situations , it has been found that feeders of smaller size can be used . generally , the feeder can be reduced 25 percent to 50 percent in width . also , it has been found that the teachings of the present invention permit the power required to operate the feeder to be in the range of 25 percent to 50 percent of the power required in prior art designs . in addition to this noteworthy reduction in the power requirement , the interface of the present invention results in less feeder pressure and consequently less wear , lower feeder loads , less support structure , lower starting torque , and longer feeder life . it has also been found in practice that the design of the present invention can be used , not only for belt - type feeders , but can also be used with apron feeders , screw feeders , and drag chain feeders . thus , there have been described two embodiments of an interface used in controlling the flow of particulate materials from a hopper to a feeder . both embodiments result in a significant reduction of the power required to drive the feeder , and permit the use of smaller sized feeders . the foregoing detailed description is illustrative of several embodiments of the invention , and it is to be understood that additional embodiments thereof will be obvious to those skilled in the art . the embodiments described herein together with those additional embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the invention .
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fig1 shows a schematic block diagram of the circuitry required to sense the carotid sinus nerve activity including means for amplifying 16 , means for converting frequency to voltage 20 , means for converting analog signals to digital signals 24 , telemetry means 32 , microprocessor means 28 , means for providing a pacing output 46 , means for providing a defibrillation output 48 and means for ventricular sensing 44 . the carotid sinus nerve 10 , for example , is wrapped by a sensor 12 . as discussed below , other nerve bundles may also be employed in accordance with the invention , these include the vagus nerve , sympathetic cardiac nerve and sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerves . however , the invention is described herein mainly in terms of its use with the carotid sinus nerve , although it will be understood that the use of the invention is not so limited . typically , the neurosensor may advantageously consist of two ring electrodes made of an inert metal . the rings may be advantageously spaced two to three millimeters apart . both rings are incorporated into a sleeve made of a biocompatible elastic material such as silicon rubber . one such sensing device is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 590 , 946 to gerald e . lobe of clarksburg , md . in lobe , a surgically implanted electrode which includes two elements imbedded in a helically long substrate made of an integral material is disclosed . the contact elements are made of electrical leading conductors which are encased in a substrate and extend from a common end of the substrate to a contact element . the substrate is then wound around the nerve bundle in a helical fashion to contact the elements against the nerve . a membrane is subsequently wrapped around the substrate to insulate the electrode system . the lead in conductors are anchored to relieve strain on the electrode system . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 590 , 946 is hereby incorporated by reference . the signals carried by the nerve fiber 10 and which are picked up by the neurosensor 12 consist of a train of action potentials of constant amplitude . the frequency of these action potentials varies as a function of arterial blood pressure . specifically , as arterial pressure increases , the frequency of action potentials increases . fig2 a is a schematic diagram of the carotid sinus region in the human body . this region includes a carotid body 100 , carotid sinus nerve 110 , and carotid sinus 120 . pressure , denoted by arrow p , is illustrative of blood pressure present in the carotid sinus . fig2 b shows a more detailed cross sectional view of the carotid artery 130 where the carotid sinus nerve 110 is stretched over the carotid artery 130 which includes a smooth muscle portion 140 . referring now to fig2 c a graph of action potential versus time for various blood pressures is shown . in this diagram , pressure is assumed to be steady . the signals carried by the nerve fiber 10 and which are picked up by neurosensor 12 consist of a train of action potentials 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 and 64 . the frequency of these action potentials varies as a function of arterial blood pressure . specifically , as arterial pressure increases , the frequency of action potentials increases . note that in graph 60 where the pressure in millimeters of mercury is 40 mm hg , the carotid sinus signal vanishes . under normal conditions of varying arterial pressures which occur during the cardiac cycle , the action potential will constantly vary in frequency with maximum frequency occurring at high pressures during systole ( contraction of the heart ) and minimum frequency occurring at low pressure during diastole ( relaxation of the heart ). turning now to fig3 a , the carotid sinus reflexes are graphed as a function of low pressure , normal pressure and elevated arterial pressure indicated by graph 70 . graph 72 in fig3 b illustrates the response of the carotid sinus nerve impulses . at low pressure the carotid sinus nerve impulses are infrequent . at normal arterial operating pressure the carotid sinus nerve impulses are more regular and at elevated pressures are more frequent . the carotid sinus nerve reflexes are at the highest frequency reaching a peak in the elevated pressure diagram 70 . other nerve responses such as the vagus nerve impulse , sympathetic cardiac nerve impulse and sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve impulses are also shown in fig3 c , 3d and 3e in graphs 74 , 76 and 78 , respectively . the relationships shown in fig3 a - 3e are well understood by those skilled in the art . therapies , as discussed below , may be based upon these relationships and implemented in accordance with the present invention . referring again to fig1 the sense amplifier 16 , which advantageously includes an automatic gain control and band pass filter , receives information from the neurosensor 12 . even though the neurosignal from the carotid sinus nerve is constant , some long term drift in signal amplitude from the nerve will occur . this is due to changes in the nerve tissue and changes in the electrode and nerve fiber interface . the automatic gain control will maintain a constant output level of the amplifier in the presence of long term drift . amplifier 16 may also include a band pass filter to reject noise which may be present in the nerve signal . the noise may include biologic noise such as action potentials from other nerve fibers as well as electrical signals caused by contraction of muscles in the area of the nerve electrode . the noise may also include external signals such as power line noise or radio frequency coupled into the body . the band pass filter incorporated in amplifier 16 may typically have a low frequency cutoff of 300 hertz to eliminate biologically induced signals and line power noise signals , and a high frequency cutoff of 5000 hertz to eliminate radio frequency noise . amplifier 16 may be constructed according to well known techniques and electronic design rules . connected to the amplifier 16 by conductor 18 is the frequency - to - voltage converter means 20 . circuit 20 provides a voltage output which is proportional to the frequency of the signal applied to the input in accordance with well known principles . because the frequency of the input is a function of arterial pressure , the output of the frequency - to - voltage converter 20 is in one - to - one correspondence with arterial pressure . in effect , the frequency - to - voltage converter demodulates the frequency modulated pressure signal created by the baroreceptors located in the carotid sinus and transmitted along the carotid sinus nerve . connected to the frequency - to - voltage converter is the analog - to - digital converter means 24 . the analog - to - digital converter 24 converts the analog output signal on line 22 from the frequency - to - voltage converter means 20 , which represents arterial pressure , to a digital signal which is further processed by the microprocessor 28 . the analog - to - digital converter may be fabricated in accordance with designs well known to those skilled in the art . the microprocessor 28 reads additional signals on bus 26 from the analog - to - digital converter 24 and then processes these signals based on therapies loaded in its operating software . these therapies serve to regulate the stimulus rate of the cardiac pacemaker based on the arterial pressure signals detected from the carotid sinus nerve and processed by the electronics just described . the processor provides the stimulus to the heart by sending appropriate control signals to either the pacing output circuitry 46 or the defibrillation circuitry 48 . the telemetry circuits 32 are connected to the microprocessor 28 . the telemetry circuit 32 communicates program and diagnostic data between the implanted pacemaker and external programmer through line 30 . information that provides ventricular sense signals is sent through ventricular sensing device 44 to the processor through line 36 . in the presence of acceptable pacing signals from the ventricular sensor 44 which represent intrinsic cardiac activity , the processor will not provide stimuli to the heart . several alternative therapies may be applied to the pressure signals by the processor 28 . in one embodiment , the processor may include therapies for detecting signal minimum and signal maximum values which occur during each cardiac cycle . these values can then be used to determine relative diastolic pressures and systolic pressure . the difference can be calculated to obtain pulse pressure . an alternate therapy may also be included in which true systolic and diastolic pressures , taken with standard measurement methods , are entered into the pacemaker microprocessor by the physician via an external programmer . these values may then be used to convert the relative values described in the first therapy above into an absolute pressure value . an alternate therapy may be present in the processor which may allow for the transmission of the calibrated signals from the carotid sinus sensor to the external programmer . this may allow the programmer to display continuous arterial pressure waveforms obtained for the pacemaker for diagnostic use by the physician . an additional therapy for regulating the pacing rate based on the pressure signals found in the body may advantageously be included to follow the reaction of the body at the onset of exercise . during exercise , vascular resistance decreases due to dilation of blood vessels which occurs to allow greater blood flow to muscle tissue . in normal patients , an increase in heart rate also occurs with exercise , resulting in pressures that are above the pressure prior to exercise . in the absence of this increased heart rate due to the disease of the heart , the blood vessel dilation mentioned previously will tend to cause a decrease in blood pressure . therefore , one possible therapy for regulating heart rate in response to exercise , may advantageously consist of a method for detecting this blood pressure decrease . the processor may advantageously respond to such a decrease by causing an increase in stimulus rates until the blood pressure returned to a value at or slightly above the value which existed prior to the onset of exercise . recovery from exercise occurs in a similar manner . at the end of exercise , blood vessels constrict causing a transient increase in pressure . the processor detects this increase and reduces the heart rate until the pre - exercise pressure value is obtained . the microprocessor may advantageously include a baseline tracking algorithm to track long term changes in either the patient &# 39 ; s blood pressure or in the frequency - to - pressure characteristic of the carotid sinus signal caused by adaptation of the nerve fibers . in this way , the processor responds with a pacing stimulus change only to short term pressure changes caused by exercise onset and completion . additionally , other circuits may optionally be incorporated to provide more sophisticated rate control algorithms . these might include atrial sense and pacer apparatus for dual chamber pacing , for example . they may also include traditional neurosensors for detecting blood oxygen or carbon dioxide levels in conjunction with the blood pressure sensors for more precise control of pacing rates . an additional application for the cardio sinus nerve sensor is for the detection of tachycardia or fibrillation in an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator . referring again to fig1 note that the microprocessor may optionally produce a defibrillation output 48 instead of or in addition to a pacing output 38 . the therapy for tachycardia fibrillation detection will consist of the following addition to the therapy described previously . during fibrillation or pathologic heart tachycardia , blood pressure falls rapidly due to the loss of blood flow . this rapid drop in blood pressure is detected by the processor and causes it to send appropriate control signals to the defibrillation output circuit 48 . defibrillation output circuit 48 responds by delivering a fibrillation shock to the heart through the defibrillation lead 50 . as with the pacemaker application , the defibrillator may incorporate additional signals for more sophisticated detection algorithms . in this case , it might include atrial and ventricular signals for rates of detection . the pacing and defibrillation circuits may , of course , be combined into a single device capable of providing both functions as shown . this invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required . however , it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices , and that various modifications , both as to the equipment details and operating procedures , can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself .
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embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 shows an entire remote copy system ( data center system ) including plural storage systems . a storage system 10 is connected to a host computer 5 via a connection line 210 . ( according to circumstances , this storage system 10 will be hereinafter referred to as a first storage system , and a data processing system including this first storage system and the host computer 5 will be hereinafter referred to as a first site .) a storage system 15 is connected to the first storage system 10 via a connection line 220 . ( according to circumstances , this storage system 15 will be hereinafter referred to as a second storage system , and a data processing system including at least this second storage system will be hereinafter referred to as a second site or an intermediate site .) a storage system 20 is connected to the storage system 15 serving as the second storage system via a connection line 240 . ( according to circumstances , this storage system 20 will be hereinafter referred to as a third storage system , and a data processing system including at least this third storage system 20 will be hereinafter referred to as a third site .) the connection lines 210 , 220 , and 240 may be directly connected lines such as fiber cables or may be connection via a wide - area network such as the internet . the storage system 10 in the first site retains a logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and a logical volume 120 ( org 2 ). in this embodiment , it is assumed that an original data to be a copy object is stored in the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ). the storage system 15 in the second site retains a copy of the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) as a logical volume 150 ( data 1 ). the storage system 20 in the third site retains a logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) in which copied data is stored . here , a capacity and a physical storage position ( physical address ) of a logical volume , which are defined in the storage systems 10 , 15 , and 20 , can be designated using maintenance terminals ( not shown ) such as computers connected to the respective storage systems or host computers 5 , 6 , and 7 , respectively . in the following description , in order to facilitate distinction between copy object data and copied data , a logical volume , in which the copy object data is accumulated , will be referred to as a primary logical volume , and a logical volume , in which the copied data is accumulated , will be referred to as a secondary logical volume . the primary logical volume and the secondary logical volume forming a pair will be referred to as a pair . a relation between the primary logical volume and the secondary logical volume , states of the primary logical volume and the secondary logical volume , and the like are saved as a pair setting information table 500 in shared memories ( sms ) 70 in the respective storage systems to be described later . first , an example of a hardware configuration of the storage system 10 shown in fig1 will be described with reference to fig2 . the second storage system , which is shown as the storage system 15 in fig1 , is simply illustrated as the second storage system 15 in fig2 . the first storage system 10 has plural channel adapters for connecting the first storage system 10 to the host computer 5 . these channel adapters 50 are connected to the host computer 5 and the second storage system 15 via the connection line 210 . the channel adapters 50 are connected to caches 60 via a connection unit 55 , analyze a command received from a host apparatus , and control reading - out and writing of data , which is desired by the host computer 5 , in the caches 60 . the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 120 ( org 2 ) are arranged over plural hdds 100 . fig3 shows an example of a table in which logical volumes and physical addresses on the hdds 100 are defined , and capacities , attribute information such as formats , and pair information of the logical volumes are defined . here , for convenience of explanation , logical volume numbers are treated as unique to respective logical volumes in a data center . note that it is also possible to set the logical volume numbers so as to be uniquely defined by a unit of each storage system and specified in conjunction with identifiers of the storage systems . “ not used ” in a volume state indicates that a logical volume is set but is not used yet . “ primary ” indicates that a logical volume is in a state in which the logical volume can operate normally as the primary volume of the pair volume described above . “ normal ” indicates that a logical volume is not set as a pair with another logical volume but is in a normal state . “ secondary ” indicates that a logical volume is a secondary volume and can operate normally . volume state information indicating a state of a pair will be described later . this example shown in fig3 represents states of logical volumes in a data center system of this application . a logical volume number 1 indicates the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) of the first storage system 10 , and a logical volume number 2 indicates a state in which the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) of the second storage system 15 and the pair number 1 form a pair . similarly , a logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) of the second storage system 15 is represented as a logical volume number 3 . a logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) of the third storage system 20 is represented as a logical volume number 4 , and a logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) of the third storage system 20 is represented as a logical volume number 5 . note that , although not used , the logical volume 120 ( org 2 ) is defined as a logical volume number 6 . a column of a physical address in fig3 indicates addresses on the actual hdds 100 . on the basis of this information , microprocessors ( not shown ) on disk adapters 80 in fig2 control an operation for recording data on the actual hdds 100 from the caches 60 and an operation for reading out data from the hdds 100 to the caches 60 . the storage system 10 is described above as a representative storage system . however , the other storage systems 15 and 20 shown in fig1 also have substantially the same structure . the connection unit 55 may be constituted by a switch or the like for directly connecting channel adapters and caches or the like or may adopt a connection system using a bus . note that fig2 shows a state in which there are the shared memories 70 in the caches 60 . however , the shared memories 70 may be connected to the connection unit 55 separately from the caches 60 . next , an operation for reflecting data update , which is applied to the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the storage system 10 in the first site , in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) of the storage system 20 in the third site via the storage system 15 in the second site ( intermediate site ) will be explained with reference to fig1 . here , first , journal data will be explained . in order to facilitate explanation , a logical volume of an update source , in which data is updated , is distinguished from the other logical volumes to be referred to as a source logical volume , and a volume , which retains a copy of the update source logical volume , is referred to as a copy logical volume . the journal data consists of , when data update is applied to a certain source logical volume , at least updated data itself and update information indicating to which position of the source logical volume the update is applied ( e . g ., a logical address in the source logical volume ). in other words , as long as the journal data is retained when data in the source logical volume is updated , the source logical volume can be reproduced from the journal data . on the premise that there is a copy logical volume having the same data image as the source logical volume at a certain point in time , as long as the journal data is retained every time data in the source logical volume after that point is updated , it is possible to reproduce the data image of the source logical volume at or after the certain point in time in the copy logical volume . if the journal data is used , the data image of the source logical volume can be reproduced in the copy logical volume without requiring the same capacity as the source logical volume . a volume in which the journal data is retained will be hereinafter referred to as a journal logical volume . data update will be further explained with reference to fig4 . fig4 shows a state in which data from addresses 700 to 1000 of a certain source logical volume is updated ( update data 630 ). in this case , in a journal logical volume forming a pair with the source logical volume , data itself updated as the journal data 950 is recorded in a write data area 9100 as write data 610 , and information relating to update , for example , information indicating which position is updated is recorded as update information 620 in an update information area 9000 . the journal logical volume is used in a state in which it is divided into a storage area 9000 ( update information area ), in which the update information 620 is stored , and a storage area 9100 ( write data area ), in which write data is stored . update information is stored in the update information area 9000 in an order of update ( an order of an update number ) from the top of the update information area 9000 . when the update information reaches the end of the update information area 9000 , the update information is stored from the top of the update information area 9000 . write data is stored in the write data area 9100 from the top of the write data area 9100 . when the write data reaches the write data area 9100 , the write data is stored from the top of the write data area 9100 . it is needless to mention that it is necessary to apply update work to a logical volume of a copy destination on the basis of information in the journal logical volume before the data exceeds a capacity reserved for the journal logical volume . a ratio of the update information area 9000 and the write data area 9100 may be a fixed value or may be set by the maintenance terminal or the host computer 5 . in fig1 , when the storage system 10 receives a write instruction for the data in the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the storage system 10 from the host computer 5 ( arrow 250 shown in fig1 ), the data in the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the first storage system 10 is updated . then , the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the storage system 15 in the second site ( intermediate site ), which forms a pair with the updated primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ), is updated in the same manner ( update of a synchronized pair ). consequently , the second storage system 15 can take over the job immediately even if a failure has occurred in the first storage system 10 . this is because the second storage system 15 retains the secondary logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) having the same data image as the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) used by the host computer 5 . on the other hand , when data update is applied to the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ), the storage system 15 in the second site saves journal data in the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) ( hereinafter referred to as a journal volume according to circumstances ) ( arrow 260 shown in fig1 ). the journal data , which is accumulated in the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) for accumulation of journal data in the second storage system 15 , is asynchronously transferred to the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) for journal accumulation in the third storage system 20 located a long distance apart from the second storage system 15 via the connection line 240 ( arrow 270 shown in fig1 ) ( hereinafter referred to as a push system ). the third storage system 20 reproduces the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) corresponding to the logical volume 150 in the second storage system 15 using the journal data in the journal volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) in the storage system 20 ( arrow 280 shown in fig1 , restore processing ). the data in the journal volume in the second storage system 15 may be read out from the third storage system 20 and accumulated in the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) in the storage system 20 ( hereinafter referred to as a pull system ). this pull system will be explained specifically . upon receiving an instruction to read journal data ( hereinafter referred to as journal read instruction ) from the third storage system 20 , the second storage system 15 reads out journal data from the journal logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) and sends the journal data to the third storage system 20 . thereafter , the third storage system 20 reads out the journal data from the journal logical volume ( jnl 2 ) 201 according to restore processing 350 to be described later and updates the data in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ). this completes the processing for reflecting the data update , which is carried out for the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the storage system 10 in the first site , in the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) in the storage system 20 in the third site . by saving the journal data in the journal volume 201 , for example , it is also possible not to perform data update for the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) when the journal data is received , that is , not to create a copy of the primary logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) using the journal data ( restore processing 350 ) when a load of the storage system 20 is high , and update the data in the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) after a short time when a load of the storage system 20 is low . as described above , the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) in the second storage system 15 shown in fig1 is a storage area dedicated for journal data and can be made smaller than a storage area that is a data copy object . this makes it possible to copy data to the second and the third storage systems 15 and 20 from the first storage system 10 by controlling consumption of a storage area in the second storage system 15 . next , setting for an entire data center system will be explained specifically . this setting is adopted in performing an operation for reflecting the data update for the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the storage system 10 in the second storage system 15 in the intermediate site and the third storage system 20 in the third site . in order to establish a data center system consisting of plural sites as shown in fig1 , first , for example , setting for the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the journal volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) to form a journal group is required . the journal group means a pair of logical volumes . as explained above , the journal group consists of a logical volume and a journal volume in which , when an instruction to write data in the logical volume is received , the write instruction is sectioned into update information such as a write destination address and write data and accumulated . in the example of fig1 , the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) form a journal group in the storage system 15 , and the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) form a journal group in the storage system 20 . a flowchart in fig5 shows an initial setting procedure of the data center system of the present invention . a user sets journal groups for the respective storage systems using guis ( graphical user interfaces ) included in the host computers 5 , 6 and 7 or the maintenance terminals not shown in fig1 ( steps 900 and 905 ). in fig1 , the journal groups in the storage system 15 and the storage system 20 in the second and the third sites , that is , the pair of data 1 and jnl 1 and the pair of data 2 and jnl 2 are referred to as a journal group 1 and a journal group 2 , respectively . the journal groups may be referred to as journal pairs . more specifically , the journal groups are retained in the shared memories 70 as a journal group setting information table 550 . moreover , the user designates information indicating a data copy object and information indicating a data copy destination and sends a pair registration instruction to the first and the second storage systems 10 and 15 using the maintenance terminals or the host computers 5 and 6 connected to the respective storage systems ( step 910 ). more specifically , the user sets a pair relation between the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in fig1 . when the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) are set as a pair , according to a status of the pair , write processing applied to a primary logical volume serves as an opportunity for performing various kinds of processing with respect to a secondary logical volume . for example , the status of the pair includes a suspend state , a pair state , an initial copy state , and the like . when the status of the pair is the pair state , processing for writing data , which is written in the primary logical volume , in the secondary logical volume as well is performed . when the status of the pair is the suspend state , data , which is written in the primary logical volume , is not reflected in the secondary logical volume , and a difference between the primary logical volume and the secondary logical volume is retained in the first storage system 10 using a bit map . as described above , setting information for the journal group and setting information for this pair are accumulated in the shared memories ( sms ) 70 shown in fig2 . the microprocessors in the channel adapters 50 execute processing on the basis of the information . it is needless to mention that , in this processing , the shared memories ( sms ) 70 do not necessarily have to be referred to every time the processing is performed , and information necessary for processing for a channel processor may be transferred onto a local memory of the channel processor in advance . fig6 shows an example of a pair setting information table 500 showing states of pairs . a first row of fig6 indicates that a pair of the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) ( logical volume number 1 ) in the first storage system 10 and the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) ( logical volume number 2 ) in the second storage system 15 is generated as a pair number 1 . in step 910 in fig5 , initial copy , which is initialization processing for making data images of the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) identical , is further performed . in the next step 915 , the user designates the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) to form a pair and performs initial copy . this is for giving the identical data image to the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) as in the processing in step 910 . a row of a pair number 2 in fig6 shows a state in which this pair is set . this pair is deleted after the initial copy processing ends ( step 920 ). when the data image of the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) in the first storage system is copied to the logical volumes 150 ( data 1 ) and 200 ( data 2 ) in the storage systems 15 and 20 , copy programs in the storage systems 15 and 20 inform the maintenance terminal or the host computer 5 of the end of the copy . after this initialization processing , accurate restore processing ( recovery ) for data in the storage system 20 becomes possible . next , an operation of the storage system in an embodiment of the storage system of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to fig8 and 9 . fig8 is a block diagram showing data write processing that is performed by the storage system 15 in the second site . the second storage system 15 is connected to the storage system 10 in the first site by the connection line 200 via the channel adapter 50 . the first storage system 10 is connected to the host computer 5 via the connection line 210 . first , the first storage system 10 receives a data write instruction from the host computer 5 via the connection line 210 ( arrow 250 in fig8 ). when the data is written in the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ), the second storage system 15 receives the data write instruction from the first storage system 10 via the connection line 220 . an arrow 1100 shown in fig8 indicates a flow of data in the case in which the data write instruction for writing data in the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) of a data copy destination in the storage system 15 in the second site is received . upon receiving the data write instruction for writing data in the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) from the first storage system , the channel adapter 50 retains the write data and update information in the cache memory 60 . the write data in the cache 60 is written in the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) by the disk adapter 80 at timing different from timing for writing data in the cache 60 ( arrow 1110 in fig8 ). similarly , the update information ( including at least an updated address ) recorded in the cache 60 is written in an update information area of the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ), and the write data is further accumulated in a write data area of the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) ( arrow 1120 in fig8 ). the disk adapter 80 writes the write data and the update information in the cache 60 in an address allocated to the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) on the hdd ( arrows 1130 and 1140 in fig8 ). on the other hand , a channel adapter 51 , which is connected to the third storage system 20 via the connection line 240 , receives a read instruction for the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) from the storage system 20 . this point will be described later with reference to fig1 . note that the channel adapters 50 and 51 are channel adapters of the same structure but are given different numbers according to circumstances for convenience of explanation . fig9 is a flowchart showing processing in the case in which the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the storage system 15 in the second site receives an instruction from the storage system 10 in the first site . upon receiving an access instruction from the first storage system 10 , the microprocessor mounted in the channel adapter 50 in fig8 ( hereinafter simply referred to as channel adapter 50 ) checks a type of the instruction ( step 1210 in fig9 ). this is because a channel adapter may receive a write instruction as in the channel adapter 50 in fig8 or may receive a read instruction from another storage as in the channel adapter 51 . if the received access instruction is not a write instruction but a journal read instruction from the third storage system 20 , the channel adapter 50 performs journal read reception processing to be described later ( steps 1215 and 1220 ). if the access instruction is a write instruction in step 1210 , the channel adapter 50 checks a volume state of the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) ( step 1240 ). as shown in fig3 , states of the respective logical volumes are accumulated in the shared memories ( sms ) 70 as volume information in a table format as described above . if the volume state of the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is not normal in step 1240 , since access to the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is impossible , the channel adapter 50 informs the host computer 5 of abnormality and ends the processing ( step 1230 ). if the volume state of the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is normal in step 1240 , the channel adapter 50 reserves the cache memory 60 and receives data ( step 1250 ). more specifically , the channel adapter 50 informs the first storage system 10 that the channel adapter 50 is prepared for receiving data . thereafter , the first storage system 10 sends write data to the second storage system 15 . the channel adapter 50 in the second storage system 15 receives the write data and saves the write data in the prepared cache memory 60 ( step 1250 , arrow 1100 in fig8 ). thereafter , in step 1260 , the channel adapter 50 informs the first storage system 10 of the end of the processing . next , the channel adapter 50 checks whether the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is a logical volume having a journal group with reference to the journal group setting information table 550 ( see fig7 ) recorded in the shared memories ( sms ) 70 ( step 1270 ). here , fig7 will be explained in detail . fig7 is a diagram showing how journal pairs are formed among logical volumes . a first row indicates that logical volumes with logical volume numbers 2 and 3 form a journal group . more specifically , the first row indicates that the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) in the storage system 15 form a journal pair . if the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is a logical volume having a journal group , the channel adapter 50 applies journal creation processing to this volume and the journal logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) forming the journal group ( step 1265 ). thereafter , at arbitrary timing , the disk adapter 80 writes data in the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) that are defined on the hdd ( step 1280 , arrows 1130 and 1140 in fig8 ). as described above , the journal is created in the second storage system 15 , and the journal data is sequentially stored in the journal volume 151 ( jnl 1 ). the journal data is sent to the journal volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) in the third storage system 20 with a fixed factor as an opportunity . one method for sending the journal data is the push system described above , and there is the pull system as another method . the pull system will be explained with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a block diagram showing an operation ( journal read instruction reception processing ) of the channel adapter 51 in the second storage system 15 that has received a journal read instruction . fig1 is a flowchart of the operation . an operation in the case in which the second storage system 15 has received the journal read instruction from the third storage system 20 will be explained with reference to fig1 and 11 . the channel adapter 51 in the second storage system 15 receives an access instruction from the third storage system 20 ( arrow 1410 in fig1 ). when the access instruction is a journal read instruction , the channel adapter 51 checks whether a journal group state is “ normal ” with reference to fig7 ( step 1510 ). if the journal group state is a state other than “ normal ”, for example , “ failure ”, the channel adapter 51 informs the third storage system 20 of the journal group state and ends the processing . the third storage system 20 performs processing according to the informed journal group state . for example , if the journal group state is “ failure ”, the channel adapter 51 ends the journal read processing ( step 1515 ). if the journal group state is “ normal ” in step 1510 , the channel adapter 51 checks a state of a journal logical volume ( step 1520 ). if the volume state of the journal logical volume is not “ normal ”, for example , if the volume state of the journal logical volume is “ failure ” in step 1520 , the channel adapter 51 changes the journal group state shown in fig7 to “ failure ”, informs the storage system 20 of the journal group state , and ends the processing ( step 1525 ). in step 1530 , the channel adapter 51 checks whether journal data , which has not been sent , is present . if journal data , which has not been sent , is present , the channel adapter 51 sends the journal data to the third storage system 20 ( step 1550 ). if all journal data have been sent to the storage system 20 , the channel adapter 51 informs the third storage system 20 of “ absence of journal data ” ( step 1560 ). thereafter , the channel adapter 51 opens an area in which the journal data was present ( step 1570 ). processing in the case in which journal data , which has not been sent , is present will be explained more in detail with reference to fig1 . if journal data , which has not been sent , is present , the channel adapter 51 reserves the cache memory 60 and instructs a disk adapter 81 to read the update information and the write data into the cache memory 60 ( arrow 1440 in fig1 ). in read / write processing of the disk adapter 81 , the disk adapter 81 reads the update information and the write data from the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) that is a logical area formed in a distributed manner on the hdd 100 , saves the update information and the write data in the cache memory 60 , and informs the channel adapter 51 of the same ( arrows 1430 and 1450 in fig1 ). the channel adapter 51 is informed that the reading of the write data and the update information into the cache memory 60 has ended , sends the update information and the write data from the cache memory 60 to the third storage system 20 , and then opens the cache memory 60 that retains journal data ( arrow 1460 in fig1 ). the channel adapter 51 opens the storage area for the journal data that was sent to the third storage system 20 at the time of the processing of the last journal read instruction ( step 1570 ). note that , in the journal read reception processing described above , the second storage system 15 sends the journal data to the third storage system 20 one by one . however , the second storage system 15 may send plural journal data to the storage system 20 simultaneously . the number of journal data to be sent at one journal read instruction may be designated in a journal read instruction by the third storage system 20 or may be designated in the second storage system 15 or the third storage system 20 by a user , for example , when a journal group is registered . moreover , the number of journal data , which is sent at one journal read instruction , may be changed dynamically according to transfer ability , load , or the like of the connection line 240 for the second storage system 15 and the third storage system 20 . in addition , a transfer amount of journal data may be designated taking into account a size of write data of journal data rather than the number of journal data . in the journal read instruction reception processing described above , journal data is read into the cache memory 60 from the hdd 100 . however , when journal data is present in the cache memory 60 , the processing is unnecessary . the processing for opening a storage area for journal data in the journal read instruction reception processing is performed at the time of processing for the next journal read instruction . however , the storage area may be opened immediately after sending journal data to the third storage system 20 . in addition , it is also possible that the third storage system 20 sets an update number , which may be opened , in a journal read instruction , and the second storage system 15 opens a storage area for journal data in accordance with an instruction of the third storage system 20 . the third storage system 20 having received the journal data stores the received journal data in the journal volume 201 ( jnl 2 ). thereafter , the storage system 20 performs journal restore . the third storage system 20 executes a journal restore program to restore data in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) from the journal volume 201 ( jnl 2 ). note that an area , in which the restored journal data was stored , is purged ( opened ) and used for storage of new journal data . next , this journal restore processing will be explained in detail . fig1 is a block diagram showing the restore processing , and fig1 is a flowchart of the restore processing . an operation in which a channel adapter 53 in the third storage system 20 updates data using journal data will be explained with reference to fig1 and 13 . a disk adapter 83 in the storage system 20 may perform the restore processing . in step 2010 in fig1 , the channel adapter 53 checks whether restore object journal data is present in the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ). if the journal data is not present in the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ), the channel adapter 53 ends the restore processing once , and after a fixed time , resumes the restore processing ( step 2010 ). if the restore object journal data is present in step 2010 , the channel adapter 53 applies the following processing to oldest ( smallest ) journal data . the channel adapter 53 only has to continuously give update numbers to the journal data and apply the restore processing to update information of journal data having an oldest ( smallest ) update number . the channel adapter 53 reserves the cache memory 60 ( arrow 1910 in fig1 ) and reads out update information and write data to the disk adapter 83 from the update information with the oldest number ( step 2020 , arrows 1920 and 1930 in fig1 ). more specifically , the disk adapter 83 in the third storage system 20 reads update information form the hdd 10 , in which the update information is stored , according to read / write processing 340 , saves the update information in the cache memory 60 , and informs the channel adapter 53 of the update information . similarly , the disk adapter 83 in the third storage system 20 acquires write data on the basis of the read update information ( step 1930 ) and issues an instruction to read the write data into an area of the cache memory 60 corresponding to a part of the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) that should be updated ( step 2020 , arrow 1940 in fig1 ). then , the disk adapter 83 writes the write data from the secondary logical volume cache area into the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) asynchronously to the restore processing ( arrow 1950 in fig1 , step 2030 ). thereafter , the disk adapter 83 opens ( purges ) an area where the update information and the write information of the secondary logical volume ( jnl 2 ) reflected in the secondary logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) were present ( step 2040 ). the disk adapter 83 judges whether to perform the restore processing continuously ( step 2050 ). if the restore processing is performed continuously , the disk adapter 83 returns to step 2010 , and if not , ends the restore processing . in the restore processing described above , journal data is read into the cache memory 60 from the hdd 100 . however , when the journal data is present in the cache memory 60 , the processing is unnecessary . next , a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained . fig1 is a block diagram for explaining a concept of the second embodiment . the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) of the second storage system is a volume , which is virtually set , and does not have a storage area for actually accumulating data . fig1 is a flowchart showing an initial setting procedure . fig1 is a diagram showing a pair setting information table for realizing the second embodiment . fig1 is a block diagram showing a flow of data in access instruction reception processing in this embodiment . fig1 is a flowchart showing processing of the second storage system 15 in the second embodiment . the second embodiment will be hereinafter explained with reference to fig1 , 16 , 17 , and 18 . first , the flowchart shown in fig1 shows the initial setting procedure in the second embodiment . a user sets a journal group for the third storage system 20 using guis ( graphical user interfaces ) included in the host computers 5 , 6 , and 7 or maintenance terminals not shown in fig1 ( step 3000 ). more specifically , the user writes the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) and the logical volume 201 ( jnl 2 ) in the journal group setting information table as shown in fig7 . next , the user designates information indicating a data copy object and information indicating a data copy destination and performs pair setting using the maintenance terminals or the host computers 5 , 6 , and 7 connected to the respective storage system ( step 3100 ). more specifically , the user sets a pair relation between the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) in fig1 . in this step 3100 , the user designates the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) to form a pair and performs initial copy . this is for giving an identical image data to the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ). then , the pair is deleted after the initial copy processing ends ( step 3200 ). next , the user sets a pair relation between the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) and the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the first storage system 10 and the second storage system 15 ( step 3300 ). fig1 shows a pair setting information table 510 in the second embodiment . a structure of the pair setting information table 510 is substantially the same as that shown in fig6 but is different in that data indicating whether a pair is virtualized is retained for each pair . in a pair indicated by a pair number 1 in fig1 , a column of virtualization is on . this indicates that a secondary logical volume of the pair is virtualized . the user registers the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) and the logical volume 151 ( jnl 1 ) as a journal group ( step 3400 ). the above is the procedure for the initial setting in the second embodiment . after this initialization processing , accurate restore processing ( recovery ) for data in the storage system 20 becomes possible . next , fig1 will be explained . upon receiving a write command for data from the host computer 5 , the first storage system 10 shown in fig1 writes the data in the designated logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) ( arrow 250 shown in fig1 ). when the data is written in the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ), if there is a logical volume of the other storage system ( in this embodiment , the logical volume ( data 1 ) of the second storage system 15 ) forming a pair with this logical volume 110 ( org 1 ), the first storage system 10 issues the write command for the data , which is the same as the write command received from the host computer 5 , to the second storage system . this write command is received by a channel adapter 54 in the second storage system , and instruction reception processing 310 is performed by a processor in the channel adapter 54 . in the first embodiment , that is , when the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system 15 has an entity , in this instruction reception processing 310 , the processor analyzes the write command , stores write data in an area in a cache memory corresponding to a write destination of a designated logical volume , and accumulates update information in a cache memory corresponding to an area where the journal volume 151 ( jnl 1 ), in which the update information is written , is written . the disk adapter 80 performs processing for writing data in the cache memory in a logical volume area corresponding thereto according to circumstances . on the other hand , in the second embodiment , first , the second storage system 15 judges whether the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system 15 designated as a write destination is a logical volume , which should be treated as one having an entity , with reference to the pair setting information table 510 shown in fig1 . the second storage system 15 recognizes that the logical volume ( data 1 ) 150 in the second storage system 15 ( itself ) is a virtualized logical volume . since the second storage system 15 treats this logical volume ( data 1 ) 150 as one not having an entity , the second storage system 15 accumulates write data in a cache area corresponding to the write data area of the logical volume ( jnl 1 ) 151 , and accumulates information concerning to which area of the logical volume ( data 1 ) 150 the write instruction is applied as update information in a cache area corresponding to the update information area of the logical volume ( jnl 1 ) 151 ( arrows 1111 and 1120 shown in fig1 ). the disk adapter 80 writes data on the hdd 100 in which a logical volume corresponding to the data in the cache memory is defined ( arrows 1130 and 1140 in fig1 ). the access instruction reception processing will be further explained with reference to fig1 . upon receiving an access instruction , first , the channel adapter 54 in the second storage system 15 confirms whether the instruction is a write instruction ( step 9210 ). if the instruction is not a write instruction , for example , if the instruction is an instruction such as a journal read instruction , the channel adapter 54 performs processing of the instruction ( steps 9215 and 9220 ). next , the channel adapter 54 judges whether a volume , for which the write instruction has been received , is a normal volume ( step 9240 ). if the volume state is not normal , the channel adapter 54 informs abnormality to a host apparatus , which has issued the instruction , via the maintenance terminal and ends the processing ( step 9230 ). next , the channel adapter 54 judges whether the logical volume , which is a write destination , is a virtual volume using the pair setting information table 510 in fig1 ( step 9250 ). if the logical volume is a virtual volume , the channel adapter 54 performs journal creation processing ( step 9265 ) and , after completing the processing , informs the host apparatus ( first storage system ) of the end of the processing ( step 9275 ). if the logical volume is not a virtual volume , the channel adapter 54 receives data in a cache area corresponding to the logical volume ( step 9260 ) and informs the host apparatus of the end of the data reception ( step 9270 ). next , the channel adapter 54 judges whether the logical volume is a logical volume having a journal group ( step 9280 ). if the logical volume is a logical volume having a journal group , the channel adapter 54 performs journal creation processing ( step 9265 ). in this way , since the pair setting information table 510 also includes virtualization information indicating whether a secondary logical volume is virtualized , actual writing of data in the secondary logical volume can be controlled . this makes it possible to define the secondary logical volume as a destination of remote copy without giving a substantial storage capacity to the secondary logical volume . next , a third embodiment of the present invention will be explained . in the third embodiment , a constitution for making this virtualized secondary logical volume available for other applications will be explained . fig1 is a diagram showing the third embodiment conceptually . differences from the second embodiment shown in fig1 will be explained in detail . in fig1 , for convenience of explanation , a channel adapter 56 for receiving a write instruction for data , a channel adapter 57 connected to the host computer 6 via a connection line 255 , and a channel adapter 58 connected to the third storage system 20 are clearly shown with the first storage system 10 as a host apparatus . it is needless to mention that channel adapters are also present in fig1 and 14 . the logical volume ( data 1 ) 110 in the first storage system forms a remote copy pair with the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system 15 , and as in the second embodiment , the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is virtualized . copying of data from this logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) to the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) in the third storage system is as explained in the second embodiment . in the third embodiment , the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) is further connected to the host computer 6 via the channel adapter 57 . then , the third embodiment is particularly characterized by making it possible to write data from the host computer 6 to the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ). next , it will be explained how configuration information in the shared memory 70 for making it possible to use the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the host computer 6 is held . the configuration information includes , in addition to the above - mentioned tables ( fig3 , 7 , and 16 ), a channel adapter connection information table 5000 that indicates a connection relation among channel adapters and host apparatuses . upon receiving an access request ( read / write request for data ) from a host apparatus , a processor in each of the respective channel adapters in the second storage system 15 judges a host apparatus or another channel adapter , which is connected to the channel adapter , with reference to the connection information table 5000 in fig2 . when another storage system or a channel adapter of another storage system is set as the host apparatus , the channel adapter in the second storage system 15 judges that remote copy will be performed , and judges whether a logical volume set as a write destination of the remote copy is virtualized in accordance with the procedure explained in the second embodiment . if the logical volume set as a write object is not virtualized , the channel adapter performs write processing . on the other hand , if the logical volume is virtualized , the channel adapter performs only writing in a journal volume as explained in the second embodiment . if it is judged that the host apparatus connected to the channel adapter is not another storage system ( or a channel adapter in the storage system ), the channel adapter executes write processing for writing data in the logical volume set as a write object . the channel adapter performs this processing by writing data in a cache area corresponding to the logical volume set as the write object and writes the data in a logical volume , for which a disk adapter is defined on the hdd 100 , asynchronously to the writing in the cache area . in this way , the storage system judges whether data , for which i / o ( access request ) is received , may be written in a designated logical volume . since the storage system can only judge whether a logical volume is virtualized , the storage system cannot judge whether the data may be actually written in the volume . thus , the storage system identifies data from a host apparatus that may actually be written according to which adapter receives the data . consequently , the storage system can use a logical volume that is virtualized by another host apparatus . note that , as another method , when an identifier indicating remote copy data is present in a data set transferred in remote copy , writing of data in a virtualized volume may be restricted only in the case of remote copy using the identifier . in the present invention , a case in which it is effective to virtualize a volume is explained with remote copy as an example . however , it is also possible to virtualize a logical volume set as an object of a function other than the remote copy , for example , an e - copy command , which is a standard command of scsi . note that it is needless to mention that , in fig1 , the instruction reception processing 310 and the read / write processing 320 are performed in the channel adapters 56 , 57 , and 58 . in addition , it is also possible to allocate this processing to other processors . next , a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained . fig2 shows an example of a setting screen for remote copy pair generation that is displayed on the host computer 5 or the maintenance terminal . in the example of fig2 , a user has set vol # 1 and vol # 2 as a pair in a pair volume designation display ( pair forming ) section 4100 in an area 4600 , in which setting for pair generation is performed , on a screen 4000 . in performing the setting for pair generation , the user can choose whether to virtualize vol # 2 , which corresponds to a secondary logical volume , in a virtual vol designation display section 4300 in the area 4600 in which setting for pair generation is performed . in the example of fig2 , the user has chosen to virtualize the vol # 2 corresponding to a secondary logical volume . there is a connection information setting section 4400 in an area 4700 that indicates to which storage system or host apparatus each channel adapter in each storage system is connected . this connection information setting section 4400 makes it possible to set a connection relation between each channel adapter and storage system . note that a connection destination of the channel adapter may be a channel adapter of another storage system or host apparatus . an example of a screen of the connection setting section 4400 indicates that the channel adapters 56 , 57 , and 58 are connected to the first storage system 10 , the host computer 5 , and the third storage system 20 , respectively . moreover , as shown in fig2 , there is a logical volume usage setting section 4500 in an area 4800 showing volumes used by host apparatuses . this logical volume usage setting section 4500 makes it possible to set a logical volume that is used by each host computer . in an example of a screen of the logical volume usage setting section 4500 , the logical volume 150 is set as being used by the host computer 6 . it should be noted here that , since the logical volume 150 is already used by the host computer 6 , if the logical volume 150 is designated as the vol # 2 in the pair volume designation display section 4100 , a pair cannot be designated unless virtualization is set for the logical volume 150 . as described above , the user chooses not to virtualize the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system 15 when the user attaches importance to safety and failure resistance property , and chooses to virtualize the logical volume 15 ( data 1 ) when the user wishes to utilize a volume capacity in the second storage system 15 as much as possible . this makes it possible to establish a system according to a purpose and cost . note that a procedure for copying data from the first storage system 10 to the third storage system 20 after virtualizing the same is as explained in the second embodiment . next , as a fifth embodiment of the present invention , a case will be explained in which , when a failure has occurred in the first storage system 10 , a job is continued in the third storage system 20 located a long distance apart from the first storage system 10 ( failover ). as shown in fig2 , the first storage system 10 , the host computer 5 , the third storage system 20 located a long distance apart from the first storage system 10 , the second storage system 15 interposed between the first storage system 10 and the host computer 5 , the host computer 6 , and the host computer 7 connected to the third storage system 20 are connected by connection lines . in the event that some failure has occurred in the first storage system , in taking over a job of the first storage system 10 in the third storage system 20 located a long distance apart from the first storage system 10 , it is a problem in that the logical volume 110 ( org 1 ) retained by the first storage system 10 and the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) retained by the third storage system 20 are not the same data . since the first storage system 10 and the second storage system 15 are synchronous but the second storage system 15 and the third storage system 20 are asynchronous , a copy of copy object data in the first storage system 10 is not completely created in the third storage system 20 ( data , which has not reached it , is not reflected in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ). thus , in order to resume the job in the third storage system 20 , first , the data , which has not reached it , is reflected in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ). in the second and third embodiments and the fourth embodiment in which a user has chosen to virtualize a logical volume , the second storage system 15 does not include the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ), but journal data is present in the journal volume 151 ( jnl 1 ). thus , the journal data is sent to the third storage system 20 to reflect the data , which has not reached it , in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) according to the restore processing 350 shown in fig2 . consequently , a complete copy of the copy object data can be created in the logical volume 200 ( data 2 ) in the third storage system 20 . thereafter , the third storage system 20 can receive an instruction from the host computer 7 . as a result , resistance against a failure can be kept while virtualizing the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system to reduce a volume capacity . in addition , as a sixth embodiment , as shown in fig2 , if it is desired to continue a job in the second storage system 15 , since the logical volume 150 ( data 1 ) in the second storage system 15 is virtualized , it is necessary to assign a logical volume to the second storage system 15 anew . after assigning the logical volume to the second storage system 15 , journal data is acquired from the third storage system 20 according to the journal read processing 330 to perform the restore processing 350 in the second storage system 15 . consequently , a copy of a copy source logical volume in the first storage system 10 can be created in the logical volume assigned to the second storage system 15 anew . thereafter , the second storage system 15 can receive an instruction from the host computer 6 . the present invention has been explained specifically on the basis of the embodiments . however , it is needless to mention that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments , and various modifications are possible within a range not departing from the scope of the present invention .
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the invention can be implemented in numerous ways , including as a process , an apparatus , a system , a composition of matter , a computer readable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computer network wherein program instructions are sent over optical or electronic communication links . in this specification , these implementations , or any other form that the invention may take , may be referred to as techniques . in general , the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within the scope of the invention . a detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention is provided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate the principles of the invention . the invention is described in connection with such embodiments , but the invention is not limited to any embodiment . the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims and the invention encompasses numerous alternatives , modifications and equivalents . numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . these details are provided for the purpose of example and the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details . for the purpose of clarity , technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured . a clock oscillator circuit is disclosed . in some embodiments , flip - flops are used to generate the oscillating signal . in some embodiments , flip - flops are configured to toggle alternately to generate the oscillating signal . the flip - flops may be combined with a feedback configuration . in some embodiments , a startup signal is used to start the oscillation . in some embodiments , the output signal is monitored continuously , and the oscillation is restarted in the event that the output signal is detected to have stopped oscillating . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a clock oscillator circuit used in some embodiments . in this example , flip - flops 200 and 202 are configured in a cross - coupled feedback arrangement to provide oscillation . the oscillation frequency of the circuit is near the maximum frequency at which the flip - flops can toggle ( also referred to as the maximum toggling frequency ). the capacitance of the circuit , such as the capacitance of optional clock buffer 208 , affects the oscillation frequency in some embodiments , making the oscillation frequency slower than the maximum toggling frequency . in some embodiments , the oscillator circuit employs substantially the same type of flip - flops as the circuit to which the oscillator output is applied . by using substantially the same type of flip - flops as the rest of the circuit , the oscillator can provide a clock signal that meets the specifications of the circuit , including the voltage levels , the pulse widths , etc . stated another way , the circuit of fig2 by inspection provides a clock signal sufficient to drive flip flops of the type used to generate the signal , because the generated clock signal is the clock signal used to toggle the clock circuit flip flops . the oscillator circuit preferably resides on the same die as the circuit to which the clock signal is applied , thus reducing the process variation between the oscillator circuit and the rest of the circuit . in the example shown , the data input terminal of flip - flop 200 , d , is connected to a negated output of the flip - flop &# 39 ; s output terminal q to form a toggle flip - flop . flip - flop 202 is similarly configured . both flip - flops used in this example are positive edge triggered flip - flops , although negative edge triggered flip - flops or a combination of negative and positive edge triggered flip - flops may be used in some embodiments . once the flip - flop receives a positive edge on its clock input , the flip - flop toggles , setting its data output to the inverse of the data input value immediately before the positive clock edge is received . as shown , the flip flop also sets the value of data input d to its inverse . the output of flip - flop 200 is sent to an xor gate 204 . also sent to xor gate 204 is a startup signal used to start the oscillation of the circuit . details of the startup signal are discussed below . in some alternative embodiments , the startup signal and xor gate 204 are omitted , and the clock circuit is started by another mechanism . the output of xor gate 204 is sent to another xor gate 206 . also sent to xor gate 206 is the output of flip - flop 202 . the output of xor gate 206 is optionally buffered by a clock buffer 208 . buffered signal 218 is the oscillating clock signal that is the oscillator &# 39 ; s output . clock signal 218 , also labeled “ clkout ” in the diagram , is fed back to the flip - flops . the clock signal is directly used as the clock input of flip - flop 202 . an inverter 220 inverts the clock signal and sends it to the clock input of flip - flop 200 . in some embodiments , instead of a separate inverter , the inversion function is incorporated into flip - flop 200 . as shown , the positive transition of the oscillating signal is followed by a negative transition , which is then followed by a positive transition . the flip - flops shown in this example are configured in a cross - coupled feedback arrangement such that one of the flip - flops is triggered on the positive transition of the signal and another of the flip - flops is triggered on the negative transition of the signal . oscillation is thus sustained . clock buffer 208 is used to reduce clock skew , thereby allowing all corresponding flip - flops to receive the clock signal at approximately the same time . more specifically , the clock buffer comprises a network of one or more buffers and routing designed to substantially equalize the delay to all endpoints of the buffer . such a buffer is sometimes referred to as a “ clock tree ” in semi - custom and full custom digital asic design and as a “ clock buffer ” in fpga design . as used herein , a clock buffer refers to a buffer or plurality of buffers used to couple a clock signal to one or more logic devices such as flip - flops . the clock buffer may be omitted in some embodiments , such as circuits with asynchronous design . in some embodiments , the clock signal generated by the circuit of fig2 is used to drive via a clock buffer one or more flip flops comprising a primary circuit , and in such embodiments including the clock buffer 208 in the circuit of fig2 guarantees that the clock signal provided as output by the circuit of fig2 is sufficient to drive the flip flops of the primary circuit via a clock buffer . fig3 is a table illustrating the operations of the oscillator circuit shown in fig2 . the logic values of different parts of the circuit in several states are shown . d 1 ( signal 210 of fig2 ) is the data input as well as the inverted data output of flip - flop 200 . startup ( signal 211 of fig2 ) is a startup signal used to initiate clock oscillation . x 1 is the result of an xor operation applied to startup and d 1 . d 2 ( signal 214 of fig2 ) is the data input as well as the inverted data output of flip - flop 202 . the clock signal generated by the oscillator circuit , clkout ( signal 218 of fig2 ), is the result of an xor operation applied to x 1 and d 2 . it is also the input clock used to toggle flip - flop 202 . c 1 ( signal 216 of fig2 ) is the inverse of clkout , used as the input clock for toggling flip - flop 200 . the oscillator circuit is stable at dc . state 0 shows the values of signals with clkout at 0 . assume initial conditions in which d 1 is high ( equal to 1 ) and d 2 is low ( equal to 0 ). assume further that startup is high initially . as a result , x 1 is equal to 0 and clkout remains stable at 0 , because the value of d 2 , the other input to xor 206 , is 0 . the circuit is in dc steady - state . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , startup toggles from 1 to 0 to start oscillation , as shown in state 1 of the table . since d 1 is still 1 , x 1 is now 1 . input values of x 1 of 1 and d 2 of 0 to xor 206 generates clkout of 1 , and c 1 of 0 . the oscillator begins to oscillate . in some embodiments , the startup signal is omitted and oscillation can be started by another mechanism , e . g ., as the result of differences in the response of the remaining components of the clock circuit when a circuit or component comprising the clock circuit is powered up . the change of clkout from 0 to 1 in the previous state provides a positive clock edge that causes flip - flop 202 to toggle . accordingly , in state 2 , d 2 changes from 0 to 1 . the change of c 1 from 1 to 0 in the previous state leads to a negative clock edge , thus flip - flop 200 does not toggle . as a result , d 1 remains at 1 . startup will remain at 0 now that the circuit has been started , which will in this example result in the output of xor 204 being the same as the value of d 1 . as a result , in state 1 x 1 remains at 1 . the result of an xor operation on x 1 and d 2 leads to clkout of 0 and c 1 of 1 . in the next state , state 3 , the change of c 1 from 0 to 1 provides a positive clock edge that causes flip - flop 200 to toggle . d 2 changes from 1 to 0 , and x 1 becomes 0 . d 2 is unchanged since the change of clkout from 1 to 0 in the previous state does not provide a positive edge . the resulting clkout is 1 and c 1 is 0 . in the next state , state 4 , flip - flop 202 toggles once again and d 2 changes from 1 to 0 . d 1 and x 1 are unchanged and equal to 0 . thus , the corresponding clkout is 0 and c 1 is 1 . in the next state , state 5 , flip - flop 200 toggles and d 1 changes from 0 to 1 . x 1 is now 1 . flip - flop 202 does not change and d 2 remains at 0 . clkout is now 1 and c 1 is 0 . the values in state 5 are the same as the values in state 2 and the process for updating the states is repeated . the flip - flops continue to toggle alternately , thereby changing in the clock output and sustaining the oscillation of the circuit . the output signal clkout may be sent to or implemented in an fpga , an asic , or other appropriate devices or components . in some embodiments , clkout is monitored to ensure that the oscillation continues . in the event the oscillation is detected to have stopped , the startup signal can be reset to restart the oscillation process . a technique for providing a clock signal has been disclosed . for the purposes of illustration , the above examples show circuits implemented using two flip - flops . other configurations may also be used . for example , a different number of flip - flops may be used in some embodiments . besides flip - flops , one or more elements that can sample their data inputs and change their outputs according to clock signals may also be used . such elements include logic gates , latches , or combinations thereof . although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding , the invention is not limited to the details provided . there are many alternative ways of implementing the invention . the disclosed embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive .
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fig1 illustrates a drilling operation 10 in which a borehole 36 is being drilled through subsurface formation beneath the surface 26 . the drilling operation includes a drilling rig 20 and a drill string 12 of coupled tubulars which extends from the rig 20 into the borehole 36 . a bottom hole assembly ( bha ) 15 is provided at the lower end of the drill string 12 . the bottom hole assembly ( bha ) 15 may include a drill bit or other cutting device 16 , a bit sensor package 38 , and a directional drilling motor or rotary steerable device 14 , as shown in fig1 . the drill string 12 preferably includes a plurality of network nodes 30 . the nodes 30 are provided at desired intervals along the drill string . network nodes essentially function as signal repeaters to regenerate data signals and mitigate signal attenuation as data is transmitted up and down the drill string . the nodes 30 may be integrated into an existing section of drill pipe or a downhole tool along the drill string . sensor package 38 in the bha 15 may also include a network node ( not shown separately ). for purposes of this disclosure , the term “ sensors ” is understood to comprise sources ( to emit / transmit energy / signals ), receivers ( to receive / detect energy / signals ), and transducers ( to operate as either source / receiver ). connectors 34 represent drill pipe joint connectors , while the connectors 32 connect a node 30 to an upper and lower drill pipe joint . the nodes 30 comprise a portion of a downhole electromagnetic network 46 that provides an electromagnetic signal path that is used to transmit information along the drill string 12 . the downhole network 46 may thus include multiple nodes 30 based along the drill string 12 . communication links 48 may be used to connect the nodes 30 to one another , and may comprise cables or other transmission media integrated directly into sections of the drill string 12 . the cable may be routed through the central borehole of the drill string 12 , or routed externally to the drill string 12 , or mounted within a groove , slot or passageway in the drill string 12 . preferably signals from the plurality of sensors in the sensor package 38 and elsewhere along the drill string 12 are transmitted to the surface 26 through a wire conductor 48 along the drill string 12 . communication links between the nodes 30 may also use wireless connections . a plurality of packets may be used to transmit information along the nodes 30 . packets may be used to carry data from tools or sensors located downhole to an uphole node 30 , or may carry information or data necessary to operate the network 46 . other packets may be used to send control signals from the top node 30 to tools or sensors located at various downhole positions . 96 further detail with respect to suitable nodes , a network , and data packets are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 207 , 396 ( hall et al ., 2007 ), hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference . referring to fig2 , various types of sensors 40 may be employed along the drill string 12 in aspects of the present invention , including without limitation , axially spaced resistivity , caliper , acoustic , rock strength ( sonic ), pressure sensors , temperature sensors , seismic devices , strain gauges , inclinometers , magnetometers , accelerometers , bending , vibration , neutron , gamma , gravimeters , rotation sensors , flow rate sensors , etc . sensors which measure conditions which would logically experience significant change over time provide particularly valuable information to the drilling operator . for example , the caliper or cross - sectional configuration of a wellbore at a particular depth may change during the drilling operation due to formation stability and fluid washout conditions . the skin of a formation defining the borehole may tend to absorb fluids in the well and may thus also change over time , particularly if the well is overbalanced . by providing a system which allows a sensor to transmit to the surface at a known depth in substantially real time , a particular borehole or formation characteristic , such as the caliper of the well , and by providing another sensor which can provide the same type of information at substantially the same depth with a different sensor as the well is drilled deeper , the operator is able to compare a wellbore caliper profile at a selected depth at time one , and later measure the same caliper at substantially the same depth at time two . this allows the operator to better understand changes in the well that occur over time , and to take action which will mitigate undesirable changes . other sensors which monitor conditions which are likely to degrade or change over time include sensors that measure wellbore stability , resistivity sensors , equivalent circulating density ( ecd ) measurements sensors , primary and / or secondary porosity sensors , nuclear - type sensors , temperature sensors , etc . other sensors may monitor conditions which are unlikely to substantially change over time , such as borehole inclination , pore pressure sensors , and other sensors measuring petrophysical properties of the formation or of the fluid in the formation . in the latter case , an operator may use the signals from different sensors at different times to make a better determination of the actual condition sensed . for example , the inclination of a wellbore at a particular depth likely will not change . the inclination measurement at time one may thus be averaged with an inclination at the same depth at time two and another inclination measurement at the same depth at time three , so that the average of these three signals at the same depth taken at three times will likely provide a more accurate indication of the actual borehole inclination , or interpretation of an incremental change at a particular depth . according to an aspect of the invention , an operator at the surface may instruct a particular sensor to take a selected measurement . in most applications , however , a plurality of substantially identical sensors for sensing a particular drill string , wellbore , or formation characteristic will be provided along the drill string , and each of those sensors will output a signal at a selected time interval , e . g ., every tenth of a second or every second , such that signals at any depth may be correlated with signals from a similar sensor at another depth . thus an entire profile of the sensed condition based on a first sensor as a function of depth may be plotted by the computer , and a time lapse plot may be depicted for measurements from a second sensor while at the same depth at a later time . also , it should be understood that the system may utilize sensors which are able to take reliable readings while the drill string and thus the sensors are rotating in the well , but in another application the rotation of the drill string may be briefly interrupted so that sensed conditions can be obtained from stationary sensors , then drilling resumed . in still other aspects , the drill string may slide or rotate slowly in the well while the sensed conditions are monitored , with the majority of the power to the bit being provided by the downhole motor or rotary steerable device . a significant advantage of the present invention is the ability to analyze information from the sensors when there is time lapse effect between a particular sensed condition at a particular depth , and the subsequent same sensed condition at the same depth . as disclosed herein , the system provides sensors for sensing characteristics at a selected depth in a well , and a particular depth may be “ selected ” in that the operator is particularly concerned with signals at that depth , and particularly change and rate of change for certain characteristics . such change and rate of change ( time lapse in the transmitted signals ) may be displayed to the operator in real time . otherwise stated , however , information from a sensor at selected axial locations or after a selected time lapse may be important , and the term “ selected ” as used herein would include a signal at any known , presumed , or selected depth . fig2 illustrates conceptually a drill pipe 12 having a plurality of axially spaced sensors 40 spaced along the drill string , each for sensing the same borehole or formation characteristic . multiple and varied sensors 40 may be distributed along the drill pipe 12 to sense various different characteristics / parameters . the sensors 40 may be disposed on the nodes 30 positioned along the drill string , disposed on tools incorporated into the string of drill pipe , or a combination thereof . the sensors 40 may be disposed along the string using any desired combination of sensor types ( e . g ., acoustic , pressure , temperature , etc .) and at any desired spacing between the sensors or intervals along the string . the downhole network 46 transmits information from each of a plurality of sensors 40 to a surface computer 22 , which also receives information from a depth sensor 50 via line 51 . depth sensor 50 monitors the length of drill string inserted in the well , and thus the output from the sensors 40 may be correlated by the computer 22 as a function of their depth in the well . information from the well site computer 22 may be displayed for the drilling operator on a well site screen 24 . information may also be transmitted from computer 22 to another computer 23 , located at a site remote from the well , with this computer 23 allowing an individual in the office remote from the well to review the data output by the sensors 40 . although only a few sensors 40 are shown in the figures , those skilled in the art will understand that a larger number of sensors may be disposed along a drill string when drilling a fairly deep well , and that all sensors associated with any particular node may be housed within or annexed to the node 30 , so that a variety of sensors rather than a single sensor will be associated with that particular node . fig3 depicts a plot of sensed borehole information characteristics numbered 1 and 2 each plotted as a function of depth , and also plotted as a function of time when the measurements are taken . for characteristic # 1 , pass 1 occurs first , pass 2 occurs later , and pass 3 occurs after pass 2 . the area represented by 60 shows the difference in measurements between passes 1 and 2 , while the area represented by 62 represents a difference in measurements between passes 2 and 3 . the strong signal at depth d 1 for the first pass is thus new and is further reduced for pass 2 and pass 3 . for characteristic # 2 , the area 64 represents the difference between the pass 1 signal and the pass 2 signal , and the area 66 represents the difference between the pass 2 and pass 3 signals . for this borehole information characteristic , signal strength increases between pass 1 and 2 , and further increases between pass 2 and 3 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various forms of markings may be employed to differentiate a first pass from a second pass , and a second pass from a subsequent pass , and that viewing the area difference under the curve of signals from different passes is only one way of determining the desired characteristic of the borehole or formation . assuming that characteristic # 2 is the borehole size , the operator may thus assume that , at a depth shortly above depth d 1 , the borehole has increased in size , and has again increased in size between the taking of the pass 2 measurements and the pass 3 measurements . for all of the displayed signals , signals may be displayed as a function of plurality of sensors at a single elected location in a borehole , so that a sent signal at a depth of , e . g ., 1550 feet , will be compared with a similar signal from a similar sensor subsequently at a depth of 1550 feet . aspects of the invention also include the identification of drill string 12 dynamics and stabilization of force distributions along the string during drilling operations . the sensors 40 along the string 12 and / or on the nodes 30 are used to acquire drilling information , to process the data , and instigate reactions by affecting the mechanical state of the drilling system , affecting fluid flow through the drill pipes , fluid flow along the annulus between the string and the borehole 36 , and / or commanding another device ( e . g ., a node ) to perform an operation . the telemetry network 46 ( as described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 207 , 396 , assigned to the present assignee and entirely incorporated herein by reference ) provides the communication backbone for aspects of the invention . a number of drill string dynamic measurements can be made along the string 12 using the sensor 40 inputs as disclosed herein . in some aspects of the invention , for example , the measurements taken at the sensors 40 can be one or a group of tri - axial inclinometry ( magnetic and acceleration ), internal , external hydraulic pressure , torque and tension / compression . with such measurements , various analysis and adjustment techniques can be implemented independently or as part of a self - stabilizing string . aspects comprising acoustic sensors 40 may be used to perform real - time frequency , amplitude , and propagation speed analysis to determine subsurface properties of interest such as wellbore caliper , compressional wave speed , shear wave speed , borehole modes , and formation slowness . improved subsurface acoustic images may also be obtained to depict borehole wall conditions and other geological features away from the borehole . these acoustic measurements have applications in petrophysics , well to well correlation , porosity determination , determination of mechanical or elastic rock parameters to give an indication of lithology , detection of over - pressured formation zones , and the conversion of seismic time traces to depth traces based on the measured speed of sound in the formation . aspects of the invention may be implemented using conventional acoustic sources disposed on the nodes 30 and / or on tools along the string 12 , with appropriate circuitry and components as known in the art . real - time communication with the acoustic sensors 40 is implemented via the network 46 . one aspect of the invention provides for automated downhole control of pressure . fig4 a shows a drill string 12 implemented with three sensors 40 along the string to acquire internal and external pressure measurements . during drilling operations , drilling fluid (“ mud ”) is pumped through the string 12 as known in the art and a certain pressure distribution occurs along the borehole . fig4 b shows hydrostatic pressure curve while pumping drilling fluid through the drill string 12 . bhp d represents dynamic bottomhole pressure . p hs represents theoretical hydrostatic pressure . p i is the pressure inside the drill string 12 , and p o is the pressure outside of the drill string 12 . the difference between p i and p o is pressure loss or drawdown . when the drilling operations stop ( e . g ., to add / remove a tubular or any other reason including failures ), the hydraulic system internal and external to the string 12 will stabilize to the hydrostatic pressure curves as shown in fig4 c . at that point , the drill pipe &# 39 ; s internal pressure p i is equivalent to zero on surface since the pump connection is removed . the states described above occur at any time in the drilling process . the continuously changing bottom hole pressure exerts a force into the formation rock at bottom and along the borehole that is dependent on the mud weight , flow rate and total flow area at the drill bit 16 . this pressure interacts with the formation rocks which in certain instances can be either mechanically affected if the bottom hole pressure is beyond or below the limits of the rock &# 39 ; s characteristic strength . these boundaries are commonly known as break - out pressure ( the pressure at which a rock starts to fail and falls into the wellbore in small pieces due to the lack of support from the hydrostatic or dynamic pressure ) and fracture pressure ( the pressure at which a rock parts at the minimum stress direction due to over stress ). the first case , which is caused by a smaller bottom hole pressure than required to keep the formation rock stable , is addressed by an aspect of the invention entailing a variable annular flow area controller sub ( 70 in fig5 a - 5c ). the controller 70 may include fixed area restrictors and extendable area restrictors . in fig5 a , the controller 70 is in the retracted mode and the fixed area restrictors 72 a are visible . in fig5 b , the controller 70 is in the extended mode and the extendable area restrictors 72 b are visible along with the fixed area restrictors 72 a . in the extended mode , the flow area in the annulus 71 between the controller 70 and the borehole 36 is restricted by extension of the area restrictors 72 b into the annulus 71 . fig5 c shows a mechanism for actuating the area restrictors 72 b of the controller 70 . the area restrictors 72 b are actuated with mud flow that is diverted from the inner pipe bore 12 a via valves 69 a , 69 b to a piston actuator 73 that expands or extends the area restrictors 72 b causing a positive pressure differential across the device . the controller sub 70 comprises a pipe 12 section implemented with components known in the art ( e . g ., extendable blades similar to standoff ribs ). as shown in fig5 c , the controllers 70 can be configured with a counter - acting area 72 such that upward mud flow along the annulus aids in extending the stabilizers . the pipe 12 may also be implemented with appropriate valves to vent internal pressure to the pipe exterior . conventional electronics , components 96 , and hardware may be used to implement aspects of the invention . the controller sub 70 may be implemented with pressure accumulator 97 . fig5 a shows the controller 70 in a retracted mode , with a flow area a 0 comprising unrestricted areas a 1 - a 5 . fig5 b shows the controller 70 in an extended mode , with extended restrictors 72 b reducing combined flow area ( a 0 in fig5 a ). for example , area a 1p ( in fig5 b ) & lt ; a 1 ( in fig5 a ) and area a 3p ( in fig5 b ) & lt ; a 3 ( in fig5 a ) due to the extended restrictors 72 b . the pipe 12 may be configured with any number ( e . g ., 1 , 2 , 3 , etc .) of extendable restrictors 72 b and any number of combined fixed / extendable restrictors 72 a , 72 b as desired . controller 70 embodiments of the invention can also be configured using various materials ( e . g ., peek ™, rubber , composites , etc .) and in any suitable configurations ( e . g ., inflatable type , etc .). aspects can also be configured with area restrictors that can be individually graduated . fig6 depicts an aspect of the invention with the drill string 12 incorporating variable annular flow area controller subs 70 . with the distributed sensors 40 and controllers 70 linked into the network 46 , targeted downhole pressure conditions can be identified and the stabilizers can be selectively activated to extend their restrictor ( s ) along the string to reduce the mud flow along the annulus . activation of the controller subs 70 provides a way to effectively increase / decrease the pressure along the borehole to alter the apparent equivalent circulating density ( ecd ) as desired . ecd is drilling fluid density that would be required to produce the same effective borehole pressure as the combination of fluid density , circulating pressure , and cuttings loading of the drilling fluid in the wellbore . individual controller 70 actuation can be manually or automatically controlled via the communication network 46 . aspects with automatic controller 70 activation can be implemented by appropriate programming , such as by the algorithm i , which is outlined in fig7 . referring to fig7 , algorithm i includes creating a pressure gradient curve from data received from internal and external pressure sensors ( 100 ). if a pressure gradient curve already exists , the existing pressure gradient curve may be updated with the new information instead of generating a fresh one . algorithm i includes comparing the generated pressure gradient curve to a desired pressure gradient ( 102 ). algorithm i includes checking whether the difference between the generated pressure gradient and the desired pressure gradient exceeds a set tolerance ( 104 ). if the answer to step 104 is no , steps 100 and 102 are repeated until the answer to step 104 is yes . it should be noted that steps 100 and 102 may be repeated at set times rather than continuously since it may be quite a while before the answer to step 104 is positive . if the answer to step 104 is yes , algorithm i then checks whether the bottomhole pressure is smaller than the desired pressure ( 106 ). if the answer to step 106 is yes , algorithm i sends a command to increase the pressure at an area restrictor ( 108 ). algorithm i then checks whether the selected area restrictor has reached the maximum open position ( 110 ). if the answer to step 110 is no , algorithm i returns to step 106 . if the answer to step 106 is still yes , then steps 108 and 110 are repeated . for the sake of argument , if the answer to step 110 is yes , i . e ., that the area restrictor that has reached maximum open position , then algorithm i checks whether the area restrictor at the maximum open position is the topmost area restrictor ( 112 ). if the answer to step 112 is yes , algorithm i advises the system to adjust the flow rate or mud weight ( 118 ). however , if the answer to step 110 is no , i . e ., that the area restrictor that has reached maximum open position is not the topmost area restrictor , then algorithm i sends a command to focus on the next area restrictor ( 118 ) and to increase the pressure at the area restrictor ( 120 ). algorithm i returns to step 106 to determine whether the increase in pressure has solved the problem or if additional increase in pressure at the area restrictor is required . this process has been described above . if at step 106 the answer is no , i . e ., the bottommost pressure is not smaller than the desired pressure , algorithm i activates a pressure decrease routine ( 122 ), which is outlined in fig9 and will be described below . another case , when the bottom hole pressure is higher , is usually caused by a combination of the mud weight ( density ), mud flow speed and other factors . another aspect of the invention is shown in fig8 a - 8c . in this aspect , an internal flow area controller sub 70 is implemented with one or more internal variable restrictors 74 controlled by electronics 90 , pistons 91 , pressure accumulators 92 , valves 93 , 94 , counter - acting area for downward flow 95 , and additional components incorporated into the pipe similar to the aspect of fig5 c . fig8 a shows the controller sub 70 with the restrictors 74 in a retracted mode , providing an unrestricted inner pipe bore flow area a . fig8 ( b ) shows the restrictors 74 in an extended mode , reducing the inner bore flow area such that a 1p & lt ; a due to the extended restrictors 74 . the pipe 12 may be configured with any number ( e . g ., 1 , 2 , 3 , etc .) of extendable restrictors 74 and other aspects may include a combination of fixed / extendable internal restrictors ( not shown ) as desired . aspects can also be configured with restrictors 74 that can be individually graduated . activation of the restrictor ( s ) 74 may be controlled manually or automatically via the network 46 . aspects with automatic controller 70 activation can be implemented by appropriate programming , such as by the algorithm ii outlined in fig9 . activation of the restrictors 74 provides a way to increase / decrease the flow through the pipe 12 , thereby increasing / reducing the bottom hole pressure as desired . referring to fig9 , algorithm ii includes checking whether the bottomhole pressure is higher than the desired pressure gradient ( 124 ). if the answer to step 124 is no , algorithm ii terminates ( 125 ). if the answer to step 124 is yes , algorithm ii sends a command to actuate and increase flow restriction until desired pressure is achieved or the flow restriction has reached the maximum open position ( 126 ). algorithm ii checks whether the desired pressure gradient has been achieved with some tolerance ( 128 ). if the answer to step 128 is yes , algorithm ii advises that activator was needed ( 130 ) and terminates ( 132 ). if the answer to step 128 is no , restrictors along the drill string are used to further adjust the pressure ( 134 ). algorithm ii checks again whether the desired pressure gradient has been achieved with some tolerance ( 136 ). if the answer to step 136 is yes , algorithm ii repeats step 130 and terminates at 132 . if the answer to step 136 is no , algorithm ii raises an alert that gradient needs reduced mud flow or mud weight ( 138 ) and terminates ( 140 ). the downhole characteristics identification , analysis , and control techniques disclosed herein allow one to monitor and adjust downhole conditions while drilling , in real time and at desired points along the drill string . for example , a drill string equipped with variable annular flow area controller subs 70 ( see fig6 ) may be operated with one or more variable restrictors 72 extended at different points / depths along the string such that fluid pressure / flow along selected regions in the borehole can be set or maintained as desired . for example , pressure , flow , temperature , caliper , and other desired data is obtained by the distributed sensors 40 on the string and fed to surface or other points along the string via the network 46 . similarly , internal mud pressure / flow along the string 12 can be adjusted as desired with aspects including the internal variable restrictors 74 as disclosed herein . other aspects of the invention provide for drill string dynamics identification , analysis , and stabilization techniques . in one such aspect , the distributed sensors 40 along the drill string 12 allow one to perform a frequency analysis of differential measurements . fig1 a - 10c plot drill string dynamics distributions along a tubular drill string 12 . as known in the art , various sensors 40 ( e . g ., inclinometers , magnetometers , accelerometers , gravimeters , etc .) may be used downhole to determine the dynamic system properties of a drill string . aspects of the invention can be implemented to provide amplitude distribution measurements as inputs throughout the network 46 , the frequency separation of peaks , and sway of dominant frequency for noise can also be obtained . these measurements provide an advantage in the identification of downhole conditions like stick and slip , whirl and changing harmonics / resonant frequencies of a system with changing environment and drill string form , especially in relation to sensors 40 along the string which are adjacent to each other . an aspect of the invention provides analysis carried out in a process wherein the inputs are first recognized ( e . g ., rpm ( rotational speed ), flow rate , weight on bit ( wob )), as shown in fig1 a . a represents amplitude in fig1 a - 10c . the various components of drill string dynamics properties are then plotted and visualized in the frequency domain . fig1 b shows a moment in time ( snapshot ) of the inputs . analysis is performed to establish a relationship between the inputs and the frequency characteristics of the measurements . the change in surface inputs will affect the behavior of the different frequency ‘ peaks ’, as plotted in fig1 b . in fig1 b , δf represents separation of peaks . amplitude yields an indication of energy loss at a point in the string . sway indicates the change in speed downhole , when sway is different amongst peaks , this is cumulative torque stick and slip . the separation between the peaks denotes the difference in rotational speed at points of measurement . stabilization is achieved by fast feedback changes of surface parameters until the maximum possible energy is spent at the bit , rather than along the string ( peaks driven to their minimum size ), as illustrated in fig1 c . aspects of the invention may be configured with self - learning ( artificial intelligence ) software as known in the art . such implementations could entail a downhole learning process . these measurements provide a way to identify drill string harmonics , energy accumulation / release along the string , and allow one to apply stabilization / compensation techniques . another aspect of the invention entails frequency analysis on differential pressure measurements from inside and outside the pipe 12 , which can be obtained with the distributed sensors 40 . fig1 a - 11e shows an aspect of the invention that provides analysis in a process grouping events in frequencies and amplitudes to aid in identification and diagnostics . fig1 a shows a plot of internal pressure versus time for a plurality of sensor measurements , where node or link 4 is lower in the borehole relative to the position of link 1 . fig1 b shows a plot of external pressure versus time for a plurality of sensor measurements , where link 4 is lower in the borehole relative to the position of link 1 . the objective is to find behavioral events in the drill string that affect the ideal conditions of pressure distribution inside / outside the string . this is achieved by transforming the difference in measurements ( fig1 c ) from one sensor to its neighbor sensor onto the frequency domain , as shown in fig1 d . the frequency plots determine the nature of the dynamics effect by its amplitude , sway , and duration . a perfectly homogeneous system would not present any peaks . this objective is achieved by changing input parameters ( shown in fig1 e ) or via other along - string self stabilization methods . once a mode of destructive dynamics is identified , stabilization / compensation techniques can be applied . aspects of the invention may comprise drill string 12 stabilization / compensation systems to address undesired dynamic conditions . as known in the art , vibrations in a rotating mass can be counteracted upon by the application of weights . in a similar fashion , aspects of the invention can be implemented with a multipoint mass shift system . fig1 a shows a drill string 12 equipped with a plurality of sensors 40 , mounted on nodes 30 and / or on tools and pipes along the string . the aspect in fig1 a is also configured with subs entailing rotating weights 80 distributed along the string 12 . fig1 b is a blow up of a rotating weight 80 device . the rotating weight 80 device includes a shifting mass 82 , a driving mechanism 84 , and appropriate electronics 86 . input from the sensor ( s ) 40 is used to identify movement of the string ( 12 in fig1 a ), indicating where the string is moving to in average direction of impact against the borehole wall . the electronics 86 actuates the driving mechanism 84 to activate the eccentric mass 82 to counteract destructive harmonics . in one aspect , the mass 82 is configured to rotate ( synchronized with or with respect to string 12 rotation ) until activated . the driving mechanism 84 can be configured to stop or “ brake ” the rotating mass 82 for x milliseconds at timed intervals to counteract string movement leading to destructive impact . conventional components and electronics may be used to implement embodiments of the invention with rotating weight 80 devices . aspects may be configured with more than one driving mechanism 84 ( e . g ., above - below the mass 82 ). other aspects may be configured with turbine , electromagnetic , hydrodynamic or other types of counter - weight devices ( not shown ). the rotating weight device 80 is preferably disposed internal to the pipe sub . however , aspects may comprise devices mounted on the pipe exterior or embedded within the pipe walls ( not shown ). the string 12 in signal communication along the network 46 allows one to monitor string performance at surface in real - time and to take appropriate action as desired . automatic and autonomous stabilization may be implemented by appropriate programming of system processors in the string 12 , at surface , or in combination . advantages provided by the disclosed techniques include , without limitation , the acquisition of real - time distributed downhole measurements , drill string dynamics analysis , manual / automated adjustment of downhole pressure / flow conditions , manual / automated compensation / stabilization of destructive dynamics , implementation of automatic and autonomous drill string operations , real - time wellbore fluid density analysis / adjustment for improved dual - gradient drilling , etc . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the techniques disclosed herein can be fully automated / autonomous via software configured with algorithms as described herein . these aspects can be implemented by programming one or more suitable general - purpose computers having appropriate hardware . the programming may be accomplished through the use of one or more program storage devices readable by the processor ( s ) and encoding one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer for performing the operations described herein . the program storage device may take the form of , e . g ., one or more floppy disks ; a cd rom or other optical disk ; a magnetic tape ; a read - only memory chip ( rom ); and other forms of the kind well - known in the art or subsequently developed . the program of instructions may be “ object code ,” i . e ., in binary form that is executable more - or - less directly by the computer ; in “ source code ” that requires compilation or interpretation before execution ; or in some intermediate form such as partially compiled code . the precise forms of the program storage device and of the encoding of instructions are immaterial here . aspects of the invention may also be configured to perform the described computing / automation functions downhole ( via appropriate hardware / software implemented in the network / string ), at surface , in combination , and / or remotely via wireless links tied to the network 46 . while the present disclosure describes specific aspects of the invention , numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the disclosure , including use of equivalent functional and / or structural substitutes for elements described herein . for example , aspects of the invention can also be implemented for operation in combination with other known telemetry systems ( e . g ., mud pulse , fiber - optics , wireline systems , etc .). the disclosed techniques are not limited to any particular type of conveyance means or subsurface operation . for example , aspects of the invention are highly suitable for operations such as lwd / mwd , logging while tripping , marine operations , etc . all such similar variations apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .
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the invention is based on the object of providing a light module with a backlit surface element which allows substantially uniform illumination of a surface element and has a low physical height . furthermore , it is the object of the invention to provide a light system for forming a backlit area . these objects are achieved by a light module having the features as claimed in patent claim 1 or by a light system having the features as claimed in patent claim 10 . particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent patent claims . the light module according to the invention has a surface element , which is backlit by means of a light source . according to the invention , the light source bears flat against the surface element or is connected to it . the flat arrangement of the light source on the surface element means that the latter is backlit over the whole area and in particular uniformly . as a result , a very good backlighting effect can be achieved since the surface element does not have only one led directed at it as in the above - described prior art . furthermore , an advantage of the solution according to the invention is the fact that the mount for holding the light source is no longer required , with the result that the light module has a very low physical height . the light system according to the invention has a large number of light modules according to the invention . in this case , the light system can be matched to any desired mosaic areas in particular as a result of the flexible relative arrangement of the light modules in relation to one another and as a result of the free shaping of the light modules . the light source is preferably an electroluminescence light foil or a corresponding organic led surface light . in order to avoid damage to the light source , it can be covered at the rear by a protective layer , for example a vapor barrier . in order to fix the light module on a fixing surface , it may be advantageous if the protective layer is covered at the rear by a backing layer , for example made from plastic . in order to be able to connect adjacent light modules electrically to one another , each light module can have at least one plug . this is preferably fixed in the backing layer and can protrude at the side or at the rear , i . e . in the direction of the fixing surface . if the plugs extend in the direction of the fixing surface it is advantageous if a connecting body can be inserted into a receptacle of the fixing surface , which connecting body can be used to produce the electrical contact between the plugs of the adjacent light modules . in order to enable individual driving of the light modules , they can have a switch , which is preferably arranged in the region of intersecting conductor tracks for looping through the current from one light module to the next light module and is protected against damage in the backing layer . the invention will be explained below with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments . in the drawings : fig1 shows a plan view of a light system according to the invention ; fig2 shows an enlarged side view of a light module from fig1 ; fig3 shows an enlarged cross section through two interconnected light modules in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment ; and fig4 shows an enlarged cross section through two interconnected light modules in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment . fig1 show a very simplified plan view of a light system 2 according to the invention with a large number of light modules 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d according to the invention , which in their entirety form a mosaic area 6 of surface elements 8 a , 8 b , 8 c , 8 d which can be backlit , gaps or joins shown between the individual light modules 4 a to 4 d being illustrated as being very enlarged . the light modules 4 a to 4 d , as explained in particular with reference to fig2 , can have any desired shapes and materials and can be combined with one another in a flexible manner , with the result that this light system 2 is suitable for forming any desired mosaic areas 6 . the light modules 4 a to 4 d are electrically connected to the directly adjacent light modules 4 a to 4 d via in each case one plug - type connection 10 a to 10 d . the light module 4 b is connected to a ballast 14 via a power supply line 12 , which ballast 14 is electrically connected to a current source ( not illustrated ). in order to loop through the current from one light module to an adjacent light module , for example from the light module 8 b to the light module 8 c , the light modules 4 a to 4 d preferably have conductor tracks 16 a , 16 b which are indicated by dashed - dotted lines and which run in the interior of said light modules . the conductor tracks 16 a , 16 b are electrically connected in each case at least with one end section to a plug - type connection 10 a to 10 d and are arranged approximately at a 90 ° angle with respect to one another , with the result that an area of intersection or overlap is created . in the area of intersection of the conductor tracks 16 a , 16 b , the light modules 4 a to 4 d each have a switch 18 which acts as a distribution cross and by means of which the supply of current to the respective light module 4 a to 4 d can be interrupted , with the result that the light modules 4 a to 4 d can be driven or addressed individually . the actuation of the respective switch 18 takes place via a signal , which is likewise transmitted via the conductor tracks 16 a , 16 b as well as the current . as is illustrated by way of example with reference to the light module 4 b in fig2 , the surface elements 8 a to 8 d are each an integral part of the light modules 4 a to 4 d . as shown by fig1 , they have a tile - like design and substantially consist of a transparent material such as glass or plastic , for example . however , they can also consist of a different material such as ceramic , marble or slate , the layer thickness or layer height being selected to be thin such that these materials also act in a light - transmissive manner . in principle , the configuration and the material are freely selectable and depend on the respective mosaic area 6 to be formed . likewise , the plug - type connections 10 a to 10 d can be formed at any desired sections of the light modules 4 a to 4 d and their number can be freely selected , with the result that the light modules 4 a to 4 d are combined with one another or can be arranged in relation to one another in any desired manner . in each case one light source 22 is arranged flat on an inner surface 20 of the surface elements 8 a to 8 d . the light source 22 is preferably an electroluminescence foil ( el foil ) or an organic led surface light ( oled surface light ) and is connected directly to the surface element 8 a to 8 d , with it extending ideally over the entire inner surface 20 . the direct connection can take place , for example , via a suitable adhesive or artificial resin . the light source 22 can also be arranged on an outer surface of the surface elements 8 a to 8 d which is remote from the inner surface 20 , however . it is , however , also conceivable for the light source 22 to be applied detachably to the inner surface 20 , so that it can be exchanged easily and quickly . the supply of electricity to the light source 22 takes place in the case of the light module 4 b via the power supply line 12 , which , as has already been described in fig1 , is connected to the ballast 14 . as a result of the direct arrangement of the light sources 22 on the respective surface elements 8 a to 8 d and their flat extent , very low physical heights can be realized . thus , for example , light modules 4 a to 4 d with a total physical height h of less than 5 mm are possible , with the result that , when the light modules 4 a to 4 d are positioned on a fixing surface 24 , they do not protrude very much . a protective layer 28 for avoiding damage to the light source 22 is applied to a large surface 26 , which is remote from the inner surface 20 , of the light source 22 , i . e . on the rear . as a result of the hygroscopic properties of the light source 22 , it is advantageous if the protective layer 28 is in the form of a vapor barrier , with the result that in particular the life of the light source 22 can be extended . in order to arrange the light modules 4 a to 4 d on the fixing surface 24 , for example a wall , a rear side 44 , which is remote from the light source 22 , of the protective layer 28 is covered by a preferably plastic - like backing layer 30 , onto which , for example , mortar can be applied in order to fix the respective light module 4 a to 4 d to the wall . the light modules 4 a to 4 d therefore each have a sandwich - like construction , with the light source 22 being arranged in a particularly protected manner by meant of the direct arrangement on the respective surface elements 8 a to 8 d and the covering at the rear by means of the protective layer 28 , which in turn is covered by the backing layer 30 . the risk of damage to the light source 22 can be further reduced if the backing layer 30 surrounds at least the protective layer 28 and the light source 22 in the form of a casing . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the plug - type connections 10 a to 10 d are each formed by at least two plugs 32 a , 32 b , which are electrically connected in each case to the light source 22 of their light module 4 a to 4 d . in order to protect the plugs 32 a , 32 b from damage , at least sections of them are embedded in the backing layer 30 and terminate flush with it at the rear ( fig2 ). likewise , the switches 18 are embedded in the backing layer 30 ( not illustrated ). the plugs 32 a , 32 b are arranged in the edge region of the light modules 4 a to 4 d and can be in the form of female or male plugs , in the embodiment in the form of male plugs 32 a electrical connections or data transmission connections 34 a , 34 b protruding at the side , i . e . in the direction of an adjacent light module 4 a to 4 d , or at the rear , i . e . in the direction of the fixing surface 24 ( fig3 and 4 ). the lateral extent of the connections 34 a , 34 b of the male plug 32 a have the advantage , as shown in fig3 , that on interaction with the female plug 32 b of an adjacent light module 4 c , the plugs 32 a , 32 b can be directly electrically and mechanically connected to one another by means of being pushed together laterally , with the result that the number of electrical interfaces for looping through the current is minimized . the use of two male plugs 32 a , 32 c with a rear - side extent of their connections 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d has the advantage , as shown in fig4 , that the light modules 4 a to 4 d can be fixed detachably to the fixing surface 24 by means of their connections 34 a , 34 b , 34 c , 34 d , with the result that additional auxiliary means for fixing them to the fixing surface 24 can be dispensed with . for this purpose , a plate - like connecting body 36 is arranged in a receptacle 42 of the fixing surface 24 , which connecting body 36 has corresponding holes 38 a , 38 b , 38 c , 38 d for the releasable engagement of the connections 34 a to 34 d . in order to produce an electrical connection between the light modules 4 a to 4 d and the respective plugs 32 a , 32 c , the connections 34 a to 34 d , in the inserted state , make contact , by means of their respective free end section , with a corresponding electrical contact element 40 , which is accommodated in the connecting body 36 and delimits the holes 38 a to 38 d at the bottom . the invention discloses a light module with a backlit surface element , against which a light source bears flat or is connected to it , and a light system with a large number of such light modules .
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before reference will be made to the inventive treatment of the adder blocks below the blocks where the least significant bit of the operand is , with regard to fig2 and 3 a to 3 e , first , a calculating unit is described with regard to fig1 , wherein the inventive measures can be used advantageously . although a calculating unit with panic hierarchy is described in fig1 , the present invention can also be used in a calculating unit with a simple panic control , to enable such a calculating unit to use the total width of the calculating unit in every cycle . fig1 shows an inventive calculating unit with a first adder block 10 , a second adder block 12 and a third adder block 14 . the three adder blocks 10 , 12 , 14 are typically adder blocks of a calculating unit with a significantly higher number of adder blocks , such as 64 for a calculating unit with a total length of 1024 bits , wherein one block comprises 16 elementary cells , or 128 for a calculating unit with 2048 bits , when one adder block has a length of 16 bit . such calculating unit lengths are necessary in order to be able to carry out the rsa method with respective key lengths of 1024 or 2048 bits . in the elliptic curve cryptography , a respective security can be obtained with significantly lower key lengths , such as 160 bit , wherein here 10 adder blocks with 16 bit each are sufficient . each adder block 10 , 12 , 14 consists of a number of elementary cells 16 , which are typically made up identically . each elementary cell , as it is also the case in the prior art , comprise registers for storing 2 , 3 or more operands , a shifter and an adder , and comprises typically also an output register for storing a sum bit of the operation s i , as is shown in fig1 at 18 . the adder within an elementary cell can be an one - bit full adder , as needed , i . e . an adder which receives two bits as well as a carry of a low order elementary cell as input quantities , and which outputs a sum bit s i as well as a carry for the higher order adjacent elementary cell as output quantities . alternatively , the adder within an elementary cell can also be a combination of a half adder and a full adder , to carry out a three operand operation for summing three different operands . all used adders within an elementary cell have the propriety that they provide a carry bit to the next higher elementary cell , that they provide a sum bit si , and that they receive a carry of a next lower elementary cell . as it is shown in fig1 , the adder blocks 10 , 12 , 14 are interconnected such that always the most significant elementary cell , such as the elementary cell 20 of the second adder block 12 is connected to the least significant elementary cell 22 of the third adder block 14 . correspondingly , the least significant elementary cell 24 is connected to the most significant elementary cell 16 of the first adder block 10 . each adder block further comprises carry pass means 26 , 28 and 30 , respectively , which receives the operand bits of the one - bit full adder within an elementary cell as input signal , and which supplies a panic signal 260 , 280 , 300 on the output side . as will be explained below , each pass means further provides a control signal 32 to cause a respective carry control means 34 , 36 , 38 to put a carry on a carry bypass 40 , 42 or 44 and not to take a carry from a next lower block from the most significant elementary cell of this block , respectively , but from the carry bypass of this block when a carry has been put on the carry bypass . further , the inventive calculating unit comprises control means 50 as well as a clock generator 52 , which controls the clock and the clock period , respectively , by which new input operands are fed into the elementary cells of the adder blocks , via clock control lines 54 , 56 , 58 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the clock generator can run with three different velocities , once with a fast velocity in a normal state 60 , alternatively with a medium velocity 62 in the case of a panic and with a slow velocity 64 in the case of a double - panic . in the following , reference will be made to the operation of the calculating unit shown in fig1 . first , it is assumed that the normal case exists , i . e . that the calculating unit is clocked by the clock generator 52 with normal velocity 60 . the normal case is present when none of the carry pass means 26 , 28 , 30 determine that a carry passes through a whole adder block 10 , 12 , 14 . this means , in other words , that in every adder block an elementary cell is present , which absorbs a carry possibly impinging upon it . whether an elementary cell absorbs a carry , generates a carry or neither absorbs nor generates a carry but simply passes it on , can be calculated with the so - called carry - look - ahead - parameter kill , generate and propagate . this is known in the art and , for example , described in “ computer architecture a qualitative approach ”, hennessy & amp ; patterson , second edition , morgan kaufman publishers , inc ., 1996 , appendix a . for a two - operand addition , the carry - look - ahead parameters are calculated as follows : the kill parameter indicates that a carry , which possibly comes from a lower order elementary cell , is absorbed . the kill parameter is calculated from the and - operation of the two input operand bits and is active when the and - operation of the input operand bits results in a 0 . the generate parameter is calculated also from the and - operation of the input operands and indicates that this elementary cell will generate a carry . the generate parameter is active when the and - operation of the two input operand bits results in a 1 . the propagate parameter is calculated from the or - operation of the two input operands for an elementary cell and indicates that a carry would simply pass through an elementary cell . the propagate parameter is active when the or - operation of the two input bits for the elementary cell equals 1 . a preferred implementation of a pass means , such as pass means 28 of the second adder block 12 consists of the fact that all propagate parameters of the elementary cells in the pass means will be anded . a panic signal 280 will be output when the pass means determines that a carry passes through the second adder block , i . e . that in the second adder block no elementary cell generates an active kill parameter . in this case , the carry path is longer than an adder block and the calculating unit has to be clocked slower , as will be discussed below . in the case where no pass means generates a panic signal , it is , however , ensured that the carry path is shorter than at a block , so that the calculating unit can be operated with the fast normal velocity 60 . in a clock according to the normal velocity 60 , a block , such as the second adder block 12 , has to be able to output its sum bits s i . sum bits can only be output when the carries of the next lower elementary cells are present . when no pass means has generated an active panic signal , and after particularly the pass means 26 has generated no panic signal , it is ensured that in the worst case the input carry 120 is generated in the second lowest elementary cell 17 of the first adder block and then — in the worst case — passes through the whole first adder block . thus , the clock in the normal case must therefore only be so fast that the carry from the second lowest digit 17 of the first adder block can propagate through the whole first adder block , and that then , when the input carry 120 is present in the second block 12 , the sum bits for the second adder block 12 can be determined . thus , the processing in the second adder block takes place in two phases . first , the input carry 120 is determined . as soon as the input carry 120 is known , the sum bits of the second adder block 12 are output in a second phase . a similar procedure is carried out in parallel with all other blocks , so that in the normal case , i . e . when no panic signal 260 , 280 , 300 is active , it can be clocked with a clock whose clock period is so great that a carry can pass through at least part of the previous block , namely in the worst case , all elementary cells of the previous blocks minus one elementary cell , and can further pass through the whole current block . in a possible implementation , typically , the limit is not immediately achieved , but a security factor in the range of 1 to 10 % is preferred . in the following , reference will be made to the case where a pass means , such as pass means 28 , generates a panic signal 280 . this means that the input carry 140 in the third adder block 14 is not determined by the second adder block 12 but by the first adder block 10 . in this panic case , the normal velocity of the clock generator would lead to errors . thus , the clock generator 52 is controlled by the control means 50 to a panic velocity 62 , which is a bit slower than in the normal case . particularly , the clock velocity , with which the operands are fed in , is set such that a carry , which is generated in the second lowest elementary cell 17 of the first adder block in the worst case can propagate through the second adder block 12 , since the input carry 140 is present in the second adder block 14 only then . further , the panic clock has to be so slow that when the carry 140 is present , the sum bits can be output in the second adder block 14 . in the panic case , the clock will therefore be so slow that the carry can pass through all elementary cells minus one elementary cell of the first adder block , that the carry can pass through the second adder block and that the carry can further pass through the third adder block 14 . in several cases , this value is not used directly , but typically , a security factor in the range of 1 to 10 % is added to the theoretically maximum panic clock period as well . it is preferred to provide each adder block with a carry bypass . thereby , the clock period can be decelerated in the panic case . after the second pass means 28 has already determined that the carry propagates through the second adder block 12 , i . e . is not influenced by the second adder block 12 , the carry at the output of the first adder block is put on the carry bypass 42 of the second adder block by the carry control means 36 , and from there fed into the least significant digit by the carry control means 38 , as it is illustrated in blocks 36 and 38 with dotted lines . in this case , the panic clock period has to be longer in comparison to the normal case only about that time that the carry needs to propagate across the carry bypass 42 of the second adder block . this time is typically much shorter than when a full carry ripple has to be awaited by an adder block , so that the clock period in the panic case is not much longer than in the normal case . if , however , the control means 50 determines that two adjacent pass means , such as the pass means 28 and the pass means 30 have determined that a carry passes through both blocks , the case of a double - panic is given . in this case , the carry of the next higher adder block , which is not shown in fig1 , is determined by the elementary cells of the first adder block 10 in the worst case of the second lowest elementary cell 17 of the first adder block 10 . in this case , if the clock is not reduced , an error will occur , since the next operands would already be fed into the calculating unit before the higher adder block ( not shown in fig1 ) downstream of the second adder block 14 has finished outputting the sum bits . according to the invention the calculating unit will be decelerated in the illustrated embodiment , as if a carry propagates from the least significant digit of the whole calculating unit to the most significant digit of the whole calculating unit . to shorten that time , the carry bypass 42 and the carry bypass 44 are used . since the two blocks 12 and 14 do not influence the carry , the carry is put on the carry bypass 42 by block 36 , and not fed into the second adder block 14 by a block 38 , as in the previously described case , but directly directed to the carry bypass 44 of the second adder block . the total duration a carry needs from the least significant digit of the calculating unit to the most significant digit of the calculating unit is thus at least shortened by using the two carry bypasses 42 and 44 . it can be seen that a double - panic case leads to a very significant slowing down of the calculating unit . to keep this case even smaller , a third panic level could be introduced , which consists of three adjacent pass means , such as pass means 26 , 28 , 30 , which determine that a carry passes directly through their respective adder blocks . if a triple panic means is present , the calculating unit does not have to be slowed down to the overall worst case in the case of a double - panic , but has to , in analogy to the simple panic , be slowed down only so strongly that the carry can pass through at least part of the first adder block ( namely , in the worst case , all bits minus one bit ), the two carry bypasses 42 and 44 as well as the next higher block , which is not shown in fig1 . thus , if a triple panic means is present , the clock period in the case of double - panic differs merely from the clock period in the case of simple panic in that the time that a carry needs to pass through the carry bypass 44 is longer . an arbitrary number of panic stages can be used , wherein the benefit through another panic stage diminishes more and more compared to the additional circuit effort to determine the higher panic case . on the other hand , the number of elementary cells in an adder block can be reduced further with every higher panic stage , which immediately leads to the fact that the normal clock 60 can be increased further and further . it should be noted that the adder blocks can internally have an arbitrary combination of calculating units . the most simple case is that each adder block is arranged as simple ripple carry adder , which , additionally to a simple ripple carry adder should generate the propagate signal per elementary cell , so that the pass means can operate on the basis of the propagate signals . if all adder blocks are fully organized as ripple carry adder , the clock period in the normal case has to be at least so long that a carry can ripple through all elementary cells of an adder block minus one elementary cell and through all elementary cells of a downstream adder block . however , this time can be reduced by the fact that an adder block is fully organized as carry - look - ahead adder . in this case , the carry input bit is in the second adder block 12 , i . e . the carry bit 120 is present much faster . this carry bit will then be calculated to one , when at least one elementary cell in the first adder block 10 has an active generate parameter , which is followed exclusively by propagate parameters or generate parameters . the carry bit 120 will then be calculated to zero , when an elementary cell generates an active kill parameter , which is merely followed by further kill parameters or propagate parameters but no generate parameters . carry - look - ahead adder work very fast , but need significantly more chip area . for that reason , a tradeoff is possible in that smaller carry - look - ahead adder sub - blocks are formed , which are interconnected according to a ripple - carry adder , to generate an adder block 10 , 12 or 14 . the actual adder layout within the block will be dictated by practical conditions . as it has already been discussed , the inventive calculating unit is particularly useful for cryptographic processors , since they typically need long - number calculating units of a length in a range of 160 bit for elliptic curve cryptography applications or with a length in the order of 1024 or 2048 bit for rsa calculations . this is in significant contrast to typical 8 , 16 , 32 or 64 bit cpus , as can be found in general purpose processors . with regard to the number of elementary cells in an adder block , a number between 8 and 16 elementary cells and particularly a number of 16 elementary cells for the case of a two - stage panic hierarchy is preferred . if a third panic hierarchy is provided , it is preferred to reduce the number of elementary cells in a block to , for example , 8 , which corresponds immediately to a normal clock velocity double that amount . by providing carry bypasses , the panic velocity ( in the case of a two - stage panic hierarchy ) and / or the double - panic velocity ( in the case of a three - stage panic hierarchy ) be kept almost the amount as in the case of the normal velocity , since a carry typically passes through a carry bypass much faster than through the adder block itself . fig2 shows a block diagram of the inventive calculating unit with a number of adder blocks 200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208 , 210 , 212 which are designated by block i − 3 to block i + 3 . every adder block comprises a carry input 214 and a carry output 216 , wherein , for clarity reasons , they are designated in fig3 merely for block i − 3 ( 200 ). each adder block further comprises a carry pass output 218 , which corresponds to an output of pass means 26 , 28 or 30 of fig1 , wherein these outputs are designated with 260 , 280 , 300 in fig1 . further , means for deactivating the carry pass output is associated to each block , wherein means for deactivating is formed preferably as nor gate 220 in fig2 the nor gate ( i . e . 220 ) provides merely a high output signal with a logical level of “ 1 ”, when the input signal , i . e . the input signal 218 of the carry output has a logical “ 1 ” level . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , a “ low active ” logic is present for the panic signal , i . e . for the signal at the carry output 218 . thus , a panic signal is present , when a low voltage value is applied at the input of gate 220 . means 220 for deactivating further comprises a control input 222 , which obtains a high voltage level , when the panic signal of the respective adder block is to be turned off . if , however , the panic signal is not to be turned off , as it is the case in blocks i + 1 , i + 2 , i + 3 , a low voltage (“ 0 ”) is applied to the voltage input . the calculating unit shown in fig2 further comprises means 224 for determining , in which of the adder blocks a least significant bit of the operand to be subtracted is disposed . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , means 224 is formed as a register with a number of register cells , which corresponds the number of adder blocks , in which the panic signal can be turned off . from the utilization of the register 224 it can be seen , which block is the block where the least significant bit is disposed . in the example shown in fig2 , the least significant bit is disposed in block i . a “ 1 ” in the register 224 means that the panic signal of the respective adder block is to be turned off . a “ 0 ” in the register means , however , that the panic signal , i . e . the carry output of the respective adder block , is to be used . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , all blocks below the block i , i . e . the block wherein the lsb is disposed , will be deactivated with regard to their panic signal . additionally , in the preferred embodiment shown in fig2 , the panic signal of the adder block , in which the lsb is disposed , will also be deactivated , since the carry path is here also limited , since it is the least significant “ active ” block of the calculating unit . this measure is advantageous in the case of a simple panic control , but it is , however , not absolutely necessary , when the normal clock cycle is held such that a carry can propagate over two complete blocks . when the normal clock , however , is chosen so that the carry can propagate across one block and at least part of the previous block , which does not comprise the least significant bit of the previous block , the block 206 , in which the lsb is , also has to be deactivated . depending on the chosen measure , the block , in which the lsb is , can be read with regard to the register cell of the register 224 of fig2 , in which either the first “ 0 ” is , or in which the highest “ 1 ” is , as in the example shown in fig2 . in an exemplary implementation shown in fig2 , the register 224 as an 8 - bit - wide output , wherein the control line becomes less wide by one bit after very line , so that , as is shown in fig2 , the register can be directly matched to the adder blocks . it should be noted that even in long - number calculating units with many adder blocks , a panic signal turnoff means has not necessarily to be present in all adder blocks , since not the whole calculating unit width has to be provided as underflow buffer . thus , merely , for example , the lowest eight adder blocks will be provided with the inventive measures , since adder blocks above that will never , per definition , obtain the least significant bit of the second operand . further , fig2 shows a panic line 62 as well as a double - panic line 64 already realized on bit level , which is active when the panic signals of two adjacent adder blocks are active . for each adder block , which can be the lsb block , further , means 230 is provided to be able to feed a carry c in into the carry input of the adder block . further , as it becomes more obvious from fig3 a to 3 e , means , which is not shown in fig2 , is also present , to prevent the carry at the carry output of a adder block , such as the carry output 216 of the adder block 200 from entering the carry input of the overlying adder block . fig3 a to 3 e show a sequence of register contents , which occurs , when the individual inventive measures are taken , to obtain an adaptive treatment of the adder blocks , lying below the adder block comprising the least significant bit . before reference will be made to fig3 a to 3 e in more detail , it should be noted that in the preferred elementary cell of the adder , such as the elementary cells 16 , 17 , 22 , 24 of fig1 , the following organization is preferred . a preferred elementary cell comprises , apart from the actual adder for adding the operands a , b , the operand registers itself . if , for example , considering a two - operand adder , an elementary cell comprises a memory location for the respective bit of the first print , a memory location for the respective bit of the second operand as well as a memory location for the respective sum bit c , obtained by addition of the first and second operand . when considering a three - operand adder , each elementary cell comprises three register memory locations for the three input operands and a register cell for the respective output bit . in this case , the adder itself consists of a half adder and a downstream full adder . fig3 a shows the register utilization of a first operand in a stacked up manner . for the example shown in fig3 a , it is assumed that the calculating unit comprises five adder blocks all in all , wherein the least significant bit of the first operand a is in the third adder block of the calculating unit . in fig3 b , the second operand register of the calculating unit is shown . the least significant bit of the second operand b is also in a third adder block . it should be noted , that meaningful bits are designated with crosses in fig3 a and 3 b , while unused bits are set to a value of “ 0 ” in the respective registers in the shown embodiment . an inversion of the second operand register leads to a situation as it is shown in fig3 c , i . e ., that all bits below the least significant bit , which means all bits of the first and second adder blocks , become 1 . now , the inventive calculating unit would generate a panic signal both for the first adder block and for the second adder block , since the propagate parameters of the two operands a and { overscore ( b )} are equal to 1 for the first and second adder block . these panic signals would , in the case shown in fig3 c , initiate not only a panic but even a double - panic , which is generated “ artificially ”. to prevent this case , the panic signals of the first and second adder blocks are turned off , as is shown in fig3 d , i . e . the carry path outputs of the first and second adder blocks are deactivated . above that , in fig3 d the preferred case is shown , wherein the panic signal of the third adder block , the block where the lsb is , is also deactivated . to bring the bits in the adder blocks no . 1 and no . 2 back to their initial state , i . e . the value of “ 0 ”, further , a carry c in is fed into every carry input of the respective adder blocks no . 1 and no . 2 , as it is shown in fig3 e . further , as it is also shown in fig3 e , a carry is also fed into the third block , where the lsb is , to consider the addition of “ 1 ” in the discussed subtraction equation . finally , as is shown in fig3 e at 250 , a carry barrier is introduced for all adder blocks below the adder blocks containing the lsb , such that the carry output signal of a block can enter the carry input of the next higher block . 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 . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .
