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an anion exchange column is subjected to foulant buildup from photographic waste waters . an attempt is made to regenerate the column by treatment with ammonium chloride . however , the column has a limited reuse life because the ions that are not removed by the regenerant are retained on the column and thus reduce the column &# 39 ; s exchange capacity on subsequent cycles . use of stronger solutions and counterions fail to remove these compounds believed to be polythionates and quinone / quinoneoid products . for example , the use of sodium hydroxide , the most common of the regenerants , results in the formation of solids in the resin pores resulting from the reaction of the foulant ions with the sodium hydroxide . when an attempt is made to decompose the foulants using a three percent aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide it is successful . that is , when such a treating agent is added to the column , the polythionates and quinone / quinoneoids are converted to sulfate , water , and carbon dioxide according to the reactions : ## str1 ## and these reaction products are easily removed from the column by conventional techniques and the column recovers its original capacity . thus , in the method of this invention , ions which remain on the column after conventional resin regeneration are converted to components which are very easily removed from the column . while conventional techniques are limited in their ability to return the column to its original condition , the on column or in situ destruction of foulants of this invention allows the return of the ion exchange resin to its original capacity . the method of the invention is not only applicable to all ion exchange columns but also to the other forms in which ion exchange resins are found such as in a membrane , in batch form , as a belt , etc . the method of the invention further works equally well with cation exchange resins or anion exchange resins . furthermore , there are currently many ion exchange applications where the use of the resin is limited by compounds irreversibly bound to the resin active sites . current techniques require pretreatment of the effluent to remove these compounds . in many of these cases , as for example in the organic fouling of anion exchange resins used to reduce the total dissolved solids of municipal waters , the use of on column conversion of the fouling molecules could be a desirable alternative to pretreating large quantities of water . i wish it to be understood that i do not desire to be limited to the exact details as described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art .	1
referring to fig1 a to 1 e there is shown an apparatus which is generally identified by reference numeral 1 . the apparatus 1 comprises a clamp 2 for retaining a tubular 3 . the clamp 2 is suspended on wires 4 , 5 which are connected thereto on opposing sides thereof . the wire 5 passes through an eye 6 in lug 7 which is attached to a spherical bearing in arm 8 of a suspension unit 9 at the point at which the arm 8 is connected to a hydraulic motor . the wire is connected to the hydraulic motor 10 in a corresponding manner . the suspension unit 9 is of a type which enables displacement of the tubular 3 when connected to a tool 17 ( see below ), relative to a top drive 13 , along a number of different axes . the wires 4 , 5 pass across the suspension unit 9 and over pulley wheels 11 which are rotatably arranged on a plate 12 . the plate 12 is fixed in relation to a top drive generally identified by reference numeral 13 . the wires 4 , 5 then pass over drums 14 to which the wires 4 , 5 are also connected . the drums 14 are rotatable via a hydraulic winch motor 15 . in use , the clamp 2 is placed around a tubular below a box 16 thereof . the hydraulic winch motor 15 is then activated , which lifts the tubular 3 ( conveniently from a rack ) and towards a tool 17 for gripping the tubular 3 ( fig1 b ). the tubular 3 encompasses the tool 17 at which point the hydraulic winch motor 15 is deactivated ( fig1 c ). during this operation the elevator 18 is held away from the tool 17 by piston and cylinders 19 , 20 acting on bails 21 and 22 . the suspension unit 9 allows the hydraulic motor 10 and the arrangement depending therebelow to move in vertical and horizontal planes relative to the top drive 13 . the eyes 6 in lugs 7 maintain the wires 4 and 5 in line with the tubular 3 during any such movement . the tool 17 may now be used to connect the tubular to the tubular string . more particularly , the tool may be of a type which is inserted into the upper end of the tubular , with gripping elements of the tool being radially displaceable for engagement with the inner wall of the tubular so as to secure the tubular to the tool . once the tool is secured to the tubular , the hydraulic motor 10 is activated which rotates the tool 17 and hence the tubular 3 for engagement with a tubular string held in a spider . the clamp 2 is now released from the tubular 3 , and the top drive 13 and hence apparatus 1 is now lifted clear of the tubular 3 . the elevator 18 is now swung in line with the apparatus 1 by actuation of the piston and cylinders 19 and 20 ( fig1 d ). the top drive 13 is then lowered , lowering the elevator 18 over the box 16 of the tubular 3 . the slips in the elevator 18 are then set to take the weight of the entire tubular string . the top drive is then raised slightly to enable the slips in the spider to be released and the top drive is then lowered to introduce the tubular string into the borehole . referring to fig2 a to 2 d there is shown an apparatus which is generally identified by reference numeral 101 . the apparatus 101 comprises an elevator 102 arranged at one end of bails 103 , 104 . the bails 103 , 104 are movably attached to a top drive 105 via axles 106 which are located in eyes 107 in the other end of the bails 103 , 104 . piston and cylinders 108 , 109 are arranged between the top drive 105 and the bails . one end of the piston and cylinders 108 , 109 are movably arranged on axles 110 on the top drive . the other end of the piston and cylinders 108 , 109 are movably arranged on axles 111 , 112 which are located in lugs 113 , 114 located approximately one - third along the length of the bails 103 , 109 . the elevator 102 is provided with pins 115 on either side thereof and projecting therefrom . the pins 115 are located in slots 116 and 116 g . a piston 117 , 118 and cylinder 119 , 120 are arranged in each of the bails 103 , 104 . the cylinders are arranged in slot 121 , 122 . the piston 117 , 118 are connected at their ends to the pins 115 . the cylinders 119 , 120 are prevented from moving along the bails 103 , 104 by cross members 123 and 124 . a hole is provided in each of the cross members to allow the pistons to move therethrough . in use , a tubular 125 is angled from a rack near to the well centre . the tubular may however remain upright in the rack . the clamp 102 is placed around the tubular below a box 126 ( fig2 a ). the top drive is raised on a track on a derrick . the tubular is lifted from the rack and the tubular swings to hang vertically ( fig2 b ). the piston and cylinders 108 , 109 are actuated , extending the pistons allowing the bails 103 , 104 to move to a vertical position . the tubular 125 is now directly beneath a tool 127 for internally gripping and rotating the tubular 125 ( fig2 c ). the pistons 117 , 118 and cylinders 119 , 120 are now actuated . the pins 115 follow slot 116 and the clamp 102 moves upwardly , lifting the tubular 125 over the tool 127 ( fig2 d ). the tool 127 can now be actuated to grip the tubular 125 . at this stage the elevator 102 is released and the top drive 105 lowered to enable the tubular 125 to be connected to the string of tubulars in the slips and torqued appropriately by the top drive 105 . the pistons 117 , 118 and cylinders 119 , 120 are meantime extended so that after the tubular 125 has been connected the top drive 105 can be raised until the elevator 102 is immediately below the box . the elevator 102 is then actuated to grip the tubular 125 firmly . the top drive 105 is then raised to lift the tubular string sufficiently to enable the wedges in the slips to be withdrawn . the top drive 105 is then lower to the drilling platform , the slips applied , the elevator 102 raised for the tubular 125 and the process repeated . while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention , other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow .	4
the oxidizable material layer in this invention is utilized for forming an oxide layer as an element isolation layer by means of selective oxidation . as materials for such oxidizable material layer , polycrystalline silicon doped with high concentration of impurities such as phosphorus , arsenic and boron , non - monocrystalline silicon , such as polycrystalline silicon , containing substantially no impurities and metal silicides such as molybdenum silicide , tungsten silicide and tantalum silicide may be useful . such an oxidizable material layer may be formed on a semiconductor substrate with or without an oxide layer interposed therebetween . by disposing an oxide layer between the semiconductor substrate and the oxidizable material layer , it is possible to prevent the impurities in the oxidizable material layer from diffusing into the substrate at the time of selective oxidation . such a construction is effective , particularly when polycrystalline silicon layer of high impurity concentration is employed . as the diffusion of impurities in an oxidizable material layer is mainly dependent upon the time period of and temperature of the selective oxidation step , a deposition of an oxide layer between the substrate and the oxidizable material layer sometimes may not be sufficient to prevent the impurities in the oxidizable material layer from diffusing . therefore , if the temperature at the time of the selective oxidation is rather high or the duration of selective oxidation is long , it is advisable to make thicker the oxide layer , thereby securely preventing the diffusion of the impurities . to be more specific , when performing a selective oxidation for 200 minutes at 1 , 000 ° c . on a polycrystalline silicon layer with the phosphorous concentration of 1 × 10 16 / cm 3 , it is desirable to make the oxide layer more than 1 , 500 å thick . as such an oxide layer , a thermally oxidized layer or a cvd - sio 2 may be used . also , when an impurity - doped polycrystalline silicon layer is employed as an oxidizable material layer and etching of the polycrystalline silicon remaining on the substrate after selective oxidation is to be carried out the aforementioned oxide layer works as an etching stopper for protecting the substrate . with this invention , it is possible to considerably suppress a growth of so - called bird &# 39 ; s beak which is a phenomenon in which an oxide layer thrusts into below an oxidation - proof mask and at the same time to prevent a formation of an oxynitride layer on the surface of oxidizable material layer covered by the mask during the selective oxidation step by disposing the oxidation - proof mask consisting of for example silicon nitride directly upon the oxidizable material layer . as a result of a considerable suppression of the growth of the bird &# 39 ; s beak , the oxidizable material layer remaining along the perpendicularly etched surface after an anisotropic etching is rather small in size and it becomes possible to easily and completely oxidize it . the fact that any oxynitride layer is not produced has the following effects . generally , a thick oxide layer is formed through selective oxidation in the region of the exposed portion of the oxidizable material layer and then the mask is removed . subsequently , the remaining oxidizable material layer is also eliminated . in eliminating the remaining oxidizable material layer , the spatter ion etching technique is employed in order to prevent that the element isolation layer to be formed takes an overhung structure . however , if a ribbon - like oxynitride layer is produced and left as it is at the time of etching , the oxynitride layer acts as an etching mask to leave a portion of the oxidizable material layer to remain along the edges of the thick oxide layer . if the oxidizable material layer thus left is thermally oxidized to convert into an oxide layer , the element isolation layer will get larger , i . e ., the size conversion difference will get larger to obstruct the production of finer semiconductor elements . it is therefore highly beneficial from the standpoint of making semiconductor elements finer that no oxynitride layer is formed on the surface of oxidizable material layer convered by the oxidation - proof mask at the time of selective oxidation . it is desirable to limit the thickness of this oxidation - proof mask to more than three times of the thickness of the oxide layer formed between the oxidizable material layer and the semiconductor substrate and less than 4 , 000 å . a mask to prevent a diffusion of impurities may be placed upon this oxidation - proof mask . by disposing such a mask , consisting of for example cvd sio 2 , to prevent a diffusion of impurities in the oxidation - proof mask , it is possible to prevent an erroneous formation of a channel stopper on the semiconductor surface below the oxidation - proof mask at the time of ion implantation for forming a channel stopper . especially if it is necessary to create channel stoppers separately on p well and on the n - type substrate as in the case of complementary mos ic , a resist mask made of for example rubber which is previously used to create lamination layers cannot be used again as it is , so that another resist mask pattern has to be formed for providing a channel stopper after removing the resist mask previously formed , and also when in this case it is desired to form a channel stopper in self - alignment by making use of the resist mask used for making the lamination layers , it is inevitable that the prevention of an erroneous implantation of impurities in an element region is effected only with the resist mask which has been used to create the lamination layers . thus a formation of an impurities diffusion preventing layer on the oxidation - proof layer as an ion implantation mask is very important in the sense that the application of this invention can be extended to the production of complementary mos ic . after an ion implantation to form a channel stopper , it is necessary to eliminate the ion implantation preventing mask consisting of cvd sio 2 prior to selective oxidation , because it is not possible to selectively remove only cvd sio 2 after selective oxidation as oxidizable materials such as polysilicon in the region not covered by the oxidation - proof mask also change to silicon dioxides . as means to eliminate oxidizable material layers remaining after the selective oxidation in this invention , it is desirable to adopt one of anisotropic etching techniques like the reactive spatter ion etching and the ion beam etching with which it is possible to perform a perpendicular etching on the remaining oxidizable material layers on the substrate and to prevent a formation of an overhung structure of the thick oxide layer edges . in this invention , it is also possible to employ , as a semiconductor substrate , a laminated structure comprising a p - type silicon substrate , a n - type silicon substrate or a compound substrate such as gaas , and a monocrystalline semiconductor layer epitaxially grown on any one of aforementioned substrates such as p - type silicon substrate and etc . also , a monocrystalline insulation substrate such as sapphire substrate or spinel substrate , each superposed with a monocrystalline semiconductor may be used as a semiconductor substrate . as means to deposit a monocrystalline semiconductor layer on a monocrystalline insulation substrate , ( 1 ) a vapor epitaxial growth process ; or ( 2 ) a process in which polycrystal or amorphous semiconductor layer is first deposited on the insulation substrate by means of a vapor growth method such as cvd method or pvd ( physical vapor deposition ) method , and then the irradiation of an energy beam such as laser beam is effected to monocrystalize the polycrystal or amorphous semiconductor layer with the insulation substrate been utilized as a seed nucleus ; may be adapted . an application of this invention to produce n channel mos ic will be explained below using fig1 through 6 . ( i ) first , a p - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 is thermally oxidized to grow on its main surface a thermally oxidized layer 2 of 1 , 000 å thick . then , a polycrystalline silicon is vapor - grown on the thermally oxidized layer 2 within pocl 3 atmosphere to deposit a 4 , 000 å of phosphorus - doped or impurity - nondoped polycrystalline silicon layer 3 which oxidizes faster than the substrate 1 ( fig1 ). then , a 2 , 000 å silicon nitride layer is deposited through vapor - growth process directly on the polycrystalline silicon layer to form a number of silicon nitride patterns 4 of 2 μm wide ( w ) and 2 μm pattern pitch ( p ) through patterning by photo - etching process using reactive spatter ion etching . then , using the silicon nitride pattern 4 as a mask , boron ions are implanted under the conditions of 180 kev output and 4 × 10 13 / cm 2 dose and then activated to form a p + - type channel stopper 5 on the substrate 1 ( fig2 ). in this case , the photo - resist pattern used in the formation of the silicon nitride pattern may also be used as a mask in the boron ion implantation step . ( ii ) then , the selective oxidation of the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 is carried out for 200 minutes at 1 , 000 ° c . with the silicon nitride pattern 4 been used as an oxidation - proof mask . in so doing , the exposed portions of the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 are oxidized to form a 8 , 000 å oxide layer for element isolation with 0 . 15 μm dimention - conversion difference ( fig3 ). any oxynitride layer is not recognized to be formed on the surface of the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; along the thick oxide layer 6 below the silicon nitride pattern 4 . also , in the selective oxidation , the thermally oxidized layer 2 is found to be effective in preventing the phosphorus in the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; from diffusing into the silicon substrate 1 . ( iii ) then , after removing the silicon nitride pattern 4 by means of cf 4 dry etching , the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; is eliminated by means of ccl 4 reactive spatter etching . in so doing , as no oxynitride layer exists upon the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ;, the polycrystalline silicon 3 &# 39 ; is etched with self - alignment substantially in perpendicular to the thick oxide layer 6 , and a minute polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 34 ; is left , as shown in fig4 on the overhung section of the thick oxide layer 6 . then , the exposed thermal oxide layer 2 is eliminated with ammonium fluoride to expose part of the substrate 1 surface and then to perform thermal oxidation . in this process , a 400 å gate oxide layer 7 is formed on the exposed part of the monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 and at the same time the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 34 ; remaining on the overhung portion is oxidized to become an oxide layer thereby creating together with the oxidized silicon layer 3 &# 34 ; an element isolation layer 8 without a overhung like the aforementioned thick oxide layer 6 ( fig5 ). using the element isolation layer 8 as a mask , boron is ion - implanted into the channel part of the substrate 1 below the gate oxide layer 7 under the conditions of 40 kev output , 3 × 10 11 / cm 2 dose to form a p + - type impurities region 9 for the control of threshold value ( fig5 ). ( iv ) then , following the conventional process , a gate electrode 10 consisting of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the gate oxide layer 7 , and using the gate electrode 10 as a mask , arsenic is ion - implanted and activated to produce a n + - type source and drain ( not shown ). after the formation of a cvd - sio 2 layer and al wiring , thermal treatment is effected for 60 minutes at 1 , 000 ° c . to produce a n channel mos ic with about 0 . 8 v of threshold value ( fig6 ). according to this method , therefore , as an element isolation layer is formed by means of selective oxidization of the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 which is oxidized faster than the monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 on which it is disposed , thermal effects upon the substrate 1 could be suppressed and thermally caused defects and rediffusion of impurities can be reduced . also as an element isolation layer 8 is formed by means of selective oxidization of the polycrystalline silicon 3 on the substrate 1 instead of producing an element isolation layer by directly oxidizing the substrate 1 as seen in the conventional method , a considerable stress upon the substrate 1 could be avoided . moreover , in the case of selective oxidation using as a mask a silicon nitride pattern 4 which is deposited directly upon the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 , no oxynitride layer is created not only on part of the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 but also on the substrate 1 . thus , the monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 thus produced has very few defects and has excellent electrical characteristics to make it possible to produce highly reliable n channel mos ic . also , when selectively oxidizing the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 , the thrusting of the oxide layer into the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 below the silicon nitride pattern 4 , i . e ., bird &# 39 ; s beak ( a ) ( fig4 ) could be controlled to less than 0 . 15 μm in length ( less than one fourth of the thickness of the oxide layer ( b ) 0 . 8 μm ) and no oxynitride layer is formed on the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; and it is thus possible to etch in perpendicular to the thick oxide layer 6 the said polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; with self - alignment . it is therefore possible to produce a fine element isolation layer 8 of small dimension - conversion difference and to obtain mos ic comprising fine elements . ( i ) after forming a p - well 11 on the n - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 , the substrate 1 is thermally oxidized to produce a 1 , 000 å thermally oxidized layer 2 on its main surface . then , a polycrystalline silicon is vapor - grown upon the thermally oxidized layer 2 to deposit a 4 , 000 å polycrystalline silicon layer 3 ( fig7 ). next , a 2 , 000 å silicon nitride layer 14 and then a 5 , 000 å silicon dioxide layer 13 are deposited directly upon the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 to create a pattern consisting of a plurality of silicon nitride 14 , sio 2 13 , of 2 μm wide ( w ) and 2 μm pattern pitch ( p ) by means of patterning through photo etching process using reactive spatter ion etching . after disposing a resist mask 15 to block the new p - mos side , an ion - implantation of boron is effected under the conditions of 180 kev output and 4 × 10 13 / cm 2 dose , using the laminated patterns comprising silicon nitride 14 and sio 2 13 , and activated in order to create a p + - type channel stopper 5 in p - well 11 ( fig8 ). ( ii ) next , cvd sio 2 13 is removed by ammonium fluoride solution to selectively oxidize the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 using the silicon nitride pattern 14 as an oxidation - proof mask . in this process , the exposed parts of the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 are oxidized to form a thick oxide layer 6 of 8 , 000 å thick for element isolation with the dimension - conversion difference being 0 . 15 μm ( fig9 ). no oxynitride layer is recognized to be created on the surface of the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; along the silicon nitride pattern 14 . ( iii ) then , after removing the silicon nitride pattern 14 by means of cf 4 dry etching , the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; is eliminated by means of ccl 4 reactive spatter etching . in so doing , as no oxynitride layer exists upon the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ;, the said polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; is etched with self - alignment in perpendicular to the thick oxide layer 6 . as a result , a polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 34 ; is , as shown in fig1 , remained beneath the each overhung portion of the thick oxide layer 6 . then , the thermally oxidized exposed layer 2 is eliminated with ammonium fluoride to expose part of the substrate 1 surface and then thermal oxidation is performed . in this process , a 400 å gate oxide layer 7 is formed on the exposed part of the monocrystalline silicon substrate 1 and at the same time the polycrystalline silicon layer 3 &# 39 ; remaining on the overhung is oxidized to become an oxide layer to create together with the thick oxide layer 6 an element isolation 8 without an overhung like the aforementioned thick oxide layer ( fig1 ). using an ion implantation mask 15 such as cvd - sio 2 and the element isolation layer 8 as a mask , boron is ion - implanted into the channel part of the p - well 11 below the gate oxide layer 7 under the conditions of 40 kev output and 3 × 10 11 / cm 2 dose to form a p + - type impurities region 9 for the control of threshold value ( fig1 ). ( iv ) then , following the conventional process , a gate electrode 10 consisting of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the gate oxide layer 7 , and using the gate electrode 10 as a mask , arsenic is ion - implanted and activated to produce a n + - type source and drain ( not shown ). after the formation of a cvd - sio 2 layer and al wiring , thermal treatment is effected for 60 minutes at 1 , 000 ° c . to produce cmos ic ( fig1 ). an application of this invention to produce n channel mos ic will be explained using fig1 through 18 . ( i ) first , a p - type monocrystalline silicon layer 22 of 10 ωcm in specific resistance and 15 μm thick is grown by means of vapor growth on the surface of a p - - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 21 of 0 . 005 ωcm in specific resistance . after thermally treating this silicon layer to form a 1 , 000 å thermally oxidized layer 23 on its main surface , a polycrystalline silicon layer is vapor - grown in pocl 3 atmosphere on the thermally oxidized layer 23 to deposit a 4 , 000 å phosphorus - doped polycrystalline silicon layer 24 as an oxidizable material layer ( fig1 ). next , a 2 , 000 å silicon nitride layer is deposited by means of vapor growth directly upon the polycrystalline silicon layer 24 and a plurality of silicon nitride patterns 25 of 2 μm wide ( w ) and 2 μm pattern pitch ( p ), for instance , are formed by means of patterning through photo etching process using reactive spatter ion etching . then , using the silicon nitride pattern 25 as a mask , boron is ion - implanted under the conditions of 180 kev and 4 × 10 13 / cm 2 dose and then activated to form a p + - type channel stopper 26 on the p - type monocrystalline silicon layer 22 ( fig1 ). in this process , boron may be ion - implanted by using as a mask the photo resist pattern used in the formation of the silicon nitride pattern . ( ii ) next , using the silicon nitride pattern 25 as a oxidation - proof mask , the polycrystalline silicon layer 24 is selectively oxidized . in the process , the exposed portions of the polycrystalline silicon layer 24 is oxidized to form a 8 , 000 å oxide layer 27 for element isolation ( fig1 ). no oxynitride layer is recognized to be formed on the surface of the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 39 ; along the thick oxide layer 27 below the silicon nitride pattern 25 . in the selective oxidation , moreover , the thermally oxidized layer 23 has prevented the phosphorus in the polycrystalline silicon layer 24 from diffusing into the p - type monocrystalline silicon layer 22 . ( iii ) then , after removing the silicon nitride pattern 25 by means of cf 4 dry etching , the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 39 ; is removed by means of ccl 4 reactive spatter ion etching . in the process , as no oxynitride layer exists on the surface of the remaining polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 39 ;, the said polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 39 ; is perpendicularly etched with self - alignment against the thick oxide layer 26 and a polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 34 ; is left beneath the overhung of the thick oxide layer 27 as shown in fig1 . next , the thermally oxidized exposed layer 23 is removed by ammonium fluoride solution to expose part of the polycrystalline silicon layer 22 and thermal oxidation treatment is carried out . in the process , a 400 å gate oxide layer 28 is grown on the exposed surface of the polycrystalline silicon layer 22 and at the same time the polycrystalline silicon layer 24 &# 34 ; remaining beneath the overhung is oxidized to become an oxide layer to form , together with the thick oxide layer 27 , an element isolation layer 29 without an overhung like the aforementioned thick oxide layer ( fig1 ). using the element isolation layer 29 as a mask , boron is ion - implanted into the channel part of the p - type monocrystalline silicon layer below the gate oxide layer 27 under the conditions of 40 kev output and 3 × 10 11 / cm 2 to produce a p + - type impurities region 30 for the control of threshold value ( fig1 ). ( iv ) then , following the convention process , a gate electrode 31 consisting of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the gate oxide layer 28 , and using the gate electrode 31 as a mask arsenic is ion - implanted and then activated to produce a n + - type source and drain ( not shown ). after the formation of a cvd - sio 2 layer and al wiring , thermal treatment is carried out for 60 minutes at 1 , 000 ° c . to produce n channel mos ic with about 0 . 8 v in threshold value ( fig1 ). in this invention , as an element isolation layer is formed by means of selective oxidation of the phosphorus - doped polycrystalline silicon layer 24 disposed on the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 which is superposed on the monocrystalline silicon layer 21 , thermal effects upon the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 can be suppressed and thermal effects to cause defects in the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 and diffusion of impurities into the layer 22 could be reduced . also , as the element isolation layer is produced by means of selective oxidation of the phosphorus - doped polycrystalline silicon layer 24 on the said silicon layer 22 instead of forming it by means of direct oxidation of the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 as in the conventional selective oxidation method , stress upon the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 can be avoided and thus problems of slipping dislocation and defects due to stress could be avoided . except for the use of a monocrystalline sapphire substrate instead of the p - type monocrystalline silicon substrate 21 , the exactly same process as example 3 is employed to produce n channel mos ic . fig1 through 18 may be referred to explain example 4 , assuming that a sapphire substrate is used instead of the p - type monocrystalline silicon substrate . as a phosphorus - doped polycrystalline silicon layer disposed on the sapphire substrate 21 is selectively oxidized , an element isolation layer 29 of sufficient thickness ( 8 , 000 å ) can be formed in a considerably shorter time in comparison with selective oxidation of the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 . as a result , thermal effects upon the sapphire substrate 21 and the monocrystalline silicon layer 22 can be suppressed . it is also possible to reduce stress due to difference in thermal expansion coefficient and in lattice distance between the sapphire substrate 21 and the silicon layer 22 and at the same time to reduce the diffusion of impurities into the silicon layer 22 . this invention can be applied not only to the production of n channel mos ic and cmos ic as discussed above but also to the production of p channel mos ic , bipolar ic , i 2 l and ccd . as discussed above , it is possible with this invention to produce an element isolation layer , without giving rise to various defects on a semiconductor substrate , by means of selective oxidation of an oxidizable material layer disposed on a semiconductor substrate . it is also possible to control the formation of bird &# 39 ; s beak below an oxidation - proof mask during selective oxidation and to produce a finer element isolation layer as no oxynitride layer which behaves as an etching mask is present in the step of removing the oxidizable material layers remaining after the selective oxidation . this invention , therefore , offers a method to produce semiconductor devices having excellent electrical characteristics and which is suitable for making finer semiconductor elements .	8
referring now more particularly to fig1 through 8 , there is provided pasta cooker 10 including container 12 which is adapted to receive an amount of water for cooking pasta . preferably the cooking apparatus is made of stainless steel . the water is normally placed in container 12 through a water inlet line 14 which is coupled to hose guide 16 which is attached to the back wall 18 of container 12 . water line 14 may be a pvc nylon reinforced flexible hose . a standard pasta cooker cage is normally hung on the back wall 18 and is filled with pasta ( not shown ) which becomes submerged in the water within the container . container 12 is adapted to be received over an ordinary single stove burner 13 for heating the water . the top surface of the water is indicated as 22 in fig4 and 5 . the pasta cooker 10 includes handles 24 and 26 to make the pasta cooker more portable . there is a hole 28 through wall 30 of container 12 . a discharge pipe 32 is received in hole 28 and is welded to the periphery surfaces of the hole . discharge pipe 32 is l - shaped and may be connected to drain hose 34 through connector 36 , or it may be simply aligned with a funnel ( not shown ). the drain hose may also be a pvc nylon reinforced flexible hose . the pasta cooker also includes drain pipe 38 . drain pipe 38 is l - shaped having opening 46 for receiving water nipple 43 in the embodiment of fig7 and nipple 44 in the embodiment of fig8 . the nipple is located at the opposite end of the drain pipe from opening 46 . elbow 41 generally separates the submerged portion 40 of the drain pipe 38 from the nipple portion 43 . opening 46 of drain pipe 38 permits water to drain therethrough at a rate depending on its position which will be explained in more detail below . referring now to fig7 nipple 43 of drain pipe 38 is received inside of discharge pipe 32 . the end 50 of nipple 43 abuts against shoulder 52 located inside the discharge pipe . nipple 43 includes three grooves 54 about the outer periphery surface thereof . for illustration purposes , only one of the grooves 54 is shown . resilient o - rings 56 , 58 and 60 are received in the three grooves 54 . when the nipple 43 is pressed into the discharge pipe , the o - rings rest against the inside wall 62 of the discharge pipe , thereby providing a watertight seal . more importantly , however , the o - rings 56 , 58 and 60 enable drain pipe 38 to be rotated , as indicated by arrows 64 shown in fig6 so that the drain rate of the water container 12 may be varied . by using these resilient o - rings , the position of the drain pipe and thus the elevation of opening 46 may be established such as shown in fig4 and 5 . the position of the drain pipe is maintained in place by the o - rings until the user wants to change the position , and thus the water drain rate , by again rotating the drain pipe . in order to rotate the drain pipe , sufficient rotational force must be applied to overcome the frictional force of the o - rings and the inside surfaces of the discharge pipe . normally the drain pipe must be rotated using a utensil such as a tong or other implement which is available in the kitchen because the water in the container is normally very hot . fig8 shows an alternative embodiment to that of fig7 . in fig8 nipple 44 includes a plurality of shallow holes 66 drilled therein in a line about the outer peripheral surface of the nipple . in addition , a channel 68 is cut about the outer peripheral surface of the nipple 44 adjacent to the aligned holes 66 . a pair of spring - loaded ball plungers 70 and 72 , which are commercially available and are known to those skilled in the art , are received in recesses 74 and 76 in the inside wall of the discharge pipe . the balls , which form part of the ball plungers 72 and 74 , are in contact with groove 68 . in addition , there is a ball plunger 78 of the type referred to above , received in recess 80 of the discharge pipe . a portion of the ball plunger 78 is selectively received in holes 66 which stabilize the portion of the drain pipe while permitting it to be rotated when sufficient rotational force is applied to overcome the spring tension . thus , the drain pipe 38 may be rotated and held in discrete positions utilizing the ball plunger and hole arrangement . o - ring 82 abuts against the end 84 of the nipple and against shoulder 86 of discharge pipe 32 , thereby providing a water seal . as can be seen from fig4 when the rotatable drain pipe 38 is positioned in its upright position its opening 46 will somewhat align with the top surface 22 of the water in the container , thereby slowly draining the water from the container . however , when the drain pipe 38 is rotated as shown in fig5 opening 46 is submerged and the water from the container is drained rapidly . using the embodiments of either fig7 or 8 , drain pipe 38 may be set in many positions to fine tune the rate of discharge of the water from the container depending on the needs of the cook . thus , the cook is able to cause a fresh clean supply of water to come in contact with the pasta at all times , thereby providing a high quality of cooked pasta . the drain pipe opening is normally placed at a height so as to permit the incoming water to move across the cooking pasta to carry away the starch enriched waters to move out the drain . because the starch is lighter in water , it moves toward the surface where it is carried to the top of the drain pipe and skimmed out . using this apparatus , the cook may rotate the drain pipe toward the bottom of the container to permit one to make a rapid partial discharge of water without having to manually dip out the water or , worse , having to carry the container to the sink for draining . by eliminating the need to empty or dip out the water , one greatly reduces the possibility of burns . in addition , this cooking apparatus is always ready to use once the water is boiling . there is no reason to carry the container off line to empty and refill it for future use . the apparatus permits the drain pipe to rotate at least a full 90 ° or more to permit complete draining of the container without the inherent dangers set forth above . furthermore , starch buildup is prevented and a superior pasta product is provided without the need to purchase expensive electronic equipment . in addition , this apparatus may be used on a single burner of an ordinary stove and is easy to hook up to fresh water sources and to the water drain . from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be apparent that many modifications may be made therein . it is understood that all such modifications which are embodied in the accompanying claims come within the true spirit and scope of this invention .	8
the present inventors have discovered that the addition to an aqueous slurry of electrostatic printed wastepaper of specific solvent / surfactant blends significantly enhances the aggregation of electrostatic toner particles , allowing for their separation from fiber through centrifugal cleaning and / or screening . this aggregation takes place at ph levels ranging from 5 . 0 to 11 . 0 , with no significant deposition of ink present on pulping equipment . ( a ph higher than 11 . 0 or lower than 5 . 0 is also believed to be effective ). the formulations allow for aggregation at an ambient ph , alleviating the need for caustic or acid tanks in the mill environment . during initial testing , the phenomenon was termed agglomeration ( i . e ., a bringing together of particles , the surface area of the whole remaining the sum of each individual part ). the inventors now feel that a more accurate term to describe the phenomenon is aggregation ( i . e ., a changing of surface area , the total surface area being less than the sum of the individual particles ). aggregation is a result of this densification , or reduction of void areas . the aliphatic petroleum distillates ( a ) are saturated hydrocarbons having carbon numbers in the range of c9 - c12 . the chemical structures of the remaining raw materials are as follows : ## str1 ## for the application of electrostatic toner particle aggregation , the effective hydrophile - lipophile balance of the tested surfactants is from about 0 . 5 to 10 , preferably from about 0 . 5 to 5 . it is believed that the effective temperature range for the aggregation of electrostatic toner particles is from about 110 °- 190 ° f . a beaker test method was utilized to determine the impact of various raw materials on toner aggregation without the presence of fiber . this method allowed for the visual evaluation of toner configuration after treatment and permitted the particles to be sized using the brinkmann particle size analyzer . when raw materials were screened using this method , those demonstrating significant particle aggregation were advanced to the deinking / repulping apparatus ( the pulper ) for an evaluation of performance in the presence of fiber . the experimental procedure was as follows : approximately 0 . 01 grams of toner was added to a beaker containing 100 milliliters of deionized water . each solution of toner and water was mixed on a magnetic stirrer at a ph of 7 . 0 , a temperature of 150 ° f . and a contact time of 60 minutes . about 514 parts of raw material per million parts of solution was added to the beaker . upon completion of contact time , particle configurations were noted , and solutions were filtered and held for size evaluation using the brinkmann particle size analyzer . the pulper was then used to evaluate selected raw materials . this apparatus consists of a waring blender jar with the blades reversed to provide a mixing action of the fibers . the stirring of the blender is controlled by a motor connected to a servodyne controller . temperature of the pulp in the blender is provided by a heating mat attached to a temperature controller . the typical furnish consistency in the laboratory pulper is 5 %, and a stirring speed of 750 rpm is used to simulate the mechanical action of a hydropulper . electrostatic printed wood - free fiber was used as the furnish . twenty pounds of raw material per ton of fiber were added to the pulper ( 5 - 20 pounds material / ton of fiber the preferred range , 10 - 20 pounds / ton most preferred ) at a temperature of 150 ° f ., a ph of 7 . 0 , and a pulping time of 60 minutes . the laboratory results found in table 1 demonstrate the effectiveness of the present invention . a nonylphenoxypoly ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol with a molecular weight of 286 and an ethoxylated polyoxypropylene glycol with a molecular weight of 3800 are preferred components . table 1______________________________________pulper results at 150 ° f ., ph 7 . 0 , 60 minute pulping timecondition particle size ( mm . sup . 2 ) ______________________________________untreated control 0 . 479aliphatic solvent ( a ) 6 . 162nonylphenoxypoly - 16 . 299 ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol ( b , mol . wt . = 286 , hlb = 4 . 6 ) ethoxylated polyoxypropylene glycol 18 . 463 ( c , mol . wt . = 3800 , hlb = 1 . 0 ) formulation 48 . 947 ( 60 % a : 10 % b : 30 % c ) ______________________________________ note the effectiveness of each material ( e . g ., b and c ) in increasing electrostatic toner particle size , as compared to the untreated control . however , the experimental formulation in its preferred ratios ( 60 % a / 10 % b / 30 % c ) showed a significant increase in particle size as compared to individual components . additional testing was carried out on furnish blends of various dry toner electrostatic printing copy types . the laboratory repulping / deinking apparatus was used to evaluate the performance of two component and three component material blends on electrostatic toner particle aggregation . pulping conditions were : 150 ° f ., 20 pounds of material per ton of fiber , 45 minutes of pulping time , and phs of 5 . 0 , 8 . 0 and 11 . 0 . particle size ( diameter in microns ) and density ( grams / cc ) were then determined , based on the mean of 10 particles . a particle density greater than that of water ( approximately 1 g / cc ) is needed for any separation of material from water and paper fiber . for particles of equal density , the particle with a larger diameter has a greater chance of being removed with cleaning . the performance of a cleaner may be measured in terms of its ability to remove dirt particles : ## equ1 ## a plot of mean particle density versus percent cleaning efficiency for previous pilot cleaner runs and the resulting equation of the curve were used to predict the percent cleaning efficiency expected for the particles generated in each run . the following results demonstrate the effectiveness of the present invention , in terms of the synergistic effect achieved by combining various components . note that synergistic results may not always be achieved depending on changes in e . g ., ph , furnish , etc . components a , b and c are the same as used in table 1 . table 2______________________________________effect of treatment on particle size , density andpredicted % cleaning efficiency at ph 5 . 0 particle size predicted diameter density % cleaningtreatment ( microns ) ( g / cc ) efficiency______________________________________control 432 0 . 92 49 . 74aliphatic solvent ( a ) 1368 1 . 02 77 . 63nonylphenoxypoly - 2422 1 . 03 80 . 42 ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol ( b ) ethoxylated polyoxypropylene 494 1 . 00 72 . 05glycol ( c ) 50 % a / 50 % b 1086 1 . 06 88 . 7950 % a / 50 % c 2186 1 . 04 83 . 2116 . 7 % a / 66 . 7 % b / 16 . 7 % c 1578 1 . 05 86 . 0030 % a / 40 % b / 30 % c 1326 1 . 06 88 . 7925 % a / 25 % b / 50 % c 732 1 . 08 94 . 37______________________________________ table 3______________________________________effect of treatment on particle size , density andpredicted % cleaning efficiency at ph 8 . 0 particle size predicted diameter density % cleaningtreatment ( microns ) ( g / cc ) efficiency______________________________________control 364 0 . 87 35 . 79aliphatic solvent ( a ) 1513 1 . 02 77 . 63nonylphenoxypoly - 2714 1 . 03 80 . 42 ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol ( b ) ethoxylated polyoxypropylene 494 0 . 88 38 . 58glycol ( c ) 50 % a / 50 % b 718 1 . 08 94 . 3750 % a / 50 % c 2634 1 . 06 88 . 7950 % b / 50 % c 772 1 . 04 83 . 2116 . 7 % a / 16 . 7 % b / 66 . 7 % c 1024 1 . 07 91 . 5816 . 7 % a / 66 . 7 % b / 16 . 7 % c 1986 1 . 04 83 . 2130 % a / 40 % b / 30 % c 1736 1 . 04 83 . 2125 % a / 25 % b / 50 % c 646 1 . 08 94 . 37______________________________________ table 4______________________________________effect of treatment on particle size , density andpredicted % cleaning efficiency at ph 11 . 0 particle size predicted diameter density % cleaningtreatment ( microns ) ( g / cc ) efficiency______________________________________control 268 0 . 84 27 . 43aliphatic solvent ( a ) 1296 1 . 02 77 . 63nonylphenoxypoly - 3425 1 . 01 74 . 84 ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol ( b ) ethoxylated polyoxypropylene 632 1 . 02 77 . 63glycol ( c ) 50 % a / 50 % b 893 1 . 03 80 . 4230 % a / 40 % b / 30 % c 3384 1 . 05 86 . 0125 % a / 25 % b / 50 % c 1331 1 . 07 91 . 59______________________________________ ( note : a different furnish was used at ph 11 . 0 then at ph &# 39 ; s of 5 . 0 and 8 . 0 . combinations of components tested with the original furnish at ph 11 . 0 did not produce synergistic results ; the inventors feel that factors such as e . g ., toner type used may have contributed to this outcome ). while this invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof , it is apparent that numerous other forms and modifications of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art . the appended claims and this invention generally should be construed to cover all such obvious forms and modifications which are within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	3
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , an automotive diesel engine is provided with means for de - activating one or more cylinders during low load and / or moderate load conditions , and with means for re - activating some or all of the deactivated cylinders under greater or full load . in accordance with the invention , the number of operative cylinders of an automotive diesel engine for example , but not limited to a diesel engine similar to , but not limited to a general motors 5 . 7 liter v - 8 diesel engine is reduced under low load , and / or intermediate load operating conditions by not providing diesel fuel to selected cylinders , under light and / or intermediate load conditions , and then under heavy load conditions , more cylinders , or all cylinders are activated and provided with fuel for combustion . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , prior to restoring fuel to inactive cylinders if the inactive cylinders have become below minimum operating temperature , as determined by a temperature sensor , the computer activates the respective glow plugs of the previously inactive cylinders to heat up the cylinders prior to re - introducing fuel . as an example , when the engine is subject to low load , such as cruising on relatively flat highway or going down hill , two or four cylinders may be deactivated , preferably four . if four cylinders are deactivated under moderate load such as encountering a hill with a small incline , then two additional cylinders are activated by the computer as the hill is encountered . the shut down of selected cylinders under light load and reactivation under moderate and / or heavy load is computer controlled including control of reactivation of the respective glow plugs prior to reintroduction of fuel into the previously deactivated cylinders to insure that the previously inactive cylinders are sufficiently warm for the combustion process . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , means are provided for maintaining closed during deactivation one or both of the inlet and exhaust valves of each cylinder which is deactivated . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , the computer controls selection of cylinders to be operated at low and intermediate load , to alternate and / or switch operative cylinders , so that cylinder , piston , plug , valve and other parts wear is generally even , whereby cylinder repair is reduced and maintenance cost is reduced . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , the computer controls cylinder selection during low and intermediate load conditions to select cylinders to be operated whereby the temperature of the inactive cylinders is prevented from becoming sufficiently cool to cause significant stress between cylinders due to contraction and / or expansion of cylinder , piston , plug or other parts in the engine . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , in applications where it is not possible to vary the specific cylinders to not be given fuel , the computer reactivates some additional , or all additional cylinders if the temperature of one or more inactive cylinders , or other parts of the engine become sufficiently cool to cause significant stress between cylinders or between other engine parts due to contraction and or expansion of engine parts . in one specific embodiment of he invention , a general motors eight cylinder , 5 . 7 liter diesel engine is provided with means to deactivate two or four cylinders during periods of light or moderate engine load . as an example , the means to deactivate the cylinders may comprise generally a modulated displacement system utilized in the 1981 cadillac 6 . 0 liter 4 - 6 - 8 gasoline engine , modified to the extent necessary , or desirable to adapt to , and computer control the 5 . 7 liter general motors diesel engine . information about the two engines , the modulated system , and the computer system are publicly available , for example in the 1981 cadillac service information manual , including appended electrical and mechanical wiring diagrams , available from general motors , cadillac motor division , detroit mich . 48232 ; many public libraries , and haynes publishing co . hereby incorporated into the present application by this reference . the engines are similar in size as to block , bore , stroke and displacement , with the diesel displacement , slightly smaller . however , because of the similar engine size , the modulated displacement principles and computer control utilized in 6 . 0 liter v - 8 may be utilized in the general motors 5 . 7 liter diesel engine to deactivate four and / or two cylinders with relatively small modifications in principle . in a preferred embodiment temperature sensors are provided in at least the cylinders to be deactivated , and preferably in all cylinders to monitor the temperature of the deactivated cylinders , and preferably the temperature of the cylinders which remain active . if the computer senses that the temperature of deactivated cylinders has become lower than the temperature necessary for spontaneous combustion , in one embodiment , the glow plug for that or those cylinders are turned on to enable spontaneous combustion if load conditions change , such as encountering a hill , or a need to accelerate . after proper operating temperature is reached , if the load does not change , the glow plugs are turned off until the temperature again drops below operating temperature range , or an increased load occurs , and the cylinders are again activated . in accordance with another embodiment of the invention , after the computer turns on the glow plug or plugs of cylinders deactivated , such cylinders are reactivated until the the cylinder temperature again reaches a desired operating temperature , even if the load condition does not increase . in accordance with another embodiment , temperature sensors for each cylinder are not provided , and the computer senses lowering of temperature in the cooling fluid , and activates glow plugs of deactivated cuylinders after a pre - determined temperature drop and optionally reactivates such deactivated cylinders even if load conditions do not increase . while the later embodiment , which does not require adding additional sensors is less expensive , it does not provide for as accurate control of cylinder temperature and optimum conditions for spontaneous combustion of previously deactivated cylinders . as described on pages 6a - 37a of the 1981 cadillac service information manual the md system senses engine revolutions per minute , coolant temperature , throttle position , and absolute pressure in the intake manifold . in accordance with one or more previous embodiments the md system is modified to sense and process in a computer engine control system other variables including , but not limited to , indivigual cylinder temperature , and the presence or absence of the operation of the glow plugs for given cylinders . information obtained from sensors is sent to a suitable electronic computer processing unit ( ecp ) containing one or more computer programs to assimilate and process the data obtained from the sensors . the ecp processes the data and determines the number of operating cylinders required for he given load condition . in accordance with one embodiment , four valve selectors are utilized to deactivate either four or two cylinders to enable the engine to operate on either four or six cylinders , after start up on eight cylinders , and operation on eight cylinders on heavy load condiions . in another embodiment four valve selectors are used to deactivate four cylinders , and operation of four cylinders occurs on low or moderate load conditions , and eight cylinder operation occurs on start up and heavy load conditions . while this embodiment causes somewhat more operation on eight cylinders , and a small increase in fuel consumption , under both four and eight cylinder operation , the engine loads are relatively balanced and engine vibration is reduced as compared to 4 - 6 - 8 operation when some engine vibration occurs in the six cylinder operation mode . in one embodiment , valve selectors are installed on cylinders 1 , 4 , 6 and 7 . in the four cylinder mode , cylinders 1 , 4 , 6 and 7 are deactivated . in the six cylinder mode , only cylinders 1 and 4 are deactivated . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , the valve system utilized in the general motors 4 - 6 - 8 gasoline engine is utilized to control the active cylinders in a 5 . 7 liter diesel engine illustrated in fig1 and 2 . fig1 illustrates a 5 . 7 liter diesel engine 10 including a lower block 12 having cylinders therein 14 to receive pistons ( not shown ). block 12 receives a head 16 and a gasket 17 . inlet valves 18 and exhaust valves 19 are controlled by a rocker arm assembly 20 including push rods 22 , rocker arms 24 , a rocker arm pivot 26 , bolts 27 , a pedestal 28 , and springs 29 . temperature sensors are shown at 15 . fig4 is a view illustrating a cam shaft 42 , having a cam 44 , with a cam lobe 46 which causes movement in the push rod 20 which causes pivotal movement of the rocker arm 24 and opening and closing of the valve 18 . specifically , as shown in fig3 valve selector assemblies 30 are mounted on the intake and exhaust rocker arms 24 above the rocker arm fulcrum point 26 . the valve selector assemblies 30 include a solenoid valve 34 which activates a piston 36 which is connected to a blocking plate 38 . during conventional active operation fig3 a , the rocker arm 24 pivots near the center fulcrum point 26 , of the rocker arm . as the operative cam 42 reaches it &# 39 ; s highest point 46 , fig4 the valve 18 is open allowing the fuel and air mixture to enter cylinders 14 . as shown in fig3 b , when the solenoid valve 34 is activated , and the piston 36 is moved from the position shown in fig3 a left to right to the position illustrated in fig3 b , wherein the blocking plate 38 has been moved from the position shown in fig2 a to the position shown in fig2 b . in this position the pivot point has been moved to the position shown in fig2 b at 32 , whereby when the cam is again at its high point the valves will not open because the rocker arm does not pivot at the center point 26 , but rather at the pivot point 32 . this allows the rocker arm to slide up and down on its mounting stud 40 . the valve selector operation is not limited to a v8 engine and may be utilized generally for example in a diesel v6 engine . furthermore , the cam shaft for the diesel engine may be located above the valves and a valve selector operation utilized as described in detail in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 546 , 734 , and 4 , 615 , 307 , hereby incorporated into the present application by this reference . moreover , the diesel engine may be an overland truck engine , a train locomotive engine , a marine diesel engine for ships and / or barges , or a diesel engine for industrial power plant applications , including , but not limited to heating and air conditioning of office buildings or plants . for many applications the computer is programmed not to activate the valve selector operation until a high or overdrive gear is reached by the transmission . for heavy load applications all cylinders should be activated in low gears . the number of cylinders to be deactivated will vary with the type of engine . for example , six cylinder in line - overland truck engines may deactivate either three or preferably two cylinders at light load . v - 8 , v - 12 , and v - 16 engines will be programmed to deactivate more cylinders in light or even moderate load applications . proper computer programming and control is necessary to achieve successful operation . the particular valve selector arrangement will also vary with the application . for appropriately sized v type engines , selectors of the type used by general motors in the 4 - 6 - 8 gasoline engine may be used . for other applications dimensions and load carrying members in the selector assemblies may be modified to meet particular applications . moreover the particular valve selector design will depend upon dimensions of the engine , loads to be encountered , and projected life before overhaul . as an example , the cummins m11 ( brochure attached and hereby incorporated into this application by this reference ) is a computer controlled six cylinder engine which could readily be provided with valve selectors , and the computer programs modified to achieve valve selector operation , and operation , and even greater fuel economy , and perhaps less wear and longer life between overhauls . fig5 illustrates an in - line six cylinder m11 computer controlled cummins diesel engine 50 including a high strength cylinder block 52 having cylinders 54 having cylinder liners 56 receiving pistons 58 with rings 60 having ring inserts 62 . the pistons 58 are connected to connecting rods 64 which are in - turn connected to an induction hardened crank shaft 66 . a gear train 68 drives a cam shaft 70 having lobes 72 which control movement of push rods 74 which pivot rocker arms 76 to move valve stem 78 and open and close valves 80 . two or more valve selectors 82 constructed in the same manner as valve selector 30 including a solenoid valve 84 , a piston 86 and a blocking plate 88 , appropriately dimensioned for the m11 engine are then installed to deactivate two or three cylinders under low or moderate load conditions when the transmission is in high and / or overdrive gear under the control of the celect plus computer 90 whose program 92 is modified to include a deactivation - activation program 94 to control deactivation and activation of selected cylinders 54 , and control operation of glow plugs . alternatively the valve selector operation described in u . s .. pat . nos . 4 , 546 , 734 and / or 4 , 615 , 307 may be utilized under the control of computer 90 and a deactivation - activation program 94 &# 39 ; may be used . fig6 illustrates a computer 7 controlling cylinders 1 , 2 , 3 in an n cylinder diesel engine with the sensors 1s , 2s , 3s , glow plugs 1gp , 2gp , and 3gp , injectors 1i , 2i , 3i , intake valves 1vi , 2vi , 3vi , exhaust valves 1ve , 2ve , 3ve , and valve actuators / deativators 1va , 2va , 3va , for all cylinders . the computer 7 receives the cylinder temperatures from sensors 1s , 2s , 3s , the load l from a load sensor ls , data from other sensors sx , sy , and computes which cylinders should be deactivated and activated , when the glow plugs of various cylinders are to activated prior to activating cylinders , and sends electrival signals to to the valve actuator / deactivators 1va , 2va , 3va , glow plugs 1gp , 2gp , 3gp , and fuel injectors 1i , 2i , 3i to activate and deactivate various cylinders , depending on the load , the temperature of the indivigual cylinders , and other commonly computer controlled variables . the computer as an example may be the electronic diesel control ( edc ) processing unit described in diesel fuel injection , bosh , 1994 eref tj 797 d55 , pp 186 - 191 . the control of the various cylinders is monitored and controlled in a manner illustrated in fig7 and 8 . fig7 and 8 illustrates a summary of the computer glow plug and cylinder activation sequence used by the computer in controlling activation and deactivation of cylinders and glow plugs during operation . a sample computer program is found in the application appendix in psuedo code . the program 500 includes a first step 502 of turning on the engine which is activated by the ignition key and includes the step of activating the program 600 in fig8 which activates the glow - plugs for all cylinders and heating up all cylinders prior to ignition . at step 504 when minimum operating temperature is in each cylinder the starter motor for the engine is turned on at step 506 . at step 508 the program obtains the temperature and loads for all cylinders . in some embodiments it may be activated by reaching a selected transmission gear such as after the engine reaches high gear for an automotive embodiment . at step 510 , if any cylinders are below a minimum operating temperature the cylinder flags for operating the glow plugs in the program 600 in fig8 are activated . at step 512 the program determines whether the load l is less than a selected load l1 . if the load is less than l1 at step 514 this program calls the program 600 to activate glow plugs to warm up any cold cylinders . at step 516 cylinders are deactivated and remain deactivated until the load exceeds l1 . if the answer to the load evaluation step 512 is negative at step 518 the program determines if the load is less than a larger load l2 . if the answer is affirmation at step 520 , cylinders are deactivated which are not needed for medium loading . after cylinders have been deactivated at 520 , step 522 calls program 600 to warm up any cold cylinders . if the answer , to the question at step 5 - 18 is negative , in step 5 - 24 it is determined whether or not 6 cylinders are running with the start cylinder program 600 . at step 5 - 26 , the program asks if the load is greater than load l3 . if the answer is affirmative , then additional cylinders are turned on with the program at 600 . it is to be noted hat if the load is less than l1 at step 512 and , for example , only 4 cylinders are operated , nonetheless at 5 - 14 the program calls the start cylinder program 600 to be certain that all cylinders are at a minimum operating temperature and , if they are not , they are warmed up in accordance with program 600 . the same applies to a situation where the load is less than l2 , but a time period has elapsed and it is necessary to check at step 520 to make sure that deactivated cylinders are nonetheless at a minimum temperature to avoid thermal stress of the engine . in program 600 in the first step , 602 , the program orders that the temperature for a given cylinder be read at 604 . at step 606 if the temperature of the cylinder is less than a predetermined temperature t1 then at step 608 the glow plug for that cylinder is activated . if the answer to the question at step 606 is in the affirmative , the cylinder is activated at step 610 . at step 612 if the cylinder temperature was initially below t1 so that the glow plug was activated at step 608 , at step 612 the cylinder will be required to operate for at least 10 minutes to warm - up the cylinder to avoid thermal stress in the engine . after these steps are taken this program for a given cylinder is deactivated at step 614 , and the same steps are taken for another cylinder , until all cylinders are so processed . it is thus to be understood that the program 600 continuously operates for each of the cylinders in the engine . fig9 illustrates an automobile embodiment 120 in which an automobile 122 is powered by a variable displacement diesel engine of the present invention 124 having electrical wires 126 connecting the engine cylinders 127 to a computer 128 for controlling the operation , activation and deactivation of the cylinders in accordance with the present invention . fig1 and 10a illustrate a building 100 having floors 102 which may be used for manufacturing and / or office work such as administration . the building 100 including floors 102 is heated and cooled during the seasons of the year by a variable displacement diesel engine 104 constructed and operated according to the principles of the present invention which drives a load comprising a heating and air conditioning unit 106 by means of shaft 108 . during evenings , weekends , and holidays the load experienced by unit 106 may be significantly reduced , allowing deactivation of cylinders in the diesel engine 104 in accordance with the present invention by computer 109 . fig1 b illustrates an overland truck embodiment in which an overland truck 130 having a trailer 132 is powered by a variable displacement diesel engine of the present invention 134 having electrical wires 136 connecting the engine cylinders 137 to a computer 138 for controlling the operation , activation and deactivation of the cylinders in accordance with the present invention . fig1 illustrates a train - locomotive embodiment in which a train 140 having a locomotive 142a and cars 142b , 142c , 142n , is powered by a variable displacement diesel engine of the present invention 144 having electrical wires 146 connecting the engine cylinders 147 to a computer 148 for controlling the operation , activation and deactivation of the cylinders in accordance with the present invention fig1 illustrates a marine embodiment in which a tug boat 150 having a cargo deck 152 is powered by a variable displacement diesel engine of the present invention 154 having electrical wires 156 connecting the engine cylinders 157 to a computer 158 for controlling the operation , activation and deactivation of the cylinders in accordance with the present invention .	5
fig2 shows an annulus filler assembly in accordance with a first aspect of the invention . the annulus filler assembly comprises a frame 40 having a first hook element 42 and a second hook element 44 for attachment to correspondingly shaped hook elements on a disc ; for example the hooks 12 , 14 shown in fig1 . the frame 40 comprises a pair of upstanding members 50 extending substantially from the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 and a bridging member 52 which joins the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 together . the frame 40 is constructed from sheet metal and therefore the bridging member 52 provides a degree of flexibility between the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 which allows the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 to engage with the hooks of the disc . the frame 40 comprises three connection portions 46 which are supported above the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 . two of the connection portions 46 are supported on the pair of upstanding members 50 and the third is supported by the bridging member 52 . although three connection portions 46 are shown in fig2 , any appropriate number of connection portions 46 and a correspondingly arranged frame may be provided , in alternative applications . each connection portion 46 has a cross - section which forms one half of an interlocking connection . for example , as shown in fig2 , each connection portion 46 has two shoulders 48 and a recess 49 therebetween , forming a female half of a dovetail joint . an arm 54 extends axially from the first hook element 42 . the arm 54 is connected to or abuts with a thrust ring , such as the nose cone support ring 16 shown in fig1 , which acts to position the annulus filler axially and to maintain engagement of the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 with the hooks of the disc . the width w of the frame 40 is narrower than the gap between adjacent blades . this allows the frame 40 to be engaged with the disc prior to fitting of the blades and subsequent disassembly can be performed without removal of the frame 40 from the disc . as a result , it is possible to visually inspect the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 and confirm whether they are correctly engaged with the hooks of the disc prior to fitting of the blades . in service , this also allows the blade flanks to be inspected without completely removing the annulus fillers and thrust ring . alternatively , the frame 40 may be connected after fitting of the blades . since the frame 40 is narrower than the gap between adjacent blades , there is a gap either side of the frame 40 which again allows visual inspection of the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 to confirm that they are correctly engaged with the hooks of the disc . it should be appreciated that not all of the frame 40 need be narrower than the gap between adjacent blades and that alternatively only those elements which would otherwise restrict the view of the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 may be narrower , particularly the pair of upstanding members 50 and the bridging member 52 . as can be seen in fig2 , the connection portions 46 do not directly overlie the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 and therefore the first and second hook elements could be visible even if the connection portions 46 were of comparable width to the gap between adjacent blades . referring now to fig3 , the annulus filler assembly is shown in a second stage of assembly . an annulus lid 56 is provided , which is constructed from a carbon - fibre reinforced plastic composite material and having a radially outwardly facing surface 58 for forming the inner wall of the flow annulus . the annulus lid 56 comprises three apertures 60 extending therethrough and a channel 62 running axially through the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . each axial end of the annulus lid 56 is provided with a tongue 64 which is received under a lip portion of an adjacent casing component , such as the cover portion 28 and rotating seal element 34 as shown in fig1 . in other embodiments the annulus lid may alternatively be made from a metallic material . the annulus lid 56 is located onto the frame 40 such that the three connection portions 46 are received through the apertures 60 . the shoulders 48 of each connection portion 46 sit substantially flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 and a base of the recess 49 of the connection portion sits substantially flush with a base of the channel 62 . alternatively , each aperture 60 may comprise two distinct openings 66 on either side of the channel 62 for receiving each of the shoulders 48 of a connection portion 46 . in this configuration the base of the recess 49 is separated from the channel 62 by the base of the channel . to compensate for the offset in the radial position of the base of the recess 49 , the shoulders 48 are radially taller so that they again sit flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . in either configuration , the shoulders 48 and optionally the base of the recess 49 of the frame 40 are visible from radially outwards of the surface 58 , thus providing a visual confirmation that the connection portions 46 are correctly located in the apertures 60 . referring now to fig4 , the annulus filler assembly is shown in a final stage of assembly . an elongate slider element 68 which is sized to be received in the channel 62 is introduced into the channel 62 by sliding the slider element 68 from an axially foremost end of the annulus lid 56 towards an axially rearmost end of the annulus lid 56 , as indicated by arrow 70 . the slider element 68 has a degree of flexibility which allows the slider element to form to the curvature of the annulus lid 56 . as the slider element 68 is slid through the channel 62 it passes through the shoulders 66 of each connection portion in turn . the slider element 68 has a male dovetail cross - section , such that when the slider element 68 is received in the connection portion 46 the two elements interlock to prevent the connection portion 46 from being withdrawn through the aperture 60 . each axial end of the slider element 68 is provided with a bifurcated tongue 72 . similarly to the tongues 64 of the annulus lid 56 , the tongues 72 are received under a lip portion of an adjacent casing component , such as the cover portion 28 and rotating seal element 34 as shown in fig1 . the cover portion 28 and rotating seal element 34 fix the axial position of the slider element 68 in relation to the annulus lid 56 and thus prevent movement during operation . as discussed previously , when correctly located , the shoulders 48 of the connection portions 46 sit substantially flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . this therefore allows visual inspection before sliding the slider element 68 through the channel 62 . where the connection portions 46 are not maintained in the correct position as the slider element 68 is slid through the channel 62 , depending on the degree of misalignment , the following outcomes will result : if misalignment is minor , the slider element 68 will be received sufficiently within the connection portion 46 and thus force the connection portion 46 radially outwards ( or the annulus lid 56 radially inwards ) through contact between the shoulders 48 of the connection portion 46 and the slider element 68 , particularly the tongue 72 of the slider element 68 , and thus any misalignment will be corrected ; if misalignment is moderate , the tongue 72 of the slider element 68 will contact the shoulders 48 and prevent the slider element 68 from sliding further ; if the misalignment is severe , an interlocking connection will not be formed and instead the slider element 68 will pass over the connection portion 46 withdrawing the connection portion 46 and shoulders 48 out of the aperture 60 . in the latter case where an interlocking connection is not formed , it is immediately evident from a visual inspection of the radially outwardly facing surface 58 that this is the case since the shoulders 48 are not visible , or if they are visible they are clearly not flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . a visual inspection of the radially outwardly facing surface 58 therefore confirms whether the annulus lid 56 is correctly connected to the frame 40 and the assembly is not put into service unless all of the shoulders 48 of the connection portions 46 are visible and flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . the slider element 68 is also provided with three recessed portions 74 spaced across the axial length of the slider element 68 . the spacing between the recessed portions 74 corresponds to the spacing between both the apertures 60 and the connection portions 46 . the recessed portions are offset from both the apertures 60 and the connection portions 46 when the slider element 68 is in its operative position wherein the tongues 72 of the slider element are axially aligned with the tongues 64 of the annulus lid 56 . by sliding the slider element 68 out of the annulus lid 56 ( in the opposite direction to arrow 70 ) by a distance equal to the offset , the recessed portions 74 can be aligned with the connection portions 46 and apertures 60 . the recessed portions 74 have the shoulders of the dovetail cross - section removed so that the slider element 68 is narrower along these portions than the distance between the shoulders 48 of the connection portion 46 . therefore , when the recessed portions 74 are aligned in this manner , the slider portion does not interlock with the connection portion 46 and the connection portion 46 can be withdrawn through the aperture 60 , thus allowing the removal of the annulus lid 56 from the frame 40 without having to fully extract the slider element 68 from the channel 62 . the reversed technique can also be used to connect the annulus lid 56 to the frame 40 . here , the connection portion 46 is introduced into the aperture 60 when the recessed portions 74 are aligned with the apertures 60 and then the slider element is slid into the operative position to lock the connection portions 46 and prevent subsequent withdrawal . when correctly located , the shoulders 48 of the connection portions 46 sit substantially flush with the radially outwardly facing surface 58 . if the shoulders 48 of the connection portions 46 are not visible when the slider element 68 is in the operative position , it is clear that the annulus lid 56 is not correctly connected to the frame 40 . therefore the requirement for visual inspection during all stages of assembly is satisfied with this technique also . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment of a frame 140 for an annulus filler in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention . in contrast to the frame 40 shown in fig2 , the frame 140 has five connection portions 146 supported above the first and second hook elements 42 , 44 ( which are essentially identical to those of the frame of fig2 ). it will be understood that the slider and lid of this annulus filler , though not shown in the drawings , will be appropriately configured to interlock with the five connection portions 146 , in a similar manner to that described for the embodiment of fig2 . because the slider and lid are supported in more places , the stresses and strains in the lid will be reduced , compared with the embodiment having three connector portions . fig6 shows the underside of an alternative embodiment of a lid 156 for an annulus filler in accordance with a first aspect of the invention . as with the lid 56 shown in fig3 , the lid 156 comprises three apertures 60 extending therethrough , and a channel 62 running axially . in contrast to the lid 56 of fig3 , the lid 156 comprises longitudinal ribs 180 , which add stiffness to the lid and thereby lower the stresses therein . it will be understood that in other embodiments , different numbers or configurations of ribs or corrugations may be provided to achieve the same result . fig7 shows an alternative embodiment of an annulus filler in accordance with a first aspect of the invention . in most respects , this embodiment is similar to that shown in fig4 , but the frame 240 of the annulus filler , instead of having first and second hook elements 42 , 44 as in fig4 , has first and second mounting features 282 , 284 comprising holes 286 , 288 . in use , radial bolts ( not shown ) extend through the holes 286 , 288 to secure the frame 240 to the fan disc . these radial bolts could form part of an axial retention system as described in our pending european patent application ep10168820 . 2 . it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the specific arrangement described , without departing from the invention . for instance , the securing hooks 42 , 44 may face each other . the interaction of the slider 68 and the annulus lid 56 and the connection portion 48 may be used to ‘ lock ’ the slider and lid in position through centrifugal force . in another arrangement ( not shown in the drawings ) the hooks 42 , 44 face away from each other and the lip 54 becomes a secondary locking mechanism .	8
the following detailed description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention . for purposes of explanation , specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required to practice the invention . descriptions of specific applications are provided only as representative examples . various modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of the invention . the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest possible scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . referring to the drawings , fig1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the crowned roll measuring arm as mounted on a crowned roll 1 . although a crown roll with a sharp degree of tapering is illustrated , the invention works well even on crown rolls with slight tapering , as found in most process lines .. the body 3 of the crowned roll measuring arm is made of a straight bar that is close in length to the length of the crowned roll 1 being leveled . the body 3 can be made from any hard material , but machined aluminum is preferred because it results in a lower overall weight of the crowned roll measuring arm compared to other metals . end roll positioning plates 5 are mounted on both ends of body 3 . these end roll positioning plates 5 are made of a machined hard metal or alloy , such as steel , and are shaped to include an extended portion 6 that is longer than the difference between the diameter of crowned roll 1 at the crown and the diameter of the crowned roll 1 at its ends . the end roll positioning plates 5 are mounted on the bar such that the distance between the extended portions 6 is just great enough to accommodate the length of crowned roll 1 . when the crowned roll measuring arm is placed along the top of the crowned roll 1 , the extended portions 6 of end roll positioning plates 5 should fit snugly against the edge of the crowned roll 1 . the crowned roll measuring arm includes top - center levels 11 located close to the ends of the body 3 . these levels are bubble levels that allow the operator to locate the top - center of each side of crowned roll 1 . as used herein , the top - center of a roll is located vertically above the central axis of a roll . at both ends of the crowned roll measuring arm are locking magnets 4 . these locking magnets 4 help hold the device in place after the top - centers of each side of crowned roll 1 are located . the locking magnets 4 may optionally be engaged by use of a switch that activates the locking magnets 4 by pushing them closer to the crowned roll 1 . when the locking magnets 4 are not engaged , the operator can freely move the crowned roll measuring arm to position it at the top - center of the crowned roll 1 . when the locking magnets 4 are engaged , the crowned roll measuring arm is harder to move . once the crowned roll measuring arm has been positioned such that both ends are at top - center of the crowned roll 1 , the crowned roll 1 can be leveled . the crowned roll measuring arm includes a machined - out slot 15 at the top of body 3 in which primary level 16 can be placed . primary level 16 may be supplied by the operator , or may be provided with the crowned roll measuring arm . level keepers 7 held in place by screws may be used to secure the primary level 16 to the body 3 . to level the crowned roll 1 , the operator would simply lift the ends of the crowned roll 1 until the primary level 16 indicates that the crowned roll 1 is level . shims would be placed under the roll shaft bearing blocks to level the crowned roll 1 , and the bearing foot bolts of the crowned roll 1 would be tightened to secure the assembly . once the leveled crowned roll 1 has been secured , the operator would disengage the locking magnets 4 and lift the crowned roll measuring arm off of the crowned roll 1 . in one embodiment , the crowned roll measuring arm can accept end roll positioning plates 5 of varying lengths in order to accommodate rolls of varying lengths . the end roll positioning plates 5 may be attached with bolts 10 so that they can easily be interchanged with end roll positioning plates 5 that properly accommodate the length of the crowned roll 1 . because the crowned roll measuring arm may be very heavy , it may optionally includes handles 13 that are secured with handle bolts 12 . the handles 13 allow the crowned roll measuring arm to be maneuvered with greater ease as the operator locates top - center of the crowned roll 1 . the terms “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ,” as used in the claims and specification herein , shall be considered as indicating an open group that may include other elements not specified . the terms “ a ,” “ an ,” and the singular forms of words shall be taken to include the plural form of the same words , such that the terms mean that one or more of something is provided . the term “ one ” or “ single ” may be used to indicate that one and only one of something is intended . similarly , other specific integer values , such as “ two ,” may be used when a specific number of things is intended . the terms “ preferably ,” “ preferred ,” “ prefer ,” “ optionally ,” “ may ,” and similar terms are used to indicate that an item , condition or step being referred to is an optional ( not required ) feature of the invention . the invention has been described with reference to various specific and preferred embodiments and techniques . however , it should be understood that many variations and modifications may be made while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention . it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that methods , devices , device elements , materials , procedures and techniques , other than those specifically described herein , can be applied to the practice of the invention as broadly disclosed herein without resort to undue experimentation . all art - known functional equivalents of methods , devices , device elements , materials , procedures and techniques described herein are intended to be encompassed by this invention . whenever a range is disclosed , all subranges and individual values are intended to be encompassed . this invention is not to be limited by the embodiments disclosed , including any shown in the drawings or exemplified in the specification , which are given by way of example and not of limitation . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims . all references throughout this application , for example patent documents , including issued or granted patents or equivalents , patent application publications , and non - patent literature documents or other source material , are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties , as though individually incorporated by reference , to the extent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with the disclosure in the present application ( for example , a reference that is partially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for the partially inconsistent portion of the reference ).	6
the present invention provides a system , methodology , and software to create and operate an e - mail registry service ( hereinafter referred to as the “ registry ”). the registry is a “ web service ” that is provided to companies to authenticate the sources of e - mail messages arriving in their e - mail servers . the e - mail servers may be configured to receive messages based upon a registry class , status , and industry field of the source domain included in the incoming e - mail messages . the registry provides a database of registered users , which functions as a centralized repository of information on each registered e - mail server and the domains that operate within . the database is shared , and computer readable code is separated from internal e - mail servers in order to enable usage of the database in all computing environments . when a company is registered , the company can then access the services of the registry from the company &# 39 ; s registered e - mail servers . the registry only acknowledges messages from registered servers . the registry provides the requesting e - mail server with validation that the source of an incoming e - mail is a registered e - mail server and domain , and provides additional information on the source domain &# 39 ; s country , class , and industry . e - mails from source e - mail servers and / or domains that are not registered , or from domains that are not of a designated country , class , or industry , are not delivered to the destination e - mail server . for example , a registered user may designate that he does not want to receive any e - mails from domains having a “ retail sales ” class . a registered user may also designate that he only wants to receive e - mails from corporate business domains . this provides companies with the ability to define what types of e - mail enter their servers , allowing them to eliminate e - mail from sources that are not applicable to their daily business . the class of an e - mail domain is a field returned to the requesting e - mail server that defines the class of business that the source corporation provides . class is defined at the domain level . the following is a list of exemplary classes defined by the registry and is not to be considered inclusive : corporate business . this class defines a domain that does not originate messages that contain advertisements or solicitations . this class is used for corporate business only with its employees or business partners . retail sales . this class defines a domain that sends solicitations for the purpose of retail sales . corporate sales . this class defines a domain that sends solicitations for the purpose of product sales to other business entities ( not to individual consumers ). corporate professional services . this class defines a domain that sends solicitations for the purpose of advertising its services to other businesses . consumer professional services . this class defines a domain that sends solicitations for the purpose of advertising its services to individual consumers . other classes may include , for example , political groups , governmental entities , educational entities such as universities or other “. edu ” domains , adult entertainment businesses , family entertainment businesses , gambling businesses , travel industry businesses , and the like . the status of an e - mail domain is a field returned to the requesting e - mail server that provides the current registration status of the originating server and / or domain . possible statuses are : the industry of an e - mail domain is a field indicating the industry in which the registrant business operates . standard industry codes ( sic ) as defined by the occupational safety & amp ; health administration ( osha ) of the united states department of labor may be utilized , but are not preferred because , in many cases , they are too detailed . in one embodiment , the present invention utilizes industry codes as defined by the north american industry classification system because these codes provide both generalized and detailed codes . to obtain entry into the registry , a company must provide information about its business and its use of e - mail communications . a company can register multiple e - mail servers , each having multiple associated domains , and domains of different class , status , and industry designations . an individual cannot register . each registrant must have a federal tax identification number ( in the united states ) or international equivalent that identifies the registrant as a legitimate business operating in the country of origin . the registry enables registered e - mail servers to notify the registry electronically of e - mail from registered e - mail servers and domains that are sending spam or suspected violations of the service class . if an e - mail from a registered e - mail server / domain does not pass the company &# 39 ; s spam filter , the e - mail can be sent to the registry for review . the registry reviews all suspect messages received by its members to determine whether the originating server / domain , if registered , should be suspended . once a verified suspect message is received about a registered server , the server owner and the domain owner are notified . the status of the suspect server / domain is changed from “ good ” status to “ review ”. if the questionable practice does not cease within 72 hours after notification from the registry , the server / domain status is changed to “ suspended ”. once a server / domain entry is “ suspended ”, the status can only be changed if the domain registrant accepts fines for each instance of additional suspect e - mails or spam that originates from the suspended server . if this condition is accepted , then the suspect server / domain is placed in “ review ” status again for one week . if no further complaints occur for the review period , then the server regains a “ good ” status within the registry . regardless of the servers being utilized by a domain , if the domain has excessive infractions , the domain is suspended without the ability for renewal . once a server is in “ suspended without renewal ” status , the server &# 39 ; s internet protocol ( ip ) address is not honored until another corporate entity applies for registration and can prove that it is not associated with the previous owner of that ip address . fig1 a - 1c are portions of a flow chart illustrating the steps of the preferred embodiment of the e - mail registry method of the present invention . referring to fig1 a , processes are shown that occur in an e - mail server or front - end computing resource . at step 100 , an external e - mail server has contacted the registry service to send an e - mail . the registry receives the smtp requests and at step 102 , the message headers are interrogated to retrieve the server &# 39 ; s ip address and the sender &# 39 ; s domain . at step 103 , it is determined whether the data is complete ( i . e ., both identifiers are available ). if not , the test fails and the method moves to step 104 where then the e - mail message is rejected , an error code is returned , and the action is logged . at step 105 , the method terminates the session with the source e - mail server , thus rejecting the message , and the registry service is ended . however , if the data is complete , the method moves from step 103 to step 106 , where an authentication request message is formatted that includes the source e - mail server identification and domain . the message includes information that authenticates the receiving e - mail server as a member of the registry . at step 107 , the destination of the e - mail request is determined . if a local registry image is on the e - mail server , or front - end computing resource , then an application programming instruction ( api ) is executed to provide authentication . if not , then an authentication request message is sent using secure sockets layer ( ssl ) to the registry server ( s ) configured during program installation or ongoing maintenance . the method then moves to fig1 b , step 108 . fig1 b illustrates the steps performed by the registry server upon receiving the authentication request message from the e - mail server or front - end computing resource . the registry server may be local , or may be geographically distant from the e - mail server or front - end computing resource . at step 108 , the authentication request is received at the registry server , and the registry authentication process begins , either local to the computing resource receiving the e - mail , or external and receiving the message as a “ web service ”. when the process is external and the “ web service ” access is used , it is important to note that the authenticating server could be anywhere on the internet or on a private intranet . at step 109 , the message source is tested using the source ip address to determine whether the authentication request originated from a registered e - mail server . the source ip address of the request message is checked against the registry database to determine if the requesting e - mail server is registered . if not , the method moves to step 110 where an error code is set . the method then moves to step 120 . however , if the requesting e - mail server is registered , the method moves from step 109 to step 111 where the ip address of the source e - mail server ( i . e ., the server that originated the incoming e - mail message ), which was captured and sent from the requesting e - mail server , is checked against the registry database to determine whether the source e - mail server is registered . if not , the method moves to step 112 where an error code is set . the method then moves to step 120 . however , if the ip address of the source e - mail server is registered , the method moves from step 111 to step 113 where it is determined whether the status of the source e - mail server &# 39 ; s registration is in good standing . this status is used to suspend a registered server from the registry . if the status is not “ good ”, the method moves to step 114 where an error code is set . the method then moves to step 120 . however , if the status of the source e - mail server &# 39 ; s registration is in good standing , the method moves from step 113 to step 115 where it is determined whether the domain from which the message originated ( i . e ., the source domain ) is registered with the registry as being associated with the ip address of the source e - mail server . if not , the method moves to step 116 where an error code is set . the method then moves to step 120 . however , if the source domain is registered as being associated with the source e - mail server , the method moves from step 115 to step 117 where it is determined whether the source domain &# 39 ; s registration is in good standing . this status is used to suspend a registered domain from the registry . if not , the method moves to step 118 where an error code is set . the method then moves to step 120 . however , if the status of the source domain is in good standing , the method moves from step 117 to step 119 where the accepted e - mail is logged ( i . e ., recorded on a digital medium ). source , time of day , source address , and destination address are logged . the method then moves to step 120 where an authentication response message is formatted to include information regarding the domain ( country code , industry code , status , and class ). at step 121 , the authentication response message is sent to the requesting e - mail server . the method then moves to fig1 c , step 122 . fig1 c illustrates the steps performed by the e - mail server or front - end computing resource upon receiving the authentication response message from the registry server . at step 122 , the authentication response message is received at the requesting e - mail server or front - end computing resource . the message may be checked for completeness , timeouts , and errors . if any errors are detected , the server flags the status of the authentication as “ incomplete ”, and logs the result in a notification log . at step 123 , the status field in the authentication response message is tested . the status is compared to the user &# 39 ; s desired action . if the status is incorrect , or if the response message is incomplete or contains errors , the method moves to step 127 where the incoming e - mail message is denied . however , if the status is good , or if the user has configured the software to allow unauthenticated or incomplete messages to continue , the method moves from step 123 to step 124 where it is determined whether the country code in the response message is acceptable . the country code from the e - mail source domain is compared against configuration parameters to determine if e - mails from this country are acceptable for the requesting e - mail server . if the country is not acceptable ( i . e ., blocked ), the method moves to step 127 where the incoming e - mail message is denied . however , if the country code is acceptable , the method moves from step 124 to step 125 where it is determined whether the industry code in the response message is acceptable . the industry code from the e - mail source domain is compared against configuration parameters to determine if e - mails from this industry are acceptable for the requesting e - mail server . if the industry code is not acceptable , ( i . e ., blocked ), the method moves to step 127 where the incoming e - mail message is denied . however , if the industry code is acceptable , the method moves from step 125 to step 126 where it is determined whether the class code in the response message is acceptable . the class code from the e - mail source domain is compared against configuration parameters to determine if e - mails from this class are acceptable for the requesting e - mail server . if the class code is not acceptable , ( i . e ., blocked ), the method moves to step 127 where the incoming e - mail message is denied . however , if the class code is acceptable , the method moves from step 126 to step 128 where basic information about the incoming e - mail message , such as for example , the source ip address , the source e - mail address , the destination e - mail address , the date , and the time , is logged . the incoming e - mail message is then delivered to the e - mail server that it is performing the front - end processing . the registry service then ends at step 129 . fig2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the communications between registry servers primarily operating in different countries and exchanging registry entries . a network is shown in which registry servers 200 , 210 , and 220 share information over secure communication links using the internet as the network . the registry servers control entries for a specific country and then share that information with other registry servers in other countries . as shown , registry server 200 controls entries for the united states ( us ); registry server 210 controls entries for mexico ( mx ); and registry server 220 controls entries for canada ( ca ). the servers then share this information by transmitting entries to each other so that each registry server remains current . fig3 is a message flow diagram illustrating the flow of messages between a registered e - mail server 300 and a registry server 305 during download procedures to update the registered e - mail server &# 39 ; s local directory of registered servers . this process enables private e - mail server environments to locally authenticate other e - mail servers that are sending e - mails to their servers . this process utilizes software - implemented processes at the registry server and the private e - mail server environment . the registered e - mail server 300 may be , for example , a private corporate e - mail server or a government server or other certified e - mail server . the registered e - mail server 300 first sends a registry download request 310 to the registry server environment 305 . the download may be requested as an initial download or a refresh download . the request includes download parameters , which specify the last download date and time , desired countries , and the registered e - mail server &# 39 ; s certification information . the registry server receives the request message , authenticates the registered server , and sends a reply message 315 that provides information about the download session . this information may include , for example , how many entries are to be downloaded ( deletes and insertions ) and the total size of the download . the registered server receives the download reply message and saves the session information for validity checking at the end of the download . the registered server then sends a download confirmation message 320 back to the registry server with an indication that the registered server is either ready for the download or has terminated the download due to resource restrictions . if the download has been terminated , the registry server returns a download complete message , and the session is terminated . if the confirmation message indicates that the registered server 300 is ready for the download , the registry server 305 starts the download process by sending an initial or refresh registry download reply message 325 containing initial information or updates to the registered server &# 39 ; s local registry database . the downloaded information contains entries that have been either updated , added , or deleted since the registered server last completed a download , as indicated in the download request message 310 . the registered server receives the download reply message and verifies that a complete transmission was received using a field that serves as a download validity check . the registered server then updates its local registry database with the information sent by the registry server . the registered server then sends a download confirmation message 330 that includes an indication of the success or failure of processing the information in the download reply message 325 . a second indicator field may be used to instruct the registry server to either resend the download reply message or abort the download . if the download is aborted , the registry server notes this fact in an operation log . if the download was successful , the registry server verifies that the download has ended , and sends a download complete message 335 to the registered server . the download complete message may include a positive or negative result code and the date and time of the last entry . fig4 is a simplified block diagram of networked e - mail servers 400 , 405 , and 410 accessing the registry through the internet 420 . the e - mail servers may be corporate 400 , government 405 , or isp 410 environments . these server environments are modified in accordance with the teachings of the present invention , and have registry software installed on their e - mail servers or on front - end computers that relay registered e - mail to the e - mail servers . it should be noted that the network may be configured with more than one registry site for fail safe processing . at the registry site , router 425 is connected to the internet , and provides access to and from the site . the router is connected to a hub 430 , which is connected to a plurality of servicing registry servers 435 - 450 . it should be noted that a firewall may be installed between the router and the registry servers . utilizing load balancing techniques , an available registry server such as registry server 440 may receive and process a request from one of the e - mail servers 400 , 405 , and 410 either to begin an upload process or for immediate certification of an e - mail message . there is no limit as to how many registry servers may be installed at any specific site . registry servers are added to sites as processing demand dictate . requests for data are forwarded to registry database servers 470 and 480 through a second network attached to the registry servers via a second network card or hub 460 . the second network further isolates the registry database servers . this decreases the likelihood that the database servers can be violated ( hacked into ). the database servers maintain the registry of the e - mail servers and domains that have been registered in the registry as a whole . thus , all entries from over the globe are recorded in each registry database server , and there are registry database servers for each registry site around the globe . fig5 a - 5e are portions of a flow chart illustrating the download procedures between a registry server and an e - mail server or another computer that provides a local registry database for processing . fig5 a - 5e illustrate the download process in further detail than fig3 . descriptions are provided for the processes at each end , i . e ., the e - mail server environment and the registry confirmation environment . it is important to note that the architecture of the present invention allows several different configurations of the invention to be implemented . the method of the present invention , as illustrated in fig5 a - 5e , could occur on a single computer , or could involve a second computer that stores the local registry database and provides registry certification to one or more e - mail servers in the environment . referring to fig5 a , processes are shown that occur in an e - mail server or front - end computing resource . the method begins at step 500 when the e - mail server receives an incoming e - mail . at step 501 , the e - mail server checks a local registry database 502 , and then formats a download request for the registry . at step 503 , the registry certification data are encrypted , and at step 504 , a download request message is sent to the registry server . the method then moves to fig5 b , step 505 . referring to fig5 b , processes are shown that occur in the registry server . the registry server receives the download request at step 505 , and determines at step 506 whether the request is from a registered e - mail server . if not , the session is ended at step 507 . if the request is from a registered server , the method moves from step 506 to step 508 where the registry certification data are decrypted . at step 509 , it is determined whether the source of the incoming e - mail is a certified source . if not , the method moves to step 512 and formats a download reply message denying the incoming e - mail . at step 515 , this denial is sent back to the requesting e - mail server . however , if it is determined at step 509 that the source of the incoming e - mail is a certified source , the method moves instead to step 510 where updated registry information is retrieved from the registry database 511 . the size of the download is determined utilizing the last timestamp for the requesting e - mail server . the method then moves to step 513 where a download reply message is formatted . the download segment is encrypted at step 514 , and the download reply and updated registry information are sent to the requesting e - mail server at 515 . the method then moves to fig5 c , step 516 . referring to fig5 c , processes are shown that occur in the requesting e - mail server or front - end computing resource . the requesting e - mail server receives the download reply message at step 516 . at step 517 , it is determined whether the reply message is authorized . if not , the method moves to step 518 where the reply is logged and sent to a notification device . the session then ends at step 519 . however , if the reply message was authorized , the method moves from step 517 to step 520 where it is determined whether there is any data to download . if not , the method moves to step 521 where the reply is logged and sent to the notification device . the session then ends at step 522 . however , if there is data to download , the method moves from step 520 to step 523 where a download table is prepared . at step 524 , the e - mail server determines whether it has sufficient resources available for the download . if not , a download confirmation failure message is formatted at step 525 indicating that the download is terminated . the confirmation failure is encrypted at step 527 , and is sent to the registry server at step 528 with an indication that the registered server has terminated the download due to resource restrictions . however , if it is determined that the e - mail server has sufficient resources available for the download , the method moves from step 524 to step 526 where a confirmation success message is formatted . the confirmation success is encrypted at step 527 , and is sent to the registry server at step 528 with an indication that the registered server is ready for the download . the method then moves to fig5 d , step 529 . referring to fig5 d , processes are shown that occur in the registry server upon receiving the download confirmation message . the registry server receives the download confirmation message at step 529 and decrypts the message at step 530 . at step 531 , the registry server determines from the indication in the confirmation message whether the requesting e - mail server is ready . if not , a download complete message is formatted at step 532 , and the download complete message is returned to the requesting e - mail server at step 539 . however , if it is determined that the requesting e - mail server is ready , the method moves from step 531 to step 533 where the registry server finds the download position and retrieves the next “ n ” registry updates from the registry database 534 . at step 535 , the registry server determines whether there is more data to be downloaded . if not , a download complete message is formatted at step 536 , and the download complete message is returned to the requesting e - mail server at step 539 . however , if it is determined that there is more data to download , the method moves from step 535 to step 537 where a download reply message is formatted . the download reply message is encrypted at step 538 , and is sent to the requesting e - mail server at step 539 . the method then moves to fig5 e , step 540 . referring to fig5 e , processes are shown that occur in the requesting e - mail server or front - end computing resource upon receiving the download complete or download reply message from the registry server . the requesting e - mail server receives the message at step 540 and determines at step 542 whether the message is a download complete message . if so , the method moves to step 543 where the local registry table and database 546 are updated . the method then ends at step 544 . however , if the received message is not a download complete message , then it is a download reply message containing updated registry information . the method moves to step 545 where the local registry database is updated with the new registry information . the method then determines at step 547 whether the update was completed . if complete , the method returns to step 526 ( fig5 c ) where a positive download confirmation message is formatted , and then encrypted and sent to the registry server . if it is determined at step 547 that the update was not completed , the method moves to step 548 where an error code is set . the method then returns to step 526 ( fig5 c ) where a negative download confirmation message is formatted , and then encrypted and sent to the registry server . as will be recognized by those skilled in the art , the innovative concepts described in the present application can be modified and varied over a wide range of applications . accordingly , the scope of patented subject matter should not be limited to any of the specific exemplary teachings discussed above , but is instead defined by the following claims .	7
the following detailed description will present an apparatus for generating tracking error signals in accordance with a first preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for generating tracking error signals in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , an apparatus for generating tracking error signals includes first and second adders 21 , 22 , first and second comparators 41 , 42 , an error correction unit 50 , a phase - difference detection unit 60 , and a subtractor 80 . the first adder 21 outputs signals resulting from the mutual adding of the first and third light receiving elements p 1 , p 3 , which are placed in one diagonal direction of the quarterly - divided optical detector 11 . the signals from the first adder 21 correspond to signals of a first group . the second adder 22 outputs signals resulting from the mutual adding of the second and fourth light receiving elements p 2 , p 4 , which are placed in another diagonal direction of the quarterly - divided optical detector 11 . the signals from the second adder 22 correspond to signals of a second group . a first gain control amplifier 31 controls the output signals from the first adder 21 to a predetermined amplitude . a second gain control amplifier 32 controls the output signals from the second adder 22 to a predetermined amplitude . the first comparator 41 outputs signals from the first gain control amplifier 31 as binary signals after comparing them with a reference level . the second comparator 42 outputs signals from the second gain control amplifier 32 as binary signals after comparing them with a reference level . an error correction unit 50 compares signals from the first comparator 41 with signals from the second comparator 42 , determines if there are any signal distortions , corrects the signals if there are any distortions , and outputs the resulting signals . a phase - difference detection unit 60 compares signals corresponding to the first group from the error correction unit 50 with signals corresponding to the second group and outputs signals corresponding to the phase - difference by each group . a first and a second low pass filter 71 , 72 convert signals from the phase - difference detection unit 60 into voltage signals proportional to the phase - difference and output the resulting signals . a subtractor 80 subtracts signals mutually from the first and second low pass filters 71 , 72 and outputs the resulting signals as tracking error signals ( tes ). when signal distortions occur in the apparatus for generating tracking error signals , an error correction unit 50 will correct them . the diagram of fig2 describes the process in which tracking error signals are generated by disclosing waveforms of each unit . fig2 teaches waveforms a 1 , a 2 from the first and second adders 21 , 22 , respectively . in addition , the waveform from the second adder 22 illustrates that reduced and abnormal signals are output in the section ( x ) where signal distortions are assumed to occur . in this case , the error correction unit 50 decides that the section x , where signals b 2 from the second comparator 42 compared to signals b 1 from the first comparator 41 maintains a low level for more than a predetermined time , has errors due to signal distortions , and outputs the signal level for the related section after converting them into the same level . as a result , even though signal distortions take place , it is possible to generate normal tracking error signals . a desirable example of this error correction unit 50 is shown in fig4 . also , output waveforms of some of the elements of fig4 are shown in fig5 . referring to fig4 and 5 , the error correction unit 50 includes a first mux 51 , a second mux 52 , a xor gate 53 , an or gate 54 , and a pulse comparator 55 . the first and second muxs 51 , 52 output signals in accordance with controlling signals from the pulse comparator 55 . specifically , either signals b 1 , b 2 from the first and second comparator 41 , 42 are output unchanged or low signals are output , which are the set first reference signals . the xor gate 53 performs an exclusive logical adding operation on the signals b 1 from the first comparator 53 and the signals b 2 from the second comparator b 2 , and outputs the results to the pulse comparator 55 . the or gate 54 performs a logical adding operation on the signals b 1 from the first comparator 41 and the signals b 2 from the second comparator 42 , and outputs the results to the pulse comparator 55 . the pulse comparator 55 compares signals ( k ) from the xor gate 53 with signals ( l ) from the or gate 54 . as a result , when the signals ( k ) and ( l ) correspond to the mutually same level , the pulse comparator controls the first mux 51 and the second mux 52 , which are the first and second switching units , according to the first reference signals . for example , when the signals ( k ) and ( l ) correspond to the mutually same level , low signals are output . the pulse comparator 55 includes two serial - parallel converters 55 a , 55 b and a parallel comparator 55 c . the serial - parallel converter 55 a converts signals ( k ) from the xor gate 53 and the serial - parallel converter 55 b converts signals ( l ) from the or gate 54 , where signals ( k ) and signals ( l ) are input in series . a shift register can be applied to the serial - parallel converters 55 a , 55 b . a parallel binary comparator 55 c compares signals which are made to be parallel in the serial - parallel converter 55 a , 55 b . in the section where two signals correspond to the same level , the parallel binary comparator 55 c outputs signals for controlling muxs 51 , 52 so that the first reference signals are output . in comparing signals , the number of bits compared by the parallel binary comparator 55 c corresponds to the number of bits contained in the section x . according to this error correction unit , if mutual logical adding or exclusive logical adding is performed on the signals from each comparator 41 , 42 , the signals which have distortions , as illustrated in fig2 and fig5 , can be converted into the same waveforms of signals . fig2 and fig5 illustrate waveforms from each unit in fig4 and the section ( x ), which has signal distortions as seen through sections marked with s 1 and s 2 . so errors can be corrected in the phase - difference detection process later . fig6 illustrates another preferred embodiment where the output signals from light receiving elements of an optical detection unit are grouped . however , the error correction method on signal distortions of the error correction unit 50 is applied in the same way . referring to fig6 , an apparatus for generating tracking error signals includes first to fourth comparators 141 - 144 , an error correction unit 150 , a phase - difference detection unit 160 , and a subtractor 180 . in fig6 , the first group signal corresponds to signals from the first and second light receiving elements p 1 , p 2 placed closely together on opposite sides in the clockwise direction of the signals from a quarterly - divided optical detector 111 , and the second group signal corresponds to signals from the third and fourth light receiving elements p 3 , p 4 . first to fourth gain control amplifiers 131 - 134 control and output signals from light receiving elements p 1 to p 4 of the optical detector 111 , respectively , in a predetermined amplitude . the first to fourth comparators 141 - 144 compare signals from corresponding gain control amplifiers 131 - 134 with reference levels , and output them as binary signals . an error correction unit 150 includes a first error correction unit 151 which corrects the first group signal and a second error correction unit 152 which corrects the second group signal . the first error correction unit 151 corrects and outputs signals from the first light receiving element p 1 and the second light receiving element p 2 of the optical detector 111 by means of the signal correction method described in fig4 . the second error correction unit 152 corrects and outputs signals from the third light receiving element p 3 and the fourth light receiving element p 4 of the optical detector 111 by means of the signal correction method described in fig4 . in other words , the same circuit in fig4 is applied to the first error correction unit 151 , but the input signals are the signals b 1 from the first comparator 141 and the signals b 2 from the second comparator 142 . similarly , the same circuit in fig4 is applied to the second error correction unit 152 , but the input signals are the signals b 3 from the third comparator 143 and the signals b 4 from the fourth comparator 144 . a phase - difference detection unit 160 includes the first phase - difference detection unit 161 which processes the signals of the first group and the second phase - difference detection unit 162 which processes the signals of the second group . the first phase - difference detection unit 161 compares signals corresponding to the first light receiving element p 1 and second light receiving element p 2 which are output from the first error correction unit 151 , and outputs each signal corresponding to the phase - difference to correspond to each light receiving element . the second phase - difference detection unit 162 compares signals corresponding to the third light receiving element p 3 and fourth light receiving element p 4 which are output from the second error correction unit 152 , and outputs each signal corresponding to the phase - difference to correspond to each light receiving element . a first or gate 221 performs a mutual logical adding of the signals from the first phase - difference detection unit 161 corresponding to the first light receiving element p 1 and the signals from the second phase - difference detection unit 162 corresponding to the third light receiving element p 3 , and outputs the result into a subtractor 180 . a second or gate 222 performs a mutual logical adding of the signals from the first phase - difference detection unit 161 corresponding to the second light receiving element p 2 and the signals from the second phase - difference detection unit 162 corresponding to the fourth light receiving element p 4 , and outputs the result into the subtractor 180 . a subtractor 180 performs a mutual subtraction of the signals from the first or gate 221 and signals from the second or gate 222 , and outputs the resulting signals . signals from the subtractor 180 go through a low pass filter ( lpf ) 270 and are output as tracking error signals ( tes ). while the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . for example , while the invention has been described in the specific content of an apparatus for generating tracking error signals , it has an advantage that it has simple circuit construction as it is made to perform a correction of signal distortions by using signals from comparators which convert signals from light receiving elements into binary signals . the embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention . the present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses . the description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative , and not to limit the scope of the claims . many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures .	6
the present invention methodology uses a mathematical model to represent a continuous or semi - continuous manufacturing facility . this mathematical model is a matrix of algorithms comprised of the following modules : units : in the invention , model units are basic elements , which represent major and critical process equipment that are modeled as single unit ‘ black boxes ’, converting inputs to outputs using the equipment &# 39 ; s required utilities . specifically , units are modeled as sets of linear equations , which depict the energy and material balances around them . each unit has a minimum number of characteristics such as : maximum and minimum operating limits , preferred operating rates , alternative modes of operation , associated input and output flows , forced open and forced closed flags . a representation of a typical unit is seen in fig1 . departments : in the invention model , departments are also basic model entities that represent an area of the process which consists of a number of units that perform a specific task and can be modeled as single black boxes in a similar way as the units . departments are modeled as sets of linear equations , which depict the overall energy and material balances around the department . each department has a minimum number of characteristics such as : maximum and minimum operating limits , preferred operating rates , alternative modes of operation , input and output flows associated with it , forced open and forced close flags , and internal flows between the different equipment within the department . an illustration of a typical department is also seen in fig1 . flows : in the invention model , flows are model entities that represent the actual material movement and material transformation between the different units and departments of the model . flows can be classified into three categories : input flows , output flows , and internal flows . there is also one subcategory for inventoried flows . input flows : in the invention model , input flows are models of all the raw material and utilities that are being used by the facility . each input flow has a minimum number of characteristics such as minimum and maximum available quantity and corresponding cost . output flows : in the invention model , output flows are models of all the products and by - products of the facility as well as any material that leaves the facility &# 39 ; s boundaries . each output flow has a minimum number of characteristics such as minimum and maximum demand , quantity and corresponding price . internal flows : in the invention model , internal flows are models of all the material flows that start and end within the boundaries of the facility . each internal flow has a minimum number of characteristics such as minimum and maximum flow quantity . inventory flows : in the invention model , the inventory flows are models of all the input , output , and internal flows , that can be inventoried . each inventory flow has , in addition to its inherited characteristics , an additional number of minimum characteristics such as minimum and maximum storage capacity . operating practices : in the invention model , mathematical expressions are included to account for actual operating practices such as lead / lag times for bringing a unit or department on - line or off - line , monetary costs associated with unit or department start - ups and shut - downs , preferred operating rates , operating ratios , product recipes , etc . periods : in the invention model , the optimization time horizon is divided into time increments called periods . its start time and its length define each period . during each period the facility is considered to operate at steady - state conditions and flows characteristics do not change . division of the optimization time horizon into periods is done though a tool termed period wizard . special contract terms : in the invention model , special contract terms for purchasing and / or selling raw materials , energy , products , etc ., are expressed as mathematical equations to accurately reflect each particular contract term and condition . these equations are incorporated into the overall optimization model . optimization model : in the invention model , all the aforementioned modules , i . e ., units , departments , flows , periods , operating practices , and special contract terms are configured together to create an optimization model ( mathematical programming matrix ) accurately representing the entire manufacturing facility production process . a detailed description of the invention model is presented in fig5 . once a manufacturing facility is set up as the mathematical model it is populated with the default attributes ( characteristics ) for each modeled unit , department , and flow . a significant element of a unit or department is its efficiency , i . e ., quantity of outputs as a function of inputs . these efficiencies are included as mathematical expressions based on actual performance . since efficiencies will vary over time due to unit / department deterioration , maintenance , cleaning , replacement , reconfiguration , upgrade , etc ., the present invention includes an on - line self - learning function to monitor and automatically adjust the associated mathematical expressions over time . the present invention includes an electronic data transfer interface termed mis link . the mis link interface takes its name from the acronym of management information system ( mis ) which most manufacturing facilities have available and which records data about processes and usages of all furnish materials and energy necessary in the facility &# 39 ; s manufacturing process . the mis link interface is therefore linked with the mis system and allows downloading / uploading of the appropriate data on a real - time basis . in the preferred form of the invention required final product quantities by type , inputs for raw material and purchased utility costs , current operating rates / inventories , and temporary constraints imposed on the manufacturing facility process are automatically downloaded to the application via the mis link . alternatively these can be entered manually through the application &# 39 ; s graphical user interface . in the preferred form of the invention , an update routine is also included . this routine downloads the facility &# 39 ; s real - time data to the application , runs the application &# 39 ; s generic linear optimizer engine and uploads the optimized decisions automatically at fixed ( adjustable ) time intervals . in the preferred form of the invention , a trigger routine is also included . this routine downloads the facility &# 39 ; s real - time data to the application , runs the application &# 39 ; s optimization engine and uploads the optimized decisions automatically whenever the actual facility data changes by a pre - determined ( adjustable ) amount , either as a discrete value or as a percentage change . period wizard : in the present invention , the period wizard is a tool that implements an automated process of dividing the optimization time horizon into smaller time increments called periods . two options are available in the period wizard for dividing the time horizon . in the first one , the user defines a default length for each period and a number of equal - length periods is automatically created covering the whole time horizon ; the last period &# 39 ; s length could be truncated in order to adjust to the end of the time horizon . in the second option , the user introduces events that will take place during the optimization time horizon and the application then automatically creates the periods in such a way that neither the start nor the end of any event lie within a period but coincide with period edges , i . e ., the they set the period time boundaries . this is shown in fig2 . gap analysis : in the present invention , the gap analysis is a function that makes a real - time comparison between the optimized production decisions against the actual production operation , determines the comparison gap ( difference ), analyses the lost opportunities in terms of cost , and outputs the cost penalties together with a recommendation for corrective actions to the facility &# 39 ; s mis for a real - time user awareness of the penalty associated with not following the optimized production decisions . an example of this is illustrated in fig3 . application system structure : in the present invention , the application system structure consists of a database used for data storage , a graphical user interface facilitating data communication between the user and the storage device and the optimization components , optimization model , the optimization model solver , and the mis link electronic data transfer interface to link the invention software application with the facility &# 39 ; s mis system on a real - time basis . this is depicted is fig4 . the invention optimization parameters will have many manifestations , including product units , labor , raw materials , energy , unit costs , etc . in these manifestations this software application is customized to cover any optimization variable in any manufacturing facility . although other modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art .	6
fig1 is a generalized block diagram of a system , generally designated by reference number 1 , for removing carbon dioxide from an atmosphere according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the system 1 includes an air extraction system 40 and a sequestration system 50 . the air extraction system 40 preferably incorporates any known or later - discovered co 2 extraction method , including methods which use a medium to absorb and / or bind co 2 from the atmospheric air by exposing the medium to chemical , electrical and / or physical interaction with the co 2 in the captured air . the medium may be liquid , gaseous or solid , or a combination of liquid , gaseous and solid substances , where in the case of solids , the substance is preferably porous . the medium is preferably recyclable so that after the co 2 is captured by the medium and separated from the medium for sequestration , the medium can be reused for absorption / binding of additional co 2 . however , in other embodiments the medium may be sequestered along with the captured co 2 . as shown in fig1 , the separation of the co 2 from the medium , as well as other processes such as the absorption / binding of co 2 and the sequestration of the co 2 performed by the sequestration system 50 , may be made more efficient by the addition of heat to the air extraction system 40 . in the present invention , the heat is process heat generated by a fossil fuel power plant , to be described in further detail below . the term “ process heat ” as used herein refers to the lower temperature heat remaining after the higher temperature heat has been used to generate electricity . more generally , the term “ process heat ” refers to any low temperature heat remaining after a primary process or that is added by the process itself , such as , for example , exothermic carbonation reactions in which carbon dioxide is stored as a mineral . fig2 is a block diagram of a system , generally designated by reference number 2 , for removing carbon dioxide from an atmosphere according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the system 2 includes a fossil fuel power plant 30 , an air extraction system 42 and a sequestration system 50 . each of these components of the system 2 are explained in detail below . the fossil fuel power plant 30 may be any known or later discovered facility that relies on the burning of fossil fuels , such as , for example , coal , fuel oil , natural gas and oil shale , for the generation of electricity . the thermal energy produced by the fossil fuel power plant 30 is used to produce electricity and the residual thermal energy ( i . e ., process heat ) may be used to drive the air extraction system 42 and / or the sequestration system 50 . for example , the process heat from the fossil fuel power plant 30 may be used to improve the efficiency of chemical and / or physical reactions used in the air extraction system 42 to absorb co 2 from the air and / or to drive off the co 2 from the medium . the residual heat provided by the fossil fuel power plant 30 may be supplemented by energy generated by a supplemental energy source . for example , the supplemental energy source may be a waste incineration plant or a renewable energy source , such as , for example , solar , nuclear , biomass , and geothermal energy sources , which provides additional thermal energy to drive the air extraction system 42 and / or the sequestration system 50 . process heat from the supplemental energy source may also be used to drive the air extraction system 42 and / or the sequestration system 50 . fig3 is a block diagram of the air extractor system 42 useable with the system 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the air extractor system 42 includes an air contactor 41 , a causticizer 43 , a slaker 45 , a calciner 47 and a capture unit 49 . the air contactor 41 may use a sorbent material to selectively capture co 2 from the air , and may be composed of any known or later - discovered contactor structures , such as , for example , large convection towers , open , stagnant pools , and packed scrubbing towers . in the present embodiment , the sorbent material may be sodium hydroxide ( naoh ), which readily absorbs co 2 from the air . it should be appreciated that other known or future - discovered capture methods may be used , such as , for example , chemical absorption , physical and chemical adsorption , low - temperature distillation , gas - separation membranes , mineralization / biomineralization and vegetation . as a further example , as known in the art , aqueous amine solutions or amine enriched solid sorbents may be used to absorb co 2 . preferably , the sorbent material is regenerated and the capture method requires less than about 100 - 120 ° c . heat to regenerate the sorbent material . in this embodiment , at the air contactor 41 , co 2 may be absorbed into an naoh solution forming sodium carbonate ( na 2 co 3 ). of course , other known or future - developed absorbers may also be used as an alternative or in addition to an naoh solution . the generated na 2 co 3 is then sent to the causticizer 43 , where the naoh is regenerated by addition of lime ( cao ) in a batch process . the resulting caco 3 solid is sent to the calciner 47 where it is heated in a kiln to regenerate the cao , driving off the co 2 in a process known as calcination . the regenerated cao is then sent through the slaker 45 , which produces slaked lime ca ( oh ) 2 for use in the causticizer 43 . the capture unit 49 captures the co 2 driven off at the calciner 47 using any know or later - discovered co 2 capturing method that is effective in the low concentrations in which co 2 is present in the atmosphere and that needs only low temperature heat for regeneration . for example , the capture unit 49 may use an amine based capture system , such as the system described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 547 , 854 , incorporated herein by reference . the capture unit 49 may also compress the captured co 2 to liquid form so that the co 2 may be more easily sequestered . the sequestration system 50 may use any known or future - discovered carbon storing technique , such as , for example , injection into geologic formations or mineral sequestration . in the case of injection , the captured co 2 may be sequestered in geologic formations such as , for example , oil and gas reservoirs , unmineable coal seams and deep saline reservoirs . in this regard , in many cases , injection of co 2 into a geologic formation may enhance the recovery of hydrocarbons , providing the value - added byproducts that can offset the cost of co 2 capture and sequestration . for example , injection of co 2 into an oil or natural gas reservoir pushes out the product in a process known as enhanced oil recovery . the captured co 2 may be sequestered underground , and according to at least one embodiment of the invention at a remote site upwind from the other components of the system 2 so that any leakage from the site is re - captured by the system 2 . in regards to mineral sequestration , co 2 may be sequestered by a carbonation reaction with calcium and magnesium silicates , which occur naturally as mineral deposits . for example , as shown in reactions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) below , co 2 may be reacted with forsterite and serpentine , which produces solid calcium and magnesium carbonates in an exothermic reaction . ⅓mg 3 si 2 o 5 ( oh ) 4 + co 2 = mgco 3 + ⅔sio 2 + ⅔h 2 o + 64 kj / mole ( 2 ) both of these reactions are favored at low temperatures . in this regard , both the air capture and air sequestration processes described herein may use electricity and / or thermal energy generated by the fossil fuel power plant 30 to drive the necessary reactions and power the appropriate system components . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , a high temperature carrier may be heated up to a temperature in a range of about 400 ° c . to about 500 ° c . to generate steam to run a generator for electricity , and the lower temperature steam that exits from the electrical generating turbines can be used to drive off the co 2 and regenerate the sorbent ( e . g ., naoh ). the temperature of the high temperature heat , the generated electricity and the temperature of the lower temperature process heat remaining after electricity production can be adjusted to produce the mix of electricity production and co 2 removal that is considered optimal for a given application . in addition , in exemplary embodiments , still lower temperature process heat that emerges out of the capture and sequestration steps may be used to cool equipment used in these steps . one or more systems for removing carbon dioxide from an atmosphere may be used as part of a global thermostat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . by regulating the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hence the greenhouse effect caused by carbon dioxide and other gas emissions , the system described herein may be used to alter the global average temperature . according to at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention , several carbon dioxide capture and sequestration systems may be located at different locations across the globe so that operation of the multiple systems may be used to alter the co 2 concentration in the atmosphere and thus change the greenhouse gas heating of the planet . locations may be chosen so as to have the most effect on areas such as large industrial centers and highly populated cities , or natural point sources of co 2 each of which could create locally higher concentrations of co 2 that would enable more cost efficient capture . for example , as shown in fig4 , multiple systems 1 may be scattered across the globe , and international cooperation , including , for example , international funding and agreements , may be used to regulate the construction and control of the systems 1 . in this regard , greenhouse gases concentration can be changed to alter the average global temperature of the planet to avoid cooling and warming periods , which can be destructive to human and ecological systems . during the past history of our planet , for example , there have been many periods of glaciation and rapid temperature swings that have caused destruction and even mass extinctions . such temperature swings in the future could be a direct cause of massive damage and destabilization of human society from conflicts resulting from potential diminished resources . the global thermostat described herein may be the key to preventing such disasters in the decades to come . preferably , the air extraction system 42 and the sequestration system 50 are located at a facility that is separate from the fossil fuel power plant 30 . thus , the overall system 2 functions to remove from the atmosphere carbon dioxide produced by sources other than the fossil fuel power plant 30 . it should also be appreciated that in an embodiment of the invention , the air extraction system 42 and the sequestration system 50 may be used to remove the equivalent amount of co 2 generated by the fossil fuel power plant , so that the entire facility may be considered “ carbon neutral ”. also , removing co2 from the atmosphere , rather than directly from the flue gases , is advantageous in that it avoids the pollutants in the flue gases that would poison the adsorbent and otherwise negatively effect costs and operations . while this invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments outlined above , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the exemplary embodiments of the invention , as set forth above , are intended to be illustrative , not limiting . various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	8
an optical apparatus using a semiconductor laser as applied to an optical reader for an audio or video disc player according to the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig2 to 4 . note that the axes of coordinates in fig2 and 3 coincide with those shown in fig1 . a semiconductor laser 1 as a light source is of the gain guiding type , which is one type of double heterojunction semiconductor laser . as has been described earlier , the focal point within the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the light rays radiated from the semiconductor laser 1 lies at a point slightly deeper inside the resonator from a mirror surface 2 . however , the focal point in the vertical plane ( x - z axis plane ) perpendicular to the junction plane of the light rays from the semiconductor laser 1 lies on the mirror surface 2 , thus causing an astigmatism . the diverging light rays from the semiconductor laser 1 become incident on a plane - parallel glass body 4 having a predetermined thickness t 1 and disposed in the optical path of these light rays . the plane - parallel glass body 4 may be either transparent or translucent , and is surrounded by air . the plane - parallel glass body 4 is arranged such that a normal vector a 1 thereof is inclined by a predetermined angle u p1 within the junction plane ( x - y plane axis ) with respect to the optical axis . the light rays emerging from the plane - parallel glass body 4 then become incident on a beam splitter 5 which divides the incident light rays into transmitted light rays and reflected light rays . the transmitted light rays from the beam splitter 5 are converted into parallel light rays by a collimator lens 6 having a predetermined na and disposed to guide light rays parallel to each other . these parallel light rays are focused by an objective lens 7 onto the reading surface of an optical disc 8 to form a small spot at the focal point of the lens 7 . signals modulated by one or both of video and audio data are recorded on the reading surface of the optical disc 8 in the form of pit rows defining spiral or concentric tracks . the light rays reflected from the reading surface of the optical disc 8 and modulated by the recorded signals or the pit rows then become incident on the objective lens 7 and are converted into parallel light rays . the reflected light rays , now converted into parallel light rays , propagate along the same optical path in the reverse order to become incident on the beam splitter 5 through the collimator lens 6 . those reflected light rays which are further reflected by the beam splitter 5 become incident on the light - receiving surface of a photosensor 9 . the photosensor 9 produces reproduction data signals , tracking error signals and the like . the mechanism for correction of the astigmatism by means of the plane - parallel glass body 4 will now be explained with reference to fig4 . assume that a plane - parallel glass body 4 &# 39 ; ( thickness t 1 &# 39 ;, and refractive index n 1 ) is positioned on the optical path ( na = sin u 1 ) of focused light rays to be inclined by an angle of u p1 &# 39 ; with respect to the optical axis . then , an astigmatism a s1 arising in this optical system may be given by the following relation according to , for example , w . j . smith , modern optical engineering , mcgraw - hill , n . y ., 1966 : ## equ1 ## where l t &# 39 ; is the distance to the focal point in the plane ( meridian plane ) including the normal line and the optical axis , and l s &# 39 ; is the distance to the focal point in the plane perpendicular to the above plane . it is therefore possible to generate an astigmatism of the same magnitude but of the opposite algebraic sign to that of the astigmatism of the semiconductor laser 1 by selecting a predetermined thickness t 1 &# 39 ; and a predetermined angle u p1 &# 39 ; for a predetermined na , for example , na = sin u 1 = 0 . 2 , in accordance with relations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) above , and at the same time to suppress the coma to the minimum . for any u p1 &# 39 ;≠ 0 , the astigmatism a s is given by : it can , therefore , be seen from the above that the astigmatism of the semiconductor laser 1 may be corrected if the meridian plane is made to coincide with the junction plane of the semiconductor laser 1 . if t 1 &# 39 ;= 0 . 1 mm , u p1 &# 39 ;= 45 ° and n 1 = 1 . 5 , the astigmatism a s1 may be calculated to be : as has been mentioned earlier , the astigmatism of the current semiconductor laser 1 of the gain guiding type is about 20 to 25 μm . thus , an astigmatism of such a magnitude may be corrected by the astigmatism a s1 above . in addition , the cam which may be produced in this case is only about 0 . 02 ( λ ) expressed by the rms value of the wave front aberration and is thus negligible . the astigmatism and the coma are both proportional to the thickness t 1 &# 39 ; of the plane - parallel glass body 4 &# 39 ;. the astigmatism is of the order of a second power of the angle u p1 &# 39 ;, and the coma is proportional thereto . therefore , the coma may be reduced to the minimum if the thickness t 1 &# 39 ; is smaller and the angle u p1 &# 39 ; of the plane - parallel glass body 4 &# 39 ; is greater for generating the astigmatism . the astigmatism of the semiconductor laser 1 may be corrected by the plane - parallel glass body 4 which has the predetermined thickness t 1 , and the normal vector a 1 of which is inclined by the predetermined angle u p1 with respect to the optical axis within the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the semiconductor laser 1 . the small spot formed on the reading surface of the optical disc 8 by the objective lens 7 becomes substantially circular as a result of the correction of the astimatism by the plane - parallel glass body 4 . accordingly , even if the na of the collimator lens 6 is selected to be relatively great , the otf characteristics may not allow interference between adjacent tracks . even if an optical apparatus requires a high s / n ratio and a high light intensity , desired otf characteristics may be obtained without requiring an increase in laser output . since the optical element for correcting the astigmatism is the plane - parallel glass body 4 , the surface of the element is easy to form . since the optical element does not have power ( refraction capacity ), it only needs angular adjustment of the normal vector a 1 thereof with respect to the optical axis within the junction plane of the semiconductor laser 1 . the optical element of the present invention only requires simple positioning . in the first embodiment described above , the plane - parallel glass body 4 is disposed in the optical path of the diverging light rays . however , as may be seen from the mechanism for correcting the astigmatism described above , the plane - parallel glass body 4 may be disposed in the optical path of the focused light rays , for example , between the objective lens 7 and the reading surface of the optical disc 8 . in the first embodiment , only one plane - parallel glass body 4 is used . however , the only requirement is that a predetermined thickness t 1 be provided , which allows correction of a given astigmatism . therefore , two or more plane - parallel glass bodies 4 may be provided which have a total thickness t 1 . it is also possible to use a half mirror as the plane - parallel glass body 4 . the half mirror may be obtained by forming a deposition film by coating on the surface of the glass body opposite to the semiconductor laser 1 . the normal vector of the half mirror or the glass body 4 is inclined by the angle u p1 = 45 ° with respect to the optical axis . then , the plane - parallel glass body 4 provides a function of correcting the astigmatism and also a function of beam splitting . in this case , the beam splitter 5 may be omitted . furthermore , the plane - parallel glass body 4 may also serve as a cap window of the semiconductor laser 1 . in the first embodiment described above , correction of the astigmatism is performed by the plane - parallel glass body 4 . however , the optical element for performing this function may be a plane - parallel sapphire body ; the optical element need only transmit the light rays from the semiconductor laser 1 . the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig5 to 7 . the same reference numerals in fig2 to 4 denote the same parts in fig5 to 7 , and a detailed description thereof will be omitted . the axes of coordinates shown in fig5 coincide with those shown in fig1 . diverging light rays from a semiconductor laser 1 of the gain guiding type as a light source become incident on a biprism 10 which is disposed in the optical path of these light rays . the biprism 10 comprises two triangular prisms 10a and 10b having the same refractive index n h and the same vertex angle u p θ , as shown in fig6 . a transparent film 10d , as the plane - parallel body of the present invention and having a refractive index n l smaller than the refractive index n h and a predetermined thickness t 2 , is formed by deposition on an inclined surface 10c of the prism 10a . a translucent reflecting film 10f is formed by deposition on an inclined surface 10e of the prism 10b . both these inclined surfaces 10c and 10e are adhered together by a known adhering means such that the transparent film 10d and the translucent reflecting film 10f are sandwiched therebetween , thereby completing the biprism 10 . therefore , the translucent reflecting film 10f is formed on one surface of the transparent film 10d . the biprism 10 provides the function of correcting the astigmatism by means of the transparent film 10d and also provides the function of beam splitting by means of the translucent reflecting film 10f . the biprism 10 is so arranged that a normal vector a 2 of the transparent film 10d as the plane - parallel layer is inclined by a predetermined angle u p2 (= u p θ ) with respect to the optical axis within the plane ( x - z axis plane ) which is perpendicular to the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the semiconductor layer 1 and which extends along the optical axis thereof . the light rays transmitted through the biprism 10 are focused to form a small spot on the reading surface of an optical disc 8 through a collimator lens 6 and an objective lens 7 . the light rays reflected by the reading surface of the optical disc 8 and modulated by the signals recorded on the reading surface then propagate along the same optical path in the reverse order through the objective lens 7 and the collimator lens 6 to become incident on the biprism 10 . those reflected light rays which are reflected by the translucent reflecting film 10f of the biprism become incident on the light - recovering surface of a photosensor 9 . the mechanism of correction of the astigmatism by the transparent film 10d as the plane - parallel layer of the biprism 10 will now be described . the astigmatism a s2 of the diverging light rays transmitted through the film 10d of the biprism 10 is given by : a . sub . s2 =-{( n . sub . r . sup . 2 - 1 ) sin . sup . 2 u . sub . p2 /( n . sub . r . sup . 2 - sin . sup . 2 u . sub . p2 ). sup . 3 / 2 }·( a . sub . 2 / n . sub . h ) ( 3 ) for n r = n l / n h and u p2 = u p θ , where n r is a refractive index ratio which is obtained by dividing the refractive index n l of the transparent film 10d by the refractive index n h of the prisms 10a and 10b . from consideration of relations ( 1 ) and ( 3 ), we can conclude the following : ( 1 ) both relations may be the same if n h = 1 when n 1 = n r , u p1 &# 39 ;= u p2 , and t 1 &# 39 ;= t 2 . ( 2 ) if the refractive index ratio n r is greater than 1 , the polarity of the astigmatism is the same as the albebraic sign of relation ( 1 ). however , if n r is smaller than 1 , the polarity of the astigmatism is inverted . ( 3 ) if n r is smaller than 1 , the denominator approximates to zero . therefore , the astigmatism becomes greater than the absolute value of that when n r is greater than 1 , assuming that the angle u p2 and the thickness d 2 remain the same . a sensitivity coefficient s for the angle u p2 = 45 ° is given by : fig7 shows the sensitivity coefficient s as a function of the refractive index ratio n r . accordingly , n r is preferably smaller than 1 , since then the thickness of the transparent film 10d may then be made thinner and the deposition cost of the film 10d may be reduced to the minimum . however , in this case , s - polarized light must be obtained as shown in fig5 in order to correct the astigmatism of the semiconductor laser . in other words , the normal vector a 2 of the transparent film 10d must be inclined with respect to the optical axis within the plane ( x - z axis plane ) which is perpendicular to the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the semiconductor laser 1 and which extends along the optical axis , so that the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the semiconductor laser may be perpendicular to the plane of incidence defined by the optical axis and the normal vector a 2 of the transparent film 10d . if n r is greater than 1 , p - polarized light must be obtained . in other words , the biprism 10 must be arranged such that the normal vector a 2 of the transparent film 10d is inclined with respect to the optical axis within the junction plane ( x - y axis plane ) of the semiconductor laser 1 . if the prisms 10a and 10b comprise sf11 prisms having vertex angles (= inclined angles ) u p θ = 45 ° and a refractive index n h = 1 . 766 ( λ = 780 nm ), and the transparent film 10d is formed by electron beam deposition of a deposition glass having a refractive index n l = 1 . 52 to a thickness of t 2 = 0 . 03 mm ( including the thickness of an adhesive having the same refractive index ), the maximum astigmatism a s2 which may be corrected may be calculated from relation ( 3 ) above to be 18 . 6 μm . the small spot formed on the reading surface of the optical disc 8 by the objective lens 7 becomes substantially circular since the astigmatism has been corrected . furthermore , since the translucent reflecting film 10f is deposited on the inclined surface 10e of the prism , the surface precision of the reflecting surface of the translucent reflecting film 10f remains high , thereby providing desired otf characteristics . since the biprism 10 provides the function of correcting the astigmatism and also the function of beam splitting , desired otf characteristics may be obtained without requiring an increase in the number of parts involved . in the first embodiment described earlier , it is also possible to provide desired otf characteristics without requiring an increase in the number of parts involved by coating a deposition film on one surface of the plane - parallel glass body 4 to provide the beam splitting function . however , if u p1 = 45 ° and n 1 = 1 . 5 , the thickness t 1 required for generating a correcting astigmatism of 20 μm is calculated by relation ( 1 ) to be : if a translucent reflecting film or a polarization reflecting film is deposited on such a thin plane - parallel glass body 4 , the surface of the glass body 4 may be bent upon deposition of the film . this results in a large astigmatism and coma on the reflecting wave front , which impairs detection of the focus error signals and does not provide desired otf characteristics . in other words , reproduction fidelity of the data signals may be impaired . in the second embodiment , the transparent film 10d as the plane - parallel layer is deposited on the inclined surface 10c of one prism 10d . therefore , unlike the case of the plane - parallel glass body 4 of the first embodiment , polishing and cleaning are not required , resulting in low manufacturing cost . in the second embodiment , the biprism 10 is arranged in the optical path of the diverging light rays . however , as in the case of the first embodiment , the biprism 10 may be disposed in the optical path of the focused light rays , for example , between the objective lens 7 and the reading surface of the optical disc 8 . a polarization reflecting film may be deposited in place of the translucent reflecting film 10f . in this case , a 1 / 4 wave plate or the like must be arranged in the optical path of the light rays . in the first and second embodiments described above , the semiconductor laser 1 is a heterojunction semiconductor laser of the gain guiding type . however , the present invention may be similarly applied to any semiconductor laser which has different focal points in the junction plane and in a plane perpendicular thereto , to generate an astigmatism . it is noted that the present invention may also be similarly applied to distance measuring devices , object movement measuring devices , data recording devices ( master optical audio or video disc recording devices or the like ), data transmission devices , and the like .	6
embodying the principles of the present invention is a system comprising a pyrolysis unit having concentric , or generally concentric , intercommunicating chambers in which biomass is pyrolysized to recover bio - oil and other products . a preferred embodiment of the system is depicted in fig1 - 4 and designated generally by reference numeral 10 . referring now to fig1 , the concentric - chambered pyrolysis system 10 includes a biomass feed bin 20 for receiving and delivering biomass 12 that is to be pyrolysized . the biomass feed bin 20 is generally enclosed to provide greater control over the channeling of exhaust 18 ( shown as an arrow ) from pyrolytic reactions that is fed into the feed bin 20 , as described below with reference to fig1 . the biomass 12 is fed through a top 21 of the feed bin 20 using a rotary air lock 70 . the biomass 12 is delivered from the feed bin 20 by an auger 68 attached to a lower portion 22 of the biomass feed bin 20 , as described below with reference to fig1 and 2 . in this way , the biomass feed bin 20 continually cycles new biomass 12 through the system 10 . continuing with fig1 , the biomass feed bin 20 accepts raw biomass 12 . the present embodiment envisions receiving this biomass 12 primarily from sawmills , particularly chip and saw facilities . the biomass 12 will typically not need to be ground to a smaller size because it will already be of a size suitable for use in the system 10 . if the biomass 12 does need to be ground , however , the biomass 12 will be ground prior to placing the biomass 12 in the biomass feed bin 20 . note that in the present embodiment , an optimal size for particles of biomass 12 used in the concentric - chambered pyrolysis system 10 are envisioned to be particles 12 having no side generally greater than one - quarter inch in length . in alternate embodiments , however , items of biomass 12 having substantially larger dimensions are possible . note also that in the present embodiment , items of biomass 12 are envisioned to consist generally of wood chips , sawdust , bark , wood shavings , and the like . note further that in alternate embodiments , the use of biomass 12 of varying types received from numerous different sources is possible . note in addition that in other alternate embodiments , carbonizable material other than just biomass can be used as input to the system 10 . still referring to fig1 , some biomass 12 fed into the system 10 might require drying prior to undergoing pyrolysis . biomass 12 with a moisture content of approximately fifteen percent or less by weight can be subjected to pyrolysis without prior drying . green biomass 12 , however , will generally have a moisture content of about fifty percent by weight , as opposed to dry biomass 12 that generally will have a moisture content of about ten percent . the green biomass 12 can be blended with the drier biomass 12 to achieve a combined moisture content of fifteen percent or less . if such blending of the biomass 12 is insufficient to achieve a fifteen percent moisture content by weight , then the biomass 12 will need to be dried prior to subjecting the biomass 12 to pyrolysis . optimally , the biomass 12 subjected to pyrolysis will have a moisture content of no more than twelve percent by weight . note that in some cases the biomass 12 could be too dry , in which case moisture might need to be added . referring now to fig2 , the concentric - chambered pyrolysis system 10 also includes a pyrolysis unit 30 . the pyrolysis unit 30 is made up of a burn enclosure 44 , an igniter 49 , a combustion chamber 31 , an inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , and an outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . the burn enclosure 44 is in the general shape of an elongated tube open at opposing ends 45 . a fuel - air input duct 74 is attached to the end 45 of a forward portion 46 of the burn enclosure 44 , while the igniter 49 is attached proximate to the end 45 of the forward portion 46 . insulation 72 ( see fig1 ) is installed around the burn enclosure 44 to reduce the amount of heat lost to the surrounding environment . continuing with fig2 , the combustion chamber 31 , the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , and the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 are each also in the general shape of an elongated tube , with the three chambers 31 , 35 , 39 arranged generally concentrically . the combustion chamber 31 is innermost , the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 surrounds the combustion chamber 31 , and the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 is outermost , surrounding both the combustion chamber 31 and the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . an end 45 of a rearward portion 47 of the burn enclosure 44 is connected to a proximate end 32 of the combustion chamber 31 , while an opposing distal end 32 of the combustion chamber 31 extends into but is not attached to a proximate end 36 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . an opposing distal end 36 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 extends into but is not attached to a proximate end 40 of the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . regarding fig2 , note that in alternate embodiments it is possible for a pyrolysis unit 30 to comprise as few as two chambers , for example a combustion chamber 31 and a pyrolysis chamber . in other alternate embodiments , it is possible that a pyrolysis unit 30 will have additional chambers , for example chambers in addition to a combustion chamber 31 , an inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , and an outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . note also that the inventor recognizes that chambers of a pyrolysis unit can be arranged in a generally eccentric configuration , as opposed to a generally concentric configuration , even though it is likely that the eccentric configuration would be less efficient . referring now to fig3 , each of the three chambers 31 , 35 , 39 of the pyrolysis unit 30 shares a wall 33 , 37 with one other chamber 31 , 35 , 39 . a common wall 33 forms the wall 33 of the combustion chamber 31 as well as the inner wall 33 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . another common wall 37 forms the outer wall 37 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 and also the inner wall 37 of the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . in this way , the three chambers 31 , 35 , 39 function as a heat exchanger , promoting heat transfer in three ways . first , conductive heat transfer through the common walls 33 , 37 of the chambers 31 , 35 , 39 . second , concurrent flow heat transfer is effected by the combusted gas stream 28 , 29 ( shown as arrows in fig2 ) and char 14 to the biomass undergoing pyrolysis , as described below with reference to fig1 and 2 . third , countercurrent flow heat transfer is effected by the gas stream 28 , 29 flowing throughout the chambers 31 , 35 , 39 . insulation 72 ( see fig1 ) is installed adjacent an interior surface 42 ( see fig2 ) of an outer wall 41 of the pyrolysis unit 30 to reduce the amount of heat lost to the surrounding environment . note that the generally concentric configuration of the pyrolysis unit 30 allows for reuse of heat that would otherwise be lost to the surrounding environment through an outer wall of a single - chambered pyrolysis unit . referring now to fig1 , fuel 17 ( shown as an arrow ), along with outside air 16 ( shown as an arrow ) propelled by a blower 66 , are introduced into the burn enclosure 44 under pressure through the fuel - air input duct 74 . combustion of the fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture produces heat and removes oxygen from the burn enclosure 44 and the attached combustion chamber 31 . note that a variety of fuels 17 can be used for this purpose , such as fuel oil or bio - oil 15 . continuing with fig1 , the char 14 along with air 16 are also introduced into the burn enclosure 44 . the air 16 need not necessarily be preheated . the char 14 is fed from a char bin 24 by a first auger 68 attached to a middle portion 25 of the char bin 24 . the first auger 68 conveys the char 14 out of the char bin 24 and into a proximate rotary air lock 70 . a second auger 68 receives the char 14 from the rotary air lock 70 and delivers the char 14 into a char - air input duct 78 that leads into the burn enclosure 44 . the preheated air 16 comes from a cooling duct 83 ( see fig4 ) of a cyclone separator 80 that is used to separate entrained char 14 from the exhaust 18 ( shown as an arrow ) of previous pyrolytic reactions , as described below with reference to fig4 . the cooling duct 83 connects to the char - air input duct 78 to convey the preheated air 16 to the burn enclosure 44 . an end of the char - air input duct 78 is attached to a top 48 of the burn enclosure 44 . the char - air 14 , 16 mixture exits the end of the duct 78 and enters the burn enclosure 44 through the top 48 . note that a key function of the char - air 14 , 16 mixture is to burn off any excess oxygen that would otherwise remain in the burn enclosure 44 and combustion chamber 31 following combustion of the fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture . still referring to fig1 , the igniter 49 ignites the fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture . the ignited fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture , in turn , ignites the char - air 14 , 16 mixture . combustion begins generally in the burn enclosure 44 and continues into the combustion chamber 31 where the fuel - air 17 , 16 and char - air 14 , 16 mixtures are substantially fully combusted . note that although it is preferable that all of the oxygen remaining in the burn enclosure 44 and combustion chamber 31 be consumed , it is not required . note also that feeding of the fuel - air 17 , 16 and char - air 14 , 16 mixtures , along with ignition of the mixtures , is done in a continual sequence during system 10 operation . continuing with fig1 , to burn off any excess oxygen that would otherwise remain in the burn enclosure 44 and combustion chamber 31 following ignition of the fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture requires that a certain minimum amount of char 14 be present in the burn enclosure 44 . during typical system 10 operation , however , more than this minimum amount of char 14 is introduced into the burn enclosure 44 . this results in excess char 14 being present in the combustion chamber 31 following combustion of the fuel - air 17 , 16 and char - air 14 , 16 mixtures . individual particles of this excess char 14 are greatly heated by the combustive reaction . these particles of excess char 14 radiate heat to their surroundings as the char 14 travels through the combustion 31 , inner pyrolysis 35 , and outer pyrolysis chambers 39 . eventually , the excess char 14 becomes entrained within exhaust 18 of a new pyrolysis reaction , with the excess char 14 mixing with newly - pyrolysized char 14 , as described below with reference to fig1 and 2 . note that in alternate embodiments , a gas turbine can be used as a combustion source for providing heat and deoxygenation in addition to , or in place of , a burn enclosure 44 . referring now to fig2 , the substantially deoxygenated , continuous heated gas stream 28 , 29 ( shown as arrows ) produced from the continual combustion of the fuel - air 17 , 16 and char - air 14 , 16 mixtures ( see fig1 ) flows out of the rearward portion 47 of the burn enclosure 44 and throughout the combustion chamber 31 . the continual production of the heated gas stream 28 , 29 from the burn enclosure 44 and the combustion chamber 31 , together with an impetus provided by injection of the fuel - air 17 , 16 mixture into the burn enclosure 44 under pressure , propels the heated gas stream 28 , 29 in a first direction 28 through the combustion chamber 31 and into the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . in the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , the heated gas stream 28 , 29 changes to a second direction 29 that is opposite to that of the first direction 28 of the stream 28 , 29 through the combustion chamber 31 . the heated gas stream 28 , 29 exits the distal end 36 of the inner pyrolysis chamber and enters the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . in the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 , the stream 28 , 29 changes back to the first direction 28 , which is opposite to that of the second direction 29 of the stream 28 , 29 through the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . continuing with fig2 , in addition to heat radiating from the flow of the heated gas stream 28 , 29 through the pyrolysis unit 30 , heat from the heated gas stream 28 , 29 is also conducted among the three generally concentric chambers 31 , 35 , 39 through the common walls 33 , 37 of the three chambers 31 , 35 , 39 . in this way , the chambers 31 , 35 , 39 operate as a countercurrent flow heat exchanger . note that the temperature of the combustion chamber 31 during operation of the system 10 is typically in excess of six - hundred - fifty degrees celsius . referring now to fig1 and 2 , biomass 12 ( see fig1 ) is fed from the biomass feed bin 20 ( see fig1 ) by the auger 68 ( see fig1 ) attached to the lower portion 22 ( see fig1 ) of the biomass feed bin 20 . the auger 68 conveys the biomass 12 out of the feed bin 20 and into a proximate rotary air lock 70 ( see fig1 ). the rotary air lock 70 , in turn , introduces the biomass 12 into the pyrolysis unit 30 at the distal end 32 ( see fig2 ) of the combustion chamber 31 , where the combustion chamber 31 is in communication with the proximate end 36 ( see fig2 ) of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . continuing with fig1 and 2 , the continuous heated gas stream 28 , 29 ( shown as arrows in fig2 ) captures the biomass 12 in its flow and carries the biomass 12 along through the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 toward the distal end 36 ( see fig2 ) of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , opposite the proximate end 36 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 where the biomass 12 entered . as the heated gas stream 28 , 29 moves the biomass 12 along , heat radiating from the stream 28 , 29 fast pyrolysizes the biomass 12 . ( optimally , pyrolysis of a particle of biomass 12 takes no more than two seconds .) exhaust 18 ( shown as an arrow ) resulting from the pyrolytic reaction comprises primarily non - condensing gases ( not shown ), bio - oil vapor ( bio - oil not shown in vapor form ), and entrained char 14 ( see fig1 ). note that the non - condensing gases are substantially made up of carbon dioxide , carbon monoxide , and nitrogen . note also that the entrained char 14 might include excess , non - combusted char 14 from the char - air 14 , 16 mixture ( see fig1 ) that was introduced into the burn enclosure 44 , as described above with reference to fig1 . note further that in alternate embodiments , various forms of inert material might be employed to assist in the transfer of heat to biomass that is to be pyrolysized . still referring to fig1 and 2 , the exhaust 18 from the pyrolytic reaction , along with any remaining non - pyrolysized biomass 12 , reaches the distal end 36 of the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 , where the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 communicates with the proximate end 40 ( see fig2 ) of the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . as the exhaust 18 and remaining biomass 12 enter the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 , the exhaust 18 and remaining biomass 12 change from flowing in the second direction 29 ( see fig2 ) to flowing in the first direction 28 ( see fig2 ) opposite to that of the second direction 29 . as the remaining non - pyrolysized biomass 12 is swept through the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 , the remaining biomass 12 is fast pyrolysized by heat from the gas stream 28 , 29 . exhaust 18 from this pyrolytic reaction combines with the existing exhaust 18 in the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 . note that in some instances it is possible that a small quantity of oxygen will remain in one or both of the pyrolysis chambers 35 , 39 at the time of pyrolysis . in this event , a small amount of the biomass 12 will react with the oxygen and combust rather than pyrolysize . this limited amount of combustion does not present a significant problem , although it might reduce the efficiency or yield of the pyrolysis unit 30 somewhat . continuing with fig1 and 2 , an exhaust duct 54 is fitted to the pyrolysis unit 30 proximate the distal end 40 ( see fig2 ) of the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 , opposite the proximate end 40 of the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 where the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 communicates with the inner pyrolysis chamber 35 . the exhaust 18 exits the outer pyrolysis chamber 39 and rises along the exhaust duct 54 . the exhaust duct 54 leads from the pyrolysis unit 30 and attaches to the cyclone separator 80 ( see fig1 ), as described below with reference to fig4 . referring now to fig4 , the cyclone separator 80 comprises a body 84 with a collection cone portion 86 , a central exhaust pipe 81 , an inflow pipe 82 , and the cooling duct 83 . the collection cone portion 86 is in the general shape of a cone having an upwardly facing mouth 87 and an opposing open end 88 for collecting and distributing char 14 separated from the exhaust 18 ( shown as an arrow ) of pyrolysis reactions . the exhaust pipe 81 resides in the approximate center of the body 84 with the collection cone portion 86 located beneath a lower end of the exhaust pipe 81 . the exhaust pipe 81 is used for carrying the exhaust 18 out of the cyclone separator 80 following separation of the entrained char 14 from the exhaust 18 . the inflow pipe 82 and cooling duct 83 are aligned parallel with each other and share a common wall 85 , with the inflow pipe 82 located inwardly of the cooling duct 83 . the common wall 85 promotes heat transfer from the exhaust 18 in the inflow pipe 82 to the cooler air 16 in the cooling duct 83 . the inflow pipe 82 and cooling duct 83 spiral downwardly together around the central exhaust pipe 81 , beginning near an upper portion 89 of the exhaust pipe 81 and descending to a point just above the mouth 87 of the collection cone portion 86 . continuing with fig4 , the exhaust duct 54 ( see fig1 ) connects to an end of the inflow pipe 82 that is near the upper portion 89 of the central exhaust pipe 81 . the cyclone separator 80 draws the exhaust 18 downwardly through the inflow pipe 82 toward the mouth 87 of the collection cone portion 86 . a blower 66 ( see fig1 ) is attached to an end of the cooling duct 83 that is near the mouth 87 of the collection cone portion 86 . the blower 66 forces outside air 16 ( shown as an arrow ) upwardly through the cooling duct 83 . the cooler outside air 16 inside the cooling duct 83 absorbs some of the heat of the hotter exhaust 18 inside the inflow pipe 82 through the common wall 85 between the inflow pipe 82 and the cooling duct 83 , thereby heating the air 16 and cooling the exhaust 18 . the char - air input duct 78 ( see fig1 ) connects to an opposing end of the cooling duct 83 that is near the upper portion 89 of the exhaust pipe 81 . the now - heated air 16 flows through the char - air input duct 78 until the air 16 is eventually vented into the burn enclosure 44 along with the char 14 to be combusted , as described above with reference to fig1 . note that in alternate embodiments , preheated air 16 from a cooling duct 83 is routed to a fuel - air input duct 74 or to both a char - air input duct 78 and a fuel - air input duct 74 . still referring to fig4 , as the exhaust 18 spirals downwardly through the inflow pipe 82 toward the mouth 87 of the collection cone portion 86 , centrifugal force drives the particles of char 14 entrained within the exhaust 18 toward the common wall 85 between the inflow pipe 82 and the cooling duct 83 . as the particles of char 14 exit the end of the inflow pipe 82 , the char 14 falls into the mouth 87 of the collection cone portion 86 and exits the open end 88 of the collection cone portion 86 . connected to the open end 88 is a rotary air lock 70 ( see fig1 ). the rotary air lock 70 feeds the char 14 into the char bin 24 ( see fig1 ). continuing with fig4 , a given amount of the char 14 from the char bin 24 will be fed into the burn enclosure 44 , as described above with reference to fig1 . since the char bin 24 is continually filling with char 14 from the cyclone separator 80 , it is possible that some amount of the char 14 will also need to be removed from the char bin 24 to keep the char bin 24 from overflowing . this excess char 14 is removed as an end product of the system 10 . still referring to fig4 , at this point substantially all of the char 14 will have been removed from the exhaust 18 . the substantially char - free exhaust 18 now principally comprises non - condensing gases ( not shown ) and bio - oil vapor ( bio - oil not shown in vapor form ). this generally char - free exhaust 18 flowing from the end of the inflow pipe 82 rises and exits the cyclone separator 80 through an end of the upper portion 89 of the central exhaust pipe 81 and enters a second exhaust duct 56 ( see fig1 ) attached to the end of the upper portion 89 . referring now to fig1 , the exhaust duct 56 transports the exhaust 18 ( shown as an arrow ) through a bio - oil condensing system 62 that cools the exhaust 18 to a temperature of below one - hundred degrees celsius . at this temperature , substantially all of the bio - oil vapor ( bio - oil not shown in vapor form ) condenses out of the exhaust 18 while the non - condensing gases ( not shown ) in the exhaust 18 remain in a gaseous state . the exhaust duct 56 leads from the bio - oil condensing system 62 to a bio - oil storage tank 52 . the now - liquid bio - oil 15 and the bio - oil - free exhaust 18 empty into the bio - oil storage tank 52 . the liquid bio - oil 15 collects in the storage tank 52 and is dispensed from the tank 52 as an end product of the system 10 . continuing with fig1 , a third exhaust duct 58 leads from the bio - oil storage tank 52 to the biomass feed bin 20 . the biomass feed bin 20 is generally enclosed to provide greater control over the channeling of the exhaust 18 fed into the feed bin 20 , as described above with reference to fig1 . the exhaust 18 leaves the third exhaust duct 58 and passes through the biomass feed bin 20 . the biomass 12 in the feed bin 20 acts as a filter for the exhaust 18 , filtering out of the exhaust 18 any liquid or solid matter still entrained . the non - condensing gases of the exhaust 18 then exit the biomass feed bin 20 through an exhaust vent 60 leading to the outer environment . note that in alternate embodiments , an exhaust vent 60 is attached to a char - air input duct 78 to channel a portion of the cleansed non - condensing gases exiting a biomass feed bin 20 into a burn enclosure 44 to join char 14 that is to be combusted , as described above with reference to fig1 . fig5 depicts a second preferred embodiment of a concentric - chambered pyrolysis system , designated generally by reference numeral 110 , in accordance with the present invention . in the present embodiment , substantially an entire amount of char 14 produced from pyrolytic reactions in a pyrolysis unit 30 is fed back into the system 110 to help fuel further pyrolytic reactions . referring now to fig5 , as particles of char 14 ( see fig4 ) exit an open end 88 of a collection cone portion 86 of a cyclone separator 80 , the char 14 enters a rotary air lock 70 attached to the open end 88 . the rotary air lock 70 feeds the char 14 directly into a char feed duct 123 . the char feed duct 123 leads to a char - air input duct 78 . the char - air input duct 78 , in turn , leads to a burn enclosure 44 of a pyrolysis unit 30 . in this way , virtually all of the char 14 produced from pyrolysized biomass 12 is fed back into the system 110 and used to power further fast pyrolytic reactions . additional fuel 17 ( shown as an arrow ), such as fuel oil or bio - oil 15 , is added to the burn enclosure 44 as needed to ensure the system 110 continues to effect efficient fast pyrolytic reactions . regarding fig5 , note that unlike the concentric - chambered pyrolysis system 10 of the first preferred embodiment ( see fig1 - 4 ), the system 110 of the present embodiment does not require a char bin 24 or augers 68 to convey char 14 from the char bin 24 to the char - air input duct 78 . while the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments , it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is intended , therefore , that the appended claims cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	2
fig1 shows an exploded view of a connector 20 including the pull - to - release in - plane latch of the present invention . connector 20 includes at least one of housing members 22 , 24 , contacts 26 securable in a housing member and at least one latch 28 , 30 . when connector 20 is a shielded connector , such shielding elements as lower backshell 32 , upper backshell 34 and connector front shell 36 may be included . outer boot 38 provides a latch actuation means . inner boot 40 covers the rear portion of the lower and upper backshells at the cable egress and envelopes the cable 44 which may be shielded , the individual conductors 46 of which are terminated to respective contacts 26 in any known manner . in the preferred embodiment , conductors 46 are terminated to contacts 26 by any suitable method known in the art . contacts 26 are secured in housing members 22 and 24 . inner boot 38 is passed over the end of a prepared cable 46 to which the connector will be terminated ; the cable does not form part of the connector . conductors 46 are terminated through respective ones of contacts 26 . lower and upper backshells 32 and 34 are hingedly secured to front shell 36 with tabs 48 received in respective apertures 50 , such as in accordance with the teaching of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 585 , 292 or u . s . patent application ser . no . 766 , 984 filed sep . 27 , 1991 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference . housing members 22 and 24 are positioned in lower and upper backshells 32 and 34 with mating portions 52 of contacts 26 extending forwardly to within front shell 36 . cable 44 is positioned to exit through cable egress 54 in lower and upper backshells 32 and 34 . as lower and upper backshells 32 and 34 are hingedly pivoted toward each other , sidewalls of one of the backshells will typically be received between or inside sidewalls of the other backshell . in the preferred embodiment , the sidewalls of the upper backshell 34 are received between the sidewalls of lower backshell 32 . alternatively , the sidewalls could alternate if the backshells were hermaphroditic or the edges of the backshells could abut as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 689 , 723 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . tabs 56 of lower backshell 32 are crimped into recess 58 on upper backshell 34 to secure the two backshells together with the cable 44 , including cable shielding if present , clamped securely therebetween , as taught by u . s . patent application ser . no . 662 , 587 filed feb . 28 , 1991 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . as best seen in the partial side perspective view of fig2 sidewall 60 of upper shell 34 is received inside sidewall 62 of lower shell 32 . near the rear of sidewall 62 a latch spring retention member 64 , comprising a portion of sidewall 62 , is formed outwardly to be normal to sidewall 62 . retention member 64 has a spring receiving aperture 66 therein sized to receive a spring portion of latch 28 or 30 . a boot slide position limit aperture 70 is also formed in sidewall 62 . aperture 70 defines rearward facing forward stop surface 72 and forward facing rearward stop surface 74 . rearward stop surface 74 , in the preferred embodiment , is formed by displacing a portion of sidewall 62 outwardly normal to sidewall 62 in the process of forming aperture 70 . the function of aperture 70 and stop surfaces 72 , 74 will be discussed in greater detail below . latch pivot member 80 formed in sidewall 62 is also positioned near the front shell . latch pivot member 80 , in the preferred embodiment , is stamped from sidewall 62 then formed outwardly to be normal thereto . latch pivot member 80 has a base 82 providing a pivot section 84 cooperable with an aperture on the latch having a diameter slightly greater than dimension 86 to permit the latch to rotate thereabout . two spaced arcuate latch retention members 88 extend base 82 beyond the distance 86 to provide a distance 90 between sidewall 62 and the latch retention members . distance 90 is slightly greater than the thickness of latch 28 or 30 . the latch retention members provide retention for a latch once it is positioned on latch pivot member 80 . latches 28 and 30 are identical and therefore only one will be described in detail . a side view of latch 28 is shown in fig4 and a perspective view , mounted on a lower backshell 32 , is shown in fig5 . latch 28 in the preferred embodiment is stamped from steel , but other materials and methods of formation are within the scope of the invention . latch 28 has a rearwardly extending spring member 98 , an upwardly extending cam arm 100 , a forwardly extending latch arm 102 and a central aperture 104 . the distal end of spring member 98 is receivable in aperture 66 of spring retention member 64 as best seen in fig5 . in a preferred embodiment , spring member 98 is in the same plane as latch arm 102 . the distal end of spring member 98 , in the preferred embodiment , is slidable within aperture 66 . cam arm 100 provides a forwardly facing cam surface 106 the function of which will be described below . latch arm 102 extends forwardly along side and spaced from front shell 36 . extending downwardly and rearwardly from the forward end is a lead - in surface 108 extending from above the plane of latch limit surface 110 to a latch protrusion 112 which extends below latch limit surface 110 . the rear surface 114 of latch protrusion 112 can take on any angle from an acute angle ( fig4 ) relative to surface 110 which provides a reverse angle as shown in phantom in fig4 to being perpendicular to surface 110 , to an oblique angle with respect to surface 110 as shown in fig4 and 5 . the angle of rear surface 114 can be varied to achieve a desired threshold retention force such that when the cable 44 is pulled with a force up to the threshold , connector 20 will remain latched , however , when the force exceeds the thrush hold the latch will yield and connector will be unlatched . front shell 36 may have laterally extending polarization protrusions 116 forward of latch arm 102 , as best seen in fig5 . polarization protrusions 116 extend laterally beyond front shell 36 to prevent connector 20 from being receivable in aperture 122 upside down . polarization protrusions 116 thus assure that connector 20 is oriented correctly before passing through aperture 122 for mating with connector 118 . in this manner , the polarization protrusions protect the latch arms 102 by preventing a condition in which the latch arms could engage or stub against the panel if connector were not properly oriented for reception in aperture 122 . fig6 shows a top sectional view of a connector 20 having a pair of latches 28 , 30 . latches 28 and 30 function independently of each other . latches 28 and 30 may be actuated by a common actuation mechanism , such as outer boot 38 . connector 20 is aligned to be mated with a complimentary connector 118 through panel 120 and aperture 122 therein . complimentary connector 118 is mounted on panel 120 having aperture 122 to receive a forward portion of connector 20 , such as front shell 36 , and latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 . as best seen in fig7 and 8 , outer boot 38 includes a tapered stop 130 extending inwardly from mirror image opposed inside walls 132 . tapered stop 130 extends toward the opposed inside wall from surface 134 thereby defining a forward facing forward stop surface 136 . at the rear of tapered stop 130 where stop 130 blends into surface 134 , an offset in the inside wall 32 forms a rearward facing rearward stop surface 138 . channels 140 accommodate latch arms 102 and the pivoting motion thereof . as best seen in fig8 and 10 , the distal end of cam arm 100 is received in a channel 140 on the inside upper surface of outer boot 38 . the forward end of channel 140 terminates in a rearward facing surface 142 that engages cam surface 106 when outer boot 38 is positioned over the subassembly shown in fig5 . connector 20 is assembled in the manner described above . in the assembly process , the sidewalls of outer boot 38 expand outwardly as outer boot 38 approaches the final position on the assembly shown in fig6 until tapered stop 130 is received in boot slide position limit aperture 70 , whereupon the sidewalls of outer boot 38 resile inwardly . inner boot 40 may be pushed forward along cable 44 and secured in position in any known manner either after or , preferably , before outer boot 38 is positioned over the subassembly shown in fig5 . fig1 shows a connector 20 , partly in cross section , terminated to conductors of a cable 44 , mated with a complimentary connector 118 and latched to a panel 120 . outer boot 38 is in the forward position with rearward surface 142 engaging cam surface 106 . spring member 98 is in a de - energized state . this is the position latch 28 and boot 38 assume when connector 20 is mated with complimentary connector 118 and with connector 20 latched to panel 120 , or when a connector 20 is unmated and free of panel 120 . fig1 is a top view of connector 20 , terminated to conductors of a cable , with outer boot 38 in the same position as in fig1 . with outer boot 38 in the forward latched or released position , forward stop surface 136 of tapered stop 130 engages stop surface 72 , on both sides of connector 20 , to secure outer boot 38 on connector 20 and to prevent outer boot 38 from sliding off of the subassembly shown in fig5 . as depicted in fig1 and 13 , outer boot 38 has been moved or pulled rearward as indicated by arrow 150 . in moving rearward , outer boot 38 moves axially along sub - assembly 68 , or connector 20 , through a limited distance , away from the mating face of connector 20 . outer boot 38 is utilized as a latch actuation during a pull - to - release operation and also may be used prior to mating connectors 20 and 118 to pivot latch arm 102 clear of panel 120 . as boot 38 is slid rearward over subassembly 68 , surface 142 presses on cam surface 106 causing cam arm 100 and latch arm 102 to rotate about pivot aperture 104 and latch pivot member 80 clockwise ( as shown in fig1 ) as indicated by arrow 152 . due to the rotation of a portion of latch 28 , spring member 98 is energized or biased . in addition , latch limit surface 110 and latch protrusion 112 are rotated away from respective latch engaging surfaces 124 or 126 . the distal end of latch protrusion 124 rotates to a position above latch engaging surfaces 124 or 126 so that connector 20 can be unmated from complimentary connector 118 . as best seen in fig1 , the travel of inner boot 38 is limited . with inner boot 38 in the rearmost position , rearward stop surface 138 engages rearward stop surface 74 limiting the rearward movement of boot 38 . when inner boot 38 is released from the position shown in fig1 and 13 , the energy stored in spring member 98 rotates latch arm 102 and cam arm 100 , counterclockwise as shown in fig1 , such that latch arm 102 latches to panel 120 if proximate thereto and concomitantly causes outer boot 38 to slide forward toward the mating face of connector 20 . while outer boot 38 may be pulled rearward to pivot latch arm 102 of latches 28 and 30 , and specifically latch protrusion 112 , above latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 as connector 20 is being mated with connector 118 , similar to when the connectors are being unmated , it is not necessary . connector 20 , properly oriented , can be aligned with aperture 122 and connector 118 for mating . connector 20 may be held by boot 38 . connector 20 is then moved toward aperture 122 and connector 118 . as the leading edge of front shell 36 passes into and through aperture 122 , lead - in surfaces 108 on latches 28 , 30 engage latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 respectively . as connector 20 continues moving toward connector 118 , surfaces 108 ride up , causing the latch arms and cam arms to rotate and concomitantly spring member 98 to energize , until the distal ends of respective latch protrusions 112 ride over latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 . continued movement of connector 20 will permit rear surfaces 114 to ride down latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 as spring member 98 releases energy and causes the latch arms and cam arms to rotate in the opposite direction . this continues until latch limit surface 110 is seated against respective latch engaging surfaces 124 , 126 , thereby latching connector 20 to panel 120 with connectors 20 and 118 mated . fig1 shows a perspective view of connector 20 properly oriented to be received in aperture 122 to mate with complimentary connector 118 and to latch to panel 120 with connector 20 mated to connector 118 . while the preferred embodiment discloses a pull - to - release in - plane latch wherein the latch is secured to a shield member , the invention can be used with an unshielded connector . the latch could be pivotally mounted or secured on a non - shielding housing member . in addition , while the preferred embodiment discloses a pull - to - release in - plane latch that latches to a panel adjacent to which the mating connector is mounted , the latch could latch onto structure of a mating connector of appropriate design . although the spring member is shown as having a distal end slidable in an aperture in the preferred embodiment , it is recognized that other spring configurations could have a distal end that is secured .	7
the present invention overcomes the prior art limitations and provides a concealed elevated irrigation system . turning to fig1 , the system of the present invention generally installs upon a lawn or proximate a garden , either flower or vegetable . the system has a plurality of upright slats s contained within two mutually parallel and spaced apart rails r . the rails then secure upon posts 2 of the present invention . though slats and rails are shown , the posts may stand alone in a landscape , as columns or pillars , as shown in later figures . in fig1 , the left post 2 a receives irrigation water from an underground line u . the line u connects directly to the bottom of the post . opposite the left post , fig1 shows a right post 2 b that has its irrigation water delivered by a hose h or other temporary water supply . both the underground line u and the hose h supply irrigation water into the posts 2 for delivery by the present invention to the nearby landscape . additionally , the present invention includes a low pressure drain valve , or sometimes called a king &# 39 ; s valve , in the underground line u or the hose h before the post . the low pressure drain valve releases water from the system when the water supply is ceased as during maintenance or cold weather shutdown of the system . the low pressure drain valve can also be located proximate a backflow prevention device as further protection for the water supply system . in an alternate embodiment , the upper of the rails r includes a lateral line 9 a that conveys water between two posts 2 . the posts 2 are generally embedded within a horizontal surface , or ground g , beneath the lower of the rails r . each post has a top 3 generally locating opposite the ground . the top has a centered opening that receives a water dispensing fitting , here a rotor 4 on the left post 2 a and a sprayhead 5 on the right post 2 b . each fitting receives the water supplied to the invention and dispenses the water outwardly from the post as directed by the user . each post is generally elongated and slender to blend into the landscape architecture . to avoid nearby shrubbery and maximize the range of water dispensed by the fittings , each post locates a water dispensing fitting at least three feet above the nearby ground surface . the range of the water dispensed from a head remains governed by projectile motion . as the head is elevated , the range increases as the water dispensed falls back to the ground at an elevation below the sprinkler . the range , r , of the water is determined by a solution for time , t , in the following equations : where the maximum range governed by the pressure and angle of the water dispensing head is augmented by the elevation of the water dispensing head as the water descends below the water dispensing head elevation at an approximately 45 ° angle . fig2 shows a post of the present invention , generally like post 2 a . here , the post has a generally rectangular cross section with four sides though round and other cross sections are foreseen . the post is generally hollow and has a base 6 for insertion into the ground opposite the top 3 . one of the sides of the post is an interior face 7 that extends for the length of the post . near the base , the interior face has a first slot 8 that extends through the thickness of the interior face . the slot has a shape to receive a rail r as previously shown in fig1 . the slot 8 also shows the riser 9 that extends within the post from near the base upwardly to the top and its fitting 4 , 5 . the riser is generally an elongated tube secured within the post . in the preferred embodiment , the riser is formed integrally with the post on present day extrusion machinery . the riser and interior face continue upwardly from the base towards the top 3 . below the top , the interior face has a second slot 10 . the second slot also receives a rail r as previously shown . the second slot also shows the termination of the riser into the fitting 4 , 5 . in an embodiment of the invention with a single panel of slats and rails , the interior face has the first slot and the second slot locating thereon . turning the post of fig2 , fig3 shows a post of the present invention , generally like post 2 b . the post also has a generally rectangular cross section with four sides though other cross sections are anticipated such as round . the hollow post has a base 6 for insertion into the ground opposite the top 3 . opposite the interior face 7 , another side of the post is the end face 11 that extends for the length of the post . near the base , the end face has an aperture 12 with a lower connection 13 for connecting to a hose h . the aperture is generally smaller in dimension that the first slot on the interior face . the end face then continues upwardly towards the top without interruption . the end face generally has a smooth appearance visible outside of the installed embodiment . within this post and extending upwardly from the lower connection 13 , this post also has the riser 9 . the riser continues upwardly to the top and its fitting , here shown in phantom . the riser is generally an elongated tube secured within the post . in the preferred embodiment , the riser is formed integrally with the post on present day extrusion machinery . the riser and end face continue upwardly from the base towards the top 3 . in an embodiment of the invention with a single panel of slats and rails , the end face is shown outwardly of the panel of slats , presenting a clean appearance . in an alternate embodiment with multiple panels of slats , the end face has a pattern of knockouts for providing slots in similar locations as upon the interior face . thus the post can be used in a sequence of panels such as along a line of fencing . in more detail , fig4 shows the head 4 near the top 3 of a post 2 . the head rests upon the finished top and then extends into the post to approximately the slot 10 for the upper rail r . the slot is in the interior face 7 of the post and shows the head 4 connecting to the riser 9 . the head connects to the riser axially using a fitting 4 a , such as a union . the embodiment shown allows for a connection to one head only . in an alternate embodiment , the fitting is a tee that allows for a head connection and a connection to a lateral that extends through a rail to the next post . the alternate embodiment allows for usage of two heads upon a panel . in a further alternate embodiment , the fitting is a double tee that has a connection for a head and also connections for two coaxial laterals . the further alternate embodiment allows for the posts and panels to assemble into a fence where multiple posts have heads for dispensing water . in the alternate embodiments , the various heads along a line of laterals may have reduced range of dispensing water . opposite fig4 , fig5 shows the base 6 of a post 2 and its connection for a supply line u or hose h . the post has the interior face 7 and a slot 8 locating towards the base that generally receives the lower rail r . the slot shows the riser 9 extending parallel to the length of the post towards the base . at the base , the post has its generally hollow rectangular cross section . the riser connects to its fitting 6 a and the fitting extends to a lower connection 6 b that passes through an aperture in the end face 11 . turning the base , fig6 provides a view of the base 6 of a post 2 . the riser 9 descends through the post and at the base connects with a fitting 6 a here through an elbow 6 c . the fitting then positions the lower connection 6 b through the end face 11 and away from the post for connection to a hose or supply line of an irrigation system . though posts with risers have been described , the inventor anticipates that the posts and risers can be extruded simultaneously as a single unit during manufacture , particularly using plastic resins . the posts would then have integral risers for ready installation and connection . the posts may be extruded with multiple risers therein and preferably four risers within a rectangular cross section post . a round post may preferably have three risers extruded therein for stability of the post though up to four risers are also foreseen by the applicant . the present invention locates the risers within the posts primarily and alternately as laterals within the rails so that water reaches the rotors , heads , and water dispensing fittings without being seen . from the aforementioned description , a concealed elevated irrigation system has been described . this irrigation system is uniquely capable of sprinkling , or delivering water from a height above the ground while concealing the risers of water within pleasing structural elements , primarily a post . this irrigation system and its various components may be manufactured from many materials , including but not limited to , polymers , polyvinyl chloride , high density polyethylene , polypropylene , nylon , steel , ferrous and non - ferrous metals , their alloys , and composites . as such , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception , upon which this disclosure is based , may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures , methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention . therefore , the claims include such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and the scope of the present invention .	1
fig1 is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of applicants &# 39 ; invention . to illustrate the most general case , in this example , the server 1 is connected to a switch 8 , other than a mobile switching center , and accesses a mobile switching center through the public switched telephone network , ( pstn ) 9 . the facility between the server and switch 8 can be an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) facility using a basic rate interface ( bri ) or primary rate interface ( pri ); advantageously , the control channel of the isdn interface can be used to transmit digital control messages . the mobile switching center 3 , then accesses a home location register 6 , a visitor location register 7 , and a cell site 10 . the cell site 10 is for communicating with a customer &# 39 ; s wireless device 2 . the mobile switching center ( msc ) includes a core switch 4 , and an interworking function ( iwf ) block 5 . the purpose of the interworking function of the msc serving the wireless device 2 is to interface with a public switched telephone network ( pstn ) signal on one side , and a wireless data signal on the other side . the wireless data signal is converted at the cell site into a digital code division multiple access ( cdma ) signal , or a digital time division multiple access ( tdma ) signal , sent by radio to the wireless device . the server 1 , switch 8 , pstn 9 , msc 3 , cell site 10 , hlr 6 , vlr 7 , and iwf 5 are all well known in the prior art . the device is similar to devices used with respect to suppressed ringing telemetry except that they do not need functions for cutting off transmission in response to an off - hook by the customer ( since they can transmit and receive while the customer is using a voice telephone ), but need the circuits required to make outgoing and / or receive incoming wireless communications . a wireless device can also be used as a gateway to access other devices identified by a sub - address in messages to and from the server . for a call from a server to a wireless device , the server sends a set - up request message 40 over an isdn connection or analog data connection to its serving switch 8 . the message has been enhanced to include a call type 41 , and an imsi 42 ( if available ), of the wireless device 2 . these parameters are passed on transparently by the switch 8 which serves the server . the called directory number 43 , which is part of every set - up request message 40 , is used by the switch to route the call over pstn 9 to msc 3 . the pstn passes message 50 to msc 3 . message 50 contains a call type 51 and the imsi 52 , which is a trigger to the msc to indicate that this is a call to a particular device rather than a conventional wireless station . msc 3 examines the parameters it has received , and it recognizes that one of the parameters is an imsi . thus , a single called directory number can be used to route multiple calls to multiple end points in the wireless network . the end points are differentiated via the unique imsi identifiers . msc 3 uses the imsi to access information about wireless device 2 via home location register ( hlr ) 6 ; it does so by sending a request message 30 , which includes the imsi 31 . the hlr which has tables for translating between an imsi and data associated with that imsi , returns its information to msc 3 . ( the hlr is required to have such translation tables in order to handle registration events originated by a wireless station ; such events do not supply a mobile device directory number , but only supply a mobile device imsi ). hlr 6 then accesses a vlr 7 to receive additional information about , for example , the location and status of the wireless device . msc 3 , ( or if necessary , another msc such as msc 12 , connected to msc 3 via the pstn , in case the wireless device 2 is not in its home location ), then pages wireless device 2 , and controls establishment of a radio connection between cell site 10 , ( or cell site 11 if msc 12 controls call ), and wireless device 2 . the wireless device receives a message 20 containing a call type 21 and the imsi for the accessed device . the call type can indicate to the device that , for example , the call is a no - ring telemetry data call , which indication can trigger a pre - defined sequences of actions , ( e . g ., supply telemetering data ). the call type also indicates to the msc that this is a no - ring call , that certain features , ( such as call waiting , call blocking ), are to be by - passed , that a different type of alerting , i . e ., to activate a device , is to be used , and that special billing procedures may be applied . if the wireless device is a mobile one , and has moved outside its home area , then in conformance with wireless standards , that device has been provided with a temporary local directory number ( tldn ), associated with the imsi of the device , by the serving vlr / msc . in accessing the hlr 6 , message 60 is used to provide the hlr with the tldn 61 , as well as the imsi 62 . the tldn is sent through the hlr to the msc 3 to route calls destined for the mobile device to the serving msc . in alternate implementations , wherein the server is not provided with the imsi of the called wireless device , the server sends a message 70 that includes a call type 71 , and a directory number 72 for that device . the hlr is then accessed using the call type and directory number which it uses to identify the destination imsi . the calling directory number can be used for billing the call , or the number to be billed can be obtained by a table look - up based on the call type and imsi . in another alternate embodiment , the server simply provides , as it does for all calls , a message 80 including a calling directory number 81 , and a called directory number 82 . the hlr 6 is queried using both calling and called directory number , and uses the combination of these two parameters to identify the imsi of the called wireless device . this embodiment allows for multiple devices , ( gas , water , etc . ), at a single location , to be accessed via one directory number without requiring the server to know or the network ( pstn ), to transport the imsi of its device . note that , in all of these cases , in contrast to the processing of normal voice calls , the final translation information required for establishing the call is provided by the hlr on the basis of the imsi of the called wireless device . fig2 is a flow diagram , illustrating the process of setting up a call in accordance with the principles of this invention . the application server sends a set - up message which includes both a directory number and a mobile identifier such as an imsi , to a central office , ( action block 101 ). this message would be sent over an isdn facility , such as a primary rate interface ( pri ), or a basic rate interface ( bri ), over the control channel , or the message could be directly sent as an isup message if there is an isup trunk between the server and the central office . the message is received in the central office , and forwarded as an isup initial address message ( lam ) 3 , to a mobile switching center , ( action block 103 ). the msc sends a location request message to the hlr , ( action block 105 ). this hlr is associated with the device identified by the imsi . the hlr contains data for the device identified by the imsi , which identifies the msc currently serving the destination cellular station . the hlr can also specify a call type associated with that imsi if the call type is not provided in the call set - up messages . the hlr then sends a route request to the identified msc serving the cellular destination , which routing request includes the imsi and a call type , ( action block 107 ). the serving msc provides a temporary local directory number ( tldn ), to the msc serving the server , ( action block 109 ). the tldn is allocated only during the call set - up and then de - allocated . the tldn is transmitted from the serving msc / vlr through the hlr to the requesting msc . the two mscs do not communicate directly for ansi - 41 signaling . the hlr does not record the tldn because this number only exists during the call set - up . the msc does store the call type . the msc then sends a trunk set - up request message to the msc serving the cellular destination using the tldn to identify the destination , ( action block 111 ). the serving msc routes the call through its iwf to the wireless device identified by the imsi and the call type , ( action block 113 ). the above description is of one preferred embodiment of applicants &# 39 ; invention , plus several specific alternatives . many other alternative embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art , without departing from the scope of the invention . the invention is only limited by the attached claims .	7
in the production of the polylactic acid resin foams the present invention , extruders are used . thermoplastic polylactic acid resins are melted under an elevated pressure in the extruders and the molten resins are extruded through die into a low - pressure zone to produce foams . in the production of the polylactic acid resin foams of the present invention , dual functional reactive agents are added to the resins to improve the relevant properties of the melt and thus , the resultant foam . this is achieved by the reaction of the gent with two polymer chains and increase viscosity of the mix , thereby improving the viscoelastic properties of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resins during extrusion , whereby gasified blowing agents can be retained in the interiors of closed cells and uniformly dispersed fine cells can be formed using extruders . in the present invention , a blend of a thermoplastic polylactic acid resin and a dual functional reactive agent is molten in an extruder , a blowing agent is generally injected into the molten blend and the resulting molten blend is extruded through the die of the extruder for foaming into a low - pressure zone to produce a foam . alternatively , the dual functional reactive agent and blowing agent can be added simultaneously with the extrusion . any of the aromatic acid anhydrides , cyclic aliphatic acid anhydrides , fatty acid anhydrides , halogenated acid anhydrides , etc . can be used as the dual functional reactive agent , so long as they have at least two acid anhydride groups per molecule . further , mixtures thereof and modified compounds thereof can be used . preferred examples of the compounds include pyromellitic dianhydride , benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride , cyclopentanetetracarboxylic dianhydride , diphenyl sulfone tetracarboxylic dianhydride and 5 -( 2 , 5 - dioxotetrahydro - 3 - furanyl )- 3 - methyl - 3 - cyclohexen - 1 , 2 - dicarboxylic dianhydride . among them , pyromellitic dianhydride is more preferred . the dual functional reactive agent are used in an amount of preferably 0 . 25 - 1 . 0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight , more preferably 0 . 25 - 0 . 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin . more preferably the amount is 0 . 25 - 0 . 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin . a large variety of dissolved gaseous agents , also called blowing agents , can be used in the production of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin foams of the present invention , so long as they are easily vaporizable liquids or thermally decomposable chemicals . easy vaporizable blowing agents such as inert gases , saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons , saturated alicyclic hydrocarbons , aromatic hydrocarbons , halogenated hydrocarbons , ethers and ketones are preferred . examples of these easy vaporizable blowing agents include carbon dioxide , nitrogen , methane , ethane , propane , butane , pentane , hexane , methylpentane , dimethylbutane , methylcyclopropane , cyclopentane , cyclohexane , methylcyclopentane , ethylcyclobutane , 1 , 1 , 2 - trimethylcyclopropane , trichloromonofluoromethane , dichlorodifluoromethane , monochlorodifluoromethane , trichlorotrifluoroethane , dichlorotetrafluoroethane , dichlorotrifluoroethane , monochlorodifluoroethane , tetrafluoroethane , dimethyl ether , 2 - ethoxy , acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , acetylacetone dichlorotetrafluoroethane , monochlcrotetrafluoroethane , dichloromonofluoroethane and difluoroethane . also suitable are thermally decomposable materials such as azodcarbonamide , dinitropentamethylenetetramine , hydrazocarbonamide , and sodium hydrogencarbonate . usually , the blowing agent is injected into the molten blend of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin , along with the compound having two or more acid anhydride groups per molecule and other additives , prior to the extruder . the amount of the blowing agent to be injected is from 1 . 0 - 5 . 0 by weight based on the amount of the molten blend . the preferred amount of the blowing agent is 1 . 3 percent by weight based on the amount of the molten blend . in the production of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin foams of the present invention , stabilizer , expansion nucleating agent , pigment , filler , flame retarder and antistatic agent may be optionally added to the resin blend to improve the physical properties of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin foams and molded articles thereof . such agents are well known in the art in the production of the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin foams of the present invention , foaming can be carried out by any of blow molding process and extrusion process using single screw extruder , multiple screw extruder and tandem extruder . in the production of the polylactic acid resin foams of the present invention , the dual functional reactive agent thermoplastic polylactic acid resin can be mixed with the thermoplastic resin and other additives by any of the following methods . ( a ) the thermoplastic resin is mixed with the compound dual functional reactive agent at a low temperature ( e . g ., a temperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic resin ). ( b ) the dual functional reactive agent is previously melt - mixed with a thermoplastic resin , the mixture is pelletized and the pellet is mixed with the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin ( this thermoplastic resin may be the same as or different from the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin , but is preferably one compatible with the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin ). ( c ) the thermoplastic polylactic acid resin is previously fed to an extruder hopper to melt it and the dual functional reactive agent is fed through a feed opening provided at the cylinder of the extruder to effect mixing . when the pre - expanded foam is cooled , it may crystallize so that thermoforming such material into useful articles becomes impossible . the crystallized material will , upon thermoforming , retain the memory of the crystallized shape and consequently distort at low temperatures . the crystallinity varies depending on the degree of cooling . for example , the crystallinity varies depending on the type and temperature of cooling media and the contact conditions of the foam with the cooling media . in order to conduct effectively the cooling of the pre - expanded foam , it is desirable that the foam has a large surface area in comparison with its volume . namely , it is desirable that the foam is in the form of a sheet , if possible and its thickness is not more than 10 mm , preferably not more than 3 mm . when the sheet is cylindrical , a mandrel is put into the inside of the cylinder , the sheet is allowed to proceed along the mandrel which is cooled with water and the length of the mandrel should be as long as possible . on the other hand , when the sheet is a flat sheet , the sheet is put between a pair of rollers and allowed to proceed while cooling and at the same time , the rollers are cooled with water and the diameters of rollers should be as large as possible . the foam sheets can then be thermoformed into useful articles as may be desired by thermoforming techniques which are well known in the art . the thermoformed articles can be used in a variety of applications , but are especially useful in food containers due to the improved thermal performance as compared with non - foamed pla solid containers . the following examples illustrates certain preferred embodiments of the instant invention , but is not intended to be illustrative of all embodiments . comparison of properties for the foamed polymer produced with and without the dual functional reactive material in this example , foamed polylactic acid polymer was prepared under nearly identical conditions ( as set forth in table 1 ), except that sample 2 contained a multifunctional additive , specifically cesa - extend 1588 manufactured by the clariant corporation . the resultant foamed polymers had the presented in table 2 . as seen , when sample 1 was run , cooling conditions were run that almost resulted in freezing of the material . no additional melt strength could be realized by thermal manipulation . at this condition of maximum cooling , the foam had insufficient melt strength to retain the blowing agent and within seconds of exiting the die would collapse forming plastic “ patties ” on the floor . no stable cell structure was obtained and any reduction in specific gravity was purely a function of “ voids ” formed during the collapsing process . the extrudate had insufficient melt strength to stretch over the sizing mandrel to produce sheet . with sample 2 was run with the addition of the dual functional reactive additive , cesa - extend 1588 , was included in the extrusion process at an additive level of 0 . 25 % of the total feed rate . increase in melt strength was evidenced immediately upon one full residence period of the process ( about 20 minutes ). the increase was observed visually in the extrudate as well as in process conditions as the amperage of the secondary drive increased from 80 amps to 127 amps . it is known in the art that the secondary extruder drive amps are a direct reflection of the viscosity and melt strength of the material being processed . in this particular case , the extrudate was stretched over the sizing mandrel with no problems and pulled to the winder . sheet was successfully produced at a specific gravity that is expected for the amount of blowing agent fed to the mixture . this sheet was later thermoformed using equipment well known in the art and designed for production of polystyrene foam articles . with minor heat and cycle speed adjustments , useful articles were formed . thus it can be seen that the addition of a dual functional reactive agent into the melt resulted in a foamed polylactic acid polymer of desirable properties for the formation of extruded articles . this example illustrates the improvement in thermal performance attained through production of reduced density articles according to the methods of this invention . in this example , a bowl ( made from pla polymer foam produced by the methods of this invention ) approximately 9 inches long by 6 inches wide by 2 inches deep was filled to a level of 1 inch deep with water . the specific gravity of the container was 0 . 4 grams per cubic centimeter . the water is used to simulate an aqueous food . the water was gradually heated and observations were made . this data is presented in table 3 . it can be seen that the thermal conductivity improvement of the foam keeps the exterior of the container significantly lower in temperature than the interior . as a result , the useful temperature range of the product is increased by approximately 20 degrees f ., exhibiting a detectable softening at 140 degrees f . while a solid ( non foamed ) pla product will deform at or below 120 degrees f . it is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinabove set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . the specific embodiments described are given by way f example only , and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims .	2
in this detailed description , reference is made to well - understood fluid dynamics concepts , including , for example , “ boundary layer ” and “ flow separation ” theory . since such concepts are well - known to those skilled in the art , they will not be defined or discussed herein . fig1 depicts a portion of deposition apparatus 1 a in accordance with the present teachings . the portion of apparatus 1 a depicted in fig1 includes a region of powder - charging feed tube 416 , flow straightener 517 , diff - user 518 , and deposition station 550 . fig1 also shows substrate 8 , electrostatic chuck 302 and receiver 272 all engaged to deposition station 550 . powder - laden gas leaves powder - charging feed tube 416 and enters flow straightener 517 , wherein turbulence in the powder - laden gas is reduced . as described in further detail later in this specification , the flow straightener can be used to tailor the flow profile within the diffuser . from the flow straightener 517 , the powder - laden gas enters diffuser 518 . the cross - sectional area of diffuser 518 increases in the direction of flow . as such , average fluid velocity decreases as the powder - laden gas 540 moves through diffuser 518 . as the powder - laden gas flows through the diffuser , it eventually encounters a region wherein the gas velocity slows to the extent that electrostatic forces generated by the spacecharge of the powder , electrostatic chuck 302 and optional focusing electrode ( see fig1 and 17 ) dominate the motion of the powder . this region is referred to herein as “ particle drift zone 534 .” the specific location of particle drift zone 534 is dictated by flow parameters and electrostatic - field strength . by way of illustration , in some embodiments , the particle drift zone may occupy as much or more than the latter one - half of the diffuser . diffuser 518 is formed from a material that is compatible with the deposition process being used . for example , in the illustrated embodiments , the diffuser is used in conjunction with an electrostatic deposition process . as such , the interior surface of wall 521 of diffuser 518 must be capable of accepting an electrical charge and maintaining it . moreover , the material must be compatible with the charging characteristic of the powder and the charging method ( e . g ., if the powder is positively charged , the material comprising wall 521 must not change the positive charge to a negative charge ). furthermore , to the extent that the diffuser is used in conjunction with a process that is producing pharmaceuticals , the material must satisfy pertinent fda regulations . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , when the present diffuser is used in conjunction with an electrostatic deposition process , the diff - user should be formed from a dielectric material , such as any one of a variety of plastics , including , without limitation , acrylic and polycarbonate plastics . to the extent that the present diffuser is used in conjunction with other types of powder deposition processes , or more generally , in other types of powder - delivery systems , other materials requirements may be controlling . charged powder 544 is moved through the diffuser under the control of aerodynamic forces of the flowing fluid until it enters particle drift zone 534 . in the particle drift zone , electrostatic forces control powder movement , since , in this region of the diffuser , such forces dominate aerodynamic forces . in other words , in particle drift zone 534 , the powder does not follow the flow streamlines of the gas . gas 542 , substantially sans powder , is withdrawn from diffuser 518 at annular slit 530 . the gas is ultimately withdrawn via several circumferentially - located outlets 526 . the annular slit 530 is advantageously well rounded , as depicted at region 532 , to avoid introducing turbulence into the uniform flow profile established by diffuser 518 . powder 544 is deposited on substrate 8 at regions overlying the collection zones ( not shown ) of electrostatic chuck 302 . in some embodiments , one or more flow - control features are advantageously used in conjunction with diffuser 518 . a first flow control feature is the injection of gas 548 into the “ boundary layer ” flow within the diffuser . the injected gas , which can be , for example , nitrogen , should have a greater momentum than the powder - laden gas flowing in the boundary layer ( such momentum calculations are readily performed by those skilled in the art ). the injected gas is introduced through a boundary - layer gas injector , which comprises one or more annular slits in diffuser 518 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , gas is injected into the boundary - layer at two locations : a first injection slit 520 disposed near the inlet of diffuser 518 and a second injection slit 522 disposed near the mid - point of the diffuser . the boundary - layer injection gas is injected into the diffuser in the form of a thin stream , and is “ directed ” to flow along wall 521 . in one embodiment , the gas is directed toward wall 521 by having the injection slits ( e . g ., 520 and 522 ) inject the gas towards wall 521 . in a second embodiment , the injection slit is substantially perpendicular to wall 521 of the diffuser ( ie ., nominally directing injected gas away from nearby wall 521 and towards the central flow region ). in the second embodiment , the “ upstream ” wall of the slit ( i . e ., the slit wall nearest the diffuser inlet ) is provided with a sharp edge , and the “ downstream ” wall of the slit is provided with a well - rounded edge . as a result of this arrangement , the injected gas turns the rounded edge to remain near wall 521 . this effect , known as the coanda effect , is known to those skilled in the art . the boundary - layer gas injection improves flow uniformity . in particular , such injection reduces or prevents flow separation at the interior surface of wall 521 of diffuser 518 . moreover , gas injection effects a “ shaping ” or “ steering ” of powder - laden gas 540 toward central axis 519 ( see fig1 ) of diffuser 518 . such steering counteracts the tendency of the charged particles to move away from the central axis due to the mutual repulsion of such similarly - charged particles . additionally , such gas injection provides a “ gas curtain ” effect , wherein powder contained in the gas 540 is kept away from the interior surface of diffuser wall 521 , thereby reducing the tendency for powder to accumulate thereon . further embodiments of illustrative boundary - layer gas injectors are described in conjunction with fig1 - 19 . fig1 depicts an “ enlargement ” of the region near injection slit 520 of diffuser 518 depicted in fig1 . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , the boundary - layer gas injector further comprises two nozzles 660 a and 660 b , annular channel 662 , and fasteners ( received by bores 664 a and ). the gas that is to be injected into the boundary layer is delivered to annular channel 662 from nozzles 660 a and 660 b . fasteners , such as screws or the like ( not shown ), that are received by bores 664 a and 664 b control the size of slit 520 . in particular , tightening one of the fasteners ( e . g ., the fastener in bore 664 a ) more than the other fastener ( e . g ., the fastener in bore 664 b ) causes the slit to be slightly larger at one region ( e . g ., near bore 664 b ) than at another region ( e . g ., near bore 664 a ). when the flow rate of injection gas into nozzles 660 a and 660 b is equal , the flow of injection gas through injection slit 520 will be relatively greater at a region at which the injection slit is relatively larger . it has been found that such a variation in the boundary layer gas injection will affect flow distribution near the outlet of diffuser 518 and can ultimately affect the powder distribution on substrate 8 . in a further embodiment of a diffuser in accordance with the present teachings , boundary layer gas injection is regionally varied by introducing additional injection nozzles , as is depicted in fig1 . fig1 depicts a top - cross sectional view of the annular channel 662 . as shown in fig1 , four nozzles 660 a - 660 d deliver injection gas to annular channel 662 . by individually varying the flow of injection gas through nozzles 660 a - 660 d , the flow distribution near the outlet of diffuser 518 can be affected ( e . g ., a greater amount of powder can be directed to a particular region of the substrate ). while four nozzles are depicted in fig1 , a greater number of nozzles can be used , thereby providing an even greater measure of control over the downstream powder distribution . fig1 depicts yet a further embodiment wherein annular channel 762 is segmented into regions via dividers 766 . the flow of injection gas within a particular region of the channel is thus dictated via the nozzle feeding that region . such an arrangement is expected to provide a greater measure of control over downstream powder distribution than continuous annular channel 662 depicted in fig1 . as described earlier in this specification , “ charge ” sensors ( which actually measure current ) disposed on or near electrostatic chuck 302 can be used to determine the amount of powder being deposited on a regional basis on the substrate . in some embodiments , sensors are provided at each collection zone cz such that the powder distribution is known at each point across substrate 8 . such information can be used as the basis for a closed - loop control system ( feedback or feedforward ) wherein the boundary - layer gas injection flow is adjusted to correct any deviations in the powder distribution . fig1 depicts a manual control scheme wherein the output from the charge sensors cs is delivered to processing electronics pe , and an indication of the powder distribution is provided to an operator ( e . g ., displayed on a display device dd ). the operator can then manually adjust the boundary - layer gas injection via flow - control means , such as mass - flow controllers mfc , that individually control the flow of injection gas through each nozzle 660 . fig1 depicts an automatic control loop wherein the output of the charge sensors cs is delivered to appropriate processing electronics pe including a suitably - programmed processor pp that determines how the boundary layer flow should be adjusted to correct deficiencies in the powder distribution . one or more signals rs are generated that reset the set - point of a controller fc that controls the operation of a flow - control valve cv feeding each nozzle 660 . controllers fc generate a control signal cs that causes the controlled valve to incrementally open or close thereby increasing or decreasing flow therethrough . a second flow control feature that is used in conjunction with some embodiments of the present diffuser comprises a “ boundary layer ” gas suction , wherein gas is withdrawn from the slowly - moving boundary layer ( not depicted ) adjacent interior surface of wall 521 through a boundary - layer gas aspirator . the boundary - layer gas aspirator comprises one or more openings in wall 521 for withdrawing gas 546 , and a pressure - differential - generating means that creates a pressure differential across such openings to draw gas 546 therethrough . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 , the boundary - layer gas aspirator comprises multiple rows of slots 524 disposed in wall 521 . as depicted in fig1 , slots 524 are advantageously offset , on a row - by - row basis , from slots 524 in an adjacent row . in other embodiments , an annular slit configured in the manner of injection slits 520 and 522 can be used for the boundary layer gas suction . in the illustrated embodiment , the pressure - differential - generating means includes a pressure - tight shell / enclosure 528 and a suction flow generating means ( not shown ) that is in fluid communication with shell 528 . the suction flow generating means creates a flow 550 out of said enclosure 528 . flow 550 establishes the pressure differential across holes 524 that withdraws gas 546 from the boundary layer . flow 550 can be generated in a variety of well - known ways , such as , for example , by using a piston or diaphragm - type vacuum pump or a jet ejector . in some embodiments of the present invention , “ vanes ” ( not shown ) are disposed within the diffuser . in one of such embodiments , the vanes are arranged radially about central longitudinal axis 519 . in another of such embodiments , the vanes are configured as a multiplicity of concentric rings that are centered about longitudinal axis 519 . the vanes flatten the velocity profile of powder - laden gas 540 , forestalling flow separation . such vanes may , however , have a tendency to collect powder from powder - laden gas 540 . it should be understood that the aforementioned flow - control features ( i . e ., boundary - layer gas injection , boundary - layer gas suction and vanes ) are used individually in some embodiments , and in various combinations in other embodiments . the “ cone angle ” of the diffuser , which is expressed as 2 θ ( see fig2 ), affects diffuser performance . while well - known equations express relationships between cone angle and performance parameters , suitable cone angles for the diffuser are best determined by fabricating sample diffusers and then evaluating their performance . the flow - control features described herein facilitate use of greater cone angles , which results in relatively “ shorter ” diffusers . a cone angle of about 15 ° has been found to be suitable for a diffuser that does not rely on the additional flow - control features described above . more generally , it is expected that a cone angle within the range of about 10 ° to about 17 ° is suitable for such an application . use of such flow - control features , and ensuring smooth , well rounded surfaces in transition regions ( e . g ., axial slits , boundary between flow straightener and diffuser , etc .) allows for a significantly greater cone angle . specifically , in such circumstances , it is expected that satisfactory performance can be obtained with a diffuser cone angle as great as about 25 ° to about 30 °. illustrative diffuser 518 has a constant cone angle ( e . g . 15 degrees ). in a further embodiment depicted in fig2 , first portion 870 of diffuser 818 has a constant cone angle and second portion 876 of the diffuser 818 has an increasing cone angle . compare cone half - angle θ 1 at location 882 on the surface of the diffuser nearer beginning 878 of second portion 876 with cone half - angle θ 2 at location 884 on the surface of the diffuser nearer outlet 880 of second portion 876 . in first portion 870 , a relatively moderate cone angle ( e . g ., 10 °- 17 °) aids in establishing the desired flow profile in diffuser 818 . once established , the cone angle can be progressively increased while maintaining the desired flow profile . increasing the cone angle reduces the length of the diffuser ( given a target diameter near the outlet of the diffuser ). since abrupt transitions at the wall of the diffuser will disrupt the flow profile , the cone angle at beginning 878 of second portion 876 is advantageously equal to the cone angle at end 874 of first portion 870 . selecting cone angles for the first and second portion of the diffuser is an application specific task . more particularly , the cone angle is dependent on the gas feed rate , the powder feed rate and the electric charge . by way of illustration , not limitation , the cone angle for first portion 870 is typically in the range of about 10 ° to about 17 °. the cone angle at beginning 878 of second portion 876 is typically in the range of about 10 ° to about 17 ° and the cone angle near end 880 of second portion 876 is typically in the range of about 25 ° to about 35 °. it was previously stated that in some embodiments of the present invention , a flow straightener is used in conjunction with the diffuser to “ tailor ” or adjust the flow profile within the diffuser . fig2 and 23 depict embodiments of a flow straightener suitable for tailoring the flow profile of powder - laden gas 540 in the diffuser . fig2 depicts flow straightener 917 engaged to diffuser 518 . transitional region 920 between the flow straightener and the diffuser reduces the likelihood of flow instabilities ( e . g ., powder settling out of powder - laden gas 540 , etc .). flow straightener 917 comprises a plurality of tubes 922 . tubes 922 have a length - to - diameter ratio ( l / d ) in the range of about 10 / 1 to 60 / 1 . passing powder - laden gas 540 through such tubes results in a relatively flat flow profile as the powder - laden gas 540 enters diffuser 518 . it has been discovered that the flow profile of the powder - laden gas near the outlet of the diffuser is dependent , to some extent , on the flow profile of the powder - laden gas before such gas enters the diffuser . therefore , in some embodiments , flow straightener 917 is advantageously used to tailor the flow profile of the powder - laden gas 540 , as desired . in one embodiment , the flow profile of powder - laden gas 540 is tailored by providing a variation in the diameter of tubes 922 within flow straightener 917 . fig2 , which shows a cross - sectional end view of a flow straightener 1017 , depicts an embodiment wherein the diameter of tubes 922 increase with increasing radial distance from the central axis of the flow straightener . thus , tube 922 d , aligned with the central axis , has the smallest diameter , six tubes 922 c have a somewhat larger diameter than tube 922 d , six tubes 922 b have a larger diameter than tubes 922 c , and six tubes 922 a near wall 924 of the flow straightener have the largest diameter . the arrangement depicted in fig2 generally increases the velocity of the gas near wall 521 as compared to a flow straightener having tubes of equal diameter . thus , such an approach can be used to flatten the flow profile across the diffuser if a particular diffuser design exhibits an unacceptable radial velocity gradient . in other embodiments , other arrangements of tubes of unequal diameter are used to cause other changes in the flow profile in the diffuser as desired . it was previously indicated that a “ focusing electrode ” is advantageously used in conjunction with the electrostatic chuck to deposit powder on substrate 8 . an embodiment of such a focusing electrode 1152 is depicted in fig2 ( side view ) and fig2 ( bottom view of electrostatic chuck ). in the embodiment depicted in fig2 , focusing electrode 1152 is located near substrate 8 . the focusing electrode is configured for easy removal , such as for cleaning , etc . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , focusing electrode 1152 comprises a dielectric material coated with a conductor , such as copper . electrode 1152 includes a plurality of openings 1154 aligned with the collection zones ( not shown ) of electrostatic chuck 302 . electrode 1152 is in contact with a controlled voltage source ( not shown ) operable to place a charge on the conductor that has the same polarity as the charge on the powder . powder is thus “ steered ” away from the conductor and through holes 1154 to substrate 8 . it is to be understood that the above - described embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention and that many variations may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . it is therefore intended that such variations be included within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents .	8
a game apparatus according to this invention comprises a playing board 10 as shown in fig1 and 2 . fig1 illustrates the entire playing board , which consists primarily of a movement grid 12 . the movement grid comprises a plurality of nodes or intersections 14 joined by a plurality of segments 16 . a substantial portion of the nodes 14 and segments 16 have been omitted from fig1 for purposes of clarity . the upper right hand portion of fig1 is shown in enlarged scale in fig2 fig2 including substantially all of the nodes or intersections 14 and segments 16 . the nodes and segments define a plurality of selectable player movement paths . the movement grid 12 is divided into a first or outer annular playing zone 18 , a second or middle annular zone 20 , and an inner zone 22 . the boundary between the first and second zones 18 and 20 is marked by boundary line 24 . the boundary between the second and third zones 20 and 22 is marked by boundary line 26 . the playing grid 12 has depicted thereon a plurality of unique indicia , in the form of uniquely colored squares , diamonds and triangles . the choice of color as unique indicia is merely illustrative . there are a plurality of yellow indicia 28 , orange indicia 30 , red indicia 32 , green indicia 34 , blue indicia 36 and black indicia 38 . at least some of the indicia are disposed in the first zone 18 and at least some of the indicia are disposed in the third zone 22 . players are accordingly forced to cross the first and second boundary lines 24 and 26 a plurality of times during the course of play in order to reach at least one of each of the unique indicia 28 through 38 . in the presently preferred embodiment , none of the unique indicia are disposed in the middle zone 20 , but some of the unique indicia may be so disposed in the middle zone 20 , if desired . each playing board 10 also includes a plurality of starting blocks , which in the presently preferred embodiment , provide for up to eight players . starting blocks 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 are disposed around the outer perimeter of the playing board 10 , opposite and outside of the outer edge 40 of the movement grid 12 . each of the starting blocks includes indicia in the form of an arrow or the like , which points to a corresponding starting node along the outer edge 40 . three such starting nodes 58 , 60 and 62 are illustrated in fig2 and correspond respectively to starting blocks 48 , 50 and 52 respectively . hash marks 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 , 80 , 82 , 84 and 86 define home territories corresponding to each of the starting blocks 42 through 56 . for example , the home territory for starting block 48 is defined between hash marks 76 and 78 , whereas the home territory for starting block 50 is between hash marks 78 and 80 . chance means may be utilized as an alternative to determine the starting node for each player . the definition of such home territory may also be utilized in various alternative embodiments of playing the game . the direction of movement for each player during the course of play is determined by a set of movement direction markers , each defining at least one direction of movement on the grid , from which sets of movement direction markers can be accumulated by each player by random selection for subsequent use . in the presently preferred embodiment , the set of movement direction markers are embodied in a set or deck of cards 88 , each of which is provided with indicia 90 corresponding to one or more arrows defining at least one direction of permissible movement , or a legend . each node or intersection 14 has eight segments 16 connected thereto , except for those nodes disposed along outer edge 40 . accordingly , the direction cards of set 88 include arrows enabling movement corresponding to one or more of each of the eight possible directions of movement which can be made at most , although not all of the nodes . in addition , certain legends may be utilized as instructions instead of arrows . for example , some of the cards may state : &# 34 ; reverse direction &# 34 ;; &# 34 ; move in any direction &# 34 ;; or , &# 34 ; change seats with anyone &# 34 ;. it will be appreciated that the various players perception of up , down , left , right , and the four diagonal directions will change depending upon a player &# 39 ; s orientation . changing one &# 39 ; s position has the effect of rotating each of the direction cards which a player has collected . alternatively , a relative sense of a forward direction can be defined by each playing piece , or position marker . typical grid position markers 94 are shown in fig4 . a grid position marker 94 is provided for each of the players . depending upon the various formats in which the game may be embodied , the grid position markers might correspond to horses , rocket ships , airplanes , trucks , boats or any other form of typical transportation . each of these embodiments will , by reason of its inherent design , shape or configuration , clearly define a front and rear . for purposes of illustrating a generic grid position marker , markers 94 are provided with indicia in the form of arrows 96 and legend 98 to clearly denote the front of each grid position marker . each of the grid position markers 94 is provided with a plurality of holes 100 , for accommodating complete sets 102 of progress markers . the progress markers are embodied in the illustrated embodiment as pegs having colors corresponding to the unique indicia 28 through 38 shown on the movement grid 12 . each set 102 of progress markers includes a yellow progress marker 104 , an orange progress marker 106 , a red progress marker 108 , a green progress marker 110 , a blue progress marker 112 and a black progress marker 114 . a set of progress markers is provided for each of the players . the holes 100 and correspondingly dimensioned pegs of set 102 provide a means in each grid position marker for holding a set of progress markers , whereby the relative competitive position of each player may be easily ascertained during the course of play . the magnitude of movement for repositioning each grid marker in turn is determined by a first chance means , shown in fig5 as a typical pair of dice 116 and 118 . a second chance means is an indicia die 120 shown in fig6 a and 6b . in order to provide a means by which players may , under certain circumstances , seize one or more of the progress markers which have been collected by another player , each of the six faces of indicia die 120 corresponds to one of the unique indicia of the progress markers and of the corresponding unique indicia depicted on the movement grid . in the presently preferred embodiment , the unique indicia correspond to colors . accordingly , each of the faces 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , 130 and 132 of indicia die 120 correspond to one of the colors yellow , orange , red , green , blue and black . the only special indicia depicted on the movement grid 12 and not yet described , is center or finish star 136 . in the presently preferred embodiment , finish star 136 represents that specific node which each player must land on , by exact count , after collecting a complete set of progress markers . the game apparatus as described above can be utilized to practice a method for competing as a player in a game , according to a general or generic set of rules . the following set of rules correspond to an embodiment of the game set in the context of six differently colored parcels which must be collected by each player , each player having a grid position marker in the form of a motor vehicle . each of the motor vehicles is provided with means for holding one each of the six differently colored parcels . the object of the game is for a player to collect all six of the differently colored parcels and return to the center star 136 first . at the beginning of play , each player is provided with a grid position marker 94 in the form of a truck and three movement direction cards . each player starts at a respective starting block , one of 42 through 52 . the numbered dice 116 and 118 may be rolled to determine which player goes first , play proceeding clockwise thereafter . for purposes of these generic instructions , starting nodes for each of the starting blocks are also specified in the design of the grid on the playing board . the grid position markers 94 must always move in a forward direction . the movement direction cards are used only to change direction , and may be used only prior to each player rolling the numbered dice . each of the dice 116 and 118 is treated individually . before a player rolls the numbered dice , the player may choose a movement direction card and thereafter may roll a five , two ( 5 , 2 ). the player may move five spaces and then two spaces in the chosen direction ; or , the player may move two spaces , change direction in accordance with the card , and then move five spaces in the new direction . each space corresponds to one of the segments 16 , connecting two nodes or intersections 14 . alternatively , the player might move two spaces in the first direction , change directions , and then move five spaces in the second direction . movement is in the nature of a vector , including both direction of movement and magnitude of movement . once a player has used a movement direction card , it is placed in a discard pile . the management of the movement direction cards is complicated by the use of boundary lines 24 and 26 to divide the movement grid 12 into the first , second and third zones 18 , 20 , and 22 . each time a player &# 39 ; s grid position marker crosses the first boundary line 24 , that player may select another movement direction card from the deck 88 . if a player is able to cross boundary line 24 twice in the same move that player can take two additional movement direction cards . this may be accomplished by cutting across a corner of the second zone 20 or by using an existing movement direction card to cross over and back . moreover , each time a player is successfully in collecting a parcel , that player may select a movement direction card . on the other hand , each time a player &# 39 ; s grid position marker crosses the second boundary line 26 , that player must forfeit a movement direction card . if a player crosses both boundary lines in the same move the player must select and forfeit movement direction cards , respectively , the order depending upon which boundary line was crossed first and which boundary line was crossed second . each player must collect one of each differently colored parcel , must collect such parcels in a predetermined order , and must thereafter land on the center or finish star before any other player does so . in the presently preferred embodiment , the parcels are to be picked up in the following order : yellow , orange , red , green , blue and black . in order for a player to collect a parcel , that player must conclude a move , with either die , directly on one of the nodes or intersections 14 forming a corner of the geometrical pattern of the unique indicia . for example , with reference to the upper right hand corner of the movement grid 12 as shown in fig2 unique indicia 34 is a green triangle which can be accessed by landing on any one of three nodes or intersections 14 . moving to the left along outer edge 40 , indicia 38 is a black triangle , smaller than the green triangle 34 , and formed in such a way as to be accessed only by landing on one of two nodes or intersections 14 . moving downwardly somewhat , and slightly to the right , indicia 28 is a yellow square which can be accessed by any one of four nodes or intersections 14 . this can be contrasted with the square or diamond - shaped indicia 32 , at the lower right hand corner of grid 12 shown in fig2 which is so oriented as to be accessed only by two nodes or intersections 14 . the center star , which is not technically in the precise center of the movement grid , can be accessed only by landing on one node or intersection 14 . if , for example , a player is two spaces away from an indicia , and rolls two , four ( 2 , 4 ) the player may move two spaces , collect the parcel , collect an additional movement direction card , and then move four additional spaces . if a player is traveling in a certain direction , and is unable to change that direction , that player eventually will travel off of the movement grid 12 entirely . this is more likely when players try to access the indicia on or near outer boundary 40 . any such player must risk a penalty by rolling the indicia die 120 , and forfeiting whichever parcel corresponds to the unique indicia indicated by the die . it will be appreciated that players having few or no parcels are at less risk than players having many or all parcels . players leaving the movement grid entirely must return to one of the starting blocks , the determination of which starting block being made by means of the hash marks 72 through 86 . players are then required to collect a parcel of the very same color which was lost before picking up any additional parcels , in order to follow the basic rule of picking up the parcels in a predetermined order . it will also be appreciated that proper placement of the indicia in two or more of the playing zones will substantially increase the complexity of play , and substantially increase the difficulty of managing the collection of movement direction cards , as the number of times players must cross the boundary lines 24 and 26 can be maximized . occasionally , a player may land on a node or intersection 14 which is already occupied by another player . whenever this occurs , the second player landing on the node or intersection 14 may roll the indicia die 120 and seize a parcel from the first player corresponding to the unique indicia shown on the die . if the second player already has that particular parcel the first player simply forfeits the parcel and must collect that parcel again . if the first player does not have the indicated parcel , the first player loses nothing . this procedure provides an interesting offensive opportunity for each of the players . players rolling doubles on the numbered dice are preferably afforded the choice of proceding in the normal fashion ; or , selecting two additional movement direction cards , and rolling the dice again . after a player has retrieved all six differently colored parcels , that player must proceed to , and land on the center or finish star by exact count as the result of rolling both dice , not merely one of the dice . even after a player has collected all six parcels in a set , it may be necessary to cross the first boundary line many times in order to accumulate sufficient movement direction cards to successfully land on the center or finish star 136 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing directions are appropriate not only for the collection of parcels , but are appropriate for a wide variety of game formats and contexts such as described above , and many others as well . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof . accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention .	0
before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments . also , the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . to better understand this invention as set forth , recall that the fluorene ring is a δ - conjugated system which allows for facile synthetic manipulation , yielding dyes with tailored spectral properties . efforts directed towards preparing reactive fluorescent dyes have been initiated with the synthesis of an amine - reactive dye for labeling , e . g ., lysine residues on proteins . a model dye - adduct exhibiting high fluorescence quantum yield ( qy = 0 . 74 ) was also prepared by reacting an amine - reactive dye with n - butyl - amine to test its reactivity as an amine - reactive fluorescent label and determine its spectroscopic properties . additionally , a model protein bioconjugate was prepared with the reactive fluorophore and bovine serum albumin . finally , a hydrophilic derivative of an amine - reactive dye was prepared to obtain a more water - soluble dye . the foregoing will become apparent upon reading the following experimental discussion . reference should now be made to fig1 . the synthesis of an amine reactive fluorescent dye ( 1 ) was prepared as a biological labeling probe ( scheme 1 ). intermediate compounds a - f have been described previously in the literature . preparation of reactive probe 1 , from aminofluorene f , was performed quantitatively , following the literature protocol . the procedure for preparation of reactive probe 1 is shown in fig1 . compound ( 1 ) was prepared as an amine - reactive fluorescent dye , containing the isothiocyanate functionality that can react with primary amine groups present on protein molecules . a model dye - adduct ( 2 ) was also prepared by reacting ( 1 ) with n - butyl - amine to test its reactivity as an amine - reactive fluorescent label ( fig1 ). preparation of the model adduct allowed for facile single - and two - photon spectroscopic characterizations that more closely resembles the bioconjugate than that of the reactive fluorophore alone . the amine - reactive fluorescent dye ( 1 ) was used to prepare a bioconjugate ( 3 ) with bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) protein as a model biomolecule ( which is shown in fig2 ). the use of bsa , an inexpensive protein that has been extensively characterized , is ideal for establishing optimal conditions to obtain a model bioconjugate allowing for subsequent spectroscopic characterization . the amine reactive reagent ( isothiocyanate functional group ) reacts with non - protonated aliphatic amine groups , including the n - terminus of proteins and the ε - amino groups of lysines ( pka ≈ 10 . 5 ). a typical protocol for the conjugation was followed in an amine - free buffer with a slightly basic ph ( ph = 9 . 0 ). the amine reactive dye ( 1 ) was dissolved in dmso , immediately prior to addition into the stirring bsa protein solution . the reaction mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature , after which it was passed through a sephadex g - 25 gel filtration column pre - swollen with water and equilibrated with phosphate buffer saline ( pbs , ph 7 . 2 ) solution . small fractions , eluted with the pbs solution were collected into sterile plastic tubes , and the uv - visible absorption and steady - state fluorescence emission spectra of the bioconjugate were obtained . two different molar ratios of the reactive dye to protein were performed to assess the reactivity of the dye for its degree of labeling ( dol ) ( table 1 ). the degree of labeling was estimated using average values from standard equations obtained from reference 25 . the normalized uv - visible absorption and steady - state fluorescence emission spectra of the free reactive fluorophore ( 1 ) and the dye adduct ( 2 ) in dmso are shown in fig4 . the free reactive fluorophore exhibits two absorption maxima at approximately 357 and approximately 375 nm , along with two emission maxima at approximately 384 and approximately 404 nm . the dye adduct instead exhibits a single absorption maximum at approximately 363 nm with an emission maximum at approximately 403 nm , and is well resolved from that of its absorption spectrum , with minimal spectral overlap . the fluorescence quantum yield ( rhadamine 6g in ethanol as a standard ) of the reactive fluorophore in dmso was approximately 0 . 02 , while that of the dye adduct in dmso increased significantly to approximately 0 . 74 , indicating the fluorescence of the reactive dye should be restored upon conjugation to a biomolecule . the two - photon absorption cross sections ( from two - photon fluorescence measurements ) for the dye adduct in dmso was obtained under femtosecond ( fs ) near ir irradiation ( fig5 a ). the linear , single photon absorption spectrum is shown as the line profile , while the two - photon absorption cross sections were measured at wavelengths that were twice that of the linear absorption , and are shown as the data points . the y - axis is shown as two near - ir photons used to obtain the cross section converted to an equivalent single photon wavelength . the two - photon absorption cross section at the energy of the linear absorption maximum near 370 nm is approximately 25 gm units . interestingly , while the linear absorption spectrum for the compound does not display any significant absorption at the shorter wavelengths , the value of the two - photon absorption cross section increases . to ensure the dye adduct undergoes 2 pa , a log - log plot of the fs pump power to that of the integrated fluorescence was constructed . as can be seen from fig5 b , the slopes from the measurements confirm the quadratic dependence characteristic of fluorescence obtained from two - photon absorption . fig5 a - 5 b show the two - photon cross section of the dye adduct in fig5 a , and the log - log plot of its integrated fluorescence as a function of pump power variation at two different fs excitation wavelengths in fig5 b . the normalized absorption and steady - state fluorescence emission spectra of the bsa - dye bioconjugate ( 3 ) in pbs buffer ( ph 7 . 2 ) is shown in fig6 . for reference , the absorption spectrum of the free bsa protein in pbs solution is also shown . the bsa - dye conjugate displays absorption peaks corresponding to that of the bsa protein in the shorter wavelength range ( δ max = 280 nm ), as well as that of the fluorescent dye in the longer absorption range ( 67 maxuma = 360 nm and 380 nm ). the fluorescence emission of the bioconjugate is broad and exhibits an appreciable stoke &# 39 ; s shift . an appreciable bathochromic shift in the fluorescence emission was observed in the bsa - dye conjugate relative to that of the free reactive fluorophore , and with a similar broadening observed in the absorption profile , the fluorescence emission was also broader than that of the free fluorophore . the observed stoke &# 39 ; s shift in the free dye was about 45 nm , while that of the bsa - dye conjugate was much greater ( stoke &# 39 ; s shift = 73 nm upon δ ex = 360 nm , and 53 nm upon δ ex = 380 nm ). the fluorescence emission profile of the bsa - dye conjugate upon excitation at δ ex = 360 nm and δ ex = 380 nm yielded similar fluorescence intensities . the spectroscopic profiles of the bsa - dye conjugate validate the use of the reactive dye ( 1 ) to form bioconjugates with protein biomolecules for fluorescence imaging applications . however , attempts to conjugate the dye onto an anti - bsa antibody ( molecular probes ) were unsuccessful . the two hydrophobic alkyl chains on the fluorene ring may have interfered with efficient conjugation onto the higher molecular weight of the antibody (˜ 150 kda ) relative to that of the smaller protein (˜ 65 kda ). hence , a more hydrophilic derivative of an amine - reactive dye was prepared ( compound 4 of fig3 ). substitution of the alkyl groups on the fluorene ring with carboxylates should enhance the water solubility of the reactive de , and is expected to improve its conjugation to a wider range of biomolecules in aqueous media . the ft - ir spectrum of the hydrophilic reactive dye ( 4 ) displayed a strong ncs stretch at 2118 cm - 1 , indicating the presence of the amine - reactive functionality . efforts to prepare appropriate adducts and bioconjugates with the hydrophilic dye ( 4 ) are currently underway . a new series of reactive fluorophores have been prepared to covalently label biomolocules for multiphoton imaging . these fluorophores are based upon the fluorene ring system and exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields upon bioconjugation (˜ 0 . 7 ). they have been functionalized with moieties to act , e . g ., as efficient amine - reactive fluorescent probes for the covalent attachment onto , e . g ., proteins and antibodies . a bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) conjugate with a new reactive probe has been demonstrated . additionally , a hydrophilic reactive fluorophore has been prepared , expected to be more efficient for labeling biomaterials in aqueous media . these efficient two - photon absorbing reactive dyes are expected to be versatile probes for multiphoton bio - imaging applications . in summary , there is disclosed numerous structures and the preparation provided by the teachings of this invention : the dye adduct the dye adducts that are hydrophilic and have the structural formulae r 1 , r 2 , x , and y are all functionality tailored for specific applications wherein r 1 and r 2 are selected from the group : r 1 and r 2 , at each occurrence , are independently c 1 - c 16 alkyl , c 1 - c 10 haloalkyl , —( ch 2 ) 1 - 9 co 2 h , —( ch 2 ) 1 - 9 co 2 ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), —( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 1 - 10 h , —( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 1 - 10 ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ); —( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 1 - 10 ( co 2 c 1 - c 6 alkyl ); — ch 2 ch 2 o ) 1 - 10 ( co 2 h ); or —( ch 2 ch 2 o ) 1 - 10 ( co 2 — n - succinimidyl ); — n ═ c ═ s , — n ═ c ═ o , co 2 h , — n - succinimidyl , — p (═ o )( oh ) 2 , — p (═ o )( oh )( o — c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — p (═ o ) cl 2 , p (═ o ) f 2 , — p (═ o )( f )( o — c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — p (═ o )( cl )( o — c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), p (═ o ) br 2 , or — p (═ o )( br )( o — c 1 - c 6 alkyl ); — nh 2 , — nh ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — n ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — n ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ) 2 , — nh ( aryl ), — n ( aryl ) 2 , — nhco ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ), 2 - thiazolyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 3 ; 2 - oxazolyl substituted with 0 - 2 r 3 ; 2 - benzothiazolyl substituted with 0 - 4 r 3 ; 2 - styrlbenzothiazolyl ; 2 - benzoxazolyl substituted with 0 - 4 r 3 ; and 2 - or 4 - pyridyl substituted with 0 - 4 r 3 , and n - carbazolyl substituted with 0 - 4 r 3 ; and r 3 is independently amino , hydroxy , halogen , c 1 - c 6 alkoxy , c 1 - c 10 alkyl , c 1 - c 6 haloalkyl , sh , sch 3 , — nh ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — n ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ) 2 , — nh ( aryl ), — n ( aryl ) 2 , — nhco ( c 1 - c 4 alkyl ), — n ═ c ═ s , — nh ( c ═ s )— o ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — nh ( c ═ s )— nh ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ), — nh ( c ═ s )— n ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ) 2 , — co 2 h , or — co 2 ( c 1 - c 6 alkyl ). fig7 and the example below are further illustrative of the scope of this invention as an amine reactive two - photon fluorescent probe . while the invention has been described , disclosed , illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice , the scope of the invention is not intended to be , nor should it be deemed to be , limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended .	2
hereinafter , each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as necessary . in each embodiment , means having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numeral and description thereof is omitted . as illustrated in fig1 , a content providing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides content ( i . e ., an image ) and includes an encoding device 1 and a decoding device 2 . in this content providing system 1000 , the encoding device 1 and the decoding device 2 are connected to each other via a network n . this network n is an ip packet transmission path , such as the internet and an intranet . in the present embodiment , it is supposed that the content providing system 1000 includes one encoding device 1 and one decoding device 2 . hereinafter , a configuration of the encoding device 1 will be described . the encoding device 1 encodes an image signal as an input signal and provides the encoded image signal to the decoding device 2 . therefore , the encoding device 1 includes an encoder 11 , a time stamp calculation means 12 , an encapsulation determination means 15 and an encapsulation means 16 . the encoder 11 generates an access unit with ( to ) which a cts and a dts are correlated ( added ) by encoding an image signal input from outside according to an encoding scheme in which the cts and the dts are used . here , the encoder 11 encodes the input image signal using an image encoding scheme , such as mpeg ( moving picture experts group )- 2 video or mpeg - 4 avc ( advanced video coding ), and generates an access unit of an image . here , in a case in which a decoding order and a presentation order of the access unit differ as in the case of the image signal , the cts and the dts are correlated with each access unit . the encoder 11 sequentially outputs , to the time stamp calculation means 12 , the access unit correlated with the cts and the dts . the cts ( composition time stamp ) is information indicating time at which presentation or reproduction is performed , and the cts and the pts are sometimes used with the same meaning . the dts is information indicating time at which decoding is performed . the access unit is a collection of codes ( i . e ., input signals ) having identical dts . the input signals are signals to be encoded and decoded , such as image signals and audio signals . the time stamp calculation means 12 calculates a time stamp to be added to a media unit ( i . e ., a differential value of the dts and an offset value ) and includes a differential value calculation means 13 and an offset value calculation means 14 . the differential value calculation means 13 calculates a differential value between the dts of the access unit input from the encoder 11 and a dts of another access unit encoded immediately before this access unit . here , in a case in which the access unit is the head access unit , since no preceding access unit exists immediately before the head access unit , the differential value calculation means 13 calculates the differential value as ‘ 0 .’ at this time , since the differential value calculation means 13 sequentially performs processing to the access units which are continuous in the time direction , the differential value calculation means 13 temporarily stores in an unillustrated memory , as a dts of another access unit , the dts of the access unit for which differential value has been calculated . further , in a case in which the access unit is the second access unit or thereafter , the differential value calculation means 13 calculates a differential value between the dts of the input access unit and the dts of another access unit which is stored temporarily . the offset value calculation means 14 calculates an offset value which is a difference between the dts and the cts of the access unit input from the encoder 11 . that is , the offset value calculation means 14 calculates , as an offset value , a difference between the dts and the cts which are correlated with an identical access unit . then , the time stamp calculation means 12 sequentially outputs , to the encapsulation determination means 15 , the access unit input from the encoder 11 , the differential value calculated by the differential value calculation means 13 and the offset value calculated by the offset value calculation means 14 . the encapsulation determination means 15 determines , as an encapsulation unit , one or more access units which satisfy a later - described determination condition within predetermined determination time among the access units input from the time stamp calculation means 12 . this determination condition is a condition in which the differential values become identical and , at the same time , the offset values become identical . further , the encapsulation unit indicates an access unit that can be encapsulated in the same media unit . that is , the encapsulation determination means 15 determines whether sequentially input access units satisfy a determination condition while counting a timer . the encapsulation determination means 15 then determines , as an encapsulation unit , one or more access units which satisfy the determination condition when determination time elapsed on the timer . for example , in a case in which two access units input within the determination time satisfy the determination condition , the encapsulation determination means 15 determines the two access units as the identical encapsulation unit . on the other hand , in a case in which two access units input within the determination time do not satisfy the determination condition , the encapsulation determination means 15 determines the two access units as separate encapsulation units . then , the encapsulation determination means 15 outputs , for each encapsulation unit , a differential value , an offset value and an access unit included in the encapsulation unit . the encapsulation means 16 encapsulates ( i . e ., stores ), in a media unit , one or more access units determined as an encapsulation unit by the encapsulation determination means 15 and describes ( i . e ., adds ) the identical differential value and the identical offset value in ( to ) the media unit . with reference to fig2 ( a ) , a media unit 100 in which one access unit 200 is encapsulated will be described . the encapsulation means 16 describes an input differential value in a dts field 101 . further , the encapsulation means 16 describes an input offset value in a cts field 102 . then the encapsulation means 16 describes in an encapsulation determination information field ( length_flag ) 103 , as encapsulation determination information , a value indicating that size information is not included ( for example , ‘ 0 ’). this encapsulation determination information field 103 is secured , for example , as 2 bit width . the encapsulation means 16 encapsulates one access unit 200 into the media unit 100 ( au of fig2 ( a ) ). although the media unit 100 includes fields for a time stamp flag , an extension header flag , a random access point flag and the like , these fields are not directly related to the present invention and , therefore , description and illustration thereof will be omitted . further , details of the media unit 100 are described , for example , in a reference “ media transport system in hybrid broadcasting ” information processing society of japan research report , vol . 2011 - avn - 72 no . 1 2011 / 3 / 11 . next , as illustrated in fig2 ( b ) , the media unit 100 in which two access units 200 are encapsulated will be described . in this case , the encapsulation means 16 describes an input differential value in the dts field 101 . further , the encapsulation means 16 describes an input offset value in the cts field 102 . further , the encapsulation means 16 describes in the encapsulation determination information field 103 , as encapsulation determination information , a value indicating that size information is included ( for example , other than ‘ 0 ’). at this time , the encapsulation means 16 may describe , in the encapsulation determination information field 103 , different values for each media unit 100 so that the maximum size can be expressed among one or more access units 200 included in the same media unit 100 . for example , in a case in which the size of the access unit 200 exceeds 0 byte and is equal to or smaller than 64 kb ( i . e ., an expression range of 16 bits ), the encapsulation means 16 describes ‘ 1 ’ in the encapsulation determination information field 103 . at this time , the encapsulation means 16 secures a 16 bit width for a size information field ( au1_length , au2_length ) 104 . further , for example , the size of the access unit 200 exceeds 64 kb and is equal to or smaller than 16 mb ( i . e ., an expression range of 24 bits ), the encapsulation means 16 describes ‘ 2 ’ in the encapsulation determination information field 103 . further , the encapsulation means 16 secures a 24 bit width for the size information field 104 . further , for example , the size of the access unit 200 exceeds 16 mb and is equal to or smaller than 4 gb ( i . e ., an expression range of 32 bits ), the encapsulation means 16 describes ‘ 3 ’ in the encapsulation determination information field 103 . further , the encapsulation means 16 secures a 32 bit width for the size information field 104 . then the encapsulation means 16 describes size information of each access unit 200 in the size information field 104 secured by the predetermined bit width . further , the encapsulation means 16 encapsulates a plurality of access units 200 into the media unit 100 ( au1 and au2 of fig2 ( b ) ). next , with reference to fig3 , the differential values and the offset values described in the media unit 100 will be described ( see fig1 as necessary ). in this fig3 , it is supposed that six access units 200 1 to 200 6 have been generated continuously ( au1 to au6 of fig3 ). further , it is supposed that the access unit 200 1 is encapsulated in a first media unit 100 1 and the access units 200 2 and 200 3 are encapsulated in a second media unit 100 2 . further , it is supposed that the access units 200 4 and 200 5 are encapsulated in a third media unit 100 3 and the access unit 200 6 is encapsulated in a fourth media unit 100 4 . in the media unit 100 1 , since no other preceding access unit exists immediately before the access unit 200 1 , a differential value ‘ 0 ’ is described in a dts field 101 1 . further , in the media unit 100 1 , an offset value indicating a difference between a dts and a cts of the access unit 200 1 is described in a cts field 102 1 . in the media unit 100 2 , a differential value of a dts of the access unit 200 2 and the dts of the access unit 200 1 is described in a dts field 101 2 . further , in the media unit 100 2 , an offset value between the dts and a cts of the access unit 200 2 is described in a cts field 102 2 . here , the differential value between a dts of the access unit 200 3 and the dts of the access unit 200 2 is identical to the differential value between the dts of the access unit 200 2 and the dts of the access unit 200 1 . further , the offset value between the dts and a cts of the access unit 200 3 is identical to the offset value of the access unit 200 2 . therefore , in the media unit 100 2 , the dts field 101 2 and the cts field 102 2 can be shared by the access units 200 2 and 200 3 . in other words , since the dts field 101 and the cts field 102 are shared in the media unit 100 , the media unit 100 is not able to encapsulate access units 200 which have different differential values and offset values . in the media unit 100 3 , a differential value between a dts of the access unit 200 4 and the dts of the access unit 200 3 is described in a dts field 101 3 ( α of fig3 ). in the media unit 100 4 , a differential value between a dts of the access unit 200 6 and a dts of the access unit 200 5 is described in a dts field 101 4 ( β of fig3 ). in addition , since the media units 100 3 and 100 4 are similar to the media units 100 1 and 100 2 , description thereof will be omitted . further , in fig3 , since a part of the fields of the media unit 100 is not directly related to the present invention , illustration thereof is omitted . then , the encoding device 1 transmits , by a transmitting means ( not illustrated ), the media unit 100 generated by the encapsulation means 16 to the decoding device 2 via the network n . for example , the transmitting means converts the media unit 100 into ip packets , performs transmission path encoding processing and modulation processing in accordance with the network n , and transmits the generated ip packets . returning to fig1 , a configuration of the decoding device 2 will be described ( see fig2 and fig3 as necessary ). the decoding device 2 extracts one or a plurality of access units 200 from the media unit 100 transmitted by the encoding device 1 and decodes the extracted access units 200 . therefore , the decoding device 2 includes a multicapsule determination means 21 , a reverse encapsulation means ( i . e ., a media unit extraction means ) 22 , a time stamp reverse calculation means 23 and a decoder 26 . here , the decoding device 2 receives , by a reception means ( not illustrated ), a media unit 100 from the encoding device 1 via the network n . for example , the reception means performs demodulation processing and transmission path decoding processing in accordance with the network n and receives the ip packets . then the reception means extracts a media unit 100 from the received ip packets and sequentially outputs the extracted media unit 100 to the multicapsule determination means 21 . the multicapsule determination means 21 determines whether a plurality of access units 200 have been encapsulated into the media unit 100 based on the input encapsulation determination information field 103 of the media unit 100 . here , in a case in which the value of the encapsulation determination information field 103 is other than ‘ 0 ’ ( for example , ‘ 1 ’ to ‘ 3 ’), the multicapsule determination means 21 determines that a plurality of access units 200 have been encapsulated into the media unit 100 . on the other hand , in a case in which the value of the encapsulation determination information field 103 is ‘ 0 ,’ the multicapsule determination means 21 determines that a plurality of access units 200 have not been encapsulated into the media unit 100 . then the multicapsule determination means 21 sequentially outputs , to a reverse encapsulation means 22 , the determination result indicating whether a plurality of access units 200 have been encapsulated and the media unit 100 . when the determination result of the multicapsule determination means 21 shows that a plurality of access units 200 have not been encapsulated , the reverse encapsulation means 22 extracts ( i . e ., reverse encapsulates ) one access unit 200 from the input media unit 100 . in this case , since one access unit 200 can be extracted when the entire media unit 100 is read , it is not necessary for the reverse encapsulation means 22 to refer to the size information field 104 . the entire size of the media unit 100 can be specified by the reception means described above from a length information field included in a udp header of the ip packet , for example . further , when the determination result of the multicapsule determination means 21 shows that a plurality of access units 200 have been encapsulated , the reverse encapsulation means 22 extracts a plurality of access units 200 from the input media unit 100 . in this case , it is necessary for the reverse encapsulation means 22 to specify , with reference to the size information field 104 , a data field of the media unit 100 into which each access unit 200 is encapsulated . then the reverse encapsulation means 22 extracts , from the media unit 100 , the differential value described in the dts field 101 and the offset value described in the cts field 102 . then the reverse encapsulation means 22 sequentially outputs , to the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 , the access unit 200 , the differential value and the offset value extracted from the media unit 100 . the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 reversely calculates the dts and the cts of the access unit 200 from a time stamp ( i . e ., a differential value and an offset value ) and includes a dts reverse calculation means 24 and a cts reverse calculation means 25 . the dts reverse calculation means 24 performs reverse operation of the differential value calculation means 13 . the cts reverse calculation means 25 performs reverse operation of the offset value calculation means 14 . returning to fig3 , the reverse calculation of the dts by the dts reverse calculation means 24 and the reverse calculation of the cts by the cts reverse calculation means 25 will be described ( see fig1 as necessary ). in the first media unit 100 1 , since no other preceding access unit exists immediately before the access unit 200 1 and , therefore , ‘ 0 ’ is described in the dts field 101 1 as the differential value . therefore , the dts reverse calculation means 24 performs the reverse calculation with an absolute value of the dts of the access unit 200 1 being ‘ 0 ’. at this time , since the dts reverse calculation means 24 performs processing to the access units 200 which are continuous in the time direction , the dts reverse calculation means 24 temporarily stores the value of reversely calculated dts in an unillustrated memory as a dts of the latest access unit ( i . e ., another access unit ) 200 1 . the cts reverse calculation means 25 adds the offset value described in the cts field 102 1 as it is to the value of the reversely calculated dts in the access unit 200 1 and then reversely calculates as a cts of the access unit 200 1 . in the second media unit 100 2 , the differential value between the dts of the access unit 200 2 and the dts of the access unit 200 1 is described in the dts field 101 2 . therefore , the dts reverse calculation means 24 reversely calculates , as the dts of the access unit 200 2 , a value obtained by adding the dts of the access unit 200 1 temporarily stored in the memory and the differential value described in the dts field 101 2 . then the dts reverse calculation means 24 temporarily stores , in the memory described above , the value of the reversely calculated dts of the access unit 200 2 and updates memory content . that is , in this memory , each time the dts of the latest access unit 200 included in the media unit 100 is reversely calculated , the temporarily stored dts is updated . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 reversely calculates , as the cts of the access unit 200 2 , a value obtained by adding the offset value described in the cts field 102 2 and the dts of the access unit 200 2 reversely calculated by the dts reverse calculation means 24 . here , the second media unit 100 2 further includes the access unit 200 3 . therefore , the dts reverse calculation means 24 and the cts reverse calculation means 25 reversely calculate the dts and the cts of the access unit 200 3 , respectively . that is , the dts reverse calculation means 24 adds the differential value described in the dts field 101 2 to the value of the dts temporarily stored in the memory ( i . e ., the value of the dts of the access unit 200 2 ) and reversely calculates the dts of the access unit 200 3 . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 adds the value of the dts reversely calculated by the dts reverse calculation means 24 to the offset value described in the cts field 102 2 and reversely calculates the cts of the access unit 200 3 . since processing in the media units 100 3 and 100 4 is similar to that of the media units 100 1 and 100 2 , description thereof will be omitted . then the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 correlates the dts reversely calculated by the dts reverse calculation means 24 and the cts reversely calculated by the cts reverse calculation means 25 with the access unit 200 and outputs the correlated result to the decoder 26 . returning to fig1 , description about the configuration of the decoding device 2 will be continued . the decoder 26 decodes the access unit 200 input from the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 according to an image decoding scheme corresponds to the encoder 11 ( for example , mpeg - 2 video or mpeg - 4 avc ). since both the cts and the dts are correlated with the access unit 200 , this access unit 200 can be decoded according to the image decoding scheme described above . an operation of the encoding device 1 will be described with reference to fig4 ( see fig1 to fig3 as necessary ). the encoding device 1 encodes , by the encoder 11 , an image signal input from outside to generate an access unit 200 correlated with a cts and a dts ( step s 11 ). the encoding device 1 calculates , by the differential value calculation means 13 , a differential value of the dts for each access unit 200 . further , the encoding device 1 calculates , by the offset value calculation means 14 , an offset value between the dts and the cts for each access unit 200 ( step s 12 ). the encoding device 1 determines , by the encapsulation determination means 15 , whether a plurality of access units 200 satisfy a determination condition within determination time ( step s 13 ). here , in a case in which a plurality of access units 200 satisfy a determination condition ( step s 13 : yes ), the encoding device 1 determines these plurality of access units 200 as an encapsulation unit and proceeds to a process of step s 14 . the encoding device 1 describes , by the encapsulation means 16 , a differential value and an offset value in the media unit 100 . further , the encoding device 1 encapsulates , by the encapsulation means 16 , a plurality of access units 200 included in the encapsulation unit into the media unit 100 . further , the encoding device 1 describes , by the encapsulation means 16 , encapsulation determination information ( for example , any of ‘ 1 ’ to ‘ 3 ’) and size information in the media unit 100 ( step s 14 ). on the other hand , in a case in which one access unit 200 satisfies the determination condition ( step s 13 : no ), the encoding device 1 determines this one access unit 200 as an encapsulation unit and proceeds to a process of step s 15 . the encoding device 1 describes , by the encapsulation means 16 , a differential value and an offset value in the media unit 100 . further , the encoding device 1 encapsulates , by the encapsulation means 16 , one access unit 200 included in the encapsulation unit into the media unit 100 . the encoding device 1 describes , by the encapsulation means 16 , encapsulation determination information ( for example , ‘ 0 ’) in the media unit 100 ( step s 15 ). an operation of the decoding device 2 will be described with reference to fig5 ( see fig1 to fig3 as necessary ). the decoding device 2 determines , by the multicapsule determination means 21 , whether a plurality of access units 200 are encapsulated into the media unit 100 based on encapsulation determination information described in the media unit 100 input from the encoding device 1 ( step s 21 ). here , in a case in which a plurality of access units 200 are encapsulated ( step s 21 : yes ), the decoding device 2 proceeds to a process of step s 22 . the decoding device 2 extracts , by the reverse encapsulation means 22 , a plurality of access units 200 from the input media unit 100 based on size information ( step s 22 ). on the other hand , in a case in which a plurality of access units 200 are not encapsulated ( step s 21 : no ), the decoding device 2 proceeds to a process of step s 23 . the decoding device 2 extracts , by the reverse encapsulation means 22 , one access unit 200 from the input media unit 100 ( step s 23 ). the decoding device 2 reversely calculates , by the dts reverse calculation means 24 , a dts of the access unit 200 . further , the decoding device 2 reversely calculates , by the cts reverse calculation means 25 , a cts of the access unit 200 ( step s 24 ). the decoding device 2 decodes , by the decoder 26 , the access unit 200 of which dts and cts have been reversely calculated ( step s 25 ). as described above , in the encoding device 1 and the decoding device 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention , even in a case in which a plurality of access units 200 are encapsulated , only one field indicating decoding timing ( for the differential value of the dts ) and only one field indicating decoding timing ( for the offset value ) are included in the media unit 100 ( fig2 ( b ) ). further , in a case in which one access unit 200 is encapsulated , the encoding device 1 and the decoding device 2 include no size information field in the media unit ( fig2 ( a ) ). in this manner , since no redundant field is included in the media unit 100 , the encoding device 1 and the decoding device 2 can reduce overheads in this media unit 100 and encapsulation can be performed in an optimum format . especially the encoding device 1 and the decoding device 2 can substantially reduce overheads in the media unit 100 compared with a case in which the fields of the dts and the cts are simply added to each access unit 200 . further , the encoding device 1 secures the size information field 104 with the number of bits in accordance with the size of the access unit 200 . therefore , the encoding device 1 can avoid a situation in which this size information field 104 becomes redundant and a situation in which the number of bits of the size information field 104 becomes insufficient . further , even in a case in which a plurality of access units 200 are encapsulated , the decoding device 2 can correctly specify a data field of each access unit 200 encapsulated into the media unit 100 by referring to the size information field 104 . therefore , the decoding device 2 can prevent data missing during extraction of the access unit 200 . with reference to fig6 , a content providing system 1000 a according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with respect to a difference from the first embodiment . the content providing system 1000 a provides content ( i . e ., audio ) and includes an encoding device 1 a and a decoding device 2 a . the encoding device 1 a encodes an audio signal as an input signal and provides the encoded audio signal to the decoding device 2 a . therefore , the encoding device 1 a includes an encoder 11 a , a time stamp calculation means 12 a , an encapsulation determination means 15 a and an encapsulation means 16 a . the encoder 11 a generates an access unit correlated with a cts by encoding an audio signal input from outside according to an encoding scheme in which the cts is used . here , the encoder 11 a encodes the input audio signal using an audio encoding scheme , such as mpeg - 2 aac ( advanced audio coding ), and generates an audio access unit . here , in a case in which a decoding order and a presentation order of the access unit are identical to each other as in the case of the audio signal , only the cts is correlated with each access unit . then the encoder 11 a outputs , to the time stamp calculation means 12 a , the access unit correlated with the cts . the time stamp calculation means 12 a calculates a time stamp to be added to a media unit ( i . e ., a differential value of the cts ) and includes a differential value calculation means 13 a . the differential value calculation means 13 a calculates , for each access unit , a differential value between the cts of the access unit and the cts of another access unit encapsulated in the immediately preceding media unit . since the differential value calculation means 13 a is similar to the differential value calculation means 13 of fig1 except that the cts is used instead of the dts , detailed description of the differential value calculation means 13 a will be omitted . the encapsulation determination means 15 a determines , as an encapsulation unit , one or more access units which satisfy a later - described determination condition within determination time among the access units input from the time stamp calculation means 12 a . since the encapsulation determination means 15 a is similar to the encapsulation determination means 15 of fig1 except that a determination condition in which differential values are the same is used , detailed description of the encapsulation determination means 15 a will be omitted . the encapsulation means 16 a encapsulates ( i . e ., stores ), in a media unit , one or more access units included in the encapsulation unit determined by the encapsulation determination means 15 a and adds the same differential values to the media unit . in the present embodiment , since the audio signal is encoded , the dts is not correlated with the access unit 200 but only the cts is correlated with the access unit 200 . therefore , as illustrated in fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ) , no dts field exists in the media unit 100 a output by the encapsulation means 16 a but only a cts field 102 exists in that media unit 100 a . then , as illustrated in fig8 , a differential value of the cts calculated by the differential value calculation means 13 a is described in the cts field 102 of this media unit 100 a . in addition , since the encapsulation means 16 a is similar to the encapsulation means 16 of fig1 , detailed description of the encapsulation means 16 a will be omitted . hereinafter , a configuration of the decoding device 2 a will be described . the decoding device 2 a extracts one or a plurality of access units 200 from the media unit 100 a transmitted by the encoding device 1 a and decodes the extracted access units 200 . therefore , the decoding device 2 a includes a multicapsule determination means 21 , a reverse encapsulation means ( i . e ., a media unit extraction means ) 22 , a time stamp reverse calculation means 23 a and a decoder 26 a . the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 a reversely calculates a cts corresponding to the access unit 200 from a time stamp ( i . e ., a differential value of the cts ) and includes a cts reverse calculation means 25 a . the cts reverse calculation means 25 a reversely calculates , as a cts of this access unit 200 , a value obtained by adding a differential value added to the media unit 100 a and a cts of another access unit located immediately before the access unit 200 . since the cts reverse calculation means 25 a is similar to the dts reverse calculation means 24 of fig1 except that the cts is used instead of the dts , detailed description of the cts reverse calculation means 25 a will be omitted . the decoder 26 a decodes the access unit 200 input from the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 a according to an audio decoding scheme corresponding to the encoder 11 a ( for example , mpeg - 2 aac ). since the cts is correlated with the access unit 200 , this access unit 200 can be decoded according to the audio decoding scheme described above . since the dts is not correlated with the decoder 26 a , the decoder 26 a performs decoding considering that the dts and the cts are identical to each other . as described above , in the encoding device 1 a and the decoding device 2 a according to the second embodiment of the present invention , the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained for the audio content . with reference to fig9 , commonization of a media unit 100 b and switching of transmission paths will be described . as illustrated in fig9 , a content providing system 1000 b provides content ( i . e ., images ) and includes a ground distribution station ( i . e ., an encoding device ) 1 b , two receivers ( i . e ., decoding devices ) 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 , and a broadcasting satellite 92 . the ground distribution station 1 b transmits a media unit 100 b in which the content is stored to the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 via a network n . the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 receive the media unit 100 b from the ground distribution station 1 b via the network n and reproduce the content . further , the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 receive the media unit 100 b from the broadcasting satellite 92 via a broadcast wave w and reproduce the content . the broadcasting satellite 92 receives ( i . e ., uplinks ) the media unit 100 b from an unillustrated uplink station . then the broadcasting satellite 92 transmits ( i . e ., downlinks ) the received media unit 100 to the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 via the broadcast wave w . in this manner , a transmission path by the network n is established between the ground distribution station 1 b and the receiver 2 b 1 and between the ground distribution station 1 b and the receiver 2 b 2 . further , a transmission path by the broadcast wave w is established between the broadcasting satellite 92 and the receiver 2 b 1 and between the broadcasting satellite 92 and the receiver 2 b 2 . first , commonization of the media unit 100 b will be described . a case in which the same content is provided from the ground distribution station 1 b to both the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 in a conventional system will be considered . in the conventional system , a dts and a cts are included in each media unit in the form of absolute time . therefore , in the conventional system , there has been a problem that it is necessary to prepare media units corresponding to each of the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 and thus processing load becomes high . next , switching of the transmission paths will be described . for example , a case will be considered in which , when the broadcasting satellite 92 is transmitting the media unit to the receiver 2 b 1 , the transmission path is switched from the broadcast wave w to the network n due to rainfall attenuation and the media unit 100 b is transmitted from the ground distribution station 1 b . in the conventional system , the dts and the cts are included in the media unit in the form of the absolute time . therefore , in the conventional system , there has been a problem that it is necessary to prepare media units for each transmission path , such as the broadcast wave w and the network n , and thus the processing load becomes high . then , an object of the invention of this application is to solve the problems described above and to provide a ground distribution station ( i . e ., an encoding device ), a receiver ( i . e ., a decoding device ) and programs therefor that are capable of encapsulating in an optimum format . in view of the problem described above , the content providing system 1000 b adopts a format to add the base absolute time of the dts and the cts to a control signal ( not illustrated ) and to add a dts relative value and a cts relative value to an access unit ( not illustrated ). thus , in the content providing system 1000 b , if control signals corresponding to each of the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 are prepared , the same media unit 100 b can be used in common by the receivers 2 b 1 and 2 b 2 . that is , the media unit 100 b can be used as the minimum usage unit of the image medium and the audio medium . further , in the content providing system 1000 b , since the format described above is adopted , if the control signals are prepared for each transmission path , the same media unit 100 b can be transmitted to the receiver 2 b 1 while switching the transmission paths . a configuration of an encoding device 1 b will be described with reference to fig1 . the encoding device 1 b encodes an image signal as an input signal and provides the encoded image signal to a decoding device 2 b . therefore , the encoding device 1 b includes an encoder 11 , a time stamp calculation means 12 b , an encapsulation determination means 15 b , and an encapsulation means 16 b and a transmitting means 19 . although a network n is illustrated as the transmission path in this fig1 , the transmission path may instead be a broadcast wave w . the encoder 11 generates an access unit with ( to ) which a cts and a dts are correlated ( added ) by encoding an image signal input from outside according to an encoding scheme in which the cts and the dts are used . then the encoder 11 sequentially outputs , to the encapsulation determination means 15 b , the access unit correlated with the cts and the dts . the encapsulation determination means 15 b determines , as encapsulation unit , one or more access units input from the encoder 11 on a predetermined encapsulation condition . then the encapsulation determination means 15 b outputs the access units to the time stamp calculation means 12 b in an order in which the access units have been encoded for each encapsulation unit . this encapsulation condition is a condition which can be set arbitrarily : for example , a predetermined number of access units are defined as an encapsulation unit , or access units encoded within predetermined time are defined as an encapsulation unit . for example , if a delay is to be reduced , the encapsulation condition is set in advance with one access unit being defined as an encapsulation unit . further , the encapsulation condition may be set in advance with , in the case of image signals , the number of access units corresponding to gop ( group of picture ) ( for example , 15 ) being defined as an encapsulation unit . the time stamp calculation means 12 b calculates time stamps ( i . e ., the dts relative value and the cts relative value ) for each access unit and includes a dts relative value calculation means 17 and a cts relative value calculation means 18 . the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates ‘ 0 ’ as a dts relative value of the access unit which is encoded first . further , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as a dts relative value of the access unit which is encoded second or thereafter , a difference between the dts of this access unit and the dts of another access unit encoded immediately before this access unit . the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as the cts relative value of the access unit , a difference between the cts of this access unit and the cts of another access unit encoded immediately after this access unit . details of the dts relative value calculation means 17 and the cts relative value calculation means 18 will be described later . then , the time stamp calculation means 12 b outputs , to the encapsulation means 16 b , the access units input from the encapsulation determination means 15 b , the dts relative value calculated by the dts relative value calculation means 17 , and the cts relative value calculated by the cts relative value calculation means 18 in an order of encoding in each encapsulation unit . the encapsulation means 16 b encapsulates the access units input from the time stamp calculation means 12 b into the media unit 100 b in an order of encoding in each encapsulation unit . further , the encapsulation means 16 b adds the dts relative value and the cts relative value to each access unit and outputs the encapsulated media unit 100 b to the transmitting means 19 . the transmitting means 19 transmits the media unit 100 b input from the encapsulation means 16 b and a control signal 300 to the decoding device 2 b via the network n . the control signal 300 includes absolute time which indicates the head of the media unit 100 b . for example , the control signals 300 is information indicating a configuration of content and an acquisition source of a necessary component , and start - up control meta data in which absolute time is described ( see the reference ). as the absolute time , for example , the time of utc ( coordinated universal time ) or elapsed time based on the head of the content is set in advance . reference : aoki et al ., “ media transport system in hybrid broadcasting ” information processing society of japan research report , 2011 . here , it is desirable that the transmitting means 19 adds an id ( identifier ) and a sequence number to the media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 corresponding to the media unit 100 b . that is , an id is set in advance in each transmission path and the transmitting means 19 adds , to the media unit 100 b and to the control signal 300 , an id in accordance with the transmission path along which the media unit 100 b is transmitted . further , transmitting means 19 includes a management table ( not illustrated ) with which a sequence number already added to the media unit 100 b is managed . then the transmitting means 19 increments the sequence number of this management table and adds the incremented sequence number as a sequence number of a new media unit 100 b . the id is identification information which is common in predetermined media units 100 b . for example , since the same value is given to the media unit 100 b of the same transmission path , the id is a unique value which neither overlaps other distribution environments nor depends on the distribution environment . the sequence number is identification information specific to each media unit 100 b . that is , each media unit 100 b can be uniquely identified by a set of the id and the sequence number . with reference to fig1 , a concrete example of encapsulation by the encoding device 1 b will be described . in fig1 , the cts field 102 is illustrated as an “ au display period ” and a sequence number field 106 is illustrated as “ seq_no .” in this fig1 , it is supposed that six access units 200 1 to 200 6 have been generated continuously ( au1 to au6 of fig1 ). further , in fig1 , it is supposed that an encapsulation condition has been set with three access units 200 being defined as an encapsulation unit . therefore , the encapsulation determination means 15 b determines the encapsulation unit of the first media unit 100 b 1 as the access units 200 1 to 200 3 and determines the encapsulation unit of the second media unit 100 b 2 as the access units 200 4 to 200 6 . further , in fig1 , it is supposed that the media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 and control signals 300 1 and 300 2 corresponding to these media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 are transmitted along the same transmission path . the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates ‘ 0 ’ as the dts relative value of the head access unit 200 1 and describes ‘ 0 ’ in the dts field 101 1 . further , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as the dts relative value of the second access unit 200 2 , a difference between the dts of this access unit 200 2 and the dts of the head access unit 200 1 , and describes the calculated value in the dts field 101 2 . further , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as the dts relative value of the third access unit 200 3 , a difference between the dts of this access unit 200 3 and the dts of the second access unit 200 2 , and describes the calculated value in the dts field 101 3 . here , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates a dts relative value between the access units 200 3 and 200 4 encapsulated in the different media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 if these media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 have the same id . that is , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as a dts relative value of the fourth access unit 200 4 , a difference between the dts of this access unit 200 4 and the dts of the third access unit 200 3 and describes the calculated difference in the dts field 101 4 . further , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as a dts relative value of fifth access unit 200 5 , a difference between the dts of this access unit 200 5 and the dts of the fourth access unit 200 4 and describes the calculated value in a dts field 101 5 . further , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates , as a dts relative value of sixth access unit 200 6 , a difference between the dts of this access unit 200 6 and the dts of the fifth access unit 200 5 and describes the calculated value in a dts field 101 6 . that is , the dts relative value calculation means 17 calculates the dts relative values as illustrated in following expression ( 1 ) to ( 6 ) and describes the calculated dts relative values in the dts field 101 . the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the head access unit 200 1 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 1 and the cts of the second access unit 200 2 and describes the calculated value in the cts field 102 1 . further , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the second access unit 200 2 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 2 and the cts of the third access unit 200 3 and describes the calculated value in the cts field 102 2 . here , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates a cts relative value between the access units 200 3 and 200 4 encapsulated in the different media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 if these media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 have the same id . that is , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the third access unit 200 3 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 3 and the cts of the fourth access unit 200 4 and describes the calculated value in a cts field 102 3 . further , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the fourth access unit 200 4 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 4 and the cts of the fifth access unit 200 5 and describes the calculated value in a cts field 102 4 . further , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the fifth access unit 200 5 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 5 and the cts of the sixth access unit 200 6 and describes the calculated value in a cts field 102 5 . further , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates , as a cts relative value of the sixth access unit 200 6 , a difference between the cts of this access unit 200 6 and the cts of a seventh access unit 200 ( not illustrated ) and describes the calculated value in a cts field 102 6 . in a case in which the sixth access unit 200 6 is the last access unit , it is only necessary for the cts relative value calculation means 18 to consider any of the time when the input signal is interrupted , when the encoder 11 stops its operation and when time is out as the cts of the seventh access unit 200 and to calculate a cts relative value . that is , the cts relative value calculation means 18 calculates the cts relative values as expressed in the following expressions ( 7 ) to ( 12 ) and describes the calculated cts relative values in the cts field 102 . the transmitting means 19 describes an id common in the media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 and the control signals 300 1 and 300 2 ( for example , ‘ 1 ’) in id fields 105 1 and 105 2 of the media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 and in id fields 301 1 and 301 2 of the control signals 300 1 and 300 2 . further , the transmitting means 19 describes a sequence number of the media unit 100 b 1 ( for example , ‘ 1 ’) in a sequence number field 106 1 of the media unit 100 b 1 and in a sequence number field 302 1 of the control signal 300 1 corresponding to the media unit 100 b 1 . further , the transmitting means 19 describes absolute time indicating the head of the media unit 100 b 1 ( i . e ., absolute time indicating the head of mu1 ( t_mu1 )) in an absolute time field 303 1 of the control signal 300 1 . further , the transmitting means 19 describes a sequence number of the media unit 100 b 2 ( for example , ‘ 2 ’) in a sequence number field 106 2 of the media unit 100 b 2 and in a sequence number field 302 2 of a control signal 300 2 corresponding to the media unit 100 b 2 . further , the transmitting means 19 describes absolute time indicating the head of the media unit 100 b 2 ( i . e ., absolute time indicating the head of mu2 ( t_mu2 )) in an absolute time field 303 2 of the control signal 300 2 . although not illustrated in fig1 , the media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 may include an encapsulation determination information field 103 and a size information field 104 ( fig2 ) as in the case of the first embodiment . in this case , the encapsulation means 16 b describes in the encapsulation determination information field 103 , as encapsulation determination information , a value indicating that size information is included ( for example , other than ‘ 0 ’). further , the encapsulation means 16 b describes size information of each access unit 200 in the size information field 104 . with reference to fig1 , additional explanation on a relationship between the absolute time “ t_mu ” and the cts relative value will be given ( see fig1 and fig1 as necessary ). the cts of the head access unit 200 1 and the absolute time are the same . in other words , the cts and the dts of the head access unit 200 1 become identical . the cts of the second access unit 200 2 is a value obtained by adding δt_au1 to the cts of the head access unit 200 1 . in other words , δt_au1 represents a difference between the cts of the second access unit 200 2 and the cts of the head access unit 200 1 . therefore , this δt_au1 is described in the cts field 102 1 as the cts relative value of the head access unit 200 1 . the cts of the third access unit 200 3 is a value obtained by adding δt_au2 to the cts of the second access unit 200 2 . in other words , δt_au2 represents a difference between the cts of the third access unit 200 3 and the cts of the second access unit 200 2 . therefore , this δt_au2 is described in the cts field 102 2 as the cts relative value of the second access unit 200 2 . since the fourth access unit 200 4 or thereafter are similar to those described above , description will be omitted . returning to fig1 , a configuration of the decoding device 2 b will be described . the decoding device 2 b extracts one or more access units 200 from the media unit 100 b transmitted by the encoding device 1 b and decodes the extracted access units 200 . therefore , the decoding device 2 b includes a reverse encapsulation means ( i . e ., a media unit extraction means ) 22 b , a time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b , a decoder 26 and a receiving means 27 . the reception means 27 receives a media unit 100 b and a control signal 300 from the encoding device 1 via the network n or the broadcast wave w . then the reception means 27 sequentially outputs the received media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 to the reverse encapsulation means 22 b . the reverse encapsulation means 22 b extracts ( i . e ., reverse encapsulates ) one or more access units 200 from the media unit 100 b input from the receiving means 27 . here , the reverse encapsulation means 22 b specifies , with reference to the size information field 104 , a data field of the media unit 100 b into which each access unit 200 is encapsulated . then the reverse encapsulation means 22 b outputs the access units 200 to the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b in an order in which the access units 200 have been extracted from the media unit 100 b . further , the reverse encapsulation means 22 b outputs the control signal 300 input from the receiving means 27 to the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b . the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b reversely calculates the dts and the cts of the access unit 200 from a time stamp ( i . e ., the dts relative value and the cts relative value ) and includes a dts reverse calculation means 24 b and a cts reverse calculation means 25 b . the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates absolute time of the control signal 300 corresponding to the media unit 100 b as the dts of the access unit 200 located at the head . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the access unit 200 located at the second place or thereafter , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value of the access unit 200 and the dts of another access unit located immediately before the access unit 200 . the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates , as a cts of another access unit located immediately after the access unit 200 , a value obtained by adding absolute time of the control signal 300 corresponding to the media unit 100 b and a sum of the cts relative values of from the access unit 200 located at the head to this access unit 200 . with reference to fig1 , a concrete example of reverse encapsulation by the decoding device 2 b will be described ( see fig1 as necessary ). the dts reverse calculation means 24 b obtains a correlation between the media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 with reference to the id and the sequence number . in the example of fig1 , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b correlates a media unit 100 b 1 of which id =‘ 1 ’ and sequence number =‘ 1 ’ with the control signal 300 1 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b correlates a media unit 100 b 2 of which id =‘ 1 ’ and sequence number =‘ 2 ’ with the control signal 300 2 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as the dts of the head access unit 200 1 , absolute time described in the absolute time field 303 1 of the control signal 300 1 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the second access unit 200 2 , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value described in the dts field 101 2 of this access unit 200 2 and the already obtained dts of the head access unit 200 1 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the third access unit 200 3 , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value described in the dts field 101 3 of this access unit 200 3 and the already obtained dts of the second access unit 200 2 . here , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates a dts between the access units 200 3 and 200 4 encapsulated in the different media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 if these media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 have the same id . that is , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the fourth access unit 200 4 , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value described in the dts field 101 4 of this access unit 200 4 and the already obtained dts of the third access unit 200 3 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the fifth access unit 200 5 , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value described in the dts field 101 5 of this access unit 200 5 and the already obtained dts of the fourth access unit 200 4 . further , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates , as a dts of the sixth access unit 200 6 , a value obtained by adding the dts relative value described in the dts field 101 6 of this access unit 200 6 and the already obtained dts of the fifth access unit 200 5 . that is , the dts reverse calculation means 24 b reversely calculates the dts as expressed in the following expressions ( 13 ) to ( 17 ). the cts reverse calculation means 25 b obtains a correlation between the media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 with reference to the id and the sequence number as in the case of the dts reverse calculation means 24 b . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates , as a cts of the head access unit 200 1 , absolute time described in the absolute time field 303 1 of the control signal 300 1 . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates , as a cts of the second access unit 200 2 , a value obtained by adding absolute time of the control signal 300 1 and the cts relative value of the head access unit 200 1 . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b calculates a sum of the cts relative values of the access units 200 1 and 200 2 . then the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates a value obtained by adding absolute time to this sum as a cts of the third access unit 200 3 . here , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates a cts between the access units 200 3 and 200 4 encapsulated in the different media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 if these media units 100 b 1 and 100 b 2 have the same id . that is , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b calculates a sum of the cts relative values of the access units 200 1 to 200 3 . then the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates a value obtained by adding absolute time to this sum as a cts of the fourth access unit 200 4 . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b calculates a sum of the cts relative values of the access units 200 1 to 200 4 . then the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates a value obtained by adding absolute time to this sum as a cts of the fifth access unit 200 5 . further , the cts reverse calculation means 25 b calculates a sum of the cts relative values of the access units 200 1 to 200 5 . then the cts reverse calculation means 25 b reversely calculates a value obtained by adding absolute time to this sum as a cts of the sixth access unit 200 6 . here , additional explanation on the absolute time “ t_mu2 ” of the control signal 300 2 will be given . in a case in which a broadcast wave w is used , decoding devices 2 b which begin receiving at various timings exist in the content providing system 1000 b . here , a case in which a certain decoding device 2 b has not been able to receive a control signal 300 1 will be considered . in this case , the decoding device 2 b receives a subsequent control signal 300 2 and reversely calculates , using absolute time “ t_mu2 ” of this control signal 300 2 , the dts and the cts of the access units 200 4 to 200 6 encapsulated into the media unit 100 b 2 . in this manner , the decoding device 2 b begins reproduction of content starting at the media unit 100 b 2 corresponding to the control signal 300 2 which the decoding device 2 b has been able to receive . that is , in the content providing system 1000 b , in order that the decoding device 2 b may begin receiving at arbitrary timing , it is desirable to periodically transmit , to the decoding device 2 b , the control signal 300 to which absolute time is added . further , in a case in which the decoding device 2 b receives the media units 100 b continuously , absolute time of the control signal 300 2 is not necessary if the fourth access unit 200 4 is promptly displayed after the third access unit 200 3 . however , in the content providing system 1000 b , a clock frequency of the encoding device 1 b and a clock frequency of the decoding device 2 b do not necessarily coincide precisely . therefore , in the content providing system 1000 b , there is a possibility that an error ( i . e ., a clock drift ) occurs in absolute time if the cts relative value of each access unit 200 is accumulated . therefore , in the content providing system 1000 b , mapping to absolute time is performed at relatively short intervals to prevent serious errors from occurring . that is , in the content providing system 1000 b , in order to reduce errors in the cts in the access unit 200 , it is desirable to periodically transmit , to the decoding device 2 b , the control signal 300 to which absolute time is added . then the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b sequentially outputs , to the decoder 26 , the access units 200 for which the dts and the cts have been reversely calculated . returning to fig1 , description about the configuration of the decoding device 2 b will be continued . the decoder 26 decodes the access unit 200 input from the time stamp reverse calculation means 23 b according to an image decoding scheme corresponding to the encoder 11 . since both the cts and the dts are correlated with the access unit 200 , this access unit 200 can be decoded according to the image decoding scheme described above . an operation of the encoding device 1 b will be described with reference to fig1 ( see fig1 to fig1 as necessary ). the encoding device 1 b encodes , by the encoder 11 , an image signal input from outside to generate an access unit 200 correlated with a cts and a dts ( step s 31 ). the encoding device 1 b determines , by the encapsulation determination means 15 b , one or more access units as an encapsulation unit on a predetermined encapsulation condition ( step s 32 ). the encoding device 1 b calculates the dts relative value by the dts relative value calculation means 17 ( step s 33 ). the encoding device 1 b calculates the cts relative value by the cts relative value calculation means 18 ( step s 34 ). the encoding device 1 b encapsulates , by the encapsulation means 16 b , the access units 200 into the media unit 100 b and adds the dts relative value and the cts relative value to each access unit 200 ( step s 35 ). the encoding device 1 b transmits , by the transmitting means 19 , the encapsulated media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 corresponding to this media unit 100 b to the decoding device 2 b via the network n ( step s 36 ). an operation of the decoding device 2 b will be described with reference to fig1 ( see fig1 to fig1 as necessary ). the decoding device 2 b receives , by the receiving means 27 , the media unit 100 b and the control signal 300 from the encoding device 1 b via the network n or the broadcast wave w ( step s 41 ). the decoding device 2 b extracts , by the reverse encapsulation means 22 b , one or more access units 200 from the media unit 100 b ( step s 42 ). the decoding device 2 b reversely calculates the dts by the dts reverse calculation means 24 b ( step s 43 ). the decoding device 2 b reversely calculates the cts by the cts reverse calculation means 25 b ( step s 44 ). the decoding device 2 b decodes , by the decoder 26 , the access units 200 of which the dts and the cts are reversely calculated ( step s 45 ). as described above , in the encoding device 1 b and the decoding device 2 b according to the third embodiment of the present invention , a format in which the base absolute time of the dts and the cts are added to a control signal 300 and in which the dts relative value and the cts relative value are added to the access unit 200 is adopted . therefore , the encoding device 1 b and the decoding device 2 b can easily change the time when the access unit 200 is decoded and the time when the access unit 200 is presented or reproduced only by rewriting the absolute time of the control signal 300 . further , the encoding device 1 b and the decoding device 2 b can easily implement commonization of the media unit 100 b and switching of the transmission paths . with reference to fig1 to fig1 , a content providing system 1000 c according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with respect to a difference from the third embodiment . the content providing system 1000 c provides content ( i . e ., audio ) and includes an encoding device 1 c and a decoding device 2 c . the encoding device 1 c encodes an audio signal as an input signal and provides the encoded audio signal to the decoding device 2 c . as illustrated in fig1 , since a configuration of the encoding device 1 c is similar to that of the encoding device 1 b of fig1 except that an encoder 11 a is provided instead of the encoder 11 and that the dts relative value calculation means 17 is excluded , detailed description of the configuration of the encoding device 1 c will be omitted . further , as illustrated in fig1 , since an operation of the encoding device 1 c is similar to that illustrated in fig1 except that step s 33 is not performed , detailed description of the operation of the encoding device 1 c will be omitted . the decoding device 2 c extracts an access unit 200 from a media unit 100 c transmitted by the encoding device 1 c and decodes the extracted access unit 200 . as illustrated in fig1 , since a configuration of the decoding device 2 c is similar to that of the decoding device 2 b of fig1 except that a decoder 26 a is provided instead of the decoder 26 and that the dts reverse calculation means 24 b is excluded , detailed description of the configuration of the decoding device 2 c will be omitted . further , as illustrated in fig1 , since an operation of the decoding device 2 c is similar to that illustrated in fig1 except that step s 43 is not performed , detailed description of the operation of the decoding device 2 c will be omitted . as illustrated in fig1 , since the media unit 100 c and the control signal 300 are similar to those illustrated in fig1 except that the dts field 101 is not included in the media unit 100 c , detailed description of the media unit 100 c and the control signal 300 will be omitted . as described above , in the encoding device 1 c and the decoding device 2 c according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention , the same effect as that of the third embodiment can be obtained for the audio content . functions of the encoding device and the decoding device according to each embodiment may be implemented by a computer . in that case , the present invention may implement the functions by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer - readable recording medium , and causing a computer system to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium . the “ computer system ” here should include an os and hardware , such as peripheral equipment . further , the “ computer - readable recording medium ” should include a portable medium , such as a flexible disk , a magnetic - optical disk , a rom and a cd - rom , and a storage device , such as a hard disk incorporated in a computer system . further , the “ computer - readable recording medium ” may include a medium which dynamically retains a program for a short time , such as a communication line on which the program is transmitted like a network , such as the internet , and a communication line , such as a telephone line , and a medium which retains a program for a certain period of time , like a volatile memory incorporated in a computer system used as a server or a client in the case described above . further , the program described above may be for implementing a part of the function described above and , moreover , may implement the function described above in combination with a program already recorded on a computer system . although each embodiment of the present invention has been described , the present invention is not limited to the same and can be implemented in a range without changing the purport thereof . modification of the embodiments will be described below . although the image is handled by the content providing system 1000 and the audio is handled by the content providing system 1000 a in the foregoing description , the present invention may also handle both the image and the audio . in this case , in the content providing side , the encoding device 1 of fig1 generates a media unit of the image and the encoding device 1 a of fig6 generates a media unit of the audio . then , in the content providing side , the media unit of the image and the media unit of the audio are multiplexed and transmitted to the content receiving side . further , in the content receiving side , the multiplexed media unit is divided into the media unit of the image and the media unit of the audio . then , in the content receiving side , the media unit of the image is decoded by the decoding device 2 of fig1 and the media unit of the audio is decoded by the decoding device 2 a of fig6 . further , the content providing systems 1000 and 100 a may include two or more encoding devices 1 and 1 a and two or more decoding devices 2 and 2 a . further , in the content providing systems 1000 and 100 a , the media unit generated by the encoding devices 1 and 1 a may be recorded on a magneto - optical recording medium and may be provided to the decoding devices 2 and 2 a in an offline manner , such as mailing . further , in the content providing systems 1000 and 100 a , the encoding devices 1 and 1 a and the decoding devices 2 and 2 a may be provided in the same device , the media units generated by the encoding devices 1 and 1 a may be accumulated , and the accumulated media units may be provided to the decoding devices 2 and 2 a .	7
reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . given the rapidly increasing processing power of mobile devices and the availability of mobile sdks , a hosted application browser of the related art , such as a hosted voicexml browser , may be moved directly to an end user &# 39 ; s mobile device . in other words , an application browser , such as a voicexml browser , and other , associated components may be deployed as a mobile application and implemented on the mobile device to allow a voicexml application to be processed directly on the mobile device . this concept may also be known as mobile direct self service ( mdss ). mdss may provide the benefit of reduced cost or , in the case of simple applications , no hosting cost to companies , for example . in addition , the end - user features that mdss provides may allow applications to become more user - friendly . fig2 illustrates a mdss system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , a mobile device 205 communicates with client systems 210 and media resource systems 215 of a vendor . the mobile device 205 may include an application browser 220 that interacts with a cti manager 225 and a media resource gateway 230 . the cti manager 225 and the media resource gateway 230 may also be included in the mobile device 205 . these components may utilize the mobile device &# 39 ; s 205 mobile broadband or wireless connection to communicate with the client systems 210 or the service vendor &# 39 ; s media resource systems 215 . the mobile device 205 may be , for example , a cellular phone , a pda , or an iphone , and may operate , for example , in a cdma or gsm network . the mobile device 205 may also include a gps component 235 to provide , for example , location - based services to the user of the mobile device 205 . as is the case in the related art , the client systems 210 may include a voicexml application server 240 and a cti management server 245 . the vendor &# 39 ; s media resources systems 215 may include an mrcp speech recognition server 250 , a media resource gateway 255 , and a mrcp tts server 260 . the application browser 220 of the mobile device 205 may be a voicexml 2 . 1 compliant browser with a minimal memory footprint and minimal processing overhead . unlike the voicexml browsers used in a hosted environment in the related art , the application browser or voicexml browser 220 may only need to be able to handle one call . therefore , the required processing power is significantly reduced . in addition , the voicexml browser 220 may be able to handle a majority of the call flow required to provide an ivr application to the user of the mobile device 205 . the voicexml browser 220 may send application requests to the voicexml application server 240 , and the requested voicexml application may be delivered from the voicexml application server 240 to the voicexml browser 220 . the cti manager 225 may communicate important telephony events to the client systems 210 , in particular to the cti management server 245 . such telephony events may include , for example , set up , deliver ( ringing ), establish ( answer ), clear ( hang up ), end , hold , retrieve from hold , conference , transfer , forward , etc . when a legitimate call is being processed on the mobile device 205 , the cti data provided by the cti manager 225 may be used , in conjunction with data of the voicexml application server 240 , to authorize access to advanced mrcp features . the advanced mrcp features may include automatic speech recognition ( asr ) that may be provided by the mrcp speech recognition server 250 or text - to - speech ( tts ) that may be provided by the mrcp tts server 260 , for example . proper authentication may be important because mrcp features may be charged per transaction by the vendor . also , the cti manager 225 may be important with respect to transfers . transfers that usually depend on a carrier &# 39 ; s advanced features may need to be implemented by other means , so it may be necessary for user - to - user information ( uui ) and other call data to be transferred out - of - band . the media resource gateway 255 may provide advanced services , such as asr or tts to the application , by bridging communication between the voicexml browser 220 and the mrcp services . as part of authorizing communication to media resources , mrcp requests from the voice xml browser 220 may be directed through the media resource gateway 255 . the gateway layer may handle authentication and then host the mrcp communication through the established channel . if the mobile device 205 is capable of processing speech or generating tts on its own , resources not requiring vendor - specific handling may be passed off to the mobile device 205 by the media resource gateways 230 , 255 , thereby saving the application provider additional advanced service fees . to facilitate the configuration of mdss components prior to running a vxml document , a mobile direct self service file (. mdss ) may be used . this file may be an xml - based configuration file that contains the configuration settings of the media resource gateways 230 , 255 and the cti manager 225 as well as the url of the intended voicexml target . having a unique file type for voice applications targeted to mobile devices may also be useful in allowing seamless integration of mdss into a web environment . a mobile device may automatically launch the mdss application when the user follows a link that provides mdss content . the format of such a file may be defined , published and validated via standard xml validation methods . simple blind transfers may be accomplished by allowing the mdss application to access the phone &# 39 ; s system apis ( application programming interfaces ) to simply dial the transfer number . more complicated transfers may require functions that may be unavailable within the realm of the mobile device &# 39 ; s capabilities on the mobile carrier &# 39 ; s network . to implement these transfers may require dialing a toll - free number that has carrier - advanced features and then utilizing cti data to execute the transfer . the following may be exemplary applications of mdss that may be advantageous to , for example , the end users , vendors , service providers , companies and clients involved . with respect to access to ivr applications , in the case of mdss , the user may be allowed to access applications via web urls rather than phone numbers . a client &# 39 ; s site may list individual urls for each subsection of their application , giving the user direct access to billing or technical support features , without the need for the client to have individual phone numbers for each service . having direct access to the voicexml interpretation allows the user to easily “ pause ” the ivr , and it may be relatively simple to provide a complete range of controls a user would normally be accustomed to with other media , such as fast forward , rewind , etc . instead of having to rely on the application &# 39 ; s menu repeat options , the user may interact with the browser instructing it to scan through a prompt in reverse , go back to the beginning of the current prompt or menu , or even go to a previous menu and either accept the user &# 39 ; s original response again or provide new input . to support such features , when it comes to application reporting , it may be beneficial to create new voicexml events that the browser can handle , so reporting can accurately reflect the user &# 39 ; s navigation . fig3 shows an exemplary illustration of mdss voicexml navigation . having direct access to the call flow data may allow implementing user - defined hotkeys or “ bookmarks ” in a voicexml application . if the user would like to return to a portion of an application at a later time , he or she may press a hotkey capture button , which may then suspend the running voicexml application . the mdss browser may store the current state and the input required to reach that state . after speaking or entering a bookmark identifier , the application may resume normally . at a later time , the user may request access to the bookmark , and this may instruct mdss to run load the application and automatically proceed to the bookmarked state if modifications to the applications do not prevent it . in the case where the application has been modified , mdss may provide a message to the user indicating the bookmark needs to be updated ; present the user with the prompt where the application changed ; and wait for the user to indicate that he or she has once again reached the point in the application the user wishes to bookmark . location - based services is another area in which having the mdss browser running directly on the mobile device may be of advantage . providing location - based information to customers may mean to add more value in the mobile realm . rather than relying on complicated data exchanges to determine the location of the caller , the browser may directly access the device &# 39 ; s gps coordinates and pass them on to the application server . this may all be done as part of the initial request to the application server . self - service applications may then be catered for the caller &# 39 ; s current location prior to even the first prompt . multimedia resources , as illustrated , for example , in fig4 , may be referenced within the voicexml application , allowing the mobile device to display supplemental data during the progress of the call . this may be utilized by providing an image of the caller &# 39 ; s current billing statement when the caller requests payment information ; by providing a video clip of the steps required to reset a satellite receiver when the caller is requesting technical support ; or even by launching a web page with a registration form when the caller wants to enroll in some special program . there may also be the branding aspect that may be important to many companies , so a company logo , customer notifications , or advertising may be displayed on the mobile device while working with their ivr . in the voip world , it may be common for a conference call to be presented along with video conferencing or a shared desktop for a presentation . mdss may add functionality in the voice self - service world because the multimedia may also interact back with the ivr . for example , if the caller has a question about their bill , mdss may display the caller &# 39 ; s recent billing statement on the screen and allow the user to select the billing line - item the caller has a question about and say “ what is this charge ”? again , due to the fact that the voicexml interpretation is happening locally on the caller &# 39 ; s phone , the act of selecting an item on the screen may be passed to the browser as input without complex data exchanges . this sort of interaction may be simplified because mdss is just a single application that accepts multiple forms of input . mdss may be an industry standard that may be implemented by mobile device builders as part of their devices &# 39 ; core features . there may be several versions of mdss to support various mobile device architectures . open development environments like j2me may aid in that sort of development , but each device may require its own special development for its unique features or hardware . fig5 illustrates a method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in step 510 , an application browser that is implemented on an mdss mobile device may request an application from an application server . the application browser may be a voicexml browser ; the application may be a voicexml application ; and the application server may be a voicexml application server . in step 520 , a cti manager may provide cti data . the cti manager may also be implemented on the mdss mobile device . the cti data , in conjunction with data from the application server , may authorize access to advanced mrcp services such as asr or tts . in step 530 , the advanced mrcp services may be provided to the application that was requested by the application browser . the advanced mrcp services may be provided by a media resource gateway . fig6 illustrates another method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in step 610 , a mdss mobile device displays a representation of at least one contact device on a display of the mdss mobile device . in step 620 , a user of the mdss mobile device may select one or more of the contact devices from the displayed representation . further , at step 630 , a communication link may be established between the mdss mobile device and the selected contact devices . once the communication link has been established , at step 640 , the user of the contact device may be presented with a multimedia presentation . this may include , for example , a telephone voice recording , or even a video . in step 650 , the user of the contact device may be solicited for input regarding the content of the multimedia presentation . this can include , for example , any number of solicited responses known in the art . further , the results of the solicitation may also be collected . as will be recognized by those skilled in the art , the innovative concepts described in the present application can be modified and varied over a wide range of applications . accordingly , the scope of patented subject matter should not be limited to any of the specific exemplary teachings discussed above , but is instead defined by the following claims .	7
generally stated , the non - limitative illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system and a method for improving the quality of images obtained from an imaging system , such as an ultrasound imaging system , through the application of an image restoration process in order to recover clinically important image details , which are often masked due to resolution limitations . in common ultrasound imaging systems , the spatial resolution is severely limited due to the effects of both the finite aperture and overall bandwidth of ultrasound transducers and the non - negligible width of the transmitted ultrasound beams . this low spatial resolution remains the major limiting factor in the clinical usefulness of medical ultrasound images . to this end , an estimation of the point spread function ( psf ) of the imaging system is required . the image restoration process is a novel , original , reliable , and fast maximum likelihood ( ml ) approach for recovering the psf of an ultrasound imaging system . this new psf estimation method is based on an additional constraint , namely that the psf to be estimated is of known parametric form . under this constraint , the parameter values of its associated modulation transfer function ( mtf ) are then efficiently estimated using a homomorphic filter , a denoising step , and an expectation - maximization ( em ) based clustering algorithm . consequently , this amounts to estimating , in the low - pass - filtered cepstral domain , a mixture of two identical gaussian distributions whose parameters are automatically estimated , in a maximum likelihood sense , by an iterative expectation - maximization ( em ) [ 11 ] based clustering algorithm . given this psf estimate , a deconvolution algorithm can then be efficiently used , in a subsequent stage , in order to improve the spatial resolution of ultrasound images , to obtain an estimate of the true tissue reflectivity function , which is then independent of the properties of the imaging system . referring to fig1 , the image restoration system 10 includes a processor 12 with an associated memory 14 having stored therein processor executable instructions 16 for configuring the processor 12 to perform various processes , namely image restoration process , which process will be further described below . the image restoration system 10 further includes an input / output ( i / o ) interface 18 for communication with an imaging system 20 and a display 30 . the image restoration system 10 obtains images , for example ultrasound images , from the imaging system 20 and executes the image restoration process 16 on the acquired images . the resulting restored images are then displayed on the display 30 and may be saved to the memory 14 , to other data storage devices or medium 40 , or provided to a further system via the i / o interface 18 . referring to fig2 , the image restoration system 10 may be remotely connected to one or more imaging systems 20 and / or remotely operated through a remote station 62 via a wide area network ( wan ) such as , for example , ethernet ( broadband , high - speed ), wireless wifi , cable internet , satellite connection , cellular or satellite network , etc . the remote station 62 may also have associated data storage devices or medium 64 for locally storing restored images provided by the image restoration system 10 . referring now to fig3 , there is shown a flow diagram of an illustrative example of the image restoration process 100 executed by the processor 12 ( see fig1 ). steps of the process 100 are indicated by blocks 102 to 110 . the process 100 starts at block 102 where an image , for example an ultrasound image , is obtained from the imaging system 20 and , at block 104 , subdivided . then , at block 106 , a deconvolution factor is determined for the image and , at block 108 , the deconvolution factor is applied to the subdivided image resulting in a restored image . finally , at block 110 , the restored image is provided , for example through the display 30 and / or stored in a data storage device or medium 40 . the various steps of process 100 will be further detailed below . in ultrasound imaging , the psf happens to exhibit spatial dependency due , among other things , to the non - uniformity of focusing , the dispersive attenuation and the heterogeneity of the different interrogated tissues . nevertheless , a relatively low spatial variability of these phenomena makes it possible to divide the obtained acoustic image into a predefined number of small enough ( possibly overlapping ) images , for which the data within each such smaller image can be considered to be quasi - stationary , with a different psf . it is then assumed that , the entire image can be easily recovered by combining all the local results obtained in this manner . assuming space invariance and linearity , the resolution capabilities of an ultrasound imaging system can be expressed in terms of the psf , h ( x , y ), i . e . the image of a point reflector , by the following classical linear model : g ( x , y )= f ( x ,)* h ( x , y )+ n * x , y ) equation 1 where f ( x , y ) is the spatial reflectance distribution of internal organs of the human body to be imaged , g ( x , y ) is the degraded ultrasound image of the object f ( x , y ), h ( x , y ) is the psf function of the imaging system 20 , which counts for the finite aperture and bandwidth of the transducer , n ( x , y ) describes the additive quantization and electronic noise and finally * designates the 2d discrete linear convolution operator . assuming that the noise term n ( x , y ) is temporarily ignored for the sake of simplicity , equation 1 is more easily described in frequency domain as a simple product and sum where the capital letters indicate the fourier transforms of the corresponding spatial functions : an homomorphic transformation is simply the complex logarithmic transformation of both side of equation 2 . the real ( re ) and the imaginary ( im ) parts of the resultant relation are given correspondingly by : re : log \| g ( u , v )\|≅ log \| f ( u , v )\|+ log \| h ( u , v )\| equation 3 im : g ( u , v )≅ f ( u , v )+ h ( u , v ) equation 4 where the symbols \|.\| and denote , respectively , the amplitude and the phase of the complex functions . the basic idea for cepstrum - based methods of estimating the psf spectrum h ( u , v ) relies on the fact that log \| h ( u , v )\| is typically a much smoother function than log \| f ( u , v )\| and the same holds for the functions h ( u , v ) and f ( u , v ). consequently , in this context , the log - spectrum of the degraded ultrasound image ( amplitude and phase ) is considered to be a noisy version of the complex log - spectrum of the psf to be estimated and in this setting , in which log \| f ( u , v )\| and f ( u , v ) are considered to be sources of noise to be rejected , the problem of recovering log \| h ( u , v )\| and h ( u , v ) is thus essentially a denoising problem in the cepstral domain . in order to ensure both an automatic procedure and also a reliable denoising step allowing a good estimate of the psf spectrum , h ( u , v ), without ( ringing or blocking ) artifacts , a two - stage denoising scheme is proposed ; namely a discrete cosine transform ( dct )- based denoising step using a hard thresholding rule followed by a em - based regression model . in addition , since the psf model relies on an even function in x and y , the phase spectrum is assumed to be null . algorithmically [ 12 ], the dct - based denoising procedure consists in applying iteratively , until a maximal number of iterations is reached or until convergence is achieved , frequential filtering based on the dct transform of each 8 × 8 sub - image extracted from the current version of the image to be denoised ( initially , this current image estimate is the noisy image itself ). for the filtering operation in the dct domain , the easily - implemented hard thresholding rule [ 13 ] is used , also classically used in wavelet based denoising approaches , where ε is a threshold level and ω is one of the coefficients obtained by the dct transform of the block ( of size 8 × 8 pixels ) extracted from the current image to be denoised . in order to reduce blocky artifacts across block boundaries , a standard approach is adopted where this transform is made translation - invariant , by using the dct of all ( circularly ) translated version of each channel of the image ( herein assumed to be toroidal ) [ 14 ] ( this implies computing a set of 8 horizontal shifts and 8 vertical shifts transformed images ) which is then averaged at each step of this iterative denoising procedure . in order to speed up the procedure , an overlap of three pixels is used for the sliding 8 × 8 window . this iterative denoising procedure , illustrated in procedure 1 , is applied on the noisy version of log h ( u , v ), i . e ., log g ( u , v ) ( amplitude and phase ) and allows us to obtain a first rough estimate of log h ̂( u , v ) which will be refined in the next step . for all ( 8 horizontal and 8 vertical ) shifts of i [ n ] do for all 8 x 8 blocks extracted from i [ n ] do hard ε = o if \| \| ≦ ε , otherwise in order to refine the estimation given by the above - mentioned denoising step , the estimation method now relies on an additional constraint , namely that the psf to be estimated has the following parametric form : which is the psf model used in [ 15 ], i . e . asymmetric ( across the x - axis and y - axis ) cosine modulated by a gaussian envelope whose the fourier spectrum , i . e . its mtf ( in fact a band - pass filter ), namely h ( u , v ) can be written in the fourier domain : h ( u , v )= πσ x σ y exp (− 2π 2 σ x 2 u 2 ){ exp (− 2π 2 σ y 2 ( v − f o ) 2 )+ exp (− 2π 2 σ y 2 ( v + f o ) 2 )} equation 6 under this constraint , the regression model that gives , for the set of amplitude values of \| h ( u , v )\|, the best fit , in the least square sense , of two equally weighted gaussian distributions ( with the constraints that these two distributions are centered at u = 0 and symmetric with respect to v ) can now be considered . in that respect , this latter regression model can be efficiently addressed by considering the parameter statistical estimation problem of a ( noisy ) gaussian distribution mixture of two ( equally weighted ) gaussian component in r 2 by considering nf 2 - dimensional vectors v =( u , v ), v ={ vi , 1 ≦ i ≦ nf }, taking their values in r 2 and whose cardinality of each v is given by the amplitude value h ( u , v ). finally , it is assumed that v = v1 , . . . , vn f is a realization in , ir 2 , of v whose density takes the form of the following 2 - component mixture : in which , the 2 components pv / ci ( v / ck , ψk ) are , in the present application ( see equation 5 ) assumed to be two equally weighted ( p1 = p2 = 0 . 5 ) bi - variate gaussian distributions with mean vector μk and identical covariance matrix σ ( ψk =( μk , σ )), i . e . : in this setting , the identification of the parameters of the psf spectrum modulus h ( uv ) amounts to estimate the parameters ( ψ1 and ψ2 with the constraints that these two distributions are centered at u = 0 ( μ1 =( u = 0 , v1 ) t and μ2 =( u = 0 , v2 )) and v1 and v2 symmetric with respect to v = 0 , i . e . of opposite signs . this 2 - component gaussian mixture model is estimated thanks to a em - based clustering algorithm [ 11 ]. the initial parameters of this iterative procedure are given by the ml estimation on the partition given by a simple k - means clustering procedure . the constraint of identical covariance matrix and mean vector centered at u = 0 are taken into account at the end of the procedure by simply considering the average value of the two covariance matrices and the average absolute value of v1 and v2 . in order to improve the spatial resolution of the ultrasound images and to obtain an estimate of the true tissue reflectivity function , the ultrasound system &# 39 ; s point - spread function can now be deconvolved out . in the present application , an unsupervised bayesian deconvolution approach [ 16 ] is being used ( or a penalized likelihood framework ) exploiting a non - parametric adaptive prior distribution derived from the recent image model proposed by buades [ 17 ]. this prior distribution expresses that acceptable deconvolved solutions are the images exhibiting a high degree of redundancy . in this setting , the deconvolution of ultrasound images leads to the following cost function to be optimized : where the first term expresses the fidelity to the available data g and the second encodes the expected property of the true undegraded image and y [ g ]( f ) designates the non - local means filter in [ 17 ] applied on f , ρ , the regularization parameter controlling the contribution of the two terms ( which is crucial in the determination of the overall quality of the final estimate ), is estimated with the method proposed in [ 16 ]. the psf estimation approach and deconvolution were texted on ultrasound images of several bones acquired using a portable b - mode ultrasound imaging system ( titan ™, sonosite inc ., bothell , wash ., usa ). the echographic appearance of the various tissues ranges from dark ( low - echoic ) to bright ( high - echoic ), depending on their acoustic impedance . fig4 a and 4b show the original ultrasound images of the distal femur , more specifically the medial side , coronal plane ( fig4 a ) and the medial posterior condyle , axial plane ( fig4 b ) fig5 a and 5b show the modulus of h ̂( u , v ) after application of the dct - based denoising step to the images of fig4 a and fig4 b , respectively . it can be seen that two different pass - band filters , related to two different psfs are visible on these images . it can also be seen that there is no aliasing error and this first denoising step allowing the obtainment of the expected shape of a band - pass filter ( see equation 5 ) on which the learning step of the gaussian mixture , exploiting the em procedure , will be achieved . the gaussian mixture , estimated from these two spectrum data by the em algorithm ( without the additional constraint of symmetry ) is shown in fig6 a and 6b . two examples of psf estimation with the present approach are presented in fig7 a to 7d . finally , fig8 a and 8b show examples of deconvolution ultrasound images using the deconvolution scheme presented herein . more specifically , fig6 a and 6b are surface plots of the point - spread function ( psf ) defining a two - component mixture of bivariate gaussian distributions for fig5 a with μ =[ 54 . 18 134 . 21 ; 51 . 82 94 . 88 ] and σ =([ 358 . 66 4 . 18 ; 4 . 18 151 . 00 ], [ 358 . 84 4 . 10 ; 4 . 10 149 . 45 ]), and fig5 a with μ =[ 53 . 05 131 . 53 ; 52 . 94 97 . 40 ] and σ =([ 368 . 94 − 5 . 48 ; − 5 . 48 97 . 40 ], [ 368 . 95 − 5 . 47 ; − 5 . 47 96 . 45 ]); fig7 a to 7d are estimated spectrums of the point - spread function ( psf ) corresponding to fig4 a ( fig7 a and 7c ) and fig4 b ( fig7 b and 7d ), and fig8 a and 8b are deconvolved images corresponding to fig4 a and fig4 b , respectively . using the above - describe image restoration system and method , greater resolution improvement of the deconvolved ultrasound images can be observed with substantially improved definition of the outer contour of biological structures and can easily be used for commercial ultrasound applications due to its spatial resolution improvement or as a prerequisite stage for the segmentation and 3d reconstruction of ultrasound images . it should be noted that although reference has been made to ultrasound images and ultrasound imaging systems throughout the present disclosure , it is to be understood that the image restoration system and method may be applied and / or adapted to other types of images and imaging systems such as , for example , radioscopic , radiographic and echographic images from radioscopic , radiographic and echographic imaging systems , or any other such images and imaging systems . although the present disclosure has been described with a certain degree of particularity and by way of an illustrative embodiments and examples thereof , it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the features of the embodiments described and illustrated herein , but includes all variations and modifications within the scope and spirit of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed . in the present disclosure , references are made to the following reference documents which are herein incorporated by reference . mignotte , m ., meunier , j ., soucy , j .- p ., and janicki ., c ., “ comparison of deconvolution techniques using a distribution mixture parameter estimation : application in spect imagery .,” journal of electronic imaging 1 , 11 - 25 ( january 2002 ). [ 2 ] ayers , g . and dainty , j ., “ iterative blind deconvolution method and its application ,” optics letters 13 , 547 - 549 ( july 1988 ). [ 3 ] katsaggelos , a . and lay , k ., “ maximum likelihood blur identification and image restoration using the expectation - maximization algorithm ,” ieee trans . on signal processing 39 , 729 - 733 ( march 1991 ). [ 4 ] kundur , d . and hatzinakos , d ., “ blind image restoration via recursive filtering using deterministic constraints ,” in [ proc . international conference on acoustics , speech , and signal processing ], 4 , 547 - 549 ( 1996 ). [ 5 ] benameur , s ., mignotte , m ., soucy , j .- p ., and meunier , j ., “ image restoration using functional and anatomical information fusion with application to spect - mri images ,” international journal of biomedical imaging 2009 , 12 pages ( october 2009 ). [ 6 ] cannon , m ., “ blind deconvolution of spatially invariant image blurs with phase ,” ieee transactions on acoustics , speech and signal processing 24 , 58 - 63 ( february 1976 ). [ 7 ] abeyratne , u ., petropulu , a ., and reid , j ., “ higher order spectra based deconvolution of ultrasound images ,” ieee transactions on ultrasonics , ferroelectrics and frequency control 42 , 1064 - 1075 ( november 1995 ), [ 8 ] taxt , t ., “ restoration of medical ultrasound images using two - dimensional homomorphic deconvolution ,” ieee transactions on ultrasonics , ferroelectrics and frequency control 42 , 543 554 ( july 1995 ), [ 9 ] michailovich , o . and adam , d ., “ a novel approach to the 2 - d blind deconvolution problem in medical ultrasound ,” ieee trans . on medical imaging 24 , 86 - 104 ( january 2005 ). [ 10 ] adam , d . and michailovich , 0 ., “ blind deconvolution of ultrasound sequences using nonparametric local polynomial estimates of the pulse ,” ieee transactions on biomedical engineering 49 , 118 - 131 ( february 2002 ). [ 11 ] dempster , a ., laird , n ., and rubin , d ., “ maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the em algorithm ,” royal statistical society 1 - 38 ( 1976 ). [ 12 ] mignotte , m ., “ fusion of regularization terms for image restoration ,” journal of electronic imaging 19 , 333004 -( july - september 2010 ). [ 13 ] donoho , d . l . and johnstone , i . m ., “ ideal spatial adaptation by wavelet shrinkage ,” biometrika 81 , 425 - 455 ( 1994 ). [ 14 ] coifman , r . and donohu , d ., “ translation in variant denoising ,” in [ wavelets and statistics , lecture notes in statistics ], 103 , 125 - 150 , a . antoniadis and g . oppenheim , eds . new york : springer - verlag ( 1995 ). [ 15 ] kadel , f ., bertrand , m ., and meunier , j ., “ speckle motion artifact under tissue rotation ,” ieee transactions on ultrasonics , ferroelectrics and frequency control 41 , 105 - 122 ( january 1994 ). [ 16 ] mignotte , m ., “ a non - local regularization strategy for image deconvolution ,” journal pattern recognition letters 29 ( 16 ), 2206 - 2212 ( 2008 ). [ 17 ] buades , a ., coll , b ., and morel , j . m ., “ a review of image denoising algorithms , with a new one ,” multiscale modeling and simulation ( siam interdisciplinary journal ) 4 ( 2 ), 490 - 530 ( 2005 ).	6
fig1 shows the equivalent circuit diagram of a stepping motor . the winding of the motor is represented by a winding 1 of inductance l and with a resistance of zero , and a resistor 2 whose resistance r is equal to the resistance of the winding of the motor . a rotor 1a which is diagrammatically indicated by its bipolar permanent magnet is magnetically coupled to the winding 1 , 2 by a stator ( not shown ). the movement induced voltage , that is to say , the voltage which is induced in the winding of the motor by the rotary movement of the rotor is diagrammatically indicated in fig1 by the voltage source 3 . the value of the induced voltage is indicated by u i . the power supply source for the motor is represented by a source 4 having zero internal resistance and producing an electromotive force v , and a resistor 5 of resistance r * equal to the internal resistance of the real source for supplying the motor . finally , in the circuit diagram shown in fig1 the circuit for controlling the motor is diagrammatically indicated by a first switch 6 for connecting and disconnecting the source 4 , 5 of the winding 1 , 2 of the motor , and a second switch 7 for short - circuiting the winding or eliminating the short - circuited condition thereof . broadly , the currents and voltages involved in operation of the motor are given by the following relationship : in which u m is the voltage at the terminals of the motor and i is the current flowing in the motor winding . when the switch is closed and the switch 7 is open , the voltage u m is equal to v - r *· i . during the drive pulse interrumption periods , the switch 6 is open and the switch 7 is closed . the voltage u m is therefore zero , provided that the internal resistance of the switch 7 is negligible , which is the case under practical circumstances . during the interuption periods , above - indicated equation ( 1 ) can therefore be written as follows : if the interruption periods are of a duration t1 which is much shorter than the time constant τ = l / r of the winding , it may be assumed that ## equ1 ## in which i a and i b are the values of the current i at the beginning and at the end of each interruption period . under these conditions , when l is replaced by r · τ , equation ( 2 ) can be written as follows : ## equ2 ## equation ( 3 ) shows that the voltage u i induced in the motor winding by the rotary movement of the rotor may be determined in each interruption period , that is to say , in each period during which the power supply source is disconnected from the winding and the winding is in a short - circuited condition , by measuring the values i a and i b of the current at the beginning and at the end of each of the interruption periods , with the values r , t1 and τ being known . in practice , there is no need to measure the voltage u i itself and compare it to a threshold voltage u is to determine the time t 1 . it is only necessary for example to determine the value of the term ## equ3 ## in above - indicated equation ( 3 ), and to compare that value to a reference value β = u is · 1 / r · t1 / τ . the value of the term ## equ4 ## may be determined by measuring and storing the value of the current i a at the beginning of the measuring period , multiplying the measured and stored value by a constant ∝= τ - t1 / τ which is known since τ and t1 are known , measuring the current i b at the end of the measuring period , and calculating the difference (∝· i a - i b ). that difference is then compared to the value β , and a signal is produced when the comparison operation shows that (∝· i a - i b )≧ β . that signal indicates that the voltage u i has become equal to or higher than the threshold voltage u is and that therefore the time t 1 has been reached or passed . in order to determine the time t 1 , it is also possible to measure the current i a and calculate the product ∝· i a as above , calculate the difference (∝· i a - β ), measure the current i b , flowing in the winding at the end of the interruption period , and compare that current i b to the difference (∝· i a - β ). when the current i b is equal to or higher than the difference (∝· i a - β ), the voltage u i is equal to or higher than the reference voltage u is . it should be noted that the foregoing considerations remain valid if the calculation and comparison operations are performed by using , in place of the values of the currents i a and i b , the values of two currents i a &# 39 ; and i b &# 39 ; which are measured at the beginning and at the end of a measuring period which is of a duration t1 &# 39 ; that is less than t1 and if of course the value t1 is replaced by that value t1 &# 39 ;. there is no need to wait for the end of the interruption or measuring period to carry out the various calculation and comparison operations referred to above . it is possible continuously to measure the current i flowing in the winding after the beginning of the interruption or measuring period and to use the value of that current , in place of the current i b , to perform the calculation and comparison operations , also on a continuous basis . in the examples which will be described hereinafter , the various currents i a , i b and i are measured by the values of the voltages u a , u b and u which they respectively produce in passing through a measuring resistor connected in series with the winding of the motor during the drive pulse interruption periods . it will be appreciated that the various calculations referred to hereinbefore are then performed on the voltages which represent such currents , and which are proportional thereto . the factor β is then replaced by a factor : β = u is · r m / r · t1 / τ in which r m is the value of the measuring resistor . the timepiece shown by way of example in fig2 comprises a circuit 8 for generating a time base signal h at a frequency for example of 16384 hz . the circuit 8 is formed by a quartz oscillator and a first divider stage for dividing by two , its output being connected to the input of a divider circuit 9 which , on the basis of the time signal h , produces various periodic signals including more particularly a signal i at a frequency equal to 1 / 2 hz , a signal j at a frequency of 1 hz and a signal k at a frequency of 64 hz . the timepiece shown in fig2 further comprises a pulse shaper circuit 15 having an output which produces a signal , designated by means of z , formed by a series of pulses which go to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; whenever the signal j itself goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, that is to say , every second ( see fig2 a ). the pulses of the signal z go back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; in response to a signal n supplied by a calculating circuit 26 which will be described hereinafter . the moment at which the signal n appears therefore determines the duration of the pulses of the signal z . the pulse shaper circuit 15 also supplies an auxiliary signal indicated at 0 , which is formed by pulses which go to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; at the same time as the pulses z but which are fixed in duration , being for example 7 . 8 milliseconds in duration . each time that the signal z is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, a drive circuit 12 supplies a drive pulse to the winding 11a of the motor 11 . the voltage measured at the terminals of the winding 11a is indicated at u m in fig2 a . the energy applied to the winding 11a during each drive pulse is supplied by a power supply source 10 . the polarity of the drive pulses is determined by the logic state of the signal i which is alternately at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; for one second . the drive circuit 12 is also so arranged that the drive pulses are chopped in response to a signal m formed by pulses at a high frequency . each time that the signal m is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, for example , the drive circuit 12 interrupts the connection between the power supply source 10 and the winding 11a , and short - circuits the winding . during those interruption periods , the circuit 12 supplies , at an output 12a , a voltage that is proportional to the current flowing in the winding 11a . that voltage is used by a measuring circuit 16 , an example of which will be described hereinafter , to determine the time t 1 at which the voltage u i induced in the winding 11a by the rotary movement of the rotor attains the reference value u is . at time t 1 , the measuring circuit 16 produces , at its output 16e , a signal p which in turn is used by the calculating circuit 26 to produce the signal n at a time t 2 . the calculating circuit 26 , an example of which will be described hereinafter , is so arranged that the time t 2 is separated from the beginning of the drive pulse by a time equal to ( λ · t d + δ ) in which λ and δ are the above - mentioned , experimentally determined constants . that period of time is therefore equal to the optimum duration of the drive pulse . as the signal n causes the signal z to go back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the signal z and therefore the drive pulse are equal in duration to the above - mentioned optimum duration . the signal m is produced by a circuit 13 , an example of which will be described hereinafter . the duration of each pulse of the signal m and the duration of the period of time which separates those pulses are determined by the content of a memory 14 . fig3 shows the circuit diagram of an example of a first embodiment of the circuit 16 for measuring the induced voltage u i , in the device shown in fig2 . the circuit 16 comprises an input 16a which receives from the circuit 12 the voltage proportional to the current flowing in the winding 11a , a capacitor 18 having one plate connected to earth 19 and the other plate 18a connected to the input 16a by way of a transmission gate 20 and to the non - inverting input of an operational amplifier 21 , the output of which is directly connected to its inverting input . the control electrode of the gate 20 is connected to the output q of a t - type flip - flop 22 whose clock input t receives the signal m by way of the input 16c and whose zero resetting input r receives the signal h by way of the input 16d . a calculating circuit 23 comprises a voltage divider formed by two resistors 231 and 232 which are connected in series between the output of the amplifier 21 and earth , and a differential amplifier 233 whose non - inverting input is connected to the junction between the resistors 231 and 232 . the circuit 23 further comprises two resistors 234 and 235 which are connected in series between the output of the amplifier 233 and a voltage generator 24 . the inverting input of the amplifier 233 is connected to the junction between the resistors 234 and 235 . the output of the amplifier 233 is connected to the noninverting input of another differential amplifier 25 whose inverting input is connected to the terminal 16a by way of a transmission gate 20a . the control electrode of the gate 20a is connected to the output q of a t - type flip - flop 22a whose clock input t receives the signal m by way of an inverter 22b and whose input r receives the signal h . the most of operation of the circuit shown in fig3 is as follows : at the moment that the signal m goes to state 1 , at the beginning of each interruption period , the output q of the flip - flop 22 switches to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, which causes the gate 20 to be opened . when the signal h also goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, about 30 microseconds later , the output q of the flip - flop 22 goes back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the gate 20 is closed again . while the gate 20 is open , the capacitor 18 is charged up to a voltage u a that is proportional to the current i a flowing in the winding 11a at that time . by way of the amplifier 21 , the voltage u a is applied to the voltage divider formed by the resistors 231 and 232 . the values of those resistors are such that the voltage applied to the non - inverting input of the amplifier 233 is equal to ∝· u a in which ∝ is equal to τ - t1 / τ as above , that is to say , it is proportional to ∝· i a . the resistors 234 and 235 and the voltage supplied by the generator 24 are such that the output of the amplifier 233 produces a voltage equal to (∝· u a - β &# 39 ;), in which β &# 39 ;= u is · r m / r · t1 / τ as above . at the end of the interruption period , the signal m goes to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the output q of the flip - flop 22a goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; for a period of about 30 microseconds . the voltage u b that is proportional to the current i b flowing in the winding 11a at that time is therefore applied to the inverting input of the amplifier 25 which compares it to the voltage (∝· u a - β &# 39 ;) at the output of the amplifier 233 . as long as the voltage u b is higher than the voltage (∝· u a - β &# 39 ;), the output of the amplifier 25 remains at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. if the voltage u b is lower than the voltage (∝· u a - β &# 39 ;), the output of the amplifier 25 produces the signal p , going to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, which indicates that the voltage u i induced in the winding by the rotary movement of the rotor has exceeded the threshold voltage u is . that going to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; of the output of the amplifier 25 marks the time t 1 . fig3 a shows the circuit diagram of a second embodiment of the circuit 16 for measuring the induced voltage u i . the components 18 , 20 , 20a , 21 , 22 , 22a , 22b , 24 , 231 and 232 of the illustrated circuit are identical to the components denoted by the same references in fig3 and operate in the same way . the signal ∝· u a present at the junction between the resistors 231 and 232 is applied to the non - inverting input of an amplifier 233 &# 39 ;. two resistors 234 &# 39 ; and 235 &# 39 ; are connected in series between the gate 20a and the output of the amplifier 233 &# 39 ;. the junction between those two resistors is connected to the inverting input of the amplifier 233 &# 39 ;. the output of the amplifier 233 &# 39 ; is connected to the non - inverting input of an amplifier 25 &# 39 ; whose inverting input is connected to the output of the voltage generator 24 . in this case , the output of the amplifier 25 &# 39 ; forms the output 16e of the measuring circuit 16 . the resistors 234 &# 39 ; and 235 &# 39 ; are such that the output of the amplifier 233 &# 39 ; produces a voltage equal to (∝· u a - u b ). the amplifier 25 &# 39 ; compares the voltage to the voltage β &# 39 ; supplied by the generator 24 . the output of the amplifier 25 &# 39 ; produces the signal p , going to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;: when the voltage (∝· u a - u b ) becomes higher than the voltage β &# 39 ;, that is to say , again when the voltage u i induced in the winding by the rotary movement of the rotor becomes higher than the threshold voltage u is . as already pointed out above , there is no need to wait for the end of the interruption period in order to carry out the different calculation and comparison steps referred to above . the gate 20a , the flip - flop 22a and the inverter 22b may be omitted from the circuits shown in fig3 and 3a , in which case input 16a of the circuit 16 is directly connected to the inverting input of the amplifier 25 and the resistor 235 &# 39 ; respectively . in that case , the calculation and comparison operations are therefore performed on a continuous basis on the voltage u produced in the measuring resistor by the current i flowing in the winding 11a after the beginning of the interruption period . the signal p is then produced as soon as the voltage u falls below the voltage (∝· u a - β &# 39 ;) or as soon as the voltage (∝· u a - u ) is higher than the voltage β &# 39 ;. fig4 shows an embodiment of the calculating circuit 26 shown in fig2 . in that embodiment , the circuit 26 comprises an up - down preselection counter 27 having preselection terminals p1 , p2 , p3 and p4 which are respectively connected to the output terminals m1 , m2 , m3 and m4 of a read only memory 28 . the counter 27 comprises a preselection control input pe for receiving the signal 0 by way of an inverter 29 . the clock input cl of the counter 27 is connected to the output of a nand - gate 30 having two inputs , each connected to the output of a respective nand - gate 31 and 32 , respectively . the circuit 26 further comprises a divider circuit 33 for supplying two signals q1 and q2 at respective frequencies f1 and f2 , in response to the signal h . the signal q1 is applied to one of the inputs of the gate 31 while the signal q2 is applied to one of the inputs of the gate 32 . a second input of the gate 31 is connected to the output q of a t - type flip - flop 34 having its clock input t connected to the input terminal 26a of the circuit 26 . a second input of the gate 32 is connected to the output q of the flip - flop 34 . the input u / d for controlling the direction of counting of the counter 27 is connected to the output q of the flip - flop 34 . the counter 27 also comprises a coincidence output c which goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; for a short time when the content of the counter reaches a value of zero . the output c is connected to the clock input t of a t - type flip - flop 35 whose output q forms the output 26b of the circuit 26 and whose resetting input r is connected to the output q of a t - type flip - flop 101 . the latter flip - flop receives the signal 0 at its clock input t and the signal h at its resetting input r . the output c of the counter 27 is also connected to the resetting input r of the flip - flop 34 . fig4 a illustrates the mode of operation of the circuit 26 shown in fig4 . between the drive pulses , the signal 0 is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the input pe of the counter 27 is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the counter 27 is therefore blocked in the condition in which its content corresponds to the content of the memory 28 , which is indicated by no . at time t o which coincides with the beginning of a drive pulse , the signal 0 goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, setting the input pe of the counter 27 to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, whereby the counter 27 is freed and begins to count , in the normal direction , the pulses issuing from the gate 30 , starting from that condition no . that counting operation is performed at a frequency f1 . at time t 1 at which the voltage u i reaches the value u is , the input 26a goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and the outputs q and q of the flip - flop 34 respectively go to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the up - down control input of the counter 27 goes to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. from that time , the counter 27 operates in a down - counting mode . the down - counting operation is performed at the frequency f2 . at the time t 2 at which the content of the counter 27 becomes equal to zero , its output c goes to state 1 for a short time , setting the flip - flop 35 to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the output q of which , which was previously at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, going to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. at the same time , the outputs q and q of the flip - flop 34 go back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; respectively . at the end of the pulse 0 , the input pe of the counter 27 goes back to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the content of the counter 27 therefore resumes the fixed value in the memory 28 and remains at that value until the signal 0 goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; again . the output q of the flip - flop 35 is reset to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; at the beginning of each drive pulse by the state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; which appears at the output q of the flip - flop 101 in response to the signal 0 . that state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is suppressed after about 30 microseconds when the signal h goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. fig4 a shows that the time t which elapses between the beginning t o of the drive pulse and the occurrence , at time t 2 , of the signal n at the output 26b of the circuit 26 , is linked to the time t d which elapses between times t o and t 1 , by the following relationship : ## equ6 ## in which f1 and f2 are the frequencies of the signals supplied by the outputs q1 and q2 of the divider 33 and no is the number contained in the memory 28 and therefore the number contained in the counter 27 at time t o . comparison between that equation and above - mentioned equation t opt = λt d + δ , in which λ and δ are constants that are determined experimentally for each type of motor , makes it possible to choose values for f1 , f2 and no such that the period of time t which elapses between the beginning of the drive pulse and the appearance of the signal n is always equal to the optimum duration t opt of the drive pulse . fig5 shows the circuit diagram of an example of the circuits 12 and 15 in fig2 . the circuit 15 is formed in this embodiment by two t - type flip - flops whose clock inputs t both receive the signal j supplied by the frequency divider 9 in fig2 at a frequency of 1 hz . the resetting input r of the flip - flop 38 receives the signal k which is also supplied by the frequency divider 9 , at a frequency of 64 hz . the output q of the flip - flop 38 therefore goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; every second , at the moment that the signal j goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, and goes back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; about 7 . 8 milliseconds later , when the signal k in turn goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the output q of the flip - flop 38 therefore produces the signal 0 . the reset input r of the flip - flop 39 receives the signal n from the calculating circuit 26 shown in fig2 . the output q of the flip - flop 39 therefore also goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when the signal j goes to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, and goes back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; when the circuit 26 supplies the signal n at the time t 2 , determined in the above - described manner . the output q of the flip - flop 39 therefore produces the signal z which is equal in duration to the optimum duration of the drive pulse . in this embodiment , the circuit 12 of fig2 comprises a logical circuit 43 formed by four and - gates 431 to 434 , two or - gates 435 and 436 and two inverters 437 and 438 . the winding 11a of the motor is connected into a circuit formed by four transmission gates 44 to 47 which are connected in conventional manner between the terminal + v of the power supply source 10 and earth . two other transmission gates 48 and 49 each connect one of the terminals of the winding 11a to a first terminal of a resistor 17 whose second terminal is connected to the input 16a of the circuit 16 shown in fig2 . the resistor 17 forms the above - mentioned measuring resistor . the control electrodes of the gates 44 to 49 are connected to the outputs of the circuit 43 , the inputs of which respectively receive the signals i , z and m . the circuit 43 will not be described in greater detail herein , as it can be readily seen , by referring to fig5 a , that : when the signal z is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, that is to say , between the drive pulses , the control electrodes of the gates 44 to 49 are all at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, irrespective of the state of the signal i and m . the gates 44 to 49 are therefore closed and the winding 11a is separated from the power supply source ; when the signal z is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, that is to say , during the drive pulses , and the signal m is a state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the gates 44 and 46 are in a conducting condition if the signal i is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, with all the other gates being in a non - conducting condition , while the gates 45 and 47 are in a conducting condition if the signal i is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, in which case all the other gates are also in a non - conducting condition . the power supply source is therefore connected to the winding 11a by way of the gates 44 and 46 or 45 and 47 , and a current flows in the winding 11a in the direction indicated by the arrow 11b or in the opposite direction . that situation is the situation which occurs between the interruption periods , during the elementary pulses ; and when the signal z is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and the signal m is also at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the gates 47 and 48 or 46 and 49 are in a conducting condition , depending on the state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; of the signal i , with all the other gates then being in a non - conducting condition . the power supply source is therefore disconnected from the winding 11a and the current flowing in the winding 11a also flows in the resistor 17 in which it produces the voltage that is applied to the input 16a of the measuring circuit 16 . that situation is the one which occurs during the drive pulse interruption periods . fig6 shows by way of example , the circuit diagram of an embodiment of the circuits 13 and 14 of the fig2 device . the circuit 13 comprises two up - down preselection counters 131 and 132 . the inputs u / d for controlling the direction of counting of the counters 131 and 132 are permanently at state 1 . the counters 131 and 132 therefore operate in a down - counting mode . their preselection terminals , which are generally denoted by pi , are respectively connected to the outputs , generally denoted by si , of two memories 141 and 142 which form the memory 14 of the circuit shown in fig2 . the memories 141 and 142 may be for example read only memories . the clock inputs cl of the counters 131 and 132 are both connected to the output of the generator 8 ( see fig2 ) which produces the signal h . the counters 131 and 132 each comprise a coincidence output c which produces a short pulse whenever the content of the counters becomes equal to zero . the coincidence outputs c are connected to the inputs of an or gate 133 having its output connected to the clock input t of a t - type flip - flop 134 . the output q of the flip - flop 134 is connected to the preselection control input pe of the counter 131 , by way of an inverter 135 , to the preselection input pe of the counter 132 . the output q of the flip - flop 134 is also connected to the output 13a of the circuit 13 . the mode of operation of the circuit shown in fig6 will now be described with reference to fig6 a . when the output q of the flip - flop 134 is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the input pe of the circuit 132 is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the content of the counter 132 therefore assumes a condition corresponding to the content of the memory 142 and the counter 132 remains blocked in that condition , which is indicated by n142 in fig6 a . on the other hand , the input pe of the counter 131 is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the counter 131 counts the pulses of the signal h , in the down - counting mode . when the counter content reaches zero , its output c produces a pulse which is transmitted to the input t of the flip - flop 134 , by way of the gate 133 . the output q of the flip - flop 134 and the input pe of the counter 131 therefore go to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the content of the counter 131 therefore assumes a condition corresponding to the content of the memory 141 and the counter 131 is blocked in that condition , which is indicated by n141 in fig6 a . at the same time , the input pe of the counter 132 goes to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. the counter 132 begins to count the pulses of the signal h , in the down - counting mode . when the counter content reaches zero , the output c of the counter produces a pulse which is transmitted by means of the gate 133 to the input t of the flip - flop 134 . the output q of the flip - flop 134 goes back to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, and the above - described procedure begins again . the output q of the flip - flop 134 which produces the signal m therefore goes alternately to state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and to state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; during periods of time which depend on the frequency of the signal h and the content of the memories 141 and 142 respectively . the duration of the periods of interruption of the drive pulses , which is equal to the period of time for which the signal m is at state &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, and the duration of the elementary pulses which separate the interruption periods , which is equal to the period of time for which the signal m is at state &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, can therefore be determined independently of each other . the above - mentioned durations are determined in any fashion . they may be fixed or they may vary , in a manner which will not be described herein , in dependence on parameters such as the voltage of the power supply source 10 , or the mechanical load driven by the motor , or any other parameter .	6