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referring to the accompanying drawings , embodiments of the present invention will be explained . like parts are indicated by corresponding reference characters throughout all the figures , and repetitious explanation will be omitted . fig1 is a block diagram of a dram according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the dram , i . e ., the first embodiment , can operate in 2k - refresh cycle mode and 4k - refresh - cycle mode . as shown in fig1 a memory cell array ( hereinafter , referred to as the mca ) 1 is divided into eight sections mca 0 to mca 7 . an x - address buffer group 3 , which receives an address input signal a in , produces a plurality of x address signals . the x address signals are set to first x - addresses x 0 to x 8 and second x - addresses x 9 and x 10 for division operation of mca 0 to mca 7 , and to a third x address x 11 for changing the product specification . an x1 decoder 5 , which is supplied with the first x - addresses x 0 to x 8 , decodes the first addresses x 0 to x 8 to produce a signal for selecting a word - line ( a row ) of the mca . an x2 - decoder 7 is supplied with the second x addresses x 9 and x 10 and also with the third x - address x 11x via an address switching section 9 . when the 2 - kcycle dram is selected , the x2 decoder 7 decodes the second x - addresses x 9 and x 10 to produce a signal for simultaneously selecting one array from mca 0 to mca 3 and one array from mca 4 to mca 7 , a signal for selecting sense amplifiers 11 0 to 11 3 , and a signal for selecting i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . when the 4 - kcycle dram is selected , the x2 - decoder 7 decodes the second x - addresses x 9 and x 10 and the third x - address x 11 to produce a signal for selecting one array from mca 0 to mca 7 , a signal for selecting sense amplifiers 11 0 to 11 3 , and a signal for selecting the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . in fig1 blocks indicated by reference numerals 15 0 to 15 3 are word - line driving circuits , and blocks indicated by reference numerals 17 0 to 17 3 are sense amplifier driving circuits . a y - address buffer group 19 , which receives the address input signal a in , generates a plurality of y - address signals . the y - address signals are set to first y - addresses y 1 to y 11 and a second y - address y 0 . a y1 - decoder 21 , which is supplied with the first y - addresses y 1 to y 11 , decodes the first y - addresses y 1 to y 11 to produce a signal for selecting a bit line ( a column ) of the mca . a y2 - decoder 23 decodes the second y address y 0 to generate a signal for selecting , for example , one of the i / o sense amplifiers contained in the i / o sense amplifier group 13 . the dram of fig1 is provided with a product specification determining section 25 . the product specification determining section 25 is composed of a receiving section 27 that receives a product specification decision signal sds , a switching signal generator section 29 , connected to the receiving section 27 , for producing internal switching signals φ2 and φ4 to change a product specification according to the signal sds , and an address signal switching section 9 for selecting the destination of the address signal based on the signals φ2 and φ4 . the operation of the product specification determining section 25 will be explained . when the product specification decision signal sds specifies the 2 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ), the switching signal generator section 29 produces a 2 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ) switching signal φ2 , and supplies it to the address signal switching section 9 and i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the address signal switching section 9 , based on the signal φ2 , changes the third address x 11 to address x 11y and supplies the resulting signal to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . when the signal sds specifies the 4 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ), the switching signal generator section 29 , based on the signal sds , produces a 4 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ) switching signal φ4 , and supplies it to the address signal switching section 9 and x2 - decoder 7 . the address signal switching section 9 changes the third address x 11 to address x 11x based on the signal φ4 and supplies the resulting signal to the x2 - decoder 7 . the signals φ2 and φ4 are , for example , complementary to each other . the switching signal generator section 29 supplies the inversion in level of signal φ2 to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the data read operation of the 2 - kcycle refresh memory product and 4 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ) will be explained . in the case of the 2 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ), the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 is supplied with address x 11y , which activates the former . the control circuit 31 produces a signal for selecting either a pair of i / o sense amplifiers 13 0 and 13 1 or a pair of i / o sense amplifiers 13 2 and 13 3 . the x2 - decoder 7 produces a signal for simultaneously selecting one array from mca 0 to mca 3 and one array from mca 4 to mca 7 . the i / o sense amplifier group that finally supplies the data is one selected by the x2 - decoder 7 and control circuit 31 . the reading of data is done by causing the y1 - decoder 21 to decode the first y - address produced at the y - address buffer group 19 , amplifying the information from the memory cell at the i / o sense amplifier group that finally supplies the data , and supplying the output signal dout from the data output circuit 33 . in fig1 a block indicated by numeral 35 is a data input circuit to which the input signal din is supplied . in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ), address x 11x is supplied to the x2 - decoder 7 instead of the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the x2 - decoder 7 then produces a signal for activating only one array of mca 0 to mca 7 . the control signal 31 receives the inversion in level of signal φ2 , and based on the inverted signal , produces a signal for selecting either a pair of i / o sense amplifiers 13 0 and 13 1 or a pair of i / o sense amplifiers 13 2 and 13 3 . the i / o sense amplifier 13 finally activated is one selected by the x2 - decoder 7 and control circuit 31 . as described above , a semiconductor integrated circuit device thus constructed enables a single chip to deal with different refresh - cycles by switching the third x - address x 11 to either x 11x or x 11y at the switching section 9 . refresh operation is performed by selecting a word - line and at the same time , by operating the sense amplifiers 110 to 113 . the dram of fig1 is provided with a counter refresh circuit group 37 , which contains a counter circuit 39 . the counter circuit 39 is supplied with a signal ctrs for commanding the count start and switching signals φ2 and φ4 . the counter circuit 39 , based on the signal ctrs , supplies counter output signals c 0 to c 11 that count up x - addresses x 0 to x 11 in sequence , and based on the signals φ2 and φ4 , changes the number of output signals c 0 to c 11 . this is done to make the number of x - addresses equal to the number of counter output signals , because the 2 - kcycle product ( mode ) differs from the 4 - kcycle product ( mode ) in the number of x - addresses supplied to the row decoder ( x1 - decoder 5 and x2 - decoder 7 ). in this embodiment , when the switching signal φ2 is supplied , the counter circuit 39 will not supply signal c 11 . this is because the third x - address x 11 is ignored since in the case of the 2 - kcycle product ( mode ), the third x - address x 11 is not supplied to the row decoder ( x1 - decoder 5 and x2 - decoder 7 ). when the switching signal φ4 is supplied ( or when the level of switching signal φ2 is reversed and supplied ), the counter circuit 39 will supply signal c 11 . the dram of fig1 is provided with a word - line boosting section 41 , to which switching signals φ2 and φ4 and boosting signal φwl are supplied . the word - line boosting section 41 raises the word - line voltage based on the signal φwl . in fig1 numeral 43 indicates the boosting line to which a boosting voltage is supplied . in the present invention , the word - line boosting capacitance is also changed on the basis of signals φ2 and φ4 . this is done to optimize the level of the word - line boosting capacitance according to a change in the word - line load capacitance , since the number of word lines activated at a time in the 2 - kcycle product differs from that in the 4 - kcycle product . in the case of 2 - kcycle products , because two mcas are selected , this increases the number of word lines activated , making the load capacitance larger . to compensate for the increase in the load capacitance , the word - line boosting section 41 increases the word - line boosting capacitance based on signal φ2 in the case of the 2 - kcycle product . when signal φ4 is supplied ( or when the level of switching signal φ2 is inverted and supplied ; in the case of 4 - kcycle product ), the word - line boosting section 41 reduces the word - line boosting capacitance more than in the 2 - kcycle product . the peripheral circuitry of the fig1 dram contains a / ras ( hereinafter , / is used as a symbol indicating an inverted signal ) circuit group 45 , a / cas circuit group 47 , and a / we circuit group 49 . the details of these circuits will be omitted in this specification . fig2 is a circuit diagram showing a concrete construction of the product specification determining section 25 . as shown in fig2 the receiving section 27 is composed of a pad p connected to the output terminal 51 , and a resistance one end of which is connected to the junction point of the output terminal 51 and pad p and the other end of which is connected to the ground gnd . this section 27 allows the output terminal 51 to be set to either a h ( high ) level or a l ( low ) level depending on whether a wire applied with a high potential vcc is bonded to the pad p ( the decision signal sds is in the h - level ) or not ( the signal sds is in the l - level ). the output terminal 51 is connected to the input terminal 53 of the switching signal generator section 29 . the switching signal generator section 29 is made up of a first inverter 55 whose input is connected to the input terminal 53 , and a second inverter 57 whose input is connected to the output of the first inverter 55 . the output of the inverter 55 is extracted as a first refresh switching signal φ2 , and the output of the inverter 57 is extracted as a second refresh switching signal φ4 . the address switching section 9 is composed of switches ( transfer gates ) 59 1 to 59 4 consisting of n - channel mosfet ( hereinafter , referred to as nmos ) and p - channel mosfet ( hereinafter , referred to as pmos ) whose gates are supplied with switching signals φ2 or φ4 . the x - address buffer group 3 supplies an address signal a 11r ( x 11 ) and its inverted signal / a 11r (/ x 11 ). the address signal a 11r ( x 11 ) is supplied to one end of each of switches 59 1 and 59 2 . the other end of switch 59 1 is connected to the x2 - decoder 7 , and the other end of the switch 59 2 is connected to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the inverted signal / a 11r (/ x 11 ) is supplied to one end of each of switches 59 3 and 59 4 . the other end of switch 59 3 is connected to x2 - decoder 7 , and the other end of switch 59 4 is connected to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the gate of each of the pmos of switch 59 1 , nmos of switch 59 2 , pmos of switch 59 3 , and nmos of switch 59 4 is all connected to the output of the inverter 55 . the gate of each of the nmos of switch 59 1 , pmos of switch 59 2 , nmos of switch 59 3 , and pmos of switch 59 4 is all connected to the output of the inverter 57 . connecting this way allows either a pair of switches 59 1 and 59 3 or a pair of switches 59 2 and 59 4 to be selected and operated . for example , when the output of inverter 55 is in the h level and the output of inverter 57 is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle refresh product ), the switches 59 2 and 59 4 turn on , and address signal a 11r and its inverted signal / a 11r are supplied as addresses x 11y and / x 11y to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . contrarily , when the output of inverter 55 is in the l - level and the output of inverter 57 is in the h level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product ), the switches 59 1 and 59 3 turn on , and address signal a 11r and its inverted signal / a 11r are supplied as addresses x 11x and / x 11x to the x2 - decoder 7 . as noted above , the product specification determining section 25 , depending on whether to bond a wire applied with a high voltage vcc to the pad p or not , switches address signal a 11r and its inverted signal / a 11r either to the x2 - decoder 7 or to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . fig3 is a circuit diagram showing another construction of the receiving section 27 . the receiving section 27 of fig2 may be constructed as shown in fig3 . specifically , one end of the resistance r is connected to the high potential vcc , and the other end of the resistance r is connected to one end of the fuse f , the other end of which is connected to the ground gnd . the junction point of the resistance r and fuse f is connected to the output terminal 51 . in the receiving section 27 thus constructed , cutting the fuse f enables the output terminal 51 to be set to the h - level , and uncutting the fuse f allows the output terminal 51 to be set to the l - level . the receiving section 27 of fig3 operates in the same manner as that of fig2 . fig4 is a block diagram of the counter circuit 39 of fig1 . as shown in fig4 the counter circuit 39 is composed of counters 61 0 to 61 11 . the least - significant counter 61 0 is supplied with the signal ctrs commanding the count start and its inverted signal bctrs . the counter 61 0 , based on the signal ctrs and its inverted signal bctrs , supplies a counter output signal c 0 and its inverted signal bc 0 . the counter 61 1 in the next stage is supplied with the output ( signal c 0 and its inverted signal bc 0 ) of the counter 61 0 in the preceding stage . the counter 61 1 , based on the signal c 0 and its inverted signal bc 0 , supplies a counter output signal c 1 and its inverted signal bc 1 . in this way , counters 61 1 to 61 11 take in the outputs of the preceding stages , respectively , and based on the signals taken in , supply signals c 1 to c 11 and their inverted signals bc 1 to bc 11 in sequence . the most - significant counter 61 11 is supplied with the output ( signal c 10 and its inverted signal bc 10 ) of the counter 61 10 in the preceding stage ( not shown ) and switching signal φ4 . the counter 61 11 , only when , for example , supplied with the h - level switching signal φ4 ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product ), supplies counter output signal c 11 and its inverted signal bc 11 on the basis of signal c 10 and its inverted signal bc 10 . the counter 61 11 , when , for example , supplied with the l - level switching signal φ4 ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle refresh product ), supplies neither signal c 11 nor its inverted signal bc 11 . thus , for the 2 - kcycle refresh product , the output of the counter 61 11 is ignored . fig5 a to 5c are a circuit diagram showing a concrete construction of the counters of fig4 . the circuit configuration of each of counters 61 0 to 61 10 is the same , so that only counters 61 0 and 61 1 and the most - significant counter 61 11 will be described . fig5 a and 5b are circuit diagrams of counters 61 0 and 61 1 , respectively . as shown in fig5 a , the output of the clocked inverter 63 0 is connected to the input of the inverter 65 0 ( node a1 ). the output of inverter 65 0 is connected to the gate of each of pmos 67 0 and nmos 69 0 . the drain of pmos 67 0 is connected to that of nmos 69 0 ( node a2 ). the source of pmos 67 0 is connected to the drain of pmos 71 0 , and the source of pmos 71 0 is connected to a high potential power supply . the gate of pmos 71 0 is supplied with signal ctrs . the source of nmos 69 0 is connected to the drain of nmos 73 0 , and the source of nmos 73 0 is connected to a low potential power supply ( for example , the ground ). the gate of nmos 73 0 is supplied with the inverted signal bctrs . node a2 is connected to node a1 as well as to the input of the clocked inverter 75 0 , which is driven by the clock opposite in phase to that of the clocked inverter 63 0 . the output of the clocked inverter 75 0 is connected to the input of the inverter 77 0 ( node a3 ). the output of the inverter 77 0 is connected to the gate of each of pmos 79 0 and nmos 81 0 ( node a4 ). the drain of pmos 79 0 is connected to that of nmos 81 0 ( node a5 ). the source of pmos 79 0 is connected to the drain of pmos 83 0 , and the source of pmos 83 0 is connected to a high potential power supply . the gate of pmos 83 0 is supplied with the inverted signal bctrs . the source of nmos 81 0 is connected to the drain of nmos 85 0 , whose source is connected to a low potential power supply ( for example , the ground ). the gate of nmos 85 0 is supplied with the signal ctrs . node a5 is connected to node a3 . node a4 is connected to the counter output signal terminal cj ( c 0 ) ( node a6 ). node a6 is connected to the input of the inverter 87 0 ( node a7 ). the output of inverter 87 0 is connected to the inverted counter output signal terminal bcj ( bc 0 ). node a7 is connected to the input of inverter 63 0 . explanation of fig5 b will be omitted . the construction of fig5 b is almost the same as that of fig5 a except for input signals ( cj - 1 , bcj - 1 ) and output signals ( cj , bcj ). as shown in fig5 c , node a2 is connected to the gate of pmos 89 11 ( node a8 ) as well as to the gate of nmos 91 11 . node a8 is connected to node a1 . the drain of pmos 89 11 is connected to the source of pmos 93 11 . the source of pmos 89 11 is connected to a high potential power supply . the gate of pmos 93 11 is connected to signal cj - 1 ( c 10 ). the drain of nmos 91 11 is connected to the source of nmos 95 11 , which is also connected to the drain of nmos 97 11 . the gate of nmos 95 11 is supplied with the inverted signal bcj - 1 ( c 10 ). the drain of pmos 93 11 is connected to that of nmos 95 11 ( node a9 ). node a9 is connected to the drain of pmos 99 11 , whose source is connected to a high potential power supply . the gate of each of pmos 99 11 and nmos 97 11 is supplied with switching signal φ4 . node a9 is connected to node a3 . it is assumed that the first stage counter 61 0 is supplied with signal cj - 1 ( ctrs ) and inverted signal bcj - 1 ( bctrs ), and that the clocked inverter 63 0 and the clocked inverter 101 0 made up of pmos 79 0 and pmos 83 0 and nmos 81 0 and nmos 85 0 are turned on . in this state , the clocked inverter 75 0 and the clocked inverter 103 0 made up of pmos 67 0 and pmos 71 0 and nmos 69 0 and nmos 73 0 are in the off state because they are supplied with the clock opposite in phase to that of the clocked inverter 63 0 . as a result , a latch circuit composed of the inverter 77 0 and clocked inverter 101 0 latches a signal that brings node a4 to the h - level . this allows the counter output signal terminal cj to supply the h - level signal ( c 0 ), and the inverted counter output signal terminal bcj to supply the l - level signal ( bc 0 ). when the level of the clock signal is inverted , the clocked inverters 63 0 and 101 0 are turned off and the clocked inverters 75 0 and 103 0 are turned on . as a result , a latch circuit composed of the inverter 65 0 and clocked inverter 103 0 latches a signal that brings node a2 to the l - level . when node a2 is in the l - level , the clocked inverter 75 0 supplies the h - level signal , bringing node a4 to the l - level . therefore , the counter output signal terminal cj supplies the l - level signal ( c 0 ) opposite in level to that of the signal described above , and the inverted counter output signal terminal bcj supplies the h - level signal ( bc 0 ) whose signal level has been inverted . the next - stage counter 6 11 is supplied with the output signals c 0 and bc 0 and driven by them . the subsequent counters 61 2 to 61 10 operate the same way . the eleventh - stage counter 61 10 supplies signals c 10 and bc 10 , which are used to drive the final counter 61 11 . in the counter 61 11 , a low potential is supplied via nmos 97 11 to the clocked inverter 75 11 made up of pmos 89 11 , pmos 93 11 , nmos 91 11 , and nmos 95 11 . the gate of nmos 97 11 is supplied with the switching signal φ4 . because the l - level switching signal turns off nmos 97 11 , the clocked inverter 75 11 does not operate . thus , the counter 61 11 supplies effective counter output signal cj ( c 11 ) and inverted output signal bcj ( bc 11 ) only when the switching signal is in the h - level . fig6 a and 6b are circuit diagrams showing a concrete construction of the word - line boosting section 41 of fig1 . as shown in fig6 a , the word - line boosting section 41 contains a first boosting capacitor 105 1 and second boosting capacitor 105 2 . one electrode of each of the first and second boosting capacitors 105 1 and 105 2 is connected to the boosting line 43 . the line 43 is connected to the boosting driving circuit 15 0 to 15 7 shown in fig1 . the other electrode of capacitor 105 1 is connected to the output of the first word - line boosting circuit 107 1 , and the other electrode of capacitor 105 2 is connected to the output of the second word - line boosting circuit 107 2 . the input of the first word - line boosting circuit 107 1 is supplied with a boosting signal φwl . the input of the second word - line boosting circuit 107 2 is connected to the output of the and gate ( logical product gate ) 109 . the input of and gate 109 is supplied with the signal φwl and switching signal φ2 . each of the boosting circuits 107 1 and 107 2 is composed of two inverters connected in series between the input and output . the operation of the word - line boosting section 41 of fig6 will be explained . when both the boosting signal φwl and switching signal φ2 are in the h - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle product ), both boosting circuits 107 1 and 107 2 are activated . when the switching signal φ2 is in the l - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle product ), only the boosting circuit 107 1 is activated . thus , the boosting section 41 of the 2 - kcycle product supplies a higher boosting capacitance than that of the 4 - kcycle product . as shown in fig6 b , the boosting section 41 may be made up of the boosting circuit 107 2 connected between the input and output with the input being connected to a nand gate 111 . the boosting section 41 of fig6 b operates in the same manner as the boosting section 41 of fig6 a . fig7 is a block diagram showing another construction of the word - line boosting section 41 . as shown in fig7 the boosting line 43 connected to the second boosting capacitor 105 2 may be prepared as a mask option . specifically , in the manufacturing processes , the conducting layer patterning of the boosting line 43 may be designed to allow selection of a mask with the pattern of boosting line 43 connected only to the first boosting capacitor 105 1 or a mask with the pattern of boosting line 43 &# 39 ; connected to the second boosting capacitor 105 2 in addition to that of the first one . fig8 is a circuit diagram showing a concrete construction of the x2 - decoder 7 of fig1 . and gates 113 0 and 113 7 are provided as shown in fig8 . the inputs of and gates 113 0 to 113 7 are supplied with the second addresses x 9 (/ x 9 ) and x 10 (/ x 10 ) and the third address x 11x (/ x 11x ) in a different combination . the third address inputs of and gates 113 0 to 113 7 are connected to either the sources or drains of pmos 115 0 to pmos 115 7 . the gates of pmos 115 0 to pmos 115 7 are supplied with the switching signal φ4 . the outputs cbs0 to cbs7 of and gates 113 0 to 113 7 are extracted as cell array block select signals . the operation of x2 - decoder 7 will be explained . when the switching signal φ4 is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle product ), pmos 115 0 to pmos 115 7 are each turned on , causing the third address input to remain at the h - level . therefore , the third x - address input ( x 11x and / x 11x ) is ignored . when the switching signal φ4 is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle product ), pmos 115 0 to pmos 115 7 are each turned off , activating the third x - address input . as a result , and gates 113 0 to 113 7 take in addresses x 11x and / x 11x . fig9 is a circuit diagram showing a concrete construction of the i / o sense amplifier group 13 and i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 shown in fig1 . as shown in fig9 the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 contains and gates 117 0 and 117 1 . each of and gates 117 0 and 117 1 is supplied with the i / o sense timing signal φ ios and address x 11y and / x 22y . the third x - address input of each of and gates 117 0 and 117 1 is connected to the sources or drains of pmos 119 0 and pmos 119 1 . the gates of pmos 119 0 and pmos 119 1 are supplied with the switching signal φ2 . the outputs φ s01 and φ s23 of and gates 117 0 and 117 1 are extracted as the i / o sense amplifier group select signals to select the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . the operation of the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 will be explained . when the switching signal φ2 is in the l level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle product ), pmos 119 0 to pmos 119 7 are each turned on , causing the third x - address input to remain at the l level . therefore , the third x - address input ( x 11y and / x 11x ) is ignored . when the switching signal φ2 is in the h - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle product ), pmos 119 0 and pmos 119 1 are each turned off , activating the third x - address input . as a result , and gates 119 0 to 119 2 take in addresses x 11y and / x 11x . fig9 shows a primary portion of the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . as shown in fig9 the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 are each made up of or gates 121 0 to 121 3 and and gates 123 0 to 123 3 . the inputs of or gates 121 0 to 121 3 are supplied with block select signals cbs0 to cbs7 . the inputs of and gates 123 0 to 123 3 are supplied with the outputs of or gates 121 0 to 121 3 , and i / o sense amplifier select signals φ s01 and φ s23 . the outputs of and gates 123 0 to 123 3 are extracted as i / o sense timing signals φ ios0 and φ ios3 . fig1 is a block diagram of a dram according to the second embodiment of the present invention . this figure centers especially on the product specification determining section 25 . the dram shown in fig1 is a device where the x - address allocating method is the same as the y - address allocating method , such as a dram of a x1 bit construction . two types of products with different refresh - cycles can be obtained from a single dram of fig1 . in some devices , however , as the refresh cycle changes , the x address allocation and y address allocation change accordingly . they include x4 bit drams , x8 bit drams , and x16 bit drams , or multi - bit drams . in the multi - bit dram , as the refresh - cycle changes , the number of x - addresses and that of y - addresses change . therefore , to realize several types of products with different refresh - cycles , it is necessary to change the allocation of x - addresses and y - addresses according to the difference in refresh cycle . a dram according to the second embodiment is a device that allows the change of address allocation depending on the difference in refresh - cycle . fig1 is a block diagram of a x4 bit dram . in a dram of x4 bits with 2k - refresh cycles , the number of x - addresses is equal to that of y - addresses , or their addresses are symmetrical . for example , x - addresses range from x 0 to x 10 , and y - addresses range from y 0 to y 10 . in a dram of x4 bits with 4k - refresh - cycles , the number of x - addresses differ from that of y - addresses , or their addresses are asymmetrical . for example , x - addresses range from x 0 to x 11 , and y - addresses range from y 0 to y 9 . in the dram shown in fig1 , when the refresh - cycle is set to 4 - kcycles , x address x 11 is changed to address x 11x at the address switching section 9 , and then supplied to the x2 - decoder 7 . at this time , y - address y 10 is prevented from being supplied from the y - address buffer group 19 . a detailed description of this will be found in a later embodiment . when the refresh cycle is set to 2 - kcycles , y - address y 10 is changed to address y 11y at the address switching section 9 , and then supplied to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . at this time , x - address x 11 is prevented from being supplied from the x - address buffer group 3 . as with y - address y 10 , a detailed description of x - address x 11 will be found in a later embodiment . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the product specification determining section 25 of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the address switching section 9 contains switches ( transfer gates ) 59 1 to 59 4 composed of nmos and pmos elements . x - addresses x 11 ( a 11r ) and x 11 (/ a 11r ) are supplied to switches 59 1 and 59 3 , respectively . y addresses y 10 ( a 10c ) and / y 10 (/ a 10c ) are supplied to switches 59 2 and 59 4 , respectively . thus , when the switching signal φ2 is in the h - level and the switching signal φ4 is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ), y - addresses y 10 and y 10 are supplied as addresses x 11y and / x 11y to the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 via switches 59 2 and 59 4 . when the switching signal φ2 is in the l - level and the switching signal φ4 is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product ), x - addresses x 11 and / x 11 are supplied as addresses x 11x and / x 11x to the x2 - decoder 7 via switches 59 1 and 59 3 . the same reasoning may be applied to x8 bit and x16 bit devices . fig1 is a block diagram of a dram according to the third embodiment . this figure centers primarily on the product specification determining section 25 . the dram of the third embodiment enables the change of refresh cycle as well as bit construction . for example , a single dram may be formed into four types of products : a x1 bit product at 2 - kcycles , a x1 bit product at 4 - kcycles , a x4 bit product at 2 - kcycles , and a x4 bit product at 4 - kcycles . as shown in fig1 , the address switching section 9 , based on the switching signals φ2 and φ4 , supplies address y 10y to the column decoder 127 . in the dram of fig1 , for a x1 bit construction at 2k - refresh cycles , the address switching section 9 , based on the switching signals φ2 and φ4 , changes x - address signal x 11 to address y 10y to supply the latter to the column decoder 127 . for a x1 bit construction at 4k - refresh cycles , the address switching section 9 , based on the switching signals φ2 and φ4 , changes y - address signal y 10 to address y 10y to supply address y 10y to the column decoder 127 . for a x4 bit construction at 2k - refresh cycle and a x4 bit construction at 4k - refresh cycles , the address switching section 9 is prevented from supplying address y 10y . an alternative to this is to connect between the address switching section 9 and the column decoder 127 a circuit that ignores address y 10y based on the signal specifying a x4 bit construction . in this way , by constructing the address switching section 9 so that for a x1 bit construction , address y 10y may be produced from x - address or y - address based on the switching signals φ2 and φ4 , while for a x4 bit construction , address y 10y may be ignored independently of the switching signals φ2 and φ4 , it is possible to realize a dram that enables not only the change of refresh cycle but also that of bit construction . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the product specification determining section 25 of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the address switching section 9 contains switches ( transfer gates ) 59 1 to 59 4 and switches 129 1 to 129 4 composed of nmos and pmos elements . x - address x 11 ( a 11r ) is supplied to switches 59 1 to 129 1 . similarly , the inverted x address / x 11 (/ a 11r ) is supplied to switches 59 3 and 129 3 ; y address y 10 ( a 10c ) is supplied to switches 59 2 to 129 2 ; and the inverted / y 10 (/ a 10c ) is supplied to switches 59 4 and 129 4 . the switching signal φ4 is supplied to the gate of each of the nmos of switch 59 1 , the pmos of switch 59 2 , the nmos of switch 59 3 , the pmos of switch 59 4 , the pmos of switch 129 1 , the nmos of switch 129 2 , the pmos of switch 129 3 , and the nmos of switch 129 4 . the switching signal φ2 is supplied to the gate of each of the pmos of switch 59 1 , the nmos of switch 59 2 , the pmos of switch 59 3 , the nmos of switch 59 4 , the nmos of switch 129 1 , the pmos of switch 129 2 , the nmos of switch 129 3 , and the pmos of switch 129 4 . with the product specification determining section 25 of the above - described construction , when the switching signal φ2 is in the h - level and the switching signal φ4 is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle refresh product of x1 bits ), switches 59 2 and 59 4 turn on , so that y - addresses y 10 and / y 10 are supplied to the sense amplifier control circuit 31 via switches 59 2 and 59 4 . further , because switches 129 1 and 129 3 turn on , so that x - addresses x 11 and / x 11 are supplied to the column decoder 127 via switches 129 1 and 129 3 . when the switching signal φ2 is in the l - level and the switching signal φ4 is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product of x1 bits ), switches 59 1 and 59 3 turn on , so that x - addresses x 11 and / x 11 are supplied to the x2 decoder 7 via switches 59 1 and 59 3 . further , because switches 129 2 and 129 4 turn on , so that y - addresses y 10 and / y 10 are supplied to the column decoder 127 via switches 129 2 and 129 4 . between the address switching section 9 and column decoder is connected a circuit ( not shown ) that ignores addresses y 10y and / y 10y based on the signal specifying a x4 bit construction . to select a x4 bit construction , this circuit is used to prevent addresses y 10y and / y 10y from being supplied to the column decoder 127 . fig1 is a block diagram of a dram according to the fourth embodiment . this figure centers primarily on the product specification determining section 25 . the dram of this embodiment allows the change of refresh cycle to more than two different cycles , for example , any of 1 - kcycles , 2 - kcycles , and 4 - kcycles . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the receiving section 27 and switching signal generating section 29 of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the receiving section 27 contains two bonding pads p1 and p2 . pad p1 is supplied with a first product specification decision signal vr2k , and pad p2 with a second product specification decision signal vr1k . a first output terminal 200 connected to pad p1 is connected to a first input of a nor gate 202 . a second output terminal 204 connected to pad p2 is connected to a first input of a nand gate 206 . a second input of the nand gate 206 is connected to bonding pad p3 supplied with the signal x16 determining the bit construction . to select a x16 bit construction , a h - level signal is supplied to pad p3 . supplying a l - level signal to pad p3 allows the formation of the product of a x8 bit construction . the output of a nand gate 206 is connected to the input of an inverter 208 . the output of the inverter 208 is extracted as a first switching signal r1k , and is connected to the second output of the nor gate 202 . the output of the nor gate 202 is extracted as a third switching signal r4k as well as a second switching signal r2k via an inverter 210 . as shown in fig1 , among these switching signals r1k , r2k , and r4k , the signals r1k and r4k are supplied to the address switching section 9 and counter circuit 37 , while the signals r1k and r2k are supplied to the x - address buffer group 3 , y - address buffer group 19 , and word - line boosting section 41 . fig2 shows the logic of vr1k , vr2k , r1k , r2k , and r4k for each refresh cycle in the case of the x16 bit product . in the figure , character h indicates a h - level signal , and l a l - level signal . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the address switching section 9 of fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the address switching section 9 contains switches ( transfer gates ) 212 1 to 212 4 composed of nmos and pmos elements . the switch 212 1 is supplied with y - address y8 ( a8c ). similarly , the switch 2122 is supplied with x address x 11 ( a 11r ); switch 212 3 with y - address y 9 ( a9c ); and switch 212 4 with x - address x 10 ( x 10r ). the third switching signal r4k is supplied to the gate of each of the pmos of switch 212 1 and the nmos of switch 2122 . the switching signal r4k is also supplied via the inverter 214 1 to the gate of each of the nmos of switch 212 1 and the pmos of switch 212 2 . the first switching signal r1k is supplied to the gate of each of the nmos of switch 212 3 and the pmos of switch 212 4 . the switching signal r1k is also supplied via the inverter 214 2 to the gate of each of the pmos of switch 210 3 and the nmos of switch 212 4 . fig1 shows only the portions to which addresses y 8 , y 9 , x 10 , and x 11 are supplied , while omitting the portions to which the inverted addresses / y 8 , / y 9 , / x 10 , and / x 11 are supplied . the circuit arrangement of the portions to which the inverted addresses are supplied is the same as that shown in fig1 . with the address switching section 9 of the above construction , when the switching signal r1k is in the h - level and the switching signal r4k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ), switches 212 1 and 212 3 turn on , which allows y - addresses y 8 and y 9 to be supplied as output signals a and b by way of switches 212 1 and 212 3 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r4k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ), switches 212 1 and 212 4 turn on , which allows y - address y 8 and x - address x 10 to be supplied as output signals a and b by way of switches 212 1 and 212 4 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l level and the switching signal r4k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ), switches 212 2 and 212 4 turn on , which allows x - addresses x 10 and x 12 to be supplied as output signals a and b by way of switches 212 2 , and 212 4 . fig2 lists the destinations of outputs a and b for each refresh cycle in the case of the x16 bit product . characters y8y , y9y , x10x , and x11x in fig2 correspond to those in fig1 . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the x - address buffer group 3 of fig1 . fig1 a is a circuit diagram of the address generating section that produces addresses a0 to a11 ; fig1 b is a circuit diagram of the x - address generating section that produces x - addresses x0 ( a0r ) to x9 ( a9r ); and fig1 c is a circuit diagram of the x - address generating section that produces x - addresses x10 ( a10r ) to x11 ( a11r ). as shown in fig1 a , the address generating section 216 , which is supplied with an address input ain , produces an address aj and its inverted address baj from the address input ain on the basis of the row address accept signal racp . in this embodiment , 12 address generating sections 216 of fig1 a are used . these sections 21 60 to 216 11 generate addresses a0 ( ba0 ) to a11 ( ba11 ), respectively . in fig1 a , brhld indicates a row address hold signal ( b means the inversion of signal level ), brltc a row address latch signal ( b means the inversion of signal level ), and vrad a reference potential . the addresses a0 ( ba0 ) to a11 ( ba11 ) produced at the address generating sections 216 0 to 216 11 are supplied to the x - address generating sections 218 0 to 218 11 shown in fig1 b and 17c . based on the row address transfer signal brtrs ( b means the inversion of signal level ), the x - address generating sections 218 0 to 218 11 produce x - addresses x0 ( aor ) to x11 ( a11r ) from addresses a0 ( ba0 ) to a11 ( ba11 ). among the x - address generating sections 218 0 to 218 11 , 2181 0 and 218 11 have the circuit construction of fig1 c in order to cope with a change in the number of x - addresses due to the modification of refresh cycle . specifically , each of x - address generating sections 218 10 and 218 11 contains nor circuits 220 and 222 , and x - address is supplied after passing through these nor circuits 220 and 222 . the first inputs of the nor circuits 220 and 222 are supplied with signals c1 and c2 , respectively . the x - address generating sections 218 10 and 218 11 supply x - addresses or not , depending on the signals c1 and c2 . in this embodiment , the signals c1 and c2 are set as follows : in the generating section 218 10 that produces x - address x10 ( a10r ), the first switching signal r1k is used as signals c1 and c2 ; and in the switching section 218 11 that produces x - address x11 ( a11r ), the second switching signal r2k is used as signals c1 and c2 . in fig1 b and 17c , cj and bcj indicate the counter outputs , and ctrs a count transfer signal . with the x - address generating sections 218 10 and 218 11 of the aforesaid construction , when the switching signal r1k is in the h - level and the switching signal r2k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ), the generating sections 218 10 and 218 11 will not produce x - addresses x10 and x11 . as explained in fig1 , the 1 - kcycle - refresh product does not use x - addresses x10 and x11 ( but uses y - addresses y8 and y9 ). as a result , unnecessary x - addresses are not produced at the x - address buffer group 3 , thereby reducing the power consumption , or preventing erroneous operations . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r2k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ), the generating section 218 10 will produce x - address x10 , and the generating section 218 11 will not produce x - addresses x11 . thus , as with the 1 - kcycle - refresh product , unnecessary x - addresses are not produced at the x - address buffer group 3 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r2k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ), the generating sections 218 10 and 218 11 will both produce x - addresses x10 and x11 . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the y - address buffer group 19 of fig1 . fig1 a is a circuit diagram of the y - address generating section that produces y - addresses y0 ( a0c ) to y7 ( a7c ) and fig1 b is a circuit diagram of the y - address generating section that produces y - addresses y8 ( a8c ) to y9 ( a9c ). as shown in fig1 a and 18b , the y - address generating sections 224 0 to 224 9 , which are supplied with address input ain , produce y - addresses y0 ( a0c ) to y9 ( a9c ) from address input ain on the basis of a first column address latch signal cltc and the second column address latch signal cltd with a little delay behind the signal cltc . among the y - address generating sections 224 0 to 224 9 , 224 8 and 224 9 have the circuit arrangement of fig1 b in order to cope with a change in the number of y - addresses due to the modification of refresh - cycle . specifically , each of y - address generating sections 224 8 and 224 9 contains nor circuits 226 and 228 , and y - address is supplied after passing through the nor circuits 226 and 228 . the first inputs of the nor circuits 226 and 228 are supplied with signals d1 and d2 , respectively . the y - address generating sections 224 8 and 224 9 supply y - addresses or not , depending on signals d1 and d2 . in this embodiment , signals d1 and d2 are set as follows : in the generating section 224 8 that produces y - address y8 ( a8c ), the switching signal br2k , the inversion in signal level of the second switching signal r2k , is used as signals d1 and d2 ; and in the generating section 224 9 that produces y - address y9 ( a9c ), the switching signal br1k , the inversion in signal level of the first switching signal r1k , is used as signals d1 and d2 . with the y - address generating sections 224 8 and 224 9 of the aforesaid construction , when the inverted switching signal br1k is in the l - level and the inverted switching signal br2k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ), the generating sections 224 8 and 224 9 produce y - addresses y8 and y9 , respectively . when the inverted switching signal br1k is in the h - level and the inverted switching signal br2k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ), the generating section 224 8 will produce y - address y8 , and the generating section 224 9 will not produce y - address y9 . when the inverted switching signal br1k is in the h - level and the inverted switching signal br2k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ), none of the generating sections 224 8 and 224 9 produce y address y8 and y9 . fig1 is a circuit diagram of the counter circuit group 37 of fig1 . fig1 a is a circuit diagram of a counter that produces counter outputs c 0 to c 9 ; fig1 b is a circuit diagram of a counter that produces counter output c 10 ; and fig1 c is a circuit diagram of a counter that produces counter output c 11 . as shown in fig1 a , the counter 230 0 , which is supplied with counter transfer signal ctrs ( bctrs ), supplies counter output c 0 ( bc 0 ) based on the signal ctrs ( bctrs ). the counter 230 1 , which is supplied with counter output c 0 ( bc 0 ), supplies counter output c 1 ( bc 1 ) based on counter output c 0 ( bc 0 ). subsequent counters are connected the same way , and the counter 230 1 is supplied with counter output c 9 ( bc 9 ) as shown in fig1 b and 19c . the counter 230 10 supplies counter output c 10 ( bc 10 ) based on counter output c 9 ( bc 9 ). the counter 230 11 , which is supplied with counter output c 10 ( bc 10 ), supplies counter output c 11 ( bc 11 ) based on counter output c 10 ( bc 10 ). among counters 230 0 to 230 11 , 231 10 and 230 11 have the circuit arrangement of fig1 b and 19c in order to cope with a change in the number of x - addresses due to the modification of refresh cycle . specifically , the counter 230 10 contains a clocked inverter 232 10 that is turned on or off based on the switching signal br1k , the inversion in signal level of the switching signal r1k . the counter 230 11 contains a clocked inverter 232 11 that is turned on or off based on the switching signal r4k . thus , depending on the switching signals r1k and r4k , the counters 232 10 and 232 11 supply the counter signal or not . with the counters 232 10 and 232 11 of the aforesaid construction , when the switching signal r1k is in the h - level and the switching signal r4k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ), the counters 232 10 and 232 11 will not produce counter outputs c 10 and c 11 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r4k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle refresh product ), the counter 232 10 will produce counter output c 10 , and the counter 232 11 will not produce counter output c 11 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r4k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle refresh product ), the counters 232 10 and 232 11 will produce counter outputs c 10 and c 11 . fig2 is a circuit diagram of the word - line boosting section 41 of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , the word - line boosting section 41 is supplied with the first and second switching signals r1k and r2k . the boosting section 41 supplies the boosting capacitance wkm based on the signal φwl commanding the boosting start . this section 41 contains a nor gate 234 and nand gates 236 and 238 . the nor gate 234 has a first input supplied with the switching signal r1k , and a second input with the switching signal r2k . the nand gate 236 has a first input supplied with the signal r1k , and a second input with the signal φwl . the nand gate 238 has a first input supplied with the inversion in signal level of the output of nor gate 234 , and a second input with the signal φwl . with the word - line boosting section 41 of the above - described construction , when the switching signal r1k is in the h - level and the switching signal r2k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ), bringing signal φwl into the h - level allows one electrode of a first capacitor 240 1 to go to the h - level . similarly , one electrode of each of a second and third capacitors 240 2 and 240 3 also goes to the h - level . therefore , in the 1 - kcycle refresh product , the boosting capacitance potential wkm is produced by using capacitors 240 1 to 240 3 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r2k is in the h - level ( in the case of the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ), bringing signal φwl into the h - level allows one electrode of the first capacitor 240 1 to go to the l - level , and one electrode of each of the second and third capacitors 240 2 and 240 3 to go to the h - level . therefore , in the 2 - kcycle - refresh product , the boosting capacitance wkm is produced by using capacitors 240 2 to 240 3 . when the switching signal r1k is in the l - level and the switching signal r2k is in the l - level ( in the case of the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ), bringing signal φ / wl into the h - level allows one electrode of each of the first and second capacitor 240 1 and 240 2 to go to the l - level , and one electrode of the third capacitor 240 3 alone to go to the h - level . therefore , in the 4 - kcycle - refresh product , the boosting capacitance wkm is produced by using capacitor 240 3 only . fig2 shows how addresses are allocated . fig2 a shows the address allocation for the 1 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ); fig2 b for the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ); and fig2 c for the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ). fig2 is a block diagram showing the construction of the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 contain sense circuits s and select circuits 300 00 to 300 31 for selecting sense circuits s . the sense circuits s are supplied with outputs i / o 00 to i / o 31 from the sense amplifiers 11 0 11 3 . the select circuits 300 00 to 300 31 , which are supplied with signals e and f , produce signals for selecting a desired sense circuit s based on signals e and f . signal e is the output from the y2 - decoder 23 , and signal f is the output of the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the output of the sense circuit s selected by the select circuits 300 00 to 300 31 is , for example , output data d out . the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 of the above - described construction has the advantages of decreasing the number of data output lines 302 and simplifying the circuit arrangement of the data input / output system . fig2 is a block diagram showing another construction of the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 of fig1 . as shown in fig2 , the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 contain sense circuits s and select circuits 300 0 to 300 3 for selecting the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . the sense circuits s are supplied with outputs i / o 00 to i / o 31 from the sense amplifiers 11 0 to 11 3 . the select circuits 300 0 to 300 3 , which are supplied with signal f , produce signals for selecting a desired sense amplifier group 13 0 to 13 3 based on signal f . signal f is the output of the i / o sense amplifier control circuit 31 . the output signal from the sense amplifier group s selected by the select circuits 300 0 to 300 3 is supplied to a multiplexer circuit 304 , which selects a desired sense circuit s based on signal e , for example . the signal e is the output of the y2 decoder 23 . the output of the sense circuit s selected by the multiplexer circuit 304 is , for example , output data d out . the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 of the above - described construction has the advantage of simplifying the circuit arrangement of the i / o sense amplifier groups 13 0 to 13 3 . fig2 is a flowchart of a chip selecting method according to the present invention . this flowchart is used with a device that determines the product specification according to the bonding option shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , at step 1 , a pre - treatment wafer process is performed to form dram chips ( integrated circuit chips ) in the wafer . after the dram chips have been formed , at step 2 , a chip screening test is made to see whether the formed dram chips are acceptable or not . after this , a pause test ( a data retention test ) is carried out to determine how long the memory cell in the dram chips can retain the data . at step 3 , redundancy fuse - cut is performed to save the chips judged to be unacceptable at the step 2 chip screening test , to some extent ( redundancy techniques ). at step 4 , the wafer undergoes dicing , which divides the wafer into a plurality of dram chips . at step 5 , the chips are assembled . in this process , each chip is mounted on a bed and the chip &# 39 ; s pad is bonded to a lead . at this time , based on the result of the step 2 pause test , bonding is done to select a refresh - cycle mode . this process is done depending on whether a wire is bonded to the bonding pad p of the receiving section 27 of fig2 . this bonding determines , for example , the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) or the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) semipermanently . then , the packaging process is carried out to form the final product . after this , at step 6 , a final test is performed , and the products that have passed this test are put on the market . fig2 is another flowchart of a chip screening select method according to the present invention . this flowchart is used with a device that determines the product specification according to the fuse option shown in fig3 . as shown in fig2 , at step 3 , redundancy fuse - cutting is done . in this step , refresh - cycle select fuse cutting is also done . in this process , the fuse f of the receiving section 27 of fig3 is blown or not . as with the method of fig2 , this fuse cutting determines , for example , the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) or the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) semipermanently . since the chip select method determines the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) or the 4 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) on the bases of the result of the pause test , even if , for example , chips with memory cells whose pause time is shorter than the design pause time due to variations in the processes , they may be saved as the 4 - kcycle refresh product ( mode ), thereby improving the product yield . even in the course of manufacturing , it is easy to change the product specification from the 2 - kcycle - refresh product ( mode ) to the 4 - kcycle one or vice versa , providing flexibility in manufacturing products . fig2 shows the contents of step 2 in fig2 and 27 in detail . as shown in fig2 , the tests at step 2 are broadly divided into two tests : a chip screening test and a pause test . of these tests , the chip screening test is further divided into subtests : for example , an operating current test , a typical voltage test , an cell to cell interference test , and others . each test has its own optimum refresh - cycle . therefore , setting the optimum refresh - cycle before each test makes it possible to shorten the test time and improve the select capability , thereby improving the chip select test efficiency . for example , the operating current test in test item test a is made with a 2 - kcycle - refresh . with the operating current test with a 2 - kcycle - refresh , the chip select conditions can be made more severe than those with a 4 - kcycle - refresh , making it possible to select only chips with very high reliability . the typical voltage test in test item test b is carried out with a 4 - kcycle - refresh . in the typical voltage test with a 4 - kcycle - refresh , the short - circuit of word lines ( for example , adjacent word lines ) that is unacceptable in the 2 - kcycle - refresh product is acceptable in the 4 - kcycle - refresh product , thereby increasing the number of acceptable products . when 2 - kcycle - refresh products are to be obtained from the lot subjected to this test , however , there is a possibility that unacceptable products may also be included in them . to avoid this problem , the typical voltage test with 2 - kcycle - refresh should be made . when only 4 - kcycle - refresh products are obtained , the typical voltage test with 2 - kcycle - refresh may not be performed . in this way , the test may be made with 2 - kcycle - refresh or 4 - kcycle - refresh as required . the intercell interference test in test item test c is made with the 2 - kcycle - refresh product . the intercell interference test with a 2 - kcycle - refresh allows current to flow all memory cells in a shorter time than that with 4 - kcycle - refresh , thereby shortening the test time . for the tests not shown in fig2 , the respective optimum refresh - cycles are set similarly . fig2 is a sectional view of the pad p of fig2 . setting the optimum refresh - cycle for each test can be achieved by simply bringing the probe 28 of the wafer prober into contact with the bonding pad p as shown in fig2 , and applying a voltage to the receiving section 27 or not . the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments , and may be practiced or embodied in still other ways without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof . for example , in the foregoing embodiments , the decision signal sds to determine the product specification is supplied to the receiving section 27 by means of wire bonding or the cutting of fuse f . instead of the fuse f , a nonvolatile memory cell may be used to supply the decision signal sds depending on whether the cell turns on or not . also , the package may have an additional pin , to which the signal sds is supplied , so that the user can select one of the two refresh - cycle modes by supplying the signal sds to the additional pin , and the other refresh - cycle mode by not supplying the signal sds signal to the additional pin . further , the package may have two or more additional pins , to which the signals vr1k , vr2k are supplied , so that the user can select any desired one of three or more refresh - cycle modes by supplying the signal sds to one or more of the additional pins . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details , representative devices , and illustrated examples shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .
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there are a great many different implementations of the invention possible , too many to possibly describe herein . some possible implementations that are presently preferred are described below . it cannot be emphasized too strongly , however , that these are descriptions of implementations of the invention , and not descriptions of the invention , which is not limited to the detailed implementations described in this section but is described in broader terms in the claims . referring to fig2 , a rescuer uses an aed 10 to automatically monitor a victim during cardiac resuscitation . the aed 10 includes a speaker 16 , a display screen 18 , an analog to digital converter 20 , a processor 22 , and a defibrillator pulse generator 24 . the analog - to - digital converter 20 is connected to a set of ecg leads attached to the victim . the ecg leads monitor the electrical rhythms of the victim &# 39 ; s heart . the converter 20 sends the signals from the ecg leads to the processor 22 . the processor 22 monitors the victim &# 39 ; s heart for dangerous rhythms using the ecg signals while the victim is resuscitated using chest compressions techniques . if the aed 10 detects a dangerous heart rhythm , the aed 10 generates an alarm signal . the alarm signal is noticeable to the rescuer . the aed 10 can generate a defibrillating shock to the victim when the rescuer issues a command to the aed 10 . the defibrillating shock is intended to remedy the dangerous rhythm of the victim &# 39 ; s heart . the aed 10 uses a rhythm advisory method for a ) quantifying the frequency - domain features of the ecg signals ; b ) differentiating normal and abnormal ecg rhythms , such as vf ; c ) detecting the onset of abnormal ecg rhythms ; and d ) making decisions about the physiological states of the heart . this frequency - domain measure is reliable with or without the presence of the chest compression artifact in the ecg signals . the aed 10 , after identifying the current physiological state of the heart , can make a decision about appropriate therapeutic action for the rescuer to make and communicates the action to the rescuer using the speaker 16 and the display screen 18 . this rhythm advisory method can also be incorporated in an ecg rhythm classifier or a ventricular arrhythmia detector . the aed 10 may incorporate functionality for performing additional therapeutic actions such as chest compressions , ventilations , or delivery of intravenous solution containing metabolic or constitutive nutrients . based on the results of the analysis of the rhythm advisory method , the aed 10 may automatically deliver the appropriate therapy to the patient . the aed 10 may also be configured in “ advisory ” mode wherein the aed 10 will prompt the caregiver after the aed 10 has made a determination of the best therapy , and acknowledgement by the caregiver / device operator , in the form of a button press or voice - detected acknowledgement , is required before therapy is delivered to the patient . the aed 10 then analyzes the ecg signals to predict defibrillation success as well as to decide whether it is appropriate to defibrillate or to deliver an alternative therapy such as chest compressions , drugs such as epinephrine , constitutive nutrients such as glucose , or other electrical therapy such as pacing . in some examples , one or more therapeutic delivery devices 30 automatically deliver the appropriate therapy to the patient . the therapeutic delivery devices 30 are physically separate from the defibrillator aed 10 and control of the therapeutic delivery devices 30 may be accomplished by a communications link 32 . the communications link 32 may take the form of a cable connecting the devices 10 , 30 , but preferably the link 32 is via a wireless protocol such as bluetooth or a wireless network protocol such as institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 802 . 11 . bluetooth is a telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile computing devices can be interconnected using a short - range wireless connection . the therapeutic delivery device 30 can be a portable chest compression device that is commercially available as the autopulse ™, provided by revivant of sunnyvale , calif . in other examples , the therapeutic delivery device 30 is a drug infusion device that is commercially available as the power infuser ™, provided by infusion dynamics of plymouth meeting , pa ., or the colleague cxtm , provided by baxter healthcare corp ., of round lake , ill . the therapeutic delivery device 30 can be a ventilator that is commercially available as the ivent ™, provided by versamed of pearl river , n . y . the therapeutic delivery device 30 can also include multiple therapies such as defibrillation , chest compression , ventilation and drug infusion . in other examples , control and coordination for the overall resuscitation event and the delivery of the various therapies may be accomplished by a device 34 or processing element external to the aed 10 , for instance the device 34 may download and process the ecg data from the aed 10 ; analyze the ecg signals , perform the determinations based on the analysis , and control the other therapeutic devices 30 , including the aed 10 . in other examples , the aed 10 may perform all the processing of the ecg , including analyzing the ecg signals , and transmit to the control device 34 only the final determination of the appropriate therapy , whereupon the control device 34 would perform the control actions on the other linked devices 30 . the control device 34 is commercially available as the autopulse ™, provided by revivant of sunnyvale calif . the chest compression artifact can be separated from the ecg signal components in the frequency domain . this makes it possible for the aed 10 to process the ecg signal without halting the processing during cpr chest compressions . the compression rate during cpr chest compressions recommended by american heart association ( 2000 ) is 100 per minute or 1 . 7 hz and the frequency range used for quantifying the frequency - domain features of the ecg signals can be set to be higher than that ( preferably but not limited to be 3 hz and up ) using a high pass frequency filter . the rhythm advisory method quantifies the energy distribution of the ecg signal in the frequency domain with a quantification method . the quantification result can be used to differentiate normal and dangerous ecg rhythms with or without the presence of the chest compression artifact . in one method , the aed 10 breaks up the frequency domain of the ecg signal into analysis frequency bands . the aed 10 then analyzes the different frequency bands for energy or variation over time to determine an appropriate treatment for the victim . in the preferred embodiment , the bands are 0 . 5 hz in width , though they may also be divided into unequal widths such that additional resolution is provided for frequency bands that are of greater importance in the analysis . for instance , frequencies less than 3 hz may be subdivided into only three equally spaced bands while the range from 3 - 5 hz may have 0 . 5 hz bands , and the range of 6 - 12 hz may have 0 . 25 hz bands . each band may be composed of an aggregation of multiple spectral measurements . for each band , characteristics of the distribution of spectral measurements within the band mayinclude such descriptors , e . g ., as mean spectral energy , spectral energy variance , median spectral energy , maximum spectral energy , minimum spectral energy . in one example of the analysis frequency bands , the aed 10 generates the frequency bands based on peaks in the frequency spectrum . thus , one frequency band corresponds to the frequency spread of a given peak in the frequency spectrum . there are common algorithms for identifying peaks in the frequency spectrum that include calculating slopes and energy at different points of the frequency spectrum . for each of these peaks , the aed 10 uses a non - linear parameter estimation algorithm or curve fitting algorithm to estimate the shape of the peak . from this spectral shape , the aed 10 calculates parameters about the peak . the quantification method differentiates various spectral patterns and shapes . the aed 10 makes a decision about the physiological state of the heart and suitable therapy based on the quantification results . the quantification method of the rhythm advisory method is a combination of measures from sub - methods . some of these sub - methods differentiate various spectral shapes , including but not limited to : ( 1 ) the number of peaks in the target frequency range , ( 2 ) the relative strength / peak value of various spectral peaks , ( 3 ) the relative bandwidth of various spectral peaks and ( 4 ) the variance of the energy distributed in a selected frequency range . one or more sub - methods can also measure change in the spectral information over time . these measures can be combined in a multi - dimension space to enhance both the sensitivity and specificity of the decision . one or more information processing techniques can be used to quantify the combination following the computation of these measures in order to make a decision based on the combination . the information processing techniques can include but are not limited to simple combining rules or math , neural networks , expert systems incorporating fuzzy or standard logic , or other artificial intelligence techniques . the additional measures can also include measurement of velocity or acceleration of chest compression during chest compressions according to the techniques taught by u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 704 , 366 , method and apparatus for enhancement of chest compressions during chest compressions , filed on nov . 6 , 2003 . the information processing techniques include simple combining rules or math , neural networks , expert systems incorporating fuzzy or standard logic , or other artificial intelligence techniques . these techniques make a decision based on the combination of measures about the physiological state of the heart and suitable therapy . the different measures are individual indications that have varying degrees of uncertainty about the physiological state of the heart and suitable therapy . in some examples , the information processing technique is trained automatically using software techniques known to those skilled in this art and a database of ecg rhythms that include outcome data . these examples include neural networks . in other examples , the information processing technique is generated manually based on observations of ecg patterns and outcomes . these examples include simple combining rules or math , and expert systems utilizing fuzzy or standard logic . in the example of expert systems utilizing standard logic , a programmer manually generates logical rules without uncertainty , the rules specifying preconditions such as “ if measure a recommends defibrillation ” and “ if measure b recommends defibrillation ”, and if these preconditions are met , the aed 10 automatically defibrillates the patient . in the example of expert systems utilizing fuzzy logic , the rules are more “ fuzzy ” and the states to be combined incorporate some degree of uncertainty based on human language . for instance , the fuzzy logic rules can incorporate such input as “ measure a detects a strong need for defibrillation ” versus “ measure a detects a weak need for defibrillation ”. the fuzzy logic framework combines the different measures and outputs results such as “ strong need for defibrillation ” or “ weak need for defibrillation ”. the method of making the decision about the physiological state is to choose from a group of possible states , each of which corresponds to a predetermined value range of the proposed measure . the possible states can include but are not limited to normal sinus rhythm , vf , shockable ( unstable ) vt , stable vt , supraventricular rhythm , and pulseless electrical activity . one possible sub - method for the quantification method is the variance of the energy distributed in a selected frequency range , or variance sub - method . two examples of energy - distribution patterns are shown in fig3 a and 3b . the frequency spectrum plots of fig3 a and 3b are calculated using a fast fourier transform ( fft ) of a signal over time . referring to fig3 a , the energy y 1 ( f ) of a frequency spectrum 50 is concentrated within a narrow frequency band and represents a pattern found in an arrhythmic state such as vf . referring to fig3 b , the energy y 2 ( f ) of a frequency spectrum 52 is distributed over a wide frequency range and represents a pattern found in a non - dangerous heart rhythm or normal sinus rhythm . the variance sub - method quantifies the features of the two frequency spectra 50 , 52 and thus the variance sub - method can differentiate between an arrhythmic state and normal sinus rhythm . one example of the variance sub - method calculates the variance of the energy from a reference frequency ( f ref ) of the spectrum . possible candidates of the reference frequency include but are not limited to the mean frequency , the median frequency , the center frequency , or the peak frequency of the spectrum . in this example , the variance sub - method computes the weighted distance of each frequency component from the reference frequency of the spectrum and thus quantifies the energy - distribution pattern . an example of this measure , the energy - frequency variance ( efv ) can be calculated with the following mathematical equation : efv = ∫ ( f - f ref ) 2 × y ( f ) ⅆ f ∫ y ( f ) ⅆ f however , the variance sub - method is not limited to this mathematical equation . measures that quantify the weighted or un - weighted distance of the frequency components from a reference frequency of the frequency spectrum can be used for this measure . referring to fig3 a , energy of the spectrum 50 is concentrated within a narrow frequency range and thus the spectrum has a relatively small efv value . referring to fig3 b , energy of the spectrum 52 is distributed over a relatively wider frequency range and the spectrum has a relatively larger efv value . thus , the efv value can be used to distinguish between a normal sinus rhythm and an arrhythmic sinus rhythm ( e . g ., vf ). referring to fig4 , a spectrum 100 of a piece of an ecg signal is a function of time . part 102 of the signal shows a vf rhythm during chest compressions . part 104 of the signal shows a vf rhythm without chest compressions . the vf is terminated by an electrical shock 106 , which is followed by a period of normal sinus rhythm ( nsr ). during this nsr period , part 108 has no chest compressions while part 110 has chest compressions . chest compression artifacts that are characterized by strong low - frequency ( below 3 hz ) components can be observed in the first 15 seconds ( part 102 ) and the last 10 seconds ( part 110 ) of this time - frequency plot 100 . during the time periods 102 and 104 that are associated with vf ( i . e . before the electrical shock 106 ), the energy distribution y ( f ) above 4 hz is clearly concentrated in a small frequency range , with or without the presence of the chest compression artifact . during the time periods 108 and 110 of nsr ( i . e . after the electrical shock 106 ), the energy distribution y ( f ) above 4 hz has a pattern that the energy is distributed over a wide frequency range , with or without the presence of the chest compression artifact . referring to fig5 , an efv score 152 is calculated from the signal 100 ( shown in fig4 ). a threshold 154 can be used to distinguish an arrhythmic rhythm from a normal sinus rhythm . thus , during the first 50 seconds ( parts 102 and 104 having vf rhythm ) of the signal 100 , the efv score 152 is below the threshold 154 . referring to fig6 , a variance sub - method 200 is implemented in the software and / or hardware of the aed 10 . the ecg data acquired by the front - end analog to digital converter 10 of the aed 10 is processed in a segment - by - segment manner . the number of segments to be processed before a decision is made is predetermined ( e . g ., 9 segments ). the length of a segment is preferably 2 seconds and each segment preferably has a 1 - second overlap with both the segment before and after itself , for the desired frequency and time - domain resolution . the segment - counter is set ( 202 ) to be zero when the processing starts and the first segment of the signal is acquired ( 204 ). a high - pass filter with a desired cutoff frequency ( preferably but not limited to be 0 . 5 hz ) is then applied ( 206 ) to remove the baseline drift . the frequency - domain representation of the filtered signal is acquired via a fast fourier transform ( fft ) ( 208 ). the spectral shape is quantified ( 210 ) using a preferred method . in an example , the efv score is calculated based on this frequency - domain representation and the frequency range for the efv calculation is selected such that the low - frequency part where the chest compression artifact dominates is excluded . the segment counter is increased ( 212 ) by one after the quantification of the spectral shape . if ( 214 ) all of the predetermined number of segments have been processed , the quantification results are processed ( 216 ) to get a final score ( including but not limited to the mean value of the efv scores ), otherwise the next segment of ecg signal is processed . in some implementations , the final score is an average of the scores from the segments . an estimate of the physiological state of the heart can be made based on the final efv score . if ( 218 ) the final score is below a predetermined threshold , an arrhythmic rhythm is estimated ( 220 ). using the variance sub - method , the aed 10 compares a threshold to the final efv score to determine if the victim is in an arrhythmic state . otherwise the processed signal is estimated to be normal . in one example , a preset threshold of 6 is used . in other examples , other preset thresholds can be used . an arrhythmic sinus rhythm can be detected using the variance sub - method . these arrhythmic sinus rhythms can be different types of rhythms with different appropriate therapies . it may be difficult to distinguish between arrhythmic rhythms that are shockable rhythms and unshockable rhythms using only the variance sub - method . for example , vts that are shockable ( rates exceeding 120 - 150 beats per minute [ bpm ]) may not be distinguishable from non - shockable vts (& lt ; 120 bpm ) solely with the measure from the variance sub - method . thus , the quantification method preferably enhances the variance sub - method with at least one other spectral measurement in determining the appropriate therapy for detected sinus rhythms . the quantification method may also make decisions based on changes in the spectral parameters over time . multiple measures may be thought of as forming a matrix , but actual implementations need not employ matrices . in some implementations , the aed 10 may combine the frequency of the largest amplitude spectral peak ( lasp ) in the frequency spectrum with the measure from the variance sub - method to create a 1 × 2 matrix . in some implementations , aed 10 may additionally calculate the number of spectral peaks in the frequency representation of the ecg signal with amplitudes of at least 25 % of the lasp using conventional methods known to those skilled in the art of signal processing and spectral analysis and include this measurement in the vector . a frequency of the lasp ( flasp ) of less than 2 hz and the number of peaks ( nop ) less than 3 indicates that it is a shockable vt or vf , while a flasp of greater than 2 hz and an nop of less than 3 indicates a non - shockable vt . non - shockable supraventricular rhythms can have a nop greater than 3 . in other implementations , the aed 10 can combine information from the variance sub - method and the flasp and nop measure , using information processing techniques described previously , to estimate the physiological state of the heart and suitable therapy . a combination of the efv under a threshold and flasp & lt ; 2 hz and nop & lt ; 3 can indicate a shockable vt or vf for which appropriate therapy can be defibrillation . a combination of the efv under a threshold and flasp & gt ; 2 hz and nop & lt ; 3 can indicate a non - shockable vt for which appropriate therapy can be normal cpr . a combination of the efv under a threshold and nop & gt ; 3 can indicate a supraventricular rhythm for which appropriate therapy can be simply monitoring the patient or drug therapy . a descriptor matrix may take the form of a [ n × m ] dimensional matrix , where n = the number of peaks and m = the number of parameters used to describe the spectral shape . in one implementation with m = 6 , the six parameters are the following : 1 ) the frequency of the particular peak ( fp ); 2 ) the amplitude of that peak ( ap ); 3 ) the width of the peak ( pw ); 4 ) the depth of the peak ( dp ); 5 ) the variance of that peak ( vp ); and 6 ) the first moment of that peak ( fm ). peak number ( pn ) is a digit providing an identifier for each individual peak . for instance , initially the aed 10 detects 5 peaks , each pn numbered sequentially with frequencies at 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 hz . four seconds later in time , however , the aed 10 detects a peak at a new frequency of 4 . 5 hz and the peak is assigned a pn of 6 . the description matrix , which may be termed a spectral shape matrix ( ssm ), may include two header values , nop and a boolean value , gaussian peak ( gp ), which indicates that for spectral shapes that have a single peak ( nop = 1 ) and gp = true , that the spectral shape may be described by a parameter subset of only fp , ap , and vp . the ssm may preferably take the form : fp 1 ap 1 pw 1 vp 1 fm 1 fp 2 ap 2 pw 2 vp 2 fm 2 fp 3 ap 3 pw 3 vp 3 fm 3 … … fp n ap n pw n vp n fm n since fibrillation is a chaotic rhythm , the fp frequencies may vary at a rate faster than the time window of the short - time fourier transform . for instance , if the time window for computing the fourier transform to generate a frequency spectrum is set for 4 seconds , the fps for adjacent time windows ( and corresponding frequency spectrums ) will appear to jump from one frequency to the next . if , however , the aed 10 applies a standard short time fourier transform to the signal while at the same time increasing the rate at which a fourier transform is performed on the incoming data , the time window will be reduced and thus there will be a loss in the spectral resolution of the fourier transform . thus , in one example , the aed 10 simultaneously performs multiple fourier transforms on the ecg data with each subsequent transform initiated 400 milliseconds after initiation of the previous transform and a time window of 4 seconds , resulting in the aed performing 10 simultaneous transforms of data in a time window of 4 seconds . thus , the data for each transform has some overlap with data for adjacent transforms . in such a manner , the aed 10 maintains both spectral and time resolution . the aed 10 may calculate additional header values that describe generic aspects of the ecg spectrum . these additional header values may include , for instance , the amplitude spectrum area ( amsa ) as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 957 , 856 or the variance measure , as described previously . these values , along with nop and gp , can be thought of as forming a vector on which matrix operations and transformations may be performed independently of , or combined with , the matrix formed by the parameters for the individual peaks . the aed 10 can then perform matrix operations and transformations known to those skilled in the art on the ssm . the aed 10 can also calculate the ssm at regular intervals in time , to generate a [ n × m × p ] dimensional matrix , where p is the number of samples in the time interval of interest . each ssm may be thought of as a point in [ n , m ]- space that then forms a trajectory in the [ n , m , p ]- space . the aed 10 then analyzes this trajectory to predict defibrillation success as well as to decide whether it is appropriate to defibrillate or deliver an alternative therapy such as chest compressions , drugs such as epinephrine , constitutive nutrients such as glucose , or other electrical therapy such as pacing . the aed 10 may identify one or more peaks in the frequency spectrum . for each of these identified peaks , the aed 10 identifies a frequency band corresponding to the peak . the aed 10 may determine the peak model parameters , e . g . fp , ap , and pw , iteratively by a nonlinear parameter estimation or curve fitting routine for each peak &# 39 ; s frequency band . for example , the aed 10 may use the marquardt - levenberg algorithm to minimize the error in the nonlinear parameter estimation or chi - square , χ 2 , where χ 2 is expressed as follows . χ 2 ( p ) = 1 n - p ∑ i [ m ( i ) - s ( i ; p ) m ( i ) ] 2 . for this expression , there are n recorded energy values , m ( i ) are the recorded energy values , and s ( i ; p ) is the synthesized model curve energy values , sampled at points i in dependence on p varying parameter values . the term enclosed in brackets corresponds to the normalized residuals r ( i ), which provide a weighted measure of the difference between the fit curve and the data at each measured frequency value m ( i ). the aed 10 uses either the height - normalized lorentzian function , l ( e ), or the gaussian function , g ( e ) to model an energy function for each of the spectral peaks where e is a frequency . in the case of l ( e ): l ( e ) = { 1 + [ e - e 0 β ] 2 } - 1 . g ( e ) = exp { - ln 2 · [ ( e - e 0 ) β ] 2 } . both functions l ( e ), g ( e ) are completely characterized by the peak parameters β , corresponding to ½ the peak width at half - maximum peak amplitude and e 0 , the peak position or fp . the aed 10 can model skew of the peak by combining the gaussian g ( e ) and lorentzian l ( e ), with β replaced by the term β + α ( e − e 0 ). the aed 10 can also add in a factor h to allow for varying peak heights . the result is function f ( e ). the aed 10 calculates f ( e ) as follows . f ( e ) = h · { 1 + m · [ e - e 0 β + α ( e - e 0 ) ] 2 } - 1 · exp { ( - 1 - m ) · ln 2 · [ e - e 0 β + α ( e - e 1 ) ] 2 } some of the advantages of this product - type peak shape model f ( e ) are the availability of analytical presentations of the partial derivatives of f ( e ) with respect to the parameters , which are needed in the marquardt - levenberg algorithm to establish the jacobi matrix , the analytical value of β , and a faster convergence of the iterative estimation process . the depth of each peak is estimated either by incorporating a baseline curve into the marquardt - levenberg algorithm , or by simply determining the two minimum points of the spectrum for a region around the estimated peak . thus , using techniques known to one skilled in this art , the aed 10 can compute the spectral shape parameters of the peak : fp , ap , pw , dp , vp , and fm from the function f ( e ). if the aed 10 finds a peak in the immediately subsequent time interval for which the ap and fp value does not vary by more than preferably 10 %, then that second peak is considered to have the same peak number , pn , indicating that it is the same peak with a shift in frequency and amplitude . in such a fashion , the aed 10 can develop trajectories for the parameters for each particular peak as well as for the overall descriptor matrix . the aed 10 can add a new peak at any time during the event , in which case the aed 10 gives the new peak a new pn value . if the aed 10 determines that a peak is extinguished , the pn number is maintained in memory of the aed 10 . in the processing of candidates for new peaks , the sub - method reviews all extinguished peaks to first determine if the new peak is actually an extinguished peak , in which case the candidate is not given a new pn , and instead is given the pn number of the extinguished peak . prior to a successful shock of a heart in a dangerous rhythm , one or more parameters ap , dp , vp , fp , pw of peaks in the 6 - 12 hz range of the frequency spectrum can oscillate with a cycle rate in the range of 0 . 1 - 1 hz . thus , detection of this oscillation through multiple time windows and frequency spectrums can be incorporated into the information processing technique as an additional sub - method that can recommend defibrillating the heart . furthermore , the sub - method can recommend timing the defibrillating shock when the peaks are at a maximum energy in the 0 . 1 - 1 hz cycle . for example , the sub - method can recommend timing the delivery of the defibrillation shock to occur during the 100 millisecond fourier transform cycle when the aps in the 6 - 12 hz region are at a maximum . when the particular ap - maximum cycle has be found , the aed 10 waits to deliver the defibrillation shock until the aed 10 detects the peak of the waveform after it has been band pass - filtered with a center frequency of 7 hz . this sub - method synchronizes the shock with the elements of the ecg waveform that are most related to the normal sinus qrs . the parameters fp , ap , and pw of peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region may also undergo oscillations indicating a change in the state of the heart as shown in fig7 a and 7b , which depict the spectrum as measured at two points in time , separated by an interval of 4 seconds . for a heart that has been in fibrillation for a period of time , the ecg undergoes a gradual degradation in the values of the parameters fp , ap , and pw of peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region of the frequency spectrum . as described previously , suitable therapy for a heart that has been in fibrillation for a period time is to do chest compressions and then defibrillate . this degradation is measured over at least a 8 - 10 second interval . this is an additional sub - method for the information processing technique . for example , if the aed 10 detects the aps of at least two peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region of the frequency spectrum decreasing by at least 15 % over a 10 second interval , the sub - method recommends chest compressions and then defibrillation . if the circulation and metabolic substrate of the heart improve to the point that the heart is more likely to be able to recover from a defibrillation shock , changes in the parameters fp , ap , and pw of peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region of the frequency spectrum will provide precursors to changes in the ecg that might be seen in the time domain of the ecg signal , such as an increase in the amplitude of the ventricular fibrillation ecg ( often termed “ coarsening ” by medical practitioners ). if the aed 10 detects an increase in the parameters fp , ap , dp , vp or pw of peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region of the frequency spectrum , for instance as shown in fig7 b , a sub - method will recommend ceasing chest compressions or other current therapy and then defibrillation . the peak frequencies , fp , for the peaks in the 6 - 12 hz region of the frequency spectrum can vary over time less when the condition of the heart is improving and thus the heart can handle the shock of defibrillation . this may be due to the presence in the myocardial activations of more normal activity at low levels manifesting in harmonics of the sinus rhythm fundamental frequency . this variation in the peak frequencies may be measured as the ratio of the average change in frequency in the region of 6 - 12 hz with that of the fps in the frequency range of 3 - 6 hz or measured as an absolute change for fps in the range of 6 - 12 hz . this sub - method , upon detecting the variation in the peak frequencies , recommends defibrillation to the information processing technique . it is also possible for a sub - method to project the [ n × m × p ] trajectory of the ssm matrix onto a plane within the [ n × m ]- space and then analyze the form taken by the projection of the trajectory in the plane to determine the appropriate time to shock or the optimal treatment . the projection may include up to ( n + m ) variables of different weightings , though it preferably is a projection that is primarily along the vp axis of the [ n × m ]- space . in the plane projection , image mensuration algorithms are employed to evaluate the features of the two dimensional projection of the trajectory . the following are some of the preferred mensuration classes for which measurements are made by means known to those skilled in the art : area , centroid , circularity , clustering , compactness , maximum axis , minimum axis , and perimeter . for instance , the minimum axis may be determined as follows . the minimum axis of an object is formally defined as the axis of maximum inertia ( dispersion ) passing through the centroid . one method to calculate the minimum axis is to compute the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the scatter matrix comprised of the coordinate points of the object . the eigenvector corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue is the minimum axis . another method is to fit an ellipse to the object perimeter . the projection may be calculated for a specific duration of time , for instance 10 seconds , resulting in a series of 2 - dimensional objects that are representations of the trajectory in time — so - called projection “ snap - shots ”. it then becomes possible to analyze trends in the time series of values in the mensuration classes for changes indicative of improving physiological conditions . for instance , an increased amplitude in vp oscillation during vf is indicative of an improving physiological state . in this case , the aed 10 would then provide feedback to the caregiver to continue performing the rescue operation as they have with an audible prompt such as , “ keep up the good work . the patient &# 39 ; s condition is improving .” other such mensuration classes that are of value to track over time are the maximum axis angle , the perimeter and compactness . methods such as the kalman filter may be used for the estimation and prediction of the trajectory . the kalman filter estimates a process by using a form of feedback control : the filter estimates the process state at some time and then obtains feedback in the form of ( noisy ) measurements . as such , the equations for the kalman filter fall into two groups : time update equations and measurement update equations . the time update equations are responsible for projecting forward ( in time ) the current state and error covariance estimates to obtain the a priori estimates for the next time step . the measurement update equations are responsible for the feedback — i . e . for incorporating a new measurement into the a priori estimate to obtain an improved a posteriori estimate . the time update equations can also be thought of as predictor equations , while the measurement update equations can be thought of as corrector equations . indeed the final estimation algorithm resembles that of a predictor - corrector algorithm for solving numerical problems . k k = p k − h t ( hp k − h t + r ) − 1 { circumflex over ( x )} k ={ circumflex over ( x )} k − + k k ( z k − h { circumflex over ( x )} k − ) the first task during the measurement update is to compute the kalman gain , k k , the next step is to actually measure the process to obtain , and then to generate an a posteriori state estimate by incorporating the measurement , z k . the final step is to obtain an a posteriori error covariance estimate , p k . after each time and measurement update pair , the process is repeated with the previous a posteriori estimates used to project or predict the new a priori estimates . this recursive nature is one of the very appealing features of the kalman filter — it makes practical implementations much more feasible than ( for example ) an implementation of a wiener filter which is designed to operate on all of the data directly for each estimate . the kalman filter instead recursively conditions the current estimate on all of the past measurements . the equation , { circumflex over ( x )} k ={ circumflex over ( x )} k − + k k ( z k − h { circumflex over ( x )} k − ) one of the primary limitations of the kalman filter is that it only models a linear system with gaussian distribution , not often encountered in the physiological setting . the best known algorithm to solve the problem of non - gaussian , nonlinear filtering is the extended kalman filter ( ekf ). this filter is based upon the principle of linearizing the measurements and evolution models using taylor series expansions . the series approximations in the ekf algorithm can , however , lead to poor representations of the nonlinear functions and probability distributions of interest . as a result , this filter can diverge . based on the hypothesis that it is easier to approximate a gaussian distribution than it is to approximate arbitrary nonlinear functions other researchers have developed a filter termed the unscented kalman filter ( ukf ). it has been shown that the ukf leads to more accurate results than the ekf and that in particular it generates much better estimates of the covariance of the states ( the ekf often seems to underestimate this quantity ). the ukf has , however , the limitation that it does not apply to general non - gaussian distributions as is often the case with the ecg spectral distributions . sequential monte carlo methods , also known as particle filters overcome this limitation and allow for a complete representation of the posterior distribution of the states , so that any statistical estimates , such as the mean , modes , kurtosis and variance , can be easily computed . particle filters can therefore , deal with any nonlinearities or distributions . particle filters rely on importance sampling and , as a result , require the design of proposal distributions that can approximate the posterior distribution reasonably well . in general , it is hard to design such proposals . the most common strategy is to sample from the probabilistic model of the states evolution ( transition prior ). this strategy can , however , fail if the new measurements appear in the tail of the prior or if the likelihood is too peaked in comparison to the prior . in the preferred implementation , a estimator / predictor trajectory tracking technique known as the unscented particle filter ( upf ) as developed by merwe , doucet , freitasz and wan . pseudocode for the upf is as follows : for i = 1 , . . . n , draw states ( particles ) x 0 ( i ) from the prior p ( x 0 ) and set , x ¨ 0 ( i ) = e [ x o ( i ) ] p 0 ( i ) = e [ ( x o ( i ) - x ¨ 0 ( i ) ) ( x 0 ( i ) - x ¨ 0 ( i ) ) t ] x ¨ 0 ( i ) a = e [ x ( i ) a ] = [ ( x ¨ 0 ( i ) ) t 00 ] t p 0 ( i ) a = e [ ( x o ( i ) a - x o ( i ) a ) ( x 0 ( i ) a - x ¨ 0 ( i ) a ) t ] = [ p o ( i ) 0 0 0 q 0 0 0 r ] χ i - 1 ( i ) a = [ x ¨ i - 1 ( i ) a x ¨ i - 1 ( i ) a ± ( n a + λ ) p i - 1 ( i ) a ] χ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) x = f ( χ l - 1 ( i ) c , χ i - 1 ( i ) u ) x ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) = ∑ j = 0 3 n a w j ( m ) χ j , i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) a p i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) = ∑ j = 0 2 n a w j ( a ) [ χ j , l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) x - x ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) ] [ χ j , i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) a - x ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) ] t y i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) = h ( χ l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) z , χ i - 1 ( i ) n ) y ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) = ∑ j = 0 2 n a w j ( m ) y j , l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) p y ¨ i y ¨ i = ∑ j = 0 2 n a w j ( a ) [ y j , i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) - y ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) ] [ y j , l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) - y ¨ l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) ] t p x i y i = ∑ j = 0 2 n a w j ( a ) [ χ j , l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) - x ¨ l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) ] [ y j , l ❘ i - 1 ( i ) - y ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) ] t k i = p x i y i p y ¨ i y ¨ i - 1 x ¨ l ( i ) x ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) + k i ( y i - y ¨ i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) ) p ^ l ( i ) = p i ❘ l - 1 ( i ) - k i p y ¨ i y ¨ i k l t sample x ^ l ( i ) ~ q ( x l ( i ) ❘ x 0 : l - 1 ( i ) , , y 1 : l ) = n ( x ¨ l ( i ) , p ^ l ( i ) ) set x ^ 0 : l ( i ) = δ ( x 0 : i - 1 ( i ) , x ^ l ( i ) ) and p ^ 0 : i ( i ) ( p 0 : i - 1 ( i ) , p ^ l ( i ) ) for i = 1 , . . . n , evaluate the importance weights up to a normalizing constant : ω i ( i ) ∝ p ( y i | x ^ i ( i ) ) p ( x ^ i ( i ) | x i - 1 ( i ) ) q ( x ^ i ( i ) | x 0 : i - 1 ( i ) , y 1 : i ) c ) output : the output of the algorithm is a set of samples that can be used to approximate the posterior distribution as follows : p ( x 0 : i | y 1 : i ) ≈ p ^ ( x 0 : i | y 1 : i ) = 1 n ∑ i = 1 n δ ( x 0 : i ( i ) ) ( dx 0 : i ) e ( g i ( x 0 : i ) ) = ∫ g i ( x 0 : i ) p ( x 0 : i | y i : i ) ⅆ x 0 : i ≈ 1 n ∑ i = 1 n g i ( x 0 : i ( i ) ) for some function of interest , g t , for instance the marginal conditional mean or the marginal conditional covariance or other moment . in one implementation the prediction matrix may be used to anticipate the optimal therapeutic intervention . rather than wait for the characteristics of the parameters or trajectory to achieve a certain condition , the algorithm will base its output on the predicted future state of the patient using the tracking and prediction algorithms mentioned above . transform methods other than the fourier method may be employed , for instance the laplace , hilbert , radon , and hankel transforms , as well as time frequency transforms such as the gabor short time fourier transform and the wavelet transform . other data besides ecg data may be included as part of the description matrix and incorporated into the analysis algorithm , for instance pulse oximetry , capnography , respiration , impedance cardiography and blood pressure measurements . at least some of the data may remain in the time domain without any fourier or other transform method being performed on it . pulse oximetry , impedance cardiography , and blood pressure measurements may be used to augment the ecg to determine if a pulse is present . capnography may be used to determine the overall effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation . large (˜ 5 ″ in diameter ), self - adhesive electrode pads are typically used to deliver defibrillation therapy to patients . the pads also provide ecg monitoring through the same conductive surfaces . in one implementation , additional small (˜ 0 . 5 ″ diameter ) ecg electrodes are integrated into the large pads that provide simultaneous monitoring of at least one additional electrical vector that is approximately orthogonal to the monitoring vector produced by the large defib / monitoring electrodes . a second matrix is then formed , identical in structure to the original ssm , but based on the orthogonal leads . the aed 10 can then perform techniques such as cross correlation on the two matrices to verify state changes . in one embodiment , the two small ecg electrodes and large pads are configured such that there at least two mutually orthogonal ecg leads are generated . the vector sum of these leads generates a trajectory over time . the same methods for trajectory analysis described above may be used to analyze this trajectory as well . as described previously , the aed 10 combines these sub - methods to determine appropriate therapy for the rescuer to perform on the victim . if uncertainty is included in the combination , the probability of defibrillation success is shown on the display of the device as a number between zero and one hundred , allowing the trained medical person such as a paramedic to make his own decision as to whether to shock the patient . in an implementation where the variance sub - method is used , the aed 10 may be configured such that the vf detection algorithm employing spectral variance may provide notification in the form of an audible or visual alarm indication that the paramedic should stop doing compressions for a more accurate analysis of the ecg waveform . in a more automated implementation , if the aed 10 determines that defibrillation has a low probability of success , the aed 10 may prompt the rescuer to perform cpr . during the course of cpr , the aed 10 may analyze the ecg continuously and prompt the rescuer to cease doing cpr when the aed 10 determines that the myocardium will be receptive to defibrillation . following the defibrillation , the aed 10 may prompt the rescuer to deliver uninterrupted chest compressions , and the aed 10 may again monitor the underlying ecg waveform during compressions for the appropriate time to deliver the defibrillation therapy . as a result of the spectral analysis , the aed 10 may also determine that neither defibrillation nor cpr is appropriate , but rather drug and metabolic therapy such as epinephrine and glucose is appropriate , in which case the aed 10 will prompt the rescuer to deliver the appropriate therapy . many other implementations of the invention other than those described above are within the invention , which is defined by the following claims .
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referring to fig1 to 3 , there is shown a manifold converter 31 which is a first embodiment of the present invention . in the following description , parts and constructions which are substantially the same as those in the afore - mentioned conventional manifold converter 1 will be denoted by the same numerals and detailed explanation of them will be omitted for facilitation of description . in fig1 there is shown a partially sectioned side view of the manifold converter 31 . similar to the afore - mentioned manifold converter 1 , the converter 31 of the present invention is vertically held by an associated internal combustion engine ( not shown ). as is best seen from fig1 the manifold converter 31 of the first embodiment comprises a housing 33 which has an oval cross section . the housing 33 is constructed of two metal shells 33a and 33b which are assembled to constitute a vessel structure . more specifically , the two shells 33a and 33b are welded at their mating edges to constitute a robust housing . within an enlarged container part 35 of the housing 33 , there is tightly installed a catalyser carrier unit 7 which has an oval cross section . the housing 33 has respective diffusers 37 and 39 at upstream and downstream portions thereof with respect to the catalyser carrier unit 7 . as is seen from fig3 the upstream diffuser 37 has gas inlet ports 37a connected with outlet pipes 5a , 5b , 5c and 5d of an exhaust manifold 5 which is mounted to one side of the associated internal combustion engine ( not shown ). while , the downstream diffuser 39 has a gas outlet port 39a connected with an exhaust pipe ( not shown ). the gas outlet port 39a is formed with a flange 17 . as is shown in fig1 along upper and lower peripheral edges of the catalyser carrier unit 7 , there extend respective shock absorbing members 21 and 23 which are pressed against diametrically reduced upper and lower portions of the container part 35 . thus , the catalyser carrier unit 7 is held in the container part 35 through the shock absorbing members 21 and 23 . furthermore , between the catalyser carrier unit 7 and the container part 35 , there are installed corrugated support members 25a and 25b and a foamed sealing mat 27 . as shown , the foamed sealing mat 27 is positioned at a lower part of the catalyser carrier unit 7 . preferably , the foamed sealing mat 27 is constructed of &# 34 ; interlum mat &# 34 ; ( trade name ) supplied by sumitomo 3m co . ltd . due to provision of the sealing mat 27 , the clearance between the catalyser carrier unit 7 and the container part 35 is hermetically sealed , so that gas fed to the upstream diffuser 37 is forced to travel through only the catalyser carrier unit 7 . as is shown in fig2 and 3 , by means of an after - mentioned structure , a shroud 47 is mounted to an outer side of the housing 33 , which side is remote from the engine . in the first embodiment , the following measure is employed for eliminating the above - mentioned drawbacks of the conventional converter 1 . that is , two binding structures 41 are employed for binding the container part 35 of the housing 33 . with these binding structures 41 , the thermal expansion of the container part 35 is suppressed or at least minimized , and thus the undesired by - pass clearance is prevented from appearing between the catalyser carrier unit 7 and the housing 33 . as is seen from fig1 the two binding structures 41 are respectively put around axially spaced portions of the container part 35 , one being around an upper portion of the container part 35 and the other being around a lower portion of the same . as shown , the lower binding structure 41 is put around the container part 35 at the position where the foamed sealing mat 27 is located . as is seen from fig1 and 3 , each binding structure 41 comprises two longitudinally aligned arcuate metal bands 41a and 41b which are respectively put on the shells 33b and 33a of the housing 33 . if desired , the metal bands 41a and 41b may be welded to the shells 33b and 33a . as shown in the drawings , each metal band 41a or 41b has a generally u - shaped cross section . that is , the metal band 41a or 41b has side flanges 41c for increasing the mechanical strength thereof . for connecting the two metal bands 41a and 41b , two connector units are used , each including a bolt 43 and a nut 45 . that is , one ends of the two metal bands 41a and 41b are connected through one connector unit , and the other ends of the two metal bands 41a and 41b are connected through the other connector unit . more specifically , as is understood from fig1 mated end portions of the two metal bands 41a and 41b are raised to constitute respective flanges 41a &# 39 ; and 41b &# 39 ;. these flanges 41a &# 39 ; and 41b &# 39 ; are formed with aligned openings through which the bolt 43 passes to engage with the nut 45 . if desired , the nut 45 may be welded to the flange 41b &# 39 ;. as is understood from fig2 and 3 , by using the bolts 43 , the shroud 47 is mounted to the housing 33 . that is , as is best shown in fig3 the shroud 47 is formed at its four connecting flanges 49 with respective openings through which the four bolts 43 of the connector units pass . four additional nuts 51 are engaged with the bolts 43 to secure the shroud 47 to the binding structures 41 . under operation of the engine , exhaust gas from the engine is led into the exhaust manifold 5 and then led into the manifold converter 31 . the gas fed to the converter 31 is purified by the catalyser on the carrier unit 7 and then led to exhaust pipe . during operation of the engine , the housing 33 of the manifold converter 31 is subjected to heat expansion due to the marked heat generated in the converter 31 . however , in the present invention , due to provision of the two binding structures 41 having the above - mentioned construction , the thermal expansion of the container part 35 is suppressed or at least minimized , and thus , undesired permanent expansion of the container part 35 is prevented . thus , the foamed sealing mat 27 can exhibit its normal sealing function for a long time , and formation of the undesired bypass passage in the converter 31 is suppressed . referring to fig4 and 5 , there is shown a manifold converter 131 which is a second embodiment of the present invention . parts and constructions which are substantially the same as those in the aforementioned first embodiment are denoted by the same numerals , and detailed explanation of them will be omitted from the following for facilitation of description . as is seen from fig4 an exhaust manifold 105 with which the manifold converter 131 of the second embodiment is incorporated is of a split type . as is seen from the drawings , the manifold converter 131 of the second embodiment comprises a housing 33 which is constructed of two metal shells 33a and 33b . as shown in fig5 the two shells 33a and 33b are welded at their mating edges &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; w &# 39 ;&# 34 ; to constitute a robust housing . within a container part 35 of the housing 33 , there is installed a catalyser carrier unit 7 in the same manner as in the first embodiment . designated by numeral 27 is the foamed sealing mat which is interposed between the catalyser carrier unit 7 and the container part 35 of the housing 33 . in the second embodiment , the following measure is employed for suppressing or at least minimizing the thermal expansion of the container part 35 of the housing 33 . two binding structures 141 are employed for binding the container part 35 of the housing 33 . as shown in fig4 the two binding structures 141 are respectively put around axially spaced portions of the container part 35 , one being put around an upper portion of the container mart 35 , and the other being put around a lower portion of the same . preferably , the lower binding structure 141 is put on the container part 35 at the position where the foamed sealing mat 27 is located . as is understood from the drawings , each binding structure 141 comprises two longitudinally aligned arcuate metal bands 141a and 141b which are secured , through welding or the like , to the convex outer surface of the container part 35 . as is best shown in fig5 the paired arcuate metal bands 141a and 141b are spaced from each other . lit is to be noted that each arcuate metal band 141a or 141b has a longer portion which almost covers a major portion of one shell 33a or 33b and a shorter portion which covers one of the welded mating edges w and w &# 39 ; of the two shells 33a and 33b . under operation of the engine , the housing 33 of the manifold converter 131 is subjected to heat expansion . however , due to provision of the two binding structures 141 having the above - mentioned construction , the thermal expansion of the container part 35 is suppressed or at least minimized . because the gently curved wall of the container part 35 , which exhibits a larger thermal expansion , is provided with the longer portions of the metal bands 141a and 141b , the thermal expansion of the container part 35 is effectively suppressed . although , in the second embodiment of fig4 and 5 , the two arcuate metal bands 141a and 141b of each binding structure 141 are arranged offset with respect to the housing 33 as is described hereinabove , they may be arranged symmetric with respect to an imaginary plane which includes the welded mating edges w and w &# 39 ; of the two shells 33a and 33b . in this modification , easier assembly is expected .
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referring in more detail to the drawings , fig1 - 4 illustrate an electric fuel pump assembly 20 embodying the present invention and having an electric motor 22 coupled to a fuel pump 24 secured by a spring clamp device 26 to the motor . the motor 22 is generally elongate axially and has a stator encircling an armature with a drive shaft 34 journaled for rotation by bearings carried by end caps 28 and 30 received in a housing shell 32 . the drive shaft 34 projects axially outward from the inboard end cap or surface 30 along an axis of rotation 36 for mechanical coupling to the fuel pump 24 . the motor 22 and the pump 24 are preferably pre - assembled , “ off - the - shelf ,” items which are releasably mounted together in coaxial alignment by the snap fitting spring clamp device 26 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the fuel pump 24 has an encasement or housing 38 with a base 48 and a cover or end cap 52 preferably made of non - corrosive and economical plastic which defines a cavity 40 receiving a gear - rotor assembly 42 of a positive displacement pump . the base 48 has an inboard face 44 which faces the inboard end cap or surface 30 of the motor 22 and a through bore 50 for receipt of the motor shaft 34 . the pump end cap or cover 52 is attached and sealed to the base 48 during assembly and after the gear - rotor assembly 42 is installed therein . the end cap 52 has an outboard end face 46 and an axially projecting fuel outlet 54 and a fuel inlet 56 . inlet 56 communicates with the fuel inlet of the gear - rotor assembly 42 and outlet 54 communicates with the cavity or outlet 40 of the gear - rotor assembly through which it discharges fuel at a high pressure when operating . if desired , a turbine pump assembly or other type of fuel pump assembly may be utilized in lieu of the gear - rotor pump assembly 42 . referring to fig5 - 7 , the spring clamp device 26 releasably mounts and attaches together the motor 22 and pump 24 of the fuel pump assembly 20 . the clamp device 26 preferably attaches to the inboard end cap or surface 30 of the motor 22 by two fasteners or screws 60 and extends radially outward and axially along the pump housing 38 to partially envelope or “ cage ,” and resiliently engage the pump 24 . an annular member or base plate 62 of the spring clamp device 26 has two diametrically opposed holes 64 to receive the screws 60 which thread into the end cap 30 of the motor 22 and hold the base plate 62 directly against the end cap 30 in a substantially perpendicular orientation to the axis of rotation 36 . four resilient flex arms 68 project substantially axially downward from a peripheral edge 66 of the base plate 62 and are preferably integral and unitary with the base plate . the arms 68 are preferably substantially equally spaced circumferentially from one another and are preferably slightly bowed outward when not flexed for engagement to the pump 24 . located at the distal end 70 of each arm 68 is a finger or clip 72 , which projects generally radially inward , and resiliently snaps over the outboard face 46 of the pump encasement 38 as the arms 68 resiliently flex from a radially outward unstressed state and in a generally radially inward direction toward a radial unstressed state and axial stressed state . each clip 72 has a contact portion 74 which projects radially inward from its associated flex arm 68 and preferably angles axially inward at an angle 78 preferably about five degrees when in a disengaged state ( as best shown in fig6 and 7 ) and with respect to an imaginary plane 76 disposed perpendicular to the axis of rotation 36 . from the contact portion 74 , the clip 72 has a rounded cam - like return bend 80 which extends to a generally axially outward projecting distal tab 82 of the clip 72 . the spring clamp device 26 is preferably made from a single stamping of sheet metal or spring steel . during assembly of the fuel pump assembly 20 , a downward projecting cylindrical shoulder 84 of the motor housing 32 , disposed concentrically about the shaft 34 , is received in the base plate 62 of the spring clamp device 26 through a central hole 86 ( as best shown in fig5 ). the screws 60 are then threaded into the motor end cap 30 which rigidly holds the base plate 62 to the motor 22 with the flex arms 68 projecting generally axially away from the motor 22 ( as best shown in fig3 and 4 ). the clips 72 of the flex arms 68 are then resiliently moved radially outward so that the clips 72 radially clear the pump housing 38 when the pump 24 is moved between them , and axially toward and coupled with the motor 22 . with the pump 24 coupled to the motor drive shaft 34 and the flex arms 68 released , the cam - like bends 80 of the clips 72 are preferably in biased contact with a slightly rounded peripheral edge 81 of the pump encasement 38 but not yet in direct contact with the outboard face 46 . an external force applied in a radially inward direction against the mid - section of each bowed flex arm 68 causes the flex arms to generally straighten and the contact portions 74 of the clips 72 to align parallel with the imaginary plane 76 ( as best shown in fig7 ). the cam - like bend 80 then assists each clip 72 to snap over the edge 81 and slide over the outboard face 46 in a radially inward direction . when the external force placed upon the flex arms is released , the resilience or spring force of the bowed flex arms 68 and clips 72 exert an evenly distributed and consistent force upon the plastic pump encasement 38 in an axially inward direction . if removing the pump 24 from the motor 22 is desired , a radially outward force is placed upon the clip tabs 82 which flexes the arms 68 radially outward to radially clear the clips 72 from the cylindrical pump housing 38 . once cleared , the pump 24 can then be moved axially away and de - coupled and removed from the motor 22 . fig8 and 9 illustrate a modified spring clamp device 26 ′ wherein the flex arms 68 ′ extend the entire axial length of the pump 24 ′ and motor 22 ′ and the base plate 62 ′ is in biased contact with the outboard end cap 28 ′ of the motor housing 32 ′. preferably the end cap 28 ′ has a cylindrical shoulder 88 over which the base plate 62 ′ is received . with this modification , separate fasteners or screws are not required . skilled persons will understand that the orientation of the spring clamp device 26 ″ relative to the motor 22 ″ and pump 24 ″ could be reversed so that the clips 72 ″ engage the motor end cap or surface 28 ″ and the base plate 62 ″ is attached to the pump base 48 ″ or overlies and engages to the pump end cap 52 ″ ( as best shown in fig1 ). while the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments , many others are possible . it is not intended herein to mention all the possibly equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention and it is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive rather than limiting and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention .
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the beta - type titanium alloy of the invention may have an alloy composition containing any of the following elements as elements to be optionally added to the above essential alloy elements : the following will describe functions of individual components constituting the beta - type titanium alloy of the invention and reasons for limiting the composition ranges as mentioned above . nb is a β - phase stabilizing element of isomorphous - type which is considered to have no cytotoxicity and has a function of making a matrix a β - phase having a low young &# 39 ; s modulus and a high cold workability . in order to surely obtain the effect , it is necessary to add nb in an amount of 10 % or more . on the other hand , the presence of a large amount of nb deteriorates producibility , so that the addition thereof is limited to 25 % or less . according to an embodiment , the minimal amount present in the alloy is the smallest non - zero amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . according to a further embodiment , the maximum amount present in the alloy is the maximum amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . cr is also a β - phase stabilizing element and has a function of lowering young &# 39 ; s modulus . the effect is first observed when cr is added in an amount of 1 % and becomes more remarkable when it is added in an amount of 3 % or more . however , when the amount exceeds 8 %, the effect begins to be saturated . when it exceeds 10 %, the effect is clearly saturated , so that the upper limit is defined to be 10 %. according to an embodiment , the minimal amount present in the alloy is the smallest non - zero amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . according to a further embodiment , the maximum amount present in the alloy is the maximum amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . one or two elements of zr : 10 % or less and sn : 8 % or less both zr and sn are elements stabilizing both α - phase and β - phases and strengthen the α - phase which precipitates in aging treatment . the effect is observed when about 1 % of either element is added but is remarkable when 3 % or more thereof is added . however , when the amount thereof exceeds from 5 to 6 %, the effect of the addition begins to be saturated , so that the upper limit is defined to be 10 % for zr and 8 % for sn . according to an embodiment , the minimal amount present in the alloy is the smallest non - zero amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . according to a further embodiment , the maximum amount present in the alloy is the maximum amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . the changed embodiments on the alloy composition of the beta - type titanium alloy of the invention have the following meanings , respectively . al is an α - phase stabilizing element and strengthens the α - phase which precipitates in aging treatment . the effect has already been observed remarkably when about 1 % thereof is added . however , when the amount thereof exceeds 4 %, the effect begins to be saturated . when it exceeds 6 %, the effect is clearly saturated , so that the upper limit of the amount to be added is defined to be 6 %. in addition , there is an inconvenience that elastic modulus increases when the amount exceeds 4 %. according to an embodiment , the minimal amount present in the alloy is the smallest non - zero amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . according to a further embodiment , the maximum amount present in the alloy is the maximum amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . fe is a β - phase stabilizing element and has an effect similar to that of nb and cr . moreover , since it is an inexpensive material , costs can be lowered by the use thereof . however , the addition of a large amount of fe increases hardness and elastic modulus , so that the addition is limited to 5 % or less , desirably 2 % or less . according to an embodiment , the minimal amount present in the alloy is the smallest non - zero amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . according to a further embodiment , the maximum amount present in the alloy is the maximum amount used in the examples of the developed alloys as summarized in table 1 . nb — cr alloy , nb — fe alloy , and nb — al alloy to be used as materials to be melted in the process for producing the beta - type titanium alloy of the invention all have melting points lower than those of pure metals constituting these alloys ( approximate melting points of nb — cr alloy , nb — fe alloy , and nb — al alloy are 1700 to 1800 ° c ., 1500 to 1600 ° c ., and 1550 to 1650 ° c ., respectively ) and hence the titanium alloy can be easily produced by melting . the solution treatment , cold working , and aging treatment performed in the process for producing a product of the beta - type titanium alloy of the invention can be carried out according to known techniques . the present invention is now illustrated in greater detail with reference to examples and comparative examples , but it should be understood that the present invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto . button ingots of titanium alloys each having a weight of 150 g and a size of length 70 mm × width 25 mm × height 25 mm were prepared by arc - melting using sponge titanium and the other raw materials in a ratio shown in table 1 ( weight %, the balance being ti ). the each ingot was heated to 1050 ° c . and formed into a plate having a size of length 85 mm × width 60 mm × thickness 4 mm by hot forging . then , the each plate was subjected to solution treatment to form a material under test , wherein the each plate was maintained at 850 ° c . for 1 hour and then quenched in water . from the above material under test , each test piece for tensile test in accordance with jis z 2201 ( jis no . 14b ) was manufactured by machining . using an instron - type tensile testing machine , tensile strength was measured at a cross head speed of 5 × 10 − 5 m / s . separately , from the above material under test , each test piece for elastic modulus in accordance with jis z 2280 was manufactured and young &# 39 ; s modulus was measured by a free resonant vibration method . the results of the measurements are also shown in table 1 . the titanium alloys of examples 1 to 28 of the invention show elastic modulus of 100 gpa or less , and , in preferable examples , values of less than 70 gpa , while they have alloy compositions maintaining a high biocompatibility . therefore , they are suitable as biological replacement materials . a titanium alloy having a composition shown in table 3 was produced by melting using a pure ti ( titanium sponge ) and one to three of nb — cr alloy , nb — fe alloy , and nb — al alloy in a composition ( weight ratio ) shown in table 2 as material ( s ) to be melted . appropriate melting points of the raw alloys are shown in table 2 and approximate temperatures of the furnace ( button arc furnace ) in the alloy produced by melting are shown in table 3 . it is apparent from table 3 that heating should be conducted at a temperature reaching about 2500 ° c . until melting when only pure metals are combined as raw materials but the temperature can be lowered to 1800 ° c . by the use of the alloy ( s ) and hence the titanium alloys can be easily produced . while the present 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 . the present application is based on japanese patent application no . 2006 - 103412 filed on apr . 4 , 2006 , no . 2007 - 010796 filed on jan . 19 , 2007 and no . 2007 - 084778 filed on mar . 28 , 2007 , and the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference .
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a shoe incorporating the integrated construction of the present invention is shown in fig1 and generally designated 10 . for purposes of the disclosure , the present invention is described in connection with a ¾ height boot , however , the present invention is well suited for use with other types of soled footwear . in general , the shoe 10 includes an upper 20 secured to an outsole 40 . a membrane 60 is direct attached to the upper 20 . the direct attach membrane shown includes a bead 62 that terminates short of the heel region of the shoe . the heel region includes a heel cradle 50 positioned between the upper 20 and the outsole 40 . here , the upper and / or membrane may be secured to the heel cradle and / or outsole with an adhesive or cement . as used herein , the term “ arch region ” refers generally to the portion of the shoe corresponding to the arch of the wearer &# 39 ; s foot ; the term “ forefoot region ” refers generally to the portion of the shoe forward of the arch region corresponding to the forefoot ( e . g ., the ball and the toes ) of a wearer &# 39 ; s foot ; and the term “ heel region ” refers generally to that portion of the shoe rearward of the arch region corresponding to the heel of the wearer &# 39 ; s foot . the forefoot region 42 , arch region 43 and heel region 44 are generally identified in fig2 , however , it is to be understood that delineation of these regions may vary depending upon the configuration of the footwear . the upper 20 is generally conventional and will not be described in detail . suffice it to say that the upper 20 includes vamp 22 , quarters 24 and backstay 26 . with reference to fig3 , the upper 20 includes a lower portion that transitions to an allowance 23 , also referred to as a peripheral allowance , which is folded inward toward the center of the footwear . this peripheral allowance , and in some cases , the lower portion of the upper , is direct attached to the membrane 60 , as described in detail below . the peripheral allowance may be secured to the insole 70 , or optionally strobel stitched to an insole and / or fabric sock liner ( not shown ). the upper 20 may be manufactured from leather , canvas , nylon , or other suitable materials and may include a liner ( not shown ) or other conventional accessories . a water impermeable liner 72 is optionally secured to an interior of the upper 20 . this liner , as shown in fig2 and 4 – 5 , extends downward , toward the inwardly folded peripheral allowance 23 . in one embodiment , the liner terminates a pre - selected distance above the fold of the upper that forms the peripheral allowance . in another embodiment , the liner extends upwardly to the uppermost portion of the shoe 10 . the liner may be constructed of any material , but preferably is constructed from a water impermeable fabric or material . suitable materials include the material sold under the trademark gore - tex , which is commercially available from w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc . of newark , del ., and the material sold under the trademark sympatex , which is commercially available from sympatex technologies gmbh , wuppertal , germany . the liner may additionally or alternatively be constructed from a continuous layer of waterproof thermoplastic or adhesive , which coats the interior of the upper . in the region defined between opposing edges of the peripheral allowance , a filler 74 may be disposed . this filler may be constructed from a conventional cushioning material , such as polyurethane . the outsole 40 is manufactured from a relatively hard rubber or other sufficiently durable and wear - resistant material . the bottom 46 includes an outer surface 48 that forms the wearing surface of the outsole 40 and is contoured to the desired heel and tread pattern . the outer surface 48 may be textured to improve the traction and aesthetic appeal of the shoe . optionally , the upper surface 47 of the outsole may be textured as desired . as shown in fig3 , the outsole 40 may include a wall 42 disposed in the arch region 43 . this wall may be substituted with a rounded barrier or eliminated altogether . it also may be disposed in the forefoot region 42 and / or the heel region 44 as desired . the wall may extend partially or completely across the outsole , and optionally terminate at the flange 49 , which extends upwardly in at least the arch region , and optionally in the heel region . the outsole 40 is secured to the membrane 60 and the heel cradle 50 with cement or adhesives , or as desired , direct attached to these components . as depicted in fig2 – 4 , the membrane 60 is direct attached to the peripheral allowance 23 , and where included , the filler 74 along a substantial portion of the length of the footwear . in such a direct attach construction , the material from which the membrane is constructed bonds directly to the peripheral allowance , the filler , and a lower portion of the upper . the membrane includes a plate 63 , which extends along the length of the footwear , and a bead 62 , which terminates forward of the heel region 44 without extending into the heel region . however , in some applications , the bead may extend into at least the arch region . the bead may be secured to the upper 20 substantially only in the forefoot region 42 , and may extend upwardly and around the lower periphery of the upper in the forefoot . for a clean appearance in the finished footwear , the ends of the bead 62 and for the bead flange 64 are disposed behind the flange 49 of the outsole 40 . in this configuration , the ends of these components are concealed from sight . as desired , the bead 62 and bead flange 64 may extend to the wall or barrier 42 of the outsole . the membrane and its components may be manufactured from polyvinyl chloride , hard durable rubber , or other materials as desired . with reference to fig6 – 9 , the membrane 60 will be described in more detail . the membrane includes a plate 63 , having first 65 and second 69 sides . as shown , the first side 65 is formed against and / or bonds to the upper 20 and filler 74 when the membrane is direct attached to these components . the plate 63 is relatively planar on its upper surface , i . e . the first side , and substantially covers the opening defined between opposing peripheral allowances 23 to effectively seal with a waterproof barrier the lower portion of the upper 20 . in the forefoot region 42 of the footwear , a first flange 66 extends upwardly adjacent the upper 20 , and is secured to the upper there by direct attachment . also in the forefoot region , the membrane includes a bead 62 . the bead extends downwardly from the insole plate a pre - selected distance . at the lowermost portion of the bead , a second flange 64 , also referred to as a bead flange , extends outwardly around a perimeter of the footwear in at least one of the forefoot region and the arch region . as desired , the bead and flanges may exist anywhere forward of the heel region . the plate 63 in the region of the footwear where the bead 62 exists may be of equal or greater thickness than the region of the footwear where there is no bead . for example , as shown in fig2 and 8 – 9 , the first thickness 68 of the membrane 60 in the forefoot region 42 is greater than the second thickness 67 of the membrane 60 in the arch 43 and heel region 44 . in an alternative embodiment , the plate 63 is of a substantially equal thickness throughout the length , and the bead is a downward extension of the first flange 66 to the bead flange 64 . as desired , the membrane and all of the flanges , the bead , and the plate may be a single , unitary , integral component . the membrane 60 and waterproof liner 72 , which is secured within or to the upper 20 , may cooperate to render the interior of the upper substantially waterproof . as shown in fig2 – 3 , the insole 70 extends along the entire length of the shoe , and may be constructed of any conventional cushioning material . in the heel region 44 and , optionally , the arch region 43 , the insole is secured via conventional means , for example , adhesives , cement , stitching or the like to the interior side of the peripheral allowance 23 of the upper . optionally , a shank 86 of steel , plastic or other material is secured to the bottom of the insole 70 in the arch region 43 of the shoe . the shank may be secured to other components of the shoe as desired , and may overlap with the other regions , for example , the forefoot region 42 and heel region 44 . with reference to fig2 , 3 and 5 , the shoe includes a heel cradle 50 that snugly fits in or adjacent the outsole 40 . the heel cradle 50 is preferably cup - shaped to cradle the heel of the wearer and extend upwardly around at least a portion of the wearer &# 39 ; s heel . as shown , the heel cradle 50 is positioned substantially only in the heel region 44 and terminates at or slightly within the arch region 43 . as desired , the cradle may terminate short of the arch region or may extend beyond the arch region into the forefoot region 42 . this heel cradle is secured with adhesives or cement directly to the upper 20 . in the embodiments shown , the cradle is adhered to the peripheral allowance 23 of the upper 20 and optionally , a portion in the undersurface of the insole 70 . the heel cradle is preferably made from a low density cushioning material . in one embodiment , the heel cradle 50 is constructed from an ethylvinyl acetate ( eva ) foam . the rigidity and the flexibility of the eva foam can be varied from application to application as desired . in the fully assembled footwear shown in fig2 , 4 and 5 , the outsole 40 is secured in the forefoot region to the membrane 60 , and to at least the heel cradle 50 in the heel region 44 . this securement may be provided by cement , adhesives or other conventional attachment means . when assembled , the rearmost portion of the bead 62 , including the bead flange 64 , is adjacent the wall 42 of the outsole , however these components may also abut against the wall as desired . in constructions where the outsole does not include a wall , the heel cradle 50 may extend forward to abut or join with the thicker portion of the membrane , or the membrane 60 may extend rearward to , abut against , or join with the heel cradle . the shank 86 and exposed portion of the underside of the insole 70 may or may not be secured to the outsole 40 as desired . manufacture of the shoe 10 will now be described with reference to fig3 – 6 and 100 . the upper 20 is manufactured using generally conventional techniques and apparatus . the desired upper material ( not shown ) is cut to form the upper . although not shown , the upper may include multiple elements , such as a vamp , quarters and a back stay . if included , these pieces of the upper are fitted and sewn together . the water impermeable liner 72 is secured within the upper via adhesives or stitching that does not deteriorate the water impermeability of the liner in the desired areas . this liner is fitted to the upper so that in the finished footwear , it extends downward a sufficient distance so that the later - added membrane terminates above the lowermost portion of the liner . the insole 70 is fitted on a last 100 , and the fitted upper 20 is stretched over the insole and the last . the peripheral allowance 23 is secured with a cement , adhesive or other attachment means to the underside of the insole 70 . the peripheral allowance 23 may be temporarily tacked or stapled to the last to hold the allowance in place . the filler 74 may further be cut and trimmed to fit within the void defined between opposing sides of the peripheral allowance 23 . this filler may be cemented or adhered within this void to the underside of the insole 70 and the edge of the peripheral allowance 23 as desired . with the upper 20 secured to the insole 70 as desired and stretched over a last 100 , these components are prepared for a direct attach molding operation , which is shown in fig1 . the last 100 is lowered against the membrane mold 120 , which includes side molds 112 and a bottom mold 114 . only one side mold 112 is shown in fig1 , however , it is noted that a corresponding side mold opposing the depicted side mold is included . each side mold 112 wraps around the sides of the lasted upper 20 , and mate with one another at the front and rear of the shoe . the side molds 112 and bottom mold 114 cooperate to define a membrane cavity 130 of varying thickness but running along the length of the footwear as shown . this cavity 130 is greater in depth in the forefoot region than in the heel region . moreover , the cavity in the forefoot portion further defines corresponding bead 162 and bead flange 164 voids that , when filled with material , form the bead and bead flange of the completed membrane . it is noted here that the varying depth and deletion of the bead features in the heel region and / or arch region may be accomplished using a mold insert 140 with the mold 120 . as shown , the insert 140 rests in the membrane cavity 130 , and thereby occupies the space that would otherwise be filled by material when that material is injected into the cavity . the insert 140 further extends upwardly to cover the bead 162 and bead flange 164 voids so that material cannot enter those voids and form corresponding features in the direct attach process . the insert is generally the same shape as the heel and / or arch region of the footwear , and of a depth that is a pre - selected amount less than the depth of the membrane cavity . the insert may also include bead and flange features ( not shown ) so that these features can more securely interfit with the corresponding features of the side molds . the side mold 112 includes a cavity side wall 115 which generally forms a side wall of the finished membrane . the bottom mold 120 may include a base wall 122 , which generally forms the bottom of the finished membrane . the base mold , or the insert 140 when included , may also include a membrane terminating wall 124 . the molds may be modified to form any portion or combination of side walls , bottom walls or other walls as desired . optionally , the thicker region of the membrane cavity 130 in some applications may extend rearward into the arch region of the footwear , short of the heel region . in which case , the terminating wall may be positioned further rearward . with the components of the mold 120 , i . e ., the side molds 112 and the bottom mold 114 , positioned to form the membrane cavity 130 , the appropriate volume of material to form the membrane 60 is injected or poured through port 150 into the cavity 130 . preferably , the mold 110 holds the upper 20 firmly enough to prevent material from exiting the mold 110 from the top of the cavity 130 . as the material 131 is introduced into the cavity 133 , it substantially fills the cavity 130 until the entire membrane 60 is formed . the midsole material 131 is allowed to sufficiently cure and direct attach the membrane 60 to the upper 20 , filler 74 , and / or insole 70 . the side molds 110 are moved away from the footwear in the direction of the arrows 111 . the last 100 is moved upward in the direction indicated with the vertical arrow 101 . any excess flashing resulting from the direct attach process may be trimmed from the membrane . with the flashing trimmed from the membrane 60 , the membrane is readied for securing the outsole 40 to it . optionally , a shank 86 may be secured to the undersurface of the filler 74 . the outsole 40 is injection molded or pour molded from a hard , durable rubber using conventional molding apparatus . its construction may be completed before any other components of the footwear are assembled as desired . the tread pattern 48 on the lower surface 46 , the upwardly extending flanges 48 , and the wall 42 of the outsole are formed during the molding operation as integral parts of the outsole 40 . with the outsole manufactured , the heel cradle 50 is secured to the outsole 40 in the heel region 44 . in those applications where a large heel cradle is used , the cradle may also be secured to the arch region and possibly extend into the forefoot region 42 as desired . these components may be secured together with cement , adhesive or other attachment means . in another step , the outsole 40 is secured with cement or adhesives to the membrane 60 along the entire length of the membrane . preferably , the terminating end of the beaded region of the membrane aligns with the wall 42 of the outsole 40 so that it is disposed adjacent and / or abuts the wall . in one embodiment , the outsole is secured to the remainder of the footwear so that the flange 48 conceals the terminating end of the bead 62 and bead flange 64 and provides a clean appearance . in the heel region 44 , the heel cradle is adhered or cemented to the peripheral allowance 23 of the upper , and where exposed , the undersurface of the insole 70 . in the arch region , the outsole is secured to the other components of the shoe as desired . with the outsole 40 secured to the membrane 60 and heel cradle 50 / upper 20 , the shoe 10 may be removed from the last . a number of conventional finishing operations may then be performed on the shoe 10 . for example , the edges of the membrane 60 , the membrane bead 62 , and bead flange 64 , and the outsole 40 are trimmed and shaped ; and the upper 20 is cleaned , polished and treated as appropriate and necessary . the above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention . various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims , which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents . any references to claim elements in the singular , for example , using the articles “ a ,” “ an ,” “ the ,” or “ the ,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular .
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fig4 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of a speech speed converting device according to the present invention . in fig4 , a voice waveform and a voice code are input to a speed converting unit 40 . the speed converting unit 40 adjusts a speech speed using either one of or both the voice waveform and the voice code according to the characteristic of the voice , and outputs speed - adjusted voice . fig5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of the speed converting unit 40 shown in fig4 . in fig5 , a voice classifying unit 41 classifies an input voice according to the characteristic of the voice . a speed adjusting unit 42 suitably selects between a speed adjusting method using both a voice waveform and a voice code and a speech adjusting method using one of a voice waveform and a voice code , according to a result of classifying the voice . the speed adjusting unit 42 adjusts the speed using the selected method , and outputs the speed - adjusted voice . the voice classifying unit 41 is mounted with a central processing unit ( cpu ) and a digital signal processor ( dsp ), and consists of a normal cpu circuit including a read - only memory ( rom ), a random access memory ( ram ), and an input / output ( i / o ) peripheral device . the speed adjusting unit 42 also has a similar configuration , as shown in the following block configuration diagram . fig6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of the speed adjusting unit 42 shown in fig5 . fig7 is a flowchart showing one example of a processing flow . in the present example , a speech speed is adjusted using one of voice waveform data and a voice code obtained by a linear prediction operation . an input selecting unit 43 selects one of the voice waveform and the voice code for input one frame , based on a voice classification from the voice classifying unit 41 ( at steps s 101 and s 102 ). similarly , latter - stage interlocked switches 44 and 47 are switched over to a voice waveform speed adjusting unit 45 or a voice code speed adjusting unit 46 based on a voice classification ( at step s 103 ). the speed adjusting unit 45 or the speed adjusting unit 46 to which the interlocked switches 44 and 47 are switched over by the input selecting unit 43 executes a speed adjustment processing using the corresponding voice waveform or the corresponding voice code ( at step s 104 or s 105 ), and outputs a speed - adjusted voice waveform to an output unit 48 . because a voice waveform or a voice code to be used for a speed adjustment is suitably selected based on the voice classification , degradation in the voice after the speed conversion is remarkably decreased as compared with when the speed is converted using only the voice waveform or the voice code . fig8 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a configuration of the speed adjusting unit 42 shown in fig5 . fig9 and fig1 are flowcharts of examples of the processing flow shown in fig8 . in the present example , a speech speed is adjusted by simultaneously using both voice waveform data and a voice code obtained by a linear prediction operation . therefore , the input selecting unit 43 shown in fig7 is not necessary . the voice waveform and the voice code that are input are directly applied to the speed adjusting unit 45 and the speed adjusting unit 46 respectively . a voice waveform obtained by speed - converting the voice waveform by the speed adjusting unit 45 and a voice waveform obtained by speed - converting the voice code by the speed adjusting unit 46 are input to the next - stage output generating unit 49 ( at steps s 201 to s 204 ). the output generating unit 49 calculates weights of the two input voice waveforms based on the voice classification from the voice classifying unit 41 ( at steps s 301 and s 302 ), adds the weighted two voice waveforms together , and outputs the added result ( at step s 303 ). as an example of the application of this method , a switching over from a speed adjusting section using a voice waveform to a speed adjusting section using a voice code is considered . in this case , first , a weight “ 1 ” is given to the voice waveform input from the speed adjusting unit 45 that uses the voice waveform , and a weight “ 0 ” is given to the waveform output from the speed adjusting unit 46 that uses the voice code . then , within a predetermined section switching time , the weight of the voice waveform from the speed converting unit 45 is gradually decreased from “ 1 ” to “ 0 ”. on the other hand , the weight of the voice waveform from the speed adjusting unit 46 is gradually increased from “ 0 ” to “ 1 ”. the weight can be changed linearly or exponentially . as a result , in the present example , noise attributable to the discontinuity of the waveform generated at the time of switching over between the voice waveform section and the voice code section can be substantially restricted . fig1 is an explanatory diagram of a processing flow according to one embodiment of the present invention . the operation is explained using a flow of the operation carried out by the voice classifying unit 41 and the speed adjusting unit 42 shown in fig5 . in the present example , the voice classifying unit 41 first classifies voice into voice and nonvoice based on whether a frame contains voice ( at steps s 401 to s 403 ). for example , when short - time power of an input signal continues for a predetermined time or more , the voice classifying unit 41 decides that the frame contains voice . next , a section decided as voice is classified in further detail . in the present example , voiced sound is classified as “ cyclical ”, and unvoiced sound such as surrounding noise is classified as “ noncyclical ” ( at step s 404 ). the voiced sound is further classified into “ cyclical and steady ” and “ cyclical and unsteady ” by taking into account a level variation ( at step s 405 ). the unvoiced sound is further classified into “ noncyclical , steady , and similar ” and “ noncyclical , steady , and dissimilar ” by taking into account a level variation and burst ( at steps s 409 and s 410 ). further , the unvoiced sound is classified into “ noncyclical and unsteady ” by taking into account a plosive and the like ( at step s 413 ). a classification similar to the above can be also applied to a section decided as nonvoice . the speed adjusting unit 42 selects a speed adjusting method suitable for each classification based on the above result of classification , and switches the method to the selected speed adjusting method . in the present example , the speed of the section classified as “ cyclical and steady ” out of the sections decided as voice is adjusted using a voice waveform . the speed is adjusted to an intermediate adjustment level ( at step s 406 ). on the other hand , the speed of the section classified as “ cyclical and unsteady ” out of the sections decided as voice is adjusted using a voice waveform . the speed is adjusted to a low adjustment level ( at step s 406 ). the speed of the section classified as “ noncyclical ” out of the sections decided as voice is adjusted using a voice code . however , the speed of the section classified as “ noncyclical , steady , and similar ” and “ noncyclical and unsteady ” is not adjusted . the speed of the section decided as nonvoice is adjusted using a waveform . the speed is adjusted to a high adjustment level . when the voice classifying unit 41 classifies voice in detail using “ cyclicity ”, “ steadiness ”, and “ similarity ”, the speed adjusting unit 42 in the present example converts the speed using a voice waveform in the “ cyclical ” section ( after “ yes ” at step s 404 ) according to the classification . the voice classifying unit 41 converts the speed using a voice code in the “ noncyclical ” section ( after “ no ” at step s 408 ) except when the speed conversion is not carried out ( at steps s 411 and s 413 ). in the cyclical section , the speed can be converted without substantially degrading the voice quality by repeating or deleting a voice waveform according to the cycle . however , when a voice code is used in the cyclical section , a repetition or a deletion of a residual signal of the input voice affects a state after the linear prediction filter , and a mismatch occurs between the predictive coefficient and the residual signal . therefore , the speed is converted using a voice waveform in the cyclical section . on the other hand , the speed is converted using a voice code in the noncyclical section for the following reason . in the “ noncyclical and steady ” section ( after “ yes ” at step s 409 ), when the speed is adjusted using a voice waveform , the waveform becomes discontinuous due to a repetition or a deletion of the waveform . further , cyclicity that is not originally present appears , and voice is degraded . when a voice code is used in this section , even when discontinuity occurs due to a repetition or a deletion of a residual , this discontinuity is alleviated by finally passing the voice through the linear prediction filter . the “ steady ” section has little change in the frequency characteristic excluding rising and declining sections of the filter . therefore , there is little influence to the state of the linear predicting filter due to a repetition or a deletion of the residual , and sound is not easily degraded . a level of speed adjustment carried out by the speed adjusting unit 42 is determined for the following reason . in the “ nonvoice ” section ( at step s 408 ), the speed adjusting unit 42 searches for a part of the voice waveform in which both ends of nonvoice sections are smoothly connected without discontinuity , both at the time of increasing the speed and at the time of decreasing the speed . the speed adjusting unit 42 deletes all the section sandwiched by these nonvoice sections . in this case , a speed adjustment level becomes “ high ”. in the “ cyclical and steady ” section ( at step s 406 ), the speed adjusting unit 42 adjusts the speed without degrading voice by repeating or thinning using a voice waveform in the cyclical and steady section of the voice signal . in this case , when the number of times of carrying out a repetitions or a thinning becomes extremely large , artificiality occurs . therefore , a speed adjustment level is set to “ intermediate ”. the “ cyclical and unsteady ” section ( at step s 407 ) has cyclicity like a level variation of a voice signal , but has a change in power . therefore , the speed adjusting unit 42 sets a speed adjustment level to “ low ” to decrease degradation in voice due to a power change , at the time of cyclically repeating or thinning using a voice waveform . the “ noncyclical , steady , and dissimilar ” section ( at step s 112 ) is a section where a signal having no correlation continues steadily . the speed adjusting unit 42 adjusts the speed using a voice code in this section . in this case , the speed can be adjusted ( i . e ., the speed can be decreased ) without generating new cyclicity , by generating a fixed codebook at random . further , discontinuity can be restricted by generating an output signal using a linear prediction filter after contracting ( deleting ) a residual signal . on the other hand , the “ noncyclical , steady , and similar ” section ( at step s 111 ) and the “ noncyclical and unsteady ” section ( at step s 113 ) are sections where a signal change is large , and voice is easily degraded due to a speed adjustment . therefore , the speed adjusting unit 42 does not adjust the speed of this section . according to the present invention , the voice classifying unit 41 classifies the input voice , and the speed converting unit 42 selectively uses a speed converting method . consequently , a proportion of the expansion and contraction section of the voice , without degrading the voice , can be increased . fig1 is a flowchart showing a basic flow of the processing shown in fig1 . in fig1 , the speed converting unit 40 shown in fig4 ( i . e ., the voice classifying unit 41 and the speed adjusting unit 42 shown in fig5 ) first inputs one frame of an input signal ( i . e ., a voice waveform and a voice code obtained by executing a linear predictive conversion of the voice waveform ) ( at step s 501 ). the voice classifying unit 41 classifies the input signal shown in fig1 ( at step s 502 ), and the speed adjusting unit 42 executes the speed conversion processing shown in fig1 based on this classification ( at step s 503 ). the speed converting unit 40 continues the above processing until when a series of input frame ends ( at step s 504 ). fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a flow of the classification processing of the input signal carried out by the voice classifying unit 41 ( at step s 502 in fig1 ). in the present example , input signals are classified based on a decision about voice and nonvoice , and a decision about presence or absence of cyclicity , presence or absence of steadiness , and presence or absence of similarity . first , an input signal is broadly classified into a “ voice ” section and a “ nonvoice ” section . a section decided as “ voice ” is further classified into a “ cyclical ” section , a “ noncyclical and steady ” section , and a “ noncyclical and unsteady ” section ( see fig1 ). therefore , the voice classifying unit 41 inputs one frame of a voice waveform and a voice code ( at step s 601 ), and classifies the input signal into a voice section containing voice and a nonvoice section containing no voice ( at step s 602 ). next , the voice classifying unit 41 decides presence or absence of cyclicity , presence or absence of steadiness , and presence or absence of similarity , in the section decided as “ voice ” ( at steps s 603 to s 605 ). the voice classifying unit 41 classifies the input signal based on a result of the decision ( at step s 606 ). in the present invention , items of classification are not limited to cyclicity , steadiness , and similarity , and other classification items can be also used . unclassified items do not need to be decided . fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a decision about cyclicity ( at step s 603 ) shown in fig1 . in the present example , a general method of calculating an auto correlation coefficient is applied to a voice waveform . input frames are sampled , and a frequency in which the auto correlation coefficient takes a maximum value is calculated ( at steps s 701 to s 703 ). cyclicity is decided based on a difference between this frequency and a frequency in which the auto correlation coefficient takes a maximum value in a frame immediately before ( at step s 704 ). for example , a predetermined threshold value is compared with the difference . when the difference is equal to or smaller than the threshold value , the section is decided as “ cyclical ” ( at step s 705 ). in other cases , the section is decided as “ noncyclical ”. fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a decision about steadiness ( at step s 604 ) shown in fig1 . in the present example , a voice code is used to calculate power . first , one frame of a voice code is input , and a change ( a standard deviation ( sd )) of a linear predictive coefficient is calculated ( at steps s 801 and s 802 ). for this purpose , the sd of linear predicative coefficients is calculated from the following expression ( 1 ). sd = 1 n ∑ i = 1 n ( c i - p i ) 2 ( 1 ) where , n represents order of the analysis of a linear prediction , ci represents a linear predictive coefficient ( i - th order ) of the current frame , and pi represents a linear predictive coefficient ( i - th order ) of the preceding frame . next , power ( pow ) is calculated from the following expression ( 2 ) ( at step s 803 ). pow = 1 m ∑ i = 1 m a i 2 ( 2 ) where , m represents a number of samples of m frames , and ai represents amplitude of the current frame ( i - th sample ). next , a change in power ( dp ) is calculated from the following expression ( 3 ) ( at step s 804 ). where , pow t represents power of the current frame , and pow t - 1 , represents power of the preceding frame . last , steadiness is decided based on a result of the above calculation ( at step s 805 ). in the present example , when the sd is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold and also when the dp is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value , the section is decided as “ steady ”. in other cases , the section is decided as “ unsteady ”. for deciding the next frame , power and a linear predictive coefficient of the current frame are stored ( at step s 806 ). fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a decision about similarity shown ( at step s 605 ) in fig1 . in the present example , the auto correlation coefficient same as that explained with reference to fig1 is used to decide similarity . first , one frame of a voice waveform of an input signal is input ( at step s 901 ). next , an auto correlation coefficient is calculated , and a maximum value of the auto correlation coefficient is calculated ( at steps s 902 and s 903 ). the maximum value of the auto correlation coefficient is compared with a predetermined threshold value . when the maximum value of the auto correlation coefficient is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value , the section is determined as “ similar ”. in other cases , the section is determined as “ dissimilar ”. a detailed processing of the speed conversion carried out by the speed adjusting unit 42 ( at step s 503 in fig1 ) is explained next . a processing carried out using a voice code is explained in the examples shown in fig1 and fig1 ( see fig3 ). before this processing , the speed adjusting unit 42 selects one of terminal processing in the flow ( at steps s 406 , s 407 , s 408 , s 411 , s 412 , and s 413 ) shown in fig1 based on a result of classification carried out by the voice classifying unit 41 . a processing using a voice waveform is carried out based on an existing method of a tdhs algorithm or the like ( see fig2 ). fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a speed adjustment ( at the time of a contraction ) using a code . in the present example , the speed adjusting unit 42 first inputs one frame of a voice code ( at step s 1001 ). next , from the past one frame and the current frame , a residual signal of the past one frame is thinned . as a result , a residual signal of one frame is generated from the residual signals of the two frames ( at step s 1002 ). at the same time , from the past one frame and the current frame , a linear predictive coefficient of the frame immediately before is thinned . as a result , a linear predictive coefficient of one frame is generated from the linear predictive coefficients of the two frames ( at step s 1003 ). the generated residual signal of one frame and the generated linear predictive coefficient of one frame are input to the linear predicting filter . consequently , a voice waveform having an increased speed by contraction is generated by combining ( at step s 1004 ). fig1 is a flowchart showing one example of a speed adjustment ( at the time of an expansion ) using a code . in the present example , the speed adjusting unit 42 first inputs one frame of a voice code ( at step s 1101 ). in this case , a new residual signal of one frame is generated using the residual signal of the past one frame and the residual signal of the current frame . for this purpose , weight coefficients that add up to one are multiplied to the residual signal of the past one frame and the residual signal of the current frame . the weighted residual signals are added together to generate a new residual signal . the generated residual signal is inserted into between the residual signal of the past one frame and the residual signal of the current frame , thereby generating residuals of three frames ( at step s 1102 ). in the case of an encoding system having a codebook , an index of a codebook is generated at random , thereby generating a new residual signal of one frame . next , the linear predictive coefficient of the past one frame and the linear predictive coefficient of the current frame are interpolated to generate a new linear predictive coefficient . the generated linear predictive coefficient is inserted between the linear predictive coefficient of the past one frame and the linear predictive coefficient of the current frame , thereby generating linear predictive coefficients of three frames ( at step s 1103 ). in the case of an encoding system having a codebook , an index of a codebook is generated at random , thereby generating a new residual signal of one frame . last , the generated residual signals of the three frames and the generated linear predictive coefficients of the three frames are input to the linear predicting filter . consequently , a voice waveform having a decreased speed by expansion is generated by combining ( at step s 11004 ). as described above , according to the present invention , because both voice waveform data and a voice code are used , information can be selectively used based on the characteristic of the voice . quality of the speed - converted voice can be improved , as compared with the quality of voice obtained by speed conversion using only one of the voice waveform data and the voice code . further , the input signal is classified into several kinds of voice . based on the classification of voice , the speed of the input signal can be converted by a method using either one of or both the voice waveform data and the voice code , thereby decreasing the degradation in the voice . quality of the speed - converted a voice can be improved , as compared with the quality of a voice obtained by speed conversion using only one of the voice waveform data and the voice code .
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in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various principles of the present invention . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art , however , that not all these details are necessarily needed for practicing the present invention . in this instance , well - known circuits , control logic , and the details of computer program instructions for conventional algorithms and processes have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the general concepts unnecessarily . turning now to the drawings , reference is initially made to fig1 , which is a pictorial illustration of a system 10 for evaluating electrical activity and performing ablative procedures on a heart 12 of a living subject , which is constructed and operative in accordance with a disclosed embodiment of the invention . the system comprises a catheter 14 , which is percutaneously inserted by an operator 16 through the patient &# 39 ; s vascular system into a chamber or vascular structure of the heart 12 . the operator 16 , who is typically a physician , brings the catheter &# 39 ; s distal tip 18 into contact with the heart wall , for example , at an ablation target site . electrical activation maps may be prepared , according to the methods disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 226 , 542 , and 6 , 301 , 496 , and in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 892 , 091 , whose disclosures are herein incorporated by reference . one commercial product embodying elements of the system 10 is available as the carto ® 3 system , available from biosense webster , inc ., 3333 diamond canyon road , diamond bar , calif . 91765 . this system may be modified by those skilled in the art to embody the principles of the invention described herein . areas determined to be abnormal , for example by evaluation of the electrical activation maps , can be ablated by application of thermal energy , e . g ., by passage of radiofrequency electrical current through wires in the catheter to one or more electrodes at the distal tip 18 , which apply the radiofrequency energy to the myocardium . the energy is absorbed in the tissue , heating it to a point ( typically above 60 ° c .) at which it permanently loses its electrical excitability . when successful , this procedure creates non - conducting lesions in the cardiac tissue , which disrupt the abnormal electrical pathway causing the arrhythmia . the principles of the invention can be applied to different heart chambers to diagnose and treat many different cardiac arrhythmias . the catheter 14 typically comprises a handle 20 , having suitable controls on the handle to enable the operator 16 to steer , position and orient the distal end of the catheter as desired for the ablation . to aid the operator 16 , the distal portion of the catheter 14 contains position sensors ( not shown ) that provide signals to a processor 22 , located in a console 24 . the processor 22 may fulfill several processing functions as described below . wire connections 35 link the console 24 with body surface electrodes 30 and other components of a positioning sub - system for measuring location and orientation coordinates of the catheter 14 . the processor 22 or another processor ( not shown ) may be an element of the positioning subsystem . catheter electrodes ( not shown ) and the body surface electrodes 30 may be used to measure tissue impedance at the ablation site as taught in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 536 , 218 , issued to govari et al ., which is herein incorporated by reference . temperature sensors ( not shown ), typically a thermocouple or thermistor , may be mounted on ablation surfaces on the distal portion of the catheter 14 as described below . the console 24 typically contains one or more ablation power generators 25 . the catheter 14 may be adapted to conduct ablative energy to the heart using any known ablation technique , e . g ., radiofrequency energy , ultra - sound energy , and laser - produced light energy . such methods are disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 814 , 733 , 6 , 997 , 924 , and 7 , 156 , 816 , which are herein incorporated by reference . in one embodiment , the positioning subsystem comprises a magnetic position tracking arrangement that determines the position and orientation of the catheter 14 by generating magnetic fields in a predefined working volume and sensing these fields at the catheter , using field generating coils 28 . the positioning subsystem is described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 756 , 576 , which is hereby incorporated by reference , and in the above - noted u . s . pat . no . 7 , 536 , 218 . as noted above , the catheter 14 is coupled to the console 24 , which enables the operator 16 to observe and regulate the functions of the catheter 14 . console 24 includes a processor , preferably a computer with appropriate signal processing circuits . the processor is coupled to drive a monitor 29 . the signal processing circuits typically receive , amplify , filter and digitize signals from the catheter 14 , including signals generated by sensors such as electrical , temperature and contact force sensors , and a plurality of location sensing electrodes ( not shown ) located distally in the catheter 14 . the digitized signals are received and used by the console 24 and the positioning system to compute the position and orientation of the catheter 14 , and to analyze the electrical signals from the electrodes . in order to generate electroanatomic maps , the processor 22 typically comprises an electroanatomic map generator , an image registration program , an image or data analysis program and a graphical user interface configured to present graphical information on the monitor 29 . typically , the system 10 includes other elements , which are not shown in the figures for the sake of simplicity . for example , the system 10 may include an electrocardiogram ( ecg ) monitor , coupled to receive signals from one or more body surface electrodes , in order to provide an ecg synchronization signal to the console 24 . as mentioned above , the system 10 typically also includes a reference position sensor , either on an externally - applied reference patch attached to the exterior of the subject &# 39 ; s body , or on an internally - placed catheter , which is inserted into the heart 12 maintained in a fixed position relative to the heart 12 . conventional pumps and lines for circulating liquids through the catheter 14 for cooling the ablation site are provided . the system 10 may receive image data from an external imaging modality , such as an mri unit or the like and includes image processors that can be incorporated in or invoked by the processor 22 for generating and displaying images . reference is now made to fig2 , which is a view of the distal portion of the catheter 14 ( fig1 ) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the distal tip 18 of the catheter is within the left atrium of the heart 12 ( fig1 ). pulmonary vein ostia 37 , 39 are visible . a lasso guide 41 has been partially deployed beyond the distal tip 18 . the lasso guide 41 may have a shape memory , and when extended through the distal tip 18 of the catheter 14 , the distal portion of the lasso guide 41 configures itself into a ring or spiral . multiple ring electrodes 43 may be disposed on the lasso guide 41 . the electrodes 43 are useful for obtaining electrograms to confirm electrical isolation of the pulmonary vein following ablation while the lasso guide 41 is still engaged with the wall of the pulmonary vein . other types of electrodes and sensors may be mounted on the lasso guide 41 , for example contact force sensors and magnetic location sensors . reference is now made to fig3 , which is a view of the distal portion of the catheter 14 ( fig1 ) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the lasso guide 41 has been deployed and is engaged with the wall of pulmonary vein 45 . a balloon 47 has been inflated , aided by the stability provided by the lasso guide 41 that is anchored against the vessel wall . correct placement of the balloon 47 can be verified by injecting a contrast agent through the catheter 14 . additionally or alternatively the contrast agent may be injected into the balloon 47 . reference is now made to fig4 , which is a pictorial side view of distal segment of the catheter 14 ( fig1 ) shown in an operating position at ostium 49 of pulmonary vein 45 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the lasso guide 41 has been fully extended through the distal tip 18 . once the guide is positioned in the vein , the balloon 47 , which is mounted on a shaft 51 , extends beyond the distal tip 18 of the catheter 14 . the balloon 47 is inflated by injection with saline solution , in order to close off the vein at the ostium 49 . the balloon 47 is fenestrated . apertures or pores ( best seen in fig6 ) allow the saline to irrigate the ostium 49 . the balloon 47 has an electrode assembly 53 disposed on its eternal surface . multiple ablation electrodes are disposed on the electrode assembly 53 , as best seen in fig5 . the components of the electrode assembly 53 are elongate , and directed longitudinally in respective planes that are normal to the shaft 51 in order to maximize galvanic contact between its electrodes 55 ( fig5 ) and the wall of the ostium 49 . pigtails 57 prevent the electrode assembly 53 from delaminating when the balloon 47 is retracted into the shaft of the catheter 14 and protect wires ( not shown ) leading to the electrodes of the electrode assembly 53 . other geometric configurations for the electrode assembly 53 are possible , for example a spiral arrangement , or concentric rings . passage of electrical energy through the electrodes 55 ( fig5 ) creates a circumferential lesion 59 at the ostium 49 that blocks electrical propagation and isolates the pulmonary vein from the heart . the ablation site is cooled by flow of a cooling fluid 61 through pores formed in the balloon 47 and the electrode assembly 53 . alternatively , a portion of the electrodes 55 may be configured for electrical mapping . reference is now made to fig5 , which is a bottom plan view of the electrode assembly 53 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the electrode assembly 53 is shown detached from the balloon 47 . the bottom surface of the electrode assembly 53 is adapted to be adhered to the external surface of the balloon 47 ( fig4 ) the electrode assembly 53 comprises a central aperture 63 through which the shaft 51 ( fig4 ) extends . this arrangement permits injection of contrast material or sampling through the shaft 51 as may be required by the medical procedure . the electrode assembly 53 comprises a substrate of radiating strips 65 that extend about the balloon 47 and are brought into contact with a pulmonary vein ostium when the balloon is inflated and navigated to the pulmonary vein . electrodes 55 are disposed on each of the strips 65 , and come into galvanic contact with the ostium during an ablation operation , during which electrical current flows through the electrodes 55 and the ostium . ten strips 65 are shown in the example of fig5 and are evenly distributed about of central axis the aperture 63 . other numbers of strips are possible . however , there should be a sufficiently small angle between adjacent strips 65 such that at least one continuous circumferential lesion is produced in the pulmonary vein when the electrodes 55 are activated for ablation . numerous pores 67 ( typically 25 - 100 microns in diameter ) are formed through each of the strips 65 and perforate the underlying balloon 47 as well . the pores 67 conduct a flow of cooling irrigation fluid from the interior of the balloon 47 onto and near the ablation site . the flow rate may be varied by a pump control ( not shown ) from an idle rate of about 4 ml / min to the ablation flow rate of 60 ml / min . reference is now made to fig6 , which is a top plan view of the electrode assembly 53 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . electrodes 55 are shown . in operation they come into contact with the wall of the pulmonary vein . reference is now made to fig7 , which is a side elevation of an embodiment of a balloon 69 having a proximal end 71 and a distal end 73 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . an electrode assembly 75 is adhered to the exterior of the outer wall 77 of the balloon 69 . at its proximal end 71 , the balloon 69 is narrowed and configured to adapt to a connecting tube , which provides mechanical support and a supply of fluid . the distal end 73 is narrowed to permit fluid continuity between the interior of the balloon 69 and the lumen of a vessel . reference is now made to fig8 , which is a cut - away sectional view through line 8 - 8 of the balloon 69 ( fig7 ) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . a rim 79 seals the balloon 69 to a support ( not shown ), and prevents escape of fluid used for inflation of the balloon and irrigation fluid . an inner passage 81 permits fluid communication between a vessel and a location outside the body . for example contrast material may be transmitted through the passage 81 . reference is now made to fig9 , which is a flow - chart of a method of pulmonary vein isolation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . at initial step 83 a cardiac catheter is conventionally introduced into the left atrium of a heart . next , at step 85 the lasso guide 41 is deployed and positioned to engage the interior wall of a pulmonary vein . pre - ablation electrograms may be acquired once the lasso guide 41 is in position . next , at step 87 the balloon 47 is extended over the lasso guide 41 and inflated . next , at step 89 the balloon 47 is navigated into circumferential contact with a pulmonary vein ostium in order to occlude the ostium . next , at step 91 a radio - opaque contrast agent is injected through the lumen of the catheter , the contrast agent passes through a gap between the lasso guide 41 and the wall of the lumen in order to confirm that the balloon 47 is in a correct position against the pulmonary vein ostium . the contrast agent does not enter the balloon . control now proceeds to decision step 93 , where it is determined if the balloon 47 is correctly positioned . if the determination at decision step 93 is negative , then control returns to step 89 and another attempt is made to position the balloon . if the determination at decision step 93 is affirmative , then control proceeds to step 95 where ablation is performed using the ablation electrodes of the electrode assembly 53 ( fig4 ). a circumferential lesion is created in a region of tissue that circumscribes the pulmonary vein . the lesion blocks electrical propagation and effectively electrically isolates the pulmonary vein from the heart . post - ablation electrograms may be obtained from the electrodes 43 of the lasso guide 41 ( fig2 ) in order to confirm functional isolation of the pulmonary vein . after completion of the ablation , the procedure may be iterated using another pulmonary vein ostium by withdrawal of the balloon 47 and the lasso guide 41 . control may then return to step 85 . alternatively , the procedure may end by removal of the catheter 14 at final step 97 . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather , the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and sub - combinations of the various features described hereinabove , as well as variations and modifications thereof that are not in the prior art , which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description .
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a first embodiment of an overall configuration of a system of the present invention is first explained with reference to fig1 . the file management system of the present embodiment comprises a data processing unit 5 , an external storage file 21 , and an input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 which is used in the online process and an input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 which is used in the batch process and a file management table 191 and a user space management table 241 provided in the data processing unit 5 , and an extended storage 1 . the extended storage 1 includes areas ( es1 ) 11 and ( es2 ) 12 ( 12 may be excluded ) correspondingly to the files . in the ordinary online process , data is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 through the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 in the data reference mode , and the data of the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 is output to the file 21 in the data update mode ( data flow 1 ). when the batch process is to be executed , the online process is switched to the read - only mode ( reference mode ) and the online process inputs the data from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 without routing the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( data flow 2 ). in the data reference mode in the batch process , the data is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 through the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( data flow 3 ). if there is target data in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the file 21 is not accessed but the data is transferred from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 . in the data update mode in the batch process , the data of the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 is output to only the extended storage 11 and it is not output to the file 21 ( data flow 4 ). namely , the content of the file 21 is frozen . when the batch process is completed , the access path of the online process is switched so that , in the online process , the data is input from the extended storage 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( data flow 6 ). the data to be referred which is not present in the extended storage 11 is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( data flow 2 ). then , the updated data stored in the extended storage 11 is collectively output to the file 21 ( data flow 5 ). ( this is referred to as a reload process ). when the reload process is completed , the access path in the online process is switched to route the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to return the online process to the read / write mode . referring to fig1 , another embodiment of the overall configuration of the present invention is explained . the file management system of the present embodiment comprises a plurality of data processing units 51 and 52 , an external storage file 21 , an input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 which is used in the online process , an input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 which is used in the batch process , a file management table 191 , a user management table 241 in the data processing unit 51 , an input / output buffer ( buff3 ) 33 which is used in the online process , an input / output buffer ( buff4 ) 34 which is used in the batch process ( 34 may be excluded ), a file management table 192 and a user space management table 242 in the data processing unit 52 , and a stand - alone extended storage which is independent from data processing units 51 and 52 . the extended storage 1 includes areas 11 ( es1 ) and 12 ( es2 ) ( 12 may be excluded ) correspondingly to the files . the operation explained for the embodiment of fig1 equally applies to the present embodiment in which the file 21 is shared by the plurality of data processing units , and the online process and the batch process may be executed by the separate data processing units . in such a case , the access path in the online process is switched by the control by the communication between the data processing units or by writing the control information into the extended storage and inputting the control information in the online process . file management tables 191 and 192 in the present embodiment are explained with reference to fig1 . the file management table 191 ( or 192 ) is secured in the data processing unit for each file 21 and it includes a file management information field 1901 , extended storage management information fields 1902 and 1903 and a bit map field 1904 . the file management information field includes an extended storage allocation flag for identifying a file having a designation to allocate to the extended storage , a file update authorization flag for managing an update authorization for the file 21 , an address of the extended storage management information field 1902 , and an address of the extended storage management information field 1903 for the batch process ( which is identical to the address of the extended storage management information field when the extended storage dedicated to the batch process is not separately provided ). the extended storage management information field 1902 ( or 1903 ) includes an extended storage occupation status flag for indicating the occupation by the batch process of the area 11 ( or 12 ) of the extended storage 1 corresponding to the file 21 , an extended storage access status flag for managing the update in - process status of the extended storage , an extended storage identifier for identifying the area in the extended storage , an extended storage allocation size for storing a size of the area of the extended storage allocated to the file , and a bit map address for storing the address to the bit map for managing the page status in the extended storage . the page represents a frame in which an index record stores a data record in the file . for example , the page size is 4k bytes . the bit map 1904 of the present embodiment is explained with reference to fig2 . the bit map 1904 is held in the data processing unit or the extended storage for each area of the extended storage . each page of the file 21 includes a load completion flag for indicating the completion of load to the extended storage , a batch updated flag indicating the page in the extended storage which was updated in the batch process , and an access inhibit flag indicating the page in the extended storage which cannot be accessed . it further includes a bit train for each page of the file 21 , one for each page of the file 21 . the user space management table 241 of the present embodiment is explained with reference to fig2 . the user space management table 241 is held in the data processing unit for each active user space , and each user space includes an operation mode identification flag for identifying the batch process or the online process , an extended storage disconnection mode flag for indicating whether the extended storage is to be manually disconnected or automatically disconnected , and a type of process flag for indicating whether the update process is to be executed or only the reference process is to be executed . the overall operation of the data management method is now explained with reference to fig1 - 4 . fig1 shows a data flow in the present embodiment . a hardware configuration for the operation in the embodiment of the online data processing system of the present invention comprises a file storage medium 21 , a storage area 11 ( es1 ) allocated to the extended storage which is a storage accessible without mechanical movement , and input / output buffers ( buff1 and buff2 ) 31 and 32 in the data processing unit . individual operation phases of fig1 are shown in fig2 - 4 . fig2 shows a data flow in the ordinary online process . the hardware configuration therefor comprises the file storage medium 21 , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 and the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 . fig3 shows a data flow when the batch process is executed during the execution of the online process . the hardware configuration therefor comprises the file 21 , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 and the input / output buffers ( buff1 ) 31 and ( buff2 ) 32 . fig4 shows a data flow in the reload process of the updated record to the file 21 after the execution of the batch process . in the online process , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 serves as an intermediate storage area between the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 and the file 21 , and when the record is to be referred , if a page which stores a target record is present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 , and a page which is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 and it is also output to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 in parallel . when the record is updated , the content of the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 is output to the file 21 and also to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 . when the batch process is to be executed , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is disconnected from the online process by the extended storage disconnection process and the update authorization of the file to the &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ;. thereafter , when a page input request occurs in the online process , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is not used but the page is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 . on the other hand , when the record is to be input in the batch process , if there is a corresponding page in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 , and the page which is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 and it is also output to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 . if the record is updated in the batch process , the updated page is output to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 but not to the file 21 . when the updating in the batch process is completed , the object of reference in the online process is switched from the file 21 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 and the updated page stored in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is collectively reloaded to the file by the updated page reload process in parallel . when the reloading of the updated page is completed , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is reconnected to the online process by the extended storage reconnection process ( which will be described later ) and the online updating inhibit status is released . a transaction start process and a transaction end process are first explained . a procedure of the transaction start process is explained with reference to fig1 . the operation mode for indicating the batch process or the online process , the extended storage disconnection mode for indicating whether the extended storage is to be disconnected automatically or manually by a user of the file management system , and the type of process for indicating whether to update the file or not , are input ( 1502 ) as a control statement ( 1501 ). the operation mode is determined ( 1503 ), and if it is &# 34 ; batch &# 34 ; the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table is set to &# 34 ; batch &# 34 ; ( 1504 ). then , the extended storage disconnection mode is determined ( 1506 ), and if it is &# 34 ; auto &# 34 ; the extended storage is disconnected from the online process ( or a new area of the extended storage is allocated ) by the extended storage disconnection process ( 1506 ). then , the type of process is determined ( 1507 ). if it is &# 34 ; update &# 34 ;, the extended storage access status flag of the extended storage management information field of the file management table is set to &# 34 ; batch update &# 34 ; ( 1508 ). a procedure of the transaction end process is now explained with reference to fig1 . whether or not the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table is &# 34 ; batch &# 34 ; is determined ( 1601 ) if it is &# 34 ; batch &# 34 ; the &# 34 ; batch update &# 34 ; in the extended storage access status flag of the extended storage management information field of the file management table is reset ( 1602 ). then , the &# 34 ; batch &# 34 ; in the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table is reset ( 1603 ). a procedure of the disconnection process of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 from the online process is explained with reference to fig7 . when the disconnection of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is requested by a user of the file management system or from the transaction process ( batch process ) ( 701 ), whether the extended storage allocation flag of the file management table is &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ; or not is determined ( 702 ). if it is &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ; whether or not the request is to use a new area of the extended storage is determined ( 703 ). if it is the request to use the new area of the extended storage , the new area of the extended storage is allocated ( 704 ) and the extended storage management information field for the batch process is created ( 705 ), and an address of the extended storage management information field corresponding to the new area of the extended storage is set for the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process of the file management table ( 706 ). if the extended storage allocation flag of the file management table is not &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ; a new area of the extended storage is allocated ( 704 ), the extended storage management information field for the batch process is created ( 705 ), and the address of the extended storage management information field corresponding to the new area of the extended storage is set for the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process of the file management table ( 706 ). if the request is not to use a new area of the extended storage , the address of the extended storage management information field is set for the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process ( 707 ). the extended storage occupation status flag of the file management table is set to &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ; ( 708 ). thus , the online process can no longer access the extended storage . the file update authorization flag of the file management information field of the file management table is set to &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ; ( 709 ) to suppress the update request from any process other than the batch process . a procedure of the reconnection process of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the online process is explained with reference to fig8 . when the reconnection of the extended storage is commanded ( 801 ), the &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ; status of the extended storage occupation status flag of the file management table is reset ( 802 ). thus , the extended storage may be referred from the online process . the &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ; status of the file update authorization flag of the file management information field of the file management table is reset ( 803 ). thus , the extended storage may be updated from the online process . whether the address of the extended storage management information field of the file management table matches to the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process is determined ( 804 ). if they match , whether the extended storage allocation flag of the file management table is &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ; is determined ( 805 ) if it is &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ;, the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process of the file management table is cleared ( 806 ). if the extended storage allocation flag is not &# 34 ; allocation &# 34 ;, the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process of the file management table is cleared ( 807 ), the extended storage management information field for the batch process is reset ( 808 ), and the area of the extended storage corresponding to the extended storage management information field for the batch process is deleted ( 809 ). when the address of the extended storage management information field of the file management table does not match to the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process , the address of the extended storage management information field for the batch process of the file management table is cleared ( 807 ), the extended storage management information field for the batch process is released ( 808 ), and the area of the extended storage corresponding to the extended storage management information field for the batch process is deleted ( 809 ). a process of the record process is explained with reference to fig9 . when reference to a record is requested ( 901 ), whether or not a page which stores the target record is present in the input / output buffer 31 ( the input / output buffer 32 in the batch process ) is determined ( 902 ). if it is present in the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 in the batch process ), the page in the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) in the batch process ) is referred ( 904 ). if it is not present in the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 in the batch process ), the page is input to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 in the batch process ) and then the page is referred . when the updating of record is requested ( 901 ), whether or not it is the batch process is determined by the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table ( 905 ). if it is not the batch process , the file update authorization flag of the file management information field of the file management table is examined ( 906 ) and if it is &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ;, the record update request is terminated in error ( 907 ). if the file update authorization flag is not &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ;, the updated page is output to the file 21 by the page output process ( 908 ). if it is the batch process , the updated page is output to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 by the page output process ( 909 ). details of the page input process ( 903 ) are explained with reference to fig1 . whether or not it is the batch process is determined by the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table ( 1001 ). if it is not the batch process , whether or not the extended storage occupation status flag of the file management table is &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ; is determined ( 1002 ), and if it is &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ;, the page is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ). 31 ( 1003 ). if it is not &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ;, the bit map ( which , as shown in fig2 , is a table having a plurality of bit columns for each page of the file 21 to manage the updating status of the page in the extended storage ) is examined ( 1004 ) to determine whether or not the corresponding page is present in the extended storage ( esl ) 11 or not . if the corresponding page is present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the extended storage ( es1 ) to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( 1005 ). if the corresponding page is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 ( 1006 ) and the corresponding page is outputted from the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( 1007 ). in the batch process , whether or not the corresponding page is present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is examined by the bit map ( 1008 ), and if the corresponding page is present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 ( 1009 ). if the corresponding page is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the page is input from the file 21 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 ( 1010 ) and the corresponding page is output from the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( 1011 ). details of the page output process ( 908 , 909 ) explained with reference to fig1 . whether or not it is the batch process or not is determined by the operation mode identification flag of the user space management table ( 1101 ). if it is not the batch process , the file update authorization flag of the file management information field of the file management table is examined ( 1102 ) if it is not &# 34 ; batch only &# 34 ;, the page is output from the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 to the file 21 , and the page is also output from the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 . in the batch process , whether or not the extended storage occupation status flag of the file management table is &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ; is determined ( 1106 ), and if it is &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ;, the page is output from the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( 1107 ). if it is not &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ;, the page is output from the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 to the file 21 , and the page is output from the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 ( 1109 ). an operation of the updated page reload process to write the updated page of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the file 21 is explained . the &# 34 ; batch occupation &# 34 ; status of the extended storage occupation status flag of the file management table is reset ( 1201 ). at this time , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 may be referred by the online process . then , the updated page on the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is outputted to the file 21 in accordance with the bit map ( 1202 ). an operation of the high speed backup acquisition in the online process and the retrieval of a large volume of data in the batch process is explained with reference to fig5 and 13 . the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is disconnected from the online process by the extended storage disconnection process ( 1301 ). the page which is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is determined by the bit map and it is loaded to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 from the file 21 through the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 ( 1302 ). since all pages of the file 21 are present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 at this time , only the backup of the file 21 is executed and the retrieval includes only the transfer from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 . when the backup of the file 21 is to be acquired , the entire page is input from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 ( 1303 ) and it is output to the backup file 41 . then , the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is reconnected to the online process by the extended storage reconnect input / output buffer process ( 1304 ). the updating operation of the batch process in the online process when the extended storage is used as the storage device for the file 21 is explained with reference to fig6 . in the online process , the page is input from the extended storage ( es2 ) 12 to the input / output buffer ( buff1 ) 31 and the file 21 is referred . in the batch process , the updating is executed by using the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 . when the page which is not present in the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is to be updated , the page is input from the extended storage ( es2 ) 12 to the input / output buffer ( buff2 ) 32 and after the updating , it is output to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 . when the batch process is completed , the access from the online process is switched from the extended storage ( es2 ) 12 to the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 and the extended storage ( es2 ) 12 is used for the next batch process . by alternately using the areas of the two extended storage , the updated record reload process can be attained by mere logical exchange of the areas of the extended storage . an operation of the fault recovery process is now explained with reference to fig1 . when a fault occurs , whether or not the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 was being updated is determined based on the extended storage access status flag information of the file management table ( 1401 ). if the batch process is updating the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 , the updated content of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 is invalidated ( 1402 ) to make the content of the file to that prior to the execution of the batch process . when the updated page reload process is updating the file 21 , the updated page reload process is reexecuted to reload the updated page from the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 to the file 21 to make the status of the file 21 to that prior to the execution of the batch process . fig2 shows a data flow in the file reorganization ( in which disordered arrangement of record is reorganized ) of the present embodiment . in the file reorganization process , a reload process of the record to an unload file ( which temporarily store the record ) is added to the data flow of the batch process . the extended storage is fixed as the area for the file reorganization , the records are rearranged and the records are reloaded to the unload file . fig2 shows a data flow in the file reconfiguration method ( in which the configuration elements such as file size and record length are changed ) of the present embodiment . in the file reconfiguration , the reloading of the record to the unload file and a phase to reconfigure the file are added to the data flow of the batch process . instead of the extended storage ( es1 ) 11 and the file 21 of the above embodiment , a stand - alone extended storage which is a storage device shared by a plurality of data processing units as shown in fig1 may be used . a main storage as shown in fig2 may be used to attain the same operation . in accordance with the present invention , there is no contention of resources between the online process and the batch process and the high speed batch process is attained while the online process is executed without affecting to the online process . further , the backup of the file in preparation for the abnormal ending of the process for updating , adding or deleting a large volume of data is eliminated .
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while the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment , it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment . on the contrary , it is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . referring now to the drawings , wherein like numerals indicate like elements , there is shown in fig1 a first embodiment of the present invention . the invention includes a coating pot 10 maintaining a non - magnetic molten material 12 , for example zinc . located at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 is accumulated dross 14 . the dross 14 accumulates over time due to interaction between the molten material 12 and workpieces ( not shown ) placed into and taken out of the molten material during the application . a magnet 16 is suspended in the coating pot 10 such that a first end of the magnet is positioned at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 . magnet 16 may be either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet . an electromagnet may be turned on and off , thereby making cleaning easier . as the magnet 16 is suspended in the molten material 12 , it attracts the finely dispersed magnetic dross 14 . the magnet 16 will collect only the dross 14 and will not attract the non - magnetic molten material 12 . the magnet 16 remains in the coating material 12 continuously except when it is periodically removed for cleaning . fig2 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention . this embodiment includes a coating pot 10 holding molten material 12 . suspended at or near the bottom of the coating pot is accumulated dross 14 . this embodiment includes a tube 18 positioned at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 . the tube 18 includes inlets 19 providing an opening to the interior of the tube 18 . the tube 18 is connected to a pump 20 . the pump 20 draws material from the coating pot 10 , including molten material 12 and dross 14 into the tube 18 . the pump 20 conveys the removed material to a settling area 22 via a passage tube or launder 24 . the settling area 22 provides one or more subsettling areas and in a preferred embodiment two subsettling areas 26 and 28 . each subsettling area 26 and 28 maintains a plurality of magnets 30 just below the bottom of the subsettling areas 26 , 28 . as the material removed from the coating pot 10 via pump 20 is conveyed to the settling area 22 , the magnets 30 will attract the dross 14 to the bottom of the subsettling areas 26 , 28 without attracting the molten material 12 . this provides improved separation between the dross 14 and the molten material 12 . the molten material which remains after separation is passed back to the coating pot 10 or into a molten bath ( not shown ). a third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig3 . this embodiment includes a coating pot 10 holding the molten material 12 wherein the dross has developed and accumulated in a suspension at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 . this embodiment further includes an inlet tube 40 having inlets 42 . the inlets 42 allow a combination of the molten metal and the suspended dross 14 to enter the tube . the tube 40 is connected to a pump 44 , which draws the molten metal - dross combination into the suction tube 40 . the pump 44 is driven by a pump motor 46 . also connected to the pump 44 is an outlet tube 48 . the molten metal - dross combination drawn into the tube 40 is forced into the tube 48 by the pump 44 . the tube 48 carries the molten metal - dross combination up and out of the coating pot 10 and into a receiving trough 50 . associated with the receiving trough 50 is an electromagnetic drum 52 positioned in close and operative proximity to the trough 50 . in one embodiment , a lower portion of the magnetic drum 52 resides within the trough 50 such that the lower portion of the magnetic drum 52 is submerged in the molten metal - dross combination once the pump 44 begins operation and forces the molten metal - dross combination into the trough 50 . in another embodiment , the lower portion of the magnetic drum 52 is positioned above the molten metal - dross combination and the dross particles are extracted from the molten metal - dross combination by magnetic force supplied by the magnetic drum 52 . an endless belt conveyor 54 operates with the magnetic drum 52 and an additional roller 56 . the conveyor belt 54 may be made of stainless steel . a container 58 receives the dross which has been removed from the molten metal - dross combination by the system . the system further includes a return pipe 60 for returning the molten metal to the coating pot 10 once the dross 14 has been removed . in operation the molten metal - dross combination is removed from the coating pot 10 by the pump 44 . the molten metal - dross combination is received by the trough 50 . when the magnetic drum 52 is energized it attracts the dross 14 from the molten metal - dross combination . as the drum rotates , as illustrated in fig3 the conveyor belt 54 moves about the magnetic drum 52 and the additional roller 56 . as the magnetic drum 52 rotates , the dross 14 is drawn to the conveyor belt 54 and held there by the magnetic field of the drum 52 . as the conveyor belt 54 moves around the magnetic drum 52 it carries the dross 14 away from the magnetic drum 52 into the container 58 . the purified molten metal is returned to the coating pot via return tube 60 . the fourth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig4 . this embodiment includes a coating pot 10 holding the molten material 12 wherein dross 14 has developed and settled to the bottom of the coating pot 10 . this embodiment further includes a tube 32 inserted into the coating pot 10 and molten material 12 such that a first end 32 a of the tube is placed at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 in close proximity to accumulated dross 14 . a second end 32 b of the tube is positioned just above the highest level of the molten material 12 providing a passage way from the bottom of the coating pot 10 to just above the molten material 12 . wound about the tube 32 is a multi - phase solenoid coil 34 extending from the first end 32 a of the tube to the second end 32 b of the tube . the coil 34 provides multiple sections as shown , for example , in fig4 wherein the coil 34 includes groups a , b , and c . this embodiment is shown having six sections separated into three groups of two elements ; however , it is not intended to limit the invention to three groups specifically . each group a , b , and c is coupled to a switch 36 . the switch 36 is positionable between contact points a , b , and c . each contact point corresponds to one of the groups a , b , and c , respectively . when the switch 36 engages a particular one of the contact points a , b , or c the corresponding group a , b , or c is coupled to a power source 38 . by successively switching between the three contact points the three magnetic groups a , b , and c are successively powered . this results in generating a slow travelling wave inside the tube 32 . this wave will attract the magnetic dross 14 and urge it towards the top of the coating pot 10 . as the dross 14 reaches the upper end of the tube 32 b it will be accumulated on a constantly energized electromagnet 40 maintained at the top of tube 32 . the magnet 40 will periodically be removed and cleaned in order to remove any collected dross 14 . a fifth embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig5 . this embodiment includes a coating pot 10 holding the molten material 12 wherein dross has developed in a suspension at or near the bottom of the coating pot 10 . this embodiment further includes a pair of rollers 62 a , 62 b . the rollers 62 a , 62 b support a conveyor belt 64 and at least one roller is driven by a motor 66 . the system also includes a magnetized plate 68 disposed between the rollers 62 a , 62 b and on an interior side of the conveyor belt 64 . in operation , the motor 66 drives the rollers 62 a , 62 b , which in turn drive the conveyor belt 64 . because the plate 68 is magnetized , dross 14 suspended in the coating pot 10 is attracted to the plate 68 . the magnetic field generated by the magnetic plate 68 holds the dross 14 against the conveyor belt 64 as the conveyor belt 64 moves up and out of the coating pot 10 . as the conveyor belt 64 travels across the magnetic plate 68 the dross 14 is moved towards the top of the coating pot 10 . once the dross 14 reaches the top of the conveyor belt 64 about the upper pin 62 b the dross 14 is then fed to a receiving container 70 which receives the dross 14 removed from the coating pot 10 . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and , accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention .
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referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding part throughout the several views , there is shown in fig1 , 5 and 6 a firefighter &# 39 ; s coat 10 including a body or torso portion 12 having permanently stitched thereto a pair of sleeves 14 and 16 having the usual gussets 18 and 20 stitched thereto respectively . a collar portion 22 includes an outer collar part 24 and an inner collar part 26 . a fastening means 28 in the form of hook and loop fastener such as velcro is stitched to the outer collar part 24 . a throat tab 30 is stitched at one end 32 thereof to the outer collar part . a fastening means 34 such as velcro is stitched to one surface of the flap near the end 36 thereof and is adapted to engage fastening means 28 when the throat tab is in the stored position shown in fig2 . a fastening means 38 is stitched to the opposite surface of the flap near the end 36 thereof and is adapted to engage fastening means 28 when the throat tab is in the operative position shown in fig6 . the coat is shown in open position in fig1 it being understood that the coat may be secured in closed position with the use of a pair of velcro strips as shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 604 , 759 . a liner 40 is connected at the opposite vertical edges thereof to the opposite vertical edge portions of the shell by a plurality of conventional snap fasteners 42 mounted on the shell which engage conventional cooperating snap fasteners on the liner . as seen in fig2 the back of the coat includes an upper panel 50 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the upper panel 50 includes two layers 52 and 54 of conventional flame - resistant material the upper edges of which are stitched at 56 to the lower edge of the outer collar part 24 . the outer collar part includes an outer layer 60 and an inner layer 62 . the outer layer 60 comprises the same material as the shell , and the inner layer 62 comprises a conventional moisture barrier formed of a neoprene - coated fabric . the waterproof neoprene - coated surface of the moisture barrier 62 faces outwardly toward layer 60 . the upper edge of the outer collar part 24 is stitched at 63 to the upper edges of a moisture barrier 64 and the inner collar part 26 . the moisture barrier 64 includes an upper portion 66 formed of the same material as layer 62 , and the waterproof surface thereof faces outwardly toward layer 60 of the outer shell . inner collar part 26 is formed of a material similar to that of the outer shell . moisture barrier 64 also includes a lower portion 67 formed of the same material as portion 66 . portion 67 is looped to form inner and outer layers 68 and 70 . the facing surfaces of layers 68 and 70 are fabric surfaces , while the waterproof surfaces of layers 68 and 70 face inwardly and outwardly respectively relative to the outer shell . the upper edges of layers 68 and 70 are stitched at 72 to the lower edge of portion 66 of the moisture barrier . strips 74 and 76 of conventional waterproof tape are heat sealed to opposite surfaces of portions 66 and 67 to provide a waterproof joint adjacent the stitching 72 . the upper portion 66 of the moisture barrier extends laterally from one end of the collar to the other and is also stitched to the opposite end edges 77 and 78 of the collar as seen in fig1 by stitching 63 . the opposite end edges of the upper portion 66 extend below the bottoms of the opposite ends of stitching 63 so that any water which may seep through stitching 56 at the opposite ends of the collar will run down the outer surface of the moisture barrier . the opposite end edges of the lower portion 67 of the moisture barrier and the opposite end edges of the strips of tape 74 and 76 terminate short of the opposite end edges of the upper portion 66 so that the snap fasteners of the liner can be engaged with snap fasteners 42 on the shell . inner collar part 26 is stitched at 80 to a strip of material 82 which forms the lower portion of the inner collar part . thermal liner 40 includes a conventional inner quilted layer 90 formed of thermal insulating material and an outer layer 92 of a similar construction to layer 66 to provide a moisture barrier . the waterproof surface of layer 92 faces inwardly toward layer 90 . a first connecting means 100 formed , for example , of velcro is stitched at 102 to the inner layer 68 . it is desirable to stitch the connecting means in place , since this provides a superior support for the velcro . if the lower portion 67 of the moisture barrier were a single layer rather than a double layer , stitching fastening means 100 in place would be unsatisfactory since water could seep through the stitching . accordingly , by providing a pair of layers 68 and 70 , fastening means 100 can be stitched to the inner layer 68 , while the outer layer 70 provides a waterproof moisture barrier between the inner surface of the shell and the upper edge portion of the liner . a second connecting means 104 also formed of velcro is stitched at 106 to the upper edge portion of the liner 40 . a third connecting means 108 also formed of velcro is stitched at 110 to the upper edge portion of the liner 40 . a fourth connecting means 112 is stitched at 114 to the lower edge of portion 82 of the inner collar part 26 . fastening means 100 and 104 engage one another to connect the upper edge portion of the liner to the inner layer of the moisture barrier 64 , while fastening means 108 and 112 engage one another to connect the upper edge portion of the liner to the lower edge of the inner collar part . while each of the fastening means is preferably velcro , other fastening means such as snap fasteners may also be employed . the fastening means enable the liner to be readily disconnected from the moisture barrier and inner collar part when desired for washing and drying the liner . the liner is also disconnected from the shell by disconnecting the snap fasteners 42 . the liner may be quickly and easily installed in operative position within the shell by connecting the snap fasteners 42 and engaging fastening means 100 and 104 with one another and engaging fastening means 108 and 112 with one another . the outer neckline is defined by stitching 56 , and the inner neckline is defined by stitching 80 . if any water should seep through the stitching at 56 , the moisture barrier 64 which extends both above and below the upper edge portion of the liner will present a waterproof surface to such water so that the water will flow downwardly by gravity between the moisture barrier and the outer shell and thence between the moisture barrier on the outer surface of the outer layer of the liner and the shell . the water will then drain from between the bottom edges of the liner and the outer shell which are separate from one another . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . obviously , various modifications , alterations and other embodiments will occur to others upon reading and understanding this specification . it is our intention to include all such modifications , alterations and alternate embodiments insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalent thereof .
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the present invention will be described by means of the following examples which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . here , “ parts ” and “%” are based on mass unless otherwise stated . a polyethylene terephthalate material was molten at 290 ° c . and extruded into a sheet - shaped film through a film - forming dye . the film was made in contact with a rotational quenching drum chilled with water for cooling purposes , so that an unstretched film was produced . the unstretched film was preheated at 120 ° c . for a minute , and stretched by 4 . 5 times at 120 ° c . using a biaxial stretching tester ( toyoseikiseisaku - sho , ltd .). the resulting film was then stretched by 1 . 5 times in a direction at 90 degrees to the first stretching direction . as a result , a polarizer protective film ( retardation of 9900 nm , film thickness of 100 μm , δn of 0 . 099 ) was obtained . the resulting polarizer protective film was placed on a polarizer on the viewer side in a liquid crystal monitor ( flatoron ips226v produced by lg electronics japan ) to produce a liquid crystal display device . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was 0 °. a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was changed to 30 °. a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was changed to 60 °. a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was changed to 90 °. the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 8200 nm , a film thickness of 92 μm , and δn of 0 . 089 was obtained . a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the obtained polarizer protective film was used . the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 19000 nm , a film thickness of 190 μm , and δn of 0 . 100 was obtained . a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the obtained polarizer protective film was used . the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 7500 nm , a film thickness of 75 μm , and δn of 0 . 100 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 7500 nm , a film thickness of 94 μm , and δn of 0 . 08 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 6100 nm , a film thickness of 61 μm , and δn of 0 . 100 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 6100 nm , a film thickness of 81 μm , and δn of 0 . 075 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that an angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 45 °. the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 5200 nm , a film thickness of 52 μm , and δn of 0 . 100 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. the polarizer protective film obtained in example 9 was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 45 °. a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that a pet film a4100 having a retardation of 6200 nm , a film thickness of 188 μm , and δn of 0 . 033 produced by toyobo co ., ltd . was used as the polarizer protective film . the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 7500 nm , a film thickness of 188 μm , and δn of 0 . 040 was obtained . a liquid crystal display device was produced in the same manner as in example 1 , except that the obtained polarizer protective film was used . the stretch ratio of an unstretched film produced in the same manner as in example 1 was adjusted so that a polarizer protective film having a retardation of 6100 nm , a film thickness of 160 μm , and δn of 0 . 038 was obtained . the polarizer protective film was placed in such a manner that an angle formed by the slow axis ( average orientation angle ) thereof and the absorption axis of the polarizer on the viewer side in the liquid crystal monitor was set to 0 °. images displayed on the liquid crystal display devices produced in the examples and the comparative examples were observed visually and over polarized sunglasses by five persons from the front and in an oblique direction ( about 50 degrees ) in a dark place and in a bright place ( 400 lx around the liquid crystal monitor ) for determination of the presence or absence of rainbow interference pattern based on the following criteria . good : slight rainbow interference pattern was present . no problem in practical use . fig3 illustrates an emission spectrum of the back light source of the liquid crystal monitor ( flatoron ips 226v produced by lg electronics japan ). fig4 illustrates an emission spectrum of external light used in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern in a bright place . the average orientation angle and the orientation angle difference in the slow axis direction of the polarizer protective film was measured with regard to the liquid crystal display devices according to examples 7 to 10 , and comparative examples 3 and 6 . the measurement was performed using a molecular orientation analyzer ( moa ) produced by oji scientific instruments . as illustrated in fig5 , the orientation angle was measured at 40 points at intervals of 5 cm in the vertical direction and in the transverse direction on a liquid crystal monitor ( 21 . 5 inches , 27 cm high and 48 cm wide ). the average thereof was the average orientation angle . the orientation angle difference is the value obtained by subtracting the minimum orientation angle from the maximum orientation angle . black dots in fig5 indicate measured points . as shown in table 1 , the liquid crystal display devices according to the examples in which the polarizer protective film has a retardation of not less than 6000 nm and an angle formed by the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer is within a range of 0 °± 30 ° or 90 °± 30 ° are excellent in any of the evaluations of rainbow interference pattern observed visually and over polarized sunglasses in a bright place and in a dark place . the liquid crystal display device according to example 8 in which the orientation angle difference in the slow axis direction of the polarizer protective film was 1 . 7 ° was a bit inferior to the liquid crystal display device according to example 7 in which the orientation angle difference was 0 . 8 ° in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern over polarized sunglasses in a bright place and in a dark place . similarly , the liquid crystal display device according to example 10 in which the orientation angle difference in the slow axis direction of the polarizer protective film was 2 . 2 ° was a bit inferior to the liquid crystal display device according to example 9 in which the orientation angle difference was 1 . 1 ° in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern over polarized sunglasses in a bright place and in a dark place . in contrast , the liquid crystal display devices according to comparative examples 1 and 3 in which an angle formed between the slow axis of the polarizer protective film and the absorption axis of the polarizer was 45 ° were excellent in the evaluation of the rainbow interference pattern in a dark place but poor in the evaluation of the rainbow interference pattern in a bright place over polarized sunglasses . the liquid crystal display device according to comparative example 2 in which the retardation was less than 6000 nm was poor in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern both in a bright place and in a dark place . the liquid crystal display devices according to comparative examples 4 to 6 were each poor in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern in a bright place and in a dark place because δn thereof was less than 0 . 05 , though the retardation thereof was not less than 6000 nm . in comparison of the liquid crystal display devices according to examples 9 and 10 and comparative example 6 , the liquid crystal display device according to comparative example 6 was inferior to the liquid crystal display devices according to examples 9 and 10 in the evaluation of rainbow interference pattern over polarized sunglasses in a bright place and in a dark place . the reason for this is presumably that the orientation angle difference in the slow axis direction of the polarizer protective film according to comparative example 6 was large as 6 . 6 °, while the orientation angle difference in the slow axis direction of the polarizer protective film according to examples 9 and 10 were as small as 1 . 1 ° and 2 . 2 °, respectively . the liquid crystal display device of the present invention is applicable to a liquid crystal display device provided with a polarizer protective film having a large retardation value , and highly suppresses occurrence of rainbow interference pattern in displayed images .
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embodiments of the present invention provide security systems and methods for computing systems having one or more processing components , such as a microprocessors , each with one or more processor components such as cache units , instruction cache units , branch prediction units , branch target buffers , and other components . in one specific embodiment , for example , the present invention provides methods and systems for preventing security breaches related to branch prediction by central processing units . merely by way of example , the invention is described as it applies to architectural level security of computing systems , but it should be recognized that the invention has a broader range of applicability . embodiments of the present invention are useful in a variety of computing systems and device incorporating computing systems . examples include desktop computer systems , laptop computer systems , mainframe computer systems , cell phone devices , personal digital assistant devices , smart cards , embedded systems , etc . and any other systems incorporating a microprocessor or similar intelligence module . also , although the remainder of this document will discuss embodiments and aspects of the invention in terms of their applicability to bpu and btb units , it should be appreciated that embodiments and aspects of the present invention may be applied to any other processor components . examples of such components include data cache and instruction cache . in general , a processor component is a component having an internal state that is affected by execution of a process , which produce state transitions in the component . in many cases , these states and state transitions may be observable by an adversary using appropriate measurement techniques . a processor component typically includes a collection of one or more circuit elements that are configured to perform one or more specific tasks . additionally , it should be appreciated that , where an output signal is mentioned , embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to any signal in a processor component , e . g ., any signal on a wire internal to a component or any signal between components . according to various embodiments , system security is improved by making it difficult for an adversary to observe the output of a processor component using methods described herein . in certain aspects , new secure instructions are used , and the implementers need to use them to indicate for which conditional branches need to be handled securely . according to one aspect , in these new secure branch instructions , at least one bit , which indicates whether the branch needs to be handled securely , is different than in the original branch instruction . in certain embodiments , the predictor for certain user - determined conditional branches is disabled . in a specific embodiment , the predictor is disabled so that branch prediction operations are not performed . in another embodiment , the predictor functions normally but the outcome of the prediction is ignored . for example , the execution has to stall until the actual outcome of the branch is determined . to achieve this functionality , the control logic of the predictor is modified . these embodiments can also be adapted to the cases of other microprocessor components such as data cache , instruction cache , and the like . for example , data cache and / or instruction cache can be disabled for certain user - determined memory accesses . in some embodiments , data cache and / or instruction cache may be disabled so that memory accesses are not served from these components . in some embodiments , certain user - determined memory accesses may not be served from these components . in other embodiments , these microprocessor components may function normally but the outcomes may be ignored and certain user - determined memory accesses may not served from these components . for example , in one embodiment , randomization functionality is added to the behavior of the predictor . conventional predictor functionalities are usually implemented as a function of the state of the predictor ( i . e ., local and global branch history , btb state and the individual predictors ), and the address of the conditional branch . the state transition is usually also a function of the above items plus the actual outcome of the branch : prediction = f ( current state , branch address ), next state = g ( current state , branch address , branch target address , prediction , actual outcome ). these functions can be generalized for other processor components such as data cache , instruction cache , and the like : the output of the component = f ( current state of the component , other related data ), the next state of the component = g ( current state of the component , other related data ), for some functions f and g . here the data denoted as “ other related data ” in these functions may in some cases include the output of these components . in one embodiment , an element is added to the above functions , which element makes it difficult for an adversary to predict or observe the state or state transition . for example , in one aspect , a pseudorandom element is added to the above state functions . one example is a pseudo random number generator ( prng ) 60 , as shown in fig2 . prng 60 may already be present in the chipset or it may be added . the prng 60 provides a ( random ) output signal to a signal modification logic circuit 70 . a particular bit of the values ( one or more bits ) generated by the prng 60 can be used by the logic circuit 70 , or a function of more than one bit may be chosen . a control signal specifies whether the logic circuit 70 will output the randomized ( i . e ., fake ) prediction or the actual outcome of the traditional predictor . for example , in one aspect , the random prediction outcomes are desired to be 50 % taken and 50 % not taken . however , it should be appreciated that other ratios of taken to not taken may be used . in other aspects , any signal may be used to add randomness or unpredictability to the output of the predictor . for example , in one aspect , the function of prng 60 ( to provide a signal to logic circuit 70 ) in fig2 may be implemented by a signal generator that outputs a constant signal ; logic circuit 70 , responsive to the control signal , will output the fake signal based on the constant signal or it will output the actual prediction signal . in another aspect , the function of prng 60 may also be implemented by a clock signal , either an external clock signal , or a clock signal internal to logic circuit 70 . in general , the signal provided to logic circuit 70 may be implemented by a variety of signal generator elements known to those skilled in the art . this protection method may be implemented in a variety of ways . for example , in one embodiment , a protection method is implemented by selecting either the actual prediction or the fake prediction as illustrated in fig3 . as shown in fig3 , signal modification logic circuit 70 includes a circuit element 72 configured to produce the modified predictor output signal ( fake prediction ) by multiplexing ( mux ) the bpu output signal and one or more bits of the signal generator . the signal generator may be configured to output a single ( random ) bit or multiple ( random ) bits . as another example , a protection scheme is implemented by inverting the classical prediction randomly , as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the signal modification logic circuit 70 includes circuit elements 74 and 76 configured to produce the modified predictor output signal by randomly inverting the bpu output signal . these diagrams are merely examples , which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many variations , alternatives , and modifications . for example , a logic circuit 70 may be coupled to any signal path in any processor component or between any processor components , e . g ., a wire internal to a cache or the btb or the bpu or a buffer or a wire between the bhr and bpt , etc . in this case , the logic circuit receives a signal on the signal path and , responsive to a control signal , either outputs the received signal or a fake signal as described above . as another example , the fake output signal output by logic circuit 70 can include the control signal itself or the control signal inverted , or it can include the received output signal inverted . the present invention also improves system security by reducing potential vulnerabilities related to the btb . more specifically , in certain aspects , new secure branch instructions are introduced . in one aspect , to avoid the interference of malicious code , such as a spy / dummy process , to the execution of the cipher , the btb records of each process are located in a different buffer . in another aspect , the btb is implemented in such a way that the critical conditional branches always cause btb hits or misses , in which case it is possible to implement a cipher so that the execution becomes independent of the btb outcomes . in another aspect , the btb records of critical conditional branches are located in an unpredictable manner so that the attacks become harder to apply , e . g ., if the attacker does not know the exact location of a btb record , the attacks will be more costly . according to one embodiment , a bpu is implemented with independent ( i . e ., unshared ) branch target buffers . for example , in one aspect , each process in a cpu is allocated its own btb space . additionally or alternatively , each logical and / or physical processor unit is allocated its own btb space . a physical processor may present itself to the os as two or more independent logical processors . for example , in a simultaneous multi - threading system ( e . g ., intel &# 39 ; s hyper - threading technology ), a real physical processor is able to presents itself to the operating system as two or more independent logical processors . as a result of using independent , unshared buffer spaces , the interference between spy and cipher processes via btb is minimized and / or prevented . an operating system ( os ) is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer . an operating system processes raw system and user input and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system . in general , all software that manages hardware and software resources of a computing environment will be referred to herein as the operating system . examples of such software include virtual machine monitors , hypervisors , and reference monitors . while an adversary may clear the btb during a context switch , the amount of biased btb outcomes of the cipher is greatly reduced . the os in the system may clear ( e . g ., flush , invalidate ) a btb space with a certain frequency and / or during special events . for example , the os may clear the btb during each context switch and / or before starting an execution of some applications and / or after the termination of some applications . furthermore , the hardware system , e . g . a processor , or an application may also clear a btb space with a certain frequency and / or during special events . a btb space may include a portion of a btb unit , an entire ( separate ) btb unit , portions of separate btb units , or a plurality of separate btb units . in one embodiment , the allocated btb spaces are independent and are virtually and / or dynamically allocated . for example , in one aspect , btbs may be implemented as separate physical units . in general , any number of separate physical btb units may be implemented . physical independence is implemented , in one aspect , ( at least ) by way of using a different physical btb for each process and / or logical processor in the cpu . also , each process and / or logical processor can be allocated more than one physical btb . in another aspect , each process and / or logical processor can be allocated a separate buffer space that spans more than one physical btb , e . g ., multiple processes and / or logical processors share multiple btbs , but the buffer space allocated to each process and / or logical processor is separate and unshared . according to another embodiment , a single large physical btb is partitioned into multiple and preferably disjoint portions by way of hard coding ( i . e ., forcing each logical processor to use a disjoint portion of the btb ). in another embodiment , the btb are utilized as dynamically allocated virtual partitions . for example , a specific instruction set is provided for the process . in another embodiment , instructions are used to indicate the presence of sensitive operations and the need of ( virtually ) independent btb . fig5 is a simplified diagram illustrating a conventional btb line . as shown in fig5 , 32 - bit addressing is used . the part of the branch address that spans from bit t to k - l is used as an index to find the correct location of a branch in the btb . the values of k and t typically depend on the system architecture . the “ tag ” portion of the address is stored in the corresponding btb line to compare it with the actual tag of an executed branch to determine whether the btb has the correct entry . in one aspect , to make each btb independent , the btb line is modified . for example , a modified btb line according embodiments of the present invention allows for btb lines to be virtually independent . fig6 is a simplified diagram illustrating a modified btb line according to an embodiment of the present invention . as shown , an identification number for a logical processor and / or process is implemented as part of the index ( e . g ., the most significant bit ( s ) of the index ). as a result , each process and / or processor has virtually independent and unshared btb partitions , as two different logical processors and / or processes cannot have two branches with the same index and the branch data from two different logical processors and / or processes have to be stored in different parts of the btb . to preserve the correct functionality , the tag address space in the btb line is increased by a number of bits , n , where n is a number greater than or equal to zero . fig6 is merely an example , which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims . one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations , alternatives , and modifications . in a specific embodiment , it is possible to dynamically switch between a normal btb operation mode and a virtually unshared btb mode using special instructions . for example , a process may indicate that it needs to be virtually independent ( e . g . needs a virtually unshared btb buffer ) and / or the cpu can switch to the virtually unshared btb mode . in one embodiment , during a context switch , the operating system stores this information ( i . e . the need of be virtually independent ) as part of the process state . for example , the operating system is able to set / reset the mode when determined to be necessary by the operating system . according to another embodiment , the present invention provides a partitioned btb . some parts of a btb can be exclusively reserved and / or dedicated to some certain processes and / or logical processors . depending upon the application , partitions can be dynamically allocated or statically implemented . in the case of dynamic partition allocation , new instructions are introduced to manage the dynamic partitioning . this management can be software based ( i . e ., the operating system can manage the partitions ) and / or hardware based . the software based partitioning can be implemented in different ways . by way of an example , the operating system ( os ) can modify the logical addresses of the branches before starting the execution of a process . in order to do this , the os has to have detailed information of the process &# 39 ; code , which can be provided by the compiler . therefore , the os can remove inter - process btb collisions . another approach is to manage the partitioning in the hardware . again this approach can be implemented in many different ways . the following are some examples . in one embodiment , a process executes a special instruction that instructs the cpu to reserve a part of the btb only to this process . for example , it may be necessary to use one of the reserved bits in control registers as a flag to indicate if the btb has been partitioned . when the cpu receives the special instruction from a process , the cpu sets the flag and uses a special part of the btb that is to be used only for this process &# 39 ; s entries . the special instruction is one way of various btb protection methods . for example , in pentium ® 4 , the btb is 4 - way associative . accordingly , a cpu can reserve one or more specific ways of these 4 ways for a process and the entries of this process can exclusively use these parts of the btb and the rest of the buffer can be used for general purposes , i . e ., for other processes . for example , during a context switch , the new flag needs to be reset so that the partitioned way ( s ) can be used again for general purposes . depending on the application , the btb may also be partitioned in many other ways . for example , the btb can be partitioned in the same way a traditional cache is partitioned ( with some minor modifications which are suitable for the btbs as would be apparent to one skilled in the art ). in this manner , a large part of the btb does not need to be partitioned . according to certain embodiments , rather than reserving a large portion of the btb , one or more btb entries ( or sets ) may be reserved for one or more entries of some processes . for example , reserving a smaller portion of the btb advantageously allows for avoiding bp attacks without closing a large part of the btb to general use . in one embodiment , as shown in fig7 , each entry ( or set , respectively ) includes an associated lock bit . the lock bit may be stored as part of the entry as shown in fig7 , or it may be stored in a different location in the computing system . when a process executes a special instruction ( e . g ., secure , conditional branch instruction ), the cpu sets the lock bit of the particular entry ( or set , respectively ). entries having their lock bit set are handled in a different , e . g ., secure , manner than entries that do not have their lock bit set . for example , when the cpu loads a new value to the btb , it may only evict the entries that do not have a lock bit set . therefore , the target address of the target branch cannot be evicted from the btb . in one aspect , at each context switch , all of the lock bits are reset . in some cases , this technique may cause a race - condition and a possible deadlock . in an embodiment , a special part of btb may be used to avoid deadlocks . for example , if a secure conditional branch faces a deadlock situation , an entry from this special part can be used to store the record of that branch . a single or several btb entries or a single / several btb sets can be reserved in btb for security critical branches . according to one embodiment , a btb locking mechanism provides this capability . a process can determine which and how many of its branches needs to be handled in a more secure way . some branches in a software can be marked as critical and the cpu would handle these branches differently than the others , e . g ., in a more secure manner . hardware additions to the btb and a system interface for controlling which branches should be locked are provided . the system interface may be defined in several different ways including adding new instructions to the instruction set of the processor to specify which branches should be locked in btb . the hardware additions to the btb may also be implemented in several different ways . in one embodiment , a single bit is added to each btb line . this bit specifies whether the entry stored in this btb line is locked . in another embodiment , a single bit is added to each btb set . in another embodiment , the cpu store this information in another part of the system , e . g ., a buffer separate from the btb . in general , the cpu stores the information of which entries in btb should be locked . when an entry is locked in a btb by a process , this entry should not be evicted as a result of execution of a branch that belongs to another process . in other words , a locked entry in the btb should not be replaced by another entry that belongs to another process . a locked entry that belongs to a process can be removed from the btb when this process terminates . in one embodiment , as long as a process is active ( i . e ., not terminated ), the locked entries that belong to this btb cannot be evicted from btb by a process different from the process that owns the entry and cannot be replaced by other processes &# 39 ; entries . the operating system or any other software that controls the overall system ( referred to herein as the os ) may remove the locked entries from the btb . for example , in one aspect , the os removes the lock on the locked entries that belong to a process when this process terminates . in certain aspects , a lock on a btb line can be removed by resetting the lock bit in this line . the os or the cpu needs to keep track of which locked btb entries belong to which process . in one embodiment , additional hardware is added to each btb line to store to which process this btb entry belongs . in one aspect , this is done by storing an identification of the process , i . e ., id of the process . in another aspect , the cpu stores this information in another part of the system ; for example in a dedicated buffer . in yet another aspect , this information is stored by the os in buffer in main memory . in one embodiment , a new instruction is added to the instruction set . this new instruction can be executed by os after the termination of a process to automatically remove the locking on the btb entries that belong to this process . in one embodiment , the cpu needs to know the information on which processes are active and which processes are not active . this is done , in certain aspects , by a communication between the os and cpu ( for example via executing an instruction ) and the os can pass this information to cpu . in this aspect , the cpu can remove the locking on btb entries that belong to a terminated process . in another aspect , the os handles this task by removing the locking on btb entries that belong to a terminated process . in one embodiment , a new instruction is added to the instruction set for removing the locking on a specified btb entry ( for example by resetting the lock bit ). there can be several other alternatives . it should be realized that the techniques of locking a btb entry is not limited to these specified entries and has a broader application range . according to one embodiment , an implementer - specified conditional branch , which can always yield a constant btb output ( e . g ., either always a hit or a miss ), is provided . one example of such a protected btb area is described below . according to various embodiments , the target addresses of certain implementer - specified conditional branches may be stored in a protected btb area in advance . for example , new pre - load instructions and secure conditional branch instructions may have to be preloaded . the target addresses can be loaded before the actual computations in a buffer and the new secure conditional branches can refer to the indices of this buffer . for example , as shown in fig8 , the instruction of a conditional branch can have the index instead of the actual target address . the cpu first fetches this particular location , then starts fetching instructions in the target address . this protected area is preferably unshared . during a context switch , the content needs to be saved and reloaded after the process starts again . while the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the specific embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . to the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements .
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in fig1 , a circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment is shown . an apparatus like a ct scanner may comprise a primary side 100 which preferably is stationary and a secondary side 200 which preferably is rotating . there is a rotating transformer having a primary winding 110 and a secondary winding 210 for inductively coupling electrical signals from the primary side 100 to the secondary side 200 . the primary winding 110 is fed by an inverter 120 which converts input voltage received via primary inputs 131 , 132 into an alternating voltage , preferably a voltage in a frequency range from between 1 khz and 100 khz , most preferably about 20 khz . the voltage output of the secondary winding 210 is provided at secondary winding contacts 254 , 255 , which are connected to a rectifier . preferably , the rectifier is a bridge rectifier comprising four diodes 221 - 224 . the output of the rectifier preferably is connected to a filtering capacitor 230 . furthermore , connected to the filtering capacitor 230 may be a positive output voltage pin 251 and a negative output voltage pin 252 , by which a load 240 may be connected . in a ct scanner , the load may comprise an x - ray tube and / or multiple electrical or electronic circuits , like a computer , a detector and imaging processing means . one of the output pins 251 , 252 is connected to a secondary ground 253 . preferably , the negative output 252 is connected thereto . the secondary ground 253 is preferably based on mechanical parts at the rotating side , which may be the rotating part of a gantry of a ct scanner . it is further preferred to have a slip ring 280 comprising at least one sliding track 281 and a at least one brush 282 for electrically connecting said secondary ground 253 to a protective earth 134 ( which may be a primary ground ), which may further be connected via a protective earth connector 133 to a main power system , or a specific ground pad . it is further preferred to have a control unit 150 for controlling the inverter 120 or any other control means at the primary side . the controller 150 may be connected to a ground current sensor 151 for measuring a current between the secondary ground 253 and the protective earth 134 . it may also measure a current through the primary winding 110 , preferably by use of a second current sensor 153 . based on the measurement results , a trigger signal 152 may be generated . in an inductive rotating coupler , certain faults may occur . one of these faults may be a short circuit of the secondary winding to the secondary ground 253 . in this embodiment , a short circuit of the second secondary winding contact 255 is marked as a dashed line 270 indicating the short circuit . a similar scenario takes place , if the first secondary winding contact 254 has a short circuit to the secondary ground 253 . there may also be a short circuit of any other part of the secondary winding 210 to secondary ground 253 . by the short circuit , depending on the kind of short circuit , one of the rectifier diodes 221 , 223 is shorted . the function is explained exemplarily by the kind of short circuit as indicated by dashed line 270 . in this case , the rectifier diode 223 is shorted . as the rotating transformer is operated with an ac signal , it delivers positive and negative half waves at its output . when the secondary winding 210 delivers a positive output , where the voltage at the first secondary winding contact 254 is higher than the voltage at the second secondary winding contact 255 , the circuit works as usual , as the rectifier diode 222 lets the current flow into the filtering capacitor 230 and the load 240 . when a negative half wave is delivered , the voltage at the first secondary winding contact 254 is lower than the voltage at the second secondary winding contact 255 , then the diode 224 provides a short circuit of the secondary winding . this short circuit leads to an asymmetrical current flow through the rotating transformer , which may easily be detected at the primary side , for example by second current sensor 153 , but it would also generate a signal which may be detected by the ground current sensor 151 at the primary side . due to the asymmetrical short circuit of the secondary winding 210 by one of the rectifier diodes , it is impossible that the circuit works as a voltage doubler , as the prior art , as shown in fig4 . in fig2 , the positive current path in a first failure mode with a short circuit 270 is shown as a dashed line with arrows indicating the direction of the current . when the output voltage at the first secondary winding contact 254 is higher than the voltage at second secondary winding contact 255 , then a current flows through the circuit as shown . it flows through a rectifier diode 222 into the capacitor 230 and back via secondary ground 253 and the short circuit 270 to the second secondary winding contact 255 . this kind of current flow results in a normal charge of the capacitor 230 . a negative current flow into the opposite direction , as indicated by fig2 is shown in fig3 by a dashed line with arrows indicating the direction of the current . the current flows from the second secondary winding contact 255 via the short circuit 270 and secondary ground 253 through diode 224 back to the first secondary winding contact 254 . this is a short circuit via the diode 224 of the secondary winding 210 . there are further parasitic capacitive currents flowing via the slip ring 280 to the protective earth 134 which may be detected by the control circuit 150 . furthermore , the asymmetrical load can easily be detected by a second current sensor 153 at the primary side of the inductive rotary joint . in fig4 , an embodiment as known from the prior art is shown . here , there is no slip ring 280 and no controller 150 with the associated circuits and components . furthermore , there is a ground capacitor 260 . this capacitor is required to provide a high frequency connection between the output of the circuit and the secondary ground 253 . in this embodiment , the negative output of the power supply is connected to the secondary ground 253 . if a short circuit between the secondary winding 210 and the secondary ground 253 occurs as indicated by dashed line 270 , the circuit acts as a voltage doubler , causing approximately doubling of the regular output voltage at the capacitor 230 . this would affect the operation of a connected load 240 . there is a high probability that sensitive electronic components within the load may be destroyed or at least damaged . in fig5 , the positive current path in a first failure mode according to prior art is shown as a dashed line with arrows indicating the direction of the current . in the case of a positive output voltage of secondary winding 210 , current is flowing through rectifier diode 222 into capacitor 230 and therefrom via capacitor 260 , secondary ground 253 , and the short circuit 270 back to the second secondary winding contact 255 . as will be shown in the next figure , the capacitor 260 was charged by a current of the preceding negative half wave output of secondary winding 210 to a negative voltage having the inverse polarity to the voltage at capacitor 230 . therefore , the ground capacitor &# 39 ; s 260 positive side is at the secondary ground 253 , whereas its negative side is at the negative output 252 . as the total voltage over the capacitor 230 and the ground capacitor 260 equals to the output voltage of the secondary winding 210 , the capacitor 230 must have twice the output voltage of the secondary winding 210 . this leads to twice the output voltage at the load 240 . in fig6 , the current flow in a negative direction according to the prior art is shown as a dashed line with arrows indicating the direction of the current . the current flows from the second secondary winding contact 255 via short circuit 270 and secondary ground 253 through ground capacitor 260 , and diode 224 back to the first secondary winding contact 254 . it can be seen how the ground capacitor 260 is charged with a charge current in the opposite direction to capacitor 230 , as mentioned in the description of the previous figure . in fig7 , a positive current flow in normal operation of a preferred embodiment is shown . here , the current flows from the first secondary winding contact 254 to diode 222 , capacitor 230 , and diode 223 back to the second secondary winding contact 255 . in fig8 , a negative current flow in normal operation of a preferred embodiment is shown . here , the current flows from the second secondary winding contact 255 via diode 221 , capacitor 230 , and diode 224 back to the first secondary winding contact 254 . fig9 shows schematically a computed tomography ( ct ) scanner gantry 10 . the stationary part is suspended within a massive frame 810 . the rotating part 809 of the gantry 10 is rotatably mounted with respect to the stationary part and rotates along the rotation direction 808 . the rotating part 809 may be a metal disk which supports an x - ray tube 801 , an x - ray detector 803 and further electronic and mechanic components . this metal disk may define a secondary ground . the x - ray tube 801 is for generating an x - ray beam 802 that radiates throurth a patient 804 lying on a table 807 and which is intercepted by the x - ray detector 803 and converted to electrical signals and imaging data thereof . the imaging data obtained by the x - ray detector 803 are transmitted via a contactiess rotary joint ( not shown ) to an evaluation unit 806 by means of a data bus or network 805 . electrical power from a stationary power supply unit 811 may be transmitted by an inductive power coupler 800 to the rotating part 809 . modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description . accordingly , this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention . it is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments . elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein , parts and processes may be reversed , and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently , all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention . changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims .
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the effects of an electroless copper plating solution of the present invention were examined while varying the conditions of plating bath . these experiments were conducted according to the following basic procedure . a 3 cm × 7 cm stainless steel plate having an area of about 40 cm 2 was cleaned and then treated with a pd catalyzing solution , for example , catpo - 44 - c sold by shipley co . the plate was then washed with water and activated by an accelerator acc - 19 - c , sold by shipley co . the pretreated stainless steel plate was then plated in an edta bath , shown in table 1 , for 2 minutes to form a copper layer 0 . 1 to 0 . 2 μm thick . after washing with water , the plate was plated in 500 cc of a plating solution to be tested for 10 minutes , and the thickness of the deposited copper layer was measured with an electrolysis - type layer thickness meter and the result converted to a deposition rate per hour . the plating load was 80 cm 2 / 1 , and naoh was used as the ph - adjustor . the plating bath was constantly stirred by blowing air therein and mechanical stirring was not used at any stage . table 1______________________________________copper salt : cucl . sub . 2 0 . 06 mcomplexing agent for copper ion : edta * 0 . 08 mreducing agent : formalin ** 18 ml / lph at 25 ° c . 12 . 5bath temperature 50 ° c . examples 1 to 8copper salt : cucl . sub . 2 0 . 06 mcomplexing agent for copper ion : quadrol 0 . 08 mreducing agent : formalin 18 ml / laccelertorph at 25 ° c . 12 . 55bath temperature 55 ° c . ______________________________________ * edta : ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ** formaline is a 37 % aqueous solution of formaldehyde the above plating bath having a plating solution to be tested was used for the above plating tests , and the rate of deposition of copper was measured . the kinds of accelerator added to the plating solution to be tested , and the results of the tests or the deposition rates , are shown in table 2 . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ example 1 2 3 4__________________________________________________________________________accelerator triethyl - amine n ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 3 tripropyl - amine n ( c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 ). sub . 3 ## str1 ## ## str2 ## amount 0 . 1 m 0 . 1 m 0 . 01 m 0 . 06 mofacceleratordeposition 32 μm / hr 35 μm / hr 27 μm / hr 30 μm / hrrate__________________________________________________________________________ example 5 6 7 8__________________________________________________________________________accelerator ## str3 ## ## str4 ## ## str5 ## ## str6 ## amount 0 . 06 m 0 . 06 m 0 . 04 m 0 . 04 mofacceleratordeposition 25 μm / hr 25 μm / hr 28 μm / hr 22 μm / hrrate__________________________________________________________________________ copper salt : cucl . sub . 2 0 . 06 m , complexing agent : quadrol 0 . 08 m , reducin agent : formalin 18 ml / l , ph : 12 . 55 ( 25 ° c . ), temperature : 55 ° c . plating tests as in examples 1 to 8 were conducted with plating solutions to be tested , wherein one plating solution had no additive as an accelerator ( example 9 ), and the other solutions had various additives added thereto ( examples 10 to 17 ). the kinds and amount of the additives added and the results of the tests are shown in table 3 . from table 3 , it is seen that an amine the nitrogen of which constitutes an aromatic cycle ( example 10 ), an amine in which hydrogen is bonded to the nitrogen ( example 11 ), amines having an unsaturated aliphatic group ( examples 12 and 13 ), an amine having a ketone group ( example 15 ) and diamines ( examples 16 and 17 ) do not provide an acceleration of the rate of deposition of copper . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ ( comparative ) __________________________________________________________________________example 9 10 11 12 13__________________________________________________________________________additive none ## str7 ## ## str8 ## triallylamine n ( ch . sub . 2chch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 tripropagyl - amine n ( ch . sub . 2cch ). su b . 3amount -- 0 . 06 m 0 . 06 m 0 . 04 m 0 . 04 mofadditivedeposition 15 μm / hr 2 μm / hr 3 μm / hr 14 μm / hr 1 μm / hrrate__________________________________________________________________________ example 14 15 16 17__________________________________________________________________________ additive ## str9 ## ## str10 ## ## str11 ## ## str12 ## amount 0 . 04 m 0 . 04 m 0 . 01 m 0 . 01 m of additive deposition 1 μm / hr 1 μm / hr 4 μm / hr 8 μm / hr rate__________________________________________________________________________ copper salt : cucl . sub . 2 0 . 06 m , complexing agent : quadrol 0 . 08 m , reducin agent : formalin 18 ml / l , ph : 12 . 55 ( 25 ° c . ), temperature : 55 ° c . the same tests as in the former examples were conducted except that ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ( edta ) was substituted for n , n , n &# 39 ;, n &# 39 ;- tetrakis ( 2 - hydroxypropyl ) ethylenediamine ( quadrol ). the results are shown in table 4 . table 4______________________________________ example 18 19 20______________________________________complexing edta 0 . 08 m edta 0 . 08 m edta 0 . 08 magentaccelerator triethylamine diethyl - -- 0 . 1 m ethanolamine 0 . 04 mdeposition 13 μm / hr 12 μm / hr 5 μm / hrrate______________________________________ copper salt : cucl 2 0 . 06m , reducing agent : formalin 18 ml / l , ph : 12 . 55 at 25 ° c ., temperature : 55 ° c . from table 3 , it is seen that , when edta is used as a complexing agent , the copper deposition rate is reduced but the acceleration of the copper deposition rate by the addition of an amine according to the present invention is not changed , in comparison with the case where such an amine is not added . using triethylamine as the accelerator , the effect on the deposition rate of the amount of added accelerator was determined . the results are shown in table 5 and fig1 . table 5______________________________________ example 21 22 23 24 25______________________________________accelerator none triethylamineamount of -- 0 . 05 m 0 . 1 m 0 . 2 m 0 . 3 macceleratordeposition 15 μm / hr 30 μm / hr 32 33 33rate μm / hr μm / hr μm / hr______________________________________ as seen in table 5 and fig1 the copper deposition rate is little changed when an amount of triethylamine of over 0 . 1m is added . the reason is considered that even if the amount of added triethylamine is increased , the excess triethylamine is dispersed and is not solved and , therefore , the amount of the solved or effective triethylamine is not increased . it was made clear that no particular disadvantage arises when an excessive amount of triethylamine is added . in the same procedure as in example 23 , copper sulfate cuso 4 was used instead of copper chloride cucl 2 ( 0 . 06m of cuso 4 was added ). the rate of deposition of copper was 30 μm / hr , which shows that the acceleration effect is not altered by changing the kind of copper salts .
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now , a voip system having a dynamic gain control capability and a method for providing a dynamic gain using the system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings . fig3 is a view showing a voip system having a dynamic gain control capability in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 , a voip system having a dynamic gain control capability in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a key telephone / private exchange 330 , a voip gateway 340 , and a gatekeeper 350 . the key telephone / private exchange 330 is a telephone exchange system which enables a predetermined number of external telephone lines used in enterprise fields such as a public office , a company , a factory and a hotel to be shared with all members , and phone calls between internal users connected to extension lines to be connected automatically . a main object of the key telephone / private exchange 330 is to reduce an expenditure occurring in case that all members of a public office , a company , a factory and a hotel have their own general telephone lines . the key telephone / private exchange 330 is owned not by a telephone company but privately owned by a public office , a company , a factory and a hotel and is managed on their own responsibility . the key telephone / private exchange 330 employed an analog mode originally but the trend of it is recently changing to a digital mode . the key telephone / private exchange 330 has an analog telephone 310 and a digital telephone 320 which are connected to it , and it provides exchange connections between one extension telephone 310 and another extension telephone 320 or between the extension telephones 310 and 320 and external telephone lines ( telephone lines of telephone office via ). here , the analog telephone 310 is a telephone used in a general home and is connected to the key telephone / private exchange 330 through an analog interface . the digital telephone 320 is a special telephone which is manufactured in order to make full use of the key telephone / private exchange , and is connected to key telephone / private exchange 330 through a digital interface . the key telephone / private exchange 330 receives , from a manager , information on whether the connected telephone is the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 , makes a database by correlating the information with the extension numbers and stores the database in it . when a call setup request is made from the connected telephones 310 and 320 , the key telephone / private exchange 330 looks up the extension number and determines whether the telephone currently requesting the call setup is the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 . the information on the kind of telephone correlated with the extension number is transmitted to the gatekeeper 350 coupled tightly with the key telephone / private exchange 330 and is managed in it . the key telephone / private exchange 330 manages a gain table shown in table 1 , below , and this gain table is used to determine an amplification ratio when the pcm voice data are amplified on the voip gateway 340 in accordance with the kind of sender telephones 310 and 320 . when the key telephone / private exchange 330 senses a call setup request from an extension line , it determines whether the sender telephone is an analog telephone 310 or a digital telephone 320 by identifying the extension telephone number . and , the key telephone / private exchange 330 looks up an ip address translation table transmitted from the gatekeeper 350 so as to be a database and managed by it , and determines whether the receiver ( called ) telephone 360 is an ip telephone 360 or a voip gateway 400 . here , using the called telephone number , the key telephone / private exchange finds the ip address corresponding to it and determines whether the receiver is an ip telephone 360 or a voip gateway 400 . on the basis of the determination result , the key telephone / private exchange 330 looks up the gain table of table 1 , identifies the gain value and transmits the identified gain value to the voip gateway 340 . the key telephone / private exchange 330 transmits the gain table information of table 1 to the gatekeeper 350 so as to be stored in a database and managed by it . as described above , the key telephone / private exchange 330 is installed in a building or a predetermined place and employs an external telephone line ‘ endowed a telephone number ’ from the telephone station . and , the key telephone / private exchange 330 enables the extension lines endowed their own numbers to communicate freely using the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 and provides various functions including switchover , holding , broadcasting , conference , and so on so that users can perform their businesses with ease and efficiency . the key telephone / private exchange 330 also identifies gain values and informs the voip gateway 340 of the gain values . so , the voip gateway 340 can look up the gain values when it compresses pcm voice data . the key telephone / private exchange 330 can be connected to the voip gateway 340 using a digital line such as an e1 / t1 370 and an analog line such as a loop line . the key telephone / private exchange 330 can be connected to another voip gateway 400 outside through a pstn ( public switch telephone network ) 401 using an e1 / t1 390 or a loop line as an external telephone line trunk . the voip gateway 340 is adapted to connect the pstn to the voip network . generally , in order to embody a voip voice communication , it is needed to employ protocols for controlling is call , for example , a protocol ss7 ( signaling system 7 ) for controlling call of the pstn , an h . 323 protocol for internet , an sip ( session initiation protocol ) and so on . the voip gateway 340 is needed to control an inter - transformation between a call control protocol used for an internet and a pstn when both networks are interworked and the media . generally , the voip gateway 340 can be classified according to its service . for example , the voip gateway 340 includes a built - in type gateway which is mounted on a key telephone system ( kts ) or a private branch exchange ( pbx ) 330 as a card form , a server type gateway which is mounted on a platform such as a window network terminal ( nt ), a stand - alone type gateway which is independently constructed from other terminals , and so on . the stand - alone type gateway can be classified into a tandem ( trunk and enm ( ear & amp ; mouth )) function and a stand - alone function . the tandem function stand - alone gateway is a stand - alone gateway for supporting an interworking between heterogeneous lines . the tandem function stand - alone gateway is connected to a private exchange and / or a key telephone system 330 through an internal t1 / e1 interface , a loop start trunk interface and an slc ( subscriber line circuit ) interface . the stand - alone type gateway of stand - alone function is connected to a plurality of telephone terminals directly . accordingly , in connection with the present invention , the voip gateway 340 may be the built - in type gateway and the server type gateway which is mounted on a platform such as a window nt ( window network terminal ), and a tandem type gateway among the stand - alone type gateways which are independently constructed from other terminals . the voip gateway 340 is connected to gatekeeper 350 through an internet ( ip ) network 380 . main functions of the voip gateway 340 are to compress the pcm voice data received from the key telephone / private exchange 330 , transform the data into voip packets and transmit them to over the internet network 380 , or transform the voip packet received from the internet network 380 into pcm data and transfer the data to the key telephone / private exchange 330 . here , the voip gateway 340 stores a gain value transmitted from the key telephone / private exchange 330 . and then , in case that a call setup is completed and there exists a voice data exchange , when transforming pcm voice data into a voip packet , the voip gateway 340 amplifies and transforms the pcm voice data according to the stored gain value . and , in case of transforming the voip packet into the pcm voice data and outputting them , the key telephone / private exchange 330 amplifies the transformed pcm voice data and outputs them . of course , in case that a sender is not the key telephone / private exchange 330 but an ip telephone 360 or an external voip gateway 400 , the voip gateway 340 stores a gain value transmitted from the gatekeeper 350 , and then in case that the call setup is completed and there exists the voice data exchange , when transforming the pcm voice data into the voip packet , amplifies and outputs the pcm data according to the stored gain value . and , in case of transforming the voip packet into the pcm voice data and outputting the data , the voip gateway 340 amplifies the transformed pcm voice data and outputs them . the gatekeeper 350 is one of h . 323 entity which is defined in the h . 323 protocol being a multimedia communication standard of itu - t , which is an apparatus for controlling , managing and integrating h . 323 end points ( gateway , terminal , mcu , and so on ) existing in a packet - based network after making them one control area defined as a zone . main functions of the gatekeeper 350 include an address translation function for translating the alias name or a destination name into a network ( ip ) address name , a bandwidth control function of a call authentication ( ras ) function for properly distributing a protocol related with the gatekeeper 350 and a bandwidth being a limited resource of a network to each end point in the h . 323 of registration / admission / status ( ras ) and checking if they reaches to a limit values and then performing a blocking , a call control function for connecting / releasing call between one end point and another end point , and additional maintenance functions such as billing , statistics , and so on . such a gatekeeper 350 is connected to the ip telephone 360 through the voip gateways 340 and 400 through the ip network 380 . the gatekeeper 350 manages the ip address translation table used for mapping the internet telephone number and the ip address in order to perform the address translation function , which transmits ip address translation table information to the key telephone / private exchange 330 so that the key telephone / private exchange 330 can make the ip address translation table its database to be stored and managed . when the gatekeeper 350 receives a call setup request for sharing the voip gateway 340 from the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 , it analyses a sender ip address and determines whether the sender is the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 . the gatekeeper 350 identifies information on the type of telephone related the extension number which is transmitted from the key telephone / private exchange 330 ( here , called extension telephone number is used ) and determines whether the called extension telephone is the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 . then , the gatekeeper 350 obtains the gain value by looking up the gain table ( table 1 ) transmitted from the key telephone / private exchange 330 , and transmits the obtained gain value to the voip gateway 340 . here , the ip telephone 360 is also called an internet telephone which enables users to perform a voice communication in the voip net . now , an operation of the voip system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention having the construction described above will be explained . when a user makes a phone call using the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 and a call passing the voip gateway 340 is generated , the key telephone / private exchange 330 identifies the extension number of the telephone making a phone call and determines if the sender telephone is the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 . then , the key telephone / private exchange 330 searches for a called telephone number by looking up the ip address translation table transmitted from the gatekeeper 350 and determines if the receiver is the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 . after then , the key telephone / private exchange 330 identifies a gain value by looking up the gain table ( table 1 ) and transmits the gain value together with a call setup signal . of course , the key telephone / private exchange 330 may transmit the call setup signal to the voip gateway 340 first , and then transmit the gain value using a special message . as an example , when a user makes a phone call to the ip telephone 360 using the analog telephone 310 , the key telephone / private exchange 330 transmits a gain value of 9 db to the voip gateway 340 . as an example , also , when a user makes a phone call to the external voip gateway 400 using the digital telephone 320 , the key telephone / private exchange 330 transmits a gain value of 13 db to the voip gateway 340 . the voip gateway 340 which has received a call setup signal including a gain value from the key telephone / private exchange 330 extracts the gain value included in the call setup signal transmitted and stores it in a memory , and transmits the call setup message to the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 . of course , in case of receiving the gain value from the key telephone / private exchange 330 through a special message , it is possible to extract the gain value from the message transmitted and store it in a memory . when the voip gateway 340 tries to compress and transmit the pcm voice data using a codec in case that a call setup is normally made to the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 , it amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value before compressing them and then compresses and transmits the amplified pcm data using the codec . also , the voip gateway 340 transforms the voip packet transmitted from the called ip telephone 360 or external voip gateway 400 into the pcm voice data and then , according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value , amplifies and transmits the pcm voice data to the key telephone / private exchange 330 . in case that an external call is received , for example , when the voip gateway 340 receives a call setup signal transmitted from the ip telephone 360 or the voip gateway 400 , the call setup signal passes through the gatekeeper 350 . here , the gatekeeper 350 identifies the gain value and transmits it to the voip gateway 340 . at first , when the gatekeeper 350 receives a signal for requesting a call setup with the telephones 310 and 320 connected to the key telephone / private exchange 330 from the ip telephone 360 or the external voip gateway 400 , it identifies a sender ip address and determines whether the sender is the ip telephone 360 or the voip gateway 400 . the gatekeeper 350 identifies an ip address included in the call setup signal and determines whether the sender requesting the call setup is the ip telephone 360 or the voip gateway 400 . the gatekeeper 350 identifies the called telephone number and determines whether the receiver is the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 using information on the type of telephone related with the extension telephone number received from the key telephone / private exchange 330 . the gatekeeper 350 obtains a gain value by looking up the gain table ( table 1 ) transmitted from the key telephone / private exchange 330 , and transmits the obtained gain value to the voip gateway 340 . then , in case that a call setup is normally made to the analog telephone 310 or the digital telephone 320 , the voip gateway 340 transforms the voip packet into pcm voice data and then , according to the gain value , amplifies and outputs the transformed pcm voice data . also , when the voip gateway 340 tries to compress and transmit the pcm voice data using the codec , it amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value before compressing the pcm voice data , and then compresses and transmits the amplified pcm data using the codec . on the other hand , though the gain value of this embodiment is determined in consideration of the sender and the receiver both , it may be possible to determine the gain value by merely referring to the type of telephones 310 and 320 connected to the key telephone / private exchange 330 . fig4 is a view showing an inner block diagram of a voip gateway . referring to fig4 , the voip gateway includes a subscriber line connector 402 , a switch 403 for connecting between subscribers who are connected through lines , a media processor 405 for compressing and decompressing common voice , a pstn connector 407 for connecting to the pstn and receiving an e1 / t1 digital line of a key telephone / private exchange 408 , an ip network connector 406 for connecting to the ip network 409 , and a main controller 404 . in the voip gateway described above , when the pstn connector 407 interfaced with the key telephone / private exchange 408 requires the main controller 404 to make a call setup with the ip network 409 , the main controller 404 checks the state of the ip network 409 and then performs the call setup to the ip network 409 through the ip network connector 406 . the media processor 405 compresses the pcm voice data inputted from the key telephone / private exchange 408 through the pstn connector 407 , and then transmits the data to the ip network connector 406 . and , the media processor 405 also decompresses packet data inputted from the ip connector 406 and relays the call to the key telephone / private exchange 408 through the pstn connector 407 . here , the main controller 404 extracts and stores a gain value included in a call setup message received from the key telephone / private exchange 408 ( a special message may be used ) and then provides the media processor 405 with the stored gain value when the call setup is completed . then , the media processor 405 amplifies the pcm voice data inputted according to the gain value , and compresses and transmits the amplified pcm voice data as voip packets . also , the media processor 405 transforms the voip packet into the pcm voice data according to the gain value , and then amplifies and outputs the transformed pcm voice data . on the other hand , when the main controller 404 received an external call setup signal through the ip network connector 406 ( of course , the main controller may receives the gain value from the gatekeeper using a special message ), it extracts the gain value included in the call setup signal and stores the value , and provides the media processor 405 with the gain value stored after the call setup is completed . then , the media processor 405 transforms the voip packet into the pcm voice data according to the gain value , and then amplifies and outputs the transformed pcm voice data . also , the media processor 405 amplifies the pcm voice data inputted according to the gain value , and then compresses and transmits the amplified pcm voice data as voip packets . fig5 is a view showing a detailed block construction of the ip network connector and the media processor shown in fig4 and connected to pstn connector 407 and key telephone / private exchange 408 . referring to fig5 , the ip network connector 406 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 511 , a memory 512 and a compact peripheral component interconnect ( cpci ) bridge 513 . and , the media processor 405 includes a digital signal processor ( dsp ) 521 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 522 , a memory 523 , and a cpci bridge 524 . the cpci bridges 513 and 524 are constituents used to match cpu busses . here , since a normal media processor 405 has a lower degree of integration of a channel than the ip network connector 406 , it is common that one ip network connector 406 is matched with a number of media processors 405 . at that time , there occurs a task that a number of hardware pba ( printed board assembly ) should be matched with a common bus for voice traffic in a backplane in order that the ip network connector 406 transmits and receives the voice traffic to and from the media processor 405 . it is common to use a cpci bus in the aspect of a bus band and operating with a current level of technology , and it is necessary to use the cpus 511 and 522 for operating the bus in case of using the cpci bus . here , the cpus 511 and 522 should be used for transferring voice traffic and also for operating the bus . the cpu 511 of the ip network connector 406 is used to process the ip protocol and to operate the cpci bus , and the cpci bridges 513 is used to match the cpu bus with cpci bus . the dsp 521 of the media processor 405 is an essential constituent for embodying vocoding function , and the cpu 522 of the media processor 405 is an essential constituent for controlling the cpci bridge 524 . the memories 512 and 523 are essential constituents which act as buffers for transmitting and receiving data processed in the cpus 511 and 522 and the dsp 521 . the cpci bus is made up of a master and a number of targets wherein an ip network connector 406 acts as the master and a number of media processors act as the targets , in the conventional art . in connection with the present invention , the cpu 522 of the media processor 405 receives a gain value from the main controller 404 of the voip gateway and stores it in the memory 523 , and in case of compressing the pcm data inputted from a pstn connector 407 into the voip packet , controls the dsp 521 so that the dsp 521 amplifies the pcm data according to the gain value and then compresses the amplified data . when the cpu 522 of the media processor 405 transforms the voip packet inputted from the ip network connector 406 ( fig4 ) into the pcm data , it controls the dsp 521 so that the dsp 521 amplifies the pcm data according to the gain value stored and outputs the data . fig6 is a view showing an operation flow chart of a method for providing a dynamic gain in a sender using a voip system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig6 , when a telephone user makes a phone call which passes through a voip gateway using an analog telephone or a digital telephone , the analog telephone or the digital telephone transmit a call setup message including a called telephone number to a key telephone / private exchange ( s 110 ). then , the key telephone / private exchange identifies an extension number of a sender and determines whether the type of telephone of the sender is an analog telephone or a digital telephone . then , the key telephone / private exchange looks up an ip address translation table transmitted from a gatekeeper and determines whether the receiver is an ip telephone or an external voip gateway . then , according to the determination , the key telephone / private exchange obtains a gain value by looking up a gain table and then transmits the gain value together with the call setup message to the voip gateway ( s 112 ). the obtained gain value corresponds to either the extension telephone making the call , the terminal ( end - point ) receiving the call ( i . e ., the ip telephone or the external voip gateway ) or both the extension telephone making the call and the terminal ( end - point ) receiving the call . then , the voip gateway extracts the gain value from the call setup message , stores the value ( s 113 ), and transmits the call setup message to the gatekeeper ( s 114 ). the call setup message is then transmitted to the called ip telephone or external voip gateway ( s 116 ). then , when the gatekeeper and the voip gateway receive a call response message from the ip telephone or the external voip gateway ( s 118 and s 120 ), the received call response message is transmitted to the key telephone / private exchange and the telephone ( s 122 and s 124 ). when the voip gateway tries to compress and transmit the pcm voice data using the codec after the call setup has been completed and the call setup has been normally made to the ip telephone or the external voip gateway , the voip gateway amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value and then compresses and transmits the amplified pcm data using the codec . also , the voip gateway transforms the voip packet received from the ip telephone or the external voip gateway into the pcm voice data , amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value and transmits the amplified pcm voice data to the key telephone / private exchange . fig7 is a view showing an operation flow chart of a method for providing a dynamic gain in a receiver using a voip system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig7 , when a gatekeeper receives a call setup message form an ip telephone or an external voip gateway ( s 210 ), it identifies an ip address of a sender and determines whether the sender is an ip telephone or an external voip gateway by looking up an ip address translation table . then , the gatekeeper determines whether a receiver is an analog telephone or a digital telephone using information on the kind of telephone for an extension telephone number transmitted from the key telephone / private exchange . and then , the gatekeeper obtains a gain value by looking up the gain table and transmits the gain value obtained together with the call setup message to the voip gateway ( s 212 ). then , the voip gateway extracts the gain value from the call setup message , stores the gain value ( s 213 ) and transmits the call setup message to the key telephone / private exchange ( s 214 ). the call setup message is then transmitted to the analog telephone or the digital telephone ( s 216 ). then , when the voip gateway receives a call response message from the analog telephone or the digital telephone ( s 218 and s 220 ), the received call response message is transmitted to the ip telephone or the external voip gateway so that the call setup is made ( s 222 and s 224 ). then , as the call setup is completed , the voip gateway transforms the voip packet transmitted from the ip telephone or the external voip gateway into the pcm voice data , amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value , and then transmits the data to the key telephone / private exchange . also , when the voip gateway tries to compress the pcm voice data using the codec and transmit the pcm voice data to the ip telephone or the external voip gateway , it amplifies the pcm voice data according to the amplification ratio determined in response to the stored gain value , compresses the amplified pcm data using the codec , and then transmits them as voip packets . even though the present invention explains the case that the key telephone / private exchange , the voip gateway and the gatekeeper are close coupled and share information in the database , the same method will be applied to the case that the constituents are not coupled closely . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art appreciate that various modifications , additions and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims . in accordance with the present invention , when connecting a call to communication equipment ( an ip phone or a voip gateway ) connected to an external ip network through another voip gateway in a key telephone / private exchange , a speech quality can be enhanced by enabling the call to have proper gain values according to the type of terminals to be connected to the call .
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fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a reversible electrodeposition optical modulation device employing a segmented counter electrode according to the present invention . in this example , optical modulation electrode 106 is uniformly disposed on substrate 102 , and counter electrode 110 is comprised of segments a through f disposed on insulating substrate 104 and separated by a gap of width 105 . the segments a through f of counter electrode 110 may be recessed relative to the surface of substrate 104 , as depicted in fig1 or may be disposed upon the surface of substrate 104 . electrolyte 112 containing electrodepositable metal ions 116 is disposed between and in contact with optical modulation electrode 106 and counter electrode 110 , as well as portions of substrate 104 . each counter electrode segment 110 - a through 110 - f is electrically connected to electrical switch 119 such that voltage from electrical power source 118 can be applied between optical modulation electrode 106 and one or more segments a through f of counter electrode 110 . the device may be initially charged with electrodepositable metal by depositing the metal on electrode 110 or on electrode 106 , or by depositing partial metal layers on each of the two electrodes . optical modulation electrode 106 is preferably comprised of a transparent conductor film and may include an optional surface modification layer ( not shown ) to provide a mirror electrodeposit . the transparent conducting film is typically indium tin oxide ( ito ) or fluorine - doped tin oxide ( fto ) but may also be comprised of another material , for example , aluminum - doped zinc oxide , antimony - doped tin oxide , indium oxide , fluorine - doped indium oxide , aluminum - doped tin oxide , phosphorus - doped tin oxide , or indium zinc oxide . the surface modification layer , if employed , is typically a noble metal selected from the group consisting of platinum , iridium , gold , osmium , palladium , rhenium , rhodium and ruthenium . an underlayer of another metal ( e . g ., aluminum , chromium , hafnium , molybdenum , nickel , titanium , tungsten or zirconium ) may be used to improve the adhesion of the surface modification layer . substrate 102 is typically comprised of a transparent glass or plastic material . electrolyte 112 may be any suitable aqueous , nonaqueous , solid or ionic liquid electrolyte containing ions 116 of an electrodepositable metal , preferably selected from the group consisting of silver , bismuth , copper , tin , cadmium , mercury , indium , lead , antimony , thallium , zinc , and alloys thereof . as further depicted in fig1 a positive voltage applied to counter electrode segment 110 - b tends to dissolve electrodeposited metal from layer 114 - b on segment 110 - b into electrolyte 112 and to electrodeposit a metal layer 107 predominantly in the area of optical modulation electrode 106 directly opposite counter electrode segment 110 - b . deposition of electrodepositable metal in areas of optical modulation electrode 106 substantially distant from counter electrode segment 110 - b is suppressed because the voltage is reduced by the greater electrical resistance associated with the longer electrolyte electrical paths . however , the geometric area of the metal layer deposited on the optical modulation electrode is generally larger than the counter electrode segment producing the deposit , as depicted for deposited metal layer 107 and counter electrode segment 110 - b in fig1 . under some conditions , metal deposited by application of a positive voltage to adjacent counter electrode segments forms a continuous and substantially uniform metal layer on the optical modulation electrode , as indicated for segments 110 - d and 110 - e and metal deposit 108 in fig1 . applying a negative voltage to a given counter electrode segment tends to cause metal deposited on the optical modulation electrode in the localized area opposite to that counter electrode segment to dissolve into the electrolyte . the propagation of light for a particular localized area of optical modulation electrode 106 is determined by the thickness of the electrodeposited metal layer in that area , which can be adjusted by applying a voltage of the appropriate polarity between the optical modulation electrode and the corresponding segment of the counter electrode . the present invention may also be used for devices utilizing a counter electrode reaction other than reversible metal electrodeposition . localization of metal deposition and dissolution within areas on the optical modulation electrode opposing the counter electrode segments , which is typically desirable for a display device , can be enhanced by utilizing a small spacing between the electrodes and / or an electrolyte having a relatively high resistivity . on the other hand , the discontinuity between deposits on the optical modulation electrode for an adjustable mirror or smart window device can be minimized by utilizing a small gap width 105 between counter electrode segments in conjunction with a relatively large electrode spacing and / or an electrolyte with relatively low resistivity . with modern lithographic methods , segmented electrodes can readily be fabricated with gap widths of less than 10 microns , for which discontinuities between deposits of equivalent thickness on the optical modulation electrode would generally be negligible . fig2 depicts a segmented counter electrode 110 of a type suitable for use with the device of the present invention . electrode 110 is comprised of electrode segments 110 - a through 110 - r disposed on substrate 104 , which is comprised of an electrically insulating material . the width 105 of the gap between electrode segments typically has a substantially constant value , as depicted in fig1 but may also be varied , for example , to provide a particular pattern of deposited metal on the optical modulation electrode . likewise , the counter electrode segments may be of any shape suitable for providing a desired pattern of deposited metal on the optical modulation electrode . substrate 104 is preferably stable in the electrolyte used in the device but may also be a relatively unstable material coated with a more stable material . a wide variety of materials can be used for substrate 104 , including plastic , resin , glass , ceramic and composite materials , which might also include metals . electrode 110 may in principle be comprised of almost any electrically conducting material since it is typically covered by a layer of electrodepositable metal under normal device operating conditions and is not exposed to the electrolyte . electrode 110 may also be composed entirely of electrodepositable metal in a layer of sufficient thickness that it is not consumed during device operation . however , electrode 110 is preferably stable in contact with the electrolyte over the voltage range used for device switching so as to preclude the possibility of counter electrode dissolution or loss , as well as associated contamination of the electrolyte . with such a stable counter electrode material , the amount of electrodepositable metal can be minimized and the electrodepositable metal can be fully dissolved from electrode 110 to initialize the state of the electrodes in the device . such initialization may be advantageous , for example , to periodically re - establish a uniform distribution of metal along the electrode surfaces . high stability for electrode 110 may be provided by use of noble metals , which include platinum , iridium , gold , osmium , palladium , rhenium , rhodium and ruthenium . in this case , a thin noble metal layer on a less expensive electrode material is preferred to minimize noble metal costs and to facilitate fabrication of the segmented counter electrode . the noble metal is preferably applied to substrate 104 or to a less expensive electrode material by a vacuum deposition method ( sputtering or evaporation , for example ) but could be applied by another method ( electroplating or electroless plating , for example ) or a combination of methods . almost any electrical conductor protected with a sufficiently thick noble metal coating could be employed to fabricate the segmented counter electrode of the present invention . a preferred counter electrode is comprised of a thin layer ( 15 å - 30 å ) of sputtered platinum on an indium tin oxide ( ito ) or fluorine doped tin oxide ( fto ) layer on a glass or plastic substrate . other conducting oxides may also be used , including aluminum - doped zinc oxide , antimony - doped tin oxide , indium oxide , fluorine - doped indium oxide , aluminum - doped tin oxide , phosphorus - doped tin oxide , or indium zinc oxide . less noble metals ( chromium , nickel , titanium , hafnium , molybdenum , zirconium and stainless steel ., for example ) might be sufficiently stable for use as counter electrode materials in some electrolyte system . a noble metal overlayer may also be used to improve the stability of such metals . segmented electrodes according to the present invention are readily fabricated by standard lithographic methods . for example , the gap areas between electrode segments may be masked by a stencil or photoresist , which is removed or lifted off to expose areas of insulating substrate 104 after the electrode layers are deposited . alternatively , segments of a continuous electrode layer or layers may be protected by photoresist or a stencil while material in the gap areas between electrode segments is removed by chemical etching , ion milling , mechanical milling , mechanical abrasion , or other means . for some counter electrode structures and fabrication procedures , it may be necessary to apply a protective layer of inert material to prevent reaction of less stable material exposed at the electrode segment edges . segmented electrodes according to the present invention may also be fabricated from solid electrode segments adhesively attached to an insulating substrate or molded / embedded into the surface of a plastic or resin substrate . in this case , stable materials that are difficult to vapor deposit , stainless steel , for example , can be used for electrode 110 and exposure of reactive edges is avoided . electrical contact to individual counter electrode segments located at the edge of the device is readily established by having the electrode material extend through seal 103 to the outside of the cell , as depicted in fig2 . electrical contact to isolated electrode segments contained within the cell area ( segments 110 - h through 110 - k in fig2 ) may be made via wires or circuit traces that pass through substrate 104 ( as indicated in fig1 ) or are insulated from the electrolyte and routed along the gaps between electrode segments and through seal 103 to the outside of the cell . various other arrangements for establishing electrical contact to individual segments of counter electrode 110 will be apparent to those skilled in the art . a reversible electrochemical mirror ( rem ) device having a segmented counter electrode according to the present invention was fabricated and successfully tested . both electrodes for this test device were comprised of a 15 å sputtered platinum surface modification layer on 10 ohm - square indium tin oxide ( ito ) transparent conductor on a clear glass pane substrate ( 1 mm thick ). fig3 depicts the configuration of the segmented counter electrode 310 , which consisted of ten rectangular segments 310 - a through 310 - j having an active area ( inside seal 303 ) of approximately 1 . 8 × 4 . 0 cm each . gap width 305 between counter electrode 110 segments was less about 1 mm . the segmented electrode was fabricated by protecting the areas corresponding to the electrode segments on a pt / ito / glass pane ( 10 . 6 × 10 . 6 cm ) with plater &# 39 ; s tape and etching away the exposed pt / ito layers in an acid solution ( consisting of 1 part concentrated hydrochloric acid , 0 . 01 part concentrated nitric acid and 1 part water by volume ) leaving only the glass substrate 304 in the gap between electrode segments . the plater &# 39 ; s tape on the electrode segments was then removed and strips of plater &# 39 ; s tape were placed in the segment gap areas to ensure that electrical isolation was maintained . the segments on the electrode were bussed together and electroplated at 5 ma / cm 2 with about 1 μm of silver from a commercial cyanide bath ( technisilver 2e , technic co .) with mild agitation . after removal of the plater &# 39 ; s tape , the electrode was annealed at 200 ° c . for 30 minutes in an inert atmosphere ( to improve adhesion of the silver to the pt / ito substrate ). a rem cell with an electrode spacing of approximately 1 mm and an active area of 8 . 1 × 9 . 1 cm was fabricated by applying 1 - mm thick acrylic adhesive tape ( vhb # 4910 , 3m company ) to form seal 303 between segmented counter electrode 310 and the pt / ito / glass optical modulation electrode ( 9 . 7 × 10 . 6 cm ). electrolyte preparation and final device assembly were performed inside a nitrogen atmosphere glove box to avoid contamination with oxygen , which reacts electrochemically and can cause mirror self - erasure via chemical dissolution of the mirror metal . the electrolyte was injected through the acrylic tape seal using a pair of hypodermic needles ( inlet and outlet ) and a syringe . electrical contact to the individual counter electrode segments and the optical modulation electrode were made by attaching copper wires with silver epoxy to the areas of the pt / ito layers that extended outside the cell . non - conducting epoxy was used to provide a second seal and to help hold the electrical contacts in place . the electrolyte contained 1 . 5 m agi + 2 . 0 m libr + 63 mg / ml highly dispersed silica ( m - 5 cab - o - sil , cabot co . )+ 1 . 5 mg / ml carbon black ( vulcan , cabot co .) in high - purity gbl solvent (& lt ; 20 ppm water ). when a positive voltage of 0 . 5 v was applied between a selected counter electrode segment and the optical modulation electrode , silver was electrodeposited ( as a mirror ) only in the area of the optical modulation electrode opposite to the selected counter electrode segment . this electrodeposit was dissolved when the polarity of the applied voltage was reversed . when all of the counter electrode segments were connected together and a positive voltage of 0 . 5 v was applied between the counter electrode and the optical modulation electrode , silver was electrodeposited ( as a mirror ) in a substantially uniform layer over the entire surface of the optical modulation electrode , the mirror on the optical modulation electrode appearing to be only slightly less reflective in the vicinity of the gaps between the counter electrode segments . such discontinuities in the mirror deposit could undoubtedly be practically eliminated by use of a smaller gap between the counter electrode segments . when the entire optical modulation electrode was covered with electrodeposited silver and a negative voltage of 0 . 5 v was applied between a selected counter electrode segment and the optical modulation electrode , silver was dissolved only in the area of the optical modulation electrode opposite to the selected counter electrode segment . the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above . modifications and additional embodiments , however , will undoubtedly be apparent to those skilled in the art . furthermore , equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein , parts or connections might be reversed or otherwise interchanged , and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of other features . consequently , the exemplary embodiments should be considered illustrative , rather than inclusive , while the appended claims are more indicative of the full scope of the invention .
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this invention relates to integrated circuit device carriers , commonly known as packages , on which devices can be bonded for electrical contact and mechanical support , in which permanent electrical connections of the circuits of the chip are made and which provide electrical connections to other circuits of a system such as computers and other electrical products . more particularly , this invention relates to the technique of and structure for making engineering changes in the device carrier to alter the original internal circuit design of the carrier or to correct wiring defects . in modern packaging technology , it is known to mount many integrated circuit devices on a substrate containing a printed circuit network that interconnects the devices with each other and to i / o &# 39 ; s on the end or opposite side of the substrate . a typical module embodying such a substrate is disclosed and claimed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 245 , 273 , and is also described in ibm journal vol . 27 , no . 1 , january 1983 pgs . 11 - 19 . such substrates , normally made of ceramic material , are very complex containing 30 or more layers of green ceramic sheets with thousands of vias and printed lines that form the internal circuit network . after the substrate has been laminated and sintered , there is no practical method of changing the buried internal network . however , it becomes necessary quite frequently to modify the internal circuitry to ( 1 ) correct defective lines and / or vias , and ( 2 ) make changes to the basic circuitry to accommodate design changes to upgrade the package or modify it by the use of different devices or the like . this contingency was provided for in the substrate described in the references previously cited by the use of engineering change ( ec ) pads interposed between the device terminals and the circuitry in the device . more specifically , fan - out metallurgy is provided in the top surface layers of the substrate that is joined to the solder pads of each device and also connected to surface ec pads that surround each device . the ec pads each have a deletable central portion with one end of the pad connected to a device pad and the other to buried circuitry in the substrate that interconnects the device with other devices and / or i / o pads on the opposite side of the substrate . to replace a defective buried metallurgy line in the substrate , or modify the circuitry by the addition of different lines , the proper ec pad is severed thus electrically disconnecting the device terminal from the circuitry in the substrate . one end of the wire is then joined to the portion of the pad joined to the device . the other end of the pad was joined to another ec pad that had been similarly severed . thus , an electrical connection is made between any terminal of any device on the substrate , and the former electrical lines buried in the substrate disconnected . the same technique can be used to substitute defective electrical lines in the substrate , and also to change the internal electrical network of the substrate . while the ec structure works well , there are some notable disadvantages . the ec pads must be relatively large , compared to device pads in order to accommodate wire bonding , and therefore occupy a great deal of space on the top surface of the substrate . as the integrated circuit devices become more miniaturized with more circuits , and the number of required device pads also increases , the additional device pads require additional ec pads . with the size of the ec pads constrained to accommodate wire bonding , the total area required increases dramatically . the ec pads on the substrate surface have a different metallurgy than the pads that are joined to the devices . this requires that a different set of process steps be applied to the same surface which makes the substrate more costly than if a single metallurgy could be used throughout the entire surface area . it also detracts from the yield of the substrate fabrication . as the number of ec pads increase , the number of lines required for making changes also increases . at some point the volume of wires becomes prohibitive . in addition , the wires , particularly longer wires , present problems with inductive coupling . this factor in a computer application is very serious . still further , the ec wires reduce the speed of operation . reduced by the technique and structure described and claimed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 489 , 364 . in this structure buried ec lines in the x and y directions are provided in the substrate . the buried lines periodically surface on the substrate with the line segments joined by a deletable engineering change pad . with these buried lines electrical lines can be formed from any location on the substrate . the ec connections thus consist of very short wires on the substrate . however this technique fails to alleviate the large area requirement for ec pads discussed previously . an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and structure for modifying an inacessible circuit network in a module substrate that supports and interconnects a plurality of integrated circuit devices . another object of this invention is to provide a new method and structure for making circuit changes in a module substrate for a plurality of devices wherein the area dedicated to engineering change pads is reduced . yet another object of this invention is to provide an engineering change method and structure wherein the surface metallurgy pad structure on the module substrate is similar . another object of this invention is to provide an engineering change method and structure wherein the conventional bonded wires are replaced with &# 34 ; tailored &# 34 ; semiconductor devices . in accordance with the aforementioned objectives of the invention , there is provided a module for an array of integrated circuit devices where the module includes a substrate of insulating material having an upper surface and sets of pads thereon for the connection of integrated circuit devices , metallization beneath the surface of the substrate , device solder pads on the surface for connection to the pads of the devices , engineering change solder pads adjacent to the devices connected to the circuitry , fan - out metallization lines joining the device pads to the respective engineering change surface pads , engineering change pad lines including a plurality of periodically spaced surface breaks , connection vias extending to the surface from the ends of the breaks , engineering change line solder pads over the connection vias , a deletable line joining each pair of engineering change line solder pads , engineering change devices having connection pads arranged to match selected engineering change pads and engineering change line pads on the substrate , a tailorable metallurgy system on the ec device adapted to selectively join the connection pads thereon , the engineering change device when bonded to the substrate adapted to selectively join the engineering change pad to associated adjacent engineering change line pads to thereby modify the internal circuitry of the substrate . a method of modifying the electrical connections of a plurality of integrated circuit devices mounted on the substrate of a module that are electrically interconnected by an internal metallurgy system within the substrate wherein the steps include , providing on the substrate engineering change solder pads that are electrically connected to terminals of mounted integrated circuit semiconductor devices ; providing engineering change lines in the substrate , providing spaced breaks in said lines and connection pads , and a deletable line between pads providing engineering change devices with solder pads and a tailorable metallurgy system for selectively electrically connecting the solder pad engineering change device to the engineering change pads and engineering change lines on the substrate by solder reflow techniques , tailoring the engineering change device and joining it to the substrate . in the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure fig1 is a top plan view in broken section of a portion of a module substrate illustrating the placement of integrated circuit devices , ec devices , and ec lines . fig2 is a schematic view in perspective that illustrates buried ec lines in the substrate and their relationship to deletable ec pads and integrated circuit devices . fig3 and 4 are detailed views of structures for interconnecting x and y lines on ec devices . fig5 is a scehmatic view of a portion of x - y lines on an ec device illustrating their relationship to the ec pads and deletable links for tailoring the ec device . fig6 is a schematic view of buried ec lines in the substrate between devices , which illustrates an ec line connection between two spaced devices . fig7 is a plan view , in enlarged scale , of a surface metallurgy pattern on the substrate , similar to the pattern in fig1 . referring now to the drawings , and fig1 in particular , there is illustrated a top view of a module substrate 10 including integrated circuit devices 12 , error correction devices 14 which can be tailored to make desired wiring changes and bonded to the substrate , and a typical fan - out pattern 15 terminating in ec pads 16 . similar fan - out patterns ( not shown ) underlie all devices 14 . the substrate 10 is typically a multilayer ceramic ( mlc ) substrate of the type described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 245 , 273 . substrate 10 is formed of a plurality of laminated green ceramic sheets that have been punched to form via holes and a conductive metal line pattern formed thereon . the conductive lines collectively form an internal metallurgy system that interconnects the devices 12 with each other and to a suitable i / o terminals on the opposite side , not shown . the laminated sheet assembly is subsequently sintered forming a unitary body . the substrate is provided with a fan - out pattern 15 in positions underlying devices 14 , which can be either formed as a separate surface metallurgy layer with an overlying dielectric layer , as illustrated in fig1 or in the top surface layers of the substrate ( not illustrated ). the fan - out layer , as more clearly indicated in larger scale in fig6 consists basically of conductive lines 13 that connect the i / o pads on the surface of substrate 10 joined to the terminals of the device 12 with ec pads 16 on the top surface of the substrate , located in the area between the devices 12 . the end of each line 13 terminates in an ec pad 16 and a short deletable line portion 17 wherein the fan - out line can be disconnected from the internal metallurgy of substrate 10 . both the device i / o pads and the ec pads are preferably solder wettable pads which are joined to the terminals of the integrated circuit devices 12 and terminals of ec devices 14 by solder connections , and described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 429 , 040 . also included in substrate 10 is a plurality of buried engineering change ( ec ) lines 18 in the x direction and a plurality of buried ec lines 20 in the y direction , as illustrated schematically in fig2 . as indicated , both x lines 18 and y lines 20 surface periodically on the surface of the substrate 10 as solder pads 26 and 22 . deletable links 23 and 24 join the adjacent pads 22 and 26 thus forming continuous metal stripes . pads 22 and 26 are solder wettable . links 23 and 24 can be either covered with a thin dielectric layer or have a top surface layer that is not solder wettable . this will constrain the solder to the pads 22 and 26 when the solder mass used to make the solder connection is heated to a molten state . the buried ec lines are described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 489 , 364 . the fan - out pattern 15 , as illustrated in fig1 is repeated on each side of devices 12 . in general , it is symmetrical about a center line with one - half of the fan - out pattern associated with one device , and the other side associated with the adjacent device 12 . preferably the pads 22 and 26 joined to the buried ec lines are located in the center area as shown . the fan - out pattern that provides electrical connections between the electrical pads beneath devices 12 and ec pads 16 outside of the area covered by devices 12 , is preferably a single layer of metallurgy which can be deposited using conventional deposition and etching techniques . the pads are formed with a solder - wettable top metal layer , i . e . copper . the link portion can be formed with at least the top layer of the metal that is not solder wettable . alternately , the link portion can be covered with a thin dielectric layer . the deletable line portion 17 joined to ec pad 16 can be severed with a laser beam to isolate the fan - out strip 17 from the internal metallurgy of the substrate since it is on the surface . adjacent sets of pads 22 and 26 connected to buried ec pads 18 and 20 can also be electrically isolated by severing portion 23 or 24 . preferably solder pads to buried ec lines in both the x and y directions will be accessible in each fan - out pattern 15 . using conventional mlc technology , the lines in the x direction can be made to surface in a short stripe 24 which can be severed . surface lead lines 25 ( fig7 ) joined to the ends of link 24 are joined to pads 26 . the use of these pads will become apparent in the following explanation . engineering change ec devices 14 are each provided with a solder pad configuration that is the mirror image of the solder pad configuration of fan - out pattern 15 . devices 14 have a tailorable metallurgy system that will permit making electrical connections between the various solder pads of the fan - out pattern 15 . in practice , the substrate 10 is tested to determine if any of the internal buried lines are defective , the appropriate lines severed in pattern 15 on substrate 10 , the metallurgy device of 14 tailored to make the required electrical connections between the various pads to correct the substrate defects , and the device 14 joined to the substrate using solder joining techniques to join the respective solder pads . the same technique can be used to alter the circuit arrangement of the substrate , i . e . make engineering and design changes . referring to fig5 of the drawings , there is illustrated a schematic circuit diagram of a representative portion of the circuit of devices 14 . there is a plurality of solder pads 16 &# 39 ; arranged in a mirror image grid of the solder pads 16 on substrate 10 . each pad 16 &# 39 ; is connected to a single stripe 30 that extends in the x direction . preferably stripes 30 are all on a single metallurgy level . a similar set of stripes 30 and pads 16 &# 39 ; ( not shown ) are provided beneath the set of stripes 30 of fig5 . the row of pads 16 &# 39 ; associated with each set of stripes 30 is related to a similar row of ec pads 16 on substrate 10 . a plurality of pads 22 &# 39 ; are joined to stripes 32 that extend in the y direction . a set of pads 26 &# 39 ; joined to stripes 34 are located between stripes 32 . pads 22 &# 39 ; and 26 &# 39 ; correspond in placement and spacing to pads 22 and 26 on substrate 10 . the stripes 32 and 34 are preferably formed in the same metallurgy layer which is electrically isolated from stripes 30 by a suitable dielectric layer . surface pads 22 &# 39 ; and 26 &# 39 ; are solder wettable . at each juncture of stripes 30 , and 32 and 34 , there is provided a deletable connection 36 . connection 36 can be a connection 36a , as illustrated in fig3 or connection 36b , as illustrated in fig4 . connection 36a is a personalized connection that is selectively formed on ec device 14 after it has been determined which connections must be made to form the proper ec changes . the printed connection 36a is made to connect vias 38 and 40 by suitable deposition and subtractive etching techniques that are well - known in the art . if the top stripe is not covered by a dielectric layer , the connection is made directly to the exposed stripe , without the need for a via . device 14 is formed without connections 36a , and tailored by adding the needed connections after they have been determined . in contrast , the fusable link stripes 36b are formed during the metallization of the device 14 . link 36b has a thin portion which can be blown by applying a suitable electrical current across the connection , using pads 16 &# 39 ;, 22 &# 39 ; and 26 &# 39 ; as terminals . after it has been determined which connections are needed to make the ec changes , the remaining links are broken . links 36b can also be broken with a laser pulse . the aforedescribed metallurgy lines can be used to interconnect any solder pad 16 to any ec pad 22 or 26 on substrate 10 . stripes 38 which extend in the x direction and are preferably in the same metallurgy layer as stripes 30 &# 39 ; can be used to join ec pads 22 , associated with ec lines in the y direction , to ec pads 26 , associated with ec lines in the x direction in substrate 10 . lines are each joined to a pad 41 &# 39 ; which can be joined to similarly placed solder pads 41 on substrate 10 . the primary use , however , of pad 41 &# 39 ; is to provide an electrical connection to blow out the unneeded links 36 . for example , in fig5 pad 26 &# 39 ; can be connected to pad 22 &# 39 ; by leaving or forming the link connections 36 at the juncture of stripe 34 and stripe 38 , and the juncture of stripe 38 and stripe 32 . all of the remaining links on stripe 38 are severed or never formed , depending on the type of link . the same connection described could be formed between stripes 34 and 32 with stripe 30 . however , these stripes are associated with ec pads 16 connected to fan - out stripe connections , in turn connected to active i / o &# 39 ; s on the device 12 . such use would likely disrupt the device function and therefore is undesirable . in order to illustrate how an engineering change is made for connecting i / o &# 39 ; s from two different spaced integrated circuit devices 12 on substrate 10 , a specific description of the steps involved will now be presented . at each of the two selected integrated circuit devices , the fan - out line 50 ( fig7 ) is electrically isolated from the internal electrical network of substrate 10 by severing the stripe portion 52 . the metallurgy pattern on device 14 is then tailored to connect the solder pad 50 to 51 . the method of making a connection in the device metallurgy between an i / o fan - out pad and an engineering change line pad was described previously . a similar procedure is used to join the i / o terminal of the integrated circuit device 14 to an engineering change line connection 53 ( for fig6 ). in order to make an electrical connection between the points 53 and 55 , a connection 44 between pads 22 and 26 , under a different ec device pad 14 located at the intersection of the chosen x and y ec lines 18 and 20 respectively must be established in ec device 14 overlying the intersecting lines . the procedure for tailoring the metallurgy system of device 14 to interconnect ec pads from an x and y ec lines , i . e . pads 22 &# 39 ; and 26 &# 39 ; was described previously . the delete stripes 52 and 54 are severed to isolate a segment of ec line 18 . delete stripes 56 and 58 are severed to electrically isolate a segment of ec line 20 . after the respective metallurgy systems of the ec devices have been properly tailored , the devices are joined to the solder pads associated with the respective pads of the fan - out patterns 15 . this establishes an engineering change connecting lead points 53 to 55 which are each connected in turn to selected i / o terminals under different separated integrated circuit devices as previously described in connecting solder pads 16 to 22 . an alternate method of forming an electrical connection between buried ec lines in the x direction , and ec lines in the y directions is presented . a row of solder pads 41 ( fig7 ) can be provided along the edge of fan - out pattern 15 - on substrate 10 . lines , either on the surface or buried , join these pads to similar placed pads under the adjacent ec devices which pads are connected to ec lines that extend in the x direction . pads 41 &# 39 ;, ( fig5 ) are connected to pads 41 ( fig7 ) of device 10 . thus , the link connection 36 can be made on ec device metallurgy to join solder pads 22 , which are connected to the ec lines that extend in the y direction to solder pads in the adjacent device that are joined to ec lines in the x direction . while the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .
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fig1 shows a piece of netting of a generally known type with respect to wire spacings which is to be used as a fence . it comprises a number of mutually parallel longitudinal wires 1 through 14 , which are made in long lengths and are disposed in parallel relationship and at a definite distance from each other by vertical wires , such as 15 , 16 , 17 and 15 &# 39 ;, 16 &# 39 ;, and 17 &# 39 ;, which run in the vertical direction and at right angles to the longitudinal wires . a feature of this general type of fence that is here shown by way of example is that the longitudinal wires are disposed at mutually different distances . the mutual spacings between the neighboring wires in the groups 1 through 6 are constant and the smallest ; in a practical case , these lowermost wires may have a mutual spacing of 5 cm . then follows the group of wires 7 through 11 . the distance between the longitudinal wire 7 and the longitudinal wire 6 as well as the mutual or common distances between the other wires in this group are constant , but greater ; in a practical case , the mutual wire spacing may here be 10 cm . then follows a third group of longitudinal wires 12 through 14 , which mutually and in respect of wire 11 have a still greater spacing , say 15 cm . ( there are also standard embodiments of this type wherein at the upperside a number of longitudinal wires are added with mutual spacings of say 20 cm .) in this general type of fencing one can see an application of two principles that lie at the basis of the dimensioning of the fencing mesh or netting , viz ., at the top of the fence there must be sufficient strength to retain the bigger animals , so that the mutual distance between the longitudinal wires may remain relatively great as big animals cannot pass through by their own means , whereas the mutual distance between the wires further down must be smaller to prevent the smaller animals from passing through the wires . the spacings between the longitudinal wires are determined and maintained by the wefts . any weft between the uppermost longitudinal wire and the lowermost longitudinal wire may consist of a single piece of wire , but there also is a practical variant whereby the weft is composed of a number of separate pieces , such as 15 , 16 and 17 , which maintain the desired distance between the two neighboring longitudinal wires . there are two ways to connect the longitudinal wires to the vertical weft wires . in the case of weld connections , the product is called mesh and when knots or bends are applied at the crossings the product is called a netting . fig1 shows a case where at the crossings , such as 18 , a double knot connection is made between , respectively , the underend of the vertical wire piece 15 and the upper end of the vertical wire piece 16 , with the longitudinal wire 13 in between . fig1 shows that the lowermost longitudinal wire 1 and the uppermost longitudinal wire 14 are made of heavy ( thick ) wire . both of these extreme wires are called selvedges . the function of the thickness and respective strength of these wires has nothing to do with the resistance against the forces exerted by animals , but only with the necessity to stretch the fence as a whole tightly between the posts . so far the description of the design of the fence has been known . in such a conventional design , the fence is made of equally thick longitudinal wires and equally thick vertical wires , either of the same size or not as the longitudinal wires . the analysis of the strength properties of such conventional netting is illustrated by means of fig2 . this rather idealized graph illustrates for different situations the relation between the average strength of the mesh or netting and its location in vertical direction . to facilitate the understanding of this graph , reference is made first to the broken horizontal line a . this line is applicable to a mesh or netting which has all of its wires , i . e ., at any height , of the same strength . this relation holds for a mesh or netting composed of identical wires with equal or common spacings . broken line b gives the relation between the average strength and the height of the fence of the type shown in fig1 this fence being composed of longitudinal wires with identical properties , but with the described variation of mutual spacings . at the upperside of the fence , this is at the right end of the curve b , the material has a certain mean strength , as calculated per unit of length in the vertical direction . the strength represents the force that can be exerted on some longitudinal wires in lengthwise direction before fracture occurs . because , in a fence of the general type shown in fig1 the number of wires per unit of length in the vertical direction increases in the direction of the position of the fence closer to the ground , the mean strength value will rise . roughly it can be said that when the longitudinal wires 1 through 6 have a mutual spacing of 5 cm ., and the wires 12 to 14 a mutual spacing of 15 cm ., the average strength at the bottom is three times as high as at the top . when the strength at the upperside of the fence is calculated with respect to the forces that can be exerted by large animals , this shows that in the lower part of the fence there is not only a threefold overdimensioning , but even a greater multiple thereof , because the lower portion of the fence must only be able to withstand the forces exerted by small animals , which clearly are much lower . in light of this analysis , the present invention contemplates the concept of using longitudinal wires of different strengths . for the fence of the type shown in fig1 this means that the pattern of the mutual or common spacings between the longitudinal wires 1 through 14 is maintained , but that toward the bottom the wires have less strength . the present concept can be thus realized by using longitudinal wires wherein there is a small mutual difference in strength ( for example thickness ) between each of the wires . in practice , however , it is simpler to use a design wherein the strength properties are groupwisely changed , more particularly , such that the groups of wires with equal strength properties correspond to the groups of wires having equal mutual spacings . this concept is illustrated in fig1 . more particularly , it is to be noted that the wires 2 through 6 , with a mutual spacing of 5 cm ., are drawn thinnest , that the wires 7 through 11 with a mutual spacing of 10 cm . are slightly heavier , and that the wires 12 and 13 with a mutual spacing of 15 cm . are still heavier and therefore drawn in thicker lines in the figure . with the same somewhat general representation , a fence is formed having the characteristics shown by line c in fig2 . this means that the strength at a low height is relatively small but increases accordingly as the fence gets higher . this is illustrated in still greater detail in fig3 where the strength of the separate wires is plotted versus their position in the vertical direction of the fence . thus , at low height the weakest wires are indicated by e , the next wire group which is located somewhat higher with a higher wire strength is indicated by f , and the next group of wires with a strength still higher is indicated by g . in fig3 a group of still stronger wires is shown at h for a case where it is desired to extend the mesh type of fence shown in fig1 with a number of wires having a mutual spacing of say 20 cm . thus , the present invention involves the basic concept of using longitudinal wires having a changing strength as a function of the height , the particular design depending upon the requirements of each practical application case . another specific embodiment , which will serve as an illustration of this concept , is a fencing designed for retaining pigs . pigs do not tend to climb a fence , but rather to exert forces with their snouts at a short distance from the ground . in this case , it will suffice to use relatively weak wires in the upper part , whereas longitudinal wires with a greater strength are used in the lower places , such as for example shown as by line d in fig2 . the present inventive concept may further be utilized in a design in which the weft wire pieces such as wires 15 , 15 &# 39 ;, 16 , 16 &# 39 ; . . . 17 , 17 &# 39 ; have different strength properties . this would not generally be utilized in cases where the weft consists of a single continuous wire over the entire height between the selvedges 1 and 14 , but it is particularly applicable in cases where the weft consists of separate pieces . since it is customary practice in production to use as many wire spools as the number of weft wire pieces that are to be made in this manner , all these pieces can be brought together simultaneously . it is also possible to provide in the different locations , spools of wire having different material properties for the longitudinal wires 1 through 14 . in general , the present inventive concept contemplates basically that wire having different strength properties will be utilized . these different strengths may be obtained in various ways . a number of ways are particularly advantageous . first of all , wire of the same material but with different thickness ( diameters ) can be used . however , when , for example , because of welding problems or similar manufacturing considerations , it is preferred to use wire with the same diameter throughout , the strength properties can be varied by using material having other properties . this may be achieved in two ways , namely , by using iron or steel wire having different carbon contents ( it being known that the tensile strength of steel products increases with increasing carbon content ), or by using entirely different materials , for example , steel , iron , and light metal , such as aluminum . another embodiment is to have each longitudinal wire , as shown in fig1 composed of 1 , 2 and 3 or more elementary thin wires , which in production are placed so closely against each other or at such a short distance from each other , that in practice one may speak of them as being one single longitudinal wire . the disadvantage , however , of this variant for obtaining different strengths at different heights is that one must comply with the ratio 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 , etc ., when material with the same properties is employed . there is an advantage , however , where welds are utilized , because , irrespective of the strength , longitudinal wires having the same thickness are used throughout . it is also to be understood that the present invention covers any combination of the above - mentioned possibilities to provide the necessary variations of wire strength properties .
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the invention is further illustrated by , but not limited to , the following examples . infrared absorption spectra are recorded on a perkin - elmer model 421 infrared spectrophotometer . except when specified otherwise , undiluted ( neat ) samples are used . the nmr spectra are recorded on a varian a - 60 , a - 60d , t - 60 or xl - 100 spectrophotometer in deuterochloroform solutions with tetramethylsilane as an internal standard . mass spectra are recorded on a varian model mat ch7 mass spectrometer , a cec model 110b double focusing high resolution mass spectrometer , or a lkb model 9000 gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer ( ionization voltage 22 or 70 ev . ), and samples are usually run as tms ( trimethylsilyl ) derivatives . &# 34 ; florisil ®&# 34 ;, herein , is a chromatographic magnesium silicate produced by the floridin co . see fieser et al . &# 34 ; reagents for organic synthesis &# 34 ; p . 393 john wiley and sons , inc ., new york , n . y . ( 1967 ). &# 34 ; concentrating &# 34 ;, as used herein , refers to concentration under reduced pressure , preferably at less than 50 mm . and at temperatures below 35 ° c . &# 34 ; drying &# 34 ;, as used herein , refers to contacting a compound , in solution , with an anhydrous agent such as sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate to remove water and filtering to remove solids . silica gel chromatography , as used herein , is understood to include elution , collection of fractions , and combination of those fractions shown by tlc to contain the desired product free of starting material and impurities . the a - lx solvent system used in thin layer chromatography is made up from ethyl acetate - acetic acid - 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylpentane - water ( 90 : 20 : 50 : 100 ) according to m . hamberg and b . samuelsson , j . biol . chem . 241 , 247 ( 1966 ). 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( formula vii : d is -( ch 2 ) 3 -, q is ## str106 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , is ## str107 ## r 19 is - cooch 3 , and x is trans - ch ═ ch -. refer to chart d . a suspension of pgf 2 α , methyl ester as its 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( 2 . 0 g .) in 23 ml . of water is treated with sodium bicarbonate ( 0 . 7 g .) and cooled in an ice bath . to the resulting solution is added potassium iodide ( 1 . 93 g .) and iodine ( 2 . 82 g .) and stirring continued for 16 hr . at about 0 ° c . thereafter a solution of sodium sulfite ( 1 . 66 g .) and sodium carbonate ( 0 . 76 g .) in 10 ml . of water is added . after a few minutes the mixture is extracted with chloroform . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield mainly the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether of the title compound , 2 . 2 g ., an oil . hydrolysis of this ether in acetic acid - water - tetrahydrofuran ( 20 : 10 : 3 ) yields mainly the title compound , which is further purified by silica gel chromatography . r f 0 . 20 ( tlc on silica gel in acetonedichlormethane ( 30 : 70 )). the mass spectral peaks for the formula - vii compound ( tms derivtive ) are at 638 , 623 , 607 , 567 , 548 , 511 , and 477 . following the procedures of preparation 1 , as illustrated in chart d , but replacing the formula - xix starting material with the following formula - xix compounds or c - 11 derivatives within the scope of formula xix : 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( formula iii , d , q , r 4 , r 18 , r 19 , and x as defined in preparation 1 ). refer to chart d . a solution of the formula - vii iodo compound , methyl ester ( preparation 1 , 0 . 45 g .) in 20 ml . of tetrahydrofuran is treated with silver carbonate ( 0 . 250 g .) and perchloric acid ( 70 %, 0 . 10 ml . ), and stirred at about 25 ° c . for 24 hr . the mixture is diluted with 25 ml . of ethyl acetate and the organic phase is washed with saturated sodium carbonate solution and brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 0 . 41 g . separation by silica gel chromatography eluting with ethyl acetate - skellysolve b ( 3 : 1 ) yields the formula - iii title compound as a more polar material than the formula - vii starting material . the product is an oil , 0 . 32 g ., having r f 0 . 38 ( tlc on silica gel in acetonedichloromethane ( 1 : 1 )); infrared spectral peak at 1740 cm - 1 for carbonyl ; nmr peaks at 5 . 5 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 8 , 3 . 7 , 2 . 1 - 2 . 7 δ . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , mixed isomers ( formula vii ) and 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - 6ξ - hydroxy - pgf 1 ( formula xx ) and 6 - keto - pgf 1 α ( formula iii ). a solution of the formula - vii iodo compound methyl ester ( preparation 1 , 1 . 0 g .) in 30 ml . of methanol is treated with 20 ml . of 3 n aqueous potassium hydroxide at about 0 ° c . for about 5 min ., then at about 25 ° c . for 2 hr . the mixture is acidified with 45 ml . of 2 n potassium acid sulfate and 50 ml . of water to ph 1 . 0 , saturated with sodium chloride and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated to an oil , 1 . 3 g . the oil is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone - dichloromethane ( 30 : 70 to 50 : 50 ) to yield , first the formula - vll free acid compound and later , the mixed formula - iii and - xx compounds as a more polar fraction . the formula - vii compound is an oil , 0 . 33 g ., having r f 0 . 33 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - dichloromethane ( 1 : 1 ) plus 2 % acetic acid ), [ α ] d =+ 20 ° ( c = 0 . 992 in chloroform ), infrared spectral peaks at 3360 , 2920 , 2860 , 2640 , 1730 , 1710 , 1455 , 1410 , 1380 , 1235 , 1185 , 1075 , 1050 , 1015 , 970 , and 730 cm - 1 , and mass spectral peaks ( tms derivative ) at 696 . 2554 , 681 , 625 , 606 , 569 , 535 , 479 , and 173 . the mixture of 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - 6ξ - hydroxy - pgf 1 and 6 - keto - pgf 1 α is a solid 0 . 113 g ., melting at 93 °- 98 ° c ., containing no iodine , having r f 0 . 13 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - dichloromethane ( 1 : 1 ) plus 2 % acetic acid ) and having mass spectral peaks ( tms derivative ) at 587 , 568 , 553 , 497 , 485 , 407 , 395 , 388 , and 173 . following the procedures of preparations 2 and 3 , but replacing the formula - vii iodo compound therein with those formula - vii iodo compounds described subsequent to preparation 1 , there are obtained the corresponding formula - iii and - xx compounds . following the procedures of preparations 1 , 2 , and 3 , as described above , but employing corresponding starting materials , there are prepared the formula - vii 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - 5 - halo - pgf 1 α - type compounds , including iodo , bromo , and chloro compounds , likewise following the procedures of preparations 1 , 2 , and 3 as described above , but employing corresponding starting materials , there are prepared the a mixture of the formula - vii iodo acid compound ( preparation 3 , formula vii , 0 . 20 g . ), p - phenylphenacyl bromide ( 0 . 50 g . ), 0 . 4 ml . of diisopropylethylamine , and 10 ml . of acetonitrile is stirred at about 25 ° c . for 40 min . it is mixed with dilute aqueous citric acid and brine and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is dried and concentrated . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with ethyl acetate ( 25 - 100 %)- skellysolve b to yield the title 5 - iodo compound as a colorless oil , 0 . 20 g . 2 - decarboxy - 2 - azidomethyl - pgf 2 α , or 2 - nor - pgf 2 α , azide ( formula cv : z 1 is -- ch ═ ch --( ch 2 ) 3 -- or -- ch ═ ch --( ch 2 ) 2 --, respectively , r 31 is hydroxy , y 1 is trans - ch ═ ch --, r 34 and r 35 of the l 1 moiety and r 33 of the m 1 moiety are all hydrogen , and r 30 is n - butyl ). a . to a cold solution ( 0 ° c .) of pgf 2 α ( 7 . 1 g . ), 125 ml . of acetone , 10 ml . of water , and 2 . 2 g . of triethylamine is added with stirring 3 . 01 g . of isobutylchloroformate . the mixture is stirred at 0 ° c . for about 30 min . at which time a cold solution of 7 g . of sodium azide on 35 ml . of water is added . the mixture is then stirred at 0 ° c . for one hr . at which time it is diluted with 300 ml . of water and extracted with diethyl ether . the organic layers are then combined ; washed with water , dilute carbonate solution , saturated saline ; dried ; and concentrated under reduced pressure , maintaining bath temperature below 30 ° c ., to yield 2 - nor - pgf 2 α , azide . b . 2 - decarboxy - 2 - azidomethyl - pgf 2 α is prepared by the following reaction sequence : ( 1 ) a solution of t - butyldimethylsilyl chloride ( 10 g . ), imidazole ( 9 . 14 g . ), and pgf 2 α ( 3 g .) in 12 ml . of dimethylformamide are magnetically stirred under nitrogen atmosphere for 24 hr . the resulting mixture is then cooled in an ice bath and the reaction quenched by addition of ice water . the resulting mixture is then diluted with 150 ml . of water and extracted with diethyl ether . the combined ethereal extracts are then washed with water , saturated ammonium chloride , a sodium chloride solution , and thereafter dried over sodium sulfate . solvent is removed under vacuum yielding pgf 2 α , t - butyldimethylsilyl ester , 9 , 11 , 15 - tris -( t - butyldimethylsilyl ether ). nmr absorptions are observed at 0 . 20 , 0 . 30 , 0 . 83 , 0 . 87 , 0 . 89 , 1 . 07 - 2 . 50 , 3 . 10 - 4 . 21 , and 5 . 38 δ . characteristic infrared absorptions are observed at 970 , 1000 , 1060 , 1250 , 1355 , 1460 , 1720 , and 2950 cm - 1 . ( 2 ) to a magnetically stirred suspension of lithium aluminum hydride ( 7 . 75 g .) in 18 ml . of diethyl ether is added dropwise at room temperature over a period of 12 min . 8 . 71 g . of the reaction product of part ( 1 ) above in 40 ml . of diethyl ether . after stirring at ambient temperature for one hr ., the resulting product is cooled in an ice water bath and saturated sodium sulfate is added dropwise until the appearance of a milky suspension . the resulting product is coagulated with sodium sulfate , triturated with diethyl ether , and the solvent is removed by suction filtration . concentration of the diethyl ether under vacuum yields 7 . 014 g . of 2 - decarboxy - 2 - hydroxymethyl - pgf 2 α , 9 , 11 , 15 - tris -( t - butyldimethylsilyl ether ), nmr absorptions are observed at 0 . 03 , 0 . 82 , 0 . 87 , 1 . 10 - 2 . 60 , 3 . 30 - 4 . 30 , and 5 . 37 δ . characteristic infrared absorptions are observed at 775 , 840 , 970 , 1065 , 1250 , 1460 , 2895 , 2995 , and 3350 cm - 1 . ( 3 ) p - toluenesulfonyl chloride ( 3 . 514 g . ), pyridine ( 44 ml . ), and the reaction product of subpart ( 2 ), 7 . 014 g ., are placed in a freezer at - 20 ° c . for 3 days . thereafter , 7 . 200 g . of 2 - decarboxy - 2 - p - toluenesulfonyloxymethyl - pgf 2 α , 9 , 11 , 15 - tris -( t - butyldimethylsilyl ether ), is recovered . nmr absorptions are observed at 0 . 10 , 0 . 94 , 0 . 97 , 1 . 10 , 2 . 50 , 4 . 03 , 3 . 80 - 4 . 80 , 5 . 45 , 7 . 35 , and 7 . 80 δ . infrared absorptions are observed at 775 , 970 , 1180 , 1190 , 1250 , 1360 , 1470 , 2900 , and 2995 cm - 1 . ( 4 ) the reaction product of subpart ( 3 ) ( 2 . 13 g .) is placed in 42 ml . of acetic acid , tetrahydrofuran , and water ( 3 : 1 : 1 ) containing 0 . 25 ml . of 10 percent aqueous hydrochloric acid . the reaction mixture becomes homogeneous after vigorous stirring for 16 hr . at room temperature . the resulting solution is then diluted with 500 ml . of ethyl acetate ; washed with saturated sodium chloride and ethyl acteate ; dried over sodium sulfate ; and evaporated under reduced pressure , yielding 1 . 301 g . of an oil . crude product is chromatographed on 150 g . of silica gel packed with ethyl acetate . eluting with ethyl acetate yields 0 . 953 g . of 2 - decarboxy - 2 - p - toluenesulfonyloxymethyl - pgf 2 α . ( 5 ) the reaction product of subpart ( 4 ), ( 0 . 500 g .) in 5 . 0 ml . of dimethylformamide was added to a stirred suspension of sodium azide ( 1 . 5 g .) in 20 ml . of dimethylformamide . stirring is continued at ambient temperature for 3 hr . the reaction mixture is then diluted with water ( 75 ml . ), extracted with diethyl ether ( 500 ml . ), and the etheral extracts washed successively with water , saturated sodium chloride , and dried over sodium sulfate . removal of the diethyl ether under reduced pressure yields 0 . 364 g . of 2 - decarboxy - 2 - azidomethyl - pgf 2 α . a characteristic azido infrared absorption is observed at 2110 cm - 1 . 2 - decarboxy - 2 - aminomethyl - pgf 2 α ( formula cxxv : z 1 is cis - ch ═ ch --( ch 2 ) 3 --, r 31 is hydroxy , y 1 is trans - ch ═ ch --, r 34 and r 35 of the l 1 moiety and r 33 of the m 1 moiety are all hydrogen , and r 30 is n - butyl ). crude 2 - decarboxy - 2 - azidomethyl - pgf 2 α ( prep . 5 , 0 . 364 g .) in 12 ml . of diethyl ether is added to a magnetically stirred suspension of lithium aluminum hydride ( 0 . 380 g .) in 20 ml . of diethyl ether . reaction temperature is maintained at about 0 ° c . and addition of lithium aluminum hydride proceeds dropwise over a 4 min . period . after additon is complete , the resulting mixture is stirred at ambient temperature for 1 . 5 hr . and thereafter placed in an ice bath ( 0 °- 5 ° c .). excess reducing agent is then destroyed by addition of saturated sodium sulfate . after cessation of gas evolution , the resulting product is coagulated with sodium sulfate , triturated with diethyl ether , and solid salts removed by filtration . the filtrate is then dried with sodium sulfate , and evaporated under reduced pressure to yield 0 . 304 g . of a slightly yellow oil . this oil ( 100 mg .) is then purified by preparative thin layer chromatography , yielding 42 g . of title product . nmr absorptions are observed at 0 . 90 , 1 . 10 - 2 . 80 , 3 . 28 , 3 . 65 - 4 . 25 , and 5 . 45 δ . characteristic infrared absorptions are observed at 970 , 1060 , 1460 , 2995 , and 3400 cm - 1 . the mass spectrum shows parent peak at 699 . 4786 and other peaks at 6 . 28 , 684 , 595 , 217 , and 274 . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , amide , less polar and more polar isomers ( formula vii : d is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q is ## str108 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , r 18 is ## str109 ## r 19 is ## str110 ## r 37 is iodo and x is trans -- ch ═ ch --). a solution of the formula - vii iodo - ether acid , mixed isomers ( preparation 3 , 5 . 0 g .) in 50 ml . of acetone is cooled to about - 10 ° c . and treated with 3 . 0 ml . of triethylamine and 3 . 0 ml . of isobutyl chloroformate . after 5 min . there is added 100 ml . of acetonitrile saturated with ammonia , and the reaction mixture allowed to warm to about 25 ° c . the mixture is filtered , and the filtrate concentrated . the residue is taken up in ethyl acetate and water . the organic phase is washed with water , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone ( 25 - 100 %)- methylene chloride . there are obtained the formula - vii iodo - ether , amide , less polar isomer , 0 . 02 g ., having r f 0 . 40 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ); a fraction of mixed less and more polar isomers , 2 . 2 g . ; and the more polar isomer , 1 . 5 g ., having r f 0 . 37 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ), infrared absorption at 3250 , 3150 , 1660 , 1610 , 1085 , 1065 , 1050 , and 965 cm - 1 , and nmr peaks at 6 . 4 , 5 . 5 , 3 . 5 - 4 . 7 and 0 . 9 δ . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , methylamide , mixed isomers ( formula vii : r 19 is ## str111 ## a solution of the formula - vii 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , mixed isomers ( preparation 3 , 4 . 66 g .) in 50 ml . of acetone is treated with 1 . 42 ml . of triethylamine and cooled to - 5 ° c . thereupon 1 . 3 ml . of isobutyl chloroformate is added , with stirring at 0 ° c . for 5 min ., followed by 25 ml . of 3 m methylamine in acetonitrile . the solution is stirred for 20 min . more as it warmed to about 25 ° c . the mixture is filtered and concentrated . the oily residue is triturated with methylene chloride , and filtered to remove a precipitate . the filtrate is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone ( 50 - 90 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , methylamide mixed isomers , 3 . 45 g ., having nmr peaks at 6 . 3 , 5 . 4 - 5 . 7 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 7 , 2 . 78 , and 0 . 7 - 2 . 65 δ . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , n - butylamide , mixed isomers ( formula : vii : r 19 is ## str112 ## a solution of the formula - vii iodo - ether acid , mixed isomers ( preparation 3 , 5 . 0 g .) in 50 ml . of acetone is cooled to about - 10 ° c . and treated with 2 . 0 ml . of triethylamine and 1 . 9 ml . of isobutyl chloroformate . after 6 min . there is added a solution of 15 ml . of n - butylamine in 20 ml . of acetone . after about 15 min . the reaction mixture is allowed to warm to about 25 ° c . and stirred for 3 hr . the mixture is concentrated and the residue is taken up in ethyl acetate . the solution is washed with water and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 5 - 100 %)- methylene chloride to yield the title compounds , 5 . 3 g . the product is rechromatographed to remove color using silica gel and eluting with acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 3 ). from 0 . 48 g . there is obtained the title compounds as a pale yellow oil , 0 . 35 g ., having r f 0 . 63 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ), and infrared absorption peaks at 3300 , 3100 , 1735 , 1715 , 1645 , 1555 , 1070 , 1055 , 1020 , and 965 cm - 1 . i . there is first prepared ( 5z )- 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9α - epoxy - δ 5 - pgf 1 , n - butylamide . a solution of 5ξ - iodo - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , n - butylamide ( preparation 9 , 3 . 5 g .) in 100 ml . of benzene is treated with 8 ml . of dbn at 40 °- 45 ° c . for about 16 hr . the mixture is cooled , diluted with ice water , and extracted with chloroform , keeping a few drops of triethylamine in the organic phase . the combined organic phases are washed with ice water , dried and concentrated to an oil , 3 . 64 g . of this , 3 . 1 g . is taken up in warm diethyl ether , and the ether solution when cooled yields 1 . 5 g ., mainly solid . the product is recrystallized from ether , 0 . 85 g ., m . p . 102 °- 104 ° c . ii . a solution of the above ( 5z )- 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9α - epoxy - δ 5 - pgf 2 , n - butylamide ( 3 . 0 g .) in 25 ml . of tetrahydrofuran is treated with sufficient 10 % aqueous potassium hydrogen sulfate solution to bring the ph to 5 . 0 . the mixture is concentrated to remove tetrahydrofuran and the residue is taken up in water and ethyl acetate . sodium chloride is added to saturation and the organic phase is separated . the aqueous phase is extracted with acetone - ethyl acetate ( 1 : 4 ) and the organic phases are combined . the organic phases are washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue , 2 . 10 g ., is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 33 - 100 %)- methylene chloride to yield a 1 : 1 mixture of the title compound together with the corresponding 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9α - epoxy - 6 - hydroxy compound , having r f 0 . 57 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ). the mixture is dissolved in 10 ml . of tetrahydrofuran and acidified with aqueous potassium hydrogen sulfate , thereby converting the mixture to substantially all 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , n - butylamide , having r f 0 . 58 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ). the product is recovered by concentrating the solution , portioning between ethyl acetate and water , washing the organic phase with brine , and concentrating to an oil , 1 . 90 g ., having a high resolution mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 641 . 4258 . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , benzylamide , mixed isomers ( formula vii : r 19 is ## str113 ## following the procedures of preparation 8 , there are used 4 . 66 g . of the formula - vii 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , mixed isomers , and 1 . 08 g . of benzylamine instead of methylamine . the crude product is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 50 - 70 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ - 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , benzylamide mixed isomers , 4 . 1 g ., having nmr peaks at 7 . 3 , 6 . 6 , 5 . 3 - 5 . 7 , and 3 . 5 - 4 . 6 δ . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , anilide , mixed isomers ( formula vii r 19 is ## str114 ## following the procedures of preparation 8 , there are used 4 . 66 g . of the formula - vii 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , mixed isomers , and 0 . 94 g . of aniline . the crude product is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 10 - 50 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , anilide mixed isomers , 4 . 0 g ., having nmr peaks at 8 . 4 , 6 . 9 - 7 . 7 , 5 . 3 - 5 . 7 , and 3 . 4 - 4 . 7 δ . 6 - keto - pge 1 , methyl ester ( formula vi : d is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q is ## str115 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , ## str116 ## is ## str117 ## r 19 is -- cooch 3 , and x is trans - ch ═ ch --). a . refer to chart a . a solution of formula - iii 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( 0 . 50 g .) in 25 ml . of methylene chloride is treated with 3 ml . of dihydropyran and 3 ml . of a saturated solution of pyridine hydrochloride in methylene chloride and left standing about 5 hr . at about 25 ° c . or until tlc shows that the starting material has disappeared , and that the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether has been formed , having r f 0 . 22 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 9 )) or r f 0 . 47 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 3 )). the reaction mixture is concentrated , washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate and brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone ( 10 - 25 %) in methylene chloride to yield the formula - iv bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester , having infrared peaks at 3500 , 1745 , 1730 , 1200 , 160 , 1130 , 1110 , 1075 , 1035 , 1020 , 980 , 915 , 870 , 815 , and and 735 cm - 1 ; mass spectral lines ( tms ) at 552 , 522 , 366 , 348 , 331 , 330 , 304 , and 85 ; and nmr spectral peaks at 5 . 5 , 4 . 67 , 3 . 65 , 3 . 2 - 3 . 7 , and 0 . 9 δ . b . the reaction product from part a , containing 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester corresponding to formula iv , is oxidized to compound v . a composite from several lots , weighing 0 . 93 g ., in 20 ml . of acetone is treated at - 10 ° c . with 2 . 0 ml . of jones reagent . after stirring for 1 . 5 hr . the reaction mixture is quenched with isopropanol and extracted with diethyl ether . the extract is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with ethyl acetate ( 20 - 50 %)- skellysolve b to yield the formula - v 6 - keto - pgf 1 , bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester , 0 . 52 g ., having r f 0 . 52 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate - skellysolve b ( 1 : 1 )); and infrared peaks at 1745 and 1725 cm - 1 ( free of oh at 3000 - 3500 ). c . the product of part b is hydrolyzed in 3 ml . of acetic acid and 1 . 5 ml . of water at 40 ° c . for 3 hr ., then mixed with brine and extracted with chloroform . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography eluting with ethyl acetate ( 25 - 100 %)- skellysolve b to yield 0 . 15 g . of the title compound , having infrared peaks at 3380 , 1750 , 1710 , 1250 , 1200 , 1180 , 1105 , 1070 , and 975 cm - 1 , and mass spectral lines ( tms ) at 526 . 3123 , 511 , 508 , 495 , 455 , 436 , 382 , 313 . 2004 , and 199 . an analytical sample , recrystallized as needles from diethyl ether - hexane , m . 39 °- 40 ° c ., has r f 0 . 33 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate ). 6 - keto - pge 1 ( formula vi : d is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q is ## str118 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , ## str119 ## is ## str120 ## r 19 is -- cooh , and x is trans - ch ═ ch --). a . refer to chart b . there is first prepared the formula - viii bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether of 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - 5 - iodo - pgf 1 α , methyl ester . the formula - vii product of preparation 1 ( 2 . 0 g .) in 20 ml . of methylene chloride , together with 4 ml . of dihydropyran and 1 ml . of a saturated solution of pyridine hydrochloride in methylene chloride , is left standing 16 hr . at about 25 ° c . the mixture is washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate and brine , dried and concentrated to a colorless oil . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone ( 10 %)- methylene dichloride , to yield about 3 . 0 g . having r f 0 . 73 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate ); and infrared peaks at 1765 , 1215 , 1140 , 1085 , 1045 , 1036 , 985 , 875 , 820 , and 740 cm - 1 ( free of oh at 3000 - 3500 ). b . the formula - iv 6 - keto pgf - type compound is prepared in several steps as follows . the product of part a above ( about 3 . 0 g .) is mixed with 100 ml . of benzene and 4 ml . of 1 , 5 - diazabicyclo [ 4 . 3 . 0 ] nonene - 5 ( dbn ) and held at 40 ° c . for 4 hr ., then at about 25 ° c . for 64 hr . the mixture is washed with ice - water , dried over magnesium sulfate , and concentrated to the enol ether , 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - δ 5 - pgf 1 α , bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester , 2 . 5 g . having nmr peaks at 5 . 55 , 4 . 5 - 5 . 1 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 5 , and 0 . 9 δ , and infrared peaks at 1740 , 1695 , 1200 , 1165 , 1130 , 1075 , 1035 , 1020 , 975 , and 870 cm - 1 . the enol ether ( 2 . 25 g .) is dissolved in 25 ml . of diethyl ether , mixed with 10 ml . of a dilute aqueous solution of potassium hydrogen sulfate and stirred at about 25 ° c . the reaction is monitored by tlc ( silica gel plates in acetone ( 10 %)- methylene chloride ) as a more polar material is slowly formed . after several hours 50 ml . of tetrahydrofuran is added and stirring continued . the mixture is concentrated and the residue is extracted with ethyl acetate . the extract is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography eluting with acetone ( 10 - 25 %)- methylene chloride to yield the formula - iv 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester , 1 . 91 g ., having r f 0 . 22 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ( 10 %)- methylene chloride ), having the same infrared spectrum as the corresponding formula - iv intermediate of example 1 . c . the acid form of the product of part b is prepared by saponifying that product . the methyl ester of part b ( 0 . 75 g .) in 25 ml . methanol and 7 ml . of 3 n . sodium hydroxide is stirred at about 25 ° c . for 3 hr . the mixture is chilled , saturated with sodium chloride , acidified with potassium hydrogen sulfate , and extracted with ethyl acetate . the extract is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 0 . 68 g ., having r f 0 . 61 ( tlc on silica gel in a - ix solvent ). d . the formula - v 6 - keto pge - type compound is obtained as follows . the product of part c ( 0 . 68 g .) in 50 ml . of acetone is cooled to - 15 ° c . and treated with 2 ml . of jones reagent added slowly with stirring . stirring is continued at about the same temperature for one hr ., then at - 5 ° c . for 0 . 5 hr . the reaction is quenched with isopropanol and the mixture concentrated to about half volume . brine is added and the mixture extracted with diethyl ether . the extract is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to a yellow oil , 0 . 61 g ., having r f 0 . 64 ( tlc on silica gel in a - ix ). after silica gel chromatography a fraction is obtained , 0 . 31 g . e . the formula - vi title compound is finally obtained on hydrolysis of the blocking groups . the product of part d ( 0 . 31 g .) is treated in 7 ml . of acetic acid and 3 ml . of water at 40 ° c . for one hr . and a further 16 hr . at about 25 ° c . brine is added and the mixture is extracted with chloroform . the extract is washed with water , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 0 . 25 g . this product is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with ethyl acetate ( 25 - 100 %)- hexane to obtain the title compound , 0 . 065 g . having nmr peaks at 5 . 72 , 5 . 57 , 3 . 8 - 4 . 3 , 2 . 1 - 2 . 8 , and 0 . 9 δ ; and infrared absorption peaks at 3420 , 3000 , 2800 , 1755 , 1740 , 1710 , 1315 , 1255 , 1190 , 1160 , 1110 , 1065 , and 970 . an analytical sample is obtained as needles on recrystallizing from diethyl ether - hexane , m . 67 °- 69 ° c . following the procedures of example 2 , but replacing the preparation of the formula - iv 6 - keto pgf - type compound in part b with a preparation using silver carbonate and perchloric acid , the same end product is obtained . thus , instead of part b , the product of part a ( 2 . 5 g .) is mixed with 80 ml . of tetrahydrofuran , silver carbonate ( one gram ) and 7 drops of 70 % perchloric acid . the mixture is stirred vigorously at about 25 ° c . for 22 hr . additional perchloric acid ( 3 drops ) is added and stirring continued for 4 hr . the mixture is filtered , the filtrate treated with brine and sodium carbonate , and extracted with ethyl acetate . the extract is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 2 . 6 g . silica gel chromatography , eluting with acetone ( 10 - 40 %)- methylene chloride , yields the formula - iv 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester , an oil , 0 . 52 g . having r f 0 . 35 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate - cyclohexane ( 1 : 1 )). thereafter the 6 - keto - pge 1 product is obtained following parts c , d , and e above . following the procedures of example 1 and 2 and chart b but replacing the formula - vii starting material with the appropriate formula - vii compounds obtained following preparations 1 , 2 , and 3 , there are obtained formula - vi compounds as follows : 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehyro - pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( formula xviii : d 1 is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q 3 is ## str121 ## wherein thp is tetrahydropyranyl , r 23 is -- cooh , r 26 is n - pentyl , r 36 a . refer to chart c . the 5ξ , 6ξ , 14 - tribromo - 15 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( xii ) is first prepared . a solution of 15 - oxo - pgf 2 α , methyl ester ( u . s . pat . no . 3 , 728 , 382 , 3 . 38 g .) in about 25 ml . of pyridine is treated dropwise with a solution of pyridinium hydrobromide perbromide ( 7 . 08 g .) in 35 ml . of pyridine over 2 . 25 hr . thereafter the mixture is stirred for 27 hr ., diluted with ether and filtered . the filtrate is washed with water , cold hydrobromic acid ( 5 %) aqueous sodium bicarbonate ( 5 %), then dried and concentrated to yield 3 . 72 g . product . similarly an additional 1 . 06 g . is prepared and combined . the product is subjected to silica gel chromatography eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 65 : 35 ) to yield xii , 2 . 83 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 2 . 58 , 2 . 58 - 3 . 4 , 3 . 4 - 3 . 88 , 3 . 67 , 3 . 88 - 4 . 61 , 6 . 96 , and 7 . 03 δ ; infrared peaks at 3400 , 1730 , 1685 , 1610 , 1245 , 1200 , 1170 , 1085 , and 1050 cm - 1 ; and mass spectral peaks ( tms ) at 746 . 0562 , 636 , 634 , 632 , 630 , 555 , 553 , and 551 . there is also obtained , as a separate fraction from the chromatography of the reaction product , 5ξ - bromo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo - 15 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester , 0 . 93 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 10 - 3 . 03 , 3 . 03 - 3 . 46 , 3 . 65 , 3 . 78 - 5 . 0 , 6 . 91 and 7 . 00 δ ; infrared peaks at 3480 , 2880 , 2810 , 1735 , 1690 , 1615 , 1245 , 1200 , 1175 , 1150 , and 1080 cm - 1 ; and mass spectral peaks ( tms ) at 594 . 099 , 515 , and 478 . b . 5ξ , 6ξ , 14 - tribromo - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( xiii ). a solution of xii ( 2 . 38 g .) in 20 ml . of methanol is added to a solution of sodium borohydride ( 1 . 28 g .) in 40 ml . of methanol at - 35 ° c . the temperature is held at - 25 ° c . for 1 hr . the mixture is diluted with diethyl ether and quenched with acetic acid . the solution is washed with saline solution ( 5 %) and aqueous bicarbonate ( 5 %) solutions , dried , and concentrated to a mixture of c - 15 epimers ( xiii ). separation is achieved by silica gel chromatography eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 3 : 2 followed by 1 : 1 ) to yield , first , the 15r epimer ( xiii - 15β ), 1 . 57 g . having nmr peaks at 0 . 9 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 35 , 3 . 35 - 4 . 65 , 3 . 66 , and 5 . 75 - 6 . 21 δ ; infrared peaks at 3380 , 1735 , 1725 , 1250 , 1200 , 1175 , 1075 , and 1050 cm - 1 ; high resolution mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 749 . 0362 , and [ α ] d - 11 ° in ethanol ; and second , the 15s epimer ( xiii - 15α ) 0 . 605 g . having nmr peaks at 0 . 9 , 1 . 10 - 3 . 35 , 3 . 35 - 4 . 6 , 3 . 66 , and 5 . 65 - 6 . 15 δ ; infrared peaks at 3380 , 1740 , 1650 , 1435 , 1250 , 1200 , 1175 , 1120 , 1080 , and 1045 cm - 1 ; high resolution mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 749 . 0384 ; and [ α ] d - 4 ° in ethanol . c . 14 - bromo - pgf 2 α , methyl ester ( xiv ). a solution of xiii - 15α ( 0 . 60 g .) in 20 ml . of methanol is treated with ammonium chloride ( 0 . 11 g .) and zinc dust ( 0 . 28 g .). the mixture is stirred for 1 . 5 hr ., diluted with benzene and filtered . the filtrate is washed with 0 . 2 m . potassium acid sulfate , dried , and concentrated to yield 0 . 37 g ., having r f 0 . 26 ( tlc on silver nitrate - treated silica gel in ethyl acetate ); nmr peaks at 0 . 88 , 1 . 1 - 2 . 71 , 2 . 71 - 3 . 55 , 3 . 66 , 3 . 80 - 4 . 35 , 5 . 23 - 5 . 56 and 5 . 84 δ ; and infrared peaks at 3320 , 2900 , 2820 , 1940 , 1650 , 1430 , 1310 , 1240 , 1215 , 1170 , 1115 , and 1030 cm - 1 . d . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( xv ). a solution of xiv ( 1 . 9 g .) in 30 ml . of methylene chloride is added to a suspension of iodine ( 2 . 85 g .) potassium iodide ( 1 . 88 g .) sodium acetate ( 0 . 92 g .) and water ( 6 ml .). the mixture is stirred for 2 hr ., treated with 20 ml . of 2 n . sodium thiosulfate , washed with aqueous 5 % saline solution , dried and concentrated to yield xv , 2 . 95 g . an analytical sample obtained by subjecting a portion to silica gel chromatography had nmr peaks at 0 . 89 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 18 , 3 . 66 , 3 . 6 - 4 . 8 , and 5 . 88 δ ; mass spectral peaks ( tms ) at 701 . 1183 , 645 , 637 , 589 , 547 , 529 , 510 , and 173 ; and infrared spectral peaks at 3380 , 1740 , 1655 , 1230 , 1170 , 1080 , and 1050 cm - 1 . e . 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo - pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether , methyl ester ( xvi ). a solution of xv ( 1 . 0 g .) in 10 ml . of methylene chloride is treated with dihydropyran ( 3 ml .) and 3 ml . of a saturated solution of pyridine hydrochloride in methylene chloride . after 20 hr . the mixture is diluted with diethyl ether , washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate ( 5 %) and saline solution ( 5 %), dried , and concentrated . the residue is 1 . 12 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 9 , 1 . 05 - 2 . 20 , 2 . 2 - 3 . 2 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 35 , 3 . 66 , 4 . 35 - 4 . 15 , and 5 . 7 - 6 . 1 δ ; and infrared peaks at 2900 , 2820 , 1760 , 1440 , 1350 , 1210 , 1125 , 1090 , 1035 , 1025 , 970 , and 910 cm - 1 . f . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro - pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( xvii ). a solution of xvi ( 1 . 1 g .) in 15 ml . of dimethyl sulfoxide and 1 . 5 ml . of methanol is treated with potassium t - butoxide ( 0 . 504 g .) for 20 hr . the mixture is diluted with 60 ml . of water , cooled , acidified with 5 % phosphoric acid , and extracted with diethyl ether . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 0 . 81 g ., which is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 7 . 5 : 2 . 5 ) to yield the title compound , 0 . 313 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 9 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 0 , 3 . 05 - 5 . 1 , and 6 . 5 - 7 . 5 δ ; and infrared peaks at 3300 , 3900 , 2810 , 2500 - 2700 , 2225 , 1740 , 1710 , 1430 - 1460 , 1190 , 1130 , 1120 , 1075 , 1035 , 1015 , 975 , and 905 cm - 1 . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro - pge 1 ( formula vi : d is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q is ## str123 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , ## str124 ## is ## str125 ## r 19 is -- cooh , and x is -- c . tbd . c --). refer to chart a . a solution of the formula - iv 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro - pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( example 3 , 1 . 1 g .) in 12 ml . of acetone is treated at - 10 ° c . with 2 . 67 m . jones reagent added dropwise in three 1 ml . aliquots at 15 min . intervals . the mixture is quenched with isopropanol added dropwise , diluted with diethyl ether , and partitioned with 5 % aqueous sodium chloride , dried , and concentrated . the residue consists of the formula - v bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether of the title compound , 0 . 26 g ., having r f 0 . 29 ( tlc on silica gel in a - ix - cyclohexane ( 1 : 1 )). the product above is hydrolyzed in a mixture of acetic acid ( 15 ml . ), water ( 7 . 5 ml .) and tetrahydrofuran ( 1 . 0 ml .) for 4 . 5 hr . at about 40 ° c ., then diluted with 30 ml . of water and lyophilized to a yellow oil , 0 . 14 g . the oil is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with hexaneethyl acetate ( 3 : 2 ), to yield the title compound , 0 . 048 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 2 . 05 , 2 . 05 - 3 . 33 , 4 . 03 - 4 . 70 , and 5 . 5 - 6 . 3 δ ; mass spectral peaks ( tlc ) at 582 . 3210 , 567 , 511 , 492 , 477 , 436 , 421 , 410 , 402 , 387 , 291 . 1768 , 173 , and 111 ; and infrared peaks at 3350 , 2870 , 2500 - 2600 , 2810 , 2240 , 1740 , 1710 , 1450 , 1400 , 1155 , and 1080 cm - 1 . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro - pgf 1 α ( formula iii : d is --( ch 2 ) 3 --, q is ## str126 ## r 4 is n - pentyl , r 18 is ## str127 ## r 19 is -- cooh , and x is -- c . tbd . c --). a solution of the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( example 3d , 1 . 67 g .) in 30 ml . of dimethyl sulfoxide is treated with potassium tertbutoxide ( 1 . 63 g .) in 3 ml of methanol at about 25 ° c . for 23 hr ., then diluted with water ( 6 ml .) and reacted for a further 3 hr . the mixture is diluted with ether and partitioned with cold 3 . 5 % phosphoric acid . the organic phase is washed with 5 % sodium chloride solution , dried , and concentrated . the residue ( 0 . 87 g .) is subjected to silica gel chromatography eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 1 : 1 ) to yield the formula - iii title compound , 0 . 59 g ., having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 5 , 3 . 7 - 5 . 2 , and 5 . 28 - 6 . 51 δ ; mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 670 . 3836 ; and infrared absorption peaks at 3360 , 2670 , 2230 , 1710 , 1320 , 1245 , 1205 , 1145 , 1115 , 1090 , 1055 , and 995 cm - 1 . a . there are first prepared the 5ξ - bromo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy ( 15r and 15s )- pgf 1 α methyl ester compounds . a solution of the 5ξ - bromo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo - 15 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( example 3a , 0 . 93 g .) in 15 ml . of methanol is added to a solution of sodium borohydride ( 0 . 46 g .) in 50 ml . of methanol at - 50 ° c . the reaction is continued at about - 30 ° c . for 1 . 5 hr . the mixture is carefully acidified with 5 ml . of acetic acid in 250 ml . of diethyl ether . the solution is washed with 0 . 2 m . potassium hydrogen sulfate , 5 % sodium chloride , and 5 % sodium bicarbonate , then dried and concentrated to yield the mixed c - 15 epimers . the product is combined with 0 . 39 g . from another run and subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 7 : 3 ). the respective fractions containing the 15r and 15s products yield 0 . 34 g . of the 15r and 0 . 34 g . of the 15s intermediate . the 15r compound has nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 2 . 75 , 2 . 75 - 3 . 30 , 3 . 66 , 3 . 78 - 4 . 8 , 5 . 80 and 5 . 90 δ ; and infrared peaks at 3350 , 1740 , 1650 , 1430 , 1365 , 1240 , 1190 , 1070 , and 1050 cm - 1 . the 15s compound has nmr peaks at 0 . 89 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 2 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 8 , 3 . 66 , 5 . 78 , and 5 . 83 δ ; and infrared peaks at 3350 , 1740 , 1650 , 1430 , 1365 , 1240 , 1190 , 1070 , and 1050 cm - 1 . b . a solution of the 15 - s product from part a above ( 0 . 29 g .) in 5 ml . of dimethyl sulfoxide and 0 . 5 ml . of methanol is treated with potassium tert - butoxide ( 0 . 3 g .) for 20 hr . on hydrolysis of the methyl ester with 2 n . naoh for 3 hr . followed by dilution with 5 % sodium chloride , acidifying with 10 % phosphoric acid , extraction with diethyl ether , washing with 5 % sodium chloride , drying , and concentrating there is obtained 0 . 20 g . residue . the residue is subjected to silica gel chromatography , eluting with hexane - ethyl acetate ( 1 : 1 to 3 : 2 ), to yield the 15s title compound , 0 . 065 g ., having the same properties as the product of example 5 . likewise , using the 15r intermediate of part a there is obtained the corresponding 15r title compound having r f 0 . 20 ( tlc on silica gel plates in a - ix solvent ). following the procedures of example 6 part b but substituting sodium methoxide for potassium tert - butoxide there are also obtained the title compounds . a . refer to chart c . there is first prepared the formula - xiv 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 2 α , methyl ester . following the procedure of example 3 - c above , the formula - xiii - 15β compound , ( 15r )- 5ξ , 6ξ , 14 - tribromo - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( 1 . 52 g .) is treated with zinc dust and ammonium chloride in methanol to yield the formula - xiv 15r compound , 1 . 13 g ., having r f 0 . 40 ( tlc on silver nitrate - treated silica gel in ethyl acetate ), nmr and infrared spectra very similar to those of the 15s epimer of example 3 - c . b . 5ξ - lodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( xv ). following the procedure of example 3 - d , the formula - xiv 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 2 α , methyl ester ( 0 . 98 g .) is iodinated to the formula - xv iodo compound . the product is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with ethyl acetate ( 30 %)- hexane to yield the desired compound , 0 . 88 g ., having nmr and infrared spectra very similar to those of the 15s epimer of example 3 - d . c . 5ξ - lodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ), methyl ester ( xvi ). following the procedure of example 3e , the formula - xv 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( 2 . 16 g .) is reacted with dihydropyran to form the formula - xvi bis ( thp ether ), 3 . 24 g ., having r f 0 . 57 and 0 . 62 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate - cyclohexane ( 1 : 2 ) and having nmr and infrared spectra very similar to those of the 15s epimer of example 3 - e . d . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) ( xvii ). following the procedure of example 3 - f , the formula - xvi 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9 - epoxy - 14 - bromo -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran2 - yl ether ), methyl ester ( 3 . 27 g .) is reacted with potassium t - butoxide in dimethyl sulfoxide - methanol , removing a less polar by - product by silica gel chromatography , to yield the product , 0 . 74 g ., having r f 0 . 51 ( tlc on silica gel in a solvent prepared by diluting the organic phase from ethyl acetate - acetic acid - cyclohexane - water ( 9 : 2 : 5 : 10 ) with half its volume of cyclohexane ), and having nmr and infrared spectra very similr to those of the 15s epimer of example 3 - f . e . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro -( 15r )- pge 1 , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) ( v ). refer to chart a . following the procedure of example 4 , the formula - xvii ( or iv ) 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro -( 15r )- pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) ( 0 . 46 g .) is oxidized with jones reagent to the formula - v compound , 0 . 23 g ., having r f 0 . 55 ( tlc on silica gel in the solvent of section d above , having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 3 . 2 , 3 . 2 - 4 . 65 , 4 . 65 - 5 . 2 and 8 . 91 δ , and infrared absorption band at 2600 - 3200 , 2220 , 1740 , 1710 , 1195 , 1120 , 1070 , 1035 , 995 , 980 , 965 , and 910 cm - 1 . f . 6 - keto - 13 , 14 - didehydro -( 15r )- pge 1 ( vi ). following the procedure of example 4 , the above bis ( thp ether ) ( 0 . 23 g ) is hydrolyzed and chromatographed to yield the title compound , 0 . 10 g ., m . p . 72 ° c . when crystallized from diethyl ether - methylene chloride - hexane , having r f 0 . 36 ( tlc on silica gel in the organic phase from ethyl acetate - acetic acid - cyclohexane - water ( 9 : 2 : 5 : 10 )), having nmr peaks at 0 . 90 , 1 . 1 - 2 . 0 , 2 . 0 - 3 . 2 , 3 . 9 - 4 . 7 , and 6 . 0 - 6 . 7 δ , and mass spectral peaks ( tms derivative ) at 567 . 299 , 564 , 549 , 511 , 492 , 477 , 421 , 402 , 387 , 367 , 201 , and 111 . 2 - decarboxy - 2 - hydroxymethyl - 6 - keto - pge 1 , ( formula xxv : q is ## str128 ## r 2 is hydrogen , r 4 is n - pentyl , ## str129 ## is ## str130 ## x is trans - ch ═ ch --, and f is one ). i . refer to chart e . there is first prepared the formula - xxiii 4 , 5 - acetylenic pgf 1 α type compound . the formula - xxii bis ( thp ether ) lactone ( corey et al ., j . am . chem . soc . 92 , 397 ( 1970 )) ( 6 . 5 g .) in 30 ml . of tetrahydrofuran is reacted with 4 - trimethylsilyloxy - 1 - pentynyl - lithium ( c . h . lin , j . org . chem . 41 , 4045 ( 1976 ) ( 3 . 6 g .) at - 70 ° to - 60 ° c . for about 0 . 5 hr . the adduct is isolated and dissolved in 30 ml of isopropyl alcohol - water ( 4 : 1 ) and treated with about 0 . 5 ml . of 10 % aqueous sodium hydrogen sulfate . the mixture is stirred at about 25 ° c . for 0 . 5 hr ., treated with about 10 ml . of aqueous sodium bicarbonate , and concentrated to remove isopropyl alcohol . the residue is extracted with diethyl ether and the organic phase is washed with water , aqueous sodium hydrogen sulfate , aqueous sodium bicarbonate , and brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel eluting with ethyl acetate - hexane ( 1 : 5 ), to yield the formula - xxiii 2 - decarboxy - 2 - hydroxymethyl - 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - tetradehydro - 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ), 5 . 6 g . having nmr peaks at 5 . 68 - 5 . 36 , 4 . 8 - 4 . 5 , and 4 . 5 - 3 . 18 δ , infrared absorption peaks at 3440 , 2210 , 1675 and 975 cm - 1 , and mass spectral lines ( tms derivative ) at 649 . 3986 , 563 , 557 , 509 , 479 , 478 , 463 , and 85 . ii . there is next prepared the formula - xxiv 2 - decarboxy - 2 - hydroxymethyl - 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - tetradehydro - 6 - keto - pge 1 . the product of 1 above ( 2 . 6 g .) is treated in 50 ml . of acetone with jones reagent ( 5 . 6 ml . of 2 . 67 m ) in 30 ml . acetone added dropwise over 5 min . at - 30 ° c . the reaction is quenched with aqueous sodium bisulfite and the mixture concentrated to remove acetone . the residue is extracted with ethyl acetate and the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the resulting mixture is then methylated with diazomethane to form the methyl ester of any carboxylic acid present . the above mixture containing 2 - decarboxy - 2 - hydroxymethyl - 4 , 5 - tetradehydro - 6 - keto - pge 1 , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) and methyl ester by - products is hydrolyzed in 20 ml . of acetic acid - tetrahydrofuran - water ( 3 : 1 : 1 ) at 40 °- 45 ° c . for 3 hr . the mixture is concentrated and the residue extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate and brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel ( hplc ), eluting with acetone ( 25 - 50 %)- hexane to obtain the more polar formula - xxiv compound , 0 . 278 g ., having nmr peaks at 5 . 70 - 5 . 42 , 4 . 32 - 3 . 80 , and 3 . 23 δ , infrared absorption bands at 3480 , 2210 , 1755 , 1670 , and 970 cm - 1 , and a high resolution mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 566 . 3299 . iii . finally , the title compound is obtained by catalytic hydrogenation of the above compound . the formula - xxiv compound of ii above ( 0 . 35 g . ), together with 35 mg . of palladium on barium sulfate and 5 ml . of pyridine is stirred under hydrogen at one atmosphere at about 25 ° c . for 0 . 5 hr . the solids are removed by filtration and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue is chromatographed ca 30 - 50 μ silica gel ( hplc ), eluting with acetone - hexane ( 1 : 1 ) to yield the formula - xxv title compound , 0 . 178 g ., having nmr peaks at 5 . 72 - 5 . 42 , 4 . 34 - 3 . 78 , and 3 . 60 δ , infrared absorption bands at 3360 , 1745 , 1710 , 1590 , 1160 , 1070 . 1015 , and 970 cm - 1 , and mass spectral lines ( tms derivative ) at 570 . 3563 , 555 , 552 , 499 , 480 , 465 , 426 , 409 , 383 , 375 , 355 , and 313 . following the procedures of example 8 and chart e , but replacing the formula - xxii starting material with the appropriate lactone known in the art , there are obtained the following formula - xxv compounds alternatively , the 13 , 14 - dihydro - and 13 , 14 - didehydro compounds are obtained by transformations of the above product of example 8 or the formula - xxiv intermediate of example 8 using methods known in the art . i . refer to chart f . the formula - xxx 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) of 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester is first prepared . a solution of 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , methyl ester ( johnson et al ., j . am . chem . soc . 99 , 4182 ( 1977 )) ( 0 . 3 g .) in 10 ml . of methylene chloride is treated with 2 ml . of dihydropyran and one ml . of a saturated solution of pyridine hydrochloride in methylene chloride and left standing at about 25 ° c . for several days . the mixture is washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate , dried , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 0 - 20 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the bis ( thp ether ), 0 . 23 g ., having r f 0 . 20 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ( 10 %)- methylene chloride ). ii . there is next prepared the formula - xxxii acid . the product above , combined with another lot of similar material ( total 1 . 30 g .) is stirred with 40 ml . of methanol and 10 ml . of 3 n sodium hydroxide at aout 25 ° c . for 3 hr . the mixture is cooled in an ice bath , saturated with sodium chloride , acidified with potassium hydrogen sulfate and immediately extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the acid has r f 0 . 52 ( tlc on silica gel in a - lx system ). iii . there is next prepared the formula - xxxiv 15 - oxo compound . the above product is immediately dissolved in 75 ml . of acetone , cooled to - 15 ° c ., and treated with 3 ml . of jones reagent added slowly within 30 min . stirring is continued for one hr ., allowing the temperature to rise to - 3 ° c . ; then 0 . 5 ml . more jones reagent is added , again at - 10 ° c ., and stirring continued for 45 min . the reaction is quenched with isopropyl alcohol , dried , and concentrated to an oil , about 1 . 5 g ., having r f 0 . 7 ( tlc on silica gel in a - ix system ). iv . finally , the title compound is obtained by hydrolysis . the above formula - xxxiv 6 , 15 - diketo - pge 1 , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) is treated with 12 ml . of acetic acid and 5 ml . of water at 40 ° c . for 3 hrs . then the mixture is cooled , diluted with brine , and extracted with chloroform . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on 100 g . of silica gel , eluting with ethyl acetate ( 60 - 100 %)- hexane , taking 50 ml . fractions and combining fractions 13 - 20 , to yield the formula - xxxv title compound , 0 . 31 g ., having r f 0 . 36 ( tlc on silica gel in a - lx system ), nmr peaks at 7 . 37 , 6 . 82 , 4 . 2 , 2 . 1 - 2 . 9 , and 0 . 9 δ , and infrared absorption bands at 3400 - 3200 , 2660 , 1745 , 1715 , 1675 , 1630 , 1290 , 1245 , 1160 , 1095 , 1075 , 975 , 850 , and 735 cm - 1 . a solution of 6 - keto - pge 1 ( example 2 , 0 . 17 g .) in 7 ml . of acetone is treated at - 10 ° c . with 0 . 2 ml . of triethylamine and 0 . 2 ml . of isobutylchloroformate . after 10 min . stirring the mixture is treated with 4 ml . of a saturated solution of ammonia in acetonitrile . after 15 min . at - 10 ° c . the cooling bath is removed and stirring continued for 5 min . the mixture is then concentrated to one - half volume and diluted with water and ethyl acetate . the organic phase is separated , washed with brine , dried , and concentrated . the oily residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 40 - 100 %)- methylene chloride to yield the title compound , 0 . 075 g . an analytical sample is obtained by crystallizing from ethyl acetate - diethyl ether , a powder , m . p . 84 °- 6 ° c ., having r f 0 . 23 ( tlc on silica gel in methanol - acetic acid - chloroform ( 10 : 10 : 80 )) and infrared absorption bands at 3540 , 3420 , 3200 , 1745 , 1710 , 1655 , 1620 , 1295 , 1245 , 1160 , 1110 , 1075 , 1025 , and 975 cm - 1 . following the procedures of example 10 , but replacing the starting material with ( 15s )- 15 - methyl - 6 - keto - pge 1 , there is obtained the formula - 1 compound : ( 15s )- 15 - methyl - 6 - keto - pge 1 , amide . i . refer to chart c . there is first prepared the formula - xxxvii 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). a mixture of the formula - vii 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , methylamide ( preparation 8 , 1 . 2 g .) in 25 ml . methylene chloride , with 2 ml . of dihydropyran and 25 mg . of p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate is stirred at about 25 ° c . for one hr . the mixture is then diluted with 75 ml . of methylene chloride , washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue , an oil , is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 5 . 40 %)- methylene chloride to yield the bis ( thp ether ) of the 5 - iodo compound , mixed isomers , an oil , 1 , 6 g ., havng r f 0 . 10 and 0 . 03 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ( 10 %)- methylene chloride ). ii . there is next prepared the formula - xxxviii 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , methylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). a slution of the above formula - xxxvii compound in 60 ml . of tetrahydrofuran is treated with silver carbonate ( 0 . 75 g .) and about 0 . 3 ml . of perchloric acid , with stirring at about 25 ° c . for 20 hr . the mixture is filtered , diluted with ethyl acetate , washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 1 . 4 g . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 10 - 60 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the formula - xxxviii compound , 0 . 48 g ., having r f 0 . 26 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 1 )). iii . next is prepared the formula - xxxix 6 - keto - pge 1 , methylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). a solution of the above formula - xxxviii compound ( 0 . 48 g .) in 15 ml . of acetone is treated at - 15 ° to - 20 ° c . with one ml . of jones reagent added dropwise and stirred for 45 min . thereafter one ml . of isopropyl alcohol is added , with stirring for about 30 min . brine and ethyl acetate are added and the organic phase is washed with brine , dried , and concentrated to an oil , 0 . 42 g ., consisting of the title compound as its bis ( thp ether ). iv . finally , the above formula - xxxix bis ( thp ether ) ( 0 . 42 g .) is treated in 9 ml . of acetic acid - water - tetrahydrofuran ( 20 : 10 : 3 ) at 40 ° c . for 3 . 5 hr . the solution is diluted with 15 ml . of water and freeze - dried . the residue is taken up in 10 ml . of methylene chloride and chromatographed over silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 30 - 80 %)- methylene chloride to yield the title compound , 0 . 11 g ., having r f 0 . 42 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ), mass spectral lines ( tms derivative ) at 597 . 3738 , 582 , 579 , 507 , 489 , and 417 , and infrared absorption bands at 3340 , 1745 , 1705 , 1640 , 1545 , 1270 , 1160 , 1110 , 1075 , 1015 , and 975 cm - 1 . i . refer to chart g . there is first prepared the formula - xxxviii 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , n - butylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). a solution of 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , n - butylamide ( preparation 10 , 1 . 47 g .) in 50 ml . of chloroform is treated at about 25 ° c . with 8 ml . of dihydropyran and 5 ml . of methylene chloride saturated with pyridine hydrochloride . additional amounts of reagents are added until the reaction is shown completed by tlc . the mixture is then washed with cold aqueous saturated sodium bicarbonate and brine , dried , and concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 2 ) to yield the formula - xxxviii compound , 0 . 7 g ., having r f 0 . 41 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate ). ii . next is prepared the formula - xxxix 6 - keto - pge 1 , n - butylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ), using 0 . 7 g . of the above formula - xxxviii compound and following the procedure of example ii - iii , there is obtained 0 . 39 g . of product , having r f 0 . 55 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate ) and a strong infrared absorption band at 1740 cm - 1 . iii . finally , the title compound is obtained by hydrolyzing the product of ii above ( 0 . 39 g .) in 2 ml . of glacial acetic acid and one ml . of water at 40 ° c . for 3 hr . the mixture is azeotroped with toluene , concentrating to a solid . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone - ethyl acetate ( 1 : 1 ) to yield the title compound , 0 . 2 g . an analytical sample is obtained on recrystallization from acetone - skellysolve b , 0 . 15 g ., having r f 0 . 20 ( tlc on silica gel in ethyl acetate ), and m . p . 78 °- 81 ° c . i . refer to chart g . there is first prepared the formula - xxxvii 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). following the procedure of example 8 - i , the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , benzylamide ( preparation 11 , 2 . 0 g .) is reacted with dihydropyran . the product , an oil , is chromatographed over silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 5 - 25 %)- methylene chloride , to yield the bis ( thp ether ), 2 . 4 g ., having r f 0 . 73 ( tlc on silica gel in acetonemethylene chloride ( 1 : 1 )). ii . there is next prepared the formula - xxxviii 6 - keto - pgf 1 , benzylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) using the above formula - xxxvii compound . there is first prepared ( 5z )- 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9α - epoxy - δ 5 - pgf 1 , benzylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ) ether by treating the formula - xxxvii compound ( 2 . 4 g .) in 100 ml . of benzene with 4 ml . of dbn at 40 °- 45 ° c . for 22 hr . the mixture is cooled , diluted with 25 ml . of benzene , and washed with 25 ml . of ice water . the benzene solution is dried and concentrated . the residue , an oil , is essentially the enol ether , ( 5z )- 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9α - epoxy - δ 5 - pgf 1 , benzylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). the above product is converted to the formula - xxxviii 6 - keto compound by treating with 50 ml . of tetrahydrofuran - 5 % hydrochloric acid ( 9 : 1 ) at about 25 ° c . for 15 min . the mixture is diluted with 50 ml . of brine and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried and concentrated to yield the formula - xxxviii bis ( thp ether ), 2 . 0 g ., an oil . iii . next is prepared the formula - xxxix 6 - keto - pge 1 , benzylamide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). the above formula - xxxviii pgf 1 compound , ( 1 . 0 g .) is oxidized in 25 ml . of acetone with jones reagent ( 2 ml .) at - 10 ° to - 20 ° c ., adding the reagent dropwise over 2 min . the mixture is stirred for 30 min . and the reaction is quenched with 2 ml . of isopropyl alcohol . the mixture is diluted with brine and extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with brine , dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated to the formula - xxxix bis ( thp ether ), 0 . 97 g . iv . finally , the title compound is obtained by hydrolyzing the product of iii above ( 0 . 97 g .) in 20 ml . of acetic acid - water - tetrahydrofuran ( 20 : 10 : 3 ) at 40 °- 45 ° c . for 3 . 5 hr . the solution is diluted with 30 ml . of water and freeze - dried . the residue is chromatographed on florisil ®, eluting with acetone ( 0 - 100 %)- methylene chloride to yield the formula - xl title compound , 0 . 22 g . plus another 0 . 07 g . from rechromatographing a mixture with less polar material . the product has r f 0 . 24 in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 1 ), and nmr peaks at 7 . 25 , 6 . 5 - 6 . 8 , 5 . 4 - 5 . 7 , 4 . 2 - 4 . 5 , 3 . 5 - 4 . 2 , 1 . 9 - 3 . 0 , and 0 . 3 - 1 . 9 δ . i . refer to chart g . there is first prepared the formula - xxxvii 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ). following the procedure of example 11 - i , the 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6ξ , 9α - epoxy - pgf 1 , anilide ( preparation 12 , 1 . 8 g .) is reacted with dihydropyran . the product , 3 . 5 g ., is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 5 - 20 %)- methylene chloride to yield the bis ( thp ether ), 2 . 3 g . having r f 0 . 29 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone ( 10 %)- methylene chloride ). ii . there is next prepared the formula - xxxvii 6 - keto - pgf 1 α , anilide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) using the above formula - xxxvii compound and following the procedure of example 11 - ii . the product , 1 . 98 g ., is chromatographed on silica gel eluting with acetone ( 10 - 70 %)- methylene chloride to yield the product , 0 . 53 g ., having r f 0 . 66 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 1 )). iii . next is prepared the formula - xxxix 6 - keto - pge 1 , anilide , 11 , 15 - bis ( tetrahydropyran - 2 - yl ether ) using the above formula - xxxviii compound and following the procedure of example 11 - iii , to obtain 0 . 54 g . of oil . iv . finally , the title compound is obtained by hydrolyzing the product of iii above following the procedure of example ii - iv . the product is chromatographed on silica gel , eluting with acetone ( 10 - 60 %)- methylene chloride to obtain the title compound , 0 . 18 g ., having r f 0 . 33 ( tlc on silica gel in acetone - methylene chloride ( 1 : 1 )), high resolution mass spectral peak ( tms derivative ) at 659 . 3837 , and infrared absorption peaks at 3460 , 3400 , 3300 , 1750 , 1725 , 1705 , 1660 , 1600 , 1500 , 1310 , 1290 , 1260 , 1155 , 1100 , 1065 , 1030 , 970 , 755 , and 690 cm - 1 . refer to chart b . following the procedures of example 11 , the formula - vii product of preparation 4 , 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - pgf 1 α , p - phenylphenacyl ester , is converted , first to its bis ( thp ether ), then to the formula - iv 6 - keto - pgf 1 α - type compound which is oxidized at the c - 9 position to the formula - v compound which is finally hydrolyzed to the formula - vi title compound . following the procedures of example 15 and chart b but replacing the starting material with the corresponding p - phenylphenacyl ester made by methods described herein or known in the art , there are obtained the following formula - vi compounds : refer to chart b . a solution of the formula - vii 5ξ - iodo - 9 - deoxy - 6 , 9 - epoxy - pgf 1 α free acid ( preparation 3 ) is converted to the mixed anhydride with isobutylchloroformate in the presence of triethylamine in acetone solution at about - 10 ° c . thereafter the substituted phenyl ester is obtained using p -( p - acetamidobenzamido ) phenol in pyridine at about 25 ° c . thereafter following the procedures of example 11 , the bis ( thp ether ) is formed and converted to the formula - iv 6 - keto - pgf 1 α - type compound , which is oxidized at the c - 9 position and finally deblocked by mild acid hydrolysis to form the title compound of formula vi . following the procedures of example 16 and chart b , but replacing that starting material of formula vii with the appropriate 5 - halo compound and that phenol with the appropriate substituted phenol , there are prepared the following substituted phenyl esters within the scope of formula - vi :
| 2 |
according to fig1 and 2 , a rectangular roof opening 11 , which can be closed by a cover 12 , is formed in a fixed roof surface 10 of a motor vehicle . cover 12 can either be pivoted out with its back edge 13 over solid roof surface 10 , to ventilate the interior of the motor vehicle , or after lowering of back edge 13 , can slide backward under solid roof surface 10 . in fig2 cover 12 is indicated only by a dot - dash line . roof opening 11 is surrounded by a roof frame 14 , which is connected to roof surface 10 in a way not shown in detail . roof frame 14 carries or forms guide rails , which run along the side edges of roof opening 11 and in which front and rear sliders ( guide shoes ) are guided in a slidable manner in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle . the front sliders are placed on slider supports 15 of which only the left can be seen in fig2 . however , the right side of the arrangement is a mirror image of the left along a longitudinal plane of symmetry . consequently only the design and mode of operation of one side are explained . slider support 15 is fixedly connected to a side panel 16 on which cover is supported in a height adjustable manner . panel 16 engages a lifting lever 17 in its rearward area , by a sliding arrangement , one end of which ( the lower end in the case of a venting cover position ) is in hinged connection with the rear slider and can make a pivoting movement around a horizontal laterally extending axis . a pressure - resistant drive cable that can be moved by a manual or automatic drive engages the rear sliders on both sides of the cover respectively . if the rear sliders are moved further toward the front by the drive cable , going from closed cover position according to fig1 and 2 , lifting levers 17 pivot out ; cover 12 is pivoted around an axis lying close to its front edge , for example , determined by the front sliders . in this case , rear edge 13 of cover 12 is raised above fixed roof surface 10 . on the other hand , if the rear sliders are moved rearward from the position according to fig1 and 2 , cover 12 is lowered at its rear edge 13 and then moved under fixed roof surface 10 in a sliding movement . the arrangement explained so far is known and consequently requires no further discussion . for example , the design can be according to german pat . no . 29 14 855 and corresponding u . s . pat . no . 4 , 332 , 416 . a headlining 20 is connected to the front area of cover 12 by a pair of mounting devices 21 , of which again , only the left one can be seen . each mounting device 21 has an attachment pin 22 , which is fastened to a cover reinforcement 23 and projects from it essentially perpendicularly ( i . e ., vertically ) downward . attachment pin 22 is , for example , riveted to cover reinforcement 23 . pin 22 has a shaft 25 of an essentially square cross section and a flat , broadened head 24 sitting on the lower end of shaft 25 . as can be seen in fig7 shaft 25 is provided on its front side and rear side with shallow recesses 26 , 27 , which are essentially triangular ( i . e ., are defined by a pair of v - shaped walls ). each mounting device 21 also has a catch clip 30 designed as a molded plastic part . as can be seen particularly in fig4 catch clip 30 has two spring legs 31 , 32 , lying side by side , which diverge at their free front ends 33 , 34 like a funnel but are interconnected at a common opposite end 35 . the material of catch clip 30 and the cross - sectional dimensions of spring legs 31 , 32 are so chosen that spring legs 31 , 32 by being placed against drive pin 22 and be exertion of pressure in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be spread out until drive pin 22 snaps into an opening 36 defined by spring legs 31 , 32 ( fig1 ). opening 36 is so dimensioned that in the released condition of spring legs 31 , 32 , it receives shaft 25 of mounting pin 22 with a predetermined play , whereby front stop catches 37 , 38 of spring legs 31 , 32 engage front recess 26 and rear stop catches 39 , 40 engage recess 27 of shaft 25 of mounting pin 22 . spring legs 31 , 32 have a height that is less than the longitudinal dimension of shaft 25 . thus , drive pin 22 and catch clip 30 can slide freely along one another in the direction of the longitudinal pin axis for a limited distance . in addition , mounting pin 22 can be tilted relative to catch clip 30 when cover 12 is upwardly pivoted or when edge 13 thereof is lowered , before sliding of cover 12 rearward , without thereby transferring a significant force from mounting pin 22 to catch clip 30 . catch clip 30 is clipped onto front cross bar 42 of a lining frame 43 of headlining 20 . for this purpose , cross bar 42 is provided with an upwardly directed dome 44 , in which two openings 45 , 46 are formed . opening 45 exhibits a circular central section 47 and two slot - shaped sections 48 , 49 projecting radially from it in opposite directions . opening 46 essentially has the shape of an arc , whose center is in the middle of opening 45 . two latches 51 , 52 and two widenings 53 , 54 are provided in periphery 50 of opening 46 lying at a distance from opening 45 . on the underside of catch clip 30 is ring - shaped bearing section 56 with two studs 57 , 58 projecting radially outward . a center stud 59 is formed on end 35 of spring legs 31 , 32 , which essentially is a longitudinal extension of spring legs 31 , 32 . center stud 59 is formed into a hook 60 on the end distant from spring legs 31 , 32 . hook 60 is elastic in the direction of the longitudinal axis of center stud 59 . on the underside of hook 60 are catch noses 61 , 62 . to clip drive catch 30 onto lining frame 43 studs 57 , 58 are lined up with slot - shaped sections 48 , 49 of opening 45 and inserted through opening 45 , just as is bearing section 56 . at the same time catch noses 61 , 62 are passed through opening 46 in the area of widening 53 . then drive catch 30 is rotated counterclockwise around bearing section 56 in fig4 into the upholstery position shown there . in this position , studs 57 , 58 and also catch nose 61 engage the underside of dome 44 of cross bar 42 , while at the same time center stud 59 and cross struts 63 , 64 of drive catch 30 are applied against the upper side of dome 44 of cross bar 42 . free end 65 of hook 60 engages latch 51 with its catch nose 61 . catch clip 30 consequently is held securely . the vehicle manufacterer upholsters the lining frame 43 with a headlining fabric made of textile material or plastic film . in this case , lining fabric 67 is applied against the underside of lining frame 43 , equipped with catch clips 30 , and with its projecting edge 68 is wrapped upwardly around lining frame 43 and joined for example , glued , to the latter , as is indicated in fig2 . catch clips 30 , in the upholstering position , do not interfere with wrapping of lining fabric 67 . then catch clips 30 are rotated around the vertical axis determined by bearing section 56 , into the working position , which can be seen in fig1 and 2 and is indicated by dotted lines in fig4 . in this working position , catch nose 61 on free end 65 of hook 60 engages behind latch 52 of opening 46 to prevent an unintended turning of drive catch 30 out of the working position . catch noses 61 , 62 both grasp cross bar 42 . in the rear area of cover 12 , a guide fork 71 is clipped to a rear cross bar 70 of lining frame 43 on each side of the cover . each of guide forks 71 is designed as molded plastic part with an integrated slide 72 that is laterally inwardly open . the free end of an adjustment pin 73 engages slide 72 laterally at a distance from pivot lever 17 . as can be seen especially in fig5 and 6 , cross bar 70 is provided with openings 74 , 75 , 76 through which holding noses 77 , 78 or 79 on the underside of guide fork 72 can be inserted . elastic legs 80 , 81 of guide fork 71 are applied in clipped condition against catch noses 82 , 83 , which are formed by openings 74 , 75 in this way to exclude an unintended release of guide forks 71 . as can be recognized from fig1 and 6 , openings 74 , 75 are in the area of an upwardly projecting dome 84 of cross bar 70 . it follows from fig1 that , in the completely assembled condition of headlining 20 with clipped catch clips 30 and guide forks 71 , the lowermost exposed surfaces of the catch clips and the guide forks lie above the lowermost underside surface of lining frame 43 due to the domes 44 , 84 . headlining fabric 67 , consequently , is stretched taut also in the area of catch clips 30 and guide forks 71 , and so the existence of the catch clips and guide forks cannot be seen inside the vehicle . for mounting of headlining 20 , with catch clips 30 in the working position , the headlining 20 is shoved forwardly to bring funnel - like free front ends 33 , 34 of spring legs 31 , 32 into engagement with mounting pins 22 . spring legs 31 , 32 are spread apart until finally each shaft 25 snaps into a respective opening 36 . at the same time the ends of adjustment pins 73 are shoved into slides 72 of guide forks 71 . a rearwardly directed flat spring 86 or 87 extends from each of cross struts 63 , 64 of catch clips 30 . these flat springs 86 , 87 , in the assembled condition of headlining 20 , are applied against the underside of cover reinforcement 23 . in this way they press headlining 20 , with a relatively slight force , downward against lateral support surfaces 88 , on which the headlining can easily slide without rattling . a height adjustment of cover 12 , for which means known in the art and not shown ( e . g ., according to de - ps no . 29 14 855 and corresponding u . s . pat . no . 4 , 332 , 416 ) can be provided , does not result in a misalignment of headlining 20 , since flat springs 86 , 87 can freely slide against cover 12 in a horizontal plane , while , as explained , also no forces are transmitted by mounting pins 22 to catch clips 30 and thus to lining frame 43 , if such a height adjustment of the cover is made or the cover is tilted . consequenly , headlining 20 , unaffected by the height adjustment of cover 12 , is guided exactly opposite roof frame 14 , to which guide forks 71 also contribute . if cover 12 is shoved rearward from the closed position shown in fig1 headlining 20 is driven by mounting pins 22 and catch clips 30 so as to move therewith . thus , adjustment pin 73 travels toward the rear in slide 72 . since the back part of slide 72 is closer to the underside of headlining 20 than the front part of this slide , headlining 20 in its rear area is lifted with respect to roof frame 14 , so that headlining 20 can run backward freely and without friction , if cover 12 is moved rearward . adjustment pin 73 is preferably made of metal , while guide fork 71 , optionally , is made as a molded plastic part . the metal - plastic material mating makes it possible to let adjustment pin 73 run directly in slide 72 , i . e ., without addition slide rollers placed on the end of the adjustment pin . this makes it possible , in case of a specified distance between the underside of roof lining 20 and the upper side of guide fork 71 to see to a relatively great difference in height between the front and back ends of slide 72 . while we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto , but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art , and i , therefore , do not wish to be limited to the details shown and ddescribed herein , but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims .
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a method and a system for production of hydrocarbons in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . a hydrocarbon - containing formation fluid , such as oil , flows from a formation 1 through perforations 2 into a well , which has a casing 3 , a tubing 4 which with the casing 3 forms an annular space therebetween , and a packer 5 which forms an upper space above the packer between the casing and the tubing and a lower space below the packer . valves 8 are provided for introducing gas into the hydrocarbon - containing fluid . a bottomhole is identified with reference numeral 6 , and a wellhead is identified with reference numeral 9 . a bottomhole device 10 is further provided at the bottomhole . the bottomhole device can be formed as disclosed for example in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 051 , 817 and has a shape of a laval nozzle as shown in detail in fig2 , which is incorporated here as a reference . the bottomhole device 10 can be also formed as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 893 , 414 , in the form of a multiparametric hydrodynamic system . during the operation gas is injected by a compressor 12 into the annular space between the casing 3 and the tubing 4 , and then is introduced through the valves 8 into the interior of the tubing above the bottomhole device 10 , where it mixes with the hydrocarbon - containing fluid flow from the formation ( so called “ gas lift ”). while gas enhances the fluid flow in this zone toward the well head , the weight of the fluid column reduces . in conventional systems as a result of this , the bottomhole pressure reduces as well and a pressure differential between the formation 1 and the bottomhole 6 increases . this can lead to intensification of gas bubbles generation in the near bottomhole zone of the formation which eventually can block an oil flow from the formation into the bottomhole because of the difference in the relative phase permeability of oil and gas . however , since in accordance with the present invention the bottomhole device 10 is installed , the bottomhole pressure is increased , thus reducing the pressure differential between the formation and the bottomhole and at least reducing the gas blockage in the formation near bottomhole zone , so as to ensure a flow of oil from the formation into the well . fluid of a reduced weight , due to the joint operation of the gas lift and the bottomhole device , flows to the surface . a stale zone 13 is located between the tubing and the casing below the lower gas lift valve 8 and above the packer 5 . an adjustable choke 14 is installed at the wellhead 9 . it can be seen from the drawings , that the bottomhole device 10 is located below the lower gas valve 8 and above the upper perforation 2 as close as possible to the later . in the formations with high and medium gor and gas and / or water coning the invention can increase oil flow rates to an optimum level . this can be accomplished because the speed of oil flow depends not only on a pressure differential , but also on a phase oil permeability of the formation . when bottomhole pressure drops much below saturation , oil permeability , in high / medium - gor formations , drastically decreases due to oil degassing in the near bottomhole zone of the formation . oil mobility decreases , gas fluidity increases , oil flow rates reduce , while gas flow rates and gor grow . however , an increase of bottomhole pressure ( reduction of differential pressure ) may result in increased flow rates , when gas and water cones abate , gor and wc reduce . a computer simulator can be used , to analyze all physical processes in the formation with three - phase fluid flow and gas lift processes , and to calculate optimum bottomhole pressure , which can provide an increase in oil recovery factor and higher oil flow rates with decreased gor and wc . the simulator can analyze changing phase permeability and viscosity , solubility and compressibility as functions of phase saturation , pressure and temperature . the bottomhole device along with the wellhead regulator , carries out another important function — it provides an efficient fluid lift to the surface due to an abrupt reduction of the tubing pressure immediately above the device , causing liberation of a large amount of gas , which decreases fluid weight within the well and creates favorable conditions for fluid lift to the surface . at the same time , the amount of injection gas , required for the lift , considerably decreases . thus , the present invention can provide an efficient optimum well operation . operation of the gas lift in combination with the bottomhole device according to the present invention prevents or minimizes the above mentioned negative effects . the advantages of the invented method and system for well operation can be illustrated by the result of experimental tests conducted in an offshore well a in the gulf of mexico . well a was drilled and operated in a separate tectonic block . after reservoir pressure has abruptly decreases , the well &# 39 ; s natural flowing stopped and for a long time the well was operating with a gas lift . by the time of installation of the bottomhole device , according to the present invention , the formation has been affected by solution drive and coning . as a result , oil flow rates decreased to 121 bbl / d , in comparison to 200 bbl / d which was being produced from the well before . at the same time , gor and wc considerably increased . ( table 1 ) after the bottomhole device was installed , an optimum operational regime was established in the well with average oil flow rates of 1 bo / bbl / d and with decreased gor and wc . these parameters were achieved due to joint operation of the gas lift and the bottomhole device , which had a rehabilitating influence on the formation . before installation of the bottomhole device ( period 1 ) the main gas lift operational parameters were : injection gas flow rates qinj = 3 mscf / d ; the total amount of gas produced by the well , including qinj , qtotal = 445 mscf / d ; gas - in - liquid ratio gor = 710 scf / bbl . at the same time , oil flow rates were 121 bbl / d . after the optimum regime was established in well a , operating with the bottomhole device , the system parameters considerably improved : qinj = 240 mscf / d ; qtotal = 300 – 350 mscf / d ; glr = 1200 – 1500 scf / bbl . the average oil flow rates reached 164 bbl / d , i . e . they increased by more than 35 %. the computer program for recalculating the injection gas pressure and amount of gas after the bottomhole device is installed and for optimization the regime in the system well formation shown below in the form of algorithms . 1 . determine optimum bottomhole pressure and optimum oil , gas and / or water productions using reservoir computer simulator under the device . 2 . determine pressure and fluid parameters above the device using device computer simulator . 3 . calculate upstream top pressure using tubing computer simulator and parameters received in p . 2 . 4 . if top pressure calculated in p . 3 is equal to or greater than pressure required for surface conditions ( separator , pipe line ) the well can operate in flowing regime without gas lift . otherwise : 5 . set the top pressure equal to required pressure in p . 4 — psf . 6 . calculate the tubing pressure and temperature in gas lift location — pgl , tgl from the bottomhold using the tubing computer simulator . for simplification assume that well has only one gas lift injection . 7 . set the total gas production will increase by 20 % due to gas lift . in this case the injected gas volume qgl under pgl pressure can be calculated as : po = 14 . 5 psi − normal pressure ; to = 293 k − normal temperature ; gor — gas oil ratio ( scf / d ); pgl — injection pressure ( psi ) ( see p . 6 ) tgl — injection temperature ( k ) ( see p . 6 ); z — z - factor (−). 8 . calculate upstream top pressure form gas injection using tubing computer simulator and pgl , tgl , and qgl in pp . 6 and 7 . 9 . if top pressure calculated in p . 8 is greater / less than psf in p . 5 reduce / increase the qgl value by 5 % and repeat step 7 until top pressure will by equal to psf . in case of multiple gas lift valves , the calculation algorithm will be the same , but varying the injection pressures and amounts at the different valves is more flexible . the goal of gas lift calculation is to determine the amount of injected gas capable to keep the optimal parameters on the bottomhole , above the device and to carry out the fluid to the top . the present invention , which includes the gas lift operation in combination with the bottomhole device therefore is highly advantageous as can be seen from the presented examples . the bottomhole device influenced both fluid lift within the well , and , most importantly , the reservoir performance . the reservoir accumulated a lot of energy . the reservoir pressure was restored and gas and water coning reduced . after the bottomhole tool was removed , oil flow rates increased to 400 bbl / d due to the accumulated energy . although thereafter oil flow rates were gradually decreasing , 7730 barrels of oil were produced for the first 30 days , in comparison with 4130 barrels of the average monthly oil production for the prior 9 months . the additional production of 3600 barrels was a result of rehabilitating abilities of gas lift , operated in combination with the bottomhole tool . the increased oil flow rates and the additional oil production illustrate technological potential of the new system . for last 5 years , oil flow rates of this well never reached 400 bbl / d , and the additional production contributed considerably to oil recovery . the method and the system in accordance with the present invention provides the following advantages : increase in oil production of the gas lift well and the recovery factor of the formation due to maintained stable fluid flow rates at an optimum level according to current reservoir conditions , and fluid parameters ; considerably prolonged duration of life of gas lift wells without a necessity of replacing the tool ; improved regulation of parameters of the system gas lift - well - reservoir due to a flexible , smooth and precise operation of the bottomhole device ; ability to automatically self - adjust its operating on in response to certain changing parameters of the formation , fluid , gas lift and surface ; ability to stabilize operation of the gas lift system in the well ; ability to reduce and optimize rates of injection gas and / or to decrease operational pressure of the compressor ; ability to decrease negative influence of fluctuations in the top part of the well on the bottomhole pressure and flow rates ; ability to improve operational mode of the reservoir with gas lift well operation , in other words , to restore the reservoir energy , decrease gor and , to reduce gas and water coning , to increase oil permeability of the formation , to decrease oil viscosity in the reservoir . the invented method and system provide an effect that is different and greater than a sum of sole effects from gas lift and bottomhole device , used separately from one another . 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 a method and system for production of hydrocarbons , 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 preferred embodiments and the advantages of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings . as various specific details are provided for a comprehensive understanding of the present invention in the following discussion , those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention can be carried out without these specific details . in the description of the embodiments , well - known components are illustrated in a form of schematic or block diagrams so as to prevent unnecessary details from obscuring the present invention . to solve the problem that a special - purpose processor fails to perform data chaining via a pointer , according to an embodiment of the present invention , a scheme of performing data chaining via a two - tuple linker is proposed , so that the function of data chaining can be easily implemented in a special - purpose processor that does not support a pointer . in detail , data to be stored in a data storage structure is segmented into multiple data segments , each data segment is stored to a storage unit that can accommodate this data segment , and accordingly , a two - tuple linker is also stored to this storage unit . with this two - tuple linker , the data segment stored in this storage unit is chained with a next data segment stored in another storage unit . fig1 shows a data storage method according to an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the data storage method includes the steps of : segmenting data to be stored to a data storage structure into a plurality of data segments ( step s 110 ); storing said plurality of data segments to a plurality of storage units , respectively ( step s 120 ); and storing a two - tuple linker to each of said plurality of storage units except for the one used for storing the last data segment ( step s 130 ), so that a data segment stored in a storage unit is chained with a next data segment stored in another storage unit via this two - tuple linker . in other words , the stored two - tuple linker points to a next data segment . of course , a storage unit may also store only a two - tuple linker , which is caused to point to a first data segment , and do not store any data segment . by means of chaining of each data segment , storage units used for storing all data segments are logically chained . in this chain of storage units , each storage unit stores a data segment and a two - tuple linker except that the last storage unit stores only the last data segment . of course , the first storage unit may store only the first two - tuple linker , while the first data segment is stored in the second storage unit . in this case , the first storage unit stores only the first two - tuple linker , the last storage unit stores only the last data segment , and other storage units store both a data segment and a two - tuple linker . under normal situations , the first storage unit of a chain of storage unit may house information in a leaf node ( logically primary leaf ) of an index tree , and other storage units of this chain of storage unit store a two - tuple linker and / or data segment in a form of elements of a flat table , as extension of this leaf node . in this case , the used two - tuple linker may include a flat table identifier tid and an element identifier eid , wherein the flat table identifier tid points to the table number of the flat table where the next data segment is located , and the element identifier eid points to the element number or row number of the flat table where this data segment is located . elements in the flat table may be accessed via the flat table identifier tid and element identifier eid . both flat table identifier tid and element identifier eid are software - defined elements in one embodiment . when a task is initiated , a processing engine or processor utilizes the input data for a tree lookup . after a match occurs , i . e ., a proper logic primary leaf is found , when needed , the processor can utilizes a two - tuple linker { tid , eid } to read information in the logically extended leaf . fig2 illustrates a data storage structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , the data storage structure according to the present invention comprises a first storage unit 210 and a second storage unit 220 . the first storage unit 210 comprises a first data segment 212 and a first two - tuple linker 214 , where the first two - tuple linker 214 points to a second data segment 222 included in the second storage unit 220 . for instance , the second data segment 222 included in the second storage unit 220 may be accessed by providing the first two - tuple linker 214 . the first storage unit 210 may be not spatially adjacent to the second storage unit 220 , so long as there exists such corresponding logic relation that the second data segment 222 inside the second storage unit 220 can be accessed by means of the first two - tuple linker 214 in the first storage unit 210 . of course , those skilled in the art should understand that the first storage unit 210 may include the first two - tuple linker 214 only , i . e ., the first storage unit 210 may not include the first data segment 212 . the above - described data storage structure may further include a third storage unit ( not shown ) for storing a third data segment . in this case , the second storage unit 220 needs to include a second two - tuple linker which points to the third data segment . those skilled in the art can conceive that the data storage structure may also include a fourth storage unit , a fifth storage unit , etc ., each of which includes a corresponding data segment . the number of storage units included is not supposed to limit the present invention . of course , those skilled in the art should understand that each storage unit may store only one two - tuple linker or store a plurality of two - tuple linkers according to needs . fig3 illustrates a data storage structure according to another embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig3 , the data storage structure comprises multiple cascades of storage unit ( only two cascades are shown in this figure ). the first cascade of storage unit 310 includes one storage unit , the second cascade of storage unit 320 includes n storage units , and the third cascade of storage unit includes m × n storage units ( not shown ). the first cascade of storage unit 310 includes n two - tuple linkers , which point to n flat table elements stored respectively in the n storage units of the second cascade of storage unit 320 , respectively . each of storage units of the second cascade of storage unit 320 includes m two - tuple linkers , which point to m flat table elements stored respectively in the m storage units of the third cascade of storage unit , respectively . each cascade of storage unit may also store corresponding data segments according to needs . this cascading mechanism is of great use in applications such as load balance ( both n and m are positive integers greater than 1 ). clearly , the new data chaining mechanism ( data storage method ) can provide the chaining capability which a special - purpose processor had traded for its performance gain . and this new data chaining eliminates the physical limitation on memory ( i . e ., physical limitation of the leaf capacity ). those skilled in the art can conceive that the data structure applicable is not limited to the tree structure so long as multiple data segments can be chained together via two - tuple linkers . data structures do not constitute any limitation to the present invention . those skilled in the art should understand the aforesaid data segments may include various types of data , such as integer , float and string or the like . the data storage structure and data storage method according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the above - described special - purpose processor or other processors . the type of applicable processors does not constitute any limitation to the present invention . it should be noted that all the functions described here may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination thereof , unless otherwise specified . a basic idea of the present invention is to provide , via a two - tuple linker , data chaining in a special - purpose processor that does not support a memory address pointer , so as to break through the limitation on space needed for data storage and enhance the efficiency of chaining each data segment . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the form as disclosed . various modification and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand that all modifications and alterations made without departing from the spirit of the present invention fall into the protection scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .
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referring to drawings , an embodiment according to the present invention will be explained below . at first , soldering flux 5 according to the present invention will be explained . the soldering flux 5 includes a solvent , an organic acid , and an amine . if necessary , a bodying agent and a surface acting agent may be included . a boiling point of the solvent of the soldering flux 5 is more than a melting temperature of solder at which the solder ball 6 is melted , and a solubility of the solvent in water is more than 0 . 01 % by weight and less than 6 . 8 % by weight . since the solubility in water is set to be less than 6 . 8 % by weight , an affinity between the solvent and an organic material is enhanced , and the organic material adhering on surfaces of an electrode 2 , a solder ball 6 , and a solder bump 7 can be dissolved and removed . on the other hand , since the solubility in water is set to be more than 0 . 01 % by weight , the solvent can be blended into water . thus , the soldering flux 5 can be removed by water washing . as the solvent , as shown in fig8 , hexyl glycol , 2 - ethyl hexyl glycol , 2 - ethyl hexyl diglycol , phenyl glycol , phenyl diglycol , benzyl glycol , butyl propylene diglycol , phenyl propylene glycol , dibutyl diglycol , propyl - propylene diglycol and butyl propylene glycol are illustrated . as the organic material adhered to surfaces of the electrode 2 , solder ball 6 and solder bump 7 , organic compounds such as organic silicon , acrylic , epoxy and the like contained in the solder resist 3 are exemplified . in order to eliminate these organic compounds , the solubility in water is preferably lower than 5 . 0 % by weight . accordingly , it is preferable to use the solvent of which solubility in water is 0 . 01 % by weight to 5 . 0 % by weight . as such solvent , hexyl glycol , 2 - ethyl hexyl glycol , 2 - ethyl hexyl diglycol , phenyl glycol , phenyl diglycol , benzyl glycol , butyl propylene diglycol , phenyl propylene glycol , dibutyl diglycol and propyl - propylene diglycol are exemplified . a contained amount of the solvent in the soldering flux 5 is 39 % to 69 % by weight . the amine in the soldering flux 5 includes multidentate ligand that has a plurality of group coordinating with one metal atom ( conductive metal atom ). here , the conductive metal atom is cu , ni , au or ag . as the amine , a material is illustrated in which ethylene - diamine , poly - oxy ethylene - diamine or derivatives thereof is linked to cu , ni , au , or ag and the like via a coordination linkage . moreover , cyclic hydrocarbon or water - soluble polyamine resin may be added in the amine . as to the amine in the soldering flux 5 , it is only necessary that the conductive metal such as cu , ni , au or ag can be once coordinate - bonded and dissolved , and it is not necessarily that the conductive metal is initially coordinate - bonded to amine in of soldering flux 5 . that is to say , when the soldering flux 5 is contacted to the solder ball 6 and the electrode 2 , the conductive metal included in the solder ball 6 or the electrode 2 may be linked to the amine via the coordination linkage . furthermore , the solubility of the amine in water is preferably set to be more than 5 % by weight such that the solubility in water of the soldering flux 5 is maintained . moreover , since the soldering flux 5 is used at the time of melting the solder , a boiling point of the amine is preferably more than the melting point of the solder . specifically , the boiling point of the amine is preferably more than 250 ° c . as the amine satisfying these conditions , ethoduomeen , jeffamine and poloxamine are exemplified . the cas number of ethoduomeen is 61790 - 85 - 0 . the cas number of jeffamine is 65605 - 36 - 9 . the cas number of poloxamine is 11111 - 34 - 5 . a contained amount of the amine is more than 30 % by weight and less than 60 % by weight . the organic acid in the soldering flux 5 has a plurality of organic acid group in one molecule in order to increase activity per a mol . as the organic acid group , a carboxyl group is exemplified . the organic acid is used for dissolving an oxide film on the metal surface ( electrode 2 etc .) so as to facilitate the solder to be attached onto the metal surface . by the organic acid , a below chemical reaction is proceeded such that the oxide film is removed . in order to promote the above chemical reaction for removing the oxide film by pre - heating in a reflow process , the melting point of the organic acid is preferably more than 145 ° c . furthermore , in order to increase the melting point , in a position excluding the carboxyl group , hydrogen atoms may be replaced by other substituent groups . a contained amount of the organic acid in the soldering flux 5 is more than 1 % by weight and less than 20 % by weight . as the organic acid , diglycolic acid o ( ch 2 cooh ) 2 , adipic acid hcooh ( ch 2 ) 4 cooh , dimethylol - propionic acid c 5 h 10 o 4 , succinic acid c 4 h 6 o 4 and citric acid c 6 h 8 o 7 are exemplified . the cas number of diglycolic acid o ( ch 2 cooh ) 2 is 110 - 99 - 6 . the cas number of adipic acid hcooh ( ch 2 ) 4 cooh is 124 - 04 - 9 . the cas number of dimethylol - propionic acid c 5 h 10 o 4 is 4767 - 03 - 7 . the cas number of succinic acid c 4 h 6 o 4 is 110 - 15 - 6 . the cas number of citric acid c 6 h b o 7 is 77 - 92 - 9 . a bodying agent may be included in the soldering flux 5 , in order to set up viscosity of a mixture of the solvent , the organic acid and the amine . it is noted that when the mixture has desired viscosity , the bodying agent is not necessary to be included , and addition of the bodying agent may be omitted . the surface acting agent may be included in the soldering flux 5 such that the solvent , the organic acid and the amine are sufficiently mixed , but addition of the surface acting agent may be omitted . next , with reference to fig3 to 7 , a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device 10 with using the soldering flux 5 of the present invention will be explained . fig3 to 7 are magnified diagrams each showing a vicinity of a solder bump 7 of the semiconductor device 10 . these diagrams are magnified diagrams showing a region a shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , a plurality of solder bumps 7 are formed by the manufacturing method shown in fig3 to 7 . initially , as shown in fig1 , a wiring board 1 on which a semiconductor chip 150 is mounted is prepared . a plurality of electrode 2 are formed on a surface of the wiring board 1 , a solder resist 3 is formed on the surface of the wiring board , and the solder resist 3 has opening portions such that each electrode 2 is exposed . the solder resist 3 is composed of a material that is hard to be wet with the solder , and includes organic materials exemplified as an organic silicon compound ( for example , siloxane ), an acrylic compound , and an epoxy compound . the electrode 2 includes a metal such as cu . the electrode 2 is electrically connected to an electric circuit ( not shown ) in the semiconductor chip 150 , via a circuit of the wiring board 1 and bonding wires 160 . next , as shown in fig3 , the soldering flux 5 is applied on the plurality of the electrodes 2 . the soldering flux 5 may be applied by squeegee printing method , a sealed - type pressure printing method , or other methods . after the soldering flux 5 is applied , as shown in fig4 , a plurality of solder ball 6 are mounted on the wiring board 1 . the plurality of solder ball 6 are arranged on the wiring board 1 such that each solder ball 6 is contacted with the soldering flux 5 . at this time , the solder ball 6 or the electrode 2 may be partially dissolved into the soldering flux 5 to be linked to the amine in the soldering flux 5 via a coordination linkage . if the soldering flux 5 includes the amine that is not bonded to the metal by coordination linkage , the amine is coordinate - bonded with the metal for the first time in this process . specifically , this metal is cu , ag , au , ni or the like included in the electrode 2 and the solder ball 6 . the wiring board 1 is heated at reflow process , after the plurality of solder ball 6 are mounted . by this heating , the soldering flux 5 covers the surfaces of the solder ball 6 and the electrode 2 , and the solder ball 6 is melted to form a solder bump 7 . after the solder bump 7 is formed , as shown in fig5 , a flux layer 8 including the soldering flux 5 is formed on the surface of the solder bump 7 . the flux layer 8 includes the soldering flux 5 , a component included in the solder resist 3 , and a material originating from a contamination component that covers each of the electrode 2 and soldering ball 6 . as the material included in the flux layer 8 , an oxide silicon compound r — so x , a poly - dimethyl siloxane compound , an acrylic compound , and an epoxy compound or the like are exemplified . after that , the solder bump 7 is washed by water , the flux layer 8 is removed , and the semiconductor device 10 is obtained as shown in fig6 . according to the present invention , since the soldering flux 5 includes the solvent having a solubility in water of 0 . 01 % by weight or more and the amine having a solubility in water of 5 % by weight or more , the soldering flux 5 can be removed by water washing . at this water washing process , the coordination linkage between the conductive metal and an amine ligand is cut off , the amine ligand is removed , and the conductive metal is deposited . after the water washing , an electrical test of the semiconductor device 10 is carried out by a testing device . as shown in fig7 , a contact pin 11 formed by a conductor is provided in the testing device , and the electrical test is carried out by directly contacting the contact pin 11 with the soldering bump 7 . though there is not shown in fig7 , the testing device has a plurality of contact pin 11 each of which corresponds to the each solder bump 7 . subsequently , the semiconductor device 10 will be explained , which is obtained by using the soldering flux 5 according to the present invention . fig9 is a pattern diagram showing the vicinity of the surface of the solder bump 7 of the semiconductor device 10 shown in fig6 manufactured by the manufacturing method mentioned above . the solder bump 7 includes a base part 29 , and a surface part 23 that covers the base part 29 . a thickness of the surface part 23 is about 2 nm to 6 nm . the base part 29 includes a base material 21 and an oxidation products layer 22 that covers the surface of the base material 21 . the surface part 23 includes sn and conductive metal . the conductive metal is cu , ni , au , or ag and the like supplied from the amine included in the soldering flux 5 . since cu , ni , au , or ag or the like is linked to the amine included in the soldering flux 5 via the coordination linkage , the amine ligand is removed by the water washing , and cu , ni , au , or ag or the like is deposited . the surface part 23 is formed of these conductive metals . as to a part of cu , ni , au , or ag or the like , the coordinate - bonding with the amine may be partly remained . when using the soldering flux 5 according to the present invention , in a unit volume of the surface part 23 , a ratio of a number of conductive metal atoms to a number of sn atoms is larger than 0 . 01 . by increasing the contained amount of the amine in the soldering flux 5 , the ratio can be larger than 0 . 015 . this ratio can be quantitatively evaluated by tof - sims ( time - of - flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy ). in the soldering flux 5 according to the present invention , since the solubility of solvent in water is limited , an affinity with organic materials can be increased , insulating materials such as a poly - silicon compound or an organic insulating material included in the surface part 23 can be effectively removed , and an contained amount of the insulating material in the surface part 23 can be reduced . here , as the insulating material , poly - dimethyl siloxane ( pdms ) or the like is illustrated , and the insulating material includes si and c . as shown in fig9 , when using the soldering flux 5 according to the present invention , contained amounts of si and c in the surface part 23 can be decreased such that the ratio of a number of si or c atoms to a number of sn atoms per a nut volume can be smaller than 0 . 01 , and it can be understood that the insulating material can be effectively removed from the surface of the solder bump 7 . this is because the solubility in water of the solvent of the soldering flux 5 is set to be less than 6 . 8 % by weight , in particular , less than 5 . 0 % by weight , and the affinity with the organic materials is increased such that the poly - silicon compound and the organic insulating material can be removed from the surface of the solder bump 7 . the oxidative products layer 22 is about 4 nm in thickness , and includes a first oxidative products layer 24 and a second oxidative products layer 25 in this order from the side of the base material . the first oxidative products layer 24 is mainly composed of tin phosphate snp x o y . the second oxidative products layer 25 covering the first oxidative products layer 24 is mainly composed of tin oxide snox . subsequently , referencing to fig1 and 11 , the effects of the present invention will be explained . fig1 shows a relationship between a quantity of cu to sn at the surface of the solder bump 7 and an yield rate of the semiconductor device 10 . a horizontal axis of fig1 shows a ratio of a number of cu atoms to a number of sn atoms in unit volume at the surface of the solder bump 7 , wherein the ratio was measured by tof - sims . a vertical axis of fig1 shows an yield rate in continuity check of the electrical test of the solder bump 7 . as shown in fig1 , when an amount of cu existing on the surface of the solder bump 7 is increased , the semiconductor device 10 is easily judged to be a good item . namely , it is shown that when the ratio of cu to sn at the surface of the solder bumps 7 is increased , conductivity in the surface part 23 is increased . as shown in fig1 , it is understood that when the ratio of the number of cu atoms to the number of sn atoms in a unit volume exceeds 0 . 01 , the yield is remarkably increased . furthermore , if the ratio of the number of atoms is more than 0 . 015 , the yield becomes almost 100 %. in the present invention , the ratio of cu atoms to sn atoms in number in a unit volume at the surface part 23 can be more than 0 . 01 , since the conductive metal such as cu , ni , au , and ag is linked to the amine in the soldering flux 5 , the amine ligand is removed by water washing , the conductive metal is deposited , and the surface part 23 is formed . especially , the ratio of the conductive metal atoms to sn atoms can be more than 0 . 015 by increasing the contained amount of the amine . accordingly , the surface part 23 having high conductivity can be formed on the surface of the solder bump 7 , and a contact resistance can be decreased between the solder bump 7 and the contact pin 11 . as the results , at the continuity check , it becomes possible to remarkably suppress a possibility of faulty determining to be defective due to an electrical contacting failure between the contact pin 11 and the solder bump 7 . meanwhile , a case of cu is shown in fig1 , however , similar trends could be confirmed in cases of ni , au , and ag . namely , when a ratio of ni or au atoms to sn atoms in number was more than 0 . 01 , the yield was remarkably increased , and when the ratio is more than 0 . 015 , the yield became almost 100 %. fig1 shows a relationship between a ratio of an amount of si to sn at the surface of the solder bump 7 and the yield of the semiconductor device 10 . a horizontal axis of fig1 shows a ratio of a number of si atoms to a number of sn atoms in unit volume at the surface of the solder bump 7 , wherein the ratio was measured by tof - sims . a vertical axis of fig1 shows a rate of which the semiconductor devices 10 once judged to be defects were judged to be good items in a retest . namely , when a value of the vertical axis is large , it is shown that a possibility of judging good item to be a defect at a first continuity check is large . as shown in fig1 , when the ratio of si atoms to sn atoms in number in a unit volume is small , miss judgment is reduced . specially , when the ratio of si atoms to sn atoms in number in a unit volume is smaller than 0 . 01 , the miss judgment is remarkably reduced . same trend was obtained in a case of using c instead of si . as a material including si and c formed on the surface of solder bump 7 , insulating material derived from the solder resist 3 , for example , an organic silicon compound , an acrylic compound , an epoxy compound , and a poly - dimethyl siloxane compound or the like are considered . according to the present invention , since the solvent in the soldering flux 5 can melt and dissolve these insulating materials derived from the solder resist 3 , miss judgment due to the material including si or c compound can be suppressed . in the above explanation , though the main component of the base material of the solder bump 7 was sn compound , metals other than sn may be used . additionally , the base material of the solder bump 7 may be formed of sn and metals other than sn .
| 7 |
in one embodiment , the present invention provides a new hydrogen sulphide scavenging composition comprising the reaction product of mixing monoethanolamine and diglycolamine with formaldehyde . the molar ratio of total amines ( consisting of monoethanolamine and diglycolamine ) to formaldehyde may be from about 3 : 1 to about 1 : 3 . preferably , the molar ratio of total amines to formaldehyde is in the range of from about 1 : 1 to 1 : 3 , more preferably from about 1 : 1 to 1 : 1 . 5 . the molar ratio of monoethanolamine to diglycolamine may preferably be in the range of from about 95 : 5 to about 70 : 30 , and more preferably about 90 : 10 . in considering the molar ratio of total amines to formaldehyde , it is to be understood that the preferred ratios refer to the amount of amines and formaldehyde that are mixed together and not necessarily the amount of amine and formaldehyde that forms a reaction product . it also to be understood that the amines and formaldehyde can be mixed in any order . for example , the amines can first be mixed together and the amine mixture combined with the formaldehyde . in the alternative , one or both of the amines can be first mixed with formaldehyde before being mixed with each other . the reaction of the amines with the formaldehyde is strongly exothermic . it has been found that failure to control the temperature of the amine - aldehyde reaction results in a less active scavenging composition . in particular , it has been found that the temperature of the reaction should be maintained preferably below about 40 ° c . in order to avoid a significant reduction in scavenging activity . temperature of the reaction can be controlled by mixing the reactants slowly over a period of time and while monitoring the temperature . the rate of mixing should be adjusted to maintain the temperature preferably below 40 ° c . in addition , cooling apparatus can be used to remove heat from the reaction vessel to maintain the desired temperature . it has further been found that the activity of the scavenging composition can be maximized by adding the formaldehyde to the amine rather than vice versa . it is believed that high temperatures resulting from the exothermic amine - aldehyde reaction can cause unreacted formaldehyde to form formic acid or other intermediates which can then react with or inhibit the triazine produced by the amine - aldehyde reaction . this tendency is believed to be reduced when the formaldehyde is added to the amines . as a reference sample , a reaction product ( 1 ) using 65 . 5 wt % formalin ( 37 . 5 % formaldehyde , 25 % methanol ) and 34 . 5 wt % monoethanolamine was formulated . the formaldehyde was slowly added to monoethanolamine while the mixture was stirred and the temperature of the mixture was maintained below 40 ° c . the molar ratio of monoethanolamine to formaldehyde was approximately 1 : 1 . 5 . a number of mixed amine reaction products were prepared using the same formulation and procedure as for reaction product ( 1 ) except that the 34 . 5 wt % component of monoethanolamine was replaced by a 34 . 5 wt % amine mixture comprising monoethanolamine and a second amine . the amines used in the mixtures and their amounts ( expressed in a weight ratio ) are set out in table 1 . each of the reaction products in table 1 was contacted with a gas stream containing approximately 80 % co 2 and 20 % h 2 s until breakthrough was detected , except the reaction product of the amine blend of 90 % mea : 10 % dga which was contacted with a gas stream containing approximately 95 % co 2 and 5 % h 2 s ). each spent reaction product sample was characterized by two distinct liquid phases . sub - samples from the upper and lower phases were placed together in 20 ml glass vials . the bottom layer substantially comprised dithiazine in liquid form and the upper layer comprised substantially reaction intermediates and water . the amount of methanol in each layer is shown in table 1 . while a simple reduction in temperature below about 20 ° c . will initiate dithiazine crystal growth in gas processing equipment in field applications , a similar temperature reduction in laboratory conditions usually does not intiate crystal growth . it is believed that the presence of contaminants in field applications offers numerous nucleation sites to initiate and promote crystallization . in order to accurately detect the onset of crystal growth in laboratory equipment , each layer of each reaction product sample was seeded with a dithiazine crystal . at room temperature ( approx . 20 ° c .) the seed crystal dissolved in the bottom dithiazine layer of all samples . the vials were then placed in a cryogenic bath and cooled with glycol to 15 ° c . and each sample was reseeded with a dithiazine crystal . all seed crystals remained intact , but no additional crystal growth occurred . the temperature was then reduced to 10 ° c . and the samples were left overnight at which point solidification could be observed in all samples except those containing the amine blends of 85 % mea : 15 % dga and 80 % mea : 20 % dga . for the spent reaction products which comprised mea and other than dga , the solids were slightly different in appearance than the crystalline solids produced in the spent mea reaction product , but the difference was judged to be relatively insignificant . however , the solids that formed in the spent reaction products which comprised mea and dga were significantly different , displaying a soft and amorphous nature . the temperature was then reduced to 5 ° c . and the samples were again left overnight . further crystal growth and solids formation occurred in all samples . again , the solids that formed in the spent reaction products which comprised mea and dga were soft and amorphous nature . a very small amount of crystalline growth was also observed in the 80 % mea : 20 % dga sample , but this was considered to be insignificant , and possibly due to laboratory error . the temperature was then reduced to 0 ° c . and the samples were again left overnight . all samples were substantially entirely solid . the amine blends of 90 % mea : 10 % dga ; 85 % mea : 15 % dga and 80 % mea : 20 % dga exhibited soft amorphous solids . the amine blend of 95 % mea : 5 % dga exhibited a mixture of crystalline solids and soft and amorphous solids . all other samples exhibited hard crystalline solids only . from the tests described above , it can be seen that the samples comprising the spent reaction product from a mixture of mea and dga formed solids that were substantially or partially amorphous and of a soft or “ mushy ” consistency . in contrast , all other samples formed hard crystalline solids at various temperatures of 15 ° c . and below . a scavenger solution in accordance with the present invention comprising a reaction product using 76 . 7 wt % formalin ( 37 . 5 % formaldehyde , 25 % methanol ), 21 wt % monoethanolamine and 2 . 3 wt % dga was formulated . the solution was blended by slowly adding formaldehyde to a mea / dga mixture until a 1 : 1 molar ratio of amine to formaldehyde was achieved . during the blending procedure , the mixture was stirred and the temperature of the mixture was maintained below 40 ° c . the balance of the formaldehyde was then slowly added . the molar ratio of amines to formaldehyde was approximately 1 : 2 . 6 . the scavenger solution was used in a circulating bubble tower contactor for scavenging natural gas until the chemical was spent . three samples were obtained from the spent chemical storage tank , pump return # 1 and pump return # 2 . the samples from the storage tank and pump return # 1 contained two phases , a light red / amber upper phase and a darker lower phase . the sample from pump return # 2 was a single amber phase . sub - samples of both phases and of each phase separately were placed in 20 ml glass vials . four sub - samples of each of the three types ( 1 upper phase , 1 lower phase , 1 both phases ) were assembled and 2 of each of the four were seeded with a single dithiazine crystal at 15 ° c . thus , there were two identical sets of 6 sub - samples , viz . upper layer seeded , upper layer unseeded , lower layer seeded , lower layer unseeded , both layers seeded , both layers unseeded . the vials from the first set were placed in a cryogenic bath cooled with glycol . starting at the 15 ° c . temperature required to maintain the seed crystal as a separate solid phase in each mixture , the samples were cooled by two degree increments to 1 ° c . the samples were held at each temperature for a 24 hour period and visually examined before cooling to the next temperature . the vials from the second set were placed in a freezer at − 5 ° c . and maintained at that temperature for a 24 hour period and then visually examined . they were then placed in a deep freeze at − 25 ° c . for a two hour period and visually examined . in the first set , at 5 ° c ., significant amorphous ( non - crystaline ) type solids had formed in all three seeded samples . no solids were observed to have formed in any of the non - seeded samples . in the second set , solids were seen to form in each of the seeded samples at − 5 ° c . no solids were formed in the unseeded samples . the solids formed in the seeded samples were soft and amorphous and were very similar to the type observed in the first set . at − 25 ° c ., all the samples solidified completely . the unseeded samples were solidified homogeneously throughout each phase present . the seeded samples , which still had the solids formed at − 5 ° c . when they were placed in the deep freeze , appeared to contain two types of solids at the colder temperature , i . e ., the residual amorphous solids and ice - like solids that formed at − 25 ° c . in summary , in the presence of residual solids , which may act as seed crystals in the saturated scavenger solutions or mixtures , solidification was observed to initiate in the lower phase at 5 ° c . the solids were soft and amorphous in consistency . in the absence of seed crystals , the spent solutions were observed to supercool to − 5 ° c . without forming solids . reaction products ( 1 ), ( 6 ) and ( 8 ) in example 1 were subjected to hydrogen sulphide scavenging capacity tests . the inlet gas comprised approximately 19 % hydrogen sulphide and the remainder co 2 . the results for control reaction product ( 1 ) are presented in fig1 ( a ) and 1 ( b ) and show that breakthrough ( 20 % nominal ) occurred at 200 minutes , scavenging about 165 mg h 2 s / ml . the results for reaction product ( 6 ) ( 95 % mea : 5 % dga ) shown in fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ) and reaction product ( 8 ) ( 85 % mea : 15 % dga ) were slightly better , with both mea / dga reaction products producing breakthrough at 225 minutes , scavenging about 200 mg h 2 s / ml . field application experience has confirmed the laboratory test results . in particular , reactions products of the present invention formed by reacting formaldehyde with a mixture of mea and dga freeze at a lower temperature than do corresponding mea - formaldehyde reaction products that do not contain dga . more importantly , where dithiazine crystal deposits formerly occurred in gas processing equipment using conventional mea - formaldehyde reaction products , in many cases no solids are produced when the reaction products of the present invention are used . where solids have occurred , primarily in extremely low temperature applications , the solids are “ mushy ” in texture and can be easily cleaned out of the gas processing equipment with steam or hot water . without wishing to be bound by any theory , it is believed dithiazine crystal formation is promoted when a relatively pure dithiazine liquid is cooled below its freezing point . by replacing a portion of mea with dga , a mixed reaction product is produced having slightly different triazine structures . in particular , the reaction product of mea and formaldehyde is rich in 1 , 3 , 5 tri -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- hexahydro - s - triazine and the reaction product of a mixture of mea and dga with formaldehyde also includes 1 , 3 , 5 ( 2h , 4h , 6h )- tri ( 2 - ethoxyethanol )- 1 , 3 , 5 - triazine . when this mixed reaction product reacts with hydrogen sulphide , a non - homogeneous lower phase containing mixed dithiazine reaction products is formed . it is believed that this non - homogeneity tends to impede crystal growth and instead promotes amorphous solids formation . it will be evident that the amount of mea that can be replaced by dga will vary depending upon the application . it has been found that at replacement levels below about 5 %, the formation of dithiazine crystal deposits may not be avoided , while replacement levels above about 20 % may cause undesirable foaming of the reaction product in use . the reaction product of the present invention can be used to scavenge hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans from a variety of hydrocarbon streams , including sour natural gas streams and liquid hydrocarbon streams . the reaction product of the present invention can be contacted with natural gas by a number of means including inline injection or with a contact scrubber tower . the reaction product of the present invention can be used to reduce the level of hydrogen sulphide in natural gas streams to pipeline specifications ( which is typically 16 ppm or lower ) or to 0 ppm .
| 2 |
the device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is used in conjunction with tools for drilling , milling or reaming , for example . it is intended for use with any tool which generates chips while operating on a workpiece . the machine 10 shown in fig1 includes a tool 12 which operates on a workpiece 14 . the machine 10 can be an n / c milling machine , for example , and the tool 12 a mill cutter . the tool 12 is mounted on the machine 10 by a chuck 16 , which , in turn is mounted to a spindle 18 of the machine 10 . the tool 12 is displaced by the machine in the direction of the axis z -- z , as well as in one or more directions normal thereto ( y -- y , x -- x , for example ) in order to perform its intended purpose with respect to the workpiece 14 . according to the present invention , a device 20 is provided for mounting to the machine 10 in proximity to the tool 12 , and consequently moves along with the tool 12 during the operation thereof . the device 20 includes a manifold 22 comprising an upper plate or chamber defining portion 24 and a lower plate 26 joined together by a series of screws 28 . the upper plate includes a mounting flange 30 in which several set screws 32 are received for supporting the flange 30 on the machine 10 . the manifold 22 is preferably ring shaped ( fig2 ) having a center axis which coincides with axis z -- z when the manifold is mounted to the machine 10 by the set screws 32 . the chamber defining portion 24 has chambers 34 and 36 formed therein . these chambers are preferably concentrically arranged with respect to the center axis of the manifold 22 . the chambers may be arcuate segments or they may extend about the chamber defining portion 24 as shown in fig2 i . e ., with the inner chamber 36 extending completely about the chamber defining portion 24 and the chamber 34 extending approximately 340 ° about the chamber defining portion 24 . as shown in fig2 ports 38 and 40 are formed in the chamber defining portion 24 for providing access to chambers 34 and 36 , respectively . the chambers 34 and 36 serve to contain the necessary fluids for the chip removal and tool lubricating function . for example , the chamber 34 can serve as the air chamber , while the chamber 36 can serve as the lubricating fluid chamber . air pressure can be supplies to the air chamber 34 through port 38 , while lubricating can be supplied to the chamber 36 through the port 40 . the means for connecting the source of air pressure and lubricating fluids to their respective ports 38 and 40 is conventional and need not be shown or discussed in detail . the lower plate 26 serves as a mounting or retaining plate for the nozzle assemblies shown in fig1 . for this purpose the lower or retaining plate 26 is provided with tapped holes 42 for each nozzle assembly . the relative location of the tapped holes is best shown in . fig3 . the end fittings screw into their respective tapped holes 42 . in this way the nozzle assemblies can easily be installed and removed from the manifold . the number of nozzle assemblies and corresponding tapped hole 42 is arbitrary . we have found that at least one nozzle assembly for supplying lubricating liquid and at least two nozzle assemblies for supplying air are desirable . the tapped holes 42 which are not in use can be plugged and the plug removed and a nozzle assembly inserted as desired . when the lower or retaining plate 26 is joined to the upper plate 24 the tapped holes 42 align with a respective chamber 34 or 36 as shown in fig1 . in this way , the nozzle assemblies are provided with access to their respective chambers . to ensure that leakage does not occur between the two plates a suitable adhesive is applied to the mating surfaces of the two plates so that when they are joined by the screws 28 , a sealed unit results . four nozzle assemblies , 44l , 44r , and 46l , 46r , are shown mounted to the lower or retaining plate 26 in communication with their respective chambers 34 and 36 . each nozzle assembly comprises a flexible locking type hose 48 made from high chemical resistance type plastic at the free end of which a nozzle 50 is mounted . the hoses comprise a series of swivel joints 52 which allow for a wide range of line adjustments . for example , the angles shown in fig1 can be varied over a wide range . the nozzle assemblies , 44l , 44r , each deliver a directed stream of air toward the intersection of the tool 12 and an interface 54 defined by the workpiece 14 . likewise , the nozzle assemblies 46l , 46r , deliver a directed stream of lubricating fluid against the tool 12 . as can be seen in fig1 the streams of lubricating fluid impinge against the tool 12 at a location closer to the chuck 16 than the interface 54 . the air streams are directed toward the noted intersection where the chips are formed by the tool 12 . as previously noted , at least one lubricating fluid nozzle assembly is provided , and when only one is provided it would preferrably be located in the plane defined by the axis z -- z , while at least two air nozzle assemblies are provided with one on each side of the axis z -- z . according to a preferred variant of the present invention the air nozzle assemblies are as shown in fig1 i . e ., each nozzle assembly includes a pair of nozzles in a y configuration the two lower nozzles 50l 1 and 50r 1 can be directed at the intersection of the tool 12 and interface 54 , while the two higher nozzles 50l 2 and 50r 2 can be directed above the interface plane . referring to fig4 an arrangement including a minimum number of nozzle assemblies is shown . the axes 56 , 58 and 60 refer to the centerlines of directed fluid streams . the streams themselves are under pressure and the pressure can be controlled in any conventional manner . a lubricating fluid stream 56 emanating from a line 46l and at any angle α 1 ( fig1 ), is shown directed along a coordinate axis between quadrants 1 and 2 ; while air streams 58 and 60 , emanating from lines 44l and 44r and also at any angle α 2 and α 3 respectively ( fig1 ) are shown located in quadrants 3 and 4 , respectively , and directed as shown on opposite sides of the center plane a -- a defined by manifold 22 . the angle β between the directed streams is arbitrary and can be , for example , 120 °. in addition , the streams 58 and 60 can each comprise two streams for which two nozzles are required ( fig1 ), the centerlines for which lie in a common vertical plane or in adjacent vertical planes . toe latter is shown in fig5 wherein 58r 1 , 58r 2 and 60l 1 , 60l 2 represent centerlines of the streams emanating from nozzles 50r 1 , 50r 2 and 50l 1 and 50l 2 , respectively . in this case , the angular relationship of β and θ is also arbitrary . with the arrangement shown , a high degree of flexibility is achieved in the inpingement location of the streams . also , the nozzle assemblies are easy to adjust and can be readily moved by pivoting each assembly about any swivel joint . in this way , the assemblies can be moved to provide free access to the tool 12 when , for example , tool changes are desired . in an actual prototype model seven fluid streams were used . the centerlines are shown in fig6 . three lubricating fluid steams and two air streams were used . the lubricating fluid streams are represented by axes 56 , 58 and 60 with a β = 120 °. the air streams are represented by axes 62l 1 , 62l 2 and 64r 1 , 64r 2 with φ = 10 °. the air streams each comprised two streams for which two nozzles are required ( fig1 ). the lubricating fluid streams each comprised one nozzle . the size of the three lubricating fluid streams lines was 0 . 250 in . inside diameter ( fig1 ). the two air stream lines each were 0 . 500 in . inside diameter and 0 . 250 in . inside diameter on each side of the &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; reducer , and two 0 . 125 in . inside diameter nozzles ( fig1 ). the three lubricating fluid streams operated using the machines &# 39 ; supplied pressure , approximately 10 - 15 psi . on the other hand , the two air streams comprising four nozzles total , operating using supplied shop air of approximately 90 psi . both a pressure regulator and an air valve were used to control the supplied shop air . hence , both pressure and volume of the air could be adjusted to provide the best desirable effect on the unit &# 39 ; s function .
| 8 |
preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the following with particular reference to an arrangement of at least one optically non - linear crystal in one or more enhancement cavities , driving the dfg process with fs laser pulses in the enhancement cavity , controlling the polarization of the fs laser pulses circulating in the enhancement cavity and coupling the created df laser pulses out of the beam path of the enhancement cavity . details of creating and manipulating the driving fs laser pulses are not described as far as they are known from prior art ( see e . g . [ 2 ], [ 4 ] and [ 12 ]). it is emphasized that the practical implementation of the invention is not restricted to the described examples , but rather possible with modifications , e . g . in terms of the number of enhancement cavities , the available types of optically non - linear crystals ( see [ 13 ]), the number of circulating ultrashort laser pulses , and the design of the enhancement cavity . most of the illustrated embodiments show the optically non - linear crystal with a distance from the resonator mirrors . alternatively , the optically non - linear crystal can be positioned in direct contact with one of the resonator mirrors ( see fig6 ). fig1 illustrates a first embodiment of a photonic pulse source 100 comprising a first optically non - linear crystal 10 , an enhancement cavity 20 , a second optically non - linear crystal 30 , and a laser source 40 . additionally , the photonic pulse source 100 is provided with a control device ( not shown ) and a monitoring device with at least one optical sensor ( not shown ), as they are known form conventional enhancement cavity techniques , e . g . for controlling the repetition frequency driving laser source , the input coupling of the driving ultrashort laser pulses and the positions of cavity mirrors and monitoring pulse parameters . the laser source 40 comprises a fs laser 41 and optionally a spectral shaping component 42 . the fs laser 41 is adapted for providing ultrashort laser pulses 2 having e . g . a centre wavelength of 1030 nm , an average power of 50 w and a repetition rate of 100 mhz . the fs laser source 41 may comprise e . g . a commercial apparatus , like a kerr - lens modelocked yb : yag thin - disk laser or a chirped - pulse amplified master oscillator or an optical set - up with a combination of a thin - disk oscillator and one or two broadening stages as described in [ 2 ] or [ 12 ]. the spectral shaping component 42 is arranged for shaping the spectrum of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 . spectral components , which do not contribute to the generation of useful radiation of the third spectral component in the optically non - linear crystal 10 are attenuated or even completely suppressed . to this end , the spectral shaping component 42 comprises e . g . a notch filter ( in reflection or transmission ) having a preselected filter characteristic depending on the spectral components to be suppressed . the enhancement cavity 20 comprises four resonator mirrors m 11 to m 14 , which are arranged to span a beam path 22 for a circulating laser pulse 3 . preferably , the beam path 22 extends in a plane parallel to the drawing plane . the length of the beam path 22 is selected such that the period of the circulating laser pulse 3 is equal to the reciprocal repetition frequency of the laser source 40 or an integer multiple of the latter . the ultrashort laser pulses 2 generated with the laser source 40 are coupled into the enhancement cavity 20 at one of the resonator mirrors m 13 , which has a slightly reduced reflectivity , e . g . 99 %, compared with the remaining resonator mirrors . the resonator mirrors m 11 to m 14 have plane or curved mirror surfaces , as it is known from conventional enhancement cavities . curved mirror surfaces can be used for tailoring the field distribution of the circulating laser pulse 3 , e . g . for focussing the circulating laser pulse 3 at predetermined focus positions along the beam path 22 , and / or for improving the optical stability of the pulse enhancement in the cavity . the first optically non - linear crystal 10 is arranged in a first section of the beam path 22 between two of the resonator mirrors m 13 and m 14 , preferably at a focus position of the beam path 22 . with a practical example , the optically non - linear crystal 10 is made of ligas 2 , having a thickness along the beam path direction of 100 μm . the optically non - linear crystal 10 is supported by an adjusting and / or temperature - control support stage 13 , 14 ( see fig2 ), which is adapted for geometrically adjusting and / or cooling the optically non - linear crystal 10 . additionally , a second optically non - linear crystal 30 is arranged in another section of the beam path 22 , preferably also at a position between two resonator mirrors m 11 and m 12 , where the transverse intensity profile of the circulating laser beam 22 is widened to mitigate non - linearity and thermal lensing . the second optically non - linear crystal 30 is arranged for compensating an ellipticity of the polarization introduced by the interaction of the circulating laser pulse 3 with the first optically non - linear crystal 10 . preferably , the second optically non - linear crystal 30 has a thickness like the first crystal 10 or a different thickness , e . g . 200 μm . the dfg process is driven by the circulating laser pulse 3 in the first optically non - linear crystal 10 . the df laser pulses 1 are generated with frequency components ( third frequency components ) created by difference frequencies between first and second spectral components of the circulating laser pulse 3 , respectively . the dfg process requires that a phase matching condition is fulfilled by the first and second frequency components in the optically non - linear crystal 10 . various types of phase matching conditions are available . according to preferred embodiments of the invention , the first and second frequency components have polarizations perpendicular to each other ( type i phase matching ) or parallel to each other ( type ii phase matching ). the two mutually perpendicular polarizations for providing the type i phase matching can be created even with the first and second frequency components being simultaneously contained in the single circulating laser pulse 3 , e . g . by using elliptic polarization or by constructing the circulating laser pulse 3 from two partial pulses ( see fig7 ). the second optically non - linear crystal 30 is preferably provided with an embodiment using the type i phase matching . both of the first and second spectral components having mutually perpendicular polarizations are subjected to different refractive indices in the optically non - linear crystal 10 , which has an effect like a quarter wave plate . this results in a circular polarization of the circulating laser pulse 3 after the passage through the optically non - linear crystal 10 . by the effect of the second optically non - linear crystal 30 , this effect is compensated . to this end , the second optically non - linear crystal 30 preferably is located at a position where the transverse intensity profile of the circulating laser pulse 3 has a diameter significantly larger than on the first crystal 10 . accordingly , the second optically non - linear crystal 30 is not used if the dfg is based on the type ii phase matching . additionally , the second optically non - linear crystal 30 can be capable of creating further difference frequencies by a dfg process . in particular , the orientation and the material of the second optically non - linear crystal 30 can be selected such that the above compensation of the polarization effect of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 is incomplete , but phase matching conditions for a further dfg process are fulfilled . accordingly , a second df laser pulse can be generated at the second optically non - linear crystal 30 ( not shown in fig1 ). the polarizations of the first and second spectral components can be adjusted before input coupling the ultrashort laser pulses 2 into the enhancement cavity 20 , e . g . by introducing a wavelength - selective beam splitter , distributing the output of the fs laser 41 onto two different beam paths , rotating the polarization in at least one of the beam paths with at least one polarizing components and recombining both portions into a common fs laser pulse 2 ( not shown in fig1 ). alternatively , the fs laser pulses 2 at the output of the fs laser 41 can be polarized with one single polarizing component rotating the polarization of the complete spectrum of the fs laser pulses 2 onto an intermediate angle . with this embodiment , the type i phase matching can be obtained by rotating the first and second optically non - linear crystals 10 , 30 , respectively . the df laser pulses 1 created in the first optically non - linear crystal 10 are emitted collinearly with the beam path 22 direction within the enhancement cavity 20 , but with an increased divergence . accordingly , an output coupling around one of the resonator mirrors m 14 as shown in fig1 or in particular according to one of the variants shown in fig2 to 5 can be provided . with a modification of fig1 , only one optically non - linear crystal 10 can be provided . the second optically non - linear crystal 30 is not strictly necessary if a certain degree of the conversion efficiency of the dfg process can be tolerated in dependency on the particular application of the invention . the intensity generated in the dfg process with input at the two high frequencies is proportional to z 2 sinc 2 ( z / z coh ), where z and z coh are the crystal thickness and the coherence length respectively . the coherence length is given by z coh = 2 / δk , where δk = wavevector mismatch . writing the above expression as z coh 2 ( z / z coh ) 2 sinc 2 ( z / z coh ) it results that for a short coherence length the dfg - efficiency becomes very low . the function ( z / z coh ) 2 sinc 2 ( z / z coh ) has a maximum of one at z = 1 . 6 z coh and thus the optimum crystal thickness is slightly larger than the coherence length . for monochromatic or narrowband radiation the choice of a suitable phase matching angle generates a δk close to zero , resulting in a large coherence length . however , with broadband radiation there is no unique phase matching angle and z coh rapidly decreases with increasing bandwidth . the optimum length of the crystal depends on many parameters , such as the particular crystal , the bandwidth and the choice of phase matched frequencies . fig2 shows a portion of the enhancement cavity 20 with one of the resonator mirrors m 14 and the first optically non - linear crystal 10 only . the resonator mirror m 14 is a dichroic mirror that transmits the third spectral components of the df laser pulses 1 , in particular in the mir wavelength range , and reflects the first and second spectral components of the circulating laser pulse 3 along the beam path 22 . accordingly , output coupling of the df laser pulses 1 is obtained by passing them through one of the resonator mirrors , e . g . m 14 . additionally , fig2 schematically shows an adjusting support stage 13 , which accommodates the first optically non - linear crystal 10 . the adjusting support stage 12 comprises e . g . a piezoelectric x - y - z - and tip - tilt drive , which is capable of adjusting an orientation and position of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 relative to the first beam path 22 . as a general important feature of the invention , the angle of incidence of the circulating laser pulse 3 on the beam path 22 relative to the surface of the optically non - linear crystal 10 influences the phase matching . as the phase matching condition depends on the crystallographic orientation of the optically non - linear crystal 10 , an adjustment of the geometrical orientation and position of the optically non - linear crystal 10 relative to the beam path 22 is implemented . preferably , the adjustment is controlled with the adjusting support 13 . as an example , a feedback control can be provided . a control variable can be obtained with an optical sensor ( not shown ), monitoring the spectral characteristic of the df laser pulses 1 . in dependency on the control variable , the crystal adjustment can be controlled such that a certain spectral range of the emitted df pulses 1 is obtained . alternatively , an optimum emission spectrum within a broader spectral range can be selected . with a thicker optically non - linear crystal , which creates a narrow bandwidth of the df laser pulses 1 , the wavelength range of the df laser pulses 1 can be tuned by the adjusting support 13 . according to fig3 , the df laser pulses 1 are coupled out of the enhancement cavity 20 by using the larger divergence of the df laser pulses 1 compared with the transverse mode size of the circulating light pulse 3 ( as shown in fig1 ). one of the cavity mirrors m 14 downstream from the first optically non - linear crystal 10 has a diameter , which is comparable to the 1 / e 2 - intensity diameter of the transverse mode of the circulating laser pulse 3 at this mirror m 14 . the df laser pulses 1 can pass outside the mirror m 14 , so that a ring - shaped output is created . additionally , fig3 schematically shows a temperature - control support stage 14 , which is adapted for adjusting the temperature of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 , e . g . cooling with peltier elements or with water or heating with a heating coil . according to a further variant of the invention , both of the adjusting support stage 13 ( fig2 ) and the temperature - control support stage 14 ( fig3 ) can be provided by a common controllable crystal holder . according to a further embodiment of the invention , an auxiliary mirror 21 having a through hole 23 can be arranged in the enhancement cavity as schematically illustrated in fig4 . the df laser pulses 1 created in the first optically non - linear crystal 10 with a certain divergence are reflected at the auxiliary mirror 21 , while the through hole 23 is adapted for passing the circulating laser pulse 3 along the beam path 22 . the reflected df laser pulses 1 ( reflected mir radiation ) has a ring shape similar to the embodiment in fig3 . according to a further embodiment of the invention , as shown in fig5 , the df laser pulses 1 can be output coupled from the enhancement cavity by using a reflecting dichroic surface 12 on the rear side of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 relative to the travel direction of the circulating laser pulse 3 and an antireflective coating 15 for all first second and third spectral components on the front side of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 . the circulating laser pulse 3 arrives at the front side 11 of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 , which is provided with the antireflective coating 15 adapted for a transmission of all of the first , second and third spectral components . in the optically non - linear crystal 10 , the third components are generated , which are back - reflected at the dichroic surface coating 12 at the rear side of the crystal 10 . accordingly , the df pulses 1 are reflected out of the beam path 22 . fig2 and 3 show the first optically non - linear crystal 10 arranged on adjusting and / or temperature - control support stage 13 , 14 . according to an alternative embodiment of the invention the crystal 10 can be in direct contact with one of the resonator mirrors , e . g . resonator mirror m 14 , as shown in fig6 . a plane or curved surface of the crystal 10 contacts a plane or curved surface of the resonator mirror . the direct contact fulfils a double function in terms of mechanically supporting and tempering , in particular cooling , the crystal 10 . fig7 schematically illustrates a second embodiment of the inventive photonic pulse source 100 , which comprises the laser source 40 , the first enhancement cavity 20 , the first optically non - linear crystal 10 and additionally a second enhancement cavity 50 . although the first and second enhancement cavities 20 , 50 are shown with plane resonator mirrors fig7 , a combination of plane and / or curved resonator mirrors can be used in practice . with the embodiment of fig7 , each of the first and second enhancement cavities 20 , 50 is arranged for coherent addition of one of the first and second spectral components of the ultrashort laser pulses , resp . furthermore , the first and second enhancement cavities 20 , 50 are coupled such that the beam path 22 ( dashed line ) of the first enhancement cavity 20 intersects the beam path 52 ( drawn line ) of the second enhancement cavity 50 , wherein the first optically non - linear crystal 10 is arranged at the intersection of both paths 22 , 52 , and it is adapted for a dfg process with type i phase matching . for separating the first and second spectral components of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 generated with the fs laser 41 , the laser source 40 is provided with a dichroic beam splitter 43 , which spatially separates e . g . the first spectral components ( lower energy ) from the second spectral components ( higher energy ) of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 . on a first beam path 44 , the first spectral components pass a polarizing component 45 , e . g . a polarizing filter , which creates a first polarization direction ( e . g . perpendicular to the first beam path 44 and parallel to the plane of drawing ). this first pulse portion 2 a of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 is coupled into the first enhancement cavity 20 via one of the resonator mirrors m 11 . in the second beam path 46 created by the beam splitter 43 , a second polarizing component 47 , e . g . a periscope of half wave plate , is arranged , which creates a polarization direction of the second spectral components perpendicular to the polarization direction of the first spectral components ( e . g . perpendicular to the second beam path 46 and perpendicular to the plane of drawing ). additionally , the second beam path 46 includes a delay unit 48 comprising multiple plane delay mirrors dl 1 to dl 4 , which are movable relative to each other . the second pulse portion 2 b of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 comprising the second spectral components is coupled via one of the reflector mirrors m 21 into the second enhancement cavity 50 . with the delay unit 48 , the mutual temporal relationship of the first pulse portion 2 a and the second pulse portion 2 b of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 can be adjusted . the first and second beam paths 44 , 46 can be modified by omitting one of the first and second polarizing components 45 , 47 . if the ultrashort laser pulses 2 generated by the fs laser 41 have a linear polarization , it is sufficient to provide one polarizing component , e . g . the polarizing component 47 only . both of the first and second pulse portions 2 a , 2 b of the ultrashort laser pulses 2 are coherently added in the first and second enhancement cavities 20 , 50 , respectively to first and second circulating pulses 3 a , 3 b , respectively . the temporal relationship of both circulating pulses 3 a , 3 b is adjusted with the delay unit 48 such that they are coherently superimposed in the first optically non - linear crystal 10 for driving the dfg process therein . the df laser pulses 1 are emitted under a certain angle with respect to the surface of the first optically non - linear crystal 10 , e . g . through a spacing between resonator mirrors . the embodiment of fig7 can be modified by coupling not only two enhancement cavities , but three or even more enhancement cavities . the ultrashort laser pulses 2 created by the fs laser 41 can be split onto three or more beam paths , where they are specifically manipulated , in particular with regard to the polarization and spectral composition thereof . for instance , three pulse portions can be coupled into the three enhancement cavities , respectively ( not shown ). each of the three pulse portions comprises different spectral components of the driving ultrashort laser pulses . the three enhancement cavities can be arranged such that the pulse portions have different angles of incidence on the optically non - linear crystal . accordingly , phase matching of different spectral components with the pulse portion in the first enhancement cavity can be improved . the features of the invention in the above description , the drawings and the claims can be of significance both individually as well in combination or sub - combination for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments .
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according to the first embodiment of the present invention , an apparatus for producing microdroplets comprises a microchannel board and a holder for retaining the microchannel board , and the microchannel board has a microdroplet - outlet port formed at the center thereof , microdroplet - forming parts on a first to a mth ( m is an integer of 1 or more ) circular or polygonal peripheries from inside to outside , said parts being connected through the microchannels to the microdroplet - outlet port and a plurality of said parts being disposed on each of m circular or polygonal peripheries with the microdroplet - outlet port at the center , inlet ports for a first liquid disposed on circular or polygonal peripheries with the microdroplet - outlet port at the center , inlet ports for liquids up to a nth liquid ( n is an integer of 2 or more , m ≦ n − 1 ) sequentially disposed on circular or polygonal peripheries further outside of the above peripheries , and microchannels for feeding the first to the nth liquids to the above plurality of microdroplet - forming parts . on the other hand , a holder for retaining the microchannel board has a multitube structure , with the microdroplet - outlet port as the central axis , having n circular or polygonal , circular channels for allocating the even flow rate of the above first to the nth liquids to the inlet port for each liquid of the microchannel board . the integer n may preferably be 2 to 5 . according to the second embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above first embodiment , n = 2 ( simultaneously and the first liquid is a dispersion phase and the second liquid is a continuous phase . fig1 is a top plan view showing an example of the microchannel structure ( chip ) of the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above second embodiment of the present invention ( 1 represents a dispersion phase , 2 represents a continuous phase , and 3 represents an outlet port ). fig2 is a schematic partially enlarged view illustrating one example of microdroplet in microchannels , wherein 1 represents a dispersion phase , 2 represents a continuous phase , and after the continuous phase liquid and the dispersion phase liquid joined with each other , microdroplets are being formed at the microdroplet - forming part . in fig2 , 211 and 212 represent outlet ports for the continuous phase liquid , 261 and 262 represent branching parts for the continuous phase liquid discharged from the outlet ports 211 and 212 , and 311 to 314 represent microchannels for the branched continuous phase liquid that is branched at the branching parts 261 and 262 . 221 to 224 represent outlet ports for the dispersion phase liquid , 271 to 274 represent branching parts for the dispersion phase liquid discharged from the outlet ports 221 to 224 , and , at the branching parts 271 to 274 for the dispersion phase liquid , microchannels 321 to 328 for the dispersion phase liquid to be branched are branched and formed . furthermore , according to the third embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above second embodiment , the plurality of microdroplet - forming parts are where the dispersion phase liquid alternately joins with the continuous phase liquid from both sides . fig3 shows a schematic view of microdroplet formation at a cruciform channel of the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the third embodiment of the present invention , in which 1 represents the dispersion phase and 2 represents the continuous phase . furthermore , according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above second embodiment , the holder for retaining the microchannel structure has a third component which is disposed under the microchannel board and which is equipped with an inlet port for the continuous phase , a second component which is equipped with an inlet port for the dispersion phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the continuous phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above third component , and a first component which forms a circular path for feeding the dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above second component and which is equipped , at the center thereof , with a cylinder having an outlet port for microdroplets from the microchannel board . fig4 is a sectional view of a holder for retaining the microchannel structure of the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the present invention , and fig5 ( a ) to fig5 ( c ) are exploded views of a holder for retaining the microchannel structure according to the present invention . according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above first embodiment , n = 2 ( simultaneously m = 1 ), and the first liquid is a continuous phase and the second liquid is a dispersion phase . this is an embodiment in which the dispersion phase and the continuous phase in fig1 are switched with each other . according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above first embodiment , the plurality of microdroplet - forming parts are where the dispersion phase liquid joins with the continuous phase from both sides . this is an embodiment in which the dispersion phase and the continuous phase in fig3 are switched with each other . according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above fifth embodiment , the holder for retaining the microchannel structure has a third component which is disposed under the above microchannel board and which is equipped with an inlet port for the dispersion phase , a second component which is equipped with an inlet port for the continuous phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above third component , and a first component which is equipped with an outlet port for the formed droplets from the holder , which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the continuous phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above second component and which is equipped with a cylinder having , at the center thereof , an outlet port for microdroplets from the microchannel board . this is an embodiment in which the dispersion phase and the continuous phase in fig4 and fig5 ( a ) to 5 ( c ) are switched with each other . according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above first embodiment , n = 3 , the first liquid is a continuous phase , the second liquid is a first dispersion phase , and the third liquid is a second dispersion phase , and the formed droplets are composed of the first dispersion phase and the second dispersion phase . according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above eighth embodiment , m = 2 , and the formed droplets are a double emulsion in which the first dispersion phase is the innermost phase and the second dispersion phase is an intermediate phase . fig6 is a top plan view of the microchannel structure ( chip ) of the apparatus for producing microdroplets illustrating an example of the ninth embodiment of the present invention . according to the 10th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above ninth embodiment , the plurality of the innermost phase droplet - forming parts ( second microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the innermost phase alternately joins with the above intermediate phase from both sides , and the plurality of the intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( first microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the continuous phase joins , from both sides , with the above intermediate phase containing the innermost phase droplets . fig7 illustrates a schematic diagram of microdroplet formation according to this embodiment . according to an 11th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above ninth embodiment , m = 2 , and the formed droplets are a double emulsion in which the first dispersion phase is an intermediate phase and the second dispersion phase is the innermost phase . this corresponds to a case where the positions of the first dispersion phase and the second dispersion phase are switched with each other in fig6 . according to the 12th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above 11th embodiment , the plurality of the innermost phase droplet - forming parts ( second microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the intermediate phase joins with the above innermost phase from both sides , and the plurality of the intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( first microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the continuous phase joins , from both sides , with the intermediate phase containing the above innermost phase droplets . according to the 13th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the above eighth to 12th embodiments , the holder for retaining the microchannel structure has a fourth component which is disposed under the above microchannel board and which is equipped with an inlet port for the second dispersion phase , a third component which is equipped with an inlet port for the first dispersion phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the second dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above fourth component , a second component which is equipped with an inlet port for the continuous phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the first dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above third component , and a first component which is equipped with an outlet port for the formed droplets from the holder , which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the continuous phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above second component and which is equipped with a cylinder or polygonal tube having , at the center thereof , an outlet port for microdroplets from the microchannel board . according to the 14th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above first embodiment , n = 4 , the first liquid is a continuous phase , the second liquid is a first dispersion phase , the third liquid is a second dispersion phase , and the fourth liquid is a third dispersion phase , and the formed droplets are composed of three phases comprising the first dispersion phase , the second dispersion phase and the third dispersion phase . according to the 15th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above 14th embodiment , m = 3 , and the formed droplets are a triple emulsion in which the first dispersion phase is a first intermediate phase ( a phase in contact with the continuous phase ), the second dispersion phase is a second intermediate phase ( a phase disposed inside of the first intermediate phase ), and the third dispersion phase is the innermost phase . fig8 is a top plan view of a microchannel structure ( chip ) of an apparatus for producing microdroplets illustrating an example of the 15th embodiment of the present invention . according to the 16th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above 15th embodiment , the plurality of the innermost phase droplet - forming parts ( third microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the second intermediate phase joins with the innermost phase from both sides , the plurality of the first intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( second microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the first intermediate phase joins , from both sides , with the first intermediate phase containing the above innermost phase droplets , and the above plurality of the second intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( first microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the continuous phase joins , from both sides , with the second intermediate phase containing the first intermediate phase droplets which in turn contain the above innermost phase droplets . according to the 17th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above 14th embodiment , m = 3 , and the formed droplets are a triple emulsion in which the first dispersion phase is a first intermediate phase , the second dispersion phase is the innermost phase , and the third dispersion phase is a second intermediate phase . fig8 is a top plan view of a microchannel structure ( chip ) of an apparatus for producing microdroplets illustrating an example of the 17th embodiment of the present invention . according to the 18th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above 17th embodiment , the plurality of the innermost phase droplet - forming parts ( third microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the innermost phase joins with the second intermediate phase from both sides , and the plurality of the first intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( second microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the first intermediate phase joins with the first intermediate phase containing the above innermost phase droplets , and the plurality of the second intermediate phase droplet - forming parts ( first microdroplet - forming parts ) are where the continuous phase joins , from both sides , with the second intermediate phase containing the first intermediate phase droplets which in turn contain the above innermost phase droplets . according to the 19th embodiment of the present invention , in the apparatus for producing microdroplets according to the above 14th to 18th embodiments , the holder for retaining the microchannel structure has a fifth component which is disposed under the above microchannel , board and which is equipped with an inlet port for the third dispersion phase , a fourth component which is equipped with an inlet port for the second dispersion phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the third dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above fifth component , a third component which is equipped with an inlet port for the first dispersion phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the second dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above fourth component , a second component which is equipped with an inlet port for the continuous phase and which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the first dispersion phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above third component , and a first component which is equipped with an outlet port for formed droplets from the holder , which forms circular or polygonal circular channels for feeding the continuous phase to the microchannel board in combination with the above second component and which is equipped with a cylinder or polygonal tube having , at the center thereof , an outlet port for microdroplets from the microchannel board . according to the 20th embodiment of the present invention , an apparatus for producing microdroplets using microchannels has a microchannel board and a holder for retaining the microchannel board , the microchannel board has a plurality of microdroplet - outlet ports formed in a line , a plurality of microdroplet - forming parts which are connected through the microchannels to the microdroplet - outlet ports and a plurality of which are disposed in a line in parallel to the microdroplet - outlet ports , a plurality of inlet ports for the first liquid which are disposed in a line in parallel to the above microdroplet - outlet ports , a plurality of inlet ports for the second liquid similarly disposed further outside thereof , and microchannels for feeding the above first and the second liquids to the above plurality of microdroplet - forming parts . on the other hand , the holder for retaining the microchannel board forms slit parts corresponding to the line of the microdroplet - outlet ports and to the line of the inlet ports for the above first and the second liquids , and a discharge layer having the microdroplet - outlet ports and the first and the second liquid - inlet layers each having inlet ports for the first and the second liquids have a hierarchical structure for allocating the even flow rate of the above first and the second liquids to the inlet ports for each liquid of the microchannel board . in this embodiment , though the microchannel board and the holder for retaining the microchannel board has a matrix arrangement in stead of a circular arrangement , they have advantages similar to those of the circular arrangement . thus , the holder for retaining the microchannel board need not be equipped with a plurality of liquid - feeding channels corresponding to the plurality of inlet ports ( liquid - feeding ports ) for feeding the dispersion phase and the continuous phase from outside the board to each channel of the microchannel board . the above slit parts are correspondingly provided so as to be connected to the above outlet ports and the liquid - inlet ports described below . while fig1 described below illustrates an example of such slit parts ( each slit is independent ), two slit parts 10 and 11 , for example , can be joined at the ends thereof in a u - shape . the microchannel structure ( chip ) of the apparatus for producing microdroplets of the present invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the above fig1 . in the microchannel chip , with the microdroplet - outlet port 3 at the center , 36 inlet ports fox the continuous phase liquid at the outermost position and 72 inlet ports for the dispersion phase liquid inside thereof are each disposed in a concentric arrangement with the microdroplet - outlet port at the center , and a microdroplet - forming part comprising branching channels for the continuous phase liquid and the dispersion phase liquid and cruciform channels at 72 positions ( thus , 144 t - shaped paths ) where microdroplets are formed is formed at the innermost part thereby to form a microchannel structure . thus , from the periphery , the continuous phase liquid and the dispersion phase liquid intersect each other in a cruciform to form microdroplets at 72 cross roads ( 144 t - shaped paths ), and the formed microdroplets are guided to the microdroplet - outlet ports at the center and discharged . next , the multitube structure of a holder for retaining the microchannel structure of the microdroplet production apparatus illustrating one example of the present invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the above fig4 and fig5 ( a ) to fig5 ( c ). as used herein , a multitube structure which is disposed so that , under a positioning component 6 for a windowed cover 4 and a microchannel board 5 , a first component 7 ′ which is a discharge layer having an outlet port 7 can be provided with a microdroplet - outlet port 3 located at the center of the microchannel board as a central axis , and , at outside thereof across the cylindrical wall of the discharge layer 7 ′, a second component 1 ′ which is a dispersion phase 1 ( first liquid )- inlet layer having circular channels for feeding the dispersion phase can be provided , and , at further outside thereof across the cylindrical wall , a third component 2 ′ which is a continuous phase 2 ( second liquid )- inlet layer having circular channels for feeding the continuous phase can be provided is provided in a form that a plurality of cylindrical components may become interlocked with each other . in a form in which the components have been combined in a procedure shown in fig5 ( b ) ( fig4 , and fig5 ( c ) showing a state immediately before mounting a positioning component 6 , a microchannel structure ( chip ) 5 and a windowed cover 4 ), the inner wall of a cylinder located at the center of a component for feeding the liquid of the dispersion phase 1 and the liquid of the continuous phase 2 and the outer wall of the cylinder located inside of the cylinder and extended from a lower layer component are so designed that circular gaps may be produced between the two , and , as shown in fig4 and fig5 ( c ), the dispersion phase liquid and the continuous phase liquid can flow through a dispersion phase channel 1 and a continuous phase channel 11 formed at the above gaps . the dispersion phase channel 1 , a circular channel through which the dispersion phase liquid flows , and the continuous phase channel 11 , a circular channel through which the continuous phase liquid flows , have been so designed that they reach the microchannel board and they can be connected with the inlet port for the dispersion phase liquid or the continuous phase liquid , said inlet port being provided in different concentric forms on the microchannel board . such a multitube structure enables to evenly allocate the flow rate to each of the inlet ports for the dispersion phase liquid and the inlet ports for the continuous phase liquid on the microchannel board without creating a multitude of microholes in the holder for retaining the microchannel structure . using this , a microdroplet production apparatus can be provided more easily and at lower cost . also , the liquid inlet ports on the microchannel board may only be needed to be disposed so as to fit with the positions of the circular channels of the holder for retaining the microchannel board , and the number of the liquid inlet ports on the microchannel board is not specifically limited . thus , if the position of the circle in which the liquid inlet port is arranged and the position of the circular channel of the holder fit with each other , one holder can be used for a variety of microchannel boards having different channel shapes and a different number of liquid inlet ports , and thus significant enhancement in versatility can be expected . then , a 20th embodiment of the present invention will be explained in further detail with reference to fig1 to 13 . fig1 is a top plan view ( a ) and a side view ( b ) showing this microchannel structure ( chip ) and a holder for retaining the microchannel structure , and fig1 is a top plan view showing an example of the microchannel structure ( chip ), and fig1 is a top plan view showing an example of the holder for retaining the microchannel structure . as shown in fig1 ( b ), under a component 6 for positioning a windowed cover 4 and a microchannel board 5 , with the microdroplet - outlet port located at the center of the microchannel board as a central axis , there are disposed a discharge layer 7 ′ having an outlet port 7 , an inlet layer 1 ′ for the dispersion phase ( first liquid ) 1 on the discharge layer 7 ′, and thereon , an inlet layer 2 ′ for the continuous phase ( second liquid ) 2 . in fig1 ( b ), 8 and 9 refer to an inlet port for the first liquid and the second liquid , respectively . as shown in fig1 ( a ) and fig1 , the holder for retaining the microchannel board forms slit parts corresponding to the line of the microdroplet - outlet ports 7 and to the line of the inlet ports b and 9 for the above first and the second liquids in fig1 ( b ) and fig1 , and , as described above , a discharge layer 7 ′ having the microdroplet - outlet ports as well as the first and the second liquid - inlet layers 1 ′ and 2 ′ having each inlet port for the first and the second liquids have a hierarchical structure for allocating the even flow rate of the above first and the second liquids to the inlet ports for respective liquids of the microchannel board . in fig1 , 10 to 12 represent slit parts corresponding to the outlet port 7 , to the first liquid - inlet port 8 , and to the second liquid - inlet port 9 and the outlet port 7 , respectively . according to the present invention , the branched structure of the microchannel may preferably be selected from , but not limited to , a crossroad , a t - junction or a y - junction . the size of the microchannel can be determined depending on the purpose , and may usually be selected from about 0 . 1 - 1000 μm , preferably about 10 - 500 μm . the material constituting the microchannel may be any of plastic , ceramic , metal etc ., and when the wall of the microchannel is to be made hydrophobic , an acrylic resin , a silicone resin etc . may be preferred . on the other hand , when it is to be made hydrophilic , quartz glass , silicon , borosilicate glass ( for example , “ pyrex ” ( registered trademark )) etc . may be preferred . the shape and size of the material constituting the microchannel can be selected as appropriate depending on the intended use etc ., and for example a plate form ( for example , about several centimeter square ) having processed channels may be mentioned . according to the method of the present invention , the liquid constituting the continuous phase may be an organic compound or water , whereas the liquid constituting the dispersion phase may be a curable liquid . as organic compounds , there can preferably be mentioned , but not limited to , alkanes such as decane and octane , halogenated hydrocarbons such as chloroform , aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene , fatty acids such as oleic acid , and the like . as curable liquids , any liquid that can be cured with heat , light or the like may be used without limitation . for example , a known polymerizable monomer , oligomer or polymer may be mentioned , and preferably an acrylic monomer , styrenic monomer etc . may be mentioned . when a plurality of dispersion phases such as the first dispersion phase and the second dispersion phase are used , different colorants may be included in them as described below , and a curable liquid that constitutes these dispersion phases may be the same or different . the combination of the dispersion phase and the continuous phase may usually be the o / w , o / o , or w / o type . in the channel , the dispersion phase joins with the continuous phase in laminar flow , and are sequentially deformed to spherical microdroplets , which are simultaneously or with a time difference cured , thereby forming microparticles . the flow rate of the dispersion phase and the continuous phase may depend on the type and may usually be selected from about 1 ≦ μm to 1000 ml / hr . the dispersion phase of the present invention may be separated into two different colors as the first dispersion phase and the second dispersion phase , or a different colorant may be added to one or both of them , and an additive for electrification or magnetization may be used as needed . as the colorant , two split phase colors selected from achromatic colors such as white and black or chromatic colors such as red , blue , green , purple , and yellow . as dyes and pigments that can form such colors , various lipophilic dyes or various inorganic and organic pigments may be used without limitation . these dyes and pigments may be selected and used depending on the dispersibility into a curable component , the desired color hue to be used in two - color microparticles obtained , and the like . the colorant may be used only in one of the dispersion phases . the amount added of a dye or a pigment as the colorant may usually be , but not limited to , in the range of about 0 . 1 - 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the curable component . according to the present invention , two color - split components may be turned into charged components having either a positive or a negative charge different to each other using a charge imparting agent . alternatively , as polymerizable monomers , monomer species that tend to exhibit a (−) charge and a (+) charge , respectively , may be mentioned as an electric charge according to the present invention described above , depending on the type of its functional group or substituent group . for example , as polymerizable monomers that tend to exhibit a (−) charge , there can be mentioned acrylic aryl esters such as phenyl ( meth ) acrylirate , epoxy group - containing polymerizable compounds such as glycidyl ( meth ) acrylirate , hydroxy group - containing polymerizable compounds such as ( meth ) acrylirate - 2 - hydroxy ethyl , styrenic monomers such as methyl styrene , and the like . on the other hand , as polymerizable monomers that tend to exhibit a (+) charge , there can be mentioned amide group - containing vinyl monomers such as methacrylamide . according to the present invention , by dispersing magnetic powders , microdroplets that are phase split into two colors can be magnetized either positively or negatively , differently to each other . microdroplets obtained by the method of the present invention can be cured by heat , light such as ultraviolet ray , and the like to obtain microparticles . as used herein , when polymerization - curing is carried out under ultraviolet irradiation , a photopolymerization initiator such as acetophenone can be used , and when polymerization - curing is carried out under heating , a thermally - degradable photopolymerization initiator such as an organic peroxide can also be used . the present invention will now be explained with reference to specific examples , but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way . a microchannel chip as shown in fig1 was fabricated by processing on a glass board ( synthetic quartz ). by dry etching of the board , micro grooves ( 100 μm wide , 100 μm deep throughout the total area ) having a rectangular cross section were made on the board , and cut into a size of 15 mm × 15 mm . it was stuck by thermal adhesion to another board having the same area that had been perforated for a liquid - inlet port ( 0 . 25 mm in diameter , 108 positions ) and outlet port ( 4 . 5 mm in diameter , one position ) to prepare a microchannel chip . as shown in fig4 , this was mounted on a stainless steel ( sus304 ) holder prepared by machining and used . as the dispersion phase , 1 , 6 - hexanediol diacrylate ( shin - nakamura chemical co ., ltd ) was used , and as the continuous phase , a 2 % aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol ( gl - 03 manufactured by nippon synthetic chemical industry co ., ltd .) was used . for delivering a liquid , one each of a syringe pump ( kds200 by kd scientific ) was used for the dispersion phase and the continuous phase . when the liquid was delivered at a flow rate of 180 ml / hr for the dispersion phase and a flow rate of 270 ml / hr for the continuous phase , the continuous formation of droplets with a uniform size at a regular time interval at all 72 crossroads ( 144 t - junctions ) inside the chip was observed as shown in fig9 . the average size of the droplets formed was 95 . 4 μm with a coefficient of variation of 1 . 3 %. when a procedure similar to specific example 1 was followed except that the flow rate of the dispersion phase was set at 144 ml / hr , the continuous formation of droplets with a uniform size at a regular time interval was confirmed ( fig1 ). the average size of the droplets formed was 95 . 2 μm with a coefficient of variation of 1 . 7 %. in a manner similar to specific example 1 , a microchannel chip as shown in fig1 was fabricated . as shown in fig1 , this was mounted on a stainless steel ( sus 304 ) holder prepared by machining and used , and 40 t - junctions ( 100 μm in both width and depth ) for forming two - color droplets were disposed . in fig1 , 10 represents a microchannel chip , 11 to 20 represent outlet ports for the continuous phase liquid , 61 to 70 represent branching parts for the continuous phase liquid discharged from the outlet ports 11 to 20 , and 111 to 130 represent microchannels for the continuous phase liquid that is branched at the branching parts 61 to 70 . 21 to 40 represent outlet ports for the second dispersion phase liquid , 71 to 90 represent branching parts for the second dispersion phase liquid discharged from the outlet ports 21 to 40 , 41 to 60 represent outlet ports for the first dispersion phase liquid , and 91 to 110 represent branching parts for the first dispersion phase liquid discharged from the outlet ports 41 to 60 . at the branching parts 71 to 90 for the second dispersion phase liquid and the branching parts 91 to 110 for the first dispersion phase liquid , microchannels for the second dispersion phase liquid to be branched and microchannels for the first dispersion phase liquid to be branched are branched and formed as in the microchannels 111 to 130 for the continuous phase liquid . an acrylic monomer ( colored in red ) as the second dispersion phase , silicone oil ( colorless ) as the first dispersion phase , and a 0 . 3 % by weight aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate ( sds ) as the continuous phase were used . when the liquid was delivered at a flow rate of 10 ml / hr for the first dispersion phase and the second dispersion phase and at a flow rate of 40 ml / hr for the continuous phase , the continuous formation of two - color droplets with a uniform size at a regular time interval was observed at all of 40 t - junctions in the chip ( fig1 and 17 ). fig1 and 17 represent an enlarged view of part a and part b of fig1 , respectively . in accordance with the present invention , microdroplets obtained using microchannels that can produce them at low cost , in an efficient manner and in large quantities , and an apparatus for producing microparticles obtained therefrom can be provided .
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the present invention is based on the 1 / n method . therefore , the 1 / n method will first be described in detail with reference to fig2 through 5 . in the 1 / n method , n clock signals c 1 through c n with their phase differences delayed successively by δt 0 are produced by a delay element from an image scanning clock signal and a reference clock signal of the same frequency as that of the image scanning clock signal , the phase difference between the clock signals c 1 , c n being smaller than one period of the image scanning clock signal , and one of the clock signals c 1 through c n is selected dependent on the output signal from a light sensor and used as the image scanning clock signal . the value δt 0 is treated as a constant since it is assumed in the 1 / n method that there is no tap - to - tap delay error in the delay element . as shown in fig2 a reference clock signal c 0 is generated by a reference clock generator 12 , the reference clock signal c 0 having a period t 0 and a frequency 1 / t 0 which is the same as that of an image scanning clock signal . the reference clock signal c 0 is applied to a delay element 14 which then produces clock signals c 1 through c n each having the period t 0 . as illustrated in fig3 the clock signals c 1 through c n are successively delayed δt 0 in phase . the phase difference s between the clock signals c 1 , c n is therefore expressed as ( n - 1 ) δt 0 , which must be smaller than one period of the image scanning clock signal , i . e ., s =( n - 1 ) δt 0 & lt ; t 0 . this requirement will be described later on . the clock signals c 1 through c n are then applied to a latch circuit 15 , as shown in fig2 . when a light sensor 10 detects a scanning beam , it applies an output signal to the latch circuit 15 , which is responsive to the leading edge of the applied signal for latching the clock signals c 1 through c n and issuing output signals q 1 through q n and q 1 through q n . the output signals q i ( i = 1 through n ), qi ( i = 1 through n ) are 1 , 0 , respectively , when the latched clock signals c i ( i = 1 through n ) are high , and are 0 , 1 , respectively , when the latched clock signals c i ( i = 1 through n ) are low . the output signals q i , q i ( i = 1 through n ) from the latch circuit 15 are applied to a clock selector 16 which is also suppied with the clock signals c 1 through c n from the delay element 14 . based on the applied signals c i , q i , q i ( i = 1 through n ), the clock selector 16 selects one of the clock signals c 1 through c n according to a certain formula , and issues the selected clock signal as an image scanning clock signal cs . clock pulses of the image scanning clock signals cs are counted by a counter 20 . when a predetermined number of clock pulses are counted by the counter 20 , a primary scanning cycle is started by a scanning beam . it is assumed that the delay element 14 issues clock signals c 1 through c 6 as shown in fig4 . if the light sensor 10 generates an output signal a , then the clock signals c 1 through c 6 as latched by the leading edge of the output signal a are high , low , low , low , high , and high , respectively . therefore , the output signals from the latch circuit 15 are as follows : q 1 = 1 , q 1 = 0 , q 2 = 0 , q 2 = 1 , q 3 = 0 , q 3 = 1 , q 4 = 0 , q 4 = 1 , q 5 = 1 , q 5 = 0 , q 6 = 1 , q 6 = 0 . the clock selector 16 produces an output signal q i · q i + 1 or q i · q i + 1 from the signals q i , q i . the status of the signals when i = 6 is shown in the following table : ______________________________________i q . sub . i -- q . sub . i q . sub . i · -- q . sub . i + 1______________________________________1 1 0 12 0 1 03 0 1 04 0 1 05 1 0 06 1 0 0______________________________________ this table indicates that the value of q i · q i + 1 is 1 only when i = 1 and is 0 when i is of the other values . this means that the leading edge of the output signal a from the light sensor 10 is present within the time period δt 0 after the clock signal c 1 goes high and before the clock signal c 2 goes high , as clearly be seen from fig4 . the jth clock signal c i + j counting from the value of i at which q i · q i + 1 becomes 1 ( i = 1 in the example of fig4 ) is selected as the image scanning clock signal cs . selection of the value of j is a matter of design choice . in the example of fig4 the value of j is selected as 3 , and the clock signal c 4 is selected as the image scanning clock signal when the output signal a from the light sensor 10 is as illustrated . therefore , one clock signal is selected dependent on the output signal from the light sensor 10 . the requirement s =( n - 1 ) δt 0 & lt ; t 0 , i . e ., the phase difference between the clock signals c 1 , c n be smaller than one period of the image scanning clock signal , will be described . if this requirement were not met in the example of fig4 e . g ., if the last clock signal were c &# 39 ; 6 instead of c 6 , then q 6 = 0 , q 6 = 1 , and hence q 5 · q 6 = 1 . therefore , q i · q i + 1 would be 1 for both i = 1 and i = 5 . thus , the output signal a of the light sensor 10 and the clock signals c 1 through c 6 would not be uniquely interrelated , with a resulting error . the requirement s =( n - 1 ) δt 0 & lt ; t 0 is consequently to determine the time at which the output signal is to be issued from the light sensor uniquely in relation to the clock signals c 1 through c n . when selecting the image scanning clock signal cs in the foregoing manner , the maximum variation in time from the detection of the scanning beam with the light sensor up to the starting of the primary scanning is δt 0 , and since ( n - 1 ) δt 0 & lt ; t 0 , ## equ6 ## whereas the starting position for a primary scanning cycle could deviate at most one pixel if the 1 / n method were not relied upon , the maximum variation can be reduced to a 1 / n pixel or less according to the 1 / n method . the clock selector which , on the assumption of j = 3 , selects the third clock signal c i + 3 from the value of i at which q i · q i + 1 = 1 can be implemented by a combination of and gates and an or gate as shown in fig5 . it has been assumed in the above description that the successive phase difference δt 0 between the n clock signals c 1 through c n produced from the delay element 14 is constant . however , an actual delay element is subject to a tap - to - tap delay error α (%). even if the tap - to - tap delay time is set to δt 0 , therefore , the phase delay varies in the range of δt = δt 0 ± α ·( δt 0 / 100 ) due to the tap - to - tap delay error when the n clock signals c 1 through c n are produced . in the presence of the tap - to - tap delay error , the 1 / n method is theoretically inaccurate and the upper limit for the value of n in the 1 / n method is at most n = 3 as described above . if n ≧ 3 , the tap - to - tap delay error α becomes α ≦ 33 % from the formulas : ## equ7 ## according to the present invention , n ≧ 3 since any positional variation in primary scanning starting positions are supposed to be smaller than a 1 / 3 pixel , and therefore a delay element in which the tap - to - tap deley error ± α (%) is α ≦ 33 is employed . a method according to the present invention will be described in detail . designated in fig6 at c 1 , c 2 , . . . , c n are clock signals produced from the delay element , a an output signal from the light sensor , and cs an image scanning clock signal , as with fig3 . the clock signals c 1 through c n have the same frequency 1 / t 0 as that of the image scanning clock signal cs . the phase delays δt between the clock signals c 1 , c 2 , . . . , c n are not constant but vary within an error range due to a tap - to - tap delay error α . denoted at s 0 at a phase difference between the clock signals c 1 and c n , and t 0 - s 0 is expressed as δt e , which can be t 0 -( n - 1 ) δt 0 if the error α is 0 . the third clock signal c i + 3 counting from the value of i at which q i · q i + 1 - 1 is selected as the image scanning clock signal ( inasmuch as the leading edge of the output signal a is positioned between the positive - going edges of the clock signals c 2 , c 3 in fig6 q i · q i + 1 = 1 for i = 2 , and hence 2 + 3 = 5 . therefore , the clock signal c 5 is selected as the image scanning clock signal ). it is assumed that the time difference between the leading edge of the output signal a and the image scanning clock signal cs is dt , the maximum and minimum values thereof being dtl and dts , respectively , and t 0 / δt 0 = k which is a delay time setting coefficient . the above symbols are summarized as follows , with units indicated in parentheses : t 0 ( ns ) . . . the period of the image scanning clock signal ; δt ( ns ) . . . the delay time ( successive phase delays of the clock signals ); δt e ( ns ) . . . the time between the clock signals c n , c 1 ; s 0 . . . the phase difference between the clock signals c 1 , c 1 , δt e = t 0 - s 0 ; dt . . . the time between the leading edge of the output signal of the light sensor and the image scanning clock signal ; δt 0 . . . the delay time when there is no error . in order to uniquely determine the value of i at which q i · q i + 1 = 1 , the condition of s 0 & lt ; t 0 is required to be met , or stated otherwise , the condition of δt e & gt ; 0 should be met . there are ( n - 1 ) δt &# 39 ; s between the clock signals c 1 and c n , and it is assumed that there are a δt &# 39 ; s which are δt ≧ δt 0 and bδt &# 39 ; s which are δt ≦ δt 0 , among these ( n - 1 ) δt &# 39 ; s , with a + b = n - 1 . since s 0 = σδt , since the variations in the primary scanning starting positions correspond to variations in dt , the line synchronizing accuracy e in optical scanning is expressed by : ## equ8 ## because δt e must always be positive , the value of the righthand side of the above inequality is at maximum when a = n - 1 and b = 0 . in view of this , where the image scanning clock signal cs is selected as shown in fig6 dtm ( the maximum value of dtl - dts ) which gives the maximum value to e is given as follows : ## equ9 ## the value of δdt is maximum when a = n - 2 , b = 1 . therefore , ## equ10 ## the value of δdt is maximum when a = 2 , b = n - 3 . ## equ11 ## since t 0 / δt 0 = k , the line synchronizing accuracy e and the delay time setting coefficient k are interrelated as follows , using the equations ( 2 ) and ( 8 ) through ( 12 ): ## equ12 ## the equations ( 13 ) and ( 16 ) are the same as each other and the equations ( 14 ) and ( 17 ) are the same as each other . in fig1 ( i ) through ( v ), the curves 1 -- 1 , 1 - 1a , 1 - 1b , and 1 - 1c are represented by the equations ( 13 ), ( 16 ), the curves 1 - 2 , 1 - 2a , 1 - 2b , 1 - 2c , and 1 - 2d by the equations ( 14 ), ( 17 ), and the curves 1 - 3 , 1 - 3a , and 1 - 3b by the equation ( 15 ). in view of the equation ( 4 ), the thicker portions of the curves in fig1 ( i ) through 1 ( iii ) indicate the line synchronizing accuracies under the respective conditions . in fig1 ( i ), the point p 10 represents k = n +( α / 100 ), and the point p 12 represents k =( n - 1 ){( 1 +( α / 100 )}. fig1 ( i ) shows the curve in the range of for 0 & lt ; α ≦ 33 . the maximum value emax of the line synchronizing accuracy at this time is : ## equ13 ## fig1 ( ii ) shows the curve in the range of 2 +( 100 / α )≦ n . in fig1 ( ii ), the point p 14 indicates k =( n - 1 ){ 1 +( α / 100 )} and the point p 16 indicates k = n +( α / 100 ). at this time , emax for 0 & lt ; α ≦ 33 is expressed by : ## equ14 ## when ( n - 1 )( 1 + α / 100 )& lt ; k . fig1 ( iii ) shows the curve 1 - 3b is present in the range 2 ≦ n ≦ 4 . in fig1 ( iii ), the point p 18 indicates k = n +{( 6 - n ) α / 100 }, the point p 20 indicates k = n +{( 4 - n ) α / 100 }, and the point p 22 indicates k =( n - 1 ){ 1 +( α / 100 )}. since a ≧ 3 , b ≧ 2 in the equation ( 15 ), the curve 1 - 3b is not present in the range of 2 ≦ n ≦ 4 , and emax at this time is given by the equation ( 18 ). now , the condition under which emax ≦( 1 / n )× 100 for 5 ≦ n & lt ; 2 +( 100 / α ) and 2 +( 100 / α )≦ n in fig1 ( i ) and 1 ( ii ) will be determined below . when this condition is met , the positional error of the primary scanning starting position is 1 / n of one pixel or less . reference will be made to fig1 ( iv ) and 1 ( v ) for determining the above condition . fig1 ( iv ) shows the curve in the range of 5 ≦ n & lt ; 2 +( 100 / α ). the points p 24 , p 26 , p 28 , and p 30 indicate ## equ15 ## respectively , where e is emax / 100 . the condition which meets emax ≦( 1 / n )× 100 in the equation ( 18 ) is : ## equ16 ## fig1 ( v ) shows the curve in the range of 2 +( 100 / α )≦ n . providing e = emax / 100 , the point p 32 indicates ## equ17 ## and the point p 34 indicates k =( n - 1 ){ 1 +( α / 100 )}. the condition which meets emax ≦( 1 / n )× 100 in the equation ( 19 ) is : ## equ18 ## since δt 0 = t 0 / k , this relationship is used , and the expressions ( 20 ), ( 21 ), ( 22 ) are modified into the following expressions ( 23 ), ( 24 ), ( 25 ), respectively : ## equ19 ## therefore , δt 0 which meets the expression ( 23 ) when 1 / n and α meet ## equ20 ## in the range of 5 ≦ n & lt ; 2 +( 100 / α ), which meets the expression ( 24 ) when is met in the range of 5 ≦ n & lt ; 2 +( 100 / α ), and which meets the expression ( 25 ) when is met in the range of 2 +( 100 / α )≦ n , should be selected as a tap - to - tap delay time of the delay element . by aligning the primary scanning starting positions with the image scanning clock signal thus produced , any positionan error of the primary scanning starting positions can be reduced to a 1 / n pixel or smaller . an example of the present invention will be described below . a reference clock signal having an image scanning clock frequency of 5 mhz and a clock period of t 0 = 200 ns was generated , and α = 10 %, n = 10 , and a maximum line synchronizing accuracy of 1 / 5 pixel or less were selected as design conditions . since n = 10 and α = 10 , the relationship ## equ21 ## is met , and hence from the relationship ( 24 ), the condition to be met by δt 0 is : since emax is minimum when k = n +( α / 100 )= 10 . 1 as is clear from fig1 ( iv ), 19 . 80 ( ns ) may be selected as δt 0 (= t 0 / k ). by selecting the actual tap - to - tap delay time δt 0 of the delay element to be 19 . 80 ( ns ), any positional variation of the primary scanning starting positions could be 1 / 5 pixel or smaller . with the method of the present invention , therefore , any error or positional variation of the primary scanning starting positions can be reduced effectively at all times regardless of the presence of a tap - to - tap delay error in a delay element , and therefore the optical scanning can be of increased accuracy . although a certain preferred embodiment has been shown and described , it should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claim .