referring to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 there is shown the needle core biopsy instrument or tissue sample extractor 10 embodying the principles of the present invention . the instrument / extractor 10 comprises a first biopsy cannula 12 that is shaped and configured to be coaxially mounted within second cutting cannula 14 . both first biopsy cannula 12 and second cutting cannula 14 have proximal and distal ends , wherein the proximal end of the first biopsy cannula 12 and second cutting cannula 14 have proximal and distal ends , wherein the proximal end of the first biopsy cannula 12 is attached to the first shoulder 16 and the proximal end of the second cutting cannula 14 is attached to second shoulder 18 . the distal ends of first cannula 12 and second cannula 14 are more clearly depicted in fig3 and 6 , respectively . the distal end of first cannula 12 includes a sharpened , beveled cutting tip 44 preferably having a gradual , upwardly extending slope that forms a shovel - type scooped shape . such scoop - like shape advantageously allows for more efficient and less traumatic tissue penetration than other cannula cutting tips currently in use . additionally , first cannula 12 has a hollowed - out biopsy reservoir 46 , also shown in fig5 formed proximal the beveled cutting tip 44 . the biopsy reservoir 46 preferably is formed having a semi - circular shape that advantageously allows for relatively large , generally cylindrically - shaped tissue samples to be extracted from the tissue mass . as will be discussed in more detail infra , the distal ends of the first and second cannulas 12 , 14 cooperate via relative axial movement to cut and contain a tissue sample within the biopsy reservoir 46 . at the rear portion of biopsy reservoir 46 is a lumen or channel 13 which runs the length of first cannula 12 and allows the biopsy reservoir 46 to establish fluid communication with a conventional syringe 22 via connector 76 , as shown in fig1 . such fluid communication between biopsy reservoir 46 and syringe 22 enhances the ability of the extractor 10 to draw in and isolate a tissue sample due to the generation of a vacuum force by the syringe 22 , which shall be discussed below . the distal end of second cannula 14 is preferably formed having a hollow , frusto - conical shape that is designed and configured to allow first cannula 12 to axially pass therethrough . the distal rim 48a of the frusto - conical portion 48 is sharpened so that distal rim 48a may cut and contain a tissue sample disposed within biopsy reservoir 46 when the rim 48a is axially passed across the biopsy reservoir 46 of the first cannula 12 . as shown in fig7 the distal end of first cannula 12 freely passes , via axial movement , through the distal end 48 of second cannula 14 . second cannula 14 also preferably includes a barrel section 50 that serves as a sleeve to protect and contain a biopsy sample contained within a biopsy reservoir 46 when such sample is extracted from a tissue mass . the first and second cannulas may be formed in differing lengths and diameters to be utilized for a wide variety of tissue sampling applications such as beast , prostate , deep body , lung and other soft tissue biopsies . in addition to being coaxially positioned relative to one another , first cannula 12 and second cannula 14 are maintained in an arrangement whereby the second cannula is constantly urged forward by biasing member 20 , more clearly depicted in fig1 . preferably , biasing member 20 comprises a spring that is interposed between the first shoulder 16 formed on the first cannula 12 and second shoulder 18 formed on the second cannula 14 . the distally urging biasing force exerted by spring 20 forces the second shoulder 18 , and hence second cannula 14 , to axially advance upon the first cannula 12 . in order to selectively control the position of the second cannula 14 relative to first cannula 12 , the extractor 10 of the present invention advantageously incorporates the use of introducer 26 . in the preferred embodiment , the introducer 26 is fabricated from polymer and / or metal materials that may be sterilized or disposed of , such materials being well known to those skilled in the art . preferably , the introducer 26 is comprised of two parts , namely a handle and syringe retainer 28 and a plunger retractor member 30 , more clearly depicted in fig1 . the handle and syringe retainer 28 comprises a handle portion as well as structure sized and configured for detachably interconnecting with the conventional syringe 22 . more specifically , the syringe retainer 28 preferably includes first and second syringe support members 58 , 60 and syringe support collar 62 which engage the syringe 22 and firmly hold the syringe 22 in position . additionally , there is provided slot 56 that is designed and configured to detachably engage with rim 22a on syringe 22 so as to further provide secure attachment with syringe retainer 28 . the plunger retractor member 30 of introducer 26 comprises a generally c - shaped member having a trigger member 32 depending therefrom . the rear portion of the plunger retractor member 30 has a slot 52 to receive plunger 24 on syringe 22 . as will be discussed , slot 52 provides means for retracting the plunger 24 such that a vacuum is created in syringe 22 and ultimately in biopsy reservoir 46 via lumen 13 shown in fig3 . mounted adjacent the top portion of the retractor member 30 is a cam bar 34 , which is preferably pivotally mounted 36 thereon . as more clearly illustrated in fig1 , the cam bar 34 includes a first can slot 38 and a second cam abutment shoulder or surface 40 . additionally , cam bar 34 has a groove 42 which allows the coaxially positioned first cannula 12 and second cannula 14 to pass therethrough . as will be discussed , the first cam slot 38 and second cam abutment surface 40 provide means for adjusting the relative axial position of second cannula 14 with respect to first cannula 12 . the handle and syringe retainer 28 and plunger retractor member 30 are preferably connected to one another via a sliding - type engagement . more specifically , the plunger retractor member 30 is removably mounted onto the rear portion of syringe retainer 28 such that surface 30a is received upon upper guideway 64 and flanked by elongate guide members 66 and 68 . additionally , surface 30b is received within lower guideway slot 70 such that trigger member 32 protrudes from the handle and syringe retainer 28 to form a gun - type configuration . in addition , the handle and syringe retainer 28 further include a spring - activated detent or locking member 72 to engage apertures formed on surface 30c of the plunger retractor member 30 , said apertures being more clearly depicted as 74a , b in fig1 , 12 , 13 , and 14 . such spring - activated locking member 72 , when aligned with locking apertures 74a , b , provide means for positioning the handle and syringe retainer 28 with respect to the plunger retractor member 30 such that desired depths and axial positioning of the cannulas 12 , 14 may be more easily attained when using the extractor 10 . importantly , spring - activated locking member 72 , when aligned with locking aperture 74b , maintains the introducer 26 in an orientation that causes second cannula 14 to axially retract about biopsy reservoir 46 in a proximal axial position . having thus described the structure of the biopsy instrument / extractor 10 of the present invention , the operation of the same shall now be described with specific reference to fig1 through 14 . preparatory for use , the first and second cannulas 12 and 14 are coaxially positioned with biasing member 20 interposed between the shoulders 16 and 18 . the proximal end 76 of the first cannula 12 may then be attached to the distal end of the syringe 22 . as shown in fig1 , the syringe 22 is mounted within handle and syringe retainer 28 with plunger 24 being received in slot 52 of the plunger retractor member 30 . additionally , cam bar 34 is positioned such that second shoulder 18 is received within first cam slot 38 . additionally , the spring - activated locking member 72 is received within locking aperture 74a in such a manner that relative orientation or position of the handle 28 and plunger retractor member 30 is maintained unless otherwise manually adjusted . fig1 a depicts the corresponding axial position ( i . e ., the distal axial position ) between first cannula 12 and second cannula 14 while the introducer 26 is maintained in the initial orientation depicted in fig1 . as illustrated , the second cannula 14 is selectively covers biopsy reservoir 46 while beveled cutting tip 44 axially protrudes or extend therebeyond . while the introducer 26 and first and second cannulas 12 , 14 are maintained in the orientation and relative axial position depicted in fig1 and fig1 a , the introducer 26 is then gripped , as shown in fig2 and the first and second cannulas are manually pressed or inserted into a tissue mass from which a sample is to be extracted . as mentioned above , the introducer 26 , namely the combination of handle and syringe retainer 28 and plunger retractor member 30 , is formed to have a gun - like shape that allows the user to manually insert the coaxially positioned cannulas 12 , 14 while maintained in this distal axial position and ultimately extract a sample of tissue using only one hand . such design advantageously allows the physician user to utilize their other hand so as to manipulate the tissue or perform some other function as may be required . during insertion of the first and second cannulas 12 , 14 through the tissue , the user forces both interconnected portions 28 , 30 of the introducer 26 into the tissue in a direction indicated by the arrows &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; in fig1 . as should be noted , locking member 72 is engaged within aperture 74a during such insertion to prevent any relative axial movement between the handle 28 and plunger retractor member 30 . additionally , during such insertion the introducer 26 forces the cannulas 12 , 14 into the tissue whereby the sharpened beveled cutting tip 44 is forced directly into the tissue , and the cutting tip 44 of the first cannula simultaneously cuts the tissue and positions the cut tissue adjacent its periphery so as to overlie the second cannula 14 adjacent the biopsy reservoir 46 . once embedded within the tissue and having cut the tissue sample , the introducer 26 is manipulated such that the handle and syringe retainer 28 of the introducer 26 remains stationary while the plunger retractor member 30 is rearwardly retracted in the direction indicated by &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. the plunger retractor member 30 is retracted , via manipulation of trigger member 32 , such that spring - activated locking member 72 is released ( i . e ., overcome ) from locking aperture 74a and subsequently engage with locking aperture 74b as shown in fig1 . due to the engagement of the second shoulder 18 with the cam slot 30 of the cam bar 34 , during such rearward movement , the second cannula 14 axially retracts relative the first cannula 12 and is disposed in its proximal axial position wherein the biopsy reservoir 46 is exposed to the tissue mass 82 , as depicted in fig1 a . accordingly , the axial retraction of the frusto - conical end portion 48 of second cannula 14 allows such cut tissue mass 82 to be received within the biopsy reservoir 46 . advantageously , during such retraction of the plunger retractor member 30 relative to handle and syringe retainer 23 , a vacuum is generated in syringe 22 such that the previously cut tissue mass 82 is drawn downwardly into the biopsy reservoir 46 as depicted in fig1 a . having effectively drawn the mass of tissue 82 to be extracted into the biopsy reservoir 46 , the cam bar 34 is manually raised in the direction indicated by the letter &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; in fig1 such that the second shoulder 18 is released from first cam slot 38 . spring member 20 preferably provides sufficient force such that upon release from first cam slot 38 the second cannula 14 rapidly axially advances with sufficient force to cause the sharpened distal end 48a of the second cannula 14 to sever and retain the tissue sample 82a to be extracted within biopsy reservoir 46 . such forward axial movement of the second cannula 12 continues until the second shoulder 18 abuts the second cam abutment surface 40 . the cross - sectional view depicting this distal axial position of the second cannula 14 depicted in fig1 a , which corresponds with the abutment between second shoulder 18 and second cam abutment surface 40 , as shown in fig1 . as shown , in this distal axial position , the second cannula 14 securely captures the cut tissue mass 82a within the biopsy reservoir . having thus isolated the tissue sample 82a from tissue mass 82 , the extractor 10 , and hence first and second cannulas 12 , 14 , may both be removed from the tissue mass by withdrawal of the extractor 10 where the tissue sample 82a may be recovered from the biopsy reservoir 46 and subsequently examined . alternatively , as illustrated in fig1 , the present invention provides that cam bar 34 may be raised even further about pivot 36 to allow second shoulder 18 , and thus second cannula 14 , to remain in place while introducer 26 , syringe 22 , and first cannula 12 may be manually withdrawn in the direction indicated by the arrow &# 34 ; e &# 34 ;. advantageously , by allowing the second cannula 14 to remain stationary within tissue mass 82 , the user , if desired , may make further tissue sample extractions through second cannula 14 in the manner described above . advantageously , by using the extractor 10 of the present invention , the user will not have to make repeated punctures into the tissue which will thus facilitate the extraction of multiple samples while subjecting the subject to a less traumatic experience as compared to other devices known in the art . referring now to fig1 - 17 , a disk guide assembly 98 comprises first 100 and second 102 disk guides having a circular channel 103 formed therein so as to slidably receive the second shoulder 18 . second shoulder 18 is thus prevented from moving side - to - side and upward by the disk guide assembly 98 , particularly during the insertion process . this disk guide assembly allows rotation of the cannula assembly through 360 degrees . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , it is common to exert pressure upon the tissue sample extractor of the present invention during the insertion process which tends to bend the first biopsy cannula 12 and the second cutting cannula 14 upward with respect to the device . such bending of the first biopsy cannula 12 and second cutting cannula 14 is undesirable because it interferes with proper operation of the device . thus , the optional disk guide assembly 98 assures reliable operation of the present invention . the disk guide assembly 98 may either be formed as an integral part of the device or , optionally , may comprise an add - on assembly . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various different configurations of the disk guide assembly 98 are likewise suitable for limiting movement of the second shoulder 18 in a longitudinal direction with respect to the first biopsy cannula 12 and second cutting cannula 14 . referring now to fig1 , an optional seal 110 is disposed about the first biopsy cannula 12 and urged into abutment with the second shoulder 18 such that it prevents vacuum leakage intermediate the first biopsy cannula 12 and the second cutting cannula 14 . the seal 110 preferably has shoulder 112 formed thereon so as to receive the distal end of the spring 120 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other configurations of the optional seal 110 are likewise suitable . referring now to fig1 and 20 , the second cutting cannula 14 is preferably formed to have a slanted or beveled cutting tip 135 formed thereon so as to facilitate reliable cutting of the biopsy tissue samples . the biopsy reservoir 46 is preferably formed to have an obstructor 128 disposed at the proximal end thereof so as to prevent vacuum from pulling the cut tissue sample into the lumen 13 of the first biopsy cannula 12 . the obstructor 128 is preferably formed by forming an undercut 126 at the proximal end of the biopsy reservoir 46 and then bending the proximal protruding portion or tab 128 formed thereby in the wall of the first biopsy cannula 12 inward so as to partially obscure the lumen 13 of the first biopsy cannula 12 . the tab 128 is bent sufficiently to assure that the biopsy tissue sample remains within the biopsy reservoir , yet still allows the vacuum to draw the tissue sample into the biopsy reservoir . optionally , similar but shallower undercut 122 may be formed at the distal end of the biopsy reservoir 46 to define distal tab 124 . the tip 120 of the first biopsy cannula 12 is preferably formed by machining a solid plug 132 , preferably via electron discharge machining , i . e ., either standard or wire electron discharge machining , so as to form a scooped out portion 134 which defines a sharp point 136 . the solid plug 132 may either first be attached to the first biopsy cannula 12 , so as to facilitate handling thereof during the machining process , or alternatively , may be formed at the end of an elongate bar and then cut therefrom prior to insertion into the first biopsy cannula 12 . the solid plug 132 is preferably attached to the first biopsy cannula 12 via forming at least one crimp 123 in the first biopsy cannula 12 , which is pressed into a corresponding cut - out or dimple formed in the solid plug 132 or by being press fit into the first biopsy cannula 12 . alternatively , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other different means , as discussed above , may be utilized to attached the solid plug 132 to the first biopsy cannula 12 . further , various different combinations of such means may be utilized . the cross - sectional area or profile defined by the scooped out portion 134 of the solid plug 132 facilitates easy insertion into tissue , while maintaining sufficient strength to prevent premature dulling or deformation of the sharp point 136 . the diameter of the solid plug 132 may either be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the first biopsy cannula 12 , so as to provide a substantially flush fit therewith , or alternatively may similarly be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the second cutting cannula 14 . according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the cannula assembly , comprised of the first biopsy cannula 12 , the second cutting cannula 14 , and preferably the spring 20 , seal 110 , and second shoulder 18 as well , may be formed so as to be disposable . thus , these items are preferably formed of comparatively inexpensive materials , which is made possible due to their limited expected life . by making the cannula assembly disposable , a high degree of convenience is achieved . thus , the cannulas do not need to be sterilized between uses , rather a new cannula assembly is installed for each use . there has thus been disclosed a tissue sample extractor , with various preferred embodiments thereof , having been described in detail with the various advantages being set forth . it is understood , however , that equivalents are possible and that variations in structure may be made that fall within the underlying principles of the present invention .	0
the compounds of formula i may be prepared as described in the following reaction schemes and discussions . unless otherwise indicated , x , y , r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 , r5 , r6 , r7 and structural formulae ii , iii , iv , v , vi , vii , viii , ix , x , xi , xii , xiii , xiv and xv in the reaction schemes and discussion that follow are defined as above . according to scheme 1 , a ketone of the general formula ii , wherein x , y , r 1 and r 2 are as previously defined , may be converted directly into the corresponding compound of the formula i , via an intermediate of the general formula iv , by reacting it with one or more equivalents of an primary amine of the general formula iii in the presence of a reducing reagent . reducing reagents that may be used include sodium cyanoborohydride , sodium triacetoxyborohydride , sodium borohydride , lithium aluminum hydride , hydrogen plus a metal catalyst , zinc plus hydrochloric acid , and formic acid . this reaction is typically conducted in a reaction inert solvent at a temperature from about 0 ° c . to about 150 ° c ., but may be conducted in the absence of solvent . suitable reaction inert solvents include lower alcohols ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol , isopropanol ), 1 , 2 - dichloroethane , acetic acid and tetrahydrofuran ( thf )). preferably the reaction is conducted with an excess of the corresponding amine iii , in the absence of additional solvent , at a temperature of about 110 ° c ., and using the reducing agent sodium cyanoborohydride . alternatively , the reaction of a compound of formula ii with an amine compound of the formula iii may be carried out in the presence of a dehydrating agent ( e . g ., titanium tetrachloride ) or by using an apparatus designed to azeotropically remove the water generated , to produce an imine of the formula iv . this imine may then be converted to the title product of formula i by reduction of the c = n bond with a reducing agent as described above , preferably with sodium cyanoborohydride in the presence or absence of a suitable , reaction inert solvent as described in the preceding paragraph at a temperature of about 0 ° c . to about 150 ° c . and preferably at about 110 ° c . other suitable dehydrating agents / solvent systems include titanium tetrachloride in dichloromethane , titanium isopropoxide in dichloromethane and activated molecular sieves in toluene or in dichloromethane . when a secondary amine of the general formula v ( i . e ., hnr3r4 ) is used , an alternative method involves the formation of an enamine of general formula vi , which can be reduced to the title product of formula i through the use of a selective reducing agent or selective reduction conditions known to one familiar with the art of organic synthesis . using this procedure , as shown in scheme 2 above , the intermediate enamine vi may be isolated and purified if it is stable , or it may be used directly in the reduction step to generate the diamine of general formula i . selective reducing agents and reagents to facilitate the conversion of intermediate vi to the compounds of formula i include : formic acid , hydrogen gas and a metal catalyst ( e . g ., pd on carbon , pt on carbon ). in another method ( scheme 3 ) for the preparation of the compounds of the present invention , an intermediate oxime ( vii ) can be prepared through reaction of the starting ketone i and hydroxylamine . synthesis of such oximes is well precedented in the chemical literature ( e . g ., see lamattina j l , et al , synthesis ( 1980 ) 329 - 330 ), and it is also known that intermediate oximes like vii are capable of forming two different isomers , denoted as z - and e - oximes . these isomers may or may not react differently in their subsequent conversion to intermediates of general formulae viii ( i . e ., i , r3 , r4 = h ), and one of the oxime isomers may be less reactive or resistant to reduction to intermediate viii . the reduction to viii can be achieved using one of a variety of reagents and procedures , including zn — acoh , na and c 2 h 5 oh , bh 3 , and nabh 3 cn — ticl 3 . in the next step , compound viii can be converted to a compound of general formula x by subjecting it to a reductive amination with an aldehyde of general formula ix ( for examples , see jerry march , “ advanced organic chemistry : reactions , mechanisms and structure ”, 4 th ed ., john wiley & amp ; sons , new york , n . y . ( 1992 ) pp 898 - 900 ) followed by alkylation of the nitrogen atom of the intermediate of general formula x with a reagent of general formula r9 - l , where l is a leaving group ( e . g ., cl , br , mesylate ) and r9 is c 1 - c 3 alkyl . procedures for these reactions are readily available in the chemical literature and familiar to chemists with skill in the art of organic synthesis . the starting ketone for the above processes , compound ii , may be obtained from commercial sources or may be synthesized as described in the chemical literature ( scheme 4 ). such compounds may exist as racemic mixtures or as the individual (+)- and (−)- isomers . in general , 1 - bromo - cyclopentane is converted to a grignard reagent ( xi ) by reaction with magnesium metal in an inert solvent , typically in ethers like diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran ( thf ). the grignard reagent so formed is then reacted with an appropriately substituted arylnitrile ( xii ), in an inert solvent such as hexane , and stirred at room temperature until the reaction is determined to have been completed . the product , the arylketone ( xiii ), dissolved in a suitable solvent ( e . g ., chloroform ) is then treated with one equivalent of bromine ( br 2 ), and the resulting α - bromo - ketone ( xiv ) is isolated by filtration . compound xiv is then added to a primary amine of general formula r2 — nh 2 in an inert solvent ( e . g ., toluene ) and the mixture is heated to reflux . the solvents are subsequently removed under vacuum to obtain the crude α - hydroxy - imine ( xv ). this intermediate is then heated , typically in a high - boiling , inert solvent ( e . g ., decalin ) wherein the compound undergoes a thermal rearrangement to produce the α - amino - ketone ( ii ). specifically , the compound ii in which x is 2 - chloro , y is h , r1 is hydrogen and r2 is methyl is commonly referred to as ketamine . ketamine is a central nervous system active drug that may interact with nmda ( i . e ., n - methyl - d - aspartate ) receptors in the brain and has been associated with a variety of behavioral disorders in human and animal studies . the synthesis and utility of ketamine and related analogs as nmda receptor modulators and disease treatments are described by t . g . gant and s . sarshar in u . s . patent application 2008 / 109958 ( apr . 25 , 2008 ). the compounds of the present invention may have optical centers and therefore may occur in different enantiomeric configurations . formula i , as depicted above , includes all enantiomers , diastereomers , and other stereoisomers of the compounds depicted in structural formula i , as well as racemic and other mixtures thereof . individual isomers can be obtained by known methods , such as optical resolution , optically selective reaction , or chromatographic separation in the preparation of the final product or its intermediate . where cis - and trans - isomers are possible ( i . e ., at positions “ a ” and “ b ” in structure formula i ), for an embodiment of the inventive compounds of formula i , both cis - and trans - isomers ( i . e ., diastereomers ) are within the scope of this invention . the present invention also includes isotopically labeled compounds , which are identical to those recited in formula i , but for the fact that one or more atoms are replaced by an atom having an atomic mass or mass number different from the atomic mass or mass number usually found in nature . examples of isotopes that can be incorporated into compounds of the present invention include isotopes of hydrogen , carbon , nitrogen , oxygen , sulfur , phosphorus , fluorine , and chlorine , such as 2 h , 3 h , 11 c , 13 c , 13 n , 15 n , 18 o , 35 s , 31 p , 33 p , 18 f and 37 cl , respectively . compounds of the present invention , prodrugs thereof , and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of said compounds , or of said prodrugs which contain the aforementioned isotopes and / or other isotopes of other atoms are within the scope of this invention . certain isotopically labeled compounds of the present invention , for example , those into which radioactive isotopes such as 3 h and 14 c are incorporated , are useful in drug and / or substrate tissue distribution assays . tritiated , i . e ., 3 h , and carbon — 14 , i . e ., 14 c , isotopes are particularly preferred for their ease of preparation and detectability . further , substitution with heavier isotopes such as deuterium , i . e ., 2 h , can afford certain therapeutic advantages resulting from greater metabolic stability , for example increased in vivo half - life or reduced dosage requirements and , hence , may be preferred in some circumstances . isotopically labeled compounds of formula i of this invention and prodrugs thereof can generally be prepared by carrying out the procedures disclosed in the schemes and / or in the examples and preparations below , by substituting a readily available isotopically labeled reagent for a non - isotopically labeled reagent . the term “ alkyl ” refers to straight or branched chains of carbon atoms . exemplary alkyl groups are c 3 - c 10 alkyl groups which include methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , isobutyl , pentyl , isopentyl , hexyl and the like , including all regioisomeric forms thereof , and straight and branched chain forms thereof . the term “ alkyl ” is also used to denote straight or branched chains of carbon atoms having one or more carbon - carbon double bonds , such as vinyl , allyl , butenyl and the like , as well as straight and branched chains of carbon atoms having one or more carbon - carbon triple bonds , such as ethynyl , propargyl , butynyl , and the like . the term “ aryl ” denotes a cyclic , aromatic hydrocarbon . examples include phenyl , naphthyl , anthracenyl , phenanthracenyl . such aryl groups may further be substituted at available positions with h , f , cl , br , i , cn , oh , alkoxy , no 2 , nh 2 , nh - alkyl or n - dialkyl . the terms “ alkoxy ” and “ aryloxy ” denote “ o - alkyl ” and “ o - aryl ”, respectively . the term “ cycloalkyl ” denotes a cyclic group of carbon atoms , where the ring formed by the carbon atoms may be saturated or may comprise one or more carbon double bonds in the ring . examples of cycloalkyl groups include cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl , and the like as well as cyclopentenyl , cyclopentadienyl , cyclohexenyl , cyclohexadienyl , and the like . as used herein , the term “ cycloalkyl ” is also intended to denote a cyclic group comprising at least two fused rings , such as adamantyl , decahydronaphthalinyl , norbornanyl , where the cyclic group may also have one or more carbon - carbon double bonds in one or more rings , such as in bicyclo ( 4 . 3 . 0 ) nona - 3 , 6 ( 1 )- dienyl , dicyclopentadienyl , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - naphthalinyl ( i . e ., tetralinyl ), indenyl , and the like . the term “ heteroaryl ” denotes a monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic group wherein one or more carbon atoms are replaced with heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen , oxygen , and sulfur . if the heteroaryl group contains more than one heteroatom , the heteroatoms may be the same or different . preferred heteroaryl groups are five - to fourteen - member rings that contain from one to three heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen , nitrogen , and sulfur . examples of preferred heteroaryl groups include , but are not limited to , benzo [ b ] thienyl , chromenyl , furyl , imidazolyl , indazolyl , indolizinyl , indolyl , isobenzofuranyl , isoindolyl , isoquinolinyl , isothiazolyl , isoxazolyl , napthylidinyl , oxadiazolyl , oxazinyl , oxazolyl , phthalazinyl , pteridinyl , purinyl , pyranyl , pyrazinyl , pyrazolyl , pyridazinyl , pyridinyl , triazolyl and tetrazolyl , said heteroaryl groups may be further substituted as described above in the definition of aryl . a “ unit dosage form ” as used herein is any form that contains a unit dose of the compound of formula i . a unit dosage form may be , for example , in the form of a tablet or a capsule . the unit dosage form may also be in liquid form , such as a solution or suspension . the compositions of the present invention may be formulated in a conventional manner using one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . thus , the active compounds of the present invention may be formulated for oral , buckle , intranasal , parenteral ( e . g ., intravenous , intramuscular or subcutaneous ) or rectal administration or in a form suitable for administration by inhalation or insufflations . for oral administration , the pharmaceutical compositions may take the form of , for example , tablets or capsules prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable excipients such as binding agents ( e . g ., pre - gelatinized maize starch , polyvinylpyrrolidone or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ), fillers ( e . g ., lactose , microcrystalline cellulose or calcium phosphate ); lubricants ( e . g ., magnesium stearate , talc , or silica ); disintegrants ( e . g ., potato starch or sodium starch glycolate ); or wetting agents ( e . g ., sodium lauryl sulfate ). the tablets may be coated by methods well known in the art . liquid preparations for oral administration may take the form of , for example , solutions , syrups or suspensions , or they may be presented as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable vehicle before use . such liquid preparations may be prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable additives such as suspending agents ( e . g ., sorbitol syrup , methyl cellulose or hydrogenated edible fats ); emulsifying agents ( e . g ., lecithin or acacia ); non - aqueous vehicles ( e . g ., almond oil , oily esters or ethyl alcohol ); and preservatives ( e . g ., methyl or propyl p - hydroxybenzoates or sorbic acid ). for buccal administration , the composition may take the form of tablets or lozenges formulated in conventional manner . the active compounds of the invention may be formulated for parenteral administration by injection , including using conventional catheterization techniques or infusion . formulations for injection may be presented in unit dosage form , e . g ., in ampoules or in multi - dose containers , with an added preservative . the compositions may take such forms as suspensions , solutions or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles , and may contain formulating agents such as suspending , stabilizing and / or dispensing agents . alternatively , the active ingredient may be in powder form for reconstitution with a suitable vehicle , e . g ., sterile pyrogen - free water , before use . the active compounds of the invention may also be formulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas , e . g ., containing conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides . for intranasal administration by inhalation , the active compounds of the invention are conveniently delivered in the form of a solution or suspension from a pump spray container that is squeezed or pumped by the patient or as an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized container or a nebulizer , with the use of a suitable propellant , e . g ., dichlorodifluoromethane , trichloro - fluoromethane , dichlorotetrachloroethane , carbon dioxide or other suitable gas . in the case of a pressurized aerosol , the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount . the pressurized container or nebulizer may contain a solution or suspension of the active compound . capsules and cartridges ( made , for example , from gelatin ) for use in an inhaler or insulator may be formulated containing a powder mix of a compound of the invention and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch . a proposed dose of the active compounds of the invention for oral , parenteral or buccal administration to the average adult human for the treatment of the conditions referred to above is from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg of the active ingredient per unit dose which could be administered , for example , one to four times per day . toxicity concerns at the higher level may restrict intravenous ( i . v .) dosages to a lower level , such as up to 10 mg / kg . a dose of about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg may be employed for oral ( p . o .) administration . typically , a dosage from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 10 mg / kg may be employed for intramuscular ( i . m .) injection . preferred dosages are in the 1 . 0 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg range , and more preferably in the 5 mg / kg to about 50 mg / kg range for i . v . or p . o . administration . the duration of the treatment is usually once per day for a period of one days to three weeks , or until the condition is essentially brought under control . aerosol formulations for treatment of the conditions referred to above in the average human are preferably arranged such that each metered dose or “ puff ” of aerosol contains 0 . 1 micrograms to 100 micrograms of the active compound of the invention . the overall daily dose with an aerosol will be within the range of 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg , and preferably in the range of 1 . 0 mg / kg to about 25 mg / kg . administration may be several times daily , for example 2 , 3 , 4 or 8 times , giving for example 1 , 2 or 3 doses each time . as an example , the mammal in need of treatment or prevention may be a human . as another example , the mammal in need of treatment or prevention may be a mammal other than a human . a compound of formula i which is basic in nature is capable of forming a wide variety of different salts with various inorganic and organic acids . the acid additions salts are readily prepared by treating the base compounds with a substantially equivalent amount of the chosen mineral or organic acid in an aqueous solvent medium or in a suitable organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol . upon careful evaporation of the solvent , the desired solid salt is obtained . the acids which are used to prepare the pharmaceutically acceptable acid salts of the active compound used in formulating the pharmaceutical composition of this invention that are basic in nature are those which form non - toxic acid addition salts , e . g ., salts containing pharmacologically acceptable anions . non - limiting examples of the salts include the acetate , benzoate , beta - hydroxybutyrate , bisulfate , bisulfite , bromide , butyne - 1 , 4 - dioate , caproate , chloride , chlorobenzoate , citrate , dihydrogen phosphate , dinitrobenzoate , fumarate , glycollate , heptanoate , hexyne - 1 , 6 - dioate , hydroxybenzoate , iodide , lactate , maleate , malonate , mandelate , metaphosphate , methanesulfonate , methoxybenzoate , monohydrogen phosphate , naphthalene - 1 - sulfonate , naphthalene - 2 - sulfonate , oxalate , phenyl butyrate , phenyl propionate , phosphate , phthalate , phenylacetate , propanesulfonate , propiolate , propionate , pyrophosphate , pyrosulfate , sebacate , suberate , succinate , sulfate , sulfite , sulfonate , tartrate , xylenesulfonate , acid phosphate , acid citrate , bitartrate , succinate , gluconate , saccharate , nitrate , methanesulfonate , and pamoate { i . e ., 1 , 1 ′- methylene - bis -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - naphthoate )] salts . also included within the scope of this invention are solvates and hydrates of compounds of formula i and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts . the present invention includes within its scope all possible stoichiometric and non - stoichiometric forms . in the examples that follow , the abbreviations used in this document are intended to have the following , general meaning : bm : broad multiplet ( nmr ) bs : broad singlet ( nmr ) d : doublet ( nmr ) dd : doublet of doublets ( nmr ) d . e . : diatomaceous earth , filtering agent calcd . : calculated value j : coupling constant ( nmr ) lc : high pressure liquid chromatography ( hplc ) m : multiplet ( nmr ) min : minute ( s ) m / z : mass to charge ratio ( mass spectroscopy ) obsd : observed value rf : retention factor ( chromatography ) rt : retention time ( chromatography ) rt : room temperature ( typically 25 ° c .) s : singlet ( nmr ) t : triplet ( nmr ), t : temperature tlc : thin layer chromatography tfa : trifluoroacetic acid thf : tetrahydrofuran solvents were purchased and used without purification . yields were calculated for material judged to be homogeneous by thin layer chromatography and nmr . thin layer chromatography was performed on kieselgel plates eluting with the indicated solvents , visualized by using a 254 nm uv lamp , and stained with either an aqueous kmno 4 solution or an ethanolic solution of 12 - molybdophosphoric acid . nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) spectra were acquired on a 400 mhz nmr spectrometer . chemical shifts for proton 1 h — nmr spectra are reported in parts per million ( ppm ) relative to the singlet of cdcl 3 at 7 . 24 ppm . instrument : lachrom hplc system ( merck - hitachi ) for uv - directed purification and waters hplc / ms for mass directed purification , both equipped with rp c 18 column ( phenomenex gemini nx 5 μ 150 mm x 30 mm ). a : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 5 : 95 , 10 mm nh 4 hco 3 buffer , ph 8 . 0 b : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 80 : 20 10 mm nh 4 hco 3 buffer , ph 8 . 0 a : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 5 : 95 , 20 mm hcoonh 4 / nh 4 oh buffer , ph 7 . 4 b : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 80 : 20 , 20 mm hcoonh 4 / nh 4 oh buffer , ph 7 . 4 a : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 5 : 95 , 20 mm ch 3 coonh 4 / ch 3 cooh buffer , ph 6 b : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 80 : 20 , 20 mm ch 3 coonh 4 / ch 3 cooh buffer , ph 6 a : h 2 o with 0 . 1 % tfa , ph 2 . 2 b : acetonitrile with 0 . 1 % tfa , ph 2 . 2 column : zorbax rrhd eclipse xdb ( agilent ) c 18 , 1 . 9 micron , 50 mm x 2 . 1 mm . a : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 5 : 95 , 20 mm hcoonh 4 / nh 4 oh buffer , ph 7 . 4 b : acetonitrile - h 2 o = 80 : 20 , 20 mm hcoonh 4 / nh 4 oh buffer , ph 7 . 4 a : h 2 with 0 . 1 % tfa , ph 2 . 2 b : acetonitrile with 0 . 1 % tfa , ph 2 . 2 gradient program : adjusted according to the compound properties ; typically , start : 0 % b to 100 % b in 1 minute , 0 . 8 minute isocratic b . a mixture of 2 -( 2 - chlorophenyl )- 2 -( methylamino ) cyclohexanone hydrochloride ( ketamine hcl ) ( 423 mg , 1 . 54 mmol ) and n 1 , n 1 - dimethylethane - 1 , 2 - diamine ( 1 . 6 ml , 19 . 2 mmol ) was heated at 110 ° c . for 20 h . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and sodium cyano - borohydride ( 490 mg , 7 . 8 mmol ) was added . the mixture was then heated at 110 ° c . overnight . the cooled reaction mixture was quenched with saturated nahco 3 , extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 75 ml ), dried ( na 2 so 4 ) and concentrated to dryness to give 500 mg of crude product ( m / z 310 [ m + + h ]). this material was further purified by column chromatography , as described in method a above . a .) the product fractions , ( rt = 0 . 50 ) were combined , the solvents were removed and the trans - isomer was isolated as a trifluoroacetate salt , 0 . 149 g . ms : calcd . for c 17 h 28 cin 2 : 309 . 9 ; obsd . : 309 . 2 ( m + 1 ). 1 h — nmr ( dmso — d 6 , 400 mhz , t = 30 ° c .) δ 1 . 4 - 1 . 7 ( m , 3h ), 1 . 75 - 2 . 0 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 10 - 2 . 35 ( m + s , 5h ), 2 . 40 - 2 . 50 ( m + s , 6h ), 2 . 75 - 2 . 85 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 92 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 15 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 50 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 55 - 7 . 65 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 5 ( bs , 1h ). b .) the more polar fractions ( rt = 0 . 64 ) were separately combined and , after removal of the solvents , the cis - isomer was isolated as a solid , 0 . 078 g . ms : calcd . for c 17 h 28 cin 3 : 309 . 9 ; obsd . : 309 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the following compounds were also prepared using the general procedure a , as described above for the title compounds of examples 1 : trans - 1 -( 2 - chlorophenyl ) - n 2 - cyclopropylmethyl - n 1 - methylcyclohexane - 1 , 2 - diamine ( 2 a ), and the title compounds of example 2 were prepared according to general procedure a using cyclopropylmethanamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 55 )/ mass spectrum ( m / z ) calcd . for c 17 h 25 cin 2 : 292 . 8 ; obsd . : 293 ( m + 1 , 100 %), 295 ( m + 1 , 37cl , 30 %), 262 ( 28 %). 1 h — nmr ( dmso — d 6 , 400 mhz , t = 30 ° c .) δ 0 . 1 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 2 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 5 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 85 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 50 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 65 ( d , 1h ), 1 . 85 - 2 . 10 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 05 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 15 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 30 - 2 . 55 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 70 ( dd , 1h ), 4 . 45 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 65 ( m , 4h ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 72 )/ ms : calcd . for c 17 h 25 cin 2 : 292 . 8 ; obsd . : 293 ( m + 1 ). 1 h — nmr ( dmso — d6 , 400 mhz , t = 30 ° c .) δ 0 . 30 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 55 ( dd , 2h ), 1 . 0 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 2 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 40 - 1 . 85 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 05 ( m + s , 4h ), 2 . 80 ( m , 3h ), 4 . 20 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 5 ( bs , 2h ), 7 . 35 - 7 . 50 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 52 ( dd , 1h ), 7 . 64 ( d , 1h ). the title compounds of example 3 were prepared according to general procedure a using cyclopentylamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 58 )/ ms : calcd . for c 18 h 27 cin 2 : 306 . 9 ; obsd . : 306 . 19 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 96 )/ ms : calcd . for c 18 h 27 cin 2 : 306 . 9 ; obsd . : 306 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 4 were prepared according to general procedure a using 3 - methoxypropylamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 59 )/ ms : calcd . for c 17 h 27 cin 2 o : 310 . 9 ; obsd . : 310 . 18 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 67 )/ ms : calcd . for c 17 h 27 cin 2 o : 310 . 9 ; obsd . : 310 . 18 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 5 were prepared according to general procedure a using 2 - aminomethyl - 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 - tetrahydrofuran and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 63 )/ ms : calcd . for c 18 h 27 cin 2 o : 322 . 9 ; obsd . : 322 . 18 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 70 )/ ms : calcd . for c 18 h 27 cin 2 o : 322 . 9 ; obsd . : 322 . 18 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 6 was prepared according to general procedure a using 3 -( n , n - dimethylamino )- propylamine and ketamine . lc ( rt = 0 . 66 )/ ms : calcd . for c 18 h 30 cin 36 : 323 . 9 ; obsd . : 323 . 21 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 7 were prepared according to general procedure a using benzylamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 66 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 25 cin 2 : 328 . 9 ; obsd . : 328 . 17 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 1 . 01 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 25 cin 2 : 328 . 9 ; obsd . : 328 . 17 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 8 was prepared according to general procedure a using 4 -( aminomethyl )- pyridine and ketamine . lc ( rt = 0 . 70 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 24 cin 3 : 329 . 9 ; obsd . : 329 . 17 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 9 was prepared according to general procedure a using 3 -( aminomethyl )- pyridine and ketamine . lc ( rt = 0 . 56 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 23 cin 3 : 329 . 9 ; obsd . : 329 . 17 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 10 was prepared according to general procedure a using ( r )- α - methyl - benzylamine and ketamine . lc ( rt = 1 . 05 )/ ms : calcd . for c 21 h 27 cin 2 : 342 . 9 ; obsd . : 342 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 11 was prepared according to general procedure a using ( s )- α - methyl - benzylamine and ketamine . lc ( rt = 0 . 81 )/ ms : calcd . for c 21 h 27 cin 2 : 342 . 9 ; obsd . : 342 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 12 were prepared according to general procedure a using 3 -( 1 - imidazolyl )- propylamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 70 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 27 cin 4 : 346 . 9 ; obsd . : 346 . 19 ( m + 1 ). 1 h — nmr ( dmso — d6 , 400 mhz , t = 30 ° c .) δ 1 . 35 - 1 . 55 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 60 - 1 . 75 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 80 - 2 . 00 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 05 - 2 . 35 ( m + s , 6h ), 2 . 45 - 2 . 70 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 95 - 4 . 25 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 50 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 55 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 60 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 70 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 95 ( s , 1h ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 54 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 27 cin 4 : 346 . 9 ; obsd . : 346 . 19 ( m + 1 ). 1 h — nmr ( dmso — d6 , 400 mhz , t = 30 ° c .) δ 1 . 25 ( bs , 1h ), 1 . 40 ( bs , 1h ), 1 . 50 - 1 . 80 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 90 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 00 - 2 . 25 ( m + s , 5h ), 2 . 55 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 70 - 2 . 95 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 90 ( bs , 1h ), 4 . 20 - 4 . 35 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 50 ( bs , 2h ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 45 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 52 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 65 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 70 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 75 ( m , 1h ), 9 . 10 ( s , 1h ). the title compounds of example 13 were prepared according to general procedure a using n - ethyl - 2 -( aminomethyl )- pyrrolidine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 55 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 : 349 . 9 ; obsd . : 349 . 23 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 70 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 : 349 . 9 ; obsd . : 349 . 23 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 14 were prepared according to general procedure a using n -( 3 - aminopropyl )- pyrrolidine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 50 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 : 349 . 9 ; obsd . : 349 . 23 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 68 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 : 349 . 9 ; obsd . : 349 . 23 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 15 were prepared according to general procedure a using 3 - aminopropylbenzene and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 71 )/ ms : calcd . for c 22 h 29 cin 2 : 356 . 9 ; obsd . : 356 . 19 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 77 )/ ms : calcd . for c 22 h 29 cin 2 : 356 . 9 ; obsd . : 356 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 16 were prepared according to general procedure a using n -( 3 - aminopropyl )- morpholine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 49 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 o : 365 . 9 ; obsd . : 365 . 22 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 86 )/ ms : calcd . for c 20 h 32 cin 3 o : 365 . 9 ; obsd . : 365 . 22 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 17 were prepared according to general procedure a using n 1 - methyl - n 2 -( 3 - aminopropyl )- piperazine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 0 . 48 )/ ms : calcd . for c 21 h 35 cin 4 : 378 . 9 ; obsd . : 378 . 26 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 0 . 69 )/ ms : calcd . for c 21 h 35 cin 4 : 378 . 9 ; obsd . : 378 . 26 ( m + 1 ). the title compounds of example 18 were prepared according to general procedure a using cyclohexylamine and ketamine . a .) lc ( rt = 1 . 55 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 29 cin 2 : 320 . 9 ; obsd . : 320 . 19 ( m + 1 ). b .) lc ( rt = 1 . 05 )/ ms : calcd . for c 19 h 29 cin 2 : 320 . 9 ; obsd . : 320 . 19 ( m + 1 ). the title compound of example 15 b ( 110 mg ) was purified using high pressure liquid chromatography ( hplc ) under the following conditions : instrument : jasco - sfc ( supercritical fluid chromatography ) semi - prep hplc ( jasco inc ., easton , md . usa ). fraction 1 ( 19 a ): 35 mg . rt = 7 . 187 min , ee & gt ; 99 %, purity & gt ; 98 %. fraction 2 ( 19 b ): 30 mg . rt = 8 . 347 min , ee & gt ; 99 %, purity & gt ; 95 %. mass spectrum : ( esi + scan ) 357 . 2 ( m 35cl + h ) + , 359 ( m 37cl + h ) + . the title compound of example 16 b ( 60 mg ) was purified using high pressure liquid chromatography ( hplc ) under the conditions described in example 19 above . fraction 1 ( 20 a ): 17 mg . rt = 10 . 192 min , ee & gt ; 99 %, purity & gt ; 99 %. mass spec ( esi +, acquisition time = 2 . 546 min ): m / z = 366 . 23 ( 100 %, ( m + h ) + ), 368 ( 33 %, ( m + h ) + for cl 37 ) fraction 2 ( 20 b ): 18 mg . rt = 12 . 783 min , ee & gt ; 99 %, purity & gt ; 99 %. mass spec ( esi +, acquisition time = 2 . 548 min ): m / z = 366 . 23 ( 100 %, ( m + h ) + ), 368 ( 33 %, ( m + h ) + for cl 37 ). the compounds from the above examples were tested for activity vs . kappa opioid receptors ( kor ) and for sigma - 1 activity . ki determinations were generously provided by the national institute of mental health &# 39 ; s psychoactive drug screening program ( pdsp ), contract # hhsn - 271 - 2013 - 00017 - c ( nimh pdsp ). the nimh pdsp is directed by bryan l . roth md , phd at the university of north carolina at chapel hill and project officer jamie driscoll at nimh , bethesda md . u . s . a . procedures employed by the pdsp are described in the nimh pdsp assay protocol book , version ii .	2
fig1 a and 11b illustrate an electrolysis apparatus for use in carrying out the process of the present invention , wherein fig1 a is a longitudinal sectional diagram and fig1 b is a plane diagram . each of a anode 13 and a cathode 14 , immersed in an electrolysis bath 12 , is a plate - shaped electrode . two anodes 13 are arranged to confront the cathode 14 on both sides thereof with the cathode 14 in the center . where the cathode 14 is formed of iron , the bottom side 15 of the cathode is tapered to have a projection at the center for dropping an nd / fe alloy from one point . the upper side of the electrolysis bath 12 is open to the air 16 , and the inner wall face 17 of the cell is composed of austenitic stainless steel . the outside of the cell is constructed by an external heating furnace 18 having a heating element 19 . reference numeral 20 represents an insulating plate . the temperature of the electrolysis bath 12 is detected by a thermocouple 21 and the heating element 19 is controlled by an external heating furnace - controlling apparatus ( not shown ) to adjust the temperature of the electrolysis bath 12 . the plate - shaped electrodes 13 and 14 are suspended from above and supported on an electrode - attaching stand 24 through an electrode distance - adjusting apparatus 22 and an electrode lifter 23 . the electrode distance - adjusting apparatus 22 and electrode lifter 23 are of the worm gear system , and the electrodes 13 and 14 are moved horizontally and vertically by rotation of the worm gears . a receiver 25 for collecting nd or an nd alloy is arranged in the electrolytic cell , and the inner surface of the receiver 25 is lined with tantalum . in this apparatus , the upper side of the electrolysis bath is open to the air . alternatively , the upper side of the electrolysis bath may be covered so that an atmosphere having a specific oxygen concentration can be located above the bath and utilized . in this electrolysis apparatus , ndf 3 is used as the starting material and the electrolysis is carried out under predetermined bath composition , bath temperature , current and voltage conditions , and nd or an nd alloy is dropped from the cathode 14 and collected in the receiver 25 . during the electrolysis , the electrodes are consumed and the distance between the electrodes is changed . accordingly , by using the distance between the distance - adjusting apparatus 22 , the electrodes are moved while taking the electrolysis conditions into consideration , so that the distance between the electrodes is kept constant , whereby desirable electrolysis conditions can be maintained . the present invention will now be described with reference to the following examples . in these examples , the electrolysis test was carried out in an electrolytic cell as shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 , a fused salt 31 is charged in a lower cell 32 composed of iron , and a anode 33 and a cathode 34 are arranged to confront each other . the distance between the electrodes 30 is maintained at 30 mm and the depth of the electrolysis bath is adjusted to 20 cm . the upper side of the electrolytic cell 32 is covered with a lid 35 and an atmosphere gas is introduced from a gas inlet 36 ( the gas can be discharged from a gas outlet 37 , if necessary ) to maintain a predetermined atmosphere 38 . note , the test in the open air is carried out while the lid 35 is removed . note also , in fig1 , reference numeral 39 represents a material feeder , reference numeral 40 represents a receiver proper , and reference numeral 41 represents an inner liner ( formed of tantalum ) of the receiver . by this electrolysis , nd is obtained in the form of a needle crystal , and an nd alloy reacts with the cathode to form a liquid drop . the nd or nd alloy is deposited in the receiver 40 by the difference of the specific gravity or the current flow in the needle crystal ( in fig1 , reference numeral 42 represents a liquid drop of nd or an nd alloy and reference numeral 43 represents nd or an nd alloy ). for comparison , a fused salt comprising 80 mole % ( 34 . 1 % by weight ) of lif an 20 mole % ( 65 . 9 % by weight ) of ndf 3 was used , the upper portion of the electrolysis cell was filled with argon gas , and the electrolysis was carried out by using a rod - shaped graphite electrode ( the graphitization ratio was 98 %) as the anode and a rod - shaped electrolytic iron electrode ( the carbon content was 0 . 02 %), whereby an nd / fe alloy was prepared . other electrolysis conditions and the results of the analysis of the obtained nd / fe alloy are shown in table 1 . for comparison ( not the prior art ), the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in example 1 except that plate - shaped electrodes were used as the anode and cathode . the results are shown in table 1 . by using the plate - shaped electrodes , the critical current value was improved and the carbon content in the nd / fe alloy was slightly reduced . but , the current and voltage of the electrolysis bath were still unstable and the bath surface was fully covered with powdery carbon , and it was confirmed that the carbon content ( 1500 ppm ) in the obtained nd - fe alloy was not suitable for using the alloy directly a the starting material ( below 400 ppm ) of a permanent magnet . to examine the effect of the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere , the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in example 2 except that a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen was used as the atmosphere gas and the oxygen concentration was changed . as apparent from the results shown in table 1 , with an increase of the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere , powdery carbon on the bath surface was prominently reduced , and at an oxygen gas concentration of 20 %, 40 % or 50 %, no powdery carbon was observed on the bath surface . correspondingly , the carbon content in the obtained nd / fe alloy was reduced with an increase of the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere . although the carbon concentration was 2000 ppm in the prior art process , at an oxygen gas concentration of 20 %, 40 % or 50 % in the atmosphere , the carbon content was reduced to 40 ppm and the nd / fe alloy could be directly used as the starting material ( below 400 ppm ) for a permanent magnet . furthermore , at an oxygen gas concentration of , for example , 20 % in the atmosphere , the critical current value ( 7 times ) and the current efficiency ( 2 . 7 times ) were greatly improved over the values obtained in the prior art process , the current , voltage , and critical current value were very stable , and the amount recovered of the nd / fe alloy was increased and 21 times the amount of the alloy recovered in the prior art process . the above - mentioned effects were not prominent when the oxygen gas concentration in the atmosphere was low . on the other hand , it was confirmed that , if the oxygen gas concentration was increased beyond 30 %, consumption of the carbon electrode became conspicuous and falling of the anode was accelerated . the electrolysis was carried out at an oxygen concentration of 20 % in the atmosphere while changing the shape and arrangement of the electrodes . in example 8 , rod - shaped electrodes were used , and in example 9 , a pair of plate - shaped electrodes were used , as the anode and cathode . in example 10 , a plate - shaped cathode was arranged at the center , and plate - shaped anodes were arranged in parallel to each other on both sides of the cathode . if the shape of the electrode was changed to the plate ( example 9 ) from the rod ( example 8 ), the critical current value ( 4 . 7 times ) and the current efficiency ( 1 . 3 times ) were increased , and as a result , the amount of recovered nd / fe alloy was synergistically increased ( 7 . 2 times ). furthermore , if plate - shaped anodes were arranged on both sides of the plate - shaped cathode to confront the cathode , the critical current value was doubled and the current efficiency was slightly increased , compared with the case where one plate - shaped anode was used , and as a result , the amount of the recovered nd / fe alloy was increased more than 2 times . moreover , by using plate - shaped electrodes , the carbon content in the nd / fe alloy was reduced . still further , from the results of examples 8 through 10 , it was found that , if the oxygen concentration was adjusted to an appropriate level , the current and voltage could be stabilized during the electrolysis , regardless of the shape of the electrodes . if example 10 was compared with the prior art process ( example 1 ), in example 10 , the critical current value was increased 14 times , the current efficiency was increased 2 . 8 times , the amount of the recovered nd / fe alloy was increased 45 times , and the carbon content in the nd / fe alloy was reduced to 1 / 50 . the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in examples 1 and 10 except that an electrolysis bath comprising 80 mole % ( 33 . 4 % by weight ) of lif , 20 mole % ( 64 . 6 % by weight ) of ndf 3 and 2 % by weight of nd 2 o 3 was used . the results are shown in table 2 . it was seen that there was no difference in the effect of the present invention between the bath of the lif - ndf 3 system and the bath of the lif - ndf 3 - nd 2 o 3 system . the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in examples 1 and 10 except that a graphite electrode was used as the cathode . the results are shown in table 2 . it was confirmed that , in the production of nd , the same effect as attained in the production of the nd / fe alloy was attained . the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in example 10 except that the upper side of the electrolysis bath was opened to the air and a graphite electrode ( example 15 ) or an iron electrode ( example 16 ) was used as the cathode . the results are shown in table 2 . it was confirmed that , even in the air , the effect of the present invention was attained . the electrolysis was carried out under the same conditions as described in example 10 except that a rod - shaped electrode ( 5φ × 10 h ) was used as the cathode . the results are shown in table 2 . it was confirmed that , even if a plate - shaped electrode was used only as the anode , a desired effect was attained . the comparative experiments were carried out under the same conditions as described in example 10 except that plate - shaped electrodes having a width of 70 mm ( example 18 ) or 140 mm ( example 19 ) were used . the results are shown in table 2 . from the results shown in table 2 , it was found that if the effective area of the electrodes was increased , the current value and the output of the nd / fe alloy were proportionally increased . therefore , it is understood that the present invention is superior to the prior art process using rod - shaped electrodes , in that electrodes having a larger effective area can be used in the same electrolytic cell . fig1 shows current - voltage curves at the electrolysis , obtained in examples 18 and 19 . from fig1 , it is understood , at the same current value , the voltage in example 19 was lower than the voltage in example 18 . table 2effect by production of metallic nd production of nd / fe plate - shaped effect by electrode area lif -- ndf . sub . 3 -- nd . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 system by graphite cathode and nd in air anode example 11 example 12 example 13 example 14 example 15 example 16 example 17 example 18 example 19 electrolysis atmos - phere ar ( vol %) 100 0 100 0 0 0 0 n . sub . 2 ( vol %) -- 80 -- 80 in air in air 80 80 80 o . sub . 2 ( vol %) -- 20 -- 20 20 20 20 shape and material of electrode anode graphite , graphite , graphite , graphite , graphite , graphite graphite , graphite , graphite , ( a ) rod plate rod plate plate plate plate plate plate cathode iron , rod iron , plate graphite , graphite , graphite , iron , plate iron , rod iron , plate iron , plate rod plate plate anode not graphite , not graphite , graphite , graphite , not graphite , graphite , ( b ) plate plate plate plate plate plate size of electrode ( portion in bath ) anode 5φ × 10 . sup . h 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 7φ × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d ( a ) ( cm ) cathode 5φ × 10 . sup . h 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 5φ 10 . sup . h 7φ × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d ( cm ) anode not 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d not 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d not 7φ × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d 14 . sup . w × 10 . sup . h × 2 . sup . d ( b ) ( cm ) size of electrolytic 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h 18φ × 25 . sup . h cell ( cm ) composition of fused salt lif ( mole %) 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 ndf . sub . 3 ( mole %) 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 nd . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 (% by weight ) 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 electrolysis temper - 880 880 880 880 880 880 880 880 880 ature ( c .) results of elec - trolysis critical current 40 560 45 600 600 560 250 280 560 value ( a ) electrolysis time 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 ( hr ) average voltatge ( v ) 6 8 6 7 7 8 7 6 8 average current ( a ) 30 480 35 510 510 480 200 240 480 average anode ( 0 . 2 ) 1 . 7 ( 0 . 2 ) 1 . 8 1 . 8 1 . 7 ( 1 . 4 ) 1 . 7 1 . 7 current desnity ( a / cm . sup . 2 ) average cathode ( 0 . 2 ) 3 . 4 ( 0 . 2 ) 3 . 6 3 . 6 3 . 4 ( 1 . 3 ) 3 . 4 3 . 4 current density ( a / cm . sup . 2 ) stability of cur - unstable stable unstable stable stable stable stable slightly stable rent and voltage unstable generation of very large not very large not not not not not not carbon on bath surface consumption of not some but no not some but no some but no some but no some but no some but no some but no carbon above bath problem problem problem problem problem problem problem stability of unstable stable unstable stable stable stable slightly stable stable critical current unstable value amount of re - -- -- 79 3460 3460 -- -- -- -- covered nd ( g ) amount of received 95 4296 -- -- -- 4296 1474 2148 4296 nd -- fe ( g ) nd content (%) 85 85 99 99 99 85 85 85 85 current efficiency 30 85 25 75 75 85 70 85 85 (%) c concentration 2000 40 40 40 40 40 ( ppm ) o concentration 2400 70 70 70 70 70 ( ppm ) others no isola - no isolation no isolation no isolation no isolation no isolation no isolation no isolation no isolation tion of of anode of anode of anode of anode of anode of anode of anode of anode anode various materials as the material for the fused salt bath cell were subjected to the corrosion test . fig1 shows an apparatus used for the corrosion test of various materials ( carbon steel , and sus - 304 , sus - 316 , sus - 310s and sus - 430 of jis standards ) in the fused salt . the results are shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the material 53 to be tested was placed into the fused salt 52 . the sum of the corrosion quantities in the fused salt , on the interface between the fused salt and the open air and above the fused bath was examined with the lapse of time . the results are shown in fig1 . the experiment was conducted in the open air by using a bath cell 54 formed of sus - 304 and maintaining the bath temperature at 880 ° c . without supplying an electric current . a fused salt of the lif - ndf 3 system comprising 80 mole % of lif and 20 mole % of ndf 3 and a fused salt of the lif - ndf 3 - nd 2 o 3 system formed by adding 2 % by weight of nd 2 o 3 to the lif - ndf 3 system comprising 80 mole % of lif and 20 mole % of ndf 3 were used as the fused bath 52 . similar results were obtained . from fig1 , it is seen that , in ordinary carbon steel and ferritic stainless steel ( sus - 430 ), the corrosion quantity was larger than in austenitic stainless steels ( sus - 304 , sus - 316 and sus - 310s ), and austenitic stainless steels were excellent . furthermore , it is seen that , among austenitic stainless steels , sus - 310s ( comprising 25 % by weight of cr and 20 % by weight of ni ) had the best corrosion resistance . based on the results obtained in example 18 , an electrolytic cell shown in fig1 was fabricated and the test of the continuous operation of preparing nd / fe was carried out . referring to fig1 , an electrolytic cell 63 for containing a fused salt 62 was fabricated by using sus - 310s based on the above - mentioned test results ( example 21 ), and for comparison , the electrolytic cell was fabricated by using ordinary carbon steel ( example 22 ). in fig1 , the inner side of a metal - receiving vessel 64 composed of sus - 310s was lined with ta 65 because of high alloying reactivity of nd with other metals . when a cathode 66 of iron and an anode 67 of graphite were arranged and an electric current was supplied , nd formed by the electrolysis reacted with the cathode 66 to form an nd / fe alloy liquid drop 68 , the liquid drop was received in the metal - receiving vessel 64 , and an nd / fe alloy 69 was deposited . note , the electrolysis was conducted in air 70 . in each of the two electrolysis baths , that is , the lif - ndf 3 system comprising 80 mole % of lif and 20 mole % of ndf 3 and the lif - ndf . su b . 3 - nd 2 o 3 system formed by adding 2 % by weight of nd 2 o 3 to the lif - ndf 3 system comprising 80 mole % of lif and 20 mole % of ndf 3 , the operation was carried out at an electrolysis temperature of 880 ° c . no substantial difference was brought about by the difference of the bath composition . the results are shown in table 3 . the operation was continuously conducted , and the thickness of the material used for the electrolytic cell was reduced . the number of the operation days means the elapsing days until the thickness was reduced to a small value such that the electrolysis bath would flow out as the electrolysis operation continued . in each run , the thickness of the used cell material was 5 mm . table 3______________________________________ example 21 example 22______________________________________material used ordinary sus - 310s carbon steelatmosphere in air in aircomposition of fused saltlif ( mole %) 80 80ndf . sub . 3 ( mole %) 20 20nd . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 (% by weight ) 0 - 2 0 - 2electrolysis temperature (° c .) 880 880average current ( a ) 240 240average voltage ( v ) 7 7number of continuous use days 15 150 ( days ) ______________________________________ from the results shown in table 3 , it was confirmed that the number of continuous use days was drastically increased by using sus - 310s , i . e ., austenitic stainless steel .	2
referring now to fig1 an exhaust gas sensor probe 10 , according to the present invention , is illustrated . probe 10 includes an electrical terminal means 12 , a housing sleeve means 14 , and support member 16 . electrical terminal means 12 includes a plurality of electrical contact members 18 which are operative to communicate the exhaust gas sensor probe 10 with , for example , a remotely located source of electrical energy and a remotely located sensor utilization means . by way of example , copending commonly assigned patent application ser . no . 375 , 993 , now u . s . pat . no . 3 , 868 , 846 , -- &# 34 ; circuit for converting a temperature dependent input signal to a temperature independent output signal &# 34 ;, filed in the names of toshimoto kushida et al ., illustrates one such electrical energization and sensor utilization means . as illustrated , the electrical terminal means 12 is the well known jones plug and in this embodiment represents a form of electrical terminal means suited to laboratory use . electrical terminal means for automotive vehicle usage are generally well known and any such means may be employed and such implemention is contemplated . support member 16 is here illustrated as a ceramic material and is preferably alumina , al 2 o 3 . as illustrated , support member 16 extends in a longitudinal direction substantially from the terminal end of housing sleeve means 14 to the opposite , sensor , end 17 of housing sleeve means 14 . support member 16 is provided with a central passage 20 and a plurality of surrounding electrical conduit passages 22 . the sensor end of support member 16 is provided with a generally cup - shaped end portion 24 which is arranged to receive and support a wafer 26 of exhaust gas sensor material , principally of the variable resistive type , which responds electrically to changes in the partical pressure of oxygen . as illustrated in fig1 and as further described hereinbelow with reference to fig3 the interior void of the cup - shaped portion 24 is arranged to communicate directly with central passage 20 and , through the diagonal passages 28 , with the surrounding electrical conduit passages 22 . referring now to fig1 and 2 , and in particular to fig2 sensor wafer 26 is provided with a pair of sensor conductors 30 , 32 which communicate through diagonal passages 28 and electrical conduit passages 22 with selected ones of the electrical contact members 18 . the outer surface of cup - shaped end portion 24 is provided with a relatively continuous groove 34 which extends along substantially the entire outer surface of cup - shaped portion 24 . a heating means 36 is provided in the form of a winding of heater wire disposed within groove 34 . the heater wire 36 may be , for example , platinum and is arranged to communicate through others of the plurality of electrical conduit passages 22 with other of the terminal members 18 . the interior surface of cup - shaped end portion 24 may be provided with a pair of generally longitudinally directed confronting slots into which wafer 26 may be inserted . in order to retain heater wire 36 within the groove 34 and to shield the heater wire from any catalytic heating effects and corrosion which may be caused by exposure to the exhaust gases an inorganic potting compound 38 such as , for example , saureisen cement no . 33 , available from saureisen corporation or other suitable refractory cement may be used . other suitable cements include a1 23 cement , an aluminum oxide cement available from ventron corporation and ceramabond cement available from aremco products , incorporated . referring now to fig2 and 3 , and particularly to fig3 an end view of probe 10 is shown . as can be seen from these views , the wafer of sensor material 26 is received within a pair of slots 40 formed in the side wall 42 of the cup - shaped end portion 24 . sensor conductors 30 , 32 are shown ( in phantom lines in fig3 ) extending from two of the electrical conduit passages 22 ( shown in fig3 in phantom line ) into the sensor wafer 26 . the heating coil 36 is shown ( in phantom line in fig3 ) in surrounding relationship to wafer 26 and is situated within groove 34 . heater wire 36 is shown communicating with a further pair of surrounding passages 22 . due to the truncated wedge shape of wafer 26 and the matching taper of slots 40 , the sensor conductors 30 , 32 may be slightly deformed during insertion of the wafer 26 within slots 40 by wedging action . this slight deformation may serve to retain wafer 26 with the slots 40 . furthermore , during the life of the probe 10 , the ceramic materials of the wafer 26 and support member 16 will fuse and fracture producing a large plurality of interlocking fingers of ceramic material to further assist in holding wafer 26 within the cup - shaped end portion 24 . referring now to fig4 a sectional view of a portion of the support member 16 taken along section line 4 -- 4 of fig1 is shown . the plurality of connecting passages 28 are shown to extend through the narrowed portion 44 of support member 16 . it will be apparent that passages 28 need not be complete and may be simple grooves in the neck of the narrowed portion 44 of support member 16 . the potting compound 38 is shown in place between support member 16 and housing sleeve means 14 . referring now to fig5 an alternative embodiment of an exhaust gas sensor probe 110 according to the present invention , intended for use with an exhaust gas sensor ceramic operative at higher temperature is illustrated . the probe 110 includes an electrical terminal means 112 , a housing sleeve means 114 and support member 116 . as with the probe 10 of fig1 the electrical terminal means 112 includes a plurality of electrical contact members 118 and is fixedly attached to the housing sleeve means 114 . support member 116 is received within sleeve means 114 . a slight gap is provided between the outer surface of support member 116 and the inner surface of sleeve means 114 to provide for differential rates of expansion in the presence of heating . support member 116 is provided with a central passage 120 and a plurality of longitudinally extending electrical conduit passages 122 surrounding central passage 120 . support member 116 is also provided with a generally cup - shape end portion 124 which is arranged to open longitudinally away from the main body of support member 116 . as illustrated in fig5 and 6 , a wafer 126 of ceramic exhaust gas sensor material is received within the cup - shaped end portion 124 . a plurality of diagonal connecting passages 128 are illustrated diagonally interconnecting the interior of cup - shaped portion 124 with the electrical conduit passages 122 . as is more clearly illustrated in fig6 the sensor wafer 126 is provided with a pair of electrical leads 130 , 132 which communicate the wafer 126 with selected ones of the electrical contact members 118 through connecting passages 128 and electrical conduit passages 122 . with reference to fig5 and 6 , and in particular to fig6 the outer surface of cup - shaped end portion 124 is provided with a relatively continuous groove 134 . a heating means in the form of heater wire 136 is situated within the groove 134 . an inorganic potting compound or refractory cement 138 , such as one of the previously mentioned cements , is situated in generally surrounding relationship to the heater wire 136 and is operative to maintain the heater wire in proper relation with respect to cup - shaped end portion 124 while protecting heater wire 136 from handling damage and from the effects of direct exposure to the exhaust gases . referring now to fig6 and 7 , wafer 126 can be seen to be inserted within a pair of confronting , longitudinally extending grooves 140 placed in the side wall 142 of cup - shaped portion 124 . electrical leads 130 , 132 are shown to extend into , and terminate within , the wafer 126 by phantom lines . referring again to fig5 the housing sleeve means 114 are shown to extend a substantial distance in the longitudinal direction along support member 116 but to terminate well short of the cup - shaped end portion 124 . a cap member 144 is positioned over the end portion 124 so as to engage a shoulder 146 of support member 116 . cap member 144 is provided with an aperture 148 which is arranged so as to expose the interior of cup - shaped portion 124 to a portion of the exhaust gas stream . cap member 144 is preferably formed of a ceramic material having a coefficient of expansion compatible with that of the ceramic material selected for support member 116 and may be formed of the same ceramic material . cap member 144 is operative to inhibit radiation and conduction heat losses from potting compound 138 and heater wire 136 and , to accomplish this objective , may be coated with a thin layer of metallic material having a dielectric constant substantially different from that of the end cap material . for example , a platinum paste having a dielectric constant differing significantly from that of the ceramic end cap 144 will cause infrared reflection to occur at the interface layer between cap 144 and the metallic coating and substantial quantities of heat will be retained . the layer may be provided on either the interior or the exterior surface of end cap 144 depending upon the material selected and its reaction to the exhaust gas environment . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 aperture 148 is formed to open in a transverse direction such that an exhaust gas stream flowing in the direction of arrow of 150 will force a small stream of gas to enter aperture 148 and to flow across the surface of wafer 126 . this flow of exhaust gases will enter central passage 120 and may be exhausted from central passage 120 by one or more cross passages such as at 152 . the cross passages 152 may be arranged at generally right angles to exhaust flow 150 and may extend through support member 116 intermediate the ends of sleeve means 114 and end cap 144 . by being generally perpendicular to the exhaust flow , an aspirating effect will occur to facilitate the flow of exhaust gases across the surface of wafer 126 . referring now to fig1 and 5 , sleeve means 14 , 114 are provided with a plurality of fin members 54 , 154 . these fin members provide for radiation of heat energy to protect the electrical terminal means 12 , 112 while providing a convenient mechanism to control the depth of penetration of the probe , 10 , 110 within the associated exhaust system of an internal combustion engine so that sensor wafers 26 , 126 will be properly positioned at the approximate center of the associated exhaust gas conduit . while sleeve means 14 , 114 are shown as comprising a threaded cylindrical member , it will be appreciated that other housing configurations are contemplated . for example , a conventional spark plug sleeve may also be utilized . referring now to fig8 a sectional view taken along section line 8 -- 8 of fig5 is shown . this view illustrates the diagonal connecting passages 128 which extend through narrowed portion 156 of support member 116 . end cap 144 is illustrated in this view as including a thin metallic coating as at 158 . the support members 16 , 116 according to the present invention are quite similar and may be fabricated in identical fashion . as illustrated in fig5 support member 116 is provided with an abutment shoulder 146 for receipt of the cap member 144 and this abutment shoulder may be provided by an additional machining step in manufacturing support members 16 , 116 . in fabricating support members 16 , 116 , for example support member 16 , a relatively liquid body of raw ceramic material which may be for example alumina is extruded through a proper extrusion die to form a multi - passaged , generally cylindrical , rod or tube of raw ceramic material . the ceramic material of the support members 16 , 116 is selected to be compatible with the temperature environment of the probe and relatively inert with respect to the exhaust gas constituents and the ceramic of wafers 26 , 126 . alumina ceramic is presently preferred on the basis of compatability and cost . this rod or tube may be provided with a length which is substantially equal to that required for probe 10 . the elongated tube of ceramic material is then prefired at an elevated temperature for a period of time sufficient , considering the magnitude of the elevated temperature , to produce a machinable green ceramic . the green ceramic tube is thereafter placed in a machining fixture and the diameter of one end of the tube is reduced from the starting diameter , which may be just slightly larger ( to allow for a predictable shrinkage on the order of about fifteen percent ) than the inner diameter of sleeve means 14 , to provide for the formation of narrowed portion 44 and of the outer surface of cup - shaped portion 24 while the machining of cup - shaped portion 24 is being accomplished . the inner surface of cup - shaped portion 24 may be provided , for example , by drilling to expand the size of central passage 20 . alternatively , both the interior of cup - shaped portion 24 and the central passage 20 may be formed by a drilling process and the electrical conduit passages 22 may also be so formed . preferably , the interior of cup - shaped portion 24 is a truncated cone . the next step may comprise forming the transversely disposed , confronting , longitudinally extending sensor receiving slots 40 on the inner wall of cup - shaped portion 24 by use of a suitable cutting tool . these slots 40 should be angled so as to intersect , if extended , at central passage 20 interiorly of support member 16 . connecting passages 28 may be drilled through the side wall of support member 16 to intercommunicate the conduit passages 22 with the interior of cup - shaped portion 24 . at the completion of the various machining and drilling steps to provide for the desired configuration of the cup - shaped portion 24 and the various passages communicating therewith , the tube , now comprising a green ceramic version of support member 16 , may be committed to final firing . thereafter , probe 10 may be assembled by inserting the sensor wafer 26 in slots 40 and the conductors 30 , 32 in the appropriate passages , situating heater wire 36 in groove 34 , bonding support member 16 in the sleeve means 14 and making the necessary electrical connection within electrical terminal means 12 . the potting compound 38 may then be added . in addition , a small amount of potting compound 38 may be added to the outer portion of slots 40 to close the slots to further assist in holding the wafer 26 in place . in those instances where the ceramic selected for support members 16 , 116 is alumina ( al 2 o 3 ), the prefiring may occur at a temperature of about 1300 ° f for a period of about 1 hour and the final firing may be conducted at a temperature of about 2700 ° f for about 2 hours . where it is desired to form a support member 116 for use in the higher temperature environment required by a sensor wafer 126 formed of cobalt monoxide ceramic material , the machining step may also include machining of the main body of support member 116 to form the shoulder 146 for receipt of cap member 144 and the step of drilling may also include the step of drilling the cross passages 152 . it will thus be seen that the present invention readily accomplishes its stated objectives . a support member for supporting an exhaust gas sensor is formed which may be used with either a titania or cobalt monoxide based sensor material and which only requires very slight configuration modifications depending on its intended usage . the support member may be readily formed by conventional ceramic and ceramic machining techniques . by providing edge support along two edges of the sensor ceramic material , a thinner sensor ceramic may be fabricated thereby improving the potential response time for the ceramic material by assuring an increase in the gas transport time to enter and fill the various pores of the ceramic material . furthermore , the wedging action of the wafer in the slots avoids the need for cementing while , in combination with the support provided along opposed edges of the sensor , inhibiting any vibration induced motion or flexing of the electrical leads . the heating means may also be removed from the wafer 26 without exposing it to the deleterious effects of exposure to the exhaust gases . while the heater means is now more remote from the variable resistance zone of primary interest , it is situated so as to be of substantially greater extent so that the heating function is not seriously or adversely effected and the sensor wafer may be of reduced mass and thickness . by providing a ceramic support construction which places the ceramic material at the center of , and not in contact with , a generally helically formed heater wire , the ceramic may be maintained at the desired elevated temperature with lower expenditures of heater wire energization energies and the need for additional wires formed in the sensor ceramic is avoided . furthermore , by providing the end cap using well known refractory techniques for retaining heat , a wafer of sensor material may be maintained at a greatly elevated temperture with far less expenditure of electrical energy in the heater wire .	6
according to the fig1 and 4 , a rotor 1 according to the invention of a supercharging device 2 which is otherwise merely schematically hinted , in particular of an exhaust gas turbocharger , comprises a compressor wheel 3 and a turbine wheel 4 which is indirectly fastened thereon . between the compressor wheel 3 and the turbine wheel 4 a sealing disc 5 with multiple annular sealing fins or labyrinths 6 is arranged . the sealing disc 5 is preferentially produced from a titanium material , which minimises the heat transfer from the turbine wheel 4 to the compressor wheel 3 . on the turbine wheel side a pot - shaped bearing bush 7 for the radial air bearing is provided , which comprises at least one hollow space 8 and multiple stiffening ribs 9 extending into this hollow space . on its face wall 10 , the bearing bush 7 can have an axial bearing surface in particular a grooved axial air bearing . through the hollow design of the bearing bush 7 , the same can be formed comparatively light , i . e . with little weight , which in particular is of special advantage for using the rotor 1 in a supercharging device 2 in a motor vehicle . because of the additionally provided stiffening ribs 9 , the strength of the bearing bush 7 , in particular in radial direction , can be significantly increased which likewise has a positive effect on a rotor natural frequency of the rotor 1 . in the case of the rotor 1 according to the invention , the rotor natural frequency can be increased via the rotational speed of the rotor 1 so that the same during the operation of the exhaust gas turbocharger is never reached and accordingly no natural frequency problems occur . in order to further increase the rotor natural frequency , the weight at the rotor ends can be reduced , by way of which a deformation of the bearing bush 7 through the stiffening is prevented . according to the fig1 and 2 , the bearing bush 7 in this case is merely provided on the turbine side , wherein it is obviously also conceivable that such a bearing bush 7 is exclusively provided on the compressor side or on both sides . looking at a face wall 10 of the bearing bush 7 , it is evident with the bearing bush 7 shown according to fig1 that the same has a convex bulge and is thereby reinforced which likewise has a positive effect on the strength and stiffness of the bearing bush 7 . the stiffening ribs 9 shown according to fig1 are annular in design and project towards the interior into the hollow space 8 collar - like . generally , the bearing bush 7 according to fig1 merely has a single hollow space 8 . in contrast with the bearing bush 7 according to fig1 , the bearing bush 7 according to fig2 comprises multiple hollow spaces 8 and multiple stiffening ribs 9 , which are produced through axially parallel bores 11 ( see in particular fig3 ). in addition to producing the hollow spaces 8 by drilling , these can obviously be produced also by erosion processes . looking once more at the fig1 and 2 it is evident that the compressor wheel 3 and the turbine wheel 4 each have a central recess 12 facing one another , just like the sealing disc 5 located between the compressor wheel 3 and the turbine wheel 4 . all three components of the rotor 1 , i . e . the compressor wheel 3 , the turbine wheel 4 and the sealing disc 5 in this case are screwed together , i . e . fastened to one another by a central screw 13 . by unscrewing the central screw 13 , disassembly of the rotor 1 , in particular for example for replacing individual components , such as for example the sealing disc 5 , is easily possible . tightening of the screw 13 in this case is performed from the compressor side , for the purpose of which the bearing bush 7 is removed . the bearing bush 7 is connected annularly sealingly to the turbine wheel 4 , in particular for example welded , soldered , upset or glued . the sealing disc 5 has two annular steps 14 and 14 ′ located opposite , wherein the compressor wheel 3 with an annular edge 15 ′ engages in one of these , whereas the turbine wheel 4 with an annular edge 15 engages in the other annular step 14 . according to fig4 an embodiment is shown in which the bearing bush 7 is screwed to the turbine wheel 4 . for this purpose , the bearing bush 7 comprises an external thread 16 and the turbine wheel 4 a complementarily associated internal thread 17 ( see also fig5 ). accordingly , to disassemble the rotor 1 , the bearing bush 7 has to be first unscrewed in order to make possible access to the screw 13 . to save weight , the bearing bush 7 shown according to the fig4 and 5 also has hollow spaces 8 . in a further embodiment , the screw 13 and the bearing bush 7 in fig4 can be formed in one piece so that the three components of the rotor 1 , i . e . the compressor wheel 3 , the turbine wheel 4 and the sealing disc 5 are screwed to one another by attaching the bearing bush 7 , i . e . fastened to one another . with the rotor 1 according to the invention it is possible to realise a radial air bearing at the rotor 1 with high strength in radial direction . for this purpose , the radial bearing element , i . e . concretely the bearing bush 7 comprises multiple stiffening ribs 9 , which engage in at least one hollow space 8 of the bearing bush 7 or delimit multiple of these hollow spaces 8 . because of the stiffening ribs 9 , a deformation tendency of the bearing bush 7 in the case of high rotor rotational speed can additionally be reduced . the stiffening ribs 9 likewise have an advantageous effect on the rotor natural frequency of the rotor 1 . with the rotor 1 according to the invention , the rotor natural frequency in particular can be raised above the rotational speed of the rotor 1 , so that the same exclusively rotates in a sub - critical range . this is mainly achieved through the bearing located outside and the increased stiffness .	5
most vehicles could achieve substantial improvements in aerodynamic efficiency by adding light - weight fairings for the purpose of smoothing the flow of air under the vehicle . such fairings would be optimized if they were located just beneath the floor of the vehicle and were more or less horizontally flat or slightly curved , and strengthened with shallow creases or corrugations oriented parallel to the direction of movement of the vehicle . however , some elements of the drive train , steering , and suspension systems protrude too far below the floor of the vehicle to be practically covered by such flat fairings . such protruding elements include cross members ; control arms ; trailing arms ; axle beams , tubes or housings ; sway or stabilizer bars ; toe links and tie rods . in many vehicles , and especially in trailers , among the most prominent of those elements are the axles . the present invention , in addition to disclosing flat fairings to streamline broad areas of the undersides of vehicles , also discloses airfoil - shaped fairings to streamline protruding elements such as axles . in preferred embodiments of this invention , where practical , these airfoils pivot on the protruding elements , and at least one independently pivoting airfoil is located adjacent to each wheel , so that , in addition to reducing aerodynamic drag on the elements , the airfoils also stabilize the vehicle by adaptively generating downward or upward force on the adjacent wheel , as appropriate to counter any tendency for the wheel to lift off the surface of the roadway or be squashed against the roadway as the vehicle negotiates sharp bends in the road or is buffeted by cross winds . accordingly , when downward force is not needed for stability , these airfoils are capable of automatically providing lift , reducing rolling resistance and reducing wear on the tires . fig1 illustrates the stabilizing action of an airfoil 1 mounted on one side of the axle 2 adjacent to a wheel 8 of a vehicle such as a trailer . the three views are diagrammatic cross sections of the airfoil in three situations : ( a ) the vehicle is lightly loaded and the airfoil is in a neutral orientation , providing a streamlining effect , but exerting no upward or downward force ; ( b ) the vehicle is heavily loaded or this wheel 8 of the vehicle is pressed down by cross winds or by centrifugal force as the vehicle negotiates a tight curve in the road with this wheel 8 on the outside of the turn ; in these circumstances the angle of attack of the airfoil adjusts automatically to provide lift , countering the additional load on the wheel and thereby reducing rolling resistance ; ( c ) this wheel of the vehicle tends to lift off the surface of the road due to cross winds or centrifugal force experienced during a tight turn with this wheel on the inside of the turn ; in these circumstances the angle of attack is automatically adjusted to exert force downward , countering the tendency for the vehicle to overturn . fig2 shows a side view cross section of one airfoil 1 mounted on one side of an axle 2 by means of bushing 3 , which minimizes wear and friction as the airfoil pivots around the axle , automatically responding to varying loads on wheel 8 . the airfoil is linked to spring hanger 4 by means of turnbuckle 5 , providing for automatic adjustment of the angle of attack of the airfoil . for clarity of illustration , the turnbuckle is depicted here in front of spring 6 , with the lower end of the turnbuckle connected to the sectioned face of the airfoil ; this is a stylistic representation of a more practical and effective embodiment in which the airfoil extends to the outer edge of the spring , and the turnbuckle is attached to the outer edge of the spring hanger 4 and the outer end of the airfoil as shown in fig3 but where it would be largely out of view from the perspective of this figure ( looking from under the vehicle outward toward one side of the vehicle ). in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the airfoil is largely hollow , to minimize weight . it may be made of a light - weight material such as extruded aluminum . fig3 shows the underside of a trailer having two airfoils 1 mounted on the two sides of the axle 2 . in this view , both airfoils are in the same ( neutral ) position , as in fig1 a , although they independently pivot . a flat fairing 11 covers frame cross members . fig4 shows how the present invention may be applied to cross - wise protruding elements of a vehicle &# 39 ; s frame or suspension system other than axles and axle tubes . such elements are commonly not tubular ; rather , often they are i - beams or inverted u - beams ( a ). the aerodynamics of the underside of the vehicle would be markedly improved if these elements were redesigned as rigid airfoil - shaped beams ( b ). alternatively , the additional stabilizing advantages of the present invention may be realized if these elements are redesigned as tubular beams around which airfoils pivot ( c ) or , if design constraints preclude such tubular beams , then the beams of prior art , such as i - beams and u - beams , may be enclosed within cylindrical sleeves around which airfoils pivot ( d ). unlike typical airplane wings , airfoils such as those appropriate for the present invention are designed to produce routinely downward force as well as lift . therefore , they may have little or no camber , being symmetric or nearly symmetric about the plane passing through the leading and trailing edges , as shown in the above figures . an example of such an airfoil shape is naca 0012 ( jacobs et al . 1932 ) used in the wing of the lockheed c - 5 galaxy aircraft and the rotor blades of helicopters . to minimize the force required to automatically adjust and maintain the angle of attack , each airfoil preferentially pivots around its aerodynamic center , about ¼ the distance from the leading edge of the airfoil to the trailing edge , approximately as illustrated in the above figures . airfoils may be provided with endplates at the lateral ends for the purpose of reducing induced drag caused by wingtip vortices at the lateral ends of the airfoils . when traveling over bumpy roads , the pivoting airfoils disclosed here have two additional beneficial effects apart from streamlining and stabilizing the vehicle . because in such conditions , the trailing edges of the airfoils flap up and down continuously , the airfoils effectively provide a sculling effect , somewhat like the propulsive action of an avian wing , transforming into forward propulsion some of the energy that would otherwise be expended in bouncing the vehicle . in doing so , the airfoils dampen some of the bounce , effectively serving as shock absorbers that are more efficient than typical hydraulic shock absorbers , which translate bouncing energy into waste heat rather than propulsion . although the figures and description above contain many specific details , these merely provide illustrations and examples of some embodiments of this invention . various other manifestations , variations , and modifications are possible within its scope . the particular arrangements herein disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention , which includes any and all applications , variations , modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	8
exemplary embodiments of devices consistent with the present invention include one or more of the novel mechanical and / or electrical features described in detail below . for example , one or more of the exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed include auto - monitoring or , self - test , features . some self - test features and capabilities with respect to gfci devices have been disclosed previously , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 807 , 035 , 6 , 807 , 036 , 7 , 315 , 437 , 7 , 443 , 309 and 7 , 791 , 848 , and u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 422 , 790 , filed on mar . 16 , 2012 , all which are commonly assigned to the same assignee of this application and the entire respective contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all that is taught . an auto - monitoring feature consistent with the present invention disclosed herein is more robust than that which has been previously disclosed and reduces the probability of false or nuisance tripping by the device . for example , additional features are provided that relate to the determination of an end - of - life ( eol ) condition and actions taken subsequent to such determination . further exemplary novel electrical and mechanical features consistent with the invention are described herein below with reference to the figures . referring to fig1 , a gfci receptacle 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a front cover 12 having a duplex outlet face 14 with phase 16 , neutral 18 and ground 20 openings . face 14 also has opening 22 accommodating reset button 24 adjacent opening 26 accommodating test button 28 and six respective circular openings , 30 - 35 . in accordance with this exemplary embodiment openings 30 , 33 accommodate two respective indicators , such as different colored leds , openings 32 , 34 accommodate respective bright leds used , for example , as a nightlight , opening 31 accommodates a photoconductive photocell used , for example , to control the nightlight leds , and opening 35 provides access to a set screw for adjusting a photocell device in accordance with this and other exemplary embodiments . rear cover 36 is secured to front cover 12 by eight fasteners 38 — four fasteners 38 are shown in fig1 and four additional fasteners are provided on the side of receptacle 10 obscured from view in fig1 . for example , each fastener 38 may include a barbed post 50 on front cover 12 and corresponding resilient hoop 52 on rear cover 36 , similar to that which is described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 398 , 594 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all that is taught . ground yoke / bridge assembly 40 having standard mounting ears 42 protrudes from the ends of receptacle 10 . referring to fig2 , front cover 12 has been removed to expose manifold 126 , which provides support for printed circuit board 390 and yoke / bridge assembly 40 . according to the embodiment shown , manifold 126 includes four dovetail interconnects 130 that mate with corresponding cavities 132 along the upper edge of rear cover 36 . one dovetail - cavity pair is provided on each of the four sides of manifold 126 and rear cover 36 , respectively . fig3 is a side elevation view of core assembly 80 . core assembly 80 includes circuit board 82 that supports most of the working components of the receptacle , including the circuit shown in fig4 , sense transformer 84 and grounded neutral transformer 85 ( not shown ). line contact arms 94 , 96 pass through transformers 84 , 85 with an insulating separator 98 therebetween . line contact arms 94 , 96 are cantilevered , their respective distal ends carrying phase and neutral line contacts 102 , 104 . load contact arms 98 , 100 are also cantilevered with their respective distal ends carrying phase and neutral load contacts 101 , 103 . the resiliency of the cantilevered contact arms biases the line contacts 102 , 104 and load contacts 101 , 103 away from each other . load contact arms 98 , 103 rest on a movable contact carriage 106 , made of insulating ( preferably thermoplastic ) material . fig4 is a schematic drawing of the electrical and mechanical components of a gfci receptacle device consistent with one or more of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention . the circuit shown in fig4 can be employed in a gfci device as described above with respect to various embodiments of the invention . the circuit of fig4 is consistent with the mechanical operation of the exemplary embodiments described above ; however , a gfci device consistent with embodiments of the invention need not employ the precise electrical circuit depicted in fig4 and those of ordinary skill in the art , after viewing fig4 and / or reviewing the description set forth below , would be able to modify certain aspects of the circuit to achieve similar overall results . such modifications are contemplated and believed to be within the scope of the invention set forth herein . fig4 is a schematic drawing of an electrical circuit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the circuit shown in fig4 , or various sub - circuits thereof , can be implemented in a variety electrical wiring devices , however , for purposes of description here the circuit of fig4 is discussed in conjunction with its use in the gfci receptacle device shown in fig1 - 3 . the circuit of fig4 includes phase line terminal 326 and neutral line terminal 328 for electrical connection to an ac power source ( not shown ), such as a 60 - hertz , 120 volt rms power source as used in the united states for mains power . the circuit of fig4 and the software resident on and implemented therewith , can be modified to accommodate other power delivery systems as well . such modifications and the resultant circuit and wiring device in which the circuit and software are would ultimately be used are contemplated by the inventor and considered to be within the spirit and scope of the invention described herein . for example , power delivery systems that use different voltages and frequencies are within the scope of the invention . referring to fig4 , phase conductor 330 and neutral conductor 332 are respectively connected to the phase and neutral line terminals and each pass through sense transformer 334 and grounded neutral transformer 336 , which are part of a detection circuit described below . by way of example , phase and neutral line terminals correspond to input terminal screws 326 , 328 in fig1 above and phase and neutral line conductors 330 , 332 represent line contact arms 94 , 96 , respectively , as described above with respect to fig3 . each of line conductors 330 , 332 has a respective fixed end connected to the phase and neutral line terminals and each includes a respective movable contact , e . g . contacts 102 , 104 from the embodiment described above . face phase and face neutral conductors 338 , 340 , respectively , include electrical contacts ( not shown ) fixed thereto . the face conductors are electrically connected to and , in the embodiment shown are integral with , respective face terminals 342 , 344 , to which plug blades from a load device ( not shown ), such as an electrical appliance , would be connected when the electrical receptacle device is in use . the circuit shown in fig4 according to this embodiment also includes optional load phase and load neutral terminals 346 , 348 , respectively , which electrically connect to a downstream load ( not shown ), such as one or more additional receptacle devices . load terminals 346 , 348 are respectively connected to cantilevered load conductors 277 , 278 , each of which includes a movable contact ( not shown in fig4 ) at its distal end . the load contacts are disposed below respective phase and neutral line contacts and phase and neutral face contacts and are coaxial with them such that when the line conductors are moved toward the load and face conductors , the three sets of contacts mate and are electrically connected together . when the device is in this condition it is said to be “ reset ” or in the reset state . with continued reference to fig4 , detector circuit 352 includes transformers 334 , 336 as well as a gfci integrated circuit device ( gfci ic ), 350 . in accordance with the present embodiment gfci ic 350 is the well - known 4141 device , such as an rv4141 device made by fairchild semiconductor corporation . other gfci ic devices could also be used in the circuit of fig4 instead of the 4141 and such a modification is within the spirit and scope of the invention . gfci ic device 350 receives electrical signals from various other circuit components , including transformers 334 , 336 , and detects one or more kinds of faults , such as a real fault , a simulated fault or self - test ground fault , as well as a real or simulated grounded neutral fault . for example , when a sufficient current imbalance in line conductors 330 , 332 occurs , a net current flows through the transformers 334 , 336 , causing a magnetic flux to be created about at least transformer 334 . this magnetic flux results in electrical current being induced on conductor 333 , which is wound around sense transformer 334 . respective ends of conductor 333 are connected to the positive and negative inputs to the sense amplifier of gfci ic device 350 at input ports v - ref and vfb , respectively . the induced current on conductor 333 causes a voltage difference at the inputs to the sense amplifier of gfci ic 350 . when the voltage difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value , a detection signal is generated at one or more of outputs of gfci ic 350 , such as the scr trigger signal output port ( scr_out ). the threshold value used by gfci ic 350 is determined by the effective resistance connected between the op - amp output ( op_out ) and the positive input to the sense amplifier ( vfb ). the current imbalance on line conductors 330 , 332 results from either a real ground fault , a simulated ground fault or a self - test ground fault . a simulated ground fault is generated when test switch 354 in fig4 closes , which occurs when test button 28 ( fig1 ) is pressed . as described in further detail below , a self - test fault occurs when auto - monitoring circuit 370 initiates an auto - monitoring test sequence that includes an electrical current being generated on independent conductor 356 . according to the present embodiment , when test switch 354 closes , some of the current flowing in line conductors 330 , 332 and load conductors 338 , 340 is diverted from the phase face conductor 338 ( and phase load conductor 277 when the device is in the reset state ) around sense transformer 334 and through resistor 358 to neutral line conductor 332 . by diverting some of the current through resistor 358 in this manner , an imbalance is created in the current flowing through conductor 330 and the current flowing in the opposite direction through conductor 332 . when the current imbalance , i . e ., the net current flowing through the conductors passing through the sense transformer , exceeds a threshold value , for instance 4 - 5 milliamps , this simulated ground fault is detected by detector circuit 352 and the scr output of gfci ic 350 ( scr_out ) is activated . when the scr output of gfci ic 350 is activated , the gate of scr 360 is turned on allowing current to flow from the phase line conductor 330 through diode 359 and scr 360 . the current flowing through scr 360 turns on the gate of scr 361 and scr 369 . when scr 361 is turned on , current flows from phase line conductor 330 through secondary coil 363 of dual - coil solenoid 362 , fuse 365 , diode 367 and scr 361 . further , when scr 369 is turned on , current flows from phase line conductor 330 through primary coil 364 of dual - coil solenoid 362 , fuse 372 , diode 374 and scr 369 . the current flowing through both coils 363 , 364 generates a magnetic field that moves an armature within solenoid 362 . when the solenoid armature moves , it unlatches a contact carriage , ( e . g ., 106 in fig3 ) which is part of interrupting device 315 , and the carriage drops under the natural bias of line conductors 330 , 332 , that is , away from the face conductors 338 , 340 and load conductors 277 , 278 . the device is now said to be “ tripped ,” as a result of the successful manual simulated fault test sequence , and the device will not deliver power to a load until it is reset . the time it takes from the instant switch 354 closes until the device is tripped and current no longer flows from phase line conductor 330 to either the face and load conductors and through solenoid coils 363 , 364 , is so short that fuses 365 , 372 remain intact . with continued reference to fig4 , closing reset switch 300 , e . g ., by pressing reset button 24 ( fig1 ), also initiates a test operation . specifically , when reset switch 300 closes , a voltage supply output , vs , of gfci ic 350 is electrically connected to the gate of scr 360 through conductor 308 , thus , turning on scr 360 . when scr 360 is turned on , current is drawn from line conductor 330 through diode 359 and scr 360 and ultimately to ground . similar to when scr 360 is turned on by pressing the test button , as discussed previously , turning on scr 360 by pressing the reset button results in scr 361 and scr 369 also being turned on and current flowing through solenoid coils 363 , 364 . the current flowing through coils 363 , 364 of solenoid 362 generates a magnetic field at the solenoid and the armature within the solenoid is actuated and moves . under typical , e . g ., non - test , conditions , the armature is actuated in this manner to trip the device , such as when an actual fault occurs . when reset switch 300 closes , however , the device is likely already in the tripped condition , i . e ., the contacts of the line , face and load conductors are electrically isolated . that is , the reset button is usually pressed to re - latch the contact carriage and bring the line , face and load contacts back into electrical contact after the device has tripped . if the armature of solenoid 362 fails to fire when the reset button is pressed , and the reset mechanism , including the contact carriage , fails to engage the reset plunger on its return after the reset button is released , the device will not reset . accordingly , if , for example , the device has not been wired to the ac power lines , or it has been mis - wired , that is , the device has been wired with the ac power not connected to the line terminals , 326 , 328 , no power is applied to the gfci ic 350 . if no power is applied to gfci ic 350 , the gate of scr 360 cannot be driven , either by the scr output of gfci ic 350 or when the rest button is pressed . under this condition the device will not be able to be reset . the mis - wire condition is prevented in accordance with a wiring device consistent with the present embodiment by ensuring the device is shipped to the user in the tripped condition . because the device cannot be reset until ac power is properly applied to the line terminals , the mis - wire condition is prevented . with continued reference to the exemplary circuit schematic shown in fig4 , auto - monitoring circuit 370 includes a programmable device 301 . programmable device 301 can be any suitable programmable device , such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller , which can be programmed to implement the auto - monitoring routine as explained in detail below . for example , according to the embodiment shown in fig4 , programmable device 301 is implemented by an atmel ™ microcontroller from the attiny 10 family . it could also be implemented by a microchip microcontroller such as a pic10f204 / 206 . according to one exemplary auto - monitoring , or automatic self - testing , routine in accordance with the embodiment shown in fig4 , microcontroller 301 initiates the auto - monitoring routine approximately every three ( 3 ) seconds by setting a software auto - monitoring test flag . the auto - monitoring test flag initiates the auto - monitoring routine within the circuit interrupting device and confirms that the device is operating properly or , under certain circumstances , determines that the circuit interrupting device has reached its end - of - life ( eol ). when the auto - monitoring routine runs with a positive , i . e ., successful , result , the auto - monitoring circuit enters a hibernation state until microcontroller 301 sets the test flag again and initiates another auto - monitoring routine . if the auto - monitoring routine runs with a negative result , e . g ., it cannot be determined that the circuit interrupting device is functioning properly or it determines that it is , in fact , not operating properly , a failure counter is incremented and microcontroller 301 initiates another auto - monitoring routine when instructed by the software program stored in memory within the device . in addition to the failure count being incremented , a temporary indication of the failure is also provided . for example , according to the present embodiment , when such a failure occurs , i / o port gp 0 of microcontroller 301 is controlled to be an output and light emitting diode ( led ) 376 is controlled to flash , e . g ., one or more times , to indicate the failure to a user . if the failure counter reaches a predetermined value , i . e ., the auto - monitoring routine runs with a negative result a certain number of times , the number being stored and implemented in software , the auto - monitoring routine invokes an end - of - life ( eol ) sequence . the eol sequence includes one or more of the following functions ; ( a ) indicate that eol has been reached , for example , by continuously flashing or illuminating an indicator light and / or generating an audible sound , ( b ) attempt to trip the device , ( c ) prevent an attempt to reset the device , ( d ) store the eol event on non - volatile memory , e . g ., in the event there is a power failure , and ( e ) clear the eol condition when the device is powered down . in accordance with this embodiment , when the auto - monitoring software determines it is time to run the auto - monitoring routine , i . e ., based on the auto - monitor timer , a stimulus signal 302 is turned on at i / o port gp 1 of microcontroller 301 . when the stimulus signal is turned on , electrical current flows through resistor 303 and a voltage is established at the base of transistor 304 , turning the transistor on . when transistor 304 is turned on , current flows from dc voltage supply 378 through resistor 305 , which is , for example , a 3 k - ohm resistor , and continues through electrical conductor 356 and transistor 304 to ground . regarding dc voltage source 378 , according to the present embodiment the value of this voltage source is designed to be between 4 . 1 and 4 . 5 volts dc , but the value of this voltage supply can be any other suitable value as long as the value used is adequately taken into account for other circuit functionality described below . according to this exemplary embodiment , electrical conductor 356 is a wire , but it could also be a conductive trace on a printed circuit board . conductor 356 is connected at one end to resistor 305 , traverses through sense transformer 334 and is looped approximately ten ( 10 ) times around the core of the transformer and connected at its other end to the collector of transistor 304 . thus , when the software auto - monitoring test flag is set in microcontroller 301 and transistor 304 is turned on , current flows through conductor 356 which comprises an independent conductor separate from phase line conductor 330 and neutral line conductor 332 , which also traverse through the center of sense transformer 334 . if the circuit interrupting device according to the present embodiment is functioning properly , as current flows through conductor 356 and through the sense transformer a magnetic flux is generated at sense transformer 334 . the flux generates a signal on conductor 333 which is detected by detection circuit 352 , including gfci ic device 350 . in accordance with this embodiment , when device 350 detects the flux created at sense transformer 334 , a voltage level is increased at one of the i / o ports of device 350 , for example at the output port labeled cap in fig4 , thus increasing the voltage on conductor 306 . according to this embodiment , capacitor 307 is connected between the cap i / o port of microcontroller 301 and ground . as is known in the art , attaching a capacitor directly between the cap output of a 4141 gfci ic device and ground causes the scr trigger signal ( scr_out ) output from gfci ic device 350 to be delayed by a predetermined period of time . the amount of time the trigger signal is delayed is typically determined by the value of the capacitor . according to the present embodiment , however , capacitor 307 is not connected directly between the cap output and ground . instead , capacitor 307 is also connected to the adc i / o port gp 0 of microcontroller 301 via a circuit path that includes diode 310 in series with resistor 311 , e . g ., 3 m - ohm , which completes a voltage divider circuit with resistor 312 , e . g ., 1 . 5 m - ohm . this additional circuitry connected to the capacitor at the cap output of gfci ic device 350 drains current from the delay capacitor . by measuring the value of the signal at adc i / o port ( gp 0 ) and confirming it is above a certain level , it can be determined whether or not the self - test fault signal generated on conductor 356 was properly detected by detection circuit 352 and it can further be confirmed whether gfci ic device 350 is capable of generating the appropriate scr trigger signal . also , to avoid tripping the device during a self - test auto - monitoring fault , the voltage at capacitor 307 is measured and proper self - test fault detection is confirmed before a drive signal is output at scr_out of gfci ic device 350 . if the current drain on capacitor 307 is too high , gfci ic device 350 may not operate properly . for example , if as little as 3 - 4 microamps of current is drained from capacitor 307 , grounded neutral conditions , which are also intended to be detected by gfci ic device 350 , may not be accurately detected , e . g ., pursuant to ul requirements , because the scr trigger signal ( scr_out ) will not fire within the necessary amount of time . according to the present embodiment , less than about 1 . 3 microamps , or about 5 % of the specified delay current for the gfci ic device 350 , is drained for the adc i / o port gp 0 of microcontroller 301 . this small current drain from capacitor 307 has no effect on the ability of the device to properly detect real ground faults and / or real grounded neutral faults . according to this embodiment , approximately 50 nanoamps of current is drawn off of capacitor 307 . parallel resistors 311 and 312 connected to the adc i / o port gp 0 of microcontroller 301 create a 4 . 5 megaohm drain which limits the current pulled from capacitor 307 to a maximum of 1 . 0 microamp . gfci ic device 350 uses approximately 40 microamps of current to generate the scr trigger but microcontroller 301 only requires approximately 50 nanamps to read the scr trigger signal off of capacitor 307 before the scr trigger signal is output from scr_out . accordingly , by selecting the proper value for capacitor 307 , in conjunction with appropriate value selections for resistors 311 and 312 , as well as diode 310 , it is possible to maintain the correct delay for the scr trigger signal ( scr_out ) from gfci ic device 350 and use the adc in microcontroller 301 to measure the signal at adc input ( gp 0 ) to determine whether the test signal on conductor 356 has been properly detected by detection circuit 352 . it should also be noted that in the embodiment shown in fig4 , led 376 is also connected to adc i / o port ( gp 0 ) of microcontroller 301 . accordingly , whether or not led 376 is conducting or not will affect the drain on capacitor 307 , as well as the delay of the scr trigger signal and the ability of microcontroller 301 to properly measure the signal output from the cap i / o port of gfci ic device 350 . thus , in regard to the circuit shown in fig4 , led 376 is selected such that it does not turn on and begin conducting during the time microcontroller 301 is measuring the signal from the cap output of gfci ic device 350 . for example , led 376 is selected such that its turn - on voltage is about 1 . 64 volts , or higher which , according to the circuit shown in fig4 , can be measured at i / o port gp 0 . additionally , to prevent any signal adding to capacitor 307 when led 376 is being driven , diode 310 is provided . according to this embodiment , the circuit path that includes diode 310 and the voltage divider , 311 , 312 , is connected to i / o port gp 0 of microcontroller 301 , which serves as an input to an analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) within microcontroller 301 . the adc of microcontroller 301 measures the increasing voltage established by the charging action of capacitor 307 . when a predetermined voltage level is reached , microcontroller 301 turns off the auto - monitoring stimulus signal 302 which , in turn , turns off transistor 304 , stopping the current flow on conductor 356 and , thus , the flux created at sense transformer 334 . when this occurs , it is determined by microcontroller 301 that a qualified auto - monitoring event has successfully passed and the auto - monitoring fail counter is decremented if the present count is greater than zero . in other words , according to this embodiment an auto - monitoring routine is repeated by microcontroller 301 on a predetermined schedule . based on the software program stored in memory within microcontroller 301 , the auto - monitoring routine is run , as desired , anywhere from every few seconds to every month , etc . when the routine is initiated , the flux created at sense transformer 334 occurs in similar fashion to the manner in which flux would be created if either an actual ground fault had occurred or if a simulated ground fault had been manually generated , e . g ., by pressing the test button as described above . there is a difference , however , between an auto - monitoring ( self - test ) fault generated by the auto - monitoring routine and either an actual ground fault or a simulated fault generated by pressing the test button . when either an actual or simulated ground fault occurs , a difference in the current flowing in the phase and neutral conductors , 330 and 332 , respectively , should be generated . that is , the current on conductor 330 should be different than the current on conductor 332 . this differential current flowing through sense transformer 334 is detected by gfci ic device 350 , which drives a signal on its scr_out i / o port to activate the gate of scr 360 and turn it on . when scr 360 turns on , current is drawn through coils 363 , 364 which causes interrupting device 315 to trip , causing the contact carriage to drop which , in turn , causes the line , face and load contacts to separate from each other . thus , current is prevented from flowing through phase and neutral conductors 330 , 332 to the phase and neutral face terminals 342 , 344 , and the phase and neutral load terminals 346 , 348 , respectively . in comparison , when the auto - monitoring routine is performed in accordance with the present invention , no differential current is created on the phase and neutral conductors 330 , 332 and the interrupting device 315 is not tripped . instead , during the auto - monitoring routine , the flux generated at sense transformer 334 is a result of current flowing through conductor 356 , which is electrically separated from phase and neutral conductors 330 , 332 . the current generated on conductor 356 is present for only a brief period of time , for example , less than the delay time established by capacitor 307 , discussed previously . if the voltage established at the input to the adc input ( gp 0 ) of microcontroller 301 reaches a programmed threshold value within this predetermined period of time during an auto - monitoring routine , it is determined that the detection circuit 352 successfully detected the current flowing through the core of sense transformer 334 and the auto - monitoring event is deemed to have passed . microcontroller 301 , thus , determines that detection circuit 352 , including gfci ic device 350 , is working properly . because the current flowing through sense transformer 334 during the auto - monitoring routine is designed to be substantially similar in magnitude to the differential current flowing through the transformer during a simulated ground fault , e . g ., 4 - 6 milliamps , it is determined that detection circuit 352 would be able to detect an actual ground fault and provide the proper drive signal to scr 360 to trip interrupter 315 . alternatively , auto - monitoring circuit 370 might determine that the auto - monitoring routine failed . for example , if it takes longer than the predetermined period of time for the voltage at the adc input at gp 0 of microcontroller 301 to reach the given voltage during the auto - monitoring routine , it is determined that the auto - monitoring event failed . if this occurs , an auto - monitoring fail tally is incremented and the failure is indicated either visually or audibly . according to one embodiment , the adc port ( gp 0 ) of microcontroller 301 is converted to an output port when an auto - monitoring event failure occurs and a voltage is placed on conductor 309 via i / o port gp 0 , which is first converted to a output port by the microcontroller . this voltage at gp 0 generates a current on conductor 309 that flows through indicator led 376 and resistor 380 to ground . subsequently , adc i / o port ( gp 0 ) of microcontroller 301 is converted back to an input port and remains ready for the next scheduled auto - monitoring event to occur . according to this embodiment , when an auto - monitoring event failure occurs , indicator led 376 illuminates only for the period of time when the i / o port is converted to an output and an output voltage is generated at that port ; otherwise led 376 remains dark , or non - illuminated . thus , if the auto - monitoring routine is run , for example , every three ( 3 ) seconds , and an event failure occurs only a single time or sporadically , the event is likely to go unnoticed by the user . if , on the other hand , the failure occurs regularly , as would be the case if one or more of the components used in the auto - monitoring routine is permanently disabled , indicator led 376 is repetitively turned on for 10 msec and off for 100 msec by microcontroller 301 , thus drawing attention to the device and informing the user that critical functionality of the device has been compromised . conditions that cause the auto - monitoring routine to fail include one or more of the following , open circuited differential transformer , closed circuited differential transformer , no power to the gfci ic , open circuited solenoid , scr trigger output of the gfci ic continuously high , and scr output of the gfci ic continuously low . according to a further embodiment , if the auto - monitoring fail tally reaches a predetermined limit , for example , seven ( 7 ) failures within one ( 1 ) minute , microcontroller 301 determines that the device is no longer safe and has reached its end - of - life ( eol ). if this occurs , a visual indicator is activated to alert the user that the circuit interrupting device has reached the end of its useful life . for example , when this eol state is determined , the adc i / o port ( gp 0 ) of microcontroller 301 is converted to an output port , similar to when a single failure is recorded as described above , and a signal is either periodically placed on conductor 309 via gp 0 , i . e ., to blink led 376 at a rate of , for example , 10 msec on and 100 msec off , or a signal is continuously placed on conductor 309 to permanently illuminate led 376 . the auto - monitoring routine is also halted at this time . in addition to the blinking or continuously illuminated led 376 , according to a further embodiment when eol is determined , an optional audible alarm circuit 382 on printed circuit board ( pcb ) 390 is also activated . in this situation the current through led 376 establishes a voltage on the gate of scr 384 such that scr 384 is turned on , either continuously or intermittently , in accordance with the output signal from gp 0 of microcontroller 301 . when scr 384 is on , current is drawn from phase line conductor 330 to activate audible alarm 386 ( e . g ., a buzzer ) providing additional notice to a user of the device that the device has reached the end of its useful life , i . e ., eol . for example , with respect to the present embodiment , audible alarm circuit 382 includes a parallel rc circuit including resistor 387 and capacitor 388 . as current is drawn from phase line conductor 330 , capacitor 388 charges and discharges at a rate controlled by the value of resistor 387 such that buzzer 386 sounds a desired intermittent alarm . a further aspect of this embodiment includes dimmable led circuit 396 . circuit 396 includes transistor 398 , leds , 400 , 402 , light sensor 404 ( e . g ., a photocell ) and resistors 406 - 408 . when the ambient light , e . g ., the amount of light in the vicinity of the circuit interrupting device according to the present embodiment , is rising , light sensor 404 reacts to the ambient light level to apply increasing impedance to the base of transistor 398 to dim the leds as the ambient light increases . alternatively , when the ambient light decreases , e . g ., as night begins to fall , the current flowing through sensor 404 increases , accordingly . as the ambient light level decreases , leds 400 and 402 illuminate brighter and brighter , thus providing a controlled light level in the vicinity of the device . a further embodiment of the invention shown in fig4 includes a mechanism for providing microcontroller 301 with data related to whether the device is tripped or in the reset condition . as shown in fig4 , opto - coupler 392 is connected between phase and neutral load conductors 277 , 278 and i / o port ( gp 3 ) of microcontroller 301 . microcontroller 301 uses the value of the signal ( voltage ) at port gp 3 to determine whether or not gfci ic device 350 is being supplied with power and whether the device is tripped or in the reset condition . when gfci ic device 350 is powered , e . g ., via its voltage input port ( line ), which occurs when ac power is connected to line terminals 326 , 328 , a voltage is generated at the output port ( vs ). this voltage is dropped across zener diode 394 , which is provided to maintain the voltage supplied to the microcontroller within an acceptable level . diodes 366 , 368 , connected between the phase line conductor and power supply input port ( line ) of gfci ic 350 ensures that the voltage level supplied to gfci ic and the vs output remain below approximately 30 volts . the voltage signal dropped across zener diode 394 is connected to input port gp 3 of microcontroller 301 . if microcontroller 301 does not measure a voltage at gp 3 , it determines that no power is being supplied by gfci ic device 350 and declares eol . alternatively , if microcontroller 301 measures a voltage at gp 3 , it determines whether the device is tripped or in the reset state based on the value of the voltage . for example , according to the circuit in fig4 , if the voltage at gp 3 is measured to be between 3 . 2 and 4 . 0 volts , e . g ., between 76 % of vcc and 100 % of vcc , it is determined that there is no power at the face ( 342 , 344 ) and load ( 346 , 348 ) contacts and , thus , the device is in the tripped state . if the voltage at gp 3 is between 2 . 4 and 2 . 9 volts , e . g ., between 51 % of vcc and 74 % of vcc , it is determined that there is power at the face and load contacts and the device is in the reset state . according to a further embodiment , when eol is determined , microcontroller 301 attempts to trip interrupting device 315 in one or both of the following ways : ( a ) by maintaining the stimulus signal on third conductor 356 into the firing half - cycle of the ac wave , and / or , ( b ) by generating a voltage at an eol port ( gp 2 ) of microcontroller 301 . when eol has been declared , e . g ., because the auto - monitoring routine fails the requisite number of times and / or no power is being supplied from the supply voltage output ( vs ) of gfci ic device 350 , microcontroller 301 produces a voltage at eol port ( gp 2 ). optionally , microcontroller 301 can also use the value of the input signal at gp 3 , as described above , to further determine whether the device is already in the tripped state . for example , if microcontroller 301 determines that the device is tripped , e . g ., the load and face contacts are not electrically connected to the line contacts , microcontroller 301 may determine that driving scr 369 and / or scr 361 in an attempt to open the contacts and trip the device is unnecessary and , thus , not drive scr 369 and scr 361 via gp 2 . the voltage at gp 2 directly drives the gate of scr 369 and / or scr 361 to turn scr 369 and / or scr 361 on , thus , enabling it to conduct current and activate solenoid 362 . more specifically , when scr 369 and / or scr 361 are turned on , current is drawn through coil 364 of dual coil solenoid 362 . for example , dual coil solenoid 362 includes inner primary coil 364 , which comprises an 800 turn , 18 ohm , 35 awg coil , and outer secondary coil 363 , which includes a 950 turn , 16 . 9 ohm , 33 awg coil . further details of the construction and functionality of dual coil 362 can be found in u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 422 , 797 , assigned to the same assignee as the present application , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all that is taught . as described above , when it is determined via the auto - monitoring routine that detection circuit 352 is not successfully detecting ground faults , e . g ., it does not detect the flux resulting from current flowing in conductor 356 , or it is not otherwise generating a drive signal at the scr_out output port of gfci ic device 350 to drive the gate of scr 360 upon such detection , microcontroller 301 determines eol and attempts to trip interrupting device 315 by methods mentioned above . specifically , microcontroller 301 attempts to directly trip directly driving the primary coil 364 , by the back - up path gp 2 to scr 369 and scr 361 . there is at least one difference , however , between the signal on conductor 356 when the auto - monitoring routine is being run normally , and the signal on conductor 356 generated when eol is determined . that is , under eol conditions , gp 2 energizes both scr 361 and scr 369 to be triggered and coil 362 and coil 363 to be energized , thus activating solenoid 362 and 369 to trip interrupting device 315 . if interrupting device 315 is opened , or if interrupting device 315 was otherwise already open , power - on indicator circuit 321 will be off . for example , in the embodiment shown in fig4 , power - on indicator circuit 321 includes led 322 in series with resistor 323 and diode 324 . the cathode of led 322 is connected to the neutral load conductor 278 and the anode of diode 324 is connected to phase load conductor 277 . accordingly , when power is available at the load conductors , that is , the device is powered and in the reset state , current is drawn through the power - on circuit on each alternating half - cycle of ac power , thus , illuminating led 322 . if , on the other hand , power is not available at the load conductors 277 , 278 , for example , because interrupting device 315 is open , or tripped , or the device is reset but no power is being applied , led 322 will be dark , or not illuminated . additional embodiments and aspects thereof , related to the auto - monitoring functionality consistent with the present invention , as well as further discussion of some of the aspects already described , are provided below . the sinusoidal ac waveform discussed herein is connected to the phase and neutral line terminals 326 , 328 when the self - test gfci device is installed correctly . according to one embodiment the ac waveform is a 60 hz signal that includes two half - cycles , a positive 8 . 333 millisecond half - cycle and a negative 8 . 333 millisecond half - cycle . the so - called “ firing ” half - cycle refers to the particular half - cycle , either positive or negative , during which a gate trigger signal to scr 360 results in the respective gates of scr 361 and scr 369 being driven and the corresponding respective solenoid coils 363 , 364 conducting current , thus , “ firing ” solenoid 362 and causing the armature of the solenoid to be displaced . a “ non - firing ” half - cycle refers to the alternate half - cycle of the ac waveform , i . e ., either negative or positive , during which current does not flow through the scr or its respective solenoid coil , regardless of whether or not the scr gate is triggered . according to the present embodiment , whether the positive or negative half - cycle is the firing half - cycle is determined by a diode , or some other switching device , placed in series with the respective solenoid coil . for example , in fig4 , diodes 359 , 374 and 367 are configured such that the positive half - cycle is the “ firing ” half - cycle with respect to scrs 360 , 369 and 361 , respectively . according to a further embodiment of a circuit interrupting device consistent with the invention , microcontroller 301 optionally monitors the ac power input to the device . for example , the 60 hz ac input that is electrically connected to the phase and neutral line terminals 326 , 328 is monitored . more particularly , a full 60 hz ac cycle takes approximately 16 . 333 milliseconds to complete . thus , to monitor and confirm receipt and stabilization of the ac waveform , a timer / counter within microcontroller 301 is implemented . for example , within the three ( 3 ) second auto - monitoring window the 60 hz input signal is sampled once every millisecond to identify a leading edge , i . e ., where the signal goes from negative to positive values . when a leading edge is detected a flag is set in the software and a count is incremented . when the three ( 3 ) second test period is finished , the count result is divided by 180 to determine whether the frequency is within a specified range . for example , if the frequency is stable at 60 hz , the result of dividing by 180 would be 1 . 0 because there are 180 positive edges , and 180 cycles , in three ( 3 ) seconds worth of a 60 hz signal . if the frequency is determined to not be within a given range , for example , 50 - 70 hz , the auto - monitoring self - test fault testing is stopped , but the monitoring of gp 3 continues . accordingly , a premature or errant power failure determination is avoided when a circuit interrupting device in accordance with the invention is connected to a variable power source , such as a portable generator , and the power source exhibits a lower frequency at start - up and requires a stabilization period before the optimal frequency , e . g ., 60 hz , is achieved . if the frequency is not stable at the optimal frequency , or at least not within an acceptable range , initiation of the auto - monitoring routine is delayed until the frequency is stabilized . if the frequency does not achieve the optimal frequency , or a frequency within an acceptable range , within a predetermined time , a fail tally is incremented . similar to the fail tally discussed previously with respect to the auto - monitoring routine , if the tally reaches a given threshold , microcontroller 301 declares eol . as described above , according to at least one exemplary embodiment , programmable device 301 is implemented in a microcontroller . because some microcontrollers include non - volatile memory , e . g ., for storing various data , etc ., in the event of a power outage , according to a further embodiment , all events , timers , tallies and / or states within the non - volatile memory are cleared upon power - up of the device . accordingly , if the fail tally or other condition resulted from , improper device installation , inadequate or improper power , or some other non - fatal condition with respect to the circuit interrupting device itself , the fail tally is reset on power - up , when the tally incrementing event may no longer be present . another way of avoiding this potential issue in accordance with the invention is to utilize a programmable device that does not include non - volatile memory . while various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
the present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings , wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals . the present invention relates to devices for the transfer of fluids to and from a target structure within a patient &# 39 ; s body over an extended period of time . in particular , exemplary embodiments of the present invention describe a venous access device that includes a branched distal tip for improved mobility , flexibility and flow . as shown in fig1 - 3 , a venous access device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises an indwelling catheter portion 102 a proximal end 108 of which is connected to a port device 104 . it will be understood by those of skill in the art that , although the device 100 is described as a port catheter system with a port device 104 , the device 100 may be any venous access device , such as piccs , central venous catheters ( cvcs ), dialysis catheters , and midline infusion catheters . for example , the catheter portion 102 may extend out of the skin to any known port connectable to external devices as desired and which may be sealed between uses such as , for example , a drainage bag for a drainage catheter system . as shown in fig1 , the catheter portion 102 includes a shaft 106 extending from the proximal end 108 to a distal end 110 which , in an operative position , is inserted into a target structure within a patient &# 39 ; s body . a proximal portion 118 of the shaft 106 includes a single first lumen 114 extending therethrough . a thickness 115 of a wall 117 of the shaft 106 around a circumference thereof may be selected as would be understood by those of skill in the art to achieve the desired properties ( e . g ., burst strength , flexibility , etc .) while the first lumen 114 is shaped to maximize its cross - sectional area without compromising these properties . at a distal end 110 , the shaft 106 splits into a plurality of branches 112 at which the first lumen 114 opens to two lumens 116 each of which extends through a corresponding one of the branches 112 . in a preferred embodiment , an outer diameter of each of the plurality of branches 112 is smaller than an outer diameter of the proximal portion 118 of the shaft 106 . in alternate embodiments , each branch 112 has substantially the same diameter or greater diameters as compared to that of the proximal portion 118 . in yet other embodiments , each branch 112 has a different size ( e . g ., length and / or diameter ) from other branches , and / or a different cross sectional configuration ( e . g ., round , oval , trapezoid , d - shaped , etc .) from other branches . in a preferred embodiment , the shaft 106 splits into two branches 112 , although it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the shaft 106 may split into any number of branches 112 . fig3 shows an embodiment of the catheter portion 102 in which the cross - section of lumens 116 are substantially d - shaped in the same manner as a lumen of a standard dual - lumen catheter . however , as shown in fig4 , either or both of the lumens 116 may be substantially round . in another embodiment as shown in fig5 , the venous access device of the present invention includes a dual - lumen catheter portion 102 . such dual - lumen devices are known in the art , and include devices such as dual - lumen ports ( as shown in fig5 ), piccs , and other implantable devices that include separate lumens that can be used to deliver different or the same materials such as therapeutic agents or contrast agents , or can be used to aspirate blood or other bodily fluids . in accordance with the present invention , the catheter portion 102 is divided into two sections 150 , 151 at the distal end 110 , with each section including one of the lumens that extend from the proximal end 108 to distal end 110 . each such section 150 is thereafter split into multiple branches 112 as described with reference to fig1 - 4 , above . the inventors have found that the use of branches 112 enhance the mobility and flexibility of the indwelling portion of the catheter portion 102 as compared to a single tube catheter . for example , in embodiments where the outer diameter of each of the branches 112 is smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal portion 118 , it will be understood by those of skill in the art that the distal end 110 of the device is more flexible than the proximal portion 118 . this enhanced flexibility allows for greater movement of the device 100 at its distal end 110 while implanted , such as with normal cardiovascular flow and pulse . the added flexibility and motion of the branches 112 inhibits fibrin sheath adherence and encrustation by blood or other bodily fluids , as sometimes encountered with single tube catheters . in use , fluid flowing distally through the first lumen 114 splits into the lumens 116 as it leaves the proximal portion 118 and enters the distal end 110 of the device 100 . in one embodiment , one or all of the lumens 116 taper toward the distal end 110 ( i . e ., a cross - sectional area of the lumen may grow gradually smaller from the proximal end of the corresponding branch 112 toward the distal end thereof ). in addition , any or all of the branches 112 may be angled relative to one another , depending upon a desired performance aspect . that is , longitudinal axes of the branches 112 may be set at any desired angle relative to a longitudinal axis of a distal end of the proximal portion of the shaft 106 to achieve a desired orientation of the branches 112 relative to one another . preferably , this angle is minimized to between 0 and 45 degrees , and more preferably between 0 and 15 degrees , such that the branches are in - line with the catheter longitudinal axis . as an example , the proximal portion 118 near the distal end 110 can define a first longitudinal axis and the first and second branches 112 can define second and third longitudinal axes , respectively . the a preferred embodiment , the second axis extends at an angle of less than 45 degrees from the first axis and the third axis is substantially co - axial with the first axis . those skilled in the art will understand that , for a catheter portion 102 including more than two branches 112 , the various branches 112 may be located in a single plane or a plurality of planes . the length of each branch is preferably less than about eight centimeters from most venous access applications . the distal end 110 , including the branches 112 may be delivered to a target area of the body in the same manner used for conventional split tip catheters as will be understood by those skilled in the art . the branches 112 may be temporarily bonded to one another or held together by an insertion device to facilitate the passage of the catheter portion 102 through intervening tissue with a minimum of trauma thereto . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a catheter according to the present invention may include multiple lumens through a proximal part thereof so long as at least one of these proximal lumens opens to a plurality of lumens in separate distal branches of the catheter . that is , a catheter having a proximal part including two lumens will include at least three branches at a distal end thereof with each branch including a lumen open to one or more of the lumens of the proximal part . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the structure and methodology of the present invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided that they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	0
referring in particular to fig1 an improved marsh case 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention is seen . the marsh case 10 provides a cap 20 and a body 50 that are threadedly connected . the body provides a chamber suitable for housing a geophone 100 in a secure manner . either a short spike 80 or a long spike 90 is attached to the body , allowing the marsh case to be inserted into the ground . the cap provides adjacent chambers for housing a stress anchor 40 , in contact with the geophone , and a grommet 65 , which protects the wiring of the geophone . referring in particular to fig1 , 12 and 13 , a hollow body 50 is formed from aluminum , partially enclosing a geophone chamber 62 . in the preferred embodiment the body 50 has an overall length of 2 . 5 inches and a width of 1 . 31 inches . the body 50 has an annular upper rim 51 which is sized to mate with an annular seat 32 of the cap 20 . adjacent to the upper rim 51 is an upper mating surface 52 which forms a narrow annular cavity against cap 20 , where adhesive may be used , if desired , to create a stronger bond between the cap 20 and body 50 . in the preferred embodiment , threaded surface 53 , adjacent to the upper mating surface 52 , provides 13 / 8 &# 34 ;- 16 unf external threads , which are much finer for this diameter than the standard 13 / 8 &# 34 ;- 12 unf threads typically associated with threaded fasteners of similar diameter . adjacent to the threaded surface 53 is an annular flare 54 , which extends radially from the body . the annular flare 54 forms an annular upper shoulder 55 on its upper surface . the annular upper shoulder 55 is sized to mate and provide a tight seal with the lower rim 36 of the cap 20 . adjacent to the annular flare 54 is a cylindrical body portion 56 . a tapered nose portion 57 , adjacent to the cylindrical body portion 56 , provides opposed wrench cutouts 58 . the tapered nose portion terminates in a spike attachment socket 59 having a short internal channel 60 and a threaded very slightly conical surface 61 , which mates with the threaded cylindrical surface 81 , 91 of the upper end of either spike 80 , 90 . the threaded conical surface 61 is typically tapered at the rate of 3 / 4 &# 34 ; per foot , ntp . the taper of the threaded conical surface 61 results in less shearing forces on the threads , and less likelihood of damage of the spike or body . a locking washer is not required , due to this design . as seen particularly in fig1 , 7 , and 8 , a cap 20 is releasably attachable to the body 50 by means of a threaded connection . an upper cylindrical body portion 22 having an upper hole 21 defines an axial channel 23 , a grommet chamber 24 and a stress anchor chamber 27 . the grommet chamber 24 provides an annular grommet support shoulder 25 . a flared body portion 26 , adjacent to the upper cylindrical body portion 22 , defines the stress anchor chamber 27 and a stress anchor seat 28 . a lower cylindrical body portion 29 , adjacent to the flared body portion 26 , provides an inner surface defining a quad ring seal chamber 30 and a quad ring seal seat 31 . an annular seat 32 , adjacent to the quad ring seal chamber , is sized to mate with the annular upper rim 51 of the body 50 . an adhesive mating surface 33 is adjacent to the annular seat 32 , and allows the application of an adhesive immediately prior to attachment of the cap 20 and the body 50 . the adhesive mating surface provides a narrow annular ring where a thin film of adhesive may be allowed to harden after the cap and body are threaded together , thereby making a very strong bond between the two . an internal threaded surface 34 , adjacent to the adhesive mating surface , is sized to mate with the threaded surface 53 of the body 20 . in the preferred embodiment , the thread size is 13 / 8 &# 34 ;- 16 unf , considerably finer than the 13 / 8 &# 34 ;- 12 unf that is commonly used . an o - ring seat 35 , adjacent to the threaded surface 34 , is sized to accept an o - ring , which provides a moisture - tight seal . a rim 36 , adjacent to the o - ring seat , is sized to mate with the annular upper shoulder 55 of the body 50 when the cap and body are connected . a key notch 37 , defined on an inside surface of the flared body portion 26 engages the key 49 of the stress anchor 40 , as will be seen , preventing rotation of the stress anchor , and therefore twisting of the wiring 101 associated with the geophone 100 , when the cap and body are threaded together . a soft rubber grommet 65 defining an axial chamber 66 is carried by the grommet chamber 24 of the cap 20 . the axial chamber 66 provides a passageway for wiring 101 of the geophone to exit from the marsh case 10 . the grommet functions to reduce the stress on the wiring 101 of the geophone 100 , and also to provide a more moisture resistant seal in the upper hole 21 of the cap . the grommet may be made of stiff but slightly flexible plastic , rubber or similar synthetic material . the grommet 65 generally provides a lower cylindrical body 67 having a shoulder 68 . the shoulder 68 is sized to mate with the grommet support shoulder 25 of the cap 20 . the interaction between the grommet shoulder 68 and support shoulder 25 prevents the grommet from being removed from the marsh case by means of upper hole 21 . the grommet also provides an upper cylindrical body 69 , adjacent to the lower cylindrical body 67 . the diameter of the upper cylindrical body 69 is slightly less than the diameter of the lower cylindrical body 67 . adjacent to the upper cylindrical body , a tapered end 70 provides an upper opening 71 . large o - rings 72 , small o - rings 73 and internal o - rings 74 all contribute to a tighter seal . a stress anchor 40 , formed of hard plastic and carried in the stress anchor chamber 27 of the cap 20 , keeps the geophone 100 securely in place and secures the rat - tail wires 102 exiting the geophone . the grommet 65 tends to apply a slight pressure on the stress anchor 40 , which in turn applies a slight pressure on the geophone . the stress anchor provides a hollow partially cylindrical body 41 having a first and second portion 41a , 41b ; the body defining an upper cavity 42 and a lower cavity 43 separated by a floor 44 . the floor is carried by the cylindrical body and defines first and second rat - tail holes 45 , 46 . the rat - tail holes allow the rat - tails 102 to pass through the floor 44 . first and second brass inserts 47 , 48 , are carried by the first and second rat - tail holes , thereby providing a surface that is not adversely effected by solder , which is used to make the electrical connection between the wiring 101 and the rat - tails 102 . a key 49 , defined on an external surface of the hollow and otherwise cylindrical body 41 , and sized to engage key notch 37 of the cap 20 , prevents any rotation of the stress anchor which might otherwise occur when the cap and body are threaded together . a quad ring seal 75 is carried by the annular quad ring seal chamber 30 of the cap 20 , thereby sealing between the cap and the body , and additionally providing pressure against the geophone , keeping the geophone immobile . the quad ring seal 75 is made of a material that is resiliently compressible . the resilient compressibility quality prevents damage to the geophone where temperature causes the cap and body to contract . in this circumstance , pressure by the geophone against the quad rind seal would cause the quad ring seal to compress , thereby reducing stress on the geophone . this resilient quality also prevents damage to the geophone where temperature causes the cap and body to expand . in this circumstance , the quad ring seal would expand slightly , causing a continuous gentle pressure against the geophone , preventing the geophone from moving within the geophone chamber 62 , which could damage the electronics contained within the geophone . an o - ring 76 , carried by the o - ring seat 35 of the cap 20 , prevents moisture from entering the marsh case . either of two spikes 80 , 90 are releasably carried by the body 50 . a short spike 80 and a long spike 90 are similarly constructed typically of aluminum compatible zinc plated steel . a threaded cylindrical surface 81 , 91 on the upper end of each spike is engageable with the threaded conical surface 61 of the spike attachment socket 59 of the tapered nose portion 57 of the body 50 . each spike carries wrench flats 83 , 93 , separated by a narrow cylindrical section 82 , 92 from the threaded cylindrical surface on the upper end , for use with a wrench in turning the spike relative to the body 50 . each spike provides a conical body 84 , 94 , adjacent to the wrench flat , having a lower tip 85 , 95 . the overall length of the short spike it typically 2 &# 34 ;, from the tip , up to and including , the wrench flats . the overall length of the long spike is typically 3 &# 34 ;. to use the marsh case , the geophone is inserted into the geophone chamber , allowing for the wiring to exit through the axial channel 66 of the grommet 65 and for the rat - tails to be soldered onto the brass inserts 47 , 48 of the stress anchor 40 . the wiring 101 is soldered to the rat - tails 102 , which are carried by the brass inserts 47 , 48 . a thin film of adhesive glue may be spread , if desired , on the threaded surfaces 34 , 53 of the cap and body . the cap is then threaded onto the body , causing the adhesive to collect on mating surfaces 33 , 52 , where it hardens . as the cap and body are threaded together , the stress anchor is prevented from rotation by key 49 and key notch 37 . quad ring seal 75 and grommet 65 are compressed slightly , applying a slight pre - load pressure to the geophone . the wrench cutouts may be used to tighten the body against the cap . the spike is then threaded into place , using the wrench flats 83 , 93 on the spike along with the wrench cutouts 58 on the body to deliver about 50 lbs . of torque . at the same time that the spike is being tightened , the cap and body are tightened . during the tightening of the spike and the marsh case , the top portion of the case may be held in a v - shaped device so that torque can be applied to tighten the case . the previously described versions of the present invention have many advantages , including a primary advantage of providing a novel marsh case for housing a geophone having a threaded slightly conical surface within a spike attachment socket for connecting to the cylindrically threaded spike . the use of a threaded conical surface within the spike attachment socket tends to prevent stripping and shearing of the threads , eliminates the need for a locking washer and tends to ensure that the spike does not release during insertion into the ground . another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel marsh case for housing a geophone having superior resistance to thermal expansions and contractions , having means to prevent crushing pressure being applied to the geophone during contractions , and leakage resulting in electrical shorts and movement resulting in metal fatigue and damage when the case expands due to increased temperature . a still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel marsh case for housing a geophone having slightly recessed solid mating surfaces available for carrying a thin coating of adhesive adjacent to the threads connecting the cap and body , thereby creating a superior moisture barrier and seal . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail and with reference to certain preferred versions , other versions are possible . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions disclosed . in compliance with the u . s . patent laws , the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to methodical features . the invention is not , however , limited to the specific features described , since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect . the invention is , therefore , claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents .	7
descriptions are provided hereinafter regarding embodiments of the present invention . first of all , with reference to fig1 , descriptions are provided for a basic structure of a cellular telephone device 1 according to an embodiment of the portable electronic device of the present invention . fig1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the present embodiment . the cellular telephone device 1 includes a body 2 . a touch panel 10 , a microphone 13 and a speaker 14 are disposed on a front face portion of the body 2 . the touch panel 10 includes a display unit 11 and a detecting unit 12 ( see fig2 ). the display unit 11 is a liquid - crystal display panel , an organic el ( electroluminescence ) display panel , or the like , and displays text and images . the detecting unit 12 is a sensor that detects a touch by an object , such as a finger or stylus of a user of the cellular telephone device 1 , on the display unit 11 . for example , a sensor that employs a capacitive sensing method or a resistive film method can be utilized as the detecting unit 12 . the microphone 13 is used for inputting sound produced by the user of the cellular telephone device 1 during a telephone call . the speaker 14 is used for outputting sound produced by the other party whom the user of the cellular telephone device 1 is talking with during a phone call . functional arrangements of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the first embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention will be described with reference to fig2 . fig2 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the cellular telephone device 1 . the cellular telephone device 1 includes the touch panel 10 ( the display unit 11 and the detecting unit 12 ), the microphone 13 , and the speaker 14 , as described above . in addition , the cellular telephone device 1 includes a communication unit 15 , a storage unit 16 , and a control unit 17 . the communication unit 15 includes a main antenna ( not illustrated ) and an rf circuit unit ( not illustrated ), and makes an outgoing call to and performs communication with a predetermined contact entity . the contact entity , to which the communication unit 15 makes an outgoing call , is an external device that performs a telephone call or mail transmission / reception with the cellular telephone device 1 , or an external device or the like such as an external web server , with which the cellular telephone device 1 establishes internet connections . the communication unit 15 performs communication with an external device via a predetermined usable frequency band . more specifically , the communication unit 15 executes demodulation processing of a signal received via the main antenna , and transmits the processed signal to the control unit 17 . in addition , the communication unit 15 executes modulation processing of a signal transmitted from the control unit 17 , and transmits the signal to an external device ( base station ) via the main antenna . the storage unit 16 includes , for example , working memory , and is utilized for arithmetic processing by the control unit 17 . furthermore , the storage unit 16 stores a single or plurality of applications or databases that are operated inside the cellular telephone device 1 . it should be noted that the storage unit 16 may also serve as detachable external memory . the control unit 17 controls the entirety of the cellular telephone device 1 , and performs control of the display unit 11 and the communication unit 15 . the cellular telephone device 1 according to the first embodiment has a function to start an application using , for example , text and images , displayed on the display unit 11 . the arrangement for performing the function will be described hereafter with reference to fig2 - 4 . as shown in fig2 , the control unit 17 has a starting unit 171 and an application control unit 172 . the starting unit 171 starts an application which performs various kinds of functions by using displayed text . examples of the application include an electronic mail application , a memo pad application , a text editing application , and a browser application ( browser application capable of inputting text for searching ). in a state where text is displayed on the display unit 11 , when text is selected by contact to a region , where at least one text is displayed , being detected by the detecting unit 12 , the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 an application starting display with which an application is associated . here , text according to the present embodiment may include a number , an alphabetic character , or a symbol , in addition to hiragana text , katakana text , and kanji text . in addition , text includes not only a single character but also a character string . specifically , the control unit 17 performs the following processing . fig3 is a diagram showing an example of the screen transfer displayed on the display unit 11 according to the first embodiment . it should be noted that when contact to a region where text is displayed is detected by the detecting unit 12 , the control unit 17 according to the first embodiment specifies text displayed on a position where the contact is detected and selects the specified text . then , the selected text is displayed as differentiated from other text that is not selected , by , for example , an inverse display . in screen d 1 of fig3 , a browser application has been started and the browser application displays on the display unit 11 the text “ hello ! the following site is interesting : http :// shocera . co . jp ”. in a state where screen d 1 is displayed , the application control unit 172 selects the text “ http :// shocera . co . jp ” by contact being detected by the detecting unit 12 in a region where “ http :// shocera . co . jp ” is displayed among the text displayed on screen d 1 . it should be noted that , the text selected in the display unit 11 is inversely displayed . then , when the text “ http :// shocera . co . jp ” is continuously selected for more than or equal to a predetermined time by the detecting unit 12 and when the contact is released ( the finger of the user moves away ) ( screen d 2 ), the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 an application starting menu m 1 with which applications are associated ( screen d 3 ). here , a plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 for performing functions , such as text editing , internet search , e - mail body text , e - mail attachment , decoration mail insertion , c mail text , and map search , is displayed in screen d 3 . in screen d 3 , when one application starting menu item is selected among the plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 thus displayed , the application control unit 172 makes the starting unit 171 start an application ( for example , text editing application ) associated with the application starting menu item thus selected ( screen d 4 ). in addition , as shown in screen d 4 , when an application starting menu is selected , the application control unit 172 makes the starting unit 171 start an application associated with the application starting menu thus selected , and inputs the text selected in screen d 2 , “ http :// shocera . co . jp ”, into the text input region of the application thus started . it should be noted that the application starting menu and the application are associated with each other , and are stored in the storage unit 16 . in addition , a text input region is a region ( for example , a region in which text can be input in the document preparation screen in a text editing application ) in an application where text can be input . in addition , when the started application is ended ( when a state where the started application is running ends ), the application control unit 172 makes a browser application display on the display unit 11 a web page including text that has been displayed immediately before when contact to the region where the text , “ http :// shocera . co . jp ” is displayed is detected by the detecting unit 12 . that is , a web page including the text that has been displayed in screen d 1 or d 2 , “ hello ! the following site is interesting . http :// shocera . co . jp ” is displayed on the display unit 11 . thus , according to the first embodiment , in a state where text is displayed on the display unit 11 , when text is selected by contact to a region , where at least a part of the displayed text is displayed , being detected by the detecting unit 12 , the cellular telephone device 1 displays on the display unit 11 an application starting display with which an application is associated . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 displays the application starting menu m with which an application is associated when the text displayed on the display unit 11 is selected , it is possible to start an application simply by using the text displayed on the display unit 11 . in addition , according to the first embodiment , when text is continuously selected for more than or equal to a predetermined time by the detecting unit 12 and the contact is discontinued , the cellular telephone device 1 displays on the display unit 11 the application starting menu m 1 with which an application is associated . thereby , the cellular telephone device 1 can perform a function for displaying the application starting menu m 1 differentiated from other functions ( for example , a link to a url , or a simple copy ) that executes by selecting text . in addition , according to the first embodiment , when the application starting menu is selected , the cellular telephone device 1 starts , by the starting unit 171 , text input application associated with the application starting menu item thus selected , and inputs the selected text input into the application . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 inputs the selected text into the started application , it is possible to improve usability of the started application . it should be noted that “ the cellular telephone device 1 starts , by the starting unit 171 , a text input application associated with the application starting menu item thus selected , and inputs the selected text input into the application ” may be done by inputting the selected text into the started application and saving it as a draft . in addition , the screen of the application may be displayed after inputting the selected text into the started application . in addition , according to the first embodiment , when the started state of the started application is ended , the cellular telephone device 1 displays on the display unit 11 text that has been displayed immediately before , when contact to the region , where text is displayed , is detected by the detecting unit 12 . thereby , since the text displayed immediately before the contact is detected , is displayed also after the started state of the application is ended , the cellular telephone device 1 can improve the usability for the user . in addition , according to the first embodiment , the cellular telephone device 1 displays on the display unit 11 a plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 associated with a plurality of applications , respectively , and starts , by the starting unit 171 , an application associated which the selected item among the plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 can start a desired application from the plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 , it is possible to further improve the usability for the user with respect to the application . it should be noted that although the application control unit 172 displays the plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 on screen d 3 in fig3 , the control unit 172 may be done so as to display one item of the application starting menu , and then , when the application starting menu is selected , display the plurality of items of the application starting menu m 1 . next , processing in a case where an application starts using an image displayed on the display unit 11 will be described with reference to fig4 . fig4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen transfer displayed on the display unit 11 according to the first embodiment . in screen d 11 of fig4 , a browser application has been started and an image f 1 is displayed on the display unit 11 by the browser application . in a state where screen d 11 is displayed , the application control unit 172 selects the image f 1 by detecting , by the detecting unit 12 , contact to a region where the image f 1 displayed on screen d 11 is displayed . subsequently , when the image f 1 is continuously selected for more than or equal to a predetermined time and the contact is released ( the finger of the user moves away ) as detected by the detecting unit 12 ( screen d 12 ), the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 an application starting menu m 2 with which applications to be started are associated ( screen d 13 ). here , in the application starting menu m 2 , functions of text editing , internet search , e - mail body text , c mail text , and map search are displayed as being grayed out and cannot be executed , and only functions of e - mail attachment and decoration mail insertion are executable . that is , the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 the application starting menu m 2 in a state where only an application that can use the selected image f 1 is executable . in screen d 13 , when one item is selected among the displayed plurality of items of application starting menu m 2 , the application control unit 172 starts , by the starting unit 171 , the application associated with the application starting menu thus selected and inserts into an image insertion region of the application thus started , the image f 1 selected in screen d 12 as an attachment file ( screen d 14 ). an image insertion region is a region where an image in the application can be inserted ( for example , a region where an image in an electronic mail application can be attached , and a region where an image in a mail creation screen in an electronic mail application can be inserted ). in addition , when the started application is ended , that is , when a state in which the started application is executed ends , the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 , by a browser application , a web page including the image f 1 that has been displayed immediately before the contact is detected by the detecting unit 12 . as described above , the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 an application starting menu m 1 or m 2 depending on the selected text or image ( refer to screen d 3 of fig3 and screen d 13 of fig4 ). thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 displays the application starting menu according to the selected text or image , it is possible to further improve the usability for the user with respect to the application . in addition , although the application control unit 172 inserts only the selected image f 1 into the image insertion region of the started application in the example of the screen transfer in fig4 , the text stored in correspondence with the selected image f 1 ( for example , text data included in a jpeg image ) may be input into the text input region of the started application together with the selected image f 1 . in this case , the text corresponding to the selected image f 1 may be input into an application as text data and may be inserted in the image insertion region of an application as an attachment file . next , processing of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described . fig5 is a flow chart showing processing of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the first embodiment . in step s 1 , the control unit 17 displays text or an image on the display unit 11 . in step s 2 , the control unit 17 detects contact to the display unit 11 by the detecting unit 12 . in step s 3 , the control unit 17 determines whether or not the contact to the display unit 11 is continuously detected by the detecting unit 12 for more than or equal to a predetermined time . when the contact is continuously detected for more than or equal to a predetermined time ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 4 . when the contact is not continuously detected for more than or equal to a predetermined time ( no ), the process ends . in step s 4 , the control unit 17 selects text or an image corresponding to the contacted part as a result of continuously detecting contact to the display unit 11 by the detecting unit 12 for more than or equal to a predetermined time . in step s 5 , as a result of the contact to the display unit 11 being released , the control unit 17 determines the selection of the text or the image . in step s 6 , the application control unit 172 determines whether or not the selected item is text . when the selected item is text ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 8 . when the selected item is an image ( no ), the process proceeds to step s 7 . in step s 7 , the application control unit 172 displays grayed out functions that cannot use an image as an item of the application starting menu m 2 , and displays only functions that can use an image as an item of the application starting menu m 2 ( screen d 13 in fig4 ). in step s 8 , the application control unit 172 displays on the display unit 11 the application starting menu m 1 with which applications are associated ( screen d 3 in fig3 ). in step s 9 , when the application starting menu is selected , the application control unit 172 starts , by the starting unit 171 , an application associated with the application starting menu thus selected , and inputs the selected text or image into the started application . as described above , since the application starting menu m 1 ( m 2 ) associated with an application is displayed when the text or image displayed on the display unit 11 is selected , the cellular telephone device 1 according to the first embodiment can simply start an application by using the text or image displayed on the display unit 11 . it should be noted that in the first embodiment the text displayed on the display unit 11 may include not only the text that is input by a handwritten text input unit , which will be described later , but also all of , for example , text that is input by using a virtual keyboard displayed on the display unit 11 , and text that is displayed in advance in a browser application or the like . next , a second embodiment according to the electronic device of the present invention will be described . with respect to the second embodiment , features that differ from the first embodiment will mainly be described , similar components are assigned the same reference numerals as the first embodiment and descriptions thereof are omitted . with respect to the features not described in particular for the second embodiment , descriptions as in the first embodiment apply as appropriate . next , a functional arrangement of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig6 . fig6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the cellular telephone device 1 according to the second embodiment . the cellular telephone device 1 has a touch panel 10 ( a display unit 11 and a detecting unit 12 ), a microphone 13 , and a speaker 14 , which will be described later . in addition , the cellular telephone device 1 has a communication unit 15 , a storage unit 16 , and a control unit 17 . the cellular telephone device 1 according to the second embodiment has a function to start an application using , for example , text and an icon , which are displayed on the display unit 11 . hereafter , the arrangement for performing the function will be described . as shown in fig6 , the control unit 17 includes an application control unit 173 , a handwritten text input unit 174 , and a region specification unit 175 . in a state where text is displayed on the display unit 11 , when contact to an icon ( for example , icons 19 a - 19 f , which will be described later ) displayed on the display unit 11 is detected by the detecting unit 12 , after contact to a region where at least a part of the text is displayed , is detected by the detecting unit 12 , causing text to be selected , the application control unit 173 starts an application associated with the icon on which the contact is detected , and inputs the selected text . here , text according to the second embodiment may include not only hiragana text , katakana text , and kanji text but also a number , an alphabetic character , and a symbol . in addition , text may include not only a single character but also a character string . the handwritten text input unit 174 inputs a handwritten text into the display unit 11 by contact to the display unit 11 . specifically , the handwritten text input unit 174 detects by the detecting unit 12 a trajectory drawn with a touch pen 18 . the handwritten text input unit 174 performs pattern matching between the detected trajectory and the text stored in the handwritten text recognizing database by , for example , a handwritten text recognizing application , and converts the text with the highest recognition rate into text data . here , the handwritten text recognizing database is stored in the storage unit 16 and has a variety of information for recognizing the handwritten text . in addition , the handwritten text recognizing application is stored in the storage unit 16 and includes an algorithm for recognizing the handwritten text . the region specification unit 175 specifies a region for inputting the handwritten text into the display unit 11 , by contact to the display unit 11 . specifically , the region specification unit 175 detects , by the detecting unit 12 , the trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 . the region specification unit 175 specifies the region surrounded by the detected trajectory as a region capable of inputting a handwritten text by the handwritten text recognizing application . it should be noted that , the region specification unit 175 does not specify the region for inputting the handwritten text in a case where the trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 does not surround a specific region . in addition , one application and an icon for starting the application are associated with each other and are stored in the storage unit 16 . examples of the application include an electronic mail application , a memo pad application , a text editing application , and a browser application ( for example , a browser application enabled to input text for searching ). fig7 is a diagram showing an example of the screen transfer displayed on the display unit 11 according to the second embodiment . in screen d 21 of fig7 , a browser application has been started and an image f 1 is displayed on the display unit 11 . in screen d 21 of fig7 , when contact to the pictogram region p using the touch pen 18 is detected by the detecting unit 12 ( screen d 21 ), the region specification unit 175 starts a handwritten text recognizing application and detects , by the detecting unit 12 , a trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 ( screen d 22 ). the region specification unit 175 specifies , by the handwritten text recognizing application , a region surrounded by the detected trajectory as the region r 1 enabled for inputting the handwritten text . in such a case where a base point , where the contact to the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 is detected , is in the pictogram region p , the region may be specified as a region r 1 enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the region specification unit 175 . in addition , when the base point , where the contact to the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 is detected , is on the edge of the display unit 11 , the region may be specified as the region r 1 enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the region specification unit 175 . thereby , it is possible to avoid conflict with the detection of the contact corresponding to the browser application that has been displayed on screen d 21 . the handwritten text input unit 174 detects by the detecting unit 12 the trajectory drawn using the touch pen 18 in the region r 1 specified by the region specification unit 175 . it should be noted that even in a case where contact other than in the pictogram region p or the edge of the display unit 11 is detected , the region specification unit 175 may detect , by the detecting unit 12 , the region surrounded by the detected trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 by starting the handwritten text recognizing application . in addition , even in a case where the base point , where the contact to the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 is detected , is in a region other than the pictogram region p or the edge of the display unit 11 , the region may be specified as the region r 1 enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the region specification unit 175 . in addition , when a trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 surrounds a specific range , that is , when the range of the drawn trajectory is determined , the application control unit 173 displays icons 19 a - 19 f for starting applications on the pictogram region p ( screen d 23 ). in screen d 23 , by detecting with the detecting unit 12 contact to the region r 1 where handwritten text “ a i u e ” is input by the handwritten text input unit 174 , the application control unit 173 selects the recognized text “ a i u e ”. the region r 1 specified by the region specification unit 175 is dragged to one of the icons 19 a - 19 f by operating the touch pen 18 under the control of the application control unit 173 ( screen d 24 ). if the detection of contact to one of the icons 19 a - 19 f is determined by the detecting unit 12 ( screen d 24 ) as a result of the detection of the drag using the touch pen 18 being cancelled , the application control unit 173 starts an application ( for example , a memo pad application ) stored by being associated with one of the icons 19 a - 19 f , and inputs the selected text “ a i u e ”. it should be noted that “ starting an application and inputting the selected text ” by the application control unit 173 may include inputting the selected text into the started application and saving as a draft . in addition , the screen of the started application may be displayed after the selected text has been input into the application . in addition , when the started application is ended ( when a state where the started application is executed ends ), the application control unit 173 displays on the display unit 11 with the browser application , a web page including the text displayed immediately before when the contact to the text “ a i u e ” is detected by the detecting unit 12 , that is , the text displayed in screen d 23 , “ a i u e ”, and the image f 1 . thus , according to the second embodiment , the cellular telephone device 1 can input the selected text into an application by starting the application by an intuitive operation that uses icons ( icons 19 a - 19 f ) displayed on the display unit 11 . in addition , since the cellular telephone device 1 inputs the selected text into the started application , it is possible to improve the usability for the user upon starting the application . in addition , when the detection of the contact to the icon 19 a - 19 f by the detecting unit 12 is determined ( that is , when the detection of the drag using the touch pen 18 is cancelled ), the application control unit 173 starts the application stored in a state associated with the icon 19 a - 19 f . thereby , the cellular telephone device 1 can start an application easily by an intuitive operation . in addition , when the application is ended , that is , when the state where the started application is executed is ended , the application control unit 173 displays on the display unit 11 the text displayed immediately before the contact to the text is detected by the detecting unit 12 . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 displays the text displayed immediately before the contact is detected after the application is ended also , it is possible to improve the usability for the user . in addition , according to the second embodiment , the text displayed on the display unit 11 is text that is input by the handwritten text input unit 174 . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 inputs into the started application the handwritten text that is input by the contact to the display unit 11 , it is possible to start an application with a more intuitive and simpler operation . in addition , since the cellular telephone device 1 inputs the handwritten text into the started application , it is possible to improve the usability for the user upon starting the application . in addition , the handwritten text input unit 174 inputs the handwritten text in a region r 1 specified by the region specification unit 175 . thereby , since the cellular telephone device 1 inputs the handwritten text in the specified region r 1 into the application , it is possible to input text into an application by a more intuitive operation . it should be noted that , in the second embodiment , the text displayed on the display unit 11 may include not only text that is input by the handwritten text input unit 174 but also all of , for example , text that is input using a virtual keyboard displayed on the display unit 11 , and text that is displayed in advance in , for example , a browser application . it should be noted that , in the second embodiment , although the cellular telephone device 1 displays the icons 19 a - 19 f on the pictogram region p , the present invention is not limited to this , and may display the icons 19 a - 19 f on a region other than the pictogram region p , for example . next , processing in the case of starting an application using text displayed on the display unit 11 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig8 - 12 . fig8 is a flow chart showing processing for detecting contact to the touch panel 10 using the touch pen 18 by the detecting unit 12 . in step s 11 , the application control unit 173 detects by the detecting unit 12 contact to the touch panel 10 using the touch pen 18 . in step s 12 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the contacted position displays the pictogram region p . if the contacted position is the position displaying the pictogram region p ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 13 . if the contacted position is not the position displaying the pictogram region p ( no ), the process proceeds to step s 14 . in step s 13 , the application control unit 173 transmits an event caused by the touch pen 18 to the application . in step s 14 , the application control unit 173 transmits the event caused by the touch pen 18 to the application that has already been started . fig9 - 12 are flow charts showing processing by the application control unit 173 . in step s 21 , the application control unit 173 receives the event caused by the touch pen 18 that has been transmitted in step s 13 . in step s 22 , the application control unit 173 determines the details of the event caused by the touch pen 18 . specifically , the application control unit 173 determines which of a case where contact of the touch pen 18 is detected , a case where the touch pen 18 is moved on the touch panel 10 while the contact of the touch pen 18 is being detected , and a case where the touch pen 18 is released from the touch panel 10 , is the event caused by the touch pen 18 . then , regarding the application control unit 173 , when contact of the touch pen 18 is detected , the process proceeds to step s 23 ( refer to fig1 ), when the touch pen 18 is moved on the touch panel 10 while the contact of the touch pen 18 is detected ( when sliding is detected ), the process proceeds to step s 39 ( refer to fig1 ), and when the touch pen 18 is released from the touch panel 10 , the process proceeds to step s 45 ( refer to fig1 ). in step s 33 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not it is in a state where a region is not specified by the region specification unit 175 , that is , whether or not the state of the region specification unit 175 is an initial state . if it is in the initial state ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 34 . when it is not in the initial state , the process proceeds to step s 35 ( no ). in step s 34 , the application control unit 173 starts the handwritten text recognizing application , and sets the state to a state capable of specifying a region by the region specification unit 175 . in step s 35 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the contact of the touch pen 18 is a frame of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 . if it is the frame of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 37 . when it is not the frame of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 ( no ) and is in the specified region ( step s 36 ( yes )), the process proceeds to step s 38 . in step s 37 , the region specified by the region specification unit 175 and the handwritten text inside the region are set together in a state capable of being moved with a drag of the touch pen 18 . in step s 38 , the application control unit 173 sets the region specified by the region specification unit 175 to a state enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the handwritten text input unit 174 . in step s 39 , the application control unit 173 determines the details of the event caused by the touch pen 18 . specifically , regarding the application control unit 173 , when it is in a state capable of specifying a region by the region specification unit 175 , the process proceeds to step s 40 , and when the region and the handwritten text inside the region are in a state capable of being moved by dragging the touch pen 18 , the process proceeds to step s 43 , and when it is in a state capable of inputting handwritten text by the handwritten text input unit 174 in the specified region , the process proceeds to step s 44 . in step s 40 , the region specification unit 175 starts the handwritten text recognizing application and detects , by the detecting unit 12 , the trajectory drawn on the display unit 11 using the touch pen 18 . then , the region specification unit 175 carries out drawing processing of the region surrounded by the detected trajectory and specifies the region as a region capable of inputting a handwritten text . in step s 41 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the range of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 is determined . if the range of the region is determined ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 42 . if the range of the region is not fixed ( no ), the process ends . in step s 42 , the application control unit 173 maintains the state where the range of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 is determined . in step s 43 , the application control unit 173 makes the handwritten text recognizing application perform drawing processing of an image indicating a state where the region specified by the region specification unit 175 and the handwritten text in the region move according to the drag of the touch pen 18 . in step s 44 , the application control unit 173 carries out the drawing processing of the image of the handwritten text that is input by the handwritten text input unit 174 by the handwritten text recognizing application . in step s 45 , the application control unit 173 determines the details of the event caused by the touch pen 18 . specifically , if it is in a state where a region is specified by the region specification unit 175 , the application control unit 173 makes the process proceed to step s 46 ; if it is in a state where the region and the handwritten text inside the region can be moved by dragging the touch pen 18 , the application control unit 173 makes the process proceed to step s 49 ; and if it is in a state where the handwritten text can be input by the handwritten text input unit 174 in the specified region , the application control unit 173 makes the process proceed to step s 54 . in step s 46 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the range of the region specified by the region specification unit 175 is determined . if the range of the region is determined ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 47 . if the range of the region is not fixed ( no ), the process proceeds to step s 48 . in step s 47 , the application control unit 173 sets the region specified by the region specification unit 175 to a state enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the handwritten text input unit 174 . in step s 48 , the application control unit 173 set a state where a region is not specified by the region specification unit 175 , that is , the application control unit 173 sets the state of the region specification unit 175 to an initial state . in step s 49 , the region specified by the region specification unit 175 is dragged to one of the icons 19 a - 19 f by operating the touch pen 18 , and the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the icon 19 a - 19 f is associated with an application . if the icon 19 a - 19 f is associated with an application ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 50 . if the icon 19 a - 19 f is not associated with an application ( no ), the process proceeds to step s 53 . in step s 50 , by the handwritten text recognizing application , the handwritten text input unit 174 performs pattern matching between the detected trajectory and the text stored in the handwritten text recognizing database , and converts the text with the highest recognition rate into text data . in step s 51 , the handwritten text input unit 174 transmits the text data that underwent the conversion to an application associated with one of the icons 19 a - 19 f . in step s 52 , the application control unit 173 set a state where a region is not specified by the region specification unit 175 , that is , the application control unit 173 sets the state of the region specification unit 175 to an initial state . in step s 53 , the application control unit 173 sets the region specified by the region specification unit 175 to a state enabled for inputting the handwritten text by the handwritten text input unit 174 . in step s 54 , the handwritten text input unit 174 conclusively fixes the input of the trajectory drawn using the touch pen 18 . as described above , according to the second embodiment , the cellular telephone device 1 can input the selected text into an application by starting the application by an intuitive operation that uses icons ( icons 19 a - 19 f ) displayed on the display unit 11 . next , a third embodiment according to the electronic device of the present invention will be described . with respect to the third embodiment , points that differ from the first and second embodiments will mainly be described , identical reference numerals are assigned , and descriptions omitted for components that are the same as the first or second embodiment . descriptions as in the first and second embodiments apply as appropriate for points that are not described in particular with respect to the third embodiment . the cellular telephone device 1 according to the third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that it selects text displayed on the display unit 11 after contact to the region , where an image ( for example , an icon ) displayed on the display unit 11 is displayed , is detected . that is , when contact to the region , where an image ( for example , an icon ) displayed on the display unit 11 is displayed , is detected by the detecting unit 12 and text is selected by detecting contact to at least a part of the text displayed on the display unit 11 by the detecting unit 12 , the application control unit 173 inputs the selected text by starting an application that is associated with an icon on which the contact is detected . fig1 and fig1 are diagrams showing an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 11 according to the third embodiment . in fig1 , a browser application has been started and text “ abcdefg ” is displayed on the display unit 11 , and application starting icons 20 a - 20 d that are associated with applications are displayed in the lower part of the display unit 11 by the application control unit 173 . then , in the state shown in fig1 , text is selected by , for example , detecting , with the detecting unit 12 , contact of the user &# 39 ; s thumb 25 a to the icon 20 a , and detecting , with the detecting unit 12 , contact of the user &# 39 ; s index finger 25 b to the text “ abcdefg ” displayed on the display unit 11 ( refer to fig1 ). then , when the detection of the contact to the icon 20 a is determined by the contact of the thumb 25 a to the icon 20 a being released , the application control unit 173 starts an application ( for example , a memo pad application ) associated with the icon 20 a and inputs the selected text “ abcdefg ” into the started application . thereby , as in the second embodiment , the cellular telephone device 1 according to the third embodiment can input the selected text into an application by starting the application by an intuitive operation using images ( icons ) displayed on the display unit 11 . in particular , since the operation involves selecting the text targeted to be input by the index finger 25 b while specifying the application targeted to be started with the thumb 25 a , the operation is carried out smoothly from the index finger 25 b to the thumb 25 a , enabling the cellular telephone device 1 to start the application by an intuitive operation and input the selected text into the application . in addition , since the cellular telephone device 1 starts an application stored by being associated with an icon 20 a when the detection of the contact to the icon 20 a is determined , it is possible to prevent erroneous operations as a result of the operation of selecting text . fig1 is a flow chart showing processing by the application control unit 173 according to the third embodiment . in step s 61 , the application control unit 173 detects contact to the touch panel 10 by the detecting unit 12 . in step s 62 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not one of the application starting icons 20 a - 20 d is displayed on the contacted position . if one of the icons 20 a - 20 d is displayed ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 63 . if the icon 20 a - 20 d is not displayed ( no ), the process ends . in step s 63 , the application control unit 173 stores in the storage unit 16 an application associated with one of the icons 20 a - 20 d displayed on a position where the contact is detected in step s 61 . in step s 64 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not another contact to the touch panel 10 is detected by the detecting unit 12 in a state where contact to the touch panel 10 is detected by the detecting unit 12 . if another contact is detected by the detecting unit 12 ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 65 . if another contact is not detected by the detecting unit 12 ( no ), processing in step s 64 is repeated again . in step s 65 , the application control unit 173 stores in the storage unit 16 a position where the contact is detected in step s 64 . in step s 66 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not movement of the contact position in a state where the contact is maintained , is detected by the detecting unit 12 , that is , whether or not sliding is detected by the detecting unit 12 in a state where the contact is maintained . if sliding is detected by the detecting unit 12 ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 67 . if sliding is not detected by the detecting unit 12 ( no ), processing in step s 66 is repeated again . in step s 67 , the application control unit 173 stores in the storage unit 16 information displayed on a position selected by the sliding , that is , text displayed at a position selected with the sliding . in step s 68 , the application control unit 173 determines whether or not the contact to one of the icons 20 a - 20 d is released . if the contact to one of the icons 20 a - 20 d is released ( yes ), the process proceeds to step s 69 . if the contact to one of the icons 20 a - 20 d is not released ( no ), the process returns to step s 66 . in step s 69 , when the contact to one of the icons 20 a - 20 d is determined by the contact to one of the icons 20 a - 20 d being released , the application control unit 173 starts an application stored as being associated with one of the icons 20 a - 20 d . in step s 70 , the application control unit 173 inputs the text stored in step s 67 into the started application . as described above , according to the third embodiment , the cellular telephone device 1 can input the selected text into an application by starting the application by an intuitive operation using images displayed on the display unit 11 . in addition , although the handwritten text input unit 174 detects a trajectory ( text or image ) drawn by the handwritten text input unit 174 using the touch pen 18 after specifying a region by the region specification unit 175 in the embodiment described above , the region may be stored by the region specification unit 175 after detecting the trajectory ( the text or the image ) drawn by the handwritten text input unit 174 using the touch pen 18 . in addition , although an example where a browser application has been started and an image f 11 is displayed on the display unit 11 in the embodiment described above , the present invention is applicable even for a state where another application is started , and furthermore , the present invention is applicable even for a state where a standby screen is displayed . in addition , embodiments that combine suitably the above - described first , second , and third embodiments are also possible . embodiments of the present invention have been described above , but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate . in addition , in the embodiments described above the cellular telephone device 1 is described as a digital camera , but a phs ( registered trademark : personal handy phone system ), a pda ( personal digital assistant ), a portable navigation device , a personal computer , a notebook pc , or a portable gaming device are also possible .	6
embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . it should be emphasized that the following descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention . fig1 a and fig1 b show a 3 - degrees of freedom model of a continuous span of a to - be - simulation - tested overhead power transmission conductor ; as shown in fig2 , according to embodiments of the present application , a conductor sleet jump simulation measuring and calculating method includes two procedures , namely , static processing and dynamic processing procedures , where the static processing procedure provides a measured and calculated initial value for the dynamic processing procedure ( before t & lt ; 0 , the conductor reaches a state ), that is , an initial state of the conductor before the jump , and the dynamic processing uses the initial state to measure and calculate displacement and tension states of each point of the conductor at a to - be - tested discrete moment . static processing obtains a suspending state ( for example , each point sags ) and a stress state of the conductor under a given meteorological condition and line parameter . the static processing includes : measuring and calculating a conductor stress under a testing meteorological condition by using parameters , such as a static load of the given meteorological condition and a conductor stress , that are measured in advance and measuring and calculating an initial displacement of the conductor according to the load and stress ( a z - y relationship , where an x is consistent and given ). the stress under a given typical meteorological condition i and a testing meteorological condition ii satisfies a state equation : σ i is a conductor allowable maximum stress ( the middle - span ), σ ii is a conductor stress under the testing meteorological condition , e is a comprehensive elastic coefficient of the conductor , α is a coefficient of thermal expansion , t i is a temperature , and l is a representative span of a strain section , which may be calculated by using the equation where i i0 a span of each span of the conductor , γ is a relative load of an overhead conductor ( that is , a ratio of a load withstood by a conductor of a unit length to a sectional area of the conductor ), and where q is a load withstood by the conductor of a unit length , and a is a sectional area of the conductor . the subscripts i and ii represent that the parameters are parameters respectively corresponding to the typical meteorological condition i and the testing meteorological condition ii . a span refers to a projection distance vertical to a load direction between two adjacent suspending points . a designing object of a tension sage of an overhead power transmission line conductor is using a relatively great stress to obtain a relative small conductor sag as much as possible and ensuring that a maximum stress of the conductor under various allowable meteorological condition combinations is smaller than or equal to the allowable maximum conductor stress . preferably , with regard to multiple given typical meteorological condition combinations , a procedure of determining a conductor stress is : first comparing magnitudes of conductor stresses under multiple typical meteorological condition conditions , making a maximum value of the conductor stress in the typical meteorological condition combination reach a conductor allowable maximum use stress , that is , mounting the conductor in this state to tension the conductor , using the group of typical meteorological conditions corresponding to the maximum value as the given typical meteorological condition , and on the basis of the above , obtaining stresses of the conductor in rest meteorological conditions by using the state equation of the equation ( 1 ). since the date of setup , the conductor is subject to load effects such as gravity of the conductor , icing , and wind , which constitute q ( or γ ). a preferable manner of measuring and calculating the static load q of the conductor is as the following table , where q = p : because a distance between suspending points of an overhead power transmission conductor is relatively great , and the stiffness of a conductor material has an excessively small impact on a geometric shape of the conductor , the conductor is generally assumed as a flexible chain that is hingedly connected throughout , that is , the assumption of “ a catenarian ”. the conductor static suspending equation ( namely , a catenary equation of the conductor ) according to the assumption is : z is a known horizontal coordinate ( along a line direction ) of each point in a current testing span , y is a to - be - calculated vertical coordinate of each point , z 0 and y 0 are constant parameters : h is a height difference between two suspending points , and when the suspending point on the right side is higher than the suspending point on the left signal , the height difference is a positive value . the conductor kinetic equation for measuring and calculating conductor displacement and tension states of the conductor at a discrete moment is : m , f c , t , and p are a mass matrix , a damping matrix , a tension matrix , and an external force matrix respectively . x is a displacement , { dot over ( x )} is a speed , and { umlaut over ( x )} is acceleration . an assumption of node unit mass concentration is used , and the mass matrix m is a diagonal matrix ; f c = c { dot over ( x )}, where c is a damping coefficient , which can be selected according to engineering experience ; t = kx , where k a stiffness matrix , which is determined according to a dynamic tension between two adjacent points and a deformation amount thereof , and the deformation may be determined according to the calculation on the displacement of the conductor in the preceding text and includes three directions of x , y , z . the conductor sleet jump is a strongly nonlinear dynamic procedure , preferably , an explicit direct integration algorithm based on a central difference is used , and speed and acceleration vector in the method are : the central difference explicit algorithm is a condition convergence algorithm , and a step length satisfies : ω n is a maximal order inherent vibration frequency of a system . a common conductor dynamic analysis model usually only considers a situation of a single span and considers that a moving unit merely performs a 2 - degrees of freedom of transitional movement within an xy vertical plane . precision of this type of model can basically satisfy requirements in a movement of a small span and a small amplitude , but in a case of a multi - span conductor and in a case that the conductor obviously swings in the z - axis direction , this type of model has a relatively large error . therefore , this type of model cannot satisfy a situation of uneven deicing of a continuous - span conductor . to simulate , measure , and calculate a motion state of a deicing procedure of an overhead power transmission conductor , a following dynamic model of multi - span concentrated mass of the overhead power transmission conductor is established . the conductor is segmented into several conductor elementary sections , the mass of the conductor is concentrated on the node of the conductor , mass points are connected by using an elastic element without mass , that is , connected by using a tension , and its bending and turning stiffness is not taken into consideration . each mass point may transitional move ( 3 degrees of freedom ) in a space ( x , y , and z ), and a series of external forces , such as loads , such as a self weight load , an icing load , and a wind load , distributed on the whole conductor length and a tension of an insulator string at a suspending point , that the conductor may withstand in a running environment are taken into consideration . for each node unit , its dynamic equation , namely , ( equation 4 ), is listed . because of the elastic connection between mass points , the tension matrix t is a non - diagonal matrix ( which is not 0 between adjacent points ). refer to fig3 for conductor sleep amplitude changing curves in simulation measurement and calculation and experimental simulation in a case in which a single span has a span of 235 m and icing of 15 mm and is iced by 100 %. it could be known from fig3 that in the case in which the single span is deiced by 100 %, a digital simulation curve of the conductor jump amplitude is basically consistent with an experimental curve . experimental working conditions of a single span are completely simulated , and under various working conditions of the single span , comparison between conductor jump amplitude simulation calculation results and experimental results is as the table . it could be known from the comparison between the measurement and calculation results and the simulation experiment results that , in a case of a single span , under the condition that the same measurement and calculation conditions and simulation working conditions are used , the measurement and calculation results of the conductor jump amplitude are basically consistent with the simulation experiment results ( the errors are all less than 10 %). the foregoing content is detailed description of the present application with reference to the specific preferred embodiments , but it cannot be considered that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to the description . several simple derivation or replacements made by persons of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the idea of the present application all should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present application .	6
fig1 shows a positive pressure bernoulli - type wand 102 typically used in the processing of semiconductor material . in some embodiments , the device is made primarily of quartz . it has top plates 104 and bottom plates 106 . the plates are joined to form or contain a working gas flow channel 108 that has a smooth , continuously curving path . fig1 also shows several small openings 110 , and bottom plate 106 has underside 112 . small openings 110 allow working gas to flow out of channel 108 through the bottom plate 106 . small outlet orifices should be small enough to maintain a pressure difference of p 1 ( inside wand )& gt ; p 2 ( atmosphere / air ) in order to provide for sufficient mass flow rate to provide lift / suction of the wafer . typically , the diameter of these holes is on the order of hundredths of inches to maintain an appropriate mass flow - rate . fig2 , also , shows top and bottom plates 104 and 106 in a bonded configuration . fig2 also illustrates the underside 112 of bottom plate 106 , not directly shown . in fig2 , small openings 110 are not shown . fig3 shows a top view of wand 102 . this view is looking down through the device . channel 108 is shown in relief . channel 108 is formed into or onto the surface of the bottom plate 106 such as by milling or other technique known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the surface of the bottom plate comprising channel 108 faces or bonds to top plate 104 . the working gas enters channel 108 through air inlet 114 . alternatively , channel 108 is formed into or onto top plate 104 such as by milling or other technique known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in this alternative , the surface of the top plate containing channel 108 bonds to bottom plate 106 . in some embodiments , channel 108 is formed into or onto both top plate 104 and bottom plate 106 . fig4 shows working gas flow is illustrated by vectors . gas flows out of small orifices 110 and generates the bernoulli effect . the indicated gas flow through small orifices 110 in underside 112 of bottom plate 106 is down upon the upper surface of an object beneath wand 102 . this flow of the working gas induces a vacuum above the surface of the object beneath wand 102 . under normal atmospheric pressure , the vacuum above the object beneath wand 102 pulls the object toward wand 102 until it comes in close contact with underside 112 . the downward flow of the working gas ( vectors in fig4 ) prevents the object from contacting wand 102 . this prevents damage to the object that would normally occur if the object contacted a tool . fig5 and 6 depict semiconductor 116 being manipulated by wand 102 . fig5 shows that semiconductor 116 approaches underside 112 , but does not contact it . top and bottom plates 104 and 106 , shown in fig2 may be made of any material suited for use in the semiconductor reactor arena including ; quartz ( sio2 ), silicon carbide ( sic ), magnesium oxide ( mgo ), aluminum oxide ( al2o3 ), titanium carbide ( tic ). in some embodiments , the top and bottom plates 104 and 106 comprise quartz or consist essentially of quartz . the plates may be joined with any adhesive known for use in the semiconductor processing field including materials comprising graphite , alumina , silica , magnesium oxide . in some embodiments , adhesives comprise ceramic or graphite . the plates may be joined with thermally worked frit comprising or consisting essentially of quartz , such as thermally worked solid intermediary quartz , glass , related ceramic , or epoxy . the plates may be joined using other methods commonly used to connect quartz in a heat process known to those in the semiconductor field . in some embodiments , the joint is a bond . a bond is an adhesive , cementing material , or fusible ingredient that combines or unites top plate 104 to bottom plate 106 into a rigid unit . the plates may be bonded using laser bonding , where the laser , such as a co2 laser , is focused at the bond line allowing a weld seam to be created between the plates . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other bonding or heating techniques would suit this invention . this invention uses a smooth and continuously curved channel 108 , as shown in fig1 , and 4 , within wand 102 . channel 108 does not cross back upon or intersect with itself . and channel 108 has no sharp angles or no macroscopic sharp angles , as shown in fig1 and 4 . this smooth and continuous curving of channel 108 reduces potential stress points , which may otherwise occur at the intersection of two channels or in the region of a step of a sidewall within a channel . without wishing to be bound by any theory , using a smooth continuous channel 108 allows wand 102 to be manufactured with fewer built - in stress - crack - initiation points . this may yield fewer stress cracks over time and may yield a more durable wand 102 . in prior art devices , discontinuous or sharply angled changes in the channel &# 39 ; s path can create stress - crack - initiation points . these stress points may help to create or to propagate stress fractures during gas flow . this wand is made in a manner common to the current manufacturing methodology of bernoulli wands in use in the semiconductor processing industry today . two quartz plates , a top plate and bottom plate , are made to specifications common to wand manufacture in the semiconductor field . therefore , they are made to fit commonly used semiconductor reactors . channel 108 is created by milling a groove into either or both plates 104 and 106 before bonding them together . in this embodiment , channel 108 is milled or bonded with a channel width of 6 . 35 mm and an overall length of 470 mm . channel width and length may vary according to the overall dimensions of the wand 102 . the plates are bonded together using thermally worked frit comprising or consisting essentially of quartz , glass , or related ceramic . the bonding of the two plates to each other may be done using epoxy , melted glass or quartz particles or other methods commonly used to bind quartz in a heat process known to those in semiconductor field . the creation of the continuous curved channel groove 108 in the plates 104 and 106 may be done by milling , grinding , drilling or other common methods used in the machining of quartz . this application may be applied to one or both plates that are part of wand 102 .	1
the apparatus diagrammatically illustrated in fig1 has a conveyor line 2 for bottles 3 . gas samples are taken from the bottles 3a , 3b , 3c and 3d in a testing section of the conveyor line 2 . this is done by lowering sampling probes 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 into the bottles through the bottle neck , without touching the bottle , so as to prevent any possible contamination . gas is withdrawn from each bottle by means of the probe and is conducted via a conduit 8 , 10 , 12 and 14 respectively to a distributor unit with switch valves 16 , 17 , 18 and 19 . in one position of the switch valves , the gas withdrawn from the individual bottle is fed via outlet conduits 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 respectively from the switch valves to a collector conduit 21 . this collector conduit is connected to a suction pump 26 which pumps the gas from the individual bottle and discharges it to atmosphere via conduit 27 . while bottles 3a to 3d are present in the test line , gas is continuously extracted from the bottles by the pump 26 and supplied to the switch valves . by means of a control unit 30 , which may be linked with a higher - ranking control 35 , one of the valves 16 to 19 is then switched via the electrical control lines 31 - 34 for a predetermined period , so that the gas from the individual bottle concerned , which is flowing through the valve , passes to a second collector conduit 20 which is connected to the inlet to the testing unit 1 , which may for example be a pid unit , but is preferably a mass spectrometer . intake of gas through the conduit 20 to the mass spectrometer 1 is effected by the transfer pump incorporated in it . after the intake of gas from one of the bottles under test , e . g . from bottle 3a , by the mass spectrometer , the valve 16 is switched again so that the flow of gas from the bottle 3a is again switched through to the outlet conduit 22 . as soon as the mass spectrometer 1 is ready for the next analysis i . e . for analysis of the gas flow from the bottle 3b , the valve 17 is switched so that the gas flow from the bottle 3b passes briefly to the collector conduit 20 and thence to the mass spectrometer 1 . in the same way , valves 18 and 19 are then switched briefly in succession so that gas samples from the bottles 3c and 3d can be separately analysed in succession . the probes 4 to 7 are then lifted from the bottles 3a to 3d , and another four bottles are moved up on the conveyor line 2 . the probes are lowered into this new set of bottles , and gas samples are again taken . the previously tested bottles 3a to 3d are conveyed further along the conveyor line , and those bottles of this group for which an unacceptable contamination has been detected by the mass spectrometer 1 are removed from the conveyor line by a rejector device . the tested bottles which are uncontaminated then proceed , after passing through at least one washing machine , to a bottling machine where they are filled again with a drink product . thus , with an apparatus and / or with the process as described with reference to fig1 a plurality of bottles can be tested by a single testing unit or mass spectrometer . to allow this to happen with the conveyor line 2 running at high capacity , the process is preferably performed , as described with reference to fig1 if so that a gas flow is continuously supplied from each bottle to a distributor unit 16 to 19 . the transfer time for the gas samples from the probes 4 to 7 through the conduits 8 to 14 is then of no consequence so far as the measurement is concerned . for the mass spectrometer 1 , the individual gas sample is available at the outlet of the distributor device , or switch valves 16 to 19 , that is to say , only the transfer distance through the conduit 20 to the mass spectrometer counts towards the measuring time . a large number of bottles e . g . 16 bottles with rapid transfer on the conveyor line 2 , can be analysed in this way using a single mass spectrometer 1 . further measures can be taken to assist high - speed analysis . for example , in a preferred apparatus , air is blown into the bottles during sampling in order to increase the concentration of the contaminants contained in the samples . this can preferably be accomplished by constructing the conduits 8 , 10 , 12 and 14 as twin conduits with sample gas extracted through one conduit as described and with air blown into the bottles through the other conduit ( by means of a pump not shown in the drawing ) through additional outlets in the probes 4 to 7 . in addition it has proved advantageous to heat at least the sample gas conduits of the pipes 8 , 10 , 12 and 14 in order to prevent condensation of the sample gas on the conduit concerned . the feed conduit 20 to the mass spectrometer 1 can also be heated . one function of the control unit 30 is to control the switching of the valves 16 to 19 . in addition the control unit 30 can also control the lowering and raising of the probes 4 to 7 into and out of the individual bottles . however , this can also be effected by a higher - ranking control 35 controlling the bottle handling system as a whole , which will be explained in more detail with reference to fig3 . alternatively , the controls 30 and 35 may be constructed as a combined unit . alternatively , the lowering and raising of the probes can be performed by purely mechanical means using cam - operated lifters . fig2 shows , again in highly diagrammatic form , another embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the process . two testing units , or , preferably , mass spectrometers , 1 and 1a are provided . one mass spectrometer 1 is for testing bottles 3a , 3b and 3c ; the other mass spectrometer 1a is for testing the bottles 3d , 3e and 3f . thus , in this embodiment also , each individual mass spectrometer caters for several bottles tested together . the individual bottles are tested in a similar manner to that described for fig1 . first , e . g . bottles 3a and 3d are tested by their respective mass spectrometers 1 and 1a , as the switch valves 16 and 16a briefly switch the gas flow to the conduits 20 and 20a so that the gas sample from bottle 3a can be analysed by the mass spectrometer 1 and the gas sample from bottle 3d can be analysed by the mass spectrometer 1a . the valves are then switched back to the collector conduits 21 and 21a respectively and thence to the suction pump 26 . testing of gas samples from the bottles 3b and 3e then proceeds in a similar manner . fig3 shows a plan view in diagrammatic form of a bottle testing apparatus 40 operating in accordance with the process . returned bottles are randomly fed to the device on a conveyor line 41 . the bottles are fed to the device in the upright position and are normally open , i . e . uncapped , and are not yet washed . by means of a conveyor and resulting backup pressure , bottles 3 are supplied to a star wheel 42 which also forms the line stop , and are also released into a worm conveyor 43 which feeds the bottles at regular intervals and in an upright position . a number of testing devices can be provided along this conveyor section 43 . these will be described in detail with reference to fig5 . in particular , the bottles can be checked for correct height , and for the presence of a cap or other stopper and of residual liquid . unsuitable bottles can be rejected from the worm conveyor by one of the rejectors 51 or 52 . the bottles s passing these preliminary checks pass from the worm conveyor 43 on to a feed carousel 45 . from this feed carousel 45 the bottles are fed to a main carousel 47 . testing , e . g . in the form of a mass spectrometric analysis , is performed while the bottles are in the main carousel 47 . only four bottles 3a to 3d are shown diagrammatically in fig3 . in reality the main carousel is capable of receiving a larger number of bottles to be tested , e . g . 16 bottles , which are tested by a mass spectrometer located above the main carousel . after testing , the bottles pass via a discharge carousel 48 to a discharge worm conveyor 49 . a further rejector 53 is located at this discharge worm conveyor to reject those bottles which have been identified by the mass spectrometer as contaminated . rejection may be performed in various known ways , e . g . by means of a jet of compressed air , or by an electromechanically operated pushrod - type rejector . however , the preferred method is to use a &# 34 ; soft &# 34 ; diversion system whereby those bottles which are to be removed are guided in an upright position on to another conveyor line . in this way , overturning of bottles containing possibly harmful liquids can be avoided . these bottles are conveyed , in an upright position , to a disposal point . downstream of the worm conveyor 49 , the uncontaminated bottles are discharged to a conveyor line 50 which conveys them to a washing station and then onwards to a filling station . a control box 54 is arranged on a boom . the controls for the apparatus as a whole can be separately accommodated . fig4 shows , partly in section , a view of part of the main carousel 47 of fig3 . it shows a bottle 3b which is held by holding devices 62 and 63 on the carousel . the other bottles and their holding devices on the carousel are not shown in the drawing . inserted into the bottle shown in the drawing is the probe 5 for taking the gas sample . the probe 5 is mounted on a movable carriage 61 which can be raised along a carriage guide 60 from the lower position shown in the drawing to the upper position shown in chain - dotted outline only . at the point where the bottles enter the carousel , the individual carriage 61 belonging to the holding device 63 is in the upper position . after a bottle has entered the holding device , the carriage 61 is lowered along the carriage guide 60 , causing the corresponding probe to enter the bottle through the bottle neck without touching it . a hose 10 is connected to the probe 5 . the connection is omitted from the drawing for the sake of clarity . when the carriage 61 is in the lower position , the line of the hose is as represented by the hose designated with the reference number 10 . when the carriage 61 is in its upper position , the line of the hose is as represented by the short section 8 of the hose behind the hose 10 . the hose 10 is led to the centre of the carousel . it has a conduit 11 through which the gas sample is withdrawn from the bottle . the conduit 11 is connected by a coupling 80 to the top of the carousel . from the coupling a passageway 81 in the top of the carousel leads to the switch valve 17 . one outlet of the switch valve is connected by a pipe 23 to a central pipe 21 of the carousel which leads to the suction pump 26 ( fig1 ) ( not shown in fig4 ). the other outlet of the switch valve 17 leads via the passageway 20 in the top of the carousel to a coupling 82 . the carousel parts which have been mentioned so far revolve with the bottle at the same rate as the carousel . the fixed mass spectrometer 1 , which is represented in merely diagrammatic form in fig4 by a corresponding block , is arranged above the coupling 82 . through this coupling 82 the fixed mass spectrometer is connected to the revolving carousel i . e . to its passageways 20 . the electrical control leads to the switch valves are not shown in fig4 . these run from the control unit via sliding contacts to the valves revolving with the carousel . the carousel shown in fig4 carries e . g . 16 receiver positions ( holders ) for bottles under test , and an equal number of carriages , probes , hoses , couplings , electrical switch valves and passageways 20 to the single coupling 82 . in the interests of clarity , only two switch valves , the valve 17 and the valve 36 , are shown in fig4 . the remaining elements are likewise only partly depicted , e . g . hoses 8 , 10 and 28 . through a central pipe 71 , passageways 73 , couplings 70 , pipes 72 and the corresponding hoses , clean air can be blown into all bottles under test to raise the concentration of contaminants in the gas sample obtained . the flexible hoses 10 are also heated to prevent condensation of the sampled gas inside the hose . fig5 shows diagrammatically the steps in the testing process in the apparatus according to fig3 . the incoming bottles on the conveyor line arrive at the star wheel 42 , where non - upright bottles cause a line stop . in the feed worm - conveyor , the height of each individual bottle is then checked by means of two photoelectric barriers . oversize or undersize bottles are eliminated . the next check is performed by means of an ultrasonic sensor which detects whether the cap has been removed from each bottle . bottles with caps or other stoppers are eliminated . a weight sensor is then used to check whether a relatively large quantity of residual liquid is present in the bottle . if so , the bottle is eliminated . from the entry module the bottles pass via the feed carousel to the main carousel . on the main carousel , the sample gas is removed from the bottles and fed to the mass spectrometer or pid testing unit for analysis . the time during which a bottle remains on the carousel is much longer than the measuring time available per bottle ( for comparison : the measuring time per bottle is about 240 ms whereas the time on the carousel ( assuming 300 bottles per minute ) is about 2 sec .). to make full use of the relatively long period during which the bottles are on the carousel , the removal of the sample gas is performed in several stages : ______________________________________stage 0 as soon as the bottle is on the main carousel , a probe dips into the bottle to withdraw the gas sample . stage 1 from all 16 gas sampling hoses on the mainremoval of gas carousel are permanently drawing air intosample to the valve block . as soon as a samplingvalve block . hose is lowered into a bottle , a sample of the gas in the bottle is pumped via the hose to the valve block . through a valve in the valve block , it is either pumped directly back to atmosphere by the air pump , or diverted to the mass spectrometer by a switching operation of the valve . at any given time one of the 16 valves on the valve block is switched through to the mass spectrometer , and the others are closed and their sample gas is being discharged to atmosphere . in addition to the withdrawal of sample gas , clean air is blown into the bottles . this is in order to obtain a higher concentration of the sampling gas . lastly , all gas sampling hoses are heated to prevent condensation of the gas inside the hose . stage 2 from as already stated , one of the 16 valvesvalve block is switched through at any one time . to mass this allows the sample gas to pass fromspectrometer the corresponding sampling hose and its related bottle to the mass spectrometer where it can be analysed . by suitable cycled switching of the valves , every individual bottle on the carousel can be analysed in turn . this 2nd stage is sequential , that is to say only one bottle can be &# 34 ; handled &# 34 ; at any given time , unlike the 1st stage in which 15 stations are &# 34 ; handled &# 34 ; in parallel , i . e . simultaneously . ______________________________________ analysis of the sample gas in the mass spectrograph finally determines whether a bottle is contaminated or not . instead of the electrically controlled distributor unit which has been described , a distributor unit which is entirely mechanically controlled by the rotation of the carousel can also be provided for the sample gas flows . instead of the carousel which has been described , testing can also be performed along one or more parallel or serial linear sections of a conveyor path , as illustrated in principle in fig1 and 2 . fig6 shows a mechanical distributor unit which is mounted on the carousel 47 shown in fig4 in place of the electrically switched distributor unit in fig4 ( in fig6 the carousel 47 has been omitted ). the mechanical distributor unit has a lower rotating part 100 which is connected to the rotational axis of the carousel 47 . this part 100 rotates with the carousel and with the bottles . the rotating part 100 carries a plurality of connections 180 for the pipes 11 ( shown in fig4 but not fig6 ). through these connections , the gas samples pass into the interior of the distributor unit . a stationary part 110 with rotation preventer 111 is arranged axially above the rotating part 100 . from this stationary part 110 a connection 121 leads to the suction pump 26 ( shown in fig1 but not fig6 ), which continuously sucks air ( gas samples ) from the bottles . from the stationary part , another connection 182 leads to the stationary mass spectrometer 1 ( not shown in fig6 ). if a second mass spectrometer 1a is provided , a corresponding connection 182a is provided . the rotating part 100 and the stationary part 110 slide on one another on sealing faces 104 and 105 respectively . the distributor chambers are provided in one or both of the sealing faces 104 , 105 . a first distributor chamber 106 in the sealing face 105 serves as extraction chamber and is in permanent communication with the suction pump via the connection 121 . a second distributor chamber 107 serves as linking chamber for the gas sample to be supplied to the testing unit 1 and is in permanent communication with the connection 182 . the extraction chamber 106 is in the form of a circular arc ( fig7 ) and communicates via through - bores with all connections 180 and their respective pipes 11 and bottles , except for a single connection 180 , shown in the left half of the drawing in fig6 which is in communication with the linking chamber 107 . through this connection 180 , the gas sample withdrawn from the corresponding bottle via the pipe 11 is dispensed through the chamber 107 and the connection 182 to the mass spectrometer . the gas samples from all other bottles pass via the chamber 106 and the connection 121 to the suction pump and out to atmosphere . the rotation of the carousel , and with it the lower part of the distributor unit , brings each connection 180 in succession into communication with the chamber 107 and thus with the mass spectrometer , while the other connections 180 stay in communication with the chamber 106 . if two mass spectrometers 1 and 1a are used , a second chamber arrangement 106a , 107a can be provided , as indicated in chain - dotted outline in fig8 . the extraction chambers 106 and 106a may communicate i . e . be connected to the same pump connection 121 . the chambers 107 , 107a , on the other hand , are separate , each being connected to its respective mass spectrometer 1 or 1a . a doubled processing capacity is thus obtained . the sealing faces 104 , 105 are fabricated and finished as minimum - wear dry - bearing mating faces , e . g . as hard metal sliding faces on both sides , or as copper sliding faces on both sides , or as a hard metal sliding face on one side mating with a ceramic sliding face . in the illustrated embodiment the sliding faces can easily be replaced . to obtain a good seal between the sealing faces 104 , 105 the two parts 100 , 110 of the distributor unit are axially loaded by means of a ball - mounted spring 108 . a central fastening allows rapid assembly or dismantling of the distributor unit . for the individual gas sample fed to the mass spectrometer , the illustrated arrangement provides a short , straight path , reducing the memory effect . to supply the air for injection into the bottles , the illustrated example is provided with a central duct 171 which opens into connections 170 to which the pipes for the heated flexible hoses 10 are connected .	7
the present invention is directed to instable machinery vibration detection apparatus which includes not only a transducer which may be used to measure machine vibration , but also contains integral electronics which may be used to determine if a fault condition has occurred , thereby creating a &# 34 ; smart &# 34 ; accelerometer package . an accelerometer package , designated by the numeral 12 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig2 . an external housing 28 holds electronics circuit 18 including circuit board 31 and mounted electronic components 27 in close proximity to transducer 20 . external housing 28 provides shielding from electromagnetic fields which may be in the general vicinity of the package due to radio transmitters , etc . ( not shown ). by enclosing all necessary components within external housing 28 , the signals from transducer 20 contain less noise and have a relatively greater signal to noise ratio . this allows for a reduction in filtering and amplification circuity . six pin connector 22 provides a ready method for electrically connecting the accelerometer package 12 to thruster control circuitry 24 ( see fig1 ). fig1 shows accelerometer package 12 mounted on rocket thruster 10 adjacent oxidizer valve 14 . related rocket thruster components including fuel valve 16 and electrical junction box 34 are also indicated in fig1 . thruster control and warning circuitry 24 uses the fault signal from accelerometer package 12 to change operating modes of thruster 24 and / or to shut down thruster 10 in an orderly manner before failure . also thruster control and warning circuitry 24 may activate an indication of failure , such as a warning light or bell ( not shown ). thruster control and warning circuity 24 may include actual electronic circuitry or a software controlled computer . it is highly desirable to avoid any false or spurious indications of machine or thruster failure which may result from noise and ground loops . a ground loop , or voltage difference , may exist between ground 17 and ground 15 due to a variety of reasons , some of which may be unknown and difficult to detect during operation . these ground loops may cause a spurious indication of thruster failure and may be difficult to detect during operation of rocket thruster 10 . a combination of transducer 20 and electronics circuit 18 into the same housing 28 greatly reduces the possibility of spurious signals due to ground loops and other noise which otherwise could detrimentally affect transducer 20 and related circuitry 18 . additional means for preventing spurious signals due to typically transient differences in voltage between grounds 17 and 15 are discussed subsequently . fig3 provides a preferred embodiment of circuit 18 contained within accelerometer package 12 . a single power source ( not shown ) is connected at connector 22 , pin 1 , with a common ground shown at pin 2 . this source voltage is filtered by capacitor 21 and is used by regulator 40 to provide 5 volts at output pin o . the regulated 5 volt output is filtered by capacitor 25 . field effect diode 23 regulates current flow to transducer 20 . transducer 20 changes resistance in response to &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; forces , thus creating an electrical transducer signal which corresponds in magnitude and frequency to machine or thruster vibrations . &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; forces are generally understood to be the forces which act on a mass described by using the force of gravity as a unit force acting on a mass , e . g ., two &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; s would be a force acting on a mass twice that which would occur due to gravity . frequency adjust 38 is set for a desired center frequency selected to be equal to the expected unstable vibration frequency of the machinery or thruster to be monitored and may be calibrated by reading with a frequency counter ( not shown ) at pin 6 of decoder 32 . a frequency band around the desired center frequency may be set using switch 28 which selects either wide bandwidth capacitor 26 for an approximately 300 hertz bandwidth or narrow bandwidth capacitor 29 for a bandwidth of approximately 75 hertz . with narrow band width capacitor 29 connected to switch 28 , approximately 50 incoming cycle signals of a requisite magnitude within the frequency band are required before a fault condition is indicated at pin 8 of decoder 32 . with wide bandwidth capacitor 26 connected to switch 28 , approximately 10 to 15 cycles are required to generate a fault signal . these values are calculated assuming a center frequency of 1000 hz , and will typically vary with a change in center frequency . the pulse counting feature which is inherent to preferred embodiment lm567 decoder circuit 32 prevents transient pulses within the window from generating a fault signal . by taking advantage of this inherent feature of the lm567 decoder circuit 32 which might in other circumstances be a disadvantageous characteristic , it is possible to obtain an effective delay in the circuitry without adding extra delay circuitry . the lm567 decoder circuit 32 includes a loop filter connection at pin 2 so that capacitor 26 or 29 is used to complete this loop filter . the lm567 decoder circuit 32 may also use external resistive components ( not shown ). a general description of the lm567 decoder is disclosed on pages 5 - 51 through 5 - 55 of the publication entitled &# 34 ; semiconductor master selection guide 1989 &# 34 ; by national semiconductor and is incorporated herein by reference . in operation , alternating current from transducer 20 , that corresponds in magnitude and frequency to machine vibration &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; forces , passes through signal capacitor 27 to signal threshold adjust 30 which determines the desired amplitude trip level based on accelerometer calibration data . for example , if a basic accelerometer produces 1 volt per &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; force and the amplitude threshold desired is 1 . 5 &# 34 ; g &# 39 ; s &# 34 ;, a simulated signal at the desired frequency and at 1 . 5 volts ( typically applied with a signal generator ) is fed into circuit 18 , and signal threshold adjust 30 is used to set a trip level which produces an output at pin 8 of decoder 32 or pins 3 and 4 of connector 22 . all adjustments described above might be set during accelerometer manufacture / calibration , and the entire package permanently encapsulated with a sealing material to minimize or eliminate effects of vibration during use . alternatively , these calibration sequences may be determined by the user if field adjustments are desired . a machinery fault condition results in the impedance seen at pin 8 of decoder 32 changing from a high impedance to a low impedance due to the sinking of an open collector integral to decoder 32 . as a result , current flows through light emitting diode 35 between pins 1 and 2 of optical isolator 38 . a resulting output then occurs at pins 3 and of optical isolator 38 , which is also available at pins 3 and 4 of connector 22 . a separate power supply , load , and ground connection to pins 3 and 4 of connector 22 is made through indicated wires 46 , 47 , and 48 which results in a circuit independent of the common circuit ground wire or land 42 connected to pin 2 of connector 22 . therefore , if return wire 46 is analogous to ground 15 of fig1 if ground 42 of fig3 is analogous to ground 17 of fig1 ., and if grounds 15 and 17 of fig1 are at different voltages with respect to each other , the output signal received from accelerometer package 12 by thruster control 24 will be unaffected by this voltage difference . the accelerometer package 12 and thruster control 24 circuits are thus electrically isolated from each other via optical coupling . the optical isolator 38 precludes unwarranted or inadvertent shutdown caused by electrical ground loop conditions of which an end user of accelerometer package 12 may not be aware , since the output of optical isolator 38 is independent of the ground at pin 2 of connector 22 . for backup and corroboration purposes , the output of transducer 20 is also made available at pin 5 of connector 22 through direct current blocking capacitor 33 . the foregoing description of the invention has been directed in primary part to a particular , preferred embodiment in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes and for the purposes of illustration . it will be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes in the specifically described accelerometer package 12 may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . for example , although developed for accelerometers , the teachings of this invention could be used with various types of transducers generating dynamic signals of user interest , i . e ., pressure transducers , acoustic sensors , flowmeters , etc . micro - circuitry and surface mount technology may allow control circuitry or parallel decoders operable at different frequencies to be included within accelerometer package 12 . other means for isolating the output of the package may also be used . for example , it may be possible in some situations to use differential transmission of the fault signal from accelerometer package in accordance with rs - 422 or rs - 485 as defined by the electronics industry association ( eia ) so that the effects of ground shifts and noise signals will appear as common mode voltages on the transmission line and thereby be nullified . if it is desired to have a latched output condition upon fault detection rather than a pulse , an optical silicon controlled rectifier ( scr ) may be used , and could be reset by an external reset switch or by dropping the load . it may be desirable for some applications to have an output pulse of a fixed time duration so that circuitry may be added to produce a pulse having a fixed time duration in response to a variable width fault pulse signal . therefore , the invention is not restricted to the preferred embodiment illustrated , but covers all modifications which may fall within the scope of the spirit of the invention .	6
various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the tables and figures , wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views . reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention , which is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto . additionally , any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the claimed invention . the program environment in which a present embodiment of the invention is executed illustratively incorporates a general - purpose computer or a special purpose device such as a hand - held computer . details of such devices ( e . g ., processor , memory , data storage , display ) may be omitted for the sake of clarity . it is also understood that the techniques of the present invention may be implemented using a variety of technologies . for example , the methods described herein may be implemented in software executing on a computer system , or implemented in hardware utilizing either a combination of microprocessors or other specially designed application specific integrated circuits , programmable logic devices , or various combinations thereof . in particular , the methods described herein may be implemented by a series of computer - executable instructions residing on a suitable computer - readable medium . suitable computer - readable media may include volatile ( e . g ., ram ) and / or non - volatile ( e . g ., rom , disk ) memory , carrier waves and transmission media ( e . g ., copper wire , coaxial cable , fiber optic media ). exemplary carrier waves may take the form of electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals conveying digital data streams along a local network , a publicly accessible network such as the internet or some other communication link . accordingly , in one aspect , the present invention provides a computer implemented method for creating a utility bill from a dynamic tariff , said method comprising the steps of : inputting at least one tariff component into the dynamic tariff ; identifying dependencies in each of the at least one tariff component ; iterating through an evaluation process until each of the at least one tariff components are evaluated to solve the dynamic tariff ; and creating a first utility bill from the solved dynamic tariff , wherein said dynamic tariff comprises at least one tariff component ; wherein said at least one tariff component corresponds to at least one component of said first utility bill ; and wherein said dynamic tariff corresponds to at least one utility tariff . the evaluation process may comprise determining an order to evaluate each of said at least one tariff component ; and evaluating each of said at least one tariff component in the determined order . the method may further comprise the steps of : inputting data from a data source into the at least one tariff component ; comparing said first utility bill to a second utility bill ; and validating the second utility bill based on the comparison , wherein said data source is the second utility bill . the method may further comprise the steps of : inputting data from a data source into the at least one tariff component ; and predicting a second utility bill based on the at least one utility tariff . the data source may be selected from the group consisting of estimated values , measured values from at least one utility meter , at least one historical utility bill , at least one historical interval meter reading , at least one historical non - interval meter reading , and a statistical baseline model . the method may further comprise the steps of : inputting data from a data source into the at least one tariff component ; predicting a set of utility bills based on the at least one utility tariff ; and predicting an annual utility budget based on the set of utility bills . the method may further comprise the steps of : inputting data from a data source into the at least one tariff component ; predicting a first set of utility bills based on a first utility tariff ; predicting a second set of utility bills based on a second utility tariff ; predicting a first annual utility budget from the first set of utility bills ; predicting a second annual utility budget from the second set of utility bills ; comparing said first and second annual utility budgets ; and selecting from the first and second utility tariff corresponding to a lowest utility budget selected from the group consisting of the first annual utility budget and the second annual utility budget . the tariff component may comprise meter data , or an expression . the expression may contain a reference to an internal system function or a reference to an external system function . the utility tariff may comprise a time - of - use tariff , or a market - based pricing tariff . in another aspect , the present invention provides a computer system for recreating a utility tariff comprising : a processor ; an input means ; a display ; a data source ; a dynamic tariff comprising at least one tariff component ; and at least one utility tariff , wherein said dynamic tariff corresponds to the least one utility tariff . the system may further comprise an order of dependencies identified in each of the at least one tariff component . the system may further comprise : data from said data source ; a first utility bill created from solving the dynamic tariff ; and a second utility bill , wherein the data from said data source is input into the at least one tariff component , wherein said data source is the second utility bill , and wherein the first utility bill is compared to the second utility bill to validate at least one component of the second utility bill . the system may further comprise : data from said data source ; and a first utility bill , wherein the data from said data source is input into the at least one tariff component ; and wherein the first utility bill is predicted from the at least one utility tariff . the data source may be selected from the group consisting of estimated values , measured values from at least one utility meter , at least one historical utility bill , at least one historical interval meter reading , at least one historical non - interval meter reading , and a statistical baseline model . the system may further comprise : data from said data source ; a set of utility bills predicted from the at least one utility tariff ; and an annual utility budget predicted from the set of utility bills , wherein the data from said data source is input into the at least one tariff component . the system may further comprise : data from said data source ; a first utility tariff ; a second utility tariff ; a first set of utility bills predicted from the first utility tariff ; a second set of utility bills predicted from the second utility tariff ; a first annual utility budget predicted from the first set of utility bills ; and a second annual utility budget predicted from the second set of utility bills , wherein the data from said data source is input into the at least one tariff component , and wherein a comparison of the first and second annual utility budgets allows a selection of a lowest utility budget from the group consisting of the first and second utility tariffs . the tariff component may comprise meter data , or at least one expression . the utility tariff may comprise a time - of - use tariff , or a market - based pricing tariff . in yet another aspect , the present invention provides a computer implemented method for recreating at least one utility tariff , said method comprising the steps of : inputting at least one tariff component into a dynamic tariff ; identifying dependencies in each of the at least one tariff component ; determining an order to evaluate said at least one tariff component ; evaluating said at least one tariff component in the determined order in an evaluation process ; and iterating through an evaluation process until each of the at least one tariff components are evaluated to solve the dynamic tariff , wherein said dynamic tariff comprises at least one tariff component , and wherein said dynamic tariff corresponds to at least one utility tariff . the evaluation process may comprise : determining an order to evaluate each of said at least one tariff component ; and evaluating each of said at least one tariff component in the determined order . in another aspect , the present invention provides a computer readable memory having recorded thereon statements and instructions for execution by a computer to carry out the methods set out above . tariff . a schedule of rates , fees or prices for any utility bill . dynamic tariff . a representation , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , of a tariff , which comprises at least one tariff component . the dynamic tariff is preferably represented in software in a computerized system , and is evaluated by the utility tariff engine . there is no restriction on the number of tariff components , or the type of tariff component that may be represented within a dynamic tariff . tariff component or dynamic tariff component . a field that may represent at least one element found in a tariff , such as a unique identifier , a database expression , a mathematical function or calculation , a storage location , an assigned value , or a meter reading . the tariff component may also represent an element not found in the tariff itself and / or not provided on utility bills ( e . g . a reference to an external piece of data ). meter component . a subset of tariff components that represent values measured by a utility meter , and optionally the type and nature of the measurement . non - meter component or user - defined component . a subset of tariff components that represent constant values , calculations , and / or data references and optionally the type and nature of the tariff component . tariff component expression . any expression , mathematical , logical or otherwise , that is contained within a tariff component . utility tariff engine . a combination of novel software constructs that form a system with capabilities to represent and evaluative utility tariffs . in a preferred embodiment , the utility tariff engine evaluates the dynamic tariff . tariff solver . in a preferred embodiment , a run - time interpreter that parses and executes the expressions contained within the tariff components . time - of - use (“ tou ”) tariff or interval tariff . also known as time of day ( tod ) or seasonal time of day ( stod ). a tariff that takes into account when a utility was consumed . it involves dividing the day , month and year into tariff slots and with higher rates at peak load periods and low tariff rates at off - peak load periods . market - based pricing . commodity prices of electric power or other forms of energy determined in an open wholesale market system of supply and demand under which prices are set solely by agreement as to what buyers will pay and sellers will accept . such prices could recover less or more than full costs , depending upon what the buyers and sellers see as their relevant opportunities and risks . for the consumer , trading activity in the wholesale market is reflected as continuously - changing commodity energy rates , typically adjusted hourly . a market - based pricing tariff is calculated , at least in part , on the wholesale market rate , meaning that commodity unit costs are not known in advance . meter data source or meter component data . refers to data that is measured , sampled , aggregated or otherwise indirectly or directly derived from the meter . the data may also represent any measurable or sampled property of utility use / demand or meter operation . utility bill data source . refers to all data from a utility bill to be verified . interval meter . refers to an advanced utility meter that measures consumption or demand at a higher frequency than a conventional meter ( typically at 5 minute , 15 minute , or 1 hour intervals ); and optionally , but generally , communicates that information via some network back to the local utility for monitoring and billing purposes . this is contrasted against a traditional meter which is used to produce much less frequent readings , typically one per month . api or application programming interface . an interface designed to enable interaction between software programs or systems . in the context of an electric utility or electricity retailer , a tariff is a published schedule of prices or terms of how electricity is sold . this would typically list the prices ( or rates ) for various services or components of the service such as : service charges , fees levied by the regulator , energy consumption ( e . g . kwh ) unit costs , time of day ranges for various unit cost levels , tiers defining volume - based discounts or increases and , peak demand ( e . g . kw ) charges . the tariff can also contain rules for usage and descriptions of the services provided . it is understood that reference to an electric utility is by way of example only , and that the present invention is operable for all utilities , such as natural gas , fuel oil , water , cable tv , telecommunications , transport of goods , etc . the dynamic tariff , as referred to in the context of the utility tariff engine of the present invention , is an operator - defined collection of one or more tariff components , examples of which are represented graphically in fig2 . all tariff components contain at least one of a number of common elements such as , for example , a unique identifier ( e . g ., a name ), an optional expression which can be interpreted and evaluated , a storage location for the result obtained through evaluating the expression , an optional assigned value and an optional unit . a special class of tariff components called meter components are those which represent values measured by the meter . meter components include additional properties that indicate the utility type and nature of the underlying measurement ( e . g ., consumption , demand , etc ), and optionally measurement unit ( e . g . kilowatt - hours , therms , cubic meters ). the dynamic tariff comprises one or more meter components and , optionally , one or more non - meter components . in its most basic form the dynamic tariff when representing a consumable utility will contain at least two components , a meter component representing consumption and a non - meter component representing a calculation to derive the final total . in defining tariff components the operator can recreate the logic of the rate tariff used by the utility provider or create a custom tariff of their own for the purpose of generating their own utility bills . referring to fig2 , in its most basic form , the tariff component 200 consists of a unique identifier 201 , an optional assigned value 202 , an optional expression 203 , a computed value 204 , an optional unit of measure 205 and an optional utility and measurement type 206 . when a utility and measurement type 206 has been specified the result is a special type of tariff component 200 called a meter component 106 ( see fig1 ). meter components represent those tariff components which represent metered values such as consumption of natural gas or peak demand or electricity . during the processing of the utility tariff , the result of evaluation of the tariff component expression 203 is stored 250 as the computed value 204 . in a preferred embodiment , the operator defines one tariff component for each line item on a utility bill . the number of components defined by the operator depends on how much information the operator wishes to capture and the validation goals . however , to enable accurate bill validation , preferably all components which contribute to the final total are represented in the dynamic tariff . for example , a simple dynamic tariff might include the tariff components shown in table 1 . advantageously , a user may define additional components beyond those necessary for computation . for example , components may be included to compute intermediate values for analysis purposes , or to use as a place holder for business - or accounting - related processes ( e . g . an accounting department tracking number ). surprisingly , by not limiting the type of element represented by the tariff component , the dynamic tariff allows unforeseen benefits such as automated categorizing , analysis , optimization , etc . in other business processes beyond the utility bills themselves . one example of this would be a tariff component to identify the data source for the bill generated by the utility . bills can be read visually by a person , read remotely via a data feed , read visually by the building owner , or simply estimated ( i . e . not read at all ). a similar bill is generated in all cases , and a “ reading source ” field could be used to deal with source data uncertainties when reporting conclusions . similarly , a tariff component could be used to indicate the means of data transfer to the database . data transfer can be fully automated from the utility company &# 39 ; s system or can have various levels of human involvement up to and included reading and transcribing data from low quality photocopy . in the case of manual entry , an experienced clerk will be much more reliable than a junior clerk . a “ data transfer method ” field that identified the data entry mechanism and the individual doing the entry would inform system users of the level of uncertainty at the data entry stage when interpreting outputs . fig1 shows the utility tariff engine 101 and the various data sources . the meter data source provides data that is measured , sampled , aggregated or otherwise directly derived from the meter . this data is also referred to as meter component data and may represent any measurable or sampled property of utility use / demand or meter operation , including the relative and / or absolute time the measurement or sample was taken , the duration over which the measurement or sample was obtained , or the temporal relationship between measurements or samples , or other related temporal , scalar , or sequential characteristics . the utility bill data source provides all data from a utility bill to be verified . this includes but is not limited to the billing period , account number and / or other identifying properties , all measured values and units including consumption and demand , marginal rates , delivery charges , taxes , subtotal , and final total , in addition to historical bills . these data sources are accessible within the utility tariff engine using the respective identifiers within the tariff component expressions . referring to fig1 , the utility tariff engine 101 enables the operator to process utility tariffs 104 and thus validate and / or generate utility bill ( s ) 107 . the processing of the utility tariff 104 is performed by the utility tariff solver 102 which contains an expression evaluator 103 capable of evaluating expressions contained within the tariff components 105 , 106 . these expressions may contain references to api 140 and remote service 150 functionality via proxy objects 108 - 116 loaded into the script engine 120 . api proxy objects 108 - 115 leverage functionality inherent in the host software api 140 and access data 171 - 176 within the local data storage 170 or from remote services 150 ( i . e . web services ). in addition , remote service proxies 116 enable integration with other remote services 150 outside the scope of the host software and identified by the operator which conform to a predefined specification for exchanging structured information . the use of remote service proxies allows for , but is not limited to , the integration remote data storage 180 such as meter readings 181 , real time market rates 182 , and weather data 183 . a tariff component may contain an expression which can be evaluated by the utility tariff solver . these expressions can be simple static values , complex formulae incorporating mathematical statements or even references to other tariff components as can be seen in table 1 . in some situations even the types of expressions shown in table 1 can be insufficient to fully and accurately describe the tariff . in a preferred embodiment , the present invention supports added functionality for querying one or more related objects or data sources ( e . g . meter , baseline model , facility , commodity price feed , etc .) within the expressions . an example where this is particularly useful is in the case of time - of - use tariffs . a time - of - use tariff is a special type of tariff which takes into account when the utility use occurs . these types of tariffs commonly segment the day into periods identified as ‘ on ’ or ‘ off ’ peak . prior to the present invention , this diversity in tariff structures usually required some special processing within the software . advantageously , since the tariff component expressions may contain references to objects within the system , these complexities can be addressed within the dynamic tariff directly , resulting in a consistent approach to simulating tariffs regardless of their specific structure . specifically , all types of tariffs , such as interval or non - interval , may be simulated using the same underlying constructs and processes , and hence the same utility tariff engine . previously , accounting for interval tariffs and non - interval tariffs would require two different systems ( i . e ., different engines ). in one aspect of the present invention , the functional differences between interval tariffs and non - interval tariffs can be handled within the tariff component expressions . for example , when dealing with a time - of - use tariff , a tariff component expression can query a utility meter for a consumption value within one or more on - peak period ( s ). for those tariffs incorporating continually - changing market - based pricing , a tariff component expression can query an external commodity price database or data feed . thus all tariffs , regardless of type , can be simulated in a similar manner , while unique aspects can be addressed by the functionality provided within the tariff component expressions . the preferred method employed by the tariff solver is represented graphically in fig3 . the role of the tariff solver is to solve the tariff by evaluating each tariff component . the order in which tariff components are evaluated is determined by dependencies identified within the expression . more specifically , tariff components are solved as values for referenced items become available . in practice this is accomplished through an iterative approach wherein the solver attempts to evaluate each tariff component 106 , 105 , 200 . the process begins at step 301 , where all tariff components are initially unprocessed . at the start of the iterative solving process ( step 302 ), for each unprocessed tariff component the solver attempts to read an input value from the input value data source and to store it in the tariff component ( steps 302 to 305 ) as the optional assigned value 202 ( see fig2 ). if the tariff component has an expression 203 , the solver determines if the expression can be solved based on the state of the items referenced in the expression ( steps 307 , 308 ). if values for all dependents are available , the evaluation proceeds to step 309 , the result is stored as the computed value 204 , and the tariff component is flagged as processed ( step 311 ). if evaluation cannot proceed , the next tariff component is processed ( step 312 ). if , at the end of an iteration , the solver is unable to evaluate at least one tariff component , the solving process terminates ( steps 312 , 313 ). this type of termination may be due to expression error , missing values or circular references . circular references are permitted only where an input value has been assigned to the tariff component referenced in a circular manor prior to solving . references to dependents are replaced with each dependent &# 39 ; s value prior to evaluation . when resolving references , the utility tariff solver will use a tariff component &# 39 ; s assigned value if it has been set , otherwise the computed value will be used . the preferred method to evaluate tariff component expressions is represented graphically in fig4 . in a preferred embodiment , the expressions given to tariff components are evaluated using a scripting engine such as microsoft vbscript , python or any other dynamic language . the first step in this process is to load relevant api objects into the scripting engine ( steps 401 to 403 ). each object is given a unique name so that reference to these objects may be resolved at evaluation time . in addition , processed tariff components are added to the scripting engine so that tariff component expressions can reference other tariff components ( step 404 ). prior to evaluating the tariff component expressions , all references are resolved and converted from a ‘ user friendly ’ syntax to a syntax more suitable for evaluation by the scripting engine ( step 405 ). for example the reference to the tariff component representing consumption might be written by the operator as ‘[ consumption ]’. once resolved , this reference would appear as an api call to obtain the referenced component , for example , tariff . getcomponent (“ consumption ”)&# 39 ;. once all references have been resolved the expression is evaluated by the scripting engine ( step 406 ). if an error occurs ( step 407 ), an exception is thrown and is then processed by the tariff solver ( step 408 ). otherwise , the result of the evaluation is returned to the tariff solver ( steps 409 , 410 ). the simple tariff shown in table 2 illustrates the solving process . in this example , the tariff component identified by the name “ consumption ” is given an expression which will query the underlying baseline model for a value . the solving process iterates through each component and if the expression does not contain any unresolved / unsolved references , it is evaluated . in the first iteration , the expressions for “ consumption ”, “ marginal rate ”, and “ tax rate ” can be evaluated . as previously described , the expression for “ consumption ” queries the baseline model for a predicted value . this prediction will generally be a function of the variables affecting utility use , such as time , weather , and other operator - defined variables . if the baseline model predicts the consumption during the billing period to be 1 , 000 , then the state of the tariff after iteration 1 is shown in table 3 . table 3 shows two remaining components yet to be solved . the component “ sub total ” is the only one which does not contain unsolved references . hence after iteration 2 “ sub total ” has been calculated as indicated in table 4 . only one component , the “ final total ” remains unsolved . all other tariff components have been evaluated and thus the expression for “ final total ” no longer contains unsolved references . after the third and final iteration the tariff has been completely solved as can be seen in table 5 . in example 1 , all tariff components were assigned an expression , which illustrates how the utility tariff engine can also be used as a forecasting tool , allowing for the accurate prediction of each line item of a utility bill before it has been received . when the associated meter does not provide frequent interval readings , the underlying prediction is obtained through the use of a baseline model . the accuracy of this prediction is maximized by the use of an industry standard methodology ( ashrae guideline 14 ) in computing baseline models . if interval readings are available they are used to compute the predicted value . the present invention also allows use of the utility tariff engine to predict an annual utility budget under a specific utility tariff . unlike utility bill prediction , which predicts the cost during a specific billing period , annual utility budget prediction determines anticipated cost over a typical year . preferably , a baseline model may be used to provide predictions by way of meter component expressions , such as those shown in example 1 . however , when the focus is a typical or average year , the inputs to the model may represent conditions which would be expected in a typical year . in terms of weather , this means using composite data simulating the typical meteorological year for a range of weather stations , specifically the industry standard ashrae wyec2 “ weather year for energy calculations 2 ”, or the most current version of that data set . similarly , any operator - defined variables ( site - specific variables such as industrial output , meals served , beds occupied that influence energy use ) will use values expected for the year being budgeted . using the baseline models to generate predictions for the various meter components makes it possible to compute each line item on the utility bill for each month in the budget year . traditionally , utilities were monopolies within geographic areas and building owners have had no choice among utility providers or tariffs . this has changed in recent years , and continues to change as competition is introduced into utilities industries . one aspect of the present invention provides the user with a scientifically valid way to compare competing utility tariffs , to inform procurement decisions . when an annual budgeting process is applied to the same utility meter using more than one possible utility tariff , the budget outputs provide a means for the user to quickly compare expected annual costs for each tariff and thus select the most cost effective tariff option . the baseline model predictions are based on the user &# 39 ; s best available predictions of future operating conditions , and incorporate industry standard “ typical year ” weather data , so the result is the most computationally reliable comparison possible . this is an improvement over previous methods which predicted costs based on previous years , or used simplified models which often reflect outcome bias of the party presenting the comparison . in another aspect of the present invention , the utility tariff engine may be used to verify the accuracy of utility bills issued by utility providers , by duplicating the calculations published by the utility providers . this process is used to capture instances of incorrect billing , a situation that is surprisingly common , but which is usually missed without a rigorous validation process . referring to fig6 , utility bills 603 within a utility bill data source 605 are imported into the system using a utility bill import process 604 . the utility bill data source includes but is not limited to spreadsheets , flat files , local or remote data storage , and erp systems . each imported utility bill is then processed one at a time 602 . using the account information from the bill , the relevant tariff is retrieved 606 from the collection of utility tariffs defined in the system 607 . the values present on the bill are then used to populate 608 the assigned value 202 ( see fig2 ) on each relevant tariff component . this is accomplished using an operator - defined utility bill import mapping profile 609 which establishes links between components in the incoming bill record and tariff components . once the input values have been mapped , the dynamic tariff is solved 610 using the process illustrated in fig3 . if an error occurs 613 during the solving process , the error message is stored for review by the operator and the utility bill 611 is flagged 614 as failing critically . if the solving process was successful , a number of validation checks are performed 616 based on a series of validation settings 617 chosen by the operator . these checks may include , but are not limited to , overlapping billing dates , date gaps from previous bill , variance checks between input and calculated values , previous bill variance , and previous year variance . if a check fails , an error message is stored and it is then determined if the failure was critical 618 , 619 . if so , the bill is flagged as failing critically 620 and no further checks are performed . otherwise the bill is flagged as failing non - critically 622 and any remaining checks are executed 621 . in example 1 , none of the tariff components was assigned a value , however , it is possible to do so , which allows for the validation of received utility bills . validation of utility bill values is performed through a comparison between the assigned and calculated values . for meter components , this results in a direct comparison between either the baseline model prediction or interval readings for traditional meters and interval meters , respectively , and that which is indicated on the bill . this can be demonstrated by expanding on example 1 . assume that the utility bill contains the information shown in table 6 . in comparing the assigned and calculated values it is easy for the operator to identify any source of divergence . in this example 2 , the variance in the final total can be traced back to the marginal rate , and it would appear that the utility provider has adjusted this value since the time when the tariff was created . while this is a simple example the procedure outlined can be applied to validate very complicated tariff structures . in a preferred embodiment , the tariff engine supports interval readings and tariffs based on interval readings . the system stores the interval readings as they are received and performs automatic rollups at varying intervals ( day , week , month , etc ). tariffs defined for interval meters may contain expressions which when evaluated by the tariff solver query this data through a number of exposed api objects / functions to accurately resolve the tariff component values . thus the expressions can reference objects which manage the collection of interval data . a list of expressions which operate on interval data are shown in table 8 . in these examples the meter component identified by the name “ consumption ” represents the consumption component of an interval meter . by leveraging the functionality provided by these expressions it is possible to define dynamic tariffs that use the interval meter readings as the source for the computed values as illustrated in table 9 . in another preferred embodiment , the tariff engine supports tariffs based on tou rates . in the context of the tariff engine , the meter components in a tou tariff have the capability to represents collections of meter readings occurring within defined time and / or date ranges , as opposed to single reading values . this capability can make use of interval readings if they are required for calculation by the particular tou tariff and supported by an interval meter installation . the tariff solver evaluates tou tariffs using the same procedure as non - tou tariffs . the only difference between the tou tariff and the non - tou tariff is the use of dynamic references within the tou tariff component expressions . specifically , the tou expressions can reference objects which manage the collection of tou data . examples of such expressions are shown in table 10 . a sample tou tariff which exhibits two rates , one for on - peak and another for off - peak , is shown in table 10 . validation of utility bills based on tou tariffs is performed using the same procedure as non - tou tariffs . in this case the on and off peak consumption values read from the utility bill will be compared to the values predicted by the respective baseline models . in yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention , the utility tariff engine can be used to accept continually - changing market - based pricing data provided by the electrical system operator , combine it with interval readings , and accurately reproduce the retail charges for a billing period . this is accomplished by exposing a data feed of current and historic rates through an api object accessible via the tariff component expression . in the example shown in table 11 , the expression defined for the tariff component “ consumption marginal rate ” retrieves the per unit charge for consumption for the period of interest by querying the utility provider object . in yet another aspect of the present invention , the utility tariff engine can be used not only to perform bill validation but also to perform bill generation as illustrated in fig7 . in this application , the process starts 701 with the operator defining the billing period ( start and end date ) 703 which is then used to populate the relevant tariff components 702 . each utility meter associated with the account is retrieved and used to populate the relevant meter components ( 704 to 707 ) with consideration of the operator - supplied billing period 703 . this can either be actual meter readings ( values ) or proxy objects which enable querying of the meter for specific information via the tariff component expression 203 ( see fig2 ). this includes but is not limited to consumption , min / max demand , real demand , apparent demand , power factor , etc . the dynamic tariff is then solved using the process illustrated in fig3 . if an error occurs 709 during the solving process it is displayed for operator review 710 . otherwise the bill is created 711 and the computed value for each tariff component is rendered on the bill as line items 712 . the utility bill is then issued 713 using any chosen medium ( e . g ., email , fax , print , etc .) before processing the next account . advantageously , this embodiment of the invention can be used in a landlord / tenant situation , in which the landlord bills the tenant for actual utility use . it can also be used by facility owners to allocate utility costs among profit or cost centres .	6
a method and apparatus for analysis of optimized program files is herein described . specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , that the present invention may be practiced without these details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are depicted in block diagram format to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention . a generic representation of core files and executables , or gcore as it is henceforth referenced , contains information about core files and executables . according to an embodiment , gcore includes a superset of binary formats used within unix . examples include : the executable and linking format ( elf ), the common object file format ( coff ), the programmable instruction set computers format ( prisc ), and the mobilization stationing , planning , and execution system format ( mspes ). this superset of binary formats can be extended to support a multitude of binary formats . since gcore captures different segments across a multitude of binary formats , gcore overcomes the debugging requirement of having a compiled binary for each platform . the code base for gcore is generic therefore analysis can be performed on any platform . according to an embodiment , analysis of the gcore can be done according to the techniques described herein . in the analysis of a core file , it is often difficult to ascertain what caused an executable to fail . most data required for meaningful analysis of the core file exist in the core file &# 39 ; s data sections . this data exists in raw binary format . interpreting this data as such is not possible because symbol information is not available . in optimized executables , symbol information is stripped and therefore is not available . debugging core dumps produced by executables on many operating systems involves determining the state of a process at the time of core dump . the state of a process at the time of a core dump comprises information such as the following : the function call stack and parameters of the called function . the values of local and global variables in the executable . contents of registers signal state at point of failure of the above , in optimized executables , it is often not possible to get the parameters of the function calls and the values of the variables , whether local or global . this necessitates recompiling the code unoptimized and reproducing the problem to produce a core dump . however , in the real world , this can cause few problems : unoptimized executables do not always behave exactly like optimized ones . the problem may be difficult to reproduce consistently . for larger executables , it may be difficult to isolate errors because it may not be feasible to recompile large portions of code as unoptimized according to an embodiment , analyzing the core dump of an optimized executable file is accomplished by reconstructing the information about symbol types found in the executable . type information describes the entire declaration of a symbol . for example , for a declaration like “ int * a [ 10 ]”, “* a ”, “* a [ 5 ]” or just “ a ” itself can all produce meaningful data . reconstruction of this information is possible by parsing declarations in the original source code . after parsing , symbols extracted from the core are matched with their corresponding type details . for each symbol , an entry is added to a types table . the type information is combined with the starting address for each symbol in the core and the type &# 39 ; s size to extract the values of program variables when the execution of the program was halted . according to an embodiment , an analyzer examines the declaration of the structure and the type information , referring to the header file where the structure defined . based on this information , type information may be determined by the size of intrinsic data types , for example , the number of bytes for integer , and for character . after an executable has been compiled and optimized , symbol type information is stripped from the executable . an entry in an optimized executable has an address which points to a data segment within the core file . from just the operating system core file and the optimized executable , it is impossible to gather enough information to reconstruct what caused the failure . after compilation , some information exists about global symbols , such as the symbol name , the address of the data , and its value . however , no information about symbol type and size exist . according to an embodiment , analyzing the core dump of an optimized executable is done by reconstructing information about the types of the symbols found in the optimized executable . fig1 is a block diagram that depicts a high level overview of a system for analysis of optimized executables . according to an embodiment , a system for analysis of a generic representation of an optimized executable core file , such as a gcore file , is provided . to create a generic core file for analysis , a converter component 110 is employed to convert data from optimized executable 102 and operating system core file 104 . the converter component 110 reads both input files from the executable 102 and operating system core file 104 , combines them into a generic format , and establishes initial linkages between these two input files within the gcore 106 . symbol information 118 and type information 120 extracted from source files 130 is added to gcore 106 . the gcore 106 is processed by an offline analyzer 200 , which provides access to program structures and values that existed at the point of failure . the program structures and values are used in analysis and debugging of this failure . according to an embodiment , fig2 . depicts details of offline analyzer 200 . a parser and analyzer 202 processes information from executable 102 , such as global , local , and structure / union members , and information about function parameters . the parser and analyzer 202 processes information from the operating system core file 104 , such as virtual addresses and offsets . the parser and analyzer 202 also processes user commands 208 , which contain user - defined type definitions which share namespace with global symbols extracted by parsing code declarations for various types and functions . from the processed information , parser and analyzer 202 interprets the processed information and generates an external reconstructed symbol table 204 and a types table 206 . the reconstructed symbol and type information can now be made available to third party applications such as a debugger or some other tool 212 . according to an embodiment , reconstruction of symbol and type information is performed by parsing declarations in source code . symbols obtained from the operating system core file have corresponding type details . therefore , for each type there exists an entry in a types table . a starting address for each symbol is available in the basic symbol table available in the executable . from this information , type and size information can be gleaned as well . as depicted in fig2 , symbol table 204 and types table 206 are generated by the parser and analyzer 112 with entries corresponding to each symbol in the executable 102 . fig3 depicts details of symbol table 204 and types table 206 according to an embodiment of the present invention . according to an embodiment , reconstruction of symbol and type information is depicted through four closely interlinked lists 300 . the four closely interlinked lists 300 represent value and parameter details for reconstructing symbol and type information . according to an embodiment , symbol table 204 is represented by two distinct lists , symbol list 310 and symbol info list 308 . each entry in symbol list 310 points to an entry in symbol info list 308 , which lists symbol type details . entries in symbol info list 308 each have a pointer which corresponds to an entry in type table 206 . the type table 206 is represented by two distinct lists , types list 306 and type offset list 314 . there is an entry in type list 306 corresponding to every type in the executable 102 . complex types , such as structures and functions have an additional pointer to a types offset list 314 that lists related elements or parameters . symbol table 204 has an entry for each type listed in the type offset list 314 . entries in this type offset list 314 refer to an entry in the symbol table 204 that identifies its parent . an identifier , such as a flag , may be used to distinguish a parent symbol from a child symbol . the four closely interlinked lists 300 represent details for reconstructed symbol and type tables as depicted in 204 and 206 respectively . external creation of the symbol and types information can be an effective solution to the problems that arise because of the optimization of executables after compilation of program source code , such as c programs . the invention eliminates the need for recompiling optimized executables , as it reduces overhead ( due to recompilation time ) and enables analysts to determine causes of core dumps . issues , for example , such as those related to memory corruption , disappear once executables are recompiled with debug option . the invention is therefore applicable to any executable . to ensure that the released code performs well , executables are built with the maximum optimization level . therefore , the invention simplifies analysis of errors encountered in any optimized executable . the approach for analysis of optimized executables described herein may be implemented in a variety of ways and the invention is not limited to any particular implementation . the approach may be implemented as a stand - alone mechanism . furthermore , the approach may be implemented in computer software , hardware , or a combination thereof . fig4 is a block diagram that depicts a computer system 400 upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented . computer system 400 includes a bus 402 or other communication mechanism for communicating information , and a processor 404 coupled with bus 402 for processing information . computer system 400 also includes a main memory 406 , such as a random access memory ( ram ) or other dynamic storage device , coupled to bus 402 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 404 . main memory 406 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 404 . computer system 400 further includes a read only memory ( rom ) 408 or other static storage device coupled to bus 402 for storing static information and instructions for processor 404 . a storage device 410 , such as a magnetic disk or optical disk , is provided and coupled to bus 402 for storing information and instructions . computer system 400 may be coupled via bus 402 to a display 412 , such as a cathode ray tube ( crt ), for displaying information to a computer user . an input device 414 , including alphanumeric and other keys , is coupled to bus 402 for communicating information and command selections to processor 404 . another type of user input device is cursor control 416 , such as a mouse , a trackball , or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 404 and for controlling cursor movement on display 412 . this input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes , a first axis ( e . g ., x ) and a second axis ( e . g ., y ), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane . the invention is related to the use of computer system 400 for implementing the techniques described herein . according to one embodiment of the invention , those techniques are performed by computer system 400 in response to processor 404 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 406 . such instructions may be read into main memory 406 from another computer - readable medium , such as storage device 410 . execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 406 causes processor 404 to perform the process steps described herein . in alternative embodiments , hard - wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention . thus , embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software . the term “ computer - readable medium ” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 404 for execution . such a medium may take many forms , including but not limited to , non - volatile media , volatile media , and transmission media . non - volatile media includes , for example , optical or magnetic disks , such as storage device 410 . volatile media includes dynamic memory , such as main memory 406 . transmission media includes coaxial cables , copper wire and fiber optics , including the wires that comprise bus 402 . transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves , such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications . common forms of computer - readable media include , for example , a floppy disk , a flexible disk , hard disk , magnetic tape , or any other magnetic medium , a cd - rom , any other optical medium , punch cards , paper tape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , a ram , a prom , and eprom , a flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , a carrier wave as described hereinafter , or any other medium from which a computer can read . various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 404 for execution . for example , the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer . the remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem . a modem local to computer system 400 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal . an infrared detector can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 402 . bus 402 carries the data to main memory 406 , from which processor 404 retrieves and executes the instructions . the instructions received by main memory 406 may optionally be stored on storage device 410 either before or after execution by processor 404 . computer system 400 also includes a communication interface 418 coupled to bus 402 . communication interface 418 provides a two - way data communication coupling to a network link 420 that is connected to a local network 422 . for example , communication interface 418 may be an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line . as another example , communication interface 418 may be a local area network ( lan ) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible lan . wireless links may also be implemented . in any such implementation , communication interface 418 sends and receives electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information . network link 420 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices . for example , network link 420 may provide a connection through local network 422 to a host computer 424 or to data equipment operated by an internet service provider ( isp ) 426 . isp 426 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “ internet ” 428 . local network 422 and internet 428 both use electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams . the signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 420 and through communication interface 418 , which carry the digital data to and from computer system 400 , are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information . computer system 400 can send messages and receive data , including program code , through the network ( s ), network link 420 and communication interface 418 . in the internet example , a server 430 might transmit a requested code for an application program through internet 428 , isp 426 , local network 422 and communication interface 418 . processor 404 may execute the received code as it is received , and / or stored in storage device 410 , or other non - volatile storage for later execution . in this manner , computer system 400 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier wave . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . thus , the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . the invention includes other contexts and applications in which the mechanisms and processes described herein are available to other mechanisms , methods , programs , and processes . in addition , in this disclosure , certain process steps are set forth in a particular order , and alphabetic and alphanumeric labels are used to identify certain steps . unless specifically stated in the disclosure , embodiments of the invention are not limited to any particular order of carrying out such steps . in particular , the labels are used merely for convenient identification of steps , and are not intended to imply , specify or require a particular order of carrying out such steps . furthermore , other embodiments may use more or fewer steps than those discussed herein .	6
referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts , a blow - molding machine generally indicated by reference numeral 1 is shown in fig1 and 3 . the blow molding machine 1 includes an in - mold label dispenser 2 which utilizes a label transfer apparatus 3 having a label transfer carrier 4 in accordance with the present invention as is hereinafter described . the blow molding machine 1 also includes a mold 5 formed by a pair of mold halves 5a , 5b . the mold halves can be open as is shown in fig1 to remove a molded part . while the mold 5 is open , labels 6 can be appropriately positioned therein , as is shown in fig2 . with the mold 5 closed , plastic may be injected into the mold cavity 7 and blown or expanded to make a part , as is shown in fig3 . the mold cavity 7 is formed by cavity portions 7a , 7b in the respective mold halves 5a , 5b . usually the mold cavity walls are not planar or flat ; rather they typically have a curvature and often are stepped , e . g ., at the top where a spout of molded bottle part joins the body portion of such bottle . molded parts of different sizes and shapes usually require labels of correspondingly different sizes and shapes . the label transfer carrier 4 of the invention is of a size and shape which preferably correspond to those of the label 6 . additionally , the label transfer carrier 4 has a substantially planar label support surface , as is described further below , to hold and to support a label 6 securely and without distortion . the label transfer carrier 4 further is flexible to deform generally to a shape which tends to match that of the respective mold cavity wall 8b , for example , as the label transfer carrier is brought into engagement with the mold cavity wall to deposit a label 6 thereon . controlled vacuums from a vacuum source 9 are used to hold a label 6 on a label transfer carrier 4 and subsequently to hold a label on a mold cavity wall 8b , for example , on which the label has been positioned . schematic vacuum line connections are depicted at 9a , 9b , 9c . a supply 10 of labels 6 is provided on the label transfer apparatus 3 , as is seen in fig1 - 3 . the supply 10 includes a pair of cassettes 11a , 11b or other storage containers as supports for a plurality of labels . the cassette 11a may hold labels for one surface of the molded part and the cassette 11b may hold labels for a different surface . the label transfer apparatus 3 also includes a robot arm assembly 12 which supports the respective label transfer carriers 4 and moves them to respective cassettes to pick labels there and then to respective mold halves 5a , 5b to deposit the labels there . fig1 shows the first step of an in - mold labeling process . the mold halves 5a , 5b are open , and a plastic injection device 15 is disposed above mold halves 5a , 5b ready to inject the parison ( plastic intended to be molded ) after the labels 6 have been deposited on respective walls of the mold cavities 7a , 7b . a conventional control 16 , such as a conventional computer control , controls automatic operation of the blow molding machine 1 , label transfer apparatus 3 , and various other parts described herein . mold halves 5a , 5b are in an open position , ready to receive the labels 6 . the robot arm assembly 12 of the label transfer apparatus 3 has disposed on each end a label transfer carrier 4 of the present invention . if a label is to be positioned on only one surface of the molded part , then the robot arm assembly 12 may have only one arm or , alternatively , no label is picked up by one of the arms thereof . in operation of the blow molding machine 1 under control of the computer control 16 , the mold 5 is opened , as is shown in fig1 and the label transfer apparatus 3 is moving labels into the mold cavity 7 . the control 16 causes the label transfer apparatus 3 to place labels into engagement with respective mold cavity walls 8a , 8b . as is seen in fig2 the respective label transfer carriers 4 deform and press the labels 6 into engagement with the mold cavity walls 8a , 8b . the control 16 causes vacuum to be applied , e . g ., via lines 9a , 9b , to respective mold halves 5a , 5b to retain the labels 6 in position and causes the vacuum in line 9c to be terminated so that the labels 6 are released from the label transfer carriers 4 . the label transfer apparatus 3 then is moved to pick up more labels 6 , as is shown in fig3 and the mold 5 is closed to mold the part in conventional fashion . subsequently , the mold 5 is opened and the molded part including integral labels is discharged , and the operation is repeated to make more parts . as is shown in fig1 the label transfer apparatus 3 has picked up labels 6 from cassettes 11a , 11b . the labels 6 are held in a substantially flat position against the respective label transfer carrier 4 by the controlled vacuum source 9 . the robot arm assembly 12 moves the label transfer carriers 4 with the labels 6 from the respective cassettes 11a , 11b to the respective mold halves 5a , 5b . the robot arm assembly 12 pushes the label transfer carriers 4 against the respective mold cavity walls 8a , 8b as is shown in fig2 . the label transfer carriers 4 deform so as to conform to or to match the surface of the mold cavity walls 8a , 8b in order to ensure accurate placement of labels 6 . the controlled vacuum from vacuum source 9 via vacuum line 9c holding labels 6 against label transfer carriers 4 is cut off when the label transfer carriers 4 are pressed against the mold cavity walls 8a , 8b . vacuum from vacuum source 9 is applied via vacuum lines 9a , 9b through holes in the mold cavity walls 8a , 8b to remove labels 6 from their respective label transfer carrier 4 and affix the labels 6 to the respective mold cavity walls 8a , 8b . the robot arm assembly 12 is then removed from the mold 5 and returns to cassettes 11a , 11b to pick up labels 6 again , the first step in the next in - mold labeling process . the mold halves 5a , 5b are closed , as is shown in fig3 and the plastic injection device 15 is lowered into the mold 5 . a parison is blown into the mold 5 . the labels 6 bond to the parison as a result of heat and pressure . as such , molding and labeling occur simultaneously . the label transfer carrier 4 is shown in detail in fig4 - 8 . the face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 is configured in a shape and size which matches that of the label 6 to be transferred . the face 20 has channels 21 which radiate vertically and horizontally such that the face 20 is divided into surface area quadrants or sections 22 . the channels 21 provide vacuum to a substantial portion of label 6 . if desired , the channels 21 may be arranged diagonally , circularly , curved , or in some arrangement other than that shown in the drawings . preferably the arrangement of channels 21 and surface area sections 22 provide sufficient vacuum to hold a label 6 securely without movement of the label ; to avoid distortion of the label by being drawn into a channel ; and / or to avoid damage to the label by a free unsupported edge of the label stock engaging another surface . preferably one or more channels 21 a generally circumscribe the perimeter of the face 20 inwardly spaced from an edge portion 22a of the face . such channels 21a and edge portion 22a of the face tend to cooperate with the label 6 to seal or otherwise to hold the label fully extended , in planar flat engagement with other portions of the face 20 . such sealing function enhances accurate positioning of the label 6 on the label transfer carrier 4 and on a mold cavity wall 8a , or 8b . controlled vacuum is supplied to the channels 21 , and hence to label 6 , via a central passageway 23 and portholes 24 . the central passageway 23 is located adjacent to the face 20 and runs the entire length of label transfer carrier 4 . the portholes 24 are spaced equidistant along the central axis of the central passageway 23 , thereby linking the channels 21 on the face 20 to the central passageway 23 . a controlled vacuum is applied to the central passageway 23 . as such , vacuum flows in the central passageway 23 , through the portholes 24 and along the channels 21 so as to hold a label 6 to the face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 . preferably the label 6 is held against and , thus , is supported by the surface area sections 22 and does not distort while being so held . also , preferably the width of the channels 21 is sufficiently small as not to distort the label 6 by pulling the label 6 into a channel due to vacuum . further , preferably there is a suitable frictional force provided by the face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 to the label 6 to help resist movement of the label 6 relative to the face as the vacuum is applied via channels 21 , as the label 6 is carried , by the label transfer apparatus 3 and as the label 6 is applied against a wall of the mold cavity 7 . thus , the material of the label transfer carrier 4 , especially at face 20 , preferably is not especially slippery and , more preferably has a sufficiently high coefficient of friction for the expressed purpose . the shape of the label transfer carrier 4 preferably is the same or substantially the same as the shape of the label 6 . additionally , preferably the channels 21 extend along and about the entire or substantially the entire perimeter of the face 20 so that the label 6 is held securely not only at the approximate center of the label 6 but also about the entire perimeter of the label 6 . using multiple channels 21 which extend from the central passageway 23 and spine 30 and providing broad area of support of the label 6 by the support sections 22 help to obtain uniform distribution of vacuum over substantially the entire label 6 . the label 6 , therefore , is held accurately and securely and such accuracy and security are maintained as the label transfer carrier 4 is urged into deforming abutment with a mold cavity wall , 8a for example , thereby to obtain relatively accurate and clean ( no folds , bends , tears , misalignments , etc .) positioning of the label 6 in the mold cavity 7 . in fig8 the back view of the label transfer carrier 4 is seen . a spine 30 is centered on the vertical axis of the label transfer carrier 4 for flexible support thereof . the spine 30 is rectangular , but of non - uniform height , possessing a u - shape cutaway 31 running along a portion of the spine 30 to facilitate secure mounting to the robot arm assembly 12 . the spine 30 also has a raised connection portion 32 , which contains an aperture 33 running transversely therethrough . a pin - pivot arrangement is used to connect the label transfer carrier 4 to the robot arm assembly 12 . the aperture 33 is designed to receive a pin ( not shown ) for connecting the label transfer carrier 4 to the robot arm assembly 12 . the connection portion 32 may be reinforced to support the weight and operation of the label transfer carrier 4 and to avoid wear . for the accuracy of positioning on the mentioned pin and to facilitate manual manipulations of the label transfer carrier 4 , the connection portion 32 may have a generally rectangular cross - section or shape , which also may improve strength and avoid wear , as was mentioned above . the spine 30 has a central passageway 23 cut through substantially its entire length . the central passageway 23 is attached to a source of suction or vacuum 9 , and serves as the central flow path for said vacuum or suction . also shown in fig8 are ribs 34 , which run perpendicular to the central axis of the spine 30 . the ribs 34 are tapered . the ribs 34 are thickest where they meet the spine 30 , and become gradually thinner as they approach the edge of the label transfer carrier 4 . although tapered in this embodiment , the ribs 34 could also be of uniform height . furthermore , the ribs 34 could run parallel to the spine 30 , or at some angle between parallel and the perpendicular configuration shown . the tapered ribs 34 preferably are located in the label transfer carrier 4 on the back side 35 thereof opposite a respective channel 21 . the ribs 34 , therefore , provide reinforcement for the label transfer carrier 4 to prevent the channels from changing cross - sectional shape , i . e ., width , as vacuum is applied and as the label transfer carrier is pressed against a mold cavity wall , such as wall 8b . therefore , the applied vacuum will be substantially uniform over the entire length of the channels 21 and face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 . due to the tapered shape of the ribs 34 , such ribs are relatively more stiff adjacent the spine 30 and are less stiff and more flexible radially away or in any event a distance away from the spine 30 . by increasing flexibility of the ribs 34 remotely of the spine 30 , the face 20 is more easily deformed to follow the shape and contour of the mold cavity wall , such as wall 8b . therefore , the label transfer carrier 4 is able to provide substantially full support of the label 6 as the label 6 is picked from a cassette 11a , 11b , is moved into the mold 5 , and is placed securely into engagement with the mold cavity wall 8a , 8b . accordingly , such placement is made accurately and ordinarily without damaging the label 6 . fig4 is a side view of label transfer carrier 4 . the spine 30 has raised connection portion 32 in order to accommodate the aperture 33 which will be used for connecting the label transfer carrier 4 to the robot arm assembly 12 . the u - shaped cutaway 31 is more clearly shown in this view . the cutaway 31 provides the space necessary for attachment of the label transfer carrier 4 to the robot arm assembly 12 via the aperture 33 . the central passageway 23 may be plugged at one end , such as the same end of the label transfer carrier 4 as the u - shaped cutaway 31 is located . the vacuum source 9 is coupled to the other end of the central passageway 23 . portholes 24 , used to connect the central passageway 23 to the face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 , are more clearly shown . the portholes 24 provide a path for the vacuum from central passageway 23 to the face 20 of the label transfer carrier 4 . fig7 is a top view of the label transfer carrier 4 . this figure more clearly illustrates how the ribs 34 taper , being thickest where they meet the spine 30 and gradually becoming thinner as they approach the edge of label transfer carrier 4 . moreover , fig7 illustrates that central passageway 23 has a u - shape , with the opening of the u adjacent the back side of face 20 . the shape of central passageway 23 is only exemplary . the central passageway 23 could be circular or any other shape suitable for passage of vacuum or suction . fig6 is a sectional view of label transfer carrier 4 . this figure illustrates that all portions of the label transfer carrier 4 may be made from the same material . the label transfer carrier 4 preferably has a unibody construction . the entire label transfer carrier 4 is made out of the same material , such material being flexible in nature . this facilitates manufacturing . an example of a good material for construction of this transfer apparatus would be silicone . silicone serves as a useful material for constructing the label transfer carrier 4 in that it is flexible so as to provide a relatively flat surface that will conform to the mold cavity walls 8a , 8b that the label 6 is being deposited on . in addition , silicone provides a non - stick surface which prevents the label 6 from sticking and thereby becoming attached to the label transfer carrier 4 . however , the silicone material has suitable coefficient of friction characteristics to help avoid slippage of the label 6 relative to the label transfer carrier 4 . silicone , however , is not the only material that can be utilized for this label transfer carrier 4 . other materials could be flexible plastics , flexible metals , rubber , or any other suitable materials which are flexible and have a non - stick surface . in another embodiment of this invention , illustrated in fig9 and 10 , a plurality of holes 40 are contained on the face 41 of the label transfer carrier 4 . the holes 40 are connected to the central passageway 42 via channels 43 contained within the ribs 44 . as in the previous embodiment , the central passageway 42 is connected to a source of vacuum or suction . the holes 40 replace the channels previously described , and illustrated in fig5 . the holes 40 would be relatively small , generally considered pinholes , so as to avoid the label 6 being drawn into the holes 40 , thereby distorting the label 6 and resulting in misplaced or misaligned labels . the device according to the present invention offers numerous advantages over known devices . since the apparatus is made of a flexible material , it has the capability of conforming to mold cavity walls 8a , 8b while depositing the label 6 . in addition , this flexibility prevents any unnecessary scoring of mold cavity walls 8a and 8b , which may result in imperfections in the final molded product . additionally , by providing a face 20 which conforms to the size and shape of the label 6 to be deposited , the label carrier 4 reduces the number of deformities occurring in the label 6 , therefore minimizing inconsistencies in positioning of the label 6 on mold cavity walls 8a and 8b .	1
fig1 shows , in a first illustrative embodiment , a cannula assembly consisting of an injection cannula 1 , a cannula guide 10 for the injection cannula 1 , and a pressure force distributor 6 . the cannula assembly serves for subcutaneous administration of a liquid product , e . g . a medicament , for example insulin . the injection cannula 1 has a penetrating portion 3 with a length dimensioned for the subcutaneous administration and with a free cannula tip 2 at its distal end . the proximal end of the penetrating portion 3 is adjoined by a securing portion 4 which is at an angle , in the illustrative embodiment at a right angle , to the penetrating portion 3 . the penetrating portion 3 and the securing portion 4 are made in one piece from a plastic material . the securing portion 4 is connected to a catheter for delivery of the product , in the present illustrative embodiment a liquid medicament . the securing portion 4 lies on a top face of the pressure force distributor 6 and , at the area of the angle , is guided through a central passage of the pressure force distributor 6 so that the penetrating portion 3 protrudes freely from the underside of the pressure force distributor 6 and at right angles to said underside . if the injection cannula is inclined relative to a tissue surface for the purpose of oblique insertion through the skin , the angle would be obtuse , for example 120 °. the pressure force distributor 6 has a planar configuration , in the form of a round plate in the illustrative embodiment . the injection cannula 1 and the pressure force distributor 6 are separately produced parts . the injection cannula 1 is held with frictional engagement in the central passage of the pressure force distributor 6 and is secured lying flat on the top face of the pressure force distributor 6 . in a modified design , the injection cannula 1 and the pressure force distributor 6 can also be formed in one piece , or the injection cannula 1 can be embedded with its securing portion 4 in the pressure force distributor 6 and cohesively connected to the pressure force distributor 6 . the cannula guide 10 is an air - filled balloon with a flexible balloon wall 11 , so that a cannula guide is obtained which has a flexible axial portion 15 between an underside 13 and a top face 14 . the balloon 10 is annular and encloses the penetrating portion 3 of the injection cannula 1 . the cannula tip 2 is set back a short distance behind an underside 13 of the balloon 10 . the pressure force distributor 6 is secured lying on the top face 14 of the balloon 10 . the balloon 10 bears with its internal pressure uniformly over the entire penetrating portion 3 . the internal pressure of the balloon 10 is at least as great as the atmospheric pressure , and an overpressure prevails inside the balloon wall 11 . arranged in the balloon 10 there is a support structure 12 , approximately at the axial center of the penetrating portion 3 . the support structure 12 , as the name is intended to suggest , is planar and flat in the axial direction , i . e . in the longitudinal direction of the injection cannula 1 . in the illustrative embodiment , the support structure is a thin support plate , e . g ., a support membrane , which can be deformed into a flat shell . the support structure 12 extends , transversely with respect to the injection cannula 1 , across the entire radial width of the balloon 10 , from its annular outside wall to its annular inside wall , and thus forms , in addition to the annular inside wall of the balloon 10 running along the length of the penetrating portion 3 , a local support for the injection cannula 1 . the underside 13 of the balloon 10 is provided , for example coated , with an adhesive , so that an outer adhesive surface is obtained which ensures an adhesive connection of the cannula assembly 10 to the surface of the body tissue , generally the surface of the skin . the coating may be in the form of a layer or a portion of the wall of the balloon may be formed to have adhesive properties . the balloon wall 11 is likewise provided with an adhesive across its entire inner surface . similarly , the support structure 12 is also provided with an adhesive on its underside directed toward the underside 13 and on its top face directed toward the top face 14 . in this way , inner adhesive surfaces 16 are obtained which adhere to one another in a collapsed state of the balloon 10 . it would in principle also suffice to provide an adhesive only on the underside and top face of the planar support structure 12 and / or only on the inner surfaces of the balloon wall 11 on the underside 13 and top face 14 of the balloon 10 . fig2 , 3 and 4 show the cannula assembly of the first illustrative embodiment in use . in fig2 , the cannula assembly is placed on the surface of the body tissue 9 and fixed adhesively by means of its underside 13 formed as an outer adhesive surface . no external force is applied to the cannula assembly , or at most a light pressure force which is directed axially in the direction of the surface of the body tissue 9 and which is sufficient to establish the adhesive connection . the cannula tip 2 is located a short distance above the surface of the body tissue 9 , i . e . there is still no contact with the body tissue 9 . fig3 shows the cannula assembly of the first illustrative embodiment in the initial phase of insertion of the injection cannula 1 into the skin . by means of a pressure force f exerted on the pressure force distributor 6 in axial continuation of the penetrating portion 3 and directed axially in the direction of the body tissue 9 , the pressure force distributor 6 presses against the balloon 10 via the top face 14 of said balloon 10 , and the latter accordingly deforms under the pressure force f . because of the pressure force f , the injection cannula 1 moves axially in the direction toward the surface of the body tissue 9 , comes into contact with the surface and initially just presses against the surface , until the surface has reached a critical tension at which the cannula tip 2 pierces the surface and penetrates into the body tissue 9 . fig3 shows the cannula assembly directly before it pierces the surface of the body tissue 9 . during the movement toward the surface of the body tissue 9 , during the piercing of the surface and during the penetration into the body tissue 9 , the penetrating portion 3 of the injection cannula 1 slides along the inside wall of the balloon 10 surrounding it . the support structure 12 stabilizes and guides the injection cannula 1 in the first instance . the balloon 10 , in which the support structure 12 is accommodated , additionally supports and guides the penetrating portion 3 of the injection cannula 1 throughout the entire injection procedure . the support structure 12 and the balloon 10 thus stabilize the penetrating portion 3 against bending or even buckling . the cannula portion protruding freely from the underside of the pressure force distributor 6 , the penetrating portion 3 , can therefore have less flexural rigidity , namely a lower modulus of elasticity and / or a lower geometrical moment of inertia , than conventional injection cannulas which are not laterally supported during the piercing of the tissue surface and their onward penetration into the tissue . the injection cannula 1 is accordingly less “ bulky ” when it is sitting in the body tissue 9 during the administration of product . the balloon 10 is constructed such that it bursts when its internal pressure exceeds a predetermined limit value . this limit value is provided for through a suitable dimensioning of the balloon wall 11 , i . e . through the use of a suitable wall material and through the wall thickness . the balloon wall 11 is configured such that , when the pressure limit value is exceeded , it tears and the balloon 10 suddenly collapses . the design of the balloon 10 is advantageously such that the balloon 10 bursts after the cannula tip 2 is already pressing against the body tissue 9 but when the cannula tip 2 has not yet penetrated the body tissue 9 . the penetration , i . e . piercing of the tissue surface , takes place directly together with the collapse of the balloon 10 . the balloon 10 , and the cannula guide according to the present invention in general , is also advantageously configured in such a way that , by means of the manual pressure on the top face 14 , i . e . the application of the pressure force f , the surface of the body tissue 9 is tensioned at the injection site and , in this way , the pressure force required for penetration of the surface is reduced . fig4 shows the cannula assembly in the implanted state . the injection cannula 1 protrudes with its penetrating portion 3 into the body tissue 9 . the balloon 10 has completely or substantially completely collapsed and forms a flat plaster adhering to the surface of the body tissue 9 , since the outer adhesive surface on the underside 13 of the previous balloon 10 adheres to the body tissue 9 and the inner surfaces 16 adhere to one another . in this state , the product is administered through the injection cannula 1 over the course of several days . fig5 shows a second illustrative embodiment of a cannula assembly consisting of an injection cannula 1 , a pressure force distributor 6 and a cannula guide 17 . the injection cannula 1 and the pressure force distributor 6 are designed as in the first illustrative embodiment . the cannula guide 17 also forms a flexible axial portion 15 which , as in the first illustrative embodiment , extends from the underside 13 to the top face 14 of the cannula guide 17 . the cannula guide 17 of the second illustrative embodiment is designed as a bellows with pairs of support webs 18 pointing at an angle to one another and to the penetrating portion 3 , and folding joints 19 a and 19 b which are in each case formed between two adjacent support webs 18 . the inner folding joints 19 a are not only joints , but at the same time also form a supporting and guiding position for the penetrating portion 3 . the support webs 18 are of different lengths , with the length increasing from the underside 13 to the top face 14 . two support webs 18 of identical length are in each case connected to one another in a foldable manner at the outer folding joints 19 b . when the assembly is placed in position on the surface of the body tissue 9 , the most distal support web 18 points obliquely and radially outward from the most distal inner folding joint 19 a , such that an open funnel is obtained on the underside 13 . therefore , as in the first illustrative embodiment , when a pressure force f is exerted , the tissue surface is tensioned at the injection site and , this way , penetration of the tissue surface is made easier . the bellows structure forming the cannula guide 17 elastically yields in the axial direction when an axial pressure force f is exerted , up to the point where a limit value is reached for the axial pressure force f , but abruptly collapses when the limit value is exceeded . the cannula guide 17 is designed like the cannula guide 10 of the first illustrative embodiment in terms of its deformation properties , as far as the initial elastic resiliency and abrupt collapse are concerned . fig6 shows the cannula assembly of the second illustrative embodiment in the implanted state of the injection cannula 1 , in which the latter &# 39 ; s penetrating portion 3 has penetrated into the body tissue 9 . in this state , the cannula guide 17 of the second illustrative embodiment likewise forms a flat plaster , because the support webs 18 are folded in pairs on top of one another . to stabilize the cannula guide 17 in the folded state , the support webs 18 are also provided with inner adhesive surfaces 16 . moreover , those support webs 18 with undersides pointing toward the body tissue 9 are provided with outer adhesive surfaces 13 a on these undersides , such that the support webs 18 on the one hand adhere to one another via their outer surfaces and , because the support web lengths increase from distal to proximal , they also adhere directly on the surface of the body tissue . fig7 shows a cannula assembly of a third illustrative embodiment . the cannula assembly differs from the cannula assemblies of the other illustrative embodiments in terms of its cannula guide 20 , which in the third illustrative embodiment is designed as an umbrella structure , i . e ., as a structure which can be opened , expanded or spread open in the manner of an umbrella and can be shorted in the length direction of the injection cannula 1 . fig8 shows the cannula assembly of the third illustrative embodiment in a state in which it is placed on the body tissue 9 before insertion of the injection cannula 1 into the skin . as can be seen from fig8 , the cannula guide 20 comprises several spreadable struts 21 which are each attached in an articulated manner to an underside of the force distributor 6 directed toward the body tissue 9 . the articulated attachment is such that the inherently axially stiff spreadable struts 21 can be pivoted toward the underside of the force distributor 6 at their respective articulation . in relation to the injection cannula 1 , the spreadable struts 21 point radially outward from their articulations . they are arranged in uniform distribution around the injection cannula 1 . the spreadable struts 21 are each supported on the injection cannula 1 via several support struts 22 . the support struts 22 are each attached in an articulated manner to the spreadable struts 21 and form an axial slide guide for the injection cannula 1 , which axial guide laterally supports the injection cannula 1 and axially guides it in a linear movement . the articulated attachments of the support struts 22 to the spreadable struts 21 are designated by 23 , and the slide guides at the respective other end of the support struts 22 are designated by 24 . along the spreadable struts 21 , the articulated attachments 23 are each at a distance from the articulated attachments of the spreadable struts 21 on the force distributor 6 which corresponds to the length of the respective support strut 22 . thus , for example , the support struts 22 which have the greatest distance a from the articulated attachments of the spreadable struts 21 on the force distributor 6 each have a length a corresponding to the distance . the support struts 22 arranged closer to the force distributor 6 each have lengths corresponding to their distances measured along the spreadable struts 21 . with uniform distribution , as shown in the illustrative embodiment , lengths 2 / 3 a and 1 / 3 a are obtained for the further support struts 22 . fig9 shows the cannula assembly of the third illustrative embodiment with the injection cannula 1 inserted into the body tissue 9 . the spreadable struts 21 are pivoted , about their articulated attachments on the force distributor 6 , toward the force distributor 6 and are thus spread open . the support struts 22 are pivoted about their articulated attachments 23 toward their respective spreadable strut 21 and come to lie one on the other , so that overall a flat structure is obtained in the spread or compressed state , which flat structure at the same time also serves as a plaster for attachment to the tissue surface . as is indicated in fig7 and can be seen from fig9 , the cannula assembly of the third illustrative embodiment comprises a plaster 25 which , in accordance with the spreading mechanism , can be designated as an umbrella - type plaster . the plaster is similar to the cover of an umbrella . it is secured on or carried by the spreadable struts 21 . in the non - inserted state , i . e . before being spread open , it hangs loosely like the cover of an umbrella between the spreadable struts 21 , whereas in the inserted state it is stretched out and adheres with its underside on the tissue surface . fig1 shows another illustrative embodiment of a cannula assembly in accordance with the present invention . the cannula assembly again consists of the injection cannula 1 with the pressure force distributor 6 and a cannula guide 26 . the injection cannula 1 and the pressure force distributor 6 are formed as in the other illustrative embodiments . like the cannula guide 10 of the first illustrative embodiment and in principle also the cannula guide 17 of the second illustrative embodiment , the cannula guide 26 is designed as a hollow chamber structure . however , the hollow chamber structure 26 of fig1 is divided into a large number of hollow cells or hollow chambers . the hollow chamber structure 25 is anisotropic in the sense that it offers less resistance to deformation in the longitudinal direction of the penetrating portion 3 than it does to a deformation in the transverse direction . in one embodiment , the hollow chamber structure 26 is a honeycomb structure with walls which between them enclose the cavities of the honeycomb structure and are arranged uniformly . the injection cannula extends through the honeycomb structure and is laterally supported and axially guided by the walls of the honeycomb structure . fig1 shows the cannula assembly of the embodiment of fig1 with the injection cannula 1 inserted into the body tissue 9 . the hollow chamber structure 26 has collapsed axially . the hollow chamber structure 26 is also provided on its underside with an adhesive surface for securing it on the body tissue 9 . fig1 shows another illustrative embodiment of a cannula assembly , which is a modification of the embodiment of fig1 . a porous material forms the cannula guide 27 as a porous structure , which is likewise to be designated as a hollow chamber structure . the porosity of the material is a closed porosity , for example of the kind that sponge structures have . in fig1 , the hollow chamber structure 27 is shown with a coarser porosity on one side of the injection cannula 1 than on the other . however , actual cannula assemblies do not have this kind of difference in porosity , and instead they have a porosity comprising pores of randomly distributed pore size , although this porosity is uniformly present in the hollow chamber 27 seen as a whole . embodiments of the present invention , including preferred embodiments , have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms and steps disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and the practical application thereof , and to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth they are fairly , legally , and equitably entitled .	0
the invention can perhaps be better understood by referring to the drawings . fig1 is an oblique , perspective view of a sensor 2 , an embodiment of the invention . sensor 2 preferably has an outer coating of biocompatible silicone . fig2 is a top , partial cross - section of a schematic representation of sensor 2 where a wire spiral inductor coil 4 is positioned in planar fashion in a substrate 6 . optionally sensor 2 may have recesses 8 , each with a hole 10 , to receive a tether wire ( not shown here ) for delivery of the device into a human patient , as described below . in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 , a wire 12 connects coil 4 to a capacitor plate 14 positioned within coil 4 . fig4 is a slightly oblique cross - section across its width of the embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 , where it can be seen that sensor 2 is comprised of a lower substrate 20 and an upper substrate 22 . lower substrate 20 and upper substrate 22 are constructed from a suitable material , such as glass , fused silica , sapphire , quartz , or silicon . fused silica is the preferred material of construction . lower substrate 20 has on its upper surface 24 an induction coil 26 , and upper substrate 22 has a recess 28 with a surface 30 having an induction coil 32 thereon . the top surface of upper substrate 22 forms a membrane 34 capable of mechanically responding to changes in a patient &# 39 ; s physical property , such as pressure . the end 36 of sensor 2 has a notch or recess 38 . in similar fashion , fig5 is a slightly oblique cross - section across its width of the embodiment of the invention shown in fig3 . the primary difference between fig4 and 5 is the presence of upper capacitor plate 42 and lower capacitor plate 44 on surfaces 24 and 30 , respectively . in the embodiment of fig4 , the spiral coil 4 itself acts as the capacitive element of the lc circuit that describes the operation of the sensor . fig6 is a variation of fig5 where the outline of upper substrate 22 is shown but the details of lower substrate 20 can be seen more clearly , including individual coils of inductor coil 26 . a wire 46 connects lower capacitor plate 44 to induction coil 26 . the size of the sensors of the invention will vary according to factors such as the intended application , the delivery system , etc . the oval sensors are intended to be from about 0 . 5 in . to about 1 in . in length and from about 0 . 1 in . to about 0 . 5 in . in width , with a thickness of from about 0 . 05 in . to about 0 . 30 in . as shown in fig4 and 5 , upper substrate 22 can be significantly thinner than lower substrate 20 . by way of example , upper substrate 22 may be from about 100 to about 300 microns thick , whereas lower substrate 20 may be from about 500 to about 1500 microns thick . in an alternate embodiment of the invention , both substrates may be of the same thickness ranging from about 100 to about 1000 microns . in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig7 , a sensor 50 is attached to a hollow tube 52 that has a flexible tip 54 . fig8 shows the sensor 50 and specific features of the tethering system , namely proximal holes 56 and distal holes 58 disposed in a hollow tube 52 . fig9 shows a tether wire 60 that is attached to sensor 50 at sensor holes 62 and hollow tube holes 56 and 58 , and a tether wire 60 is positioned slidably within a hollow tube 52 . a better appreciation of certain aspects of the invention , especially of a delivery system , can be obtained from fig1 which shows a vessel introducer 66 and the delivery system 68 . further details of the delivery system are shown in fig1 . a double lumen tube 70 has one channel that accepts a guidewire 72 and a second channel that accepts the sensor tether wire . the guidewire 72 can be advanced through hub 74 . a rigid delivery capsule 78 is disposed at the far end of the delivery catheter and flexible tip 80 is connected to the catheter via a hollow tube 81 extending through the delivery capsule 78 . a sensor 82 is positioned inside a slot in the delivery capsule 78 proximal to flexible tip 80 . fig1 shows a lateral , cross - sectional view of this arrangement where the sensor 82 is inside the slot of delivery capsule 78 and the flexible tip 84 of the tether wire is disposed between the end of delivery capsule 78 and flexible tip 80 . fig1 shows delivery catheter 68 loaded into the previously placed vessel introducer 66 prior to introduction of the sensor into the body . fig1 shows that the sensor 82 on tether tube 52 has been advanced out of delivery capsule 78 and the delivery catheter has been removed . in fig1 , the tether wire has been retracted into the hollow tether tube , releasing the sensor . the tether wire , tether tube and vessel introducer 66 are then all removed . the pressure sensor of the invention can be manufactured using micro - machining techniques that were developed for the integrated circuit industry . an example of this type of sensor features an inductive - capacitive ( lc ) resonant circuit with a variable capacitor , as is described in allen et al ., u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 111 , 520 and 6 , 278 , 379 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference . the sensor contains two types of passive electrical components , namely , an inductor and a capacitor . the sensor is constructed so that the fluid pressure at the sensor &# 39 ; s surface changes the distance between the capacitor &# 39 ; s substantially parallel plates and causes a variation of the sensor &# 39 ; s capacitance . in a preferred embodiment the sensor of the invention is constructed through a series of steps that use standard mems manufacturing techniques . fig1 shows the first step of this process in which a thin layer of metal ( protective mask ) 90 is deposited onto the top and bottom surface of a fused silica substrate 92 ( alternative materials would be glass , quartz , silicon or ceramic ). substrate diameters can range from about 3 to about 6 in . substrate thickness can range from about 100 to about 1500 microns . a pattern mask is then created on one side of the substrate to define the location of cavities that need to be etched into the surface . fig1 shows trenches or cavities 94 are etched into one surface of the substrate 92 to depths ranging from about 20 to about 200 microns . this etching is accomplished using any combination of standard wet and dry etching techniques ( acid etch , plasma etch , reactive ion etching ) that are well known in the mems industry . the protective metal mask is removed using standard metal etching techniques in fig1 , a thin metal seed layer 96 ( typically chromium ) is deposited on the etched side of the substrate using standard metal deposition techniques such as sputtering , plating or metal evaporation . in fig1 a layer of photo - resistive material 98 is applied to the etched surface of the substrate using standard spin coating procedures . fig2 shows that a mask aligner and uv light 102 is used in a photolithographic processes to transfer a pattern from a mask 104 to the photoresist coating on the substrate . in fig2 , the non - masked portions of the photoresist are removed chemically creating a mold 106 of the desired coil pattern . fig2 shows copper 108 electroplated into the mold to the desired height , typically from about 5 to about 35 microns . in fig2 , the photoresist 110 and seed layer 112 are etched away leaving the plated copper coils 114 . in fig2 , the two processed substrates 118 and 120 are aligned such that the cavities 122 and 124 with plated coils are precisely orientated in over one another and temporarily bonded to each other . fig2 and 26 show that by using a beam 125 from a co2 laser 126 ( or other appropriate laser type ), the individual sensors 130 are cut from the glass substrate . fig2 shows an early stage in the cutting process where the laser beam 125 has only just begun heating up the surrounding material . fig2 shows a later stage in the process where one side has already been completely cut and sealed , and the laser beam is in the process of cutting and sealing the other side . the laser cutting process results in a permanent , hermetic seal between the two glass substrates . the laser energy is confined to a precise heat effect zone 128 in which the hermetic seal is created . fig2 represents an embodiment of the invention wherein a sensor 132 attached to a delivery catheter 134 has a stabilizer or basket 136 . the stabilizer can be any appropriate device or structure that can be fixedly attached to a sensor of the invention to assist the sensor in maintaining position , location , and / or orientation after the sensor is delivered to an intended site . the stabilizer can comprise any appropriate physiologically acceptable rigid or slightly flexible material , such as stainless steel , nitinol , or a radiopaque metal or alloy . this sensor design provides many important benefits to sensor performance . the hermetic seal created during the laser cutting process , coupled with the design feature that the conductor lines of the sensor are sealed within the hermetic cavity , allows the sensor to remain stable and drift free during long time exposures to body fluids . in the past , this has been a significant issue to the development of sensors designed for use in the human body . the manufacturing methodology described above allows many variations of sensor geometry and electrical properties . by varying the width of the coils , the number of turns and the gap between the upper and lower coils the resonant frequency that the device operates at and the pressure sensitivity ( i . e ., the change in frequency as a result of membrane deflection ) can be optimized for different applications . in general , the design allows for a very small gap between the coils ( typically between about 3 and about 35 microns ) that in turn provides a high degree of sensitivity while requiring only a minute movement of the coils to sense pressure changes . this is important for long term durability , where large membrane deflection could result in mechanical fatigue of the pressure sensing element . the thickness of the sensor used can also be varied to alter mechanical properties . thicker substrates are more durable for manufacturing . thinner substrates allow for creating of thin pressure sensitive membranes for added sensitivity . in order to optimize both properties the sensors may be manufactured using substrates of different thicknesses . for example , one side of the sensor may be constructed from a substrate of approximate thickness of 200 microns . this substrate is manufactured using the steps outlined above . following etching , the thickness of the pressure sensitive membrane ( i . e ., the bottom of the etched trench ) is in the range of from about 85 to about 120 microns . the matching substrate is from about 500 to about 1000 microns thick . in this substrate , the trench etching step is eliminated and the coils are plated directly onto the flat surface of the substrate extending above the substrate surface a height of from about 20 to about 40 microns . when aligned and bonded , the appropriate gap between the top and bottom coils is created to allow operation preferably in a frequency range of from 30 to 45 mhz and have sensitivity preferably in the range of from 5 to 15 khz per millimeter of mercury . due to the presence of the from about 500 to about 1000 micron thick substrate , this sensor will have added durability for endovascular delivery and for use within the human body . the sensor exhibits the electrical characteristics associated with a standard lc circuit . an lc circuit can be described as a closed loop with two major elements , a capacitor and an inductor . if a current is induced in the lc loop , the energy in the circuit is shared back and forth between the inductor and capacitor . the result is an energy oscillation that will vary at a specific frequency . this is termed the resonant frequency of the circuit and it can be easily calculated as its value is dependent on the circuit &# 39 ; s inductance and capacitance . therefore , a change in capacitance will cause the frequency to shift higher or lower depending upon the change in the value of capacitance . as noted above , the capacitor in the assembled pressure sensor consists of the two circular conductive segments separated by an air gap . if a pressure force is exerted on these segments it will act to move the two conductive segments closer together . this will have the effect of reducing the air gap between them which will consequently change the capacitance of the circuit . the result will be a shift in the circuit &# 39 ; s resonant frequency that will be in direct proportion to the force applied to the sensor &# 39 ; s surface . because of the presence of the inductor , it is possible to electromagnetically couple to the sensor and induce a current in the circuit . this allows for wireless communication with the sensor and the ability to operate it without the need for an internal source of energy such as a battery . thus , if the sensor is located within the sac of an aortic aneurysm , it will be possible to determine the pressure within the sac in a simple , non - invasive procedure by remotely interrogating the sensor , recording the resonant frequency and converting this value to a pressure measurement . the readout device generates electromagnetic energy that penetrates through the body &# 39 ; s tissues to the sensor &# 39 ; s implanted location . the sensor &# 39 ; s electrical components absorb a fraction of the electromagnetic energy that is generated by the readout device via inductive coupling . this coupling induces a current in the sensor &# 39 ; s circuit that oscillates at the same frequency as the applied electromagnetic energy . due to the nature of the sensor &# 39 ; s electro - mechanical system there exists a frequency of alternating current at which the absorption of energy from the readout device is at a maximum . this frequency is a function of the capacitance of the device . therefore , if the sensor &# 39 ; s capacitance changes , so will the optimal frequency at which it absorbs energy from the readout device . since the sensor &# 39 ; s capacitance is mechanically linked to the fluid pressure at the sensor &# 39 ; s surface , a measurement of this frequency by the readout device gives a relative measurement of the fluid pressure . if calibration of the device is performed , then an absolute measurement of pressure can be made . see , for example , the extensive discussion in the allen et al . patent , again incorporated herein by reference , as well as gershenfeld et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 025 , 725 , incorporated herein by reference . alternative readout schemes , such as phase - correlation approaches to detect the resonant frequency of the sensor , may also be employed . the pressure sensor is made of completely passive components having no active circuitry or power sources such as batteries . the pressure sensor is completely self - contained having no leads to connect to an external circuit or power source . furthermore , these same manufacturing techniques can be used to add additional sensing capabilities , such as the ability to measure temperature by the addition of a resistor to the basic lc circuit or by utilizing changes in the back pressure of gas intentionally sealed within the hermetic pressure reference to change the diaphragm position and therefore the capacitance of the lc circuit . it is within the scope of the invention that the frequency response to the sensor will be in the range of from about 1 to about 200 mhz , preferably from about 1 to about 100 mhz , and more preferably from about 2 to about 90 mhz , and even more preferably from about 30 to about 45 mhz , with a q factor of from about 5 to about 150 , optimally from about 5 to about 80 , preferably from about 40 to about 100 , more preferably from about 50 to about 90 . in a further embodiment of the invention there is no direct conductor - based electrical connection between the two sides of the lc circuit . referring again to the sensor described in the allen et al . patents , the device is constructed using multiple layers upon lie the necessary circuit elements . disposed on the top and bottom layer are metal patterns constructed using micro - machining techniques which define a top and bottom conductor and a spiral inductor coil . to provide for an electrical contact between the top and bottom layers small vias or holes are cut through the middle layers . when the layers are assembled , a metal paste is forced into the small vias to create direct electrical connections or conduits . however , experimentation has shown that due to additional capacitance that is created between the top and bottom inductor coils , a vialess operational lc circuit can be created . this absence of via holes represents a significant improvement to the sensor in that it simplifies the manufacturing process and , more importantly , significantly increases the durability of the sensor making it more appropriate for use inside the human body . further , the invention is not limited to the implantation of a single sensor . multiple pressure sensors may be introduced into the aneurysm space , each being positioned at different locations . in this situation , each sensor may be designed with a unique signature ( obtained by changing the resonant frequency of the sensor ), so that the pressure measurement derived from one sensor can be localized to its specific position within the aneurysm . a significant design factor that relates to the performance of the sensor and the operation of the system is the quality factor ( q ) associated with the sensor . the value of q is one of the key determinates as to how far from the sensor the external read - out electronics can be located while still maintaining effective communication . q is defined as a measure of the energy stored by the circuit divided by the energy dissipated by the circuit . thus , the lower the loss of energy , the higher the q . additional increases in q can be achieved by removing the central capacitive plate and using capacitive coupling between the copper coils to act as the capacitor element . in operation , energy transmitted from the external read - out electronics will be stored in the lc circuit of the sensor . this stored energy will induce a current in the lc loop which will cause the energy to be shared back and forth between the inductor and capacitor . the result is an oscillation that will vary at the resonant frequency of the lc circuit . a portion of this oscillating energy is then coupled back to the receiving antenna of the read - out electronics . in high q sensors , most of the stored energy is available for transmission back to the electronics , which allows the distance between the sensor and the receiving antenna to be increased . since the transmitted energy will decay exponentially as it travels away from the sensor , the lower the energy available to be transmitted , the faster it will decay below a signal strength that can be detected by the receiving antenna and the closer the sensor needs to be situated relative to the receiving electronics . in general then , the lower the q , the greater the energy loss and the shorter the distance between sensor and receiving antenna required for sensor detection . the q of the sensor will be dependent on multiple factors such as the shape , size , diameter , number of turns , spacing between turns and cross - sectional area of the inductor component . in addition , q will be greatly affected by the materials used to construct the sensors . specifically , materials with low loss tangents will provide the sensor with higher q factors . the implantable sensor ascending to the invention is preferably constructed of various glasses or ceramics including but not limited to fused silica , quartz , pyrex and sintered zirconia , that provide the required biocompatibility , hermeticity and processing capabilities . preferably the materials result in a high q factor . these materials are considered dielectrics , that is , they are poor conductors of electricity , but are efficient supporters of electrostatic or electroquasiatatic fields . an important property of dielectric materials is their ability to support such fields while dissipating minimal energy . the lower the dielectric loss ( the proportion of energy lost ), the more effective the dielectric material in maintaining high q . for a lossy dielectric material , the loss is described by the property termed “ loss tangent .” a large loss tangent reflects a high degree of dielectric loss . with regard to operation within the human body , there is a second important issue related to q , namely , that blood and body fluids are conductive mediums and are thus particularly lossy . the consequence of this fact is that when a sensor is immersed in a conductive fluid , energy from the sensor will dissipate , substantially lowering the q and reducing the sensor - to - electronics distance . for example , the sensors described above were immersed in saline ( 0 . 9 % salt solution ), and the measured q decreased to approximately 10 . it has been found that such loss can be minimized by further separation of the sensor from the conductive liquid . this can be accomplished , for example , by encapsulating the sensor in a suitable low - loss - tangent dielectric material . however , potential encapsulation material must have the flexibility and biocompatibility characteristics of the sensor material and also be sufficiently compliant to allow transmission of fluid pressure to the pressure sensitive diaphragm . a preferred material for this application is polydimethylsiloxane ( silicone ). as an example , a thin ( i . e ., 200 micron ) coating of silicone was applied to the sensor detailed above . this coating provided sufficient insulation to maintain the q at 50 in a conductive medium . equally important , despite the presence of the silicone , adequate sensitivity to pressure changes was maintained and the sensor retained sufficient flexibility to be folded for endovascular delivery . one additional benefit of the silicone encapsulation material is that it can be optionally loaded with a low percentage ( i . e ., 10 - 20 %) of radio - opaque material ( e . g ., barium sulfate ) to provide visibility when examined using fluoroscopic x - ray equipment . this added barium sulfate will not affect the mechanical and electrical properties of the silicone . as described above , it is desirable to increase the q factor of a sensor , and the q factor can be increased by suitable selection of sensor materials or a coating , or both . preferably both are used , because the resulting high q factor of a sensor prepared in this fashion is especially suitable for the applications described . when introduced into the sac of an abdominal aorta , the pressure sensor can provide pressure related data by use of an external measuring device . as disclosed in the allen et al . patents , several different excitation systems can be used . the readout device generates electromagnetic energy that can penetrate through the body &# 39 ; s tissues to the sensor &# 39 ; s implanted location . the sensor &# 39 ; s electrical components can absorb a fraction of the electromagnetic energy that is generated by the readout device via inductive coupling . this coupling will induce a current in the sensor &# 39 ; s circuit that will oscillate at the same frequency as the applied electromagnetic energy . due to the nature of the sensor &# 39 ; s electromechanical system there will exist a frequency of alternating current at which the absorption of energy from the readout device is at a minimum . this frequency is a function of the capacitance of the device . therefore , if the sensor &# 39 ; s capacitance changes so will the frequency at which it minimally absorbs energy from the readout device . since the sensor &# 39 ; s capacitance is mechanically linked to the fluid pressure at the sensor &# 39 ; s surface , a measurement of this frequency by the readout device can give a relative measurement of the fluid pressure . if calibration of the device is performed then an absolute measurement of pressure can be made . the circuitry used to measure and display pressure is contained within a simple to operate , portable electronic unit 400 , as shown in fig2 . this unit 400 also contains the antenna 402 needed to perform the electromagnetic coupling to the sensor . the antenna 402 may be integrated into the housing for the electronics or it may be detachable from the unit 400 so that it can be positioned on the surface of the body 404 in proximity to the implanted sensor and easily moved to optimize the coupling between antenna and sensor . the antenna 402 itself may consist of a simple standard coil configuration or may incorporate ferrous elements to maximize the coupling efficiency . the electronic device 400 would feature an lcd or led display 406 designed to clearly display the recorded pressure in physiologically relevant units such as mm hg . in an alternative embodiment , the display 406 may be created by integrating a commercially available hand - held computing device such as a palm ® or micro - pc into the electronic circuitry and using this device &# 39 ; s display unit as the visual interface between the equipment and its operator . a further advantage of this approach is that the hand - held computer could be detached from the read - out unit and linked to a standard desktop computer . the information from the device could thus be downloaded into any of several commercially available data acquisition software programs for more detailed analysis or for electronic transfer via hard media or the internet to a remote location . accordingly , the present invention provides for an impedance system and method of determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor . the system includes a loop antenna , which is coupled to an impedance analyzer . the impedance analyzer applies a constant voltage signal to the loop antenna scanning the frequency across a predetermined spectrum . the current passing through the transmitting antenna experiences a peak at the resonant frequency of the sensor . the resonant frequency and bandwidth are thus determined from this peak in the current . the method of determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth using an impedance approach may include the steps of transmitting an excitation signal using a transmitting antenna and electromagnetically coupling a sensor having a resonant circuit to the transmitting antenna thereby modifying the impedance of the transmitting antenna . next , the step of measuring the change in impedance of the transmitting antenna is performed , and finally , the resonant frequency and bandwidth of the sensor circuit are determined . in addition , the present invention provides for a transmit and receive system and method for determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor . according to this method , an excitation signal of white noise or predetermined multiple frequencies is transmitted from a transmitting antenna , the sensor being electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna . a current is induced in the resonant circuit of the sensor as it absorbs energy from the transmitted excitation signal , the current oscillating at the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit . a receiving antenna , also electromagnetically coupled to the transmitting antenna , receives the excitation signal minus the energy which was absorbed by the sensor . thus , the power of the received signal experiences a dip or notch at the resonant frequency of the sensor . the resonant frequency and bandwidth are determined from this notch in the power . the transmit and receive method of determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a sensor circuit includes the steps of transmitting a multiple frequency signal from transmitting antenna , and , electromagnetically coupling a resonant circuit on a sensor to the transmitting antenna thereby inducing a current in the sensor circuit . next , the step of receiving a modified transmitted signal due to the induction of current in the sensor circuit is performed . finally , the step of determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth from the received signal is executed . yet another system and method for determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor includes a chirp interrogation system . this system provides for a transmitting antenna which is electromagnetically coupled to the resonant circuit of the sensor . an excitation signal of white noise or predetermined multiple frequencies , or a time - gated single frequency is applied to the transmitting antenna for a predetermined period of time , thereby inducing a current in the resonant circuit of the sensor at the resonant frequency . the system then listens for a return signal which is coupled back from the sensor . the resonant frequency and bandwidth of the resonant circuit are determined from the return signal . the chirp interrogation method for determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor includes the steps of transmitting a multi - frequency signal pulse from a transmitting antenna , electromagnetically coupling a resonant circuit on a sensor to the transmitting antenna thereby inducing a current in the sensor circuit , listening for and receiving a return signal radiated from the sensor circuit , and determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth from the return signal . the present invention also provides an analog system and method for determining the resonant frequency of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor . the analog system comprises a transmitting antenna coupled as part of a tank circuit which in turn is coupled to an oscillator . a signal is generated which oscillates at a frequency determined by the electrical characteristics of the tank circuit . the frequency of this signal is further modified by the electromagnetic coupling of the resonant circuit of a sensor . this signal is applied to a frequency discriminator which in turn provides a signal from which the resonant frequency of the sensor circuit is determined . the analog method for determining the resonant frequency and bandwidth of a resonant circuit within a particular sensor includes the steps of generating a transmission signal using a tank circuit which includes a transmitting antenna , modifying the frequency of the transmission signal by electromagnetically coupling the resonant circuit of a sensor to the transmitting antenna , and converting the modified transmission signal into a standard signal for further application . the invention further includes an alternative method of measuring pressure in which a non - linear element such as a diode or polyvinylidenedifluoride piezo - electric polymer is added to the lc circuit . a diode with a low turn - on voltage such as a schottky diode can be fabricated using micro - machining techniques . the presence of this non - linear element in various configurations within the lc circuit can be used to modulate the incoming signal from the receiving device and produce different harmonics of the original signal . the read - out circuitry can be tuned to receive the particular harmonic frequency that is produced and use this signal to reconstruct the fundamental frequency of the sensor . the advantage of this approach is two - fold ; the incoming signal can be transmitted continuously and since the return signal will be at different signals , the return signal can also be received continuously . the above methods lend themselves to the creation of small and simple to manufacture hand - held electronic devices that can be used without complication . the preceding specific embodiments are illustrative of the practice of the invention . it is to be understood , however , that other expedients known to those skilled in the art or disclosed herein , may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention of the scope of the appended claims .	8