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example methods , systems , and computer readable media are now described with reference to the drawings , where like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to facilitate thoroughly understanding the methods and systems . it may be evident , however , that the methods and systems can be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to simplify the description . an exemplary it enterprise is illustrated in fig1 . the it enterprise 150 includes local area networks 155 , 160 and 165 . communications between local area networks 155 , 160 and 165 , are facilitated by an intranet , extranet or internet infrastructure 120 . it enterprise 150 further includes a variety of hardware and software components , such as workstations , printers , scanners , routers , operating systems , applications , and application platforms , for example . each component of it enterprise 150 , such as computer 100 and computer 122 , for example , may be monitored , analyzed and managed in accordance with the present disclosure . fig2 illustrates example computer 100 that includes a processor 102 , a memory 104 , a disk 106 , input / output ports 110 , and a network interface 112 operably connected by a bus 108 . the processor 102 can be a variety of various processors including dual microprocessor and other multi - processor architectures . the memory 104 can include volatile memory and / or nonvolatile memory . the non - volatile memory can include , but is not limited to , read only memory (“ rom ”), programmable read only memory (“ prom ”), electrically programmable read only memory (“ eprom ”), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (“ beprom ”), and the like . volatile memory can include , for example , random access memory (“ ram ”), synchronous ram (“ sram ”), dynamic ram (“ dram ”), synchronous dram (“ sdram ”), double data rate sdram (“ ddr sdram ”), and direct ram bus ram (“ drram ”). the disk 106 can include , but is not limited to , devices like a magnetic disk drive , a floppy disk drive , a tape drive , a zip drive , a flash memory card , and / or a memory stick . furthermore , the disk 106 can include optical drives like , a compact disk rom (“ cd - rom ”), a cd recordable drive (“ cdr drive ”), a cd rewriteable drive (“ cd - rw drive ”) and / or a digital versatile rom drive (“ dvd rom ”). the memory 104 can store processes 114 and / or data 116 , for example . the disk 106 and / or memory 104 can store an operating system that controls and allocates resources of the computer 100 . the bus 108 can be a single internal bus interconnect architecture and / or other bus architectures . the bus 108 can be of a variety of types including , but not limited to , a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus or external bus , and / or a local bus . the local bus can be of varieties including , but not limited to , an industrial standard architecture (“ isa ”) bus , a microchannel architecture (“ msa ”) bus , an extended isa (“ eisa ”) bus , a peripheral component interconnect (“ pci ”) bus , a universal serial (“ usb ”) bus , and a small computer systems interface (“ scsi ”) bus . the computer 100 interacts with input / output devices 118 via input / output ports 110 . the input / output devices 118 can include , but are not limited to , a keyboard , a microphone , a pointing and selection device , cameras , video cards , displays , and the like . the input / output ports 110 can include but are not limited to , serial ports , parallel ports , and usb ports . the computer 100 can operate in a network environment and thus is connected to a network 120 by a network interface 112 . through the network 120 , the computer 100 may be logically connected to a remote computer 122 . the network 120 may include , but is not limited to , local area networks (“ lan ”), wide area networks (“ wan ”), and other networks . the network interface 112 can connect to local area network technologies including , but not limited to , fiber distributed data interface (“ fddi ”), copper distributed data interface (“ cddi ”), ethernet / ieee 802 . 3 , token ring / ieee 802 . 5 , and the like . similarly , the network interface 112 can connect to wide area network technologies including , but not limited to , point to point links , and circuit switching networks like integrated services digital networks (“ isdn ”), packet switching networks , and digital subscriber lines (“ dsl ”). fig3 illustrates one exemplary system 300 for storing , maintaining and accessing historical performance data . the exemplary system includes a store of historical performance data 310 which enables storage and retrieval of historical performance data . the system further includes an application programming interface (“ api ”) 315 that defines a standard set of access routines for storage and retrieval of the historical performance data of store 310 . api 315 is employed , for example , by an enterprise management application 320 and a performance monitoring application 325 to populate store 310 and to retrieve data from store 310 through queries and responses . as shown in fig4 , in one embodiment , the historical performance data is stored as a three - dimensional array 400 of performance elements called “ performance cubes ”. a performance cube is a paradigm for representing , analyzing and managing performance information . it is a generic representation and not linked to any specific operating system . although the example embodiment is described with reference to a three - dimensional array , an array of more than three dimensions may be used in other embodiments . in the performance cube paradigm , data is considered to be stored in a logical cube lattice , whereby different resources are represented on the y axis 410 , time - bands across the day are represented across the x axis 415 , and different days ( such as monday , tuesday or wednesday ), time periods ( such as an average day within march , april or june ) or machines ( such as machine 1 , machine 2 or machine 3 ) are represented along the z axis 420 . performance cubes are a model of sampled metrics and their values stored in a three - dimensional lattice . for example , daily performance cubes , which contain data for 1 machine or device for a calendar day and are 2 dimensional in nature , can be aggregated into 3 dimensional cubes containing data for multiple dates , such as , for example , a calendar week or a calendar month , or multiple machines data for a single day . in this application , such three - dimensional aggregations are called period and enterprise cubes , respectively , where each plane represents a machine - day . further aggregation is possible by averaging multi - plane cubes into single - plane average period and average enterprise cubes , and these can be further collated into multi - plane cubes where each plane is itself an average of multiple planes . according to one embodiment , performance cubes have certain parameters or properties that may be used or referenced by a performance cube management api . such properties may include the properties set forth in table a , below : table a exemplary cube properties property property description store name the name of the long - term store where the cube can be found , such as the path name of the directory containing the cube files , for example . user a string giving a specific description of the cube . description start the date - time of the start of the first time - band that can date - time be stored in the cube , or the first date - time used to generate an averaged cube number of the number of samples to be contained by this cube . time - bands time - band the number of seconds over which each sample was size averaged . type the type of data to be stored in each plane of the cube , and whether there will be more than one plane . resource set this is used to indicate whether a cube is likely to contain all of the resources that have been collected for a particular platform , or it is likely to contain a subset of these . table b exemplary cube types each plane multiple cube type contains data for : planes ? capmpcm_one_day one day no capmpcm_several_days one day yes capmpcm_one_week_of_days one day yes capmpcm_one_month_of_days one day yes capmpcm_one_year_of_days one day yes capmpcm_one_enterprise_day one day yes capmpcm_one average day an average day no capmpcm_several_average_days an average day yes capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_day an average day yes capmpcm_one_average_week an average week no capmpcm_several_average_weeks an average week yes capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_week an average week yes capmpcm one_average_month an average month no capmpcmseveral_average_months an average month yes capmpcm_oneaverage_enterprise_month an average month yes capmpcm_one_average_year an average year no capmpcm severalaverage years an average year yes capmpcm_one_averageenterprise_year an average year yes the performance cubes are managed via a performance cube management api , such as api 315 , that enables many applications to read and write cubes without having reference to any underlying implementation format . further , performance samples can be accessed by an enterprise management application , such as unicenter tng , and presented as external property data , thus making them available to any underlying applications . in addition , an application can use cube management and analysis routines to perform data management functions such as , for example , trending averaging , compacting and extracting the data . consequently , any platform running an application that stores performance data using the performance cube management api may manage and exploit the performance data . for example , applications may cause the performance data to be compacted , averaged , or trended which extends the way that other applications can exploit the data . the performance cube management api provides access to the performance cube repository , such as store 310 , which may be a complex store containing many cubes which have the potential to contain the data that an application needs . the present application describes methods and systems , which may include the performance cube management api , for rapidly locating and opening the most appropriate performance cube . to meet certain accuracy and timeliness preferences , the systems and methods may employ a cube locating methodology where the cube located is the cube with the most important or highest number of criteria met for a particular call this application refers to such a methodology as a “ best match ” approach . the example “ best match ” approach described in the present application allows the calling application to obtain data for a named machine or device that is appropriate to a particular date without having to specify exactly which performance cube to open . the function will search through available performance cubes and determine and open the cube that best matches the callers requirements . this api searches available performance cubes including both period and enterprise cubes rather than just looking for a daily cube which contains data for a specific machine on a specific date . accordingly , if the daily cube is missing , but there is data in an enterprise cube for the requested date then the request will still be satisfied . in one embodiment , the performance cube management api allows performance samples held in performance cube management (“ pcm ”) format to be created , extracted and transformed by external applications . the api may be supplied as a windows nt dll or a static or shared library which provides a number of c functions , which can be divided into three main levels : fundamental , derived and composite functions . fundamental or ‘ low - level ’ functions are sub - divided into three functional areas — cube control , cube population and cube extraction , and provide a developer with direct access to the performance cube , either to load data samples directly into a cube , or to selectively extract specific data samples from it . derived or ‘ high level ’ functions provide more application - friendly interfaces to the fundamental functions , and as such are again sub - divided into the same three areas . these functions include the ability to search for cubes containing certain data , to copy planes of data from one cube to another etc . composite functions are grouped into a single area , known as “ cube transformation ”. this area provides a simple , very high level interface that allows the developer to transform one or more entire cubes into another cube of different specifications , or another format entirely . certain fundamental functions allow the developer to open a new or existing performance cube , close / write a cube and delete an existing cube . other fundamental functions also allow an application to add new resources , machines / dates and data samples to the cube . such functions control the addition of resources and data to a cube as the data within the cube is stored in a specialised format and must obey certain rules . for example , a fundamental function may ensure that all the resources held within the cube have the same number of data samples , and conform to the same time - band intervals . the cube population functions mask this level of complexity from the developer , by dynamically adjusting the internal structure of the cube to allow new samples , and returning meaningful error conditions if the application attempts to perform illegal cube operations . the fundamental functions allow for the extraction of specific data relating to a cube . for example , the name or names of machines for which data is stored , the dates on which the data was collected , and the data values and number of samples used to calculate the values may all be extracted using fundamental functions . certain derived functions include search and browse capabilities . derived functions provide mechanisms to manipulate the cube parameters and data , but with application - friendly arguments , and more complex functionality than the low - level functions . this includes using names to reference items , and bulk operations such as copying complete planes of data from one cube to another . they allow the client to extract data from the cube in a manner that embodies the performance cube paradigm . instead of simply extracting a specific data sample for a given resource , the cube extraction routines allow the application to extract all data samples pertaining to a specific dimension within the cube . the composite functions enable the developer to input the entire contents of a given performance cube and transform it into another form . this other form could be another performance cube , or a completely different data format . examples of such transformation functions include : conversion to comma separated variable (“ csv ”) form ; averaging across several days , compacting the cube by combining several adjacent time - bands , or period planes , into one ; and generating a cube containing data for a subset of the originally monitored resources . referring now to fig5 , there is depicted a block diagram illustrating one methodology 500 for rapidly locating historical performance data . at block 510 , at least one basic performance metric requirement is received . the basic performance metric requirement may include a comparator and a value associated with a particular performance metric , such as a date , a machine identifier , a resource set , a cube type or a user description , for example . in one embodiment , the associated metric ( s ) may be any data element ( s ) maintained as part of a performance cube . at block 515 of the methodology , a list of array elements is determined . the array elements included in the list describe performance metrics that meet the requirement received at block 510 and thereby potentially match a query associated with the received requirement . in embodiments in which there are multiple stores of historical performance data , block 515 may include deducing which store ( s ) to utilize to determine the list of array elements . at block 520 , the list of potentially matching array elements are sorted according to a predetermined order . the sort order is based , in part , on the received requirement . examples of sort orders include , but are not limited to : 1 . nearness to a required date ; 2 . resource set ( true in preference to false ) because of the increased likeliness of finding all the resources that the caller requires ; 3 . nearness to a required cube type according to the order listed below ; 4 . nearness to a required time - band size , with smaller being taken in preference to larger ; 5 . nearness to a required date , with earlier taken in preference ; and 6 . nearness to a required end - time for the data ( required start time plus required number of time - bands times required time - band size ), with later taken in preference to earlier . at block 525 , each array element is analyzed to determine whether it “ best matches ” the received requirement . the sorted list of array elements is traversed from most likely to least likely ( as sorted at block 520 ). each array element is opened and checked to determine if it contains the correct resources ; by default all resources specified must be found for the cube to be considered a match . this behavior may be altered by certain option flags which may indicate specific rules for selecting a “ best match ”. in an alternate embodiment , the sorting process results in the determination of the “ best match ”, with the “ best match ” being the first element of the sorted list . at decision block 530 , a “ best match ” determination is made with respect to an array element if the array element is considered a “ best match ”, a handle , identifier or pointer to the array element is returned and the process ends . if the array element is not considered a “ best match ”, the methodology determines whether all of the sorted potential array elements have been analyzed . if all of the elements have not been analyzed , the process proceeds to the next element in the list and continues processing at step 525 . if all of the elements have been analyzed , processing is directed to step 545 , at which an error code is returned indicating that no match was found . according to one embodiment , a “ best match ” function may be employed by the performance cube management api . the ” opens the “ best ” matching cube to the caller &# 39 ; s specified requirements . a set of option flags can be passed in to modify the default behavior . an example of the function “ capmpcmopenbestmatch is set forth below : usage # ifndef done_capmpcm # include & lt ; capmpcm . h & gt ; # endif /* done capmpcm */ ... capmpcmreselem * resoureetb1 = null ; /* any . */ wchar_t ** userdescriptiontbl = null ; /* any . */ char * storenamestr = “ d : \ performance data \ performance_cubes ”; struct tm startdatetime , matchdatetime ; int userdesctblsz = 0 , resourcetblsz = 0 , reserved = 0 , notimebands = 144 , timebandsz = 300 , allresourceset = cawin_wild_int , cubetypes = capmpcm_one_day , optionflags = 0 ; /* default . */ capmpcm_machine_name_str machinenamestr = l “ fred ”; /*** * initialise the start date - time for the date of . * use capmpcmmktime . ***/ ... /*** * locate and open the best matching cube . ***/ if ( ( retrn = capmpcmopenbestmatch ( storenamestr , userdescriptiontbl , userdescriptiontblsz , resourcetbl , resourcetblsz , machinenamestr , & amp ; startdatetime , reserved , notimebands , timebandsz , allresourceset , cubetypes , optionflags , & amp ; matchdatetime ) ) & lt ; 0 ) { /*** * determine and handle the error . ***/ ... } else { /*** * the cube handle is valid so use it . ***/ ... } the arguments for the exemplary function “ capmpcmopenbestmatch ” are shown in 25 table c , below : table c capmpcmopenbestmatch arguments storenamestr ( in ) top cube store root directory to search . can be null to indicate search only the current store ( current working directory for filesystem based implementations ). the name should not be wild carded . userdesctbl ( in ) array of cube user descriptions to match . can be null to indicate match all . an element can be null or nul string to match no user description . user description names can be wild - carded using the standard pcm api string wild - carding . userdesctblsz ( in ) size of the above array . must be 0 if null , & gt ; 0 if non - null . resourcetb1 ( in ) array of resources to match . can be null to indicate match any . any of part of the resource name ( type , subtype or instance ) can be null to indicate matches anything or wild - carded using the standard pcm api string wild - carding . resourcetblsz ( in ) size of the above array . must be 0 if null , & gt ; 0 if non - null . machinenamestr ( in ) fully qualified name of machine that data is required for . the machine name should not be wild - carded . startdatetime ( in ) the start - time for the cube and the date for the first plane . the date should not be wild - carded , but the time and dst state can be wild carded with cawin_wild_int as per normal . reserved ( in ) unused - for future enhancement . set this to 0 . notimebands ( in ) the number of time - bands in the cube . set this to the required time - band size , or wild - card it with caw1nwild_int as per normal . timebandsz ( in ) the size of each time - band in seconds . set this to the required time - band size , or wild - card it with caw1n_wild_lnt as per normal . allresourceset ( in ) set to false to indicate a sub - set of all available resources , to true to indicate all available resources or wild - card it with cawin_wild_int as per normal . cubetypes ( in ) the specific required cube type or wild - carded with cawin_wild_int to indicate any type is acceptable , or the new matching value of capmpcm_raw_days_only which indicates any cube type matches for which the data in the planes is raw original values rather than averages for several days . optionflags ( in ) 0 indicates default behaviour . option flags can be or &# 39 ; ed together to select multiple options . matchdatetime ( out ) the start date - time for the plane in the opened cube that is the bast match for the request parameters . this it to indicate to the caller which plane of a period cube is deemed the best match . the date - time will only be valid if a cube is opened . the capmpcmopenbestmatch function is called to locate and open the best matching cube according to the callers specification . the function employs the methodology illustrated in fig5 . deduce a list of cube stores to analyze based on cube store name and machine name . get a list of all the cubes from the cube stores that match the users basic requirements for date , machine , resource set , cube type and user description . order the list according to : 1 . nearness to the required date . this is biased by the option flags with the default being that an exact match is required . 2 . resource set ( true in preference to false ) because of the increased likeliness of finding all the resources that the caller requires . 3 . nearness to the required cube type according to the order listed below . 4 . nearness to the required time - band size , with smaller being taken in preference to larger ( see the capmpcm_compact_as_necessary flag description ). 5 . nearness to the required date , with earlier taken in preference . 6 . nearness to the required end - time for the data ( required start time plus required number of time - bands times required time - band size ), with later taken in preference to earlier . traverse the list from most likely to least likely ( as sorted by the previous actions ) opening them and checking each one to see if it contains the correct resources ; by default all resources specified must be found for the cube to be considered a match . this behavior can be altered by the option flags . when a match is found generate a virtual cube if this option has been requested and it is necessary . if a cube has been successfully opened return the handle to it and the start date - time of the matching plane , otherwise return the most suitable error code . the default order in which cube types are considered is shown in table d , below : table d cube type default order best capmpcm_one_day capmpcm_one_enterprise_day capmpcm_one_week_of_days capmpcm_one_monthof_days capmpcm_one_year_of_days capmpcm_several_days capmpcm_oneaverage_week capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_week capmpcm_several_average_weeks capmpcm_one_average_month capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_month capmpcm_several_average_months capmpcm_one_average_year capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_year capmpcm_several_average_years worst capmpcm_one_average_day capmpcm_one_average_enterprise_day capmpcm_several_average_days the default behavior can be modified by the specification of a number of option flags . if no optional behavior is required then a 0 value should be passed in . otherwise , the value passed in should be the bit - wise or of the individual option flags required . capmpcm_compact_asnecessary preferably this means that if the best matching available cube has a smaller time - band size than requested then a ‘ virtual ’ cube ( a cube that does not exist in permanent store ) which has the requested time - band size will be opened and populated by averaging the available cube . cap mp cm_match_date_or_nearest_prior if a cube cannot be found containing a plane for the requested date then the nearest earlier date that can be matched will be used . capmpcm_match_date_or nearest post if a cube cannot be found containing a plane for the requested date then the nearest later date that can be matched will be used . capmp cm_match_any_resource in order to be a match any one or more of the requested resources must be found in the cube . what has been described above includes several examples . it is , of course , not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the systems , methods , and computer readable media associated with business process policy data . however , one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that further combinations and permutations are possible . accordingly , this application is intended to embrace such alterations , modifications , and variations that fall within the scope of the claims . furthermore , to the extent that the term “ includes ” is employed in the detailed description or the claims , such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “ comprising ” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim .
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formation of a membrane by phase inversion is very unique and governed by the presence of various components and their concentrations in the composition . the pvp as an additive tends to reduce the solubility of polymer in the casting solution . this enforces thermodynamic enhancement for phase separation . but at the same time solution viscosity increases , which causes kinetic hindrance for phase separation . hence a trade - off relationship of thermodynamic enhancement and kinetic hindrance works in a composition with pvp as mentioned above . use of low molecular weight pvp ( k - 30 ) essentially helps in getting the porosity of the membrane as the hydrophilic pvp tends to mix with the non - solvent water during phase separation and come out of the membrane matrix . as it leaves the pes membrane body surface porosity and cross sectional structure are created . thin pvp walls between the pores that break upon when membranes are dried create higher interconnectivity . also a micro phase demixing takes place between pvp and pes , which prevents the formation of the dense top layer . presence of the high molecular weight pvp ( k - 90 ) is effective in macro void suppression . macro voids can arise by growth of nuclei at various locations with a high solvent concentration . a growth of macro voids would be more governed by stable polymer solution . during phase separation all other components except the base polymer ( here pes ) move towards the direction of gelation bath through the nascent fiber body . thus polymer ( pes ) rich and polymer lean ( pvp ) phases are formed enforcing a profound increase of viscosity in the polymer rich phase until solidification occurs , which is considered to be the end of the structure formation process . at the time of solidification the equilibrium composition has not yet been reached and parts of the long chain pvp ( k - 90 ) molecules are permanently trapped in the matrix of the polymer . the result of this entrapment is a membrane with a hydrophilic character . hence the role of pvp ( k - 90 ) in the dope is more of a viscosity and hydrophilicity enhancer . in one embodiment of the invention , the dope includes a first pvp with a molecular weight between 50 , 000 and 2 , 000 , 000 , and a second pvp with a molecular weight between 10 , 000 and 100 , 000 . in a preferred embodiment , a first pvp has a molecular weight between 75 , 000 and 1 , 000 , 000 , and the second pvp has a molecular weight between 20 , 000 to 50 , 000 . in a further embodiment of the invention , the ratio of the amount of first pvp to amount of said second pvp is 1 : 6 , preferably 1 : 3 . degassing of polymeric dope is another important process which needs to be consistently performed to eliminate and entrapped air , which could otherwise lead to bubble formation during spinning and film formation . this would result in lack of continuity during spinning and also generate weak spots in the fiber with vulnerability to damage during subsequent usage . but making polymer dope by using only hydrophilic polymers does not ensure good any uniform cross sectional structure of membrane . as mentioned earlier , growth of macro voids would be more governed by stable polymer solution . hence to get membranes with very uniform structure and consistent performance , it is desirable to include a fourth component , which makes the dope unstable . water is one such component , which gives the composition a new dimension to make ultra filtration membrane of enhanced characters . apart from its technological advantages the amount of water used in the composition also reduces equivalent amount of solvent , which is most desirable from environmental viewpoint . in a quaternary system there are two different time scales for diffusion . during spinning of fiber when phase inversion takes place at the tip of the spinneret only solvent and non - solvent diffuse through the polymer segments in the initial short time gap , which are fractions of seconds . at this time the interdiffusion of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers are negligible . the two polymers are regarded as freely moving species and the demixing gap is much more expanded at this fraction of a second . this is considered as the equilibrium state and a small amount of water causes fast demixing of the system . the state coincides with the cloud point of the system . the important aspect of this phenomenon is that when the interdiffusion of solvent and non - solvent is rapid compared to the mobility of the polymers then a very thin skin ( presumably less than 0 . 1 micron ) surface layer with high polymer concentration is formed . the addition of water to the composition is intended to take the dope solution very near to the “ cloud point ” or precipitation point . at this time the composition is very close to a point where any more addition of water , even in very small quantities , will create unstable condition and precipitation will result . therefore immediately after the fiber comes in contact with central bore fluid ( ro water ) and before it enters into the gelation bath , the cloud point line could be reached instantaneously . this results in formation of ultrathin skin . if the composition is not close to near cloud point the thin layer will be formed over a period of time probably in varying thicknesses , during the transition through the gelation bath . during this time formation of a secondary skin cannot be eliminated . when the equilibrium cloud point line is considered , the prepared composition path will lie just inside the demixing gap indicating the occurrence of instantaneous demixing . hence the concentration of water in the composition is very critical and should be arrived at through series of experiments with water concentration in ascending order and with minimal increment between two successive compositions . once the clouds or turbidity is visible in a composition , the water concentration of the previous dope could be considered as the boundary line composition provided the solution is clear and transparent . in such way , during phase inversion the typical conditions for delayed demixing will essentially be excluded . a highly porous skin membrane face and uniform cross sectional porous structure without macro voids in the bulk of the polymeric mass behind the skin would be achieved . also other variables which may impact the saturation of polymer are normalized closed to cloud point and the formulation is ready for precipitation on immediate contact with water . the combination of these steps in the mechanism , in the quaternary formulation results in achieving a highly porous thin skin separation surface of the membrane . this delivers high water permeability . because of the ultra thin skin , the nodular surface roughness is less and the membrane can undertake much higher turbidity in the feed . at the same time suppression of macro voids and comparatively delayed demixing during the structure formation process ensure a uniform , interconnected and spongy or finger type polymer network behind the thin skin . this ensures good mechanical strength of the fibers with respect to stretchability , tensile strength and burst strength ( refer sem images and results in table - iii ). all these parameters are important for fiber membranes to withstand the rugged conditions of water and wastewater filtration operating conditions for a prolonged period . peripheral conditions during the spinning process are also very important and critical to define the character of the fibers . the bore fluid type & amp ; flow , gelation bath and casting vat ( refer fig3 ) fluid compositions are all very important in the process of spinning . this would become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination or may be learned from the practice of the invention . ro grade water as bore fluid has been selected in the present invention where as it has been tried with a mixture of solvent and water in various prior arts . use of solvent in the coagulating medium delays the demixing process often results in large pores on the coarser side of the membrane . but it not only demands huge amount of solvent but also poses issues related to disposal of waste . unwarranted use of solvent only adds to the complexity of effluent discharge or treatment . hence gelation bath & amp ; casting vat fluid used in the present invention is ro grade water with ph raised to anything between 9 . 0 to 11 . 0 . raising ph enhances the separation of solvent through the outer surface more efficiently . once the thin skin is formed in the internal body and the nascent fiber passes through the free air gap , a process of solvent movement towards the periphery starts . a solvent rich phase exists on the body of the nascent fiber when it enters into the gelation bath . there is a possibility of blockage of solvent movement if a secondary and coarser skin is formed on the outer surface of the fiber . presence of solvent for prolonged time could be detrimental to the desired character of the fiber , as it tends to make inroads into the vitrified polymer again . high ph conditions with the aid of sodium hydroxide almost rules out this possibility and keeps the outer pores open to facilitate solvent removal . temperature of casting vat fluid is maintained between 25 and 50 deg c . all synthetic membranes tend to constrict under cold conditions , especially when those are in semi cure state . keeping the temperature little over normal always helps to protect the fibers from possible contraction , which could lead to disastrous pore collapse . hence both high ph and little over normal temperature conditions help in driving out most of the solvent within gelation bath and casting vat ensuring uniform and interlinked porosity that generates desired hydraulic and mechanical properties of the fibers . the membranes made in this process do not include any charged polymeric compounds or any chemical additives which have adsorption properties , as the base ultra filtration duty ( to provide consistent high flux and turbidity ) results does not require these features . membranes obtained by phase inversion of a polymer solution may contain substantial amounts of the superficial pvp which are not an integral part of membrane structure . to overcome this problem membranes are treated with sodium hypochlorite . by treating uf membranes of pes / pvp with naocl solution , membranes with higher flux and reduced superficial pvp content were obtained . reaction of pvp with naocl causes ring opening of the pyrrolidone ring of the pvp molecule . in this reaction pvp is oxidized in alkaline solution . naocl is a non - specific oxidizing agent and its activity strongly depends on the ph of the reaction medium . the reaction between pvp in alkaline media can take place by opening of the pyrrolidone ring to the form γ - amino acid units . the mechanism of this reaction is shown in the below scheme . hence the pvp molecules , which are not within the network of the polymer and reside in the void areas , are subject to hypochlorite treatment to ensure high water permeability . membranes as described herein may offer one or more of the following advantages : 1 — achieved enhanced porosity and hydrophilicity at the same time by using two different types of water - soluble polymers . ( refer table ii & amp ; iv given below ) 2 — achieved high flux membranes by using a quaternary system comprising of hydrophobic polymer , hydrophilic polymers , water and solvent to seize advantages of each component . ( refer table iii given below ) 3 — the membrane formed is stable and show consistency in characteristics even after a long time gap . ( refer table iv & amp ; v given below ) 4 — the structure uniformity with repeatability is observed resulting good mechanical and hydraulic characteristics ( refer table iii & amp ; sem photographs given below ) 5 — this composition could be spun into fibers of different dimensions . fibers with very small bore could provide more membrane surface area and fibers with larger diameters could be used to treat water with higher turbidities with continuous higher fluxes without any symptoms of permanent fouling . ( refer table vi & amp ; vii below ) 6 — one advantage of the polymer dope and the fiber membrane making process discussed herein is that the process is simple , environment friendly and not dependent on multiple variables like creation of solvent vapors in the air gap , mixing solvent in gelation bath , multiple casting , vat , etc . as used in many prior arts . moreover the formulation is normalized net of all variables at cloud point conditions and ready for spinning to deliver high performance membranes . several suitable polymers ( both hydrophobic & amp ; hydrophilic ) are available and can be used within embodiments of this invention . other factors can combine with the kind and concentration of the polymer to affect the stability of the dope mix . such factors include solvents or their mixtures , nonsolvents or their mixtures , and casting temperatures . the following are some of the materials which have been found useful in the practice of this invention , but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that many others and / or their combinations may also be used . a particularly preferred polyethersulfone polymer for use in the presently claimed invention is ultrason ® e - 6020p . again particularly preferred water - soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone polymers for use in the presently claimed invention are kollidon ® ( k - 30 ) & amp ; kollidon ® ( k - 90 ). particularly preferred solvents for use in the presently claimed invention are n - methylpyrrolidone ( nmp ) and / or dimethylacetamide ( dmac ). an exemplary production process comprises the steps of : 1 . about 75 % of the total required amount of solvent and water ( entire quantity ) to be charged in a reactor ( suitable for the solvent ) and mixed by means of an anchor type agitator . 2 . required concentration of the solvent for a batch could be anything between 50 % to 90 %. preferably it is between 60 % to 80 % 3 . required quantity of water would be depending on the cloud point evaluation , which could vary batch to batch . preferably it should be between 5 . 0 % to 10 . 0 % for a batch of dope . 4 . for every new batch of polymer the cloud point should be evaluated . a series of sample reactions should be set added with all polymers in their respective quantities and water in progressive quantities within the range of cloud point . the absolute clear and turbid solution should be picked for cloud point determination . within that range of water concentration a new set of experiment should be carried out with narrower range of water quantity . selected dope should be devoid of any turbidity but very near to that . 5 . one of the additives , here in the form of pvp ( k - 90 ) to be added to the above solution and agitated at room temperature until complete dissolution . 6 . required quantity of pvp ( k - 90 ) for a batch could be between 0 . 5 % to 5 . 0 %. preferably is between 1 . 0 % to 3 . 0 % 7 . other additive in the form of pvp ( k - 30 ) to be added to the above solution and agitated at room temperature till complete dissolution . 8 . the quantity of pvp ( k - 30 ) for a batch could be between 1 . 0 % to 15 . 0 %. preferably it is between 5 . 0 % to 10 . 0 % 9 . another 10 % of the total solvent quantity is to be added at this stage . 10 . required amount of pes should be added in small portions at regular intervals ensuring uniform dispersion . 11 . required quantity of pes in a batch could be between 5 . 0 % to 40 . 0 %. preferably it is between 15 . 0 % to 25 . 0 % 12 . once the entire pes quantity is added , then the remaining of the solvent is to be added and mixed . 13 . agitation should continue during addition and thereafter . linear speed of the agitator could be anything between 2000 to 4000 cm / min . 14 . reaction continues for several hours , which could be 5 to 50 hours depending on achieving a consistent viscosity ; preferably it should be between 15 to 35 hours . 15 . temperature of the reaction to be maintained between 10 ° c . to 50 ° c . preferably is to be between 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . 16 . at the end of the reaction a transparent and homogeneous solution will be achieved with viscosity between , 2000 cps to 30 , 000 cps , preferably between 5 , 000 cps to 15 , 000 cps . 17 . the solution in spinning reservoir is then degassed by means of a vacuum pump @ 700 to 760 mmhg for several hours , preferably from 24 to 48 hours ensuring all tiny air bubbles are removed from the viscous solution . 18 . temperature of the solution during degasification should be maintained between 15 ° c . to 40 ° c ., preferably from 20 ° c . to 30 ° c . 19 . conditions to be set for hf as , a . the spinning reservoir then is mounted on a spinning mechanism fitted with a concentric orifice spinneret , coagulation bath , casting vat and motorized winding pulley . b . spinneret needle internal / external diameter and the annular gap diameter are fixed with respect to the required fiber dimensions . c . gelation bath and casting vat have to be filled with reverse osmosis grade water free of particles and colloids . d . both gelation bath and casting vat water should be adjusted for ph value of anything between 9 . 0 to 11 . 0 . e . both gelation bath and casting vat water should be adjusted for temperature most preferably between 25 ° c . to 50 ° c . f . air gap between the spinneret tip and the water level in the gelation bath is maintained between 15 cms to 100 cms , preferably between 30 cm to 80 cm as per control requirements during spinning . g . the humidity of the air gap could be anything between 30 % to 90 % more preferably between 40 % to 70 %. h . the central bore fluid is essentially reverse osmosis permeate water pumped through a gear pump at the rate of anything between 1 to 50 ml / min , most preferably between 5 to 35 ml / min . i . the polymer dope is extruded through the spinneret annular orifice by means of either n 2 gas or a suitable gear pump at a rate of anything between 10 to 50 gm / min . j . spun fibers are collected in bundles of predetermined length and rinsed with flowing reverse osmosis ( ro ) water for at 12 - 48 hours . 20 . the fibers are post treated after the above rinsing , sodium hypochlorite most preferably for duration of 5 to 25 hours . 21 . the free cl 2 concentration of the post treatment solution should be preferably between 0 . 1 % to 0 . 5 %. 22 . the ph value of the said post treatment solution should be anything between 8 . 0 to 12 . 0 . 23 . membranes should be rinsed thoroughly with ro permeate water after the post treatment to remove traces of free chlorine from its structure . 24 . finally the membranes should be preserved in glycerol and sodium bisulphite solution in an airtight container . it should be noted that the calculation and subsequent use of the cloud point to create the fiber dope allows creation of a membrane with properties that the applicants believe to be more suitable for water purification in waters with high turbidity than those that may be provided by the art . for example , united states patent application publication no . 2009 / 0057225 , to krause , et al , reports creation of fiber membranes with differing structures and properties . those membranes , which are optimized for small diameter , dna particle removal , have smaller inner and outer diameters ( 214 micrometers inner diameter and 312 micrometers outer diameter , compared to a range of between 0 . 6 to 1 . 6 mm inner diameter and 0 . 9 to 2 . 5 mm outer diameter for preferred embodiments of the invention ), and lack the ability to accept high turbidity waters and then deliver product water with a turbidity of less than 0 . 1 nm . one also notes that krause &# 39 ; s membranes are described as useful only for dna separation , and are not likely to be suitable for high dimension necessary for water and wastewater filtration with high turbidity input . krause reports that the most beneficial membranes will include a cationically - charged polymer ; this is different from embodiments of the current invention , in which a cationically charged polymer is usually not necessary and in many cases not desired . krause also does not teach or suggest creation of a membrane that has been treated with naocl ( sodium hypochlorite ). this means that the membrane resulting from krause could have significant presence of superficial pvp , which leads to suboptimal flux results . furthermore , the use of polyamide that is suggested by krause may be omitted in embodiments of the instant invention . another difference between embodiments of the instant invention and membranes as reported in krause is the use of reverse - osmosis ( ro ) water . those skilled in the art will recognize that ro - quality water is presumed to include no particles of diameter greater than 0 . 1 nm . ro water is used in embodiments of the instant invention for the fluid in the central bore that is excluded through the inner opening of the spinning nozzle . this is markedly different from krause , in which the center fluid requires 30 to 55 % solvent and may include 0 . 1 to 2 % polymer . krause also provides hydrophobic absorption domains in its primary embodiment , while the membranes of embodiments of the invention are hydrophilic and typically have a moisture content between 3 and 10 %. the process used by those following krause is also significantly different . krause requires between 2 and 2 . 6 % of water in the dope , while preferred embodiments of the instant invention require about 5 % to about 10 % to move the composition to the cloud point . krause also does not discuss degasification of the polymer dope , leading to the potential for air bubbles and a resulting less strong membrane . many experiments were carried out before arriving at the composition suitable for producing the said hydrophilic asymmetric ultra filtration hollow fiber membrane with superior permeability and rejection characters . some of those dope making & amp ; spinning experiments are given below as examples . the examples are not meant in any way to limit the scope of this invention . in this set of experiments only pvp : k - 30 , pes and solvent were used . presented in this example are certain compositions , where 15 to 25 % of pes , 5 to 10 % of pvp : k - 30 and 60 to 80 % of solvent were used . reaction procedures were as per the procedure mentioned above in section 6 . 0 . only the clear and stable solutions were taken for spinning trials . all moisture content figures in the above ( 1 to 4 ) were found to be temporary and after 40 - 50 hours of ro water permeation testing the values came down to & lt ; 1 . 0 %. hence the hydrophilicity was only temporary and unsustainable . pure water flux values were by and large very less . strength of fiber was low as shown in the table as burst strength results . these examples were a few from innumerable similar compositions with variation in their concentrations . but these were the best of results achieved with a specific ratio of pes & amp ; pvp . in this set of experiments both pvp : k - 30 and k - 90 were used along with , pes and solvent . a few of the various compositions tried are given here , where 15 to 25 % of pes , 5 to 10 % of pvp : k - 30 , 1 to 3 % pvp : k - 90 and 60 to 80 % of solvent were used . reaction procedures were same as the procedure mentioned above in section 6 . 0 . only the clear and stable solutions were taken for spinning trials . inclusion of high molecular weight pvp , k - 90 could bring about some sustainable hydrophilicity but the physical strengths with respect to burst strength and elongation were below desired level . flux values were mediocre and mostly below 500 lm 2 h . the above cases ( table : ii ) are the best amongst so many , which could be achieved with a specific pes / pvp ratio similar to that of 1 st set experiments in this set of experiments all ingredients e . g . water , pvp : k - 30 , k - 90 , pes and solvent were used in the compositions . first the cloud point boundary line was found through series of experiments conducted with varied concentrations of water . the nearest clear solution of the cloud point turbid solution was always taken for spinning . this set presents selected examples where 15 to 25 % of pes , 5 to 10 % of pvp : k - 30 , 1 to 3 % of k - 90 , 2 to 10 % of water and 60 to 80 % of solvent were used . reaction procedures were same as the procedure mentioned above in section 6 . 0 . only the clear and stable solutions were taken for spinning trials . water was introduced into the composition in this set of experiments . but in the initial results ( refer trials 9 , 10 & amp ; 11 ) mechanical strength and / or water permeability were not very promising . the reason was the concentration of water in the dope . optimization of water quantity with respect to cloud point line was yet not arrived at in these formulations . water concentration was either less or not perfectly near the boundary line of precipitation . as a result both mechanical strength ( elongation and burst strength ) and pure water permeability were below per . basic intent of using water in the dope was to accomplish near saturation state . unless the water quantity reaches that level it does not help to get better membranes . at this stage cloud point experiments were conducted and series of dope compositions were made with already defined pes and both pvp concentration . ascending order of water concentration in the series brought out the precipitation line , where solution turned turbid . after a few more confirmatory tests the concentration of water was decided to be marginally less than the concentration that brings cloud point . it was observed that water concentration below 5 % did not show good results . trials from 12 to 18 were conducted with that specific concentration of water ( in between 5 to 10 %) in the dope , which gives clear and transparent solution but quickly turns turbid when exposed to moist environment . results improved ( except 12a because of absence of naocl treatment ) and necessary quality and performance parameters were achieved after incorporating cloud point conditions . one 200 mm diameter × 1500 mm length prototype hollow fiber module ( made of fibers from example - 12 above ) was operated for almost 700 hours at different conditions . here fiber membranes were regular i . e 0 . 80 mm id . membrane surface area was 41 m 2 ( 441 ft 2 ). a performance summary is given in table - vii . this was the first module . with moderate turbidity load (˜ 5 ntu ), flux values were well above 100 lmh and reached 125 lmh with little higher transmembrane pressure for a prolonged period for 700 hours . another 200 mm diameter × 1500 mm length prototype hollow fiber module ( using similar dope as mentioned , refer trial - 16 above ) was operated for more than 700 hours at different conditions . in this case fiber membranes were of higher diameter ( id : 1 . 30 mm ) membrane surface are was 35 m 2 ( 375 ft 2 ). a performance summary is given in table - v . this was operated for more than 1000 hours . turbidity load was taken to 10 ntu at times . product quality was very consistent ( sdi : & lt ; 1 . 50 ) with about 150 lmh flux throughout the operation period . another 100 mm diameter × 1300 mm length prototype hollow fiber module ( using similar dope as mentioned refer example - 15 above ) was operated for more than 350 hours at high turbidity conditions up to 200 ntu . higher dimension fiber membrane surface area was 4 . 5 m 2 ( 48 . 4 ft 2 ). a performance summary is given in table - vi turbidity load was taken upto to 200 ntu , where 200 - 250 lmh flux could be achieved . when turbidity load was brought down to ˜ 5 ntu , the flux achieved was even higher ( 300 lmh ) another 100 mm diameter × 1000 mm length prototype hollow fiber module ( using similar dope as mentioned refer example - 11 above ) was operated for about 250 hours at high turbidity conditions up to 700 ntu . higher dimension fiber membrane surface area was 3 . 5 m 2 ( 37 . 6 ft 2 ). a performance summary is given in table - vii this module was tested in very rugged conditions like turbidity as high as 700 ntu . but the product quality remained less than 0 . 070 ntu (& lt ; 2 . 0 sdi ) with flux values as high as 250 lmh . the process of dope preparation and spinning fiber of the present invention generates some effluent water enriched with the solvent which is selected from the group of n - methylpyrrolidone ( nmp ), dimethylacetamide ( dmac ), dimethylformamide ( dmf ) and dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ). these organic solvents and a small concentration of pvp , which come out in the gelation and rinsing units during spinning are highly biodegradable . it is highly desirable to remove the trace solvent from the effluent and reuse the water in the process . a biological reactor with active microorganism work well to break the organic solvents in the effluent and produce clean water continuously . a novel membrane bioreactor process has been developed in the laboratory for treatment and recycle of this effluent . high mlss ( mixed liquid suspended solid ) and low hrt ( hydraulic retention time ) of a membrane bioreactor enhances the treatment process and rejects 90 - 95 % of cod & amp ; bod generated by the organic contaminants . solvent concentration as high as 0 . 10 % has been successfully tested in laboratory mbr units under high mlss conditions . about 10 , 000 to 15 , 000 mg / l active solids were maintained in the bioreactor . hydraulic retention time ( hrt ) was maintained at more or less than a day . cod & amp ; bod values as high as 1500 mg / l & amp ; 500 mg / l created by the presence of solvent could be degraded in the system and produce ro feed grade water . given below a summarized operational & amp ; analytical data of the small laboratory bioreactor trial , which was conducted for about 500 hours .
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referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention , fig2 is a perspective view of the framework of a multipurpose cleaning device constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention . as shown in fig2 framework a , comprises base means , 2 , with tank means , 6 , mounted thereon . further details of the construction of multipurpose cleaning device , 1 , are shown in fig2 which is a partial plan view and functional diagram of multipurpose cleaning device , 1 . as shown in fig1 tank means , 6 , is shown provided with water nozzles or sprayers , 3 , mounted on the interior wall of tank means , 6 , and directed generally horizontally and towards the center of tank , 6 . as shown in fig1 hose , 7 , is coupled to a conventional water supply ( not shown ) and provides water through check valve , 8 , to pump , 4 , which is driven through conventional coupling indicated by dotted line , 5 , by motor , 9 . pump , 4 , supplies water under pressure to tank , 6 , via pipe , 10 , junction , 22 , and pipes , 11 , 12 , 13 , and , 14 . pipe , 15 , couples pipe , 10 , to pressure guage , 16 . pipe , 17 , couples pipe , 10 , to pressure limit switch , 18 , which is electrically connected by wires , 19 , and , 20 , to a conventional source of electricity and motor , 9 , respectively in such a manner to cause electric energy to motor , 9 , to be shut off when the pressure at pressure limit switch , 18 , exceeds a proscribed amount . water supplied to each nozzle , 3 , is also controllable by manual valves , 21 , provided in pipes , 11 , 12 , 13 , and , 14 . a take - off tap , 23 , is provided in line , 11 . not shown in the drawings is an additional nozzle , 3 , installed in the top of tank , 6 , pointing downward and near the center of tank , 6 , with appropriate coupling to junction , 22 , and an additional nozzle , 3 , installed in the bottom of tank , 6 , pointing upward and near the middle of tank , 6 , with appropriate coupling to junction , 22 . gas from a conventional gas source ( not shown ) is piped via pipe , 24 , through electrically controlled solenoid valve , 25 , shut off valve , 26 , to burner , 27 , which as operably mounted on base means , 2 , and disposed near tank , 6 . tank , 6 , is also provided with air under pressure via air line , 28 , to nozzle , 29 , which are used in some of the operations of device , 1 , in conjunction with fitting , 30 . in the use of device , 1 , as a parts cleaning device a conventional rack ( not shown ) is mounted within tank , 6 . parts to be cleaned are placed upon the rack . a solvent such as tri - sodium diphosphate , is added in liquid form to tank , 6 . pump , 4 , is activated by motor , 9 , which is energized by switch , 31 . once device , 1 , has been started and has sufficient liquid therein , it is stopped , the drain line from tank , 6 , ( not shown ) is coupled to pump , 4 , via pipe , 7 , and the cleaning liquid is thereby recirculated . burner , 27 , and its associated equipment is used to dry the parts previously cleaned . in the use of device , 1 , as a paint spraying device , a sealed paint container provided with input and output hoses is placed in tank , 6 . the input hose is coupled to nozzle , 29 , and the output hose is coupled to the inner side of fitting , 30 , and a conventional spray hose is coupled to the outer side of fitting , 30 . for recirculating oil , water and other fluids , the drain to tank , 6 , ( not shown ) is coupled to pump , 4 , via pipe , 7 . a suitable filter , not shown , is provided in line , 7 . hose take - off , 23 , is provided for use with a conventional garden hose for area cleaning . it should be understood that changes and modifications in the form , construction , arrangement , and combination of the compound injection device and methods of making and using the same may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention .
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reference is now made to fig1 a , 1b and 1c , which are simplified illustrations of three examples of an initial stage of mobile communicator depot methodology in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . turning to fig1 a , there is shown a scenario wherein a customer , whose mobile communicator 100 , here a smartphone , is broken , initiates a repair over the internet such as by using his home computer to access the customer service website of cellular telephone service provider . typically the customer identifies himself to the customer service website by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . the customer may then select the automated telephone repair service and is then prompted to describe the problem with his mobile communicator 100 , such as a broken screen . it is appreciated that once the customer enters the telephone number of mobile communicator 100 , the system already has information regarding the identity , type and functionality of mobile communicator 100 . the customer is preferably directed to the nearest repair depot 102 and may be shown its location on a map . upon arrival at the repair depot 102 , the customer is prompted to identify himself and his mobile communicator 100 by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . turning to fig1 b , there is shown an alternative scenario wherein a customer , whose mobile communicator 100 , here a smartphone , is broken , initiates a repair over the internet such as by using another mobile communicator 103 , such as an ipad to access the customer service website of cellular telephone service provider . typically the customer identifies himself by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . the customer may then select the automated telephone repair service and is then prompted to describe the problem with his mobile communicator 100 , such as a broken screen . it is appreciated that once the customer enters the telephone number of mobile communicator 100 , the system already has information regarding the identity , type and functionality of mobile communicator 100 . the customer is preferably directed to the nearest repair depot 102 and may be shown its location on a map . upon arrival at the repair depot 102 , the customer is prompted to identify himself and his mobile communicator by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . turning to fig1 c , there is shown a scenario wherein a customer , whose mobile communicator 100 , here a smartphone , is broken , is unable to initiate a repair over the internet , since he does not have access to the internet . in such a case , the customer may go directly to a repair depot 102 . typically the repair depot 102 interacts directly with the customer and prompts the customer to identify himself by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . the customer is then prompted to describe the problem with his mobile communicator , such as a broken screen . it is appreciated that once the customer enters the telephone number of mobile communicator 100 , the system already has information regarding the identity , type and functionality of mobile communicator 100 . reference is now made to fig2 a , 2b and 2c , which together are a simplified illustration of an automatic acceptance processing of a customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator stage of mobile communicator depot methodology in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as seen in fig2 a , upon arrival at depot 102 , a customer is prompted to place his mobile communicator 100 in a receiving receptacle 104 . as shown in fig2 b , depot 102 preferably includes functionality for confirming that mobile communicator 100 is placed in the receptacle 104 with its screen 106 facing upwards and also includes a camera 108 for photographing the top surface of mobile communicator 100 , the top surface including screen 106 . a robotic mechanism 110 is preferably employed for initially repositioning the receptacle 104 containing mobile communicator 100 from its initial position , shown in fig2 a , at which the customer placed mobile communicator 100 therein , to a second position , shown in fig2 b at which the top surface of mobile communicator 100 is photographed by camera 108 , to a third position in which mobile communicator is disposed within one of a multiplicity of bins 112 , each of which is preferably identified by a barcode 114 and which are located in a storage and transport structure 116 . a barcode scanner 118 is preferably mounted on robotic mechanism 110 for reading barcode 114 of bin 112 in which the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator 100 is placed , for recording the identity of bin 112 and for associating it with the identity of customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator 100 in a computerized database . as shown in fig2 c , a virtual repair ticket 120 is preferably generated . virtual repair ticket 120 preferably includes the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number , the bin number of the bin in which mobile communicator 100 is disposed , and a description of the required repair as provided by the customer . the virtual repair ticket 120 is preferably transmitted via the internet to a central server 122 , typically located at a site remote from depot 102 , which site may house a repair center . the customer receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the deposited mobile communicator 102 , preferably in the form of an audio - visual message which is backed up by a virtual email message and preferably is prompted to select a preferred pick up location , which need not be the same depot 102 . upon receipt of a user pick up location selection input , the depot 102 preferably provides an acknowledgement , preferably in the form of an audio - visual message which is backed up by a virtual email message . reference is now made to fig3 a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f and 3g , which together are a simplified illustration of a replacement mobile communicator personalization and dispensing stage of mobile communicator depot methodology in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig3 a - 3g , it is a particular feature of the present invention that , upon request by the customer , a replacement mobile communicator is automatically provided to the customer by the depot . as shown in particular in fig3 a , depot 102 offers the customer a replacement mobile communicator to be used while his broken mobile communicator is being repaired . as further shown in fig3 b , upon accepting the offer , the customer is then asked by depot 102 whether he would prefer that his contact list be transferred to the replacement mobile communicator . thereafter , as shown in fig3 c , depot 102 selects a replacement communicator bin 130 which is located in a replacement communicator storage and transport structure 132 and which contains a replacement mobile communicator , and preferably employs barcode scanner 118 which is preferably mounted on robotic mechanism 110 to read the barcode 136 of bin 130 . as further shown in fig3 c , a virtual mobile communicator activation instruction 140 is preferably generated by depot 102 , which instruction 140 preferably includes the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number and the bin number of bin 130 retrieved from barcode 136 . instruction 140 is preferably transmitted via the internet to a central server 122 , typically located at a site remote from depot 102 , which site may house a service center . it is appreciated that server 122 stores information for associating bin numbers of bins in replacement communicator storage and transport structure 132 with identifiers of mobile communicators stored therewithin . therefore , server 122 may utilize the information in instruction 140 to associate the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number with the identifier of the replacement mobile communicator located in bin 130 , and to store this information for ascertaining , upon return of repaired mobile communicator 100 to the customer , that the replacement mobile communicator dispensed to the customer is indeed returned . responsive to instruction 140 , server 122 preferably activates the replacement mobile communicator located in bin 130 in association with the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number . as yet further shown in fig3 c , depot 102 then generates a virtual contact list synchronization instruction 150 , which instruction 150 preferably includes the customer &# 39 ; s / mobile communicator &# 39 ; s identifier and the bin number of bin 130 retrieved from barcode 136 . instruction 150 is preferably transmitted via the internet to central server 122 and instructs server 122 to download the customer &# 39 ; s contact list to depot 102 . it is appreciated that contact lists stored on mobile communicators are typically also stored on the internet on various backup facilities , such as , for example , on a central backup server of the cellular telephone service provider , and therefore may be accessible to server 122 . as yet further shown in fig3 c , upon receiving virtual contact list synchronization instruction 150 , server 122 preferably transmits the customer &# 39 ; s contact list 160 to depot 102 where it is temporarily stored . turning now to fig3 d , it is shown that robotic mechanism 110 is preferably employed for retrieving replacement mobile communicator 162 from bin 130 . preferably , after replacement mobile communicator 162 is retrieved , depot 102 loads contact list 160 onto mobile communicator 162 preferably by wirelessly communicating therewith . it is appreciated that communication between depot 102 and replacement mobile communicator 162 may alternatively be wired . thereafter , as shown in fig3 e , robotic mechanism 110 preferably places replacement mobile communicator 162 into receptacle 104 , and also preferably places a compatible mobile communicator accessory kit 164 into a dispenser bin 166 . it is appreciated that mobile communicator accessory kit 164 may include , for example , a mobile communicator charger and data synchronizing cables . turning now to fig3 f , is shown that depot 102 thereafter notifies the customer that a replacement mobile communicator having his contact list loaded thereupon has been prepared for him , and prompts the customer to remove replacement mobile communicator 162 and mobile communicator accessory kit 164 from receptacle 104 and bin 166 , respectively . as further shown in fig3 g , after retrieving replacement mobile communicator 162 and mobile communicator accessory kit 164 , the customer ascertains that replacement mobile communicator 162 is loaded with his contact list , and that replacement mobile communicator 162 is fully functional . reference is now made to fig4 a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e and 4f , which together are a simplified illustration of a back - end processing stage of mobile communicator depot methodology in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig4 a , a mobile communicator depot service employee arrives at depot 102 and removes storage and transport structure 116 from depot 102 . as described hereinabove with regard to fig2 a , storage and transport structure 116 preferably comprises bins 112 , each of bins 112 preferably containing a mobile communicator destined for repair . as further shown in fig4 a , after removing storage and transport structure 116 from depot 102 , the depot service employee inserts an alternative storage and transport structure 170 into depot 102 , transport structure 170 preferably having repaired mobile communicators disposed in bins therewithin . the method by which mobile communicators are repaired and disposed within transport structure 170 will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with regard to fig4 b - 4e . as yet further shown in fig4 a , after inserting alternative storage and transport structure 170 into depot 102 , the depot service employee removes storage and transport structure 116 from the premises and , as shown in fig4 b , delivers storage and transport structure 116 to a mobile communicator service center . turning now to fig4 b , it is shown that a mobile communicator service center employee receives storage and transport structure 116 from the depot service employee and preferably scans the barcode of each of bins 112 which contains a broken mobile communicator into a computer 172 . it is appreciated that computer 172 preferably communicates with server 122 and is operative to retrieve information associated with broken mobile communicator 100 which was submitted to server 122 via a virtual repair ticket , such as virtual repair ticket 120 of fig2 c . as described hereinabove with regard to fig2 c , this information may include , for example , a bin identification number of the bin 112 containing broken mobile communicator 100 , a mobile communicator customer identifier such as a telephone number , and a description of the required repair . the information also preferably includes an identifier of the particular depot at which mobile communicator was deposited and an identifier of the preferred pickup location of the repaired mobile communicator as , for example , specified by the customer in the illustration of fig2 c . as yet further shown in fig4 b , after retrieving the information of virtual repair ticket 120 from computer 172 , the service center employee retrieves mobile communicator 100 from its bin 112 and repairs mobile communicator 100 . it is appreciated that while being repaired , the contact list stored in mobile communicator 100 may be partially or completely deleted . the contact list may have also been partially or completely deleted upon breakage of mobile communicator 100 . therefore , as shown in fig4 c , the service center employee preferably utilizes computer 172 to access server 122 to download the customer &# 39 ; s contact list 160 to computer 172 in preparation for reactivation of mobile communicator 100 . as described hereinabove with regard to the illustration of fig3 c , it is appreciated that mobile communicator contact lists are typically also stored on the internet on various backup facilities , such as , for example , on a central backup server of the cellular telephone service provider , and therefore may be accessible to server 122 . as further shown in fig4 c , the service center employee preferably loads contact list 160 onto mobile communicator 100 by wirelessly transmitting contact list 160 from computer 172 to mobile communicator 100 . alternatively , transmission of the contact list from computer 172 to mobile communicator 100 may be wired . turning now to fig4 d , it is shown that after completing the repair of mobile communicator 100 and loading contact list 160 onto repaired mobile communicator 100 , the service center employee then preferably utilizes computer 172 to generate a virtual delivery ticket 176 for repaired mobile communicator 100 , which ticket 176 preferably includes a physical identifier of communicator 100 , such as an imei identifier . it is appreciated that the physical identifier may be retrieved from communicator 100 , for example , by scanning a barcode embedded in communicator 100 or by manually querying communicator 100 via its user interface . preferably , the service center employee also scans a barcode identifier 178 of bin 174 into computer 172 and adds identifier 178 to ticket 176 . the service center employee then preferably utilizes computer 172 to communicate with server 122 , where the identifier of communicator 100 as provided in ticket 176 is used to identify communicator 100 as that of the customer of fig1 a - 3g . server 122 is also preferably operative to associate the customer &# 39 ; s identifier , such as his telephone number , and the preferred pickup location as originally specified by the customer , with ticket 176 . it is appreciated that server 122 is also preferably operative to provide the service center employee with an identifier of a storage and transport structure 180 which is destined for delivery to the customer &# 39 ; s preferred pickup location . upon verifying that the details of ticket 176 are correct , the service center employee preferably submits the completed ticket 176 to server 122 . as shown in fig4 e , the service center employee then places repaired mobile communicator into bin 174 and inserts bin 174 into storage and transport structure 180 which is destined for delivery to the customer &# 39 ; s preferred pickup location . as further shown in fig4 e , server 122 then preferably sends a message 181 to the customer , notifying the customer that his mobile communicator has been repaired and will be available at the pickup location he originally specified on the following day at or after a particular time , such as 10 : 00 am . it is appreciated that message 181 may be , for example , an email message or an sms message sent to the customer &# 39 ; s replacement mobile communicator 162 . turning now to fig4 f , it is shown that a communicator depot service employee arrives at the mobile communicator service center on the following day at 6 : 00 am , and retrieves storage and transport structure 180 for transport to a mobile communicator depot 182 located at the customer &# 39 ; s preferred pickup location . as further shown in fig4 f , upon arriving at depot 182 , the communicator depot service employee preferably removes a storage and transport structure 184 from within depot 182 for transport to mobile communicator service center . thereafter , the communicator depot service employee inserts storage and transport structure 180 into depot 182 , storage and transport structure 180 having repaired mobile communicators disposed therewithin . as yet further shown in fig4 f , upon insertion of storage and transport structure 180 into depot 182 , depot 182 preferably sends a message to server 122 , notifying server 122 that storage and transport structure 180 having repaired mobile communicators disposed therewithin has been inserted into depot 182 . reference is now made to fig5 a and 5b , which together are a simplified illustration of a replacement mobile communicator return stage of mobile communicator depot methodology in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig5 a , after storage and transport structure 180 containing repaired mobile communicator 100 has been deposited in depot 182 , such as at 8 : 00 am , the customer preferably receives a message from server 122 that his repaired mobile communicator 100 is now available at his preferred pickup location . it is appreciated that the message may be , for example , an email message or an sms message sent to the customer &# 39 ; s replacement mobile communicator 162 . thereafter , such as at 10 : 00 am , the customer arrives at depot 182 and identifies himself to depot 182 by entering his mobile communicator telephone number and a unique identifier , such as the last four digits of his credit card . the customer is then prompted to select a service option , and proceeds to select the retrieve repaired telephone service . thereafter , as shown in fig5 b , the customer is prompted by depot 182 to return replacement mobile communicator 162 and accessory kit 164 . the customer then preferably proceeds to place replacement mobile communicator 162 into receiving receptacle 104 and accessory kit 164 into bin 166 . depot 182 then preferably notifies the customer that the returned equipment is being processed . reference is now made to fig6 a , 6b , 6c and 6d , which together are a simplified illustration of replacement mobile communicator acceptance , validation and depersonalization functionality and customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator repersonalization and dispensing functionality in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig6 a , depot 182 preferably includes functionality for confirming that replacement mobile communicator 162 is placed in receptacle 104 with its screen 106 facing upwards , and also includes a camera 108 for photographing the top surface of mobile communicator 162 . it is appreciated that photographing of replacement mobile communicator 162 by camera 108 is operative to ascertain that mobile communicator 162 is not significantly damaged . robotic mechanism 110 is preferably employed for initially repositioning the receptacle 104 containing replacement mobile communicator 162 from its initial position , shown in fig5 b , at which the customer placed replacement mobile communicator 162 therein , to a second position , shown in fig6 a at which the top surface of replacement mobile communicator 162 is photographed by camera 108 . preferably , the replacement mobile communicator 162 is verified by depot 182 to be identical to the replacement mobile communicator originally dispensed to the customer in the illustrations of fig3 a - 3g , for example by scanning the imei identifier of replacement mobile communicator 162 and comparing the scanned imei identifier to the imei identifier of the replacement mobile communicator originally dispensed to the customer , as stored on server 122 . robotic mechanism 110 then preferably removes replacement mobile communicator 162 from receptacle 104 and disposes replacement mobile communicator 162 into one of bins 186 located in a replacement communicator storage and transport structure 188 . each of bins 186 is preferably identified by a barcode 190 . barcode scanner 118 which is preferably mounted on robotic mechanism 110 is preferably employed for reading the barcode of bin 186 in which replacement mobile communicator 162 is disposed , for recording the identity of the bin 186 and for associating the identity of bin 186 with the identifier of replacement mobile communicator 162 in a computerized database . thereafter , as shown in fig6 b , accessory kit 164 is preferably retrieved from bin 166 by a second robotic arm 190 . upon completing the retrieval of replacement mobile communicator 162 and accessory kit 164 from receptacle 104 and bin 166 , depot 182 preferably communicates with server 122 and requests deactivation of replacement mobile communicator 162 and reactivation of mobile communicator 100 in association with the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number . it is appreciated that , as described hereinabove with reference to fig4 d , the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number is associated by server 122 with mobile communicator 100 and is therefore sufficient to uniquely identify mobile communicator 100 . as yet further shown in fig6 b , responsive to the communication from depot 182 , server 122 deactivates replacement mobile communicator 162 and activates mobile communicator 100 in association with the customer &# 39 ; s mobile communicator telephone number . preferably , server 122 also provides the identifier of the specific bin 174 in storage and transport structure 180 which contains repaired mobile communicator 100 . it is appreciated that upon deactivation of replacement mobile communicator 162 , depot 182 may ascertain whether the customer has stored new data on replacement mobile communicator 162 during the period of time in which he was in possession of replacement mobile communicator 162 , and may transfer the new data to mobile communicator 100 upon activation of mobile communicator 100 . thereafter , as shown in fig6 c , barcode scanner 118 , which is preferably mounted on robotic mechanism 110 , is employed to identify and locate bin 174 by its barcode identifier 178 , which identifier 178 was provided by server 122 to 182 as identifying the bin in which repaired mobile communicator 100 is disposed . upon locating bin 174 , robotic mechanism 110 is preferably employed to retrieve repaired mobile communicator 100 from bin 174 and to deposit repaired mobile communicator 100 into receptacle 104 , and to thereafter reposition receptacle 104 to a position which is accessible to the customer . as further shown in fig6 c , the customer is then prompted by depot 182 to retrieve his repaired mobile communicator from receptacle 104 . turning now to fig6 d , it is shown that upon retrieving his repaired mobile communicator 100 from receptacle 104 , the customer verifies that mobile communicator 100 is in working condition and that his contact list is present on communicator 100 . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove as well as modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not in the prior art .
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the present invention provides a composite curing agent which is applied for a varnish . the varnish with the composite curing agent is used for dipping glass fiber and the curing rate is increased . because of the higher curing rate , the reactivity of the phenolic resin and glass transition temperature ( tg ) of the substrate made by the varnish are improved . the heatproof property and low moisture absorption property are not influenced by the composite curing agent . furthermore , the prepreg made by the varnish has good anti - flammability . the problems of high laminated temperature and long laminated time period using traditional curing agent of aldehyde are solved . moreover , fillers are added into the varnish for improving the high heatproof property and the anti - flammability . the composite curing agent includes curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin mixed with curing agent of phenol resin in a predetermined weight ratio . ployphenylene methylphosphonate is provided as a curing agent for epoxy resin and it is shown by formula 1 ployphenylene methylphosphonate is applied for improving the anti - flammability and the reactivity , therefore , ployphenylene methylphosphonate is mixed with curing agent of phenol resin as a composite curing agent of epoxy resin . the composite curing agent of epoxy resin results in the higher reactivity of varnish and higher tg of substrate made by the varnish . furthermore , the substrate made by the varnish has good heatproof property , anti - flammability , and low moisture absorption property . the varnish of the present invention has composition ( a ): epoxy resin and composition ( b ): composite curing agent which contain curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin and curing agent of phenol resin . the composition of the varnish is shown in table . 1 . as shown in table . 1 , the epoxy resin is the primary composition with 100 parts , the epoxy is two of or more than two of the o - cresol resol epoxy resin , bisphenol a - novolac epoxy resin , and novolac resin , but not restricted thereby . in other words , composition ( a ) is a phenolic resin . alternatively , the composition ( a ) can be a non - phenolic resin . embodiments 1 - 3 of table . 1 adjusts the ratio of the curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin and curing agent of phenol resin , and the prepregs made by the varnishes of the three embodiments are tested and analyzed . the moisture absorption ( i . e ., water absorption ) is determined by the water or moisture within the prepregs . the moisture absorption of the prepregs has to be controlled for preventing the situation of de - lamination . in general , the prepregs are inspected by infrared ( ir ) or thermogravimetric analysis so as to show the degree of moisture absorption . the result of solder float resistance : the test follows the instruction of ipc - tm - 650 method 2 . 4 . 13 . 1 . the method tests heat - dissipation prepregs in 288 ° c . and counts the time when the prepregs has failed ( de - lamination ). the results present that the de - lamination time of the prepreg meets the requirement of the heatproof property . the test of anti - flammability follows the instruction of ul 94 method . according to the degree of the anti - flammability , the testing results are rated as hb , v - 2 , v - 1 , v - 0 , and 5v so as to represent the anti - flammability of prepregs . the testing prepreg is burned on the fire vertically and follows the following steps . step 1 is burning the prepreg in fire for 10 seconds and then moving the prepreg away , and simultaneously counting the time period ( t1 ) that the prepreg continues to burn after being removed from the fire . step 2 is burning the prepreg in fire for 10 seconds again , then moving the prepreg away and simultaneously counting the time period ( t2 ) that the prepreg continues to burn after being removed from the fire . step 3 is repeating the steps 1 and 2 , and calculating the mean value of t1 and t2 . step 4 is summing t1 and t2 . according to the specific definition of ul 94 , v - 0 , neither of the mean value of t1 and t2 is larger than 10 seconds , and the sum of t1 and t2 is no greater than 50 seconds . therefore , the prepregs of examples 1 , 2 and embodiment 1 having achieved the standard for v - 0 are thus marked as ul 94 , v - 0 . in the embodiments 1 - 3 , the curing agent of phenol resin of the composite curing agent is a benzoxazine ( bz ) resin . the benzoxazine ( bz ) resin has properties of low dielectric loss value , high elasticity , high heatproof , low moisture absorption , high tg , high anti - flammability and capable of being punch pressed . the soft point of the bz resin can be adjusted for improving the low toughness due to the straight chain of the resin and improving the de - lamination of laminated layers in the shaping step . furthermore , the adhesion of the resin layers contacting with the inner electric circuits of the multi plates with conductive lines is improved so as to increase the strength of the inner layer . according to the data in table . 1 , the curing agent containing the curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin of the embodiments 1 - 3 does not influence the moisture absorption and the heatproof of the manufactured substrates ( comparing to the comparisons 1 and 2 ). with regard to the lamination process of fr4 ( i . e ., lamination temperature is above 195 ° c . and lamination time is above 30 minutes ), the composite curing agent used in embodiments 1 - 3 can increase the reaction because the tg of the substrate increases from 160 ° c . to 185 ° c . in other words , the problems of the higher lamination temperature and longer lamination time in the lamination process with the traditional curing agent are solved . the predetermined weight ratio of the curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin and the curing agent of phenol resin of composition ( b ) is from 1 : 10 ( as shown in embodiment 1 ) to 3 : 10 ( as shown in embodiment 3 ). by using the composite curing agent containing the two curing agents , the tg of substrate can be increased above 185 ° c ., and can even reach more than 200 ° c . in embodiment 4 , the curing agent of phenol resin further contains a phenolic curing agent , for example a curing agent of bisphenol a phenol resin in the embodiment . tg of the prepreg made from the varnish of embodiment 4 reaches to 180 ° c . and the reaction can be accelerated . on the other hand , the curing agent of phenol resin can be a phenolic curing agent . depending on the composition of embodiments 1 - 4 and the reasonable analysis , the curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin of composition ( b ) has 2 to 30 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ), and the curing agent of phenol resin of composition ( b ) has 80 to 110 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ). the varnish further has composition ( c ): filler and composition ( d ): solvent . the filler includes aluminium hydroxide , silica , or mixture of aluminium hydroxide and silica , and the composition ( c ) has 10 to 80 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ). on the other hand , the composition ( d ) has 10 to 30 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ). the preferred embodiment is shown in table . 2 . the varnish of the present invention further has at least one additive , such as an accelerator , and the accelerator is an isimidazole which is 0 . 4 - 1 parts shown in table . 2 . the isimidazole can be 2 - methyl imidazole which is provided for accelerating the curing time . on the other hand , the solvent is 15 - 30 parts of one of or more than one of methyl ethyl ketone ( mek ), propylene glycol monomethyl ether ( pm ), and cyclohexanone . furthermore , the compositions are shown in table . 2 . the curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin of composition ( b ) has 18 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ). the curing agent of phenol resin of composition ( b ) has 98 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ) and the curing agent of phenol resin can be curing agent of bz resin ( i . e ., phenol resin with benzoxazine ring ), phenolic curing agent , or the mixture of the curing agent of bz resin and phenolic curing agent . the composition ( c ) has 30 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ) and the composition ( c ) can be aluminium hydroxide , silica , or mixture of aluminium hydroxide and silica . the composition ( d ) has 20 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the composition ( a ) and the composition ( d ) is one of or more than one of methyl ethyl ketone ( mek ), propylene glycol monomethyl ether ( pm ), and cyclohexanone . a method for manufacturing a prepreg using the varnish are disclosed in the present invention . the varnish is provided and the varnish has composition ( a ): epoxy resin ; and composition ( b ): composite curing agent , wherein the composite curing agent includes curing agent of polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin mixed with curing agent of phenol resin in a predetermined weight ratio . the varnish further has composition ( c ): filler which includes aluminium hydroxide , silica , or mixture of aluminium hydroxide and silica , and composition ( d ): solvent . the glass fabrics are dipped into the varnish so as to manufacture a prepreg , pp , or copper clad laminate ( ccl ) with good heatproof and anti - flammability properties . the above - mentioned prepregs are applied for manufacturing the substrate of pcb , and the substrate has improved reactivity in the lamination process . 1 . two kinds of curing agents ( polyphenylene methylphosphonate resin and bz resin ) are mixed as a composite curing agent . the composite curing agent is distributed in the varnish so as to improve the anti - flammability , low moisture absorption , and heatproof property of prepreg which is made by dipping glass fabrics into the varnish . furthermore , tg of the substrate can be increased by using the varnish of the present invention . 2 . the varnish of the present invention contain a composite curing agent with phosphor so that the anti - flammability of the prepreg is improved and the reaction rate of the curing is further increased . the above - mentioned descriptions represent merely the preferred embodiment of the present invention , without any intention to limit the scope of the present invention thereto . various equivalent changes , alternations , or modifications based on the claims of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the scope of the present invention .
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while the present invention is capable of embodiment in various forms , there is shown in the drawings and will be hereinafter described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention , and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated . as shown in fig1 , one embodiment of the mop dispenser of the present invention , designated generally as reference numeral 10 , contains a holding pan section 12 and a roller section 14 . as shown in fig2 , holding pan section 12 contains a substantially rectangular housing 16 , which contains a top section 18 with drain apertures 20 , which are used to drain any excess mop fluid from a mop that is dispensed onto the top section 18 . to improve the draining function of the drain apertures 20 , the top section is preferably tilted downward approximately 15 degrees . however , it will be understood that top section 18 need not be tilted downward and that holding pan 12 need not contain a top section 18 or drain apertures 20 . indeed , the mop dispenser of the present invention need not be used with wet mops at all . instead , a dry mop can be dispensed from the dispenser 10 . it is preferred that the holding pan section 12 also contains a carrying handle 22 , that can be extended and retracted within guides 24 on either side of the holding pan section 12 . fig2 shows the handle in a retracted position and fig3 shows the handle in an extended position . stops 26 are provided on each side of the handle 22 to prevent the handle from being completely removed from the holding pan section 12 . moreover , it is preferred that holding pan section 12 contains a cleaning solution level window 28 , preferably made out of clear plastic . the cleaning solution level window 28 allows a user of the mop dispenser 10 to determine the level of cleaning solution using indicia 30 , which are preferably injection - molded into the holding pan section 12 . holding pan section 12 also preferably contains an angled end section 32 , which is used to help lock the holding pan section into the roller section 14 . also , holding pan section 12 contains a contoured front section 33 , which is intended to abut a contoured section of roller section 14 when the holding pan section 12 and roller section 14 are combined . fig4 shows a perspective view of the roller section 14 . roller section 14 contains two main parts : a base section 34 and a pivoting head section 36 . base section 34 is generally rectangular and contains a hollow middle portion 38 , which is designed to accept the holding pan 12 between wall sections 40 . the base section also includes locking apertures 42 ( fig5 ), which are designed to accept locking tabs 44 on the pivoting head portion 36 . a release button 45 releases the locking tabs 44 from locking apertures 42 when , for example , a user desires to change the holding pan 12 for a holding pan 12 of a different size . the pivoting head section 36 includes a sliding diverting member 46 , which allows a mop to be selectively dispensed on either the top of the holding pan 12 through dispensing aperture 48 , or directly onto a floor through dispensing aperture 50 ( fig1 - 12 ). as shown in more detail in fig1 , the sliding diverting member 46 contains a plurality of rollers 52 , which facilitate the movement of a mop while being dispensed . the diverting member also includes a spring locking member 54 , which acts to keep the diverting member 46 in a particular position by engaging a recess 56 in the top portion of pivoting head section 36 . as those with skill in the art will appreciate , multiple recesses 56 can be provided in pivoting head section 36 to provide for a multitude of positions . in a preferred embodiment , however , two recesses are preferred , which correspond to a mop being dispensed either onto the top of holding pan 12 or onto a floor . the pivoting head section 36 also includes a reciprocating pick - up bar 56 , which acts to draw a mop from the holding pan 12 into rollers 58 and 60 ( see , e . g ., fig1 - 12 ). the reciprocating pick - up bar 56 is driven via a rod 62 ( fig7 ) that is attached to gear 64 . gear 64 is , in turn , driven by gear 66 , which is , in turn , driven by gear 68 , which is connected to a prime mover . gear 64 is connected to roller 58 and gear 66 is connected to roller 60 . in a preferred embodiment , the prime mover is a direct current electric motor 70 . however , it should be appreciated that the prime mover can comprise any other device that can turn a shaft , such as a simple hand crank or a device used to store potential energy ( for instance in a coiled spring ), wherein a user can wind the coiled spring ( i . e ., using a hand crank ) at the beginning of a work day , and release the energy stored in the spring in intervals when a new mop is desired . alternatively , the prime mover can be energized by a simple movement of a foot or hand pedal 72 ( fig9 ) each time a user desires to dispense a new mop . it is also within the scope of the present invention that more than one prime mover can be used . for instance , separate prime movers can be attached to each of the two rollers 58 and 60 . in the embodiment using a direct current electric motor , it is preferred that the motor comprise a 12 - 18 volt motor coupled to a rechargeable battery , depending on the particular application , of the type commonly found on portable electric tools , such as portable electric drills . however , those with skill in the art will recognize that any type of electric motor with sufficient torque can be used with the current invention . also , other power sources such as alternating current and solar power sources can be used . in the embodiment of the present invention using a direct current electric motor , it is preferred that the motor be actuated using a remote control transmitter 74 using rf technology , as shown in fig8 and 9 . thus , a user can keep a remote rf transmitter 74 in a convenient location , such as the top of a mop cart , and actuate the transmitter when a new mop is desired . the transmitter 74 will then communicate with a rf receiver 76 on the mop dispenser , which will actuate the motor to dispense a mop . fig1 - 12 show a mop dispensing operation of one embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , if a user desires to dispense a flat mop 78 from a stack of mops 80 in the holding pan 12 , a user will first move the diverting member 46 to the rear of the mop dispenser and then actuate , in one embodiment , the electric motor 70 . this will cause the reciprocating bar 56 to reciprocate and move the mop to be dispensed 78 toward roller 58 which is connected to gear 64 . the mop 78 will then proceed through rollers 58 and 60 and , due to the position of diverter 46 , will be dispensed through dispensing aperture 48 and onto the top of holding pan 12 . alternatively , a user may decide that he or she wishes to dispense a mop directly onto a floor . in this case , the user will move the diverter 46 to the front of the mop dispenser and then actuate , in one embodiment , the electric motor 70 . this will cause the reciprocating bar 56 to reciprocate and move the mop to be dispensed 78 toward roller 58 which is connected to gear 64 . the mop 78 will then proceed through rollers 58 and 60 and , due to the position of diverter 46 , will be dispensed through dispensing aperture 50 and onto the floor . it should be noted that while a preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a reciprocating bar to facility a mop coming into contact with a roller , the present invention can be used without a reciprocating bar . as those with skill in the art will appreciate , because the flat mops typically connect to a mop frame using a hook and loop fastening system or other suitable attachment method , a user of the dispenser 10 will want the hook and loop system side of the flat mop to be facing up to facilitate the attachment of the mop frame to the flat mop and to avoid the user having to touch the flat mop to flip it over or to align the hook and loop fastening system . accordingly , when a user desires for a mop to be dispensed onto a floor , the flat mops will preferably be loaded into the holding pan 12 with their hook and loop system side facing up . this hook and loop system - side up orientation will be maintained as the mop is ejected out of exit port 50 , as shown in fig1 . on the other hand , if a user desires a flat mop to be dispensed onto the top of the holding pan 12 , the flat mops will preferably be loaded into the holding pan 12 with their hook and loop system side facing down , as the mops will be flipped over , and become hook and loop - side up , by the time they are ejected out of exit port 48 due to the action of roller 58 and diverter 46 , as shown in fig1 . as can be seen in fig1 - 12 , the stack of mops 80 is biased in an upward direction by resilient member 82 , which in a preferred embodiment comprises a pivoting ramp 84 and a spring member 86 . it is to be appreciated , however , that any type of biasing structure will work with the present invention . for example , resilient member 82 can be replaced with floatation devices , opposing magnets , foam , rubber , etc . alternatively , mops 80 can be manufactured so that they are buoyant in a cleaning solution , therefore removing the need for the resilient member 82 or other biasing structure all together . fig1 shows a wringer assembly 88 for use with one embodiment of the present invention . the wringer assembly 88 comprises a u - shaped bracket 90 that contains a threaded portion 92 and roller mounting extensions 94 , to which roller 60 is rotatably attached . the u - shaped bracket is slideably connected to mounting portions 96 preferably via a pin and slot configuration ( not shown ). however , those with skill in the art will recognize that any other structure for slidably mounting u - shaped bracket 90 to mounting portions 96 is acceptable in the practice of one embodiment of the present invention . the wringer assembly 88 includes a threaded bolt 98 , which is threaded into threaded portion 92 on one end and is connected to an adjusting knob 100 on the other end . the adjusting knob 100 is located on the outside of the rear housing 102 of pivoting head section 36 . accordingly , in order for the adjusting knob to connect to the threaded bolt 98 , the threaded bolt passes through aperture 104 in the rear housing 102 . the distance between roller 60 and roller 58 determines the pressure exerted by these rollers on a mop to be dispensed , and therefore determines how much cleaning solution is wrung from the mop as it passes through rollers 58 and 60 . thus , if a user desires a dryer mop , he or she will turn the adjusting knob 100 counterclockwise to bring the rollers 58 and 60 closer together . alternatively , if a user desires a wetter mop , he or she will turn the adjusting knob clockwise to provide more separation between rollers 58 and 60 . it should be appreciated that while the embodiment shown in fig1 provides for a movable roller 60 and a stationary roller 58 , other embodiments could be used with the practice of the present invention wherein both rollers are movable , or roller 58 , as opposed to roller 60 is movable . fig1 also shows that rollers 58 and 60 preferably contain knobby projections 106 , which aid the rollers 58 and 60 in picking up and wringing a mop . however , it will be appreciated that such projections , as well as adjustable rollers , are not necessary for the practice of the present invention . fig1 - 17 show a method , in one embodiment of the invention , for inserting the holding pan section 12 into the roller section 14 . as shown in fig1 , a user will first release and pivot the pivoting head section 36 of roller section 14 to the position shown in fig1 . next , a user will slide the holding pan section 12 into the roller section 14 until the holding pan section 12 cannot move any further in that direction ( as shown in fig1 ), which is the point in which contoured back section 37 ( fig5 ) of pivoting head section 36 abuts the contoured front section 33 ( fig3 ) of holding pan 12 . finally , the pivoting head section 36 is pivoted downward in the direction shown in fig1 so as to lock the pivoting head section 36 to base section 34 via locking tabs 44 and locking apertures 42 . this action also locks the holding pan section in the roller section 14 , so as to form a unitary mop dispenser 10 . the holding pan section 12 of one embodiment of the present invention can advantageously come in different sizes , so as to accommodate different mop sizes . for instance , a user can have a different holding pan section 12 for 15 inch , 20 inch and 26 inch mops , which each holding pan section having a similar structure so that they can be incorporated into roller section 14 without any modification thereto . different sized holding pan sections 12 are shown in fig1 . it will be appreciated , however , that in the alternative to having different holding pans of different sizes , a single holding pan could be used with removable partition walls . also , it is within the scope of the present invention that a large holding pan could be used for all sizes of mops and not have any partitions or other means for changing the size of the section of the pan where the mops sit . however , it is preferred that different sized holding pans or a pan with a partition wall ( s ) be used so that a user can conserve resources by not having to fill the holding pan with more cleaning solution than is necessary for a given mop size . because of the different holding pan 12 sizes ( and , accordingly , different mop sizes ) that roller section 14 can accommodate , the amount of revolutions of the rollers 58 and 60 will preferably change depending on the size of the mop to be dispensed . in one embodiment of the invention , the mop dispenser will include a mop selector 108 , as shown in fig1 , that displays the various mop sizes and contains a rotatable selector switch 110 that a user rotates to select the mop size being used . this selection by a user will change the amount of revolutions completed by rollers 58 and 60 when a user actuates the motor . thus , a larger mop size selection will result in a greater number of revolutions being performed by the rollers 58 and 60 and a smaller mop size selection will result in a lesser number of revolutions being performed by the rollers 58 and 60 . it should be understood that while mop sizes of 15 , 20 and 26 inches are shown as indicia on the rotatable selector switch , any size mop can be used in the practice of the present invention . another embodiment of the present invention includes an automatic holding pan size detection scheme that obviates the need for a manual selector . as shown in fig2 , one such automatic detection scheme employs three switches 112 , 114 and 116 located within the pivoting head section 36 of roller section 14 . in a preferred embodiment , one of these switches will be actuated depending on the size of the holding pan 12 inserted into roller section 14 . for instance , if a 12 ″ holding pan is inserted , a projection 118 on the angled section 32 will trigger switch 112 . alternatively , if a 20 ″ holding pan is inserted , a projection 120 , which is in a different position than projection 118 , will trigger switch 114 . likewise , if a 26 ″ holding pan is inserted , a projection 122 , which is in a different position than projections 118 and 120 will trigger switch 116 . it will be appreciated that any number of switches and / or projections can be used with the present invention . also , other detection schemes besides a projection and switch scheme can be used with the present invention . for instance , optical switches or magnetic switches can be used instead of the projections 118 , 120 and 122 and the mechanical switches 112 , 114 and 116 . fig2 shows a structure for mounting the mop dispenser 10 in one embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the mop dispenser 10 includes brackets 124 that can slide onto t - shaped projections 126 that are fixedly connected to clamps 128 . the clamps can then be attached , for instance , to a rolling mop cart . in a preferred embodiment , clamps 128 are designed to fit around a cylindrical bar . however , those with skill in the art will recognize that any type of clamp or attachment method can take the place of brackets 124 , t - shaped projections 126 and clamps 128 , for instance , hook and loop , magnets , snap joints , bolts , welding , etc . another embodiment of the invention , as shown in fig2 , shows that instead of having the t - shaped projections connected to a clamp , they are connected to an elongated base structure 130 . this embodiment can be used , for instance , when a user desires to have the mop dispenser 10 resting directly on a floor . as those skilled in the art will readily understand , operation of one embodiment of the present invention is accomplished by a user first deciding what size mop he or she wishes to use , and selecting the appropriately sized holding pan 12 . next , the user locks the holding pan 12 into the rolling section 14 and fills the holding pan 12 with the desired amount and size of flat mops and subsequently fills the holding pan 12 with cleaning solution . when a user desires to dispense a flat mop ( either from a rolling mop cart , from the floor or otherwise ), the user first selects the desired method of dispensing the mops ( i . e ., by moving diverter 46 toward the front or rear of the roller section 14 to dispense the mop either onto the top of the holding pan or onto the floor , respectively ). to dispense a mop , the user then energizes the prime mover ( either through a rf transmitter , a hand or foot pedal , a crank or otherwise ) and dispenses a mop . once the mop has been dispensed , the user can then use the mop for any desired purpose . thus , as can be seen by the above description the mop dispenser 10 of the present invention allows a user to easily dispense mops with minimal effort , without contaminating the cleaning solution with dirt , bacteria or viruses , and while conserving resources by not having to waste cleaning solution . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . for instance , although a preferred embodiment of the present invention is used to dispense flat mops , any object with acceptable dimensions can be dispensed in the dispenser of the present invention , such as , for instance , finishing applicators . also , both reusable and disposable mops and other objects can be used with the practice of the present invention . the description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification , but be defined by the claims set forth below .
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fig1 illustrates one embodiment of a curing light device or curing light for curing light - curable compounds such as dental compounds in accordance with the aspects of the present invention . in fig1 device 10 includes a housing 12 which is to be manipulated for curing . housing 12 is generally gun - shaped and includes a handle portion 14 and a barrel portion 16 . the operator , such as a dentist , grips housing 12 around the handle portion 14 and directs the barrel portion 16 in the direction of the tooth surface ( or other work surface ) and compound to be cured ( not shown ). for curing dental filling and coating compounds , the dentist would generally position at least part of the barrel portion in the mouth of a patient with a radiating end 17 of the barrel portion pointing at a particular tooth or teeth . the handle portion 14 includes an operational trigger switch 1 8 which is operably coupled to a power supply 20 and / or control circuit 24 for selectively operating the device and supplying power to light - emitting elements 32 to generate a curing light beam , as discussed further below . the power supply 20 is shown located in handle portion 14 , but might also be located elsewhere in the housing . in one embodiment of the invention , the power supply is portable and incorporates batteries 22 . the batteries could be any suitable type ( e . g . lithium batteries ), and may be disposable or rechargeable . to that end , housing 12 may include a port 23 for coupling an external charger ( not shown ) to the power supply 20 to charge rechargeable batteries 22 . alternatively , an external power supply , such as one powered by an ac outlet , may be coupled to power supply 20 to provide the power necessary to operate device 10 . a control circuit 24 is mounted within housing 12 and is operably coupled to the power supply 20 , trigger switch 1 8 and the other components of device 10 , such as array 32 , for operating and controlling the components . control circuit 24 , for example , may include various electrical circuit components mounted on a circuit board and arranged in a way determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art for providing the desired power and control of device 10 . for example , the control circuit 24 will usually include conventional control circuits for a curing light device , such as a timer , for timing the operational radiation cycle for the device when the trigger switch is engaged . a microprocessor may also be utilized for such control , rather than discrete components . it will be readily understood that the control circuit may be configured in various different ways to properly operate curing light 10 . in one embodiment , the microprocessor control will regulate the lamp voltage to produce a constant output . in other embodiments , the microprocessor control might be utilized to ramp the power up or down in a selected fashion for proper curing . barrel portion 16 is appropriately formed and may include an angled distal or radiating end 17 to direct a curing light beam 21 out of the housing and onto a tooth surface or other work surface . it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the shape of housing 12 may also vary . barrel portion 16 is shown as solid in the figures ; however , it might also be vented for heat dissipation purposes . furthermore , the barrel portion 16 might be separate from the rest of the housing and removably secured to the housing by any suitable method as is known in the art . for example , the barrel portion 16 might be screw - mounted to the housing 12 . still further , the power supply might be positioned in line with the barrel portion to reduce or eliminate the handle portion and thereby streamline the design , such as for a small , pocket curing light . the housing 12 is formed of a suitable light - weight plastic material such as polysulphone . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in which a beam of radiation or light 21 utilized for curing purposes is generated by an array 32 of light - emitting elements positioned proximate the radiating end 17 of the barrel portion 16 . heat generated by the array 32 is transmitted from the radiating end 17 , or distal end , back to a proximal end 19 of the barrel portion , where it is further dissipated . in the embodiment of fig1 a heat tube 38 is thermally coupled to the array 32 and conductively transfers heat generated by the array to a heat exchanger 26 , which is then convectively cooled . an appropriate fan 28 with motor 29 and blade 30 may be mounted within the housing 12 , as shown in fig1 to assist convective cooling . more specifically , referring to fig2 the illustrated embodiment of the present invention utilizes a plurality of individual light - emitting dies 30 which are mounted to form a collective array 32 on a substrate 34 . the dies 30 are small , bare semiconductor junctions and are constructed using a light generating semiconductor material . the dies 30 are preferably not separately or individually packaged or otherwise mounted with individual integral lenses as are conventional light - emitting diodes or leds . conventional leds used in the prior art have integral and individual packages , usually including a reflector and an integrally formed individual lens . the dies of the invention might be used with additional components , such as a clear protective coating 40 , which is applied over the dies on substrate 34 , or other added components . however , the dies as mounted are essentially bare semiconductor junctions , without prepackaged individual and integral reflectors and lenses , as are found in conventional leds . as noted above , the dies 30 are not individually lensed , as are conventional leds . however , they might be covered with a clear protective layer or coating 40 of plastic to improve the durability of the array 32 . the substrate 34 is an electrically insulated substrate which has heat conductive properties . in one embodiment of the invention , substrate 34 may be a sapphire substrate or a diamond which has electrically insulative properties , but which also conducts heat away from the die array 32 . for the purposes of uniform light generation within a beam having a generally circular cross - section , the dies of array 30 are preferably arranged in a circular pattern . u . s . patent application , ser . no . 09 / 009 , 205 , illustrates several circular patterns of dies and light generating elements suitable for an embodiment of the present invention . the substrate 34 is bonded to a heat sink 36 , formed of a suitable thermally conductive material , such as copper . heat sink 36 is then welded or soldered to one end of a liquid - filled heat tube or pipe 38 for conductively transferring heat generated by the dies 30 away from the heat sink 36 , substrate 34 and array 32 . a heat conductive liquid 39 contacts the back side of heat sink 36 , opposite substrate 34 and array 32 ( see fig2 ), and thermally pulls heat from the sink . therefore , the die array is effectively conductively cooled using the heat tube 38 and the intermediate elements 34 , 36 . heat tube 38 , which includes a heat conductive liquid 39 therein , such as saline , is commercially available from aavid thermal technologies . one particularly unique aspect of the present invention is that the array 32 is conductively cooled to provide adequate heat transfer from the light - generating dies 30 . prior art structures have traditionally relied upon convective cooling in which a heat sink and other heat dissipating devices thermally coupled to the light - generating elements are convectively air cooled , such as by a fan . one particular problem with prior art devices has been the dissipation of heat which is generated by the leds or other light - generating elements utilized therein . in the present invention , the heat tube 38 rapidly conductively draws heat away from array 32 and dies 30 for improved cooling characteristics . this allows a sufficient amount of curing light power to be generated for proper curing while maintaining an array which does not overheat . the present invention therefore provides improved heat transfer and dissipation capabilities with respect to the prior art . referring again to fig1 and the embodiment of the invention which utilizes the array 32 located at the distal , or radiating end 17 of barrel portion 16 , the opposite , or proximal , end of the heat tube 38 is thermally coupled to a heat exchanger 36 , which is then convectively cooled by fan 28 . the heat exchanger , which may be soldered to the heat tube 38 , has fins , as shown , over which air is directed . therefore , the die array 32 is conductively cooled by the heat tube 38 and a liquid therein , and the heat tube is then convectively cooled at the opposite end by air , such as by a fan . for directing and collimating the beam 21 generated by array 32 , the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig2 utilizes a reflective surface 42 , and an optical focusing device 44 to collimate light from the array 32 into a beam to be directed into the mouth of the patient for curing compound therein or to be directed to some other work surface . as shown , the array 32 , reflective surface 42 and optical focusing device 44 are all positioned at the distal end of the barrel portion . thereby , the light is directly radiated onto the work surface and compound . therefore , the embodiment of fig1 and 2 eliminates various air - to - object interfaces which tend to be lossy . as such , the present invention more efficiently delivers power from the light generating elements to the work surface . generally , the radiating or distal end 17 will be positioned in the mouth of the patient to radiate a beam of light directly onto a work surface with a light - curable compound . prior art devices using light transmitting devices with multiple lossy interfaces often have difficulty in generating sufficient light power densities for curing . the present invention addresses this issue by eliminating various lossy interfaces . to focus the light from array 32 , the curing light device 10 uses a reflective surface or reflector 42 which encircles the array as shown in fig2 . in the illustrated embodiment , the reflective surface 42 is formed by an appropriately shaped plastic ring structure 43 , which circumferentially surrounds the outer edge of array 32 defined by substrate 34 . reflective surface 42 is generally parabolic in shape and is formed by coating the surface 42 of plastic structure 43 with a reflective coating for the purpose of efficient reflection . a mylar coating , available from 3 m , has proven to have suitable properties for that purpose and has an approximately 99 % reflective efficiency for the purposes of the present embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig2 . as shown in fig2 the plastic ring structure 43 forms the generally parabolic reflective surface 42 around array 32 for directing the light away from the dies 30 and into an input end 45 of the optical focusing device 44 . the optical focusing device , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , is a non - imaging device . one suitable non - imaging optical focusing device is a non - imaging lens 44 having a generally truncated conical shape , as illustrated in fig2 . a non - imaging lens , such as lens 44 , receives the light from array 32 at an input end 45 and directs and concentrates the light from array 32 into a focused beam at the output end 47 of the non - imaging lens 44 . however , the non - imaging lens does not form an optical image , which is inefficient . a non - imaging optical focusing device as used in the present invention efficiently collimates light so that a desirable light power density is achieved at the work surface , such as a surface of a tooth . the light power density from the array 32 is not reduced by the formation of an image as with traditional optical lenses . one suitable , non - imaging lens is formed of a transparent polycarbonate material . as illustrated , structure 43 is appropriately formed to receive the input end 45 of lens 44 to position the lens in coaxial alignment with the array 32 and surface 42 about axis 51 . each of the lens and surface 42 preferably have generally circular transverse cross sections for efficient transfer of the light along axis 51 . one suitable combination of a reflective surface and optical focusing device , which are operably coupled together , is available from teledyne , of hawthorne , calif . the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig2 shows a single non - imaging optical focusing device 44 for the array 32 of dies . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention , it is anticipated that multiple non - imaging optical focusing devices might be utilized . for example , referring to fig2 a , substrate 34 a may include multiple groups of dies , 30 a , 30 b , which are arranged on the substrate 34 a to operate as separate groups of light - generating elements . to that end , a non - imaging optical focusing device 44 a may be associated with one group of dies 34 a , while another non - imaging optical focusing device 44 b may be associated with dies 30 b of the other group . of course , greater numbers of non - imaging optical focusing devices may be utilized for other discrete groups of dies . generally , however , there will be a substantially smaller number of non - imaging optical focusing devices than there are individual dies . that is , in the embodiments of the invention illustrated in fig2 and 2a , a single non - imaging optical focusing device will serve a multiple number of individual light - emitting dies . the multiple focusing devices will cooperate to transmit light along axis 51 . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention , the barrel portion 16 of the device 10 , particularly the distal or radiating end 17 of the barrel portion , is inserted into the mouth of the patient for curing compound therein . accordingly , before use with the next patient , it will be appreciated that the device would have to be sterilized . prior art devices must be completely sterilized , such as by autoclaving , as mentioned above , which further complicates and delays the curing procedure . the present invention provides a unique construction which eliminates the requirement of sterilization of the entire device or of a sterilization process altogether and thereby makes the curing process simpler , quicker , and more cost - effective . to that end , the invention utilizes a removable sleeve which may be separately autoclaved . alternatively , as mentioned , the sleeve may be disposable to be discarded after one use . specifically , in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the ring structure 43 forming reflective surface 42 and the adjacent non - imaging lens 44 are mounted and secured within a sleeve 50 . the sleeve 50 could be made of a suitable disposable plastic , such as pvc , or an autoclavable plastic , and the sleeve is configured for being positioned over at least a section of the barrel portion 16 of the device 10 . preferably , the sleeve is configured to extend over a significant section of the barrel portion 16 , and at least over the part of the barrel portion 16 exposed to the mouth of a patient . in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 the sleeve 50 is configured to be positioned over the heat tube 38 and array 32 . the sleeve 50 is configured to position the lens 44 and reflective surface coaxially with the array 32 . in one embodiment of the invention , once the device has been used for curing , the sleeve 50 , ring structure 43 , and non - imaging lens 44 , may then be removed from the heat tube and away from the array 32 of light - emitting dies . the sleeve , including the lens and reflective structure 43 could then be discarded with the sleeve 50 . alternatively , the sleeve and lens and reflective structure could be removed and autoclaved and then placed back in position . in an alternative embodiment , only the sleeve might be autoclavable or disposable . the lens 44 and ring structure would then remain with the array 32 or could be separately positioned with the array apart from sleeve 50 . in such a case , only the sleeve would be discarded or autoclaved . the device and the component parts , including the heat tube 38 , heat sink 36 , substrate 34 , and dies 32 , are not been directly exposed to a patient because they are covered by the sleeve . in the embodiment where the lens and structure 43 are separate from the sleeve , those parts will be isolated as well . therefore , the isolated or covered components do not have to be sterilized or autoclaved as required with prior art devices and methods . thereafter , a new or sterilized sleeve , possibly including a new or sterilized reflective structure 43 and lens 44 , is inserted onto the heat tube 38 and barrel portion 16 and aligned with the array of dies 32 for the next use . the present invention therefore reduces the possibility of contamination between dental patients and further enhances the curing method by eliminating the sterilization process completely or only requiring that the sleeve be autoclaved . as a result , the curing process is simpler and more efficient . with a disposable sleeve , the process is also more cost effective , as autoclaving equipment does not have to be purchased and operated to sterilize the curing light . the present invention as illustrated in fig2 also improves upon the prior art by delivering a beam of light from a source close to the work surface ( e . g ., a tooth ). specifically , the distal or radiating end 17 of the barrel portion 16 is positioned at or proximate a tooth surface containing the curable compound . with the light delivered directly from the array 32 to the surface through only the non - imaging lens 44 , numerous lossy air / glass interfaces are eliminated between the die array 32 and the output surface 49 of the device 10 . conventionally , the light generating elements have been positioned away from the work surface and inside the housing such that a fiber optic light guide was necessary to transmit the light to the work surface . furthermore , with such light guides , it is often necessary to use a converging optical lens before the light guide so that the generated light may be efficiently focused into the input end of the light guide . light guides and converging lenses present lossy air / glass interfaces to the light beam . it has been estimated that air / glass interfaces may produce light power losses in the range of approximately 10 % per interface . by eliminating the interfaces between the dies 30 and the tooth surface , the present invention light transmits light in an efficient , collimated form with less of the power loss at the various interfaces that are required in the prior art . therefore , the present invention provides efficient transmission of a collimated light beam to the work surface of the tooth and curable compound thereon . with more efficient transfer of light , a smaller number of dies 30 in the array 32 may be used while still providing a sufficient light intensity or light power density at the output surface 49 of the lens . in that way , the invention may provide suitable curing power levels in a generally compact and easily manipulated device . furthermore , with less loss at the interface , less heat is generated , further improving on the prior art . in the preferred embodiment of the invention , the dies 30 are positioned in the array 32 with a density sufficient to provide a light power output density at the desired wavelength in the range of approximately 200 - 1400 mw / cm 2 . in one embodiment of the invention , the dies are generally square in shape , and are 0 . 010 inches per side . the dies are spot welded to the substrate and specifically to leads ( not shown ), which are electrically coupled to a control circuit 24 and / or power supply 20 . the die substrate is preferably is circular , having a diameter of approximately 0 . 19 inches ( approximately 4 . 8 millimeters ). a suitable number of dies are positioned on substrate 34 to generate the desired light and power density at the output surface 49 of the non - imaging optical focusing device 44 . generally , in one embodiment of the invention , 30 - 60 dies are suitable for generating desirable curing light power densities . of course , a greater or lesser number of dies may be utilized in other embodiments of the invention . because of the unique cooling arrangement of the present invention utilizing conductive cooling , the reduction of lossy interfaces and the overall configuration of the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein , the dies may be driven at a sufficient power level to yield the desired light power output or light density , in the range of approximately 200 - 1400 mw / cm 2 . generally , the dies may be driven by 12 volts dc in series sets of 3 dies . for example , one embodiment could be a 34 die lamp which may be operated at 8 . 13 watts ( 8 . 7 v and 0 . 935 a ). such a design proved efficient and performed a suitable job of curing . another embodiment might use 60 die for a higher power output ( e . g . a 67 % increase in power ). in one embodiment of the invention , series groups of three dies are connected in series to a 12 volt dc source through a current - limiting resistor . to that end , each die is then driven with approximately 4 volts dc . furthermore , by utilizing a 12 volt source , the fan may also be driven by that dc source . it may be readily understood that other arrangements of dies may be utilized , driven by sources having various different power or voltage output levels . preferably , the dies 30 are positioned in the array 32 in a sufficient density to provide a curing light which has a suitable light power output for proper curing , but which does not overheat tissues surrounding the work surface , such as a tooth . the inventive lamp will provide less heat to the tissue than a halogen lamp . for example , an embodiment with 34 die as described above yielded a radiometer reading of 200 mw / cm 2 , while a comparable cure with a 52 watt halogen lamp yielded readings around 600 mw / cm 2 . because of the much lower radiometer readings , tissue damage should not be as significant an issue with the invention as with a halogen light . with current dental applications , it is desirable to utilize a die array 32 which generates blue light in a wavelength range of approximately to 470 ± 20 nanometers because current compounds are sensitive to blue light . current filtered halogen lamps produce light in the 400 - 500 nanometer range . while such blue light is suitable for current dental applications , the present invention is not limited to only blue light wavelengths for curing purposes . rather , the present invention may be utilized with compounds that may cure utilizing light at other various wavelengths . furthermore , the non - imaging optical focusing device 44 may be sized appropriately depending upon the application . for example , a lens having an 8 millimeter cross - sectional diameter at the output surface 49 may be utilized for small curing applications , whereas a lens having a cross - sectional diameter of 11 millimeters at surface 49 might be utilized for larger curing applications . as may be appreciated , to ensure efficient transfer of curing light to the work surface , it is desirable that a majority , if not all , of the light generated by the dies of array 32 is transmitted into and out of the non - imaging optical focusing device 44 . to that end , the reflective surface 32 is shaped and configured in diameter to ensure that the light beam is collected and reflected into the input end 45 of the optical focusing device 44 . in the illustrated embodiment , the output end 51 of the reflective surface which interfaces with the input end 45 of the optical focusing device is smaller in diameter than the input end 45 . in that way , the light reflected by surface 42 is captured by the optical focusing device 44 . the non - imaging optical focusing device 44 is not restricted by a focal length , since it is a non - imaging device . in that way , the device 44 captures and collimates the light beam for efficient transmission to a work surface , such as a tooth . therefore , the present invention is not particularly sensitive to the distance which the output end 49 is maintained from the tooth surface . of course , it is generally desirable to position the output end 49 as close to the tooth surface as possible for efficient curing . in accordance with another aspect of the invention , the dies 30 might be evenly arranged on substrate 34 to form a generally circular array , as illustrated in several of the embodiments disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 200 , 134b1 . the dies might also be mounted in various groupings , such as subgroups of four or some other number , and then such subgroups would be mounted on the substrate . that is , sub groups of multiple dies could be individually mounted and electrically coupled together , and subsequently the subgroups could be mounted on the substrate with other subgroups . as such , the invention would not be limited to individual mounting of all of the dies . fig3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein the die array is also positioned proximate the distal , or radiating end 17 of the barrel portion 16 of the housing . in the alternative embodiment , the structure is somewhat similar to the device 10 illustrated within fig1 , and 2 a , with a different construction at the distal or radial end 17 , as illustrated in fig3 . specifically , the alternative embodiment utilizes an array of dies 60 mounted on a substrate layer 62 . the substrate layer could be sapphire or diamond which has suitable thermally conductive properties for heat dissipation while remaining electrically insulated . substrate 62 is then bonded to a heat sink 64 which may be made of a suitable material , such as copper . the die array 60 and the assembly including the substrate 62 and heat sink 64 are then welded or soldered onto an end of a liquid - filled heat tube 66 , which conductively transfers heat away from the heat sink . in that way , the alternative embodiment of the invention utilizes the advantages provided by the above - discussed embodiment , due to the conductive cooling of the substrate and die array . as illustrated in fig1 the opposite end of the heat tube 66 is coupled to the heat exchanger 26 which is convectively cooled , such as by a fan 28 . to focus light from the die array 60 in an efficient manner into a collimated and focused light beam , the embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 utilizes a total internal reflection , or tir lens . tir lenses are known ( e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 337 , 759 ) and are commercially available , such as from tir technologies , a division of teledyne . tir lenses are more efficient than typical fresnel lenses , and provide a collimated beam of light generated by the die array 60 . the tir lens structure 68 , shown in fig3 utilizes a series of saw - tooth surfaces 69 for collimating light from the array 60 at various different angles into a beam of light 70 focused in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the array , as illustrated by reference numeral 70 . in that way , light from the array may be efficiently delivered to a curable compound on a work surface . preferably , the tir lens is a non - imaging optical focusing device . the lens 68 is appropriately arranged to be generally coaxially aligned with array 60 for efficient light transmission . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , the tir lens 68 is formed of a suitable polycarbonate . as discussed above , lens 68 may be incorporated with a disposable sleeve 72 positioned around the heat pipe 66 . when an application is complete , the sleeve 72 and tir lens 69 may be removed and discarded , thus eliminating the need to further sterilize or autoclave the device 10 . alternatively , lens 68 may be separately positioned with respect to sleeve 72 to be separately discarded or to remain with the array 60 . the embodiment illustrated in fig3 further provides efficient delivery of light from the die array to a work surface because the die and lens are positioned at the radiating or distal end 17 of the barrel portion to be directly adjacent to the work surface . in that way , various air / glass interfaces are eliminated to reduce power losses associated with such interfaces , as discussed above . the array 60 of leds might be arranged and dimensioned similarly as discussed above with respect to the embodiment illustrated in fig2 . the tir lens 68 will generally have a circular cross - sectional diameter significantly greater than the circular cross - sectional diameter of the array in order for the lens to capture light which is generated by the array at very small angles with respect to the plane of the array 60 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 a reflector is not utilized between the die array 60 and the lens 68 . therefore , the lens must be sized appropriately to capture low angle light , such as that illustrated by reference line 73 . fig4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the die array is positioned more centrally within the housing and spaced rearwardly from the barrel portion . specifically , a die assembly , similar to that illustrated in fig2 is mounted in the housing proximate the proximal end 19 of the barrel portion . the substrate 34 is then coupled directly to the heat exchanger 26 , which may be convectively cooled , such as by a fan 28 . the barrel portion 16 , rather than housing a heat tube , houses a light pipe or light guide 76 . such light guides are commercially available and come in a variety of different sizes . generally , such light pipes are formed of a plurality of optical fibers ( for example , approximately 5 , 000 fibers which are fused into a single light pipe structure ). the beam of light transmitted into the input end 77 located at the proximal end 19 of the barrel portion 16 , is transmitted through the light pipe and is directed out the transmission end 78 of the pipe at the distal end 17 of the barrel portion 16 . the light pipe may maintain uniform diameter from the input end 77 to the output or transmission end 78 , or may taper from one diameter to a smaller diameter at the transmission end 78 . preferably , the light pipe is bent to follow the bent barrel portion 16 , illustrated in fig4 so that the beam of light is directed downwardly , such as into the mouth of the patient . alternatively , the light pipe itself may form part of the barrel portion and may be attached to the housing 12 , such as by being screwed into the housing . the non - imaging optical focusing device , such as a non - imaging optical lens 44 , is used to focus the light into the light pipe . the input end 77 of the light pipe is dimensioned appropriately so that light is efficiently delivered through the focusing device 44 to the light pipe 76 . to that end , the focusing device 44 collimates the light so that it does not diverge beyond the input end 77 of the light pipe . generally , light pipes have a defined angle of acceptance at their input end 77 , such as 40 °. light directed outside of that acceptance angle is not captured by the light pipe and transferred to the work surface . the reflective surface 42 and non - imaging optical focusing device 44 utilized in the embodiment in fig4 are designed to generate a beam of light which does not diverge more the acceptance angle of the light pipe . in that way , energy is efficiently translated from the array which outputs light in generally a 180 ° angle . therefore , the present invention utilizes a non - imaging optical focusing device which collimates light from a 180 ° light output source to a column which does not diverge more than the acceptance angle of the light pipe to which the light is input . in still a further embodiment of the invention , the die array and the tir lens structure similar to that shown in fig3 might be utilized within the housing as shown in fig4 . to that end , the die array 60 , substrate 62 , and heat sink 64 are coupled to the appropriate heat exchanger , which is then convectively cooled , such as by a fan . in such an embodiment , as well as in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 device 10 would generally have to be sterilized or autoclaved after each use . however , since the die array and optical focusing devices are positioned inside the handle portion of the housing , they would be protected from the high temperatures associated with such sterilization . alternatively , as illustrated in fig4 a disposable sleeve 82 might be utilized with the embodiment to cover the light pipe . the disposable sleeve 82 may be discarded with each use , thus effectively eliminating the required autoclaving step . while the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof , and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail , it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details representative apparatus and method , and illustrative examples shown and described . accordingly , departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of applicant &# 39 ; s general inventive concept .
| 6 |
referring now to fig1 a table representative of various power system characteristics of interest for implementing the present invention . the table identifies the minimum and maximum limits , direction of change , rate of change , and behavior of change for transients / noise , as compared to real frequency events such as normal load , severe overload , and generator startup or load rejection . since the input of interest ( power system frequency ) is a single quantity in time , most of the characteristics of interest are related to changes of the quantity . it will be apparent from the table that the real frequency events are characterized by a relatively slow change in period , or by a relatively fast change in period but having a recognizable trend in one direction ( e . g ., increasing or decreasing ). these characteristics can be used , according to an aspect of the present invention , to distinguish the real frequency events from transients or noise , which can be characterized by relatively fast , erratic ( i . e ., demonstrating no readily recognizable trend ) changes in period . referring now to fig2 a logic diagram representing an exemplary implementation of the present invention is shown . in this example , it is assumed that a protective relay or other device for the monitoring or protective control of a power system is provided with a microprocessor , programmable logic , circuitry , or other suitable means for performing comparisons of various power system data . in fig2 it is further assumed that t n is an n - th period measurement , f n = 1 / t n and is an n - th frequency calculation , df n / dt =( f n − f n − 1 ) t n , and is an n - th frequency rate calculation , and | d 2 f n / dt 2 |=[( df n / dt )−( df n / dt )]/ t n , and is an n - th frequency acceleration calculation . further , to implement the logic scheme of fig2 maximum frequency values ( f min and f max ) are determined for all frequency events ; maximum frequency rate values (| df / dt | norm and | df / dt max ) are determined for the maximum frequency change rate under normal load conditions and for any frequency event , respectively ; and a maximum frequency acceleration value | d 2 f n / dt 2 | max , is determined for all frequency events . using these values , the logic scheme of fig2 can be described as follows : a logical and operation is performed to determine if both the n - th frequency rate calculation (| df n / dt |) is less than or equal to the maximum frequency rate value ( condition 12 ) and the n - th frequency acceleration calculation (| d 2 f n / dt 2 |) is less than or equal to the maximum frequency acceleration ( condition 14 ). the result of this first and operation using conditions 12 and 14 as inputs is then provided as a first input to a logical or operation , where the other input to the logical or operation is the comparison of df n / dt to the maximum “ normal conditions ” frequency rate value ( condition 16 ). if either condition 16 is true or both of conditions 12 and 14 are true , then n - th frequency calculation f n will be accepted as true ( that is , as the correct power system frequency ), if f n is within the range of f min − f max ( condition 18 ). using the exemplary power system parameters set forth in fig1 values appropriate for the logic scheme of fig2 can be determined as follows : the other values of interest ( df / dt | norm , | d 2 f n / dt 2 | max ) are based upon power system characteristics . testing has determined that appropriate values for these parameters are approximately 2 - 3 hz and 3 - 5 hz / s 2 , respectively . referring now to fig3 a flow chart describing a method for implementing the present invention is shown . the exemplary method can be implemented in a protective relay or other power control device having , or being operatively associated with , a suitably - programmed microprocessor , programmable logic , or circuitry . the example assumes that the appropriate maximum and minimum values have been determined for the power system . in step 100 , a first frequency calculation is performed by the protective relay to determine the frequency of the power system . in step 102 , first and second derivatives of the calculated frequency are determined . in step 104 , comparisons to previously - determined threshold values are performed ( e . g ., by the microprocessor or other suitable comparison circuitry ) to determine whether conditions 12 , 14 , or 16 exist . in step 106 , it is determined whether the first frequency calculation is accepted as valid ; that is , whether either condition 16 exists , or whether both conditions 12 and 14 exist , and whether the calculated frequency value is within the predefined range f min − f max . if it is determined in step 106 that the first frequency calculation is valid , then in step 108 , the sampling frequency of the protective relay is adjusted as necessary to track the valid first frequency calculation . if it is determined in step 106 that the first frequency calculation is not valid , then the first frequency calculation is not accepted and the process is repeated . fig4 depicts the signal space of valid signals representing real frequency events according to the present example . as reflected in the signal space diagram , signals accepted as representing real frequency events have a frequency within the range of f min − f max , and either have a first derivative ( df / dt ) less than the threshold value df / dt norm , or have both a first derivative less than the threshold value df / dt max , and a second derivative less than the threshold value | d 2 f n / dt 2 | max . referring now to fig5 frequency plots showing the synchronization of the sampling rate of a protective relay to the power system frequency , using both an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional “ averaging ” method are provided . in fig5 the power system frequency is represented by a waveform 52 , the performance of the conventional “ averaging ” method is shown as bold waveform 54 , and the performance of the embodiment of the present invention as a lighter - shaded , substantially constant line 56 . it can be seen that the relay implementing the technique of the present invention provides greatly improved synchronization , and hence greatly improved accuracy of the fourier transform calculations and greatly improved protective control capabilities of the protective relay . in particular , it can be seen in fig5 that current reversals , such as those occurring at points 58 and 60 , produce inaccuracies in the conventional frequency tracking scheme during time intervals 62 and 64 , and that these inaccuracies are substantially reduced by the exemplary technique of the present invention . fig6 shows a block diagram of a protective relay capable of implementing the present invention . the relay 66 includes connection ports 68 for connection to a power distribution system 70 . through the ports 68 , the relay can sense system conditions ( e . g ., by sampling system data at a data sampling rate ), and provide appropriate protective control if and when necessary . the relay 66 further includes a suitably - programmed microprocessor 72 which , in addition to performing conventional control functions , also adjusts the sampling frequency to the frequency of the power distribution system according , e . g ., to the method described in the connection with fig3 or other suitable method . in this matter , the microprocessor 72 constitutes an exemplary means for carrying out both protective control functions and frequency tracking functions . while the foregoing description contains numerous details , it is to be understood that these are provided for purposes of explanation only , and that these details are not to be read as limitations of the present invention . the specific exemplary embodiments described above can be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the following claims and their legal equivalents .
| 7 |
in the light of the above , the technical problem underlying the present invention is that of providing a drilling device for printed circuit boards which is structurally and functionally designed to enable the limits of the cited prior art to be remedied . in the context of this problem , the main object of the present invention is to provide a drilling device which substantially reduces the masses subject to acceleration during the various drilling phases . this problem is resolved and this and other objects are achieved by a drilling device embodied in accordance with the accompanying claims . the notion of the solution underlying the present invention is based on the observation that known devices involve an unnecessary movement of the workpiece - pressing device which is normally connected to the drill head and therefore follows its movements towards and away from the board . according to the invention , the device is caused to move independently with respect to the drill head , and is actuated by an independent positioning actuator only in the initial stage of positioning and adjustment of the so - called “ planar circuit ” while any other movement towards and away from the board to be drilled is carried out by means of an independent actuator , for instance of piezoelectric type , actuated at a frequency equal to the drilling frequency so as to work in a synchronised manner with the drill head . an actuator of voice coil or like type may be efficiently used as an alternative to a piezoelectric actuator . the characteristic features and advantages of the invention are set out in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof , shown by way of non - limiting example in the accompanying drawings , in which : fig1 is a perspective view of a device for the high - speed drilling of boards for printed circuits and the like ; fig2 is a front elevation of the device of fig1 ; fig3 is a perspective view , in longitudinal section , of a detail of the device of fig1 ; fig4 is a perspective view of a variant of the device of the invention . in the drawings , a device for the high - speed drilling of boards for printed circuits and the like is shown overall by 1 . the device 1 comprises a support 2 on which a linear actuator 3 is mounted , whose rod 3 a acts on a first carriage 4 . the first carriage 4 is mounted to slide on the support 2 by means of guides 5 and shoes 6 ; a second carriage 8 which may also slide on the support 2 by means of a second actuator 3 b is mounted on different guides 7 and comprises similar shoes ( not shown ). the second carriage 8 is normally locked with respect to the support 2 . a drill head 11 is mounted on the first carriage 4 and comprises a mandrel 12 able to drive a drill bit 13 in rotation at high speed . the actuator 3 displaces the first carriage 4 towards and away from a board p to be drilled during the desired drilling movements . the second carriage , together with an arm 15 mounted thereon , is part of a workpiece - pressing device shown overall by 16 which is adapted to press the board p against a working surface ( not shown ) during drilling by means of the bit 13 . the arm 15 is embodied as a leaf spring extending in a cantilevered and projecting manner from a plate 17 which at the bottom closes an actuator member 18 . the arm 15 is made in one piece with the plate 17 and ends at one of its roots in a weakened line 19 a cut into the plate 17 which is adapted to create a preferential resiliently yielding zone about which the arm 15 tends to oscillate when actuated by the actuator 18 . the actuator 18 is of piezoelectric type and is adapted to promote the alternating oscillating movement of the arm 15 about the weakened line 19 a . at the free end of the arm 15 , opposite its root , there is formed a support 15 c on which a pressure member 19 is mounted and is free to oscillate about a diametric axis 20 so as to be disposed coplanar to the board p when bearing thereon . the pressure member 19 is shaped as an annular bushing with a crown 21 of greater diameter and a crown 22 of smaller diameter which are coaxial and both provided with a central hole 23 . a variant of the device 1 is shown in fig4 . details similar to those of the preceding embodiment bear the same reference numerals . the actuator of the embodiment of fig4 , shown by 118 , is of the type known as a voice coil actuator and is connected by means of a control rod 119 to the arm 115 of the workpiece - pressing device 16 . the arm 115 is in turn hinged at the location of a pin 120 on a fork support 121 which is stationary on the carriage 8 . the actuation of the actuator 118 therefore generates an oscillation , whose frequency can be controlled and adjusted , of the arm 115 about the pin 120 thereby raising and lowering the pressure member 19 towards and away from the board p to be drilled . the drilling device 1 is actuated by means of a computerised digital control which does not form part of the subject matter of the present invention . the first operation prior to the stage of drilling of the board p is therefore to determine the so - called “ planar circuit ” position so that the control learns for which coordinates the head 11 and the workpiece pressing device 16 are physically in a predetermined position with respect to the board p . for this first operation , the second carriage 8 displaces the workpiece - pressing device 16 until it brings the latter to contact the board p with a predetermined contact pressure . when the assembly is raised by a predetermined extent , the second carriage 8 is locked with respect to the support 2 . in these conditions , the linear actuator 3 governs only the actuation of the drill head 11 and is subject to the forces of inertia relating only to its mass which are substantially smaller than those relating to the overall mass of the head 11 and workpiece - pressing device 16 . it will be appreciated that the reduction of the masses in question in turn makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the linear actuator 3 and its rod 3 a which helps further to reduce the overall forces of inertia involved . the workpiece - pressing device 16 is actuated towards and away from the board p by the piezoelectric actuator 18 or voice coil actuator 118 , whose action is adjusted by varying the supply frequency thereof . this frequency variation , obtained for instance by an inverter , corresponds to the same frequency variation of the cycle of pressure and raising of the arm 15 ( as a result of the known piezoelectric properties of piezoelectric actuators and electromagnetic properties of voice coil actuators ) and therefore of the pressure member 19 which alternates between a position pressed against the board p and a position raised therefrom . the supply frequency of the actuator is therefore adjusted to coincide with the frequency of the drilling cycle carried out by means of the bit 13 . moreover , varying the distance of the board p to be drilled with respect to the workpiece - pressing device 16 adjusts the pressure exerted by the pressure member on the board , both because the resilient reaction opposed by the arm 15 varies because the resulting displacement differs and because the pressure exerted by the actuator 18 , 118 varies as its stroke varies , without having to act on other ( hydraulic or pneumatic ) operating parameters of the device . the invention thus resolves the problem set out above and offers many advantages with respect to the technical solutions known up to now , all of which focus chiefly on increasing the drilling speed and the hourly output that can be achieved .
| 7 |
it has now been found that the class of water soluble polymers having a solubility constant in the range of from 8 to 10 and free from moieties which will react with isocyanate groups are excellent additives to polyurethane psas , in that the integrity and desirable characteristics of the psa film are maintained while providing enhanced water uptake . this class of water soluble polymers is chosen so as to be substantially miscible in both the polyol and isocyanate components which are used to prepare the polyurethane psa . indeed , the preparation of the present psas involves , inter alia , dissolving a desired water soluble polymer in either the polyol or isocyanate component and thereafter reacting the components to form the corresponding polyurethane psa . for example , the water soluble polymer is preferably dissolved into a polyol solution containing a catalyst prior to reaction with the isocyanates . thereafter , the so - formed premixture is reacted with isocyanates , preferably in an nco / oh mole weight ratio of from about 0 . 5 / 1 to about 0 . 99 / 1 to provide a clear adhesive . typical water soluble polymers having a solubility constant in the range of from 8 to 10 include poly ( 2 - ethyl - 2 - oxazoline ), poly ( vinylmethylether ) and the like . most preferred is poly ( vinylmethylether ) commercially available from basf as lutonal m - 40 . in accordance with this invention , the water soluble polymers can be added to the polyurethane psa in amounts corresponding to the degree of water uptake desired in the final product . typically the polymers are present in a range of from about 1 to about 40 % by weight of the psa formulation . preferred adhesives contain about 25 to 35 % by weight of the water soluble polymer and most preferred adhesives contain about 30 % by weight . the water soluble polymer additives having a solubility constant in the range of from 8 to 10 can be added to any polyurethane - based psa to enhance water uptake . these additives are ideally suited for incorporation into the polyurethane adhesives disclosed in copending u . s . ser . no . 973 , 448 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 5 , 591 , 820 , mentioned above . thus , preferably the pressure - sensitive adhesives comprise a polyurethane polymer having excess hydroxyl functionality , a glass transition temperature of less than about 0 ° c ., a moisture absorption at equilibrium of at least about 20 % of its weight and / or a moisture vapor transmission rate of at least about 300 grams / meter 2 / 24 hours measured at 37 ° c . and a 90 % relative humidity gradient . advantageously , the glass transition temperature of the polymer is less than about - 30 ° c ., the moisture absorption at equilibrium of at least about 100 % of its weight and / or the moisture vapor transmission rate is at least about 500 grams / meter 2 / 24 hours . these polymers provide a peel adhesion to human skin of between about 0 . 3 and 4 and preferably between about 0 . 5 and 3 . 5 newtons / cm width of the polymer . preferably , the polyurethane polymer is formed by the reaction of an isocyanate component and a polyol component at a molar ratio of isocyanate moieties to hydroxyl moieties of less than one with at least one of the components having a functionality that is greater than two to facilitate crosslinking . the polymer is crosslinked to a crosslink density alpha ( α ) defined by the equation ## equ1 ## wherein i = 1 to n where n is the number of the reactant components of between about 10 - 4 and 10 - 3 to obtain the desired properties . when the isocyanate component is an aliphatic polyisocyanate , the crosslink density is preferably between about 2 × 10 - 4 and 10 - 3 , while for aromatic polyisocyanates the crosslink density is preferably between about 4 × 10 - 4 and 9 × 10 - 4 . a preferred molar ratio is between about 0 . 5 and 0 . 99 , and more preferably between about 0 . 65 and 0 . 99 , and most preferably between about 0 . 85 and 0 . 99 . the polyol component advantageously comprises a polyether polyol having a molecular weight of between about 1000 and 10 , 000 , such as a homopolymer or copolymer containing ethylene oxide or propylene oxide groups . the polyol component may also be a hydroxyl terminated prepolymer . when moisture absorbent adhesives are desired , the polyol component can be a polyether diol or triol containing at least about 30 % by weight or ethylene oxide groups . the isocyanate component has a functionality of equal to or greater than 2 , and may be an aliphatic polyisocyanate , an aromatic polyisocyanate or combinations thereof . also , the isocyanate component may be an isocyanate terminated prepolymer . as noted , at least one of the isocyanate or polyol components must have a functionality of greater than 2 to obtain the desired crosslinking of the polymer . the invention also relates to a medical article or device for application to skin which comprises a layer of the pressure - sensitive adhesive described above and a backing material in contact with at least a portion of one side of the layer . the backing material in contact with at least a portion of one side of the layer . the backing material may be a natural or synthetic fiber , a woven or non - woven fabric , paper or a thermoplastic polymer . also , a release layer in contact with the side of the pressure - sensitive adhesive layer in contact with the side of the pressure - sensitive adhesive layer opposite the backing material may be included to protect the adhesive prior to use . thus , the release layer comprises a material that does not permanently bond to the pressure - sensitive adhesive layer , such as a silicone coating . this medical article may also include a backing layer and a layer of the pressure sensitive adhesive described above on at least a portion of one side of the backing layer for contacting the skin and securing the article thereto . this article advantageously includes a moisture or water absorbent material positioned for placement upon a moist or wet environment , wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive layer is located adjacent at least a portion of the absorbent material . if the absorbent material is in the form of a disk , the pressure sensitive material layer may be associated with and at least partially surround the perimeter of the disk . a support layer may be provided for the absorbent material such that the pressure - sensitive adhesive layer is attached onto at least a portion of the periphery of the support layer and surrounds the entire perimeter of the disk . in another embodiment , the medical article further comprises an attachment member for connection to another medical device , such as a bag or container . thus , the disk would include an aperture therein to permit passage of a fluid therethrough . to provide a secure attachment to the patient and to prevent leakage , means for joining the pressure - sensitive adhesive layer to the support layer may be used , such as an ultrasonic weld . accordingly , the medical article or device of the invention may be provided in the form of an ostomy device , a wound dressing , a medical tape , a bandage , an incontinence device , a dermatological device , a transdermal device , a surgical incise drape or an intravenous catheter securement device . another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for making a pressure - sensitive adhesive for application to skin which comprises premixing the desired water soluble polymer into either the isocyanate component or the polyol component and then providing a mixture of the isocyanate component and the polyol component at a molar ratio of isocyanate moieties to hydroxyl moieties of less than one ; selecting at least one of the components to have a functionality that is greater than two to facilitate crosslinking and reacting the isocyanate and polyol components in the presence of a catalyst to form a polyurethane polymer having a glass transition temperature of less than about 0 ° c ., a moisture absorption at equilibrium of at least about 20 % of its weight and / or a vapor transmission rate of at least about 300 grams / meter 2 / 24 hours measured at 17 ° c . and a 90 % relative humidity gradient . the mixture may be cast upon a substrate and heated at a sufficient temperature of between about 100 ° and 150 ° c . and for a sufficient time of between about 1 to 25 minutes to form a layer of the polymer . this layer may be provided upon a backing material or a release layer and would possess a peel adhesion to human skin of between about 0 . 3 and 4 and preferably between about 0 . 5 and 3 . 5 newtons / cm width of the polymer . preferably , a polyol component is a polyol having a molecular weight of from about 1 , 000 to about 10 , 000 or mixtures of such polyols , with an isocyanate such as a polyisocyanate . although any of a wide variety of polyols can be used , those which are not crystalline are the most suitable . exemplary polyols include polyether diols or triols ( ethylene oxide and propylene oxide polymers and copolymers ) such as those available from olin ( e . g ., the poly g series ). in general , for comparable formulations , the higher molecular weight polyols would provide greater peel strengths in the resulting adhesive . where increased moisture or water absorption properties are desired in the psa , polyols that contain a significant amount of polyoxyethylene are used so as to increase the hydrophilic character of the polymer . these polyols should contain at least about 30 % of polyoxyethylene in order to enable the polymer to absorb water in an amount of at least about 20 % of its weight and as high as 400 to 1000 %. typical polyols which are useful for this embodiment include dow chemical &# 39 ; s xus15176 and the various commercial carbowaxes which are available in a range of molecular weights from the union carbide corporation . representative carbowaxes are peg ( carbowa 1450 ) and peg ( carbowax 8000 ) in which the numbers refer to molecular weights . the proportion of polyoxyethylene which is present in the polyol will determine the degree of hydrophilic character of the polyurethane . increasing the amount of polyoxyethylene promotes strong hydrophilic properties to the final product , while a lessened hydrophilic character results by increasing the proportion of polyoxypropylene in the polyol . the functionality of the polyol that is used is at least 2 and usually is greater than 2 , with the higher functionalities providing increased crosslinking of the polyurethane . a number of polyols which are suitable when used alone or in combination are listed below in table 1 . the isocyanates which may be used in making the polyurethanes of the psas of the invention may be represented by r ( nco ) n wherein n is at level 2 and preferably between about 2 and 4 , and r is an aliphatic , alicyclic , aliphatic - alicyclic , aromatic , or aliphatic - aromatic hydrocarbon compound ranging from about 4 to 26 carbon atoms , but more conventionally from about 6 to 20 and generally from about 6 to 13 carbon atoms . table 1______________________________________suitable polyolscomponent functionality equivalent eto % supplier______________________________________poly g55 - 28 2 2025 . 00 30 oljn55 - 37 2 1512 . 00 30 oljn55 - 56 2 976 . 00 45 oljn76 - 120 3 457 . 00 30 oljn83 - 34 3 1576 . 00 70 oljn85 - 28 3 2025 . 00 10 oljn85 - 36 3 1508 . 00 17 oljnvoranol5148 3 2357 . 00 19 dow5287 2 1018 . 00 12 dow5471 3 1603 . 00 14 dowvoran220 - 037 2 1500 . 00 0 dow232 - 034 3 1636 . 00 14 dow240 - 446 4 . 5 125 . 10 0 dow240 - 800 4 69 . 70 0 dow270 - 370 7 155 . 90 0 dowxus 15176 . 00 2 1500 . 00 30 dowmultranol 3400 3 1000 . 00 0 mobaymultranol 3901 3 1997 . 00 0 mobaymultranol 9133 3 53 . 95 0 mobaydesmofen 2500 2 505 . 00 0 mobayquadrol 4 73 . 00 0 mobaycarbowax1450 2 714 . 00 100 carbide3350 2 1638 . 00 100 carbide4600 2 2352 . 00 100 carbide8000 2 4141 . 00 100 carbideterathane1000 2 500 . 00 0 dupont2000 2 1024 . 00 0 dupontpluracol 380 3 2235 . 00 0 basfpoly thf er 1250 2 625 . 00 0 basffomrezepd - 56 2 1041 . 00 45 witcoepd - 28 2 2086 . 00 45 witcok22 - 170 6 308 . 00 90 witcol49 - 28 3 1990 . 00 25 witcoecfl1000y 3 278 . 00 90 witcowitcon1 peg1000l 2 505 . 00 90 witco______________________________________ representative examples of diisocyanates include aliphatic isocyanates such as tetramethylene diisocyanate , hexamethylene diisocyanate , trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate , dimer acid diisocyanate , isophorone diisocyanate , diethylbenzene diisocyanate , decamethylene 1 , 10 - diisocyanate , cyclohexylene 1 , 2 - diisocyanate and cylohexylene - 1 , 4 - diisocyanate and the aromatic isocyanates such as 2 , 4 and 2 , 6 - tolylene diisocyanate , 4 , 4 - diphenylmethane diisocyanate , 1 , 4 - naphthalene diisocyanate , dianisidine diisocyanate , toluidine diisocyanate , m - xylylene , diisocyanate tetrahydronaphthalene - 1 , 5 - diisocyanate , and bis ( 4 - isocyanatophenyl ) methane . polymeric polyisocyanates having a functionality of greater than 2 , such as neopentyl tetraisocyanate , can also be used . a number of suitable isocyanates are listed in table 2 below . in addition , mixtures of di - and tri - functional isocyanates are commercially available and may be used to obtain an isocyanate component having a functionality of between 2 and 3 , while mixtures of tri - and tetra - functional isocyanates may be used to obtain functionalities of between 3 and 4 ( i . e ., desmodur n 3300 from miles , perkasie , pa .). these tri - and tetra - functional isocyanates are illustrated below . table 2______________________________________suitable isocyanatescomponent functionality equivalent supplier______________________________________papi 94 2 . 2 131 . 50 dowpapi 2580 3 139 . 60 dowisonate 2181 2 182 . 60 dowisonate 2125m 2 125 . 50 dowmondur mr 2 . 7 131 . 00 mobaymondur cd 2 143 . 00 mobaymondur cb75 3 323 . 00 mobaydesmodur w 2 132 . 00 mobaytmxdi 2 122 . 10 cyanamidcythane 3160 3 404 . 00 cyanamidtdi 80 2 87 . 00 oljndmi 1410 2 295 . 77 henkel______________________________________ desmodur n 3300 has a functionality of about 3 . 4 - 3 . 6 and it is a mixture of the two isocyanates depicted above . this isocyanate compound is preferred from the standpoint of toxicity because it is an aliphatic isocyanate derivative that produces a non - toxic degradation product . furthermore , the isocyanate compounds shown above can be mixed together or with the diisocyanates mentioned above to attain the desired functionality of the isocyanate component . generally speaking , the polyurethane is prepared from about 75 % to 95 % of the polyol , and about 5 % to 25 % of the polyisocyanate . the relative amounts are selected so that the nco / oh ratio is between about 0 . 5 and 0 . 99 and preferably between about 0 . 65 to 0 . 99 , so that these polyurethanes have excess hydroxyl functionality . in preparing the polyether polyurethane adhesives of this invention , the polyols and the polyisocyanates are reacted in the presence of known catalysts for such reaction , for example , tin salts and organic tin esters such as dibutyltin dilaunate and stannous octoate . an advantageous catalyst is metacure t - 12 by air products and chemicals , inc ., because this catalyst has been approved by the fda for medical application and provides a satisfactory reaction . also , it is preferred for the pressure - sensitive adhesive to have a glass transition temperature ( tg ) of less than 0 ° c . and preferably less than - 30 ° c . thus , the amount of crystalline polyol used , if any , should be held to a minimum . by choosing polyols which are not crystalline or do not crystallize , or which do not cause phase separation during reaction , a transparent , uncolored polymer is obtained . a colored polymer is also avoided by selecting isocyanate and polyol components which form polymerization products that do not contain multiple bonds which would be capable of absorbing light or heat energy and undergo transformations resulting in colors . the pressure - sensitive polyurethane adhesives of this invention each have an mvtr ( at equilibrium ) of at least 300 and preferably greater than 500 g / m 2 / day when measured at 37 ° c . and a 90 % relative humidity gradient . when these adhesives are applied onto skin , the skin can &# 34 ; breathe ,&# 34 ; such that any excess moisture generated by perspiration of the skin can pass through the adhesive to prevent deterioration of the skin , while some moisture is retained to provide an environment which promotes healing . in copending application u . s . ser . no . 973 , 448 , entitled &# 34 ; polyurethane pressure sensitive adhesives &# 34 ; filed nov . 9 , 1992 , issued as u . s . pat . no . 5 , 591 , 820 , it has been disclosed that the polyurethane adhesive peel strength , for a given backing and at a given adhesive thickness , is a function of the extent of crosslinking which , in turn , depends upon the functionality of the components used to form the polyurethane polymer . the extent of crosslinking can be expressed as the number of crosslinks per unit weight . with a greater extent of crosslinking , the peel adhesion becomes lower , such that peel adhesion has been found to be inversely related to the extent of crosslinking . it was further found that this crosslink density is a function of an interplay of molecular parameters of the polyurethane components . a mathematical relationship incorporating these components has been derived to define the optimum combination of the kind and proportions of the components which results in the formation of polyurethane psas for the specified medical uses . this relationship can be used to calculate a value , designated as α , which is representative of the extent of crosslinking of the polymer . thus , the α value , which is based on the average functionality of the reactants , the nco / oh mole ratio , and the molecular weight of the polyol , may be used as a measure of the performance of one polymer relative to another , as well as to select which polymers are useful in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . the following expression sets forth the relationship between the variables which is used to calculate α . as noted above , the peel strength is inversely proportional to the extent of crosslinking which can be expressed as follows : ## equ2 ## wherein the number of crosslinks / units weight of polymer is proportional to α as calculated by the following formula : ## equ3 ## wherein i = 1 to n where n is the number of the reactant components thus , in a given polyurethane formulation , an interplay of different parameters governs the peel strength of the adhesive . an α value in the range of 10 - 4 to 10 - 3 is representative of an adhesive which has the desired balance of cohesive and adhesive characteristics which are typically required for a pressure - sensitive adhesive , with α values of between 2 × 10 - 4 and 10 - 3 for aliphatic polyurethanes and between 4 and 9 × 10 - 4 for aromatic polyurethanes being particularly advantageous . accordingly , based upon this information , one skilled in the art can routinely select the particular isocyanate and polyol components and molar ratios thereof to obtain polyurethane polymers which have α values which fall in the desired ranges . in addition , the α value can be calculated prior to actual formulation of the polymer , so that the experimental work is necessary only after selecting those components and molar ratios which provide α values in the desired range . the pressure - sensitive adhesive products of this invention are prepared by coating a mixture of the polyurethane adhesive components on a backing material and allowing the polyurethane components to cure . useful backing materials are thermoplastic elastomers such as polyurethane film , plasticized pvc , breathable woven or non - woven fabrics made of natural or synthetic fibers such as polyester and porous paper . the adhesive components can also be applied to a release liner such as mylar film with a silicone coating and silicone coated paper and then after curing removed and placed on a backing material . the thickness of the adhesive coating is about 1 to 60 mils depending upon the requirements of the specific product application , while the backing material has a thickness in the range of between about 0 . 5 and 5 mils and typically about 1 - 2 mils . the above - described polyurethane pressure - sensitive adhesives are particularly useful for attaching medical devices and other materials to the skin . the adhesives can be used as or applied to bandages , ostomy devices , incontinence devices , incise drapes , intravenous catheter holders , transdermal drug delivery devices and medical tapes such as wound closure tapes . where absorbent adhesives are desired , such as in wound dressings , the polymers that have high water absorption properties can be successfully used . because of the skin adhesion properties of these psas , i . e ., no skin irritation or sensitization , and lack of skin or hair adhesion on removal , these adhesives are skin friendly and are very useful in the medical field where skin contact is required . fig1 - 3 illustrate an ostomy gasket 10 which includes adhesives made of the polymers of the present invention . this device has a central aperture 15 for placement over the incision and through which fluids may drain . adjacent to and surrounding the aperture 15 is a layer 20 of an adhesive material which has highly absorbent properties to withstand the moist environment and fluids which drain through the aperture . this layer 20 is preferably made of material such as stomahesive , which is available from convatec , skillman , n . j . alternatively , this layer 20 of absorbent material can be of a pressure - sensitive adhesive in accordance with the invention which includes a high ethylene oxide content . this absorbent material 20 is preferably supported on a polyethylene film 25 . when an adhesive material such as stomahesive or the like is used , the opposite side ( or working face ) of this layer 20 includes release liner 30 which allows handling of the article without concern as to the absorbent material adhering to unintended surfaces . the polyethylene film support 25 is secured to a flange 35 which is adapted to receive an ostomy bottle or other container for storing the fluid which passes through aperture 15 . thus , flange 35 includes a lip 40 and corresponding recess 45 to facilitate attachment of the bottle or container thereto . flange 35 is attached to disk shaped extension 50 . a supportive adhesive band 55 in accordance with the invention completely surrounds the periphery of the flange 35 . this band 55 includes a polyester fiber backing layer 60 upon which is placed an adhesive of the present application . this adhesive is shown as 65 . to prevent the adhesive from sticking to surfaces prior to the desired time of use , a release layer 70 is provided on the side opposite the backing layer ( i . e ., the adhesive face ). as shown in fig2 the backing layer includes cut notches 75 to facilitate removing a portion of the backing 80 and thus more easily expose the adhesive face for attachment to the desired surfaces . adhesive band 55 is attached to the top of flange extension 50 and adhered thereto due to the adhesive properties of layer 65 . to obtain a more secure connection between band 55 and flange portion 50 , a plastic ring 85 is placed upon the backing member 60 of the band 55 and is ultrasonically welded to extension 50 of flange 35 . when the device is to be used , the release layers 70 and 30 are first removed thus exposing the psa material 65 of band 55 and the absorbent material 20 . the psa material 65 as noted above is skin friendly and provides a secure bond to the skin without damaging it . thus , the gasket is retained in the desired place despite whether absorbent layer 20 has adhesive characteristics or not . when absorbent layer 20 is made of a highly water absorbent material , it most often does not develop sufficient tack or peel strength so that it can be properly secured in place on the patient . thus , the psa adhesive 65 provides a secure bonding of the gasket to the patient and holds the absorbent layer in place so that any further bonding due to the adhesive properties of absorbent 20 can occur over time . again , as noted above , psa layer 65 allows the skin to breathe so that excessive fluid does not accumulate thereon and cause damage or other detrimental affects to the skin . the following examples , which are intended to illustrate the invention described herein without unduly restricting it , provide further illustrations of how to select the appropriate components and amounts thereof to form the desired pressure - sensitive adhesives . hydrophobic polyurethane adhesive with 29 % loading of polyvinyl methyl ether ( lutonal m40 ) a homogeneous polyol - lutonal m40 solution was prepared by dissolving 28 . 8 parts of polyvinyl methyl ether ( lutonal m40 from basf ) in a 64 . 5 parts of heated ( 80 ° c .) polyol ( poly g 26 - 37 from olin chemicals ) solution containing 0 . 2 part of t - 12 catalyst ( dibutyl tin dilaurate from air products ) with stirring for at least two hours . the resulting polyol - lutonal m40 solution is then dried under vacuum in order to remove moisture . to this clear solution , 4 . 3 parts of n - 3300 multi - functional hexamethylene isocyanate prepolymers and 2 . 2 parts of desmodur w , methylene bis ( cyclohexyl - 4 - isocyanate ), ( both isocyanates from miles inc .) are added at 60 ° c . in one portion . the reaction mass is then casted onto a support film with desired thickness . after completion of the casting , the casted material is cured in an air circulating oven at 100 ° c . for 60 minutes . after cooling to room temperature , a clear and pressure - sensitive adhesive slab is obtained for further testing on its physical properties . hydrophobic polyurethane adhesive with 23 % loading of polyvinyl methyl ether ( lutonal m40 ) the same procedure as in example 1 was used to prepare the 23 % loading sample except that the amount of each ingredient used in the preparation are changed to reflect the loading and nco / oh ratio changes : 22 . 6 parts of lutonal m40 , 70 . 0 parts of poly - g 26 - 37 , 4 . 3 parts of n - 3300 , 2 . 9 parts of desmodur w , and 0 . 2 part of t - 12 . a polyol solution is prepared by mixing 91 . 6 parts of hydrophobic polyol ( poly - g 26 - 37 from olin chemicals ) and 0 . 2 part of t - 12 catalyst at a room temperature . the resulting clear solution is dried under vacuum . to this solution , 4 . 0 parts of n - 3300 and 4 . 2 parts of desmodur w are added in one portion at room temperature with stirring . after stirring for 10 minutes at 60 ° c ., the reaction mass is then casted and cured by using the same procedure specified in example 1 . the same procedure as in example 3 is used to prepare a hydrophilic polyurethane adhesive except that the hydrophobic polyol is substituted with a hydrophilic polyol poly - g 55 - 37 . the amount for each ingredient are as follows : 99 . 55 parts of poly - g 55 - 37 ; 0 . 2 part of t - 12 catalyst ; 3 . 38 parts of n - 3300 ; 4 . 05 parts of desmodur w . the samples from examples 1 through 4 were tested as follow : __________________________________________________________________________ mvtr * examplelutonal 24 - 72 hrs water extractablesnumberm40 (%) g / m . sup . 2 / day uptake 24 hrs (%) 7 days (%) swelling disintegration__________________________________________________________________________1 29 879 27 0 . 0 0 . 8 no no2 22 1278 10 0 . 0 0 . 6 no no3 0 2083 2 0 . 0 0 . 5 no no4 0 2170 285 2 . 5 -- yes no__________________________________________________________________________ * tested on 2 mil thick samples astm standard test methods of water vapor transmission of materials designation : e96 - 80 was used . the water method paragraph 3 . 2 of the test method was used . in the water method , a dish is prepared containing distilled water and weighings are made to determine the rate of vapor movement through the specimen from the water to a controlled atmosphere .
| 2 |
as described earlier , the present invention rests on the inventions of the &# 39 ; 849 , &# 39 ; 161 and &# 39 ; 162 applications , which permit non - georeferenced paper maps to be converted to a georeferenced raster format via the use of a companion vector map . in specific embodiments , the paper maps are fema flood maps which are used to provide to property owners , lending institutions and others flood zone classifications or certificates , with reference to which the acquisition or dropping of flood insurance may be effected . it is to be understood that while specific embodiments deal with flood zone classifications , the present invention contemplates methods of furnishing maps showing both the site of selected property — either as a “ point ” on a map or as an area bounded by a polygon — and various characteristics extant at and in the vicinity of the property . the characteristics which may be shown on the maps include geographic characteristics , such as flood zone status , soil type and quality , subsurface water ; ecological characteristics , such as air quality , water quality , pollen and fungus concentrations ; climatological characteristics , such as amount of rainfall , average temperature , likelihood of tornadoes ; demographic characteristics , such as average income or home cost , population density ; and any other characteristic that can be shown on a map by coloration , shading ( as in the case of fema flood maps ) or other indicia , along with the location of the selected property . turning to the contemplated specific embodiments , over 100 , 000 fema flood maps exist ; the majority of them are not georeferenced . the above - noted &# 39 ; 849 , &# 39 ; 161 and &# 39 ; 162 applications result in such georeferencing so that originally non - georeferenced raster images of the fema maps are mathematically related to a georeferenced map , such as a vector map . as a consequence , any point identified on the vector map may be simultaneously identified on the raster map . if the vector map is a street map , a property address may expeditiously be located thereon . because of the established mathematical relationship between the vector map and the scanned raster map , the property may be expeditiously located on the raster map . if , as in the specific embodiments hereof , the raster map is an image of a fema flood map , the flood zone status of the property may be just as expeditiously determined . in the following examples of marketing and commercializing a map delineating both the location of a property and a characteristic or quality extant at and in the vicinity of that property , certain of the steps taken are preferably computer - implemented and are electronically and / or digitally performed . this example relates to a customer obtaining from a service provider a product related to the contents of a related fema flood map . the customer , who has previously learned of the service provider , gains access to the internet and clicks on an appropriate link . this gives the customer access to a form at the provider &# 39 ; s web site . the form requests that the customer fill in the address of certain property for which , in this example , the georeferenced portion of a fema flood insurance rate map (“ firm ”) is desired . typically , the address is a street address or mailing address , but may be in the form of latitude / longitude , metes - and - bounds , a legal description , address or some other location identifier or address for the property . in response to electronically submitting the completed form , a georeferenced street map , such as that available via mapquest , is displayed . on the map , a star or other icon marks the purported site of the property . if the icon &# 39 ; s location is correct , the customer essentially submits the latitude and longitude for the subject property to the provider . if the icon &# 39 ; s location is incorrect , the customer may , using a computer mouse or similar device , relocate the subject property to its correct physical location on the digital street map . in either event , the provider electronically receives a latitude and longitude for the site of the property correctly identified . back at the service provider &# 39 ; s facility , the latitude and longitude of the property are matched to a list of possible georeferenced fema flood maps and the list is returned to the user . the user then selects from the list one or more firms that apply to the subject location at times , the site may be included on two or more fema maps . in this event , the fema maps containing the subject property are all sent to the customer , who is instructed to select the one or more fema maps available for providing fema flood map - related information , including that contained in afloodscape ™ product for the property and to identify it by clicking on an appropriate icon . the customer may save the flood map incorporating the subject property in a digital form on a hard disk or other memory of the computer system , on a floppy disk , on a cd or on hard copy produced by a printer by clicking on the proper icon . this is similar to example 1 , except that instead of being invited to provide an address , the customer is electronically presented on a computer system with a display of a georeferenced street map . the customer is asked to identify the location of the property on the street map by appropriately clicking a mouse or a functionally similar device . once the property &# 39 ; s site has been so marked , the customer electronically transmits the marked map to the service provider , and the remainder of the method may proceed as described above . as in examples 1 and 2 , the customer ultimately receives a flood map , or a map presenting some other geographic or ecological , or climatological characteristic of property and its environs with the site of the property indicated . the location of the property need not necessarily be a “ point ” on the displayed map image . the site of the property may also constitute an area surrounded by a polygonal boundary . the polygon may be electronically drawn by the customer by virtue of the service provider having electronically furnished annotation tools along with the street map . as in examples 1 , 2 and 3 , however instead of receiving an entire fema flood map , the customer electronically receives a the relevant portion of a flood map , i . e ., a portion of the proper fema flood insurance rate map (“ firm ”) or flood hazard boundary map (“ fhbm ”), together or both of which are referred to as “ flood map ” with the property &# 39 ; s site indicated thereon , known as a floodscape ™. the property site may be more or less centrally located on the map portion . the scale of the map may be selectively different — either smaller or larger — than the scale of the paper fema map from which the raster map was made and may be selected to permit the customer to print the map on paper of a common size , e . g ., 8½ ″ by 11 ″ or a4 . the map portion provided to the customer may also be rotated by the service provider from its orientation on the original fema paper map , which may be desirable where the original fema map did not have north directed “ upwardly .” other information may be added to or may accompany the fema map . property markers and boundary lines not present on the original fema paper map may be added to the map , as may a compass direction marker or compass rose and a scale legend . other information may accompany the electronically furnished fema map in margins provided around the map by selection of an appropriate scale therefrom . such information may include a variety of textual material , whether or not it is provided on the original paper flood map or its raster image . this textual material may includes such information as the flood map panel number or suffix , community names , map revision dates . the name and address of the service provider , and / or the name of an entity that issues flood insurance . this example is similar to any of examples 1 - 4 , but early contact between the customer and the service provider includes the service provider agreeing to furnish the customer with a memory medium ( diskette , cd - rom ), firmware , or a device from which the customer can download and display on a computer display either the georeferenced street map or the address form of earlier examples . in either event , the medium or device also may include appropriate tools for annotating or completing the map or form and transmitting them to the service provider , who thereafter furnishes the firm , a floodscape ™, a flood hazard determination , an insurance quote , a mortgage quote , a floodzap , a pmi alert , and / or other product applicable to the subject property . in this example , the service provider places the customer in the position of providing maps , floodscapes ™, flood hazard determinations , insurance quotes , mortgage quote , a floodzap , a pmi alert , and / or other products showing the sites of properties of interest along with certain geographic , climatological , ecological or demographic characteristics , such as the flood zone status of the sites and the surrounding areas , the quality of the air at and around the properties &# 39 ; sites , the likelihood of an earthquake occurring at or near a property &# 39 ; s site , and other such information . here the service provider furnishes the customer with the software ( and possibly hardware ) necessary to cause a general purpose computer to perform the methods described above . the software may be resident on a storage media , such as a disk , diskette or cd - rom , or it may be resident on a server or the like . indeed , the latter manner of furnishing the software is especially expedient where the customer intends to provide maps depicting property and geographic conditions over a large area , such as the 100 , 000 + fema maps covering the entire us . here , the service provider utilizes information concerning mortgages , houses for sale , recent contracts of real estate sale where closing have / have not yet occurred , etc ., to develop a database of property owners who might have an interest in learning about flood zones and / or flood zone insurance . having retrieved the address of each property in question , the service provider develops a flood zone map indicating the location of each property . on each flood zone map or adjacent thereto , for example in a margin or border surrounding the map as displayed or printed , the service provider appends additional information such as an indication of how far the property is from a flood zone , premiums ranges for an appropriate level of flood insurance , or other marketing / sales information relating to a product or service tied to flood zone statue and / or insurance . in this example , denoted a “ flood zone alert plan ” ( or “ floodzap ”); the service provider and the customer enter into an agreement pursuant to which the service provider agrees to send the customer updated maps when such are required . in the case of fema flood maps , this would occur if and when fema amends or changes a flood map due to altered conditions of the area depicted thereon . these changes are effected by fema via flood insurance rate maps (“ firm ”), letters of map amendment (“ loma ”), letters of map revision (“ lomr ”), and / or letters of map change (“ lomc ”). if , after the service provider has previously identified the property of interest , a revised firm / loma / lomr / lomc is issued , and those changes materially effect the subject property , a new floodscape ™ and applicable informative information ( floodzap ™) is then sent to the customer , electronically or on a memory medium / device , as described in earlier examples . in addition to the revised floodscape ™, the consumer will receive a letter telling them the effects of the flood status change and the action they should take to conform to that change . for example , if they for example , a property that was not previously located in a special flood hazard area (“ sfha ”) may now be located therein . if so , and if that community participates in the national flood insurance program (“ nfip ”), it may be necessary for some entity , such as the lender or servicer , to acquire flood insurance on behalf of the consumer . the name and address of one or more flood insurance providers may be provided , as may premium rate schedules . similarly , if a property is “ moved out ” of a sfha , the need for flood insurance may be decreased or eliminated . the foregoing is important when the customer is a homeowner . in general , the national flood insurance reform act of 1994 requires federally regulated lenders ( all national banks , all federal credit unions , and all mortgage companies that sell to fannie mae / ginnie mae ) to perform a flood hazard determination each time they “ make , extend , renew , or increase ” a loan on a real property that is secured by a structure or mobile home in excess of $ 1 , 000 in value . the purpose of the act is to ensure that lenders determine whether or not any improvements are located in a special flood hazard area ( sfha ). in addition , the lender must track a property during the “ term of the loan ” to ascertain whether there are any changes in the flood zone status of the improvements after the date of any of the foregoing trigger events . if the property &# 39 ; s flood zone status changes to that the borrower is now located in a sfha , the foregoing lenders must require the owner to purchase flood insurance . if the property owner refuses to do so , then the lender must “ force place ” the flood insurance for the borrower . however , if the subject property is no longer located in a sfha , the lender may not alert the owner that flood insurance is no longer needed . pursuant to this embodiment , the homeowner can take advantage of lowered or eliminated need for flood insurance . while the invention has been described and exemplified with reference to various embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .
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a specific embodiment of the invention is encompassed in a project management system that organizes and streamlines the work within the graphic enterprise . the invention is further illustrated hereinafter by embodiments as implemented in the new version of agfa &# 39 ; s delano ™ software , without limiting the invention thereto . in an old version of delano , version 1 . 1 , the possibilities to define imposition schemes ( also called imposition plans in this document ) were extended by introducing the functions to merge and split production components and to allow editing of the run list . fact remained that the only way to create an imposition layout structure in delano was through the automatic selection of signatures out of an imposition template . now , in the new version of delano , new , powerful functionality has been provided that allows to manually select signatures out of imposition templates . full multi section support within signatures ( within one product and across different products ) has been provided as well . in this document , we first briefly describe how the imposition specification has been implemented in the old versions 1 . 0 and 1 . 1 of delano . then , we explain what the ideas behind the new delano imposition functionality are and subsequently how they are made available in the gui , which involves several embodiments of the present invention . for more information on the used terminology , we refer to the existing delano 1 . 2 , and to the corresponding manuals and documentation , which are incorporated herein by reference . in delano , a product may consist of different parts . a part may be a cover , content , an insert . an insert is printed material , typically one or more advertisements , that is inserted between the content pages . usually , inserts do not affect the pagination of the content ; if e . g . an insert of four pages is located between page seven and page eight of the content , page eight retains its page number and does not get page number twelve . a cover may or may not be present ( a self - cover means that there is no separate cover : the outer pages of the content serve as the cover ). a printed product may contain two or more content parts ; an example of a printed product that contains two content parts is a printed product containing two books , one in french and one in dutch , so that by turning the printed product so that front and back are switched , one obtains the book in the other language . with each part , a list of pages is associated that are visualized in the so - called page status view . in addition to the so - called pdf box information ( art / safety , trim , bleed and media box ), all the pages have a specific position in the reader &# 39 ; s spread view . the list of pages that is associated with a specific part is often referred to as the page list . for each part that is created ( either during the product creation or via a manual part creation ), a creation component and a production component will be made . with each component , a task chain can be associated that specifies how the related resources will be processed . in a preferred embodiment , the creation component will contain only tasks that work on pages ; the creation component created during the part creation , will process exactly the pages that are associated with that part &# 39 ; s page list . during the creation of a part , one production component will be created as well . by default , all the pages of that part &# 39 ; s page list will be used as the input run list of that production component . the production component &# 39 ; s task chain will convert the incoming pages as following : the user can create extra production components if he wishes to do so . during the creation of a production component , the user indicates which page list he will use as input for the production component . this functionality allows the user to use the same page list in different print jobs . this can be useful if specific products are printed in parallel on different presses or if different types of production have to be prepared . in delano 1 . 0 , there are 2 ways to define an imposition scheme , one based on pjtf files and one based on preps templates . in order to manufacture a product part , different steps have to be taken , as follows . first , the production component is identified . by default , delano creates one production component per product part . delano associates the entire list of pages in the part ( page list ) with the production component . it is , however , also possible to define new production components . during the manual creation of a production component , the user specifies the product part this component will manufacture . a first way to define an imposition scheme , based on preps imposition templates , is as follows . when editing the production component , the user can browse in delano through a list of preps files . when a preps file has been selected ( and the component is saved ), delano will start to calculate an imposition layout scheme by using an automatic selection of signatures out of the template . to this end , delano uses the apogee x imposition service which has very similar behavior as the preps server . the result is a list of signatures that each consume a part of the page list . as a result , delano will visualize the list of signatures ; the user can also have a graphic view of the signatures . a second way to define an imposition scheme , using pjtf files , is as follows . pjtf files are cip3 - based files that contain calculated imposition jobs ; as such , they consist of detailed information that describes the different signatures and how pages are positioned on those signatures . when selecting a pjtf file and saving the component , delano will create the signatures as defined in the pjtf file . the signatures can also be viewed graphically . in delano 1 . 0 , the production components only contain pages of one part ( page list ). sometimes , however , users want to combine pages of different parts within one product on one printing sheet . to allow , moreover , the cross product manufacturing of parts ( such as , e . g ., covers ) of different products on one sheet , users even want to put pages of different products on one sheet . a solution that allows this is to make it possible to associate pages that come from different parts ( within one product or across different products ) with one production component . when merging one component with another , the first component &# 39 ; s run list will be extended with the pages of the second run list . the second component will be removed . in one embodiment , the user can manually edit the run list , in order to make sure that the pages end up on the correct position on the imposition layout . from delano 1 . 1 on , it is possible to define ( multi section ) cross - product components that combine the manufacturing of different product parts in one component . as described before , it sometimes is necessary to manually edit the run list to make sure that the pages end correctly on the imposition layout ; until version 1 . 2 , delano did not represent the sections in the templates and therefore the user manually had to define the run list . in the new version of delano , the sections ( and the signatures they belong to ) are represented . let us first consider the simple case in which an ordinary production component ( which relates to 1 part only ) needs to be defined . ( these single - part production components are the components that are created by default during the product creation . if necessary , it always is possible to create new production components that have a part &# 39 ; s run list .) before the production component can be started , the user specifies how the specific part should be produced . this basically is equivalent with specifying what sections have to be produced and how they will be combined together . this can be done in delano by creating a number of signatures each containing 1 or more sections . when adding a signature in delano , the user will have the following possibilities : to select a template and consume the entire run list using the auto - select functionality ( see also the discussion above of using preps imposition templates ); to select a pjtf file and import the signatures that have been defined in this pjtf file ( see also the discussion above of using pjtf files ); or create signatures one by one through selection out of a list of available imposition templates . when a user hits the ‘ add signature ’ button on the screen , a popup will appear in which the user first indicates which of the 3 cases he prefers . if he chooses for the manual selection of signatures , the system will display a list of available templates per binding style . first , the binding style is selected . supported binding styles are : flat work ; perfect bound ; saddle stitched ; come and go ; cut and stack . then , the user can select a template out of the list of available templates . after the selection , all the signatures that are defined in this template will be shown on the screen . the user then selects a specific signature out of the template and enters further details . by clicking on the ‘ set to maximum ’ button on the screen , the system will calculate how many signatures of the selected type can still be used for the remaining pages . in a preferred embodiment , the system also displays how many pages are still remaining . by clicking on the ok button , the system will now create the specified number of signatures and will consume a number of remaining pages in this process . then , a screen is displayed that is similar to the one shown in fig1 , but that is somewhat simpler . the screen shows two tables or lists : a signature list : this is the list of created signatures ( corresponding to table 200 in the embodiment discussed hereinafter and shown in the screenshot of fig1 ); a sections list : this is the list of sections in the above signatures ( corresponding to table 100 in the embodiment of fig1 ). preferably , the system also indicates what pages of the original part belong to that specific signature . if a single section signature has been chosen , there will be a 1 to 1 correspondence between signatures and sections . fig1 would therefore look as follows for such a single signature case : in table 100 , the columns “ section ” and “ signature ” would both contain sequential numbers 1 , 2 , 3 , etc ., and the contents of column “ index ” ( of which the meaning is discussed in the next case , below ) would be the same for all rows of the table 100 ( e . g . all fields equal to “ 1 ”, or empty fields , or the column “ index ” may even be omitted in such a case ). sometimes , it can be useful to use multiple section signatures when manufacturing a single product part . a typical example would be a publication in which a number of sections are in black / white and two non - consecutive sections are in process color . for cost optimization , it may be advisory to print the two color sections together on one sheet ( if possible ). if the sections are not next to each other , however , a multiple section signature would be needed . a typical example is a 32 page saddle stitched brochure consisting of 4 sections wherein the most outer and the most inner section are in color , the other ones in black - and - white . i . e . each of the four sections contains eight pages , printed recto - verso ; the color pages are marked with an asterisk (*). remark : in this notation , the horizontal axis models insertion , and the vertical axis models stacking ; thus , a perfect bound book , having a cover of 4 pages and containing two sections of 96 pages and one section of 64 pages , is represented as follows : the 32 page saddle stitched brochure of the example could be realized in delano by selecting the appropriate saddle stitched template and selecting a 2 - section signature of 8 + 8 pages ( i . e . 8 pages recto and 8 pages verso ). in one embodiment , this results in the signature / section layout shown in fig1 . in fig1 , table 200 is a list of created signatures and table 100 is the list of sections in these signatures . table 100 is shown more clearly in fig3 . in fig3 , table 100 contains for each section a list of items 150 , 151 ( forming a row of the table in fig3 ). this list of items includes : in the column headed “ section ”, a numbering field for the section ; in column “ signature ”, a signature identifier 120 representing the signature to which the section is assigned ; in column “ index ”, a signature portion index 130 ( discussed immediately below ); and in column “ pages ”, a field identifying the section — i . e . a section identifier 110 — which includes in the shown embodiment the pages of the concerned section . fig5 shows what is meant by a signature portion index 130 : signature 1 contains two different signature portions , labeled “ 1 - 1 ” respectively “ 1 - 2 ”, wherein the first number is the signature identifier 120 and the second number is the signature portion index 130 . analogously , signature 2 also contains two signature portions , labeled “ 2 - 1 ” and “ 2 - 2 ”. the case shown in fig3 corresponds to the signature layout of fig5 wherein four pages recto and four pages verso are allocated to a signature portion . thus , each signature is for 8 + 8 pages , and together the two signatures suffice for the 32 page saddle stitched brochure . returning now to fig3 , note that the system tries to fill the first signature ( with signature identifier 120 equal to “ 1 ”) with pages 1 - 4 and 29 - 32 , and with pages 5 - 8 and 25 - 28 . in our example , however , we want to print section 1 ( pages 1 - 4 and 29 - 32 ) and section 4 ( pages 13 - 20 ) together in one signature ( because this is a color signature ). this can easily be realized by moving down the second signature portion of signature 1 ( that is signature 1 , index 2 ), corresponding to signature portion index 131 in fig3 . this can be done in the delano gui by selecting section 151 and clicking on the blue down arrow ( shown in fig1 ). the result is , as shown in fig4 and on the corresponding screenshot 2 , that this signature portion 131 ( now at position 4 , but still labeled signature 1 , index 2 ) will contain the inner pages 13 - 20 of the magazine ; consequently , these pages ( that is the inner pages ) will be printed in color . sometimes , it is required to manufacture different parts together in one production component . a typical example of this practice is the printing of covers of different products on one sheet ; we will designate the products as product a , product b , product c and product d . first , one creates a multi part production component . this can be realized quickly by merging one or more single part production components together . the result is a production component which has different ‘ source parts ’ assigned to it . when adding signatures , the user has to assign each section in the signature to a specific source part . in the same notation as used in fig3 ( omitting the template column , however ), the section list for this case is as shown in table 1 : a first example is printing 4 different books together wherein each signature consists of a section of each of the 4 books ; the parts are called again a , b , c and d , and the section list is shown in table 2 : variation : as a variation on this theme , one might consider , for instance , a french and an english publication , where the required quantity of the english publications is three times the quantity of the french publications . one might consider printing the publication ( if possible ) on a 4 - section signature wherein the three first signature portions are taken by a section of the english publication while the fourth signature portion is taken by the associated section of the french publication . in order to realize this , we first have to create a component to which three instances of the english part and one instance of the french part have to be assigned . this can be realized by merging the english part production component once with itself and merging it then again with a newly created english part production component . then , this component will contain three instances of the english part run list and therefore it still has to be merged with the french part component . example : in this example , 75000 copies of an english publication ( 24 pages content ) and 25000 copies of a french publication ( 24 pages ) are generated by repeating the english publication three times on each flat and taking the french publication only once . the 24 pages are realized with 3 signatures : one 4 × 8 up signature and twice a 4 × 2 up signature . the sections are combined using saddle stitching . the default delano behavior will create one production component per part . the production planner software module decides which production components will be manufactured together . if two or more production components have to be realized by one job , they are merged . the result of this merger is a production component that has several part run lists attached to it . it is also possible to have multiple instances of the same part associated with a specific production component . in the next phase , the user has to define the signatures and sections . this can be done in 2 ways : 1 ) by selecting one template and using the auto select mechanism to define the signatures . in this case , the run list as defined during the merger process will be fed to the preps server to calculate where which page will go ( this is the delano 1 . 1 behavior ). the problem of this behavior is that the user has to have an in - depth knowledge of the automatic signature selection ( and binding style ) to make sure that the pages end up at the right positions . 2 ) by manually selecting the signatures / sections . please not that in this case the original run list ( as generated by the merger actions ) will not be used ( except for the identification of the different parts that make up this run list ). assume we have created a production component that exists of n parts ; each part ( p n ) has a number of pages ( run lists ) assigned to it ( 1 . . . p i ). the user now has to consume each of these run lists ; with consuming we mean that all the pages of these run lists are assigned to sections in the manually selected signatures . if a signature has been selected , the user indicates for each section which part &# 39 ; s run list (“ source part ”) will be used . based on the binding style , the system will then calculate for each section in the signature the pages that will be taken . if the binding style is saddle stitched , half of the pages in the beginning and half of the last remaining pages will be taken , otherwise the pages are taken from the beginning . this process is repeated until all pages of all source parts have been consumed exactly . at that point , the server will start calculating the exact imposition layout . as a consequence , the flat preview will become available in delano . in the gui , two tables are displayed : the table of signatures , and the list of sections in these signatures . the order in which the sections appear in the gui corresponds to how they consume the run list within their source part . the user can move these sections up and down ; the result is that the pages will end up on other signatures ( flats ). this can be useful to group all pages that require a specific processing ( black / white , process color , hifi , gloss , special paper etc .). example 1 : two 16 - page brochures to be printed together , using perfect bound signatures with two sections , each containing 8 pages . assuming the parts associated with the two products are called part 1 and part 2 , this gives the following sections : example 2 : two 16 - page brochures to be printed together , using a saddle - stitch signature with two sections , each containing eight pages . assuming the parts associated with the two products are called part 1 and part 2 , this gives the following sections : the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed hereinbefore . to give a very simple example , instead of using a table 100 wherein each row corresponds to a section 150 , a column in a table could correspond to a section . those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments disclosed above without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appending claims .
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as one skilled in the art of firefighting knows , flashover is the most dangerous time of a fire . when the contents of a burning room burst into flame simultaneously , flashover has occurred . flashover is caused by the radiation feedback of heat . heat from the growing fire is absorbed into the upper walls and contents of the room , heating up the combustible gases and furnishings to their auto - ignition temperature . this buildup of heat in the room triggers flashover , which signals : ( a ) the end of an effective search and rescue in a room ; ( b ) the imminent death of any person , civilian or firefighter , trapped in the blazing room ; ( c ) the end of being able to use a portable fire extinguisher , instead requiring an fire hose attached to a source of pressurized water ; ( d ) the end of the fire &# 39 ; s growth stage and that the fire is in the second stage of combustion — the fully developed stage ; and finally , ( e ) the change from a contents fire to a structure fire . flashover is not consistently time - dependent . some flashovers can occur within three minutes from ignition ; others may take considerably longer . flashover times are more dependent on the size of the compartment , the fuel load within the compartment , and the construction of the compartment . again , these variables cannot be seen from outside the structure , so the interior firefighters and officers have to be constantly aware of them . flashover signals the beginning of the structural collapse danger . when operating at a fire , firefighters want to delay flashover inside a burning room . delaying flashover can provide several extra minutes which may be critical . for example , you may want to delay flashover to make a search and rescue of the burning room or to allow a firefighter to go to a room above or next - to the fire to rescue a trapped victim . or , you may want to delay flashover to gain several minutes when there is a delay in the placement of the first fire hose . the first tactic that can delay a flashover is to ventilate the compartment . this allows heat and heated gases to escape from the compartment , replacing them with cooler air at a rate faster than the heat and gases replenished by the combustion taking place . ventilation serves to delay flashover when done quickly and effectively . the second tactic that can delay a flashover is to close off the compartment . by closing a door in the room that is experiencing pre - flashover conditions , air cannot enter as readily . this can decrease the rate of burning in the room , delaying the flashover . by closing a door , you are also taking the imminent flashover out of the surrounding area so that other nearby rooms can be searched in a safer manner for a longer time . the final way that a flashover can be delayed is by cooling the atmosphere with water , high in the compartment . this would have to be done with a fire hose or water - based fire extinguisher . by aiming the stream of water into the high heat layer , the gases are cooled . this reduction in temperature slows the process of flashover within the compartment . this technique has the disadvantage of causing an increase in steam buildup that can hinder vision within the burning compartment . the indications of a potential flashover may include a growth stage fire that produces thick and dark smoke , high heat buildup , and rollover . a growth stage fire must exist , even though it may be partially or completely obscured by walls , furniture , and thick smoke . this is the only way the heat needed to flashover can be produced within a compartment . thick and dark smoke indicates the fuels that are present are giving off vapors that can burn when exposed to high heat . the heat is intense and can build up quickly . heat : when heat mixes with smoke , it forces a firefighter to crouch down on hands and knees to enter a room to perform search and rescue . this must be considered a warning sign that flashover may occur , as heat is the triggering variable for flashover . if the heat in the smoke filled room causes firefighters to crouch down near the floor , flashover may be imminent . rollover : rollover is the ignition of the accumulated gases that have collected at ceiling level . this may start off as a sporadic burst of orange flames and build up in frequency and intensity to a “ sea ” of orange flames overhead . again , this may be partially obstructed by the smoke , but it can usually be seen by those who look for it . the intense rollover condition , characterized by the sea of orange overhead , is usually considered a late sign of an impending flashover . protective equipment : with all of the advancements in today &# 39 ; s firefighter &# 39 ; s personal protective equipment , it is still not designed to withstand flashover conditions for longer than just a few seconds . a few seconds may save a firefighter &# 39 ; s life if he or she takes fast and appropriate action , but the gear will fail quickly when exposed to the temperatures commonly found in flashover conditions , between 1 , 000 ° f . and 1 , 500 ° f . taking a proactive approach : rather than send firefighting personnel into a burning structure to assess whether flashover is imminent , the instant invention allows the conditioning of the environment in the compartment being entered to reduce the chances of flashover by removing built - up heat and smoke prior to entry , as well as allowing the dousing of the flames with water when appropriate . an additional benefit of removing smoke buildup is increased visibility , allowing a more accurate assessment of the situation therein , further increasing the safety factor . additionally , the grantham mechanical ventilator requires neither that a firefighter enter the burning building to put it in position nor remain in the building to operate it , thereby further decreasing the risk to firefighters . using the grantham mechanical ventilator : the officer of the first arriving fire engine , after confirming that all humans are out of the burning structure by a complete evaluation of the scene , determines the point of origin of the fire and to help reduce dangers to his or her crew , orders that the grantham mechanical ventilator be used in the compartment that is the point of origin of the fire . the tool is then secured to the top of a ladder with the fire hose connected to the device &# 39 ; s water input and positioned through the opening into the burning structure so that the sprayer circuit input is outside the structure and fog sprayer output nozzle is inside the structure pointing outward . if the attic compartment is the only area needing emergency ventilation , then an opening large enough to allow fog pattern effectiveness must be made before inserting the mechanical ventilator . a firefighter then ( 1 ) climbs the ladder and clears away the remaining glass and debris from the window frame , ( 2 ) signals to the pump operator to turn on the water , ( 3 ) activates the tool &# 39 ; s sprinkler for five to 10 seconds if appropriate , then ( 4 ) adjusts the water flow outward from the ventilating fog nozzle to optimize it for the size of the window opening through which it is inserted . once configured , the device requires no further attention . note that a preferred embodiment of the instant invention can apply water spray to suppress a fire , but the tool may also be configured to apply foam or other fire suppression materials as well . how it works : in essence , the cool water fog stream pulls the heat and smoke from the burning compartment in a manner akin the way one racing car “ drafts ” another , with the front car creating a partial vacuum which in effect pulls the following car along . in this case , the fog stream is analogous to the lead car and the hot air / smoke mixture is the following car . in addition , the fog , being much cooler than the heated air in the compartment and in a high state of division as tiny droplets , presents a highly effective heat sink into which the heat flows due to basic thermodynamic principals . in the grantham mechanical ventilator , the distance from the outlet of the fog nozzle to the opening in the side of the burning building can vary . in a preferred embodiment , the distance is three feet . protecting adjacent exposures from flashover : the grantham mechanical ventilator , by suppressing flashover , protects adjacent exposures ( combustible materials ) located near the burning building by suppressing the ejectment of flames and radiant heat from the burning structure that typically occurs during flashover . additionally , the fog serves to douse any incipient combustion by cooling and dampening any nearby adjacent exposures . in another preferred embodiment , the grantham mechanical ventilator will possess a forcible - entry mechanism . fig1 : top right - rear view of internal structure and ladder mounting mechanism . fig2 : top view of internal structure and ladder mounting mechanism . fig3 : right side view of internal structure and ladder mounting mechanism . fig4 : bottom view of internal structure and ladder mounting mechanism . fig5 : left side view of internal structure and ladder mounting mechanism . fig6 : rear view of internal structure and ladder mount mechanism . fig7 : front view of internal structure and ladder mount mechanism . fig9 : graphic depiction of grantham mechanical ventilator in use . fig9 — graphic depiction of grantham mechanical ventilator in use . this figure illustrates the invention mounted at the top of a ladder in a window fig1 — complete body work viewed from above - right rear of device . this figure illustrates the appearance of the unit with head body cover , rescue
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the following refers to the attached drawings , in which similar parts have the same reference numbers in all figures to describe a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention , applied , as an illustration , to the space technology field . hence , in fig1 the upper part of a first structure 1 is diagrammatically shown for example , a launching vehicle , and the lower part of a second structure 2 , for example , a payload consisting of a satellite or container , whose coupling mouths 1 a , 2 a , provided with flanges 4 , 4 , are connected with the interposition of an intermediate structure 3 , provided with flanges 5 , 5 at both ends . in this specific case , it will be considered that both structures 1 and 2 to be coupled are bodies of rotation , on being the more usual case , although the experts in the art will easily understand that the invention is applicable to structures with any other cross section configuration . the interlocking of said structures 1 , 2 and 3 , in order to form an assembly with the necessary mechanical features , may be achieved , for example , by arranging tightening bands 6 around said flanges or adapting rings 4 , 5 ( see fig2 ) like , for example , in spanish patent applications 9501994 and 9702028 , in the applicant &# 39 ; s name , whose description is incorporated herein by reference . said metallic tightening bands 6 apply a preload , providing the necessary joint stresses . however , any other type of coupling already known in the art may be used with this purpose . below , a coupling system comprised by three generally cylindrical structures and two tightening bands will be considered in order to facilitate the description . inside , at least one first plurality of joint components 7 which modify the rigidity are provided , joined at their ends respectively to the inner face of the first structure 1 and to the inner face of the coupling section forming the intermediate structure 3 . moreover , between the mentioned inner face of the intermediate structure 3 and the inner face of said second structure 2 , a second plurality of joint components 7 may be provided . the number in which said components 7 are provided , both in said first and in said second plurality thereof , as well as their mechanical features will be dictated by the specific application in each case . also arranged inside each coupling , there may also be a plurality of rigidity modifying joint components 8 connected at their ends , respectively , to the inner face of structures 1 and 2 , clearing the mentioned intermediate structure 3 . both the number and mechanical features of these components 8 will likewise depend on each specific application . said rigidity modifying components 7 and 8 provide bistable components , which benefit from the critical or euler load concept . each one of these bistable components is based on the behavior of a strap which may adopt two states : a first unstable state in which bending had been imposed until surpassing the critical load ( condition represented in fig2 ) and a second , stable or rest state , in which said load had not been exceeded and in which said component recovers its original length . likewise , the mentioned components 7 and 8 contribute the properties required by the system according to the invention , meeting rigidity functions , activation to separate interlocking structures , dynamic dampening , thermal insulation and capacity to change coupling geometry . below , reference will be made to fig3 a - c and 5 a - c , to explain the operation of a first embodiment of the coupling system according to the invention . fig3 a shows diagrammatically the starting condition in which both structures 1 and 2 are rigidly connected by means of the third structure 3 by the coupling of the two rings 6 with the flange pairs 4 , 5 . in said figure , according to a first embodiment of the invention , the rigidity modifying components 7 and 8 are shown , idealized as bistable linear assemblies , in their first condition of instability , indicating with the number 9 the fastening positions of said components 7 and 8 to the inner faces of the structures 1 and 2 and with 10 the fastening position of a component 7 to the inner face of said intermediate structure 3 . ideal joint positions for said components 7 and 8 are indicated with number 11 . this first condition is also shown in fig5 a , where a thick arrow c shows the direct route along which the loads induced in one of the coupling structures are transmitted to the structure located on the other side of the former . this initial configuration is valid , for example , to support induced loads , providing the referred structural characteristics . now , directing our attention to fig3 b and 5b , the condition adopted by the coupled structures and that of coupling on the breakage of one of the tightening bands 6 is shown , for example , that maintaining the first structure 1 and the intermediate structure 3 coupled . the lower band 6 has been separated from said flanges 4 , 5 in a way known in the art and not described in detail in this specification , permitting that the action of the bistable components 7 , on recovering their rest condition , separate said flanges 4 and 5 . in fig5 b , the route then followed by a load to be transmitted among the coupled structures may be seen ( thick arrow c ). in this way , the structural properties are determined in this phase by the new load transmission route which , in turn , is defined by new structural joints , predetermined according to the application . usually , the sizing and number of components 7 which then comprise the interconnections of greater rigidity between structure 1 and the set of structures 3 and 2 are selected to obtain lower structural features ( lower rigidity ) than those of reference previously defined . finally , reference will be made to fig3 c and 5c of the drawings . in them , the condition the structures coupled by means of the system according to the invention would adopt and the new load transmission route are shown , respectively , if after separation from the structures 1 and 3 , it were necessary to recover structural features of a greater magnitude . this would be achieved provoking the separation of the second band 6 , so that the bistable components 8 would have to recover their rest condition , actuating the structures 3 and 2 to separate them . then , the bistable components 8 , with greater structural features ( greater rigidity ) than components 7 , would be the components which would satisfy , as from then , the function of final coupling between the structures 1 and 2 . in said fig5 c , the interconnection relation in which structures 1 , 2 , 3 would remain may be verified , as well as the new transmission route ( thick arrow c ) of loads between the structures 1 and 2 . on the other hand , in fig4 a - c , 5 a , 5 b and 5 d , the operation of a second preferred embodiment of the invention may be considered , in accordance with which the largest straps 8 are obviated , replacing them by a second set of straps 7 ′ having a joint 11 ′. in this case , the correspondence between fig4 a and 5a , 4 b and 5 b and 4 c and 5 d show the different stress transmission routes thick arrow c in fig5 a , 5 b and 5 d between the coupled structures , depending , as before , on the order of release of the tensing rings being the same as that described for the first embodiment of the invention . the preferred application of the invention is as an attenuation system for shocks induced by the pyrotechnical separation of the stages of a launching vehicle adapted to place a satellite in orbit , consisting of three cylinders ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) ( as the first , second and intermediate stuctures ) joined by means of two tightening bands ( 6 ), a first assembly of bistable rigidity modifying components ( 7 ), for example in a number of three , joining the intermediate and lower cylinders ( 3 , 1 ) and a second set of bistable rigidity modifying components ( 8 ), joining lower and upper cylinders ( 1 , 2 ) which would operate as follows . during launching and flight , until the moment of a first stage having to detach itself from the launching vehicle , the six rigidity modifying components ( 7 , 8 ) remain in an unstable condition , all the structures being directly connected by the tightening bands ( 6 ) and the assembly maintaining the reference structural features . on receiving the pertinent order , the lower band 6 detaches , which then leaves the flanges of connected structures ( 1 , 3 ) free ; in that moment , the bistable components assembly ( 7 ) changes to a stable rest position , hence provoking a first change of the structural features , which become less than those of reference ( less rigidity ). in this condition of less coupling rigidity between launcher and payload , the effects over the latter of the shock generated by the pyrotechnical separation of a launching stage are reduced to a minimum . once said separation is produced , it may be necessary to recover , at least partially , some structural features ( rigidity ) nearer to those of reference , for which and on transmitting the pertinent order , the separation of the second upper band ( 6 ) is produced , releasing the flanges ( 5 , 4 ) of the intermediate and upper structures ( 3 , 2 ). when this occurs , the bistable components ( 8 ) adopt their stable rest position , hence recovering part of the rigidity lost in the previous operation . finally and referring to fig6 a to 6 e , several applications of the system according to the invention are illustrated , where 6 a shows its use as an attenuating structure filtering an applied shock according to the arrows ch ; fig6 b shows its application as a filter structure with a variable rigidity and attenuation , whilst fig6 c is a scheme of use of the system according to the invention as a structure with variable geometry , permitting the modification , for example by an angle θ , of the aiming of one of the coupled structures and in fig6 e , the specific arrangement of the joint components 7 , 8 , permits the passage of loads to be channeled between both structures . regarding the remaining fig6 d , an embodiment variation of the system according to the invention is shown , where the intermediate structure 3 has been replaced by a bellow like structure , fulfilling the mission , entrusted , at least to one of the pluralities of joint components 7 to provide a continuous or discontinuous coupling between both coupled structures . as may be verified , the invention provides a system that permits the attainment of an active or “ intelligent ” interconnection gathering all the functional capacities of the prior art systems , while its practical execution is simpler and may be included in any type of coupling .
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a java application stack includes a java layer 5 for running any one of multiple different applications . in one example , the applications are related to different vehicle operations such as infrared ( ir ) and radar sensor control and monitoring , vehicle brake control , vehicle audio and video control , environmental control , driver assistance control , etc . a java virtual machine ( jvm ) layer 16 provides the hardware independent platform for running the java applications 5 . a jini layer 12 provides some limited security for the java applications that run on different machines . however , the jini layer 12 does not provide the necessary reconfiguration and security management necessary for a distributed real - time multiprocessor system . a secure real - time executive ( sre ) 14 provides an extension to the jvm 16 and allows java to run on different processors for real - time applications . the sre 20 manages messaging , security , critical data , file i / o multiprocessor task control and watchdog tasks in the java environment as described below . the jvm 16 , jini 12 and sre 14 can all be implemented in the same jvm 10 , however , for explanation purposes , the jvm 10 and the sre 14 will be shown as separate elements . fig2 shows a system 15 that includes multiple processors 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 . each processor includes one or more jvms 10 that run different java applications . for example , processor 16 includes one java application 28 that controls a vehicle security system and another java application 26 that controls the vehicles antilock brakes . a processor 18 includes a sava application 30 that controls audio sources in the vehicle , other processors 20 and 22 may run different threads 32 a and 32 b for the same sensor fusion java application 32 that monitors different ir sensors . another thread 32 c on processor 24 monitors a radar sensor for the sensor fusion java application 32 . the sre 14 runs below the jvms 10 in each processor and control tasks , messaging , security , etc . for example , the java application 26 controls vehicle braking according to the sensor data collected by the sensor fusion java application 32 . the sre 14 in one example prevents unauthorized data from being loaded into the processor 16 that runs brake control application 26 . the sre 14 also prevents other java applications that are allowed to be loaded into processor 16 from disrupting critical braking operations , or taking priority over the braking operations , performed by java application 26 , for example , the sre 14 may prevent noncritical vehicle applications , such as audio control , from being loaded onto processor 16 . in another example , noncritical operations , such as security control application 28 , are allowed to be loaded onto processor 16 . however , the sre 14 assigns the security messages low priority values that will only be processed when there are no braking tasks in application 26 that require processing by processor 16 . the sre 14 allows any variety of real - time , mission critical , nonreal - time and nonmission critical java applications to be loaded onto the multiprocessor system 15 , the sre 14 then automatically manages the different types of applications and messages to ensure that the critical vehicle applications are not corrupted and processed with the necessary priority . the sre 14 is secure software that cannot be manipulated by other java applications . the sre 14 provides priority preemption on a message scale across the entire system 15 and priority preemption on a task scale across the entire system 15 , so the sre 14 controls how the jvms 10 talk to each other and controls how the jvms 10 are started or initiated to perform tasks . the sre 14 allows programmers to write applications using java in a safe and secure real time environment , thus , viruses can be prevented by sre 14 from infiltrating the system 15 . while the explanation uses java as one example of a programming environment where sre 14 can be implemented , it should be understood that the sre 14 can be integrated into any variety of different programming environments that may run in the same or different systems 15 . for example , sre 14 can be integrated into an application programmers interface ( api ) for use with any programming language such as c ++. fig3 shows the different functions that are performed by the sre 20 . any combination of the functions described below can be provided in the sre 20 . a message manager 50 controls the order messages are received and transmitted by the different java applications . a security manager 52 controls what data and messages are allowed to be received or transmitted by different java applications . a critical data manager 54 controls what data is archived by the different java applications . a data manager 56 controls what data is allowed to be transferred between different processors . a task manager 58 controls the order tasks are performed by the different jvms . a reconfiguration manager 60 monitors the operation of the different processors in the system and reassigns or reconfigures java applications and java threads to different processors according to what processors have failed or what new processors and applications have been configured into system 15 . the message manager 50 partially corresponds to the priority manager 44 shown in fig2 of u . s . pat . no . 6 , 629 , 033 , issued sep . 30 , 2003 , the critical data manager 52 partially corresponds with the logging manager 44 shown in fig2 of the &# 39 ; 033 patent , and the security manager 54 at least partially corresponds with the security manager 40 shown in the &# 39 ; 033 patent . the data manager 56 at least partially corresponds with the date manager 42 shown in fig2 of u . s . pat . no . 7 , 146 , 260 issued dec . 5 , 2006 , the task manager 58 partially corresponds to the device manager 46 shown in fig2 of the &# 39 ; 260 patent , and the configuration manager 60 at least partially corresponds to the configuration manager 44 shown in fig2 of the &# 39 ; 260 patent . the descriptions of how the different manager 50 - 60 operate similarly to the corresponding manager in the &# 39 ; 033 and &# 39 ; 260 patents are herein incorporated by reference and are therefore not described in further detail . however , some specific tasks performed by the managers 50 - 60 are described below in further detail . fig4 shows in more detail how the sre 14 operates , one of the operations performed by the task manager 58 is to control when different tasks are initiated on different processors . for example , a first global positioning system ( gps ) thread 62 is running on a jvm in a processor 80 . another sensor fusion thread 64 is running on a different processor 82 . block 74 represents the java virtual machine operating in each of processors 80 and 82 . a master jvm 74 may run on either processor 80 , processor 82 or on some other processor . the task manager 58 sends an initiation command 66 to the gps thread 62 to obtain location data . the task manager 58 then directs the obtained gps data 68 through a link to the sensor fusion thread 64 for subsequent processing of gps data 68 . the link may be any bus , such as a pci bus , serial link such as a universal serial bus , a wireless link such as blue tooth or ieee 802 . 11 , or a network link such as ethernet , etc . the configuration manager 60 acts as a watchdog to make sure that the gps thread 62 and the sensor fusion thread 64 are each running correctly . in one example , separate configuration managers 60 in each processor 80 and 82 sends out periodic signals to the other configuration managers 60 in the other processors , any one of the configuration managers 60 can detect a processor or application failure by not receiving the periodic “ ok ” signals from any one of the other processors for some period of time , if a failure is detected , then a particular master configuration manager 60 in one of the processors determines where the task in the failed processor is going to be reloaded . if the master configuration manager 60 dies , then some conventional priority scheme , such as round robin , is used to select another configuration master . if a failure is detected , say in the processor 82 that is currently performing the sensor fusion thread 64 , a message is sent from the configuration manager 60 notifying the task manager 58 which processor is reassigned the sensor fusion thread . in this example , another sensor fusion thread 76 in processor 84 is configured by the configuration manager 60 . the critical data manager 52 manages the retention of any critical data 72 that was previously generated by the sensor fusion thread 64 . for example , the critical data manager 54 automatically stores certain data and state information that was currently being used in the sensor fusion thread 64 . the critical data may include gps readings for the last 10 minutes , sensor data obtained from sensors in other processors in the vehicle over the last 10 minutes . the critical data may also include any processed data generated by the sensor fusion thread 64 that identifies any critical vehicle conditions . the critical data manager 52 also determines which data to archive generally for vehicle maintenance and accident reconstruction purposes . the configuration manager 60 directs the critical data 72 to the new sensor fusion thread 76 . the task manager 74 then redirects any new gps data obtained by the gps thread 78 to the new sensor fusion thread 76 and controls sensor fusion tasks from application 76 . thus , the configuration manager 60 and the task manager 58 dynamically control how different java threads are initialized , distributed and activated on different processors . the message manager 50 determines the priority of sent and received messages . if the data transmitted and received by the sensor fusion thread 76 is higher priority than other data transmitted and received on the processor 84 , then the sensor fusion data will be given priority over the other data . the task manager 58 controls the priority that the sensor fusion thread 76 is giving by processor 84 . if the sensor fusion thread 76 has higher priority than , for example , an audio application that is also being run by processor 84 , then the sensor fusion thread 76 will be performed before the audio application , the sre 14 can be implemented in any system that needs to be operated in a secure environment . for example , network servers or multiprocessors operating in a home environment . the multiprocessors in home appliances , such as washer and dryers , home computers , home security systems , home heating systems , can be networked together and operate java applications . the sre 14 prevents these multiple processors and the software that controls these processors from being corrupted by unauthorized software and also allows the applications on these different processors to operate as one integrated system , the sre 14 is a controlled trusted computing based that is not accessible by non - authorized application programmers and anyone in the general public . therefore , the sre 14 prevents hacking or unauthorized control and access to the processors in the vehicle . debugging is a problem with multiprocessor systems . the task manager 58 allows the java applications to be run in a lock - step mode to more effectively identify problems in the multiprocessor system 15 . fig5 shows a path 90 taken by a vehicle 92 . in one application , the position of the vehicle 92 is sampled every second t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , t 4 , etc . the position of the vehicle 92 is sampled by a gps receiver in vehicle 92 that reads a longitudinal and latitudinal position from a gps satellite . the ups receiver is controlled by the gps thread 62 that receives the gps data and then sends the gps data to a sensor fusion thread 64 that may run on the same or a different processor in the vehicle 92 . the sensor fusion thread 64 can perform any one of many different tasks based on the gps data . for example , the sensor fusion thread 64 may update a map that is currently being displayed to the driver of vehicle 92 or generate a warning signal to the vehicle driver . for each sample period t n , the task manager 58 sends a request 94 to the gps thread 62 to obtain cps data . the task manager 58 uses a clock 96 as a reference for identifying each one second sample period . each time a second passes according to clock 96 , the task manager 58 sends out the request 94 that wakes up the gps thread 62 to go read . the gps data from the gps satellite . once the gps data has been received , the gps thread 62 passes the gps data 96 to the sensor fusion thread 64 . the gps thread 62 then goes back into an idle mode until it receives another activation command from the task manager 58 . the task manager 58 can control when the cps thread 62 is woken up . instead of the gps thread 62 being free running , the gps thread 62 is operating according to a perceived time controlled by the task manager 58 . the task manager 58 may send the activation request 94 to the gps thread 62 once every second during normal sensor fusion operation . when the system is in a debug mode , however , the task manager 58 may only send one activation command 94 . this allows the other operations performed by the system 89 to be monitored and determine how the single sampling of gps data 96 propagates through system 89 . the task manager 58 may also delay or disable task initiation to other threads , so that the processing of the gps data 96 can be isolated . the task manager 58 can isolate any state in the overall system 89 , such as the state of system 89 after a first gps reading by gps thread 62 or the state of system 89 after the thirty second gps reading by gps thread 62 by controlling when and how often activation commands 94 are sent to gps thread 62 . in a similar manner , the task manager 58 can control when other tasks are performed by the system 89 , such as when the sensor fusion thread 64 is activated . thus , the task manager 58 controls when java applications are activated effectively running the overall system 89 in a lock - step mode . the task manager 58 can control the initiation of multiple tasks at the same time . this allows the task manager to control what parameters and operations are performed and used by the different java threads so that different states in the multiprocessor system 89 can be detected and monitored more effectively . one application for the task controlled applications is for accident reconstruction . the critical data manager 52 ( fig3 ) may save different vehicle parameters from a vehicle that has been in an accident . for example , sensor data , brake data , speed data , etc . the task manager 58 can feed the saved data into the different java applications in a lock - step mode to determine how each java thread processes the saved data . this can then be used to identify any failures that may have occurred in the system 89 . the system described above can use dedicated processor systems , micro controllers , programmable logic devices , or microprocessors that perform some or all of the communication operations . some of the operations described above may be implemented in software and other operations may be implemented in hardware . for the sake of convenience , the operations are described as various interconnected functional blocks or distinct software modules . this is not necessary , however , and there may be cases where these functional blocks or modules are equivalently aggregated into a single logic device , program or operation with unclear boundaries . in any event , the functional blocks and software modules or described features can be implemented by themselves , or in combination with other operations in either hardware or software . having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be apparent that the invention may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . claim is made to all modifications and variation coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims .
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in the typical four - stroke combustion engine , the four strokes include the intake stroke , the compression stroke , the power stroke , and the exhaust stroke . as shown in fig1 the power strokes of the respective cylinders are arranged in a particular order according to crankshaft position . furthermore , in any engine having more than four cylinders , the power strokes of different cylinders will overlap . one engine cycle is comprised of 720 ° of crankshaft rotation during which each cylinder passes through each of its four strokes . curve 10 in fig1 shows approximate acceleration fluctuation during engine operation . an acceleration peak 11 occurs during the firing interval of cylinder no . 1 and other maximums in the acceleration curve occur approximately corresponding to each other properly firing cylinder . thus , although power strokes overlap , their individual effects are at least partially separable into distinct acceleration fluctuations . when a misfire occurs such that no significant power is created by a cylinder during its firing interval , the crankshaft decelerates as indicated at 12 . the deceleration continues at least during the time that the misfiring cylinder is the only cylinder in its power stroke . the accuracy required to measure angular rotation and time to derive the resolution shown in fig1 is not feasible or desirable in on - board automotive systems . rather , approximately one velocity measurement per firing interval is taken and the difference between successive velocities is calculated to determine one total acceleration measurement per cylinder . such acceleration calculations are plotted in fig2 . curve 13 shows the variation which can be measured in the total acceleration between firing intervals of successive cylinders in the firing order of the combustion engine . unfortunately , the curve shown in fig2 has not proven to be a reliable indicator of misfires . difficulties arise in attempting to separate acceleration fluctuations due to misfires from fluctuations caused by engine transients such as changes in vehicle speed or load . even when transients are artificially removed by requiring engine operation at idle speed , prior art systems have lacked sufficient accuracy or have not properly isolated the effects of one cylinder firing interval from the adjacent firing intervals to allow any accurate detection of misfires . the present invention provides a method for detecting cylinder misfires in a reliable way with extremely low error rates . according to the inventive method , the contribution to engine power of each cylinder is isolated from the effects of engine transients and the neighboring cylinders by subtracting an average acceleration over a series of surrounding cylinder firings from the acceleration calculated for the particular firing interval of interest . this removes the longer term acceleration effects which result from throttle and load variations . the acceleration average is preferably a median average to provide the best transient performance . however , a mean average can be used to reduce the computation required . to maintain uniform sensitivity of misfire detection over all levels of engine speed and load , the acceleration deviation is normalized to a measure of expected torque before being subjected to a threshold for discriminating between misfires and proper firings . expected torque is the amount of indicated torque that would be expected to be produced by a properly firing cylinder and can be calculated from such engine parameters as manifold pressure , throttle opening , air flow , fuel flow , spark advance , egr fraction , or engine velocity . the normalized acceleration deviation is equivalent to the percent of power loss exhibited by one cylinder firing relative to the average torque that is expected based on the engine operation . a histogram of the measured power loss from a running engine is strongly bimodal , with histogram peaks representing full engine power output and no output ( i . e ., misfire ). during some conditions , such as closed throttle decelerations or sudden throttle transients , it is normal for each individual cylinder firing to produce no significant power . therefore , when such conditions are detected , the power loss test is suspended . turning now to fig3 the present invention is shown in greater detail . an engine 15 provides engine position signals 16 at predetermined rotational positions . engine position signals 16 are provided to an acceleration block 17 which also receives clock signals from a clock 18 used to calculate velocity v i and acceleration a i for each firing interval i . for example , where each engine position pulse in engine position signal 16 is in predetermined relation with the beginning of a respective top dead center , then an elapsed time δt i for an i &# 39 ; th firing interval is determined by the passage of time between the i &# 39 ; th position pulse and the i + l position pulse ( usually determined from pulse rising edge to rising edge ). the velocity v i over firing interval i equals the angular rotation between rising edges divided by the time elapsed between their respective passage past a fixed point . acceleration a i for firing interval i equals the immediately following velocity measurement v i + l minus the respective velocity v i divided by elapsed time period δt i . a preferred method for velocity and acceleration measurement is disclosed in copending application ser . no . 572 , 282 , filed on the same date as the present application , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . all of the calculations shown in fig3 are preferably performed in an on - board microcomputer such as an electronic engine control ( eec ) which is connected to various sensors and actuators within the engine . the acceleration measurements a i are provided by acceleration block 17 to an averaging block 20 . the a i measurements are preferably provided continuously or in large groups for processing . a series of acceleration measurements a i - n to a i + n are median averaged in order to determine the gross acceleration of the engine . a difference block 21 receives the a i measurements from acceleration block 17 and the average accelerations a i about each individual acceleration from averaging block 20 . the difference between an individual acceleration and the average acceleration centered on that individual acceleration measurement provides an acceleration deviation d i which is an indication of the power contribution of i &# 39 ; th cylinder with engine transient effects removed . the acceleration deviation d i is provided to a normalization block 22 . a torque calculator 23 is connected to engine 15 for sensing various engine parameters according to any convenient engine model for estimating engine torque based on the sensed engine parameters . the engine model for relating the sensed parameters to indicated torque provided by the engine can be empirically measured by operating a vehicle on a dynamometer , for example . thus , an engine could be operated at various air charges and rpms to create a mapping of these variables to indicated torque as measured by the dynamometer . the map can be stored in a lookup table in the engine microcomputer . during vehicle operation , the air charge and rpm are measured and the torque values from the lookup table are retrieved . the microcomputer can interpolate between values if the measured variables are between the values used during dynamometer measurements . various offsets may also be employed according to other engine parameters as is known in the art . torque calculator 23 is also shown as being connected to acceleration block 17 since engine speed is a likely engine parameter for determining the expected torque to be delivered by engine 15 . expected torque is more slowly varying than engine acceleration measurements and therefore need not be updated at the frequency of every firing interval , although it may be best to do so . the expected torque calculated in block 23 is provided to normalization block 22 and to a discriminator and analyzer 24 . normalization block 22 computes a power loss l i by dividing the negative acceleration deviation - d i by expected torque τ i . power loss l i is provided to discriminator and analyzer 24 which performs two comparisons , in the preferred embodiment . in the first comparison , expected torque τ i is compared to a torque threshold τ th . if the calculated expected torque is at least greater than a torque threshold , then discriminator and analyzer 24 performs a second comparison to separate misfires from normal firings . thus , a digital value m i equals 1 to indicate that a misfire has occurred if power loss l i is greater than a power loss threshold l th and is assigned a value of zero when power loss is less than the power loss threshold . the first comparison of expected torque versus a torque threshold prevents the second test from being performed when no significant power is being produced by engine 15 . torque threshold τ th represents an amount of torque which is very small since even when engine 15 is at idle it is providing sufficient torque to enable a positive test for misfire . the value of expected torque τ i will normally fall below the torque threshold only during closed throttle decelerations . as shown in fig4 the values for power loss l i are very strongly bimodal in that the values corresponding to the misfiring defective cylinder fall solely within one region of the histogram while values corresponding to all normally firing cylinders are contained within a separate area of the histogram . thus , a power loss threshold l th is selected so that it falls between the separate regions in the histogram , e . g ., at 50 % power loss . the power loss threshold can also be adjusted upward or downward if it is desired to be more conservative or more liberal in calling a low power firing a misfire . returning to fig3 misfire data m i is provided to a memory 25 for later recall . the misfire data is also analyzed in discriminator and analyzer 24 in order to energize a display 26 or to provide adaptive control to engine 15 if desired . fig5 plots power loss and velocity during running of an engine operated with misfires deliberately introduced in cylinder no . 1 . the plot of velocity shows a slight drop following the measurement corresponding to cylinder no . 1 . it is clearly very difficult to identify misfiring cylinders based on velocity or just velocity differences ( i . e ., signal - to - noise in the measurement is low ), especially when an engine is operating at high speed or accelerations . in contrast , the power loss plot provides a good separation between those cylinder firings which occur normally and those which correspond to a misfire ( i . e ., there is a high signal - to - noise ratio ). power loss calculation as a basis for detecting misfires is highly advantageous over similar attempts using acceleration calculation . fig6 a shows a plot of crankshaft acceleration during an engine transient . the baseline and the relative magnitude of the acceleration vary widely throughout the transient making it impossible to distinguish firing and misfiring cylinders by merely applying an acceleration threshold to the calculated acceleration . fig6 b plots power loss during the same engine transient shown in fig6 a . the power loss curve maintains substantially constant baseline and relative magnitudes during the engine transient . misfiring cylinders can be distinguished from properly firing cylinders by application of a single threshold throughout the entire engine transient . returning to fig3 misfire discriminator and analyzer 24 preferably processes the misfire data m i over many consecutive values for variable i so that variable m i can be examined for patterns indicative of particular engine operating faults such as a bad fuel injector or defective spark plug , for example . thus , predetermined characteristics in the misfire data can be detected as a particular pattern and an appropriate response for the particular engine operating fault can be initiated . the simplest pattern to appear in the misfire data would be the repeated misfiring of an individual cylinder on each of its successive firing intervals . the presence of misfires means that uncombusted fuel is being passed to the catalytic converter where it will burn , thereby increasing the temperature in the catalytic converter and leading to its destruction . in order to protect the catalytic converter , fuel supplied to the particular cylinder involved might be stopped if individual fuel injectors are provided for each cylinder . other patterns of misfiring , such as random misfires , can be correlated with other engine faults . an expert system or a pattern recognition system , such as a neural network , can be employed to relate a particular pattern of misfires and other data to a particular fault condition . as shown in fig3 a memory 25 can be employed to store the misfire data . preferably , an electronically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ) is employed for memory 25 so that misfire data is retained in memory 25 indefinitely for retrieval during vehicle servicing . display 26 is provided to notify an operator of the vehicle of a misfire condition . the operator might be notified of the occurrence of a single misfire . preferably , the misfire data is analyzed in a manner to identify whether the misfiring of any individual cylinder occurs at greater than a predetermined frequency ( i . e ., ratio of misfires to total firing intervals of the particular cylinder ) before activating the display . with regard to average acceleration determined in averaging block 20 in fig3 a median filtered average is preferred . in other words , the average acceleration of a series of acceleration is that value of acceleration which has an equal number of acceleration values in the series that are greater than and less than the median value . preferably , the series of accelerations for determining an average acceleration value a i includes an odd number of consecutive acceleration measurements having the respective acceleration value of interest at the center . in other words , each series for the average acceleration a i is comprised of acceleration measurements a i - n , . . . a i , . . . a i + n , where n is a whole number . if n is the number of cylinders in an internal combustion engine , the number of acceleration measurements within a series for computing an average acceleration is preferably equal to 2 * n - 1 . for example , as shown in fig7 a preferred series of acceleration measurements for a six - cylinder engine includes 11 individual acceleration measurements since n equals 6 . the i &# 39 ; th firing interval falling at the center of the series shown in fig7 corresponds to cylinder no . 5 as indicated at arrow 30 . the preferred series of measurements having 11 individual acceleration values centered on cylinder no . 5 includes measurements of the other cylinders no . 1 - 4 and 6 each twice , and only one measurement from cylinder 5 contributing to the average . more generally , the number of acceleration measurements in a series can be equal to x * n - 1 , where x is a whole number ( 1 , 2 , 3 , . . . ). thus , when n equals 6 and x equals 1 , the number of firing intervals in a series equals 5 . as mentioned above , an expected torque τ i must be above a torque threshold τ th in order to have a valid test condition . during conditions when the engine torque is very small , the resulting signal - to - noise ratio in the calculated power loss value is poor . in other words , a small value for torque in the denominator giving rise to the power loss value magnifies the effect of any noise present in the acceleration deviation measurements . by requiring expected torque τ i to be above the threshold , false alarms resulting from noise are avoided . when using the previously described torque threshold as the criteria for a valid test , it is possible to choose the torque threshold so as to exclude most rapid closed throttle decelerations while still allowing detection of misfires at engine idle . however , some marginal situations , primarily at high speeds , have been found to give a few false alarms even when that valid test criterion is met . if desired to further improve the error rate of misfire detection , an alternative embodiment of the invention employs a combination of high speed and low torque in determining a valid test condition in order to improve accuracy in misfire detection and maximize the time when valid tests can be conducted . according to this alternative embodiment of the invention , the expected size of the noise in the power loss measurement is determined . the variation in the size of the power loss noise results from 1 ) the variation in the expected torque as previously described , and 2 ) the variation with engine speed in the noise level present in the acceleration deviation measurements themselves . the uncertainty in the acceleration deviation is due directly to uncertainty in the original acceleration calculations . the noise in the acceleration measurement increases strongly with increasing engine speed . thus , a loss error is defined according to this alternative embodiment to identify valid test conditions where the loss error equals a constant ( k ) multiplied by engine rpm squared ( rpm 2 ) divided by the calculated expected torque ( τ i ). a loss threshold is then selected such that the loss error must be below the loss threshold in order to have a valid test . specifically , the valid test criterion in this embodiment is as follows : where constant k is based on known or impirically derived parameters of the engine position measuring system . in particular , a value for k on the order of 0 . 1 representing the error present in the position marker for determining crankshaft rotational angle was determined for one particular system . however , at low engine speeds , a very low and unrealistic estimate of the error is predicted ( i . e ., approaching zero ) by the formula provided above . therefore , the rpm value may be replaced by a constant below an impirically determined engine speed . fig8 plots power loss and loss error each calculated according to this alternative embodiment of the invention . the power loss data was determined on an engine which was known to be free of misfires . the variations in power loss reflect both engine acceleration and deceleration as well as random and speed - dependent noise in the data . the calculated loss error provides a good fit to the envelope of the power loss data derived with no engine misfires . as a result , false alarms can be easily avoided without eliminating testing during conditions which would support an accurate test . turning again to fig3 an alternative embodiment of the invention includes a bump sensor 27 connected to acceleration block 17 and discriminator and analyzer 24 . the movement of a vehicle over and through road bumps and holes cause load changes that create torque perturbations that might propogate to the engine crankshaft . the torque perturbations alter the time measurements which are the basis for the velocity and acceleration measurements thereby introducing an error into the misfire detection system . a typical vehicle drivetrain has a frequency response which attenuates the torque perturbations at the crankshaft to a level below the perturbations caused by misfires . however , it may be desirable to sense the occurrence of road bump induced load changes by sensing the height of the vehicle suspension using bump sensor 27 and providing a signal to discriminator and analyzer 24 such that no misfire test is made during times of extremely high rate of change of suspension height ( since the engine load is then experiencing a transient condition ). alternatively , bump sensor 27 can provide data to acceleration block 17 so that the error introduced into the acceleration measurements can be corrected . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein , it will be understood that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention .
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the musical alphabet uses the letters a through g . the seven letters are repeated consecutively as notes rise in pitch . each repetition is called an octave . an octave is shown in fig1 . within the octave , notes of a musical scale are laid out with the lowest note on the left ; the longer white keys ( for the seven “ natural ” notes of the c major scale : c , d , e , f , g , a , b and then repeating , starting , with c ) jut forward . the black keys for the remaining five notes which are not part of the c major scale ( namely c / d , d / e , f / g , g / a , a / b ) are raised and set back . the ivories are the white keys of the piano , also called naturals . the ebonies are the black keys of a piano keyboard , also called variously sharps or accidentals . referring now to fig2 , an exemplary piano keyboard is shown . it comprises a set of adjacent depressible keys , including larger , longer keys and smaller , shorter keys that repeat at the interval of an octave . almost every modern piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys for a total of 88 keys ( seven octaves plus a minor third , from a 0 to c 8 ). the lowest pitch , a0 , is on the left , and the highest pitch , c8 , is on the far right . the use of the invention in lieu of conventional music notation is a map to guide the eye through information on a musical score . instead of having to interpret the seemingly cryptic information on a sheet , the eye quickly identifies a familiar and intuitive number , sign and duration on the sheet music . this information can quickly be related with corresponding numbers and signs on a keyboard chart , making it easier to navigate the score . without learning musical notation , students build mental associations as reference points for playing . referring now to fig3 , an exemplary chart according to principles of the invention is shown . the chart is comprised of a durable relatively thin strip of generally rectangular - shaped material , having a total thickness of about 1 mm or less . a thickness of 1 mm is thin enough to fit in the available space behind keys of a piano without impeding movement of the keys . the length of the chart is less than the length of the piano keyboard . a height of at least one inch , preferably two to three inches , is preferred for stability and visibility . the material 530 is comprised of a flexible vinyl face 535 with a magnetic backing 540 , such as magnetic sheet material used for sign making , as conceptually illustrated in the section view of fig7 . the magnetic backing 540 allows magnetically adhering indicia to the face of the chart . the indicia may include numbers , letters , symbols , instructions , notes , key tiles , concealing ( e . g ., black ) tiles , and combinations of the foregoing . exemplary concealing tiles 500 , 505 and 510 are shown in fig7 . the exemplary concealing tiles may be placed over keys on the chart to conceal those keys . the magnetic chart allows customization and modification to enhance versatility . thus , a key , notes , numbers , letters and symbols may be added , covered or removed . each of these attachable items are referred to as an “ attachable indicia .” as shown in the exemplary section 515 , each attachable items has a face 520 and a magnetic backing 525 . the magnetic backing 525 of the attachable item , when placed against the face 535 of the chart , will adhere the attachable item to the chart by virtue of magnetic attraction between the magnetic backings 525 , 540 , even with the face 530 disposed between the magnetic backings 525 , 540 . in an alternative embodiment , the attachable indicia may be attachable by static cling . in such case , the attachable indicia may be comprised of a vinyl or similar material with a high propensity for static cling . in yet another alternative embodiment , the attachable indicia may be attachable by reusable adhesive . in such embodiment , the attachable indicia may include a reusable protective backing that may be removed to expose the adhesive surface . as shown in fig3 , the chart 110 spans three octaves , a lower octave , a middle octave and a higher octave , which is enough to play many songs . by way of example and not limitation , the white key assigned number 1 on the chart , may be aligned behind the keyboard even with middle c ( i . e ., c4 in fig2 ). in such case , the white key 100 marked − 1 on the keyboard will align with c3 in fig2 . the striped keys 105 on the chart 110 will then align with black keys on the keyboard . thus , the keys on the chart are configured ( i . e ., have a width and spacing ) to align precisely with keys on the keyboard . the striped keys may be a solid color ( e . g ., red ) to easily distinguish them from the white keys . however , stripes are used here to illustrate the distinction in black and white . arabic numbers may be used for finger placement . for left handed applications , roman numerals may be used . letters may be added for key names . octave signs are used to distinguish the octaves . keys in the lower octave are assigned a negative sign . keys in the higher octave are assigned a positive sign . keys in the middle octave omit a positive or negative sign . other indicia , such as letters ( e . g ., l for lower and h for higher ), may be used to distinguish the octaves . using the principles of the invention , various chord charts can be constructed to cover various intervals and scales . for example , charts can be created for major ( m ), minor ( m ), perfect ( p ), augmented ( a ), and diminished ( d ) intervals . fig3 illustrates 3 chords of a major ( m ) chord chart 110 . fig4 illustrates a natural minor chord chart 210 with white 200 and striped keys . fig5 illustrates a diminished 7 ° chord chart 310 . fig6 illustrates a half diminished 7 ø 410 . in each case , white keys 100 , 200 , 300 and 400 are aligned with corresponding keys on the piano keyboard . upon proper alignment , all of the remaining keys on the chart will align with the corresponding keys to be played on the piano keyboard . the black spaces 305 , 405 in the diminished 7 ø chord chart and in the half diminished 7 ø 410 corresponds with keys not to be played and spaces between keys . thus , a chart may be configured to identify only those keys to be played . in one embodiment , the black spaces may be black tiles that are adhered ( e . g ., adhesively , magnetically or via static cling ) to the chart to cover otherwise visible keys . multiple black tiles ( i . e ., concealing tiles ) may be used to block out a series of keys . each tile may be a thin sheet of material sized and shaped to overlay a key on the chart . the invention is not limited to an particular tile or key colors . as another example , charts can be constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention , to play particular songs or types of music , including chords and progressions . illustratively , to play jazz , it is important to know the types of jazz piano chords used in the music . one common jazz chord is the sixth . on a chord chart , this can be represented as c6 or cadd6 . the c6 chord is formed by simultaneously playing the notes c - e - g - a , the a being the sixth . a cadd6 replaces the fifth with the sixth , or c - e - a . another very popular chord in jazz music is the seventh . in musical notation , a seventh in the key of c appears as c7 . the notes of this chord are c - e - g - b flat . equally popular is the major seventh , notated cmaj7 in the case of the c chord . a cmaj7 is played using the notes c - e - g - b . the major seventh may look similar to the seventh chord , but as you will hear when you play them , they are distinctly different . these are merely examples of the special types of charts than can be created using white keys , colored keys to represent black keys on a keyboard , optionally numbers with and / or without a + or − sign , an black spaces , in accordance with the principles of the invention . an important aspect of the invention is properly notated sheet music . fig8 provides an example of conventional sheet music . the pitches of music are indicated with symbols , called notes , placed on a staff — five parallel lines on which each line and space represent a pitch . notes can be natural , sharp or flat . the higher a note &# 39 ; s placement on the staff , the higher the pitch . a clef is placed at the beginning of the staff to show the pitch of each line and space and represent which hand is used . the shape of the note head , the presence or absence of a stem , and the presence or absence of flags / beams / hooks may all determine the duration . any of various rest symbols indicates a silence of a determined duration . each element on the page adds a layer of complexity to the music . with so much information being presented , the sheet music can easily seem like a jumble of dots and lines without meaning . in sharp contrast , sheet music notated according to principles of the invention is much easier to comprehend and apply . referring to fig9 , the song is notated for use with the chart shown in fig3 . the five parallel lines used for the conventional notation are not used and can be deleted . lyrics are provided between a pair of parallel lines . below the lyrics are numbers that correspond to the keys to be played . keys in the lower and higher octaves have − and + signs , respectively . below each key number is a duration symbol comprising a horizontal line , the length of which indicates the duration . optionally , tick marks may be provided to more clearly illustrate the length of the horizontal line . by way of illustration , tick marks are shown on the horizontal lines beneath the numbers 5 and + 1 , beneath the words most and see in the first ( top ) row of fig9 . it is understood that tick marks may be used with all such horizontal lines . sharp and flat symbols are provided with corresponding notes . thus , according to principles of the invention , a notation sheet may be constructed by converting conventional sheet music to the form and format described herein . the conversion , which may be automatic ( e . g ., using optical character recognition ) or manual , entails replacing key symbols with key numbers , which correspond to the numbers assigned to keys on the chart . octave indicators are replaced with a + or − sign . duration for which each note is played is shown by a horizontal line , which may include tick marks , instead of the time signature measure and bar line in conventional sheet music . each tick or the smallest unit of the horizontal line may , by way of example , correspond to a quarter note . sharp and flat symbols are provided with each note requiring the same . in a computer - assisted implementation , a program divides area of a sheet into rows and columns . the columns may not have any border lines . the rows are populated with notes to be played . one note may be indicated in each column . key symbols in conventional notation are replaced with key numbers , which correspond to the numbers assigned to keys on the chart . octave indicators are replaced with a + or − sign . duration for which each note is played is shown by a horizontal line , which may include tick marks , instead of the time signature measure and bar line in conventional sheet music . each tick or the smallest unit of the horizontal line may , by way of example , correspond to a quarter note . sharp and flat symbols are provided with each note requiring the same . thus , each note to be played will be shown in a column of a row . each key will be designated by a number . a + or − octave indicator will be displayed where appropriate . duration will be indicated with a horizontal line , which may include tick marks . sharp and flat symbols are displayed where appropriate . as can be readily seen with reference to the examples provided in fig3 and fig9 , the invention makes interpreting music easier , accelerating the pace of learning to play the piano . it allows piano students to pass the major hurdle of comprehending notation to playing from written music . for example , for the first note , any student , even an uninitiated beginner , can identify the key on the keyboard corresponding to key number 3 on the chart in fig3 and determine that a short duration applies , as shown in fig9 . the invention thus reduces the risk of new music students getting frustrated and quitting the piano before learning how to play beautiful music . nearly all songs and musical scores are based on melodic movements that are composed of patterns of repeating notes . using the invention , a music student can quickly and clearly see patterns and how they contrast against other notes on a sheet . this reduces the time novices need to learn to interpret and play music on a piano , and to become proficient . in turn , this reduces boredom , monotony and frustration , as well as the attendant risk of dropping out of a musical curriculum . concomitantly , it improved self - esteem and level of enjoyment . a system and method according to principles of the invention may also facilitate training visually impaired individuals . all of the indicia and symbols may be represented in a tactile form , including braille . for example , integers may be both printed and displayed in braille . plus and minus signs may be raised and / or displayed in braille . by replacing complex music notation with numerical designations , the system is more accessible to the visually impaired . braille symbols may be created using raised inks or by embossing or any other technique suitable for creating a tactile symbol , readily sensible by touch , on a sheet . raised ink may be formed by printing using an engraved plate causing the printed material to raise slightly off the sheet or by using thermography . in the latter case , the design is printed on the sheet and the sheet is then passed under a powder funnel that sprinkles a thermography powder on the sheet . the sheet is then passed under a heated oven that fuses the powdered particles to the wet printing ink , and a high - powered vacuum is used to remove the excess powder . the fused mixture creates a “ raised ” appearance when the mixture hardens , without damaging the sheet . while an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described , it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible , all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum relationships for the components and steps of the invention , including variations in order , form , content , function and manner of operation , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . the above description and drawings are illustrative of modifications that can be made without departing from the present invention , the scope of which is to be limited only by the following claims . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as claimed .