fig2 illustrates one example in which the present invention is embodied in a single - lens - reflex camera . after , the ray of light for taking a photograph having passed through taking lens 1 is reflected by quick - return - mirror 2 , of which the central portion is provided with a semi - transparent mirror , an image is made on a focussing glass . at the same time a luminous flux is transmitted through the semi - transparent mirror to form an image a ccd 4 , which is provided at the position corresponding to the focal point by interposing auxiliary mirror 3 . thus , the focal point is detected . if the luminance of a subject is low , as is obvious from fig1 it takes a long time before the charge transfer is started . to cope therewith , in the case that a transfer is not started within a certain period of time from the start of storing quantity of light in ccd , a warning to the operator to check for camera shakiness caused by a shaking hand , is to be given . generally , the time for utilizing the image made on ccd to detect focus should be less than 200 msec , assuming that the focal length of the taking lens is 50 mm , lest inaccurate focus detection should occur because of camera shakiness caused by hand . the circuit , which is used in the invention and exhibited diagrammatically , is shown in fig3 . a concrete example of the warning signal generating circuit is shown in fig4 and the operational conditions thereof are shown in fig5 . in fig3 ccd control circuit receives clock - pulses from an oscillator osc . ccd module 4 starts the storing upon receipt of reset signal φr . on the other hand , an automatic gain control ( agc ) signal is given in the form of an analog voltage and said voltage is reduced in proportion to the quantity of light from the time when the ccd starts the storing and , at the point of time when said voltage reached a certain value ( e . g . 0 ), a transfer start signal φt is given . in fig4 r - s flip - flop ( ff ) is set by receiving reset signal φr and is reset by receiving transfer start signal φt . transistor tr is switched on and off by output q from r - s ff . when transistor tr is switched off by receiving reset signal φr , the charging of capacitor c1 is started by a constant - current source . this charging voltage is compared , as described hereunder , with reference voltage v ref that is variable according to the lenses , etc . which may be used , by means of comparator c . when a subject has a sufficient luminance , transistor tr is switched on by receiving transfer start signal φt before the charging voltage for capacitor c1 reaches reference voltage v ref . when a subject has a low luminance , the charging voltage for capacitor c1 rises above reference voltage v ref because of the delayed issuance of transfer start signal φt that makes charging of capacitor c1 stop . this fact means that storage time in ccd is being delayed and there is the possibility that the hand holding the camera will begin shaking . thus , a warning device d , such as a led or buzzer , is actuated by the output from comparator c and an alarm is given . shutter times required to compensate for the shakiness caused by hand holding of the camera vary depending on the focal distances of the taking lenses used . when a lens with long focal length is used , a short shutter time should applied lest inaccurate focus detection should be occur because of camera shakiness by hand . accordingly , if a bleeder resistance r is built - in a lens , or if focal length information is sent to variable resistor r by means of a pin provided to a lens and the reference voltage v ref is varied according to the interchangeable lenses , it is possible to adjust suitably the warning time limit . as described above , in the present invention it is possible to indicate that a subject luminance is below a certain limit , by utilizing the storage time in ccd that is a focus detecting element . accordingly , it is possible to warn not only that there is a possibility of causing a shakiness by hand because of the long time exposure on taking a photograph in aperture priority mode but also that there is a possibility of lowering the focal point detection accuracy because of a prolonged storage time in ccd and because of a shakiness by hand . moreover , the present invention can be applied effectively not only to automatically focussing type cameras , but also to cameras having a rangefinder utilizing a focussing system in which a focal point is detected electrically .	6
example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings . example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough , and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art . numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components , devices , and methods , to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed , that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure . in some example embodiments , well - known processes , well - known device structures , and well - known technologies are not described in detail . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” may be intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” “ including ,” and “ having ,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the method steps , processes , and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated , unless specifically identified as an order of performance . it is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed . when an element or layer is referred to as being “ on ,” “ engaged to ,” “ connected to ,” or “ coupled to ” another element or layer , it may be directly on , engaged , connected or coupled to the other element or layer , or intervening elements or layers may be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly on ,” “ directly engaged to ,” “ directly connected to ,” or “ directly coupled to ” another element or layer , there may be no intervening elements or layers present . other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion ( e . g ., “ between ” versus “ directly between ,” “ adjacent ” versus “ directly adjacent ,” etc .). as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . according to the present teachings , as illustrated in fig1 a - 1d , a fan - folded design as the structure of an energy harvester 10 . in some embodiments , energy harvester 10 can comprise a plurality of horizontal bimorph beams 12 a - 12 n and vertical rigid beams 14 . the bimorph beams 12 are connected to each other by the vertical rigid links 14 . the bimorph beams 12 can comprise a spring brass layer 16 as the substrate and two piezoelectric patches 18 attached on the brass layer 16 . brass is chosen for the substrate due to its large density and relatively large young &# 39 ; s modulus . however , it should be understood that alternative materials may be used . when the beams 12 are deflected , electrical energy is generated by the piezoelectric layers 18 . one end 20 of the design is clamped to a base structure 22 as the other end 24 is free to move . a tip mass 26 may be placed at the free end 24 of the energy harvester 10 . one major advantage of using this design is the decrease in the natural frequencies of the structure without significant increase in the size of the energy harvester 10 . adding tip mass 26 and link mass 14 to the system decreases the natural frequency even more . in some embodiments , the source of the vibration of the system is heartbeat acceleration and a natural frequency under 200 hz is a desired natural frequency for the energy harvester 10 . energy harvester 10 consists of several uniform composite beams 12 and each beam is modeled with the euler - bernoulli beam theory . the structure vibrates due to base excitation . each beam 12 a can bend and deflect which changes the start position of the next beam 12 b . the deflection of the beam w i is a function of the length x , and time t . the index i is the beam number ( from 1 to n ). the coupled mechanical equation of a beam with tip mass is : where ρa is the total mass per unit length of the beam , which is a function of b ( width of the beam ), density of the piezoelectric and substrate ( ρ p , ρ s ), and their thickness ( t p , t s ): w rel ( x , t ) is the deflection along the z - axis ( fig1 a ), yi is the equivalent bending stiffness of the composite beam . m l is the link mass and x * is 0 ( if i is an odd number ) or length of the beam , l , ( if i is an even number ). index k is from 2 to n . m t is the tip mass and δ ( x ) is the dirac delta function that satisfies : we solve the undamped , uncoupled equation to find the free vibration mode shapes . in order to find the free vibration modes , we set the left hand side of eq . ( 1 ) to zero : the solution for the free vibration can be shown as a linear combination of all natural motions of the beam ( section 11 ): where ,  ji is the jth natural mode shape of the ith beam , and t j is the time dependent function . substituting eq . ( 6 ) in eq . ( 5 ): where a i1 , a i2 , a i3 , a i4 and β j are calculated using the boundary , continuity and equilibrium conditions , and c is : by using the above equations and considering boundary and continuity conditions , the mode shapes and natural frequencies of a fan - folded structure are derived in the next section . in order to find the coefficients in eq . ( 8 ) we use two boundary conditions at each end , zero deflection and slope at the clamped end , zero moment and force at the free end . for a fan - folded structure ( fig1 ) we have : x * is zero or l ( length of the beam ), depending on the configuration of the fan - folded structure . the plus sign in the last equation is associated with x free = 0 and the minus sign is associated with x free = l . ω nj is the natural of the jth mode : there are four unknown coefficients for each beam . to find these coefficients , more equations are needed . by writing the continuity and equilibrium condition at the joints where beams are connected we have four more equations for every connection : again here , the x end is zero or ‘ l ’ depending on the connection place . in the last equation if x end = 0 the sign of the terms associated with the link mass ( m l ) is positive and if x end = l the sign is negative . due to the small size of the structure we do not consider the effect of the moment of the link mass in the third equation . if the size increases we need to add that term to the equation . these set of equations can be written in matrix form : in order to have a nontrivial solution for eq . ( 18 ) the condition det ( n )= 0 must be satisfied . the values of ω nj which makes this determinant zero are the natural frequencies of the structure . for finding the coefficients of the mode shapes we solve eq . ( 18 ) for a given value of a 11 . after finding the coefficients of the first beam the other beam &# 39 ; s modes are calculated as : to verify the method , two known cases of a cantilevered beam and a two member structure were compared to the results using this method . the main advantage of this method is reducing the matrix size which decreases the numerical calculation significantly . when the number of the beams increases the decrease in overall time of the calculations is considerable . another advantage of this formulation is avoiding extremely large values of determinant which might cause numerical errors . in the configuration that we have the beams are connected electrically in parallel . since the deflection of the beams is opposite of each other in some mode shapes , we use a switch to keep or to reverse the polarity of the generated voltage . these switches decide if the current going to each member should be added to or subtracted from the current in other members . considering the switches and using eq . ( 6 ) and eq . ( 1 ), we have : where p i is the switch for the ith member and it is either 1 or − 1 . the sign of the switches for each mode is decided based on : the arrangement of these switches might be different for each mode , but for building energy harvester 10 one cannot change the switches during the vibration . so the states of the switches are assigned based on the dominant vibration mode . we then multiply eq . ( 21 ) by  ji and we integrate from zero to l ( length of the beam ). due to orthogonality condition : the mode shapes used in here are the mass normalized mode shape that satisfies : using eq . ( 7 ) and considering mass normalized mode shapes , we have : { umlaut over ( t )} j = ωnj 2 t j =− χ j v ( t )− γ j { umlaut over ( w )} b ( 25 ) by taking the fourier transform of eq . ( 25 ), we have the frequency domain equation : ( ω nj 2 − ω 2 ) η j ( ω )=− χ j v ( ω )− γ j a b ( ω ) ( 27 ) in which , η j ( ω ), v ( ω ), and a b ( ω ) are the fourier transforms of t j , v ( t ), and { umlaut over ( w )} b . one equation is known so far , meaning another equation is needed to solve for the two unknowns , t j and v ( t ). the equations which relate the strain and electric displacement to the stress and the electric field are the piezoelectric constitutive equations : d 3 =− d 31 y p s 1 − ε 33 s e 3 t 1 = y p ( s 1 − d 31 e 3 ) ( 28 ) in the above equations , t 1 is the normal stress along the x - axis , s 1 is the normal strain in x - axis , d 31 is the piezoelectric coupling coefficient , y p the young &# 39 ; s modulus of the piezoelectric layer , e 3 the electric field across the thickness of the piezo layer , ε 33 s the permittivity at constant stress , and d 3 the electric displacement along the thickness . using the above equation and the kirchhoff laws for parallel connection , we have : where i i ( t ) is the current in each member and c p is the internal capacitance for the piezo layer : to have the total current , we sum the current over all the members and if we model the damping as the modal damping ( 2ξω n jω ) the transfer function for parallel connection resulting from eq . ( 25 ) and eq . ( 31 ) is : using eq . ( 32 ) the expression for the multi - mode power frequency response function is : using the expression in eq . ( 32 ) for voltage and replacing it in eq . ( 25 ) the tip deflection of the structure is calculated as : accordingly , in some embodiments , energy harvester 10 can comprise seven bimorph piezoelectric beams 12 connected to each other by rigid beams 14 making a zig - zag shape . the first beam 12 a is clamped to a wall 22 and the last beam 12 e is free at one end 24 ( fig1 a and 1b ). we find the free vibration modes of the configuration . here we have the first four modes of the design . in our calculation we just consider the first natural frequency of energy harvester 10 . the higher modes are not considered in our calculations due to their high natural frequency and their little effect on the final results . fig2 a - 2d exhibit the first four modes of a seven beam structure . after finding the mode shapes , the frequency response function plots for a seven beam structure are generated . the structure consists of seven bimorph beams with 1 cm length and 1 cm width . psi — 5a4e piezo sheets from piezo systems , inc . can be used as the piezoelectric element . the thickness of the brass layer and the piezoelectric layer are 0 . 02 and 0 . 01 inch . each beam is connected to the next beam by a brass rigid beam . the length of the rigid part is 0 . 14 cm . the tip mass is 30 times the weight of one beam ( in some embodiments , tip mass is 20 times or more the weight of one beam ). a minimum safety factor of 20 is considered for energy harvester 10 to avoid fracture at where the beams are connected and where the first beam is clamped . the frequency response function of the voltage is plotted for the parallel connection of the piezoelectric layers . the voltage is proportional to the base acceleration , therefore in order to have the normalized voltage we plot the voltage per base acceleration in fig3 . the natural frequencies are the points where we have the maximum voltage ( peaks of the plot ). to maximize the output power we choose the load resistance as where ω 1 is the first natural frequency of energy harvester 10 . the normalized power output with respect to the square of base acceleration for a bimorph clamped free beam is illustrated in fig4 . as it is seen that natural frequency of energy harvester 10 are decreased significantly when they are compared to the case without tip and link masses . the first natural frequency has higher amplitude comparing to the next natural frequencies . fig5 a and 5b show the tip relative acceleration and displacement to the base acceleration , respectively . the peaks in these frequency response functions are the natural frequencies of the energy harvester . we then consider the heartbeat acceleration as the base acceleration of the system . to estimate the vibrations in the vicinity of the heart due to the heartbeat we use the ultrasonic velocity measurements performed by kanai . fig6 a and 6b show the heartbeat acceleration in time domain and frequency domain , respectively . considering this base acceleration and using eq . ( 32 ) and eq . ( 33 ), we calculate the voltage and power generated by energy harvester 10 . the time of the excitation is 9 seconds . we only consider the first natural frequency in our calculation . the next natural frequencies generated power is much less than the generated power from the first natural frequencies . the instantaneous power across a 87 kω purely resistive load is plotted in fig7 . the value of the resistive load matches the resistance having the maximum power in the first natural frequencies of energy harvester 10 . the average power for generated electricity in fig7 is 2 . 18 μw . as it mentioned the power needed for a pacemaker is less than 1 μw which shows that the generated power is sufficient for a pacemaker . in this article , the main goal is to reduce the size of the energy harvester while generating enough energy to power a pacemaker . as a result , the case presented is just a case to show that we can generate the needed power for the pacemaker while keeping the size limitations . the heartbeat spectrum in the frequency domain shows that the high amplitudes are at low frequencies ( less than 50 hz ) and we can have the maximum power at 39 hz . author believes that by changing the tip mass and changing the beam numbers and the thickness of the beams we can reduce the first natural frequency even more and it is expected that the generated power will be increased significantly . in this disclosure , generation of electricity from fan - folded or serpentine - shaped , bimorph piezoelectric beams with the tip mass was studied . the method for finding the mode shapes and natural frequencies of the system was explained . the boundary conditions and equilibrium and continuity conditions were discussed . for a case study , the mode shapes and natural frequencies of the configuration were calculated . the frequency response function for the voltage and power of the energy harvester were calculated and plotted . the relative tip acceleration and displacement were calculated in the frequency domain . the electro - mechanical equations were solved for this configuration and the energy generated from 9 seconds of heartbeats was calculated . it was shown that the energy harvester generates enough energy to power a pacemaker . the fan - folded geometry and the tip mass makes it possible to have the energy harvester in small size ( 1 cm by 1 cm by 1 cm ). adding the tip mass reduced the natural frequency significantly . energy harvester 10 can be implemented inside the body to generate the electricity needed for pacemakers and makes it possible to have an autonomous pacemaker without the need of a battery . the input vibrations to the energy harvester are caused by heartbeats . the present teachings provide energy harvesting from heartbeat vibrations using fan - folded piezoelectric beams . the generated energy from the heartbeat can be used to power a leadless pacemaker . a leadless pacemaker is implanted in the heart to control abnormal heart rhythms . unlike traditional pacemakers , leadless pacemakers do not have leads and do not need an open surgery for implantation . the required power for a pacemaker is about 1 μw . the main obstacle for development of leadless pacemakers is the power issue . the battery takes about 60 % of the size of a conventional pacemaker . the size of the conventional pacemaker batteries is too large for leadless pacemakers . the battery size issue hindered the development of leadless pacemakers for 20 years . recently novel batteries have been developed that make leadless pacemakers realizable . still , the battery life is the same as traditional pacemakers and typically lasts about 6 to 7 years . extraction of leadless pacemakers is very difficult so when the battery is depleted , a new pacemaker has to be implanted . it has been demonstrated that the principles of the present teachings generates an order of magnitude more power than the nominal power needed for a leadless pacemaker . the small size of the energy harvester and sufficient output power of energy harvester 10 are but a few of the advantages of the present invention . by way of non - limiting example , in some embodiments , the present device can be sized to about 2 cm × 1 cm × 0 . 5 cm . ( 1 cc in volume ). in order to utilize the 3 - dimensional space available to the energy harvester , in some embodiments energy harvester 10 comprises a fan - folded design . energy harvester 10 of the present teachings can comprise several piezoelectric beams stacked on top of each other ( fig1 ). each beam is a bimorph piezoelectric beam , with one brass layer as the substrate and two piezoelectric layers attached on each side . the bimorph beams are connected to each other by rigid links made from platinum , for example . in some embodiments , platinum is chosen for the links due to its high density . one end of the structure is clamped as the other end is free to move . high natural frequency is one major problem in small energy harvesters . in order to generate sufficient power for a pacemaker , the first natural frequency of the energy harvester should be less than about 50 hz . the fan - fold geometry is an effective design to reduce the natural frequency . the mass of the tip and the link can be adjusted to reduce the natural frequency . this fanfolded design makes it possible to generate more than 20 μw ( more than the 1 μw required for pacemaker operations ). energy harvester 10 of the present teachings does not incorporate magnets and is thus magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) compatible . although our device is a linear energy harvester , it is shown that energy harvester 10 is relatively insensitive to the heartrate ( fig2 . a ). as seen in fig3 , the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of energy harvester 10 are calculated . the method is verified by experimental investigations ( fig2 b ). the developed analytical model is verified through comparison of theoretical and experimental voltage and tip displacement transfer functions . the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure . individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment , but , where applicable , are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment , even if not specifically shown or described . the same may also be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure .	7
for purposes of the present invention , a “ buy - side trader ” is to be understood as a trader who executes orders ( buy , sell , sell short ) for the mutual funds and / or hedge funds of an asset management company . now with reference to prior art methods concerning buy - side traders interaction with several ats &# 39 ; s , fig1 generally depicts how this was accomplished . in the example of fig1 , buy - side trader 10 is permitted to trade with two ats &# 39 ; s , ( e . g ., ats 20 and 30 ). accordingly , for buy - side trader 10 to use both of these ats &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., ats &# 39 ; s 20 and 30 ), buy - side trader 10 had to independently contact each terminal system ( e . g ., computer terminals 22 , 32 ) associated with each respective ats ( e . g ., ats 20 and 30 ). thus , buy - side trader 10 had to be enabled to use at least two differing protocols to conduct business with each respective ats ( e . g ., ats 20 and 30 ). the buy - side trader 10 communicates with ats 20 through computer trading terminal 22 , and with ats 30 through computer trading terminal 32 . as is conventional , for enabling trades , trading terminal 22 of ats 20 is connected to its ats database and processor system 24 and trading terminal 32 of ats 30 is connected to its database and processor system 34 . it is of course to be appreciated that each aforesaid ats 20 , 30 may also simultaneously be coupled to other third party buy - side traders . for instance , with respect to ats 30 , its trading terminal is shown coupled to third party buy - side traders 60 and 70 . it is shown in fig1 that buy - side trader 10 is not a subscriber of ats 40 consisting of trading terminal 42 and database and processor system 44 . and like ats 40 , buy - side trader 10 is also not a member of ats 50 consisting of trading terminal 52 and database and processor system 54 . thus buy - side trader 10 does not have access to either of ats &# 39 ; s 40 and 50 as there can be no interaction between their respective trading terminals 42 and 52 , and database and processor system &# 39 ; s 44 and 54 . therefore as can be seen from fig1 , in the prior art system , buy side trader 10 must use separate trading terminals ( 22 , 32 ) associated with each respective ats ( 20 , 30 ). thus the buy - side trader 10 must be able to use multiple applications on one or more terminals to compare and share prices and to make his / her bids / offers . further , the buy - side trader 10 may split a large order into bids or offers between two or more terminals or applications . the trading terminals 22 and 32 typically use different protocols to access market data , place bids and offers and execute transactions . in some real sense , this destroys the ability to trade in real - time due to the natural delays associated with collecting information from a number of trading terminals , using a number of different protocols and responding on one or more on such trading terminals . such separate systems and terminals not only make it difficult to obtain optimal data it makes it difficult to perform analytics against the data to aid in trading decisions . as seen in fig2 , the present invention eliminates the need for a buy - side trader 100 to be individually coupled to each trading terminal ( 112 , 122 , 132 , 142 , 152 , 162 ) for each respective ats ( 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 , 160 ). this is achieved through the use of an aggregating computer system ( acs ) 105 . preferably , acs 105 comprises a computer processor coupled to one or more databases and having the necessary algorithms and software programs for enabling the below described functionality . what is shown in fig2 is the acs 105 electronically coupled to a plurality ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 via their respective trading terminals 112 - 162 . it is to be appreciated that the acs 105 is only applicable for use with buy - side traders and is not intended for any sell - side traders in furtherance of maintaining the anonymity of the buy - side trader . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , acs 105 is preferably coupled to the trading terminals of ats &# 39 ; s for : itg posit 110 ; liquidnet 120 ; harborside 130 ; instinet cross 140 ; pipeline 150 ; and nyfix millennium 160 . it is of course to be appreciated that in accordance with the present invention , acs 105 is coupled and interoperable with as many different ats &# 39 ; s as desired , thus the present invention is not to be understood to be limited only to the ats &# 39 ; s shown in fig2 . the acs 105 performs a number of interrelated functions that may be carried out on one computer or a network of computers . acs 105 is configured to provide the buy - side trader 100 complete access and functionality to each aforesaid coupled ats ( 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 , 160 ) on a single computer platform . as will be explained below , the buy - side trader 100 , through implementation of acs 105 , will become immediately aware if any volume in trades of stock become available from any of the ats &# 39 ; s ( 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 , 160 ) to which buy - side trader 100 previously submitted an order to . further , the acs 105 is configured to be fully interoperable with each aforesaid ats 110 - 160 such that acs 105 is programmed with the individual communication protocols associated with each platform associated with each ats 110 - 160 necessary to enable bilateral trading communication between the acs 105 and each ats 110 - 160 . it is to be appreciated that while the underlying principle and goal of crossing networks is the same , each ats operates slightly differently and maintains different membership criteria . the platform will give full access to the information maintained on each crossing network as well as complete functionality of each ats . protocols included will be basic communication to enter buy / sell orders that interact with each ats , the ability to include / exclude any of the ats &# 39 ; s , the ability to negotiate with participants on each system , the ability to change parameters during the life of the order - order size , price limits , percentage to be executed over the course of the day given the opportunity , ability to expand upon the order if original order is completed , ability to receive and negotiate a program ( a program is a computer file of numerous orders that need to be executed over a specific time period , given specific parameters such as price or other strategies . an example of a program trade would be a file consisting of 250 buys / 250 sells that need to be executed if able to do so in the inside quote . the system needs to be able to handle that type of order flow as well since it is a large percentage of trading volume on a daily basis . furthermore , there are no existing platforms to send small cap programs to and this platform is ideal for such a program given the illiquid nature of small cap stocks .) therefore , as depicted in fig2 , rather than a buy - side trader 100 being individually coupled to each individual ats , as is required by the prior art system of fig1 , the acs 105 of the present invention is configured to enable instantaneous communication with each aforesaid ats so to submit and collect order information from each individual ats . it is to be appreciated that acs 105 communicates anonymously with each ats 110 - 160 whereby the identity of the buy - side trader 100 is concealed to each ats 110 - 160 and the buy - side trader accesses all pools of liquidity on each ats quickly and efficiently without adversely affecting the stock price . in other words , the buy - side traders 100 are never displayed to any other third party since the acs 105 functions as an anonymous intermediary between the buy - side trader 100 and each aforesaid ats . it is to be appreciated that acs 105 may be configured in numerous configurations , including , but not limited to as a software system on a pc associated with a buy - side trader , as a broker - dealer type of platform , or as a hybrid solution that allows the buy - side trader to interoperate with both aforesaid buy - side traders pc and broker - dealer type of platform . through preferably the software implemented in acs 105 , a buy - side trader preferably controls the various known parameters of their order through the use of price limits , inclusion / exclusion of any of the ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 , percentage of the overall order to send each ats , and access to a smart router . in regards to the present invention , a smart router is to be understood as preferably be enabled to transmit orders to the most advantageous ats based on historical trading data . for example , if the buy - side trader wanted to send an order in xyz to the platform , the smart router would determine from historical data , which of the ats &# 39 ; s traded the most overall volume in xyz in the past month . the smart router could be set up using different parameters depending on the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s strategy . some trading styles are more price sensitive ( in which case price data could be obtained — which ats provided liquidity with minimum price impact in the past month ? some traders care more about volume — which ats traded the most volume in the past month in stock , xyz ? some traders are more concerned with market cap — which ats traded the largest percentage of small cap stocks in the past month ?) in summation , the smart router equips the buy - side trader with the ability to send his / her order in real time to the optimum destination based on historical performance . as will also be explained below , once there has been a “ hit ” by one of the ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 regarding an order submitted by acs 105 , the acs 105 is configured to automatically terminate the orders submitted to the remaining ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 . thus , this is advantageous because the buy - side trader 100 is enabled to reevaluate the outstanding order strategy so as to not mislead the market that there are actually several other orders on the same side of one security via the remaining ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 . preferably , all reports that are transmitted back to the buy - side trader 100 from the various ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 are transmitted to the buy - side trader via fix . it is noted fix stands for financial information exchange technology and it is a network which connects the buy - side to the sell - side and connects both the buy - side and the sell - side to ats &# 39 ; s and connects the sell - side to the trading floors — such as nyse , amex . this electronic network enables order flow to be sent and executed in real time and eliminates a great deal of human error since all parameters of the order are transmitted electronically instead of being verbalized . while fix does not eliminate the need for human interaction , it sends the basic order information and then the traders can discuss the real detail of the order and the corresponding execution reports . with the acs 105 and its interoperability with the ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 being described above , its method of operation will now be described with reference to fig3 and with continuing reference to fig2 . starting at step 300 , a buy - side trader 100 contacts acs 105 to place a buy order for a prescribe commodity ( e . g ., stock in xyz corp .). the buy - side trader 100 prescribes at least the necessary parameters for such an order , step 305 . for instance , such parameters of an order may include : order size or number of shares , price limits , percentage of the order to be worked over the course of the day or percentage of the order to be sent to each ats if it should not be divided equally among the 6 ats &# 39 ; s , the ability to reload if the first part of the order is executed , strategies in line ( to pay inside the quote ) or scale ( to bring the stock in if you &# 39 ; re a buyer or scale it up if you &# 39 ; re a seller ) momentum — to continue to pay up as a buyer or to continue to sell at lower prices . for purposes of more fully understanding the method depicted in fig2 , a trading scenario will be described whereby a buy - side trader 100 desires to buy 60 , 000 shares of xyz corp . at a price no higher than $ 43 . 00 per share . after the acs 105 receives the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s 100 order , it then formats the order for submission to each ats 110 - 160 it is preferably coupled to , step 310 . as mentioned above , each individual submission of an order to each ats 110 - 160 shall meet the protocol requirement prescribed by each aforesaid individual ats 110 - 160 . additionally , acs 105 preferably divides the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s 100 order request ( e . g ., 60 , 000 ) equally for each ats 110 - 160 an order is to be submitted thereto , step 315 . for example , if the acs 105 is to submit an order to each ats 110 - 160 , then each submission to each ats 110 - 160 shall be for 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp . thus in step 320 , an order for 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp . at a price no higher than $ 43 . 00 per share is electronically submitted from acs 105 to each of ats &# 39 ; s 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 and 160 . after submission , acs 105 awaits reports from each ats 110 - 160 indicating whether an individual order ( e . g ., 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) on a respective ats was executed or not , step 325 . at step 330 a determination is made as to whether any of the ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 to which an order was submitted actually executed an aforesaid order submission ( e . g ., 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp .). if no , then a determination is made as to whether a report has been issued from one of the ats &# 39 ; s 110 - 160 to which an order was submitted indicating a decline for execution of the order , step 335 . if yes ( an order submission was declined by ats 130 ), then the acs 105 cancels the order submission to that declining ats ( e . g ., ats 130 ) with the remaining individual orders ( e . g ., 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) for each of the remaining ats &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., ats &# 39 ; s 110 , 120 , 140 , 150 and 160 ) being in an active state , step 340 . and if at step 335 , a determination is made that no reports were issued from any ats &# 39 ; s declining execution of an order , then the process returns to step 330 for a determination as to whether any of the remaining ats &# 39 ; s executed an aforesaid order submission ( e . g ., 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp .). if at step 330 reports were issued from one or more ats &# 39 ; s indicating that the bid was at least partially executed ( e . g ., ats 110 executed the order for the entire 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp . and ats 160 executed the order for 5 , 000 shares ) then the outstanding order submissions to the remaining ats &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., ats &# 39 ; s 120 , 140 and 150 ) are immediately canceled , step 345 . preferably acs 105 then determines the remaining balance of the shares for the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s original order ( step 305 ) that is still outstanding ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp . ), step 350 . next , acs 105 determines which ats should the outstanding balance of the order ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) be submitted to for execution thereof , step 355 . if at step 330 only one ats ( e . g ., ats 110 ) executed an order , then acs 105 would preferably determine to send the outstanding balance of the order ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) to that ats ( e . g ., ats 110 ). if however more than one ats executed an order submission from acs 105 ( e . g ., ats 110 executed the order for the entire 10 , 000 shares of xyz corp . and ats 160 executed the order for 5 , 000 shares ), then acs 105 preferably determines from which ats that previously executed an order ( ats 110 and 160 ) should receive the submission for the outstanding order balance ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp .). it is to be appreciated that acs 105 may use various parameters to make this determination including bid price , share availability , number of participants on the other side of the trade , trading style of the buy side trader who is the user of the system — passive — more price sensitive / aggressive — more concerned with accumulating volume , the user &# 39 ; s entire picture ( if filled on 15 , 000 shares and the remaining order is for 45 , 000 shares , the determination on whether or not to send the entire 45 , 000 shares is largely based on what the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s entire order is for .) even though the user sent 60 , 000 shares to the platform , he / she may have an additional 1 million shares behind it . for purposes of this description , acs 105 determines that ats 110 will receive the outstanding balance of the order ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) since ats 110 originally executed the order for more shares ( e . g ., 10 , 000 ) than that of ats 160 ( e . g ., 5 , 000 shares ). thus , at step 360 acs 105 submits a bid for the balance ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares of xyz corp .) of the original buy - side traders order ( e . g ., 60 , 000 shares ) to the ats as determined in step 355 ( e . g ., ats 110 ). it is to appreciated that in the event the ats determined in step 355 ( e . g ., ats 110 ) is unable to execute on the entire balance remaining ( e . g ., 45 , 000 shares ) then the acs 105 may be configured to recalculate the balance remaining after execution by the ats determined in step 355 ( e . g ., ats 110 ) and submit that balance for execution to another ats involved in the determination of step 355 ( e . g ., ats 160 ). therefore a clear advantage of the present invention is that acs 105 is enabled to simultaneously place bids / offers to a plurality of ats &# 39 ; s , with each bids / offers only being a portion of the buy - side traders entire order ( step 305 ) so as to acquire the desired commodity at a most efficient price since no one ats is initially aware of the entire buy - side trader &# 39 ; s order . otherwise , if an ats was originally aware of the entire buy - side trader &# 39 ; s order , that ats could cause unfavorable changes in the price of the aforesaid desired commodity . a further advantage of the present invention is that when one or more ats &# 39 ; s report execution of an order , the acs 105 automatically cancels the outstanding orders with all other ats &# 39 ; s . this is advantageous because it does not leave any footprints . in other words , it does not leave the impression that there are 6 individual orders on one side for that one security . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , at step 355 , instead of the acs 105 determining which ats shall receive the submission for the balance of the buy - side trader &# 39 ; s order , a user of acs 105 contacts the buy side - trader 100 to strategize as to which ats shall receive the balance of the order . this is advantageous because at this point , the buy - side trader is given information regarding the order flow across 6 ats &# 39 ; s at the same time . this enables the buy - side trader to rethink strategy and change parameters of the order if necessary . this gives the buy - side trader options — to change order , to stick with original parameters to reload or add to the order , to strategize based upon information received and to have a trained professional deliver and interpret the information — to aid in the negotiation process with the ats &# 39 ; s . in summary , a system and method for aggregating and strategically accessing multiple ats &# 39 ; s across multiple platforms for maximizing the value of a buy - side trader &# 39 ; s order has been described . although the present invention has been described with emphasis on particular embodiments , it should be understood that the figures are for illustration of the exemplary embodiment of the invention and should not be taken as limitations or thought to be the only means of carrying out the invention . further , it is contemplated that many changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed .	6
referring now to fig1 there is shown a side view of an assembled nuclear reactor stud hole plug according to this invention . the plug comprises a cylindrical body 10 having threads 11 along at least a portion of the cylindrical wall thereof . in a typical reactor , the stud holes have a diameter of about seven inches and the stud hole plugs necessarily have about the same diameter . typically , the plugs would have an axial length of about six inches . it should be understood that the size of the stud hole plugs depends upon the configuration of the reactor and the precise dimensions form no part of this invention . the plug is shown in sectioned portions of the reaction vessel flange 12 and head flange 13 . spaced from one end of the plug ( the top in fig1 ) is a metal reaction plate 14 which holds a beveled resilient grommet 15 against the plug body 10 . referring now to fig1 and 2 , a plurality of bolts 16a , 16b , 16c , 16d hold the reaction plate 14 against the beveled resilient seal 15 . in the reaction plate is an opening 7 that permits a tool to be inserted in a socket provided in the plug so that the plug can be turned into or out of the stud hole . in a typical refueling procedure , the metal studs holding the reaction head flange 13 against the reaction vessel flange 12 are removed . the stud hole plugs are threaded into the stud holes and tightened down until the resilient seal engages the inside of the stud hole , the flange surface adjacent the stud hole and the rim therebetween to thus provide a three way seal . because of this three way seal , the plug and flange can sustain substantial damage before a seal will not be effected . typically , the next step of the refueling is removal of the reactor head and flooding of the space above the reactor with borated water ( boric acid ). the seal provided by the stud hole plug prevents the corrosive liquid from entering and corroding the internal threads in the stud hole . after refueling , the borated water is pumped away and the head is replaced prior to removal of the plugs and insertion of the studs . referring to fig3 and 4 , the plug 10 is made from a polymer such as high density nylon . typically , the cylindrical plug body has undersized threads 11 to accommodate thermal expansion . at one axial end and centered thereon there is a raised portion 18 of lesser diameter . in the case of a stud hole plug having a diameter of about seven inches , the raised portion may , for example , have a diameter of about 3 . 5 inches and an axial depth of about one inch . the axial end of the raised centered portion 18 has a socket 19 therein . the socket is sized to receive a tool for applying torque to the plug for turning it into and out of the stud hole . preferably , the socket in the center portion has a butterfly configuration as shown in fig4 . this socket configuration will cooperate with the driving tool to be described with reference to fig8 and 9 . a plurality of circumferentially spaced stud holes are provided on the axial shoulder 20 between the raised portion and the cylindrical wall of the plug for receiving fasteners 16 to hold the reaction plate 14 in place . referring now to fig5 the reaction plate has a circular shape with a diameter somewhat greater than the stud holes in the reactor vessel flange and somewhat smaller than the through holes in the reactor head flange . the diameter of the reaction plate is the largest diameter of the stud hole plug and therefore , the plug can be turned into the stud holes without removing the head and thereafter the head can be removed with the plugs in place . the diameter of the reaction plate is at least about 0 . 25 inch greater than the diameter of the stud hole . the reaction plate has an opening 7 therein for permitting a torquing tool to pass through and engage the socket in the raised center portion of the plug body . the particular hole depicted has a circular center portion and two opposite radially extending portions to permit a tool with shaft 30 and two wing extensions 31 and 32 ( see fig8 and 9 ) to pass therethrough and engage the socket walls . preferably , the reaction plate is stainless steel . referring now to fig6 and 7 , the grommet 15 is shown to have an annular configuration with a central opening 22 so that it can surround the raised center portion 18 of the plug body and rest between the reaction plate 14 on the shoulder 20 surrounding the raised center portion . preferably , the grommet is comprised of a weak acid resistant material such as neoprene , polyorganosiloxane , polyisoprene resins , butadiene polymers , styrene / butadiene polymers , polysulfide dihalide resins , polychloroprene compositions , polyisobutylene compositions , and polyvinylchloride resins . the grommet is at least about one inch thick . the grommet has an exterior conical surface 23 tapering from a diameter equal to the diameter of the circular reaction plate to a diameter equal to the diameter of the edge of the shoulder of the body . the grommet , while deformable , is impervious to liquids . circumferentially spaced through holes 24a , 25b , 24c , and 24d are provided to receive the fasteners 16 securing the reaction plate to the plug body . the grommet is about 0 . 03 inches thicker than the raised portion of the plug body . thus , when the reaction plate is tightened against the raised portion , it slightly squeezes the grommet . the axial distance between the shoulder of the body and the reaction plate is fixed by the height of the raised portion of the plug and thus the grommet can only be squeezed the desired distance . referring to fig8 and 9 , a torquing tool especially for use with the reaction plug thus far described has an elongate shaft 30 with wing portions 31 and 32 at one axial end sized to pass through the opening in the reaction plate and then into the socket . the depth of the wings is such to permit the rotation of the tool after it has been inserted through the hole in the reaction plate to thus engage the sides of the socket . an annular capture plate 33 is positioned for axial movement away from the wing portions 31 and 32 . the capture plate is biased by spring 34 anchored by guide plate 35 fixed to the shaft . thus , when the tool is inserted in the socket , the capture plate engages the surface of the reaction plate of the plug and the spring is compressed . after the tool is rotated to engage the sides of the socket , the reaction plate is captured between the wings and the capture plate . this enables the tool to be used to raise and lower a stud hole plug into place . the grommet plays no structural role in the raising , lowering or torquing of the stud hole plug into place because the body of the stud hole plug is directly engaged by the tool . referring now to fig1 and 11 , there is shown an alternate embodiment of a reaction plate for a plug according to this invention . the reaction plate 14 has a handle 40 rather than an opening . no socket is provided in the raised portion of the plug body with which this reaction plate is used . the handle has extensions 41 and 42 that extend through the plate so that they can be inserted in bores provided in the raised portion of the plug body . lifting or turning the handle applies a lifting force or turning torque directly upon the plug body . referring to fig1 and 13 , there is shown a tool for manipulating the stud hole plug according to the embodiment of fig1 and 11 . the tool has an elongate shaft 45 with an end piece sized to slide between the handle 40 and the reaction plate 14 . having thus described my invention with the detail and particularity required by the patent laws what is desired to be protected by letters pat . is set forth in the following claims :	6
referring to fig1 a , 1 b and 2 , the reference numeral 10 generally designates a partially assembled dual - level load limiting seat belt retractor for a motor vehicle according to the present invention . the illustrated assembly includes a metal frame 12 that is mounted in a vehicle door pillar , a spool 14 on which the seat belt ( not shown ) is wound , and a spool support assembly 16 that couples the spool 14 to the frame 12 . the spool support assembly 16 includes a spool connector 18 , a locking base 20 , first and second torsion bars 22 and 24 , a bridge bolt 26 , and a switching mechanism 28 . the first and second torsion bars 22 and 24 are arranged coaxial with the locking base 20 . the spool 14 and outboard end 22 a of the first torsion bar 22 are rotationally fixed to the spool connector 18 . the bridge bolt 26 is internally splined , and rotationally fixes the inboard end 22 b of the first torsion bar 22 to the inboard end 24 a of the second torsion bar 24 . the outboard end 24 b of the second torsion bar 24 is rotationally fixed to the locking base 20 . the locking base 20 has an end portion 20 a that passes through a sidewall 12 a of frame 12 , and an annulus 20 b disposed within the frame 12 . the bridge bolt 26 is disposed within the annulus 20 b of locking base 20 , and is provided with exterior threads that meshingly engage complementary threads formed on the inner periphery of annulus 20 b . the switching mechanism 28 is disposed between the spool 14 and frame 12 , and ordinarily prevents lateral displacement of the bridge bolt 26 toward the end portion 20 a of locking base 20 due to relative rotation between it and the locking base 20 . a take - up spring ( not shown ) coupled to the spool connector 18 rotationally biases the spool support assembly 16 in a direction to retract the seat belt . apart from this spring bias , the components of spool support assembly 16 are free to rotate with respect to the frame 12 during normal usage . in the event of an actual or anticipated crash event , however , a locking mechanism 30 ( shown in outline in fig1 ) responsive to vehicle deceleration and / or rapid payout of the seat belt mechanically engages the locking base 20 to the frame 12 . although the locking mechanism 30 prevents further rotation of the locking base 20 , the torsion bars 22 and 24 provide a load limiting function when the force applied to the seat belt reaches a predetermined level by absorbing mechanical energy while allowing a limited amount of additional seat belt payout . the torsion bars 22 and 24 have different energy absorption characteristics due to differences in their geometry , and two different levels of load limiting are achieved depending on which torsion bar is absorbing energy . the default energy absorption level is determined by the first torsion bar 22 , which begins absorbing energy at a relatively high load level due to its relatively large size ( compared to torsion bar 24 ). a lower energy absorption level determined by the second torsion bar 24 can be selectively activated in the course of an actual or anticipated crash event to allow limited seat belt payout at a lower load level . this may be appropriate , for example , if the occupant is relatively small and / or the crash severity is relatively low . selective activation of the lower energy absorption level is achieved with the switching mechanism 28 , which includes a set of detent wedges 32 , a retainer band 34 , and a pyrotechnically deployed cutting mechanism 36 . the detent wedges 32 are received in a set of openings 38 formed in the annulus 20 b of locking base 20 between the spool 14 and retractor frame 12 . the retainer band 34 circumscribes the detent wedges 32 , and retains them within the respective openings 38 . the inboard face 32 a of each detent wedge 32 is cammed , and when the detent wedges 32 are retained in the openings 38 , their cammed faces 32 a engage a complementary cammed surface 26 b formed on the end of bridge bolt 26 . as indicated above , this prevents lateral displacement of the bridge bolt 26 toward the end portion 20 a of locking base 20 due to relative rotation between it and the locking base 20 . as explained below , activating cutting mechanism 36 severs the retaining band 34 , establishing a period of low energy absorption as the bridge bolt 26 rotates with respect to the locking base 20 and thereby moves laterally toward the end portion 20 a of locking base 20 . the cutting mechanism 36 includes a generally cylindrical housing 40 captured in a mounting flange 12 b of retractor frame 12 , a piston 42 , a squib 44 , and an electrical connector 46 . the piston 42 is disposed within an axial bore 48 of housing 40 and includes an integral chisel - point pintle 50 that extends out of bore 48 toward the retaining band 34 . electrical activation of the squib 44 charges the housing bore 48 with pressurized gas , thereby displacing piston 42 outward and causing the chisel - point 50 a of pintle 50 to strike and sever the retaining band 34 . the operation of the retractor 10 is now described with respect to fig3 a - 3c , 4 a - 4 c and 5 a - 5 c . it is assumed for purposes of the description that an actual or anticipated crash event is in progress , and the locking mechanism 30 has mechanically engaged locking base 20 to the retractor frame 12 . fig3 a , 4 a and 5 a depict an initial or default condition in which the cutting mechanism 36 is not activated , and the retaining band 34 retains the detent wedges 32 in the openings 38 of locking base 20 . in this condition , the bridge bolt 26 is rotationally fixed to the locking base 20 . the force ( load ) applied to the seat belt rises rapidly once the locking base 20 engages the frame 12 and the occupant moves forward . the corresponding torque applied to the spool 14 is transferred to the outboard end 22 a of the first torsion bar 22 through the spool connector 18 . the inboard end 22 b of the first torsion bar 22 attempts to rotate the bridge bolt 26 , but cannot since the bridge bolt 26 is rotationally fixed to the locking base 20 as mentioned above . in other words , the bridge bolt 26 reinforces the torsion bar 24 when rotationally locked , so that the second torsion bar 24 is effectively bypassed . when the load reaches a predetermined limit l 1 , the first torsion bar 22 twists to absorb energy while permitting limited additional seat belt payout as depicted in fig5 a . if the high level load limit condition is deemed to be appropriate given the occupant size and crash severity , the cutting mechanism 36 is not activated , and the load limiting continues at the level l 1 until the occupant energy is expended . if it is determined that a lower level load limit is desired , the cutting mechanism 36 is activated as depicted in fig4 b . this severs the retaining band 34 and allows the bridge bolt 26 to drive the detent wedges 32 radially outward by camming action as depicted in fig4 c . with the detent wedges 32 shifted out of the way , the bridge bolt 26 rotates within the annulus 20 b of locking base 20 and moves laterally rightward as depicted in fig3 b . the inboard ends 22 b and 24 a of the first and second torsion bars 22 and 24 rotate with the bridge bolt 26 , placing the second torsion bar 24 in series with the first torsion bar 22 . since the second torsion bar 24 has a lower energy absorption characteristic than the first torsion bar 22 , the seat belt load drops to a lower level l 2 as the seat belt continues its load - limited payout ; see fig5 b . this condition prevails until rightward lateral movement of the bridge bolt 26 is prevented due to its engagement with the end portion 20 a of locking base 20 as depicted in fig3 c . during this low - level interval of load limiting , the seat belt may payout an additional 400 mm or so , as indicated in fig5 b . when the cammed end of bridge bolt 26 engages the end portion 20 a of locking base 20 , the bridge bolt 26 is once again rotationally fixed to the locking base 20 , and the bridge bolt 26 effectively by - passes the second torsion bar 24 . at such point , the first torsion bar 22 is the only energy - absorbing element in the load path , and load limiting can only continue at the upper load limit l 1 as depicted in fig5 c . as best seen in fig1 a and 2 , the retractor 10 of the present invention achieves a dual - level load limiting functionality without significantly increasing its size . unlike prior dual - level load limiting retractors , the switching mechanism 28 is disposed within the retractor frame 12 , and the increased functionality is achieved without significantly increasing the retractor width . as a result , the packaging drawbacks associated with prior dual - level load limiting retractors are avoided . at the same time , the additional manufacturing cost required to achieve the increased functionality is relatively low , as the individual components are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble . in summary , the retractor 10 of the present invention presents a compact and low - cost alternative to other dual - level load limiting retractors . while described with respect to the illustrated embodiment , it is recognized that numerous modifications and variations in addition to those mentioned herein will occur to those skilled in the art . for example , the first and second torsion bars 22 and 24 can be formed as a single element instead of two separate elements , and so on . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but that it have the full scope permitted by the language of the following claims .	1
the ice transport system of the present invention is seen in fig1 and 3 and is generally referred to by the numeral 10 . transport system 10 includes an ice dispenser 12 having an ice retaining and dispensing bin 14 as defined by a bin liner 14 ′. ice dispenser 12 , as will be understood by those of skill , is an adapted combination ice / beverage dispenser of the type well known in the art . such dispensers typically include a cold plate underlying bin 14 for receiving ice thereon through a hole in liner 14 . a portion of the stored ice that falls through such hole cools the cold plate and hence liquid beverage components flowing there through to beverage dispensing valves . dispenser 12 is different from such ice / beverage dispensers in that it lacks such cold plate and valves , hence a beverage dispensing capacity . however , it does include the insulated ice retaining bin 14 and , as is also well known , a dispensing wheel 15 having ice lifting paddles 15 ′ around the perimeter thereof and ice stirring arms 15 ″. also , without the need for the valves and a cold plate the ice bin can be designed to provide for increased ice capacity . as is understood , rotation of wheel 15 , by a motor 16 , lifts ice to chute opening 17 so that the ice then flows down chute 18 . chute 18 is connected to a tube 20 which is , in turn , connected to a suction or ice receiving inlet 22 of a venturi 24 . as is known in the art wheel 15 can be turned at different rates by , for example , rheostatic control of motor 16 . a blower 26 includes an air filter 27 on an inlet 28 thereof and an air outlet 29 connected to a water assisted air to air heat exchanger 30 . blower 26 is , for example , of the regenerative type as manufactured by gast manufacturing corporation , benton harbor , mich ., denoted a regenair ® model and providing an air flow of 215 cubic feet per minute with a pressure of 95 inches of water . as seen by also referring to fig4 - 6 , heat exchanger 30 includes a fluted or spiraled coiled tube 32 within an insulated housing 34 thereof . tube 32 is connected to blower outlet 29 and on its opposite end to air inlet 35 of venturi 24 . tube 32 is made of aluminum and is of the type manufactured , for example , by delta - t limited , of tulsa , okla . a fan 36 provides for the blowing of air through a housing opening 34 ′ and over tube 32 to exit through a housing air outlet 34 ″. a drain 37 extending from the bottom of bin liner 14 is connected to a tube 38 . tube 38 is connected to a further heat exchange tube 40 that extends around tube 32 in close contact there with and following the spiraled grooves thereof . as seen specifically in fig6 tube 40 can also be placed within tube 32 , as indicated by the phantom lined tube marked as 40 ′. tube 32 can also be a conventional non spiraled cylindrically surfaced tube , and tubes 40 or 40 ′ can simply extend in a coaxial fashion along the length thereof against the interior or exterior surfaces respectively . in fact , interior tube 40 ′ could extend along a central axis of tube 32 and not in contact with the interior surfaces thereof . tube 32 extends in a coiled fashion within housing 34 and exits therefrom connecting with an air inlet 42 of venturi 24 . an ice transport tube 44 extends from an outlet 46 of venturi 24 to a remote ice storage location 48 . storage location 48 can be for example an ice storage bin , or an ice storage bin as part of an automatic ice dispenser or a combination beverage and ice dispenser . a further detailed view of venturi 24 is seen by referring to fig7 and 8 . as can be understood , venturi 24 consists of a common and inexpensive y - junction made of polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), as is commonly known and used in the plumbing industry . such junction is modified herein to include an air flow concentrating disk 49 . a disk 49 is received in air inlet end 35 and includes a central conical hole 49 ′ for providing an enhanced venturi effect for providing suction along to tube 20 as is indicated by the air direction flow arrows of fig7 . an ice maker 50 is preferably positioned atop dispenser 12 and provides for making ice to fill bin 14 . as is well understood in the art , ice maker 50 includes an ice forming evaporator e , a water pump p fluidly connected to a water reservoir tray t , which tray t is fluidly connected by a fluid level maintaining valve , not shown , to a potable source of water along a line l . a refrigeration system includes a condenser c and a compressor cp . in operation during an ice making mode , water from tray t continually flows over evaporator e by the operation of pump p . at the same time , evaporator e is cooled by the operation the refrigeration system . ice is therefore built up on evaporator e and harvested when of sufficient thickness . the harvested ice then falls directly into bin 14 . an ice bin level sensor 52 is located in bin 14 and connected to a control 54 . control 54 is also operatively connected to the control system of ice maker 50 that regulates the ice making and ice harvesting thereof . a bin level sensor system 56 is located in remote storage location 48 and also connected to control 54 . in operation , it will be understood by those of skill that sensor system 56 can actually consist of high and low level sensors . thus , when the low level sensor indicates low ice , control 54 can operate the transport system 10 of the present invention to deliver ice to location 48 and stop such delivery upon the high level sensor indicating the presence of ice , i . e . that location 48 is full . with respect to such ice transport , it can be understood that control 54 operates motor 16 resulting in the dispensing of ice from bin 14 down chute 18 into tube 20 . at the same time control 54 operates blower 26 and fan 36 to provide for flows of air through and over tube 32 respectively . ice falling down tube 20 will approach venturi 24 and then be sucked by the action thereof into tube 44 and propelled there along by the air flow produced by blower 26 to be delivered to remote location 48 . it will be appreciated by those of skill that a major advantage of the present invention is its ability to continuously transport ice . thus , ice will be transported to remote location 48 as long as wheel 15 is operated and there is sufficient ice in primary storage bin 14 . in that regard , ice bin level sensor 52 and control 54 provide for the operating of ice maker 50 to insure a full reserve of ice in bin 14 . heat exchanger 30 operates to cool the air produced by blower 26 . those of skill will understand that blower 26 will produce air that is heated typically above that of ambient , particularly where ambient is an air conditioned interior space . thus , heat exchanger 30 , by the operation of fan 34 , serves to cool that air before it reaches the ice so as to limit any melting thereof as it is transported . the spiraled tube provides for better heat transfer by presenting greater exterior surface area to the air flow produced by fan 36 and as the air flowing therein has a more turbulent flow , as opposed to a traditional cylindrical tube . tubes 40 or 40 ′ provide for further cooling of the transport air flow through heat exchange with the cold melt water draining from bin 14 as the ice therein melts . thus , the present invention provides for use of cooled water that would be otherwise wasted and directly drained away . those of skill will understand that in certain application where large volumes of ice are not transported and / or transported relatively short distances , such as , less than 20 feet , air exchanger 30 may not be required . in such an installation , blower 26 would simply be directly connected to the inlet 35 of venturi 24 . it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that dispenser 12 can include a beverage dispensing capacity where such is desirable at the location thereof . thus , dispenser 12 can be of the combination ice / beverage type and only slightly modified with respect to connecting the ice chute thereof to venturi 24 . as seen in the further embodiment depicted in fig2 and generally referred to by the numeral 60 , there can be a plurality of remote ice storage / dispensing locations 64 and 66 . a diverter provides for directing flow from tube 44 to either one of a plurality of ice transport tubes , such as , tubes 70 and 72 for specific delivery of the ice to remote ice retaining locations 64 and 66 , respectively . for example , a diverter 68 is used to direct ice flow selectively thereto . as seen in fig9 diverter 68 , as with venturi 24 , can be made from a y - junction as used in venturi 24 . a pivoting rod 68 a extends there through and includes a flapper valve 69 secured thereto . flapper valve 69 is moveable by a drive means , not shown , such as a solenoid or linear actuator , from a normally closed position , represented by the solid line thereof , to be held in an open position , represented by the dashed line thereof . as can be understood by reference to fig2 when diverter 68 is in the open position ice will be diverted to remote location 64 and will be blocked from entering ice location 66 . conversely , when valve 69 of diverter 68 is in the closed position ice will be delivered exclusively to remote location 66 . those of skill will understand that more than two remote locations could be serviced with the use of additional diverters 68 . in such case , only one location would be filled at a time wherein such location would be the only one to have its diverter 68 in the open position , with the remainder in the closed position . naturally , the “ end ” location would not require a diverter as ice would be delivered thereto by default wherein all the diverters simply remain in their normally closed position . control 54 would then be operatively connected to diverter 68 for regulating which tube 70 or 72 ice is directed along as determined by ice level sensing systems 78 and 80 respectively . velocity reducers 81 can be used to slow the speed of the individual ice pieces as they flow downward through the tube portions 72 and 74 . reducers 81 consist essentially of an increased diameter tube portion having an exhaust air outlet , not shown . thus , some of the air pressure moving the ice is reduced as the flow thereof enters the increased diameter section and as that air is permitted to escape there from to ambient . in one embodiment of the present invention wherein a 215 cubic feet m per minute air flow is used , tubes 44 , 70 and 72 have an inside diameter of 2 inches and reducers 81 have an inside diameter of 4 inches and a length of 2 feet . tube portions 70 and 72 will typically have a length of between 4 to 8 feet reaching from the ceiling of the particular installation to the remote storage container . the remote storage containers are typically located between 40 to 90 feet from the primary storage bin 14 . those of skill will appreciate that variation can be made as to tube lengths , diameters thereof , air flow rate and the like to achieve desired results given the demands of a particular installation . thus , for example , longer or shorter ice transport distances can be provided for and / or the transport of greater amounts of ice per unit time . the present invention can also be connected to a source of cooled air such as an existing air conditioning system 82 . thus , a duct 84 thereof can be connected to the inlet 27 of blower 26 . also , in this case , outlet 29 of blower 26 could be directly connected to venturi 24 as any heat exchange with the ambient air would be rendered redundant and probably counter productive . in operation , it can be appreciated that cooled air provided by system 82 can significantly and positively reduce the temperature of the ice moving air within the various ice transport tubes . in this manner , any melting of ice as it is transported can be greatly reduced . as is seen in co - pending application no . 60 / 124 , 058 , now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 324 , 863 and incorporated herein by reference thereto , ozone can be generated to provide for retarding or reducing the growth of microorganisms in the context of beverage dispensers and ice makers . in the present invention an ozone generator 86 can be similarly connected to ice maker 50 , as is disclosed in the above referenced &# 39 ; 058 application . thus ozone can be absorbed directly into the water through a venturi , not shown , connected to a flow of water from pump p . in addition , thereto , or as an alternate method , ozone can simply flow along a tube 88 into bin 14 . additionally , or in the alternative , a further ozone generator 86 ′ can be located adjacent to the air conditioning system 82 and provide for introduction of ozone into duct 84 . use of an ozone generator will provide for increasing the sanitary state of the ice produced by ice maker 50 . in addition , that ice will provide some bactericidal and / or bacteriostatic effect with respect to the presence thereof in the various transport tubes as well as in a remote storage location . if ozone is allowed to simply flow by gravitational force down into bin 14 , it will likewise have a beneficial sanitizing effect as it settles therein and as a fraction thereof is then sucked into and pushed through the transport tubes to and in the remote ice storage locations . introduction of ozone into duct 84 can also serve as a strategy for the reduction of the growth of microorganisms in the tube 32 and the associated transports tubes and remote storage locations . as is seen in co - pending application no . 60 / 122 , 935 now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 324 , 863 and incorporated herein by reference thereto , chlorine can also be utilized to provide for a sanitizing effect in the context of beverage and ice equipment . thus , a chlorine generator 90 can be connected to water supply line l . in this manner , a level of active chlorine can be produced that can reduce or eliminate microorganism growth in the produced ice , and at the same time results in ice that is safe to consume . use of a chlorine generator 90 separately or in conjunction with ozone generator 86 can likewise provide for beneficial reduction and / or control of the growth of microorganisms in bin 14 , as well as the associated transport tubes and remote ice storage locations . thus , the presence of active chlorine in the ice can provide for a retardation of such growth in those components as it is moved there through , melts and leaves small residues of chlorine therein . tubes 20 and 46 , or 70 , 72 or 74 , venturi 24 , liner 14 ′, as well as the liners of the remote storage locations 48 or 62 , 64 and 66 , are comprised of plastic and come into contact with the ice as it is stored and transported . these components can be made of suitable plastic materials that include therein various chemicals that are known to kill or stop the growth of a variety of microorganisms on the surfaces thereof . examples thereof are seen generally in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 906 , 825 ; 4 , 401 , 702 . a particular such compound is a wide spectrum antibiotic known as triclosan , specifically , 2 , 2 , 4 ′ trichloro 2 ′- hydroxy - diphenyl - ether . expertise in the application of triclosan in a variety of plastics is provided , for example , by microban products company , huntersville , n . c . use of triclosan or other such anti - microbial in the various plastic ice contact components of the present invention can serve as an additional way to reduce any growth of microorganisms thereon . such use can be exclusive of , or complementary with , the use of ozone and / or chlorine as described above .	5
this invention relates in large part to polymeric metal chelates and polymeric chelating agents formed using romp . polymeric chelating agents are useful for binding to ( i . e ., chelating ) one or more metal ions and thus forming metal chelates . polymeric chelating agents of this invention are useful generally in any application in which art - known chelating agents are currently employed , such as in purification methods and in analytical methods . polymeric metal chelates have a variety of uses including , among others , applications in therapy , diagnostics , clinical research , biological research , and in analytical methods . metals that can be chelated by the chelating agents of this invention to form metal chelates generally include transition metals , actinide metals and lanthanide metals , and more specifically to gd ( iii ) and dy , fe , mn , pu , u , eu , cu and zn ( in various oxidation states ). polymeric metal chelates of gd ( iii ) are particularly useful as mri contrast enhancing agents . the invention further relates to certain new monomeric chelating agents and metal chelates , including metal chelates of gd ( iii ) useful as mri contrast agents . the polymeric chelating agents and metal chelates of this invention incorporate chelating groups into the backbone of a romp - derived polymer . the structures of various romp - derived polymer backbones are illustrated in formulas 1 , 2 , 2a , 2b , 3 , 3a and 3b . integration of the chelating group into the polymer backbone means that functional groups directly bonded to the polymer backbone are part of the chelating group . the chelating group is not simply tethered to the polymer backbone via a linker . scheme 1 illustrates several examples showing how the chelating group ( without chelated metal ion ) are integrated into different romp - derived backbones . variables in scheme 1 are as defined above . each individual polymeric chelating agent and metal chelate described and / or shown herein is intended to be incorporated to the extent that it can be specifically included or excluded in a claim , if necessary . the polymeric and monomeric metal chelates and mri contrast agents of this invention are generally water - soluble . mri contrast agents which exhibit significant water solubility provide benefit because the agents are typically administered in multigram dosages to the individual subject to the mri assay and more water soluble agents require generally lower administration volumes which provide for ease of administration . the mri contrast agents of this invention generally exhibit water - solubility that is significantly greater than that of currently - employed clinical mri contrast agents . relaxivity is a measure of the ability of an agent to enhance contrast in a magnetic resonance image . relaxivities were determined as the slope of the line generated by plotting the inverse of t 1 relaxation time versus concentration . relaxivity is measured in units of mm − 1 s − 1 . for polymers which carry more than one metal ion ( i . e ., gd ( iii )), it is useful to examine relaxivity / metal ion ( i . e ., per gd ( iii ) ion ). monomer contrast agents of this invention ( as exemplified by compound 11 , see the examples ) exhibit relaxivity of the order of 10 mm − 1 s − 1 . the relaxivities of exemplary shorter ( e . g ., dp = 8 ) and longer polymeric contrast agents of this invention can be compared . for example , a shorter polymeric contrast agent ( agent 10 a , see the examples ), which on average contains 2 gd ( iii )/ polymer , exhibits relaxivity of the order of 20 mm − 1 s − 1 — relaxivity that is approximately additive with gd ( iii ) ion . in contrast , a significant increase in per gd ( iii ) ion relaxivity ( i . e . better than additive ) is observed for longer polymeric contrast agents as exemplified by agent 10 b ( see the examples ), which has dp of 30 and on average carries 7 . 5 gd ( iii ) ions . thus , longer polymeric contrast agents of this invention are generally preferred as long as they remain water - soluble . in specific embodiments , linear polymeric chelating agents herein can have dp ranging from 8 - 100 , dp ranging from 10 to 50 , dp ranging from 20 to 40 , dp ranging from 25 to 35 and dp of 30 . dp is the degree of polymerization and is the number of monomer units in the polymer . the invention also relates to block polymers comprising one or more blocks that are romp - derived polymers that in turn contain one or more hydroxypyridonate ( hopo )- based chelating moieties integrated into the polymer backbone . these chelating moieties can bind metals as noted above . in specific embodiments , the invention provides block polymeric metal chelates of transition metals , actinide metals , or lanthanide metals , and more specifically provides block polymers that chelate one or more gd ( iii ) metal ions and which are useful as mri contrast agents . more specifically the invention relates to graft block polymers which are chelating agents and metal chelates . a graft polymer is a polymer comprising a main chain polymer block and one or preferably more than one graft side chain blocks . the side chain blocks are typically different in structure ( e . g ., polymer backbone , side - chain composition , length , etc .) and / or configuration compared to the main chain polymer block . specific graft block polymers that are chelating agents and metal chelates have main chains that are romp - derived polymer blocks carrying one or more hopo - based chelating moieties integrated into the polymer backbone . the graft polymer portion can be any polymer that can be grafted to the main chain romp - derived polymer . in specific embodiments , the graft side chains are also romp - derived polymer blocks which preferably differ form the main chain block . in preferred embodiments , the graft side chain romp - derived polymers do not contain metal chelating groups . in specific embodiments , the main chain romp - derived polymer contains at least one and preferably more than one side chain which is itself a monomer for romp . in this embodiment , the graft polymer block side groups can be formed by romp from the one or more romp monomer side groups of the main chain . the romp - derived main chain polymer can contain one or more chelating groups and metal - containing chelating groups r 3 as disclosed herein . the romp - derived main chain polymer can contain one or more r 4 groups as defined herein . in specific embodiments , the main chain generated by romp can contain r 4 groups that are spacer groups , solubilizing groups , targeting groups , labeling groups or groups that increase the rotational correlation time of the polymer . the main chain polymer generated by romp can have any of the structures as defined herein for romp - derived polymeric metal chelates and chelating agents , but , in addition , carries at least one and preferably more than one side chain which is a romp monomer to allow formation of the graft polymer side chains . in specific embodiments , the main chain block carries chelating side groups and one or more than one grafted side chain romp - derived polymer blocks . in specific embodiments , the graft block polymers herein carry one or more chelating groups ( with or without chelated metal ), one or more solubilizing groups , one or more targeting groups , and / or one or more labeling groups . the graft block polymers may also contain one or more r 4 groups which serve to increase the rotational correlation time of the polymer . the graft side chain romp - derived polymer can have any of the romp - derived backbone structures as described herein and can carry any of the spacer side groups as described herein . in specific embodiments , the graft side chain romp polymer carries side groups which are hydrophilic and which promote water - solubility of the block polymer . preferably the romp - derived main chain ranges in dp from about 10 - 40 and more preferably ranges in dp from about 10 - 20 . preferably , the graft side chain romp - derived polymers range in dp from about 5 to about 50 and more preferably range in dp form 10 to 30 . in specific embodiments , the main chain block has dp of 10 - 15 and the side chain block have dp of 15 to 30 . in specific embodiments there are 2 - 4 side chain blocks . in specific embodiments , the main chain block comprises on average 10 monomers carrying chelating groups ( r 3 ) and on average 4 monomers to which side chain grafts are formed . fig1 is a schematic illustration comparing a linear polymer 5 with a graft block polymer 10 which contains a main chain 11 and several graft block side chains 12 . the arrows indicate that the graft block polymer will tumble more slowly around the indicated axis than the linear polymer . this indicates the graft block polymer will exhibit an increased rotational correlation time compared to the linear polymer . polymers carrying chelated gd ( iii ) ions which have higher rotational correlation times will exhibit enhanced potency as mri contrast agents . schemes 2 and 3 illustrate exemplary graft block polymers in which the main chain romp - derived block polymer carries chelating groups . scheme 2 illustrates grafting of romp - derived polymer side chains onto a rom - derived main chain . in this scheme , a precursor main chain romp - derived polymer is reacted to graft a plurality of graft side chain romp - derived polymers to the main chain . the precursor romp - derived polymer main chain carries x side groups carrying reactive groups that can subsequently be functionalized to hopo - based chelating groups and carries y side groups that are romp monomers for forming grafts . the graft side chains are formed by reacting a romp monomer carrying a protected side group , which , when deprotected , will be a hydrophilic , charged group that promotes water - solubility of the polymer . in the illustrated scheme , z is the average number of monomer units in the graft side chain romp - derived polymer . in specific embodiments , x + y ranges from 10 - 20 and z ranges from 5 to 30 . in specific embodiments , the ratio of x / y ranges from 0 . 5 to 5 and in specific embodiments , x / y is 2 - 3 . in specific embodiments , z is 18 - 25 and in other embodiments z is 20 . scheme 3 illustrates the synthesis of a romp - derived polymer that is used as the main chain polymer in the graft block polymer . it will be appreciated that the romp - derived main chain block can be prepared having any of the polymer backbone structures illustrated herein and having any of the r 1 or r 2 groups or having any of the r 3 and / or r 4 groups as illustrated herein . it will be further appreciated that that the graft side chain romp - derived polymers can be prepared having any of the polymer backbone structures illustrated herein and to carry any side chain groups that are illustrated herein . it will be appreciated that the graft block polymer can be derivatized as illustrated in scheme 1 in view of examples provided herein with any of the hopo - based chelating groups illustrated herein . in specific embodiments , polymeric mri contrast agents of this invention carry on average 3 or more gd ( iii ) ions . in other embodiments , they carry on average 5 or more gd ( iii ) ions . in yet other embodiments , they carry on average 7 or more gd ( iii ) ions . in additional embodiments , they carry on average 10 or more gd ( iii ) ions . in specific embodiments , polymeric mri contrast agents of this invention exhibit relaxivity of about 10 mm − 1 s − 1 per gd ( iii ) ion . in specific embodiments , polymeric mri contrast agents of this invention exhibit relaxivity of greater than 10 mm − 1 s − 1 per gd ( iii ) ion . in specific embodiments , polymeric mri contrast agents of this invention exhibit relaxivity of greater than 12 mm − 1 s − 1 per gd ( iii ) ion . in specific embodiments , polymeric mri contrast agents of this invention exhibit relaxivity of greater than 14 mm − 1 s − 1 per gd ( iii ) ion . in specific embodiments , metal chelating polymeric compounds of the invention have one or more r3 groups . in specific embodiments , polymers having multiple chelating groups and one or more cell targeting or cytotoxic compounds are presented . specific embodiments of the invention are trimers or tetramers of only r3 are used as contrast agents for mri with improved signal over conventionally used chelate contrast agents . the ratio of chelating side group to spacer group is varied by adjusting the stoichiometry of conjugation of those groups with the polymer backbone . in the specific examples , 0 . 25 equivalents per monomer of the chelating side group are employed with 0 . 75 equivalents of the spacer group to give a ratio of spacer to chelating groups of 3 : 1 . the stoichiometry can be varied , as is known in the art , to obtain desired relative amounts of different polymer side chains . it is preferred for mri contrast agents to have a polymer that has the highest number of chelating groups per polymer that bind gd ( iii ), while minimizing interference between the chelating groups and preserving polymer solubility in water . exemplary polymers , in which all of the monomers carry chelating side groups and no spacers , exhibited very low relaxivity values , the observed low relaxivity is believed to be the result of chelating groups blocking water access to adjacent metal chelates . chelating agents of this invention can form high stability complexes with gd ( iii ) compatible with safe administration to individuals subjected to imaging assays . the term “ reactive functional group ” is used broadly herein to refer to a functional group which can react to form a bond to a chemical compound of interest , to a particle or the surface of a solid . reactive functional groups are used herein to form a bond between a metal chelating agent of this invention , e . g ., an mri contrast agent of this invention with a chemical compound of interest or a particle or solid surface such that the agent is attached or bonded to the chemical compound , particle or solid . the bond that is formed is typically a covalent bond , but need not be a covalent bond . a variety of reactive functional groups are known in the art that can be employed for this function . the reactive functional group is chosen based on the structure and chemical reactivity of the agent and the species ( compound , particle or surface ) to which it is intended to form a bond . compounds of interest include targeting groups ( see below ), macromolecules ( polysaccharides , proteins , peptides , nucleic acids , and small molecules ). particles and solids of interest include nanoparticles , beads and substrates made of resin , glass , plastics and similar materials , and labeling groups ( see below ). in specific examples , reactive groups are activated ester groups , which is a generic term used in the art to refer to ester groups that are activated to be more reactive , for example , by the presence of a good leaving group . in specific embodiments n - hydroxysuccinimide esters can be employed as reactive groups . the linking group that is formed between a chelating agent of this invention and a compound of interest , a particle or a solid can be selectively cleavable . the linking group can be selected such that it can be selectively cleaved by exposure to a reactive species or medium . for example , the bond can be cleavable by a change in ph , exposure to a reactive chemical or biological species ( i . e ., a reagent or enzyme ) or exposure to light of a selected wavelength . the term “ targeting group ” is used herein to refer to a chemical moiety that can be attached to a chelating or contrast agent of this invention and which exhibits an affinity for binding to , adsorption on , being absorbed by , or entering into a macromolecule ( particularly a biologically functional macromolecule ), or a target cell or tissue , such as a cancerous cell or tumor tissue , or a biological fluid , such as blood . a targeting group can be a small molecule , such as a peptide , nucleic acid , receptor ligand , sugar , antigen , or other small molecule exhibiting a binding affinity for a cell surface , receptor or for a macromolecule . a targeting group can be a peptide . the targeting group can also be a macromolecule , including without limit saccharides , polysaccharides , lectins , receptors , ligands for receptors , proteins , antibodies , poly ( ethers ), dendrimers , poly ( amino acids ) and nucleic acids . in specific embodiments , the targeting group can bind a component of blood , particularly a protein component of blood , such as serum albumin . a contrast agent comprising a targeting group that binds a blood component can enhance its blood pool residence time and rotational correlation time . in specific embodiments , targeting groups are linear and cyclic peptides , which may be naturally - occurring or synthetic peptides , such as peptides containing the arginine - glycine - aspartate ( rgd ) sequence motif . specific examples of rgd peptides include among others the cyclic peptide rgdfk ( targeting agent 1 ) and gggggrgdy ( targeting agent 2 ). as illustrated below , exemplary peptide targeting agents useful in this invention will contain a peptide sequence for targeting , such as the rgd sequence for targeting to integrins , as well as a functional group , such as an amine , that can be conjugated to the polymer backbone via a reactive group which reacts with amines . the targeting group , may itself contain a spacer group ( e . g ., for a peptide targeting group a glycine linker ) and may further contain a label that facilitates detection of the presence of the targeting group , such as a group that aids in 1 h - nmr characterization . any targeting group that contains a hydrazine or acylhydrazide ( or is derivatized to contain a hydrazine or acylhydrazide ), can be readily reacted with the ketone of r 2 to link the targeting groups to the metal chelate or chelating agent through the formation of a hydrazone or hydrazide linkage , respectively . additionally , amine derivates of targeting groups can be attached at r 2 , r s or r 5 as defined in the summary of the invention above , through an amide linker . various derivatives of targeting peptides can be attached to the polymers herein through various linkers , including among others , urea , thiourea , and squarate . in specific embodiments , amine - containing targeting groups ( and guanidinium - substituted amines ) can be reacted with the n - hydroxysuccinimide esters to connect them to the backbone . it will be appreciated in the art that a variety of linkers can be employed to couple or conjugate derivatized targeting groups to the polymers of this invention . the term “ labeling group ” is used herein to refer to any chemical species , particle or solid which exhibits or can be stimulated to exhibit a detectable signal . the label may be a radioactive label , a fluorescent label , a small molecule label ( e . g ., biotin ), a reactive label ( e . g ., a species whose reaction with a reagent or substrate can be detected , for example an enzyme ). in specific embodiments , the labeling group is a fluorophore . exemplary fluorophores are those that contain a hydrazine group which can be readily reacted with the chelating and mri contract agents of this invention . in specific embodiments , the labeling group is a radioactive label . any labeling groups , particularly a fluorophore , that contains a hydrazine or acylhydrazide can be readily reacted with the ketone at r 2 to link the labeling group ( e . g ., fluorophore ) to the metal chelator or chelating agents through the formation of a hydrazone or hydrazide linkage , respectively . additionally , amine derivatives of labeling groups can be attached at r 2 , r s or r 5 as defined in the summary of the invention above , through an amide linker . other linkers can be employed as well with derivatized labeling groups including among others , urea , thiourea , and squarate . in specific embodiments , amine - containing labeling groups ( and guanidinium - substituted amines ) can be reacted with the n - hydroxysuccinimide esters to connect them to the backbone . it will be appreciated in the art that a variety of linkers can be employed to couple or conjugate a labeling group to the polymers of this invention . in a specific embodiment , the attachment of one or more fluorescent labels to a mri contrast agent of this invention would enable both fluorescent microscopy and mr imaging — which can be useful , for example , in biological research applications , in developmental biology , or verification of mr images with histology . the attachment of one or more radioactive labels to a mri contrast agent of this invention would be useful for dual imaging with pet ( positron emission tomography ) or spect ( single photon emission computed tomography ). radioactive labels for pet include carbon - 11 , oxygen - 15 , fluorine - 18 , and bromine - 75 ; while radioactive labels for spect include chelates of xenon - 133 , technetium - 99 , or iodine - 123 . the radiolabels can , for example , be conjugated at r 2 through a hydrazone or acylhydrazide linker , similar to that mentioned for above . additionally , amine derivates of either fluorescent or radiolabels could be attached at r 2 , r s or r 5 through an amide linker . in specific embodiments , the chelating agents , metal chelates , and mri contrast agents of this invention can be bonded or attached to particles or solid surfaces . the attachment to particles , solids or surfaces can be formed through a selectively cleavable linker such that the agent can be selectively separated from the particle , solid or surface . in specific embodiments , the particles are nanoparticles ( see , for example , the description in brigger et al . nanoparticles in cancer therapy and diagnosis , advanced drug delivery reviews 54 ( 2002 ) 631 - 651 ) which are useful in cancer therapy and diagnosis . the mri contrast agents of this invention can be attached to nanoparticles loaded with anticancer drugs / targeted to cancer cells to provide combination diagnostic / therapeutic agents . chemical reactions similar to those discussed above for attachment of labeling groups and targeting groups can be employed to link chelating agents and metal chelates of this invention to particles , such as nanoparticles , and to solids . the polymeric and monomeric chelating agents and metal chelates of this invention can be prepared by methods described herein in the examples and or by routine adaptation of these methods by varying the type and relative amounts of starting monomers , by varying reagents and other reactants as is known in the art and by employing additional methods that are known in the art . in exemplary embodiments , polymers of this invention can be prepared as illustrated in the specific examples herein in which a precursor romp - derived polymer comprising monomers carrying reactive groups ( e . g ., activated esters ) is reacted with a mixture of components that are to be attached to the polymer . scheme 2 illustrates , for example , synthesis of polymeric metal chelates in which a portion of the monomers of the polymer carry chelating groups and a portion carry spacer / solubilizing groups . the various polymeric chelating agents and metal chelates of this invention can be prepared by methods analogous to those illustrated in the examples . the methods illustrated in the examples and scheme 3 can also be employed to prepare main chain romp - derived polymers of the graft block polymers of this invention . graft block polymers of this invention can be synthesized for example employing methods as illustrated in scheme 2 . in general the terms and phrases used herein have their broadest art - recognized meaning , which can be found by reference to standard texts , journal references and contexts known to those skilled in the art . any definitions provided are provided to clarify the specific use of these terms and phrases in the context of the invention . the term “ alkyl ” refers to a monoradical of a branched or unbranched ( straight - chain or linear ) saturated hydrocarbon and to cycloalkyl groups having one or more rings . unless otherwise indicated preferred alkyl groups have 1 to 30 carbon atoms and more preferred are those that contain 1 - 22 carbon atoms . short alkyl groups are those having 1 to 6 carbon atoms including methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl and hexyl groups , including all isomers thereof . long alkyl groups are those having 8 - 30 carbon atoms and preferably those having 12 - 22 carbon atoms as well as those having 12 - 20 and those having 16 - 18 carbon atoms . the term “ cycloalkyl ” refers to cyclic alkyl groups having preferably 3 to 30 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring or multiple condensed rings . cycloalkyl groups include , by way of example , single ring structures such as cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclooctyl , and the like , or multiple ring structures such as adamantanyl , and the like . the term “ alkenyl ” refers to a monoradical of a branched or unbranched unsaturated hydrocarbon group and to cycloalkenyl groups having one or more rings wherein at least one ring contains a double bond . unless otherwise indicated preferred alkyl groups have 1 to 30 carbon atoms and more preferred are those that contain 1 - 22 carbon atoms . alkenyl groups may contain one or more double bonds ( c ═ c ) which may be conjugated or unconjugated . preferred alkenyl groups are those having 1 or 2 double bonds and include omega - alkenyl groups . short alkenyl groups are those having 2 to 6 carbon atoms including ethylene ( vinyl ), propylene , butylene , pentylene and hexylene groups , including all isomers thereof . long alkenyl groups are those having 8 - 30 carbon atoms and preferably those having 12 - 22 carbon atoms as well as those having 12 - 20 carbon atoms and those having 16 - 18 carbon atoms . the term “ cycloalkenyl ” refers to cyclic alkenyl groups of from 3 to 30 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring or multiple condensed rings in which at least one ring contains a double bond ( c ═ c ). cycloalkenyl groups include , by way of example , single ring structures such as cyclopropenyl , cyclobutenyl , cyclopentenyl , cyclooctenyl , cylcooctadienyl and cyclooctatrienyl . the term “ alkynyl ” refers to a monoradical of an unsaturated hydrocarbon having one or more triple bonds ( c ≡ c ). unless otherwise indicated preferred alkyl groups have 1 to 30 carbon atoms and more preferred are those that contain 1 - 22 carbon atoms . alkynyl groups include ethynyl , propargyl , and the like . short alkynyl groups are those having 2 to 6 carbon atoms , including all isomers thereof . long alkynyl groups are those having 8 - 22 carbon atoms and preferably those having 12 - 22 carbon atoms as well as those having 12 - 20 carbon atoms and those having 16 - 18 carbon atoms . alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl and aryl groups may be substituted or unsubstituted . alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl and aryl groups may be optionally substituted as described herein and may contain non - hydrogen substituents dependent upon the number of carbon atoms in the group and the degree of unsaturation of the group . unless otherwise indicated substituted alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl and aryl groups preferably contain 1 - 10 , and more preferably 1 - 6 , and more preferably 1 , 2 or 3 non - hydrogen substituents . preferred non - hydrogen substituents unless otherwise stated are halides , hydroxides , alkyl , and aryl groups ( e . g ., benzyl or phenyl groups ). the term alkoxy ( or alkoxide ) refers to a — o - alkyl group , where alkyl groups are as defined above . the term alkeneoxy ( alkenoxide ) refers to a — o - alkenyl group where alkenyl groups are as defined above and wherein a double bond is preferably not positioned at the carbon bonded to the oxygen . the term alkyneoxy ( alkynoxide ) refers to a — o - alkynyl group where alkynyl groups are as defined above and wherein a triple bond is not positioned at the carbon bonded to the oxygen . the term “ aryl ” refers to a group containing an unsaturated aromatic carbocyclic group of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms having a single ring ( e . g ., phenyl ), one or more rings ( e . g ., biphenyl ) or multiple condensed ( fused ) rings , wherein at least one ring is aromatic ( e . g ., naphthyl , dihydrophenanthrenyl , fluorenyl , or anthryl ). aryls include phenyl , naphthyl and the like . aryl groups may contain portions that are alkyl , alkenyl or alkynyl in addition to the unsaturated aromatic ring ( s ). the term “ alkaryl ” refers to the aryl groups containing alkyl portions , i . e ., - alkylene - aryl and - substituted alkylene - aryl ). such alkaryl groups are exemplified by benzyl , phenethyl and the like . the term “ thioalkoxyl ” refers to an alkyl group attached to the remainder of the molecule via a sulfur atom (— s - alkyl ). the term “ thioether ” refers to an ether group attached to the remainder of the molecule via a sulfur atom . the term “ ester ” refers to chemical entities containing a — coo — moiety , as understood in the art , and in particular can include groups of the form rco — o — or — co — or where r is optionally substituted alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl or aryl . the term “ activated ester ” is understood in the art to refer to an ester group activated for reaction , for example , by the presence of a good leaving group . the term “ ether group ” also “ alkoxyalkyl ” refers to an alkyl group in which one or more — ch 2 — groups are replaced with — o —. unless otherwise specified preferred alkoxyalkyl groups have from 3 to 30 carbon atoms and more preferably have 6 to 22 carbon atoms . ether groups include groups of the formula : —[( ch 2 ) a — o —] b — ch 3 where a is 1 - 10 and b is 1 - 6 . more specifically , a can be 2 , 3 or 4 and b can be 1 , 2 or 3 . alkoxyalkyl groups can be branched by substitution of one or more carbons of the group with alkyl groups . the term “ thioether ” refers to refers to an alkyl group in which one or more — ch 2 — groups are replaced with — s —. unless otherwise specified preferred thioether groups have from 3 to 30 carbon atoms and more preferably have 6 to 22 carbon atoms . thioether groups include groups of the formula : —[( ch 2 ) a — s —] b — ch 3 where a is 1 - 10 and b is 1 - 6 . more specifically , a can be 2 , 3 or 4 and b can be 1 , 2 or 3 . thioether groups can be branched by substitution of one or more carbons of the group with alkyl groups . the term “ alkylene ” refers to a diradical of a branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon chain , which unless otherwise indicated can have 1 to 10 carbon atoms , or 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or 2 - 4 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as methylene (— ch 2 —), ethylene (— ch 2 ch 2 —), more generally —( ch 2 ) n —, where n is 1 - 10 or more preferably 1 - 6 or n is 2 , 3 or 4 . alkylene groups may be branched , e . g ., by substitution with alkyl group substituents . alkylene groups may be optionally substituted as described herein . alkylene groups may have up to two non - hydrogen substituents per carbon atoms . preferred substituted alkylene groups have 1 , 2 , 3 or 4 non - hydrogen substituents . hydroxy - substituted alkylene groups are those substituted with one or more oh groups . the term “ alkoxyalkylene ” refers to a diradical of a branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon chain in which one or more — ch 2 — groups are replaced with — o —, which unless otherwise indicated can have 1 to 10 carbon atoms , or 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or 2 - 4 carbon atoms . this term is exemplified by groups such as — ch 2 och 2 —, — ch 2 ch 2 och 2 ch 2 —, — ch 2 ch 2 och 2 ch 2 och 2 ch 2 — and more generally —[( cr ″ 2 ) a — o —] b —( cr ″ 2 ) c , where r ″ is hydrogen or alkyl , a is 1 - 10 , b is 1 - 6 and c is 1 - 10 or more preferably a and c are 1 - 4 and b is 1 - 3 . alkoxyalkylene groups may be branched , e . g ., by substitution with alkyl group substituents . the term “ amino ” or “ amine group ” refers to the group — nh 2 or to the group — nrr where each r is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , cycloalkenyl , substituted cycloalkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclic provided that both r &# 39 ; s are not hydrogen . specific amine groups are those in which each r can be hydrogen or an optionally substituted alkyl group , including hydroxide - substituted amines . the term “ amide ” refers to a group containing the — co — nr — moiety where r is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl , cycloalkyl , substituted cycloalkyl , alkenyl , substituted alkenyl , cycloalkenyl , substituted cycloalkenyl , alkynyl , substituted alkynyl , aryl , heteroaryl and heterocyclic . specific amide groups are optionally substituted alkyl amides , including hydroxide - substituted amides . the term “ heterocycle ” or “ heterocyclic ” refers to a monoradical saturated or unsaturated group having a single ring or multiple condensed rings , from 2 - 22 carbon atoms and from 1 to 6 hetero atoms , preferably 1 to 4 heteroatoms , selected from nitrogen , sulfur , phosphorus , and / or oxygen within at least one ring . heterocyclic groups may be substituted . haloalkyl refers to alkyl as defined herein substituted by one or more halides ( e . g ., f —, cl —, i —, br —) as defined herein , which may be the same or different . a haloalkyl group may , for example , contain 1 - 10 halide substituents . representative haloalkyl groups include , by way of example , trifluoromethyl , 3 - fluorododecyl , 12 , 12 , 12 - trifluorododecyl , 2 - bromooctyl , 3 - bromo - 6 - chloroheptyl , and the like . haloalkyl groups include fluoroalkyl groups . in the definitions herein optional substitution includes substitution with one or more halogens , nitro groups ; cyano groups ; isocyano groups ; thiocyano groups (— s — c ≡ n ); isothiocyano groups (— n ═ c ═ s ); azide groups ; — so 2 groups ; — oso 3 h groups ; straight - chain , branched or cyclic alkyl , alkenyl or alkynyl groups ; halogenated alkyl groups ; hydroxyl groups ; alkoxy groups ; carboxylic acid and carboxylic ester groups ; amine groups ; carbamate groups , thiol groups , thioether and thioester groups ; sulfoxide groups , sulfone groups ; sulfide groups ; sulfate and sulfate ester groups ; sulfonate and sulfonate ester groups ; sulfonamide groups , sulfonate ester groups ; phosphine groups ; phosphate and phosphate ester groups ; phosphonate and phosphonate ester groups ; various silyl groups , including alkyl - substituted silyl groups . some particular ring substituents include : — br , — oh , — so 3 , isothiocyano , thiocyano , carboxylic acid and carboxylic acid derivatives , — nh 2 , amines and — no 2 and any salts thereof . compounds of the present invention , and salts or esters thereof , may exist in their tautomeric form , in which hydrogen atoms are transposed to other parts of the molecules and the chemical bonds between the atoms of the molecules are consequently rearranged . it should be understood that all tautomeric forms , insofar as they may exist , are included within the invention . additionally , the compounds may have trans and cis isomers and may contain one or more chiral centers , therefore existing in enantiomeric and diastereomeric forms . the invention can encompass all such isomers , individual enantiomers , as well as mixtures of cis and trans isomers , mixtures of diastereomers ; non - racemic and racemic mixtures of enantiomers ( optical isomers ); and the foregoing mixtures enriched for one or more forms ; except as stated otherwise herein . when no specific mention is made of the configuration ( cis , trans or r or s ) of a compound ( or of an asymmetric carbon ), then any one of the isomers or a mixture of more than one isomer is intended . the processes for preparation can use racemates , enantiomers , or diastereomers as starting materials . when enantiomeric or diastereomeric products are prepared , they can be separated by conventional methods , for example , by chromatographic or fractional crystallization . the inventive compounds may be in the free or hydrate form . as to any of the above groups which contain one or more substituents , it is understood , that such groups do not contain any substitution or substitution patterns which are sterically impractical and / or synthetically non - feasible . in addition , the compounds of this invention include all stereochemical isomers arising from the substitution of these compounds . the compounds of this invention may contain one or more chiral centers . accordingly , this invention is intended to include racemic mixtures , diasteromers , enantiomers and mixture enriched in one or more stereoisomer . the scope of the invention as described and claimed encompasses the racemic forms of the compounds as well as the individual enantiomers and non - racemic mixtures thereof . when a group of substituents is disclosed herein , it is understood that all individual members of that group and all subgroups , including any isomers , enantiomers , and diastereomers of the group members , are disclosed separately . when a markush group or other grouping is used herein , all individual members of the group and all combinations and subcombinations possible of the group are intended to be individually included in the disclosure . a number of specific groups of variable definitions have been described herein . it is intended that all combinations and subcombinations of the specific groups of variable definitions are individually included in this disclosure . specific names of compounds are intended to be exemplary , as it is known that one of ordinary skill in the art can name the same compounds differently . when a compound is described herein such that a particular isomer , enantiomer or diastereomer of the compound is not specified , for example , in a formula or in a chemical name , that description is intended to include each isomers and enantiomer of the compound described individually or in any combination . additionally , unless otherwise specified , all isotopic variants of compounds disclosed herein are intended to be encompassed by the disclosure . for example , it will be understood that any one or more hydrogens in a molecule disclosed can be replaced with deuterium or tritium . isotopic variants of a molecule are generally useful as standards in assays for the molecule and in chemical and biological research related to the molecule or its use . isotopic variants may also be useful in diagnostic assays and in therapeutics . methods for making such isotopic variants are known in the art . specific names of compounds are intended to be exemplary , as it is known that one of ordinary skill in the art can name the same compounds differently . many of the molecules disclosed herein contain one or more ionizable groups [ groups from which a proton can be removed ( e . g ., — cooh ) or added ( e . g ., amines ) or which can be quaternized ( e . g ., amines )]. all possible ionic forms of such molecules and salts thereof are intended to be included individually in the disclosure herein . with regard to salts of the compounds herein , one of ordinary skill in the art can select from among a wide variety of available counterions those that are appropriate for preparation of salts of this invention for a given application . in specific applications , the selection of a given anion or cation for preparation of a salt may result in increased or decreased solubility of that salt . every formulation or combination of components described or exemplified herein can be used to practice the invention , unless otherwise stated . whenever a range is given in the specification , for example , a temperature range , a time range , or a composition or concentration range , all intermediate ranges and subranges , as well as all individual values included in the ranges given are intended to be included in the disclosure . it will be understood that any subranges or individual values in a range or subrange that are included in the description herein can be excluded from the claims herein . all patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety to indicate the state of the art as of their publication or filing date and it is intended that this information can be employed herein , if needed , to exclude specific embodiments that are in the prior art . for example , when composition of matter are claimed , it should be understood that compounds known and available in the art prior to applicant &# 39 ; s invention , including compounds for which an enabling disclosure is provided in the references cited herein , are not intended to be included in the composition of matter claims herein . as used herein , “ comprising ” is synonymous with “ including ,” “ containing ,” or “ characterized by ,” and is inclusive or open - ended and does not exclude additional , unrecited elements or method steps . as used herein , “ consisting of ” excludes any element , step , or ingredient not specified in the claim element . as used herein , “ consisting essentially of ” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim . in each instance herein any of the terms “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ” and “ consisting of ” may be replaced with either of the other two terms . the invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements , limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that starting materials , biological materials , reagents , synthetic methods , purification methods , analytical methods , assay methods , and biological methods other than those specifically exemplified can be employed in the practice of the invention without resort to undue experimentation . all art - known functional equivalents , of any such materials and methods are intended to be included in this invention . the terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . thus , it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features , modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art , and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims . all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the extent that there is no inconsistency with the disclosure of this specification . some references provided herein are incorporated by reference to provide details concerning additional assay methods , sources of starting materials and biological materials , additional starting materials , additional reagents , additional methods of synthesis , additional methods of analysis , additional biological materials and additional uses of the invention . commercial chemicals were of reagent grade or better and used without further purification unless otherwise noted . dichloromethane and diisopropylethylamine were distilled from calcium hydride ; tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) was distilled from sodium / benzophenone , and methanol was distilled from magnesium . flash chromatography was performed using silica gel 60 , 230 - 450 mesh ( sorbent technologies ). analytical thin - layer chromatography ( tlc ) was carried out on em science tlc plates precoated with silica gel 60 f 254 ( 250 - μm layer thickness ). tlc visualization was accomplished using a uv lamp and / or charring with potassium permanganate stain ( 3 g kmno 4 , 20 g k 2 co 3 , 5 ml 5 % ( w / v ) aqueous naoh , 300 ml h 2 o ). milliq water and pd - 10 columns ( amersham biosciences ) were used for polymer purification . 1 h nmr spectra were obtained using a bruker ac - 300 ( 300 mhz ) or varian unity - 500 ( 500 mhz ) spectrometer , and 13 c nmr spectra were obtained using a bruker ac - 300 ( 75 mhz ) spectrometer . chemical shifts are reported relative to residual solvent signals ( cdcl 3 : 1 h : δ 7 . 27 , 13 c : δ 77 . 23 ; cd 3 od : 1 h : δ 3 . 31 , 13 c : δ 49 . 15 ; dmso - d 6 : 1 h : δ 2 . 50 , 13 c : δ 39 . 51 ; d 2 o : 1 h : δ 4 . 79 , 13 c : δ 39 . 51 — internal dmso - d 6 standard ). 1 h nmr data are assumed to be first order with apparent doublets and triplets reported as d and t , respectively . multiplets are reported as m , and resonances that appear broad are designated as bs . high - resolution electrospray ionization mass spectra ( hresi - ms ) were obtained on a micromass lct . liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry ( lc - ms ) analysis was performed on a shimadzu lc - ms containing a c18 column ( supelco discovery , 2 . 1 × 150 mm ) equilibrated with 0 . 4 % ( v / v ) formic acid . polydispersity index ( pdi ) values were obtained using a beckman coulter high - performance liquid chromatography system , two polymer laboratories plgel 5 μm mixed - d 300 × 7 . 5 mm columns in series , polymer laboratories easical polystyrene standards ( ps - 1 ), and cirrus gpc offline gpc / sec software version 1 . 2 . elemental analyses and gd solution concentration determinations were performed at desert analytics laboratory , tucson , ariz . the longitudinal water proton relaxation rate at 60 mhz was measured by using a bruker mq60 nmr analyzer ( bruker canada , milton , ont . canada ) operating at 1 . 5 t , by means of the standard inversion - recovery technique ( 20 data points , 8 scans each ). a typical 90 °- pulse length was 6 . 16 μs , and the reproducibility of the t 1 data was ± 0 . 3 %. temperature was maintained at 22 ° c . with a haake g cooling circulator . 3 - hydroxy - 6 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 1 , 2 - dihydropyridine - 4 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 4 ) ( doble , d . m . j . ; melchoir , m . ; o &# 39 ; sullivan , b . ; siering , c . ; xu , j . ; pierre , v . c . ; raymond , k . n . inorg . chem . 2003 , 42 , 4930 - 4937 ), 10 - methoxydec - 9 - en - 2 - one ( pontrello , j . k . ; allen , m . j . ; underbakke , e . s . ; kiessling , l . l . j . am . chem . soc . 2005 , 127 , 14536 - 14537 ), and ( h 2 imes )( 3 - br - py ) 2 ( cl ) 2 ru ═ chph ( love , j . a . ; morgan , j . p . trnka , t . m . ; grubbs , r . h . angew . chem ., int . ed . 2002 , 41 , 4035 - 4037 ) were synthesized following the previously described procedures . modifications to a previously described procedure were used ( holmes , t . j . ; vennerstrom , v . j . j . ; choi , k . e . j . org . chem . 1984 , 49 , 4736 - 4738 ). a suspension of 2 , 5 - dihydroxybenzoic acid ( 40 . 0 g , 0 . 263 mol ) and ammonium cerium ( iv ) sulfate ( 315 g , 0 . 528 mol ) in carbon tetrachloride ( 3 l ) was mechanically stirred rapidly in the dark for 45 min . the suspension was filtered , and freshly cracked cyclopentadiene ( 50 ml , 0 . 61 mmol ) was added to the filtrate , and the mixture was allowed to stir . the solution color immediately changed from dark to light yellow . after 10 min , the solvent was removed under reduced pressure . the resulting orange solid was washed with hexanes , dissolved in dichloromethane , and concentrated three times to yield 2 . 79 g ( 4 . 5 %) of 13 as an orange solid . formation of 13 only occurred with new bottles of carbon tetrachloride ; distilled carbon tetrachloride did not yield the desired product . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 1 . 55 - 1 . 69 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 3 . 32 - 3 . 36 ( m , 1h , ( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 3 . 53 - 3 . 57 ( m , 1h , ( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 3 . 63 - 3 . 68 ( m , 2h , ( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 6 . 10 - 6 . 17 ( m , 2h , hc ═ ch , 14 . 19 ( bs , 1h , oh ), 15 . 12 ( bs , 1h , c ( o ) oh ; 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 47 . 0 (( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 47 . 6 (( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 49 . 5 ( ch 2 ), 49 . 6 (( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 50 . 1 (( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 107 . 3 (( c ( o )) 2 — c ═ c ), 135 . 5 ( hc ═ ch ), 135 . 9 ( hc ═ ch ), 173 . 4 , 175 . 5 , 193 . 2 , 199 . 2 ; esi - ms calcd for c 12 h 10 o 5 [ m − h ] − : 233 . 0450 . found 233 . 0457 . to a cooled ( 0 ° c . ), stirred mixture of aqueous 50 % koh ( 100 ml ) and diethyl ether ( 200 ml ) was added nitrosomethyl urea ( 17 . 6 g , 171 mmol ). when the ether layer turned yellow , it was decanted into an erlenmeyer flask containing koh pellets at 0 ° c . the ether layer was then decanted into an ether solution ( 200 ml ) of 13 ( 2 . 00 g , 8 . 54 mmol ) at 0 ° c . after 30 min , the reaction mixture was warmed to ambient temperature and stirred for 1 h . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( dichloromethane ) to yield 1 . 89 g ( 85 %) of 3 as a sticky yellow solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 1 . 41 - 1 . 57 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 3 . 21 - 3 . 31 ( m , 2h , ( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 3 . 51 - 3 . 54 ( m , 2h , ( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h , co — ch 3 ), 3 . 96 ( s , 3h , c ( o ) o — ch 3 ), 6 . 07 - 6 . 18 ( m , 2h , hc ═ ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 48 . 8 (( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 49 . 0 (( ch ) 2 — ch — ch 2 ), 49 . 0 ( ch 2 ), 49 . 2 (( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 49 . 4 (( ch ) 2 — ch — c ( o )), 52 . 9 ( co — ch 3 ), 59 . 8 ( c ( o ) o — ch 3 ), 135 . 0 ( hc ═ ch ), 136 . 1 ( hc ═ ch ), 158 . 9 , 164 . 7 , 194 . 8 , 195 . 4 ; esi - ms calcd for c 14 h 14 o 5 [ m + h ] + : 263 . 0919 . found 263 . 0929 . to a refluxing solution of 2 ( 2 . 50 g , 9 . 53 mmol ) in acetone ( 60 ml ) was added dimethyl sulfate ( 9 . 0 ml , 95 mmol ). a 10 % methanolic koh solution was added dropwise until the color of the solution stopped changing from purple to tan . the reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 1 h , at which point a 2 n hcl solution was added until the mixture turned clear . the reaction mixture was extracted four times with dichloromethane , dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( 1 : 4 ethyl acetate / hexanes ) to yield 1 . 86 g ( 67 %) of 14 as a yellow oil . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 2 . 15 - 2 . 23 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 85 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 90 ( s , 3h , co 2 — ch 3 ), 4 . 16 - 4 . 18 ( m , 2h , ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 6 . 76 - 6 . 82 ( m , 2h , hc ═ ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 47 . 6 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 48 . 0 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 52 . 5 ( co 2 — ch 3 ), 61 . 6 ( o — ch 3 ), 61 . 9 ( o — ch 3 ), 62 . 2 ( o — ch 3 ), 68 . 5 ( ch 2 ), 119 . 2 , 137 . 2 , 142 . 5 ( hc ═ ch ), 142 . 8 ( hc ═ ch ), 144 . 0 , 146 . 6 , 146 . 8 , 147 . 9 , 167 . 0 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 67 ( 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexanes ); esi - ms calcd for c 16 h 18 o 5 [ m + na ] + : 313 . 1052 . found 313 . 1037 . to a solution of 14 ( 0 . 591 g , 2 . 05 mmol ) in methanol ( 50 ml ) was added a 4 n naoh solution ( 50 ml ), and the resulting reaction mixture was heated at reflux for 5 h . methanol was removed under reduced pressure and a 3 n hcl solution was added to achieve ph 1 . the reaction mixture was extracted three times with ethyl acetate , dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield 0 . 567 g of 15 as a brown oil in nearly quantitative yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 2 . 18 - 2 . 27 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 89 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 92 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 4 . 19 - 4 . 22 ( m , 2h , ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 6 . 78 - 6 . 86 ( m , 2h , hc ═ ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 47 . 6 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 47 . 9 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 61 . 6 ( ch 3 ), 62 . 1 ( ch 3 ), 62 . 5 ( ch 3 ), 68 . 5 ( ch 2 ), 117 . 9 , 137 . 8 , 142 . 4 ( hc ═ ch ), 142 . 9 ( hc ═ ch ), 144 . 2 , 147 . 2 , 147 . 6 , 148 . 6 , 170 . 6 ; esi - ms calcd for c 15 h 16 o 5 [ m − h ] − : 275 . 0920 . found 275 . 0910 . to a solution of 15 ( 0 . 972 g , 3 . 52 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 80 ml ) was added n - hydroxysuccinimide ( 0 . 547 g , 4 . 75 mmol ) and 1 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ]- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 0 . 890 g , 4 . 64 mmol ), and the resulting reaction mixture was stirred under dinitrogen for 15 h . the reaction mixture was diluted with dichloromethane ( 100 ml ), washed twice with a 0 . 01 n hcl solution ( 50 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated under reduced pressure . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( dichloromethane → 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexanes ) to yield 0 . 898 g ( 68 %) of 3 as a colorless sticky solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 2 . 19 - 2 . 27 ( m , 2h , ch — ch 2 — ch ), 2 . 89 ( bs , 4h , ch 2 — ch 2 ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 92 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 95 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 4 . 19 - 4 . 23 ( m , 2h , ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 6 . 78 - 6 . 85 ( m , 2h , hc ═ ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 25 . 9 ( ch 2 — ch 2 ), 47 . 7 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 47 . 9 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 61 . 7 ( o — ch 3 ), 62 . 3 ( o — ch 3 ), 62 . 6 ( o — ch 3 ), 68 . 6 ( ch — ch 2 — ch ), 137 . 7 , 142 . 4 ( ch ═ ch ), 143 . 0 ( ch ═ ch ), 144 . 2 , 147 . 9 , 149 . 6 , 149 . 9 , 161 . 4 , 169 . 1 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 42 ( 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexanes ); esi - ms calcd for c 19 h 19 no 7 [ m + na ] + : 396 . 1059 . found 396 . 1069 . to a solution of 4 ( 8 . 69 g , 44 . 1 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( 440 ml ) was added potassium carbonate ( 12 . 7 g , 91 . 6 mmol ) and methyl iodide ( 27 . 5 ml , 441 mmol ), and the resulting reaction mixture was stirred for 15 h . the reaction was concentrated under reduced pressure and diluted with dichloromethane ( 200 ml ) and water ( 200 ml ). the layers were separated , and the aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane ( 50 ml ). the combined organic layers were dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure . purification was performed using silica gel : chromatography ( 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexanes ) to yield 7 . 89 g ( 80 %) of 16 as a tan solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 1 . 36 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 1 hz , ch 2 — ch 3 ), 2 . 32 ( s , 3h , c — ch 3 ), 3 . 52 ( s , 3h , n — ch 3 ), 3 . 94 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 4 . 33 ( q , 2h , j = 7 . 1 hz , ch 2 ), 6 . 16 ( s , 1h , ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 14 . 3 ( ch 2 — ch 3 ), 20 . 7 ( c — ch 3 ), 31 . 9 ( n — ch 3 ), 60 . 4 ( o — ch 3 ), 61 . 7 ( ch 2 ), 103 . 8 ( ch ), 129 . 5 , 140 . 3 , 146 . 4 , 160 . 7 , 165 . 4 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 20 ( 2 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexanes ); esi - ms calcd for c 11 h 15 no 4 [ m + h ] + : 226 . 1079 . found 226 . 1072 . to a solution of 16 ( 7 . 51 g , 33 . 3 mmol ) in methanol ( 350 ml ) was added a 4 m sodium hydroxide solution ( 350 ml ). the resulting solution was heated at reflux , and after 2 h , methanol was removed under reduced pressure . an aqueous 3 n hcl solution was used to adjust the resulting solution to ph 1 . the solution was extracted with ethyl acetate ; the organic extracts were dried over sodium sulfate , and solvent was removed under reduced pressure to yield 6 . 44 g ( 98 %) of 5 as a tan solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ = 2 . 40 ( s , 3h , c — ch 3 ), 3 . 58 ( s , 3h , n — ch 3 ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 6 . 36 ( s , 1h , ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ = 20 . 6 ( c — ch 3 ), 32 . 6 ( n — ch 3 ), 61 . 0 ( o — ch 3 ), 105 . 9 ( ch ), 132 . 8 , 143 . 4 , 146 . 6 , 162 . 6 , 168 . 2 ; esi - ms calcd for c 9 h 11 no 4 [ m − h ] − : 196 . 0610 . found 196 . 0615 . to a solution of 5 ( 5 . 36 g , 27 . 2 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 500 ml ) was added n - hydroxysuccinimide ( 4 . 23 g , 36 . 7 mmol ) and 1 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ]- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 6 . 89 g , 35 . 9 mmol ), and the resulting reaction mixture was stirred under dinitrogen for 15 h . the reaction mixture was washed twice with a 0 . 01 n hcl solution ( 150 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated under reduced pressure . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( 1 : 49 methanol / dichloromethane ) to yield 7 . 83 g ( 98 %) of 6 as a tan solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 2 . 31 ( s , 3h , c — ch 3 ), 4 . 08 ( s , 4h , ch 2 ), 3 . 50 ( s , 3h , n — ch 3 ), 3 . 98 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 6 . 29 ( s , 1h , ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 20 . 6 ( c — ch 3 ), 25 . 8 ( ch 2 ), 32 . 0 ( n — ch 3 ), 60 . 8 ( o — ch 3 ), 103 . 0 ( ch ), 122 . 8 , 140 . 7 , 148 . 8 , 159 . 9 , 160 . 3 , 169 . 0 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 33 ( 1 : 19 methanol / dichloromethane ); esi - ms calcd for c 13 h 14 n 2 o 6 [ m + h ] + : 295 . 0930 . found 295 . 0931 . tritylchloride resin ( 2 . 0 g , 3 . 2 mmol ) was swelled in tetrahydrofuran ( 20 ml ) for 15 min at which point tris ( 2 - aminoethyl ) amine ( 4 . 98 ml , 32 . 0 mmol ) was added , and the resulting solution was mixed for 20 h . the resin was drained and washed four times with 20 ml of 17 : 2 : 1 dichloromethane / methanol / diisopropylethylamine , and three times with 20 ml of dichloromethane . to the washed resin was added dichloromethane ( 20 ml ), diisopropylethylamine ( 5 . 57 ml , 32 . 0 mmol ), and 6 ( 3 . 77 g , 12 . 8 mmol ), and the resulting solution was stirred for 20 h . the resin was drained and washed three times with 20 ml of dichloromethane and dried under reduced pressure . a solution of 38 : 1 : 1 trifluoroacetic acid / triisopropylsilane / water ( 24 ml ) was added to the resin ; after 2 h , the resin was filtered and rinsed with trifluoroacetic acid ( 5 ml ). the combined trifluoroacetic acid - containing filtrate was reduced in volume to 2 ml . this solution was added dropwise to diethyl ether ( 400 ml ) at 0 ° c ., and the resulting precipitate was collected . purification was performed using basic alumina chromatography ( 1 : 9 → 3 : 7 methanol / dichloromethane ) to yield 1 . 0 g ( 63 %) of 7 as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ = 2 . 39 ( s , 6h , c — ch 3 ), 2 . 62 - 2 . 78 ( m , 8h , h 2 n — ch 2 and n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 3 . 48 ( t , 4h , j = 6 . 2 hz , c ( o ) nh — ch 2 ), 3 . 56 ( s , 6h , n — ch 3 ), 3 . 88 ( s , 6h , o — ch 3 ), 6 . 40 ( s , 2h , ch ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ = 20 . 7 ( c — ch 3 ), 32 . 6 ( n — ch 3 ), 39 . 1 ( c ( o ) nh — ch 2 ), 40 . 3 ( h 2 n — ch 2 ), 54 . 5 ( n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 57 . 7 ( n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 60 . 9 ( o — ch 3 ), 105 . 7 ( ch ), 133 . 3 , 143 . 3 , 145 . 5 , 161 . 9 , 166 . 4 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 21 ( 1 : 19 methanol / dichloromethane on basic alumina plates ); esi - ms calcd for c 24 h 36 n 6 o 6 [ m + h ] + : 505 . 2775 . found 505 . 2794 . polymerizations were carried out under an argon atmosphere in scintillation vials . solutions of ( h 2 imes )( 3 - br - py ) 2 ( cl ) 2 ru ═ chph ( 5 . 35 mm ) and 3 ( 0 . 134 m ) in degassed dichloromethane were cooled to − 20 ° c . the solutions were combined in the desired monomer to initiator ratio , and degassed dichloromethane was added to bring the final concentration of 3 to 38 . 3 mm . the reactions were allowed to warm slowly to ambient temperature . after consumption of 3 , as determined by tlc , 10 - methoxydec - 9 - en - 2 - one ( 20 μl , 0 . 10 mmol ) was added , and the reaction mixture was allowed to stir for 15 h . the reaction mixtures were added dropwise to a 30 - fold volume excess of diethyl ether . the resulting white solid was collected , and residual solvent was removed under reduced pressure . yield = 76 . 3 mg ( 71 %) black solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): δ = 1 . 53 ( bs ), 2 . 50 ( bs ), 2 . 86 ( bs , c (═ o )— ch 2 — ch 2 — c (═ o )), 3 . 73 ( bs , o — ch 3 ), 4 . 24 ( bs ), 5 . 52 ( bs , 18h , hc ═ ch ), 7 . 14 ( bs , 5h , c 6 h 5 ); pdi 1 . 58 ; calculated mw 3217 ; m w 2788 ; m n 1760 . yield = 165 mg ( 94 %) off - white solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): δ = 1 . 07 ( bs ), 2 . 84 ( bs , c (═ o )— ch 2 — ch 2 — c (═ o )), 3 . 64 ( bs , o — ch 3 ), 5 . 31 ( bs , 63h , hc ═ ch ), 7 . 00 ( bs , 5h , c 6 h 5 ); pdi 1 . 21 ; calculated mw 11431 ; m w 5004 ; m n 4122 . general procedure for conjugation of polymers with compounds 7 and 14 to a solution of polymer 8a or 8b ( 5 mg ) in dimethylsulfoxide ( 200 μl ) and diisopropylethylamine ( 10 equivalents per monomer unit ) was added 7 ( 0 . 25 equivalents per monomer unit ) and n -( 3 - aminopropyl ) guanidine bis - trifluoroacetic acid salt ( 0 . 75 equivalents per monomer unit ). after 15 h , the entire reaction mixture was passed through a pd - 10 column . fractions containing polymer were collected , and solvent was removed under reduced pressure . yield = 12 . 4 mg ( 70 %) brown solid . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): δ = 1 . 18 ( bs ), 1 . 68 ( bs ), 2 . 31 ( bs ), 2 . 65 ( bs ), 3 . 20 ( bs ), 3 . 43 ( bs ), 3 . 68 ( bs ), 4 . 12 ( bs ), 5 . 42 ( bs , 17h , hc ═ ch ), 6 . 22 ( bs , 2 . 9h , c — ch ═ c — ch 3 ), 7 . 20 ( bs ), 7 . 69 ( bs ), 8 . 31 ( bs ). yield = 8 . 37 mg ( 38 %) brown glass . 1 h nmr ( 500 mhz , dmso - d 6 ): δ = 1 . 18 ( bs ), 1 . 68 ( bs ), 2 . 31 ( bs ), 2 . 65 ( bs ), 3 . 20 ( bs ), 3 . 43 ( bs ), 3 . 68 ( bs ), 4 . 12 ( bs ), 5 . 42 ( bs , 62h , hc ═ ch ), 6 . 22 ( bs , 7 . 6h , c — ch ═ c — ch 3 ), 7 . 20 ( bs ), 7 . 69 ( bs ), 8 . 31 ( bs ). a solution of 7 ( 0 . 304 g , 0 . 603 mmol ), 3 ( 0 . 150 g , 0 . 402 mmol ), and diisopropylethylamine ( 0 . 350 ml , 2 . 01 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 10 ml ) was stirred under dinitrogen for 4 h , at which point solvent was removed under reduced pressure . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( 1 : 19 methanol / dichloromethane ) to yield 0 . 202 g ( 66 %) of 12 as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 2 . 10 - 2 . 20 ( m , 2h , ch — ch 2 — ch ), 2 . 33 ( s , 6h , c — ch 3 ), 2 . 79 - 2 . 86 ( m , 6h , n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 3 . 49 - 3 . 55 ( m , 12h , c ( o ) nh — ch 2 and n — ch 3 ), 3 . 80 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 81 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h , o — ch 3 ), 3 . 94 ( s , 6h , o ═ c — c (═ c )— o — ch 3 ), 4 . 11 - 4 . 14 ( m , 2h , ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 6 . 27 - 6 . 31 ( t , 1h , j = 5 . 6 hz , ( ch 3 — o — c ) 2 — c — c (═ o )— nh ), 6 . 55 ( s , 2h , ch 3 — c ═ ch — c ), 6 . 73 - 6 . 78 ( m , 2h , ch ═ ch ), 8 . 16 - 8 . 20 ( t , 2h , j = 5 . 2 hz , ch — c — c (═ o )— nh ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 20 . 8 ( c — ch 3 ), 31 . 9 ( n — ch 3 ), 38 . 2 ( c ( o ) nh — ch 2 ), 47 . 6 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 47 . 9 ( ch — ch ( c )— ch 2 ), 53 . 7 ( n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 53 . 8 ( n —( ch 2 ) 3 ), 60 . 0 ( o ═ c — c (═ c )— o — ch 3 ), 61 . 6 ( o — ch 3 ), 62 . 1 ( o — ch 3 ), 62 . 4 ( o — ch 3 ), 68 . 4 ( ch — ch 2 — ch ), 104 . 5 ( ch 3 — c ═ ch — c ), 122 . 3 , 129 . 3 , 137 . 4 , 140 . 2 , 142 . 4 ( ch ═ ch ), 142 . 9 ( ch ═ ch ), 144 . 2 , 145 . 1 , 145 . 7 , 146 . 9 , 147 . 7 , 160 . 2 , 163 . 9 , 166 . 2 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 26 ( 2 : 23 methanol / dichloromethane ); esi - ms calcd for c 39 h 50 n 6 o 10 [ m + h ] + : 763 . 3667 . found 763 . 3648 . to a solution of methyl ether - protected chelate ( 1 eq . of 9a , 9b , or 12 ) in anhydrous dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ) under argon was added a solution of sodium ethanethiolate ( 2 . 5 eq . per ome ) in anhydrous dmso to make a final solution of between 0 . 4 and 26 mm chelate and between 44 and 328 mm sodium ethanethiolate . the resulting solution was heated to 142 ° c . for 1 . 5 h at which point a four - fold volume excess of water was added to quench excess sodium ethanethiolate . the reaction mixture was concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure , and lc - ms of the product resulting from 12 showed one major product with a mass corresponding to four of five methyl ethers removed . to ensure that the remaining methoxy group was not in a position to interfere with metal chelation , a portion of the intermediate ( 0 . 80 mg , 1 . 2 μmol ) was dissolved in anhydrous dmso ( 11 . 4 μl ) under argon . to the resulting solution was added ch 2 i 2 ( 1 . 4 μmol , 0 . 11 μl ) and sodium carbonate ( 2 . 5 μmol , 0 . 27 mg ), and the reaction was heated to 55 ° c . for 8 h , as illustrated below . the mixture was cooled to ambient temperature , and 2 ml of water was added . lc / ms indicated that there was one major product with mass ([ m + h ] + = 721 . 4 ) corresponding to the formation of a methylene bridge between the two ortho hydroxyl groups . this result indicates that the remaining methoxy group was not in a position to interfere with metal chelation . additional support for the position of the remaining methoxy group is found in the work of feutrill and mirrington ( feutrill , g . i . ; mirrington , r . n . tetrahedron lett . 1970 , 16 , 1327 - 1328 ). they treated a series of anisole compounds with sodium ethanethiolate and found that ortho - methoxy groups underwent complete demethylation while para - methoxy groups yielded selective mono - demethylation . the intermediate was dissolved in water in a concentration between 0 . 1 and 6 . 5 mm , and five drops of dmso were added . one equivalent of gdcl 3 . 6h 2 o per chelating group was then added , and the ph of the resulting solution was adjusted to 7 using 0 . 1 n naoh and 0 . 1 n hcl solutions . the reaction mixture was heated to 80 ° c . for 1 h , at which point the ph was readjusted to 7 . the reaction mixture was allowed to sit at ambient temperate for 15 h . the ph was brought to 10 using a 0 . 1 n naoh solution to precipitate any unchelated gadolinium as gd ( oh ) 3 . gd ( oh ) 3 was removed by filtration through a 0 . 45 μm syringe filter . the ph of the filtered solution was brought to 7 using a 0 . 1 n hcl solution , and the resulting solution was directly used for t 1 acquisition . after measurement of t 1 , solutions were analyzed for gd concentration , and the t 1 and gd concentration data were used to calculate per gd relaxivity . per gd relaxivity was multiplied by the number of chelates per polymer ( as determined by nmr spectroscopy of polymers 9 ) to determine molecular relaxivity values . esi - ms calcd for c 35 h 42 n 6 o 10 [ m + h ] + : 707 . 3 . found 707 . 4 . esi - ms calcd for c 35 h 38 gdn 6 o 10 [ m − ch 3 + na + 2h ] + : gd isotope pattern centered at 870 . 2 , found gd isotope pattern centered at 870 . 1 . maximum gd concentrations ranged from 0 . 0054 % to 0 . 0176 %. relaxivity ( r 1 ): 10 . 5 ± 0 . 8 mm − 1 s − 1 ( error is given as the standard deviation ). χ r3 = 0 . 25 , χ r4 = 0 . 75 . maximum gd concentrations ranged from 0 . 0040 % to 0 . 0046 %. ionic relaxivity ( r 1 ): 10 . 1 ± 0 . 5 mm − 1 s − 1 ; molecular relaxivity ( r 1 ): 18 . 8 ± 0 . 9 mm − 1 s − 1 ( errors are given as standard deviations ). χ r3 = 0 . 25 , χ r4 = 0 . 75 . maximum gd concentrations ranged from 0 . 0005 % to 0 . 0048 %. ionic relaxivity ( r 1 ): 14 . 8 ± 0 . 2 mm − 1 s − 1 ; molecular relaxivity ( r 1 ): 111 . 0 ± 1 . 5 mm − 1 s − 1 ( errors are given as standard deviations ). n -( bis - boc - guanyl )- n - boc - 1 , 3 - diaminopropane ( 1 . 00 g , 2 . 40 mmol ) was dissolved in 20 ml of 95 % trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ), 2 . 5 % water , and 2 . 5 % triisopropylsilane ( v / v / v ). after 14 h , the volume was reduced to a sticky residue under a stream of air . the residue was washed with diethyl ether , dissolved in water , and freeze dried to yield 0 . 568 g ( 69 %) of the desired salt as an extremely viscous , colorless oil . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , d 2 o ): δ = 1 . 96 - 2 . 06 ( m , 2h , ch 2 — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 3 . 11 ( t , 2h , j = 8 . 0 hz , n — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 3 . 35 ( t , 2h , j = 7 . 0 hz , n — ch 2 — ch 2 ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , d 2 o ): δ = 27 . 6 ( ch 2 — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 38 . 3 ( n — ch 2 ), 39 . 7 ( n — ch 2 ), 158 . 3 ( c —( n ) 3 ); esi - ms calcd for c 4 h 12 n 4 [ 2m + h ] + : 233 . 3 . found 233 . 1 ; anal . calcd for c 8 h 14 f 6 n 4 o 4 : c , 27 . 91 ; h , 4 . 10 ; f , 33 . 12 ; n , 16 . 28 . found : c , 27 . 87 ; h , 4 . 24 ; f , 31 . 17 ; n , 15 . 55 . to a solution of n - boc - 1 , 3 - diaminopropane ( 5 . 00 ml , 28 . 6 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( dmf ) ( 100 ml ) was added diisopropylethylamine ( diea ) ( 3 . 72 ml , 21 . 4 mmol ) and bis - boc - guanylpyrazole ( 3 . 31 g , 10 . 7 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred for 14 h , at which time dmf was removed under reduced pressure . water ( 20 ml ) was added , and the mixture was extracted with dichloromethane . the organic layer was dried over magnesium sulfate , and solvent was removed under reduced pressure . purification was performed using silica gel chromatography ( 5 : 1 → 2 : 1 hexanes / ethyl acetate ) to yield 3 . 07 g ( 69 %) of the desired product as a white solid . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 1 . 43 ( s , 9h , ch 3 ), 1 . 49 ( s , 18h , ch 3 ), 1 . 64 - 1 . 72 ( m , 2h , ch 2 — ch 2 ch 2 ), 3 . 10 - 3 . 17 ( m , 2h , nh — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 3 . 44 - 3 . 50 ( m , 2h , nh — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 5 . 60 ( s , 1h , nh ), 8 . 34 ( t , 1h , j = 5 . 6 hz , nh ), 11 . 41 ( s , 1h , nh ); 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ = 28 . 3 ( ch 3 ), 28 . 5 ( ch 3 ), 28 . 7 ( ch 3 ), 30 . 4 ( ch 2 — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 37 . 3 ( nh — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 37 . 8 ( nh — ch 2 — ch 2 ), 79 . 0 ( c ( ch 3 ) 3 ), 79 . 4 ( c ( ch 3 ) 3 ), 83 . 4 ( c ( ch 3 ) 3 ), 153 . 4 , 156 . 4 , 156 . 9 , 163 . 5 ; tlc : r f = 0 . 36 ( 2 : 1 hexanes / ethyl acetate ); esi - ms calcd for c 19 h 36 n 4 o 6 [ m + h ] + : 417 . 2713 . found 417 . 2693 . values of the rotational correlation time ( τ r ) were estimated using the debye - stokes equation shown below and data acquired for other linear gd iii containing polymers ( toth , e . ; helm , l . ; kellar , k . e . ; merbach , a . e . chem . eur . j . 1999 , 5 , 1202 - 1211 ; the chemistry of contrast agents in medical magnetic resonance imaging ; merbach , a . e ., toth , e ., eds . ; john wiley & amp ; sons , ltd . : new york , 2001 ). assuming that the microviscosity and density of the polymers are the same , the ratio of molecular radii can be expressed by the ratio of the molecular weights . while the debye - stokes equation provides estimation for spherical molecules , the romp - derived polymers and polymers in the above references are both linear and the ratio of their molecular weights is used only as an approximation . debye - stokes equation ( η = microviscosity , r eff = molecular radius , k b = the boltzmann constant , t = temperature ) table 1 below shows average molecular weight ( mw ), τ r , and per gd relaxivity for two linear polymers from the literature ( τ g , global motion correlation time , was used to estimate τ r for comparison to romp - derived polymers 10a and 10b because of the rigid connection to the polymer backbone ). the τ r data for romp - derived polymers 10a and 10b were estimated by plotting τ r vs . mw for the published polymers , and using the resulting slope with the molecular weights of polymers 10a and 10b . the ratio of τ r to relaxivity was then examined , and the relaxivity values in parentheses for 10a and 10b would be expected for linear polymers with their molecular weights and estimated τ r values . these estimates match up very well with the actual measurements indicating that there is relaxivity increase due to increase in τ r . thus , the observed increase is proportional to what is seen in linear polymers of gd iii diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ( dtpa ). additional experimental details of the synthesis and analysis of polymers useful as contrast agents may be found in allen m . j ., raines , r . t . and kiessling , l . l . ( 2006 ) j . amer . chem . soc . 128 ( 20 ): 6534 - 6536 and supporting information thereof , each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein .	0
while this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail , preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated . the present invention will have the following main components and techniques for operation of the device . fig1 shows a schematic representation of the process for making the multilayered sheet 10 . an extruder 110 generally extrudes a sheet 20 of polypropylene through a die 111 . the preferable die is about 72 ″ ( width ) by 9 . 5 ″ ( height ) by 11 ″ depth . the die lip opening is approximately 66 ″ wide , but it can be reduced or deckled so as to more closely match or align width - wise with the sheet it is being applied to or laid upon ( discussed below ). the extruded sheet &# 39 ; s thickness can be varied depending upon the application and desired results . thicknesses can range from 0 . 020 ″ and upwards . specific thicknesses that have proved sufficient and adequate are 0 . 25 ″, 0 . 30 ″, 0 . 35 ″ and 0 . 40 ″. widths range from about 40 ″ to about 58 ″. the lengths range from about 40 ″ and upwards . the extruded sheet 20 is passed through a series of nips 201 , 202 formed between a series of chill rollers 121 , 122 , 123 and passed over and partially around additional chill rollers 124 , 125 , 126 and idlers 131 , 132 . in the preferred embodiment , the nip 201 is produced by confronting rollers 121 , 122 . roller 121 has a diameter of about 32 ″ and is maintained at a temperature of about 150 ° f . to about 180 ° f . while roller 122 has a diameter of about 32 ″ and is maintained at a temperature of about 200 ° f . to about 230 ° f . a second nip 202 is produced by confronting rollers 122 , 123 . roller 123 also has a diameter of about 32 ″ and is maintained at a temperature of about 200 ° f . to about 230 ° f . the chill rollers 124 , 125 , 126 123 are preferably sized and maintained to bring the temperature down towards room / ambient temperature . a supply of non - woven , spunbond polypropylene 40 ( in sheet form ) is carried by a supply roller 140 . the spunbond polypropylene is available from many suppliers . the spunbond polypropylene can be any width meeting a customer &# 39 ; s demand or need , generally between about 40 ″ and 58 ″, and a thickness of various gauges . for example , a gauge spunbond of about 0 . 010 works well . the making of spunbond fabrics is well - known in the industry . such fabrics are used in many products today . the non - woven sheet 40 is passed around one or more idlers 133 , 134 and fed into the first nip 201 downstream of the die 111 wherein it is forced into abutment with the extruded sheet 20 . this specific area of the process is shown in further detail of fig2 . the feeding of the non - woven - sheet 40 with the extruded sheet 20 occurs within inches of the extruder &# 39 ; s die 111 and just before contacting the rollers 121 , 122 forming the nip . in this manner , it is believed , the extruded polypropylene 20 is bonded to the non - woven sheet 40 by a melding of fibers from the non - woven sheet 40 into the extruded sheet 20 . the first nip 201 has a clearance or opening sized to compress the multilayered sheet passing therethrough . the gauge or thickness depends on the end product desired . for example , for 0 . 025 ″ thick ( gauge ) multilayered sheets , the nip gap is set at about 0 . 030 ″; for 0 . 030 ″ thick sheets , the nip gap is set at about 0 . 035 ″, for sheets of 0 . 035 ″ and 0 . 040 ″ thick , the nip gap is set at about 0 . 040 ″ and 0 . 045 ″, respectively . the second nip gap 202 can be set similar to the first gap 201 . the above process and resulting product are very different from those in which the extrusion is extruded directly onto a substrate . here , there is an intentional space ( x in fig2 ) between the die nozzle or lip 111 and the mating of the non - woven sheet 40 to the extruded sheet 20 . that distance x has been found to be about 5 inches . the non - woven substrate 40 is carried by the bottom roller 121 to contact with the extruded sheet 20 and first nip 201 . the plastic exits the die &# 39 ; s nozzle / lip 111 at about 450 ° f . and immediately cools down to about 340 ° f . the melting point of polypropylene is roughly 340 ° f . the two sheets 20 , 40 come together at the first nip 201 to form the combined ( multilayered ) sheet 10 . the combined product goes through a controlled cool - down by passing around and over a series of chill rollers . specifically , the chiller rollers 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , generally 32 ″ diameter , are positioned to bring the temperature of the multilayered sheet 10 down in temperature . as noted , in practice , it has been found that chill rollers with the following temperatures work well : roller 121 at approximately 150 ° f .- 180 ° f . ; roller 122 at approximately 200 ° f .- 230 ° f . ; roller 123 at approximately 200 ° f .- 230 ° f . ; and , rollers 124 - 126 at a moderate rate of cooling down towards room temperature ( approximately 100 ° f .- 150 ° f .). the resultant product can be gauged so as to have a thickness of any desired or preferred amount . for example , successful gauges have been produced having a gauge of 0 . 025 ″, 0 . 030 ″, 0 . 035 ″ and 0 . 040 ″. a test sample combining a non - woven polypropylene sheet ( 40 ) ( 2 . 0 - 3 . 0 oz / yd spunbond ) of 0 . 013 ″ with an extruded polypropylene sheet ( 20 ) gauged at 0 . 025 ″. the resultant multi - layered sheet was measured at 0 . 030 ″. it is believed multilayered products of 0 . 025 ″- 0 . 080 ″ would be typical . it is also believed that some melting occurs the in non - woven substrate 40 in the plane of intersection with the extruded sheet 20 ( fig3 ). the results of the above process were extremely surprising to those investigating setting - up , running , and analyzing the above process and sheets . the resulting product was an extremely well - bonded multilayered sheet having strength and integrity with a “ softer ” side . the sheet is easily recyclable because no adhesive is used with the two layers of polypropylene . and , significantly , as compared to prior products , the above described product is less expensive to produce and arguably easier to make since adhesive is neither purchased nor incorporated in the manufacturing process . in addition , there is an inseparable bond between the non - woven sheet 40 and the extruded sheet 20 . this resolves a common de - lamination problem associated with similar sheets bonded adhesively together . it should be noted that while the extruded sheet 20 is shown and depicted as being substantially solid , it can also be an extruded corrugated plastic . the extruding of corrugated plastic sheets is known in the industry and can include internal hollows or channels between the outer surfaces of the sheets . while the above process and resulting product were discussed broadly , it is recognized other variants can be made without deviating from the spirit of the invention . for example , other plastics , apart from polypropylene , can be used . the size , temperatures and number of the pressure rollers can be varied . in addition , other uses of the resultant product can be made .	8
the term &# 34 ; sucrose fatty acid lower esters &# 34 ; as used herein refers to mono -, di -, and tri - esters of sucrose and mixtures thereof . the term &# 34 ; fatty acids &# 34 ; used in the specification and claims means organic fatty acids having at least two and as many as twenty - four carbon atoms , and may be saturated or unsaturated and may have straight or branched chains . examples of fatty acids that can be used in this invention are myristic , palmitic , stearic , oleic , linoleic and behenic acids . mixtures of fatty acids may also be used ; for example , fatty acids derived from natural triglycerides such as soybean , peanut , coconut , cottonseed , palm , palm kernel , corn , olive , safflower , or sunflower oils . the total amount of fatty acids present in the reaction mixture can be a maximum that theoretically will react to completely esterify all the free hydroxyls of the sucrose lower esters . in general then , the total amount of fatty acid will be one mole for each mole of free hydroxyl moieties available on the sucrose lower ester reactant . for example , six moles of fatty acid will be present in a reaction with one mole of sucrose diester . the term &# 34 ; sucrose fatty acid polyesters &# 34 ; as used herein refers to those having an average degree of substitution of 4 to 8 . the term &# 34 ; solvent &# 34 ; used in the description and claims means any material that is liquid at the synthesis reaction temperature and pressure and will dissolve , suspend or hold the fatty acids and sucrose lower esters in the reaction mixture in an amount effective to expedite contact of the reactants for the desired esterification to produce sucrose polyesters . examples of suitable solvents that can be used in this invention are anhydrous aprotic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran . other ethers ( diethyl ether , dioxane ), aromatic hydrocarbons , halogenated hydrocarbons , nitromethane , and pyridine may be used . in the practice of the present invention , the sucrose fatty acid lower esters and the fatty acids are coupled in the presence of a condensing agent such as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide . other carbodiimides , e . g ., diethylcarbodiimides , n , n &# 39 ;- carbonyl - di ( 2 - methylimidazole ), pentamethyleneketene - n - cyclohexylimine , diphenylketene - n - cyclohexylimine , alkoxyacetylenes , 1 - alkoxy - 1 - chloroethylenes , tetraalkyl phosphites , isopropyl polyphosphate , phosphorus oxychloride , phosphorus trichloride , thionyl chloride , oxalyl chloride , and triphenyl phosphines may also be used . theoretically , one mole of condensing agent reacts with one mole of fatty acid and one mole of free sucrose hydroxyl groups in the coupling reaction . however , best results are achieved by using a slight excess of condensing agent over the theoretical toichiometric amount required . typically , 1 to 1 . 2 moles of condensing agent , preferably 1 . 15 , are used . the esterification reaction is carried out in the presence of a catalyst , including hypernucleophilic agents , such as , for example , 4 - dimethylaminopyridine . other nucleophilic tertiary amines ( pyridine , 4 - dimethylaminopyridine , 4 - morpholino - pyridine , 4 - diethylaminopyridine , 4 - methoxy - pyridine , and tralkylamines ), tetraalkylammonium hydroxide , and inorganic bases ( sodium hydrogen carbonate , sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , and barium carbonate ) may also be used . in the reaction mixture , an equimolar proportion of catalyst and sucrose lower ester is used preferentially . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the sucrose lower fatty acid ester is dissolved in an effective amount of solvent with fatty acids and catalyst . to this solution is added a solution of the condensation agent dissolved in the same solvent . the reaction mixture may be warmed at reflux to speed and stir the reaction . the length of reaction time varies with the reaction conditions and may require several days . the sucrose polyester end product obtained in the condensation reaction can be separated from contaminants by solvent extraction and washing , as , for example , by concentrating the product in vacuuo , taking it up in ether or other suitable solvent and acid washing followed by drying and filtration , and removing the ether by evaporation . it may be further purified in a known manner , such as by way of chromatography conducted in a usual manner , for example , by using silica gel as adsorbent and hexane as a developer . the following example details one method for producing sucrose polyester in accordance with the present invention . it is to be understood that this example is merely illustrative and is not to be construed as being limitative . all percentages given are weight percentages , and are based on the weight at the particular stage of processing described . in this example , oleic acid is coupled to sucrose distearate to form predominantly hepta and octaesters . a 250 - ml flask equipped with a reflux condenser and a drying tube is charged with 7 . 2 grams ( 0 . 035 mole ) 1 , 3 - dicyclohexylcarbodiimide dissolved in 30 ml tetrahydrofuran . to this is added a solution of 4 . 6 grams ( 0 . 005 mole ) sucrose stearate ( ryoto spe - 570 , containing an average of two fatty acid residues per molecule sucrose ), 0 . 6 grams ( 0 . 005 mole ) 4 - dimethylaminopyridine , and 8 . 48 grams ( 0 . 03 mole ) oleic acid dissolved in 100 ml tetrahydrofuran . the mixture is warmed at reflux for four days and then concentrated in vacuuo . the residue obtained is dissolved in 200 ml diethyl ether , washed with 100 ml 5 % hcl , and dried over sodium sulfate . following filtration , the ether is evaporated and the residue is dissolved in hexane and subjected to flash chromatography on silica gel . evaporation of the hexane eluant affords a colorless , slightly opaque oil . elemental analysis for c 143 . 4 h 259 . 6 0 18 . 3 formula weight 2276 . 81 : calculated (%): c : 75 . 65 ; h : 11 . 49 ; 0 : 12 . 86 ; found (%): c : 75 . 47 ; h : 11 . 70 nmr spectrum in cdc1 3 : chemical shift in ppm ( multiplicity , intensity , assignment ): 5 . 34 ( multiplet , 11 . 6 h , hc ═ ch ); 3 . 88 and 3 . 68 ( broad apparent triplet and multiplet , respectively , 15 h , sucrose ch and oh ); 2 . 39 ( triplet , 14 h , ch 2 - co 2 ); 2 . 0 , 1 . 9 - 1 . 5 , and 1 . 28 ( multiplets , 278 h , ch 2 ); and 0 . 88 ( triplet , 21 . 8 h , ch 3 ). analysis of the nmr results supports a composition having a 7 . 3 : 1 ratio of fatty acids : sucrose . the above description is for the purpose of disclosing to a person skilled in the art how to practice the present invention . this description is not intended to detail all the obvious modifications and variations of the invention which will become apparent upon reading . however , applicants do intend to include all such obvious modifications and variations within the scope of their invention which is defined by the following claims .	2
preferred embodiments provide real - time permutation generators for construction of interleavers in turbo coding schemes which can operate with a data block of variable size . because the block size can take on many different values ( e . g ., roughly 100 to 100 , 000 ), permutations for all these values cannot be constructed “ off - line ”; and the preferred embodiments provide a method for generating the permutation whenever it is required . preferred embodiment transmitters and receivers incorporate the preferred embodiment permutation generators for turbo coding . the main permutation generator features are : a . the method is applicable to data blocks of any practical size . b . no memory is required for storing the permutations in the transmitter and the receiver . c . the method for generating the permutations is very simple and thus does not impose a serious burden on the complexity of the encoder or the decoder . d . the permutation maps even indices to even indices . this feature is significant for some applications . the permutation generator relies on a modulo operation with a modulus selected according to block size . in particular , a table relates a parameter to block size , and the permutation is defined as multiplication by the parameter followed by modulo with respect to block size . [ 0028 ] fig1 a illustrates a preferred embodiment communications system encoder which sends data in packets whose length ( block size ) can vary in a very large range ; the interleaver uses the block - size - generated permutation . this extends the encoder of fig2 a . fig1 b shows a preferred embodiment communication system serial decoder ; this extends the decoder fig2 b , again by use of the block size to determine the interleaver permutation parameter . other preferred embodiments analogously extend parallel and mixed decoders to use the block size to determine the interleaver permutation parameter . denote the length of the packet , in terms of information symbols , by k packet . for a binary turbo coding scheme , the information symbols are bits while for a non - binary scheme , such as a turbo - tcm scheme , the information symbols are defined over a non - binary alphabet . a practical turbo coding system would usually have an upper bound on the size of the packet , k packet . this bound , k max , might be determined by a constraint on the maximal delay or by a constraint on some system resource , e . g ., storage memory . if k packet & gt ; k max , then the packet will be divided in the transmitter into n packet blocks of size k i so that k packet = σ i k i for 1 ≦ i ≦ n packet and k min ≦ k i ≦ k max the values of the sequence lengths k i should be about equal . the size of the longest and of the shortest sequence should be determined as follows : k min is the shortest sequence for which it is still worthwhile to apply turbo coding . this sequence can be several hundred symbols long . in the receiver , each of the n packet blocks will be decoded by applying an iterative decoding procedure and the data packet of size k packet will be reconstructed . because the performance of the turbo coding scheme improves with increasing the block size , it would be worthwhile to set k max to be as large as possible . note that large packets will have the best performance since for large packets it would be possible to divide the packet of size k packet so that all k i are close to k max . the shortest sequence of length k min will be used only when k packet = k min . for k packet & gt ; k max it would always be possible to divide the packet into sequences of length k i so that k i & gt ; k min , ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n packet ) provided that k max & gt ; 2k min . the rules for dividing the packet of length k packet into n packet sequences of length k i should be simple and known to both the transmitter and the receiver . the task of the permutation generator is to apply a deterministic memoryless procedure that can generate valid permutations that can be used for interleaving a data block of any given size k in the range k min ≦ k i ≦ k max . the permutation generator calculates for any integer index k the corresponding index π ( k ) in the permuted sequence for 0 ≦ k , π ( k )≦ k − 1 . for the permutation generator to be applicable in a turbo coding scheme , the following features are required : a . for every admissible value of the information sequence size k , the generator should provide a valid permutation ; i . e ., all indices should be properly mapped . b . no strict constraints should be imposed on the value of k . c . the number of parameters of the permutation generator should be small . d . the computational complexity of the permutation generator should be small . e . in order to provide good performance when employed in a turbo - coding scheme , the generated permutations for all admissible values of the information sequence k should resemble , as much as possible , a good pseudo - random permutation . the preferred embodiment permutation generators comply with the foregoing and use only one parameter that is read from a look - up table . the preferred embodiments have the further feature that π (.) maps even indices into even indices . the preferred embodiment permutation generators proceed with the following steps for a given block size k : ( a ) use the table of fig3 to pick the appropriate value of the parameter α k depending on the value of k . ( b ) if k is a multiple of α k , then replace k by k + 2 . ( c ) define the permutation π as : π ( k )= α k * k ( mod k ) for 0 ≦ k ≦ k − 1 . in every range of values of k in fig3 there a few values for which k is a multiple of α k in step b . for example , the values of k in the range 1526 ≦ k ≦ 1765 we have α k = 41 and thus obtain k as a multiple of α k for six k values : 1558 , 1599 , 1640 , 1681 , 1722 , and 1763 . in other ranges in fig3 the number of values for which k is a multiple of α k is likewise small . in many practical systems , there would be a constraint that k is an even integer or even that k is a multiple of 8 . in the above range , there are only three k values which are both even and a multiple of α k and only one ( k = 1640 ) which is both a multiple of 8 and a multiple of α k . alternative preferred embodiments follow foregoing steps ( a ) and ( c ) of the first preferred embodiments but substitute the following step ( b ′) for the foregoing step ( b ) which replaces k by k + 2 in the case k is a multiple of α k : ( b ′) if k is a multiple of α k , then use the α k from the preceding range of k values in the table of fig3 . for example , if k = 1640 , then step ( a ) gives α k = 41 and previous step ( b ) would have incremented k to 1642 . however , step ( b ′) just repicks α k = 37 and proceeds to step ( c ). lastly , for k in the range 144 ≦ k ≦ 229 , use α k = 11 . note that α k ≅{ square root } k and is prime and that the product of two successive α k s as used in steps ( a )-( b ′) is smaller than the k range endpoint of the second α k . thus step ( b ′) always provides a usable α k . indeed , the list of α k s of the table of fig3 is just a listing of the primes ( except for 89 ) from 13 to 257 , and the ranges for k are roughly just the ranges between corresponding products of two successive α k s . for example , α k = 41 corresponds to the range 1526 ≦ k ≦ 1765 where 1526 = 41 * 37 + 9 and 1765 = 43 * 41 + 2 . of course , another table can be generated using another sequence of pairwise - relatively prime α k s together with k range endpoints equal to products of two successive α k s + a small number . of course , the α k has to be relatively prime to its ks for the modulo permutation to be one - to - one . for the table of fig3 k min equals 144 and k max equals 2 16 (= 65 , 536 ). this very large range of block sizes should be sufficient for covering all practical applications of turbo coding . this spread of k values is divided into 50 ranges with each range having an α k value . in an actual implemented system only a portion of the table of fig3 ( determined by the actual values of k min and k max ) would be required so there is no need to store the entire table in the transmitter and in the receiver . furthermore , the size of the stored table can be further reduced in size by merging two adjacent k ranges into a single k range and using the larger of the two α k s as the α k for the merged k range . this merger should have a very small effect on performance , especially when the values of the α k s are close . note that the multiplication operation in step ( c ) is multiplication by a constant value of α k . a multiplication by a constant is simpler to implement than multiplication of two integer variables . the multiplication can be avoided by applying the following observation : in an implemented system , one usually computes permutations of successive values of k . thus , when π ( k ) is known , the value of π ( k + 1 ) can be obtained by using a recursion : π  ( k + 1 ) = {  π  ( k ) + α k for   π  ( k ) + α k & lt ; k  π  ( k ) + α k - k for   π  ( k ) + α k ≥ k also the modulo operation in step ( c ) does not require a division operation . it can be easily implemented by a counter . the preferred embodiments can be modified in various ways while retaining the features of a parametric permutation generator for interleaving in turbo codes . for example , the number of recursive convolution codes used could be increased with a separate interleaver for each further code . the block size could be beyond those listed in fig3 . the ranges of block size could roughly track products of three successive primes and step ( b )′ of the preferred embodiment iterated to find a suitable parameter value . a subset of the primes could be used to generate the segments and parameters .	7
reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elements of the present invention will be given numerical designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention . it is to be understood that the following description is only exemplary of the principles of the present invention , and should not be viewed as narrowing the claims which follow . in a first aspect of the invention , a novel approach is used to solve many of the joining problems mentioned above . a rotating friction stir riveting tool having a non - consumable shoulder combined with a detachable and at least partially consumable pin forms the basis of a friction stir riveting joining method of the present invention . the pin may be totally consumable or partially consumable . fig3 shows an example of how the tool can be constructed . fig3 shows a friction stir riveting tool 30 having a shoulder area 32 and a detachable and at least partially consumable pin 34 . in this particular embodiment , the detachable and at least partially consumable pin 34 includes a small gap 36 . the small gap 36 is formed by a much smaller pin diameter portion 42 of the pin 34 . this small pin diameter portion 42 of the pin 34 will be caused to break . the small gap 36 enables the detachable portion 38 of the pin 34 to remain embedded within the work pieces as a rivet . it is also noted that the non - detached portion 40 of the pin 34 might also be the top of another pin segment as will be explained . using fig4 as an illustration , to friction rivet steel or another metal using a tool of this first embodiment of the present invention , the tool 30 is rotated at a speed that allows the pin 34 of the tool to machine a first work piece material 50 away to form a hole 54 therein . features can be added to the end of the pin 34 to facilitate machining the desired hole . for example , a cutting feature 44 is shown in this first embodiment . it is preferred but not required that the depth 56 of the hole 54 extend completely through the first work piece material 50 and at least partially into the second work piece material 52 . it should be understood that depending upon the application , the hole 54 may only extend partially into the first work piece material 50 , completely through the first work piece material but not into the second work piece material 52 , completely through the first work piece material but only partially into the second work piece material , or substantially through both the first and the second work piece materials . one the initial hole 54 has been made , the tool 30 can then have the pin 34 make the desired level of penetration in accordance with understood principles of friction stir riveting . the pin 34 may extend completely through both the first and second work piece materials 50 , 52 , or it may extend completely through the first work piece material but only partially into the second work piece material . again , this depends upon the application of the user . in this first embodiment , once the depth 56 of the hole 54 has extended into the second work piece 52 as shown in fig4 , the rotational speed of the tool 30 is slowed down to generate heat between the pin 30 and the two first and second work pieces 50 , 52 that are being joined together . a spindle ( not shown ) that is holding and rotating the tool 30 can either be immediately stopped or slowed down until the torque required to rotate the tool exceeds the shear strength of the smaller pin diameter portion 42 . the smaller pin diameter portion 42 is designed to shear the detachable portion 38 of the pin 34 off of the tool 30 at a specified torque . in this first embodiment , once the detachable portion 38 of the pin 34 has been sheared off the tool 30 , the tool is retracted and a new pin 34 can be replaced . the detachable portion 38 of the pin 34 or rivet left behind in the first and second work piece materials 50 , 52 is friction welded into the work pieces . there is a bond not only under the tool shoulder between the first and second work pieces 50 , 52 but around the pin 34 or rivet . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig5 , a tool 60 has a hole 62 disposed through a central axis . the hole 62 allows a multi - segmented pin 64 ( shown here with three segments separated by a smaller diameter pin portion 72 ) to be inserted and pushed through the hole 62 as needed . the multi - segmented pin 64 includes a plurality of gaps 66 having a smaller diameter pin portion 72 . some type of plunger mechanism 68 would then be used to push the multi - segmented pin 64 through the tool 60 and out a working end 70 . as each segment of the multi - segmented pin 64 is broken off , the plunger mechanism 68 pushes the multi - segmented pin down through the hole 62 until enough of the pin 64 is exposed for the next friction stir riveting process . in this way , multiple rivets can be inserted into work pieces without having to stop and reload a multi - segmented pin 64 . the number of segments that can be used in a multi - segmented pin 64 should not be considered to be limited to three . fig5 is for illustration purposes only . more segments can be disposed on the multi - segmented pin 64 . the number of segments may also depend on the length of the tool 60 and the length of the plunger mechanism 68 . fig6 is provided to illustrate a multi - segment pin 64 that can be used for an automatic and rapid friction stir riveting process . the segments of the multi - segment pin 64 are co - axial so that they can be disposed in the hole through the central axis of the friction stir riveting tool 60 . the materials used to create a tool having a shoulder that can be used in the present invention can be found from tools created by some of the inventors that can be used to join high melting temperature materials such as steel and stainless steel together during the solid state joining processes of friction stir welding . this technology involves using a special friction stir welding tool . the shoulder can be created using materials such as polycrystalline cubic boron nitride ( pcbn ) and polycrystalline diamond ( pcd ). other materials that can be included are refractories such as tungsten , rhenium , iridium , titanium , molybdenum , etc . the work pieces that can be joined using the principles of the present invention include materials that have melting temperatures higher than bronze and aluminum . this class of materials includes , but is not limited to , metal matrix composites , ferrous alloys such as steel and stainless steel , non - ferrous materials , superalloys , titanium , cobalt alloys typically used for hard - facing , and air hardened or high speed steels . however , the present invention can also be used on materials that may be considered to be all other lower melting temperature materials that are not included within the definition of the higher melting temperatures described above . the shoulder 32 of the tool 30 can be made from polycrystalline cubic boron nitride or similarly described materials that can prevent adhesion of the shoulder to the first work piece 50 and provide superior thermal stability and wear resistance characteristics . several shoulder configurations can be used to form the shape of the rivet head or even cut away the rivet head after the pin 34 has been friction welded into the work pieces 50 , 52 . the materials used for the pin 34 are generally going to be those that can consumed during the friction stir riveting process . such materials will preferably enhance the bond between the first and second work piece materials , and are known to those skilled in the art of friction stir welding . alternative embodiments of the present invention include various aspects that should also be considered as important elements . first , a variety of cutting structures or profiles can be used on the end of the pin 34 that will be inserted as a rivet . a helically notched profile could be used as an alternate cutting structure instead of the feature shown in fig3 . in another alternative embodiment , inert gas such as argon or carbon dioxide can be caused to flow through the center of the tool 30 to prevent oxidation during friction stir riveting . in another alternative embodiment , more than two work pieces might be joined using the friction stir riveting process of the present invention . the length of the segments of the pin 34 would therefore be adjusted according . in another alternative embodiment , it should be noted that the work pieces that are being joined can be the same or different materials , depending upon the application . similarly , the material used in the pin might be a different material from the work pieces , the same material as at least one of the work pieces , or the same as the material on all the work pieces . pin profiles can be varied greatly . the pin profile can be a taper , hexagonal , or any desired shape that will perform a cutting process and friction stir riveting process . the shape will likely depend on various aspects , such as the desired bonding characteristics or the strength of the various materials being used . in another embodiment , the pin could also be hollow . the pin could be in rod or wire form and fed automatically through the center of the tool . when a square shape is used for the pin , this allows for torque from the tool to be transmitted to the pin or rivet . however , other torque transmitting profiles could be used . even a round shape could be used for the pin as long as a clamping force or clamping mechanism on the outside diameter of the pin material is sufficient to keep the pin from slipping within the tool when rotational forces are applied . the pin or rivet can have a variety of hardnesses or hardness profiles to facilitate work piece penetration . the tool can run to a specified position or load value at rpms ranging from 1 to 10 , 000 rpm . the tool could be run in the same configuration as fusion spot welding . for example , rather than using clamping with welding tips in a c clamp configuration , a small diameter rotating tool ( fig3 ) could be placed in a c clamp on the end of a robot . the c clamp configuration could also be used manually . the pin can have a fastener on the “ head ” so mechanical attachment can be used at that location . for example , the end of a friction rivet can have a threaded stub that is left to protrude above the work pieces after they have been joined . a nut could then be used to attach another component to the work pieces . some of the advantages of the friction stir riveting process include , but should not be considered limited to , a solid state joining process that is rapid , low energy input process requirements , low residual stresses because of the solid state process , no predrilled hole is necessary as in conventional riveting , there is reduced or eliminated distortion of the work pieces , no hole is left in the work pieces as in fssw , the process can be used in confined areas , z - axis forces are comparable to current forces required to resistance spot weld , the shoulder / pin ratio can be sized to generate a specific heat profile to optimize joint strength , corrosion resistant pin materials can be used , because the process is completed at an elevated temperature the formation of the pin or rivet has not yielded and will have greater energy absorption characteristics , the pin or rivet material can be overmatched to the work piece material for greater strength , and the rivet or pin can be used at the tip of a crack to prevent further crack propagation in a work piece . it is generally the case that the pin will be made using a material that is harder than the materials being joined . however , the pin might be softer , but pushed with sufficient force and quickly enough ; it can be used to join the harder work piece materials . another aspect of the invention is the option of removing the material being cut from the hole in the work pieces and being formed by the pin . one method of removing the material is to use a pecking motion . a pecking motion of the tool can also be combined with a fluid flow to remove the material . the fluid can be compressible or non - compressible , including gas , air , mist , and water . as previously mentioned . the present invention can be used to join different materials together , and is not limited to three body ( two work pieces and a pin ) configurations . multiple layers of materials can be joined simultaneously . any number of materials can be bonded so long as the materials are subjected to a temperature gradient that is less than the melting temperature of the materials being bonded . the range of surface travel speeds of the tool should be considered to be from 0 . 1 mm per minute to 10 meters per minute . the rotational speed of the tool can vary from 1 rpm to 100 , 000 rpm . coatings can be used on the tool , on the work pieces being joined , or on both the tool and the workpieces . the tool of the present invention can be a composite tool , such as a tool having a cbn shoulder , or different materials having a higher or lower modulus than the materials being bonded . the hardness of the materials being bonded should be considered to include all materials on the rockwell scales a , b and c . the cutting edge on the pin of the present invention can have any suitable cutting geometry . thus , any feature can be included on the pin that enables cutting , cutting and heating , and heating with the intent of causing a bond . the pin may also be threaded . thus , the pin does not have to have a cutting geometry . an alternative embodiment uses heating of the pin to enable creation of a hole or an aperture in or through other work piece materials . the present invention enables diffusion bonding on multiple planes , include axially and the sides of the hole that is created . it is to be understood that the above - described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention . numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements .	1
fig1 of the accompanying drawings shows part of a vacuum pump comprising a shaft 1 positioned within a pump body 2 which includes , as shown , three body portions 3 , 4 , 5 , all of which are sealingly fixed together . the shaft 1 is mounted for rotation in the body 2 by means of bearings 6 in the body portion 5 and bearings 7 in the body portion 3 . the vacuum pump is of the type having a second shaft ( not shown ) whose axis is parallel to the shaft 1 . the shafts have respective gears 8 , 9 , which engage each other . means ( not shown ) are provided to rotate the second shaft about its longitudinal axis with the interengaging gears 8 , 9 causing the shaft 1 to rotate also . the gears and the drive motor ( not shown ) generally require lubrication , and it is the oil employed for this purpose that contaminates an internal chamber 11 within which the shaft 1 rotates with a mist of oil suspended in the air or gas present in the chamber . the term &# 34 ; oil &# 34 ; is not limited to hydrocarbon oil or mineral oil but is defined to include any lubricating liquid . the shaft 1 is sealed within the body portion 3 by means of shaft seals in the form of a series of piston rings 12 contained in a piston ring carrier 10 secured to and rotatable with the shaft 1 . this ensures that the chamber 11 in which the lower parts ( as viewed in fig1 ) of the two shaft are contained is sealed from the pumping chambers of the vacuum pump which are positioned above the body portion 13 as viewed in fig1 . one of the piston rings 12 is positioned between passageways 13 , 14 in the body portion 3 so that a flow of gas , for example nitrogen , from a common source a can be passed to either side of the ring 12 so as to equalize pressure across it , thereby assisting sealing and causing a generally upward flow of gas ( as viewed in fig1 ) across the piston rings above the passageway 13 and hence into the pump outlet . the shaft 1 is adapted to carry an annular filter 15 in concentric fashion for rotation therewith . the filter comprises an annular coalescing filter element 16 supported at either end by annular end caps 17 , 18 of u - shaped cross section as shown and which are themselves sealingly fixed to the shaft 1 by means of o - rings 19 , 20 . for this purpose , the end caps 17 have cylindrical annular surfaces of sufficient axial extent to fit tightly onto o - rings 19 with clearances either side . the filter element 16 is further supported and constrained on its outer and inner surfaces by two annular expanded metal components conforming in shape to , and in contact with , the inner and outer surfaces of the filter element . there is a gas flow path from the chamber 11 through the outer annular expanded metal component in a generally radial direction through the coalescing filter element 16 and from the inner expanded metal component into a series of six equally spaced radially directed bores 21 in the shaft 1 ( two of which appear in fig1 ). the bores 21 , themselves , communicate with a further bore 22 directed axially along the shaft 1 . the bore 22 is sealed at the base ( as shown ) of the shaft and at its upper end communicates in the vicinity of the body portion 3 with a further set of six radially oriented bores 23 which extend through radial drillings in the piston ring carrier 10 to the outer surface of the carrier 10 . the piston ring carrier 10 has on the lowermost part of its outer curved surface a two start screw or scroll 24 whose turns afford communication between the bores 23 and the chamber 11 . in use of the vacuum pump , as the shaft 1 is rotated at high speed , the method of the invention allows air or gas present within the chamber 11 to be urged continuously towards the filter element 16 which it enters in a generally radial direction as shown by the heavier arrows in fig1 and thence to circulate through the filter element 16 into the bores 21 and then 22 and finally via the bores 23 where it is returned via the screw 24 back into the chamber 11 . the rotation of the screw or scroll 24 itself provides the driving force for recirculation of air or gas in the manner illustrated . in accordance with the method of this invention , oil droplets suspended in the air or gas which are drawn into the filter element 16 are retained therein by virtue of the physical properties of the coalescing filter . air or gas which has been cleaned of its oil content passes through the filter and is recirculated as described above . retained oil droplets tend to merge with other droplets retained by the filter to form droplets of increased size and , as they become more massive , the droplets are periodically ejected or flung from the filter in a generally radially outward direction as shown by the smaller arrows . there is a possibility for interaction between the inwardly directed oil - containing air / gas stream and the outwardly directed coalesced oil drops which is believed to enhance filtration efficiency . drops of the oil flung from the filter element 16 impact onto the side of the body portion 4 and fall to the base of the pump body in the vicinity of the body portion 5 . in this manner , the atmosphere within the chamber 11 is continuously recirculated through the filter 15 where the oil mist is coalesced into liquid and removed at each pass so that the concentration of oil mist within the chamber 11 is reduced to a low level . because of the lowered oil mist concentration , the ability for oil to pass the piston rings 12 and into the pumping chambers above the body portion 3 is reduced . it would be appreciated that it is important that the filter 15 should normally operate with a low pressure drop across it . in the construction shown , the scroll 24 creates an elevated pressure in chamber 11 which causes the flow of contaminated air through the filter . an excessive pressure drop causes a resistance to this flow , reducing the rate of filtration and permitting oil mist to build up in the chamber 11 . the filter element 15 is shown in greater detail in fig2 . the annular oil coalescing filter 16 may be fabricated or molded from a fibrous organic or inorganic material and preferably from a fibrous inorganic material such as glass microfibers . it should have a structure and pore size such that it will retain particles and droplets having a size from about 0 . 01 to about 10 microns and , in particular , particles of size less than about 1 . 5 microns which form a major component of oil suspended in air in a vacuum pump of the present kind . suitable media commonly have an efficiency of between 99 . 97 and 99 . 9999 % when subjected to a dioctyl phthalate test to astm d 1986 - 1971 ( military standard 282 ). the coalesing filter may be formed from layers of sheet wrapped one around the other , formed from pleated sheet or , as is preferred in the present case , it is made by molding or vacuum forming . it will during manufacture normally be impregnated with a resin binder which imparts a degree of mechanical strength and is compatible with the coalescing action . suitable media for the coalescing element are disclosed in patent specification numbers gb - a - 1014882 ( domnick hunter ) and gb - a - 1544822 and gb - a - 1603519 ( process scientific innovations ). in particular , it is preferred that the filter element 16 should be molded from borosilicate glass microfibers according to the process described in gb - a - 1603519 . the filter 15 which is typically of outside diameter 6 cm and length 3 cm is formed as a single component for convenience in fitting to or removal from the shaft 1 . during manufacture , the inner and outer expanded metal supports 27 , 28 , are offered to the outer and inner surfaces of the element 16 , after which the annular end caps 17 , 18 are adhered thereto . the expanded metal supports 27 , 28 are conveniently of expanded stainless steel mesh of thickness about 0 . 5 mm and open area 60 %. the element 16 may be of borosilicate glass microfiber impregnated with an epoxy resin , the end caps 17 , 18 may be machined from aluminum alloy , and they may be adhered to the filter element 16 and inner and outer supports 27 , 28 by means of an epoxy adhesive , grades of which exhibit good resistance to chemical attack and have service temperatures of , for example , about 130 ° c . as an alternative polyurethane or phenolic adhesive can be used , the chemical resistance of phenolic adhesives being especially good . in a variation shown in fig3 the end cap 17 , 18 may be made from a rigid plastics material , e . g . a 30 % glass - filled polybutylene terephthalate and , on the outer face of the outer expanded metal support 27 , there may be provided a drainage layer of large pore size organic woven , non - woven or foam material , e . g . of polyester needle felt , which drainage layer is treated with a fluorocarbon to reduce oil retention . such drainage layers are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 129 , 923 . fig4 shows a further variant in which the coalescing filter has only a single expanded metal support member 27 on the outer surface and is sandwiched between end caps 31 , 32 which have axial extension 33 in which are formed retaining grooves 34 for o - ring seals . with this structure , the filter can be fitted onto a plain shaft and can be supplied complete with a fresh pair of o - ring scale which are held captive within the element and are replaced such time that the element is exchanged . in a further variant shown in fig5 and 6 , a splash guard fits over the outer cylindrical surface of the filter 15 covering a lower part of the outer surface for most of the axial extend of the exposed part . the splash guard 35 is an annulus of liquid - impermeable material formed with outwardly projecting louvers 37 which are formed with ports 39 at their trailing ends with reference to the direction of rotation as indicated by the arrow . it may conveniently be formed integrally with the lower end cap 35 , as shown , and be molded from a suitable plastics material , e . g . glass - filled polybutylene terephatlate . it has been found that , when the shaft 1 is rotating at low speeds particularly during starting and stopping of the vacuum pump , the filter element 15 is likely to be splashed with oil which at these low rotation speeds is retained by the coalescing element 16 and contributes to pressure drop . the splash guard 35 reduces the likelihood of the coalescing element becoming directly splashed with oil and hence enables the filter to operate with a lower pressure drop during starting or at low running speeds , but it does not significantly impede ingress of contaminated air or ejection of coalesced oil droplets . in fig7 there is shown a further variant of the filter in which the end faces of end caps 17 , 35 , the lower end cap 35 incorporating an integral splash guard as aforesaid , are provided with axially extending seals 40 , 41 . the filter fits in a recess between radially enlarged portions 42 , 43 of the rotating shaft , one of which is removable to permit the filter to be fitted and replaced . the use of axially extending face seals instead of the shaft seals in the previous embodiments permits a wider range of manufacturing tolerance for the axial spacing between end caps 17 , 35 of the filter . in the embodiment shown , the seals 40 , 41 are glued in place on the end caps 17 , 35 . in a variant , the end caps 17 , 35 could be formed on their end surfaces with an axial extension having a molded in o - ring receiving groove similar to the groove in fig4 . fig8 shows an alternative form of the invention for use with a rotary shaft which intrudes into a closed hydraulic chamber or tank . as shown , an upper tank wall 60 closes off the internal space 61 of the tank at an aperture 62 through which shaft 1 &# 39 ; extends . the shaft is rotatable by means of a fractional horsepower motor diagrammatically indicated at 63 . the shaft 1 &# 39 ; is formed with an axial bore 22 &# 39 ; and radial bores 21 &# 39 ;, 23 &# 39 ; as aforesaid . at its upper and lower ends are fitted an intake filter 45 and a coalescing filter 47 , each having the same structure as the filter shown in fig5 . the filters 45 , 47 are replaceably mounted on the shaft 1 by means of end caps 49 held in place by threaded studs 50 . the intake filter 45 rotates within a mesh guard 52 . as the level of liquid 54 within the space 61 falls , air is drawn into the space 61 through the inlet filter 45 where solid contaminants such as dust together with any liquid contaminants are filtered out . clean air enters the space 61 through the filter 47 . when the tank is refilled with hydraulic liquid 54 , the direction of flow is recovered , end mist droplets are coalesced and returned to the main body of oil 54 by the mechanism previously described . in a modification , it is desired to filter the gas in space 61 continuously through the filter 47 , the diameter of the inlet filter 45 is increased to a value greater than that of the coalescing filter 47 , in which case the preferential direction of gas flow is into the filter 47 and out from the filter 45 .	1
fig1 - 3 illustrate a first embodiment of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention . a tube inserter 100 includes a cannula 110 having a threaded cutting portion 112 at its distal end and a conduit 114 ( shown in dashed line in fig1 ) running from its distal end along a portion of the length of the cannula 110 . holes 116 formed in the tip of cannula 110 and holes 118 formed in the side of cannula 110 create a fluid passageway from the holes 116 to the holes 118 along conduit 114 . a catheter 120 comprises an outer tube having an outer threaded portion 122 at the distal end and a lumen 124 running along its entire length , with the ends of the lumen 124 defining a distal opening 126 and a proximal opening 128 . in a preferred embodiment the catheter 120 includes graduated markings ( not shown ) on the outer surface to indicate distances , for example , the distance from each graduation to the cutting tip 112 . in addition , if desired , the graduated markings can be angled so that they provide the user of the device with an indication of the preferred insertion angle . at the proximal end of catheter 120 is a head assembly 130 , which includes a check valve 134 , a port 136 and an o - ring 138 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 - 3 , a threaded outer portion 132 is shown , to provide a compression fit between a chest tube inserted in the catheter and the head assembly , as discussed in more detail below . a control device , such as a leur cap , is affixed or otherwise associated with port 136 to enable control of the flow of fluid or other materials therethrough . the location of port 136 along the catheter 120 should coincide with the holes 118 when the cannula 110 is inserted into the catheter 120 as shown in fig3 . the o - ring ( or other sealing means ) is positioned within the lumen 124 such that , when the cannula 110 is inserted into the catheter 120 as shown in fig3 it allows fluid to travel from the distal end of the tube inserter 100 , through holes 116 , through conduit 114 , and out through holes 118 to port 136 , while preventing the flow of fluid towards the portion of the proximal end of the tube inserter 100 past port 136 . an adjustable flange 140 is positionable along the threaded portion 122 of catheter 120 . its position can be adjusted to be closer to or farther from the distal end of the tube inserter 100 . in a preferred embodiment the adjustable flange comprises a disk having a centrally - located opening formed therein , with the opening having internal threading to match the external threading of threaded portion 122 . so configured , the adjustable flange can be moved up or down the catheter 120 by rotation of the adjustable flange thereon . although not shown , if desired the adjustable flange 140 can be angled to the preferred insertion angle to act as a guide for the user . check valve 134 allows the cannula 110 to be inserted into the lumen 124 when desired ( shown inserted in fig3 ). when cannula 110 is removed from lumen 124 ( shown in fig2 ), the check valve 134 prevents the inflow or out flow of fluids ( or any material or composition ) through the proximal opening 128 . referring to fig4 - 7 , the method of using the present invention for insertion of a chest tube is now described . referring to fig4 the tube inserter 100 , fully assembled as shown in fig3 is placed tip first against the insertion location 400 on the skin 402 of a patient so that the threaded cutting portion 112 is in contact with the entrance location . the entire tube inserter 100 is then turned and advanced into the pleural space 404 . the screw design allows for a controlled insertion into the chest , with minimal pushing force , since progression relies on rotation of the pitched screw threads . the threaded cutting portion 112 eliminates the need for an initial incision , and the air / fluid passageway in the cannula 110 provides a method for the user of the device to determine whether the tip of the device is in the pleural space 404 and the nature of the injury ( e . g ., the presence of blood at port 136 indicates the presence of hemothorax ). as shown in fig5 the adjustable flange 140 limits the depth of the penetration by stopping the insertion at the skin 402 , and therefore minimizes the risk of injury to internal organs , such as to lung 504 . further , the ability to easily adjust the depth of penetration using adjustable flange 140 allows a non - physician to simply set the depth and be assured that a maximum depth is not exceeded . fig5 illustrates the tube inserter 100 fully inserted into the patient , such that the threaded cutting portion 112 has pierced the parietal pleura and entered the pleural space 404 . note that the cutting portion 112 has stopped short of contacting the visceral pleura 502 and the lung 504 . when insertion is complete and it has been determined that the device tip is in the pleural space 404 , as shown in fig6 the cannula 110 along with its threaded cutting portion 112 is removed , leaving the catheter 120 in place , with the check valve and leur cap closed . a chest tube 700 , which is connected to a heimlich valve or other type of one - way valve , can now be advanced into the pleural space 404 as shown in fig7 . preferably the chest tube 700 is locked or otherwise secured in place in the catheter 120 during use , to prevent it from accidentally being advanced into or retracted from the pleural cavity . for example , the chest tube 700 can be supplied with a mating device 702 having an internal threading which matches the outer threading 132 of catheter 120 ; the exact method and structure for maintaining the chest tube in place is not the focus of this invention and therefore any method and structure for maintaining a tight or “ compression fit ” is contemplated by the previous description . the excavation of pneumothorax and / or hemothorax is carried out in the usual manner using the chest tube and the appropriate removal methods and apparatus . the device can be inserted to the chest wall at various angles with minimal normal (“ push ”) and rotational forces , and with a high degree of control of insertion depth . while in this operative position , the chest tube and catheter 120 remain positionally stable within the chest wall . due to the threading along the outer surface of the catheter 120 , a high degree of force is required to pull the assembly out accidentally . further , once the pneumothorax or hemothorax has been resolved , the apparatus is easily removed from the chest by rotating the apparatus out along the threads . fig8 illustrates an alternative embodiment for the cannula of the present invention . as shown in fig8 a cannula 810 has a spline 811 running from the cutting tip 812 up to a location 818 . location 818 is selected so that it will be adjacent to port 136 ( fig2 ) when the cannula is inserted into catheter 120 . the spline provides a fluid passage ( i . e ., a conduit ) along the outer edge of the cannula ( between the cannula 110 and the inner wall of catheter 120 ) so that fluid may pass from the tip of the cannula to the port 136 , as described above with respect to fig1 - 3 . while there are many materials that can be used to fabricate the device of the present invention , in a preferred embodiment the cutting tip 112 is made of stainless steel or titanium in a generally conical shape , with threads , and converging at a sharpened tip at the distal end thereof . the remainder of the device , in a preferred embodiment , is made of injection molded clear plastic so that fluid traveling through the device may be viewed by the user . obviously other materials can be used without detracting from the novel aspects of the invention disclosed herein . the present invention enables prompt and inexpensive management of pneumo / hemothorax in humans and has broad - range application in areas such as combat casualty care , fire and rescue , and shock trauma centers . further , while the present invention is disclosed and described in a preferred embodiment pertaining to chest tubes , it is understood and contemplated that it can be applied to insertion devices of other types , such as abdominal drains and drains inserted into joints or other body cavities ; introduction of a port of entry into the body ( e . g ., pleural and peritoneal spaces , joints ) for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes ; introduction of a laproscope , and firm and stable fixation of other medical instrumentation to soft tissues ( e . g ., chest and abdominal wall ) using the screw concept disclosed herein . 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 applications shown and described . accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention and the appended claims and their equivalents .	0
with more particular reference to the drawings there is illustrated generally at 1 in fig1 , and 3 , a daughter board having mounted thereon a dielectric housing 2 . the board 1 includes a plurality of conducting circuit pads some of which are illustrated at 4 . electrical receptacles some of which are illustrated at 6 are provided within corresponding apertures 8 or cavities within the housing 2 . each of the receptacles 6 have electrically conducting tail portions 10 which project outwardly of the housing cavities and which are bent to project into corresponding apertures 12 of the board 1 . as shown more particularly in fig2 the tail portions 10 communicate with corresponding electrical paths 4 . to ensure electrical conductivity the tail portions 10 are soldered to the paths 4 . for convenience in routing of the paths 4 , the tail portions 10 project outwardly from the cavities 8 of the housing 2 in staggered fashion and are connected to the board in two separate rows . as shown the cavities 8 and 10 within the housing 2 are disposed in two separate rows parallel to the surface of the board 1 . each of the cavities 8 have a funnel entry or opening 14 through one end 16 of the housing 2 . the edge 18 of the board is overlied by a lip portion 20 of the housing 2 . as shown the lip portion 20 may be segmented . alternatively the lip portion may be continuous if desired . the sharp edges of the end surface 16 are chamfered as shown at 22 for a purpose to be described . the housing 2 is mounted to the edge margin adjacent the edge 18 by a pair of projecting plastic rivets 24 in registration within corresponding apertures 26 of the board 1 . the rivets 24 may be expanded with an enlarged head portion 28 as shown in fig3 in order to permanently mount the housing 2 to the edge margin of the board 1 . also shown in fig3 taken in conjunction with fig1 and 4 , a mother board 30 is provided with two rows of electrically conducting elongated posts or pins 32 which are mounted to the board 30 by press - fit connections within apertures of the board and which project interiorly of an enclosing dielectric housing 34 . as shown the housing 34 includes three rows of apertures 36 through an end wall 38 . the posts 32 occupy only two of the three rows of apertures 36 and therefore are arranged in rows offset within the interior of the housing 34 for complementary alignment with the funnel entry openings 14 of the housing 2 which are offset along the end surface 16 . the housing 34 has an open end 40 the interior edge surfaces of which are chamfered as shown at 42 in order to provide a funnel entry for receipt therein of the externally chamfered end 16 of the housing 2 . as shown in fig4 when the daughter board 1 and the housing 2 thereof are received within the confines of the housing 34 , the lip portion 20 engages against a sidewall of the housing as well as the end wall 38 of the housing 34 in order to maintain the housing 2 and the daughter board 1 in desired alignment within the housing 34 . the apertures 14 of the housing 2 are offset along the end wall 16 of the housing , in order to align the receptacles 6 over the corresponding offset rows of posts or pins 32 . the posts or pins are electrically received within the receptacles 6 when the daughter board 1 is correctly pluggably connected to the mother board 30 as shown in fig4 . as a further feature the housing 2 is provided with a slotted portion 46 extending through the housing to allow insertion of an extraction tool for deflecting the latch portion 48 of the receptacles 6 to allow their removal from the housing 2 . the slotted portion extends transversely through the housing 2 and intersects each of the projecting latch portions 48 of a first row of receptacles 6 . all of the latch portions can be deflected into the bodies of the receptacles by inserting an elongated tool through the slotted portion 46 . this will allow removal of the row of receptacles from the housing 2 . the other row of receptacles 6 include their latch portions 48 projecting into a recess 47 which communicates with each of the cavities 8 containing said other row of receptacles . an extraction tool can be inserted into the recess for deflecting a latch portion 48 of a selected receptacle of said other row into the body of the receptacle to permit removal of the receptacle from its corresponding cavity 8 . in addition the recess 46 communicates between the rows of cavities 8 to permit an extraction tool to enter the recess 47 , pass through a cavity 8 and into the recess 48 in order to deflect a latch portion of selected receptacle of the first row , permitting removal of the selected individual receptacle from the housing 2 . the first row of receptacles 6 are disposed closer to the end 16 of the housing than the other row of receptacles . this staggered row arrangement assures that the first row of receptacles will be received over a corresponding row of posts 32 before the other row of receptacles are received over the other corresponding row of posts 32 . such a feature divides the total insertion force required for mounting the receptacles collectively on the posts into smaller forces created sequentially and not in summation as the rows of receptacles are mounted over the corresponding rows of posts 32 . the mother board housing 34 is provided with pairs of slotted or notched openings 50 thereof to provide clearances for receipt of a tool which might be utilized to grip and remove the housing 2 from the mother board housing 34 if necessary . although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail other embodiments and also modifications are intended to be covered by the spirit and scope of the apended claims .	7
by way of example , the invention will be described with reference to the widely used 10 / 100 mbps ethernet local area networks ( lans ) typically found in workplace environments . such ethernet lans conform to the ieee 802 . 3 , 802 . 3u and 802 . 3x network standards which are incorporated herein by reference . referring first to the schematic representation of fig1 there is shown a network communications system 10 for connecting , for example , a plurality of portable computers 12 , 14 and 16 to each other and to an ethernet local area network 18 via an rj - 45 wall jack 20 . the specific embodiment of the system 10 shown in fig1 has eight ( 8 ) client or computer ports 22 for connecting as many computers . the computers 12 , 14 and 16 typically comprise notebook or handheld computers provided with network interface cards or adapters 24 . examples of such adapters 24 are the ethernet pc cards and ethernet / modem combo pc cards manufactured by xircom , inc ., thousand oaks , calif . a flat , category 5 compliant lan cable 26 terminated with an rj - 45 modular plug 28 connects - each of the computers 12 , 14 and 16 with the system 10 . the system 10 is a compact unit designed to be placed on a conference room table top 30 a portion of which is shown in fig1 . a default mode for the operation of the system 10 might be client - to - enterprise lan access . the network communications system 10 may also operate as a stand alone client concentrator facilitating networking among the users within a conference room with or without connection to a backbone network . the network communications system 10 is connectable to a standard electrical power wall outlet 32 and to the ethernet lan 18 by means of an adapter assembly 34 . the adapter assembly 34 includes a power cord 36 for connection to the wall outlet 32 ; an ethernet lan cable 38 terminated with an rj - 45 modular plug 40 for connection to the lan wall jack 20 , and a combined power / ethernet lan cable 42 described in greater detail below . in addition , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention , the system 10 may be coupled to a second , cascaded network communications system 44 . up to three ( 3 ) 8 - port systems may be cascaded or daisy chained in this fashion thereby facilitating the networking of up to twenty - four ( 24 ) computers . such cascading is effected by means of combined power / ethernet lan daisy chain cables 46 and 48 , also described in greater detail below . with reference now also to fig2 - 5 , the system 10 comprises an outer housing 50 including a base 52 and a cover 54 , each preferably fabricated of molded plastic . the base 52 of the outer housing 50 includes a bottom wall 56 having inner and - outer surfaces 58 and 60 , and opposite side walls 62 and 64 defining the eight ( 8 ) client computer ports 22 from each of which a flat lan cable 26 may be pulled out by a user for connection to a computer . four rubber feet 66 attached to bottom wall 56 adjacent the comers thereof help resist any tendency for the system 10 to slide along the table top 30 when a cable is withdrawn from a client port 22 . the four client ports 22 along one side 62 of the base 52 are in transverse alignment with the four client ports 22 along the other side 64 of the base 52 , as best seen in fig5 . the cover 54 has a generally horizontal top wall 68 having an inner surface 70 and an outer surface 72 . the inner surface 58 of the bottom wall 56 of the base 52 defines eight ( 8 ) wells 80 each of which is positioned adjacent one of the client ports 22 . with reference now also to fig6 and 7 , removably mounted within each of the wells 80 is a generally cylindrical communications cable dispenser 82 . the dispensers 82 are identical ; each preferably takes the form of a take - up device containing a spring loaded reel carrying communications cable 84 . a cable dispenser or take - up device of the type that may be used with the present invention is generally disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 797 , 558 and 5 , 655 , 726 , which patents are incorporated herein by reference . as already indicated , in the preferred embodiment under consideration , the communications cable 84 carried by the reel of each cable dispenser 82 is in the form of flat , category 5 twisted pair 10 / 100 mbps ethernet transceiver cable : each cable dispenser 82 has a casing 86 including two projections 88 and 90 on the outer surface thereof . the projection 88 has a transverse surface 92 - and the projection 90 has a transverse surface 94 . the cable 84 of each cable dispenser 82 has a first portion 96 that emerges from an aperture in the transverse surface 92 of the projection 88 . the first portion 96 of the cable 84 is fixed , that is , it is non - extendible relative to the cable dispenser 82 . the cable 84 includes as a second portion the cable length 26 that is extendible from an aperture in the transverse surface 94 of the projection 90 against a resilient bias provided , for example , by a flat coil spring within the dispenser 82 , and is thereby retractable into the dispenser . further , in the present invention , the cable dispenser preferably includes a mechanism for allowing the cable to be latched in an extended state to relieve strain on the cable during use . a mechanical switch 100 in the top surface 101 of the cable dispenser casing 86 allows a user to select latching or non - latching reel operation . the length of the second portion 26 of the cable 84 is compatible with typical conference room environments , for example , six to eight feet long , the first and second portions 96 and 26 of the cable 84 have ends 102 and 104 , respectively , carrying an rj - 45 modular plug 106 and the rj - 45 modular plug 28 . the plug 28 has a rear surface 110 provided with a slotted , resilient pad 112 that engages the transverse surface 94 of the projection 90 on the casing 86 to absorb shock in the event a user suddenly releases the extended cable portion 26 . mounted on the top surface 101 of the dispenser casing 86 and extending along a diameter thereof , is an upwardly projecting , flat grip or handle 114 facilitating the lifting of the cable dispenser 82 and the removal thereof from its associated well 80 . adjacent the inner end 116 of the handle 114 and disposed perpendicular thereto is a short , upstanding abutment 118 . the base 52 of the system 10 includes a molded plastic inner housing 130 extending the length of the base . the inner housing 130 has a horizontal upper wall 132 that defines eight ( 8 ) longitudinally spaced jack apertures 134 and four transverse channels 136 , each channel being in alignment with a pair of opposed client ports 22 . the inner housing 130 further includes a generally vertical wall 138 defining eight ( 8 ) arcuate recesses 140 for receiving the inner portions of the cable dispensers 82 . a portion of the vertical wall 138 in each arcuate recess 140 is slotted ( at 142 ) so as to define a generally u - shaped , resilient tab 144 hinged along the bottom thereof . the resilient tab 144 carries an outwardly projecting latch 146 that engages the top of the abutment 118 on the top of the associated cable dispenser 82 to lock the dispenser in place and prevent it from being lifted . to remove a cable dispenser 82 for replacement , the associated resilient tab 144 is pressed inwardly , that is , away from the dispenser , thereby causing the latch 146 to clear the associated abutment 118 thus allowing the dispenser to be lifted out of its well 80 by means of the handle 114 . projecting upwardly from the inner surface 58 of the bottom base wall 56 is a stop 148 that engages the transverse surface 94 on the dispenser projection 90 . the stop 148 thereby prevents the cable dispenser 82 from rotating counterclockwise within its well 80 when the second portion 26 of the cable 84 is withdrawn from the dispenser . [ 0035 ] fig8 is a top plan view of the base of the communications system with the inner housing 130 removed thereby exposing a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 150 extending substantially the length of the base 52 . fig9 is a perspective of the pcb 150 . mounted on one surface of the pcb 150 are first and second monolithic integrated circuits 152 and 154 comprising network interconnection circuitry preferably in the form of lan switches . mounted on the other surface of the pcb 150 opposite the lan switch ic &# 39 ; s 152 and 154 are heat sinks 156 and 158 , respectively , for transferring heat away from the switches . the pcb 150 also carries an inverted 10 - contact rj - 45 jack 160 at one end of the pcb 150 for connection to the combined power / ethemet lan cable 42 of the adapter assembly 34 , and an inverted 10 - contact rj - 45 jack 162 at the other end of the pcb 150 for connecting the system 10 to the second communications system 44 by means of the combined power / ethernet lan daisy chain cable 46 . the pcb 150 further carries eight ( 8 ) upright client port rj - 45 jacks 164 intermediate the ends of the pcb . the jacks 164 are arranged as two pairs 164 a , 164 b of individual jacks and a central jack complex 164 c integrating the remaining four rj - 45 jacks 164 in a single unit . with the inner housing 130 in place in the base 52 , the eight client port jacks 164 carried by the pcb line up with the jack apertures 134 in the upper wall 132 of the inner housing 130 . [ 0036 ] fig1 is a high - level block diagram of the electronics of the 8 - port network communications system 10 . as shown in fig1 , the first switch 152 may comprise , by way of example , a model bcm5308 single chip , 3 . 3 volt 10 / 100 base - t / tx 9 - port switch manufactured by broadcom corp . the second switch 154 may comprise a model bcm5304 single chip , 3 . 3 volt 10 / 100 base - t / tx 5 - port switch also manufactured by broadcom corp . the switches 152 and 154 are connected by an expansion bus 168 and are coupled to sram buffer memories 170 and 172 , respectively . six transmit / receive ports of the first switch 152 interface with the enterprise power / ethernet rj - 45 jack 160 and five of the client port rj - 45 jacks 164 which receive the mating rj - 45 plugs 106 on the ends 102 of the fixed cable portions 96 . three transmit / receive ports of the second switch 154 interface with the rj - 45 jacks 164 of the remaining three client ports . a fourth transmit / receive port of the second switch 154 interfaces with the cascade or daisy chain rj - 45 jack 162 . a pass - through 24vdc power bus 174 for supplying cascaded systems such as the system 44 is connected between the power / ethernet and daisy chain jacks 160 and 162 . connected to the 24vdc bus 174 is a regulator 176 for supplying 3 . 3vdc to the various ic &# 39 ; s carried by the pcb 150 . the use of multiport network interconnecting circuits such as the lan switches 152 and 154 and their connection to lan port jacks are well known in the art and need not be described in greater detail . it will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that instead of a lan switching arrangement , the system may be set up as a less expensive , conventional concentrator or repeater hub . the system 10 also includes means for providing a visual indication of the status of each of the client ports 22 . with reference to fig4 and 5 , with the inner housing 130 in place , four portions 178 of the pcb 150 are exposed by the transverse channels 136 defined by the inner housing . with reference also to fig8 and 12 , each of the exposed portions 178 of the pcb carry a set of three status indicating leds 180 - 182 on each side of the pcb , each set of leds being associated with one of the client ports 22 . the leds of each set are vertically aligned with the upper two leds 180 and 181 in close proximity to each other and the third led 182 being below and spaced apart from the upper pair . the upper pair of leds 180 , 181 of each led set indicates ( through 2 different colors ) link integrity , that is , whether a good 10 mbps or 100 mbps connection has been made , while the third led 182 of each set indicates lan send / receive activity . light from - the leds is transmitted to the exterior surface 72 of the cover 54 via light pipes of lexan or the like . specifically , as shown in fig1 and 12 , each client port has associated with it a pair of vertically aligned , upper and lower , l - shaped light pipes 184 and 186 carried by the inner surface 70 of the cover 54 . the light pipe 184 has an inner end 184 a and an outer end 184 b . likewise , the light pipe 186 has inner and outer ends 186 a and 186 b . with the outer housing cover 54 in place , the inner end 184 a of the upper light pipe 184 is positioned to receive light from one or the other of the leds 180 , 181 of the upper led pair ; similarly , the inner end 186 a of the lower light pipe 186 is positioned to receive light from the lower led 182 when the cover 54 is in place . the outer ends 184 b and 186 b of the light pipes 184 and 186 communicate with the outer surface 72 of the cover 54 and thus light transmitted by the light pipes from the leds is visible to the users of the system to indicate the status of each client port 22 . the use of leds to indicate the status of lan ports is well known in the art , being routinely used , by way of example , in connection with network interface cards or adapters such as those mentioned above . [ 0039 ] fig1 shows the details of the adapter assembly 34 for connecting the system 10 to the enterprise lan 18 and the source of electrical power 32 . the adapter assembly 34 comprises an enclosure 190 , the combined power / ethernet lan cable 42 extending from one end of the enclosure 190 , and the 120vac power cord 36 and category 5 compliant ethernet lan cable 38 extending from the other end of the enclosure 190 . with reference also to fig3 and 10 , the combined power / ethernet lan cable 42 has first and second ends 42 a and 42 b and is terminated at the end 42 b with a 10 - contact position rj - 45 modular plug 192 for connection to the internal jack 160 , while , as already indicated , the lan cable 38 is terminated with an eight contact rj - 45 modular plug 40 for connection to the wall lan jack 20 . the enclosure 190 contains a pcb 194 carrying a 120vac - to - 24vdc power supply 196 connected to the power cord 36 and conductors 198 providing a pass - through for the ethernet lan signals . by way of example , the overall length of the adapter assembly of fig1 may be 25 feet . as shown in the cross section of fig1 , the combined power / ethernet cable 42 includes a core group of category 5 compliant conductors comprising two twisted wire pairs 200 / 201 and 202 / 203 connected to the pass - through conductors 198 for transmitting network signals . the core group of conductors 200 - 203 is encased in insulative filler material ( for example , fibrillated polypropylene ) 204 in turn enveloped by a tubular , double sided aluminum foil / mylar emi / rfi shield 206 having a drain line 208 . the shielding 206 is surrounded by fibrillated polypropylene filler 210 which in turn is enveloped by a braided emi rfi shield 212 and an outer tubular . insulative jacket 214 of , for example , flexible pvc . embedded in the filler 210 is an outer group of conductors comprising two twisted wire pairs 216 / 217 and 218 / 219 connected to the power supply . 196 for supplying 24vdc electrical power to the system 10 . with reference to fig1 , the combined power / lan cable 46 for cascading the systems 10 and 44 is identical to the combined power / lan cable 42 of the adapter assembly 34 except that the cascading cable 46 is terminated at each of the first and second ends 46 a and 46 b with a 10 - contact rj - 45 modular plug 220 . with reference also to fig3 and 10 , to cascade the systems of the invention , one of the plugs 220 is inserted in the daisy chain rj - 45 jack 162 of the first system such as the system 10 while the other plug 220 is inserted in the enterprise rj - 45 jack 160 of the second system such as the system 44 . the overall length of the cable 46 may be 6 feet , for example . [ 0042 ] fig1 is a chart listing the pin or contact assignments of the mating 10 - contact rj - 45 modular plugs and jacks used in the system of the present invention . thus , the conductors 200 / 201 and 202 / 203 of the core or lan group of conductors are connected to contact nos . 1 - 4 while the conductors 216 / 217 and 218 / 219 of the outer or power group of conductors are connected to contact nos . 7 - 10 . middle contact positions nos . 5 and 6 are devoid of contacts so as to provide additional electrical isolation between the two groups of conductors . with reference again to fig3 - 5 and 8 , in the event heat dissipation from the lan switch ics 152 and 154 through the use of heat sinks 156 , 158 alone is insufficient , a cooling fan 230 housed within a slotted enclosure 232 at one end of the system 10 may be provided . cooling air discharge slots 234 formed in the bottom wall 56 of the base 52 at the other end of the system 10 vent cooling air flowing along the length of the pcb 150 . with reference to fig1 , there is shown an alternative embodiment of the invention comprising a system 240 having four client computer ports 242 two of which are visible in fig1 . it will be evident that the preceding detailed description applies equally to the four port version of the invention , except that typically only a single lan switching ic would be required . 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 the foregoing and other changes in form and detail may , be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . for example , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is equally applicable to “ small office / home office ” ( soho ) environments .	7
illustrated in fig1 is a golf training device 11 of the present invention . the golf training device 11 includes a platform 13 having a plurality of vertical support members 15 such as rectangular legs . the legs may include a plurality of holes 17 and may be attached to a side 19 of the platform 13 by means of screws or bolts 21 . the holes 17 and the screws 21 may be used to adjust the height of the platform 13 . although the means illustrated include the holes and screws , numerous other means of adjusting the vertical position of the platform 13 can be envisaged by a person having ordinary skill in the art . for example , telescoping legs may be secured by nuts , or pins . the platform 13 is preferably covered with a mat of synthetic grass material 23 . the golf training device also includes a golf club 25 having a shaft 27 which is shortened considerably . thus , the club 25 of the present invention is generally 27 inches long and will usually be a seven , eight or nine iron which has some substantial loft . the reason for selecting a club with considerable loft is that it is desirable to get the ball 29 airborne in order to determine how the student is progressing . typically , the platform 13 may be varied in height depending upon the height of the player and the length of the club . the standard platform 13 would generally be 18 &# 34 ; by 36 &# 34 ; by 9 &# 34 ; high and the golf club will have a 27 &# 34 ; shaft . it is desirable to provide additional weight to the golf club so that it feels like a standard golf club or perhaps somewhat heavier . this can be done by filling the shaft with lead shot . the principle behind the invention is that by achieving a reduction of the forces acting on the left wrist , the student can experience the feel of the correct position of the left wrist . the forces acting on the left wrist are a function of the length of the shaft because of the moment created by the head of the club . thus , by reducing the length of the shaft , the moment produced by the head of the club is reduced and thus the strength and skill that is required to maintain the proper trajectory of the head of the club is reduced . the invention also contemplates a method of teaching and practicing the proper golf swing . in the method of the invention a ball is placed on a horizontal platform disposed a predetermined vertical distance from the ground . a golf club having a shortened shaft is disposed in the hands of the student . the student is then instructed as to the proper stance , grip and shown the correct path of the club face . drills are then provided to make the student understand how the path of the club face is controlled with emphasis on the correct position of the left arm and hand ( assuming a right handed golfer ). advantageously , the golf club of the invention has the approximate weight of a full size club yet lacks the normal inertia permitting the student to concentrate on the feel and control of the swing . typically , the following drills are followed using the shortened shaft club as shown in the flow diagram of fig2 : 1 . short swing of the shortened shaft golf club with the left hand and forearm while feeling a straight to slightly convex position of the back of the left wrist ; 2 . short swing of the shortened shaft golf club with both arms while experiencing the feel of the controlling left hand and forearm from drill 1 ; 3 . short swing of the shortened shaft golf club with the right hand and forearm while feeling the natural pivoting action of the body on the right leg and hip in the backswing and downswing and the left leg and hip in the follow through ; 4 . short swing of the shortened shaft golf club with both arms while experiencing the feel of the natural pivoting action of the body on the right leg and hip in the backswing and downswing and the left leg and hip in the follow through ; 5 . full swing of the shortened shaft golf club with the right arm feeling the natural pivoting of the body on the right leg and hip in the backswing and downswing and the left leg and hip in the follow through ; and 6 . full swing with both arms while experiencing the feel of the natural pivoting of the body on the right leg and hip in the backswing and downswing and the left leg and hip in the follow through . it has been found that a basic problem in learning the necessary muscle control and developing the proper muscle memory is that the left and right arms often tend to work against each other . the correct swing can only occur when each hand and arm independently follows the right path and cooperate . the present teaching and practice method of the invention , by virtue of the above listed drills , permits learning of the movements of each arm and hand with the easily managed shortened club . the actual hitting of the ball from the raised platform provides the necessary feedback so that the golfer may determine when he achieves the correct movements . thus , the apparatus and method of the invention permits an instructor to easily teach a person a correct golf swing by permitting the swing to be broken into its basic elements , the feel of each element by each hand and arm learned and those elements integrated into a full swing without the distortion caused by any slight deviations magnified by the inertial effect of a full length club . when the student has mastered the &# 34 ; feel &# 34 ; evidenced by the proper flight of the ball , he may then move to the full size club and be able to sense inaccuracies in his swing .	0
the development of virus specific monoclonal antibodies and the check of their cross reactivities are bases of virological researches ( bergter 1990 ). identification and purification of cell membrane bound viral proteins of peptides belong to the state of the art ( eckert and kartenbeck 197 ). likewise , the methods to prepare murine , humanized , or human monoclonal antibodies and the preparation of antigen binding mab fragments are known ( peters and baumgarten 1990 , lidell and weeks 1996 ). the identification and isolation of viral and virus induced antigens from the plasma membrane of effected cells and the generation of monoclonal antibody are depicted in example 1 . first , it will be clarified by immunocytological and electron microscopical basic examinations whether viral proteins are principally integrated into the cell membrane of infected cells , which are susceptible to a radio immunotherapy . for this purpose , the binding of virus specific antibodies to infected cells is detected by incubation with labeled murine monoclonal antibodies ( payne et al . 1990 , stirling 1990 , kaito et al . 1994 , sabri et al . 1997 ) by means of fluorescence or electron microscopy . if such antigens can be detected in the cytoplasm membrane it must be clarified in a second step , which antigens have been detected . therefore , virus infected cells are lysed and the membrane proteins separated by gel electrophoresis . blotted to nitrocellulose the membrane proteins will be subsequently analyzed with antiserum or murine monoclonal antibodies . for the immunization and generation of monoclonal antibodies purification of the viral or virus induced antigens integrated into the cell membrane that have been found is required . for this purpose , viruses are cultivated in suitable cell culture systems , for example , hiv in h9 - cells , mt - 4 cells , molt - 4 cells , hut - 78 cells etc . ( bergter 1990 ) and hcv in daudi - cells ( nakajima et al . 1996 ) and isolated from the cell culture supernatant . first , the cells and the cell debris are spun down , second the virus is sedimented from the purified supernatant by centrifugation with 27 . 000 × g . third the virus pellet is resuspended in sample buffer and separated by gel electrophoresis . finally , the antigen fraction corresponding to the antigen searched for on the plasma membrane is isolated . this antigen is used for the immunization of mice and for the preparation of monoclonal antibodies . the monoclonal antibodies thus produced are preferably checked for cross reactivities with different virus isolates , which check occurs by means of elisa , immunoblot , or ripa . the suitable monoclonal antibody ideally possesses a broad cross reactivity and thereby comprises the entire quasi - species of an infected patient . if no monoclonal antibody recognizing all virus isolates is isolated , isolate specific monoclonal antibodies are prepared which antibodies will subsequently be specifically employed for the therapy of the isolate detected from case to case . as has been described above as well , in the meantime cellular receptor molecules have been identified for quite a number of viruses , which receptor molecules mediate the adsorption of the viruses to the surface of the host cell . the methods to identify and generate such receptor molecules belong to the state of the art . the procedure will be described in example 2 . the receptor for hiv - 1 and hiv - 2 is the cd4 receptor , whereas hcv probably binds to the ldl receptor ( seipp et al . 1997 ). the respective virus ( e . g . hcv ) is separated by gel electrophoresis such that the ( hc ) viral antigens may be isolated . binding studies will be carried out on tissue samples ( from the liver ) and cell culture systems and the cellular receptor responsible for the adsorption of the virus that has been searched for is identified ( dorig et al . 1993 , treichel et al . 1997 ). this receptor is isolated with established methods ( suzuki et al . 1983 ) and the binding epitope analyzed in detail by analyzing the binding of the antigen to distinct cleavage products . the receptor molecule is finally cloned ( bergelson et al . 1998 ) and thus further processed on a large scale for the conjugation with the radioisotope and the therapeutic use according to the present invention . the monoclonal antibodies or host receptor molecules are conjugated with a radio nuclide ( alpha or beta emitter ). the conjugation of radio nuclides to proteins is sufficiently described and belongs to the prior art ( review in : eckert and kartenbeck 1996 ). the procedure will be depicted exemplarily in example 3 although different methods ( e . g . zalutzky et al . 1989 ) may be more or less suitable for distinct conjugate constructs such that the conjugation methods have to be individually adapted and optimized . suitable monoclonal antibodies or receptor molecules for therapeutic purposes are radioactively conjugated with the chloramine t method ( hunter and greenwood 1962 ) following the recipe of eckert and kartenbeck 1997 . a radioisotope is transiently oxidized by hypochlorite which is released by chloramine t ( n - chloro - p - toluene - 4 - sulfonamide , na salt ) in aqueous medium . then the strongly electrophilic radioisotope in this state preferably binds to the benzene rings of the aromatic amino acids contained in the protein . to treat the monoclonal antibodies and receptor molecules , respectively , gently the reaction is terminated after a short incubation by an excess of bisulfite , whereby both the residual chloramine t and oxidized but still unbound radioisotopes are reduced and thus deactivated . finally , the mab - radioisotope conjugate is isolated by gel electrophoresis and further processed with distinct auxiliaries for its use , preferably for its intravenous use . further methods are likewise available ( harrison and royle , 1984 ; zalutsky et al . 1989 ). according to any of these methods , for instance , the conjugates a7 ) may be prepared . in vitro investigations show whether and with which affinity the radio immunoconjugate bind via the antigen binding site of the monoclonal antibodies or host receptor molecules , to the corresponding epitopes of viral proteins integrated into the cell membrane of virus infected cells , and whether the cells are damaged by the radioisotope mediated radiation . these investigations are performed in suitable cell culture systems . in the following steps preclinical in vivo investigations relating to the effectiveness of the radioimmunotherapy may be performed on nude mice and other animal models before the clinical application is tested in infected patients . in case of the hcv treatment hcv infected chimpanzees ( tabor et al . 1978 , walker et al . 1997 ) are an example for a suitable test system . in different phase i studies ( dose escalation studies ) the maximally tolerable dose ( mtd ) in regard of side effects , pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity are to be determined . by the subsequent clinical investigations ( phase ii and iii studies ) the effect of distinct radioimmunopharmacons shall finally be checked with small groups of patients suffering from progressive disease and with randomized groups of patients ( fiebig 1995 ). the short half life of the radionuclide ( be they α - or β - emitters ) is responsible for the requirement that the radioimmunoconjugate is prepared in the vicinity of a center and its fast transport to the therapist , respectively . the short half life is relevant in so far as longer half - lives would expose the patient to a radiation dose too big and too long . prerequisite for the therapy of patients suffering from hiv , viral hepatitis and , optionally , other viral infections by means of radionuclides having short half lives is thus the installation of specialized interdisciplinary centers , in which not only the professional therapy of the infected patients but also an application in time of the radioimmunoconjugate under aspects of anti - radiation precautions is secured . prerequisite for a successful therapy may also be the pretherapeutic decrease of the virus load which can be accomplished by a previous treatment of the patient with antiviral or anti - retroviral agents . thereby , a higher dose of the radioimmunopharmacon is brought to the virus replicating cells , and this brings about an improved therapeutic effect . otherwise , it would be conceivable that the radioimmunopharmacon is caught by free virus particles and the cytotoxic effect is decreased . in case of an hcv infection a prior treatment with ifn - α or ribavirin may occur . this may be done as a mono - or a combination therapy . prior to the application of a preparation based on 131 i diagnostics and blockage of the thyroid gland following the well known specimen must additionally occur . for the radioimmunotherapy a stationary accommodation for several days is required in order to shield the patient from the surrounding until the radiation eases off . the radioimmunopharmacon is administered periphero - or centrovenously as bolus , short infusion , or permanent therapy for several days in a dosage of 25 - 300 mci , preferably 50 - 300 , more preferred 100 - 200 mci . the dosage is administered once or in cycles by repeating the administration in intervals of several weeks . optionally , in case of an existing hypersensitiveness against the monoclonal antibody or against the receptor molecule , a previous treatment with a glucocorticoid , with an anti - histamine and / or with an h 2 - antagonist is required immediately prior to the administration of the preparation ( lorenz 1994 ). a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is the use of humanized and human monoclonal antibodies , whereby the immunogenicity of murine mab conjugates can be circumvented . such immunogenicity may proof to make sense , on the other hand , if it is desired to additionally sensibilize the immune system against the virus infection . a further preferred embodiment is directed to the use of fragments of monoclonal antibodies or cell receptors as immunologically effective component of the radioimmunoconjugates since the smaller molecule size may result in an improved capacity to pass through tissue and to pass the blood - brain - barrier . the radioimmunotherapy of viral infections have a tremendous preventive significance , in particular in cases in which a preventive elimination of virus is to avoid and to combat , respectively , oncological diseases as they are known , for example as a consequence of hiv , htlv - 1 , htlv - 2 , hhv8 , ebv , hcv and hbv infections . although beta and alpha emitters have entered into the radioimmunotherapy of malignant diseases , the above described therapy is , quite in contrast thereto , not only an entirely new indication or radioimmunopharmacons generally , but a basically different therapeutical approach and claim for highly specifically constructed antiviral preparations with very exactly defined areas of application . whereas monoclonal antibodies against tumor specific proteins of the cell are used in the radioimmunotherapy of malignant diseases , for the above described radioimmunoconjugates , monoclonal antibodies , their fragments , or other proteins and peptides with the therapeutical object specifically against viral ( i . e ., not of the cell ) and virus induced ( not cell type specific ) proteins . 1 . alter h j , purcell r h , holland p v et al . : transmissible agent in non - 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1914 .	0
this invention is now described in detail for making an array of non - volatile memory cells , and more specifically for eprom circuits . the method involves forming non - volatile memory cells on rows of device areas that lie between columns of device areas that intersect the row device areas , and are essentially orthogonal to each other . the column device areas provide buried bit lines for the nvm formed from the fets . the nvm cells are formed from a single fet that incorporates a floating gate over the fet channel area . the floating gate also extends vertically upward on the sidewalls of the control gate , thereby increasing the capacitor area between the floating and control gates . a thin , high - dielectric - constant insulating layer composed of a silicon oxide / silicon nitride / silicon oxide ( ono ) layer is formed on the floating gate prior to forming the control gate and provides a reliable , pin - hole free , interlevel dielectric layer . although the invention is described for making non - volatile memory cells using n - channel fets on a p - doped silicon substrate , it should be well understood by those skilled in the art that the nvm cells can also be formed from p - channel fets . furthermore , by incorporating additional processing steps , these non - volatile memory cells can be formed on chips with p and n wells , thereby providing for complementary metal oxide / silicon ( cmos ) circuits using conventional fets having a single gate electrode , such as those required on the periphery of a memory chip for accessing and reading and writing information to and from the array of memory cells . referring initially to fig1 a schematic elevational view is shown of an eprom cell area . for practical reasons , only a single memory cell of the array of memory cells is depicted . the line through region 3a - 3a &# 39 ; indicates the cross - sectional area shown in fig2 a - 7a , and the line through region 3b - 3b &# 39 ; indicates the cross - sections shown in fig2 b - 7b . to better understand the invention , a brief overview of the non - volatile cell structure is provided , and then the detailed process descriptions are given with reference to fig2 a - 7a , and fig2 b - 7b . fig1 shows a portion of an array of non - volatile memory cell areas on a substrate 10 having an array of column device areas , one of the many columns labeled 2 is shown in the fig . also shown is one row device area labeled 4 for an array of device areas on the substrate . the row and column device areas are defined and electrically isolated from each other by forming planar field oxide regions 12 . also shown in fig1 are wells labeled 6 that are etched in an insulating layer 14 deposited over the substrate after forming the row and column device areas . each well is eventually used to form a single fet in each memory cell area over a row device area having an additional floating gate to provide for a non - volatile memory ( nvm ) cell . also shown in fig1 is a patterned portion of a first polysilicon layer 20 extending over the well areas 6 on a gate oxide ( now shown ) grown on the exposed device area . the patterned first polysilicon layer 20 completely covers the gate oxide in the wells and extends over the insulating layer 14 , as shown in fig1 . the patterned first polysilicon layer 20 on the gate oxide and extending upward on the well sidewalls of the wells 6 will eventually form the floating gate for the fets having increased surface area and thereby increased capacitive coupling . fig2 a - 7a and fig2 b - 7b show the cross - sectional view for one of the many cells formed concurrently by the method of this invention . referring now to fig2 a - 7a , the details of the new and improved memory cell structure and process for manufacturing an array of nvm cells are described . the process starts by providing a semiconductor substrate 10 . the preferred substrate is typically composed of a p - doped single crystal silicon having a & lt ; 100 & gt ; crystallographic orientation , doped for example with boron . the substrate or p - well for fabricating the n - channel fet is typically doped having a concentration between about 1 e 14 to 1 e 15 atoms / cm 3 . referring now to fig2 b , a planar field oxide 12 is formed in the substrate . the method for making the field oxide 12 involves using a photoresist mask and anisotropic etching to form trenches in the silicon substrate to a depth of between about 3000 and 10000 angstroms , the trenches having essentially vertical walls . the trenches can be etched , for example , using a chlorine based gas mixture and reactive ion etching ( rie ). after stripping the photoresist , a thermal oxide is grown in the trenches on the silicon substrate to provide a good quality interface . typically the thermal oxide is between about 100 and 500 angstroms thick . in addition , it is desirable to provide a p + implant in the bottom of the trenches to form a channel - stop layer to prevent surface inversion . still referring to fig2 b , a conformal first insulating layer 12 is deposited on the substrate sufficiently thick to fill the trenches . preferably the first insulating layer 12 is composed of a silicon oxide deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ) using , for example , tetraethosiloxane ( teos ) as the reactant gas . layer 12 is then planarized by plasma etching back the silicon oxide to the substrate surface using , if necessary , a planarizing layer such as photoresist or a polymer and a plasma etch having a 1 - to - 1 etch rate selectivity . alternatively , layer 12 can be polished back to the substrate surface using chemical / mechanical polishing ( cmp ). the remaining insulating layer 12 in the trenches forms the field oxide regions 12 between the intersecting row and column device areas 4 and 2 , respectively , as shown in fig1 and in cross sectional view in fig2 b . referring still to fig2 a and 2b , a second insulating layer 14 is deposited on the silicon substrate . preferably layer 14 is deposited by lpcvd using a reactant gas such as teos . the preferred thickness of layer 14 is between about 2500 and 5000 angstroms . conventional photolithographic techniques and anisotropic plasma etching are used to etch wells 6 having essentially vertical walls in the insulating layer 14 to the surface of the substrate 10 . as shown in fig1 the wells 6 are formed over the row device areas 4 and also extending over the field oxide region 12 . the fets having floating gates providing for the nvm cells are now formed in the wells 6 . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the fet gate oxide 16 is formed by thermal oxidation of the exposed silicon surface within the well areas 6 . preferably the gate oxide is grown to a thickness of between about 40 and 200 angstroms , for example , by thermal oxidation in a dry oxygen ambient . referring next to fig3 a and 3b , the floating gate electrodes are formed from a first polysilicon layer 20 , which is conformally deposited on the second insulating layer 14 and in the wells 6 . layer 20 is preferably deposited by lpcvd using , for example , a reactant gas such as silane ( sih 4 ). the polysilicon is preferably in - situ doped during deposition by adding to the silane a dopant gas such as phosphine ( ph 3 ). the desired thickness of layer 20 is between about 300 and 1000 angstroms . the dopant concentration of layer 20 is preferably between about 1 . 0 e 20 and 1 . 0 e 21 atoms / cm 3 . the polysilicon layer 20 is patterned by conventional photolithographic techniques and anisotropic plasma etching to leave portions over the gate oxide 16 and on the sidewalls 5 in the well areas 6 , as shown in fig3 a , while removing most of the polysilicon layer 20 over the field oxide regions 12 and over the sidewalls 7 , as shown in fig3 b . this eventually provides a floating gate electrode having vertical extending portions on the sidewalls 5 that increase the capacitive coupling , as shown in fig3 a . next , a thin dielectric insulating layer 22 is formed on the patterned first polysilicon layer 20 , as shown in fig4 a and 4b . preferably , insulating layer 22 is composed of a silicon oxide / silicon nitride / silicon oxide ( ono ) having a thickness of between about 50 and 100 angstroms . layer 22 can be formed by thermally oxidizing the polysilicon layer 20 and depositing a silicon nitride layer using , for example , lpcvd by reacting dichlorosilane ( sicl 2 h 2 ) and ammonia ( nh 3 ) at a temperature between 700 ° and 800 ° c . the silicon nitride layer is then subjected to a thermal oxidation to oxidize the surface of the silicon nitride layer , to complete the ono . layer 22 serves as the interlevel dielectric insulating layer between floating gates formed from the first polysilicon 20 layer and a second polysilicon layer that is deposited later to form the control gate electrode for the fet . referring still to fig4 a , a conformal second polysilicon layer 24 is deposited over the dielectric insulating layer 22 thereby filling the wells 6 . layer 24 is used to form the control gates for the fets . polysilicon layer 24 can be deposited by lpcvd using , for example , silane , and is also conductively doped with an n + dopant such as phosphorus or arsenic by ion implantation or in - situ doped during the polysilicon deposition . layer 24 is deposited to a thickness sufficient to fill the trenches , which is preferably to a thickness greater than about 3000 angstroms . now referring to fig5 a and 5b , the second polysilicon layer 24 , the dielectric insulating layer 22 , and portions of the first polysilicon layer 20 are chemical / mechanically polished back to the surface of the second insulating layer 14 . the polishing back to layer 14 forms an array of electrically isolated fet gate electrodes having floating gate electrodes , such as the floating gate 20 that extends vertically upward along the sidewalls of the control gate 24 . the increase surface area of the floating gate on the sidewall significantly increases the capacitive coupling between the floating gate 20 and control gate 24 . via the thin interlevel dielectric insulating layer 22 , there - between . the high dielectric constant of the silicon nitride in layer 22 further increases the capacitive coupling . referring now to fig6 a and 6b , the second insulating layer 14 in which the wells 6 are formed is now selectively removed to the surface of the silicon substrate 10 , thereby exposing the device areas adjacent to the fet gate electrodes composed of layers 16 , 20 , 22 , and 24 , and also exposing the substrate surface in the column device areas . second insulating layer 14 is removed by selectively etching in a solution of hydrofluoric acid ( hf / h 2 o ). still referring to fig6 a and 6b , lightly doped source / drain ( ldd ) areas are formed adjacent to the fet gate electrode . preferably the lld areas are formed by ion implantation using , for example , arsenic ( as 75 ) or phosphorus ( p - ) ions . the ion implant dose is preferably between about 1 . 0 e 13 and 5 . 0 e 13 ions / cm 2 , and the ion implant energy is between about 20 and 70 kev . the ldd implant is also formed in the exposed column device areas ( labeled 2 in fig1 ) which will later serve as the bit lines for the array of nvm cells . the masking effect of the fet gate electrodes to the ion implantation results in the lightly doped source / drain areas being self - aligned to the gate electrodes . next as shown in fig6 a and 6b , a conformal third insulating layer 30 is deposited on the substrate and etched back to form sidewall spacers 30 on the sidewalls of the fet gate electrodes . the insulating layer 30 is preferably composed of silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) and is deposited in a lpcvd reactor using a reactant gas , such as teos . the preferred thickness of layer 30 is between about 1000 and 3000 angstroms , and etched back to form sidewall spacers 30 having a width about equal to the thickness of layer 30 . the heavily doped source / drain contact areas 28 are formed next by using ion implantation and also using arsenic ( as 75 ) or phosphorus ( p - ) ions as the implant source . the ion implant dose is preferably between about 1 . 0 e 15 and 7 . 0 e 15 ions / cm 2 and is implanted at an ion energy of between about 10 and 70 kev . this implant is carried in the exposed column device areas 2 in fig1 to form the buried bit lines for the array of fets in the nvm cells . referring now to fig7 a and 7b , a conformal fourth insulating layer 32 is deposited over the gate electrodes and elsewhere on the substrate to insulate the fet devices and the bit lines from the next level of interconnecting metallurgy . the preferred insulating layer 32 is also a plasma enhanced cvd - deposited silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) or atmospheric pressure cvd - deposited sio2 , using , for example teos . alternatively a borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ) can be used , for example , using a boron and phosphorus doped teos ( bpteos ). the preferred thickness of layer 32 is between about 500 and 3000 angstroms for undoped sio 2 , and between about 2000 and 10000 angstroms for bpsg . contact openings 8 are then etched in layer 32 to the control gate electrode 24 over the planar field oxide regions 12 , as shown in fig7 b . the contact openings 8 are preferably etched using conventional photolithographic techniques and anisotropic plasma etching . for example , this can be carried out in a reactive ion etching chamber using an etchant gas such as trifluoromethane ( chf 3 ) or alternatively carbon tetrafluoride ( cf 4 ) and helium ( he ). still referring to fig7 b , the eprom is now completed by depositing and patterning a third polysilicon layer 34 to form the word lines 34 that contact the gate electrodes through the contact openings 8 . the polysilicon layer 34 is preferably deposited using lpcvd and a reactant gas such as silane ( sih 4 ), and is deposited to a thickness of between about 2000 and 5000 angstroms . preferably the third polysilicon layer is conductively doped n + , using for example , phosphorus ( p ), either by ion implantation or by in - situ doping with phosphine ( ph 3 ) during the lpcvd of the polysilicon layer 34 . in addition , a silicide layer can be formed on the third polysilicon layer 34 prior to patterning to further enhance conductivity and improve device performance . layer 34 is then patterned using an anisotropic plasma etching that has a high etch rate selectivity to silicon oxide , such as using an etchant gas mixture containing chlorine . since the polysilicon layer 34 is patterned so as not to cover the gate electrodes , layer 34 is not shown in fig7 a . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
the present inventors conducted an extensive research on methods for continuous decomposition of polyurethane resins for recovery of components and found the following . the polyurethane resin is dissolved in a polyamine compound and an insoluble precipitate is easily removed by filtration or the like . then the solution is continuously supplied to a water tank kept at a high temperature and a high pressure . on the other hand , the insoluble precipitate is heated , dissolved in a polyamine compound and continuously supplied in a liquid form to said water tank kept at a high temperature and a high pressure . in this way , the polyurethane resin can be completely decomposed in a short time even at a low added water ratio ( ratio of water / compound to be hydrolyzed ) into a polyol compound and a polyamine compound as an intermediate of a polyisocyanate compound , namely into the raw materials of the polyurethane resin . the polyurethane resin to be decomposed in the invention is a polymer which can be prepared by reacting a polyisocyanate compound with an active hydrogen compound . examples of the polyisocyanate compound are those having 2 to 3 isocyanate groups and isocyanate equivalence of 80 to 140 , such as toluene diisocyanate ( tdi ), diphenylmethane diisocyanate ( mdi ), polymeric mdi , hydrogenated mdi , modified mdi , isophorone diisocyanate ( ipdi ), hexamethylene diisocyanate ( hdi ), xylene diisocyanate ( xdi ), and hydrogenated xdi . among these preferable are tdi , mdi and polymeric mdi , and especially preferable is tdi . a polyol compound is typical of active hydrogen compound . examples of the polyol compound are polyether polyol having 2 to 8 functional groups and oh number of 20 to 500 mgkoh / g which is prepared from alkylene oxide such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide , and an active hydrogen - containing initiator ; polyester polyol ; and acryl polyol . especially preferable is polyether polyol . the method of the present invention is feasible for decomposition of any polyurethane resins having bonds such as urethane bond , allophanate bond , urea bond , biuret bond and amide bond , irrespective of molecular structure , structural units and degree of polymerization . products of polyurethane resins to be decomposed in the present invention include defective articles and the cuttings made in molding or fabricating articles of flexible , semi - rigid or rigid polyurethane foams as cushion materials in beds , sofas , chairs and the like to be used in households or offices , or in automotive articles such as seats , head rests , sun - visors , internal panels , armrests and the like ; waste of such articles ; the cuttings made in manufacturing articles of polyurethane resin elastomers such as tires , tubes and shoe soles ; and waste of these articles . especially preferable are products of flexible polyurethane foam . when foam products are decomposed in the practice of the invention , it is preferred to shred the foam products by a shredder or the like , or in the case of elastomer products being decomposed , the products are desirably crushed by a crusher or the like . these products may contain minor quantities of fibers , leathers , synthetic leathers , metals and the like which are constituent materials of foam products . polyamine compounds for use herein as a solubilizer for polyurethane resins include not only amines generally useful as the raw material of polyurethane resins , typically toluenediamine , but also diaminodiphenylmethane , polymethyl polyphenyl polyamine , and mixtures thereof . especially preferable is toluenediamine . the amount of polyurethane resins relative to the polyamine compound is the same as or larger than the polyamine compound in terms of weight ratio , suitably about 2 to about 10 times , or preferably about 2 to about 3 times , the amount of the polyamine compound . that is , a far larger amount of polyurethane resins than polyamine compounds can be decomposed according to the present invention . if the polyurethane resin is decomposed in 0 . 5 times the amount of polyamine compound , the insolubles are not produced in the reaction and the whole solution is solidified at room temperature , raising an operational problem . however , when a polyurethane resin is dissolved in a small amount of a polyamine compound to the utmost extent and then decomposed at an elevated temperature , the polyamine compound is migrated as an urea to the solids , resulting in the decomposition product containing a light - colored liquid substantially consisting of a polyol . in this case , the amount of the polyurethane resin relative to the polyamine compound is about 3 to about 10 times , preferably about 3 to about 7 times the amount of the polyamine compound in terms of weight ratio although variable depending on the kinds of polyamine compound and polyurethane resin to be used . the polyurethane resin is decomposed with a polyamine compound at a temperature of 120 to 250 ° c ., preferably 150 to 200 ° c . if the temperature is lower than said range , it takes a longer period of time until completion of decomposition . on the other hand , if the temperature is higher than said range , the polyamine compound is caused to decompose or polymerize , resulting in a lower recovery ratio . when a polyurethane resin is used in about 2 to about 3 times the amount of a polyamine compound , the liquid of the decomposition product comprises a polyol and a urea soluble in the polyol and may further contain small amounts of undissolved , urethane bond - containing polyol and polyamine as the solubilizing agent . on the other hand , when a polyurethane resin is used in about 3 to about 10 times the amount of a polyamine compound , or in other words when a large amount of a polyurethane compound is dissolved in a small amount of a polyamine compound to achieve thermal decomposition , the liquid obtained as the decomposition product substantially consists of a light - colored polyol , and thus a re - usable polyol can be recovered without undergoing hydrolysis as an additional step at a high temperature and under a high pressure . the solids obtained by decomposition may contain a urea insoluble in the liquid , and contaminants contained in the polyurethane resin to be decomposed , such as fibers , organic fillers and the like . these solids can be easily separated from the polyol by filtration or like means . when required , the liquid obtained from the polyurethane resin is filtered to remove the insolubles and contaminants such as fibers and the like . then the residue is transported to a hydrolysis device . the insolubles are thermally dissolved again in a polyamine compound and the solution is transported to the hydrolysis device optionally after removal of insolubles and contaminants such as fibers . when the insolubles are dissolved in a polyamine compound , the temperature is in the range of 120 to 250 ° c ., preferably 150 to 200 ° c . if the temperature is lower than said range , it takes a longer period of time until completion of decomposition . on the other hand , if the temperature is higher than said range , the polyamine compound is caused to decompose or polymerize , resulting in a lower recovery ratio . the amount of the polyamine compound to be used can be any in which the insolubles have been confirmed to become dissolved in the polyamine compound . a preferred ratio by weight of the polyamine compound to the insolubles is 0 . 5 - 2 : 1 . if the ratio is less than 0 . 5 : 1 , a larger amount of the insolubles would remain , whereas if the ratio is more than 2 : 1 , an increased amount of polyamine compound would not contribute to the dissolution , leading to a significantly lowered efficiency . specific examples of the filter to be used herein are automatic filter press , rotary - disc filter devices , and centrifugation type filter devices which are provided with filter cloth made of teflon , polyphenylene sulfide or glass fibers , metal gauze formed from sus , a ceramic filter or the like . hydrolysis devices to be used herein are not structurally limited . preferred examples of useful hydrolysis devices include those so designed that the solution of polyurethane resin is mixed with heated water at a column bottom , the mixture is moved upwardly to a column body , and the hydrolyzate and the carbon dioxide gas generated are continuously discharged outwardly from the column via a pressure control valve arranged at a column top . in short , the structure of hydrolysis device should assure application of pressure for maintaining the temperature of heated water required for the hydrolysis and should assure a period of time for flow of liquid which is required for the hydrolysis . the hydrolysis proceeds at a temperature of 200 to 320 ° c ., preferably 240 to 300 ° c . if the temperature is lower than said range , the decomposition is retarded . on the other hand , if the temperature is higher than said range , there occur side reactions such as breakage of polyether chain and condensation of polyamine compound thus produced . although the pressure applied in this step does not directly affect the yield of the obtained product , it is preferred to control the pressure at a level which is sufficient to retain the heated water in the liquid form . the weight ratio of heated water to liquid to be hydrolyzed is 0 . 3 - 5 . 0 : 1 , preferably 0 . 5 - 3 . 0 : 1 although variable depending on the type of polyurethane resin to be decomposed . if the ratio is lower than said range , the polyurethane resin incompletely decomposes into a polyamine compound and a polyol compound , whereas in the case of the ratio being higher than the range , a larger - size device is required and greater energy loss is involved , leading to uneconomical operation . while the reaction can proceed in the absence of a catalyst , a small amount , for example about 0 . 001 to 0 . 1 wt . % based on the polyurethane resin of alkali metal hydroxide , ammonia or the like can be used as a catalyst . it takes about 5 minutes to about 2 hours , preferably about 10 minutes to about 1 hour to complete the hydrolysis . then the hydrolyzate is led to a dehydrating device . predominant amounts of water and carbon dioxide gas are vaporized due to reduction of pressure by a pressure control valve and are recovered as the gas . when required , the obtained gas may be dewatered by means such as distillation under reduced pressure or blowing dry nitrogen . the obtained hydrolyzate , which is practically a mixture of a polyamine compound and a polyol compound , can be separated into a polyamine compound and a polyol compound by conventional means such as distillation , centrifugation or extraction of solvent . a suitable separation procedure is selected according to the kind of polyurethane resin to be decomposed . treatment with propylene oxide or like alkylene oxide for conversion of amino terminal group to hydroxyl group enables utilization as a polyol compound without separation of polyamine compound from the hydrolyzate . the polyamine and polyol obtained by the method of the invention are the same compounds as the raw materials to be usually used in preparing a polyurethane , and can be used by themselves as the raw materials of a polyurethane resin because they are similar or superior to these raw materials in purity and quality . the urea - containing solids obtained as an insoluble in the invention can be used as a crosslinking agent for various resins or as a reactive filler . the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples to which , however , the present invention is not limited at all . a 150 g quantity of toluenediamine was charged into a 4 - necked , 1000 - ml flask equipped with a thermometer , a stirrer and a nitrogen inlet tube and was heated to 200 ° c . gradually added to the liquid were the cuttings of soft polyurethane foam having a density of 25 kg / m 3 which was . prepared by foaming polypropylene triol ( 3000 in molecular weight ) and toluene diisocyanate ( takenate 80 , product of takeda chemical industries , ltd .) to give a solution . with the addition of 150 g of polyurethane foam , a precipitate was formed and was increased with continuous addition of the foam . a total of 400 g of polyurethane foam was added and subjected to a reaction for 1 hour , and eventually for a total of 6 hours at 200 ° c . the reaction mixture was cooled to 25 ° c . and was filtered with 100 - mesh metal gauze to give 250 g of a solution and 270 g of the residue . the solution had a viscosity of 2500 mpa · s ( 25 ° c . ), and the acetyl equivalent was 150 mgkoh / g . the residue was found to contain a polyurea by gel permeation chromatography and nmr . the solution ( 40 g ) obtained in example 1 and 60 g of pure water were charged into a 200 - ml autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a pressure gage . the air in the autoclave was replaced with nitrogen gas and was heated to 270 ° c . at that time , the internal pressure was 6 . 7 mpa . the increase of pressure was not detected although the autoclave was left to stand at the same temperature for 20 minutes . the autoclave was cooled to room temperature . the contents of the autoclave were diluted with methanol and analyzed by gpc with the result that concerning the polyol portion , no polymer was detected except the peak corresponding to triol having a molecular weight of 3000 while in the amine region , only the peak corresponding to toluenediamine was detected . the nmr analysis confirmed that no urethane bond existed in the reaction product . these facts ascertained that the polyurethane foam was completely decomposed into toluenediamine and polypropylene glycol . a 200 g quantity of toluenediamine was added to 270 g of the residue obtained in example 1 and the mixture was heated to 200 ° c . to dissolve the residue in the diamine for recovery of 460 g of a solution . the solution was hydrolyzed in the same manner as in example 2 with water retained at a high temperature and a high pressure in the autoclave . the obtained hydrolyzate was found by nmr to be toluenediamine . with use of the same device as used in example 1 , 150 g of toluenediamine and 400 g of the cuttings of molded foam ( density of 50 kg / m 3 ) useful for automotive seats and prepared by foam molding of polyether triol ( with terminals activated with ethylene oxide ) and toluene diisocyanate were gradually added to undergo a reaction at 200 ° c . for 10 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled to 25 ° c . and filtered with 100 - mesh metal gauze , whereby 380 g of the solution and 110 g of the residue were obtained . the solution had a viscosity of 3400 mpa · s ( 25 ° c . ), and the acetyl equivalent was 190 mgkoh / g . the solution ( 30 g ) obtained in example 4 and 70 g of pure water were heated in the same manner as in example 2 in a 200 - ml autoclave equipped with a thermometer and a pressure gage . then , the mixture was left to stand at 290 ° c . for 30 minutes . at that time , the pressure was made constant at 4 . 9 mpa . the autoclave was cooled to room temperature . the contents of the autoclave were analyzed in the same manner as above with the result that no urethane bond existed in the reaction product . gpc analysis shows that the detected peak corresponded to toluenediamine and polyether polyol used as the raw material . toluenediamine ( 100 g ) was added to 110 g of the residue obtained in example 4 . then the mixture was heated to 200 ° c . to dissolve the residue in the toluenediamine for recovery of 150 g of the solution . the solution was hydrolyzed in the autoclave with water retained at a high . temperature and a high pressure in the same manner as in example 5 . nmr confirmed that the hydrolyzate was toluenediamine . a 100 g quantity of toluenediamine was charged into a 4 - necked , 1000 - ml flask equipped with a thermometer , a stirrer and a nitrogen inlet tube and was heated to 200 ° c . gradually added to the liquid were the cuttings of soft polyurethane foam having a density of 25 kg / m 3 which was prepared in the same manner as in example 1 to give a solution . with the addition of 150 g of polyurethane foam , a precipitate was formed and was increased with continuous addition of the foam . a total of 400 g of polyurethane foam was added and subjected to a reaction for 1 hour , and eventually for a total of 6 hours at 200 ° c . the reaction mixture was cooled to 100 ° c . and was filtered to give 240 g of a solution . the solution had a viscosity of 1200 mpa · s ( 25 ° c . ), and the acetyl equivalent was 94 mgkoh / g . from this , an amount of amine in polypropylenetriol was 2 wt . % calculated as toluenediamine . according to the invention , polyurethane resins can be completely decomposed in a short time into a polyol compound useful as the raw material of polyurethane resin and a polyamine compound , i . e . an intermediate of polyisocyanate . according to the invention , the polyurethane resin can be continuously decomposed because the decomposition product is provided as a liquid and the contaminants can be easily removed . the separation into a polyamine compound and a polyol compound can be done to some extent prior to hydrolysis using water retained at a high temperature and a high pressure . since the polyol compound assumes a liquid form at room temperature , the problem involved in supply of liquid can be substantially overcome . the sparingly polyol - soluble substance obtained in aminolysis can be eliminated prior to the hydrolysis using water retained at a high temperature and a high pressure , so that the polyol can be more , easily purified after hydrolysis . further the present invention has a great advantage that a large amount of polyurethane resin can be decomposed relative to the pollyamine compound .	2
fig1 shows an arrangement in which microwaves are produced in a hollow waveguide 1 having a rectangular cross section . the microwaves are output through a side opening 2 in the hollow waveguide 1 with the aid of at least one waveguide 3 in the form of a rod , and are introduced into a transmission chamber 4 . the transmission chamber 4 is essentially bounded by metallic walls 5 . a treatment chamber 6 projects into a recess located on one longitudinal side of the rectangular transmission chamber 4 and , with the exception of the wall 7 pointing towards the adjacent transmission chamber 4 , is bounded on all sides by metallic walls 8 . the treatment chamber 6 is designed as a vacuum chamber . the transmission wall 7 comprises a plate 9 which is permeable for microwaves , a large number of antenna elements 10 which extend at right angles to the permeable plate 9 into the transmission chamber 4 , as well as a metallic plate 11 which extends over the entire longitudinal side of the transmission chamber 4 . through - chambers 12 are formed in the metallic plate 11 , are open towards the permeable plate 9 , and are thus bounded by it . at the sides , the square through - chambers are bounded by thin walls 13 , designed in the form of grids , of the metallic plate 11 . located on the surface is a circular through - opening 14 of roughly the same thickness as the walls 13 , the through - openings 14 having a diameter d which is between 2 and 5 times as great as the diameter d of the antenna elements 10 , which are arranged centrally in the through - opening 14 and in the through - chamber 12 . the antenna elements 10 project to a certain extent over the metal plate 11 into the transmission chamber 4 , in which case it is possible to influence the amount of injected microwave energy by means of the length of the antenna elements . the antenna elements 10 are preferably kept available in different lengths and are used experimentally in different lengths in order to achieve an optimized configuration . changing to an antenna element 10 having a different length immediately and dramatically changes the resonance condition in the transmission chamber 4 . in order to allow adaptations to be carried out in each case here , the transmission chamber 4 is provided on the side opposite the hollow waveguide 1 with a movable metallic piston 15 , by means of which an optimum resonance condition can be set empirically once again in the transmission chamber 4 . fig2 shows the metallic plate 11 with its circular through - openings 14 on the surface . the antenna elements 10 , which are in the form of rods , are inserted centrally into the circular through - openings 14 . the view of the underneath of the metallic plate 11 according to fig3 shows that the through - chambers 12 have a square cross section and expand in stepped form underneath the through - opening 14 . the through - chambers 12 are bounded by the walls 13 designed in the form of grids . fig4 shows the schematic arrangement of the hollow waveguide 1 , transmission chamber 4 and treatment chamber 6 , which are all respectively designed to be cuboid . fig5 shows a modified exemplary embodiment , in which three waveguides 3 project into the hollow waveguide in arrangements that are parallel to one another and parallel to the transmission wall 7 , these waveguides 3 extending over the length of the transmission chamber 4 . fig5 shows that each waveguide 3 is allocated on each of its two sides a row of circular through - openings 14 with antenna elements 10 , the symmetrical arrangement on both sides of the waveguide 3 being a major feature . conductive intermediate walls 16 are used to form compartments for each waveguide 3 , and these compartments preclude any mutual influence between the antenna elements 10 through a plurality of waveguides 3 . a movable piston 15 is provided as an electrically effective end wall for each compartment 17 . fig6 shows a cascaded design of the transmission wall 7 &# 39 ;. a further metallic plate 18 is in this case placed on the metallic plate 11 and is provided with similar through - chambers 19 and circular through - openings 20 . a coupling antenna element 21 is inserted centrally into the through - chamber 19 and the through - opening 20 , projects out of the through - chamber 19 into the transmission chamber 4 , and naturally ends at a distance from the surface of the metallic plate 11 . as can be seen , a plurality of antenna elements 10 project into the through - chamber 19 , for example four antenna elements 10 in a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the central coupling antenna element 21 . the advantage of this arrangement is that it results in the microwave energy being transmitted uniformly through the numerous antenna elements 10 , but the adjustment tasks need be carried out only with the coupling antenna elements 21 ( in particular by means of their length ), while the antenna elements 10 can be designed to have the same length , that is to say they no longer need be adjusted ( fig6 a ). the adjustment of the considerably smaller number of coupling antenna elements 21 is , however , sufficient to take account of homogeneous transmissions from the transmission chamber 4 . fig7 shows the arrangement according to fig1 but with a coil arrangement 22 being provided around the treatment chamber 6 in order to form a magnetic field in the treatment chamber 6 . the magnetic field considerably increases the number of collisions between gas particles , so that plasma ignition can be achieved even in a hard vacuum . furthermore , the treatment chamber 6 is provided with a grid 23 , in the form of a screen , between the transmission wall 7 and a treatment table 24 . the grid 23 has a negative voltage applied to it , so that it traps electrons and allows only ions to pass through . in this way , the arrangement is used as an ion source for treatment of products that are placed on the treatment table 24 . in the case of the embodiment illustrated in fig8 an arrangement comprising numerous permanent magnets 25 , of alternately opposite polarity , is located underneath the treatment table . this achieves local compression of the plasma , which assists ignition of the plasma . in the case of the embodiment illustrated in fig9 the antenna elements 10 are designed with different lengths and all end at the plate 9 , which is permeable for microwaves , of the transmission wall 7 . the antenna elements project with different lengths out of the through - openings 14 . the injection of the microwave energy , which is introduced into the chamber 4 , into the antenna elements 10 can be regulated by means of the projecting length of the antenna elements . otherwise , the antenna elements 10 are located in through - chambers 12 , which are bounded by the walls 13 . in the case of the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the antenna elements 10 project with different lengths out of the through - openings 14 in the direction of the chamber 4 , but run between the through - openings 14 and the microwave - permeable plate 9 of the transmission wall 7 in a common intermediate space 26 , which is produced by the fact that the intermediate walls 13 according to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in fig1 , 8 and 9 are omitted . fig1 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the antenna elements 10 have through - openings 14 and through - chambers 12 passing through them , a common intermediate space 27 being formed , however , between the through - chambers 12 and the plate 9 , which is permeable to microwaves , of the transmission wall 7 , into which intermediate space 27 the antenna elements 10 likewise project with different lengths according to this exemplary embodiment . this makes it possible to control not only the microwave energy injected into the antenna elements from the chamber 4 , but also the microwave energy emitted into the treatment chamber 6 . fig1 shows a schematic illustration for excitation of the plasma in the treatment chamber 6 by means of electromagnetic radio - frequency energy whose frequency is thus below microwave frequency . for this purpose , the adjacent chamber 4 is designed as a type of coaxial conductor having an inner conductor 28 which extends over the length of the chamber 4 and having a rectangular casing 29 which surrounds the inner conductor 28 at a distance from it and is composed of electrically conductive material . antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; likewise project at right angles to a transmission wall 7 &# 34 ; between the adjacent chamber 4 and the treatment chamber 6 . within the adjacent chamber 4 , the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; have angled ends 30 , which run essentially parallel to the inner conductor 28 . the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; have throughchambers 12 &# 39 ; passing through them , and these throughchambers 12 &# 39 ; are bounded by electrically conductive walls 13 &# 39 ;. located within the through - chambers 12 &# 39 ; are sealing pieces 31 which are composed of dielectric material and have no adverse effect on radio - frequency conduction . the sealing pieces 31 run essentially aligned with walls 32 which bound the treatment chamber 6 and are composed of electrically conductive material . the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; have sealing pieces 31 passing through them , and their ends 33 project into the treatment chamber 6 . end pieces 34 are integrally formed at the ends 33 and run essentially parallel to a common opposing electrode 35 , which is at ground potential . in order to reduce the mutual influence between the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ;, compartment walls 36 are located both within the chamber 4 and within the treatment chamber 6 and shield the ends 30 and 34 of the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; from one another . a plasma is produced by means of radio - frequency excitation in the treatment chamber 6 , which is sealed in a gas - tight manner by the walls 32 and the sealing pieces 31 , in which case it is possible to make the plasma uniform and to set a desired energy profile by virtue of the nature of the injection of radio - frequency energy into the antenna elements 10 &# 39 ; via the bent ends 30 .	7
hereinafter , a cathode structure of a magnetron in accordance with the present invention will be described in detail by way of embodiments . fig2 a and 2b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a cathode structure of a magnetron according to the present invention . in fig2 a and 2b , the fitting of one of the two leads , that is , a side lead 25 into a spacer hole 28a is made to have relatively small looseness enough to strongly tighten the side lead 25 , and a metal fixing material 31 including a metal solder material , or a pasty metal powder and the like is poured into or spread on the fitting portion , and it is fixed or sintered . the other spacer hole 28b is made to have a large looseness l &# 39 ; with respect to a diameter of the other lead , that is , a center lead 26 , for example , by setting the looseness , l &# 39 ;= 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 mm or so , extraneous sounds are not produced . fig3 a and 3b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer portion of a second embodiment of the cathode structure of the magnetron according to the present invention . in fig3 a and 3b , a spacer hole 28c is formed in a polygon shape ( or polygon ), and a minimum inner diameter of the spacer hole 28c has small looseness l &# 39 ;, for example , l &# 39 ;= 0 . 05 - 0 . 15 mm or so with respect to a diameter of a side lead 25 . fig3 c and 3d show a spacer hole 28k formed in a rectangular shape . when such a spacer is assembled in the cathode structure shown in fig1 b , advantages are obtained including ; 1 ○ since the side lead 25 is fitted into the spacer 28 tightly , the inclination of the spacer 28 in the axial direction is small . in addition , since the center lead 26 is fitted into the spacer 28 very loosely , even when the center lead 26 and the spacer 28 move relative to each other under frictional resistance due to thermal expansion , a chance of producing extraneous sounds is very rare , and 2 ○ due to the tight fitting of the side lead 25 into the spacer 28 , a relative displacement of the two leads is suppressed , and the strength and a vibration - resistant property are increased . fig4 a and 4b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer of a third embodiment , and fig5 a and 5b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer of a cathode structure of magnetron of a fourth embodiment of the present invention . in fig4 a and 4b , a recess portion 28d is formed in a part of the spacer 28 adjacent to a spacer hole 28a in the lengthwise direction so that the recess portion 28d is connected to the spacer hole 28a at one end thereof . a width of the recess portion 28d is substantially equal to the diameter of the spacer hole 28a . in contrast in fig5 a and 5b , a recess portion 28e is formed in a part of the spacer 28 adjacent to a spacer hole 28a in a direction at right angles to the lengthwise direction so that the recess portion 28e is connected to a spacer hole 28a . also in this case , a width of the recess portion 28e is equal to the diameter of the space hole 28a . these recess portions 28d and 28e limit the coating area of a metal fixing material 31 , and easily prevent the electrical short - circuit between the leads . fig6 a and 6b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer portion of a fifth embodiment of the present invention , in which a recess portion 28f is formed in the upper surface of the spacer 28 so that one side of the recess portion 28f passes through the center of a spacer hole 28a in a direction at right angles to the lengthwise direction . in this case , as is the case in fig4 a and 4b , the flowing out of a metal fixing material 31 is prevented , and further , the short circuiting between a side lead 25 and a center lead 26 due to the metal fixing material 31 is prevented . fig7 is a sectional view of the cathode structure in which the spacer 28 having the recess portion 28d , 28e , or 28f in fig4 , and 6 is used . in fig7 a solder material such as a ru - mo material , a ru - mo - ni material , or a ni material is pasted and spread on the recess portion 28d , 28e , or 28f , and then the solder material is fused and fixed . alternatively , a pasted mo powder is spread on the recess portion and it is sintered . by pouring such a metal fixing material 31 on the outer surface of the side lead 25 at the position of the recess portion 28d , a gap between the spacer hole 28a and the side lead 25 is filled with the metal fixing material 31 , and it is possible to inhibit the relative movement between the spacer 28 and the side lead 25 . in this case , if the spacer holes 28c and 28k are in the polygon shape or rectangular shape as shown in fig3 a and 3b , and fig3 c and 3d , respectively , the rotation of the spacer 28 can be suppressed more firmly . the metal fixing material 31 may naturally be applied to the spacer 28 shown in fig3 a and 3b , however , if the recess portion is formed in the spacer as shown in fig4 a , 4b - 6a , 6b , the metal fixing material 31 can be poured more easily into an optimum portion , and thus , there is little fear of causing short - circuiting between both leads 25 and 26 due to excessive spreading of the metal fixing material 31 on an unrequired portion on the surface of the spacer 28 . further , the spacer hole 28a shown in fig4 a , 4b - 6a , 6b may be formed in the rectangular shape ( or polygon ), and the spreading of the metal fixing material 31 on the fitting portion of the side lead 25 with respect to the spacer 28 shown in fig7 and the sintering of the metal fixing material 31 may be carried out simultaneously with the assembling of a filament , etc ., or the spreading and sintering of the metal fixing material 31 may be carried out beforehand in relation to the side lead 25 and the spacer 28 . lastly , fig8 a , 8b , - 10a , 10b show various recess portions formed in the spacer 28 . in other words , fig8 a and 8b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer portion of a sixth embodiment of the present invention , a recess portion 28g is formed in the upper surface of the spacer 28 from one side thereof adjacent to a spacer hole 28a downwardly towards the center of a spacer hole 28a . that is , the bottom surface of the recess portion 28g is inclined from the one side of the spacer 28 towards the center of the spacer hole 28a . next , fig9 a and 9b are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer portion of a seventh embodiment of the present invention , in which a recess portion 28h is formed in the upper surface of the spacer 28 circularly and coaxially with a spacer hole 8a . further , fig1 a and 10 are a plane view and longitudinal sectional view of a spacer portion of an eighth embodiment of present invention , in which a recess portion 28i is formed in the upper surface of a spacer 28 in a countersink shape coaxially with a spacer hole 28a , and in the longitudinal section of spacer , the recess portion 28i is in an arcuate shape . further , in the embodiments described in the foregoing , the description of the fixing is made only in relation to the spacer and the side lead . however , the present is not limited to this , and as shown in fig1 a and l1b , the center lead 26 may be fixed , and the side lead 25 may be fitted into a spacer hole 28a with looseness therebetween . as described in the foregoing , the present invention provides advantages in that since the engagement between one of the two leads and the spacer is tightened , the cathode structure is good in the vibration resistant property and the high - impact property . moreover , since the other lead and the spacer hole have large looseness therebetween , there is no portion causing the friction therebetween , the extraneous sounds are not produced , and even when the diameter of the leads is reduced , sufficient strength can be insured . thus , a magnetron which is inexpensive and which exhibits high performance can be obtained .	7
the following description and associated figures depict specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of the invention . for the purpose of teaching inventive principles , some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted . those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fall within the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention . as a result , the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below , but only by the claims and their equivalents . fig1 illustrates communication system 100 in an example of the invention . communication system 100 includes base stations 101 - 103 , internet interfaces 104 - 106 , and service node 107 . base station 101 establishes internet connectivity over communication link 114 to internet interface 104 . in some variations , internet interface 104 represents an internet service provider ( isp ), and base station 101 establishes the internet connectivity by logging - on to the isp over communication link 114 . internet interface 104 and service node 107 are configured to communicate over the internet . thus , base station 101 and service node 107 can communicate with one another over communication link 114 and the internet . in some variations , communication link 114 is asymmetrical to provide more bandwidth from service node 107 to base station 101 than from base station 101 to service node 107 . an asymmetric communication link is especially suitable for data applications , such as internet browsing or music downloads , where there is more traffic from service node 107 to base station 101 than from base station 101 to service node 107 . communication link 114 could be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line ( adsl ) link , docsis link , 802 . 11 link ( wi - fi ), 802 . 16 link ( wi - max ), broadband over power line ( bpl ) link , or some other form of internet access link . base station 101 registers with service node 107 over communication link 114 and the internet . during registration , service node 107 validates base station 101 . validation includes establishing that the entity attempting to register is who they say they are , and that that entity is entitled to register . in some variations , base station 101 and service node 107 are each be programmed with a secret user name and access code for base station 101 . service node 107 validates base station 101 by obtaining the user name and secret access code from base station 101 during registration , and then checking the user name and secret access code in a validation database to ensure that the user name and secret access code are associated with base station 101 , and that base station 101 is entitled to register . service node 107 will deny service to base station 101 if validation fails . base station 101 and service node 107 establish a communication tunnel between one another over communication link 114 and the internet . typically , the tunnel would be a secure internet protocol ( ip ) tunnel . the security could be provided through encryption or some other means . base station 101 and service node 107 could include conventional internet utilities , such as internet ports , firewalls , and internet access software . base station 101 includes an antenna and exchanges user communications in a wireless format with wireless communication devices over wireless links 111 . the wireless format could be code division multiple access ( cdma ), global system for mobile communications ( gsm ), ieee 802 . 11 ( wi - fi ), ieee 802 . 16 ( wi - max ), free - space laser , e - band , or some other wireless communication format . base station 101 exchanges the user communications with service node 107 over the tunnel . service node 107 processes the user communications to provide a communication service to the wireless communication devices . examples of communication services include telephony , instant messaging , push - to - talk , internet access , video downloads , and audio downloads , although there could be alternative communication services . in some variations , service node 107 comprises a mobile switching center . in some variations , base station 101 and service node 107 may not maintain permanent internet connectivity , registration , and / or tunneling . base station 101 and / or service node 107 could establish and de - establish the internet connectivity based on a predetermined schedule . for example , base station 101 could establish the internet connectivity on monday morning at 7 : 00 and de - establish the internet connectivity on friday evening at 6 : 00 . numerous and more complex schedules could be used . likewise , base station 101 and / or service node 107 could register and de - register base station 101 based on a predetermined schedule . base station 101 and / or service node 107 could establish and de - establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule . these predetermined schedules for internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling could the same or different . in some variations , base station 101 and / or service node 107 could establish the internet connectivity , register with the service node , and establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule , and then de - establish the internet connectivity , de - register with the service node , and de - establish the tunnel based on the predetermined schedule . thus , based on a predetermined schedule , base station 101 and service node 107 can transition between a disconnected state where they have no interaction with one another , and a connected state where they interact to deliver the communication service to the wireless communication devices . in some variations , base station 101 could establish and de - establish the internet connectivity based on end - user activity . for example , base station could establish the internet connectivity in response to a service request from one of the wireless communication devices and de - establish the internet connectivity after a time period elapses with a lack of other service requests from the wireless communication devices . numerous and more complex end - user activity - based control schemes could be used . likewise , base station 101 could register and de - register with service node 107 based on end - user activity , or base station 101 could establish and de - establish the tunnel based on end - user activity . these end - user activity - based control schemes for internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling could the same or different . in some variations , base station 101 could establish the internet connectivity , register with service node 107 , and establish the tunnel based on an end - user activity control scheme , and then de - establish the internet connectivity , de - register with service node 107 , and de - establish the tunnel based on the same end - user activity control scheme . thus , based on end - user activity , base station 101 and service node 107 can transition between a disconnected state where they have no interaction with one another , and a connected state where they interact to deliver the communication service to the wireless communication devices . other techniques to detect end - user activity could be used , such as motion detectors , human proximity detectors , or even a simple on - off switch that the end - users may control manually . a remote control system could transfer control messages to base station 101 and service node 107 to direct these systems to establish and de - establish internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling . the remote control could be based on a predetermined schedule , expected end - user activity , or some other factor . in some variations , base station 101 is relatively small , which allows for a relatively small bandwidth load on communication link 114 . base station 101 may be omni - directional meaning the base station has no sectors . base station 101 may have a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneous wireless communication devices . base station 101 may have a maximum of three radio frequency ( rf ) receive channels and three rf transmit channels . base stations 102 and 103 could be configured and operate as described for base station 101 . base station 102 could exchange user communications with wireless communication devices over wireless communication links 112 and exchange the user communications with service node 107 through a tunnel over communication link 115 and the internet . likewise , base station 103 could exchange user communications with wireless communication devices over wireless communication links 113 and exchange the user communications with service node 107 through a tunnel over communication link 116 and the internet . note that service node 107 is capable of interacting with multiple base stations as described above . service node can register , validate , and establish tunnels to multiple base stations . service node 107 may do so based on differing schedules , end - user activity , or remote control . thus , service node 107 can support a dynamically changing mix of base stations . fig2 illustrates communication system 200 in an example of the invention . communication system 200 includes base station 201 , adsl modem 202 , digital subscriber line access multiplexer ( dslam ) 203 , central office 204 , internet routers 205 - 206 , and mobile switching center ( msc ) 207 . base station 201 is coupled to adsl modem 202 by communication link 212 . adsl modem 202 is coupled to dslam 203 by adsl link 213 . dslam 203 is coupled to internet router 205 by ip link 214 and to central office 204 by time division multiplex ( tdm ) link 217 . internet router 205 is coupled to internet router 206 over ip link 215 . internet router 206 is coupled to msc 207 by ip link 216 . communication links 211 - 217 could be conventional . base station 201 establishes internet connectivity to msc 207 over a communication link ( comprised of links 212 - 213 , modem 202 , and dslam 216 ) and the internet ( comprised of internet routers 205 - 206 and links 214 - 216 ). in some variations , internet router 205 represents an isp , and base station 201 establishes the internet connectivity by logging - on to the isp . msc 207 and dslam 203 are configured to communicate over the internet . thus , base station 201 and msc 207 can communicate with one another over the above described communication link and the internet . base station 201 registers with msc 207 over the communication link and the internet . during registration , msc 207 validates base station 201 by establishing that base station 201 is actually the entity attempting to register , and that base station 201 is entitled to register . msc 207 will deny service to base station 201 if validation fails . base station 201 and msc 207 establish a communication tunnel between one another over the communication link and the internet . typically , the tunnel would be a secure ip tunnel . the security could be provided through encryption or some other means . base station 201 and msc 207 could include conventional internet utilities , such as internet ports , firewalls , and internet access software . base station 201 exchanges user communications in a wireless format with the wireless phones over wireless links 211 . the wireless format could be cdma , gsm , wi - fi , wi - max , free - space laser , or some other wireless communication format . base station 201 exchanges the user communications with msc 207 over the tunnel . msc 207 processes the user communications to provide a communication service to the wireless phones . examples of communication services include telephony , instant messaging , push - to - talk , internet access , video downloads , and audio downloads , although there could be alternative communication services . in some variations , base station 201 may not maintain permanent internet connectivity , registration , and / or tunneling with msc 207 . base station 201 and / or msc 207 could establish and de - establish the internet connectivity based on a predetermined schedule likewise , base station 201 and / or msc 207 could register and de - register base station 201 based on a predetermined schedule . base station 201 and / or msc 207 could establish and de - establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule . these predetermined schedules for internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling could be the same or different . in some variations , base station 201 and / or msc 207 could establish the internet connectivity , register , and establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule , and then de - establish the internet connectivity , de - register , and de - establish the tunnel based on the predetermined schedule . thus , based on a predetermined schedule , base station 201 and msc 207 can transition between a disconnected state where they have no interaction with one another , and a connected state where they interact to deliver the communication service to the wireless phones . in some variations , base station 201 could establish and de - establish the internet connectivity based on end - user activity . likewise , base station 201 could register and de - register with msc 207 based on end - user activity , or base station 201 could establish and de - establish the tunnel based on end - user activity . these end - user activity - based control schemes for internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling could the same or different . in some variations , base station 101 could establish the internet connectivity , register with msc 207 , and establish the tunnel based on an end - user activity control scheme , and then de - establish the internet connectivity , de - register with the service node , and de - establish the tunnel based on the same end - user activity control scheme . based on end - user activity , base station 201 and msc 207 can transition between a disconnected state where they have no interaction with one another , and a connected state where they interact to deliver the communication service to the wireless phones . other techniques to detect end - user activity could be used , such as motion detectors , human proximity detectors , or even a simple on - off switch that the end - user may control manually . a remote control system could transfer control messages to base station 201 and msc 207 to direct these systems to establish and de - establish internet connectivity , registration , and tunneling . the remote control could be based on a predetermined schedule , expected end - user activity , or some other factor . msc 207 is capable of interacting with multiple additional base stations ( not shown ) in a similar manner . thus , msc 207 can register , validate , and establish tunnels to multiple base stations . msc 207 may do so based on differing schedules , end - user activity , or remote control . thus , msc 207 can support a dynamically changing mix of base stations . in some variations , base station 201 is relatively small , which allows for a relatively small bandwidth load on adsl link 213 . base station 201 may be omni - directional meaning the base station has no sectors . base station 201 may have a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneous wireless communication devices . base station 201 may have a maximum of three radio frequency ( rf ) receive channels and three rf transmit channels . fig3 - 4 illustrate communication system 300 in an example of the invention . communication system 300 includes base station 301 , internet interfaces 302 - 303 , and service node 304 . internet interfaces 302 - 303 and service node 304 communicates over the internet . at location “ a ”, base station 301 establishes internet connectivity with internet interface 302 over communication link 312 . base station 301 registers with service node 304 over communication link 312 and the internet . during registration , service node 304 validates base station 301 . base station 301 and service node 304 establish a communication tunnel between one another over communication link 312 and the internet . base station 301 exchanges user communications in a wireless format with wireless communication devices over wireless links 311 . base station 301 and service node 304 exchange the user communications over the tunnel . service node 304 processes the user communications to provide a communication service to the wireless communication devices . in some variations , service node 304 comprises an msc . referring to fig4 , base station has been moved from location “ a ” to location “ b ” as indicated by the dashed lines . at location “ b ”, base station 301 establishes internet connectivity with internet interface 303 over communication link 314 . base station 301 re - registers with service node 304 over communication link 314 and the internet . during registration , service node 304 re - validates base station 301 . base station 301 and service node 304 establish a new communication tunnel between one another over communication link 314 and the internet . base station 301 exchanges user communications in a wireless format with wireless communication devices over wireless links 313 . base station 301 and service node 304 exchange the user communications over the new tunnel . service node 304 processes the user communications to provide a communication service to the wireless communication devices . note that the variations and features described above for examples # 1 and # 2 may also apply to example # 3 . base station 301 could be moved multiple times as needed . at each new location , base station 301 would establish new internet connectivity , re - register with service node 304 , and establish a new tunnel to service node 304 . thus , base station 301 could be moved to an area where wireless communication services are temporarily required , and when that demand goes away , base station 301 could be moved to a new area with a new demand for wireless communication services . for example , base station 301 may be moved to an nfl football stadium on sunday morning to provide added wireless communications capacity or coverage during the football game that day . on monday , base station 301 could be moved to a convention center to provide added wireless communications capacity or coverage during a conference that week . to facilitate such movement , base station 301 may be relatively small , and should be configured in a portable package . in the context of the invention , portable means that a person may physically carry the base station from one location to another , and readily connect and disconnect the power , communication , and control links . communication systems 100 - 300 provide the following advantages ( although all examples of the invention may not provide these advantages ). the problematic cost and delay of using ds1 or ds3 connections to communicate between base stations and service nodes is avoided by using internet access technologies and the internet . internet access and connectivity is lower in cost and more ubiquitous than ds1 or ds3 connections . the lower cost and ubiquity of internet access allows base stations to be placed in more areas to serve increasing demand . in addition , portable base stations may be quickly deployed and moved about to serve areas that require additional capacity or coverage for a temporary amount of time .	7
referring now to fig1 a television set ( tv ) 10 is connected to set top box ( stb ) 12 via interconnecting cable 14 . stb 12 is also connected to cable 16 which carries at least one cable program . the tv 10 is any standard tv such as an ntsc , a high definition , or some other standard commercial type for home use . a controller 20 is linked to stb 12 , preferably via a free space optical link 22 for controlling the operation of stb 12 in order to select a program for viewing . referring now to fig2 stb 12 will be described in greater detail . the stb 12 has a cable interface 30 that selects and converts the incoming signals on cable 16 , whether they are digital signals , analog signals , or packet signals , to signals that are compatible with the tv 10 . the cable interface 30 is connected by bi - directional bus 32 to cpu 34 . bi - directional bus 32 carries digital information received over cable 16 for use by cpu 34 and digital information transmitted from cpu 34 to cable interface 30 . if cable 16 is a bi - directional cable , some of the information from cpu 34 will be processed through cable interface 30 to cable 16 . in addition to bi - directional bus 32 , cpu 34 is connected to rom 38 and ram 40 via a memory bus 36 . rom 38 contains an operating program that is executed by cpu 34 to provide most of the functionality of the stb 12 . ram 40 , among other things , provides storage space for intermediate results of the operating program as executed by cpu 34 . ram 40 provides storage for data that is received from cable 16 and filtered in response to the operating program and viewer inputs from controller 20 ( shown in fig1 ). if further storage is needed for data , larger ram devices and / or mass storage devices such as disk drives , may be also connected bi - directional bus 32 ( not shown ). to receive viewer input , cpu 34 is connected to controller interface 44 via bus 42 , and to provide feedback to the viewer , cpu 34 is connected to and drives stb display 48 via bus 46 with channel related information . fig3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the controller 20 . controller 20 is designed to look and operate like a standard remote control of a tv or a video cassette recorder ( vcr ). controller 20 has a numeric keypad 50 having number keys 0 - 9 . controller 20 has an up arrow 52 , a down arrow 54 , a right pointing arrow 56 , a left pointing arrow 58 , a double up arrow 60 and a double down arrow 62 . controller 20 also has a select (√) button 64 , a cancel ( x ) button 66 and a query (?) button 68 . all interactions with the interface provided by the present invention are controlled by various sequences of these 19 buttons of the controller 20 . further , the result of actuating one of these buttons will be similar the results of a similar action of a standard tv or vcr remote control , so its use will be familiar , predictable and intuitive to the viewer using it . there are two broad classes of graphical components used in the interface of the present invention : those used by the viewer to select a desired data view or to apply a filter to the information being displayed , such as fig4 ; and those components used to actually display the information through which the viewer will progress in order to make a selection of a specific item , such as fig6 . for example , the viewer might view the schedule of tv programs for the next few hours ( all channels ), and filter the display to show only sports , basketball games in particular . these choices fall into the first class . once the display of all basketball shows for the next few hours has been selected , the viewer may progress through it reviewing a text or video digest of each program as selected by the controller 20 . selection of a specific program would typically lead to an action such as videotaping the show or setting an alarm to remind the viewer that the desired program is coming up . the navigation and selection sequences to find and select the desired program are examples of the use of the second class of graphical components . note , that in both cases the viewer is required to navigate through multiple graphic displays in order to ultimately select a desired program . the interfaces are kept conceptually and visually distinct in the interface according to the present invention because they serve different purposes and the viewer is reminded of this by their appearance . in addition , the information involved in the view selection components , i . e ., the first class , falls naturally into the form of hierarchical menus : short lists with complex substructure . in contrast , the data display , i . e ., the second class , components must be able to handle large schedules and arrays of information , which are essentially flat data with simple substructure . additionally , there is a display component in most displays referred to as a ` frame `, which functions as a status display . the frame is used to give the viewer some context ( what view am i displaying ? ), as well as a brief summary of the presently selected item &# 39 ; s characteristics ( what item do i currently have selected ?). typically the latter would be the item &# 39 ; s fill name and useful information such as program start and stop times . the frame will be described further , later . referring now to fig3 and 4 , a top or beginning level display 400 of the viewer interface for use with controller 20 as it appears on the viewer &# 39 ; s tv 10 ( shown in fig1 ) during normal operation . it is depicted as a file card menu 402 having a tab labeled &# 34 ; begin &# 34 ;. on file card menu 402 are interactive buttons labeled movies ( on demand ) 404 , last movie 406 , options 408 , tv 410 , tv now 412 , last tv 414 , shopping 416 , and last shop 418 which when selected by means of the controller 20 cause the next relevant display to be shown along with some sorting and / or filtering to be performed on the data stored in ram 40 ( shown in fig2 ). when the file card menu 402 first appears , an active area , where a selection may be made , is highlighted . this active area may be moved by actuating the arrow buttons 52 - 56 and double arrow buttons 60 , 62 of controller 20 . the file card menu 402 is surrounded by a frame 420 , the top of which indicates the designation of the active area currently highlighted . once an active area has been highlighted , a selection is made by actuating the select (√) button 64 in fig4 the tv button 410 is shown to be active : by actuating the select (√) button 64 , the next display 500 shown in fig5 appears . this appearance is a logical overlaying of the display 500 over the display 400 . although display 400 is not visible while any logically overlaying display is appearing on the screen of the tv 10 , display 400 will become visible again if all of the logically overlaying displays are canceled , i . e . by actuating the cancel ( x ) button 66 . thus , until a program is selected for real time viewing , it is possible for the viewer to work his or her way back to the display 400 by actuating the cancel ( x ) button the appropriate number of times . fig5 shows a second level display 500 which is depicted as a file card menu 502 labeled &# 34 ; tv &# 34 ;, which appears to overlay and occlude all of file card menu 402 except for the label &# 34 ; begin &# 34 ;. the label tv indicates that the items that can be accessed are tv shows , such as dramatic series , situation comedies , serials , regular variety shows , game shows , sports , and so forth . since movies and shopping were topics of other interactive buttons , these types of programs may be filtered out in whole or in part . file card menu 502 has interactive buttons labeled on now 504 , weekdays 506 , coming up 508 , weekend 510 , and search 512 . as with the file card menu 402 , file card menu 502 has an active area that can be moved by the viewer by operation of the arrow buttons 52 - 56 and double arrow buttons 60 , 62 of controller 20 ( shown in fig3 ). each of the interactive button represents another filtering that will be performed if it is selected . in fig5 the on now button 504 is highlighted , and if selected by actuating the select (√) button 64 , causes a third level display shown in fig6 to appear and a further sorting an / or filtering of the data stored within ram 40 ( shown in fig2 ). referring now to fig6 display 600 shows what is on at the present time , which in this illustration is 6 : 30 p . m . a reduced representation 602 of all television shows that are on at the present time appears in fig6 . the reduced representation 602 presents each program that is presently on as a card in a tightly cascaded set of cards . the cards may be gray shade coded to distinguish between news shows , sport shows , dramatic shows , comedy shows , documentary shows and so forth . those skilled in the art will recognize that color would be preferable for color television sets , and a method and apparatus according to the present invention using color to differentiated program types in the reduced representation 602 is contemplated . thus , using visual coding within the reduced representation 602 would allow a sports program to visually stand out from the non - sports tv programming in the example shown . up arrow 52 and down arrow 54 respectively move a selection window 604 , which is slightly wider than the items displayed in reduced representation , up and down the reduced representation 602 of the on now subgroup in single steps . motion of the active area along the reduced representation 602 is one dimensional , either up or down . the up arrows 60 and the down arrows 62 move his selection window 604 respectively up and down the reduced representation 602 in increments of six . the individual items visible and located within the selection window 604 represent a further subgroup of six programs out of the reduced representation 602 on now subgroup . this six program subgroup of the selection window 604 is displayed in larger form in a grid display 606 located next to reduced representation 602 . this larger form allows the viewer to read the titles of the programs presently in grid display 606 . the visible coding , i . e . gray shade coding or color coding , of each item is retained in the larger form in grid display 606 to aid the viewer differentiate between the various types of programming offered . within selection window 604 and grid display 606 are active areas 605 , 607 that highlight one item in their respective portions of display 600 . the active areas 605 , 607 move in coordination with each other in response to the up arrow 52 and the down arrow 54 . when up arrow 52 or down arrow 54 require the active areas 605 and 607 to move above or below the selection window 604 and grid display 606 , a paging occurs which moves the selection window up six or down six . when an item is located within active areas 605 , 607 , further information , such as the tv channel call sign , the cable channel number , and the exact start and stop times , is retrieved from the programming database stored in ram 40 and displayed in the top of a frame 610 of display 600 . if the select (√) button 64 is actuated at this time , a preview of either a short text description or a brief still or motion video replaces the grid display 606 . the data for these previews are stored in ram 40 . a second sequential actuation of the select (√) button 64 actually selects the highlighted program in the active area 604 of reduced representation 602 and formerly highlighted in grid display 606 . if the up arrow 52 or the down arrow 54 is actuated the respective preview for the next program item up or down from the previous previewed item is selected . the information displayed in the top of the frame 610 will change to the next program item up or down also . actuation of the cancel button 66 returns the viewer to the previous arrangement of display 600 . the bottom of the frame 610 lists the characteristics of the display 600 , which are also retrieved from ram 40 . if the query (?) button 68 is actuated , the grid display 606 will be replaced by a generalized help menu . this generalized help menu has many buttons , as explained below , one of which is a view button . if the view button is actuated , the generalized help menu is replaced with the previous select ( i . e . filter ) view . referring now to fig3 and 7 a selection of a program by category will be described . actuation of the query (?) button 68 of controller 20 causes display 700 to appear on the screen of tv 10 ( shown in fig1 ). on display 700 has a help button 702 , a categories button 704 , a view button 706 , a begin button 708 , a favorites button 710 , and a user button 712 . an active area , shown on categories button 704 is moved by the arrow buttons 52 - 58 . the function of the view button 706 has been discussed in regard to fig6 and will not be repeated here . actuation of the help button 702 causes a menu of specific help functions to be displayed . actuation of the begin button 708 causes the beginning menu to be displayed , i . e . it takes the viewer back to the beginning of the selection sequence . actuation of the favorites button 710 brings up a list of favorite programs for the present timeslot , which may either be accumulated by the cpu 32 from viewing data or may be entered by the viewer or viewers . actuation of the viewer button 712 , which causes a display to appear where a viewer may interactively enter his or her status as the principal viewer . this information is used to determine , display a slate of favorite programs customized for each viewer . actuation of the categories button 704 causes a her display 800 , which is shown in fig8 to replace display 700 on the screen of tv 10 . referring now to fig3 and 9 , display 800 has numerous buttons 801 , 802 , 803 , 804 , 805 , 806 , 807 , 808 , and 809 corresponding to favorite , information , entertainment , movies , sports , news , children , series and more categories of programming . the buttons 801 - 809 may be have an active area moved among them using arrows 52 - 58 , or the numeric keypad may be used as a set of hot keys to move the active area to the desired category immediately . the buttons 801 - 809 are laid out in a 3 × 3 row and column arrangement just the same as the 1 - 9 keys of keypad 50 are arranged . thus , without numbering , intuitive hot key navigation is possible . for example to move the active area to the button in the third column and third row , i . e . button 809 , the key in the third column and the third row , i . e . the numeral 9 , of keypad 50 is actuated . the button 809 unlike the other buttons which subsequently provide narrower choices , gives another display of buttons for further category choices ( not shown ). if the active area is around sports button 805 as shown in fig8 and the select (√) button 64 is actuated , the display shown in fig9 would appear . fig9 is arranged with selection buttons 901 - 909 in a 3 × 3 arrangement , similar to that of fig8 . movement of the active area by arrows 52 - 58 or by hot key is available in fig9 as in fig8 . buttons 901 - 909 correspond to baseball , football , basketball , soccer , all , hockey , golf , racing and other respectively . except for all button 905 , each of the buttons in fig9 represents a narrower subgroup of the overall category of sports . actuating all button 905 causes display 1000 , shown in fig1 , to replace , i . e . logically overlay , display 900 . referring now to fig1 , a filtered display for tv programs , that are on now , for 6 : 30 p . m . local time as shown in fig1 , that are sports programs showing all categories in reduced representation 1002 is shown . reduced representation 1002 has so few entries that characteristics of the individual cards that were hidden previously by the sheer number of programs represented can now be discerned . for example , menu card 1003 representing the program this week in the nba is shorter on the left side than menu card 1004 representing the program senior pga golf . the reason for that difference is that the program this week in the nba starts at 6 : 30 p . m ., while the program senior pga golf started at an earlier time as designated by the double left pointing arrows before the title of senior pga golf in selection window 1006 . since this week in the nba and senior pga golf both end at the same time , the right sides of their reduced representations 1003 and 1004 end at the same location . movement or navigation of the active area 1005 along the reduced representation 1002 is by means of controller 20 the same as in fig6 . each of the six titles shown in selection window 1006 has a respective rectangular region 1010 - 1015 thereafter . the rectangular regions 1010 - 1015 are shaded differently according to the type of sports program with which they are associated . these different shades of gray , or different colors if the display is shown on a color tv , are a visual key to the type of sport that corresponds to each of the six titles . actuating the select (√) button 64 of controller 20 causes display 1106 , shown in fig1 , which is a text preview of the program highlighted by the active area , to overlay selection area 1006 . as mentioned above , actuating the select (√) button 64 at this point will cause cpu 34 to instruct cable interface 30 ( shown in fig2 ) to select that tv program for viewing . referring again to fig1 if the status of the method and apparatus is the same as it was just after the selection that caused display 1000 to be shown was made , as described in the previous paragraph , and if the query (?) button 68 is actuated , then the display 700 shown in fig7 with various selections will again be displayed . further , if view button 706 is actuated , display 1200 as shown in fig1 and its filter selections will logically over lay display 700 . display 1200 has numerous interactive buttons : on now 1202 , coming up 1204 , search 1206 , weekdays 1208 and weekend 1210 . since the all sports category has been selected previously , if the active area of display 1200 is moved to highlight the coming up button 1204 and the button 1204 is actuated , display 1300 , shown in fig1 will appear and over lay display 1200 . in display 1300 , two coordinate axes are shown which are respectively labeled with two attributes of the of the selected subgroup of data items . the two attributes shown in display 1300 are channels and timeslots for the next 24 timeslots , i . e . 12 hours , coming up . since the all sports category has been selected , each sports program showing on one of the 300 plus channels within the next 12 hours will be represented in display 1300 . each sports program upcoming is represented by a rectangular ` card ` located in the row corresponding to the channel carrying the program and in the column ( s ) representing the timeslot ( s ) when it will be shown . each ` card ` is a color coded , reduced representation of the data item for its respective program . the viewer may move the active area 1302 among the cards using the up and down arrows 52 , 54 and right and left arrows 56 , 58 for movement vertically and horizontally , respectively . as can be seen from display 1300 , there are still too many data items in the subgroup to individually consider in a reasonable amount of time , so further filtering , either by a shorter time period , i . e . on now , or a narrower category , i . e . basketball , is needed . to change to a narrower category , the viewer presses the query (?) button 68 which causes display 700 ( shown in fig7 ) to be displayed . next , categories button 704 is selected which causes display 900 ( shown in fig9 ) to be displayed . next , basketball button 903 is selected which causes display 1500 of fig1 to be displayed . the coming up time filter of fig1 and 13 has not been changed , so display 1500 shows the basketball programs coming up in the next 12 hours . as can be seen , the two - dimensional grid display 1500 contains approximately sixteen programs , which is sufficiently small to review each item individually in a reasonable time period . moving active area 1502 around two - dimensional grid display 1500 with the up and down arrows 52 , 54 and / or the right and left arrows 56 , 58 , causes the title and channel of each program to be displayed in the top of the frame of display 1500 to assist the reviewing and selection process . for example , the program highlighted by active area 1502 is &# 34 ; this week in the nba &# 34 ; and it is showing on cnn . thus , by selective filtering the unwieldly display 1300 of programs shown in fig1 is reduced to a manageable handful of display 1500 , which the viewer can navigate through individually in a reasonable time . referring now to fig1 - 23 , another aspect of the present invention will be described . in fig1 and the remaining figures , a longer period of time is selected other than the one and a half hours or so retrieved by the on now selection . for example , if the viewer wishes to look at the programming available for the rest of the week in order to select something to record on a vcr ( not shown ). actuating the button having the number zero ( 0 ) of the keypad 50 while watching a program causes the data view menu selection card , such as 900 of fig9 to appear at the point in the menu - display hierarchy where the last selection was made . actuating the zero ( 0 ) button again moves the viewer towards the broadest data view menu 400 of fig4 and the viewer may stop at any display in order to change time or subject matter categories . thus if a viewer were watching this week in the nba , and wanted to find a program of interest that is on later , the viewer would first actuate the zero ( 0 ) button of keypad 50 which would bring up the display of fig1 . actuating the zero ( 0 ) button four more times takes the viewer through displays 900 , 800 , 700 and 500 of fig9 , 7 and 5 respectively . to get a specific program title , the search button 509 is actuated , which causes fig1 to logically overlay the display 500 . fig1 shows a first display 1600 of an interactive alphanumeric selection sequence . first , all alphabetic titles are sorted into groups of five or less . if , for example , nova was the title of the desired program , the active area would be moved from its initial position ( either at the top of the display or at the last group selected ) to the group of letters containing the letter n using the up arrow 52 or the down arrow 54 as shown in fig1 followed by actuation of the select (√) button 64 . this sequence would cause fig1 to logically overlay fig1 . in fig1 , the active area is moved from its initial location at m to the location of n as shown in fig1 followed again by actuation of the select (√) button 64 causes the display 2000 of fig2 to overlay fig1 . in display 2000 are single instances of the first two letters , such as nypd blue is the only instance of n followed by y , and multiple instances of the two letter string as denoted by the double right pointing arrows by no . to continue the search for nova , the active area is moved to the line containing no of display 2000 as shown in fig2 using the down arrow 56 and actuating the select (√) button 64 , which causes display 2200 of fig2 to overlay display 2000 . now , nova is the only instance of a program beginning with nov , so the entire title nova appears in fig2 . by moving the active area to the line labeled nova in display 2200 and actuating the select (√), button 64 causes the display 2300 shown in fig2 to overlay display 2200 with a schedule of times and channels for the program series nova . fig2 is a one week schedule that is laid out as a logical three dimensional grid . the days of the week are displayed along one side , in this case vertically along the left side , of the display 2300 . time of day is displayed along a perpendicular side , in this case horizontally across the top , for a twenty - four hour period . thus , if an episode of nova is scheduled at 8 : 00 p . m . on sunday , a box of contrasting shade will be located in the intersection of the sunday row and in the 8 : 00 p . m . column . the active area 2302 can be moved horizontally by arrows 56 , 58 and vertically by arrows 52 , 54 of keypad 50 . if there are multiple occurrences of nova on a particular night at a particular time , that fact is shown by a box , located at the intersection of the row of that day and the column of that time , having an asterisk () located in the box . the asterisk () indicates the presence of a logical stack of multiple programs of nova appearing on competing channels , such as occurs on wednesday night at 8 : 00 p . m . to move or navigate through a stack of programs ( or stack of episodes of programs with the same name , for example ) on a particular day at a particular time slot , the viewer uses the double up arrows button 60 and the double down arrows button 62 for this third degree of freedom . because the display 2300 may require greater visual discrimination than program title as a matter of course , the frame information window 1904 is larger than usual for display 2300 . further , frame 2304 is annotated with arrows indicating the existence of program episodes above or below the active areas &# 39 ; position in the stack . if the cable 16 has access to 300 plus ` channels ` of programming , it is conceivable that some programs , such as nova will be offered by more than one channel at the same time . as described previously , once the viewer has moved the active area to a particular entry in two or three dimensions and actuates the select (√) button 64 , a selection is made . in this case , the selection sets an alarm to record a specific channel at a specific time at some day in the near future . referring back to fig1 and 2 , overall operation of the apparatus of the invention is described . program schedule data is supplied via the cable 16 . the program schedule data is either transmitted periodically and the stb 12 receives this program schedule data and stores it in ram 40 . alternatively , all or part of the program schedule data could be dynamically requested and received by stb 12 , which stores it in ram 40 . program data such as this is commercially available from tvdata , inc . and other similar concerns . the data or records of the program schedule data are in a pre - arranged format , such as microsoft access or some other similar database format , to facilitate rapid storage , sorting and retrieval by cpu 34 . each record of a tv program has its date of appearance , its time of appearance , its title , its channel and / or network , its categorizations , and a textual or visual preview ( if any ). a listing of a prototype program that sorts , displays and interactively responds to a viewer &# 39 ; s input is shown in the cpu program listing given below . this listing is in visual basic programming language of microsoft corporation . the visual basic prototype program consists of a collection of forms , each form having its own set of event handlers . in this case , the only significant external events are button actuations because of the remote control interface . a frame form provides the background and information and status bars used by most of the individual displays . a rolodex form provides the menus . the other forms are mostly schedule or list displays of various kinds , including specialized varieties such as the alphanumeric selection list form . the control part of the program begins with a procedure which loads all forms and activates the frame and rolodex , i . e . the top display , to begin . forms hand off control by setting a return code and hiding themselves , thereby activating the form directly beneath ( usually the frame ). both the frame form and the rolodex form perform different actions depending on the value of the return code . the frame form &# 39 ; s most common action is to activate another form , and much of the control flow of the application is handled by the frame form code . the rolodex form is used to display several different menu hierarchies , most importantly view selection and filter choice . thus , it will now be understood that there has been disclosed a method and apparatus of finding and selecting a program to view from a large schedule of tv programs . while the invention has been particularly illustrated and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form , details , and applications may be made therein . for example , color coding of the individual items of the reduced representations and of the various entries in the various grid displays could be used to assist the viewer in making rapid program selections . another example is that it is easily within the capabilities of this art to modify a tv set by integrating the set top box according to the present invention into it . it is accordingly intended that the appended claims shall cover all such changes in form , details and applications which do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention . ## spc1 ##	7
referring to the drawings and particularly to fig1 and 2 , one form of the display of the invention is shown there and generally designated by the numeral 20 . as best seen in fig1 , display 20 here includes a generally rectangular shaped optical waveguide 21 that is substantially wedge - shaped cross section . waveguide 21 is preferably constructed from acrylic or other optically transparent material , having a refractive index n 1 with a value between approximately 1 . 45 and approximately 1 . 6 and comprises parallel first and second end surfaces 26 and 27 that are joined by parallel side surfaces 28 and 29 ( see fig1 ). waveguide 21 also includes a major upper surface 30 and a lower surface 31 converging with upper surface 30 . the lower surface 31 as generally shown in fig1 is a flat surface and forming an angle 22 ( fig2 ) with a value between approximately 0 . 1 degrees to approximately 2 . 0 degrees with the upper surface 30 . also the lower surface 31 may be a curved surface forming varying angles with the upper surface 30 of the waveguide 21 or include a plurality of stepwise facets for controlling the display light uniformity . a plurality of substantially equally spaced - apart micro - prisms 32 are constructed at upper surface 30 and , as generally shown in fig1 , extend between side surfaces 28 and 29 . micro - prisms 32 may be molded or constructed using lithography from a uv curing polymer having a refractive index n 2 with a value between approximately 1 . 45 and approximately 1 . 6 . led light sources 25 are installed proximate the wide edge 26 of the waveguide 21 and a plurality of tilting micro - shutters 33 are constructed between micro - prisms 32 . in fig2 , one column of the tilting micro - shutters is designated as 33 a , 33 b , and 33 c . fig1 also illustrates a section of a cover assembly 34 . more detailed construction of the cover assembly 34 is illustrated in fig3 . now referring to fig3 of the drawings where more details of multi - layer optical coatings are shown . the first layer is a light reflecting layer 35 constructed from metal or multilayer dielectric materials on the upper surface 30 of the waveguide 21 . the light reflecting layer 35 is patterned to form plurality of light reflecting regions 36 and light transmitting regions 37 . the second optical layer is a light transmitting layer 39 formed from a fluoropolymer or other substantially transparent material having a refractive index n 3 with a value between approximately 1 . 3 and approximately 1 . 4 . the light transmitting layer 39 is formed only in the light transmitting regions 37 as shown in fig3 on the upper surface 30 of the waveguide 21 . also the light transmitting layer 39 may be a continuous layer formed between the light reflecting layer 35 and upper surface 30 of the waveguide 21 . the third optical layer is a light absorbing layer 40 formed from a dielectric material on light reflecting layer 35 and is patterned to partially cover light reflecting layer 35 . a black oxide layer may be formed on upper surface of light reflecting layer 35 instead of light absorbing layer 40 . also the light absorbing layer 40 may be replaced with a light absorbing film and placed below the lower surface 31 of the waveguide 21 . further illustrated in fig3 are micro - prisms 32 . each micro - prism 32 comprises a light input facet 41 which is optically coupled to the upper surface 30 of waveguide 21 via light transmitting layer 39 and a light exit facet 42 which is inclined with respect to the upper surface 30 of waveguide 21 and forms an angle 23 with a value between approximately 45 degrees to approximately 65 degrees . micro - prisms 32 further include a facet 43 which is inclined opposite to the light exit facet 42 and an upper facet 47 which is generally parallel to the light input facet 41 . fig3 also illustrates one of the tilting micro - shutters 33 b which typifies the construction of each of the micro - shutters of the present form of the invention . micro - shutter 33 b comprises a thin aluminum alloy elastic film that is affixed to the upper facet 47 of micro - prism 32 b and it tilts in two directions at about axis 50 that is substantially parallel to the upper surface 30 of the waveguide 21 . for absorbing light , a black oxide layer or a black polymer film may be formed on surfaces of micro - shutters 33 . further illustrated in fig3 is a cover assembly 34 which is affixed to the upper surface 30 of waveguide 21 with spacers 58 ( see fig2 ). cover assembly 34 comprises a substrate 44 made of glass or other substantially transparent material . a light absorbing layer 51 constructed on the lower surface 46 of substrate 44 from conductive light absorbing film or a multilayer film that includes a conductor layer . the light absorbing layer 51 is patterned to form a plurality of display light exit regions 48 located directly above micro - shutters 33 and light absorbing regions 49 . the cover assembly 34 further includes a light shaping diffuser 52 formed on the upper surface 45 of substrate 44 . in the present form of the invention , the tilting micro - shutters 33 operate by electrostatic attraction force . the conductive light reflecting layer 35 and conductive light absorbing layer 51 act as fixed electrodes for the tilting micro - shutters 33 . when a suitable voltage is applied between the conductive light reflecting layer 35 and a micro - shutter 33 , the micro - shutter tilts down by electrostatic attraction force . when a suitable voltage is applied between the conductive light absorbing layer 51 and a micro - mirror 33 , the micro - shutter tilts up by electrostatic attraction force . to prevent micro - shutter stiction , a small gap is required between the edge of the micro - shutters and the landing surfaces . this may be realized by constructing small spacers from a low friction material on landing surfaces or extending small portions of micro - shutters along the edge so the entire edge of the micro - shutters do not touch the landing surfaces . additionally the black polymer coatings on the micro - shutters may be formed from a non stick material . as best seen in fig2 of the drawings , light rays 55 entering from the wide edge 26 of the waveguide 21 reflect from the upper surface 30 and the lower surface 31 by total internal reflections and change angles towards normal with respect to the upper surface 30 . light rays 55 exit the waveguide 21 from the light transmitting regions 37 ( fig3 ) when the incident angle is less than the critical angle 38 defined by the refractive index n 1 of the waveguide 21 and refractive index n 3 of light transmitting layer 39 . light rays passing through the light transmitting layer 39 enter the micro - prisms 32 from the light input facet 41 and change the angle defined by the refractive index n 2 of the micro - prisms . light rays exit the micro - prisms from the light exit facets 42 . depending on the positions of the tilting micro - shutters , light rays are absorbed , or directed to the viewer . when a tilting micro - shutter is in the up position , such as micro - shutter 33 b ( fig2 ), most light rays exiting from light exit facet 42 of micro - prisms 32 are absorbed in light absorber coatings of micro - shutters 33 . any light reflected from the lower surface of the micro - shutters 33 will be absorbed in the light absorbing layer 40 . when a micro - shutter is tilted down , such as micro - shutters 33 a and 33 c , most light rays exiting from light exit facet 42 of micro - prisms 32 exit the display 20 from display light exit regions 48 and are directed to the viewer . referring now to fig4 of the drawings , a cross - sectional view of another embodiment of display of the present invention is there shown and generally designated by the numeral 70 . this latest embodiment is similar in some respect to the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 of the drawings and like numbers are used in fig4 to identify like components . the display 70 is a full color display wherein each picture element comprises of red , green and blue sub - pixels and includes dichoric filters for separating rgb colors from a white light source or from rgb light sources that are mixed in the waveguide 21 . the display 70 includes optical waveguide 21 and led light sources 25 that are installed proximate the wide edge 26 of the waveguide 21 . display 70 also includes a substrate 72 constructed from a substantially transparent material such as glass having a refractive index n 4 with a value between approximately 1 . 45 and approximately 1 . 6 . the lower surface 74 of substrate 72 is optically coupled to the upper surface 30 of waveguide 21 via an optical layer 71 formed from a substantially transparent material having a refractive index n 3 with a value between approximately 1 . 3 and approximately 1 . 4 . a plurality of equally spaced - apart micro - prisms 32 are constructed at upper surface 73 of substrate 72 and tilting micro - shutters 33 are constructed between micro - prisms 32 . the cover assembly 34 is affixed to the upper surface 73 of substrate 72 with spacers 58 . now referring to fig5 of the drawings where more details of multi - layer optical coatings are shown . the first optical layer is a dichroic filter 75 formed on the upper surface 73 of the substrate 72 . the second optical layer is a light reflecting layer 35 constructed from metal on the dichroic filter 75 . the light reflecting layer 35 is patterned to form plurality of light reflecting regions 36 and light transmitting regions 37 . the third optical layer is a light absorbing layer 40 formed on light reflecting layer 35 and is patterned to partially cover light reflecting layer 35 . also illustrated in fig5 are micro - prisms 32 . each micro - prism 32 comprises a light input facet 41 , which is optically coupled to the upper surface 30 of waveguide 21 via dichroic filter 75 , substrate 72 and optical layer 71 . each micro - prism 32 also includes a light exit facet 42 , a facet 43 which is inclined opposite to the light exit facet 42 and an upper facet 47 which is generally parallel to the light input facet 41 . fig5 also illustrates one of micro - shutters 33 and cover assembly 34 that was described before in fig3 . as best seen in fig4 of the drawings , light rays 55 entering from the wide edge 26 of the waveguide 21 reflect from the upper surface 30 and the lower surface 31 by total internal reflections and change angles towards normal with respect to the upper surface 30 . light rays 55 exit the waveguide 21 from the upper surface 30 and enter substrate 72 through the light transmitting layer 71 when the incident angle is less than critical angle 38 ( fig5 ) defined by the refractive index n 1 of the waveguide 21 and refractive index n 3 of light transmitting layer 71 . dichroic filters selectively pass rgb colors in the light transmitting regions 37 into the micro - prisms 32 . and light exits micro - prisms 32 from the light exit facets 42 . as before depending on the positions of the tilting micro - shutters 33 , light rays are absorbed , or directed to the viewer . to increase the efficiency and reduce light scattering , various anti - reflection coatings may be applied to surfaces where light transitions between two different materials . dichroic layers that comprise a low pass filter for the blue color and a high pass filter for the red color may be formed to overlap in the light reflecting regions 36 . the above described displays will work with infrared , visible and ultraviolet light sources and combinations thereof . depending on the display size and resolution , each picture element of the display panel may include several tilting micro - shutters . reducing the size of individual micro - shutters helps to reduce the required electrostatic actuation voltages . also , micro - shutters for each picture element may be grouped to modulate different levels of light when suitable voltage is applied between the fixed electrodes and a selected group of micro - shutters . this reduces the display addressing constraints . for example , each picture element may include 7 micro - shutters grouped in quantities of 1 , 2 and 4 and selectively addressed to modulate 8 levels of light . additionally , temporal artifacts inherent in pulse - width - modulation displays are reduced . having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes , those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions . such changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention , as set forth in the following claims .	6
referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like parts , and referring first to fig1 to establish the environment of the invention , a tilting and sliding bed truck 10 generally of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 430 , 792 and in the above - referenced application is shown . this truck includes a main chassis frame 11 above which is mounted a sliding and tilting bed 12 . the bed 12 is moved longitudinally forwardly and rearwardly by a centrally located longitudinal power cylinder 13 disposed between the main chassis frame 11 and the sliding bed 12 . a jacking and lift assembly 14 is connected between the bed 12 and depending bracket plates 15 on the rear end of main chassis frame 11 . the sliding and tilting bed 12 includes a pair of lower parallel longitudinal i - beam rails 16 whose lower flanges 17 are slidably held in bearing or wear pad containments 18 , the construction of which forms the main subject matter of this invention . as shown in fig1 there are two units 18 associated with the sliding and tilting truck bed 12 on each side thereof , that is , one pair of units for each i - beam rail 16 of the truck bed . the rearmost units 18 are coupled with the jacking assembly 14 and the forwardmost units 18 are secured to the rear of main chassis frame 11 . each wear pad containment unit 18 includes a lower transverse axis bearing sleeve 19 containing bushings 20 which receive therethrough a pivot pin 21 held in arms 22 rising from the main chassis frame 11 in the case of the two forwardmost units 18 . the two rearward units 18 have their corresponding pivot elements 21 supported through arms or brackets carried by the jacking and lift assembly 14 . each wear pad containment unit 18 further comprises a frame including a horizontal plate 23 resting on a rectangular bar member 24 which is securely welded to the top of sleeve 19 , as best shown in fig3 and 6 . side inclined brace plates 25 are similarly welded between the bottom of horizontal plate 23 and opposite side of sleeve 19 to form a rigid support structure . this support structure or frame further includes spaced vertical side plates 26 welded to the horizontal plate 23 and projecting above it . the lower edges of the side plates 26 are spaced slightly above the top of sleeve 19 , as shown . thus , the support frame composed of welded plates 23 and 26 is bodily and rigidly mounted on the sleeve 19 and can turn with the sleeve around the axis of pivot pin 21 . each containment unit 18 additionally comprises readily separable generally l - shaped wear pad clamps or retainers 27 having diagonal wear pad retainer bars 28 welded across their fore and aft ends . these retainers 27 are held in place on the unit 18 by a pair of spaced parallel transverse bolts 29 located immediately below the flanges 17 of sliding i - beam rails 16 and above horizontal plate 23 . at their far ends , the bolts 29 carry nuts and washers 30 and 31 . upper phenolic wear pads 32 and optional shims 33 are held between the top face of sliding rail flange 17 and the opposing somewhat inclined face of wear pad retainer 27 . the retainer bars 28 prevent displacement of the upper wear pads and shims longitudinally and they are held captive against transverse movement by the i - beam rail 16 and the holding action of retainers 27 . a single lower phenolic wear pad 34 and optional shim 35 are placed between the bottom face of sliding rail flange 17 and the horizontal support plate 23 . the vertical side plates 26 prevent any appreciable displacement of the lower wear pads 34 transversely of the axis of rail 16 , and the two bolts 29 closely straddle the fore and aft ends of the lower wear pads , fig6 and prevent displacement thereof longitudinally . thus , it may be seen that the two bolts 29 serve a dual purpose in the invention of detachably securing retainers 27 in the wear pad units 18 and retaining or holding the lower wear pads 34 against displacement . a chief feature of the invention in contrast to the prior art is that neither the upper or lower wear pads 32 or 34 are pierced by any fastener and the full thicknesses of the pads are available for bearing purposes during gradual wear on the pads thus rendering them useful over a much longer time before shimming or complete replacement becomes necessary . fig7 of the drawings shows the wear pads 32 and 34 somewhat recessed due to wear , as they might be at the time requiring shimming or replacement . the other drawing figures show the upper and lower wear pads without substantial wear . the invention , as described , fulfills its primary objective by rendering servicing or replacement of all of the wear pads simple and economical without the necessity for complete removal of the sliding truck bed 12 from the units or suppots 18 , as was heretofore necessary in all of the known prior art arrangements . instead , by means of the invention , it is only necessary to remove the two bolts 29 of each unit 18 which releases the retainers 27 and allows ready removal of both the upper and lower wear pads 32 and 34 along with their shims , as required . during this operation , the rails 16 are relieved of their weight or loading either by blocking the underside of the bed 12 near its forward end and utilizing the hydraulic jacking assembly 14 of the truck , or an external jacking means if preferred . the installation of new upper and lower phenolic wear pads and the reassembly of the retainers 27 and their bolts 29 is a very simple matter and the necessity for long periods of down time for the truck is avoided . it should be clear , in light of the foregooing description , that the sleeves 19 on which the plate elements 23 and 26 are mounted enable the containment units 18 to pivot around the axes of pins 21 , as required for tilting of the truck bed 12 . the terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed . for instance , the wear pad assemblies or containments may be used in other environments and in an arrangement reverse from that illustrated in the drawings where the longitudinal i - beam rails 16 are stationary and the wear pad containments 18 depend from a slidable frame member , similar to frame member 11 , and engage the top flanges of the i - beam rails , as would be illustrated , for example , by turning fig2 - 7 upside - down . also , in some installations , the support frame composed of plates 23 and 26 may be directly connected to its corresponding frame member 11 rather than being connected thereto through a pivot connection .	1
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , there are shown in the drawings , and will be described herein in detail , specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated . fig1 illustrates the accessory organizing device 10 being used on both the driver &# 39 ; s side and passenger side of the golf car , also known as a golf cart . the accessory organizing device 10 comprises a longitudinal member 70 onto which accessory holders 40 are remnovablely attached . the accessory organizing device 10 is mounted to vertical support bars 20 of the golf car through the use of a mounting bracket 30 . the mounting bracket 30 has a longitudinal member support portion 50 , and a vertical support bar 20 mounting portion 60 . fig2 illustrates one embodiment of a longitudinal member 70 . longitudinal member 70 has a rectangular cross section 75 , which as illustrated in fig2 is a square . the cross sectional area is not limited to a four sided regular polygon , and can be any suitable shape . the cross sectional area may have greater or fewer than four sides depending on the number of engagement surfaces desired . a greater number of sides will allow for more surfaces to engage with the accessory holders . each side 72 of the longitudinal member 70 has at least one groove 80 or slot along the length of the longitudinal member ( fig4 ). the longitudinal member may have a t - slot groove as illustrated in fig4 , or the longitudinal member may have a cross sectional area of a different shape , such as a trapezoidal shape . in one embodiment , the longitudinal member is the bar or rail disclosed in u . s . patent application publication 200210122691 or u . s . pat . no . 5 , 429 , 438 , each herein incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present description . the longitudinal member can also have more than one groove or slot extending along the length of the longitudinal member on a side of the member . in one embodiment , the longitudinal member 70 is of a length which extends for a portion of the width of the golf car , such as half the width , or a distance which spans one passenger seating area such as the driver or passenger seating areas , or a length which spans a portion of the length of the driver or passenger seating area . in use , each user , such as the driver and the passenger , brings their portable accessory organizing device to be mounted to their respective driver and passenger side vertical supports . each user can adjust the height of the device to suit the user &# 39 ; s positioning needs . each user &# 39 ; s accessory organizing device can be custom configured to have an array of accessory holders customized to each user and custom positioned as desired by the user . accessory holders can be provided for a variety of accessories . fig2 illustrates various accessory holders which can be used with the longitudinal member 70 . accessory holders can be clips 40 a for holding gloves or other accessories such as hats , bags , or food items such as bags of chips . accessory holders can be a platform 40 b to mount a gps or gps bracket or a mobile device . the accessory holders may be specific to particular accessories , such as a sunglasses holder ( not shown ), or the accessory holders may be designed to hold general accessories such as a tray 40 c , a pouch 40 d for holding various items . the accessory holders are attached to the longitudinal member . due to the various types of accessory holders , the weight on the accessory holder and thus its connection with the groove on the longitudinal member may vary to distribute the weight of the holder and prevent the accessory holder from falling out or shaking during use . various mechanisms for providing the desired weight , forces of the accessory holder in securing it to the longitudinal rail along the grooves can be used . as illustrated in fig5 , each accessory holder has a groove engagement portion 90 a , 90 b which is inserted into the groove 80 . accessory holders such as a hook can have a segment which is inserted into the groove by sliding the engagement portion 90 a in from the end of the longitudinal member . other accessories may have a groove engagement component which can be snap fitted into the groove . other accessory holders can have a groove engagement component and also a brace to on the outer surface to balance the force or weight of the accessory . the accessory organizing device is mounted onto the support bars 20 of the golf car via a mounting bracket 30 illustrated in fig3 . the mounting bracket 30 has a longitudinal member supporting portion 50 and a vertical support bar mounting portion 60 . the longitudinal member supporting portion 50 receives the longitudinal member 70 within a bracket 55 or shaft of a shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the longitudinal member 70 . a tightening mechanism such as a fastening screw 56 is used to secure the longitudinal member 70 to the bracket 55 by , for example , creating pressure on to the longitudinal member . bracket 55 can also be modified to receive longitudinal members of different cross sectional shapes . the bracket can be modified by use of additional fastening mechanisms to adapt the bracket for receiving longitudinal member of a different cross sectional shape . the longitudinal member 70 may be mounted to the bracket at a distal end of the longitudinal member as illustrated in fig3 . to secure the longitudinal member 70 to the golf car , the bracket 50 holding the longitudinal member is secured to the vertical support bar 20 of the golf car by a securing mechanism on the vertical support bar mounting portion 60 . the vertical support bar securing mechanism may be a u - shaped brace 65 which corresponds to the cross sectional shape of a golf car support bar . the u - shaped brace may be detachably secured to the mounting bracket 30 . the u - shaped brace is wrapped around the support bar and secured to the mounting bracket through the use of a fastening screw 66 by , for example , pressure force on to the u - shaped brace . the interior of the u - shaped brace 65 may be lined with material such a rubber to enhance the grip and connection of the u - shaped brace 65 with the vertical support bar 20 and allow for variations in the size of the golf car support bar 20 . in one embodiment , instead of a u - shaped brace , the securing mechanism may be a c - shaped bracket 65 a ( fig3 a ) which can be opened to receive the vertical support bar 20 of the golf car . the c - shaped bracket 65 a may then be tightened about the vertical support bar 20 using a fastening mechanism such as a fastening screw 66 a . any other mechanism for connecting the longitudinal bar to a vertical support bar known to one skilled in the art may also be used . in another embodiment , the longitudinal member 70 is secured to a vertical support member 20 using a mounting bracket 30 a as illustrated in fig6 . the mounting bracket has a stationary member 31 and a size adapting member 32 , each having an arm 31 a , 32 a between which a region for engaging with a vertical support member 20 is formed . the stationary member 31 has a shaft 55 a for receiving the longitudinal member . a distal end of the longitudinal member is fitted within the shaft , and secured to the shaft 55 a by a fastening mechanism , such as a screw 55 b , illustrated in fig1 which fastens the longitudinal member to the stationary member through aperture 31 c . one or more ends of the longitudinal member may have a threaded opening 71 for receiving the screw 55 b . the stationary member 31 further comprises a receiving shaft 33 for receiving the size adapting member 32 . the depth of the receiving shaft 33 for the size adapting member is of sufficient depth to allow the distance between the arms 31 a and 32 a to vary . a user adjusts the distance between the arms 31 a and 32 a by using a fastening mechanism , such as a screw or bolt ( not shown ) that extends through the aperture 31 b in the top of the stationary member and through the adapting aperture 32 b in the bottom of the adapting member 32 and connects with a nut 55 c ( fig6 ), which is secured against rotation in recess 56 in the bottom of the adapting member 23 . the top of the stationary member may have ridges 57 . the ridges may be interrupted by a screw head platform 35 about the aperture 31 b that may be recessed below the tops of the ridges 57 fig8 illustrates the view along line 8 - 8 ′ of fig7 , and fig9 illustrates the view along line 9 - 9 ′ of fig7 . the arms 31 a and 32 a of the stationary member 31 and the size adapting member 32 comprise size adapting corners 34 ( fig7 and 11 ). the size adapting corners allows for the arms 31 a and 32 a to adapt to vertical supports 20 of various areas . as illustrated in fig1 , the size adapting corners 34 allow for the arms 31 a , 32 a to adapt to vertical supports 20 a having the large cross section ( shown in solid lines ) and to vertical supports 20 b having a smaller cross section ( shown in dashed lines ). the size adapting corners 34 maybe to designed to suit vertical supports of various sizes , such as those formed by 1 inch ( 2 . 5 cm ) tubing , or by inch ( 1 . 875 cm ) tubing . in one embodiment , the receiving shaft 33 for the size adapting member is sized to allow for movement of the size adapting member 32 within the shaft 33 . as illustrated in fig1 , the size adapting member 32 is able to tilt within the shaft 33 within a range to better accommodate connection with various vertical supports . the range extends a predefined number of degrees from vertical alignment with the aperture 31 b . from the foregoing , it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred .	1
in the following , description will be given on embodiments of the present invention referring to the attached drawings . first , description will be given on an essential portion of an automatic tilt angle compensator of the present invention referring to fig1 and fig2 . a free interface 4 is formed in a sealed container 1 , and a lower layer transparent liquid 2 and an upper layer transparent liquid 3 are sealed in the container so that an open space 5 is maintained in upper portion of the sealed container 1 . the sealed container 1 comprises a horizontal bottom 1a , a vertical wall 1b running perpendicularly to the bottom 1a , and a reflective wall 1c tilted by 45 degrees with respect to the vertical wall 1b and the bottom 1a respectively . an entry window 6 is disposed on the bottom 1a , a reflective member 7 is arranged on the reflection wall 1c , and an exit window 8 is disposed on the vertical wall 1b . the entry window 6 is immersed in the lower transparent liquid 2 , and the reflective member 7 and the exit window 8 are immersed in the upper layer transparent liquid 3 . a light projecting system 9 is arranged in opposite to the entry window 6 so that a light beam irradiated from the light projecting system 9 passes through the entry window 6 and enters the lower layer transparent liquid 2 . the lower layer transparent liquid 2 or the upper layer transparent liquid 3 is a combination of a polar solvent and a non - polar solvent , e . g . a combination of a fluorine type inactive solution and a non - polar protic solvent , i . e . acetonitrile or n - methyl formamide or pyridine or dimethyl sulfoxide . these substances can dissolve electrolyte such as potassium iodide or potassium chloride and the refractive indices may be changed . when environmental temperature changes , the refractive index of the liquid also changes . by selecting two types of liquids , which have refractive indices changing in the same manner or in almost similar manner to each other depending on temperature , it is possible to maintain change of the optical axis with respect to the tilting of the entire system in the same state or in almost similar state when environmental temperature changes . also , if the open space 5 is disposed at a position out of the optical axis for the case where the volume of the liquid shrinks as temperature changes , it is possible to decrease the change of internal pressure due to expansion or shrinkage of the liquid and to suppress the change of viscosity of the liquid and to maintain durability of the container . instead of providing the open space 5 , if flexibility is given to a part of the container not in contact with the free interface 4 and the change of internal pressure due to expansion or shrinkage of the liquid is absorbed or compensated by deformation of said part of the container , it is possible to suppress the change of viscosity of the liquid or to maintain durability of the container similarly to the case when the open space 5 is provided . in the following , description will be given on automatic compensation in order to maintain an optical axis of an automatic tilt angle compensator in the horizontal direction . here , to facilitate explanation on the change of an optical axis when the main unit is tilted , explanation is given under the assumption that the free interface is tilted . as shown in fig1 when liquid surface is tilted at an angle of α , amount of change of an optical axis ( deflection angle of the optical axis ) after the light passes through the free interface 4 is given by : because the optical axis directed toward the exit window 8 has a deflection angle of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, deflection angle θ of the optical axis inside the exit window 8 is given as : ## equ1 ## the deflection angle θ &# 39 ; of the optical axis after passing through the exit window 8 is : ## equ2 ## when θ &# 34 ;= α , an outgoing optical axis ◯&# 39 ; is always maintained in parallel to the free interface 4 regardless of the tilting of the main unit . therefore , if a beam expander ( not shown ) having an angular magnification of 1 /( n - n &# 39 ;) on the outgoing optical axis 603 &# 39 ; is disposed , it is possible to obtain the optical axis , which is always maintained in the horizontal direction regardless of the tilting of the main unit . fig2 shows the entire system rotated by 90 degrees . the two transparent liquids 2 and 3 are also rotated by 90 degrees , and the free interface 4 is also rotated by 90 degrees around the center of gravity . the optical axis from the light projecting system 9 is reflected by the reflective member 7 and passes through the free interface 4 . the amount of change &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; of the optical axis in this case is : because the optical axis directed toward the exit window 8 has a deflection angle of &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, deflection angle θ of the optical axis in the exit window 8 is given by : ## equ3 ## deflection angleθ &# 39 ; of optical axis after passing through the exit window 8 is : ## equ4 ## therefore , it is the same as the equation ( 3 ), and the outgoing optical axis is compensated by the beam expander and it is possible to obtain an optical axis , which can always be maintained in the vertical direction regardless of the tilting of the main unit . as described above , when environmental temperature changes , refractive indices of the lower layer transparent liquid 2 and the upper layer transparent liquid 3 are changed . by selecting the liquids having refractive indices which vary according to temperature in the same manner or in almost similar manner to each other , it is possible to eliminate or reduce error due to temperature change . the open space 5 absorbs or compensates expansion or shrinkage of the lower layer transparent liquid 2 and the upper layer transparent liquid 3 due to thermal change . fig3 shows an example where the automatic tilt angle compensator is applied to a rotary laser irradiation device . on opposite side to the exit window 8 and on a reflection optical axis of the reflective member 7 , a beam expander 10 is disposed . the beam expander 10 is incorporated in a housing 11 , which is integrated with the sealed container 1 . on opposite side of the beam expander 10 , a rotary pentagonal prism 12 is rotatably arranged on the optical axis of the beam expander 10 , and the rotary pentagonal prism 12 is to be rotated by a rotary driving unit such as a motor ( not shown ). a predetermined light beam from the light projecting system 9 , e . g . a laser beam , entering the sealed container 1 passes through the lower layer transparent liquid 2 and the free interface 4 . then , it is reflected by the reflective member 7 in the upper layer transparent liquid 3 and is emitted from the exit window 8 . the reflected laser beam irradiated from the beam expander 10 is deflected in the vertical direction and irradiated . when the rotary pentagonal prism 12 is rotated by the rotary driving unit ( not shown ), a vertical laser beam irradiation plane is formed by the irradiating laser beam . when the entire system is tilted and the free interface 4 is at the position as shown by two - dot chain line in the figure , an incident light beam is also directed as shown by two - dot chain line in the figure . after passing through the exit window 8 , the light beam is compensated by the beam expander 10 and its irradiating direction is in parallel to the free interface 4 . it is then deflected by the rotary pentagonal prism 12 , and the laser beam irradiated by rotary irradiation forms a vertical plane . fig4 shows the case where the entire system is rotated by 90 degrees in the rotary laser irradiation device as described above . the laser beam entering in the horizontal direction from the light projecting system 9 enters the upper layer transparent liquid 3 and is reflected by the reflective member 7 in the upper layer transparent liquid 3 . then , it passes through the lower layer transparent liquid 2 and the exit window 8 and is compensated by the beam expander 10 . further , it enters the rotary pentagonal prism 12 from the vertical direction and is irradiated after being deflected in the horizontal direction by the rotary pentagonal prism 12 . as the rotary pentagonal prism 12 is rotated , a horizontal irradiation plane is formed . similarly in the case shown in fig3 two - dot chain line in fig4 indicates a variation of the free interface 4 with respect to the sealed container 1 when the entire system is tilted , i . e . it indicates change of the optical axis of the laser beam . fig5 shows the automatic tilt angle compensator of the present invention applied to an angle detector . here , the beam expander 10 is not used , and a planar photodetection element 15 is disposed opposite to the exit window 8 . as described above , the light beam passes through the lower layer transparent liquid 2 and is reflected by the reflective member 7 , and the direction of the optical axis ◯&# 39 ; of the reflected light beam is changed according to the tilting of the free interface 4 with respect to the incident optical axis . therefore , by detecting the irradiating position of the outgoing light beam on the planar photodetection element 15 , it is possible to detect the deflection angle of the optical axis , i . e . the tilting of the entire system . fig6 represents the automatic tilt angle compensator of the present invention rotated by 90 degrees . under this condition , the outgoing light beam is irradiated in the vertical direction . by detecting the irradiating position to the planar photodetection element 15 , deviation of the outgoing optical axis ◯&# 39 ; with respect to the vertical line can be detected , i . e . it is possible to detect the tilting of the entire system . as the planar photodetection element 15 , a 4 - division photoelectric element , or other ccd element or psd element may be used . in this application example again , the entry window 6 , the reflective member 7 , and the exit window 8 are always immersed in the lower layer transparent liquid 2 or the upper layer transparent liquid 3 . as a result , the liquid remains in the transparent member , and diffusion of the light beam caused by the attached liquid can be prevented . as described above , the outgoing light beam passing through the sealed container indicates angular displacement corresponding to the tilting of the entire system . because the incident light beam is reflected in the sealed container and is irradiated , the incident light beam can pass through the transparent liquid , and the outgoing light beam indicates angular displacement corresponding to the tilting of the entire system even when the system is rotated by 90 degrees . because optical components such as the entry window , the reflective member , the exit window , etc . are always immersed in the liquid , it is possible to prevent diffusion of light without worrying about the attachment of the liquid drops or the liquid film , and this contributes to high stability and accuracy of the system .	6
as a preliminary matter , a conventional led is formed on a growth substrate . in the example used , the led is a gan - based led , such as an alingan or ingan led , for producing blue light . typically , a relatively thick n - type gan layer is grown on a sapphire growth substrate using conventional techniques . the relatively thick gan layer typically includes a low temperature nucleation layer and one or more additional layers so as to provide a low - defect lattice structure for the n - type cladding layer and active layer . one or more n - type cladding layers are then formed over the thick n - type layer , followed by an active layer , one or more p - type cladding layers , and a p - type contact layer ( for metallization ). for a flip - chip , portions of the p - layers and active layer are etched away to expose an n - layer for metallization . in this way , the p contact and n contact are on the same side of the chip and can be directly electrically attached to the submount contact pads . current from the n - metal contact initially flows laterally through the n - layer . the led bottom electrodes are typically formed of a reflective metal . other types of leds that can be used in the present invention include alingap leds , which can produce light in the red to yellow range . non - flip - chip leds can also be used . the leds are then singulated and mounted on a submount wafer . prior art fig1 illustrates a conventional led 10 flip chip mounted on a portion of a submount wafer 22 . the led 10 is formed of semiconductor epitaxial layers grown on a growth substrate 12 , such as a sapphire substrate . in one example , the epitaxial layers are gan based , and the active layer emits blue light . any other type of led is applicable to the present invention . metal electrodes 14 are formed on the led 10 that electrically contact the p - layer , and metal electrodes 16 are formed on the led 10 that electrically contact the n - layer . in one example , the electrodes are gold bumps that are ultrasonically welded to anode and cathode metal pads on the submount wafer 22 . the submount wafer 22 , in one embodiment , has conductive vias leading to bottom metal pads for bonding to a printed circuit board . many leds are mounted on the submount wafer 22 , and the wafer 22 will be later singulated to form individual leds / submounts . further details of leds can be found in the assignee &# 39 ; s u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 649 , 440 and 6 , 274 , 399 , and u . s . patent publications us 2006 / 0281203 a1 and 2005 / 0269582 a1 , all incorporated herein by reference . a reflective underfill material is prepared . in one embodiment , particles of tio 2 ( appearing white under white light ), or other reflective particles such as zro 2 , are added to a silicone molding compound that is suitable for underfilling . a typical silicone molding compound contains about 82 %- 84 % sio 2 by weight , which creates a very stable material in the high - photon energy , high - heat environment of a power led . to create the reflective properties of the underfill , tio 2 is included in the silicone molding compound to replace some of the sio 2 to cause the tio 2 to be about 5 - 10 % or higher by weight of the total amount of filler in silicone molding compound . the tio 2 plus the sio 2 should equal about 80 %- 84 % by weight of the silicone compound . a 5 % addition of tio 2 results in about an 85 % reflectivity of the silicone compound , and a 10 % addition of tio 2 results in over 90 % reflectivity of the silicone compound . significantly more tio 2 begins to reduce the desirable characteristics of the silicone compound for used as an underfill . other formulations of an electrically insulating , reflective underfill material may be used . fig2 a illustrates one type of suitable injection molding process for creating the underfill and reflective layer for each led . a mold 36 has cavities 38 that define the shape of the hardened underfill material after the molding process . the mold 36 may be formed of aluminum . the mold 36 has a perimeter seal 37 that seals against the submount wafer 22 when the mold 36 is aligned with the wafer 22 and pressed against the wafer 22 . the mold 36 has at least one inlet 40 , for injecting the reflective liquid underfill material 41 , and at least one outlet 42 connected to a vacuum source . once the mold 36 is sealed against the wafer 22 , a vacuum is created within the mold 36 , and the underfill material 41 is injected through inlet 40 . the underfill material 41 flows into all the cavities 38 via channels 44 between the cavities , assisted by the vacuum and the injection pressure of the material 41 . the vacuum removes almost all the air in the mold 36 . ultimately , the entire mold 36 will be filled with the underfill material 41 , including all voids under the leds . the mold 36 is then heated to cure the liquid underfill material . the temperature of the mold 36 during curing is about 150 ° c . alternatively , a transparent mold may be used and the underfill material may be cured with uv light . fig2 b illustrates an alternative wafer - level molding process that does not use pressure injection of the underfill material . in fig2 b , the mold 48 has cavities 50 that are first filled with particles ( e . g ., powder or small tablets ) of solid underfill material 41 at atmospheric pressure . the solid material is then heated in the mold to soften it . the submount wafer 22 is brought against the mold 48 so that the leds are immersed in the underfill material in each cavity 50 . the wafer 22 and mold 48 are pressed together to force the underfill material to fill all voids . a perimeter seal 53 allows the pressure to be high while allowing all air to escape as the underfill material fills the voids . a vacuum may also be pulled between the wafer 22 and the mold 48 using a vacuum source around the seal 53 . the mold 48 is then cooled to solidify the underfill material . certain materials harden automatically after the heating and compression process . handling the underfill material as a solid has various benefits . further , some suitable materials that can be used for an underfill are not a liquid at room temperatures prior to curing , so heating up a solid material in the mold followed by compression greatly increases the number of possible materials that can be used as an underfill . the mold of fig2 a or 2 b is then removed from the wafer 22 , resulting in the structure of fig3 , having the hardened underfill material 54 encapsulating each led . there is also a layer of hardened underfill material 54 on the wafer 22 surface between each led . to perform a laser lift - off process to remove the growth substrates 12 , the underfill material 54 over the growth substrate 12 must first be removed . if the growth substrate 12 will be removed by grinding or another mechanical etch process , such grinding may be used to simultaneously remove the excess underfill material 54 . fig4 illustrates the removal of the excess underfill material 54 by blasting the entire surface of the wafer 22 with high - velocity microbeads 58 . in one embodiment , the microbeads 58 have diameters between 1 - 20 microns and are formed of nahco 3 . the microbeads 58 are accelerated through a nozzle by air at a pressure of about 100 psi or less . the nozzle may be large to etch the underfill material 54 from over the leds 10 without the nozzle moving , or a smaller nozzle may be used to etch the underfill material 54 off only a few leds at a time followed by the nozzle moving to a next position over the wafer 22 . removing excess material of any kind using microbeads is a known process . the underfill material 54 is etched to leave a reflective layer over the submount surface between the leds 10 . the thickness of the remaining layer should be sufficient to reflect at least 80 % of the impinging light . in one embodiment , the thickness of the reflective layer over the submount surface is about 30 - 50 microns ( which may be approximately the thickness of the underfill beneath the led die ), and the overall top surface of the reflective layer is substantially flat , as determined by the mold shape and effects of the microbead blasting . fig5 illustrates a laser lift - off process . the laser pulses are shown by arrows 60 . during the laser lift - off , the surface of the gan absorbs heat , causing the surface layer to decompose into the ga and n 2 . the n 2 pressure pushes the sapphire growth substrates 12 away from the leds . after the growth substrates 12 become detached from the semiconductor led layers during the lift - off process , they are removed by , for example , an adhesive sheet or some other suitable process . the underfill mechanically supports the thin led semiconductor layers during the lift - off process . the exposed led layers are then thinned by , for example , rie or a mechanical etch , since the exposed top layer is a relatively thick n - layer , and the surface has been damaged by the laser lift - off process . the resulting top surface may then be roughened to increase the light extraction efficiency . if it is desired to create phosphor - converted light , a mold similar to mold 48 in fig2 b is then provided to mold a phosphor layer over the leds 10 . for example , the leds 10 may emit blue light and it may be desired to create white light by depositing a layer of yag phosphor ( generates yellow light ) or a layer of red and green phosphors . the blue light leaks through the phosphor to combine with the phosphor - generated light . the phosphor mixture may be phosphor particles infused in a binder such as silicone . the mold cavities then define the shape of the phosphor over the leds 10 , and the phosphor mixture is cured to harden the phosphor layer . fig6 illustrates a molded phosphor layer 62 over the leds . if the tolerances of the mold process cause there to be a thin phosphor layer over the underfill material 54 , such thin phosphor may be removed using a microbead blasting step . a transparent lens 66 ( fig7 ) may then be molded over each led 10 to increase the light extraction from the led , protect the phosphor layer 62 and the led 10 , and create a desired light emission pattern . the lens 66 may be any shape , such as the hemispherical shape shown in fig7 . in one embodiment , the lens 66 is molded from silicone using the same general process shown in fig2 b . in one embodiment , the lens material also contains phosphor particles to wavelength convert the light emitted by the leds 10 . other wafer - level processes may also be performed on the led array while mounted on the submount wafer 22 . the submount wafer 22 is then singulated to form individual leds / submounts , such as shown in fig8 . as shown in fig8 , the entire surface of the submount wafer 22 portion is covered by the reflective underfill material 54 . a light ray 70 is shown being emitted by the phosphor layer 62 in a downward direction and being reflected upward by the underfill material 54 . light rays from the sides of the led 10 will also be reflected upward and exit through the top surface of the underfill material 54 . fig8 also shows the electrodes 72 and 73 on the surface of the submount wafer 22 portion , the vias 76 leading to the bottom electrodes 78 and 79 , and a printed circuit board 82 having pads soldered to the electrodes 78 and 79 . the board 82 may have an aluminum core for sinking heat . the invention also applies to forming a reflective material around leds mounted on a substrate whether or not the reflective material is also used as an underfill . for example , the bottom electrodes on the led may take up virtually the entire backside of the led and an underfill may not be needed . details of a wafer - level lens molding process are described in patent publication us 2006 / 0105485 , entitled overmolded lens over led die , by grigoriy basin et al ., assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and , therefore , the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention .	7