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a smartcard typically embeds an electronic chip in a plastic card . the electronic chip may include , for example , a microprocessor or similar device , read - only memory ( rom ), and / or read - write random access memory ( ram ). the electronic - chip may also include other electronic components such as digital signal processors ( dsps ), field - programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), electrically - erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ) and miscellaneous support logic . generally , the electronic chip is glued into a recessed area of a plastic card and is covered by a printed circuit which provides the electrical interface to an external smartcard reader . the standard configuration of the input and output pads of the printed circuit generally includes power ( vcc ), ground ( gnd ), a clock input ( clk ) and a serial input / output pad ( i / o ). several additional unconnected pads ( n / c ) are also included in the standard configuration . because the plastic card is somewhat flexible , the electronic chip should be small enough to avoid breaking . this limits the physical size of the electronic chip to a few millimeters across , and also limits the number of electronic components that can be supported . contactless smartcards are also in use , which communicate with an external smartcard reader using radio frequencies or other wireless communication media . such smartcards are generally equipped with an internal antenna , rather than the input and output pads of the printed circuit . in fig1 a data - processing system 10 , which here is a smartcard , is depicted that comprises an eeprom 20 , also referred to as first persistent memory , a second persistent memory 40 , also referred to as rom , and a volatile memory 30 , also referred to as ram . these three memories 20 , 30 , 40 are connected to a processor 50 which is again connected to a des co - processor 55 . the smartcard 10 further comprises a connector field 60 for connection to an external device . in the rom 40 are located an operating system 41 and a first cryptographic key , also referred to as cryptographic master key 45 . in the eeprom 20 a second cryptographic key 21 and an third cryptographic key 22 are stored . in the ram 30 second encrypted information 33 is stored . the co - processor 55 can perform any type of cryptographic operation , here des is selected for exemplary purposes . for sake of better understanding , first a process without use of the cryptographic master key 45 is explained . the second cryptographic key 21 and third cryptographic key 22 are in such a case present in the eeprom 20 in a non - encrypted form and are present for being used in an encryption process respectively decryption process performed by the des co - processor 55 in assistance to the processor 50 . if during the execution of an application the processor 50 is instructed to perform an operation that needs to make use of one or more of the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 , the des co - processor 55 is activated . it is assumed for this example , that the second cryptographic key 21 is here needed to perform a decryption . the processor 50 accesses the eeprom 20 to retrieve therefrom the second cryptographic key 21 . the second cryptographic key 21 is loaded from the eeprom 20 via the processor 50 to the ram 30 . the des co - processor 55 retrieves the second cryptographic key 21 from the ram 30 via the processor 50 and retrieves via the processor 50 also the data that is to be decrypted under use of the cryptographic key 21 , from one of the memories 20 , 30 , 40 . here that data comprises the second encrypted information 33 . then the des co - processor 55 performs the decryption and delivers the decrypted data to the processor 50 . a malicious user could perform a dpa attack on that operation , in particular , sniffing on the leakage of the signal between the eeprom 20 and the processor 50 by using a suitable leakage - detecting probe in combination with corresponding software . in order to make such a dpa attack harder , the cryptographic master key 45 is used in accordance with the invention . the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 reside in the eeprom 20 in an encrypted form , namely having been previously encrypted under use of the cryptographic master key 45 . they are hence present as first encrypted information . the corresponding encryption process shall be explained further below , but first the decryption shall be addressed here . an operation is assumed that needs the second cryptographic key 21 . that operation is executed by the processor 50 in an operation execution step . since the second cryptographic key 21 resides in the eeprom 20 in encrypted form , the operation execution step comprises a decryption step to enable access to the second cryptographic key 21 in a decrypted form and to thereby enable use of it . therefor the processor 50 not only retrieves the encrypted second cryptographic key 21 from the eeprom 20 but also initiates the execution of a decryption step of the encrypted second cryptographic key 21 . the encrypted second cryptographic key 21 is loaded from the eeprom 20 via the processor 50 to the ram 30 . the cryptographic master key 45 is loaded from the rom 40 via the processor 50 to the ram 30 . the des co - processor 55 retrieves the cryptographic master key 45 from the ram 30 via the processor 50 and retrieves via the processor 50 also the encrypted second cryptographic key 21 that is to be decrypted under use of the cryptographic master key 45 , from the ram 30 . then the co - processor 55 performs the decryption step on the encrypted second cryptographic key 21 and delivers the resulting decrypted second cryptographic key 21 to the ram 30 . next follows the execution step of the operation execution step . the co - processor 55 retrieves the decrypted second cryptographic key 21 from the ram 30 via the processor 50 and retrieves via the processor 50 also the data 33 that is to be decrypted under use of the decrypted second cryptographic key 21 , from the ram 30 . then the co - processor 55 performs the decryption and delivers the decrypted data to the processor 50 . this is hence a series of decryption processes . the advantage is that the operation of retrieving the second cryptographic key 21 from the eeprom 20 is less prone to a dpa attack , since the information that is transferred from the eeprom 20 and that suffers from the information leakage of the eeprom 20 , namely the second cryptographic key 21 , is transferred in encrypted form . since the leakage of the rom 40 and the ram 30 is lower than the leakage of the eeprom 20 , the susceptibility of the overall system to dpa attacks is reduced . in the following , the process of personalizing the smartcard 10 will be described . the smartcard 10 is manufactured by a smartcard manufacturer to comprise the plastic carrier with the embedded chip . the chip already contains the pre - stored cryptographic master key 45 in the rom 40 . the receiving entity , which typically is a smartcard - issuing entity , then processes the card in a personalization step , i . e . prepares this smartcard 10 for future use by a specific person . therefore the smartcard issuer equips the smartcard 10 with personal information , namely here the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 which are first written into the eeprom 20 . this writing step is performed in a secure environment , i . e . an environment that does not allow accessing the sensitive personal information . the smartcard issuer himself is a trusted party in that it may be assumed that it does not perform an attack on the system by using the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 or even the cryptographic master key 45 . the smartcard 10 arrives at the smartcard issuer with the operating system 41 pre - stored . in that operating system 41 a personalization step is contained in a programmed form , which step is initiated by the smartcard issuer after writing the personal information 21 , 22 to the eeprom 20 . the personalization step encompasses two substeps , an encryption step and an access - limitation step . the personalization step starts by performing the encryption step that encrypts the first unencrypted information , i . e . the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 . therefor the eeprom 20 is scanned for all information that is to be encrypted under use of the cryptographic master key 45 . this information here comprises the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 . the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 can be recognized in a scanning step by the scanning algorithm and once these have been located , they are encrypted and written as encrypted cryptographic keys 21 , 22 back into the eeprom 20 . the smartcard issuer himself does for the encryption step not need to know the cryptographic master key 45 and in fact does not even need to know that there is a cryptographic master key 45 at all . the encryption step can be executed without the smartcard issuer knowing about it . in order for the scanning step to recognize the cryptographic keys , these should advantageously be tagged , i . e ., discernible as such . this is certainly the case for the smartcard being a javacard , since java is an object - based system , in which all sensitive information is tagged by a java class named “ key ”. after the encryption step , the access - limitation step effects that the smartcard 10 is set to a state in which the writing into the eeprom 20 is limited , namely limited by the access control through the operating system 41 . that limitation ensures that writing is no longer allowed into certain areas of the smartcard 10 amongst which is the area in which the encrypted cryptographic keys 21 , 22 are located . thereby a later modification in that forbidden area , including fraudulous attempts , is excluded . after completion of the personalization step , the smartcard is in the so - called personalized state . the smartcard 10 is issued to the end - customer or user in this state . in operation of the smartcard , as already described further above , the decryption runs via the des coprocessor 55 , which loads the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 from the eeprom 20 . that loading step is prone to dpa but since the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 are present only in the encrypted form , and hence also transmitted in that form , that attack has a lower success rate . the cryptographic master key 45 is loaded to the des coprocessor 55 from the rom 40 and since the rom 40 is less power - consuming than the eeprom 20 or the ram 30 , a successful attack via dpa is much harder and hence less probable . in principle , the operation execution step can be executed without that the environment around the smartcard knows about the use of the cryptographic master key 45 . from the perspective of the result of the operation that is executed , there is no difference . the advantage lies in the fact that the described method and system increase system security but are totally transparent to the outside environment . it is hence suggested that the sensitive data , i . e ., the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 stored in the eeprom 20 are stored in an encrypted form , not as plain data prone to the attack stated above . the encryption step is performed under use of another secret key , the cryptographic master key 45 , that may either be unique to the chip , or unique to a piece of software , called mask , containing the program logic accessing the eeprom 20 . this is achieved transparently to an application possibly making use of the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 . the encrypting cryptographic key 45 resides in non - or less leaking storage , such as the rom 40 . with other words , the introduction of the cryptographic master key 45 effects a reduction of the attackability of the smartcard 10 , through a reduction of information leakage , also referred to as power dissipation , or attack susceptibility . the cryptographic master key 45 is applied for encryption of the first unencrypted information 31 , 32 , e . g . comprising clear - text keys , to form therefrom the first encrypted information 21 , 22 . therefore the writing process is amended , and the clear - text keys are encrypted under use of the cryptographic master key 45 , that is an internal chip - or mask - specific key , before they are stored into the eeprom 20 . for decryption , the key - reading or - using method is intercepted , and the encrypted cryptographic keys 21 , 22 are first decrypted in non - or less - leaking memory , such as the ram 30 , to gain the first unencrypted information 31 , 32 , before actual use thereof . in an extended form , the processing method for personalization provides for a scanning of the complete eeprom 20 for the therein - stored cryptographic keys 21 , 22 , and encrypting them all according to the same procedure as outlined above . this means , a complete eeprom image consisting of non - sensitive and sensitive information in plain form can be converted to an eeprom image consisting of non - sensitive information in plain form and sensitive information in encrypted form . a technology employable to do this is a memory - walking technology seeking out object types , i . e ., cryptographic keys in the given scenario . in the case of a javacard , the known garbage collection mechanism can be utilized for this , as it also traverses the complete eeprom 20 . the benefit of this is that the smartcard 10 can be prepared and tested with all data , i . e . sensitive and non - sensitive , in plain form , and only at the end of testing and production be changed over to the secure mode in which the cryptographic keys 21 , 22 are encrypted for use . it is obvious for the person skilled in the art that the present invention can be realized in hardware , software , or a combination of these . also , it can be implemented in a centralized fashion on one single computer system , or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computers or computer systems , whereby any kind of a computer system — or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein — is suited . a typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that , when being loaded and executed , controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein . the present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product , which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein , and which — when loaded in a computer system — is able to carry out these methods . computer program means or computer program in the present context mean any expression , in any language , code or notation , of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following a ) conversion to another language , code or notation ; b ) reproduction in a different material form . any disclosed embodiment may be combined with one or several of the other embodiments shown and / or described . this is also possible for one or more features of the embodiments . it is obvious that a person skilled in the art can modify the shown arrangements in many ways without departing from the gist of the invention which is encompassed by the subsequent claims .
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various examples are detailed hereinafter for an adaptive , digital architectures that can be used in radio - frequency ( rf ) bandpass , bandstop ( notch ), and other filter applications . the techniques allow for the design of adaptable wireless communication devices with improved performance through intelligent rf signal reception that may quickly identify and correct for signal interference , improve frequency channel signal - to - noise ratios , collaboratively tune a receiver to optimum frequency channels , more accurately estimate signal strength , or perform other adaptive signal processing . in some applications discussed below , the techniques are implemented in a cognitive radio wireless system capable of identifying available frequency bands within a spectral range and then communicating exclusively within those bands , so as to avoid interference between remote devices or between entire wireless systems . by implementing the techniques in digital configurations as discussed in examples herein , wireless devices can be formed having any number of complex configurations of bandpass and bandstop ( notch ) filters , arranged in parallel or cascaded for sequential operation , e . g ., having individual or groups of filters in series . each of the filters may be controlled by generating coefficient data to set not only the frequency of the filter but also its bandwidth of operation . this allows for fully adaptive filters , for example , where depending on the rf environment detected by the wireless device , an adaptive filter may be changed from a bandpass to a bandstop ( notch ) filter and a bank of such filters may be modified from one configuration to another . in many of the examples to follow , the techniques are described in terms of an adaptive front end controller for a wireless communication device , although it will be appreciated that these techniques may be implemented elsewhere within a wireless device as desired . fig1 illustrates an example telecommunication system 10 employing an adaptive digital filter apparatus . a plurality of remote units 12 , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d , in this case mobile units , communicate through one of two base stations 14 and 16 , interfaced together through a switching station 18 . the illustrated configuration may represent a peer - to - peer topology in which remote units communicate directly with one another without the need of the base station as a central host , or ( as described below ) an infrastructure topology in which the base station routes all data communications . the system 10 may represent a short range or long range network . any of the remote units 12 and 13 a - 13 d may be a portable digital assistant ( pda ), cellular phone , vehicle , media player , laptop computer , wireless supported desktop computer , gaming system , wireless networking device such as a router , switch , etc ., or any other portable computing device . the base stations 14 , 16 and the switching station 18 may be collectively referred to as network infrastructure . each base station 14 , 16 includes an adaptive digital filter apparatus for intelligently analyzing an incoming rf signal ( e . g ., spectral region or a wideband communication signal ). in this manner , the base stations 14 and 16 are considered cognitive wireless devices . however , any of the mobile units 12 , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d and / or two base stations 14 and 16 may be designed as a cognitive wireless device , e . g ., one capable of adaptively controlling transmission bands by mining for available frequencies in a particular rf spectrum . during data communications , the mobile units 12 , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d may exchange voice , data or other information with one of the base stations 14 , 16 , each of which may be connected to a conventional landline telephone network , another wireless cellular network , or other wired or wireless data network , e . g ., any computer - or server - based network . as an example , information , such as voice information , transferred from the mobile unit 12 to one of the base stations 14 , 16 may be coupled from the base station to a telephone network to thereby connect the mobile unit 12 with a land line telephone so that the land line telephone may receive the voice information . conversely , information such as voice information may be transferred from a land line telephone to one of the base stations 14 , 16 , wherein the base station in turn transfers the information to the mobile unit 12 . the mobile units 12 , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d and the base stations 14 , 16 may exchange information in a digital format and operate under narrowband or wideband communication protocols . for example , the mobile unit 12 may be a narrowband digital unit communicating with the base station 14 as a narrowband base station using a narrowband communication protocol such as a groupe special mobile ( gsm ) cellular network , also known as a 2g cellular communication network , with implementations known as general packet radio service ( gprs ), enhanced data rates for gsm evolution ( edge ) and circuit switched data ( csd ) that each have their own corresponding encoding schemes . the mobile units 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d may be wideband digital units that communicate with the base station 16 as a wideband base station and using a wideband communication protocol such as a dsss signal - based protocol like cdma or universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ), also known as a 3g cellular network . cdma digital communication takes place using spread spectrum techniques that broadcast signals having wide bandwidths , such as , for example , 1 . 2288 megahertz ( mhz ) bandwidths . similarly , umts communication takes place using bandwidths that may range from 15 - 20 mhz , for example . generally , a channel having a bandwidth that is substantially smaller than that of the wideband communication signal is referred to as a narrowband channel , which in this application also refers to narrowband sub - bands which are used depending on the coding scheme . other examples of wideband communication protocols may be ofdma systems that have spectral regions formed of sub - bands with varying widths , e . g ., 1 . 25 mhz , 5 mhz , 10 mhz , or 20 mhz . the ofdma systems may be used in applications such as cognitive radios communication in a wideband network . the optional switching station 18 is generally responsible for coordinating the activities of the base stations 14 , 16 to ensure that the mobile units 12 , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d are constantly in communication with the base station 14 , 16 or with some other base stations that are geographically dispersed . for example , the switching station 18 may coordinate communication handoffs of the mobile unit 12 between the base stations 14 and another base station as the mobile unit 12 roams between geographical areas that are covered by the two base stations . each base station 14 , 16 has an adaptive front - end controller 20 that , as discussed further below , may contain a number of adaptive digital filters configurable into either a bandpass or bandstop configuration to modify the incoming and outgoing rf signals for the respective base station . the adaptive front - end controller 20 may perform any of a number of different intelligent functions . in some examples , the controller 20 operates as a high performance interference filter detecting interference in a spectral region and / or narrowband channel and properly tuning one or more digital filters to remove such interference . fig2 illustrates a typical frequency bandwidth of a telecommunication system . in particular , fig2 illustrates a frequency spectrum 50 of a 1 . 288 mhz dsss system that may used by the digital mobile units 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d to communicate with the base station 16 , and a 200 khz frequency spectrum 52 used by the module unit 12 using a narrowband digital communication system to communicate with the base station 14 . as would be understood , the digital signal shown in 52 may interfere with the frequency spectrum 50 . therefore , the adaptive front - end controller 20 in the base station 16 contains adaptive digital filters that are digitally tuned to remove the interference caused by the 200 khz signal 52 from the dsss signal 50 , for example , by applying a transfer function given by : where | s ( ƒ ) 2 | is the power spectral density ( psd ) of the desired signal and | n ( ƒ )| 2 is an estimate the psd of the interference ( noise ) signal . if the nature of the interfering signal ( noise term n ) is assumed to be that given by the interference signal 52 , the shape of the filter may be given , at least theoretically , by the notch frequency spectrum 54 illustrated in fig2 . as discussed further below , with the adaptive front - end controllers discussed herein not only can a notch ( or bandstop ) filter be tuned to the particular frequency corresponding to the interference frequency channel 52 , the bandwidth of the notch frequency spectrum 54 can be adjusted to remove interface bands of any size . herein , any type of interference or noise in an rf signal may be considered a type of rf characteristics that the front - end controller seeks to identify and filter before the underlying wireless device rf receiver receives that rf signal . rf characteristic also refers to any data signal that is to be identified a device , either for filtering out of an incoming rf signal or passing with an incoming rf signal , such as when the rf characteristic is a desired data signal . the adaptive front - end controller 20 of fig1 may contain a plurality of adaptive filters which would allow the base stations to filter multiple interference signals at the same time during a single clock cycle of operation . the adaptive front - end controller 20 is described as identifying and removing interference . however , the adaptive front - end controller can provide a number of different functions depending on the application and wireless device . fig3 illustrates another example application of an adaptive front - end controller used in a wireless device 60 , which may be a cellular phone , cognitive radio , or other wireless device . the radio 60 has two stages , a receiver stage 62 and a transmitter stage 64 , each coupled to an antenna assembly 66 , which may itself comprise one of more antennas for the radio 60 . the radio 60 has a first stage coupled to the antenna assembly 66 and includes an adaptive front - end controller 68 that receives the input rf signal from the antenna and performs adaptive signal processing on that rf signal before providing the modified rf signal to an analog - to - digital converter 70 , which then passes the adapted rf signal to a digital rf tuner 72 . the adaptive front - end controller 68 includes two rf signal samplers 74 , 76 connected between an rf adaptive filter stage 78 that is controlled by controller 80 . the adaptive filter stage 78 may have a plurality of tunable digital filters that can sample an incoming signal and selectively provided bandpass or bandstop signal shaping of that incoming signal , whether an entire wideband communication signal or a narrowband signal or various combinations of both . a controller 80 is coupled to the samplers 74 , 76 and filter stage 78 and serves as an rf link adapter that along with the sampler 74 monitors the input rf signal from the antenna and determines various rf signal characteristics such as the interferences and noise within the rf signal . the controller 80 is configured to execute any number of a variety of signal processing algorithms to analyze the received rf signal , and determine an optimal filter state for the filter stage 78 . by providing tuning coefficient data to the filter stage 78 , the adaptive front end controller 68 acts to pre - filter the received rf signal before that signal is sent to the rf tuner 72 ( e . g ., a radio tuner ), which analyzes the filtered rf signal and in the case of a cognitive filter identifies available frequency bands in the filtered wideband communication ( rf ) signal , for tuning to a desired frequency band ( or channel ). either way , after filtering , the tuner 72 may then perform its standard channel demodulation , data analysis , and local broadcasting functions . the rf tuner 72 may be considered the receiver side of an overall radio tuner , while rf tuner 72 ′ may be considered the transmitter side of the same radio tuner . prior to sending the filtered rf signal ( e . g ., filter wideband communication signal ), the sampler 76 may provide an indication of the filtered rf signal to the controller 80 in a feedback manner for further adjusting of the adaptive filter stage 78 . in some examples , the adaptive front - end controller 68 is synchronized with the rf tuner 72 by sharing a master clock signal communicated between the two . for example , cognitive radios operating on a 100 μs response time can be synchronized such that for every clock cycle the adaptive front end analyzes the input rf signal , determines an optimal configuration for the adaptive filter stage 78 , filters that rf signal into the filtered rf signal and communicates the same to the tuner 72 for cognitive analysis at the radio . by way of example , cellular phones have may be implemented with a 200 μs response time on filtering . by implementing the adaptive front end controller 68 using a field programmable gate array configuration for the filter stage , wireless devices may identify not only stationary interference , but also non - stationary interference , of arbitrary bandwidths on that moving interferer . in some examples , the controller 80 is connected directly with the tuner 72 to provide data from the signal processing algorithms directly to the radio tuner such as optimized channel specific snr data , which the tuner may use to better identify available frequency bands within the filtered rf signal . in some implementations , the adaptive front - end controller 68 may filter interference or noise from the received incoming rf signal and pass that filtered rf signal to the tuner 72 . in other examples , such as cascaded configurations in which there are multiple adaptive filter stages , the adaptive front - end controller 68 may be configured to apply the filtered signal to an adaptive bandpass filter stage to create a passband portion of the filtered rf signal . for example , the tuner 72 may communicate information to the controller 68 to instruct the controller that the radio is only looking at a portion of an overall rf spectrum and thus to instruct the adaptive front - end controller 68 not filter only certain portions of the rf spectrum and bandpass only those portions . the integration between the tuner 72 and the adaptive front - end controller 68 may be particularly useful in dual - band and tri - band applications in which the tuner 72 is able to communicate over different wireless standards , such as both gsm or umts standards . the algorithms that may be executed by the controller 80 are not limited to particular ones , although primarily interference detection and elimination is desired for most radio applications . in any event , by way of example , in some configurations the controller 80 may execute a spectral blind source separation algorithm that looks to isolate two sources from their convolved mixtures . the controller 80 may execute a signal to interference noise ratio ( sinr ) output estimator for all or portions of the rf signal . the controller 80 may perform bidirectional transceiver data link operations for collaborative retuning of the adaptive filter stage 78 in response to instructions from the tuner 72 or from data the transmitter stage 64 . the controller 80 will of course determine the optimal filter tuning coefficient data for configuring the various adaptive filters of stage 78 to properly filter the rf signal . the controller 80 may also include a data interface communicating the tuning coefficient data to the tuner 72 . in the illustrated embodiment the filtered rf signal may be converted from a digital signal to an analog signal within the adaptive front - end controller 68 . this allows the controller 68 to integrate in a similar manner to conventional rf filters . in other examples , a digital interface may be used to connect the adaptive front - end controller 68 with the tuner 72 , in which case the adc 70 would be removed . the above discussion is in the context of the receiver stage 62 . similar elements are show in the transmitter stage 64 , but bearing a prime . the elements in the transmitter stage 64 may be identical to those of the receiver 62 , as shown , or different . furthermore , some or all of these elements may in fact be executed by the same corresponding structure in the receiver stage 62 . for example , the rf receiver tuner 72 and the transmitter tuner 72 ′ may be the performed by the same single tuner device . the same may be true for the other elements , such as the adaptive filter stages 78 and 78 ′, which may both be implemented in a single fpga , with different filter elements in parallel for full duplex ( simultaneous ) receive and transmit operation . the adaptive front - end controller configuration may be used in numerous applications , such as a cognitive radio system . fig4 a illustrates an example rf signal within which a cognitive radio is to communicate . a frequency spectrum 90 contains frequency regions that are currently in use , meaning that remote devices and base stations are communicating on frequency channels in those regions . one region is between 50 mhz and 200 mhz and another is between 450 mhz and 600 mhz . in contrast , the frequency region between 200 mhz and 450 mhz is not in use , and thus is available for communication by the cognitive radio . under normal operations , the cognitive radio may scan the rf signal 90 and identify the entire frequency region between 200 mhz and 450 mhz as being available . however , turning to fig4 b , an rf signal 92 , similar to the rf signal 90 , contains rf characteristics 94 , which in this case are interference frequency signals 94 , within that available region . the signals 94 may be stationary or may hop around to different frequencies within that region . as rf characteristics , the signals 94 may represent noise or any other type of interference , including data carrying interfering signals from other wireless devices , data broadcast according to other wireless standards not currently in use a device , etc . furthermore , these interference frequencies may be of similar or completely different bandwidths . ordinarily , the cognitive radio would seek to avoid the entire frequency region from 200 mhz to 450 mhz because of these interferes . however , by using an adaptive front - end controller such as discussed herein , the rf signal 92 may be filtered to remove the interference signals 94 ( thus forming a filtered rf signal that looks like signal 90 ) before the cognitive radio begins to analyze for available frequency bands . the spectral ranges provided in fig4 a and 4b are by way of example . in many applications , adaptive front end controllers may be called upon to scan from the few mhz range to 3 ghz and higher . these techniques may be used in either single wireless communication systems or multiple band devices where multiple standards are supported . for example , some wireless communication devices known as dual - or tri - band and are capable of communicating over numerous standards , such as over gsm and umts depending on the available network . in some instances , operators even support and thus broadcast over multiple simultaneous systems , like gsm and umts . in such instances , interference may be self generated , that is , the network will inherently create interfering signals , which means that a wireless device communicating under one standard may experience data communicated simultaneously under the other standard as interference . in such instances , the techniques herein may be used to intelligently identify those interference signals ( although they will contain data but from another wireless standard ) and will either adaptively filter or pass those signals as not being interference signals and let the wireless device receive data from both standards . furthermore , by having adaptive filters that may be programmed on the fly , as discussed in examples herein , a remote device can be adapted to identify and filter such interference irrespective of its current wireless standard , that is , as the device moves to a different coverage area and a different wireless standard , the same adaptive filters may be reconfigured to match the standards of that area . of course , such configuration may be performed initially upon design as well , by having different banks of filter stages each designed for a different of the multiple supported standards . fig4 c is a representation of an example rf spectrum in which heterogeneous networks are made to coexist in the same spectral range . this may occur when two different service providers have networks of the same communication standard , such as two different gsm networks , that cover the same area . in this case , the service providers are allocated different portions of the rf spectrum , for example portion 95 for one provider and portion 97 for another . alternatively , the representation of fig4 c may reflect completely different heterogeneous networks , for example , where the portion 95 contains gsm signals in the coverage area and portion 97 contains umts signals . in either case , typically such spectral regions must be spaced far apart to avoid interference at border regions . however , with an adaptive filter stage device as discussed herein , the spectral regions can be expanded as shown in 95 ′ and 97 ′ because the adaptive filters can be programmed to intelligently filter interference signals at the borders of these regions so that when a device is operating under one band but receiving signals from both , the non - used any data in the non - used band adjacent the used band may be properly filtered . an example implementation is that the techniques herein will be able to prevent a 200 khz gsm ( 2g ) signal from interfering with a umts ( 3g ) signal by using time - adaptive bandstop filters . while this filtering is described using the term interference , it is noted that any rf characteristic may be selectively filtered or passed . for example , in such heterogeneous network situations the adaptive filter stages can be tuned to bandpass desired signals and bandstop interference signals . in some examples , the wireless devices may identify the wireless standard themselves or be pre - programmed for particular standards . while in other cases , the wireless devices may determine the applicable standard based on header information in the received incoming rf signal , which may then identify to the wireless device the shaping or other configuration parameters for setting the adaptive filters . such header information may already be applied for synchronizing the wireless device with the adaptive filter stage to the incoming rf signal . more broadly , the adaptive digital filter stage may be designed to any identify information in an rf signal that indicates the some characteristic of that rf signal , from which an adaptive front - end controller may use that information to generate tuning coefficients for the adaptive filters . that identification may occur solely at the front end controller or by having the front end controller coordinate with a receiver or other device coupled thereto for analysis of the identifying information . fig5 illustrates an example implementation of an adaptive front - end controller 100 , e . g ., as may be used for the controller 20 of fig1 or controller 60 of fig3 . input rf signals are received at an antenna ( not shown ) and coupled to an initial analog filter 104 , such as low noise amplifier ( lna ) block , then digitally converted via an analog to digital converter ( adc ) 106 , prior to the digitized input rf signal being coupled to a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) 108 . the adaptive filter stage described above may be implemented within the fpga 108 , which has been programmed to contain a plurality of adaptive filter elements tunable to different operating frequencies and frequency bands , and at least some being adaptive from a bandpass to a bandstop configuration or vice versa , as desired . although an fpga is illustrated , it will be readily understood that other architectures such as an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) or a digital signal processor ( dsp ) may also be used to implement a digital filter architecture described in greater detail below . a dsp 110 is coupled to the fpga 108 and executes signal processing algorithms that may include a spectral blind source separation algorithm , a signal to interference noise ratio ( sinr ) output estimator , bidirectional transceiver data link operations for collaborative retuning of the adaptive filter stage in response to instructions from the tuner , and optimal filter tuning coefficients algorithm . fpga 108 is also coupled to a pci target 112 that interfaces the fpga 108 and a pci bus 114 for communicating data externally . a system clock 118 provides a clock input to the fpga 108 and dsp 110 , thereby synchronizing the components . the system clock 118 may be locally set on the adaptive front - end controller , while in other examples the system claim 118 may reflect an external master clock , such as that of a radio tuner , when used in a cognitive radio application . the fpga 108 , dsp 110 , and pci target 112 , designated collectively as signal processing module 116 , will be described in greater detail below . in the illustrated example , the adaptive front - end controller 100 includes a microcontroller 120 coupled to the pci bus 114 and an operations , alarms and metrics ( oa & amp ; m ) processor 122 . although they are shown and described herein as separate devices that execute separate software instructions , those having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the functionality of the microcontroller 120 and the oa & amp ; m processor 122 may be merged into a single processing device . the microcontroller 120 and the oa & amp ; m processor 122 are coupled to external memories 124 and 126 , respectively . the microcontroller 120 may include the ability to communicate with peripheral devices ; and , as such , the microcontroller 120 may be coupled to a usb port , an ethernet port , or an rs232 port , among others ( though none shown ). in operation , the microcontroller 120 may store lists of channels having interferers or a list of known typically available frequency spectrum bands , as well as various other parameters . such a list may be transferred to the reporting and control facility or a base station , via the oa & amp ; m processor 122 , and may be used for system diagnostic purposes . diagnostic purposes may include , but are not limited to , controlling the adaptive front - end controller 100 to obtain particular information relating to an interferer and retasking the interferer . for example , the reporting and control facility may use the adaptive front - end controller 100 to determine the identity of an interferer , such as a mobile unit , by intercepting the electronic serial number ( esn ) of the mobile unit , which is sent when the mobile unit transmits information on the narrowband channel . knowing the identity of the interferer , the reporting and control facility may contact infrastructure that is communicating with the mobile unit ( e . g ., the base station ) and may request the infrastructure to change the transmit frequency for the mobile unit ( i . e ., the frequency of the narrowband channel on which the mobile unit is transmitting ) or may request the infrastructure to drop communications with the interfering mobile unit altogether . additionally , in a cellular configuration ( e . g ., a system based on a configuration like that of fig1 ) diagnostic purposes may include using the adaptive front - end controller 100 to determine a telephone number that the mobile unit is attempting to contact and , optionally handling the call . for example , the reporting and control facility may use the adaptive front - end controller 100 to determine that the user of the mobile unit was dialing 911 , or any other emergency number , and may , therefore , decide that the adaptive front - end controller 100 should be used to handle the emergency call by routing the output of the adaptive front - end controller 100 to a telephone network . the fpga 108 provides a digital output coupled to a digital to analog converter ( dac ) 128 that converts the digital signal to an analog signal which may be provided to a filter 130 to generate a clean rf output to be broadcast from the base station or mobile station . the digital output at the fpga 108 , as described , may be one of many possible outputs . for example , the fpga 108 may be configured to output signals based on a predefined protocol such as a gigabit ethernet output , an open base station architecture initiative ( obsai ) protocol , or a common public radio interface ( cpri ) protocol , among others . fig6 illustrates further details of an example implementation of the signal processing module 116 , it being understood that other architectures may be used to implement a signal detection algorithm . a decoder 150 receives an input from the adc 106 and decodes the incoming data into a format suitable to be processed by the signal processing module 116 . a digital down converter 152 , such as a polyphase decimator , down converts the decoded signal from the decoder 150 . the decoded signal is separated during the digital down conversion stage into a complex representation of the input signal , that is , into i and q components which are then are fed into a tunable infinite impulse response ( iir )/ finite impulse response ( fir ) filter 154 . the iir / fir filter 154 may be implemented as multiple cascaded or parallel iir and fir filters . for example , the iir / fir filter 154 may be used with multiple filters in series , such as initial adaptive bandpass filter followed by adaptive bandstop filter . for example , the bandpass filters may be implemented as fir filters , while the bandstop filters may be implemented as iir filters . in an embodiment , fifteen cascaded tunable iir / fir filters are used to optimize the bit width of each filter . of course other digital down converters and filters such as cascaded integrator - comb ( cic ) filters may be used , to name a few . by using complex filtering techniques , such as the technique described herein , the sampling rate is lowered thereby increasing ( e . g ., doubling ) the bandwidth that the filter 154 can handle . in addition , using complex arithmetic also provides the signal processing module 116 the ability to perform higher orders of filtering with greater accuracy . in any case , the i and q components from the digital down converter 152 are provided to the dsp 110 which implements a detection algorithm and in response provides the tunable iir / fir filter 154 with tuning coefficient data that tunes the iir and / or fir filters 154 to specific notch and / or bandpass frequencies , respectively , and specific bandwidths . the tuning coefficient data , for example , may include a frequency and a bandwidth coefficient pair for each of the adaptive notch filters , that instructs that corresponding filter what frequency is to be tuned for bandpass or bandstop operation and the bandwidth to be applied for that operation . in reference to fig3 , 4 a , and 4 b for example , in implementing a cognitive radio , the tuning coefficient data corresponding to a bandpass center frequency and bandwidth may be generated by the detection algorithm and passed to a tunable fir filter within the iir / fir filter 154 . the filter 154 may then pass all signals located within a passband of the given transmission frequency . tuning coefficient data corresponding to a notch filter may be generated by the detection algorithm and then applied to an iir filter within the iir / fir filter 154 to remove any narrowband interference located within the passband of the bandpass filter . the tuning coefficient data generated by the detection algorithm are implemented by the tunable iir / fir filters 154 using mathematical techniques known in the art . for instance , the transfer function of a bandpass filter may be given by : where ω o is the center frequency , β is the bandwidth and h o is the maximum amplitude of the filter . in the case of a cognitive radio , upon implementation of the detection algorithm , the dsp 110 may determine and return coefficients corresponding to a specific frequency and bandwidth to be implemented by the tunable ir / fir filter 154 through a dsp / pci interface 158 . similarly , the transfer function of a notch ( or bandstop ) filter may also be implemented by the tunable iir / fir filter 154 . of course other mathematical equations may be used to tune the iir / fir filters 154 to specific notch or bandpass frequencies and to a specific bandwidth . after the i and q components are filtered to the appropriate notch or bandpass frequency and specific bandwidth , a digital upconverter 156 , such as a polyphase interpolator , converts the signal back to the original data rate ; and the output of the digital upconverter is provided to the dac 128 . a wireless communication device capable to be operated as a dual - or tri - band device communicating over multiple standards , such as over gsm and umts may use the adaptive digital filter architecture as described above . for example , a dual - band device ( using both umts and gsm ) may be preprogrammed within the dsp 10 to transmit first on umts , if available , and on gsm only when outside of a umts network . in such a case , the iir / fir filter 154 may receive tuning coefficient data from the dsp 110 to pass all signals within a umts range . that is , the tuning coefficient data may correspond to a bandpass center frequency and bandwidth adapted to pass only signals within the umts range . the signals corresponding to a gsm signal may be filtered , and any interference caused by the gsm signal may be filtered using tuning coefficients , received from the dsp 110 , corresponding to a notch frequency and bandwidth associated with the gsm interference signal . alternatively , in some cases it may be desirable to keep the gsm signal in case the umts signal fades quickly and the wireless communication device may need to switch communication standards rapidly . in such a case , the gsm signal may be separated from the umts signal , and both passed by the adaptive front - end controller . using the adaptive digital filter , two outputs may be realized , one output corresponding to the umts signal and one output corresponding to a gsm signal . the dsp 110 maybe programmed to again recognize the multiple standard service and may generate tuning coefficients corresponding to realize a filter , such as a notch filter , to separate the umts signal from the gsm signal . in such examples , an fpga may be programmed to have parallel adaptive filter stages , one for each communication band . to implement the adaptive filter stages , in some examples , the signal processing module 116 is pre - programmed with general filter architecture code at the time of production , for example , with parameters defining various filter types and operation . the adaptive filter stages may then be programmed , through a user interface or other means , by the service providers , device manufactures , etc . to form the actual filter architecture ( parallel filter stages , cascaded filter stages , etc .) for the particular device and for the particular network ( s ) under which the device is to be used . of course , dynamic flexibility is achieved during runtime , where the filters may be programmed to different frequencies and bandwidths , each cycle , as discussed herein . one method of detecting a wideband signal having narrowband interference is by exploiting the noise like characteristic of a signal . due to such noise like characteristics of the signal , a particular measurement of a narrowband channel power gives no predictive power as to what the next measurement of the same measurement channel may be . in other words , consecutive observations of power in a given narrowband channel are un - correlated . as a result , if a given measurement of power in a narrowband channel provides predictive power over subsequent measurements of power in that particular channel , thus indicating a departure from statistics expected of a narrowband channel without interference , such a narrowband channel may be determined to contain interference . a method of determining such a narrowband channel having interference is illustrated in the following fig7 and 8 and is similar to the techniques described in u . s . application ser . no . 11 / 217 , 717 , filed sep . 1 , 2005 , entitled “ method and apparatus for detecting interference using correlation ,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . fig7 illustrates a flowchart of an interference detection program 200 that may be used by the dsp 110 to determine location of interference in a signal . a block 202 continuously scans for a series of signals and stores the observed values of the signal strengths that correspond to each of the various narrowband channels located in the signal . for example , the block 202 may continuously scan a 1 . 2288 mhz dsss signal for each of forty one narrowband channels dispersed within it . alternatively , the block 202 may continuously scan a wideband ofdma signal for any narrowband signals which may be located within a given passband . the block 202 may be implemented by any well known dsps used to scan and store signal strengths in a dsss or ofdma signal . the scanned values of narrowband signal strengths may be stored in a memory of the dsp or in any other computer readable memory . the block 202 may store the signal strength of a particular narrowband channel along with any information , such as a numeric identifier , identifying the location of that particular narrowband channel within the signal . subsequently , a block 204 determines a number of sequences m of a signal that may be required to be analyzed to determine narrowband channels having interference . a user may provide such a number m based on any pre - determined criteria . for example , a user may provide m to be equal to four , meaning that four consecutive signals need to be analyzed to determine if any of the narrowband channels within that signal spectrum includes an interference signal . as one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate , the higher the selected value of m , the more accurate will be the interference detection . however , the higher the number m is , the higher is the delay in determining whether a particular signal had an interference present in it , subsequently , resulting in a longer delay before a filter , such as the tunable iir / fir filter 154 , is applied to the signal to remove the interference signal . generally , detection of an interference signal may be performed on a rolling basis . that is , at any point in time , m previous signals may be used to analyze presence of an interference signal . the earliest of such m interference signals may be removed from the set of signals used to determine the presence of an interference signal on a first - in - first - out basis . however , in an alternate embodiment , an alternate sampling method for the set of signals may also be used . subsequently , a block 206 selects x narrowband channels having the highest signal strength from each of the m most recent signals scanned at the block 202 . the number x may be determined by a user . for example , if x is selected to be equal to three , the block 206 may select three highest channels from each of the m most recent signals . the methodology for selecting x narrowband channels having highest signal strength from a signal is described in further detail in fig8 below . for example , the block 206 may determine that the first of the m signals has narrowband channels 10 , 15 and 27 having the highest signal strengths , the second of the m channels has narrowband channels 15 and 27 and 35 having the highest signal strengths , and the third of the m channels has the narrowband channels 15 , 27 and 35 having the highest narrowband signal strength . after having determined the x narrowband channels having the highest signal strengths in each of the m signals , a block 208 compares these x narrowband channels to determine if any of these highest strength narrowband channels appear more than once in the m signals . in case of the example above , the block 208 may determine that the narrowband channels 15 and 27 are present among the highest strength narrowband channels for each of the last three signals , while channel 35 is present among the highest strength narrowband channels for at least two of the last three signals . such consistent appearance of narrowband channels having highest signal strength over subsequent signals indicate that narrowband channels 15 and 27 , and probably the narrowband channel 35 , may have an interference signal super - imposed on them . a block 210 may use such information to determine which narrowband channels may have interference . for example , based on the number of times a given narrowband channel appears in the selected highest signal strength channels , the block 210 may determine the confidence level that may be assigned to a conclusion that a given narrowband channel contains an interference signal . alternatively , the block 210 may determine a correlation factor for each of the various narrowband channels appearing in the x selected highest signal strength channels and compare the calculated correlation factors with a threshold correlation factor to determine whether any of the x selected channels has correlated signal strengths . calculating a correlation factor based on a series of observations is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . for digital signal processing , the correlation factors may be determined using autocorrelation , which is a mathematical tool for finding repeating patterns , such as the presence of a periodic signal which has been buried under noise , or identifying the missing fundamental frequency in a signal implied by its harmonic frequencies . autocorrelation is used frequently in signal processing for analyzing functions or series of values , such as time domain signals . informally , correlation determines the similarity between observations as a function of the time separation between them . more precisely , correlation may be achieved through the cross - correlation of a signal with itself . the threshold correlation factor may be given by the user of the interference detection program 200 . note that while in the above illustrated embodiment , the correlation factors of only the selected highest signal strength channels are calculated , in an alternate embodiment , correlation factors of all the narrowband channels within the signals may be calculated and compared to the threshold correlation factor . empirically , it may be shown that when m is selected to be equal to three , for a clean signal , the likelihood of having at least one match among the higher signal strength narrowband channels is 0 . 198 , the likelihood of having at least two matches among the higher signal strength narrowband channels is 0 . 0106 , and the likelihood of having at least three matches among the higher signal strength narrowband channels is 9 . 38 . times . 10 ̂− 5 . thus , the higher the number of matches , the lesser is the likelihood of having a determination that one of the x channels contains an interference signal ( i . e ., false positive interference detection ). it may be shown that if the number of scans m is increased to , say four scans , the likelihood of having such matches in m consecutive scans is even smaller , thus providing higher confidence that if such matches are found to be present , they indicate presence of interference signal in those narrowband channels . to identify the presence of interference signals with even higher level of confidence , a block 212 may decide whether to compare the signal strengths of the narrowband channels determined to have an interference signal with a threshold . if the block 212 decides to perform such a comparison , a block 214 may compare the signal strength of each of the narrowband channels determined to have an interference with a threshold level . such comparing of the narrowband channel signal strengths with a threshold may provide added confidence regarding the narrowband channel having an interference signal so that when a notch filter is positioned at that narrowband channel , the probability of removing a non - interfering signal is reduced . however , a user may determine that such added confidence level is not necessary and thus no such comparison to a threshold needs to be performed . in which case , the control passes to a block 216 , which stores the interference signals in a memory . after storing the information about the narrowband channels having interference signals , a block 218 selects the next signal from the signals scanned and stored at the block 202 . the block 218 may cause the first of the m signals to be dropped and the newly added signal is added to the set of m signals that will be used to determine presence of an interference signal ( first - in - first - out ). subsequently , control is passed to the block 206 where the process of determining narrowband channels having interference signals is repeated . finally , a block 220 may generate tuning coefficient data which may be passed to the iir / fir filters 154 to realize a particular filter structure . in one embodiment , the tuning coefficient data may correspond to specific notch frequencies . in an alternative embodiment , such as , for example , a cognitive radio implementation , the tunable coefficients may correspond to a bandpass frequency and bandwidth . the tuning coefficient data may be passed to the tunable iir / fir filter 154 , as shown in fig6 to select and activate one or more iir and / or fir filters that are located in the path of the signal to filter out any narrowband channel identified as having narrowband interference in it . now referring to fig8 , a flowchart illustrates a high strength channels detection program 250 that may be used to identify various channels within a given scan of the dsss signal that may contain an interference signal . the high strength channels detection program 250 may be used to implement the functions performed by the block 206 of the interference detection program 200 . in a manner similar to the interference detection program 200 , the high strength channels detection program 250 may also be implemented using software , hardware , firmware or any combination thereof . a block 252 may sort signal strengths of each of the n channels within a given dsss signal . for example , if a dsss signal has forty one narrowband channels , the block 252 may sort each of the 41 narrowband channels according to its signal strengths . subsequently , a block 254 may select the x highest strength channels from the sorted narrowband channels and store information identifying the selected x highest strength channels for further processing . an embodiment of the high strength channels detection program 250 may simply use the selected x highest strength channels from each scan of the dsss signals to determine any presence of interference in the dsss signals . however , in an alternate embodiment , additional selected criteria may be used . subsequently , a block 256 determines if it is necessary to compare the signal strengths of the x highest strength narrowband channels to any other signal strength value , such as a threshold signal strength , etc ., where such a threshold may be determined using the average signal strength across the dsss signal . for example , the block 256 may use a criterion such as , for example : “ when x is selected to be four , if at least three out of four of the selected narrowband channels have also appeared in previous dsss signals , no further comparison in necessary .” another criterion may be , for example : “ if any of the selected narrowband channels is located at the fringe of the dsss signal , the signal strengths of such narrowband channels should be compared to a threshold signal strength .” other alternate criteria may also be provided . if the block 256 determines that no further comparison of the signal strengths of the selected x narrowband channels is necessary , control is passed to a block 258 , which stores information about the selected x narrowband channels in a memory for further processing . if the block 256 determines that it is necessary to apply further selection criteria to the selected x narrowband channels , control is passed to a block 260 . the block 260 may determine a threshold value against which the signal strengths of each of the x narrowband channels are compared based on a predetermined methodology . for example , in an embodiment , the block 260 may determine the threshold based on the average signal strength of the dsss signal . the threshold signal strength may be the average signal strength of the dsss signal or a predetermined value may be added to such average dsss signal to derive the threshold signal strength . subsequently , a block 262 may compare the signal strengths of the selected x narrowband channels to the threshold value determined by the block 260 . only the narrowband channels having signal strengths higher than the selected threshold are used in determining presence of interference in the dsss signal . finally , a block 264 may store information about the selected x narrowband channels having signal strengths higher than the selected threshold in a memory . as discussed above , the interference detection program 200 may use such information about the selected narrowband channels to determine the presence of interference signal in the dsss signal . the interference detection program 200 and the high strength channel detection program 250 may be implemented by using software , hardware , firmware or any combination thereof . for example , such programs may be stored on a memory of a computer that is used to control activation and deactivation of one or more notch filters . alternatively , such programs may be implemented using a digital signal processor ( dsp ) which determines the presence and location of interference channels in a dynamic fashion and activates / de - activates one or more notch filters . accordingly , this description is to be construed as illustrative only and not as limiting to the scope of the invention . the details of the methodology may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention , and the exclusive use of all modifications , which are within the scope of the appended claims , is reserved .
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a preferred embodiment of the overhead cigarette merchandising unit of this invention is illustrated in fig1 through 4 . the unit , indicated generally at 101 in fig1 is shown mounted on counter 102 . the unit is supported by upright posts 103 , 104 attached to respective cross - pieces 105 , 106 . telescoping extensions 107 of the cross - pieces provide greater stability , but can be retracted to reduce bulk during shipment or other movement of the unit . uprights 103 , 104 are braced at the top by cross - beam 108 . the main body of the unit is enclosure 109 , shown in its uppermost position , and shown also in phantom at 110 near its lowermost position . the enclosure has a front panel 111 , which faces the customers , a top panel 112 , a bottom panel 113 , a left side panel 114 , and a right side panel ( not shown ). front panel 111 can carry advertising or other messages , as indicated generally at 115 . the rear of enclosure 109 is shown in fig2 . top panel 112 , shown here in greater detail than in fig1 is seen to be composed of three panels 201 , 202 , 203 , separated by ribs 204 , 205 . the enclosure is seen to contain , in this embodiment , nine cigarette pack trays 301 - 309 , shown more clearly in fig3 . each tray shown has nine channels 206 for receiving rows of cigarette packs . each channel illustrated has a capacity of fourteen packs 310 , for a total capacity for the unit shown of 81 × 14 = 1 , 134 packs of cigarettes . at the front of each channel is thumb notch 207 , which facilitates the removal of a cigarette pack 310 in the manner shown at 311 . trays 301 - 309 are supported on a shelf - like framework indicated generally at 312 . the rear of each tray in the upper and middle rows ( trays 301 , 302 , 304 , 305 , 307 and 308 ) rests on upper cross - member 313 or 314 , respectively , while the rear of each tray in the bottom row ( trays 303 , 306 , and 309 ) rests against member 323 of framework 312 . as can be seen in fig3 the trays are supported in an inclined position , with the front of each tray resting on one of the lower cross - members 315 , 316 , 317 . triangular stops 318 depend from the front of the bottom of each tray , retaining the tray against sliding out of the enclosure by engagement with the respective lower cross - member for that tray . the inclination of trays 301 - 309 provides gravitational feed of the cigarette packs . as a given pack is removed , as indicated at 311 , the remainder of the packs in that channel slide downward so that a new pack takes the place of the one that was removed . when a channel is empty , it is easily restocked by lifting the tray by means of handle 319 so that triangular stop 318 is moved out of engagement with the lower cross - member . the tray can then be lifted completely out of the enclosure for restocking , or can be drawn down to the position shown in phantom at 320 . in the event the latter option is selected , the rear of the tray rests on the lower cross - member during restocking , with safety stop 321 , which depends from the rear of the bottom of the tray , engaging the cross - member to prevent accidental slippage of the tray out of the enclosure . one of the primary advantages of the cigarette merchandising unit of this invention is its adaptability to varying height requirements , as dictated by both space limitations and personnel height . to provide adjustability to the physical limitations of a particular installation , uprights 103 , 104 can be fashioned from telescoping members such as box beams and provided with retaining means ( not shown ) so as to be capable of discrete height adjustments . further , if necessary , they can be mounted so that the unit can be suspended from the ceiling , although floor or counter mounting is preferred . for finer height adjustment in daily use after installation , such as at a shift change when the clerk on duty may be replaced by another of different height , a mechanism is provided allowing simple and convenient alteration of the height of the unit . the mechanism is illustrated in detail in fig4 which is a cross - sectional view of the interior of the right end cap 401 of enclosure 109 . an identical mechanism is found in the left end cap . the end cap is provided with ribs 402 , 403 defining a passage 404 through which upright 104 passes . to minimize friction , passage 404 is made wider than upright 104 , and is provided with spacers 405 , 406 , 407 to maintain upright 104 in proper alignment . a gear rack 408 is provided on the rear face of upright 104 for engagement with pinion gear 409 , which is journalled adjacent to passage 404 . a similar rack and pinion arrangement is found on the left side of the unit at 116 . the respective pinion gears 409 are joined by an interconnecting shaft 322 which passes through shelf cross - member 316 , as shown in fig3 . shaft 322 is fixedly connected to each of the pinion gears 409 so that the gears rotate in unison . the gears are rotated manually by crank 410 , which is removable and is preferably connected to pinion gear 409 only when it is desired to operate the mechanism . crank 410 can be connected at either end of enclosure 109 , although shown in both fig1 and fig4 on the left side . rotation of crank 410 in the direction shown by arrow 411 will lower the enclosure 109 to the position shown in phantom at 110 , and lower , to the extent that the length of gear rack 408 will allow . rotation in the opposite direction will raise the enclosure . interconnecting shaft 322 is needed to insure that both ends of the enclosure move simultaneously , to prevent jamming of the unit . means are provided to retain enclosure 409 at any height selected . these means include , first , coiled flat springs 412 , 413 attached to upright 104 at 414 and 415 respectively , and wound on self - lubricating bobbins ( not shown ) journalled for rotation on shafts 416 , 417 . springs 412 and 413 , which wind and unwind inside partial shields 418 , 419 , along with identical springs in the left end cap attached to upright 103 , are chosen to have a restoring force equal to the weight of enclosure 109 when fully loaded with cigarettes . in that way , regardless of the height selected , the weight of the unit is exactly counterbalanced by the pull of the springs , so that it remains in that position . in addition , movement of the enclosure will require only enough force to overcome the friction within the lift mechanism . however , as cigarettes are sold , and the unit becomes lighter , it will tend to rise under the influence of the springs , and downward adjustment of the height of the enclosure will require extra force to overcome the upward bias of the springs . therefore , additional retaining means are provided in the form of locking slides 420 , 421 on the left and right sides , respectively , of enclosure 109 . during movement of the unit , these slides , accessible from the outside of the enclosure , are kept at the position in which slide 421 is shown in fig4 . after the desired height has been selected , slide 421 is moved downward along slot 422 , until tongue 423 engages the teeth of pinion gear 409 , preventing the rotation thereof , thereby locking the enclosure at the selected height . slide 420 functions similarly on the left side of the enclosure . longer enclosures can be accommodated according to this invention by providing additional upright supports at selected locations along the length of the enclosure . in such an embodiment , each such additional support should have associated with it a mechanism as described above , with all of the mechanisms linked by interconnecting shafts such as shaft 322 . the preferred material for the panels of enclosure 109 is medium impact styrene plastic , although any material commonly used for retail displays will suffice . the gears and associated parts are preferably formed of acetal plastic , while the trays are preferably formed from a transparent k - resin plastic , but here again any commonly used material will function equally well . the upright supports should be able to sustain the entire weight of the unit , and should , therefore , be made of a material capable of bearing a significant load , such as stainless steel or chrome plated mild steel . the coiled springs are by their nature limited to a material of suitable strength and elasticity , such as spring steel . the cigarette merchandising display as described is versatile in its adaptability to changing physical constraints . it is also attractive and distinctive in appearance , presenting a profile quite different from those of the prior art . by angling off the corners of the enclosure , unused air space that would be inside the enclosure in other displays is eliminated , presenting a less bulky appearance and allowing more light to reach the counter area . the front face of the enclosure can carry advertising or other messages , or backlit displays , or can be left blank . it will therefore be seen that this invention provides a distinctive and attractive overhead cigarette merchandising display which can be adjusted to any one of an infinite number of selected heights . it should be understood that the embodiment described herein is meant to be illustrative only , and that other adaptations are possible within the scope of the invention , which is to be limited only by the claims below .
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as regards the temperature at which the rearrangement is carried out , operating at temperatures of less than 180 ° c . results in rapid and irreversible deactivation of the catalyst . on the other hand , temperatures of greater than 450 ° c . result in decomposition of the organic compounds with here again irreversible deactivation of the catalyst . within the temperature range between 180 and 450 ° c ., it is possible to synthesize lauryllactam with a selectivity generally of greater than 70 %. in order also to obtain good conversion while protecting the catalyst from irreversible deactivation resulting from excessively high temperatures , it is recommended to operate within the range 225 - 400 ° c ., the range 225 - 375 ° c . being particularly preferred . as regards the operating pressure , in view of the fact that cyclodedecanone oxime and lauryllactam are difficult to vaporize and risk forming oligomers , indeed even coke , on the catalyst , it is preferable to operate at atmospheric pressure , indeed even under reduced pressure . here again , it is necessary to find the best compromise , since a low pressure makes it possible to more easily desorb the organic compounds and thus to improve the selectivity . on the other hand , it limits the adsorption of the substrate on the catalyst and consequently reduces the conversion . in view of the temperature range selected , it is preferable to operate within the range 50 - 700 mbar absolute . as regards the zeolite , these products are known per se and are available commercially . use may be made , by way of examples , of a usy zeolite , a zeolite which has aluminium and / or boron as framework heteroatom , a zeolite which initially has aluminium and / or boron as framework heteroatom and which has been subjected to a dealumination / deboration treatment , a β zeolite , a β zeolite which has aluminium and / or boron as framework heteroatom or a β zeolite which initially has aluminium and / or boron as framework heteroatom and which has been subjected to a dealumination / deboration treatment . this dealumination / deboration treatment applied to zeolites or to β zeolites makes it possible to substantially improve the performance of the catalyst , in particular from the selectivity viewpoint . numerous methods described in the literature exist for dealuminating , indeed even deborating , the zeolites ; they are hydrothermal or chemical treatments of the zeolite . mention may be made , without implied limitation , of the method disclosed in patent ep 488 867 . the advantage of the acidic treatment disclosed in this patent is that it makes it possible to retain the crystallinity of the zeolite . it is in particular highly appropriate for the dealumination / deboration of β zeolite . the operating conditions selected for this treatment make it possible to vary the extent of the dealumination / deboration of the zeolite and its effectiveness is measured by the si / al or si / b atomic ratios of the solids obtained . the zeolite used can initially comprise boron . the treatment for removing a portion of the aluminium atoms of the zeolite also results in partial removal of the boron . the presence of residual boron does not affect the performance of the catalyst in terms of selectivity and even contributes to an improvement in the conversion . a zeolite initially comprising only boron as framework heteroatom results , after a deboration treatment , in a lower conversion ; however , the selectivity still remains very good ( greater than 90 % under some operating conditions ). as regards the zeolites ( optionally β zeolites ) initially having the aluminium atom as framework heteroatom , a dealumination can be carried out which results in an si / al atomic ratio of greater than 50 , advantageously of greater than 80 and preferably of greater than 150 . as regards the zeolites ( optionally β zeolites ) initially having the boron atom as framework heteroatom , a deboration can be carried out which results in an si / b atomic ratio of greater than 20 and advantageously of greater than 40 . as regards the zeolites ( optionally β zeolites ) initially having the aluminium atom and the boron atom as framework heteroatom , a dealumination / deboration can be carried out which results in an si / al ratio of greater than 50 and an si / b ratio of greater than 20 , advantageously in an si / al ratio of greater than 150 and an si / b ratio of greater than 30 . as regards the solvent , the cyclododecanone oxime can be dissolved in a solvent chosen from alcohols and hydrocarbons . it is recommended to choose the solvent in order to make it possible to dissolve the organic compounds and to have a stability of the solvent which is acceptable under the operating conditions selected for the reaction ( temperature , zeolite , and the like ). generally , alcohols which may decompose in the presence of zeolites are markedly more stable in the presence of dealuminated and / or deboronated zeolites . mention will be made , among the alcohols which can be used as solvent for cyclododecanone oxime , without implied limitation , of methanol , ethanol or isopropanol . likewise , hydrocarbons can be used , alone or as mixtures , which makes it possible to have high dependence of the solubility of the products with the temperature , the latter property being important for the recovery and the purification of the final products . the use of isopropanol or of isopropanol / cyclohexane or ethanol / cyclohexane mixtures as solvent is particularly preferred . furthermore , in order to increase the solubility of cyclododecanone oxime in the solvent and thus to increase the productive output of the rearrangement , it is possible to preheat the cyclododecanone oxime / solvent mixture before it is introduced into the reaction part . as regards the carrier gas , mention may be made , by way of examples , of nitrogen , argon and helium . as regards stage c ), the separation can be carried out by any means . as regards the “ regeneration ” of the catalyst , this term is used to denote the treatments which make possible the desorption of l12 and its derivatives adsorbed at the surface of the catalyst ( of the zeolite ). the catalysts ( zeolites ) and the operating conditions described above and in the examples result in good catalytic performances ( selectivity and conversion ) and make it possible to limit the accumulation of organic compounds on the catalyst . however , it is impossible to completely suppress this accumulation of organic products on the catalyst . for this reason , in order to improve the lifetime of the catalyst and to avoid irreversible deactivations , it is recommended to regenerate the catalyst as soon as a significant ( 10 to 20 %) fall in the yield is observed . this regeneration is provided by flushing the catalyst and / or placing it under vacuum in the absence of the organic reactants . a temperature greater than the temperature at which the rearrangement reaction has been carried out is recommended . for this reason , the regeneration is carried out within a temperature range between 350 and 650 ° c . and more particularly between 400 and 600 ° c ., the temperature range 450 - 590 ° c . being particularly preferred . this regeneration can be carried out at atmospheric pressure or under reduced pressure . likewise , it can be carried out while flushing with inert gases , such as nitrogen , or under oxygen or under a mixture of the two , such as air . the duration of the regeneration can be determined by monitoring the loss in weight of the catalyst due to the desorption of the organic compounds adsorbed on the catalyst . it generally requires several hours , if the phases of raising and lowering the temperature are taken into account . the regeneration can also be carried out under vacuum . as regards the device in which the present rearrangement , as well as the preparation of the reactants and the recovery of the lauryllactam , are carried out , conventional equipment is used . more particularly , the rearrangement reaction over the zeolite can be carried out over “ fixed bed ”, “ fluid bed ” or “ moving bed ” reactors . due to the need to regularly regenerate the catalyst , it may be advantageous to use several reaction systems with a portion of them in production while the others are in the regeneration phase , and then vice versa . synthesis of a β zeolite with aluminium as framework heteroatom : cat 1 1 . 1 g of sodium hydroxide ( carlo erba ) are dissolved in 78 . 6 g of water and then 45 g of a 35 % tetraethylammonium hydroxide ( aldrich ) solution and 0 . 48 g of naalo 2 ( carlo erba ) are successively added with stirring . after dissolution , 18 g of zeosil 175 mp silica are added , still with stirring . after a maturing stage with stirring at ambient temperature for 4 hours , the mixture is brought to a temperature of 150 ° c . under static conditions in an autoclave for 48 hours . the mixture obtained is filtered and then washing is carried out with water until a ph of 9 . 4 is obtained . the solid obtained is dried at 100 ° c . for 12 hours . the elemental analysis of the dry solid indicates an si / al atomic ratio of 11 . synthesis of a β zeolite with aluminium and boron as framework heteroatoms : cat 2 0 . 75 g of naoh ( carlo erba ) is dissolved in 24 g of water and then 0 . 059 g of naalo 2 ( carlo erba ) and 0 . 492 g of na 2 b 4 o 7 ( carlo erba ) are successively added with stirring . after dissolution , 45 g of a 35 % tetraethylammonium hydroxide ( aldrich ) solution and then 18 g of zeosil 175 mp silica are added with stirring . after a maturing stage with stirring at ambient temperature for 4 hours , the mixture is brought to a temperature of 150 ° c . under static conditions in an autoclave for 48 hours . the mixture obtained is filtered , washing with water is then carried out until a ph of 9 . 1 is obtained and then centrifuging is carried out . the cake is finally dried at 100 ° c . for 14 hours . the elemental analysis of the solid obtained indicates an si / al atomic ratio of 41 and an si / b atomic ratio of 19 . 8 . synthesis of a β zeolite with boron as framework heteroatom : cat 3 3 . 48 g of boron hydroxide ( b ( oh ) 3 , aldrich ), 1 . 43 g of sodium hydroxide , 26 . 6 g of fk700 silica ( degussa ) and 27 . 2 g of a 40 % aqueous tetraethylammonium hydroxide ( fluka ) solution are added to 183 . 6 ml of water and are kept stirred at ambient temperature overnight ( 13 h ). 31 . 9 g of tetraethylammonium bromide are then added and the mixture is kept stirred for 5 h . the mixture is brought to 150 ° c . for 240 h under autogenous pressure in an autoclave equipped with a teflon ® lining . after filtration , the crystals obtained are calcined a first time at 400 ° c . under a stream of ammonia ( 3 l / h ). after returning to ambient temperature , the solid is washed three times for 24 h with a 1m ammonium chloride solution . after filtration , the solid obtained is calcined at 400 ° c . under nitrogen . the analysis of the solid thus synthesized displays an si / b atomic ratio of 16 . in order to extract a portion of the aluminium , cat 1 , the synthesis of which is described above , is treated at 130 ° c . ( reflux ) in the presence of 70 % nitric acid . treatment at reflux for 5 hours , followed by washing with 17 % nitric acid and then with water , results , after drying under air at 80 ° c ., in a solid having an si / al atomic ratio of 150 ( catalyst cat 1 dealumination al1 ( abbreviated to de al1 )). the solid obtained is subsequently calcined under air at 550 ° c . for 8 hours ( rate of temperature rise : 2 ° c ./ minute ). an identical treatment but with a reflux stage lasting 6 . 5 hours results , after washing , drying and calcining , in a solid having an si / al atomic ratio of 180 ( catalyst cat 1 dealumination al2 ( abbreviated to de al2 )). in order to remove a portion of the framework heteroatoms of the catalyst cat 2 , this catalyst is treated at reflux ( 130 ° c .) of 70 % nitric acid for 5 hours . after washing with 17 % nitric acid and then with water , and drying , the solid is calcined under air at 550 ° c . for 8 hours ( rate of temperature rise : 2 ° c ./ minute ). a solid is thus obtained , the elemental analysis of which indicates an si / al atomic ratio of 170 and an si / b atomic ratio of 37 ( catalyst cat 2 dealuminated - deborated ( abbreviated to de alb1 )). the catalyst cat 3 is subjected to a treatment with an hcl solution ( ph 6 ) at ambient temperature for one hour . after washing with water and then drying , the elemental analysis of the solid reveals an si / b atomic ratio of 32 and an si / al atomic ratio of greater than 1500 ( cat 3 de b1 ). the cyclododecanone oxime , in solution in a solvent , is fed , via a pump , to an apparatus composed of a reaction system which can operate at atmospheric pressure or under pressure comprising a vaporization chamber and a reactor . the reduced pressure in the reaction part is provided by a vacuum pump equipped with a pressure gauge . unless otherwise indicated , the charge of catalyst used in the fixed bed reactor is one gram . the combined reaction products are recovered in a liquid nitrogen trap . for this test , the cyclododecanone oxime is dissolved in isopropanol at ambient temperature ( 3 g of oxime / 100 g of isopropanol ). the temperature in the catalytic bed is fixed at 325 ° c . and the operating pressure is set up at 50 mbar . under these operating conditions , the cyclododecanone oxime / isopropanol mixture is injected accompanied by a carrier gas ( 3 . 5 sl / h of nitrogen ), which results in a space velocity of 0 . 3 g of oxime / g of catalyst . h . after starting up the plant ( one hour ), the crude reaction product is trapped for one hour . the analysis of this mixture leads to the following result : conversion of the oxime 85 % and selectivity for lauryllactam 68 %. this test 2 is carried out under operating conditions identical to those of test 1 , with the exception of the catalyst cat 1 , which is replaced by the catalyst cat 1 de al1 . the analysis of the crude reaction product collected during the second hour of the test leads to the following result : conversion of the cyclododecanone oxime : 40 %; selectivity for lauryllactam : 99 %. this test 3 is carried out under operating conditions identical to those of test 1 , with the exception of the catalyst cat 1 , which is replaced by the catalyst cat 1 de al2 . the analysis of the crude reaction product collected during the second hour of the test leads to the following result : conversion of the cyclododecanone oxime : 48 %; selectivity for lauryllactam : 99 %. this test 4 is carried out under operating conditions identical to those of test 1 , with the exception of the catalyst cat 1 , which is replaced by the catalyst cat 2 de alb1 . the analysis of the crude reaction product collected during the second hour of the test leads to the following result : conversion of the cyclododecanone oxime : 89 %; selectivity for lauryllactam : 99 . 5 %. this test 5 is carried out under operating conditions identical to those of test 1 , with the exception of the catalyst cat 1 , which is replaced by the catalyst cat 3 de b1 . the analysis of the crude reaction product collected during the second hour of the test leads to the following result : conversion of the cyclododecanone oxime : 28 %; selectivity for lauryllactam : 92 %. the β zeolites used in these examples initially have aluminium or boron as framework heteroatoms . the best results are obtained with a zeolite initially comprising aluminium and boron which has been subjected to a dealumination / deboration treatment . for this test , the cyclododecanone oxime is dissolved in isopropanol at ambient temperature ( 3 g of oxime / 100 g of isopropanol ). this oxime / isopropanol mixture is injected into the vaporization chamber at a flow rate of 10 g / h . the catalyst used ( 3 g ) is cat 1 de al2 and the temperature in the catalytic bed is set at 325 ° c . furthermore , the operating pressure is set up at 50 mbar . after starting up the plant ( one hour ), the crude reaction product is trapped , weighed and analysed every hour . the change in the conversion and in the selectivity for l12 in the crude reaction product trapped at the outlet of the reactor and the material balance , which makes it possible to quantify the weight of product adsorbed on the catalyst , are illustrated in fig1 . a balance over the first 12 hours of the test shows that , with regard to the 3 . 6 g of oxime introduced into the vaporization chamber , 3 . 36 g of products are recovered in the trap , the analysis of which shows that this mixture is very predominantly composed of l12 (& gt ; 99 %). the presence of traces of cyclododecanone is also observed . the missing product has remained adsorbed on the catalyst . additional tests with regeneration show that it is possible , when the regeneration is carried out before a significant fall in the selectivity ( regeneration before the selectivity is below 85 %), to recover 96 % of the product adsorbed on the catalyst and for this product to be very predominantly l12 (& gt ; 95 %). consequently , over this period of 12 hours , a complete balance , including a “ preventive regeneration ” with nitrogen with trapping of the products desorbed , results in a yield of l12 of the order of 96 %. under such operating conditions , the productive output for l12 is of the order of 96 g / h . kg of catalyst . the first 12 hours of the test are followed by a phase of 4 to 5 hours during which the selectivity falls slightly , accompanied by a gradual fall in the conversion down to approximately 80 %. during this intermediate phase , there is no accumulation of product on the catalyst . the third phase ( after testing for 16 hours ) is illustrated by a more rapid deactivation of the catalyst , in particular of the conversion . there is again accumulation of organic compounds on the catalyst and the regeneration tests ( under the conditions described below ) undertaken over a catalyst at this stage show that it is not possible to completely desorb the accumulated products and irreversible deactivation of the catalyst is observed . the same charge of catalyst ( 3 g ) cat 1 de al2 was tested successively in reaction ( p : 50 mbar , t = 300 ° c ., oxime introduced in solution in isopropanol , duration 2 hours , with trapping of the crude reaction product during the second hour ) and in regeneration ( flushing under air at 550 ° c ., total duration of the regeneration 12 hours ( including the rise in the temperature to 550 ° c . and the fall to 300 ° c . ), atmospheric pressure ). the change in the conversion and in the selectivity ( analysis based on the crude reaction product trapped ) as a function of the successive phases of tests in reaction is reflected in fig2 . after 8 tests in reaction , it is observed that , for all these tests , the cyclododecanone oxime is completely converted . the selectivity for l12 , initially 95 %, increases slightly to reach 98 % during the eighth test in reaction . due to the time necessary for the rise in the temperature to reach the stationary level of 550 ° c . and then the fall in the latter to return to the reaction temperature , it was not possible to shorten the regeneration phase . on the other hand , such a regeneration procedure ( total duration 12 hours ), applied to a catalyst which has operated in reaction for 12 hours , makes it possible to maintain the catalytic activity for the following reaction cycle . the test was interrupted after 8 test / regeneration cycles without observing significant signs of deactivation of the catalyst . on the basis of these results , it is thus possible to envisage a process with several reactors in parallel , some of which are in the reaction phase while others are in the regeneration phase . test 8 : with a usy zeolite ( other family of zeolites than β zeolites ) the usy zeolite is sold by grace ; it has an si / al atomic ratio of 35 . test conditions identical to test 1 above but using usy zeolite instead of β zeolite . after starting up the plant ( 1 hour ), the crude reaction product is trapped for 1 hour . the analysis of this mixture reveals a conversion of the oxime of 74 % and a selectivity for l12 of 75 %.
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the above described method of the present invention for the preparation of chondroitin sulfate compounds has been established as a result of the extensive investigations undertaken by the inventors including the screening tests to uncover raw materials of good availability from which the desired chondroitin sulfate compounds can be advantageously prepared arriving at an unexpected discovery that fish scales as an industrial waste material discharged from fishery in large quantities are suitable for the purpose . namely , the method of the present invention comprises simple steps of ( a ) enzymatic solubilization of fish scales to give an aqueous solution containing the isolated chondroitin sulfate compounds , ( b ) removal of the by - product polypeptides from the aqueous solution and ( c ) fractional precipitation of the chondroitin sulfate compounds contained in the aqueous solution . the fish from which fish scales as the starting material of the inventive method are obtained can be any of freshwater fishes and - saltwater fishes without particular limitations . examples of freshwater fishes suitable for the purpose include carps , crucians , trouts , goldfishes and others . examples of the saltwater fishes suitable for the purpose include sea breams , sea basses , salmons , herrings , etsu fish and others . scales of these fishes can be used after merely removing filthy matters by washing with water . if necessary , the fish scales after washing with water are subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature of 120 to 130 ° c . for 5 to 30 minutes in . order to facilitate homogenization of the fish scales prior to step ( a ). the solubilization treatment of fish scales as the starting material in step ( a ) of the inventive method is conducted by dispersing the fish scales as the starting material in a diluted aqueous solution of calcium acetate or , preferably , in an aqueous solution buffered with a tris hydrogen chloride buffer solution at a ph of 7 . 4 to 8 . 0 followed by homogenization with a homogenizer to give an aqueous suspension of the comminuted fish scales to which a protease is added to effect proteolytic decomposition of the fish scales . this proteolytic reaction is conducted preferably at a temperature of 30 to 40 ° c . and the reaction is completed usually within 5 hours to several days at this temperature . this treatment has an effect to proteolytically decompose the proteinous material which combines with the chondroitin sulfate compounds in the fish scales to isolate polypeptides as a by - product which is dissolved in the aqueous medium together with the chondroitin sulfate compounds to form an aqueous solution . in the next place , the aqueous solution still containing insoluble matters is subjected to filtration or centrifugation for removal of the insoluble matters to give a clear solution from which the polypeptides as a by - product are removed in step ( b ) of the inventive method . this treatment of step ( b ) can be conducted advantageously by bringing the aqueous solution into contact with a cation - exchange resin in the h + - form . though optional , this ion - exchange treatment can be preceded by evaporation of a part of water from the aqueous solution and subjecting the thus concentrated aqueous solution to dialysis - against distilled water . in step ( c ) of the inventive method , the thus obtained aqueous solution containing the isolated chondroitin sulfate compounds is subjected to fractional precipitation of the chondroitin sulfate compounds . thus , the aqueous solution is admixed step - wise with ethyl alcohol and the precipitated matters obtained for the respective ethyl alcohol concentrations of the precipitation medium are collected as the fractions consisting of different chondroitin sulfate compounds which precipitate when the step - wise increasing ethyl alcohol concentration has reached the precipitation point of the individual compounds . identification of the thus isolated chondroitin sulfate compounds can be conducted by subjecting the respective products to hydrolysis with a digestive enzyme and detecting the thus produced saccharides by making comparison with an authentic sample of the chondroitin sulfate compound . in particular , this identification procedure is undertaken by hydrolyzing the sample of chondroitin sulfate with chondroitinase and developing - the thus obtained solution in thin - layer chromatography , referred to as tlc hereinafter , followed by color development of the spots of the bands for the unsaturated disaccharides with a diphenylamine reagent to make comparison for coincidence of the band distribution with that obtained from an authentic sample . the conclusion obtained by such an identification test of the products obtained by the inventive method is that the chondroitin sulfate compounds obtained from fish scales are chondroitin sulfate a and chondroitin sulfate c . in the following , the method of the present invention is described in more detail by way of examples . scales of carps in an amount of 60 g were thoroughly washed with water - and subjected to a heat treatment at 120 ° c . for 20 minutes . thereafter , the fish scales after the heat treatment were added to 300 ml of a 0 . 05m tris hydrogen chloride buffer solution at a ph of 7 . 8 containing 0 . 02m of calcium acetate together with 300 mg of a protease ( actinase e , a product by kaken seiyaku co .) followed by homogenization with a homogenizer to give a uniform suspension of the comminuted fish scales . this aqueous suspension was incubated at 37 ° c . for 3 days so that the fish scales were completely solubilized followed by a heat treatment of the reaction mixture at 100 ° c . for 5 minutes to deactivate the enzyme . after centrifugation at 20000 rpm for 40 minutes to settle the insoluble matters in the reaction mixture , the clear supernatant was subjected to evaporation of a part of water to give a 100 ml volume of a concentrated solution which was dialyzed overnight against distilled water . the aqueous solution after the dialysis treatment was passed through an ion - exchange column of 50 mm inner diameter and 50 mm depth filled with a cation - exchange resin ( dowex 50 - x8 , a product by dow chemical co .) in the h + - form to remove the polypeptides produced by the proteolysis and contained in the aqueous solution . the effluent solution from the column was neutralized with sodium hydroxide and then freeze - dried to give 330 mg of a freeze - dried material . the thus obtained freeze - dried material was dissolved in 50 ml of a 0 . 5m aqueous solution of sodium acetate and the ph value of the solution was brought to 4 . 5 by the addition of acetic acid . the solution was then admixed with ethyl alcohol portion - wise to increase the concentration of ethyl alcohol step - wise and the precipitates formed in the mixture at the respective ethyl alcohol concentrations were collected . the precipitates from each of the fractions were admixed with 2n hydrochloric acid in a 1000 w / v times amount and the mixture was heated at 100 ° c . for 20 hours to effect hydrolysis of the chondroitin sulfate into saccharides . the saccharide solution was analyzed for the composition of saccharides by using a saccharide analyzer ( model dx - 500 , manufactured by dionex co .). the results are shown in table 1 below together with the yields of the precipitates from the respective fractions , in which the names of various saccharides are abridged as follows . as is understood from this table , the precipitates obtained from the fraction of 40 - 50 % ethyl alcohol concentration contained glcua and galnac in higher contents than in the other fractions and the molar ratio of glcua and galnac was about 1 : 1 . iduronic acid as a constituent saccharide of chondroitin sulfate b was not detected in any of the fractions . a 75 μg portion of the precipitates obtained from the fraction of 40 - 50 % ethyl alcohol concentration and each a 50 μg portion of authentic samples of chondroitin sulfate a and chondroitin sulfate c of the ssg grade ( each a product by biochemical industry co . ), referred to as chsa and chsc , respectively , hereinafter , were dissolved each in 100 μl of a 0 . 025m sodium acetate buffer solution having a ph of 5 . 0 and each solution was admixed with a solution prepared by dissolving 0 . 02 unit of chondroitinase ( earthro ii , a product by biochemical industry co .) in 2 μl of the same buffer solution followed by incubation of the mixtures at 37 ° c . for 20 hours to effect the enzymatic reaction . thereafter , the reaction mixtures were each admixed with 300 μl of ethyl alcohol to deactivate the enzyme followed by centrifugation to settle the insoluble matters . the supernatants from centrifugation were , after evaporation of a part of water , subjected to thin - layer chromatographic analysis by using a silica gel 60 tlc plate ( a product by merck co .) with a 2 : 1 : 1 by volume mixture of n - butyl alcohol , acetic acid and distilled water as the developer . a diphenylamine reagent was used as the color developer for the unsaturated disaccharides formed by the enzymatic reaction with the chondroitinase . the tlc spot diagram obtained from the fraction corresponding to 40 - 50 % ethyl alcohol concentration indicated to two spots of unsaturated disaccharides . the mobility of each of these spots was in good coincidence with that for the disaccharides obtained from authentic samples of chsa and chsc . the experimental procedure was substantially the - same as in example 1 excepting for the replacement of 60 g of carp scales as the starting material with 142 g of scales of red sea breams to obtain 95 mg as a total of precipitates by fractionation with ethyl alcohol as the precipitant . table 2 below shows the results of the saccharide analysis of the precipitates from each of the five fractions . the experimental procedure was substantially the same as in example 1 excepting for the replacement of 60 g of carp scales as the starting - material with 26 g of scales of etsu fish to obtain 20 . 8 mg as a total of precipitates by fractionation with ethyl alcohol as the precipitant . table 3 below shows the results of the saccharide analysis of the precipitates from each of the five fractions . the experimental procedure was substantially the same as in example 1 excepting for the replacement of 60 g of carp scales as the starting material with 23 g of scales of sea basses to obtain 11 . 0 mg as a total of precipitates by fractionation with ethyl alcohol as the precipitant . table 4 below shows the results of the saccharide analysis of the precipitates from each of the five fractions . as is understood from tables 2 to 4 , the chondroitin sulfate compounds obtained by the protease treatment of fish scales include chondroitin sulfate a and chondroitin sulfate c while chondroitin sulfate b is not included therein irrespective of the kind of the fishes .
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according to the present invention , a physical or chemical change on a cantilever is measured in order to monitor the occurrence of a chemical interaction between naturally occurring bio - polymers which are non - identical binding partners , for example , between biological polymers or other analytes , monomeric or polymeric . typically , the cantilever as used with the method of the present invention is approximately 100 μm in length , 50 μm in width and approximately 1 μm in thickness . when a chemical interaction occurs on the cantilever , a physical or chemical change occurs causing the cantilever to be deflected , i . e ., moved up or down at its free end . such deflection motion can be detected to a very fine degree , for example , up to a fraction of a diameter of an atom . turning to the specific example of using the present method to detect dna hybridization , as shown in fig1 the surface of a cantilever 110 is first prepared in order to be able to attach single strands of dna . such surface preparations are known to those of skill in the art of dna hybridization detection methods . more specifically , cantilevers made of a solid substrate , for example silicon or similar materials , are prepared with special surfaces of silicon dioxide ( sio 2 ) and standard procedures are used for making a functionalized layer that allows attachment of probe molecules . next , a binding partner or probes molecules , for example , single stranded dna 120 , are introduced onto one surface of the cantilever . as shown in fig2 the device is then preferably mounted into a liquid cell 130 , for example , containing an aqueous buffer 140 . a detector 150 is employed in which a laser beam 160 is shown on the cantilever and reflects off of the cantilever . the reflected spot 170 of light is used to determine the relative position of the cantilever . in other words , movement of the cantilever can be determined by directly detecting the movement or angle of the reflected laser beam light . this provides a particular advantage in the present method in that it is always possible to obtain a strong signal from the reflected light . the response from this first deflection on the detector is used as a reference to determine cantilever deflection , as further described . next , sample analyte molecules , such as dna is introduced to the surface of the cantilever containing single stranded dna . the sample analyte molecules will hybridize with selected strands of dna on the cantilever , as reflected at numeral 180 in fig3 . as a result , stress is induced on the cantilever which will cause the cantilever to deflect . more specifically , when hybridization occurs , surface pressure results by the addition of negative charges on the surface of the cantilever because dna is a polyanion . in other words , hybridization causes more electrostatic charges to build up on the cantilever surface which tend to repel one another . because the sample analyte molecules are only on one surface of the cantilever , the surface of the cantilever deflects due to this repelling action . this deflection will appear on the deflector as a signal 170 ′ in fig3 which can be correlated against the reference signal . it should be noted that the method of the present invention can be used with negatively charged analytes ( such as dna ) or positively charged analytes . in addition , the method of the present invention can also be used with uncharged analytes because forces other than electrostatic forces , such as dipole forces , can be employed with the present method . the detector used with the present invention can be any optical detector capable of tracking reflected laser light as known to one of ordinary skill in the art , for example , can be a split photodiode , linear array of photodetectors , piezo resistance elements or the like . in an alternative embodiment , shown in fig4 a second cantilever 190 can be used as a reference cantilever . the second cantilever 190 is preferably mounted side by side with cantilever 110 . in such an embodiment , a surface of the second cantilever 190 is prepared in the same manner as the first cantilever 110 which will be used for hybridization . however , the second cantilever 190 does not have a binding partner , such as single stranded dna , attached onto one of its surfaces and is not treated with sample analyte molecules , such as dna . in this case , one signal ( numerals 170 and 170 ′ in fig4 ) from each cantilever is detected by the detector and the difference between the reflected light between the two cantilevers is analyzed . the embodiment shown in fig4 cancels any spurious motion of the cantilever caused , for example , by the environment , such as the liquid in the container . in either embodiment , the signals detected by the detector are then analyzed in order to determine whether hybridization , for example , has occurred . if there is a change in position after the sample analyte molecules , such as dna , have been introduced on the single cantilever ( single cantilever embodiment ), or if the cantilever carrying the sample analyte molecules , such as dna , has changed its position in relation to the reference cantilever ( two cantilever embodiment ), hybridization has been detected . in yet another embodiment , several pairs of cantilevers could be used , with one cantilever carrying a specific probe molecules and the other cantilever of the pair carrying a non - specific probe molecule or no probe molecule at all . in the context of dna hybridization , for example , several pairs of cantilevers could be used each carrying a different sequence of single stranded dna . multiple pairs of cantilevers organized in such a fashion are known as an array of cantilevers . in an array , each cantilever pair includes one cantilever for hybridization and one neutral or reference cantilever . the difference between signals of each cantilever pair in the array provides the true hybridization signal for that pair , similar to the system described with respect to fig4 . with a cantilever array , it is possible to introduce a complex mixture of molecules into the liquid flow cell encompassing the array and to identify those molecules in the complex by determining which cantilevers hybridize . the number of cantilever pairs which can be used in an array is united . such a cantilever array has practical utility in both biomedical and environmental applications . an example of an environmental application would be to use such a detector to identify an unknown contaminant in a sample of air or water which might have been infected by environmental terrorists . the possible applications for the method of the present invention are limitless . in still another alternative embodiment , an interdigital array of cantilevers , as described above by manalis i , can be used in the method of the present invention . in an interdigital cantilever array , interleaved fingers are built onto a cantilever in the form of a grid . the cantilever deflects one pair of fingers while the other remains stationery . the method of the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein and can be employed to detect any chemical interaction between naturally occurring bio - polymers which are non - identical binding partners with accuracy and at a low cost .
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proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail , reference should first be made to fig1 which shows a substantially rectangular framework 10 having a hitch pole assembly 11 on the front member 12 thereof extending forwardly and terminating in a hitch 13 which enables the device to be secured to a tractor or other convenient source of power . wheels 14 are mounted adjacent to the rear member 15 of the framework upon forks 16 and a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 17 is connected to the framework so that the framework can be raised or lowered relative to the wheels in a conventional manner . it is not believed that further details of this raising and lowering apparatus need be disclosed as it is well known . if necessary , conventional seed planting devices 18 each including a pair of planters may be supported in an extension 19 of the framework followed by conventional packers 20 , all of which are conventional in construction . situated within a framework 10 is a plurality of liquid chemical incorporating devices collectively designated 21 . each of these is arranged in alignment with a respective seed planter and consists of a casing 22 supported between the front members 12 and 15 of the framework with a pair of arms 23 extending forwardly and upwardly from the casing and being pivotally secured to the front member 12 on pivot couplings 231 . the arms are also pivotally connected to the casing by a frame 252 at pivot pins 233 with the angle between the arms 23 and the casing being adjustable by couplings 234 . a single member 24 extends rearwardly of the casing and is secured to the rear frame member 15 . referring to fig2 , 4 and 6 , each casing 22 includes a pair of spaces and parallel side plates 25 , a top plate 26 , a rear plate collectively designated 27 and a front plate collectively designated 28 , all of these plates forming an enclosure or casing having an open base and being situated within the framework so that , when in operation , the lower edges 25a of the side plates 25 , engage the surface of the ground so that a complete enclosure is formed . the rear wall 27 includes the inclined upper portion 29 and the lower substantially vertical portion 30 . a spray nozzle assembly 31 is secured within a depression 32a formed in the sloping wall portion 29 and a flexible hose 32 extends externally of the casing , and is operatively connected to the nozzle 31 . this hose 32 extends to a source of liquid chemical which may be contained in a tank 33 located , for example , behind one of the seeding devices 18 . the tank can be mounted in any convenient location . a pump 34 is driven from the power take - off 34a as will hereinafter be described and the hoses are operatively connected between the spray nozzles 31 , the pump 34 and the tank 33 so that , when in operation , liquid chemical is sprayed into the interior of each of the casings 22 and is restricted to the area covered by the casings and incorporated within a band of soil substantially equal to the width of the casing between the two side plates 25 as will hereinafter be described . each casing is provided with a shaft 35 journalled for rotation in bearings 35a and extending between the two side plates 25 so that it extends across the casing as clearly shown and a plurality of ground breaking blades or elements 36 are secured to the shaft and extend radially therefrom with each element consisting of a radially extending portion 37 and a right angulated outer portion 38 as shown in fig6 . needless to say , other types of ground breaking elements may be used , if desired . the situation of shaft 35 together with the length of the elements 36 is such that when in operation and in a position shown , for example in fig2 the ends of the ground breaking elements engage approximately three to five inches below the surface of the soil . when the implement is moving in the direction of arrow 39 , it will be appreciated that liquid chemical sprayed into the casing is then incorporated by the ground breaking rotary assembly or elements 36 which rotate in the direction of arrow 40 . the rear wall 28 is pivotally connected to any inclines downwardly and rearwardly from a lower rear edge 41 of the casing and terminates in a plurality of raking teeth 42 which engage just below the surface of the soil and act to smooth the soil which has been broken by the members 36 , together with the liquid chemical incorporated by this rotary breaking action . drive means are shown schematically in fig5 with the power take - off from the tractor or the like being indicated by shaft 35 . a universal joint 43 connects this shaft to a gear box 44 mounted mounted within the framework and drives a transverse shaft 45 extending upon each side of the gear box . one end of the shaft 45 is operatively connected to pump 34 and the other end specifically designated 45a , is provided with a sprocket 46 around which chain 47 engages . the chain extends around a further sprocket 48 mounted upon a drive shaft 49 journalled within bearings 50 and supported within the framework 10 . a further sprocket 51 is connected to shaft 49 and a chain 52 extends around this sprocket and around a sprocket 53 secured to a transverse drive shaft train 54 which extends between adjacent incorporating assemblies 21 , being connected to the shafts 35 thereof by means of universal joints 55 . the side walls 25 at their lower edges carry skids 251 which can run along the ground . the angle adjustment of the casing relative to the arms 23 as provided by the bracket 234 can be used to change the angle of the skids relative to the ground by raising the front edge of the skids . this enables the casing to accommodate high levels of trash in the soil particularly where straw stalks are remaining in the soil prior to the passage of the casing over the soil and the incorporation of the liquid chemical . in addition the hinged connection of the rear rake portion 28 enables the casing to allow the trash to escape from the rear and avoid the collection of trash within the casing . the direction of rotation of the teeth 36 in conjunction with the arrangement of the arms 23 ensures that the casing is pushed forwardly by the teeth and thus downwardly by the arms into contact with the ground to avoid the teeth lifting out of the ground when the ground becomes particularly hard . however engagement with stones or other solid objects still allows the teeth and the casing to ride over the stones by pivotal movement of the arms 23 about the pivot connections 231 . in addition it will be noted that the axle 35 supporting the teeth is fixed relative to the sides of the casing and is connected to the power source provided by the gear box 44 via flexible couplings provided by the universal joints in the shafts 54 , 55 . referring now to fig7 it will be noted that the skids 251 are mounted on the side walls 25 of the casing by bolts passing through slots in the skids which allow adjustment of the height of the skid relative to the respective side wall . in addition the rake portion 28 is coupled to the casing by a spring 281 which passes the rake into contact with the rear face of the side walls 25 . for this purpose the rake portion 28 includes side walls 282 which project toward the casing itself forwardly of the rake portion . the bracket 234 is shown in more detail incorporating a flange 235 attached to the frame 232 and a flange 236 attached to the casing with an adjustment bolt 237 extending therebetween . it will therefore be appreciate that liquid chemical may be incorporated in a relatively narrow band of soil by means of the enclosing casings 26 of the incorporators 21 , together with the rotary ground breakers 36 and the conventional planters 18 are situated behind the framework 10 in alignment with the chemical incorporators 21 so that seed may be planted within the smoothed , chemically treated soil immediately after it has been chemically treated . finally , packers 20 may be provided to complete the one pass operation possible with the use of the present invention . this not only saves money and time , but also conserves moisture as only a relatively small strip of soil is treated and disturbed . since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described , and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing 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 has been discovered that the growth and proliferation of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo can be inhibited by agents that interfere with the biological , functional activities of the biological response modifier vip in such cells . such agents include specific thymosins , such as thnα1 and related n - terminal and c - terminal peptides , analogues and derivatives , and anti - vip receptor antibodies , presumably acting either to inhibit the binding of vip to its cell surface receptors on lung cancer cells or interfere with the subsequent activities of vip . such agents also include anti - vip antibodies capable of inhibiting the binding of endogenous or exogenous vip to cell surface receptors on sclc and nsclc lung cancer cells and , in so doing , inhibiting the growth and proliferation of these cells . these discoveries will be reported in a future publication . moody , t . w ., et al ., cancer research proceedings , 1991 , in press . specific in vitro interactions of thymosins and related fragments with cell surface binding sites on lung cancer cells may be studied by standard binding assay procedures using intact lung cancer cells or plasma membranes derived therefrom . see , e . g ., blecher , m ., ed ., methods in receptor research , parts i and ii , marcel dekker , n . y ., 1976 ; posner , b ., ed ., polypeptide hormone receptors , vol . 4 , marcel dekker , n . y ., 1985 ; journal of receptor research , vols . 7 and 8 ( 1988 ), which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that they disclose binding assay procedures . sclc and nsclc established cell lines may be obtained through the national cancer institute , bethesda , md . ( usa ) ( e . g ., nci - h157 , nsclc cells ; nci - h345 , sclc cells ; nci - h292 , nsclc squamous cell carcinoma ; nci - h838 , adenocarcinoma ; nci - h417 , sclc cells ; h720 , lung carcinoid cells ; nci - h727 , lung carcinoid cells ; nci - n592 , sclc cells ; eplc - 65h , squamous cell carcinoma ) or from the american type culture collection , rockville , md ( usa ). plasma membranes from such cells may be isolated according to lee , m ., et al ., peptides , 11 : 1205 ( 1990 ), which is incorporated herein by reference . generally , binding competitions are set up between a tracer concentration of labeled ligand and varying concentrations of either the unlabeled counterpart of the labeled ligand or an unlabeled peptide suspected of binding to the receptor for the ligand . for example , sclc or nsclc cells or plasma membranes isolated therefrom are incubated with a tracer concentration of 125 i - labeled vip and a range of concentrations of unlabeled vip or an unlabeled thymosin or fragments thereof , or an anti - vip receptor antibody , and the amount of specific binding of the tracer at each concentration of the unlabeled ligands determined . it has now been found that 125 i - labeled vip binds with high affinity to sclc and nsclc cell lines , and that vip markedly stimulates the adenylate cyclase activity of these cells . it has also now been found that thnα1 inhibits the binding of labeled vip to lung cancer cells , although it does so with a potency only a twentieth that of unlabeled vip . in addition , thnα1 inhibits the stimulatory effect of vip on second messenger camp production in lung cancer cells . direct , i . e ., noncompetitive , binding of a labeled ligand to intact cells or plasma membranes may be determined . attempts to carry out such analyses using , for example , ( 125 i - tyr )- labeled thnα1 or n - terminal or c - terminal fragments demonstrated that such molecules bind with poor affinity to lung cancer cells or plasma membranes derived therefrom . these and other experiments not detailed here indicate that the thymosins may not have specific receptors . palaszynski , e ., biochemical studies on thymosin α1 , ph . d . thesis , george washington university , washington , d . c ., 1981 . it is thus all the more surprising and unexpected that certain thymosins have such profound inhibitory effects on the binding of vip to its specific receptors and on the growth promoting effects of vip in lung cancer cells . although 125 i is a frequently used label for peptide binding studies , other markers such as chemiluminescent compounds and fluorescent molecules may be used . cross - linking procedures may also be used to identify ligand - receptor interactions with sclc or nsclc cells or plasma membranes . generally , the tissue is incubated with a tracer concentration of a labeled ligand , without and with varying concentrations of an unlabeled ligand , until steady state binding is attained . at that point , unbound labeled ligand is removed by washing the tissue at ice bath temperature , and the bound labeled ligand is covalently cross - linked to its receptor protein by the addition of a cross - linking reagent . thereafter , the cells or membranes are solubilized with a detergent , and the samples analyzed by sds - page electrophoresis , followed by autoradiography to determine the molecular weight of the receptor protein to which the labeled ligand had bound . a wide variety of peptide - peptide cross - linking reagents are known , such as those available from pierce co ., rockford , ill . ( usa ), 1989 handbook and general catalog , pages 283 - 311 , which is incorporated herein by reference . it has been found from such cross - linking studies that thnα1 inhibits the cross - linking of vip to its receptor protein of about 82 kda located in the plasma membrane of lung cancer cells of both sclc and nsclc types . candidate anti - lung cancer peptides and antibodies may be screened in vitro in a soft agar colonization assay such as that described by mahmoud , s ., et al ., life sci ., 44 : 367 ( 1989 ) which is herein incorporated by reference . in general , single viable lung cancer cells are plated in soft agar . after an appropriate growth period , such as 14 days , cell colonies may be stained with an appropriate cytochemical stain , and the stained cells viewed microscopically . cytochemical stains are well known to those skilled in the art of histology . it has been found from such in vitro colonization experiments that thnα1 dramatically reduces colony formation of lung cancer cells in vitro under conditions in which thnβ4 and vip have little effect . the aforementioned binding , cross - linking and colonization experiment lead to the unexpected finding that thymosins inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells by an action mediated by cell surface receptors for a brm active in such cells . candidate anti - lung cancer peptides and anti - vip receptor antibodies may be tested in vivo in a mouse model of lung cancer . for example , when sclc cell lines such as nci - n592 or nci h69 , or nsclc cell lines such as nci - h157 or nci - h292 are injected subcutaneously into nude mice , xenografts will form . the test peptide may then be injected adjacent to the tumor , and the tumor volume measured periodically . control mice will not receive the test peptide or will receive a placebo peptide in the same pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle . tumor growth in experimental and control animals are compared , and test peptides ranked according to efficacy in reducing tumor size . it has been found that thnα1 and its c - terminal ( such as amino acids 4 - 28 and 15 - 28 ) and n - terminal ( such as amino acids 1 - 8 , 1 - 14 , and 1 - 20 ) fragments inhibit lung cancer growth in vivo in tumors of both sclc and nsclc types of lung cancer cells . no toxic side effects were observed . taken together with the binding and in vitro experiments , the data of the invention demonstrate a novel modality for treating lung cancers of both the small cell and nonsmall cell types without radiation treatment and without the need for concurrent use of the toxic classical chemotherapeutic agents , although the use of such additional modalities is not precluded by the present invention . anti - egf receptor antibodies are known to inhibit the binding of this peptide hormone to its specific cell surface receptor macromolecule . lee , m . et al , cancer res . proc ., 1990 . monoclonal antibodies to a human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line vip receptor have been prepared ( kummer , w ., et al ., histochem . j ., 22 : 249 ( 1990 )) and used for histochemical identification of cells bearing this receptor . polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies directed against the vip receptors on sclc and nsclc cells may be used to inhibit the binding of vip to its receptors on these cells , thereby reducing the proliferative effects of vip . these antibodies may be prepared by raising antisera and / or monoclonal antibodies against detergent - solubilized , purified forms of the sclc and nsclc vip receptor macromolecules . monoclonal antibody - producing hybridoma cells can be produced by injecting mice , such as balb / c mice , with purified vip receptor antigen , fusing spleen cells of hyperimmunized mice with myeloma cells , such as nso myeloma cells , using the polyethyleneglycol technique , selecting hybridomas using the hat growth medium , screening hybridoma supernatant fluids for the ability to immunoprecipitate cross - linked vip receptors as well as the ability to inhibit the binding of labeled vip to lung cancer cells , and cloning positive hybridomas . for details of these techniques , see cuttitta , f ., et al . nature , 316 : 823 ( 1985 ); engleman , e ., et al ., eds ., human hybridomas and monoclonal antibodies , plenum publishing co ., n . y ., 1985 ; harrell , j . g . r ., ed ., monoclonal hybridoma antibodies : techniques and applications , crc press , 1982 ; larrick , j . w ., et al ., biotechniques , 6 - 14 ( jan ./ feb . 1984 ); oi , v . t ., et al ., in mishell , b . b ., et al ., eds ., selected methods in cellular immunology , chapter 17 , pp . 351 - 372 ; and kennett , r . h ., et al ., monoclonal antibodies , plenum press , n . y ., 1980 , appendix , goding , in monoclonal antibodies : principles and practices , academic press , n . y ., 1983 , pp . 118 - 124 , which are incorporated herein by reference . also , ascites fluids may be produced from positive clones to generate large amounts of monoclonal antibodies . also , a vip receptor fragment may be conjugated to a carrier such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin , edestin , thyroglobulin or albumins , if it is not sufficiently large to be adequately immunogenic , as is understood in the art . the method of preparation of and administration of the antigenic vip receptor varies with its nature and abundance in the particular cells employed , and general approaches depending on these particulars are well within the skill of those practicing this art . any effective mode of preparation and administration is acceptable . the vip receptor preparation in suitable form is then administered to an experimental animal for generation of the antibody - producing cells . to obtain the desired polyclonal antibodies , the antisera may be harvested and the antibodies purified by standard techniques and used directly . if monoclonal antibodies directed to specific vip receptor epitopes are desired , the procedures described above can be employed . the desired anti - receptor antibodies can be conveniently purified using affinity chromatography , taking advantage of the ability of the desired antibodies to link tightly to the vip receptor moiety . anti - receptor antibodies may also advantageously be purified by cytological purification , that is , by contacting the impure receptor preparation with sclc or nsclc cells , washing the cells free of unbound impurities , then eluting the purified anti - receptor antibodies from the cell surface . it is desired that the anti - vip receptor monoclonal or polyclonal antibody be administered to mammalian subjects in substantially pure form . as used herein , the expression &# 34 ; substantially pure &# 34 ; means that , within serologically detectable limits , only one specie of antibody combining site capable of binding the vip receptor is present . thus , while a substantially pure antibody molecule preparation may contain more than one species of antibody combining site , such a preparation displays a single binding affinity for a vip receptor antigen epitope . an antibody molecule in substantially pure form is typically designated a &# 34 ; monoclonal antibody &# 34 ; by those skilled in the art because such molecules are usually produced using monoclonal hybridoma cultures . methods for preparing paratope - containing portions of anti - vip receptor immunoglobulin molecules such as fab , fab &# 39 ;, f ( ab &# 39 ;) 2 and f ( v ) from substantially intact antibodies are well known . see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 342 , 566 , inbar et al ., pnas ( usa ), 69 : 2659 ( 1972 ), and goding , 1983 , ibid . an anti - vip antibody molecule of the present invention is an antibody molecule that immunoreacts with an vip epitope and thereby neutralizes the molecule , that is to say , the immunoconjugate is incapable of acting as vip molecule biologically . the term &# 34 ; cellular receptor &# 34 ; as used herein for vip refers to a protein or glycoprotein macromolecule contained within the plasma membrane of one or more types of cells in the host organism , including abnormal cells such sclc and nsclc cells , and which receptor macromolecule , when bound to a ligand ( herein , vip ), initiates the chain of responses and events that lead to what is referred to as the physiological effect of the ligand ( herein , the biological response modifier action ( s ) of vip ). the examples that follow are designed merely to exemplify various embodiments of this invention and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention which is set forth in the specification and appended claims . interaction of thymosin α1 with vip receptors on lung cancer cells lung cancer cells ( eplc - 65h squamous cell carcinoma ) were cultured in serum supplemented growth medium ( rpmi 1640 containing 10 % fetal bovine serum ). plasma membranes were isolated ( lee , m ., et al ., 1990 , above ) and the binding potency of thnα1 determined . the ability of unlabeled vip (•) and thnα1 (∘) to inhibit specific binding of 125 i - labeled vip to plasma membranes was determined in 3 experiments . the means and ranges of specific binding values as a function of unlabeled peptide concentration are plotted in fig1 . the data show that the specific binding of a tracer concentration of labeled vip was inhibited in a concentration - dependent manner by unlabeled vip and thnα1 . little specific binding of 125 i - vip to vip receptors was inhibited by 1 nm vip , whereas almost all specific binding was inhibited by 1000 nm vip . the ic 50 ( concentration causing 50 % inhibition ) for vip was about 10 nm . in contrast , the ic 50 for thnα1 was about 200 nm , indicating that the affinity of the vip receptor for thnα1 is about one - twentieth that for vip itself . inhibition by thnα1 of cross - linking of labeled vip to its receptors on lung cancer cells plasma membranes derived from squamous cell carcinoma cell line eplc - 65h were incubated with a tracer concentration ( 2 nm ) of 125 i - labeled vip in the absence ( control ) and presence of thnα1 . membranes were then washed with ice cold buffer to remove unbound labeled vip and the bound labeled vip covalently cross linked to its membrane receptor protein using 2 mm disuccinimidylsuberate . membranes were solubilized with 10 % sds in electrophoresis buffer , and the protein mixture separated by sds - page electrophoresis . gels were then radioautographed to produce x - ray films showing radioactive proteins . as shown by the autoradiogram of fig2 lane c , 1 μm thnα1 inhibited the binding of 125 i - labeled vip to a 83 kda glycoprotein , to an extent similar to that accomplished by unlabeled vip itself ( lane a ). this glycoprotein presumably is the vip receptor in this cell line , and it also presumably is this glycoprotein by which thymosins and anti - vip receptor antibodies inhibit the lung cancer growth promoting effects of vip . the effects of thnα1 on the growth of lung cancer cell lines was studied . single viable cells were plated in soft agar as previously described ( mahmoud , s ., et al ., life sci ., 44 : 367 ( 1989 )), and , after two weeks , the colonies were stained with 0 . 1 % p - iodomitrotetrazolium violet . the pattern of colony staining shown in fig3 demonstrates that numerous large colonies of nci - h838 cells had formed by two weeks ( top ), whereas in the presence of 10 μm thnα1 ( bottom ) the number and size of the colonies were dramatically reduced . the number of colonies larger than 50 μm in diameter were counted . the data of table i shows that 89 colonies of nci - h157 ( squamous cell carcinoma ) formed . the number of colonies did not change when either 1 nm or 10 nm vip was added , although there was a slight increase at 100 nm or 1000 nm vip . in contrast , 10 nm thnα1 produced no change in colony number , 100 nm or 1 , 000 nm thnα1 produced a slight decrease , but 10 , 000 nm thnα1 significantly decreased colony formation . table i______________________________________dose response curve of vip and thnα1 on nci - h157 ( squamous cell carcinoma ) growth . peptide colony number n / no______________________________________none 89 ± 10 1 . 001 nm vip 89 ± 7 1 . 0010 nm vip 89 ± 7 1 . 00100 n vip 113 ± 6 1 . 271000 nm vip 123 ± 16 1 . 3810 nm thnα1 89 ± 8 1 . 00100 nm thn α1 82 ± 3 0 . 921000 nm thn α1 74 ± 10 0 . 8310000 nm thn α1 61 ± 7 0 . 69______________________________________ the mean ± s . d . of 3 determinations is indicated . also , the colony fraction ( n / no ) is calculated where no and n are the number of colonies i the absence or presence of additions respectively . effect of thnα1 and thn β4 on growth of lung cancer cell lines the experimental conditions of example 3 were repeated with nci - h720 ( lung carcinoid cancer cells ) and nci - n417 ( sclc lung cancer cells ) cell lines . colonies were counted as before . the absolute and relative number of colonies of greater than 50 μm diameter are shown in table ii . vip at 100 nm increased colony formation for both sclc and lung carcinoid cell lines . thnβ4 at 1 μm did not influence colony number significantly . in dramatic contrast , thnα1 at 1 μm greatly reduced colony formation for both types of lung cancer cells . table ii______________________________________specificity of peptides on lung cancer growth . nci - h720 n417agent ( carcinoid ) n / no ( sclc ) n / no______________________________________control 73 ± 24 1 . 00 201 ± 16 1 . 00vip 100 nm 100 ± 26 1 . 37 216 ± 40 1 . 08thn α1 1 μm 28 ± 14 0 . 39 99 ± 16 0 . 49thn β4 1 μm 68 ± 20 0 . 93 240 ± 68 1 . 20______________________________________ the mean value ± s . e . of 3 determinations is indicated . squamous cell carcinoma ( nci - h157 , 10 7 cells ) was injected subcutaneously into female balb / c nude mice . xenografts formed after about one week , and tumor size ( mm 3 ) was followed weekly . thnα1 , 10 μg , in a sterile pharmaceutical vehicle , was injected subcutaneously adjacent to the tumor . no toxic effects on the animals were observed . fig4 shows that after two weeks a palpable mass ( 28 mm 3 ) was observed in control mice which received only placebo injections . tumor growth increased exponentially over the next several weeks , and at week 6 , control mice that had very large tumors ( 2430 mm 3 ) were killed . in dramatic contrast , mice receiving thnα1 developed a palpable mass ( 3 mm 3 ) only at week 3 , and the tumor growth slowly increased until week 5 ( 187 mm 3 ). at this point , withdrawal of thnα1 resulted in the resumption of rapid tumor growth ( at week 6 the tumor volume was 585 mm 3 , still only 25 % of the size of the control xenografts ). this experiment shows that thnα1 may function as a reversible inhibitor of nsclc growth . the experiment of example 5 was repeated except that xenografts were produced with nci - h292 squamous cell lung carcinoma and fragments of thnα1 were compared for efficacy with the parent polypeptide . the data of table iii show that the squamous cell carcinoma xenografts produced by nci - h292 cells grew more slowly than did xenografts produced by nci - h157 squamous cell carcinoma cells . after three weeks , measurable tumors ( 2 - 5 mm 3 ) were observed . by week 8 , the control tumor volume had increased about 60 - fold to 305 mm 3 . thnα1 and the c - and n - terminal fragments thereof reduced tumor growth by approximately 50 %. the c - terminal fragment was composed of amino acids 15 to 28 of thnα1 , and the n - terminal fragment composed of amino acids 1 to 14 of thnα1 . table iii______________________________________xenograft formation of cell line nci - h292addition at week 3 4 5 6 7 8______________________________________c - fragment 4 15 36 65 123 141control 5 31 48 150 237 305thnα1 2 23 40 72 128 135n - fragment 3 27 45 72 85 162______________________________________ nci - h292 was injected into nude mice and the tumor volume ( mm3 ) was indicated . peptides ( 10 μg ) were injected daily subcutaneously . the mean value of 3 determinations is indicated . routinely the s . e . was 15 % o the mean value . __________________________________________________________________________sequence listing ( 1 ) general information :( iii ) number of sequences : 2 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 28 amino acids ( b ) type : amino acid ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : peptide ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 : hisseraspalaval phethraspasntyrthrargleuarglysgln151015metalavallyslystyrleuasnserileleuasn20 25 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 28 amino acids ( b ) type : amino acid ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : peptide ( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 2 : seraspalaalavalaspthrsersergluilethrthrlysaspleu1 51015lysglulyslysgluvalvalgluglualagluasn2025
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