in order to provide a better understanding of the invention , some prior art ligatures are first discussed . referring first to fig4 , a typical mouthpiece 100 is shown with a reed 104 . the reed 104 is secured to the mouthpiece 100 with a ligature 106 . ligature 106 has a fixed band 108 disposed around mouthpiece 100 . the band 108 is tightened with two screws 110 which hold the reed . all prior ligatures have a fixed band length , and as such only fit one size of mouthpiece . different sized mouthpieces require appropriately sized ligatures . referring to fig5 , mouthpiece 101 is shown with the reed 104 . the reed 104 is secured to mouthpiece 101 with a ligature 112 . ligature 112 has a protrusion 114 that is pressure fit into indentation 116 on mouthpiece 101 . ligature 112 is built specifically for mouthpiece 101 and as such only fits this specific mouthpiece . also , in the attempt to hold the ligature in place , some prior art ligatures utilize large surface areas of tight contact with the mouthpiece body 102 . the vibrations of the reed / ligature combination are dampened by the mouthpiece body 102 creating a deadening effect on the resultant sound produced by the mouthpiece . the invention provides a ligature 118 shown in fig1 - 3 having of a ligature body 120 , a thumbscrew 122 , an adjustable band 124 , and a pressure plate 126 . the body has a generally elongated shape . the band 124 has one end 124 a which is fixed into an inset on one side of the body 120 with a set - screw 128 . alternatively , end 124 a may be permanently fixed by soldering or similar methods to one end of the body 120 . the opposite end of the band 124 slides through a hole 130 in the opposite end of the body 120 . the ligature is adjusted to fit any mouthpiece by sliding an end portion 132 of the band 124 through hole 130 thereby expanding or contracting the size or length of the band 124 . the band 124 is preferably made of steel or brass and is flexible , although it could be made from other materials as well . once the ligature is seated on the respective mouthpiece , the band 124 is tightened by advancing the end 132 through the hole 130 and securing the end 132 to the body 120 . this may be accomplished using an adhesive inserted into the hole , a set - screw 136 ( or thumb screw ) threaded through the side of body 120 and having a tip engaging the end 132 . alternatively , the end 132 and hole 130 are sized and shaped to provide an interference fit there - between . once the length of band 124 forming the loop engaging the mouthpiece body is set , the tip of end 132 extending above the body 120 can be cut off to insure that it does not interfere with the operation of the musical instrument . alternatively , the length of the band is set ( e . g ., its second end 132 is secured to the body 120 ) before the ligature is disposed on the mouthpiece . since the band of the invention is adjustable in length it fits all mouthpieces regardless of width , diameter or shape , including mouthpiece body types 100 and 101 shown in fig4 and 5 . therefore the thumbscrew 122 and pressure plate 126 are used in the same manner as in the prior art ligatures as shown in fig5 to engage and lock the ligature unto the body of the mouthpiece 100 , as clearly illustrated in fig3 . more specifically , once the ligature is mounted or positioned on the mouthpiece 100 , turning the thumbscrew 122 clockwise causes the plate 126 to advance radially thereby tightening the band 130 and causing the ligature and the reed 104 to be firmly secured to the mouthpiece numerous modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the scope defined in the appended claims . for example , band 124 may be fixed at one end 124 a by various fashions . end 124 a may also be allowed to move freely through body 120 as is evident on the other end of the band 124 through hole 130 . whether one end or both ends of band 124 move freely through body 120 is incidental as the invention only requires that the band be adjustable through 120 . the invention does not require it be done in any particular way .	6
fig1 shows a stretcher which in its entirety is designated by reference numeral 1 and which comprises on the one hand a thin first layer 2 of an all - round flexible material with large wear and tear strength , and on the other hand a considerably thicker second layer 3 which is permanently joined or integrated with the first layer and consists of a porous or fluffy soft material intended to form a stretcher part that makes it possible to comfortably repose on it . advantageously , the two layers 2 , 3 may be produced in the way disclosed in wo - a - 87 / 04614 , i . e ., of one and the same polymer material , for instance polyethylene or polypropylene , the material in the strong , thin and carrier layer 2 having a density many times larger than the density of the porous layer 3 . however , it is also possible to produce the two layers of different materials and then connect them to each other , for instance by some sort of adhesive or by heat welding . in the shown example , each of the two layers as a rectangular basic form , although it is feasible to confer to them a slightly tapering form . however , in both cases the basic form is elongate in so far as the length of the stretcher always is larger than its largest width . according to the invention , layer 3 forming the soft stretcher part of the stretcher is divided by one or several longitudinal slits 4 , 4 ′ into several elongate sections 5 , 6 , 7 which are jointly held together by the thin carrier layer 2 . more precisely , the holding together of the stretcher sections 5 , 6 , 7 is effected in portions 8 , 8 ′ which form longitudinal folding lines permitting a folding of the stretcher into a package in which the two sections 6 , 7 are folded inwardly towards the middle section 5 , with the carrier layer parts 2 ′, 2 ″, 2 ″′ turned towards each other . according to an embodiment of the invention preferred in practice , the stretcher part 3 has a thickness of at least 30 , suitably at least 50 mm , whereby the stretcher in question is capable of being used as a conventional stretcher , in particular in its folded configuration , for instance in a hospital bed . according to the example in fig1 the stretcher part , i . e . the thick soft layer 3 , is supposed to have a thickness of 50 mm , at the same time as the length of the stretcher amounts to a size of 2000 mm . advantageously , middle section 5 then has a width within the range of 600 to 900 mm , while the width of each separate side section 6 , 7 amounts to about half of the width of middle section 5 . therefore , in the folded state shown in fig3 the stretcher gets the form of about 2000 mm and a width within the range of 600 to 800 mm . of course , also the length , the width and the thickness may deviate from these absolute values . as may be seen in fig1 straps 9 may be connected to the thin and strong carrier layer 2 , which straps on the one hand may consist of carrying straps , on the other hand of straps for holding together the side portions against the body of a lying person . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , each individual dividing slit 4 has a height equal to the thickness of stretcher part 3 in order to cut the latter down to carrier layer 2 . in other words , the dividing slits keep side section 6 , 7 completely separate from middle section 5 . therefore the user may replace the middle section 5 for her own middle section , such as his own mattress , without affecting the foldability of the present invention . the folding is carried out solely along previously mentioned portions 8 , 8 ′ of carrier layer 2 . although side sections 6 , 7 are equally wide according to the example in fig1 they may also be differently wide . according to a preferred embodiments of the invention , the stretcher being folded along the folding lines in question is packed into an enclosing , flexible envelope . one feasible embodiment of such an envelope 10 is shown in fig2 . in this case , the envelope comprises a large - surface which is placed against the inwardly folded side sections 6 , 7 and against the edge parts 11 extending along both the long and the short sides , which edge parts 11 are kept elastically strained against the upper side of middle section 5 , for instance by a flexible straining bad 12 , for example in the form of a rubber band . advantageously , envelope 10 consists of a suitable textile material , e . g . terry cloth , furniture fabric or similar . it should be obvious that envelope 10 may be easily and quickly pulled off from the packed stretcher in order to make it possible for the later to function as a stretcher . according to an essential aspect of the present invention , the unit 13 shown in fig2 and comprising both the packed stretcher 1 and the enclosing envelope 10 , may be used as an effect in the most diverse circumstances , e . g ., as a support - forming part for the back or as a seat - forming part , for instance in a room or in a vehicle . thus , in its storage or readiness state , the unit may during long times be used as for instance a furniture forming element , whereafter it may be rapidly converted into a rescuing stretcher . this brings about the essential advantage of keeping a large quantity of stretches easily accessible in different public institutions , such as on trains , public buildings , department stores , etc . in fig3 an alternative envelope 14 is shown which encloses and covers the two opposite large - surfaces of the package and at least the longitudinal side edges , in that the envelope is endless . according to this embodiment , the envelope may also cover the short - ends of the package . also in this case , the envelope may consist of a textile material , although also other materials are feasible , e . g ., shrinking plastic , adhering plastic or similar . it should be observed that envelope 14 , equally to envelope 11 , holds together stretcher sections 5 , 6 , 7 and locks these relative to each other in the folded state . in fig5 an alternative embodiment is shown according to which an envelope 15 comprises three different sectors 15 ′, 15 ″, 15 ″′, each separately enclosing the different stretcher sections 5 , 6 , 7 . thus , in this case the envelope is placed on the stretcher when the different stretcher sections are folded out or are in a common plane , the envelope enclosing the stretcher sections all - round and being on contact with their surfaces . in fig5 an embodiment is shown according to which carrier layer parts 2 ″, 2 ″′ have a smaller width than side sections 6 , 7 of the stretcher part . in this embodiment , the outer longitudinal side parts of the side sections become more flexible and softer than at the embodiment according to fig1 . fig6 shows an embodiment according to which each individual side section is divided into two part - sections 6 ′, 6 ″ and 7 ′, 7 ″, respectively , by a corresponding dividing slit 4 ″, 4 ″′. in this embodiment , the side sections are capable of being more easily connected to the body of a patient . in fig7 an embodiment is shown according to which the upper surface 16 on the middle section 5 of the stretcher part has been conferred an uneven surface structure , for instance in the form of longitudinal graining , with the object of reducing the risk for bedsores in cases when the stretcher is used for long periods as a stretcher , for instance in a hospital bed . in fig9 is illustrated an embodiment according to which the different layers in the sections of the stretcher have been made with through aeration channels 17 which promote the evacuation of humidity and vapor from the stretcher and which may bring about a current of air upwards towards a reposing body , for instance by bringing air to the boundary zone between the stretcher sections . fig1 a shows an embodiment according to which two identical stretcher are supposed to be laid adjacent to each other , with the lying surfaces of middle sections 5 in contact with each other . according to this embodiment , the side sections are folded inwardly towards the middle sections , thus forming a package of four - fold thickness in comparison with the individual stretcher layer 3 , and then the package is enclosed in an envelope . fig1 b is very similar to the embodiment shown in fig1 a but has no middle sections 5 so that the user may use his / her own middle section such as a mattress . fig1 shows an embodiment according to which the individual side section is divided into two lamella - like parts 19 , 19 ′ by a slit 18 , 18 ′ parallel to the carrier layer 2 , which parts 19 , 19 ′ are held together along longitudinal side edges by a reinforcing layer 20 which protrudes from carrier layer 2 . as can be seen in fig1 , the lamella part 19 ′ next to the lying surface of middle section 5 may be shorter than the outer lamella part 19 . in this way , the arms of a lying patient or person may be placed between the two lamella parts and be kept locked after the outer lamella parts having been connected to each other , for instance by straps 9 . thus , when the stretcher is used as a stretcher not only the body and the legs of the patient may be held steadily fixed and still , but also the patient &# 39 ; s arms , this being important for instance in connection with rescuing operations and other difficult circumstances . when hands and arms are pressed directly at the body , the ribs of the person may break which may cause a puncture of the lungs . therefore , the foam is an important separator . eventually , in fig1 an embodiment is shown according to which the middle section 5 of the stretcher part is composed of on the one hand a lower partial layer 21 and on the other hand of a plurality of superficial part elements 22 , 22 ′, etc . these separate surface elements 22 , 22 ′ may have different densities in order to satisfy the requirements on the lying surface in the best way , which requirements are different for different parts of the body . in practice , the longitudinal slits that form folding lines at the different embodiments of the invention , along which lines the different sections of the stretcher may be folded inwardly towards each other , may be brought about in the most different ways . one way is cutting or sawing in the porous material , after its production into a homogeneous continuous stretcher part . the porous material may also be cut with a knife or a heated thread . another way is to , already in connection with the producing of the porous layer , form the layer so that dividing slits of desired depth and form are immediately formed . in this context it is pointed out that the cross - sectional form of the individual slit may advantageously be triangular or otherwise tapering , so that wedge - wisely tapering edge parts are formed in the stretcher sections adjacent to each other . the slits may also be made by a melting or pressing operation . it is evident that the invention is not restricted solely to the embodiments described and shown in the drawings . thus , within the scope of the invention it is feasible to integrate electrically conducting material into the stretcher , for instance by using electrically conducting polymer fibers , which conductivity is so chosen that heat is produced when current is provided . other ways include providing the foam with a carbon powder or another electrically conductive material . in other words , the stretcher may be kept warm at a temperature suitable for the purpose by the supply of an electrical current . in practice , the electrically conducting material in question should be located in close proximity to the thin carrier layer , so as to avoid the risk of being compressed or stretched in connection with a possible deformation of the stretcher . in this way it is guaranteed that the material always maintains one and the same electrical resistance , thus producing an even heating temperature . moreover , the geometrical form of the stretcher can vary most considerably . thus , instead of a rectangular basic shape of the respective stretcher sections also a slightly tapering or wedge - like form may occur . it should also be pointed out that the soft and porous stretcher layer may be composed of two or more part layers . it may also be mentioned that the strong carrier layer 2 may in practice be designed with handles or handle - forming recesses in order to make possible the use of the unit as a stretcher . it is further possible to provide the carrier layer with longitudinal pockets in which stiffening bars may be inserted if desired . fig1 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the foldable carrier 100 has a continuous flexible thin support layer 102 that may be made of any flexible material that provides sufficient support to carry a person or animal . a thicker soft middle layer 104 may be attached to the layer 102 . on each side of the layer 104 , soft side layers 106 , 108 may be attached to the layer 102 . preferably , the layers 106 , 108 are not attached to the layer 104 so that the carrier 100 may be folded along folding lines 110 , 112 . elongate support members 114 , 116 may be placed along the folding lines 110 , 112 , respectively . the layers 104 , 106 , 108 are soft to make the carrier comfortable for a patient laying in the carrier 100 . fig1 shows a detailed view of the support member 116 . the support member is l - shaped and has a long vertical section 118 and a shorter horizontal section 120 . the l - shape provides extra stiffness . it should be understood that the support member 116 may have any angled shape and is not limited to l - shapes . as best shown in fig1 , the horizontal section 120 may be inserted between the layer 104 and the layer 102 and captured therebetween . the section 118 should be flush or slightly below an upper surface 122 of the layer 104 . as best shown in fig1 , the carrier 100 may be folded into a folded position by turning the side layers 106 , 108 towards one another and against the layer 102 below the middle layer 104 . it should be noted that the support members 114 , 116 may be placed between the side layers 106 , 108 and the layer 102 so that they are not lost . fig1 shows a detailed view of an underside of the layer 102 including two rows of handles 103 . it should be understood that the layers 104 , 106 , 108 may be removably attached to the support layer 102 so that the patient may use his or her own mattress instead of the layers . fig1 shows an alternative embodiment of a carrier 130 enclosing a patient 132 . the carrier 130 has a continuous support layer 134 that is attached to a thick mid - section 136 and outer side sections 138 , 140 . similar to fig1 , the carrier 130 may include elongate support members 142 , 144 that are attachable at the folding lines 146 , 148 . inner side sections 150 , 152 are attached to an upper edge 154 of the mid - section 136 . the sections 150 , 152 may have attachments 156 , 158 , respectively so that the attachment 156 may be attached to attachment 158 , as shown by an arrow a , to permit the arms and hands 160 of the patient to be disposed between the inner and outer side sections . a first handle 162 may be attached to an underside of the layer 102 at the folding lines 146 , 148 to permit the lifting and dragging of the carrier 130 with the patient enclosed inside the inner side sections 150 , 152 and the mid - section 134 . while the present invention has been described in accordance with preferred compositions and embodiments , it is to be understood that certain substitutions and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims .	0
as used in the specification and appended claims , unless specified to the contrary , the following terms have the meaning indicated : &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ; refers to a straight or branched chain monovalent radical consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen , containing no unsaturation and having from one to four carbon atoms , e . g ., methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , 1 - methylethyl ( iso - propyl ), n - butyl , 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl ( t - butyl ), and the like . &# 34 ; lower alkoxy &# 34 ; refers to a radical of the formula -- or a where r a is lower alkyl as defined above , e . g ., methoxy , ethoxy , t - butoxy , and the like . &# 34 ; lower haloalkyl &# 34 ; refers to a lower alkyl radical , as defined above , that is substituted by one or more halo radicals , as defined above , e . g ., trifluoromethyl , difluoromethyl , trichloromethyl , 2 - trifluoroethyl , 1 - fluoromethyl - 2 - fluoroethyl , 3 - bromo - 2 - fluoropropyl , 1 - bromomethyl - 2 - bromoethyl , and the like . &# 34 ; aralkyl &# 34 ; refers to a radical of the formula -- r a r b where r a is lower alkyl as defined above and r b is aryl as defined above , e . g ., benzyl . &# 34 ; benzamidine &# 34 ; refers to a phenyl radical substituted by an amidino radical . &# 34 ; naphthamidine &# 34 ; refers to a naphthyl radical substituted by an amidino radical . &# 34 ; optional &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; optionally &# 34 ; means that the subsequently described event of circumstances may or may not occur , and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances in which it does not . for example , &# 34 ; optionally substituted aryl &# 34 ; means that the aryl radical may or may not be substituted and that the description includes both substituted aryl radicals and aryl radicals having no substitution . &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt &# 34 ; refers to those salts which retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the free bases , which are not biologically or otherwise undesirable , and which are formed with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , sulfuric acid , nitric acid , phosphoric acid and the like , and organic acids such as acetic acid , trifluoroacetic acid , propionic acid , glycolic acid , pyruvic acid , oxalic acid , maleic acid , malonic acid , succinic acid , fumaric acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , benzoic acid , cinnamic acid , mandelic acid , methanesulfonic acid , ethanesulfonic acid , p - toluenesulfonic acid , salicylic acid , and the like . &# 34 ; pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salt &# 34 ; refers to those salts which retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the free acids , which are not biologically or otherwise undesirable . these salts are prepared from addition of an inorganic base or an organic base to the free acid . salts derived from inorganic bases include , but are not limited to , the sodium , potassium , lithium , ammonium , calcium , magnesium , iron , zinc , copper , manganese , aluminum salts and the like . preferred inorganic salts are the ammonium , sodium , potassium , calcium , and magnesium salts . salts derived from organic bases include , but are not limited to , salts of primary , secondary , and tertiary amines , substituted amines including naturally occurring substituted amines , cyclic amines and basic ion exchange resins , such as isopropylamine , trimethylamine , diethylamine , triethylamine , tripropylamine , ethanolamine , 2 - dimethylaminoethanol , 2 - diethylaminoethanol , trimethamine , dicyclohexylamine , lysine , arginine , histidine , caffeine , procaine , hydrabamine , choline , betaine , ethylenediamine , glucosamine , methylglucamine , theobromine , purines , piperazine , piperidine , n - ethylpiperidine , polyamine resins and the like . particularly preferred organic bases are isopropylamine , diethylamine , ethanolamine , trimethamine , dicyclohexylamine , choline and caffeine . &# 34 ; therapeutically effective amount &# 34 ; refers to that amount of a compound of formula ( i ) which , when administered to a human in need thereof , is sufficient to effect treatment , as defined below , for disease - states alleviated by inhibition of factor xa or factor iia . the amount of a compound of formula ( i ) which constitutes a &# 34 ; therapeutically effective amount &# 34 ; will vary depending on the compound , the disease - state and its severity , and the age of the human to be treated , but can be determined routinely by one of ordinary skill in the art having regard to his own knowledge and to this disclosure . &# 34 ; treating &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; treatment &# 34 ; as used herein cover the treatment of a disease - state in a human , which disease - state is alleviated by inhibition of factor xa or by factor iia ; and include : ( i ) preventing the disease - state from occurring in a human , in particular , when such human is predisposed to the disease - state but has not yet been diagnosed as having it ; the yield of each of the reactions described herein is expressed as a percentage of the theoretical yield . the compounds of the invention , or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , may have asymmetric carbon atoms in their structure . the compounds of the invention and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts may therefore exist as single stereoisomers , racemates , and as mixtures of enantiomers and diastereomers . all such single stereoisomers , racemates and mixtures thereof are intended to be within the scope of this invention . it is understood , for the purposes of this invention , that the compounds of the invention do not include any combination of substituents that may result in unstable compounds . the nomenclature used herein for the compounds of the invention is basically a modified form of the i . u . p . a . c . system , wherein the compounds are named as derivatives of benzamidine or naphthamidine . accordingly , a compound of the invention selected from formula ( iii ), i . e ., ## str3 ## wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 7 and r 8 are both phenyl ; for example , a compound of the following formula : ## str4 ## is named herein as 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ). the compounds of the invention are inhibitors of factor xa and factor iia and therefore useful as anti - coagulants in treating disease - states characterized by thrombotic activity based on factor xa &# 39 ; s or factor iia &# 39 ; s role in the coagulation cascade ( see background of the invention above ). a primary indication for the compounds is prophylaxis for long term risk following myocardial infarction . additional indications are prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis ( dvt ) following orthopedic surgery or prophylaxis of selected patients following a transient ischemic attack . the compounds of the invention may also be useful for indications in which coumadin is currently used , such as for dvt or other types of surgical intervention such as coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty . the compounds are also useful for the treatment of thrombotic complications associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia , diabetes , multiple myelomas , disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with septic shock , purpura fulminanas associated infection , adult respiratory distress syndrome , unstable angina , and thrombotic complications associated with aortic valve or vascular prosthesis . the compounds are also useful for prophylaxis for thrombotic diseases , in particular in patients who have a high risk of developing such disease . in addition , the compounds of the invention are useful as in vitro diagnostic reagents for inhibiting factor xa or factor iia in the coagulation cascade . the primary bioassays used to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of the compounds of the invention on factor xa or factor iia are simple chromogenic assays involving only serine protease , the compound of the invention to be tested , substrate and buffer ( see , e . g ., thrombosis res . ( 1979 ), vol . 16 , pp . 245 - 254 ). for example , four tissue human serine proteases can be used in the primary bioassay , free factor xa , prothrombinase , thrombin ( factor iia ) and tissue plasminogen activator ( tpa ). the assay for tpa has been successfully used before to demonstrate undesired side effects in the inhibition of the fibrinolytic process ( see , e . g ., j . med . chem . ( 1993 ), vol . 36 , pp . 314 - 319 ). another bioassay useful in demonstrating the utility of the compounds of the invention in inhibiting factor xa demonstrates the potency of the compounds against free factor xa in citrated plasma . for example , the anticoagulant efficacy of the compounds of the invention will be tested using either the prothrombin time ( pt ), or activated partial thromboplastin time ( aptt ) while selectivity of the compounds is checked with the thrombin clotting time ( tct ) assay . correlation of the k i in the primary enzyme assay with the k i for free factor xa in citrated plasma will screen against compounds which interact with or are inactivated by other plasma components . correlation of the k i with the extension of the pt is a necessary in vitro demonstration that potency in the free factor xa inhibition assay translates into potency in a clinical coagulation assay . in addition , extension of the pt in citrated plasma can be used to measure duration of action in subsequent pharmacodynamic studies . for further information on assays to demonstrate the activity of the compounds of the invention , see r . lottenberg et al ., methods in enzymology ( 1981 ), vol . 80 , pp . 341 - 361 , and h . ohno et al ., thrombosis research ( 1980 ), vol . 19 , pp . 579 - 588 . administration of the compounds of the invention , or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , in pure form or in an appropriate pharmaceutical composition , can be carried out via any of the accepted modes of administration or agents for serving similar utilities . thus , administration can be , for example , orally , nasally , parenterally , topically , transdermally , or rectally , in the form of solid , semi - solid , lyophilized powder , or liquid dosage forms , such as for example , tablets , suppositories , pills , soft elastic and hard gelatin capsules , powders , solutions , suspensions , or aerosols , or the like , preferably in unit dosage forms suitable for simple administration of precise dosages . the compositions will include a conventional pharmaceutical carrier or excipient and a compound of the invention as the / an active agent , and , in addition , may include other medicinal agents , pharmaceutical agents , carriers , adjuvants , etc . generally , depending on the intended mode of administration , the pharmaceutically acceptable compositions will contain about 1 % to about 99 % by weight of a compound ( s ) of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , and 99 % to 1 % by weight of a suitable pharmaceutical excipient . preferably , the composition will be about 5 % to 75 % by weight of a compound ( s ) of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , with the rest being suitable pharmaceutical excipients . the preferred route of administration is oral , using a convenient daily dosage regimen which can be adjusted according to the degree of severity of the disease - state to be treated . for such oral administration , a pharmaceutically acceptable composition containing a compound ( s ) of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , is formed by the incorporation of any of the normally employed excipients , such as , for example , pharmaceutical grades of mannitol , lactose , starch , pregelatinized starch , magnesium stearate , sodium saccharine , talcum , cellulose ether derivatives , glucose , gelatin , sucrose , citrate , propyl gallate , and the like . such compositions take the form of solutions , suspensions , tablets , pills , capsules , powders , sustained release formulations and the like . preferably such compositions will take the form of capsule , caplet or tablet and therefore will also contain a diluent such as lactose , sucrose , dicalcium phosphate , and the like ; a disintegrant such as croscarmellose sodium or derivatives thereof ; a lubricant such as magnesium stearate and the like ; and a binder such as a starch , gum acacia , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gelatin , cellulose ether derivatives , and the like . the compounds of the invention , or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , may also be formulated into a suppository using , for example , about 0 . 5 % to about 50 % active ingredient disposed in a carrier that slowly dissolves within the body , e . g ., polyoxyethylene glycols and polyethylene glycols ( peg ), e . g ., peg 1000 ( 96 %) and peg 4000 ( 4 %). liquid pharmaceutically administrable compositions can , for example , be prepared by dissolving , dispersing , etc ., a compound ( s ) of the invention ( about 0 . 5 % to about 20 %), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , and optional pharmaceutical adjuvants in a carrier , such as , for example , water , saline , aqueous dextrose , glycerol , ethanol and the like , to thereby form a solution or suspension . if desired , a pharmaceutical composition of the invention may also contain minor amounts of auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents , ph buffering agents , antioxidants , and the like , such as , for example , citric acid , sorbitan monolaurate , triethanolamine oleate , butylated hydroxytoluene , etc . actual methods of preparing such dosage forms are known , or will be apparent , to those skilled in this art ; for example , see remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 18th ed ., ( mack publishing company , easton , pa ., 1990 ). the composition to be administered will , in any event , contain a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , for treatment of a disease - state alleviated by the inhibition of factor xa in accordance with the teachings of this invention . the compounds of the invention , or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , are administered in a therapeutically effective amount which will vary depending upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the metabolic stability and length of action of the compound , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , mode and time of administration , rate of excretion , drug combination , the severity of the particular disease - states , and the host undergoing therapy . generally , a therapeutically effective daily dose is from about 0 . 14 mg to about 14 . 3 mg / kg of body weight per day of a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof ; preferably , from about 0 . 7 mg to about 10 mg / kg of body weight per day ; and most preferably , from about 1 . 4 mg to about 7 . 2 mg / kg of body weight per day . for example , for administration to a 70 kg person , the dosage range would be from about 10 mg to about 1 . 0 gram per day of a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , preferably from about 50 mg to about 700 mg per day , and most preferably from about 100 mg to about 500 mg per day . of the compounds of the invention as set forth above in the summary of the invention , several groups of compounds are preferred . one preferred group is that group of compounds selected from formula ( i ) wherein r 1 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 , -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) or 11 or -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) c ( o ) or 11 ; r 2 and r 3 are each hydrogen ; r 4 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 , -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) or 11 or -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) c ( o ) or 11 ; r 5 , r 6 , r 9 and r 10 are independently hydrogen , halo , or lower alkyl ; and r 11 is hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl . of this group of compounds , a preferred subgroup are those compounds wherein r 1 and r 4 are each -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; and r 5 , r 6 , r 9 and r 10 are independently hydrogen or halo . of this subgroup of compounds , a preferred class of compounds are those compounds wherein r 5 , r 6 , r 9 and r 10 are each chloro . another preferred group of compounds is that group of compounds selected from the formula ( iii ) wherein r 1 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 , -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) or 11 or -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) c ( o ) or 11 ; r 2 and r 3 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl or -- or 11 ; r 4 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 , -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) or 11 , -- c ( nh ) c ( h ) c ( o ) or 11 , or -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 ; r 7 and r 8 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , or aryl ( optionally substituted by one or substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , lower alkoxy and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ); and r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , phenyl or benzyl . of this group of compounds , a preferred subgroup of compounds is that subgroup wherein r 1 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are independently hydrogen or -- or 11 ; r 4 is -- c ( nh ) nh 2 or -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 ; r 7 and r 8 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl or phenyl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of -- or 11 and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ); and r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl . of this subgroup of compounds , a preferred class of compounds is that class wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are both hydrogen ; r 7 and r 8 are independently phenyl optionally substituted by -- or 11 or -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ; and r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl . of this class of compounds a preferred subclass is that subclass of compounds wherein r 7 and r 8 are both phenyl . of this subclass of compounds , a preferred compound is 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ). another preferred subclass of compounds from this class is that subclass of compounds wherein r 7 is phenyl ; and r 8 is 4 - dimethylaminophenyl . of this subclass of compounds , a preferred compound is 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )!- bis ( benzamidine ). another preferred group of compounds is that group selected from formula ( iv ) wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are independently hydrogen or -- or 11 ; r 7 , r 8 and r 9 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl or phenyl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of -- or 11 and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ); and r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl . of this group of compounds , a preferred subgroup of compounds is that subgroup wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are both hydrogen ; r 7 and r 8 are both phenyl ; and r 9 is hydrogen . preferred compounds of this subgroup are 7 - 3 - 4 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl !- naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide and 7 - 3 - 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide . another preferred group of compounds is that group selected from formula ( v ) wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are independently hydrogen or -- or 11 ; r 7 , r 8 , r 9 and r 10 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl or phenyl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of -- or 11 and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ); and r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl . of this group , a preferred subgroup of compounds is that subgroup wherein r 1 and r 4 are both -- c ( nh ) nh 2 ; r 2 and r 3 are both hydrogen ; r 7 and r 8 are both phenyl ; and r 9 and r 10 are both hydrogen . as a matter of convenience , the following description of the preparation of the compounds of the invention is directed to the preparation of compounds of formula ( iii ), although similar reagents and reaction conditions may be used to produced the other compounds of the invention . compounds of formula ( b ) are starting materials in the prepration of the compounds of the invention and are commercially available or may be prepared according to methods known to those skilled in the art , or may be prepared as illustrated below in reaction scheme 1 wherein r 14 and r 15 are independently hydrogen or arylmethyl ( where the aryl group is substituted by a cyano group and optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , -- or 11 , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 , -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ,-- n ( h ) c ( o ) r 11 or -- n ( h ) s ( o ) 2 r 11 where r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl ): ## str5 ## compounds of formula ( a ) are commercially available , for example , from aldrich chemical co ., inc ., or made by prepared by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in general , compounds of formula ( b ) are prepared by reacting a compound of formula ( a ) with cocl 2 ( phosgene ) or a phosgene equivalent under basic conditions , such as utilizing triethylamine under standard conditions to form the intermediate , r 14 -- n ( h )═ c ═ o !, which is then reacted with a compound of formula r 15 -- nh 2 under standard conditions to form a compound of formula ( b ). 1 . compounds of formula ( da ) are intermediates in the preparation of the compounds of the invention . they are prepared from compounds of formula ( c ) and formula ( b ) as illustrated below in reaction scheme 2 where r 7 and r 8 are independently lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , 4 - pyrdinyl or aryl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , lower alkoxy and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 wher r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl ); and r 14 and r 15 are independently hydrogen or arylmethyl ( where the aryl group is substituted by cyano and optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , -- or 11 , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 , -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 , -- n ( h ) c ( o ) r 11 or -- n ( h ) s ( o ) 2 r 11 ( where r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl )): ## str6 ## compounds of formula ( c ) may be commercially available or prepared from the appropriate compounds , such as aldehydes , according to methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in general , a compound of formula ( da ) are prepared by reacting a compound of formula ( c ) with a compound of formula ( b ) under acidic conditions , such as in refluxing acetic acid . the compound of formula ( da ) is then isolated from the reaction mixture by standard techniques , such as crystallization or chromatography . 2 . compounds of formula ( fa ) are also intermediates in the preparation of the compounds of the invention . they are prepared from compounds of formula ( db ), and from formula ( e ) as illustrated below in reaction scheme 3 where x is chloro , bromo or iodo ; r 2 is hydrogen , halo , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , aryl , -- or 11 , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 , -- n ( h ) c ( o ) r 11 or -- n ( h ) s ( o ) 2 r 11 ; r 3 is hydrogen , halo , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , aryl , or -- or 11 ; r 7 and r 8 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 , or aryl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , -- or 11 , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ); where each r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl : ## str7 ## compounds of formula ( db ) may be prepared according to the method described in reaction scheme 2 above for a compound of formula ( da ) where r 14 and r 15 are hydrogen , or by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . compounds of formula ( e ) may be commercially available or prepared by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in general , a compound of formula ( fa ) are prepared by reacting a compound of formula ( db ) with two or more molar equivalent amounts of a compound of formula ( e ) under standard alkylation conditions to prepare a compound of formula ( fa ). the compound of formula ( fa ) is then isolated from the reaction mixture by standard techniques , such as crystallization or chromatography . 3 . compounds of formula ( l ) are also intermediates in the preparation of compounds of the invention . they are prepared as illustrated below in reaction scheme 4 wherein x is bromo , chloro , iodo ; r 2 is hydrogen , halo , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , aryl , -- or 11 , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 , -- n ( h ) c ( o ) r 11 or -- n ( h ) s ( o ) 2 r 1 ; r 7 and r 8 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl , -- c ( o ) or 11 , -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 , or aryl ( optionally substituted by one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halo , -- or 11 , lower alkyl , lower haloalkyl and -- n ( r 11 ) r 12 ), where each r 11 and r 12 are independently hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl ; and each r 16 is lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl : ## str8 ## compounds of formula ( db ) may be prepared according to the method described in reaction scheme 2 above , or by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . compounds of formula ( g ) and formula ( e ) may be commercially available or prepared by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in general , compounds of formula ( l ) are prepared by first treating a compound of formula ( db ) with a compound of formula ( g ) as a limiting reagent under standard alkylation conditions , for example , in an aprotic solvent in the presence of a base such as sodium hydride at temperatures between about 20 ° c . to about 50 ° c ., preferably at about 50 ° c ., to yield a compound of formula ( h ). the compound of formula ( h ) is then treated with one molar equivalent amount of a compound of formula ( e ) under similar alkylation condtions , to yield a compound of formula ( j ). the compound of formula ( j ) is then hydrolyzed under standard basic hydrolysis conditions to yield a compound of formula ( k ), which is then treated with the appropriate amine under standard conditions to yield a compound of formula ( l ). the following reaction scheme is illustrative of the preparation of compounds of the invention , particularly those of formula ( iii ) as described above in the summary of the invention , but similar reagents and reaction conditions may be used to prepared compounds of the other formulae . compounds of formula ( iiia ) are compounds of the invention and are prepared as described below in reaction scheme 5 wherein r 2 , r 3 , r 7 and r 8 are the same as described above in the summary of the invention : ## str9 ## compounds of formula ( fb ) may be prepared according to the methods described above for compounds of formula ( fa ). in general , a compound of formula ( iiia ) is prepared by first dissolving a compound of formula ( fb ) in a lower alkanol , preferably ethanol , and then treating the solution overnight at around 0 ° c . with an anhydrous mineral acid , preferably hcl . the solvent is then removed and the resulting residue dissolved in fresh lower alkanol , preferably ethanol . the resulting solution is then treated with anhydrous ammonia at temperatures from between ambient temperatures and 100 ° c . from about 1 to about 5 hours . the above reactions are carried out in high - pressure glass tubes and vessels . the compound of formula ( iiia ) is then isolated from the reaction mixture by standard techniques . in the following reaction scheme , compounds of formula ( iiib ), which are also compounds of the invention , are similarly prepared from compounds of formual ( l ), as illustrated below in reaction scheme 6 , where r 2 , r 4 , r 7 and r 8 are as described above in the summary of the invention : ## str10 ## compounds of formula ( l ) may be prepared according to the methods described above in reaction scheme 4 . compounds of formulae ( iiia ) and ( iiib ) wherein r 7 or r 8 is -- c ( o ) or 11 , ( where r 11 is lower alkyl ) may be further hydrolyzed to produce compounds of the invention where r 7 or r 8 is c ( o ) or 11 where r 11 is hydrogen . such compounds may be further amidated to produce compounds of the invention wherein r 7 or r 8 are -- c ( o ) n ( r 11 ) r 12 ( where r 11 and r 12 are hydrogen , lower alkyl , aryl or lower aralkyl ). compounds of formulae ( iiia ) and ( iiib ) may be further treated with acid halides , preferably acid chlorides , or with acid anhydrides or equivalents , to yield compounds of the invention where r 1 and r 4 are -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) c ( o ) r 11 . alternatively , compounds of formulae ( iiia ) and ( iiib ) may be further treated with carbamoyl chlorides , or their equivalents , to yield compounds of the invention where r 1 and r 4 are -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) c ( o ) or 11 . compounds of the invention ( as described above in the summary of the invention ) wherein r 1 or r 4 are -- c ( nh ) n ( h ) or 11 are prepared by treating a compound of formulae ( fa ), ( fb ), ( j ), ( k ) and ( l ), as described above , with hydroxylamines of the formula r 11 onh 2 ( where r 11 is as described above in the summary of the invention ) under basic conditions , preferably in the presence of triethylamine . in summary , compounds of the invention , as illustrated above by the preparation of compounds of formula ( iii ), are prepared by : ( 1 ) treating a compound of formula ( c ) with a compound of formula ( b ) to yield a compound of formula ( da ); or ( 2 ) treating a compound of formula ( db ) with a compound of formula ( e ) to yield a compound of formula ( fa ); or ( 3 ) treating a compound of formula ( db ) with a compound of formula ( g ) to yield a compound of formula ( h ); and then treating the compound of formula ( h ) with a compound of formula ( e ) to yield a compound of formula ( j ); and then treating the compound of formula ( j ) to yield a compound of formula ( k ); and then treating the compound of formula ( k ) to yield a compound of formula ( l ); and ( 4 ) treating a compound of formulae ( da ), ( l ), ( fa ) or ( fb ) to form a compound of formula ( iii ). in addition , all compounds of the invention that exist in free base form or free acid form may be converted to their pharmaceutically acceptable salts by treatment with the appropriate inorganic or organic acid , or by the appropriate inorganic or organic base by methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art . salts of the compounds of the invention can also be converted to the free base form or to the free acid form or to another salt by known methods . the following specific preparations and examples are provided as a guide to assist in the practice of the invention , and are not intended as a limitation on the scope of the invention . a . to sodium hydride ( 2 . 4 g , 60 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( 50 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added imidazolin - 2 - one ( 2 . 6 g , 30 mmol ). after stirring for 20 minutes 4 -( bromomethyl ) benzonitrile ( 13 g , 66 mmol ) was added and the mixture was warmed to ambient temperature . after stirring for 1 hour the reaction was poured into water and a solid formed . the solid was filtered to give 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxoimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )!- bis ( benzonitrile ). nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 65 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 4 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 45 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 2 ( s , 4 ) ppm . 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - hexahydro - 2 - oxopyrimidin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 63 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 4 ( d , 4 ), 3 . 25 ( m , 4 ), 4 . 62 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 25 ( m , 4 ), 1 . 97 ( m , 2 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxoimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 47 ( m , 2 ), 4 . 45 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 23 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxo - 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - tetramethylimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 62 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 55 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 44 ( t , 2 ), 4 . 38 ( s , 4 ), 1 . 05 ( s , 12 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxo - 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - tetramethylimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 65 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 55 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 4 ( s , 4 ), 1 . 1 ( s , 12 ) ppm ; 1 , 3 - bis ( 3 - cyanobenzyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 5 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 - carboxylic acid , methyl ester ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 4 - 7 . 7 ( m , 8 ), 5 . 3 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 3 . 79 ( s , 3 ), 2 . 7 ( q , 2 ), 1 . 04 ( t , 3 ) ppm ; 1 , 3 - bis ( 3 - cyanobenzyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid , diethyl ester ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 45 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 15 ( s , 4 ), 4 . 24 ( q , 4 ), 1 . 25 ( t , 6ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 1 - 7 . 6 ( m , 13 ), 5 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 87 ( s , 2 ), 1 . 95 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 5 - 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 3 - 7 . 5 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 2 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 15 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 02 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 83 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 3 ( q , 2 ), 0 . 95 ( t , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 4 , 5 - bis ( methylethyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 56 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 8 ), 5 . 03 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 95 ( m , 2 ), 1 . 13 ( d , 12 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 4 , 5 - diethyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 58 ( m , 8 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 3 ( q , 4 ), 1 . 0 ( t , 6 ) ppm ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 8 ), 4 . 93 ( s , 4 ), 1 . 9 ( s , 6 ) ppm . a . to dimethylformamide ( 50 ml ) was added 2 - hydroxy - 1h - benzimidazole ( 2 . 7 g , 25 mmol ), cesium carbonate ( 17 g , 55 mmol ), and 4 -( bromomethyl ) benzonitrile ( 10 g , 50 mmol ). after stirring for 3 hours , the mixture was poured into water . the precipitate was filtered and washed with water . the solid was dissolved in ethyl acetate , dried ( na 2 so 4 ), treated with charcoal , and the solvent was removed in vacuo to give 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 85 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 6 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 1 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 25 ( s , 4 ) ppm . 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 48 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 07 ( m , 2 ), 6 . 89 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 15 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 65 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 44 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 28 ( d , 2 ), 6 . 95 ( t , 1 ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1 ), 6 . 75 ( d , 1 ), 5 . 4 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 18 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 3 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 44 ( m , 2 ), 6 . 98 ( t , 2 ), 6 . 83 ( d , 1 ), 6 . 77 ( d , 1 ), 5 . 4 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 18 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 33 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 45 ( m , 6 ), 6 . 72 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 43 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 33 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 3 - 7 . 6 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 24 ( m , 5 ), 7 . 03 ( m , 2 ), 6 . 85 ( d , 2 ), 6 . 53 ( d , 2 ), 4 . 9 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 86 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 95 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 4 - 7 . 6 ( m , 5 ), 7 . 24 ( m , 5 ), 7 . 03 ( m , 3 ), 6 . 13 ( s , 1 ), 4 . 85 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 83 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrachloro - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzenecarbonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 6 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 48 ( m , 6 ), 5 . 6 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrachloro - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ); nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 7 . 65 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 33 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 6 ( s , 4 ) ppm . a . to acetic acid ( 2 ml ) was added urea ( 0 . 6 g , 10 mmol ) and 2 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 1 - phenylethanone ( 2 . 6 g , 10 mmol ). after stirring for 2 hours at 120 ° c ., the reaction was cooled to ambient temperature . the resulting solid was filtered , washed with ether , and dried in vacuo to give 4 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 10 . 98 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 4 ( m , 5 ), 3 . 18 ( s , 6 ) ppm . 4 , 5 - bis ( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 11 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 62 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 26 ( d , 4 ), 6 . 9 ( d , 4 ), 3 . 73 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - ethyl - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 11 . 02 ( s , 1 ), 10 . 98 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 4 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 3 ( m , 1 ), 2 , 5 ( m , 2 ), 1 . 2 ( t , 3 ) ppm ; and 4 , 5 - diethyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 5 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 22 ( q , 4 ), 1 . 05 ( t , 6 ) ppm . a . in a manner similar to preparation 1 above , 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ( 1 . 2 g , 5 mmol ) was reacted with 3 -( bromomethyl ) benzonitrile ( 0 . 39 g , 2 mmol ) and sodium hydride ( 0 . 18 g , 5 mmol ) in dimethylformamide ( 20 ml ) to give 3 - ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile after chromatography on silica ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 11 . 02 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 4 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 3 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 7 ), 4 . 75 ( s , 2 ) ppm . 4 - ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 11 . 02 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 67 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 4 ( m , 3 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 9 ), 4 . 75 ( s , 2 ) ppm . a . to 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ( 4 . 76 g , 20 mmol ) in 50 ml dmf was added to a suspension of nah ( 0 . 8 g , 20 mmol ) in 25 ml dmf . the suspension was stirred at ambient temperatures for 30 minutes , then heated to 50 ° c . for 30 minutes . a solution of methyl 3 - bromomethylbenzoate ( 2 . 86 g , 12 . 5 mmol ) in 20 ml dmf was then added and the reaction stirred for 10 min at 50 ° c . the mixture was poured into 1n hcl , filtered , washed with water and dried . chromatography on silica gel ( 2 % etoh in 7 : 3 methylene chloride / ethyl acetate ) afforded 1 . 2 g of 3 -( 3 - methoxycarbonylphenyl ) methyl - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one as a white solid . a . in a manner similar to preparation 2 above , 3 - ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile was reacted with 7 -( bromomethyl ) naphthalene - 2 - carbonitrile to give 7 - 3 -( 3 - cyanophenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carbonitrile ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 8 . 05 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 9 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 85 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 55 ( m , 3 ), 7 . 4 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 9 ), 7 . 0 ( m , 3 ), 5 . 1 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 2 ) ppm . 7 - 3 -( 4 - cyanophenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carbonitrile ; nmr ( cdcl 3 ) 8 . 05 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 85 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 55 ( m , 3 ), 7 . 45 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 4 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 8 ), 7 . 0 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 1 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 0 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; and a . in a manner similar to preparation 2 above , a suspension of 2 -( 3 - methoxycarbonylphenyl ) methyl - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 1h - imidazol - 2 - one ( 410 mg , 1 . 1 mmol ) ( as prepared above in preparation 5 ), cesium carbonate ( 1 . 5 g ) and 4 - methoxy - 3 - bromomethylbenzonitrile ( 0 . 2 g , 1 mmol ) in 2 ml dmf was stirred at ambient temperature for 3 hours . the mixture was poured into 50 ml water and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 50 ml ). the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water , dried and evaporated to afford 0 . 55 g of 4 - methoxy - 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - methoxycarbonylphenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile as a white solid . b . to the ester formed above ( 0 . 5 g ) in 5 ml meoh was added 5 ml of 25 % naoh and the reaction stirred at ambient temperatures for 30 minutes . the reaction was acidified to ph 4 with 1n hcl and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 50 ml ). the ethyl acetate layer was dried and evaporated to afford 0 . 4 g of the acid , 4 - methoxy - 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile as a white solid . a . to a solution of 4 - methoxy - 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - carboxyphenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile ( 0 . 39 g , 0 . 72 mmol ), as prepared above in preparation 7 , in 5 ml dmf was added n , n - carbonyldiimidazole ( 166 mg , 1 mmol ) and the reaction stirred at ambient temperatures for 2 hours . dimethylamine ( 0 . 5 ml of 2m solution in thf ) was added and the reaction stirred 10 h at ambient temperatures . the reaction mixture was poured into 50 ml 1n hcl and extracted with etoac . the organic layer was washed with water , dried and evaporated to afford 0 . 17 g of 4 - methoxy - 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminocarbonylphenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile as a white solid . a . to 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxoimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene ! bis ( benzonitrile ) ( 5 g , 16 mmol ) in ethanol ( 20 ml ) and methylene chloride ( 20 ml ) at 0 ° c . was bubbled hydrochloric acid ( g ). after sealing the reaction vessel and stirring in a high - pressure flask for 16 hours , the reaction mixture was poured into ether to obtain a solid . the solid was collected by filtration and washed with ether . to the solid was added ethanol ( 40 ml ) and the mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . ammonia was bubbled into the reaction mixture . after sealing the reaction vessel , and heating at 55 ° c . for 4 hours , the mixture was cooled , poured into ether and the solid was collected by filtration . recrystallization from ethanol gave 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxoimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride . further purification by high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ) was sometimes necessary to give the final product . in such instances , the dihydrochloride salt was often replaced by trifluoroacetic acid ( tfa ) salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 5 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 45 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 25 ( s , 4 ) ppm . 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 55 ( t , 2 ), 7 . 1 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 0 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 2 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 55 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 35 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 0 ( d , 1 ), 6 . 9 ( t , 1 ), 6 . 75 ( t , 1 ), 5 . 43 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 22 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 25 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - hexahydro - 2 - oxopyrimidin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 5 ( d , 2 ), 4 . 6 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 25 ( m , 4 ), 1 . 9 ( m , 2 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 82 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 4 ( d , 2 ), 6 . 7 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 5 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 25 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( br , 8 ), 7 . 6 - 7 . 9 ( m , 6 ), 7 . 45 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 05 ( d , 1 ), 6 . 95 ( t , 1 ), 6 . 8 ( t , 1 ), 5 . 43 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 25 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 3 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 95 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 2 - 7 . 8 ( m , 8 ), 6 . 65 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 45 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 4 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 25 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 ,&# 39 ;- ( 5 , 6 - dichloro - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 38 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 72 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 6 ( t , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 2 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 1 , 3 - bis 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 5 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 - carboxylic acid , methyl ester , dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 4 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 15 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 73 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 58 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 25 ( s , 2 ) 5 . 1 ( s , 2 ), 3 . 7 ( s , 3 ), 2 . 75 ( q , 2 ), 0 . 97 ( t , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 4 , 5 - diethyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 4 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 1 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 58 ( t , 2 ), 7 . 44 ( d , 2 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 35 ( q , 4 ), 0 . 9 ( t , 6 ) ppm ; 1 , 3 - bis 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid , diethyl ester , dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 58 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 2 ( m , 4 ), 4 . 18 ( q , 4 ), 1 . 15 ( t , 6 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 1 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 78 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 25 ( m , 10 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 4 ), 4 . 98 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 3 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 4 - 7 . 8 ( m , 9 ), 7 . 3 ( m , 9 ), 6 . 88 ( s , 1 ), 5 . 03 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 97 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 38 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 3 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 2 - 7 . 8 ( m , 13 ), 5 . 01 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 9 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 0 ( s , 3 ), ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 03 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 65 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 25 ( m , 11 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 03 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - bis ( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 03 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 65 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 52 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 32 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 08 ( d , 4 ), 6 . 9 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 9 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 7 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 7 - 3 - 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide , trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 45 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 35 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 15 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 4 ( s , 1 ), 8 . 1 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 98 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 66 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 55 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 45 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 35 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 10 ), 5 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 0 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 7 - 3 - 4 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide , trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 4 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 25 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 1 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 4 ( s , 1 ), 8 . 05 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 98 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 75 ( m , 3 ), 7 . 65 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 4 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 12 ), 5 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 0 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 7 , 7 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 4 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 1 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 4 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 1 ( d , 2 ), 8 . 0 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 68 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 45 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 2 ( m , 10 ), 5 . 1 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 36 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 3 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 78 ( s , 1 ), 7 . 75 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 4 - 7 . 7 ( m , 5 ), 7 . 37 ( m , 3 ), 7 . 23 ( m , 3 ), 5 . 02 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 85 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 35 ( q , 2 ), 0 . 92 ( t , 3 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 4 , 5 - bis ( methylethyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 38 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 07 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 6 ( t , 2 ), 7 . 3 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 02 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 03 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 0 ( m , 2 ), 1 . 1 ( d , 12 ) ppm ; 3 , 4 - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 28 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 73 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 66 ( d , 1 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 25 ( m , 9 ), 7 . 18 ( m , 4 ), 4 . 98 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrachloro - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 38 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 1 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 6 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 58 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrachloro - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 20 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 80 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 80 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 40 ( d , 4 ), 5 . 60 ( d , 4 ) ppm ; 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - amidino - 6 - hydroxy ) benzyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzamidine , trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 20 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 15 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 00 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 70 ( s , 2 ), 6 . 90 - 7 . 60 ( m , 17 ), 4 . 80 ( s , 2 ), 5 . 00 ( s , 2 ) ppm ; 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - amidino - 6 - methoxy ) benzyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzamidine , trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 30 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 20 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 90 ( s , 2 ), 8 . 80 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 00 - 7 . 70 ( m , 17 ), 5 . 00 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 90 ( s , 2 ) 3 . 70 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- bis ( methoxy )- 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 20 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 80 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 10 - 7 . 70 ( m , 16 ), 4 . 80 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 70 ( s , 3 ) ppm ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- bis ( hydroxy )- 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 10 . 90 ( s , 2 ), 9 . 10 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 80 ( s , 4 ), 6 . 90 - 7 . 60 ( m , 16 ), 4 . 80 ( s , 4 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ); nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 40 ( s , 4 ), ( 9 . 20 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 80 ( m , 8 ), 4 . 90 ( s , 4 ), 1 . 90 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxo - 1 , 3 - diazahepta - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ); nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 40 ( br , 8 ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 80 ( m , 8 ), 4 . 50 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 20 ( br , 4 ), 1 . 60 ( b , 4 ) ppm ; m . p . 109 °- 111 ° c . ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxo - 1 , 3 - diazapenta - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ); nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 30 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 20 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 80 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 60 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 30 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 20 ( br , 4 ), 1 . 60 ( br , 4 ) ppm ; and 4 - methoxy - 3 - ( 3 -( 3 - dimethylaminocarbonylphenyl ) methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ) methyl ! benzonitrile ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 25 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 80 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 00 - 7 . 70 ( m , 17 ), 4 . 80 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 82 ( s , 2 ), 3 . 70 ( s , 6 ). a . in a manner similar to example 1 above , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzonitrile ) ( 1 . 6 g , 4 . 4 mmol ) was reacted sequentially with hydrochloric acid and ethanolic ammonia . the resulting solid was dissolved in water and free - based with sodium hydroxide ( aq ). the solid was collected by filtration and dissolved in methanol . methanesulfonic acid was added to the solution ( 1 : 1 equivalent / amidine ), followed by ether until crystallization . the crystals were collected by filtration and dried to give 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), methanesulfonic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 3 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 8 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 55 ( d , 4 ), 7 . 1 ( m , 2 ), 7 . 0 ( m , 2 ), 5 . 22 ( s , 4 (, 2 . 5 ( s , 6 ) ppm . 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxoimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 05 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 6 ( d , 4 ), 4 . 42 ( s , 4 ), 3 . 25 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 5 ( s , 6 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 - oxo - 4 , 4 , 5 , 5 - tetramethylimidazolin - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), methanesulfonic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 25 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 9 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 73 ( s , 2 ), 7 . 65 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 5 ( t , 2 ), 4 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 55 ( s , 6 ), 1 . 0 ( s , 12 ) ppm ; 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), methanesulfonic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 25 ( s , 4 ), 8 . 98 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 65 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 5 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 1 - 7 . 3 ( m , 12 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 4 ), 2 . 5 ( s , 6 ) ppm . to 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide was added 1 , 3 - bis 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 5 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 - carboxylic acid , methyl ester , dihydrochloride ( 0 . 20 g , 0 . 46 mmol ). after stirring for 30 minutes , carbon dioxide ( g ) was bubbled through the solution to neutralize excess hydrochloride and methanol ( 1 ml ) was added . the solid was removed by filtration and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo . after adjusting the ph to 6 with 3n hydrochloric acid ( aq ), the material was purified by high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ) to give 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 - ethyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ), trifluoroacetic acid salt ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 4 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 65 ( d , 2 ), 7 . 4 - 7 . 9 ( m , 8 ), 6 . 35 ( s , 1 ), 4 . 95 ( s , 2 ), 4 . 9 ( s , 2 ), 2 . 3 ( q , 2 ), 1 . 05 ( t , 3 ) ppm . to 1 , 3 - bis 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid , diethyl ester , dihydrochloride ( 0 . 1 g , 0 . 20 mmol ) in methanol ( 1 ml )/ water ( 1 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 2 ml ). after stirring for 2 hours , the ph was adjusted to 1 with 3n hydrochloric acid ( aq ). the resulting material was filtered and dried under vacuum to give 1 , 3 - bis 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazole - 4 , 5 - dicarboxylic acid , dihydrochloride ; nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) 9 . 35 ( s , 4 ), 9 . 0 ( s , 4 ), 7 . 7 ( m , 4 ), 7 . 58 ( m , 4 ), 5 . 35 ( s , 4 ) ppm . this example illustrates the preparation of representative pharmaceutical compositions for oral administration containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - oxo - 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 - tetrachloro - 1h - benzimidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ): ______________________________________a . ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 20 . 0 % lactose 79 . 5 % magnesium stearate 0 . 5 % ______________________________________ the above ingredients are mixed and dispensed into hard - shell gelatin capsules containing 100 mg each , one capsule would approximate a total daily dosage . ______________________________________b . ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 20 . 0 % magnesium stearate 0 . 9 % starch 8 . 6 % lactose 79 . 6 % pvp ( polyvinylpyrrolidine ) 0 . 9 % ______________________________________ the above ingredients with the exception of the magnesium stearate are combined and granulated using water as a granulating liquid . the formulation is then dried , mixed with the magnesium stearate and formed into tablets with an appropriate tableting machine . ______________________________________c . ingredients______________________________________compound of the invention 0 . 1 gpropylene glycol 20 . 0 gpolyethylene glycol 400 20 . 0 gpolysorbate 80 1 . 0 gwater q . s . 100 ml______________________________________ the compound of the invention is dissolved in propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol 400 and polysorbate 80 . a sufficient quantity of water is then added with stirring to provide 100 ml of the solution which is filtered and bottled . ______________________________________d ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 20 . 0 % peanut oil 78 . 0 % span 60 2 . 0 % ______________________________________ the above ingredients are melted , mixed and filled into soft elastic capsules . ______________________________________e . ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 1 . 0 % methyl or carboxymethyl cellulose 2 . 0 % 0 . 9 % saline q . s . 100 ml______________________________________ the compound of the invention is dissolved in the cellulose / saline solution , filtered and bottled for use . this example illustrates the preparation of a representative pharmaceutical formulation for parenteral administration containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- ( 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ) bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ): ______________________________________ingredients______________________________________compound of the invention 0 . 02 gpropylene glycol 20 . 0 gpolyethylene glycol 400 20 . 0 gpolysorbate 80 1 . 0 g0 . 9 % saline solution q . s . 100 ml______________________________________ the compound of the invention is dissolved in propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol 400 and polysorbate 80 . a sufficient quantity of 0 . 9 % saline solution is then added with stirring to provide 100 ml of the i . v . solution which is filtered through a 0 . 2μ membrane filter and packaged under sterile conditions . this example illustrates the preparation of a representative pharmaceutical composition in suppository form containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 -( 4 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 2 - oxo - 5 - phenyl - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( benzamidine ): ______________________________________ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 1 . 0 % polyethylene glycol 1000 74 . 5 % polyethylene glycol 4000 24 . 5 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are melted together and mixed on a steam bath , and poured into molds containing 2 . 5 g total weight . this example illustrates the preparation of a representative pharmaceutical formulation for insufflation containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 7 - 3 - 4 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl !- naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide : ______________________________________ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________micronized compound of the invention 1 . 0 % micronized lactose 99 . 0 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are milled , mixed , and packaged in an insufflator equipped with a dosing pump . this example illustrates the preparation of a representative pharmaceutical formulation in nebulized form containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 7 - 3 - 3 -( amidino ) benzyl !- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 - yl ! methyl ! naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide : the compound of the invention is dissolved in ethanol and blended with water . the formulation is then packaged in a nebulizer equipped with a dosing pump . this example illustrates the preparation of a representative pharmaceutical formulation in aerosol form containing a compound of the invention , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g ., 7 , 7 &# 39 ;- 2 , 3 - dihydro - 4 , 5 - diphenyl - 2 - oxo - 1h - imidazol - 1 , 3 - diyl ! bis ( methylene )! bis ( naphthalene - 2 - carboximidamide ): ______________________________________ingredients % wt ./ wt . ______________________________________compound of the invention 0 . 10 % propellant 11 / 12 98 . 90 % oleic acid 1 . 00 % ______________________________________ the compound of the invention is dispersed in oleic acid and the propellants . the resulting mixture is then poured into an aerosol container fitted with a metering valve . this assay demonstrates the activity of the compounds of the invention towards factor xa , thrombin and tissue plasminogen activator . the activities were determined as an initial rate of cleavage of the peptide p - nitroanilide by the enzyme . the cleavage product , p - nitroaniline , absorbs at 405 nm with a molar extinction coefficient of 9920 m - 1 cm - 1 . 50 mm trishcl , 150 mm nacl , 2 . 5 mm cacl 2 , and 0 . 1 % polyethylene glycol 6000 , ph 7 . 5 . 1 . human factor xa stock solution : 0 . 281 mg / ml in assay buffer , stored at - 80 ° c . ( working solution ( 2 ×): 106 ng / ml or 2 nm in assay buffer , prepared prior to use ). 2 . human thrombin stock solution : stored at - 80 ° c . ( working solution ( 2 ×): 1200 ng / ml or 40 nm in assay buffer , prepare prior to use ). 3 . human tissue plasminogen activator ( tpa ) ( two chains , sigma ) stock solution : 1 mg / ml , stored at - 80 ° c . ( working solution ( 2 ×): 1361 ng / ml in assay buffer , prepare prior to use ). 1 . s2222 ( fxa assay ) stock solution : 6 mm in dh 2 o , store at 4 ° c . ( working solution ( 4 ×): 656 μm in assay buffer ). 2 . s2302 ( thrombin assay ) stock solution : 10 mm in dh 2 o , stored at 4 ° c . ( working solution ( 4 ×): 1200 μm in assay buffer ). 3 . s2288 ( tpa assay ) stock solution : 10 mm in dh 2 o , stored at 4 ° c . ( working solution ( 4 ×): 1484 μm in assay buffer ). assays were performed in 96 - well microtiter plates in a total volume of 200 μl . assay conducted in final concentration of 50 mm trishcl , 150 mm nacl , 2 . 5 mm cacl 2 , 0 . 1 % polyethylene glycol 6000 , ph 7 . 5 , in the absence or presence of the standard inhibitor or the test compounds and enzyme and substrate at following concentrations : ( 1 ) 1 nm factor xa and 164 μm s2222 ; ( 2 ) 20 nm thrombin and 300 μm s2302 ; and ( 3 ) 10 nm tpa and 371 μm s2288 . concentrations of the standard inhibitor compound in the assay were from 5 μm to 0 . 021 μm in 1 to 3 dilution . concentration of the test compounds in the assay typically were from 10 μm to 0 . 041 μm in 1 to 3 dilution . for potent test compounds , the concentrations used in the factor xa assay were further diluted 100 fold ( 100 nm to 0 . 41 nm ) or 1000 fold ( 10 nm to 0 . 041 nm ). all substrate concentrations used are equal to their k m values under the present assay conditions . assays were performed at ambient temperature . the first step in the assay was the preparation of 10 mm test compound stock solutions in dmso ( for potent test compounds , 10 mm stock solutions were further diluted to 0 . 1 or 0 . 01 mm for the factor xa assay ), followed by the preparation of test compound working solutions ( 4 ×) by a serial dilutions of 10 mm stock solutions with biomek 1000 ( or multiprobe 204 ) in 96 deep well plates as follows : ( a ) prepare a 40 μm working solution by diluting the 10 mm stock 1 to 250 in assay buffer in 2 steps : 1 to 100 , and 1 to 2 . 5 . ( b ) make another five serial dilutions ( 1 : 3 ) of the 40 μm solution ( 600 μl for each concentration ). a total of six diluted test compound solutions were used in the assay . standard inhibitor compound ( 5 mm stock ) or dmso ( control ) went through the same dilution steps as those described above for test compounds . the next step in the assay was to dispense 50 μl of the test compound working solutions ( 4 ×) ( from 40 um to 0 . 164 um ), in duplicate , to microtiter plates with biomek or mp204 . to this was added 100 μl of enzyme working solution ( 2 ×) with biomek or mp204 . the resulting solutions were incubated at ambient temperature for 10 minutes . to the solutions was added 50 μl of substrate working solution ( 4 ×) with biomek or mp204 . the enzyme kinetics were measured at 405 nm , at 10 seconds interval , for five minutes in a thermomax plate reader at ambient temperature . enzyme rates were calculated as mod / min based on the first two minutes readings . the ic 50 values were determined by fitting the data to the log - logit equation ( linear ) or the morrison equation ( non - linear ) with an excel spread - sheet . ki values were then obtained by dividing the ic 50 by 2 . routinely , ki ( factor xa ) values lower than 3 nm were calculated from the morrison equation . compounds of the invention , when tested in this assay , demonstrated the ability to inhibit human factor xa and human thrombin . this assay demonstrates the ability of the compounds of the invention to inhibit prothrombinase . prothrombinase ( ptase ) catalyzes the activation of prothrombin to yield fragment 1 . 2 plus thrombin with meizothrombin as the intermediate . this assay is an end point assay . activity of the prothrombinase is measured by activity of thrombin ( one of the reaction products ) or by the amount of thrombin formed / time based on a thrombin standard curve ( nm vs mod / min ). for determination of ic 50 ( ptase ) of the compounds of the invention , ptase activity was expressed by thrombin activity ( mod / min ). 1 . human factor va ( haematologic technologies inc ., cat # hcva - 0110 ) working solution : 1 . 0 mg / ml in 50 % glycerol , 2 mm cacl 2 , stored at - 20 ° c . 2 . human factor xa ( enzyme res . lab . cat # hfxa1011 ) working solution : 0 . 281 mg / ml in assay buffer ( without bsa ), stored at - 80 ° c . 3 . human prothrombin ( fii ) ( enzyme res . lab ., cat # hp1002 ) working solution : diluted fii to 4 . 85 mg / ml in assay buffer ( without bsa ), stored at - 80 ° c . pcps vesicles ( 80 % pc , 20 % ps ) were prepared by modification of the method reported by barenholz et al ., biochemistry ( 1977 ), vol . 16 , pp . 2806 - 2810 . 10 mg / ml in chloroform , purified from brain , stored - 20 ° c . under nitrogen or argon . 50 mg / ml in chloroform , synthetic 16 : 0 - 18 : 1 palmitoyl - oleoyl , stored at - 20 ° c . under nitrogen or argon . spectrozyme - th ( american diagnostica inc ., cat # 238l , 50 μmoles , stored at room temperature ) working solution : dissolved 50 μmoles in 10 ml dh 2 o . assay buffer : 50 mm trishcl , ph 7 . 5 , 150 mm nacl , 2 . 5 mm cacl 2 , 0 . 1 % peg 6000 ( bdh ), 0 . 05 % bsa ( sigma , fr . v , ria grade ). ( a ) 100 μm pcps ( 27 . 5 μl of pcps stock ( 4 . 36 mm ) diluted to final 1200 μl with assay buffer . ( b ) 25 nm human factor va : 5 . 08 μl of va stock ( 1 mg / ml ) was diluted to final 1200 μl with assay buffer . ( c ) 5 pm human factor xa : dilute xa stock ( 0 . 281 mg / ml ) 1 : 1 , 220 , 000 with assay buffer . prepare at least 1200 μl . combine equal volumes ( 1100 μl ) of each component in the order of pcps , factor va and factor xa . let stand at ambient temperature for 5 to 10 minutes and use immediately , or store in ice ( bring to ambient temperature before use ). 2 . 6 μm human prothrombin ( fii ): dilute 124 μl of fii stock ( 4 . 85 mg / ml ) to final 1400 μl with assay buffer . 3 . 20 mm edta / assay buffer : 0 . 8 ml of 0 . 5m edta ( ph 8 . 5 ) plus 19 . 2 ml assay buffer . 4 . 0 . 2 mm spectrozyme - th / edta buffer : 0 . 44 ml of spth stock ( 5 mm ) plus 10 . 56 ml of 20 mm edta / assay buffer . prepare a working solution ( 5 ×) from 10 mm stock ( dmso ) and make a series of 1 : 3 dilution . compounds were assayed at 6 concentrations in duplicate . prothrombinase reaction was performed in final 50 μl of mixture containing ptase ( 20 um pcps , 5 nm hfva , and 1 pm hfxa ), 1 . 2 um human factor ii and varied concentration of the test compounds ( 5 μm to 0 . 021 μm or lower concentration range ). reaction was started by addition of ptase and incubated for 6 minutes at room temperature . reaction was stopped by addition of edta / buffer to final 10 mm . activity of thrombin ( product ) was then measured in the presence of 0 . 1 mm of spectrozyme - th as substrate at 405 nm for 5 minutes ( 10 second intervals ), at ambient temperature , in a theromax microplate reader . reactions were performed in 96 - well microtiter plates . in the first step of the assay , 10 μl of diluted test compound ( 5 ×) or buffer was added to the plates in duplicate . then 10 μl of prothombin ( hfii ) ( 5 ×) was added to each well . next 30 μl ptase was added to each well , mix for about 30 seconds . the plates were then incubated at ambient temperature for 6 minutes . in the next step , 50 μl of 20 mm edta ( in assay buffer ) was added to each well to stop the reaction . the resulting solutions were then mixed for about 10 seconds . then 100 μl of 0 . 2 mm spectrozyme was added to each well . the thrombin reaction rate was then measured at 405 nm for 5 minutes ( at 10 second intervals ) in a molecular devices microplate reader . thrombin reaction rate was expressed as mod / minute using od readings from the five minute reaction . ic 50 values were calculated with the log - logit curve fit program . the compounds of the invention demonstrated the ability to inhibit thrombinase when tested in this assay . the following assay demonstrates the ability of the compounds to act as anti - coagulants . male rats ( 250 - 330 g ) were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital ( 90 mg / kg , i . p .) and prepared for surgery . the left carotid artery was cannulated for the measurement of blood pressure as well as for taking blood samples to monitor clotting variables ( prothrombin time ( pt ) and activated partial thromboplastin time ( aptt )). the tail vein was cannulated for the purpose of administering the test compounds ( i . e ., the compounds of the invention and standards ) and the thromboplastin infusion . the abdomen was opened via a mid - line incision and the abdominal vena cava was isolated for 2 - 3 cm distal to the renal vein . all venous branches in this 2 - 3 cm segment of the abdominal vena cava were ligated . following all surgery , the animals were allowed to stabilize prior to beginning the experiment . test compounds were administered as an intravenous bolus ( t = 0 ). three minutes later ( t = 3 ), a 5 - minute infusion of thromboplastin was begun . two minutes into the infusion ( t = 5 ), the abdominal vena cava was ligated at both the proximal and distal ends . the vessel was left in place for 60 minutes , after which it was excised from the animal , slit open , the clot ( if any ) carefully removed , and weighed . statistical analysis on the results was perfomed using a wilcoxin - matched - pairs signed rank test . the compounds of the invention , when tested in this assay , demonstrated the ability to inhibit the clotting of blood . while the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation , material , composition of matter , process , process step or steps , to the objective , spirit and scope of the present invention . all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto .	2
please refer to fig1 and 2 . the coin releasing device of the coin stacking machine of the present invention includes a rotary mechanism and a transmission mechanism locked therewith . the rotary mechanism includes a u - shaped frame 12 and a motor 10 connected therewith . the bottom ends of two lateral walls of the u - shaped frame 12 are bent to the same side , each defining a bent section 14 , 15 . one of the lateral walls is formed with a central opening 13 extending from bottom end up to inner side of plane end edge of the u - shaped frame 12 . the plane face of the u - shaped frame 12 near the opening 13 is disposed with a central through hole and several thread holes for locking the motor 10 and for the motor shaft 11 to pass therethrough . the motor shaft 11 is formed with outer thread . each of four corners of the plane face of the u - shaped frame 12 is formed with thread holes . the transmission mechanism is composed of a base board 30 , two locating blocks 32 , a slide block 45 , a resilient plate 40 and a pushing plate 50 . the base board 30 is an irregular plate body . a lower half of the base board 30 is rectangularly shaped and formed with a central through hole 31 . two sides of the lower half are formed with thread holes around the through hole 31 for locking two locating blocks 32 formed with thread holes 33 . each locating block 32 is formed with a slide channel 34 on one side of the bottom end . multiple thread holes are disposed and spaced from the thread hole for locking the locating block 32 by a certain distance . near the end edge is disposed a slot . a t - shaped plate body 35 projects from the edge of upper side of the rectangular plate body between the outermost thread holes . two sides of the t - shaped plate body 35 are upward bent to form a u - shaped frame . the end section of the u - shaped frame is further inward bent to form a bent section 37 . the two bent sections 37 and the base board 30 are formed with corresponding shaft holes in cooperation with c - shaped latch ring 38 . the inner side of the u - shaped frame is disposed with a stopper plate 39 with an angle . the rear side of the u - shaped frame near the bottom end is transversely disposed with a projecting plate 36 parallel to the base board 30 . the upper end of the projecting plate 36 is disposed with an orifice . the arch resilient plate 40 is disposed in accordance with the length of the u - shaped frame . the rear side of the resilient plate 40 encloses a rotary shaft 41 slightly longer than the resilient plate 40 . near the lower end of the resilient plate 40 is disposed a projecting arm 43 . the end of the projecting arm 43 is disposed with a semiarch recess 42 . a stopper plate 44 having a bent section is disposed under the projecting arm 43 . the center of the slide block 45 is formed with an elliptic slot 46 . the front and rear ends of the slot 46 are disposed with projecting t - shaped stopper plates 47 having a width less than the slide block 45 . adjacent to the end of the front stopper plate 47 is formed thread hole for locking the arch pushing plate 50 having a locking ring 51 . please refer to fig1 and 2 . when assembled , the motor shaft 11 is first passed through the central through hole of the u - shaped frame 12 . then the motor 10 is locked on the u - shaped frame 12 . the arch pushing plate 50 with the locking ring 51 is locked on the slide block 45 and then together therewith placed on the base board 30 with the through hole 46 of the slide block 45 overlaid on the through hole 31 of the base board 30 . the arch pushing plate 50 is also placed between the u - shaped frame . also , the slide channels 34 of the locating block 32 are engaged with two sides of the slide block 45 and secured on the base board 30 by screws . the rotary shaft 41 of the resilient plate 40 is passed through the shaft hole of the bent section 37 of the u - shaped frame . the recess 42 of the end of the projecting arm 43 of the resilient plate 40 is hooked with one end of the spring 54 . the other end of the spring 54 is hooked with the orifice of the u - shaped frame . at this time , the stopper plates 39 of the resilient plate 40 are overlaid on the stopper plates 44 of the u - shaped frame . the motor shaft 11 is then passed through the base board 30 in the through hole 46 of the slide block 45 and then locked with the slide block 45 . a fitting ring 53 is fitted around the screw , which locks the base board 30 and the u - shaped frame 12 so as to space the base board from the u - shaped frame . then a transmission plate 49 with a shaft hole 48 at one end is fitted on the motor shaft 11 and tightened by a nut 52 to complete the assembly . as shown in fig1 in normal state , the slide block 45 is slided to rear side , making the two arch resilient plates 40 and the arch pushing plate 50 form a stacking cylinder . in the case of bingo , coins are counted by a counter and dropped and stacked in the stacking cylinder . when the coins drop into the stacking cylinder , the motor 10 is activated and the motor shaft 11 is driven . at this time , the transmission plate 49 is rotated about the motor shaft 11 . when the transmission plate 49 rotates through 1 / 4 circle , the slide block 45 is moved forward along with the transmission plate 49 ( as shown in fig3 ) and the arch pushing plate 50 is also moved forward to slightly stretch open the two arch resilient plates 40 . further , as shown in fig4 when the transmission plate 49 is rotated through 1 / 2 circle , the arch pushing plate 50 and the resilient plates 40 are pushed to the end to make the coins slide down to stack the coins . when the transmission plate 49 is continuously rotated , the slide block 45 is moved back and the resilient plates 40 are restored to home position by the resilient force of the spring 54 . the present invention is widely applicable to game machines to tidily stack coins and release the same . it should be noted that the above description and accompanying drawings are only used to illustrate one embodiment of the present invention , not intended to limit the scope thereof . any modification of the embodiment should fall within the scope of the present invention .	6
a circuit 10 for sensing temperature and process variation is shown in fig1 suitable for manufacturing as an integrated circuit using conventional cmos integrated circuit processes . a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ) 12 has an input coupled to power supply conductor 14 operating a positive power supply potential v dd such as 5 . 0 volts . vco 12 may comprise an odd number of serially coupled controllable inverter stages with an output of the last inverter stage coupled to an input of the first inverter stage . divide - by - 2 circuit 16 reduces the v osc frequency to v osc / 2 for application to a first opposite phase clock generator 18 for providing non - overlapping , opposite phase xclk and yclk clock signals operating an one - half the output frequency of vco 12 . with its input connected to power supply potential v dd , vco 12 oscillates at its maximum output frequency v osc given existing process and temperature conditions and power supply potential . under best case conditions vco 12 may operate at 320 mhz , while under worst case conditions vco 12 may operate at 100 mhz . even after silicon processing , the ic retains certain inherent tracts due to process variables such as gate length , junction depth , gate oxide thickness and threshold voltage which makes the output frequency response of vco 12 unpredictable . a key feature of the present invention is the ability to measure and quantify the response of vco 12 operating dependent on process , temperature and power supply level variation . once temperature and process variation is measured and quantified under real operating conditions , it is possible to compensate another input signal which is presumably experiencing similar variation . a digital input signal - refclk operating at say 5 mhz is applied at a second opposite phase clock generator 20 for providing non - overlapping , opposite phase vx and vy clock signals . the duration of the vx and vy clock signals is 200 ns . the vy clock signal processes through down detector 24 and produces a logic one down -- pulse at each zero - going transition of the vy clock signal . the pulse width of the down -- pulse is one cycle of the v osc / 2 clock signal . the down -- pulse signal is applied at the reset ( r ) input of shift register 26 to reset it at each zero - going transition of the vy clock signal . down detector 24 and shift register 26 receive xclk and yclk clock signals . the down -- pulse signal is also inverted by inverter 28 and &# 34 ; anded &# 34 ; with the vx clock signal through and gate 30 for application to the data ( d ) input of shift register 26 . shift register 26 contains sixteen 1 - bit cells with outputs f1 , f2 through f12 corresponding to the fifth through the sixteenth bit cells . the first four bit cells are used as buffers for the fifth bit cell . data shifts from the data input of shift register 26 into the first data cell then to the second data cell through the sixteenth data cell at each xclk and yclk clock cycle . the number of logic ones clocked into shift register 26 by the xclk and yclk clock signals , which are dependent on temperature and process , is a quantified measure of that temperature and process . buffer circuit 32 buffers outputs f1 - f12 upon receiving the vy clock signal and provides outputs f1 - f12 . compensation circuit 34 makes adjustments to an input signal in response to outputs f1 - f12 for providing an output signal with compensation for temperature and process variation . opposite phase clock generator 18 is shown in fig2 where the v osc / 2 signal is applied through inverters 40 , 42 , 44 and 46 to a first input of and gate 48 . the output of inverter 40 is coupled through inverters 50 and 52 to a first input of and gate 54 . the output of and gate 48 provides the xclk clock signal as applied through inverter 56 to a second input of and gate 54 . likewise , the output of and gate 54 provides the yclk clock signal as applied through inverter 58 to a second input of and gate 48 . the output of inverter 44 at node 60 is coupled through inverter 62 to the input of inverter 52 , while the output of inverter 50 at node 64 is coupled through inverter 66 to the input of inverter 46 . when the v osc / 2 signal switches to logic zero , the output of inverter 40 goes to logic one . inverter 50 attempts to switch node 64 to logic zero before node 60 switches to logic one because node 64 is only two inverter delays away from the v osc / 2 signal while node 60 is three inverter delays away . however , the transition of node 64 to logic zero is slowed by inverter 62 because node 60 is still logic zero two inverter delays after the v osc / 2 signal changes to logic zero . inverter 62 acts to hold node 64 at logic one until the output of inverter 44 changes state . a similar scenario follows when the v osc / 2 signal switches to logic one . thus , the transition of inverters 46 and 52 overlap 180 ° out - of - phase and cross approximately at the 50 % mark , thereby overcoming the delay difference imposed by an unequal number of inverters between the v osc / 2 signal and nodes 60 and 64 . when the output of inverter 46 is logic zero , the xclk clock signal at the output of and gate 48 goes to logic zero . and gate 54 receives logic ones from the outputs of inverters 56 and 52 for providing a logic one yclk clock signal . when the output of inverter 52 goes to logic zero , the yclk clock signal goes to logic zero . and gate 48 receives logic ones from the output of inverters 46 and 58 for providing a logic one xclk clock signal . hence , the xclk and yclk clock signals are non - overlapping and opposite phase switching at substantially the 50 % mark and operating at the frequency of the v osc / 2 signal . turning to fig3 opposite phase clock generator 20 is shown in further detail where the refclk signal is inverted by inverter 70 and applied at a first input of and gate 72 which provides the vy clock signal at its output . the input signal refclk is also applied at a first input of and gate 74 for providing the vx clock signal at its output . the vx clock signal is complemented by inverter 76 and applied at a second input of and gate 72 . the vy clock signal is complemented by inverter 78 and applied at a second input of and gate 74 . when the input signal refclk is logic zero , the vx clock signal at the output of and gate 74 goes to logic zero . and gate 72 receives logic ones from the outputs of inverters 70 and 76 for providing a logic one vy clock signal . when the input signal refclk goes to logic one , the vy clock signal goes to logic zero because of inverter and gate 74 receives logic ones from the input signal refclk and the output of inverter 78 for providing a logic one vx clock signal . hence , the vx and vy clock signals are non - overlapping and opposite phase . in fig4 down detector 24 operates in response to the xclk and yclk clock signals and produces a logic one down -- pulse upon detecting a zero - going transition of the vy clock signal . when the vy clock signal is logic one , the output of inverter 80 is logic zero and the down -- pulse signal at the output of and gate 82 is logic zero . the logic one vy clock signal passes through transistor 84 when the xclk clock signal is logic one . inverter 86 complements the vy clock signal and transistor 88 passes the complemented vy clock signal when the yclk clock signal becomes logic one . the vy clock signal returns to logic one at the output of inverter 90 and passes through transistor 92 during the following high state of the xclk clock signal . after two more inversions through inverters 94 and 96 , the logic one vy clock signal arrives at and gate 82 . the down -- pulse signal remains logic zero because of the logic zero from inverter 80 . when the vy clock signal transitions to logic zero , the output of inverter 80 goes to logic one and the down -- pulse signal at the output of and gate 82 switches to logic one because the output of inverter 96 is still logic one . after one full period of the xclk clock signal ( logic one - to - logic zero - to - logic one ), the logic zero vy passes through transistors 84 , 88 and 92 and inverters 86 , 90 , 94 and 96 and arrives at and gate 82 . the down -- pulse signal returns to logic zero . the vy clock signal must switch back to logic one to preset the output of inverter 96 to logic one before the next logic one down -- pulse signal may occur . thus , the down -- pulse signal goes to logic one for approximately one period of the xclk clock signal at each zero - going transition of the vy clock signal . returning to fig1 the vx signal is applied at the first input of and gate 30 , while the second input of the same received an inverted down -- pulse . shift register 26 receives data from the output of and gate 30 and shifts the data along the sixteen 1 - bit locations in response to the xclk and yclk clock signals . the master - slave operation of shift register 26 requires non - overlapping , opposite phase xclk and yclk clock signals , wherein one clock transition latches the data into the master section while a subsequent clock transfers the data to the output of the slave section . a logic one down -- pulse signal resets all bit cells of shift register 26 to logic zero . when the vx clock signal is logic one and the output of inverter 28 is logic one , the data input of shift register 26 receives a logic one . the xclk and yclk clock signals begin shifting logic ones along shift register 26 during the high state of the vx clock signal . recall the v osc / 2 signal is one - half the output frequency of vco 12 . the vx and vy clock periods are 200 ns , and the high state of the vx clock signal is 100 ns . when down detector 24 detects a zero - going vy clock signal , shift register 26 is momentarily reset with all bit locations at logic zero . since vx clock signal is logic one when vy clock signal is logic zero , shift register 26 begins shifting in logic ones as soon as the down -- pulse returns to logic zero . when the vx clock signal returns to logic zero , and gates 98 and 99 block further xclk and yclk clock signals . shift register 26 stops shifting input data from and gate 30 . if vco 12 operates at 100 mhz because of worst case temperature and process conditions , then xclk and yclk clock signals operate at 50 mhz with 20 ns periods . only output f1 is logic one because shift register 26 receives five xclk and yclk clock signals during the 100 ns high state of the vx clock signal ( 5 × 20 ns = 100 ns ). the first four xclk and yclk clock cycles fill the first four bits cells of shift register 26 but have no output . the fifth xclk and yclk clock cycle shifts a logic one into the fifth data cell and switches output f1 to logic one indicating vco 12 is operating at 100 mhz . if vco 12 operates at 320 mhz in response to best case temperature and process , then xclk and yclk operate at 160 mhz with 6 . 25 ns periods . outputs f1 - f12 are all logic ones because shift register 26 receives sixteen xclk and yclk clock signals during the 100 ns high state of the vx clock signal ( 16 × 6 . 25 ns = 100 ns ). the fifth through the sixteen bit locations of shift register 26 represent 20 mhz steps . thus , circuit 10 measures and quantifies the actual operating characteristics of vco 12 as a function of temperature and process variation . the fifth bit cell ( output f1 ) corresponds to a 100 mhz vco output frequency with 20 mhz steps to the sixteen bit cell ( output f12 ) which represents a 320 mhz vco output frequency . it is understood that shift register may be expanded to achieve greater precision of the actual frequency of vco 12 . buffer circuit 32 is shown is fig5 including twelve buffer blocks . the f1 buffer block is shown in detail and the remaining buffer blocks follow a similar construction . the vy clock signal is applied at a first input of and gate 100 , while a second input of the same receives output f1 . the reset signal is applied through inverter 102 to a third input of and gate 100 . the output of and gate 100 is coupled to the base of transistor 104 . the drain of transistor 104 receives power supply potential v dd , while the source of transistor 104 is coupled through inverters 106 and 108 for providing output f1 . transistor 110 has a base receiving the reset signal , a drain coupled to the input of inverter 106 and a source coupled to power supply conductor 112 operating at ground potential . assume that the output frequency of vco 12 is such that outputs f1 - f2 are logic one and outputs f3 - f12 are logic zero . an active logic one reset signal turns on transistor 110 and pulls the input of inverter 106 to logic zero to reset outputs f1 - f12 to logic zeroes . when the vy clock signal is logic one and output f1 is logic one , the output of and gate 100 goes to logic one ( assuming reset deactivated ) and turns on transistor 104 . output f1 goes to logic one . likewise , output f2 becomes logic one because output f2 is logic one . outputs f3 - f12 remain at logic zero when the vy clock signal is logic one because outputs f3 - f12 are logic zero . to this point , temperature and process sensing circuit . 10 has determined the actual operating frequency of vco 12 . outputs f1 - f12 have been set accordingly . it is understood that devices other than a vco , e . g . a crystal oscillator , may provide similar quantifiable data regarding temperature and process conditions . a key feature of the present invention is using that information to compensate or adjust the input signal to reflect the actual operating conditions . assume that the input signal as applied to compensation circuit 34 operates in a critical timing path . if , for example , the hold time of the input signal is spec &# 39 ; d at 5 ns , it is possible for that hold time to vary between 5 and 20 ns depending on whether the temperature and process yields a best case or worst case scenario . an embodiment of compensation circuit 34 is shown in fig6 to correct for timing error caused by process and temperature variation . outputs f1 - f12 are coupled to thirteen exclusive - or gates 118 - 126 as shown . one input of exclusive - or gate 118 receives a logic one from power supply conductor 14 while one input of exclusive - or gate 126 receives a logic zero from power supply conductor 112 . with output f1 at logic one , the output of exclusive - or gate 118 is logic zero . likewise , the output of exclusive - or gate 120 is logic zero because outputs f1 and f2 are logic one . the output of exclusive - or gate 122 is logic one because output f2 is logic one and output f3 is logic zero . with outputs f3 - f12 at logic zero , the outputs of exclusive - or gates 122 - 126 are logic zero . thus , the configuration provides one and only one logic one from the outputs of exclusive - or gates 118 - 126 for any given combination of logic states from outputs f1 - f12 . an active logic one reset signal is inverted by inverter 128 and produces logic zeroes at the inputs of thirteen nand gates 130 - 138 to disable and reset compensation circuit 34 . when the reset signal returns to logic zero , the logic one from exclusive - or gate 122 forces the output of nand gate 134 to logic zero . the outputs of other nand gates 130 - 136 ( except gate 134 ) are logic one . thirteen inverters 140 - 148 provide complementary outputs of nand gates 130 - 138 . thirteen transmission gates 150 - 158 receive the outputs of nand gates 130 - 138 at their inverted inputs , respectively , and complemented outputs of the same at their non - inverted inputs . transmission gates 150 - 158 may comprise back - to - back p - channel and n - channel transistors ( not shown ) with their drains and sources coupled together , as is well known . the inverted input is the gate of the p - channel transistor , and the non - inverted input is the gate of the n - channel transistor . with the output of nand gate 134 at logic zero , only transmission gate 154 is enabled . the input signal is delayed the appropriate length of time to compensate for temperature and process variation by enabling the corresponding transmission gate to provide the same 2 . 0 ns delay independent of temperature and process conditions . it is important that delay circuits 160 - 168 experience the same temperature and process and power supply potential variation as vco 12 . that is , the inverters in delays circuits 160 - 168 must have same inherent delay and speed as a function of temperature and process as the inverters in vco 12 . thus , for the example of a 5 ns hold - time requirement , under worst case processing , very little if any additional delay is needed , i . e . transmission gate 150 is enabled to activate delay circuit 160 . as process and temperature conditions improve , more delay is necessary to achieve the desired 5 ns hold - time , i . e ., delay circuit 164 activated in response to logic one outputs f1 - f2 as described above . for absolute best case processing , transmission gate 158 is enabled by output f12 to activate delay circuit 168 and slow down the input signal to achieve the desired 5 ns hold - time for the output signal . an alternate embodiment of compensation circuit 34 is shown in fig7 to correct for switching thresholds variation after determining the nature of the process and temperature . exclusive - or gates 170 - 194 operate as described for exclusive - or gates 118 - 126 . or gate 198 provides a logic one to nand gate 208 when any one of exclusive - or gates 170 - 176 goes to logic one . likewise , or gate 202 provides a logic one to nand gate 204 when any one of exclusive - or gates 178 - 182 goes to logic one . or gate 206 provides a logic one to nand gate 208 when any one of exclusive - or gates 184 - 188 goes to logic one , while or gate 210 provides a logic one to nand gate 212 when any one of exclusive - or gates 190 - 194 goes to logic one . inverters 214 - 222 complement the output signals of nand gates 200 , 204 , 208 and 212 , respectively . or gates 198 , 202 , 206 and 210 combine the output signals of exclusive - or gates 170 - 194 into four groups . it is possible to eliminate or gates 198 , 202 , 206 and 210 by including matching nand gates for each exclusive - or gate and correspondingly more transmission gates and buffers . in a similar manner as described for compensation circuit 34 in fig6 only one of or gates 198 , 202 , 206 and 210 produces a logic one at its output . again assuming outputs f1 and f2 are logic one and outputs f3 - f12 are logic zero , exclusive - or gate 174 goes to logic one and the output of nand gate 200 goes to logic zero when the reset signal is logic one following inverter 222 . transmission gate 224 is enabled to activate buffer 226 . transmission gates 228 , 230 and 232 are disabled thereby blocking buffers 234 , 236 and 238 , respectively . it is well known that temperature and process conditions affect switching thresholds . worst case processing causes the widest range of switching thresholds , while best case processing results in the narrowest range of switching thresholds . the difference between buffers 226 , 234 , 236 and 238 is the sizing of the internal drive transistors ( not shown ) and associated switching thresholds . buffer 226 may be sized to switch to logic zero at 0 . 8 volts and to logic one at 2 . 0 volts if driving ttl logic . similarly , buffers 234 , 236 and 238 switch to logic zero at 0 . 8 volts and to logic one at 2 . 0 volts but are sized differently to compensate for process and temperature variation . upon detecting worst case processing , or near worst case , one or more of outputs f1 - f3 are logic one . transmission gate 224 is enabled to activate buffer 226 with its geometry to achieve the desired switching thresholds . under typical case processing , outputs f1 - f3 are logic one and one or more of outputs f4 - f6 are logic one . transmission gate 228 is enabled to activate buffer 234 with its geometry to achieve the desired switching thresholds . alternately , outputs f1 - f6 may be logic one and one or more of outputs f7 - f9 may be logic one to enable transmission gate 228 and activate buffer 236 . finally under best case processing , or near best case , outputs f1 - f9 are logic one and one or more of outputs f10 - f12 are logic one . transmission gate 232 is enabled to activate buffer 238 with its geometry to achieve the desired switching thresholds . controlling switching thresholds works for input buffers and output buffers arrangements . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art . it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular forms shown and it is intended for the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention .	7
the figures and the following description relate to preferred embodiments by way of illustration only . it should be noted that from the following discussion , alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of what is claimed . fig1 is a logical diagram of a computing architecture and / or methodology described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . consider an optimization problem being solved . for example , the problem might be : given a set of package delivery drivers with their locations , a set of package delivery destinations , and a set of possible routes between drivers and destinations , what is the set of routes that the drivers can take that will allow all packages to be delivered in the shortest amount of time ? this is a big data problem ( in the domain of graph analytics ) whose solution could well be sought using a distributed computing system and big data compute framework . however , quantum processing devices are potentially very efficient at solving these types of problems . throughout this document , a “ quantum processing device ” may be one or more physical devices that perform processing especially based upon quantum effects , one or more devices that act in such a way , one or more physical or virtual simulators that emulate such effects , or any other devices or simulators that may reasonably be interpreted as exhibiting quantum processing behavior . thus , it might be ideal to solve the entire problem on such a quantum computer . in order to expand the scale of the problem being solved , one way to solve this computational task is to partition the task into smaller sub - problems , some of which are solved on quantum processing devices and some of which are solved on classical distributed computers . referring to the computing system in fig1 , when the end user 110 enters the problem 120 , the big data compute framework 130 distributes pieces of the problem ( for instance , solving the delivery scheduling problem for particular cities rather than an entire state ) to the quantum processing devices 190 a - n as well as to classical distributed computers 150 available to the end user . in this example , the big data computer framework 130 functions as a master machine , and the quantum processing devices 190 and conventional computers 150 function as worker machines . quantum processing devices 190 are employed via an api 170 ( see e . g . fig2 ) in order to solve some or all of these sub - problems , or the entire problem . solutions 187 from the quantum processing devices 190 are returned through the api in an appropriate form 183 for the big data compute framework 130 , allowing seamless execution of the problem in a heterogeneous environment involving both classical distributed computers 150 as well as quantum processing devices 190 . the end result is a solution to the entire delivery scheduling problem , presented in a desired format 183 to the end user . in the architecture of fig1 , an end user 110 describes a computational task 120 , and then loads this problem 120 into a big data compute framework 130 . the big data framework 130 has been extended ( e . g ., via a plugin interface ) with an api 170 and libraries 160 a - n . one or more domain - specific libraries ( such as for machine learning 160 a or for graph analytics 160 b ) may be used by the big data compute framework 130 to perform special operations ( e . g ., specially optimized routines or simplified , more specific versions of general - purpose routines ). the libraries 160 aid or improve the big data compute framework &# 39 ; s ability to solve computational tasks using quantum processing devices 190 . results of library function calls are passed to the provided api 170 , which may also be directly called by the big data compute framework 130 . the api 170 then performs a series of steps in order to execute some or all of the given computational task on one or more quantum processing devices 190 . this involves converting the task to a quantum data model , such that the task may be readily solved on a variety of quantum processing devices and architectures 190 . when the quantum processing devices 190 return solutions 187 to the specified tasks , the provided api 170 returns these solutions in a format 183 amenable to the big data compute framework 130 or in a format that can be converted into a form amenable to the big data compute framework 130 through another software . the distributed computing cluster 150 may directly or indirectly interface with the provided api 170 in order to , for example , communicate information about currently running tasks . one or more quantum processing devices 190 may be used within the architecture , just as any classical computing cluster 150 ( which may be comprised of multiple clusters that the end user can access ) can be used within the architecture . fig2 is a logical diagram of an api described in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention . in this example , the api 170 includes software 210 that allows integration with various big data compute frameworks ( e . g ., as a plugin for apache spark ). the api 170 also has a manual user interface 220 that allows interaction with the api 170 without a big data compute framework ( and enables development of interfaces to additional big data compute frameworks ). in one embodiment of the invention , the provided api 170 automatically determines 230 how to partition problems into smaller pieces amenable to solution on quantum computing devices 190 , for example , by applying specially adapted classical problem decomposition heuristics for traveling salesman - like problems when the input problem is determined to resemble a traveling salesman problem . in another embodiment , the end user may manually specify some or all of the instructions on how to decompose or partition a larger computational task into smaller pieces that fit within the memory of a quantum computing device . the api 170 also includes an internal task scheduler 240 that is tuned for the many distinguishing characteristics of quantum computing devices . the api 170 also includes a module 250 for conversion of an input computational task into a realization of a quantum data model . this conversion may be fully manual , partially automated , or fully automated , in different embodiments . the realization of the task using quantum data model is a representation of the task in a manner that makes the problem amenable to solution on a particular quantum processing device 190 . for example , in one embodiment , this module might involve automatic conversion of an arbitrary optimization problem into a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization ( qubo ) problem , for solution on a d - wave quantum processing device ( which is largely designed for solving that specific type of problem ). another feature of the api 170 involves a suite of software algorithms and routines 260 for optimizing the realization of the computational task upon the quantum data model for execution upon a particular quantum processing device . this optimization may be fully manual , partially automated , or fully automated , in different embodiments . following the above example , the api may know that one quantum computer has a different architecture than another quantum computer . using this knowledge , the api 170 can tune particular aspects of the problem , the underlying data model , settings of the solution method , etc . so that the task is solved in an optimal or near - optimal way on the quantum processing device . finally , the api 170 includes interfaces 270 to various quantum processing devices . these may include adiabatic quantum computing devices , quantum annealing devices , gate - model quantum computing devices , or other processing devices that use quantum effects in order to obtain solutions to computational problems . this component 270 of the api is capable of both distributing tasks to various quantum processing devices as well as reading returned solutions from the devices . fig2 is just one example of an api 170 . other examples may have less than all the modules 210 - 270 shown in fig2 and / or may have additional modules not shown . typically , the api 170 will include an interface 210 to the master machine , an interface 270 to the quantum processing devices , and some sort of api stack ( modules 220 - 260 in this example ) between the two interfaces . fig3 - 6 are logical diagrams of more example computing architectures and / or methodologies described in accordance with additional embodiments of the invention . in the computing system of fig3 , no classical distributed computers ( 150 in fig1 ) are used . the big data compute framework 130 is used solely in conjunction with quantum processing devices 190 via the provided api 170 and libraries 160 . in the computing system of fig4 , none of the domain - specific libraries ( 160 in fig1 ) are used by the big data compute framework 130 or provided api 170 when performing the given computational tasks . this architecture demonstrates that the api and associated integrations may be used without specific use of the provided domain - specific libraries . in the computing system of fig5 , the provided api 170 and libraries 160 are used to solve a computational problem without use of a big data compute framework ( 130 in fig1 ) or other distributed computing resources ( 150 in fig1 ). in this example , a master machine 530 controls the worker quantum processing devices 190 . this example demonstrates a framework for distributed computation across a set of quantum processing devices 190 without using the integration provided for big data compute frameworks . in the computing system of fig6 , quantum processing simulators 690 are used rather than quantum processing devices 190 . quantum processing simulators 690 are generally virtual quantum processing devices that execute virtually within a classical computing device . quantum processing simulators 690 may be used , for example , to execute quantum algorithms when quantum processing hardware is not available to the end user . since quantum processing simulators 690 behave in the same way as physical quantum processing devices 190 , the api 170 may interoperate with quantum processing simulators 690 or physical quantum computing devices 190 , or a combination of the two . the approaches described above may be used to solve various computational problems and tasks , in whole or in part . in one embodiment , partial components of a larger computational task are executed by the quantum processing devices . in another embodiment , the entire computational task is executed by the quantum processing devices . additionally , while these examples use two specific domain - specific libraries 160 a , b , there is no restriction on what domains may admit useful libraries 160 for inclusion into this computing framework . furthermore , while the drawings display a single computational problem 120 , that computational problem or task may in fact be comprised of many computational problems or tasks that the end user may wish to execute in serial or in parallel . in yet another embodiment shown in fig7 , the computing architecture is composed of a high - level api and library , a quantum data model 765 , and a set of software processes to prepare this data model for computation on a quantum processing device 190 . in this embodiment , the high - level api and library are built as an extension to the existing parallel framework api . this extended api gives the programmer simple control of when to initiate use of the software processes to generate a quantum computational input . in fig7 , the library calls are available at the level of the software blocks 160 a - n titled “ machine learning ” “ graph analytics ” and “ other apps ”. these are application areas that could make use of the quantum processing device as a co - processor . in this embodiment , the existing large scale software framework partitions parallel workloads to worker machines as usual . this is modeled in fig7 by the blocks titled “ big data compute framework ” 130 . internally , the architecture involves modifying the master ( controlling ) machine to contain a quantum data model . in fig7 , the data model is represented by the block 765 titled “ optimization problem .” this data model 765 is stored on the master machine during computation and is used to aggregate computation results from all the worker machines in the system . in this embodiment , the master machine occasionally uses the quantum data model 765 to generate appropriate input for the quantum processing device 190 . a common paradigm in many computer algorithms is to generate quantum inputs ( effectively calling the quantum processing device to perform computation ) once per algorithm iteration . the quantum processing input is generated by running the data model through software processes that automate the generation of the appropriate input for the quantum processing device . in fig1 , these software processes are represented by the flow of data from the “ optimization problem ,” through the “ problem -& gt ; bo / qubo ” and “ operating system ” blocks , and to the “ dwave ” block 190 ( an example of a quantum processing device ). results of computation are then read back from the quantum processing device 190 via the same channel . the results are used to update the quantum data model . finally , the distributed software framework is used to organize the updating of the worker machines with the updated computation model data . although the detailed description contains many specifics , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but merely as illustrating different examples and aspects of the invention . it should be appreciated that the scope of the invention includes other embodiments not discussed in detail above . for example , one may include multiple large - scale software frameworks in various configurations in the architectures described above . various other modifications , changes and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement , operation and details of the method and apparatus of the present invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . therefore , the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	7
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . like reference numerals refer to similar or identical elements throughout . fig2 is a perspective view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig3 is a plan view illustrating the rear of a bezel base according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig4 is a partial perspective view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig5 is a sectional view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig6 is a partially enlarged view of fig5 ; fig7 is a view illustrating the upper surface of a key scan board according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig8 is a view illustrating the lower surface of a key scan board according to one embodiment of the present invention ; and fig9 is a view illustrating a process of protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated , in order to achieve the above object , an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a key module 100 including pluralities of buttons 111 and a bezel base 120 wherein the buttons 111 are provided substantially on the front of the key module 100 and pluralities of protruded first rods 122 are formed on the rear of the key module 100 ; a first switching portion 126 for the button 111 of the key module 100 and a second switching point 127 for the first rod 122 of the bezel base 120 ; and a front membrane 125 for transmitting the pressing force of the button 111 and the first rod 122 through the first switching portion 126 and the second switching portion 127 . furthermore , the button 111 provided substantially on the front of the key module 100 is inserted into a front bracket 114 to be close to a protection rubber 113 , the rear of the button 111 passes through the rear of the front bracket 114 tightly , and the protection pad 116 is provided on the rear of the protection rubber 113 , wherein the front bracket 114 is formed into a lattice . at this time , the protection rubber 113 prevents water from penetrating through the space between the button 111 and the front bracket 114 , and the protection pad 116 prevents water from penetrating into the bezel base 120 . furthermore , a transmitting member 118 is positioned substantially at the rear of the protection pad 116 and at the front of the bezel base 120 , for transmitting the pressing force . a switching member 119 is positioned substantially at the rear of the transmitting member 118 , for transmitting the pressing force to the first switching portion 126 of the front membrane 125 through the bezel base 120 . at this time , the button 111 and the front bracket 114 constituting the outer surface of the key module 100 are formed using metal plates , and form a protection wall against the external intrusion . therefore , components provided inside of the key module may be protected . moreover , the bezel base 120 is formed by injecting plastic into an injection module , and one of pluralities of first rods 122 formed on the rear of the bezel base 120 is positioned on one side at the center of the bezel base 120 and another is positioned on the other side at the center thereof 120 , spaced apart by predetermined interval . at this time , the bezel base 120 is positioned at the rear of the transmitting member 118 , and the rear of the button 111 passes through the protection pad 116 , thereby pressing a groove 124 formed on the front of the transmitting member 118 , and then passes through a hole formed on the bezel base 120 , and coupled with the switching member 119 , thereby pressing the first switching portion 126 of the front membrane 125 . furthermore , a key scan board 130 is positioned at the rear of the front membrane 125 , and pluralities of first contacts 132 for connecting the first switching portion 126 and pluralities of second contacts 133 for connecting the second switching portion 127 are positioned on the front of the key scan board 130 . and pluralities of third contacts 134 are further positioned on the rear of the key scan board 130 . at this time , the first and the second switching portions 126 and 127 of the front membrane 125 are formed using a elastic dome , for elastically receiving the pressing force . an electric conductor such as a carbon board is applied on the lower surface of the elastic dome , and electrically connects the first and the second contacts 132 and 133 positioned on the key scan board 130 . furthermore , a plurality of second contacts 133 positioned on the front of the key scan board 130 are provided adjacent to a screw hole 136 for a screw for coupling the key module 100 and the rear case 180 . when the screw is removed , the pressing force of the first rod 122 for the second contact 133 , or the location thereof changes . more particularly , a pair of screw holes 136 for a screw for coupling the key module 100 and the rear case 180 is formed on a vertical line passing the center portion . the second contact 133 is positioned between the screw holes 136 . thus , in case that the screw is removed , the location or pressing force of the first rod 122 for the second contact 133 changes . the electric circuit section 170 detects the change of the voltage or electric current of the second contact 133 and makes information stored in the memory unreadable immediately . furthermore , a rear membrane 140 including a third switching portion 142 for connecting the third contact 134 is positioned at the rear of the key scan board 130 . an electric circuit section 170 including a memory is positioned at the rear of the rear membrane 140 , for performing logic calculation , wherein the memory first receives a value in accordance with connection of contacts of the key scan board 130 and later stores the same . the rear case 180 is positioned at the rear of the electric circuit section 170 , and the rear case 180 includes a second rod 182 for the third switching portion 142 included in the rear membrane 140 and is coupled with the bezel base 120 of the key module 100 . moreover , third contacts 134 positioned on the rear of the key scan board 130 are formed of a pair and positioned on a vertical line passing the center portion . the arrangement of the third contacts 134 like above is to detect that the rear case 180 is removed from the bezel base 120 with the minimum contacts . accordingly , in case that the rear of the rear case 180 moves away from the rear of the bezel base 120 , even a little , the pressing force of the second rod 182 for the third switching portion 142 of the rear membrane changes and the electric current or the voltage changes at the third contact 134 connected to the third switching portion 142 of the rear membrane 140 . furthermore , a circuit connector 172 of the electric circuit section 170 is provided on a vertical line passing through the third contacts 134 and a board connector 135 , so that the board connector 135 , for transmitting the states of connections at contacts of the key scan board 130 , passes through the third contacts 134 . the arrangement of the board connector 135 like above is to prevent the board connector 135 from getting access to the third contacts 134 and prevent a hacker from applying electric conduction liquid ( electric conduction ink ) to the third contact to make it as same as the first state of connection thereof 134 . in case that the hacker attempts to put electric conduction liquid into the terminal of the circuit connector 172 in a state where the circuit connector 172 is coupled with the board connector 135 , the arrangement of the board connector 135 like above is to prevent an instrument including electric conduction liquid from getting access to the circuit connector 172 by the second rod 182 for the third contact 134 . in addition , the third contact 134 includes a first terminal 134 a and a second terminal 134 b , which are electrically connected by the second rod 182 , and the third contact 134 further includes a third terminal 134 c which is formed closely adjacent to the first terminal 134 a and the second terminal 134 b , and the electric circuit section 170 makes the stored information unreadable in accordance with the connection between the second and the third terminals 134 a and 134 b . furthermore , although it is not illustrated , the second contact 133 also includes a first terminal and a second terminal which are electrically connected by the first rod 122 , just like the third contact 134 , and may include a third terminal adjacent to the first terminal or the second terminal . meanwhile , the second rod 182 of the rear case 180 is formed to be protruded in the opposite direction from the first rod 122 , with the similar structure , and includes a tube portion 182 a and a rubber member 182 b for the third switching portion 142 . at this time , the second rods 182 are formed of a pair to correspond to the third contacts 134 and respectively positioned on the upper portion and the lower portion at the center portion of the rear case 180 . furthermore , a first back bracket 150 is positioned at the rear of the rear membrane 140 to support the rear membrane 140 and the key scan board 130 . a second bracket 160 is formed inside the rear case 180 for the electric circuit section 170 , and positioned at the rear of the first back bracket to support the electric circuit section 170 . at this time , it is preferable that the first back bracket 150 and the second back bracket 160 are stuck closely without gap . in addition , the first and the second back brackets 150 and 160 are formed using steel to enhance their strength . therefore , even in case that the rear case 180 is damaged , the first and the second back brackets 150 and 160 protect the electric circuit section 170 substantially . moreover , the external surface of the electric circuit section 170 is molded by epoxy 173 in a state where the electric circuit section 170 is formed inside the rear case 180 . therefore , it is possible to prevent the external access to the electric circuit section 170 . hereinafter , the process for protecting the pin pad module according to the present embodiment will be described . in case that there is any tampering attempt to remove the bezel base 120 or the button 111 of the key module 100 for the purpose of hacking into a password through the electric circuit section 170 or the key scan board 130 of the pin pad module , it is required to unscrew the screw of the bezel base 120 or remove the front bracket 114 on which the button 111 is positioned . at this time , the key module 100 protects the front of the pin pad module . in case that the screw for fixing the bezel base 120 to the rear case 180 is unscrewed , the pressing force or the location changes at any one of the first rod 122 and the second rod 182 for the second and the third switching portions 126 and 142 of the membrane . furthermore , the voltage or the electric current changes at any one of the second and third contacts 133 and 134 for the second switching portion 126 and the third switching portion 142 . at this time , the electric circuit section 170 recognizes the change in the voltage or the electric current of the second and the third contacts 133 and 134 , as hacking for the pin pad module , thereby making the stored information unreadable . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a plan view illustrating the rear of a rubber pad including buttons according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a sectional view illustrating an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a partially enlarged view of fig1 ; fig1 is a view illustrating the upper surface of a key scan board according to one embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a view illustrating the lower surface of a key scan board according to one embodiment of the present invention ; and fig1 is a view illustrating a process of protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated , in order to achieve the above object , an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to one embodiment of the present inventions comprises a key module 200 including a rubber pad 210 and a bezel base 220 wherein pluralities of buttons 211 are formed on the front of the rubber pad 210 , pluralities of protruded first rods 222 are formed on the rear thereof 210 , and the rubber pad 210 is inserted into the bezel base 220 including holes ; and a front membrane 225 including a first switching portion 226 for the button 211 of the key module 200 and a second switching portion 227 for the first rod 222 , to transmit the pressing force of the button 211 and the first rod 222 to the rear through the first and the second switching portions 226 and 227 . furthermore , a key scan board 230 is positioned at the rear of the front membrane 225 , and includes pluralities of first contacts 232 for the first switching portions 226 , and pluralities of second contacts 233 for the second switching portions 227 on the front of the key scan board 230 and pluralities of third contacts 234 on the rear thereof 230 . in addition , a rear membrane 240 is positioned at the rear of the key scan board 230 , and includes a third switching portion 242 for the third contact 234 , and an electric circuit section 270 is positioned at the rear of the rear membrane 240 and includes a memory for receiving the states of connection of contacts of the key scan board 230 to perform logic calculation . a rear case 280 is positioned at the rear of the rear membrane 240 , includes a pair of second rods 282 for third contacts 242 and is coupled with the bezel base 220 of the key module 200 by screws . at this time , the structure and materials of the front membrane 225 and the rear membrane 240 embodying the present embodiment are similar to those of the previous embodiment . the number of the contacts 226 of the front membrane 225 for the buttons 221 formed on the rubber pad 210 and the number of the first contacts 232 of the key scan board 230 is more than that of the previous embodiment . furthermore , a circuit connector 272 of the electric circuit section 270 is provided on a vertical line passing through the third contacts 234 and a board connector 235 , so that the board connector 235 , for transmitting the states of connection at contacts of the key scan board 230 , passes through the third contacts 234 . the arrangement of the board connector 235 like above is to prevent the board connector 235 from getting access to the third contacts 234 and prevent a hacker from applying electric conduction liquid ( electric conduction ink ) to the third contact to make it as same as the first state of connection thereof 234 . in case that the hacker attempts to put electric conduction liquid into the terminal of the circuit connector 272 in a state where the circuit connector 272 is coupled with the board connector 235 , the arrangement of the board connector 235 like above is to prevent an instrument including electric conduction liquid from getting access to the circuit connector 272 by a second rod 282 for the third contact 234 . in addition , the third contact 234 includes a first terminal 234 a and a second terminal 234 b , which are electrically connected by the first rod 282 , and the third contact 234 further includes a third terminal 234 c which is formed closely adjacent to the first terminal 234 a and the second terminal 234 b , and the electric circuit section 270 makes the stored information unreadable in accordance with the connection between the second and the third terminals 234 a and 234 b . furthermore , although it is not illustrated , the second contact 233 also includes a first terminal and a second terminal which are electrically connected by the first rod 222 , just like the third contact 234 , and may include a third terminal adjacent to the first terminal or the second terminal . meanwhile , the second rod 282 of the rear case 280 is formed to be protruded in the opposite direction from the first rod 222 , with the similar structure , and includes a tube portion 282 a and a rubber member 282 b for the third contact 242 . at this time , the second rods 282 are formed of a pair to correspond to the third contacts 234 and respectively positioned on the upper portion and the lower portion at the center portion of the rear case 280 . furthermore , a first back bracket 250 is positioned at the rear of the rear membrane 240 to support the rear membrane 240 and the key scan board 230 . a second bracket 250 is formed inside the rear case 280 for the electric circuit section 270 , and positioned at the rear of the first back bracket 250 to support the electric circuit section 270 . in addition , the first and the second back brackets 250 and 260 are formed using steel to enhance their strength . therefore , even in case that the rear case 280 is damaged , the first and the second back brackets 250 and 260 protect the electric circuit section 270 substantially . moreover , the external surface of the electric circuit section 270 is molded by epoxy in a state where the electric circuit section 270 is formed inside the rear case 280 . therefore , it is possible to prevent the external access to the electric circuit section 270 . the first , the second , and the third contacts 232 , 233 , and 234 that are formed on the key scan board 230 , and a screw hole 236 are positioned similar to the previous embodiment . hereinafter , the process for protecting the pin pad module according to one embodiment will be described . in case that there is any tampering attempt to remove the bezel base 220 or the button 211 of the key module 200 for the purpose of hacking into a password through the electric circuit section 270 or the key scan board 230 of the pin pad module , it is required to unscrew the screw of the bezel base 220 or remove the rubber pad 210 on which the button 111 is positioned . at this time , the key module 200 protects the front of the pin pad module . in case that the screw for fixing the bezel base 220 to the rear case 280 is unscrewed to remove the bezel base 220 from the rear case 280 , or the bezel base 220 is destroyed , thereby moving the rubber pad 210 , the pressing force or the location changes at any one of the first rod 222 and the second rod 282 for the second and the third switching portions 226 and 242 of the membrane . furthermore , the voltage or the electric current changes at any one of the second and third contacts 233 and 234 for the second switching portion 226 and the third switching portion 242 . at this time , the electric circuit section 270 recognizes the change as hacking for the pin pad module , thereby making the stored information unreadable . as described above , in case that an apparatus for protecting a pin pad module according to the present invention is adopted and there is any tampering attempt to physically disassemble the pin pad module to install hacking equipments for the purpose of finding out a password , the pressing force or location changes at any one of the first and the second rods , wherein the pin pad module is installed in a financial terminal or the like . in addition , the voltage or electric current changes at any one of the second and the third contacts of the key scan board and the electric circuit section detects the event and recognizes the event as hacking for the pin pad module , thereby making the stored information unreadable . therefore , the present invention can enhance the security of the pin pad module . furthermore , the rear of the key scan board embodying the pin pad module is protected by a plurality of metal brackets . therefore , the present invention can prevent a hacker &# 39 ; s intrusion , such as for example , cutting off the rear of the pin pad module and accessing the key scan board . furthermore , a method of detecting hacking that is adopted by the apparatus for protecting the pin pad module , does not electrically connect contacts by fixing components . the method uses contacts of the key scan board in which the electric circuit section detects the states of connection . therefore , in case that an intruder cuts off around the fixing component or cuts off the fixing component , the pressing force or the location of the rod changes at contacts and the electrical change occurs at contacts . thus , the present invention can detect the intrusion immediately through the electric circuit section .	7
a well known method for the transmission of digital data over a physical medium ( e . g . a wire ) is the use of line codes . a line code maps the digital levels 1 and 0 to voltage waveforms such that the digital data may be recovered from the signal received at the receiver with minimal error . many different line codes are known , and each line code has its own distinct characteristics . one such characteristic of line codes is the power spectral density ( psd ) which describes the relative power contributed by various frequency components . in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , a first high data rate digital data signal is encoded using a manchester line code and a second low data rate digital data signal is encoded using a polar non - return - to - zero ( nrz ) line code . line codes are well known in the art and various line codes in accordance with particular embodiments of the invention will be described briefly herein . for further information on line codes , see modern digital and analog communication systems , second edition , b . p . lathi , oxford university press , 1995 , chapter 3 . in a polar nrz line code , a digital 1 is encoded as + v volts and a digital 0 is encoded as − v volts . polar nrz is a non - return - to - zero code such that the waveform does not return to 0 volts between symbols . an example waveform for the digital signal 10011 encoded using polar nrz is shown in fig1 . fig2 shown the normalized psd for a signal encoded using the polar nrz line code . as seen from fig2 the psd has a significant dc ( i . e ., 0 frequency ) component . further , for a signaling rate of r bps , a bandwidth null occurs at r hz . a manchester line code is a transition line code wherein waveform transitions between + v and − v encode the digital signal . in a manchester line code , a digital 1 is encoded as a + v →− v transition , and a digital 0 is encoded as a − v →+ v transition . an example waveform for the digital signal 10011 encoded using a manchester line code is shown in fig3 . fig4 shown the normalized psd for a signal encoded using the manchester line code . as seen from fig4 the psd has 0 dc component . further , for a signaling rate of r bps , a bandwidth null occurs at 2r hz . in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , a first low data rate digital signal is encoded using the polar nrz line code , a second high data rate digital signal is encoded using the manchester line code , and the two encoded signals are combined and transmitted over a single physical transmission medium . due to the characteristics of the line codes , the psd &# 39 ; s of the encoded signals at the chosen data rates are substantially orthogonal , and thus the two encoded signals may be combined and transmitted via a single physical medium without interference . fig5 shows the normalized psds for the encoded signals in accordance with this embodiment of the invention in which a high data rate digital signal at a data rate of 4r is encoded using manchester encoding and a low data rate digital signal at a data rate of r / 4 is encoded using polar nrz encoding . the psd for the polar nrz encoded signal is shown as curve 502 and the psd for the manchester encoded signal is shown as curve 504 . as can be seen from fig5 the high data rate manchester encoded signal has a low psd in the low frequency range , and the low data rate polar nrz encoded signal has a high psd in the same low frequency range . further , the high data rate manchester encoded signal has a high psd in the high frequency range , and the low data rate polar nrz encoded signal has a low psd in the same high frequency range . because of the substantial orthogonality of the psds of the two encoded signals , the signals may be combined and transmitted simultaneously over the same physical medium with little or no interference . one embodiment of a system for practicing the invention as described in accordance with fig5 is shown in fig6 . a transmitter 602 receives a low data rate digital signal and a high data rate digital signal . the low data rate digital signal is encoded by polar nrz line coder 604 and the high data rate digital signal is encoded by manchester line coder 606 . the two encoded signals are combined by combiner 608 and transmitted via a wire 610 to receiver 620 . at the receiver 620 the signal is split and provided to a low - pass filter 622 and a high - pass filter 626 . the low - pass filter 622 passes the signal in the low frequency range . as described above in conjunction with fig5 the high data rate encoded signal has a low psd in the low frequency range , and the low data rate encoded signal has a high psd in the same low frequency range . thus , the output of the low - pass filter 622 is provided to a polar nrz line decoder 624 for decoding . the polar nrz line decoder 624 will output the low data rate digital signal . similarly , the high - pass filter 626 passes the signal in the high frequency range . as described above in conjunction with fig5 the high data rate encoded signal has a high psd in the high frequency range , and the low data rate encoded signal has a low psd in the same high frequency range . thus , the output of the high - pass filter 626 is provided to a manchester line decoder 630 for decoding . the manchester line decoder 630 outputs the high data rate digital signal . if appropriate data rates and line codes are chosen , then it is possible to transmit more than two signals over a single physical medium in accordance with the invention . an embodiment in which three signals are transmitted over a single medium will now be described . in accordance with this embodiment , a first high data rate digital signal is encoded using a manchester line code , a second low data rate digital signal is encoded using polar non - return - to - zero ( nrz ) line code , and a third low data rate digital signal is encoded using an alternate mark inversion ( ami ) line code . in an ami line code , a digital 1 is alternately encoded as + v and − v and a digital 0 is encoded as 0 v . an example waveform for the digital signal 10011 encoded using an ami line code is shown in fig7 . fig8 shown the normalized psd for a signal encoded using the ami line code . as seen from fig8 the psd has 0 dc component . further , for a signaling rate of r bps , a bandwidth null occurs at r hz . the ami line code is well known and is further described in modern digital and analog communication systems , second edition , b . p . lathi , oxford university press , 1995 , p . 171 . in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , a first low data rate digital signal is encoded using the polar nrz line code , a second low data rate digital signal is encoded using the ami line code , a third high data rate digital signal is encoded using the manchester line code , and three encoded signals are combined and transmitted over a single transmission medium . due to the characteristics of the line codes in combination with chosen data rates , the psd &# 39 ; s of the encoded signals are substantially orthogonal , and thus the three encoded signals may be transmitted via a single medium without interference . fig9 shows the normalized psds for the encoded signals in accordance with an embodiment of the invention in which a first low data rate digital signal at a data rate of r / 4 is encoded using polar nrz encoding , a second low data rate digital signal at a data rate of r is encoded using ami encoding , and a third high data rate digital signal at a data rate of 4r is encoded using manchester encoding . the psd for the polar nrz encoded signal is shown as curve 902 , the psd for the ami encoded signal is shown as curve 904 , and the psd for the manchester encoded signal is shown as curve 906 . as can be seen from fig9 the psds of the three encoded signals are substantially orthogonal in the frequency domain . all three signals have high psd &# 39 ; s in different frequency ranges . further , in the frequency range in which one of the signals has a high psd , the other signals have low psd &# 39 ; s . as a result , the three signals may be transmitted over the same physical medium with little or no interference . one embodiment of a system for practicing the invention as described in conjunction with fig9 is shown in fig1 . a transmitter 1002 receives a first low data rate ( r / 4 ) digital signal , a second low data rate ( r ) digital signal , and a third high data rate ( 4r ) digital signal . the first low data rate digital signal is encoded by polar nrz line coder 1004 , the second low data rate digital signal is encoded by ami line coder 1006 and the third high data rate digital signal is encoded by manchester line coder 1008 . the three encoded signals are combined by combiner 1009 and transmitted via wire 1010 to receiver 1012 . at the receiver 1012 the signal is split and provided to a low - pass filter 1014 , a band pass filter 1018 , and a high - pass filter 1022 . the low pass filter 1014 , band pass filter 1018 , and high pass filter 1022 are configured to pass the polar nrz encoded signal , the ami encoded signal , and the manchester encoded signal respectively . thus , the output of the low - pass filter 1014 is provided to a polar nrz line decoder 1016 for decoding and the polar nrz line decoder 1016 outputs the first low data rate digital signal . the output of the band pass filter 1018 is provided to an ami line decoder 1020 for decoding and the ami line decoder 1020 outputs the second low data rate digital signal . the output of the high pass filter 1022 is provided to a manchester line decoder 1024 for decoding and the manchester line decoder 1024 outputs the third high data rate digital signal . it is noted that fig6 and 10 are functional block diagrams of apparatuses in accordance with various embodiments of the invention . given the figures and the description herein , one skilled in the art could readily implement the invention . for example , the line coders and line decoders shown in fig6 and 10 could be implemented using programmable processors in conjunction with appropriate software for performing the coding and decoding functions . alternatively , the line coders and decoders could be implemented using hardware , or some combination of hardware and software . the foregoing detailed description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary , but not restrictive , and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the detailed description , but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws . it is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	7
the present invention provides a novel synergistic transformation technique for reducing verification complexity . in particular , the present invention facilitates the synergistic use of a structural overapproximation technique for reducing the size of a sequential design , coupled with the use of a re - encoding technique to render additional property - preserving reductions . the benefit of this synergistic approach is that it enables design reductions far exceeding those possible in the prior art . the result of the present invention is drastic savings in computational resources for the verification process , enabling design flaws to be exposed and proofs to be completed that otherwise would be unfeasible . the present invention relies upon the synergistic application of two techniques to yield increasing reductions of the design under test . first , a logic re - encoding technique simplifies the design under test while preserving its behavior . this re - encoding technique computes the set of values producible at a cut of the design under test as a function of its state elements , then re - encodes the cut by creating logic that produces exactly the same set of values as a function of its state elements . because the re - encoding technique is designed with the freedom to create a completely new , yet behaviorally identical ( with respect to the cut gates ) piece of logic , this technique often offers a superset of the reductions possible using redundant - gate elimination techniques . this technique does not explicitly seek to reduce sequential logic of a design ; it instead attempts to reduce the amount of combinational logic ( and random gates ) in the cut , and to simplify the dependence / correlation of the fan - out side of the cut with the state elements in the fan - in side of the cut . second , a structural overapproximation technique is employed as a way to simplify the design under test while possibly adding randomness to its behavior . such a technique is described in detail in the cross - referenced application described above , which is incorporated by reference in its entirety . this technique often seeks to explicitly eliminate sequential logic from the design by injecting cut - points ( formed from random gates ) in place of other gates in the design . with reference now to the figures , and in particular with reference to fig1 , a simplified block diagram of a data processing system equipped with a computer program product for incremental reduction of a digital design through iterative overapproximation and re - encoding , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , is depicted . a data processing system 100 contains a processing storage unit ( e . g ., ram 102 ) and a processor 104 . data processing system 100 also includes non - volatile storage 106 such as a hard disk drive or other direct access storage device . an input / output ( i / o ) controller 108 provides connectivity to a network 110 through a wired or wireless link , such as a network cable 112 . i / o controller 108 also connects to user i / o devices 114 such as a keyboard , a display device , a mouse , or a printer through wired or wireless link 116 , such as cables or a radio - frequency connection . system interconnect 118 connects processor 104 , ram 102 , storage 106 , and i / o controller 108 . within ram 102 , data processing system 100 stores several items of data and instructions , while operating in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention . these items include a design ( d ) 120 and an output table 122 for interaction with a logic verification tool 124 , and a binary decision diagram ( bdd ) builder 126 . other applications 128 and logic verification tool 124 interface with processor 104 , ram 102 , i / o control 108 , and storage 106 through operating system 130 . one skilled in the data processing arts will quickly realize that additional components of data processing system 100 may be added to or substituted for those shown without departing from the scope of the present invention . processor 104 executes instructions from programs , often stored in ram 102 , in the course of performing the present invention . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , processor 104 executes logic verification tool 124 . logic verification tool 124 incrementally reduces a digital design contained in design ( d ) 120 to create modified design ( d ′) 142 through iterative overapproximation and re - encoding in conjunction with the operation of binary decision diagram builder 126 , re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 . logic verification tool additionally verifies a property ( p ) 134 on design ( d ) 120 . generally speaking , logic verification tool 124 contains rule - based instructions for predicting the behavior of logically modeled items of hardware . binary decision diagram builder 126 converts the structural representation in design ( d ) 120 into a functionally canonical form in bdds 131 . logic verification tool 124 then operates on the series of rules contained in its own instructions , in conjunction with design ( d ) 120 , and associated binary decision diagrams ( bdds ) 131 . design ( d ) 120 may model the designs of many different kinds of logical hardware , such as microprocessors and application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). design ( d ) 120 is represented structurally as a netlist , comprising a directed graph where each node is a gate of some type , e . g . an and gate , an inverter , a primary input ( or random gate ), or a state element . bdd builder 126 transforms design ( d ) 120 into bdds 131 for use with logic verification tool 124 and , where appropriate , re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 . the netlist of design ( d ) 120 is defined in terms of semantic traces , which map the gates to 0 , 1 values in bdds 131 over time . each state element in design ( d ) 120 is associated with a next - state function ( defining what value it will take one time - step in the future ), as well as an initial value ( defining what value it will take at time 0 ), each of which are represented as a gate . design ( d ) 120 is represented as a directed graph with nodes representing gates of various functionality ( e . g ., primary inputs hitherto referred to as random gates , combinational functions such as and gates and inverters , and state elements ), and edges representing interconnections between those gates . interconnections are directed , routing data from “ source ” to “ sink ”. additional items of data stored in ram 102 include property ( p ) 134 , cutpoints 140 , and modified design ( d ′) 142 . property ( p ) 134 contains the behavior to be verified on design ( d ) 120 . cutpoints 140 contains a group of random gate insertion instructions for insertion into modified design ( d ′) 142 , which contains the most current result of the present invention as applied to design ( d ) 120 . cutpoints 140 represent partitions of the netlist of design ( d ) 120 into two graphs , where the only directed path from gates in the “ source ” graph to the “ sink ” graph flow through the gates comprising the cut . “ injecting a cutpoint ” refers to the process of replacing a gate in the netlist with a random gate . a random gate is evaluated as an unconstrained source of random bit - streams in the verification process . logic verification tool 124 records results to output table 122 . logic verification tool 124 may also report the contents of output table 122 or selected indicators of the status of design ( d ) 120 to user i / o 114 or applications 128 . additionally , all or part of logic verification tool 124 , operating system 130 , design ( d ) 120 , output table 122 , re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 may , at times , be stored in storage 106 . additional data structures , which are well known in the art , are used by re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 and are not shown for the sake of illustrative simplicity . in the method of the present invention , logic verification tool 124 relies upon exploiting cutpoint insertion by overapproximation tool 136 to eliminate ( possibly sequential ) logic , then uses a re - encoding method supplied by re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 to reduce the size of the overapproximated design ( d ) 120 , resulting in modified design ( d ′) 142 . logic verification tool 124 then re - applies overapproximation tool 136 to eliminate ( possibly sequential ) logic , followed by a re - encoding method supplied by re - encoding tool 138 and overapproximation tool 136 to reduce the size modified design ( d ′) 142 , to yield incrementally greater reductions . the overapproximation by overapproximation tool 136 synergistically enables greater reductions by re - encoding tool 138 . similarly , the re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 synergistically enables a greater potential of reductions through the heuristic overapproximation of overapproximation tool 136 by making the “ minimal set ” of gates necessary to preserve the functional behavior of design ( d ) 120 easier to identify ( due to reduced correlation between sequential elements ). the present invention is more robust than the prior art against arbitrarily - selected cutpoint injections causing spurious counterexamples . additionally , the re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 is useful to offset the increase in the number of random gates of the overapproximated design created by overapproximation tool 136 . one particularly helpful effect of the present invention is that the present invention effectively enables a re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 of “ sequential ” logic deep in design ( d ) 120 solely by leveraging “ combinational ” algorithms . the overapproximation by overapproximation tool 136 will safely translate certain sequential logic to combinational logic , against which re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 is particularly effective . this combination , in turn enables “ deep ” reductions by re - encoding tool 138 to design ( d ) 120 , ultimately enabling a conclusive verification result with respect to property ( p ) 134 , even for large and complex problems that otherwise would remain unsolved given prior art techniques . while the technique of the present invention is applicable to rendering sequential reductions of design ( d ) 120 , one may also apply the method of the present invention to yield reductions to combinational designs . broadly , as will be illustrated with respect to fig2 , this overall process of the present invention may be described as a few steps . first , logic verification tool 124 imports design ( d ) 120 , and property ( p ) 134 , a property to verify with respect to that design . second , the overapproximation step is performed in several substeps . logic verification tool 124 uses bdd builder 126 to generate bdds 131 . logic verification tool 124 computes a set of candidate gates for cutpoint insertion , and saves these as cutpoints 140 . overapproximation tool 136 then overapproximates design ( d ) 120 by inserting cutpoints ( random gates ) to those candidate gates to eliminate large portions of design ( d ) 120 , which may include elimination of sequential logic . in one embodiment , the cut - point 140 selection process may be performed using any variety of analysis algorithm ( e . g ., localization refinement , which is discussed briefly below ) to ensure that the overapproximation entailed by the cutpoint 140 insertion in design ( d ) 120 does not yield spurious failures of design ( d ) 120 . third , logic verification tool 124 computes a cut of the netlist graph and saves it as cutpoints 140 . logic verification tool 124 then uses re - encoding tool 138 to apply a re - encoding of design ( d ) 120 at cutpoints 140 to attempt to eliminate logic from the design . the purpose of this third step is to reduce the size design ( d ) 120 ( particularly in terms of combinational gates and random gates ) while preserving its behavior . the reduced design is then saved as modified design ( d ′) 142 . as will be discussed below , the second and third steps of the method of the present invention may be performed in a different order , based on selection criteria discussed with respect to fig2 . fourth , logic verification tool 124 attempts a verification effort with respect to property ( p ) 120 on modified design ( d ′) 142 using any algorithms available . if the verification problem remains unsolved , logic verification tool 124 returns to the second step for additional reductions . turning now to fig2 , a high - level logical flowchart of a process for incremental design reduction via iterative overapproximation and re - encoding is depicted . the process starts at step 200 . the process next moves to step 201 , which depicts logic verification tool 124 receiving design ( d ) 120 and property ( p ) 134 . the process then proceeds to step 202 . step 202 illustrates logic verification tool 124 selecting criteria for deciding which of the available transformation methods to apply to design 120 . examples of such criteria available to logic verification tool 124 include selecting the alternate of the last performed transformation . examples of available criteria also include iterating between transformation types , which would , in one embodiment include iteratively increasing the resources used in each transformation type . if design ( d ) 120 has inputs beyond a threshold number , logic verification tool 124 could automatically choose re - encoding . similarly , if design ( d ) 120 has many state elements , or the property ( p ) 134 for verification is sequentially deep from the inputs , cutpoint 140 insertion could automatically be performed to generate an overapproximation . the process next passes to step 204 , which depicts logic verification tool 124 applying the criteria selected in step 202 to decide which transform to apply . while the method of the present invention as depicted with respect to fig2 reflects the serial use of methods of transformation , one skilled in the art will quickly ascertain that the transformation methods available in the preferred embodiment may also be performed in parallel , with comparison of computing results . if logic verification tool 124 chooses to re - encode design ( d ) 120 , then the process moves to step 206 . at step 206 , logic verification tool 124 employs re - encoding tool 138 to identify a cut of design ( d ) 120 to re - encode , replacing the fan - in side of each cut with minimally sized functionally equivalent logic to create modified design ( d ′) 142 . the re - encoding technique synergistically enhances the ability of the overapproximation technique to eliminate sequential logic by reducing the correlation of state variables in design ( d ) 120 , facilitating the ability of heuristic algorithms in overapproximation tool 136 to identify a smaller “ minimal set ” of adequate gates to preserve . stated differently , by eliminating some connections between sequential elements , re - encoding tool 138 increases the probability that injecting a cutpoint from among cutpoints 140 to an arbitrarily - selected gate will still result in an overapproximated modified design ( d ′) 142 , which satisfies its specification . without such a re - encoding tool 138 , there is a greater chance that an arbitrarily - chosen cutpoint injection from among cutpoints 140 will yield a spurious counterexample . re - encoding tool 138 attempts to render reductions as follows . given a cut within cutpoints 140 of the design ( d ) 120 , re - encoding tool 138 computes the set of values that are producible at those cut gates as a function of state elements in that cut . re - encoding tool 138 then creates new logic that produces exactly the same behavior as the ‘ source ’ side of the cut within cutpoints 140 as a function of the state elements , and replaces the cut gates with this new logic . note that one cannot merely inject cutpoints to the cut gates , as that would generally constitute an overapproximate transformation , whereas the purpose of this transformation by re - encoding tool 138 in the present invention is to render a property - preserving transformation . more specifically , a set of n cutpoints 140 can produce any possible stream of 2 ^ n values over time , whereas the behavior of the original cut gates may be constrained to only produce a subset of the possible values . the advantage of this use of re - encoding tool 138 to produce a reduction is the creation of a simpler yet functionally equivalent replacement logic , reducing the overall size of modified design ( d ′) 142 with respect to design ( d ) 120 . note also that this approach is primarily geared towards reducing combinational logic and random gates , as it directly reuses the state variables when re - encoding over sequential cuts . after step 206 , the process then proceeds to step 210 , which is explained following the discussion of step 208 . returning to step 204 , if logic verification tool 124 determines to transform design ( d ) 120 by overapproximation , then the process moves to step 208 . at step 208 , logic verification tool 124 employs overapproximation tool 136 to overapproximate design ( d ) 120 by injecting cutpoints , ideally assuring that they do not yield spurious assertions of property ( p ) 134 to create modified design ( d ′) 142 . practically , structural overapproximation algorithms employed in overapproximation tool 136 are often heuristic , attempting to discern a minimal set of gates ( particularly state elements ) of design ( d ) 120 , which are needed to ensure that a property under verification will pass and to inject cut - points to the other gates . an “ overapproximate transformation ” is one which may add randomness to the behavior of design ( d ) 120 . for example , if one injects a set of cutpoints 140 into a design , the result is generally overapproximate because cutpoints 140 behave as completely random sources , and hence can ‘ simulate ’ any possible behavior of the original gates being replaced . but those original gates cannot necessarily produce some of the behavior that the random gates can produce . a spurious failure refers to the condition where an overapproximation of design ( d ) 120 causes a failure that would not be possible without the overapproximation . as used in overapproximation tool 136 , a structural overapproximation technique operates by injection of cutpoints 140 . in one embodiment , overapproximation tool 136 eliminates significant portions of design ( d ) 120 by effectively isolating a cut of design ( d ) 120 and injecting cutpoints 140 ( i . e ., random gates ) to those cut gates , the source side of which then drops out of the cone of influence . this method may be deployed in a manner which explicitly seeks to eliminate sequential logic in design ( d ) 120 . in one embodiment , this cutpoint selection process uses some form of analysis of design ( d ) 120 to ensure that the cutpoints 140 being inserted , which overapproximate the behavior of the design under test , do not render spurious failures . one embodiment will employ a scheme termed ‘ localization refinement ’. such a localization refinement includes injecting cutpoints 140 , running some ( possibly underapproximate ) verification to attempt to assess whether the cutpoints 140 cause spurious failures , then if so to “ refine ” the cutpoints 140 by eliminating them and possibly re - inserting them further back in the fan - in cone of the earlier cutpoints 140 to attempt to eliminate the corresponding spurious failure . nevertheless , the particular method used to determine where to inject cutpoints 140 will vary among many possible embodiments . from either of step 206 or step 208 the process then moves to step 210 , which depicts logic verification tool attempting to solve property ( p ) 134 on modified design ( d ′) 142 and / or apply an alternate transformation . the process then moves to step 212 , which illustrates logic verification tool 124 determining whether property ( p ) 134 has been solved with respect to modified design ( d ′) 142 . if property ( p ) has been solved with respect to modified design ( d ′) 142 , then the process ends at step 214 . if at step 212 , property ( p ) has not been solved with respect to modified design ( d ′) 142 , then the process proceeds to step 216 , which depicts logic verification tool substituting the content of modified design ( d ′) 120 for design ( d ) 120 . the process then returns to step 202 , which is described above . by leveraging the above discussed overapproximation tool 136 and re - encoding tool 138 in a synergistic fashion , the present invention enables significantly greater design reductions than possible with the prior art , resulting in greater bug - hunting power in addition to proof capability . the particular synergy between overapproximation tool 136 and re - encoding tool 138 results in several benefits . the structural overapproximation technique employed by overapproximation tool 136 turns sequentially - driven logic into combinationally - driven logic , and more generally injects random gates deeper into the cone of the design ( d ) 120 . this helps the re - encoding technique of re - encoding tool 138 , because the latter is primarily adept at reducing logic near random gates and is the weakest at eliminating purely sequential logic . moreover , the re - encoding technique of re - encoding tool 138 reduces correlation between state variables in the fanin - side of the cut and the fanout - side of the cut . in some cases , certain state variables may be outright eliminated from the problem by the re - encoding ( e . g ., if a gate on the cut is an xor of a primary input and a state element , that xor gate may take any value at any point in time regardless of the value of the state element , and the re - encoding may be able to replace the xor gate safely by a cut - point ). more generally , the reduction minimizes the number of connections between state elements in the fanin - side of the cut and the fanout - side of the cut . one particularly useful advantage of the present invention is that it effectively enables a re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 of “ sequential ” logic deep in the design solely by leveraging “ combinational ” algorithms . the prior art sequential re - encoding is generally a pspace - complete problem , whereas the latter combinational analysis of the present invention is only a simpler np - complete problem . while in the described embodiment , this invention is to be applied to simplify sequential designs , these techniques may equally well be applied to combinational designs . overall , the combined method of the present invention is more robust against arbitrarily - selected cutpoint injections causing spurious counterexamples . additionally , the re - encoding by re - encoding tool 138 is useful to offset the increase in the number of random gates of the overapproximated design produced by overapproximation tool 136 . while the present invention has been particularly shown as described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is also important to note that although the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functional computer system , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the present invention are 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 utilized to actually carry out the distribution . examples of signal bearing media include , without limitation , recordable type media such as floppy disks or cd roms and transmission type media such as analog or digital communication links .	6
fig1 illustrates a dialysis system 20 incorporating a differential conductivity recirculation monitor 22 for determining and displaying recirculation efficiency in accordance with the present invention . the dialysis system 20 , which is one example of a medical system with which the present invention may be advantageously used , comprises a dialysis apparatus 24 connected to a fistula 26 surgically formed in a dialysis patient ( not shown ). untreated blood is drawn from the fistula 26 through a dialyzer inlet needle 28 and a dialyzer inlet line 30 . treated blood is returned to the fistula through a dialyzer outlet line 32 and a dialyzer outlet needle 34 . the recirculation monitor 22 is located in the dialyzer inlet and outlet lines 30 and 32 at a point intermediate between the fistula 26 and the dialysis apparatus 24 . the dialysis apparatus 24 comprises a blood pump 36 typically a peristaltic pump , a dialyzer 38 having a blood compartment 40 and a dialysate compartment 42 separated by a semi - permeable membrane 44 , a bubble trap 46 and a dialysate generator 48 . blood is drawn from the fistula 26 by the action of the blood pump 36 and passed through the blood compartment 40 of the dialyzer 38 . the membrane 44 allows transfer of impurities in the blood , such as urea and creatinine , from the blood compartment 40 to the dialysate compartment 42 of the dialyzer 38 . the dialysate compartment 42 is connected to a dialysate generator 48 which generates the dialysate , a liquid isotonic to blood , and circulates it through the dialysate compartment 44 . the principles of operation of the differential conductivity recirculation detector 22 of the present invention are explained in conjunction with fig2 and 3 . the recirculation detector 22 comprises a needle access site 50 in the dialyzer outlet line 32 . a first or outlet conductivity cell 52 is located in the dialyzer outlet line 32 downstream of the needle access site 50 . a second or inlet conductivity cell 54 is located in the dialyzer inlet line 30 . the first conductivity cell 52 comprises an upstream connection 56 , a downstream connection 58 and first and second tubing branches 60 and 62 , respectively , each of which interconnect the upstream connection 56 with the downstream connection 58 . treated blood from the dialyzer flows in the dialyzer outlet line 32 through the needle access site 50 to the upstream connection 56 . at the upstream connection 56 the flow splits approximately equally with a portion of the treated blood flowing in each of the two tubing branches 60 and 62 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 . the flow rejoins at the downstream connection 58 and flows through the dialyzer outlet line 32 to the fistula 26 ( fig1 ). similarly , the inlet conductivity cell 54 comprises an upstream connection 64 , a downstream connection 66 and third and fourth tubing branches 68 and 70 , respectively , which each connect the upstream connection 64 to the downstream connection 66 . untreated blood from the fistula 26 flowing in the dialyzer inlet line 30 , enters the inlet conductivity cell 54 at the upstream connection 64 divides approximately equally between the third and fourth tubing branches 68 and 70 and rejoins at the downstream connection 66 to the inlet conductivity cell 54 . each one of the tubing branches 60 , 62 , 68 and 70 has the same cross sectional area and length as each other one of the tubing branches . the blood , or other biological or medical fluid , flowing in each conductivity cell 52 and 54 comprises an electrical circuit . the electrical circuit is a path for circulation of an electrical current from the upstream connection , through one of the tubing branches , to the downstream connection and from the downstream connection through the other one of the tubing branches to the upstream connection . the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the inlet conductivity cell 54 are positioned adjacent to each other in an angular relationship resembling a pretzel so that the first tubing branch 60 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 is positioned parallel to the third tubing branch 68 of the inlet conductivity cell at an excitation location . the conductivity cells are further positioned so that the second tubing branch 62 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 crosses the fourth tubing branch 70 of the inlet conductivity cell 54 at an angle , approximately sixty degrees in the preferred embodiment , at a sensing location . an excitation coil 72 encircles the first tubing branch 60 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the third tubing branch 68 of the inlet conductivity cell 54 at the excitation location . a sensing coil 74 encircles the second tubing branch 62 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the fourth tubing branch 70 of the inlet conductivity cell 54 at the sensing location . an electrical circuit , as is illustrated schematically in fig3 is thus formed . the excitation coil 72 is inductively coupled to the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the inlet conductivity cell 54 . when a source of excitation energy 76 causes an alternating excitation current , illustrated by direction arrow 78 , to flow in the excitation coil 72 a changing magnetic field is generated which causes an electrical current , illustrated by the direction arrow 80 , to flow in the blood in the outlet conductivity cell 52 and causes another electrical current , illustrated by direction arrow 82 , to flow in the same electrical direction in the blood in the inlet conductivity cell 54 . since the conductivity cells 52 and 54 are formed to create electrical paths of equal cross sectional area and equal path length the electrical conductance of the paths , as illustrated by the schematic resistors 84 and 86 , and thus the magnitude of the induced currents 80 and 82 , will be related to the conductivity of the blood in the respective conductivity cells 52 and 54 . the induced currents 80 and 82 flowing in the outlet and inlet conductivity cells 52 and 54 generate a changing magnetic field at the sensing location that induces a sensed current , illustrated by direction arrow 88 , in the sensing coil 74 . the induced currents 80 and 82 are in opposite electrical directions so that the magnetic field at the sensing location has a magnitude proportional to the difference between the induced currents . the sensed current 88 is proportional to the magnetic field at the sensing location where the sensing coil 74 encircles the second and fourth tubing branches 62 and 70 , respectively . the sensed current 88 induced in the sensing transformer 74 is therefore proportional to a difference between the induced currents 80 and 82 in the outlet and inlet conductivity cells 52 and 54 , respectively . the induced currents 80 and 82 in the outlet and inlet conductivity cells 52 and 54 , respectively , are related to the conductivity of the fluids in those chambers . therefore , the magnitude of the sensed current 88 induced in the sensing coil 74 will be related to the difference between the conductivities of the fluids in the outlet and inlet conductivity cells 52 and 54 . the sensed current 88 is delivered to , and interpreted by a sensing logic and display circuit 90 , which displays the recirculation efficiency . it should be appreciated that the present invention will function in substantially the same way if the locations of the exciting coil 72 and sensing coil 74 are reversed . referring now to fig1 and 2 , to use the recirculation monitor 22 to perform a recirculation test the dialysis system operator injects a bolus of a marker fluid into the treated blood in the dialyzer outlet line 32 at the needle access site 50 using a typical hypodermic needle 92 . the marker fluid may have an electrical conductivity that is higher or lower than the fluid flowing in the outlet line 32 . in the preferred embodiment a high conductivity marker fluid is used to avoid damaging blood cells . in the preferred embodiment the bolus is 1 milliliter of 24 percent hypertonic saline solution . the conductivity of the treated blood being returned to the patient through the dialyzer outlet line 32 and the outlet conductivity cell 52 of the recirculation monitor 22 is altered . this altered conductivity blood enters the fistula through the outlet needle 34 . if the flow balance in the fistula 26 is such that no flow is recirculating the altered conductivity blood will exit the fistula , as illustrated by the flow circulation arrow 94 , without altering the conductivity of the blood within the fistula . if , however , the flow balance within the fistula 26 is such that blood is recirculating , as illustrated by flow circulation arrow 96 , a portion of the blood withdrawn from the fistula 26 by the pump 36 will be the altered conductivity blood . the recirculation monitor 22 measures the conductivity of the blood flowing in the outlet line 32 and the conductivity of the blood flowing in the inlet line 30 and quantitatively determines the difference between those conductivities continuously throughout the recirculation test . the sensing logic and display circuit 90 interprets the quantitative conductivity differences measured by the recirculation monitor 22 to determine recirculation efficiency . the determination of recirculation efficiency will be explained by reference to fig4 and 6 . the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the inlet conductivity cell 54 may be thought of as signal generators generating the induced currents 80 and 82 in the outlet and inlet conductivity cells . the induced current 82 of the inlet conductivity cell 54 is inverted 98 and added 100 to the induced current 80 in the outlet , conductivity cell 52 , by virtue of the physical relationships between the conductivity cells , excitation coil 72 and sensing coil 74 , to produce the sensed current 88 . the sensing logic and display circuit 90 performs a zeroing operation 102 , a dialyzer outlet flow determining operation 104 , and unrecirculated flow determining operation 106 , and a dividing operation 108 , and includes a visual display device 110 , preferably a liquid crystal display . alternatively the functions of the sensing logic and display circuit 90 may be performed by a digital computer ( not shown ). fig5 is a graph illustrating differential conductivity ( reference 112 ) as a function of time ( reference 114 ) during a typical recirculation test . fig6 is a graph illustrating the integral of differential conductivity ( reference 116 ) as a function of time 114 during the typical recirculation test . prior to the beginning of the recirculation test there may be some normal difference ( reference 118 ) between the conductivity of the treated blood in the dialyzer outlet line 32 ( fig2 ) and the untreated blood in the dialyzer inlet line 30 ( fig2 ). this normal conductivity difference 118 is subtracted from the sensed current 88 by the zeroing operation 102 of the sensing logic and display circuit 90 to remove the effect of the normal difference in conductivity 118 from determination of recirculation efficiency . the recirculation test begins ( reference time t1 ) when the bolus of high conductivity fluid is injected into the dialyzer outlet line 32 ( fig2 ) at the needle access site 50 ( fig2 ). the conductivity of the treated blood in the dialyzer outlet line 32 ( fig2 ) is increased . as the bolus passes through the outlet conductivity cell 52 ( fig2 ) the differential conductivity 112 increases ( reference 120 ) and then decreases ( reference 122 ) until the normal conductivity difference 118 is reached ( reference time t2 ). the outlet flow determining operation 104 calculates the integral of conductivity from the start of the test ( reference time t1 ) until the differential conductivity returns to the normal value 118 ( reference time t2 ). the integral 116 of the conductivity increases ( reference 124 ) until a first steady state value ( reference 126 ) of the integral 116 is reached when the differential conductivity 112 returns to the normal value 118 ( reference time t2 ). the first steady state value 126 is stored by the outlet flow determining operation 104 and is representative of the flow of treated blood in the dialyzer outlet line 32 ( fig2 ). after the treated blood with the altered conductivity enters the fistula 26 ( fig1 ) a portion of it may recirculate and be withdrawn from the fistula 26 ( fig1 ) through the dialyzer inlet line 30 ( fig2 ). the conductivity of the untreated blood in the inlet conductivity cell 54 is increased ( reference time t3 ), causing the differential conductivity to decrease 128 and then increase 130 , returning to the normal value of conductivity difference 118 ( reference time t4 ). the integral of differential conductivity from the beginning of the recirculation test ( reference time t1 ) until the normal value of conductivity difference 118 is reached again ( reference time t4 ) is calculated by the unrecirculated flow determining operation 106 of the sensing logic and display circuit 90 . the integral of differential conductivity 116 decreases ( reference ) to a second steady state value 134 ( reference time t4 . the second steady state value 134 of the integral of differential conductivity is stored by the unrecirculated flow determining operation 106 of the sensing logic and display circuit 90 and is representative of the portion of the bolus of high conductivity liquid that was not recirculated . the second steady state value 134 is thus representative of the unrecirculated portion of the treated blood flow . the dividing operation divides the second steady state value 134 by the first steady state value 126 to calculate a recirculation efficiency 136 . the recirculation efficiency 136 is provided to the operator as a visual output by the display device 110 . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the sensing logic and display circuit 90 may be implemented using analog or digital circuit devices and that other calculation algorithms may be used to calculate recirculation efficiency 138 . further , the recirculation efficiency 138 may be calculated in real time or , alternatively , the necessary data stored and the calculations performed on the stored data . further details of the preferred embodiment of the differential conductivity recirculation monitor will be explained by reference to fig7 - 11 . fig7 illustrates a portion of a typical disposable tubing set 140 incorporating conductivity cells 52 and 54 in accordance with the present invention . as is well known in the art , it is highly desirable for all portions of the tubing set 140 to be used with a dialysis system to be disposable , in order to prevent cross contamination and infection between patients . this is true of most blood and other biological or medical fluid processing systems . disposable tubing sets may be formed from a plurality of plastic tubes , connectors , needles and medical devices using techniques that are well known in the art . the discussion of the tubing set 140 will therefore be limited to a discussion of the differential conductivity recirculation monitor 22 ( fig1 ) portion of the tubing set . the dialyzer outlet line 32 is a plastic tube which extends through the needle access site 50 , into the outlet conductivity cell 52 . the outlet conductivity cell 52 comprises a plastic conduit loop and includes the upstream connection 56 , elongated divided first and second tubing branches 60 and 62 , and the downstream connector 58 . the downstream connector 58 has mounted in it an extension of the dialyzer outlet line 32 , which is mounted through a connector 142 to the outlet needle 34 . the dialyzer inlet needle 28 is connected through a connector 144 , to the dialyzer inlet line 30 . the dialyzer inlet line 30 is connected to the inlet conductivity cell 54 , which includes the upstream connection 64 , elongated divided third and fourth tubing branches 68 and 70 respectively , and downstream connector 66 . the dialyzer inlet line 30 extends from the downstream connector 66 to the dialyzer apparatus 24 ( fig1 ). in the preferred embodiment the portion of the dialyzer outlet line 32 between the dialyzer outlet needle 34 and the downstream connector 58 of the outlet conductivity cell 52 and the portion of the dialyzer inlet line 30 between the dialyzer inlet needle 28 and the upstream connector 64 of the inlet conductivity cell 54 must be sufficiently long so that the bolus of marker fluid passes completely through the outlet conductivity cell before any altered conductivity fluid from the fistula 26 enters the inlet conductivity cell . the conductivity cells 52 and 54 have the overall shape of links in an ordinary chain , straight side portions 146 being joined at their ends by semicircular portions 148 . in cross - section at the excitation location , as shown in fig8 the wall of each conductivity cell 42 and 54 defines a d , the insides of the ds providing conduit portions 150 and 152 . a flat portion 154 of the d of the outlet conductivity cell 52 is abutted and adhered to a flat portion 156 of the d of the inlet conductivity cell 54 along one pair of semicircular portions 148 of the conductivity cells . the other pair of circular portions 148 are separated so that axes of the conductivity cells 52 and 54 define therebetween an angle of approximately sixty degrees . the flat portions 154 and 156 of the conductivity cells 52 and 54 are further joined along two of the straight portions 146 at a location along the second and fourth tubing branches 62 and 70 , respectively at the sensing location . an orientation tab 159 is formed on the inlet conductivity cell 54 . mating with tube set 140 is a tubing set acceptor 160 . as shown in fig9 tee tubing set acceptor 160 comprises a portion of an excitation and sensing unit 162 which also includes a logic circuit module 164 . the tubing set acceptor 160 comprises a portion of a first , or rear , acceptor plate 166 and a second , or front , acceptor plate 168 joined by a hinge 169 for motion between open and closed positions and provided with a latch or spring ( not shown ) to hold the acceptor plates in the closed position . the first acceptor 166 plate is relieved to accept into appropriately - shaped indentations 170 thereof the outlet conductivity cell 52 ( fig2 ) and portions the tubing set 140 ( fig7 ). the second acceptor plate 168 is relieved to accept into appropriately - shaped indentations 172 thereof the inlet conductivity cell 54 and portions of the tubing set 140 ( fig7 ). an orientation tab recess 173 is defined by at least one of the appropriately shaped indentations 170 and 172 . the orientation tab recess 173 cooperates with the orientation tab 159 ( fig7 ) of the tubing set 140 ( fig7 ) to assure that the tubing set is correctly oriented when installed in the tubing set acceptor 160 . the tubing set acceptor 160 is sufficiently large to support the conductivity cells 52 and 54 and enough of the dialyzer outlet line 32 and dialyzer inlet line 30 so that fluid flow patterns through the conductivity cells are substantially repeatable , being relatively unaffected by bends , curves , tubing movement , and other disturbances or variations in the positions of the outlet and inlet lines with respect to the conductivity cells during measurement . the excitation coil 72 and sensing coil 74 are mounted to the tubing set acceptor 160 . the excitation coil 72 and sensing coil , 74 are positioned at right angles to each other to minimize magnetic interference between the coils . the excitation coil 72 comprises a first , or rear , and a second , or front , half core 174 and 176 , respectively . similarly the sensing coil comprises a third , or rear , and a fourth , or front , half - core 178 and 180 respectively . the first and third half - cores 174 and 178 , respectively are mounted to the first acceptor plate 166 and the second and third half cores 176 and 180 respectively are mounted to the second acceptor plate 186 . as illustrated in fig8 each half core has a u - shaped configuration , with short legs 182 having ends 184 and connecting legs 186 . the tubing set acceptor 160 holds a portion of the tubing set 140 which includes the conductivity cells 52 and 54 in a fixed relationship with the excitation coil 72 and sensing coil 74 . the first and second half cores 174 and 176 are oriented so that their ends 184 abut when the first and second acceptor plates 166 and 168 are brought to the closed position . the excitation coil 72 thus formed is in the shape of a rectangle defining a rectangular window . the third and fourth half cores 178 and 180 are similarly oriented so that their ends abut when the first and second acceptor plates 166 and 168 are brought to the closed position . the sensing coil 74 thus formed is also in the shape of a rectangular ring defining a rectangular window ( not shown ). when a tubing set 140 is placed in the tubing set acceptor 160 the first and third tubing branches 60 and 68 are engaged in the window of the excitation coil 72 and the second and fourth tubing branches 62 and 70 are engaged in the window of the sensing coil 74 so that the coils encircle the corresponding tubing branches . biasing springs 188 may be provided to hold corresponding half - cores in firm contact when the acceptor plates 166 and 168 are closed . the legs 182 and 186 of the coil 72 and 74 are square in cross - section . at least one connecting leg 186 of each coil 72 and 74 is transformer wire wrapped 190 . the logic circuit module 164 of the excitation and sensing unit 162 may be mounted to one of the acceptor plates 168 or may be separate from the tubing set acceptor 160 with wiring interconnections ( not shown ) to the tubing set acceptor 160 . the logic circuit module houses the sensing logic and display circuit 90 , with the display device 110 and one or more manual input switches 192 to enable the operator to perform such functions as turning the recirculation monitor on and off , testing the operation of the monitor and initiating recirculation test . although the display device 110 and manual input switches 192 are shown in fig9 as being on a side 194 of the logic circuit module 164 adjacent to the second acceptor plate 168 , in the preferred embodiment the display device and manual input switches may be on a side 196 opposite the second acceptor plate 168 , or any other side of the logic circuit module . the circuitry for conductivity measurement and calibration may suitably betas set forth in the ogawa patent incorporated by reference above . the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described by reference to determination of recirculation efficiency in a surgically created blood access site during , or in conjunction with , a hemodialysis procedure . it should be understood that the present invention is not so limited . the present invention may be used in a variety of medical and non - medical circumstances where it is desirable to determine recirculation efficiency . further , it should be understood that the present invention may be used in a variety of medical and non - medical circumstances where it is desirable to compare the electrical conductivities of two fluids . presently preferred embodiments of the present invention and many of its aspects , features and advantages have been described with a degree of particularity . it should be understood that this description has been made by way of preferred example , and that the invention is defined by the scope of the following claims .	0
fig1 is front view of an example embodiment of a digital camera including a led and strobe lighting device according to the present invention . an example embodiment of a camera 100 constructed according to the present invention may include a camera body 102 , a lens 106 , a led and strobe lighting device 104 , an external viewfinder window 108 , a shutter release 110 , and a control 112 . as with all digital cameras , this example embodiment of the present invention includes a circuit 114 electrically connected to the shutter release 110 , electrically connected to the led and strobe lighting device 104 , and configured to control the lighting device 104 by activating either the led or the strobe within the lighting device . this circuit 114 includes a means for detecting when the shutter release 110 is depressed . in some example embodiments of the present invention , the circuit 114 may also be configured to detect when the shutter release 110 is partially depressed . in an example embodiment of the present invention , the control 112 may be used to select a mode of the digital camera . these modes may include a still photo mode and a video mode . fig2 is front view of an example embodiment of a digital camera attached to a lighting device including a led and a strobe according to the present invention . in this embodiment of the present invention the lighting device including a led and a strobe is configured as a separate device from the digital camera . similar to the digital camera of fig1 , this example embodiment of a camera includes a camera body 202 , a lens 206 , an external viewfinder window 208 , a shutter release 210 , a control 212 , a hot shoe 220 including hot shoe electrical contacts 222 . as with all digital cameras , this example embodiment of the present invention includes a circuit 224 electrically connected to the shutter release 210 , electrically connected to the hot shoe electrical contacts 222 and the flash control outputs 218 . the circuit 224 is configured to control one or more external lighting devices through the hot shoe electrical contacts 222 or the flash control outputs 218 . this circuit 224 includes a means for detecting when the shutter release 210 is depressed . in some example embodiments of the present invention , the circuit 224 may also be configured to detect when the shutter release 210 is partially depressed . in an example embodiment of the present invention , the control 212 may be used to select a mode of the digital camera . these modes may include a still photo mode and a video mode . this example embodiment also includes dedicated flash control outputs 218 separate from the hot shoe electrical contacts 222 . both the flash control outputs 218 and the hot shoe electrical contacts 222 may be used to control a mode of the lighting device 200 . this example embodiment of a lighting device 200 includes a combined led and strobe 204 , flash control inputs 216 , and a switch 214 . the flash control inputs 216 and the switch 214 may be used to select a mode of the flash . in a still mode , the strobe of the flash is activated when triggered by the camera . in a video mode , the led is activated when triggered by the camera . in an example embodiment of the present invention , the switch 214 may allow a user to override the mode signal communicated from the camera through the flash control outputs 218 into the flash control inputs 216 of the lighting device 200 . fig3 is a cross - sectional view of a lighting device including two leds , a strobe , and a single reflector according to the present invention . in this example embodiment of the present invention a lighting device 300 is built including a body 302 with supports 312 for a reflector 308 and a lens 310 . in this example embodiment two leds 306 share the common reflector 308 with a strobe tube 304 . those of skill in the art will recognize that many different configurations of leds and strobe tubes may be used within the scope of the present invention . while this example embodiment includes two leds 306 positioned on either side of a strobe tube 304 other embodiments may use any number of leds 306 positioned in widely varying locations with respect to the strobe tube 304 . also , other embodiments of the present invention may use more than one strobe tube 304 . fig4 is a cross - sectional view of a lighting device including one led , a strobe , and two reflectors according to the present invention . in this example embodiment of the present invention a lighting device 400 is built including a body with supports 414 configured to mechanically affix a first reflector 406 , a first lens 410 , a second reflector 408 , and a second lens 412 . a strobe tube 402 is configured to use the first reflector 406 and the first lens 410 , while a led 404 is configured to use the second reflector 408 and the second lens 412 . this embodiment of the present invention includes a hot shoe foot 416 including flash input connections 418 configured to electrically couple to the hot shoe of the camera shown in fig2 . those of skill in the art will recognize that many different quantities and configurations of strobe tubes and leds may be used within the scope of the present invention . while many implementations of the present invention will use white leds for video illumination , other colors of leds may be used either in place of , or in addition to white leds to change the color of the light generated by the lighting device . in other embodiments of the present invention , the led and strobe illumination device may be configured as a device separate from the camera . it may attach to the camera via a hot shoe , and additional signals within the hot shoe may control the mode of the illumination device . in some simple embodiments of the present invention the mode of the illumination device may be controlled by the user of the camera with a switch . the foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art .	7
the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure , application , claims , compositions , or uses . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a number of embodiments , it would be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in the form and details may be made to the various embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and that the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to act as limitations on the scope of the claims . all percentages and the term “ w / w ” used herein unless specifically stated are percent by weight , and all component amounts recited as “ parts ” are parts by weight and are usually on a basis of parts per part of the active ingredient . the term “ ppm ” is parts per million by weight . when salts of components are mentioned , unless otherwise specifically stated , the composition can contain the acid form of the component , one or more salts of the component , or any mixture thereof . the aprotic solvent is preferably a pyrrolidone such as nmp , though one or more of dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ), dimethylformamide , and gamma - butyrolactone alone or in mixtures , including mixtures with nmp , are useful . dmso and gamma - butyrolactone dissolve 0 . 24 to 0 . 25 grams prodiamine per gram solvent . nmp dissolves 0 . 68 grams prodiamine per gram solvent . the aprotic solvent is the primary solvent in most embodiments of the ec . there are a number of solvents that are not suitable and would be included only to change the composition . examples , and solubility of prodiamine in grams ai per gram solvent , are shown below for completeness . fatty amides , also called “ fatty acid solvents ” in this application , are amides formed from a fatty acid and an amine , of which many are known . preferred are di - substituted fatty acid amides , which include as non - limiting examples n , n - dimethylcaprylamide ( available from cognis as agnique ™ ke - 3658 ), and n , n - diethyloctanamide ( available as halcomid ™ m8 - 10 ). these compounds can fully or partially replace aprotic solvents , and the solvating capacity approaches that of less - preferred aprotic solvents such as dmso and gamma - butyrolactone , that is , 0 . 24 to 0 . 25 grams prodiamine per gram solvent . a mixture of c8 and c10 fatty acid dimethylamide , ( cas 1118 - 92 - 9 and 14433 - 76 - 2 ) are useful . the alkyl - alkoxylate - based emulsifier is typically an alkyl - based eo / po - containing block copolymer emulsifier , for example an ethylene oxide / propylene oxide alkyl ( e . g ., butyl ) block copolymer . it is possible to use suitable co - polymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide , such as aba or bab block copolymer or ba block copolymers . the alkyl group can range from c3 to c7 , for example . a preferred group of ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block copolymers for use in the compositions of this invention are butyl based poly ( oxypropylene ) poly ( oxyethylene ) block copolymers having an average molecular weight in a range of 2 , 400 to 3 , 500 ( e . g . toximul ™ 8320 , stepan chemical co .) also useful is harcros ™ tda - 12 . the hydrophilic non - ionic emulsifier can be a ethoxylated alcohol . a c9 to c18 alcohol can be used , with for example 8 to 20 eo units , for example a tridecyl alcohol hydrophilic non - ionic emulsifier . examples include makon ™ td - 12 , a tridecyl alcohol ethoxylate , poe - 12 available from stepan , or harcros tda - 12 . generally an anionic emulsifier can provide added emulsion stability , and alkyl sulfonates are useful for this purpose , for example a fatty acid benzene sulfonate , particularly calcium salts of dodecylbenzenesulfonate . the following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting to this disclosure in any way . indeed , various modifications of the invention , in addition to those shown and described herein , will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following examples and the foregoing description . such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . a first prodiamine ec composition # 1 is shown in table 1 below . various embodiments of the formulations disclosed herein , when formulated into a herbicidal composition , show a surprising and unexpected performance in efficacy and low phytotoxicity for general residential and commercial landscaped herbicide treatment as well as for direct application to urea and other fertilizers for superior pre - emergence weed control . to demonstrate this activity , a series of trials were performed and are described below . field test 1 objective was to evaluate example 1 ( table 1 ) formulation efficacy on pre - emerge crabgrass ( digitaria ischaemum ) against market standard ( s ) in latour , mo . other products tested were barricade 4l at 22 fl . oz ./ acre ( 0 . 68 lb prodiamine / acre ), dimension 40wp at 0 . 6 lb ./ acre ( 0 . 24 lb dithiopyr / acre ), and example 1 at 43 . 56 fl . oz . per acre ( 0 . 68 lb . prodiamine / acre ). test data , percent crabgrass in stand at 58 and 100 days after treatment , are shown below . the differences between treatments were not statistically significant . barricade 4l at 22 fl . oz ./ acre ( 0 . 68 lb prodiamine / acre ): june 5 , 2 %, and july 17 , 39 % dimension 40wp at 0 . 6 lb ./ acre ( 0 . 24 lb dithiopyr / acre ): june 5 , 2 %, and july 17 , 32 % example 1 at 43 . 56 fl . oz ./ acre ( 0 . 68 lb . prodiamine / acre ): june 5 , 2 %, and july 17 , 43 % field test # 2 , to compare barricade to example 1 prodiamine 2 ec for turfgrass safety . 3 × log study on bluegrass poa pratensis in latour , mo . treatments were applied with an application volume of 43 . 56 gallons per acre as a foliar spray . active ingredients were logged at ¼ steps with a reduction in ai by 25 % from the previous step . data at 3 , 7 , and 14 days after treatment are below , with damage on a scale of 0 - 9 . field test # 2 showed no phytotoxicity was observed barricade 4fl , and for example 1 ( prodiamine 2ec ) at 3dat only slightly phytotoxic at step 1 and 2 application rates . step 1 was slightly phytotoxic at 7dat and no phytotoxicity at 14dat . field test # 3 was to compare barricade to experimental prodiamine 2 ec for turfgrass safety . a 3 × log study was done on tall fescue ( festuca arundinacea ) in latour , mo . treatments were applied with an application volume of 43 . 56 gallons per acre via foliar spray . active ingredients were logged at ¼ steps with a reduction in ai by 25 % from the previous step . step 1 is the starting full ai load rate followed by a 25 % ai reduction from the previous step through step 6 . initial application was 72 fl . oz . barricade 4fl per acre ( 2 . 25 lb prodiamine / a ), and example 1 ( prodiamine 2ec ) was applied at 115 fl . oz . per acre ( 1 . 8 lb / a ). conclusion : for barricade 4fl no phytotoxicity was observed , and for prodiamine 2ec at the high rate ( step 1 ) only slight visual phytotoxicity was observed throughout the study . a stable prodiamine ec formulation called pa - 1010 is shown in table 4 below : field test 1 - 2012 evaluated turfgrass phytotoxicity using the example 4 ( table 4 ) formulation . the test was performed by virginia tech university ( blacksburg , va . ), test # 63 - 12 , on kentucky bluegrass ( midnight ) at 0 . 6 ″ fairway mowing height in an irrigated site with irrigation received as needed . the grass was treated may 29 , 2012 . no injury to midnight ky bluegrass observed throughout the study ( 28 days ). no significant differences in % turfgrass cover were noted compared to the untreated control 28 days after the test was initiated . pa - 1010 was applied at 40 fl . oz . per acre . % turfgrass cover days after application ( da - a ) 9 17 28 0 28 pa - 1010 turfgrass injury (%) 0 0 0 % turfgrass cover 71 . 3 61 . 3 untreated turfgrass injury (%) 0 0 0 % turfgrass cover 77 . 5 68 . 8 there was no statistically significant difference between the treated blocks and the control . field test 2 - 2012 evaluated turfgrass phytotoxicity using the example 4 ( table 4 ) formulation . the test was performed by virginia tech university ( blacksburg , va . ), test # 64 - 12 , on perennial ryegrass ( asp6004 ) at 0 . 6 ″ fairway mowing height in an irrigated site with irrigation received as needed . the grass was treated may 29 , 2012 . pa - 1010 was applied at 40 fl . oz . per acre . no injury to perennial ryegrass observed throughout the study ( 28 days ). no significant differences in % turfgrass cover were noted compared to the untreated control 28 days after the test was initiated . % turfgrass cover days after application ( da - a ) 10 17 28 0 28 pa - 1010 turfgrass injury (%) 0 0 0 % turfgrass cover 72 . 5 65 untreated turfgrass injury (%) 0 0 0 % turfgrass cover 72 . 5 63 . 8 there was no statistically significant difference between the treated blocks and the control . field test 3 - 2012 was conducted to test if application of pa - 1010 results in phytotoxicity to desired cool season turfgrasses . the turf species tested was kentucky bluegrass ( poa pratensis ) that had a small amount of perennial ryegrass ( lolium perenne ). the study was conducted at the ohio turfgrass foundation research and education center in columbus , ohio . the sites of the experiment was weed - free . individual treatment plots were 3 × 6 ft and there were treatments and an untreated control ( table 1 ). the experimental design was a randomized complete block with 3 replications . the experiments were all established on jun . 5 , 2012 . pa - 1010 was applied at 40 fl oz per acre . a backpack carbon dioxide sprayer equipped with 6503 nozzles with a spray pressure of 40 psi was used to apply the products with the equivalent of 2 gal h 2 o / 1000 ft 2 . turfgrass phytotoxicity data were collected at 7 , 14 , and 28 days after application of treatments ( dat ) by visually estimating percent injury to the turfgrass on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 = no injury and 10 = dead turfgrass . the data were analyzed using the general linear models procedure of sas . fishers protected lsd was conducted on the data . barely noticeable injury symptoms were noted in all treated plots at 7 dat ( table 1 ). this was primarily a very light chlorosis . however , none of the differences were statistically significant . the rates tested caused no injury significantly different than the untreated plots at 14 dat . at 28 dat no phytotoxicity was noted . finally , though the rating for plots treated with treatment 4 was numerically lower , there were no significant quality differences observed at 43 dat . pa - 1010 was safe to kentucky bluegrass at all rates tested . treated and control blocks showed 0 . 3 damage at day 7 and 0 . 0 damage at days 14 and 28 , where zero is no damage and 10 is dead turf turf quality for both treated and untreated was rated 7 . 0 at 43 days after testing . field test 4 - 2012 performed at southeastern turfgrass research & amp ; consulting , llc ( lexington , ky .) to evaluate phytotoxicity on a stand of well - managed lawn - height tall fescue turf tall fescue ( barrington / barlexas / barvado tall fescue blend by barenbrug ) at 3 . 5 ″ lawn mowing height was treated on jul . 23 , 2012 . pa - 1010 was applied at 40 fl . oz . per acre . no phytotoxicity was observed at any rating period . turfgrass quality , where 1 = brown , dead turf and 9 = perfect green turf , was 6 . 5 for the treated plots at day 6 versus 6 . 8 for untreated control . at days 20 and 26 after treatment , turfgrass quality was identical between treated and untreated blocks , measuring 7 . 0 in all cases . field test 5 - 2012 by southeastern turfgrass research & amp ; consulting , llc evaluated phytotoxicity at a field between a pond and trees in lexington , ky . tall fescue at 3 . 5 inches was in 44 sand , 48 % silt , 8 % clay , om : 3 . 9 loam with a cec of 9 . 4 and a ph of 6 . 1 . fertilizer level was poor . appliccation was by co2 sprayer at 30 psi , applying 40 fl . oz . per acre of pa - 1010 on may 24 , 2012 . the test showed minor differences in turf quality at day 15 between treated and untreated , and results were identical between treated and untreated on days 21 and 28 after treatment . field test 6 - 2012 was conducted at the landscape horticulture research center at the university of illinois - urbana / champaign in urbana , ill . treatments were applied to a mature stand of kentucky bluegrass l . cv . ‘ bewitched ’ maintained at a 0 . 875 - inch height of cut . the experimental design used was a randomized complete block with four replications and plots measured 4 × 6 feet . treatments were applied with a backpack - type co2 sprayer at 32psi fitted with vs8002 nozzles ( teejet technologies , wheaton , ill .) and a spray volume of 50 gallons acre - 1 . treatments were applied on jun . 27 , 2012 . pa - 1010 was applied at 40 fl . oz . per acre . kentucky bluegrass injury was rated on a scale of 0 - 10 with 0 = none and 10 = dead turf . kentucky bluegrass quality was rated on a scale of 1 - 9 where , 1 = low and 9 = high quality . kentucky bluegrass density was rated on a scale of 1 - 9 where , 1 = open , 6 = typical normal density and 9 = very dense . this study experienced record breaking high temperatures during the first 2 weeks of the trial . the first eleven days of the trial had 5 days over 90 and 6 days at or over 100 degrees f . the average high temperature for the first eleven days was 98 . 5 f ! no phytotoxicity was observed and treated plots showed higher quality and density than untreated control .	0
referring now to the drawings , reference numeral 1 indicates one illustrative embodiment of tattooing tool embodying the present invention . the tool 1 includes a motor - driven dental handpiece 3 and a needle / cone assembly 4 . the handpiece 3 includes a motor 5 , a gear drive 7 , and a modified reciprocating head 9 . the motor 5 may be of any standard type , such as air - powered or electrical , and is preferably an electric motor operating at a nominal speed of about 15 , 000 revolutions per minute . the gear drive 7 may be a standard dental handpiece drive , typically having a gear ratio of 1 : 1 . the modified head 9 may be similar to the head shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 552 , 022 to axelsson , and will be described in greater detail hereinafter . the motor 5 , drive 7 and head 9 are contained in separate housings all of which are connected to each other by standard fittings to form a handpiece having a housing indicated generally at 11 . the head 9 includes a generally cylindrical housing 13 having at one end a standard connector 15 for connecting the head 9 to the drive 7 . at its free end , the cylindrical housing 13 communicates with a perpendicular oscillator housing 17 . an oscillator mechanism 19 is threaded into the free end of the head housing 13 as shown in fig1 . the oscillator mechanism 19 includes an oscillator bearing 21 , a shaft 23 in the bearing 21 , a connector 25 on the shaft 23 for drivingly connecting the shaft 23 to the drive 7 , and a cam 27 on the free end of the shaft 23 . the cam 27 includes an eccentric lug 29 extending into the oscillator housing 17 . the oscillator housing 17 includes a cylindrical bore 31 having a step 33 at its rearward end and internal threads 35 at its forward end . a bearing 37 is tightly fitted in the bore 31 , against the step 33 . the bearing 37 includes a depending tail 39 . a retaining tube 41 is slidably mounted in the bearing 37 . as shown in greater detail in fig5 and 6 , the retaining tube 41 is in the form of a tube having a forward annular rib 45 and a rearward annular rib 47 , spaced apart sufficiently to receive the lug 29 between them . the rearward rib 47 is cut away to form a flat 49 which cooperates with the tail 39 on the bearing 37 , thereby preventing rotation of the retaining tube 41 in the bearing 37 . the retaining tube 41 is preferably formed of stainless steel . as thus far described , the device 1 is a dental handpiece of a type sold by young dental manufacturing company as its dawn eva handpiece . the retaining tube 41 , as shown in fig5 and 6 , is modified by four longitudinal cuts extending from the rearward end of the retaining tube 41 to the forward rib 45 to form a pair of fingers 51 . the fingers 51 are bent inwardly at their free ends . an adapter 53 is threaded into the forward end of the oscillator housing 17 . the rearward end of the adapter 53 includes an internal bearing 55 for the retaining tube 41 . the forward end of the adapter 53 includes internal threads 57 . the adapter 53 is made of stainless steel . the needle / cone assembly 4 includes a needle assembly 61 and a cone structure 63 . the needle assembly 61 includes a needle carrier 65 and three needles 67 carried by the carrier 65 . the carrier 65 has a thin tubular forward part 69 , an annular shoulder 71 , a rearwardly - facing abutment 73 , a body part 75 , a thin frangible neck 77 , and a cap part 79 having a rim 81 . a blind axial bore 83 extends through the forward end of the carrier 65 into the body part 75 . the three needles 67 are accurately aligned with each other in the form of an equilateral triangle , are fitted snugly into the bore 83 , and are glued into the bore 83 . the needle carrier 65 is machined from aluminum . the needles are nickel - plated carbon steel . the cone structure 63 includes a frustoconical part 85 at its forward end , a collar part 87 , a threaded plug part 89 , and a rearward cylinder 91 . the frustoconical part 85 is turned inwardly somewhat at its forward , free , end to form an ink reservoir . breather holes 93 are provided at the rear of the frustoconical part 85 . the cone structure 63 is formed of aluminum . the needle assembly 61 is assembled to the cone structure 63 , with the shoulder 71 in the cylinder 91 of the cone structure 63 and with the needles in the frustoconical part 85 . the entire free rearward edge of the cylinder part wall is swaged inwardly as shown at 92 , to trap the needle assembly shoulder 71 in the cylinder 91 . the shoulder 71 is somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the cylinder 91 , to permit free reciprocation of the needle assembly in the cone structure . an installation tube 95 is inserted into the frustoconical part 85 of the cone structure 63 and abuts the forward end of the needle carrier 65 . the tube is pinched slightly out of round , as shown at 96 , to hold it snugly in the frustoconical part , with its end pushing needle assembly to its rearward - most position in the cone structure . the tube 95 performs the dual function of protecting the needles 67 and aiding in the installation of the needle / cone assembly as described hereinafter . the installation tube 95 is made of stainless steel . the needle / cone assembly 4 , including the installation tube 95 , is assembled , sterilized , and packaged in a sterile container . in use , the needle / cone assembly 4 is removed from its packaging and inserted into the adapter 53 and oscillator housing 17 . the threads 89 on the cone structure 63 are threaded into the threads 57 until the collar part 87 abuts the forward end of the adapter 53 . as the cone structure 63 is threaded onto the head 9 , the cap 79 on the needle carrier 61 is forced between the fingers 51 of the needle retaining tube 41 . to ensure complete insertion of the needle assembly 61 into the retaining tube 41 , the installation tube 95 is pushed rearwardly into the oscillator housing 17 before the tube 95 is removed . when the needle assembly 61 is completely inserted into the retaining tube 41 , the abutment 73 on the needle assembly 61 engages the forward end of the retaining tube 41 , and the fingers 51 tightly engage the cap 79 , on the forward side of the rim 81 . the body 75 of the needle carrier 65 fits snugly in the retaining tube 41 . the fingers 51 perform the dual functions of locking the needle assembly axially with respect to the retainer tube 41 and of locking the needle assembly 61 against rotation . upon application of a rotational force on the needle assembly 61 , the stainless steel fingers 51 tend to dig into the softer aluminum to provide positive locking . the tattooing device 1 is used in a conventional manner . rotation of the motor 5 is transmitted through the drive 7 and connector 25 to the cam 27 . the cam lug 29 reciprocates the retaining tube 41 at approximately 15 , 000 cycles per minute , thereby causing the needles 67 to be driven into and out of the frustoconical part 85 . the frustoconical part 85 is dipped in ink in a conventional manner , and the ink is held in the frustoconical part and carried on the tips of the needles 67 . the breather holes 93 prevent the ink from being drawn into the cylinder 91 . at the maximum forward stroke , the needles 67 extend about 1 . 5 millimeters from the end of the frustoconical part 85 . when a particular tattooing job has been completed , the needle / cone assembly 4 is unscrewed from the adapter 53 . when the needle / cone assembly is backed out partially , the turned edge 92 of the cylinder 91 engages the shoulder 71 . continued unscrewing of the needle / cone assembly 4 causes the neck 77 to be snapped . the cap 79 is then able to fall out of the rearward opening of the oscillator housing 17 , when it is pushed by a new needle / cone assembly &# 39 ; s being inserted into the device 3 . it will be seen that the position of the needles is accurately controlled by the bearings 37 and 55 , the fit of the needle carrier 65 in the retaining tube 41 , and the secure permanent bonding of the needles in the bore 83 of the needle carrier 65 . in use , the needle assembly does not touch the cone structure . because the needle / cone assembly may be pre - sterilized and requires no handling of the needles during assembly , sterility is easily maintained . automatic breakage of the frangible neck 77 ensures that needles , once removed , will not be reused . the accidental use of dull or unsanitary needles is thus prevented . the neck may easily be made strong enough for ordinary use , yet readily breakable upon removal of the needle / cone assembly . should the neck break in use , the needles would no longer be driven , but would not fall out of the device . numerous variations in the tool and needle assembly of the present invention , within the scope of the appended claims , will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure . for example , other single use tools could be substituted for the needle assembly . other drive devices could be used . other materials may be employed . these variations are merely illustrative .	0
[ 0025 ] fig1 shows a cross section of a test substrate ( 10 ) and high density integral rigid test probe ( 12 ) according to the present invention . the test substrate ( 10 ) provides a rigid base for attachment of the probes structures ( 12 ) and fan out wiring from the high density array of probe contacts to a larger grid of pins or other interconnection means to the equipment used to electrically test the integrated circuit device . the fan out substrate can be made from various materials andl constructions including single and multi - layer ceramic with thick or thin film wiring , silicon wafer with thin film wiring , or epoxy glass laminate construction with high density copper wiring . the integral rigid test probes ( 12 ) are attached to the first surface ( 11 ) of the substrate ( 10 ). the probes are used to contact the solder bralls ( 22 ) on the integrated circuit device ( 20 ). the solder balls ( 22 ) are attached to the first surface ( 21 ) of the integrated circuit device ( 20 ). [ 0026 ] fig2 shows an enlarged cross section of the high density integral rigid test probe ( 12 ). the probe tip is enlarged ( 13 ) to provide better alignment tolerance of the probe array to the array of solder balls ( 22 ) on the ic device ( 20 ). the integral rigid test probe ( 12 ) is attached directly to the fan out wiring ( 15 ) on the first surface ( 11 ) of the substrate ( 10 ) to minimize the resistance of the probe interface . the probe geometry includes the ball bond ( 16 ), the wire stud ( 17 ), and the enlarged probe tip ( 13 ). a sheet of polymer material ( 40 ) with holes ( 41 ) corresponding to the probe positions is used to support the enlarged tip ( 13 ) of the probe geometry . it is desirable to match the coefficient of thermal expansion for the polymer sheet ( 40 ) material and the substrate material to minimize stress on the interface between the ball bond ( 16 ) and the fan out wiring ( 15 ). as an example , the bpda - pda polyimide can be used with a silicon wafer substrate since both have a coefficient of thermal expansion ( tce ) of 3 ppm / c . this material is also stable up to 350 c . [ 0027 ] fig3 shows the first process used to fabricate the integral rigid test probe . a thermosonic wire bonder tool is used to attach ball bonds ( 16 ) to the first surface ( 11 ) of the rigid substrate ( 10 ). the wire bonder tool uses a first ceramic capillary ( 30 ) to press the ball shaped end of the bond wire against the first surface ( 11 ) of the substirite ( 10 ). compression force and ultrasonic energy ( 31 ) are applied through the first capillary ( 30 ) tip and thermal energy is applied from thle wire bonder stage through the substrate ( 10 ) to bond the ball shaped end of the bond wire to the first surface ( 11 ) of the substrate . the bond wire is cut , sheared , or broken to leave a small stud ( 17 ) protruding vertically from the ball bond ( 16 ). a first sheet of polymer material ( 40 ) with holes ( 41 ) corresponding to the probe locations on the substrate is placed over the array of wire studs ( 17 ) as shoown in fig4 . the diameter of the holes ( 41 ) in the polymer sheet ( 40 ) is slightly larger than the diameter of the wire studs ( 17 ). a second shect of metal or a hard polymer ( 42 ) with holes ( 43 ) corresponiding to the probe locations is also placed over the array of wire studs ( 17 ). the diameter of the holes ( 43 ) in the metal sheet ( 42 ) is larger than the diameter of the holes ( 41 ) in the polymer sheet ( 40 ). the enlarged ends of the probe tips are formed using a hardened anvil tool ( 50 ) as shown in fig5 . compression force and ultrasonic energy ( 51 ) are applied through the anvil tool ( 50 ) to deform the ends of the wire studs ( 17 ). the size of the enlarged probe tip ( 13 ) is controlled by the length of the wire stud ( 17 ) protruding through the polymer sheet ( 40 ), the thickness of the metal sheet ( 42 ), and the diameter of the holes ( 43 ) in the metal sheet ( 42 ). the enlarged ends of the probes ( 13 ) can be formed individually or in multiples depending on the size of the anvil tool ( 50 ) that is used . also , the surface finish of the anvil tool ( 50 ) can be modified to provide a smooth or textured finish on the enlarged probe tips ( 13 ). fig6 shows the high density integral rigid test probe with the metal mask ( 42 ) removed from the assembly . [ 0029 ] fig7 shows the sputtering or evaporation proces used to deposit the desired contact metallurgy ( 18 ) on the enlarged end ( 13 ) of the probe tip . contact metallurgies ( 18 ) such as pt , ir , rh , ru , and pd can be deposited in the thickness range of 1000 to 5000 angstroms over the probe tip ( 13 ) to ensure low contact resistance with thermal stability and oxidation resistance when operated a elevated temperatures in air . a thin layer of tin , cr , ti , ni , or co can be used as a diffusion barrier ( 19 ) between the enlarged probe tip ( 13 ) and the contact metallurgy ( 18 ) on the surgace of the probe . [ 0030 ] fig8 shows a high density integral test probe ( 12 ) with an additional sheet of polyimide ( 44 ) with enlarged holes ( 45 ) corresponding to the probe location placed on top of the first sheet of polyimide ( 40 ). the enlarged holes ( 45 ) in the second sheet of polyimide ( 44 ) acts as a cup to control and contain the creep of the solder balls at high temperatures . multiple probe arrays can be fabricated on a single substrate ( 60 ) as shown in fig9 . each array of probes is decoupled from the adjacent arrays by using separate polyimide sheets ( 61 , 62 ). matched coefficients of thermal expansion for the plymer sheets ( 61 , 62 ) and the substrate ( 60 ) become increasingly more important for multiple arrays of probes on a large substrate . even slight differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion can result in bowing of the substrate or excessive stresses in the substrate and polymer material over a large area substrate . [ 0032 ] fig1 shows the structure of fig1 with second contact locations ( 70 ) on surface ( 72 ) of substrate 10 . contact locations ( 70 ) can be the same as contact locations ( 13 ). fig1 shows the structure of fig6 with elongated ( 74 ) such as pins fixed to the surface ( 76 ) of pad ( 70 ). [ 0033 ] fig1 shows substrate ( 10 ) disposed spaced apart from the ic device ( 20 ). substrate ( 11 ) is held by arm ( 78 ) of fixture ( 80 ). the ic device ( 20 ) is disposed on support ( 82 ) which is disposed in contact with fixture ( 80 ) by base ( 84 ). arm ( 78 ) is adapted for movement as indicated by arrow ( 86 ) towards base ( 84 ) so that probe tips ( 12 ) are brought into engagement with conductors ( 22 ). an example of an apparatus providing a means for moving substrate ( 10 ) into engagement with the ic device ( 20 ) can be found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 875 , 614 . while we have described our perferred embodiments of our invention , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be constructed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first disclosed .	7
fig1 shows the first two units of a typical eo production plant . the first unit is reactor 2 . ethylene feed and a separate oxygen feed are mixed and then reacted in unit 2 to form eo with the consequent formation of by - product as aforesaid . unit 2 forms a first , normally gaseous , reaction product stream 3 that contains a major amount of newly formed eo , a substantial amount of free co 2 and a minor amount of unreacted ethylene . stream 3 is removed from outlet 7 of reactor 2 . the second unit in fig1 is eo absorber 4 which is a water wash scrubber that operates in known manner as a solvent extractor by absorbing ( dissolving ) eo out of stream 3 to form a principally eo / water stream 5 . stream 5 is normally at a temperature of from about 75 to about 105 f under a pressure of about 220 psig , and is primarily a water stream that can contain from about 3 to about 5 weight percent ( wt . %), based on the total weight of stream 5 , eo dissolved therein . stream 5 is then further processed in a manner that is not shown here for sake of brevity , but is shown in its entirety in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 727 , 389 . such further processing recovers , as products of the plant , purified eo and / or derivatives thereof such as one or more glycols . in some processes the eo is not purified , but rather is converted into ethylene glycol . absorber 4 also produces a normally gaseous by - product stream 6 that is part of the plant recycle gas loop . the recycle gas in stream 6 can contain from about 55 to about 97 wt . % methane , from about 20 to about 40 wt . % unreacted ethylene , from about 3 to about 5 wt . % co 2 , and a trace of eo , all wt . % being based on the total weight of stream 6 . ideally , stream 6 is essentially free of c 4 &# 39 ; s . stream 6 is recycled to reactor 2 by way of the plant recycle gas loop for reuse of the unreacted ethylene as feed material in reactor 2 , and in so doing , all or a substantial part of stream 6 can be processed for the removal of co 2 there from . fig2 shows in greater detail a typical recycle gas loop 10 wherein recycle stream 6 from absorber 4 is first passed to a compression unit 11 . the compressed gaseous product of unit 11 is removed by way of line 12 . all or any part of stream 12 can be passed into co 2 absorber 13 for removal of an essentially totally co 2 stream 14 . alternatively , all or any part of stream 12 can by - pass unit 13 by way of line 15 and pass into line 16 . stream 16 , which is essentially of the composition of stream 6 , except it can contain a lesser amount of co 2 , has additional ethylene feed 17 added thereto , after which it passes into an oxygen mix nozzle ( not shown ) by which additional oxygen 18 is added to the mixture of materials . this feed mixture is then passed by way of lines 19 , 20 , and 21 to the inlet 22 of reactor 2 for reaction of ethylene and oxygen therein as aforesaid . lines 19 through 22 can typically carry an array of individual sensors such as a high pressure sensor , high temperature sensor , high oxygen sensor , and high ethylene sensor . these individual sensors are shown collectively as sensor s in fig2 . pursuant to this invention one of these lines , preferably line 21 , carries , in addition to sensors s , a sensor c 4 which sensor is used to detect the c 4 compound content in that stream . this detection step will , by way of this invention , indicate incipient post - ignition developments at or near reactor inlet 22 . the c 4 indicators of this invention can be at least one of n - butane , iso - butane , iso - butylene , butenes , and butynes . a presently preferred marker is n - butane which , for sake of clarity only and not by way of limitation , will be used in the description hereinafter . the sensing equipment for sensor c 4 , and its operation are well known in the art . an example of such equipment is a standard gas chromatograph which is well known in the art and does not require further description to inform the art . as mentioned earlier , stream 21 is ideally devoid of any n - butane . however , there is often a very low background noise for c 4 compounds , typically 0 . 04 parts per million ( ppm ). sensor c 4 is set at a level above this c 4 background noise level for warning purposes . sensor c 4 can also be set to trigger at least one alarm or other warning device once a predetermined level of n - butane is detected in stream 21 . for example , a first alarm or other mechanism can be triggered at a first lower n - butane level to be a warning signal for the operator to watch the n - butane content of the recycle stream more closely , but not necessarily to take any remedial action . a second alarm or other warning device can be triggered at a predetermined higher n - butane level that has been previously determined to indicate that immediate remedial action must promptly be taken by the operator in order to avoid post - ignition at or near intake 22 in the near future . once the remedial action alarm is sounded , the operator then knows to take such action immediately , e . g ., by reducing the oxygen 18 feed rate . once the n - butane content of stream 21 , as detected by sensor c 4 , has decreased to a predetermined level that is below the level set for the first or warning alarm , for example , the feed rate for oxygen 18 can be slowly increased until it is back to its normal feed rate level for the reaction conditions then being present in the reactor . an eo plant as described here in above provides a recycle gas loop stream 6 having a volume of about 2 , 000 , 000 pounds per hour ( pph ) and containing about 50 wt . % methane , about 36 wt . % unreacted ethylene , about 2 . 5 wt . % co 2 , no more than about 0 . 04 ppm n - butane , and about 100 ppm eo , all based on the total weight of stream 6 . about 1 , 000 kpph of recycle loop gas 6 is split off from the recycle loop and passed to co 2 absorber 13 . stream 23 from absorber 13 returns about 960 , 000 pph of recycle gas to the loop . stream 23 has a composition of about 36 wt . % ethylene , about 50 wt . % methane , up to about 1 wt . % co 2 , about 10 wt . % elemental oxygen and argon , and a trace of eo , all wt . % based on the total weight of stream 23 . streams 23 and 15 are combined into stream 16 , and this stream has added thereto ethylene feed 17 and oxygen feed 18 in amounts sufficient to form a feed stream 22 for reactor 2 having a composition of about 40 wt . % ethylene , about 8 wt . % oxygen , about 50 wt . % methane , about 1 . 3 wt . % co 2 , a trace of eo , and no more than about 0 . 04 ppm n - butane . the butane content of this stream is monitored for its n - butane content on a continuous manner using a standard gas chromatograph . when the n - butane content of this stream reaches a level of 0 . 10 ppm , a warning alarm is triggered to focus the operator on this process parameter . when the n - butane content of this stream reaches a level of 0 . 20 ppm second alarm is triggered that signals the operator to take remedial action promptly in order to avoid a post - ignition event . the operator promptly reduces the flow of oxygen 18 into line 19 in order to alter the conditions that were trending toward the formation of a flame front .	2
the invention relates to 1 - arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt of the formula i ## str3 ## and also to a process for their preparation and their further reaction to give aromatic compounds having a partially fluorinated side chain . the starting materials used are aromatic aldehydes or ketones which are converted into phosphonium salts of the above formula i by reaction with trifluoromethyl halides and phosphorous triamides . it is known to prepare alkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts by reaction of the corresponding alcohols with a reactive halotris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salt ( synthesis , 1979 , 951 - 2 ). the preparation of trifluormethyl - substituted carbinols , the alcohols on which the phosphonium salts of the formula i are based , by transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to carbonyl compounds is of great interest and has been investigated in many publications . in this process , organometallic compounds of base metals , which are usually prepared from the corresponding trifluoromethyl halide and a metal , such as magnesium , zinc , manganese , etc ., are used . the disadvantage of this process is the usually expensive preparation and lability of the organometallic compounds which must be prepared initially , which manifests itself in the poor reproducibility of the published results ( tetrahedron lett . 26 , 5243 to 5246 ; specifically p . 5245 footnote 4 ). the invention accordingly relates to compounds of the formula i ( see above ) in which the radicals r 1 to r 5 are identical or different and denote hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , which can be perfluorinated , alkoxy or alkylthio each having 1 to 6 , in particular 1 to 3 , carbon atoms , and also halogen ( fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine ), in which , however , not more than three of the radicals r 1 to r 5 have a meaning other than hydrogen , y denotes hydrogen or a perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , x is bromine or iodine and , &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; stands for an alkyl radical having 1 to 3 carbon atoms . preferably , no more than two substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen are bound to the aromatic ring . the alkyl , alkoxy and alkylthio substituents can be straight - chain or branched and advantageously contain overall a maximum of 6 , in particular a maximum of 4 , carbon atoms . the invention also relates to a simple one - step process for the preparation of the above - mentioned compounds . this can be achieved by transfer of a trifluoromethyl group to aromatic carbonyl compounds , whereby the preparation and use of the above - mentioned organometallic compounds is avoided , and consists in reacting carbonyl compounds of the general formula ii ## str4 ## with trifluoromethyl halides of the formula cf 3 x ( iii ), in which x is bromine or iodine , and phosphorous tris ( dialkylamides ) ( in other words tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphanes ) of the general formula p ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 ( iv ) to give phosphonium salts of the formula i ( see above ), where in formulae i to iii the radicals are r 1 to r 5 , y and &# 34 ; alkyl &# 34 ; have the above - mentioned meaning . these phosphonium salts are very useful intermediates for syntheses and can be converted - as will be shown later - to aromatics having partially fluorinated side chains , which otherwise are often only accessible with difficulty by other routes . the process according to the invention does not only have the advantage of being simple , but also the advantage that the starting materials are readily accessible and that without exception good yields of phosphonium salts are obtained . trifluoromethyl bromide which is less poisonous and cheaper than trifluoromethyl iodide can be used advantageously for the transfer of the trifluoromethyl radical to the carbonyl compounds . the aromatic carbonyl compounds ( ii ) used can be the aldehydes ( y = hydrogen ) or aryl perfluoroalkyl ketones ( y = perfluoroalkyl radical c n f 2n + 1 where n is 1 to 6 ). the aromatic carbonyl compounds can be unsubstituted or can have one or more identical or different substituents r 1 to r 5 having a meaning other than hydrogen . examples of suitable phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amides ( iv ) are tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphane , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphase and tris ( dipropyl - or - isopropylamino ) phosphane ; preferably , tris ( diethylamino ) phosphane p ( n [ ch 2 ch 3 ] 2 ) 3 is used . this phosphane can be produced very easily in high yields by reaction of phosphorus trichloride with diethylamine in a solvent which in inert towards the reactants , for example an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons . the dialkylamino groups can contain identical or different alkyl groups . in the reaction of the aromatic aldehydes or ketones ( ii ) with a trifluoromethyl halide ( iii ) and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide ( iv ), initially an adduct of the formula ( vi ) is formed ## str5 ## the existence of this compound and the assignment of structure vi becomes plausible from the reactivity observed . this compound differs from compounds i by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halide with the formation of esters and also by the fact that it is converted to the free alcohol by the addition of a proton acid . compounds i according to the invention do not undergo these reactions . the initially formed adducts vi are subject in the reaction mixture to an exothermic rearrangement to the arylalkoxytris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium salts ( i ) above a conversion temperature which , depending on the type of the underlying alcohol , is between - 60 ° c . and + 20 ° c . the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with the trifluoromethyl halide and phosphorous tris ( dialkyl ) amide is in general carried out at temperatures of about - 100 ° c . to + 50 ° c ., in particular of - 80 ° to + 20 ° c . in the case of carbonyl compounds of very low reactivity it is advantageous to work at temperatures above - 40 ° c . and , for example , up to + 50 ° c . to achieve a rapid conversion . as is known , the reaction time is dependent on the other conditions , in particular on the reaction temperature . in general , the reaction is completed within a period of a few minutes to several hours . the reaction is in general carried out without applying superatmospheric pressure . however , it may be advantageous to work at elevated pressure , especially if the reaction is carried out above the boiling temperature ( at atmospheric pressure ) of the trifluoromethyl halide . this means that in practice the reaction is carried out at least at the internal pressure . advantageously , the present process is carried out under anhydrous conditions in the presence of a solvent or diluent which is inert towards the reactants . in particular aprotic liquids are used as liquids of this type . the liquids used are , for example , halogenated hydrocarbons , such as methylene chloride , tetrachloroethane , nitriles , for example acetonitrile or homologues thereof , such as butyronitrile or benzonitrile , esters , such as diethyl carbonate or ethylene carbonate , and ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethane . the solvent should , if possible , be anhydrous . it is advantageous to ensure that during the entire duration of the reaction it is well mixed , for example by stirring , and to keep the reaction product in solution by choosing a suitable solvent . the method and sequence of combining the three components is not critical . the process according to the invention can be carried out , for example , in such a manner that the solvent , the carbonyl compound and a further component are initially introduced and the third component is metered in . however , it is also possible to combine all three components simultaneously . the other reactants are usually used in at least an equivalent amount with respect to the carbonyl compound ii , but often they are used in an excess of , for example , up to 25 %. the reaction mixture can be worked up , for example , by freeing it from the solvent under reduced pressure and recrystallizing the resulting residue . when isolating the phosphonium salt , it may be advantageous first to remove biproducts and some of the solvent by extraction of the reaction mixture with a non - porous solvent , for example a hydrocarbon such as hexane . in this operation , the bottom layer , which contains mostly the phosphonium salt i , is often already present as a solid . the phosphonium salts according to the invention are fairly stable , hydrolysis - resistant solids , which are readily soluble in water and polar solvent . furthermore , they are preparatively very useful compounds , which can be easily converted in one step to other interesting aromatic compounds having partially fluorinated side chains . thus , when the phosphonium salts i are heated , cleavage of the carbon - oxygen bond at the carbonyl carbon atom takes place , and a molecule of phosphoric triamide p ( 0 ) ( n [ alkyl ] 2 ) 3 is eliminated with substitution by the halide ion . in this reaction , aromatic compounds of the general formula v ## str6 ## which are known per se and contain bromine or iodine at the α - position of the fluorinated side chain and in which r 1 to r 5 and y have the above - mentioned meanings are formed . in most cases , this cleavage proceeds almost quantitatively . for this purpose , the phosphonium salt is heated undiluted or in an inert solvent , for example one having a boiling point of at least the melting temperature of the phosphonium salt , such as methyl isobutyl ketone , tetrahydronapthalene , usually to temperatures above melting point . if a solvent is used , the conversion takes place even at temperatures below the melting point . in the case of individual phosphonium salts , for example the product from example 5 , it is also possible to use fairly low - boiling solvents , such as acetone . the reaction conditions are not critical ; the two reaction products are easily separated by distillation . in a further step , the halides v thus obtained can be easily reduced to the corresponding α - hydrogen perfluoroalkyl aromatics of the formula v in which x denotes hydrogen . the reduction can be carried out by reaction with hydrogen on noble metal catalysts , such as platinum on activated carbon , or more simply by thermal reaction of the halide v with an organic , hydrogen - releasing compound , such as reactive alkyl aromatics , such as tetrahydronaphthalene or diphenylmethane . for this purpose , the compound to be reduced is heated with the alkyl aromatic to temperatures of usually 160 ° c . to 220 ° c . this reduction can also be carried out in one step , starting from the phosphonium salts i , since under these reaction conditions a rapid conversion to the halide v takes place . the reaction product can be isolated , for example by distillation . this reaction sequence provides a conventient access to aromatic compounds of the structure v having fluorinated side chains . these compounds are interesting intermediates , which previously could only be prepared in complicated and multi - step syntheses . the structures of the compounds according to examples 1 to 7 and their most important physical data are summarized in the table . in as far as solvent mixtures were used in the examples for recrystallization , a ratio by volume of 1 : 1 was used , it being possible , however , to achieve optimizations , even with respect to the yield , by changing the ratio . ( 1 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 26 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzaldhyde in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . over a period of half an hour , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are then metered in with stirring . after 4 hours at - 70 ° c ., the aldehyde had been converted according to ir spectroscopy . the reaction mixture was then slowly heated to room temperature , and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the crude product from methyl t - butyl ether / ethyl acetate gave 97 . 2 g ( 77 % of yield ) of colorless crystals of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide of melting point 129 ° c . ( 2 ) in a round - bottom flask , 61 . 7 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are added with stirring and in the absence of moisture at about 0 ° c . to a solution of 39 . 6 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorobenzaldehyde in 150 ml of butyronitrile . 42 . 5 g ( 0 . 28 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide are then passed into the solution at 20 ° to 25 ° c . at the rate at which it is consumed . after about 4 hours , the conversion was complete . the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 123 g ) from tetrahydrofuran gave 104 g ( 75 % of yield ) of [ 1 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - fluorophenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless hygroscopic crystals of melting point 123 ° to 124 ° c . ( 3 ) in a round - bottom flask , 41 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of trifluoromethyl bromide were condensed in the absence of moisture at about - 70 ° c . into a solution of 34 . 3 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . at this temperature , 66 . 7 g ( 0 . 27 mol ) of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide were then added dropwise over a period of one hour and with thorough stirring . after a further 6 hours , the reaction mixture was slowly warmed to room temperature and extracted twice with 200 ml each of hexane . the extraction residue was freed from residual solvent under reduced pressure . recrystallization of the residue obtained ( 161 g ) from tetrahydrofuran / acetone gave 121 g ( 85 % of yield ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide in the form of colorless crystals of melting point 168 ° c . the compounds according to examples 4 to 7 listed in the table were prepared by the process according to example 3 . ( 8 ) in a distillation apparatus , 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( obtained according to example 1 ) were melted and heated to 140 ° c . for a short time . the subsequent distillation gave 23 . 5 g ( 99 % of yield ) of ( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene ( b . p . 68 ° c ./ 15 mbar ) and also 24 . 9 g ( 95 % of yield ) of phosphoric tris ( diethyl ) amide as additional product . ( 9 ) in a round - bottom flask equipped with reflux condenser , 53 . 2 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) [ 1 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl )- 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ] tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide ( product from example 5 ) were refluxed in 80 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone for 10 minutes . the subsequent distillation gave 22 . 2 g ( 83 % of yield ) of 1 -( 1 - bromo - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl )- 4 - methoxybenzene ( b . p . 108 ° to 110 ° c ./ 8 mbar ). ( 10 ) in distillation apparatus , a mixture of 50 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of ( 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethoxy ) tris ( diethylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 1 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene were heated for 2 hours at about 200 ° c . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a small column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 140 ° c . the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 40 mbar , after the reaction was completed . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 10 . 2 g ( 64 % of yield ) of ( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ) benzene of b . p . 71 ° to 72 ° c ./ 100 mbar . ( 11 ) in a distillation apparatus , a mixture of 57 g ( 0 . 1 mol ) of [ 1 - phenyl - 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - 1 -( trifluoromethyl ) ethoxy ] tris ( dialkylamino ) phosphonium bromide according to example 3 and 40 g ( 0 . 3 mol ) of tetrahydronaphthalene was heated at 200 ° c . for 3 hours . after about an hour , the reaction product was slowly distilled off through a column , in which the boiling temperature at the column head did not exceed 160 ° c . after the reaction was completed , the remaining product was distilled off from the reaction mixture at 20 mbar . repeated distillation of the combined fractions gave 12 . 8 g ( 56 % of yield ) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropane ( b . p . 83 ° to 84 ° c ./ 100 mbar ). the fact that in the reaction of the starting products used according to the invention initially a salt - like adduct of the formula vi is formed , which differs from the compounds i according to the invention by its reactivity with carboxylic acid halides with a formation of esters , is confirmed by the following comparative experiment with respect to example 3 : as in example 3 , the same amounts of ω , ω , ω - trifluoroacetophenone , ch 2 cl 2 , trifluromethyl bromide and phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide are combined . four hours after the addition of phosphorous tris ( diethyl ) amide was complete , 35 . 1 g ( 0 . 25 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were added . the mixture was subsequently stirred at - 70 ° c . for 2 hours . after warming the reaction mixture to room temperature , 300 ml of hexane were added . after phase separation , the bottom layer was again carefully extracted with hexane . the combined hexane layers were concentrated and distilled under reduced pressure . this gave 32 . 5 g ( 75 %) of 1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - hexafluoro - 2 - phenylpropyl 2 - benzoate of boiling point 96 ° to 97 ° c ./ 0 . 1 mbar . ______________________________________c h f . sup . 19 f - nmr \| ppm \| ______________________________________ ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) cf . sub . 3found found found ( 55 . 18 ) ( 2 . 89 ) ( 32 . 74 ) - 70 . 555 . 0 2 . 9 32 . 7______________________________________ in a different experiment , 11 . 4 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of the phosphonium salt from example 3 and 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 02 mol ) of benzoyl chloride were stirred in a round - bottom flask in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . even after two hours of refluxing , the two starting materials were still present side by side without change ; the formation of the ester described above was not observed . table__________________________________________________________________________ ## str7 ## m . p . [° c .] c h f ( recrystallized ( calc .) ( calc .) ( calc .) . sup . 19 fnmr [ ppm ] ex . r y from ) found found found cf . sub . 3 ( cdcl . sub . 3 ) yield__________________________________________________________________________1 h h 129 ( 47 . 81 ) ( 7 . 22 ) ( 11 . 34 ) - 76 . 4 77 % ( ea / mtbe ) 47 . 7 7 . 4 10 . 72 2 - cl , 6 - f h 123 - 4 ( 43 . 3 ) ( 6 . 18 ) ( 13 . 7 ) - 75 . 4 75 % ( thf ) 43 6 . 1 13 . 63 h cf . sub . 3 168 ( 44 . 22 ) ( 5 . 88 ) ( 19 . 98 ) - 71 . 2 85 % ( thf / acetone ) 43 . 8 6 . 1 19 . 94 4 - ch . sub . 3 h 148 ( 48 . 84 ) ( 7 . 42 ) ( 11 . 03 ) - 76 71 % ( thf ) 49 . 2 7 . 2 11 . 05 4 - och . sub . 3 h 117 - 8 ( 47 . 37 ) ( 7 . 19 ) ( 10 . 7 ) - 76 . 6 81 % ( acetone ) 47 . 1 7 . 1 10 . 66 3 , 4 ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 cf . sub . 3 118 - 9 ( 46 . 16 ) ( 6 . 57 ) ( 19 . 05 ) - 71 . 0 84 % ( mibk ) 46 . 2 6 . 5 18 . 77 h c . sub . 2 f . sub . 5 137 ( 42 . 59 ) ( 5 . 64 ) ( 24 . 5 ) - 66 . 1 61 % ( mibk ) 43 . 2 5 . 6 24 . 4__________________________________________________________________________ ea = ethyl acetate mtbe = methyl t . butyl ether thf = tetrahydrofuran mibk = methyl isobutyl ketone	2
it is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present disclosure have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention , while eliminating , for the purposes of clarity and brevity , many other elements found in typical network - communicative systems , mobile devices , servers and methods . those of ordinary skill in the art may thus recognize that other elements and / or steps are desirable and / or required in implementing the present invention . however , because such elements and steps are well known in the art , and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention , a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein . the disclosure herein is directed to all such variations and modifications to the disclosed elements and methods known to those skilled in the art . fig1 illustrates a representative service provider or system architecture , which in the preferred embodiment is implemented in or across one or more data centers . a data center typically has connectivity to the internet . in one embodiment , the system provides a web - based hosted solution through which business entities create , manage and monitor their brand integration and product placement activities in an online manner . participants interact with the platform to buy and sell brand integration opportunities as an online marketplace . in an alternative embodiment , the system may be implemented over a private network , or as a product ( as opposed to a hosted or managed service ). a business entity user has a machine such as a workstation or notebook computer . typically , a business entity user accesses the service provider architecture by opening a web browser on the machine to a url associated with a service provider domain or subdomain . the user then authenticates to the managed service in the usual manner , e . g ., by entry of a username and password . the connection between the business entity machine and the service provider infrastructure may be encrypted or otherwise secure , e . g ., via ssl , or the like . although connectivity via the publicly - routed internet is typical , the business entity may connect to the service provider infrastructure over any local area , wide area , wireless , wired , private or other dedicated network . as seen in fig1 , the service provider architecture 100 comprises an ip switch 102 , a set of one or more web server machines 104 , a set of one more application server machines 106 , a database management system 108 , and a set of one or more administration server machines 110 . a representative web server machine 104 comprises commodity hardware ( e . g ., intel - based ), an operating system such as linux , and a web server such as apache 2 . x . a representative application server machine 106 comprises commodity hardware , linux , and an application server such as weblogic 8 . 1 . the database management system 108 may be implemented as an oracle database management package running on solaris . in a high volume use environment , there may be several web server machines , several application server machines , and a number of administrative server machines . although not shown in detail , the infrastructure may include a name service , other load balancing appliances , other switches , network attached storage , and the like . the system typically will also include connectivity to external data sources , such as third party databases that provide historical data . representative third party data sources include , for example , a . c . nielsen placeviews ™ ( for television ), brand cameo ( for film ), american brandstand ( for music ), and the like . each machine in the system typically comprises sufficient disk and memory , as well as input and output devices . generally , the web servers 104 handle incoming business entity provisioning requests , and they export a display interface that is described and illustrated in more detail below . the application servers 106 manage the data and facilitate the marketplace functions of the platform . the administrator servers 110 handle all back - end accounting and reporting functions . the particular hardware and software implementation details described herein are merely for illustrative purposes are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention . as noted above , the system manages avails , wherein an avail is an aspect of a production that is “ available ” for potential product placement and brand awareness . typically , an “ avail ” is an opportunity for an advertiser , advertising agency , media buyer or the like to include a brand as part of a given production . ( a “ brand ” is sometimes used herein to refer to an advertiser itself ). an “ avail ” may also refer to an opportunity that is entered into the system by the seller , or on behalf of the seller , typically a producer , an entertainment network , a film production house , a music video company , a video game producer , or the like . as noted above , any such buyer or seller entity interacts with the platform over the internet or other private network , preferably using a web browser or other graphics display engine . the system allows sellers to create , store , respond to , and transact on new avails . similarly , the buyer uses the system to follow the progress of its offers , to respond to , and to close on avail buying opportunities . as also described above , the system defines a set of one or more product placement - specific metrics that are used on the platform as a standard measure of delivery of exposure across avails . a brand integration unit ( e . g ., a ubi ™, which is a trademark of nextmedium , inc .) preferably is a function of : exposure duration ( typically measured in seconds ) times a given audience size metric ( e . g ., household ( hh ) gross rating points ( grp ), such as available from a . c . neilsen or other sources ) times a given product placement type factor or attribute . the brand integration unit may be normalized , or calculated using other criteria . a “ placement type ” is a type of product placement within a given production , e . g ., a foreground placement , a background placement , a brand mention , a dialogue mention , a dialogue mention by a given character , use as a prop , use in wardrobe , use in a storyline , use as the storyline , or the like . the above product placement types are merely representative . typically , different weights are associated with each placement type , thus influencing the brand integration unit value calculation . thus , for example , a dialog mention has a higher weight than a foreground placement , which has a higher weight than a background placement . the weight values may be informed or influenced by historical data or other statistics . an aggregate of brand integration units , e . g ., over all media , or with respect to a specific media type , over a continuing time period , is as an entertainment integration quotientt ™ ( or e * iq ™). typically , an end user entity buys a ubi and the system measures e * iq , which value typically increases over time and use of the system . e * iq thus is an aggregated view of the effectiveness of a brand across some or all of the media types over time . another metric is a media value , which represents , once again preferably for a given time period , a monetary amount typically calculated as e * iq times a quotient of : average advertising rate and average audience size ( e . g ., measured as hh grp or equivalent ). the media value may be calculated and displayed on an aggregate media basis , or with respect to a specific media type , or the like . business entities access the platform over the web , authenticate , and then access the platform functions by navigating through display pages that comprise a graphical user interface . the following are representative , non - limiting use scenarios for the interactive marketplace of the present invention . a buyer ( an agency media buyer for a brand , such as ford ®) end user logs into the system and wants to find avails for purchase . he or she searches tv avails for a given product category ( e . g ., automobiles ) according to a media type , in this case tv . after finding that a desired show ( e . g ., “ grey &# 39 ; s anatomy ”) has an avail to his or her liking , he or she views its details ( price and placement types ), and places an offer . in another example , a buyer ( revlon ® media buyer ) logs into the system and wants to find out avails to purchase . in this case , however , no seller has entered avails for cosmetics . in this case , the end user does an advanced search entering parameters , such as target demographic ( women 18 - 49 ) and top shows ( per hh grp or e * iq ) in a desired category . the system then performs a data mining function for top shows ( e . g ., based on hh grp or e * iq ) and lists them . the relevant data may be located in the system databases , or the system may execute the search by connecting to remote ( possibly third party ) databases or other data sources . once the search is complete and the results returned , the user is then able to send messages to the seller , e . g ., to initiate integration ( in particular , a dialog between buyer and seller to include avails for revlon ). as yet another example , assume that fox ® racing is a new system customer . the system data mines placement information to find out top exposures , grp , and e * iq for fox racing . it then compares this data with fox racing &# 39 ; s top competitors . assume that the system discovers that , even though fox racing has the highest exposures and grp in a given television show , its e * iq is lower than its competitors . as a result , the system recommends avails that will help fox racing increase its own e * iq . fox racing can then purchase these avails . another example scenario assumes that fox has an exclusive brand integration deal with coke for a television show such as american idol ®. fox wants to ensure that , when coke &# 39 ; s competitors log into the system , they are shown avails for all fox shows except american idol . fox enters this information into the system and the system ensures that when pepsi &# 39 ; s brand manager logs in , it is not shown american idol avails . another example is that the fox tv sales team is creating a new show similar to american idol . it wants to enter avails into the system but needs help in pricing them . the system provides a pricing calculator that then recommends prices based on similar shows and historical data . in another use example , assume that revlon &# 39 ; s brand manager has signed up for a series of avails in the “ cosmetic ” product category for fall tv shows on fox . she wants to audit the exposure . she logs into the system and brings up an exposure history for her deals . the system preferably displays statistics in terms for duration , grp and e * iq , and the page may also includes links to video clips featuring revlon . coke &# 39 ; s brand manager wants to compare how his brand fares in product placements on top shows with respect to pepsi over the past calendar quarter . the end user logs into the system to see this report . the end user can then change dates and captures this information for grp , occurrences , and e * iq . as another example , assume that the “ real world - road rules ” production company wants to sell all avails for a cell phone category for the 2007 television season ( all episodes ). it logs into the system and places this “ brand integration ” sale . the brand manager for t - mobile ® then logs into the system , searches for cell phone integration deals and places an offer for the “ real world - road rules ” program . as still another example , assume that the script in a new tv series calls for the lead actress to drive environmentally friendly cars . the network and production company for this series want to sell automobile avails for all episodes to an automobile brand and feature its various environmentally friendly vehicles . the end user logs into the system and defines the brand integration opportunity . brand managers for toyota , ford , and honda can then access the system and negotiate for the opportunity . another example assumes that a seller receives offers , e . g ., from hyundai and jaguar , with respect to an avail to include cars in a scene with a lead actress in a forthcoming james bond movie . even though the offer from hyundai is more than 30 % higher than that of jaguar , the seller accepts jaguar , because the offer is more in line with the script . however , instead of rejecting hyundai , the seller sends back a counter - offer to include the brand in other parts of the film . as still another example , ford &# 39 ; s brand manager sees a cash offer to include cars as part of a new tv action series . instead , the brand manager responds to the offer with a counterproposal , namely , a lower price per avail and providing all of ford &# 39 ; s 2007 model year cars for free to be used in the show . the seller responds and agrees with this offer . the producer for the “ amazing race ” tv series wants to construct an open - ended offer , as follows . the offer includes an automobile product category opportunity in each weekly show , however , the producer cannot give specifics ( e . g ., duration ) of each occurrence given that the show is loosely scripted . the end user then constructs a deal such that the brand will pay a minimum amount upfront with a remainder paid post - airing of the show , e . g ., based on some metric such as dollars per duration , grp or e * iq . the grp metric can be obtained from a third party measurement source and imported into the system , which can then audit and manage the overall transaction . the system also enables producers to put in a generic description for a series of avails and ask for an upfront fee followed by a pay - for - performance model based on some dollars per duration , grp or e * iq . in this example , cell phones will be used in all episodes for a new tv series . producers can use this feature to sell series of avails without significant upfront work , such as entering specific data ( time , duration , script mention , and the like ), and buyers can use this feature obtain a scientific measurement ( analogous to pay per click ) for avails , as preferably the system has access to third party measurement data , as previously noted . denny restaurant &# 39 ; s brand manager wants to obtain a report on the tv shows and films that have carried the brand and measure their effectiveness . the system &# 39 ; s business intelligence database preferably list all shows , their grp and exposures , including links to clips that feature the brand . the system also exposes the brand &# 39 ; s e * iq with respect to its competition and enables the manager to investigate how to increase the e * iq across all media types . the system then provides this information and lists recommendations . as a final example , assume that the brand manager for ford has $ 1 m to spend on brand integration across various media types ( tv , films , video games , music ). he logs into the system to create a product placement campaign . the system can then recommend a series of avails that will help the manager obtain a maximum return on investment . the above examples are merely illustrative and are not to be taken to limit the present invention in any way . as can be seen , the system provides many advantageous features . in particular , the system automates the key aspects of today &# 39 ; s manual and labor intensive product placement & amp ; brand integration workflow by providing avail listing and search capability , as well as enabling participants to make and respond to offers . the platform provides a central , one stop ( create , manage and transact ) location to manage product placement and brand integration across all media types ( tv , films , music , video games , and the like ). it provides participants with the ability to introduce and execute on new business models , such as pay - for - performance for product placement and brand integration . the system also affords users with access to historical product placement data for business intelligence reports , it provide new metrics ( e . g ., ubi and e * iq ) to measure efficacy of product placements and to define an overall media value for a brand . moreover , the system , through its guided interface to be described below , provides actionable data , tasks and tools to guide the user to intelligently use these metrics . more generally , the system enables participants to increase market size for product placement and brand integration by allowing sellers to target a larger audience of buyers , and vice versa . preferably , participants interact with the system through a web - based portal and , in particular , through a series of display pages exported to a web browser . these display pages are illustrated in fig2 - 22 , by way of example . the particular sequence and organization of these pages is merely representative , as are the particular layouts of each given page . nevertheless , the basic functions of the system can be visualized by navigating through these displays , as will now be described at a high level . fig2 is a representative home or “ portal ” page from which an end user can navigate throughout the system functions . the page comprises a navigation panel 202 with various links to other pages that are described below . a top recent exposure panel 204 exposes details for a highest value product placement for this particular participant ( in this example , the ford brand manager ). this panel includes an embedded media player ( to play the content ), the e * iq , the media value , the brand , the program , the placement type , the duration and its air - time . a top competitors by e * iq panel 206 shows the end user how the company &# 39 ; s branding opportunities are faring with respect to other identified competitors . a top shows by e * iq panel 208 displays the shows that are providing the best return on investment for the brand . an offer status panel 210 displays offer information . a latest avails panel 212 displays one or more recent avails that have been placed or to which the manager has responded . fig3 is a representative page that is displayed by the system when the end user selects the introduction link in the gauge your exposure subdirectory identified in the navigation panel . it includes a number of image links . when the end user selects the e * iq details summary image link 400 , he or she is navigated to the display page in fig4 , which provides a breakdown of the brand &# 39 ; s e * iq score . this page thus shows the number of different programs that the brand &# 39 ; s product has appeared in , the number of seconds the product has aired across all shows , and the number of times the product has been exposed on air ( or the like ). the breakdown your e * iq page in fig4 also shows associated demographic data . referring now back to fig3 , when the end user selects the top shows by e * iq image link 500 , he or she is navigated to the display page in fig5 , which shows the user the brand &# 39 ; s top shows according to their e * iq score in each show . as seen in fig5 , this table also displays additional data such as total occurrences , total duration , total average e * iq , and e * iq broken down by demographics . referring once again back to fig3 , when the end user selects the top competitors by e * iq image link 600 , he or she is navigated to the display page in fig6 , which includes data comparing the brand to its competitors according to e * iq . given temporal and percentage data preferably is also shown , as indicated . as also seen in fig3 , when the end user selects the top placement types by e * iq image link 700 , he or she is navigated to the display page in fig7 , which includes data ( total occurrences , total duration , total average e * iq , and e * iq broken down by demographic ) by one or more placement types : prop , foreground , background , dialogue mention , sponsorship , storyline , and other . the data can be indexed by date , as indicated . fig8 is a representative page that is displayed by the system when the end user selects the introduction link in the find your avails link subdirectory in the navigation panel 202 shown in fig2 . this panel includes a set of image links . when the end user selects the browse open avails image link 900 , he or she is navigated to the display page shown in fig9 , which enables the user to look through open avails in the system , perhaps indexed by category ( e . g ., automobiles ). as seen in fig9 , the avails preferably are also organized by media type , e . g ., television , film music , or video game . the television page is shown by default , but this is not a requirement . by navigating to the desired media type page , the user can review the avails . in this example , there are no television opportunities available for automobiles , which in this example is the relevant category for this particular user . by selecting the film tab , however , the user can navigate to the display page in fig1 , which includes a list of avails , indexed by film name and including associated information such as genre , placement type , a response deadline , a minimum offer , and the number of offers outstanding . selection of a link in this page navigates the user to the display in fig1 , which provides detailed information for the particular offer selected . fig1 includes a make offer button , and selection of this button navigates the user to the display page shown in fig1 , which includes a fill - in form by which the user can enter the offer details . as can be seen in fig1 , preferably the page includes a minimum offer field , a list box that includes a listing from which a product can be selected , an offer field , a promotion field , and a product - in - kind field . the user enters given amounts into these fields as desired , and he or she can add additional comments or integration ideas in the comment field . in the alternative , the end user can select the pay for performance tab and be navigated to the display page in fig1 . this page exposes a fill - in form that enables the user to create a custom pay for performance offer that includes a maximum offer , a desired integration level ( if supported ), a set offer ( preferably measured in $/ sec ) on all placements field , as well as separate placement type fields as indicated . thus , the user can designate a given price that it is willing to pay to get its brand mentioned by a character , or positioned in a foreground shot , or as a part of a character wardrobe , and the like . this pay for performance feature is quite useful , as it enables performance - based bidding and fulfillment . this is desirable , especially for entities that have no control over the execution of a given creative . returning now to fig8 , when the end user selects the find a specific avail image link 1400 , he or she is navigated to the display page shown in fig1 , which enables the user to look through all the avails in the system for a specific avail . as illustrated in fig1 , this page includes a search engine that is indexed by media type , and that includes a set of fill - in options including a response deadline , a top shows list box , a show name field , a network list box , a genre list box , a studio field , a show status list box , a production status list box , and a target demographic list box . entry of data in this fill - in form controls the search engine to return the avails , from which the user can then review and prepare an offer , as has been described above . referring again to fig8 , when the user selects the propose an integration image link 1500 , he or she is navigated to the page shown in fig1 . using this page , the user can enter criteria for a given integration and search through the database , once again indexed by media type and by entering information in the various fields shown . fig1 is a representative page that is displayed by the system when the end user selects the select a program tab from the propose an integration display panel . fig1 is a representative page that is displayed by the system when the end user selects ( e . g ., by clicking on a radio button ) a given program and the clicks the view program details tab . fig1 is a representative page that is displayed by the system when the end user selects the introduction link in the review your offers subdirectory in the navigation bar . this page includes preferably includes a set of image links . a first image link 1900 navigates the user to the display page in fig1 , which shows the user the status of their current offers . he or she can select the view offer history button and be navigated to the display page shown in fig2 . if any of these offers have been pending for a given time period , the user can request feedback from other users using tools accessible through this page . as also seen in fig1 , if the user selects the second image link 2100 , he is she is navigated to the update an offer page shown in fig2 . the user can use this page to update an offer they have already placed . as can be seen , the various display screens can be accessed through the links in the navigation panel 202 , or through the image links on the pages that are exposed during the typical user navigation . as noted above , preferably the web - based marketplace has access to or otherwise integrates with third party sources that include historical product placement data . this information facilitates the generation of the real - time and historical data shown in the representative displays . access to exposure data allows the system to create audit trails and to introduce new business models around product placements and brand integration . the system may also include processing routines that use the historical data ( and perhaps data specific to a particular brand , category , production , or the like ) to predict and recommend avails to the user . access to historical data allows the service provider to data mine for recommendations and to predict trends . further , the product placement - specific metrics ( ubi & amp ; e * iq ) provide the users and others with a standard measure of delivery of exposure across avails . as noted above , preferably e * iq is an aggregated view of the effectiveness of a brand across some or all of the media types . the present invention provides the marketplace participants with the ability to track and manage product placement and brand integration opportunities throughout an entire media production and distribution lifecycle that includes some or all of the following : pre - production , production , post - production , broadcast / distribution , as well as post - broadcast interactivity or other transactional commerce . thus , for example , in pre - production , a seller can reveal an apparel opportunity for a popular television show . in the production phase , a buyer can then bid on the avail and , if the bid is accepted , purchase the opportunity . or , assuming the opportunity is not then closed , an entity may decide to make a bid during the post - production phase . during the broadcast distribution phase , a buyer may even purchase an avail if its brand or branded product can be placed into the production in a “ virtual ” manner . even following broadcast distribution , yet another buyer can purchase an opportunity with respect to downstream distribution ( such as foreign broadcast rights ). thus , using the platform , different buyers can offer different product placements throughout the production and distribution lifecycle of a given creative . as previously noted , the hardware and software systems in which the invention is illustrated are merely representative . the invention may be practiced , typically in software , on one or more machines . generalizing , a machine typically comprises commodity hardware and software , storage ( e . g ., disks , disk arrays , and the like ) and memory ( ram , rom , and the like ). the particular machines used in the network are not a limitation of the present invention . a given machine includes network interfaces and software to connect the machine to a network in the usual manner . as illustrated in fig1 , the present invention may be implemented as a managed service ( e . g ., in an asp model ) using the illustrated set of machines , which are connected or connectable to one or more networks . more generally , the service is provided by an operator using a set of one or more computing - related entities ( systems , machines , processes , programs , libraries , functions , or the like ) that together facilitate or provide the inventive functionality described above . in a typical implementation , the service comprises a set of one or more computers . a representative machine is a network - based server running commodity ( e . g . pentium - class ) hardware , an operating system ( e . g ., linux , windows , os - x , or the like ), an application runtime environment ( e . g ., java , . asp ), and a set of applications or processes ( e . g ., java applets or servlets , linkable libraries , native code , or the like , depending on platform ), that provide the functionality of a given system or subsystem . as described , the service may be implemented in a standalone server , or across a distributed set of machines . typically , a server connects to the publicly - routable internet , a corporate intranet , a private network , or any combination thereof , depending on the desired implementation environment . the previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure . various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure . thus , the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein .	6
in the above general formula ( ii ) x 1 and x 2 each represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom ; r 1 and r 2 each represents a hydrogen atom , an alkyl group ( preferably , an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms , such as a methyl group , an ethyl group , a propyl group , an isopropyl group , a butyl group , a t - butyl group , etc . ), an aryl group ( e . g ., a phenyl group , a tolyl group , etc . ), an aralkyl group ( e . g ., a benzyl group , a phenethyl group , etc . ), or a cycloalkyl group ( e . g ., a cyclopentyl group , a cyclohexyl group , etc .). in the above general formula ( ii ) r 3 represents a hydrogen atom , an alkyl group ( suitably , an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms , such as a methyl group , an ethyl group , a propyl group , a butyl group , a t - butyl group , etc . ), an aralkyl group ( preferably , a benzyl group , a phenethyl group , etc . ), an aryl group ( preferably , a phenyl group , a tolyl group , etc . ), or a cycloalkyl group ( preferably , a cyclopentyl group , a cyclohexyl group , or the like ); and r 4 represents a hydrogen atom , an alkyl group ( preferably , an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms , such as a methyl group , an ethyl group , a propyl group , a butyl group , a t - butyl group , etc . ), or a cycloalkyl group ( e . g ., a cyclopentyl group , a cyclohexyl group , etc .). specific examples of compounds having the general formula ( i ) include hydantoin , thiohydantoin , 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin , 5 , 5 - dimethylthiohydantoin , 5 - phenyl - 5 - ethylhydantoin , 5 - methyl - 5 - isopropylthiohydantoin , 5 , 5 - diethylhydantoin and 5 - methyl - 5 - cyclohexylhydantoin and examples of compounds having the general formula ( ii ) include 5 - methylthiazoline - 2 - thione , 5 - ethylthiazoline - 2 - thione , 4 , 5 - dimethylthiazoline - 2 - thione , 5 - phenylthiazoline - 2 - thione , 5 - cyclohexylthiazoline - 2 - thione , 5 - benzylthiazoline - 2 - thione . in this invention , the combination of at least one of the compounds of general formula ( i ), the general formula ( ii ), and o - benzoic sulfimide is used , with at least one quinone diazide compound , e . g ., as described hereinbefore . the above - described compounds are suitably added to the light - sensitive composition in an amount of not less than about 0 . 1 % by weight up to less than about 50 % by weight , preferably 1 to 20 % by weight . the quinonediazido type light - sensitive substances which can be used in the present invention include , in general , all of the above - described compounds . the light - sensitive quinone diazide compound and the composition which comprises the compounds of this invention are employed in combination as the light - sensitive composition . if the quinone diazide compound has a film - forming property , an organic solvent solution of the light - sensitive composition is used as a coating solution . if the quinone diazide compound does not have a film - forming property , the coating solution comprises an organic solvent solution of the light - sensitive composition and an additional binder component . suitable examples of binders include phenol - formaldehyde resins , shelac , styrenemaleic anhydride copolymers , methyl methacrylate - methacrylate copolymers , and the binder is suitably added at less than 5 times by weight . suitable solvents which can be used for the coating solution include alcohol solvents such as methanol , ethanol , isopropyl alcohol , and butyl alcohol , dioxane , methyleneglycolmonomethylether , ethyleneglycolmonomethylether , etc . of these , a solvent which disolves the solid components can be employed alone or a mixture of solvents can be employed . the concentration of the solid components of the coating solution normally is about 1 to 20 weight % and the coating amount on the support generally is about 0 . 1 to 10 g per 1 m 2 . the light - sensitive composition of the invention can be applied from solution to a variety of supports . such supports include cloth , paper , ceramics , rubber , wood , metals , plastic films , and the like . the desired image is then produced by image wise exposure to actinic radiation , such as ultraviolet light , and can be used as such as a temporary record or the unexposed materials can be removed by treatment with an appropriate solvent to produce a permanent image . in an embodiment a photoresist composition is prepared employing the light - sensitive composition of the invention mixed with a film - forming resin . for example , the film - forming resin can be a phenol formaldehyde resin such as those known as novolak or resole resins . in a particular , an alkali soluble phenol formaldehyde resin can be used to form a product which is insoluble in alkali but which forms decomposition products which are soluble in dilute alkali upon exposure to actinic rays . the alkali solution may range in strength up to that of 5 % aqueous sodium hydroxide . the light - sensitive composition of this invention can be mixed in any proportion with a film - forming material to form resists or print - out materials . in addition the light - sensitive compositions can be provided in a dry form and mixed with a solvent or as a solvent solution using one or more volatile organic solvents which are solvents for the components of the light - sensitive composition . residual solvent can be removed and the coating is exposed through a pattern to a light source such as a carbon arc . the resist coating , is then placed in a developer such as an aqueous alkaline developer , to remove the exposed areas . the alkaline strength of the developer , as well as the presence of addenda such as solvents , is dependent upon the particular light - sensitive composition employed , any the resin employed and the ratio of the light - sensitive composition to the resin . the developer may also contain dyes and hardening agents . the developed image is rinsed with water , and dried . the substrate can then be etched using conventional techniques such as an acid etching solutions of ferric chloride . in another embodiment a solution containing the light - sensitive composition of this invention is coated upon a lithographic support by using conventional techniques such as whirl coating , flow coating , dip coating , hopper coating , etc . and allowed to dry . the resulting light - sensitive element is then exposed through a negative image to radiation such as that from an ultraviolet light source and subsequently developed with a solvent for the unexposed portions to obtain a positive , highly colored , oleophilic image suitable for use in lithographic printing . the lithographic support materials can be any of those well known in the art such as zinc , anodized aluminum , grained aluminum , copper and specially prepared metal and paper supports ; partially hydrolyzed cellulose ester films ; polymer supports such as polyolefins , polyesters , polyamide , etc . the solvents which can be employed as coating solvents for the light sensitive composition of this invention are preferably those organic solvents which are capable of dissolving at least 0 . 2 % by weight of the light sensitive composition employed but are inert to the components in the light sensitive composition and which are substantially incapable of adversely affecting the substrates employed . suitable solvents include dimethylformamide , cyclohexanone , acetonitrile , 2 - ethoxyethanol and mixtures thereof or with other solvents such as the lower alcohols and ketones . the coating solutions can also contain addenda to improve film formation , coating properties , adhesion to the supports , mechanical strength , etc . examples of such include resins , stabilizers and surface active agents . the light sensitive elements can be exposed using conventional techniques to actinic radiation which is preferably in the ultraviolet range . the exposed elements are then developed by washing , soaking , swabbing , or otherwise treating the light sensitive layers with a solvent or solvent system which acts on the exposed and unexposed areas removing the materials which have not been modified by the action of light . these developing solvents can be organic or aqueous in nature and will vary depending on the composition of the light sensitive layer being developed . examples of developing solvents include water , aqueous acids and alkalis , the lower alcohols and ketones , and aqueous solutions of the lower alcohols and ketones . the images formed can then be treated in any known manner dependent upon the intended end use . the light - sensitive composition of the present invention possesses such high sensitivity that the exposure amount upon exposure can be reduced as compared with the conventional light - sensitive compositions . thus workability is improved . the present invention will now be illustrated in greater detail by reference to the following non - limiting examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention . unless otherwise indicated all parts , percents , ratios and the like are by weight . a 3s 18h aluminum plate was grained on both sides using 25 - mesh alundum , then immersed for 1 minute in a 70 ° c aqueous solution of 20 % sodium tertiary phosphate . after being washed with water , the plate was immersed in a 70 % nitric acid solution , followed by washing with water . thereafter , the plate was immersed for 2 minutes in a bath of 2 % aqueous solution of sodium silicate no . 2 ( made by kanto kagaku co . ; sio 2 / na 2 o ratio : 2 . 45 - 2 . 55 : 1 ) heated to 80 to 85 ° c . after being washed with water and drying the plate , a light - sensitive solution prepared by adding 1 part by weight of polyhydroxyphenyl 2 - diazo - 1 - naphthol - 4 - sulfonic acid ester ( obtained by the polycondensation of acetone and pyrogallol as illustrated in example 1 of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 635 , 709 ) and 2 parts by weight of an oil - soluble novolak - type phenol resin pr - 50904 ( made by sankyo chemical co ., ltd .) to a mixed solution of 10 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone , and 10 parts by weight of methoxyethanol for dissolution was applied to the aluminum plate in a dry thickness of 1 . 2 μ to obtain light - sensitive printing plate a . on the other hand , 0 . 18 part by weight of 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin was further added to the above - described light - sensitive solution , and then applied to the same aluminum plate as described above in the same thickness to obtain light - sensitive printing plate b . the thus obtained light - sensitive printing plates a and b were exposed for the same period of time through a step - wedge using a super - high pressure mercury lamp printing apparatus ( made by orc manufacturing co ., ltd . ; trade name : jet - printer 2000 ), then developed under the same conditions using a 5 % sodium tertiary phosphate aqueous solution . the sensitivity of the light - sensitive printing plate b was found to be enhanced about 1 . 5 times as compared with light - sensitive printing plate a . when printing was effected using the thus obtained printing plates , both printing plates provided excellent impressions . when the same procedures as described in example 1 were conducted except for using 1 part by weight of hydantoin in lieu of 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin , the sensitivity was similarly enhanced approximately 1 . 5 times . the same procedures as described in example 1 were conducted except for using 0 . 7 part by weight of 2 , 2 - bis [ p -( naphthoquinone -( 1 , 2 )- diazido -( 2 )- 5 - sulfonyloxy )- phenyl ] propane . the same results as in example 1 were obtained . the same procedures as described in example 1 were conducted except for using 0 . 18 part by weight of o - benzoic acid sulfimide in lieu of 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin . the same results as in example 1 were obtained . the same procedures as described in example 3 were conducted except for using 0 . 18 part by weight of o - benzoic acid sulfimide in lieu of 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin . the same results as in example 1 were obtained . the same procedures as described in example 1 were conducted except for using 0 . 18 part by weight of 5 - methylthiazoline - 2 - thione in lieu of 5 , 5 - diphenylthiohydantoin . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .	6
in fig1 reference 1 indicates a device according to the invention . this device produces at its output 5 a signal whose frequency is determined by a digital code of , for example , n bits applied to the input terminals 10 . this device comprises an accumulator circuit 15 formed by an adder 20 which has two code inputs a and b , and an accumulation register 22 . input a of the adder receives the digital code applied to the terminals 10 and input b is connected to the output of the adder 20 via register 22 . an exclusive - or gate 25 serving as an accumulation decoder produces a logic &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; signal to indicate the changing of the value of the most significant bit of the accumulator . therefore , the inputs of this gate are connected , respectively , to the input line ma and to the output line mp of the register 22 while transmitting the most significant bits . according to the invention , a signal indicating certain contents of the accumulator circuit which is , for example , supplied at the output of the exclusive - or gate 25 , is used for activating a variable divider circuit 40 which has an input connected to a reference oscillator 45 and an output 5 which forms the output of the device 1 . circuit 40 is formed by two fixed dividers 51 and 52 for dividing by n 1 and n 2 , respectively , the frequency of the oscillator 45 . the two - position switch 54 connects the signal processed by one of these dividers to output 5 . the choice of these positions is determined by the value of the output signal of gate 25 . the accumulations take place according to an aspect of the invention in time with the signal present on output 5 , which constitutes an accumulation clock signal . for a better understanding of the purpose of the invention , it is appropriate to utilize the following considerations . let m be the number of bits processed by the accumulator circuit 15 . the n - bit code c on input 10 is such that : this code is accumulated in the register 22 and causes the change of the value of the most significant bit in k accumulations when : if t u is called the period of the signal on output 5 , the time interval t sd separating two &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; pulses is given by the relation : ## equ1 ## if there is admitted that if sd = 0 , one has : ## equ2 ## and if sd = 1 : ## equ3 ## a relation is formed between the user frequency f u and the code c : during t sd - t u2 , sd is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the user frequency f u1 = f r / n1 . during t u2 , sd is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and the user frequency f u2 = f r / n2 . the mean user frequency has the value of : ## equ4 ## or finally : ## equ5 ## it will be observed thus that the variation step δf becomes : ## equ6 ## and by choosing n1 and n2 this step is controlled as finely as one wishes . fig2 shows an embodiment for a variable divider circuit 40 &# 39 ; where n1 = 16 and n2 = 15 . 5 , thus well adapted to phase controls . this circuit is formed by a divider 60 which divides by n 3 ( n 3 = 16 ) the frequency of the quartz crystal oscillator signals 45 transmitted via an exclusive - or gate 62 which has two inputs of which the first input is connected to the output of the oscillator 45 and the second input is connected to the output of a d - type flip - flop referenced 65 . the output of this flip - flop is further connected to an input of another exclusive - or gate 67 of which another input forms the input of this circuit 40 &# 39 ; and is thus connected to the output of gate 25 . the output of the exclusive - or gate 67 is connected to the input of the flip - flop 65 . the input which permits the change of state of this flip - flop is connected to the output of the divider 60 . the operation of this circuit 40 &# 39 ; will be explained with the aid of fig3 . for this explanation it will be useful to consider the signals , f r , f u , sd , a and b occurring respectively on the outputs of the oscillator 45 , divider 60 , gate 25 , flip - flop 65 and gate 62 . let us consider instant t 0 and assume that signal sd has the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; value as has signal a . therefore , signal b is a copy of signal f r . then one goes to instant t 1 where the signal sd assumes the value &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. the signal on the output of the gate 67 is thus inverted to the input of flip - flop 65 which is prepared to change state . this happens at t 2 when the divider 60 has finished its counting cycle . because of this switching , signals b now represent the inverted signals f r . it will be noted that this inversion never coincides with an edge of the signals f r which is due to the delay caused by the various circuits . in this manner an additional half pulse is created to be divided by the divider 60 . if the signal sd retains its value &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the end of the dividing cycle of this same divider 60 will entail the switching of the flip - flop 65 and hence the creation of a half pulse for the divider 60 .	7
the present invention is a cryogenic distillation process that reduces the methane concentration in a krypton and xenon concentrate stream to below 1 ppm , a level comparable to that attainable using a methane burner . the cryogenic removal of methane would result in reduced capital , less cumbersome operation , and increased recovery of krypton and xenon as compared to the current method . these benefits are in addition to safety concerns . the present invention is a process , which by the means of a distillation column and associated equipment , concentrates krypton and xenon while rejecting methane from a feed stream consisting primarily of oxygen . a schematic diagram of the process of the present invention is illustrated in fig2 . operation of this column as discussed later will result in a product stream that is concentrated in krypton and xenon and that contains less than 1 ppm each of oxygen and methane . with reference to fig2 a liquid feed stream containing oxygen , krypton , xenon , and methane is fed , via line 50 , to an intermediate point of crude krypton column 51 for distillation thereby producing a waste overhead and a krypton / xenon bottoms product . to provide liquid reflux to crude krypton column 51 , a liquid stream is introduced at a location above the intermediate feed , via line 52 , into column 51 . examples of liquid streams suitable for introduction as liquid reflux in line 52 include , but are not limited to , liquid nitrogen produced in a standard double column air separation unit , crude liquid argon produced in an auxiliary argon column , or liquid oxygen from the low pressure column of an air separation that has been passed through an adsorbent vessel . this third option is the one shown in fig2 . the adsorbent removes hydrocarbons , with the exception of methane , and other high - boiling impurities , such as carbon dioxide , that break through the front - end adsorbers . to provide vapor flow up crude krypton column 51 , a bottom gaseous feed , containing less than 1 ppm of oxygen and methane , is introduced to crude krypton column 51 at a location below said intermediate point , preferably a point below the bottom equilibrium stage and above the liquid sump . an example of a stream suitable for the gaseous bottom feed stream is gaseous nitrogen from the top of the high pressure column of a standard air separation unit . crude krypton column 51 operates on the principal of ascending vapor stripping descending liquid of methane , krypton , and xenon preferentially in that order such that the waste overhead , removed via line 62 , contains virtually all of the methane that entered in the feed and is also essentially krypton and xenon - free , whereas liquid bottoms product , removed via line 63 , is concentrated in krypton and xenon and contains less than 5 ppm of methane and preferably less than 1 ppm of methane . crude krypton column 51 operates at a reflux ratio below 0 . 15 . fig2 shows reboiler 55 at the bottom of the crude krypton column 51 , however , it is not essential to use one . the gaseous feed stream , in line 53 , can be at any suitable temperature , for example it can be at its dew point or slightly superheated in a heat exchanger by heat exchange with an appropriate stream . generally , the amount of superheat required is only a couple of degrees above the dew point temperature of the stream and usually this difference is less than 75 ° f . when the gaseous stream , in line 53 , is either superheated or a reboiler is used in the bottom of the crude krypton column 51 , the affect is that the concentration of krypton and xenon in the liquid product , removed in line 63 , is much higher . it does not significantly influence the concentration of methane in the liquid product stream . thus , an oxygen - rich gaseous feed stream , in line 53 , at its dew point is as effective in removing methane as a corresponding slightly superheated stream . the cited prior art was concerned with eliminating the safety risk associated with oxygen - methane mixtures by removing oxygen from the liquid product stream ( analogous to stream 63 ) and replacing it with either argon or nitrogen . this was done since the liquid product streams contained appreciable amounts of methane . the current process described herein , removes essentially all the methane that enters in feed 50 in distillate 62 , such that the concentration of methane in the liquid sump of crude krypton column 51 is less than 1 ppm , a concentration that is not a safety hazard . the use of oxygen in bottom feed 53 ( and hence in the liquid sump of crude krypton column 51 ) is preferable as it will result in capital savings due to the reduced size of crude krypton column 51 . conventional processes for the purification of the krypton and xenon from an air separation plant concentrate methane , as well as krypton and xenon , in an oxygen product stream . the concentration of methane in oxygen must be limited as these two compounds form an explosive mixture if concentration of methane builds up . the limit on methane concentration also limits the extent to which krypton and xenon can be concentrated in the product stream . the invention solves the problem and alleviates safety concerns associated with oxygen / methane mixtures by removing methane from the process by cryogenic distillation such that the product stream contains less than 1 ppm methane . the process of the present invention works by taking advantage of the different relative volatilities of xenon , krypton , and methane . the boiling point of xenon is higher than that of krypton which is higher than that of methane . therefore , for a vapor - liquid mixture at equilibrium at a given temperature ( such a mixture exists on each tray of a distillation column ) there will be a partitioning of xenon , krypton , and methane into both the vapor and liquid phases , with this partitioning governed by the relative volatilities . a larger percentage of the total xenon will be found in the liquid phase as compared to krypton and methane whereas a larger percentage of the total methane will be found in the vapor phase as compared to krypton and xenon . crude krypton column 51 has two sections , a section above intermediate feed 50 ( upper section ) and a section below intermediate feed 50 ( lower section ). both sections operate at a liquid to vapor flow ratio ( l / v ratio ) below 0 . 15 with the upper section operating at a lower l / v ratio than the lower section . vapor in the lower section of the column strips methane , krypton , and xenon ( preferentially in that order ) from the liquid in the lower section . the use of oxygen in bottom feed 53 is preferential to nitrogen as this results in a lower required vapor flow , as demonstrated . the upper section operates on the same principle as the lower section . since the reflux liquid 52 is free of krypton and xenon , the descending liquid removes krypton and xenon from the ascending vapor . the object in this section is to adjust the l / v ratio such that distillate 62 contains no krypton or xenon and all the methane that entered with intermediate feed 50 . computer simulations revealed that it is possible to operate the column to achieve this desired result by operating with a l / v ratio below 0 . 15 . the process of the present invention is of value as it results in the elimination of the methane burner that is required in current processes resulting in capital savings . removal of the methane burner may also entail operating advantages as the invention utilizes a totally cryogenic process whereas the methane burner operates in the vicinity of 800 - 1000 ° f . in order to show the efficacy of the process of the present invention , computer simulations of the process were run using gaseous nitrogen in line 53 and also varying the operation of the column with the use of reboiler 55 . the results of these computer simulations are shown in table i - iii . table i______________________________________100 % nitrogen feed 53 stream no . 50 52 53 62 63______________________________________flow : mol / hr 1 . 00 1 . 25 50 . 0 52 . 0 0 . 25pressure : psia 23 . 4 23 . 1 25 . 3 22 . 8 25 . 2temperature : ° f . - 288 . 6 - 289 . 2 - 311 . 8 - 311 . 6 - 308 . 3compositiono . sub . 2 : % 98 . 2 99 . 93 -- 4 . 29 -- n . sub . 2 : % -- -- 100 . 0 95 . 7 94 . 15ar : ppm 143 400 -- 12 . 4 -- kr : ppm 13664 27 . 1 -- 3 . 7 54021xe : ppm 1113 2 . 05 -- -- 4462ch . sub . 4 : ppm 3978 238 . 1 -- 82 . 2 0 . 1______________________________________ table ii______________________________________no reboiler : bottom vapor feed 53 at dew point stream no . 50 52 53 62 63______________________________________flow : mol / hr 1 . 00 1 . 25 50 . 0 49 . 5 2 . 75pressure : psia 23 . 4 23 . 1 25 . 3 22 . 8 25 . 2temperature : ° f . - 288 . 6 - 289 . 2 - 311 . 8 - 311 . 6 - 311 . 5compositiono . sub . 2 : % 98 . 2 99 . 93 -- 4 . 5 -- n . sub . 2 : % -- -- 100 . 0 95 . 5 95 . 5ar : ppm 143 400 -- 13 . 0 -- kr : ppm 13668 27 . 1 -- 2 . 3 4902xe : ppm 1112 2 . 05 -- -- 402ch . sub . 4 : ppm 3978 238 . 1 -- 86 . 4 0 . 2______________________________________ table iii______________________________________no reboiler : superheated bottom gaseous feed 53 stream no . 50 52 53 62 63______________________________________flow : mol / hr 1 . 0 1 . 25 50 . 0 52 . 0 0 . 24pressure : psia 23 . 4 23 . 1 25 . 0 22 . 8 25 . 2temperature : ° f . - 288 . 6 - 289 . 2 - 296 . 8 * - 311 . 6 - 310 . 4compositiono . sub . 2 : % 98 . 1 99 . 93 -- 4 . 3 -- n . sub . 2 : % -- -- 100 . 0 95 . 7 93 . 8ar : ppm 143 400 -- 12 . 4 -- kr : ppm 13668 27 . 1 -- 3 . 7 57087xe : ppm 1112 2 . 05 -- -- 402ch . sub . 4 : ppm 3978 238 . 1 -- 82 . 2 0 . 1______________________________________ * superheated by 15 ° f . over dew point results of the computer simulation for the process depicted in fig2 is shown in table i . table ii presents results for operation of the crude krypton column without a reboiler . stream numbers correspond to those in fig2 . in this case , the feed to the bottom of the crude krypton column is a 100 % nitrogen vapor at its dew point . methane concentration in liquid product stream 63 is reduced to 0 . 2 ppm and the oxygen content is negligible , comparable to the level obtained using a reboiler . the concentrations of krypton and xenon in product stream 63 are 4902 ppm and 402 ppm respectively . both concentrations are approximately 10 % of the concentrations obtained when a reboiler is used . a method for increasing the concentrations of krypton and xenon in liquid product stream 63 is to introduce bottom feed 53 as a vapor superheated above its dew point . results are presented in table 111 for operation of the crude krypton column without a reboiler in which bottom feed 53 is a 100 % nitrogen vapor superheated by 15 ° f . above its dew point . in this case , the concentrations of krypton , xenon and methane in liquid product stream 63 are 57087 ppm , 4709 ppm , and 0 . 1 ppm respectively . the oxygen concentration is negligible . these concentrations are all comparable to those obtained when a reboiler is employed in the crude krypton column ( compare stream 63 in table i to stream 63 in table 111 ). however , this technique saves the use of an additional heat exchanger . the current invention can be integrated with the main air separation unit as shown in fig3 . this figure represent just one of the numerous ways in which the integration can be achieved . a preferred method of integration is depicted in fig3 . the raw krypton column is refluxed with liquid withdrawn from above the sump of the low pressure column of the main air separation unit . feed to the raw krypton column is provided by liquid oxygen withdrawn from the sump of the low pressure column . reboiling duty in the raw krypton column is provided by gaseous nitrogen from the high pressure column of the main air separation unit . the gaseous nitrogen is condensed to liquid nitrogen in the reboiler at the bottom of the raw krypton column . this liquid nitrogen is returned to the main air separation unit . a portion of the liquid oxygen stream exiting the hydrocarbon adsorber is used as reflux liquid in the crude krypton column . the krypton / xenon concentrate stream withdrawn from the bottom of the raw krypton column serves as feed for the crude krypton column . stripping vapor in the crude krypton column is derived from gaseous nitrogen stream withdrawn from an intermediate location from the high pressure column of the main air separation unit . vapor exiting the top of the crude krypton column is recycled to the low pressure column of the main air separation unit . methane - free and oxygen - free krypton / xenon product is collected from the bottom of the crude krypton column . the present invention has been described in reference to several specific embodiments thereof . these embodiments should not be viewed as limitations of the scope of the present invention . the scope of the present invention should be ascertained by the following claims .	8
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a schematic , perspective view of an actuating device 10 according to the present invention . in this exemplary embodiment , the actuating device 10 is designed as a chain wheel coupling . the actuating device 10 is used to actuate a shading system , which is not shown here in detail . a string element 44 is provided for this . in this exemplary embodiment , the string element 44 is a ball chain . the string element 44 has a first strand 45 and a second strand 46 . the actuating device 10 has a basic structure 11 that has a first partial structure 12 and a second partial structure 13 . here , the first partial structure 12 is designed as a lower housing part and the second partial structure 13 is designed as an upper housing part . an upper area of the first partial structure 12 is inserted partly into a lower area of the second partial structure 13 . the first partial structure 12 has an end 14 facing away from the second partial structure 13 . an access opening 15 , which has a gap - like design , for example , here , is associated with the end 14 . by means of the access opening 15 , the string element 44 can be guided as a first string element 44 into and out of the first partial structure 12 . during use , the string element 44 is suspended from the access opening 15 and forms a loop , not shown in detail here , at its end facing away from the actuating device 10 . the second partial structure 13 has an additional access opening 17 at an end 16 facing away from the first partial structure 12 . the additional access opening 17 has a gap - like design , for example , here and is used for guiding an additional or second string element 47 into or out of the second partial structure 13 . the second partial structure 13 has housing sides 18 , 19 arranged parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another . a side wall 20 is arranged between the housing sides 18 , 19 in the area of the outer circumference of the housing sides 18 , 19 . the side wall 20 of the second partial structure 13 has an essentially u - shaped cross section . furthermore , the first partial structure 12 has two housing sides 21 , 22 arranged parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another . a side wall 33 , which has an essentially u - shaped cross section , of the first partial structure 12 is arranged in the area of the outer circumference of the housing sides 21 , 22 and spaces the housing sides 21 and 22 apart from one another . in this exemplary embodiment , the width of the side wall 23 of the first partial structure 12 is smaller than the width of the side wall 20 of the second partial structure 13 . essentially , the difference of the widths between the side walls 20 , 23 corresponds approximately to the sum of the thickness of the two housing sides 18 , 19 . in addition , the side wall 20 of the second partial structure 13 has a setback in relation to the housing sides 18 , 19 in an area facing the first partial structure 12 . consequently , a partial pushing in of the first partial structure 12 into an area facing away from the end 16 of the second partial structure 13 as shown is made possible . fig2 shows a schematic , perspective , partially open view of the actuating device 10 according to fig1 . a part with the housing side 18 is removed from the second partial structure 13 , as a result of which the second partial structure 13 is opened and the inner structure can be seen . the first partial structure 12 has two webs 24 , 25 aligned in the direction of the second partial structure 13 and essentially parallel to one another . in this exemplary embodiment , the webs 24 , 25 are designed as legs of the essentially u - shaped side wall 23 of the first partial structure 12 . a first coupling element 26 or 27 each is arranged at the free ends of the webs 24 , 25 facing the second partial structure 13 . here , the first coupling elements 26 , 27 are designed as locking hooks . the locking hooks 26 , 27 are aligned facing one another . the second partial structure 13 has second coupling elements 28 , 29 , which are each designed for interacting with one of the first coupling elements 26 , 27 , in an area facing the first partial structure 12 . thus , the second coupling elements 28 , 29 in this exemplary embodiment are designed as locking hook mounts . the second coupling element 28 is associated with the first coupling element 26 and the second coupling element 29 is associated with the first coupling element 27 . the first coupling elements 26 , 27 and the second coupling elements 28 , 29 form a first coupling device and are designed as rigid . according to the view according to fig2 , the first partial structure 12 is located in a released position , in which neither of the first coupling elements 26 , 27 interacts with a second coupling element 28 , 29 . rather , the first coupling elements 26 , 27 are shown in the released position spaced apart from the second coupling elements 28 , 29 in such a way that the two first coupling elements 26 , 27 can be directed in a contactless manner past the second coupling elements 28 , 29 for detaching the first partial structure 12 from the second partial structure 13 . thus , the first coupling elements 26 , 27 in the released position do not mesh with the second coupling elements 28 , 29 . the first partial structure 12 has a groove 30 in an area facing the second partial structure 13 . the groove 30 has an arc - shaped design and is embedded into the outer side of the housing side 21 of the first partial structure 12 . a groove designed analogously hereto is also located in the housing side 22 of the first partial structure 12 . the center of the radius of the arc - shaped groove 30 corresponds to the center of an axle 31 , which is associated with the second partial structure 13 . the inner sides of the housing sides 18 , 19 of the second partial structure 13 have a web , not shown in detail here , which meshes with the groove 30 for establishing a detachable locking connection . the web is designed as sufficiently flexible for establishing and detaching the locking connection . in the released position shown here , the web is arranged essentially centrally in the groove 30 . the arc length of the groove 30 is greater than the width or the arc length of the web . as a result of this , the locking connection makes possible a pivoting of the first partial structure 12 about the center or the central axis of the axle 31 of the second partial structure 13 . fig3 shows a schematic , perspective , open view of the actuating device 10 . a part with the housing side 18 is removed from the second partial structure 13 and a part with the housing side 21 is removed from the first partial structure 12 , as a result of which the two partial structures 12 , 13 are open and their inner structure can be seen . according to this view , the first partial structure 12 is pivoted into a first locking position . in this first locking position , the first coupling element 26 meshes with the second coupling element 28 for establishing a positive - locking connection . as an alternative to the first locking position shown here , the first partial structure 12 can be pivoted in such a way that the first coupling element 27 interacts with the second coupling element 29 for establishing a positive - locking connection , whereby the first partial structure 12 is then located in a second locking position . because of the positive - locking connection between the rigid first coupling element 26 and the rigid second coupling element 28 in the first locking position or between the rigid first coupling element 27 and the rigid second coupling element 29 in the second locking position , an undesired detachment of the first partial structure 12 from the second partial structure 13 with a pull on a single strand of a string element , not shown here in detail , is prevented . the first partial structure 12 has an axle 32 , which is used for the rotatable mounting of a first gear wheel 33 . the first gear wheel 33 is connected in a nonrotatable manner to a coaxially arranged chain wheel 34 . by means of a string element 44 , interacting with the chain wheel 34 and not shown in detail here for better clarity , the first gear wheel 33 can thus be displaced into a rotation about the axle 32 . the first gear wheel 33 is in active connection with a second gear wheel 35 , which is associated with the second partial structure 13 . the second gear wheel 35 is mounted rotatably about the axle 31 of the second partial structure 13 . in this exemplary embodiment , the second gear wheel 35 is connected in a nonrotatable manner to a coaxially arranged chain wheel 36 . thus , a movement of a first string element 44 , which is guided about the first gear wheel 33 , can be transmitted to a second string element 47 , which is guided about the chain wheel 36 . the first gear wheel 33 and the second gear wheel 35 are actively connected to one another in such a way that a pivoting of the first partial structure 12 can be brought about because of the interaction between the two gear wheels 33 , 35 . the stronger the first strand 45 or the second strand 46 of the first string element 44 is pulled , the stronger is the first partial structure 12 pivoted in relation to the second partial structure 13 . in this case , the first gear wheel 33 is coaxially guided about the outer circumference of the second gear wheel 35 or the axle 31 . the second string element 47 may be connected to a drive for driving a shading system . as an alternative , the second gear wheel 35 may have no chain wheel and instead be connected directly to a drive axle . fig4 shows a schematic , cut partial section of an actuating device 10 according to the present invention . the first partial structure 12 has a third coupling element 37 at an end facing the second partial structure 13 . the third coupling element 37 is designed for interacting with a fourth coupling element 38 of the second partial structure 13 . the third coupling element 37 and the fourth coupling element 38 form a second coupling device . in this exemplary embodiment , the third coupling element 37 is designed as an essentially t - shaped locking head . the fourth coupling element 38 is designed here , for example , as an essentially t - shaped locking head mount . the fourth coupling element 38 is arranged at an end of the second partial structure 13 facing the first partial structure 12 . in this exemplary embodiment , the third coupling element 37 is arranged in the plane of the housing surface 18 and the fourth coupling element 38 is arranged in the plane of the housing surface 21 . the third coupling element 37 and the fourth coupling element 38 are arranged essentially centrally to a conceived vertical axis of the first partial structure 12 and of the second partial structure 13 . furthermore , the third coupling element 37 and the fourth coupling element 38 are designed in such a way that the third coupling element 37 can be guided in a contactless manner from the fourth coupling element 38 in the released position , shown here , of the first partial structure 12 in relation to the second partial structure 13 . thus , in the released position , the third coupling element 37 and the fourth coupling element 38 do not mesh with one another . for this , a base or base opening 39 of the fourth coupling 38 is designed as somewhat wider than the t - shaped locking head of the third coupling element 37 . the third and fourth coupling elements 37 , 38 are designed as rigid . in a locking position , not shown in detail here , of the first partial structure 12 , a leg 40 or 41 of the third coupling element 37 meshes with a correspondingly designed leg mount 42 or 43 . a positive - locking connection between the first partial structure 12 and the second partial structure 13 can thus be established in the locking position . the third coupling element 37 is arranged in the area of the housing side 21 of the first partial structure 12 and the fourth coupling element 38 in the area of the housing side 18 of the second partial structure 13 . analogous to the third coupling element 37 and the fourth coupling element 38 , a fifth coupling element designed analogously hereto and a sixth coupling element may be provided , which are arranged in the area of the housing sides 19 , 22 and thus form a third coupling device designed analogously to the second coupling device . fig5 shows a schematic , perspective view of the actuating device 10 according to the present invention according to fig1 with a detached first partial structure 12 . the first partial structure 12 has two assembled housing halves 48 , 49 . the housing halves 48 , 49 are connected to one another by means of a locking connection in this exemplary embodiment . the second partial structure 13 has two assembled housing halves 50 , 51 , which are connected to one another by means of a separate fixing element 52 in this exemplary embodiment . the fixing element 52 may be used as a securing means for a locking connection of the two housing halves 50 , 51 . the fixing element 52 is designed here as a screw , which is guided through the axle 31 . in this case , the axle 31 according to fig2 and 3 is designed as a hollow axle . by means of the fixing element 52 , an especially reliable connection between the housing halves 50 , 51 can be established . as an alternative or in addition , the first partial structure 12 may have an analogously designed fixing element . the housing halves 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 have different designs in this exemplary embodiment . as an alternative , the housing halves 48 , 49 of the first partial structure 12 or the housing halves 50 , 51 of the second partial structure 13 may have an identical design . in the released position , the first partial structure 12 is in active connection or meshes with the second partial structure 13 by means of the groove 30 . with a sufficiently strong pull or essentially equally strong pull on both strands 45 , 46 of the string element 44 , for example , due to the gravity of a child suspended in a loop of the string element 44 , this single connection is detached from the second partial structure 13 by a bending up of the housing sides 18 , 19 at least in the area of the groove 30 , as a result of which the first partial structure 12 is completely detached from the second partial structure 13 as shown here . fig6 shows another sectional view of the schematic , cut partial section according to fig4 . the single detachable connection between the first partial structure 12 and the second partial structure 13 in the released position can be seen in this view . this detachable active connection is designed as a detachable locking connection in this exemplary embodiment . here , a web 53 of the second partial structure 13 meshes with the groove 30 of the first partial structure 12 . the groove 30 is inserted into a front side of the housing side 21 of the first partial structure 12 . the web 53 is arranged on the inner side of the housing side 18 of the second partial structure 13 . analogously hereto , an additional web 55 of the second partial structure 13 meshes with an additional groove 54 of the first partial structure 12 . the additional groove 54 is inserted into a front side of the housing side 22 of the first partial structure 12 . the additional web 55 is arranged on an inner side of the housing side 19 of the second partial structure 13 . as an alternative , the detachable position between the first partial structure 12 and the second partial structure 13 in the released position may have at least one pin or a plurality of pins instead of a web 53 , 55 . the pins or the webs 53 , 55 may have a flexible design in order to guarantee a detachment of the first partial structure 12 in the released position with a sufficient pulling force on both strands 45 , 46 . as an alternative or in addition , the housing sides 18 , 19 may be flexible or elastic in the area of the locking connection or of the webs 53 , 55 . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	4
as used herein , “ long ” micro - channel here means cylindrical hollow micro - channel with ratio of inner diameter to length = 1 / 10 - 1 / 100 . as used herein , “ extremely small ” means volume range 1 - 500 picoliters ( 1 / 10 ^ 9 - 1 / 5 · 10 ^ 7 of one milliliter ). the term “ colony ” or “ micro colony ” in microbiology means a group of cells appearing from one single cell and consisting only from descendants of that cell . as used herein , the term “ cell layers ” refers to cells within a channel that occupy about the same height level , wherein another layer of cells can be supported above the layer . each cell layer in a micro - channel of diameter 10 μm consists of 20 - 80 cells . the shape of a regular prior art micro - colony is usually semi - sphere 101 ( fig1 a ), in contrast to one embodiment of the present disclosure as a long , extremely small micro - channel 102 located on filter 103 , which in turn is located on media , or agar , 104 ( fig1 b ). thus , a micro - colony inside micro - channel 102 in the embodiment of the present invention is notably thinner than the micro - colony of the prior art semi - sphere 101 shown in fig1 a . a colony inside micro - channel 102 ( fig1 b ) reaches height h much quicker than a colony would reach the same height h in semi - sphere 101 ( fig1 a ). the height ( or thickness ) of micro - colonies is important to visibility using microscopy as a high ( thick ) colony has a greater light absorbance , which is the most important optical characteristic of visibility . a long and thin micro - colony has the same light absorbance as a regular semi - spherical colony of the same height - h . at the same time , a volume and number of cells at height h in micro - channel 102 ( fig1 b ) is much less than in semi - sphere 101 ( fig1 a ) at height h , and therefore the time of incubation to create a visible colony is in micro - channel 102 ( fig1 b ). calculations show the advantage in reducing the time of growth in micro - channel 102 ( fig1 b ) compared with semi - sphere 101 ( fig1 a ). a regular shape of colonies growing on flat surfaces of solid nutrient media is , usually , near to semi - sphere . the volume of a semi - sphere ( vss ) is vss =¶· h 2 ·( r − h / 3 ), where vss is the volume of semi - sphere , r is the radius of sphere , ¶ is π or pi , and h is part of radius - height of semi - sphere . the volume of a cylindrical colony ( vcc ) such as in micro - channel 102 ( fig1 b ) is vcc =¶· r 2 · h , where r is the radius of cylinder , and h is the height of cylinder . cylindrical colony with the same height ( h = 10 μm ) and r = 2 . 5 μm has volume : thus , the volume of a cylindrical colony is smaller than the volume of semi - spherical micro - colony with the same height by 27 times , yet both have the same light absorbance . the volume of one cell of escherichia coli ( e . coli ) is near to 1 μm 3 . the speed of multiplying of e . coli is around 20 min at optimal temperature , on optimal media . one cell of e . coli can produce 8 cells in one hour , 64 in two hours , 512 in 3 hours , 4096 in 4 hours and 32768 in 5 hours . thus , one visible micro - colony on a flat surface , containing 5234 cells , can be formed in 4 . 2 hours . the cylindrical colony with the same height and light absorbance ( 196 cells ) can be formed in 2 . 5 hours . therefore , the growth of micro - colonies with a cylindrical shape has a significant advantage as visualization of colonies can be done at much earlier stages . the visualization of microorganisms in one or a multiplicity of micro - channels is much faster than in petri plate , regular laboratory tubes , wells or semi - spheres of an immunological plate , or other known laboratory devices for microorganism growth , because of the very small volume of micro - channels and their long cylindrical shape . thus , one cell trapped in a cylindrical micro - channel , with a length 500 μm and diameter 10 μm ( v = 40 , 000 μm 3 , corresponds to a concentration of 25 million cells per ml ( v = 10 12 μm 3 ). forty cells in a micro - channel correspond to the concentration 10 ^ 9 cells per ml , which is a well - detectable concentration . one cell of e . coli can reach this concentration from one trapped in micro - channel cell ( 40 cells per micro - channel = 10 ^ 9 cells per ml ) in 1 . 7 hours . experiments show that 10 cell layers of colorless small cells ( for example e . coli ) are enough to find visual differences between micro - channels containing cells and empty micro - channels using a regular light microscope , even with a small magnification of × 100 . a smaller diameter of micro - channel requires a smaller amount of cells to create 10 cell layers in the micro - channel . table 1 represents the number of layers of e . coli that can be produced in micro - channels of different diameters between one and five hours . extrapolated , table 1 shows that 10 cell layers will be reached in a micro - channel with a diameter of 2 μm in 1 . 5 hours ; in a 3 μm micro - channel in 2 hours ; in a 4 μm micro - channel in 2 . 3 hours ; in a 5 μm micro - channel in 2 . 7 hours ; in a 7 μm micro - channel in 2 . 9 hours and in a 10 μm micro - channel in 3 . 5 hours . thus , the detection and enumeration of long cylindrical micro - colonies , according this invention , can be done 10 - 20 times faster than regular growth , detection and enumeration of colonies . the growth of a cylindrical micro - colony can be made in a microarray of micro - channels as shown in fig2 . the diameter of each of these micro - channels needs to be very small , only 10 ^ 4 - 10 ^ 5 times larger than the size of the cells . array 201 ( fig2 ) is also called a micro - channel glass plate ( mcgp ). mcgp 201 contains a multiplicity of micro - channels in any required shape . while a round mcgp 201 is depicted in the figures , any shape of mcgp 201 can be used , e . g ., a square or rectangular shape . in one embodiment , mcgp 201 has 700 , 000 micro - channels per cm 2 . preferably , each micro - channel in mcgp 201 has a diameter of about 10 microns , and a length of about 500 microns . in general , mcgp 201 is above filter 103 , wherein filter 103 is porous , such that the pores are smaller than the cells in an aqueous sample ( fig2 ). as the sample is filtrated from above mcgp 201 through both mcgp 201 and filter 103 in a filtration process , a liquid portion of the aqueous sample filters through filter 103 while cells are trapped in micro - channels of mcgp 201 on the surface of the filter 103 . after the filtration is completed , the mcgp 201 and filter 103 are placed on a nutrient agar or agar block of solid nutrient media 104 . nutrient substances from the media penetrate the filter 103 , and fill all micro - channels . growths of micro colonies generally start after this penetration . a micro - colony can start formation regardless of initial trapping position within a micro - channel . fig3 shows three typical positions of a cell in a micro - channel . position 1 : micro - channel 301 — cell was trapped on the surface of the filter 103 and colony formed from the bottom of micro - channel of mcgp 201 . this formation appears when nutrient substances just moistens filter . position 2 : micro - channel 302 — cell was trapped on the wall of micro - channel of mcgp 201 by the force of adhesion or by antibody attached to the wall prior to filtration . position 3 : micro - channel 303 — cell was trapped on the filter 103 , but was later raised up by liquid media and started forming micro - colony in micro - channel of mcgp 201 . the formation of a micro - colony in this embodiment starts only if the micro - channel is filled by nutrient substances from wet agar media , or a thick paper filter filled by a nutrient broth . in all of these cases , one cell formed a micro - colony of cells that were descendants of the first cell in the solid , semi - solid or liquid culture . fig4 a shows a cross - sectional view of a sampling - detection unit ( sdu ) 400 while fig4 b shows isometric view of sdu 400 - 1 , used to trap cells by filtration from liquid or air , grow micro - colonies , and / or treat colonies with chromo - or fluorogenic substrates if needed . sdu 400 preferably includes a removable transparent plate 401 , wherein the plate can be glass , plastic or other transparent substance . transparent plate 401 includes one or more small holes for respiration . sdu 400 further includes mcgp 201 , filter 103 , porous support 104 , a holding device 405 , wherein holding device 405 holds mcgp 201 and filter 103 , and holding device feature 406 , wherein holding device feature 406 , holds porous support 104 adjacent to filter 103 . holding device feature 406 and transparent plate 401 are readily removable from holding device 405 , filter 103 and mcgp 201 . further , porous support 104 can be supported by holding device feature 406 with or without the further inclusion of holding device 405 . as could be readily understood by one skilled in the art , the precise shape and structure of sdu 400 and 400 - 1 can vary while still maintaining the spirit of the invention , particularly with regard to porous support 104 and holding devices 405 and 406 . fig5 shows filtration device 500 consisting from manifold 501 , sdus 400 and holder / funnel support 503 for sdus 400 . one or a multiplicity of sdus 400 are adjusted to manifold 501 as shown in fig5 , wherein sdus 400 are placed on funnel support 503 of manifold 501 after removal of transparent plate 401 ( fig4 ). fig5 shows different adjustments to the sdu 400 mounted on manifold 501 for filtration , wherein sdu 400 can be operated with funnel 504 for filtration of liquid samples which can be adjusted to the sdu 400 , syringe 505 for passing liquids with a help of plunger , or just for passing small samples , or without any additional devices as it is intended for air filtration 506 , for example , for trapping bioaerosols ( cells and spores ) in micro - channels . filtration device 1 500 is shown to include three separate funnel supports , wherein one funnel support 503 a is used to support sdu 400 with a funnel 504 , another funnel support 503 b is used for an sdu 400 with a syringe 505 , and another funnel support 503 c uses neither a funnel nor a syringe . as could be readily understood , filtration device 500 can consist of one or any number of funnels supports 503 a - c in any arrangement , wherein the sdus 400 placed on funnel supports 503 can further include any combinations of funnels 504 , syringes 505 or neither . to use the filtration device , a liquid or air sample containing microorganisms is filtrated through the device adjusted to manifold . after adding sample , transparent plate 401 ( fig4 ) must be placed back on sdu 400 to resist contamination . after filtration , each sdu 400 is removed from funnel support 503 ( fig5 ). porous support 104 and holder 405 are now removed next and transparent plate 401 ( all shown in fig4 ) is returned back on top of sdu 400 . sdu 400 is placed on the surface of an eligible solid nutrient media or in the container with a liquid nutrient media , for example , placed on a petri plate with nutrient media ( bottom left , fig5 ) or nutrient media agar cylinder adjusted to lower side of filter ( bottom right , fig5 ) to initiate micro - colony formation . one embodiment of this is shown in fig2 where liquid from nutrient agar 104 immediately wets filter 103 and penetrates micro - channels of mcgp 201 because of strong capillary forces . the nutrient media is absorbed by the filter and supports the growth of a cylindrical - shaped micro - colony or penetrates through the filter in channels , and supports the growth of suspended microorganisms that later forms cylindrical solid or semi - solid micro - colony as shown on the fig3 . the sdu with nutrient media is incubated at an appropriate temperature for the required time for cell growth , wherein the temperature and time needed will vary as is known in the art with regard to what type of colonies are being grown . in order to reduce the time of analysis by increasing light absorbance or adding fluorescence , the device can be placed in a container with an eligible solution of artificial substrate . otherwise the substrate can be added to solid nutrient media in advance as it is done in chromagars . this invention is capable of detecting a range of cells in a sample from a single cell to several hundreds of thousands or even millions , depending on the number of micro - channels in the mcgp . for example , a 25 millimeter diameter mcgp with micro - channels 10 μm in diameter ( square of plate around 5 cm 2 and 700 , 000 micro - channels per one cm 2 ) contains 3 . 5 millions of micro - channels . in order to have reliability , the number of cells in a sample should be less than the number of micro - channels in mcgp , thereby keeping the allowing no more than one cell per micro - channel . in further preferred embodiments , a ratio of about one cell per five to ten micro - channels is used , to greater ensure that only one cell will enter any particular micro - channel . thus , for example , with a mcgp having 3 . 5 million micro - channels , the number of live microbes in a sample would not exceed 700 , 000 for this plate so that one cell goes to one micro - channel with higher level of reliability . if a sample is expected to contain a higher concentration of microbes , it can be diluted in a manner regularly used in microbiological practice . in comparison , a regular petri plate limits colony growth from one single colony to only 300 colonies recommended by us food and drugs administration , otherwise colonies will begin to overlap each other and decrease the reliability of enumeration . thus , current invention allows grow and detect in around thousand times more concentrated samples without ten - fold dilutions : about 700 , 000 with mcgp and only around 300 by regular petri plate . the micro - channels containing colonies appear as dark dots when a regular light microscope is used , as shown in fig6 a . the addition of artificial chromo - or fluorogenic substrates to micro - colonies can reduce the time between inoculation and detection as they make micro - colonies much more visible at an earlier stage . fig6 shows the differences between natural non - colored micro - colonies ( fig6 a ), micro - colonies colored by chromogenic substrates or absorbent dyes ( fig6 b ), and micro - colonies colored by fluorogenic substrate or fluorescent dye ( fig6 c ). the coloration of micro - colonies inside micro - channels is done by attaching agar or filter paper treated with required substances to the opposite side of the filter attached to the micro - channel plate . a light microscope sends light through the mcgp ( colorless ), filter ( colorless ), and agar ( light transparent ) ( fig6 a and 6b ), revealing long cylindrical shaped micro - colonies because of the natural light absorption of cells , or due to cells colored by chromogenic substrates or absorbent dyes . a fluorescent microscope ( fig6 c ) sends a shorter wave light ( ultra violet , blue or other depending on dye ) and accepts long waves of fluorescence ( blue , green or red ). therefore , micro - channels with micro - colonies will appear as bright dots on a dark background . the structure of the sdu for fluorescent version is : mcgp ( black non fluorescent ), filter ( black non - fluorescent ), and agar ( filled by fluorescent indicator ). fluorescence is considered a much more sensitive type of analysis . thus , the micro - colonies can be much smaller / shorter than those analyzed with the use of light absorbance . fig6 d , 6 e , and 6 f are illustrations of the direction of light travel through the filter and microchannels . whether fluorescent or color indicators are used or not used , and sdu is placed under a light or fluorescent microscope , and the amount of dark , colored or fluorescent channels is detected and enumerated . this amount corresponds to the number of cells trapped on the surface of the filter . the difference between non - colored micro - colonies ( fig6 a and 6 d ,) micro - colonies colored by chromogenic substrates or colored by light absorbent dyes ( fig6 b and 6 e ,) and micro - colonies colored by fluorogenic substrates or fluorescent dyes ( fig6 c and 6f ). many different dyes and indicators used for coloration of micro - colonies . including but not limited to : colorless fluoresceine diacetate or fluoresceine butirate cleaves by esterases with the release of highly fluorescent fluoresceine ( green fluorescence = 515 nm ). fluoresceine collects ( crystallizes ) inside cells and interrupts biochemical pathways , which cause a death of cell . thus , fluoresceine diacetate and other fluoresceine derivatives can be used only after micro - colonies are formed . colorless 4 - methylumbelliferyl acetate , - butyrate , - propionate , or - phosphate cleaves by esterases , lipases or phosphatases with the release of 4 - methylumbelliferone , a highly fluorescent substance ( blue fluorescence = 450 nm ). 4 - methylumbelliferone is secreted from cells and concentrates in extracellular spaces , filling the remaining volume of the micro - channel . fig6 c demonstrate micro - channels filled by 4 - methylumbelliferone appeared after enzymatic reaction of e . coli micro - colony with 4 - methylumbelliferyl - butirate . thus , 4 - methylumbelliferyl derivatives can be used during micro - colony growth . extracellular buildup of fluorescent signal can significantly reduce the time required for analysis as very small micro - colonies ( 10 - 20 cells ) can be detected . to grow micro - colony with 10 - 20 cells needs only 2 - 2 . 5 hours of incubation . a big group of tetrazolium salts — indicators of dehydrogenases ( group of respiratory enzymes of live cells was successfully used to color micro - colonies : thiazolyl blue , tetrazolium iodo ( int ), nitrotetrazolium blue ( nbt ), and bt - tetrazolium . non colored tetrazolium salts produce well colored formazans ( dark violet , blue , red , pink ) in reactions with live cell &# 39 ; s dehydrogenases . our experiments show that thiazolyl blue tertazolium salt is the best and universal for all investigated microorganisms . chromogenic substrates such as 5 - bromo - 4 - chloro - 3 - indoxyl butyrate , - palmitate , - phosphate ( blue precipitates inside cell ) or 6 - chloro - 3 - indoxyl butyrate , - palmitate ( red color precipitates ) for esterases , lipases , or phosphatases , as well as other chromogenic substrates can be used for coloration of formed micro - colonies and as additives to nutrient media chromogenic substrates that are dissolved in nutrient media before application for cell growth are referred to as “ chromagars .” however , chromagars are created for only a few microorganisms : chromagar ™ candida , cromagar ™ 0157 , chromagar ™ salmonella , chromagar ™ staph aureus and chromagar ™. orientation for urinary tract pathogenic microorganisms ( cromagar company , france ). dyes , such as dansylchloride ( dns - chloride ) or fluorescamine , are capable of increasing fluorescence hundreds or even thousands times after attaching to biomolecules such as nh - groups of proteins . these compounds are also useful for marking micro - colonies for further enumeration . some substances are known to change the color of colonies to a dark or even black color , making micro - colonies more visible on a petri plate or under a microscope in micro - channels . for example , iron sulfide in sps agar is known to color clostridia , and xlt4 agar base colors salmonella . likewise , potassium telluride in vj agar colors staphylococcus aureus colonies in well visible black color . some light absorbent and fluorescent substances reveal ability to change color or fluorescence after ph of medium changes . micro - colonies change inner ph in micro - channel that can be found with color or fluorescent indicators . growth of 5 - 6 hours is often enough to produce long micro - colonies , and detect and enumerate a large number of non - colored micro - colonies by their enhanced light absorbance or light scattering . for example growth of e . coli in micro channels on tsa around 6 hours at 37 ° c . is enough to produce micro - colonies visible without of additional coloration . physical factors can also be changed to decrease the time between inoculation and micro - colony detection . for example , heating to coagulate proteins , increasing light absorbance or light scattering , or adding substances to produce gas bubbles within micro - channels that contain live cells — such as oxygen ( o 2 ) from hydrogen peroxide ( h 2 o 2 ) by catalase — can be employed . fig7 demonstrates bubbles of oxygen produced by micro - colonies in reaction catalase — hydrogen peroxide of bacillus megatherium , incubated 3 hours on tsa at 35 ° c . many different kinds of samples , a variety of microorganisms , hundreds of nutrient media , and a multitude of indicator substances opens a huge opportunity for the implementation of this invented technology in the different areas of microbiology . one of the mostly used nutrient solid media for detection of total viable organisms ( mainly bacteria ) is tryptic soy agar ( tsa ). regular growth of colonies on a petri plate filled with tsa requires 24 to 72 hours at 35 ° c . using the proposed invented method ; incubation requires only 4 hours . the procedure for the invented technology is as follows : the sample ( 100 milliliters ) is filtrated through the sdu , trapping cells in micro - channels containing a colorless mcgp and colorless filter ( polycarbonate , 0 . 2 microns pores , osmonics inc , usa ) ( fig4 , fig5 ). live cells , if any in the sample , are trapped in some of the micro - channels . the sdu is removed from the manifold and a nutrient media ( tsa ) agar block is attached to the surface of the filter . nutrient substances from the tsa saturate the filter and penetrate into micro - channels . this process takes around 10 - 30 seconds . the sdu with attached agar block is placed in an incubator for 4 hours at 35 ° c . trapped live cells form long and thin micro - colonies in micro - channels where they were trapped . after incubation , the nutrient media agar block is removed . another agar block containing thiazolyl blue tetrazolium salt ( 3 mg / ml ) is adjusted to the filter . alternatively , a thick filter paper filled by an indicator substance can be used instead of agar block . yellowish molecules of thiazolyl blue penetrates ( diffused ) into the micro - channels . any micro - channels containing micro - colonies become dark violet in color ( fig6 b ). the reaction of tetrazolium salt with cells is well - known and based on respiratory enzymes — dehydrogenases of living cells accepting a hydrogen atom ( h +) from the tetrazolium ring for further use in respiration . this reaction then results in a colored substance — formazan , which is collected inside live bacterial cells , mainly in mesosomes . all known bacterial and fungal cells react with tetrazolium salt to reveal this color reaction . intensely colored long cylindrical micro - colonies are much more visible than the same non - colored micro - colonies or colored flat micro - colonies ( grown without micro - channels ). an agar block ( 2 % in distilled water , 1 cm 3 volume ) can be prepared with thiazolyl blue by adding 3 - 4 drops of a 3 milligrams per milliliter thiazolyl blue in phosphate buffer ( ph = 7 . 2 ). intensively colored cylindrical micro - colonies are visible as colored circles and are easily enumerated in a regular light microscope with a microscopic multiplication from × 40 or larger . the concentration ( cells per milliliter ) of live cells in a sample is enumerated or calculated by regular known methods : direct count , “ most probable numbers ,” or by counting of several microscopic fields , calculate average and recalculate on all surface of mcgp . also automatic count is possible with several modern microscopes equipped by image analyzing programs . thus detection and enumeration of microorganisms in a sample by micro - colonies method and device can be completed many times faster than when depending upon cell growth on a regular petri plate . identification of micro - colony of e . coli o : 157 by enzyme immunoassay in micro - channels micro - colonies can be identified in the micro - channels using enzyme immunological analysis ( eia ). cells are trapped in the micro - channels by filtering a sample as described in example 1 . the use of eia for the identification of micro - colonies is based on the immunological reaction between antigens of the cells ( micro - colony ) and enzyme - antibody conjugates . the conjugate is passed through the micro - channels in order to perform antibody — antigen reactions . the syringe shown in fig5 is suitable for this because it allows a small volume of conjugate to be slowly pressed through the micro - channels . the micro - colonies in this case must be very small , 8 - 32 cells , as larger micro - colonies can clog the micro - channel . after the conjugate attaches to e . coli o : 157 antigens , a block of pure agar filled by tetramethylbenzidine ( a substrate for horseradish peroxidase — an enzyme of the conjugate ) is attached to the filter . tertamethylbenzidine is cleaved by the horseradish peroxidase with creation of a blue - colored dye that collected in micro - channel with e . coli o : 157 . the number of e . coli o : 157 present in the sample corresponds to the number of blue micro - channels . this example is based on a well known color reaction , but fluorescent reactions are also available . thus a conjugate consisting from antibody and β - d - galactosidase gives a fluorescent 4 - methylumbelliferone in reaction with 4 - methylumbelliferyl - β - d - galactose . conjugates consisting from an antibody and phosphatase produce 4 - methylumbelliferone in reaction with 4 - methylumbellyferyl phosphate , disodium salt . micro - channel technology can also be used for the rapid analysis of bioaerosols . air is filtrated through the sdu , which is adjusted to the manifold . the manifold is connected to an air pump ( aircheck hv30 , quicktake 30 or another , skc inc ., usa ). a rotameter for measuring the air volume is installed between the manifold and the pump . a required volume of air is passed through the sdu , and microorganisms present in the air sample are trapped in the micro - channels . bacilli and fungi spores are considered the main microorganisms in bioaerosols . thus , two nutrient media need to be used , tsa for bacilli and sda for fungi spores . this also requires using two sdu . dormant spores of bacilli usually germinate within 0 . 5 - 1 . 5 hours after contact with a nutrient media . this time needs to be added to the regular time of bacilli incubation trapped in micro - channels ( 4 hours ) in order to form a cylindrical micro - colony from the spore . germination of fungi spore requires about 2 - 6 hours , followed by incubation in the sdu of about 12 hours . after micro - colonies from spores appear in the micro - channels , procedures described in example 1 ( detection of the total number of viable microorganisms ) or example 2 ( identification of micro - colonies ) or other procedures developed for micro - channel analysis take place . another version of sampling air microorganisms is by first sampling in liquid ( sodium chloride solution , buffer , liquid nutrient media ) with help of well - known liquid samplers ( e . g ., agi - 30 , skc biosampler , skc inc ., usa ) and then filtrated through the sdu . currently used methods for bioaerosol detection are based on “ landing ” particles on the surface of agar media ( impactor biostage , skc inc .) or inoculating liquid samples with microorganisms sampled beforehand . both methods need a long growth period for the microorganisms in order to form well visible colonies : 24 - 72 hours for bacteria and 72 - 120 hours for fungi . whereas particular embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims .	2
in the practice of the present invention , the novel composition hereof contains triethanolamine ( tea ), sodium hydroxide , distilled water , oleic acid , stearic acid , glycerine , ricinoleic acid , coco fatty acids , tallow fatty acids and other minor ingredients such as fragrance , antioxidants , chelating agents , foam stabilizers , colors , germicides , etc . more particularly , the composition hereof contains the following ingredients in the following ranges ( expressed in weight percent ): ______________________________________ranges maxi - minimum optimum mum w / w % w / w % w / w % ______________________________________tea 27 . 0 32 . 5 38 . 0naoh ( 50 %) 7 . 0 8 . 2 9 . 4di - water 1 . 0 2 . 4 7 . 0oleic acid 0 . 0 3 . 4 6 . 0stearic acid 6 . 0 17 . 5 20 . 5cocodiethanolamide ( cdea ) 0 . 0 1 . 5 4 . 0glycerine 0 . 0 11 . 0 25 . 0antioxidant 0 . 0 . 1 . 5fragrance 0 . 0 1 . 0 3 . 0ricinoleic acid 1 . 0 4 . 8 6 . 0coco fatty acid 3 . 0 6 . 3 20 . 2tallow fatty acid 8 . 0 11 . 0 14 . 0laneth - 10 - acetate 0 . 0 2 . 0 4 . 0nonoxylnol - 14 / peg - 4 - octanoate 0 . 0 1 . 0 2 . 0triethanolamine lauryl sulfate 0 . 0 8 . 0 10 . 0acetylated lanolin alcohol 0 . 0 2 . 0 4 . 0witch hazel 0 . 0 1 . 0 3 . 0lauroyl sarcosine 0 . 0 1 . 0 2 . 5citric acid 0 . 0 1 . 0 2 . 0gluconic acid 0 . 0 0 . 2 1 . 5sodium metabisulfite 0 . 0 0 . 5 1 . 54 - chloro - 2 -( 2 , 4 dichloro - 0 . 0 0 . 5 2 . 0phenoxy ) phenol ( irgasan - 300 ) ______________________________________ in addition to the above - listed ingredients , or as alternatives therefor depending on the availability of the reagents and / or the secondary characteristics desired , the following ingredients represent materials which may be incorporated into the blend without diminishing any of the primary characteristics required . thus , satisfactory results are obtained with the addition of an antioxidant such as tocopherol , tocopherol acetate , bha , bht , citric acid , sodium meta - bisulfite , succinic acid and the like ; a chelating agent such as edta , dtpa and similar agents ; commercial grades of triethanolamine ( tea ), such as 85 % tea which can contain both the corresponding secondary and primary amines as impurities ; surfactants and / or foam boosters selected from a wide group of anionic , amphoteric , nonionic , and certain cationic surfactants as exemplified by ( but not limited to ) oleyl betaine , cocamidopropyl betaine , lauramide , c12 - c18 olefin sulfonate , sodium lauryl sulfate , sodium laureth sulfate , cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride , sodium cocoyl isethionate , tween 20 - 80 , and the like ; fatty acids such as hydrogenated tallow , isostearic acid , lauric acid , palmitic acid , neo - decanoic acid , lanolin fatty acids , palm kernel fatty acids , palm oil fatty acids and the like ; solvents such as diethanolamine , propylene glycol , hexylene , quadrol and the like ; and miscellaneous additives such as polyethylene glycol , lanolin , peg - 20 , hydrolyzed animal proteins , sorbitol and the like . it has also been found , when the exigencies of production require , that potassium hydroxide can be used as a suitable substitute for sodium hydroxide in the neutralization process . the formulation as described above has the unexpected propensity , when introduced into and processed through the equipment shown in the flow diagram of fig1 for substantially instant saponification , as will hereinafter appear , and produces a light colored soap having superior fragrance stability to that obtained by the batch process while achieving at least equivalent physical properties such as hardness , foaming , solubility and clarity . referring to fig1 one practice of the present invention comprises dividing the aforesaid composition into a first and second blend of ingredients , one disposed in each of a first and second discrete tank 11 , 12 . each blend is thereafter pumped from tanks 11 , 12 by speed controlled pumps 13 , 14 , respectively , into a mixing tank 15 surrounded by water jacket 16 . thereafter , the mixture of the first and second blends , whose relationship has been carefully controlled by individually regulating the speed of feed pumps 13 , 14 to create a stoichiometric balance thereof in mixing tank 15 , is pumped by a third speed controlled pump 18 into a second mixing tank 19 which is also surrounded by water jacket 20 . additional specialized ingredients can be added to the formulation at this point of the process . in tank 19 , the mixture receives additional mixing and is thereafter discharged through outlet 21 into suitable molds 22 for further handling as will be hereinafter described in detail . a suitable water heater 23 is disposed adjacent water jacket 16 and supplies jacket 16 with inlet water heated to about 90 ° c . this water from jacket 16 is fed to jacket 20 via suitable piping 24 and the water from jacket 20 is withdrawn therefrom via suitable piping 25 through which it may be directed to a drain ( not shown ) or returned to the reservoir 26 of heater 23 , whatever the exigencies of a particular installation may require . regardless of the blend , the soap bars produced hereby are formed by discharging the warmed ( 60 ° c .- 85 ° c .) soap mixture into the bar molds which are thereafter processed in identical fashion which will now be described . the filled molds 22 are preferably disposed upon a suitable conveyor system 28 which transports the molds 22 into a chiller 29 having a cooling medium of from about - 30 ° to about 6 ° c . provided by refrigeration . the filled molds 22 are maintained in the cooling environment at this temperature for a period of from 5 - 45 minutes whereupon a transparent bar of acceptable hardness ( circa 120 + 40 ), free of crystals and without discoloration is produced . ( see : examples xii and xiii , infra .) the hardness , as reported herein , is measured using a penetrometer ( penetrometer , precision scientific , chicago , il ). it is measured as the depth in millimeters a needle with a 50 gram weight will penetrate the bar in a given time . the greater the penetration , the softer the soap bar . the finished bars are then removed from the molds and packaged in the usual way and are ready for market . to further aid in the understanding of the present invention , and not by way of limitation , the following examples are presented . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend a and the second tank was filled with blend b , both shown below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend atriethanolamine ( tea ) 4 . 2ricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 1 . 8dl - α - tocopherol 0 . 10fragrance 1 . 0total 50 . 0blend btea 28 . 4naoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 2 . 4glycerine 11 . 0total 50 . 0______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend c and the second tank was filled with blend d , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend cricinoleic acid 4 . 7coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 1 . 8dl - α - tocopherol 0 . 5total 45 . 2blend dtea 32 . 5naoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 1glycerine 11 . 0total 54 . 8______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend e and the second tank was filled with blend f , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend ericinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 1 . 8glycerine 11 . 0dl - α - tocopherol 0 . 05total 55 . 9blend ftea 32 . 5naoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 4total 44 . 1______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend g and the second tank was filled with blend h , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend gtriethanolamine ( tea ) 33 . 3 % ricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5dl - α - tocopherol . 1di - water 3 . 4glycerine 12 . 0total 91 . 8blend hnaoh 50 % 8 . 2______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend i and the second tank was filled with blend j , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend itriethanolamine ( tea ) 32 . 5 % ricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5lauric diethanolamide 1 . 0glycerine 11 . 8dl - α - tocopherol 0 . 1total 88 . 4blend jnaoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 4total 11 . 6______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend k and the second tank was filled with blend l , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend ktriethanolamine ( tea ) 34 . 3 % ricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5dl - α - tocopherol . 1total 77 . 4blend lnaoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 4glycerine 11 . 0total 22 . 6______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend m and the second tank was filled with blend n , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend mricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 3 . 6dl - α - tocopherol . 1total 46 . 7blend ntea 31 . 7naoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 4glycerine 10 . 0total 53 . 3______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend o and the second tank was filled with blend p , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend otriethanolamine ( tea ) 4 . 1 % ricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 1 . 8dl - α - tocopherol . 1total 49 . 0blend ptea 28 . 4 % naoh 50 % 8 . 2glycerine 11 . 0di - water 3 . 4total 51 . 0______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend q and the second tank was filled with blend r , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend qricinoleic acid 4 . 8coco fatty acid 6 . 3tallow fatty acid 11 . 0oleic acid 3 . 4stearic acid 17 . 5cdea 1 . 8glycerine 11 . 0dl - α - tocopherol . 1total 55 . 9blend rtea 32 . 5naoh 50 % 8 . 2di - water 3 . 4total 44 . 1______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend s and the second tank was filled with blend t , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend striethanolamine ( tea ) 30 . 2 % coco fatty acid 20 . 2stearic acid 20 . 2glycerine 12 . 1di - water 7 . 0citric acid 0 . 5gluconic acid 0 . 2sodium metabisulfite 0 . 5total 90 . 9blend tnaoh 50 % 9 . 1 % total 9 . 1______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . transparent soap bars were prepared in accordance with the dual tank procedure of the present invention . the first tank was filled with blend u and the second tank was filled with blend v , both as reported below . each tank was preheated to 70 °- 80 ° c . and the contents were pumped therefrom in stoichiometric amounts into a mixing vessel surrounded by a hot water jacket wherein saponification occurs during agitation . ______________________________________blend ucoco fatty acid 20 . 2 % stearic acid 20 . 2citric acid . 5gluconic acid . 2sodium metabisulfite . 5total 41 . 6blend vnaoh 50 % 9 . 1di - water 7 . 0 % glycerine 12 . 1triethanolamine ( tea ) 30 . 2total 58 . 4______________________________________ thereafter the final mixture is withdrawn from the mixing tank into appropriate molds which are chilled in accordance with example xii . one hundred grams of the hot soap mixture prepared according to the procedure described in example i , was poured at 85 ° c . into plastic soap molds and subjected to rapid cooling in a variety of controllable media . the internal temperature of the bars was monitored until it reached 25 ° c . at which time the bar was removed from the cooling medium and tested for color , clarity , stability and hardness . the results are shown in table a below . surprisingly , there was no adverse effect on any of the properties of the resultant bars with the exception of hardness at very low temperature & lt ;- 50 ° c . color , clarity , stability and chemical properties all compared favorably with the conventionally prepared transparent soap bars . table a______________________________________ hardnesscooling medium t ° c . ( min ) ( mm ) color clarity______________________________________dry ice / alcohol - 50 15 275 43 . 4 okfreezer - 20 27 194 42 . 2 okrefrigerator 5 35 149 41 . 6 okambient 25 120 132 40 . 4 ok______________________________________ color is recorded as the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; lightness value , as measured by a macbeth colorimeter , model 1500 , macbeth , inc ., new york , ny . in further cooling experiments , a pvc soap mold ( 8 . 0 cm × 5 . 0 cm × 2 . 5 cm ) containing 100 g of molten soap ( 80 ° c .) from example i , was drawn through a cooling tunnel ( 8 . 5 ft in length and 5 . 5 inch diameter ) with an average temperature of 0 ° to 4 ° c . in these experiments , the molds were drawn through the cooling tunnel at various rates , and the physical properties determined as in example xii . table b______________________________________ initial final bar temp . hardness hardnesstime (° c .) ( mm ) ( mm ) ______________________________________ 5 min 53 . 3 -- 134 7 min 47 . 2 -- 154 9 min 42 . 6 -- 12211 min 39 . 2 -- 12613 min 36 . 1 820 13815 min 33 . 1 420 14217 min 30 . 4 338 13019 min 28 . 4 272 13212 hrs . 22 . 4 126 130 ( control ) ______________________________________time color clarity stability______________________________________ 5 min 44 . 2 ok ok 7 min 44 . 6 ok ok 9 min 44 . 5 ok ok11 min 44 . 7 ok ok13 min 43 . 9 ok ok15 min 44 . 2 ok ok17 min 44 . 2 ok ok19 min 44 . 1 ok ok12 hrs . 43 . 8 ok ok ( control ) ______________________________________ in this experiment , it was found that after 15 to 17 minutes of cooling , the resultant bar was sufficiently solidified to allow handling and initial hardness measurements . in addition , the hardness of these bars was again determined after 12 hours at room temperature ( final hardness ). no significant difference was found between the final hardness of the rapidly cooled bars , and that of the control bars which were cooled at room temperature in a metal frame for 12 hours ( 720 min ). no significant changes in color , clarity , stability , or texture were found in the rapidly cooled bars . in a further series of experiments , the basic formula shown in example i was made 3 times ( experiments 4 , 5 and 6 ) using the continuous process , and compared to 3 batches ( experiments 1 , 2 and 3 ) made using the same formula ( example i ) but prepared using a batch process . in the batch process , the triethanolamine ( 50 % of the total tea ), ricinoleic acid , coco fatty acid , and tallow fatty acids are mixed with the caustic soda and heated at 90 °- 96 ° c . for 30 minutes . after the 30 minute heating , additional triethanolamine is added and the batch cooled to 85 ° c ., followed by the addition of oleic acid , stearic acid , cocodiethanolamine ( cdea ) and glycerine . after the addition of these ingredients , other minor ingredients such as antioxidants , fragrances etc , are added . the soap is then poured into frames or molds and allowed to cool . the resultant soaps were compared for color , appearance , hardness , ph , foaming and stability . table c______________________________________experi - hard - ment process color ness ( mm ) ph foam stability______________________________________1 batch 35 . 97 138 9 . 0 295 ok2 batch 36 . 55 148 9 . 0 300 ok3 batch 35 . 90 124 8 . 9 295 ok4 continuous 43 . 10 130 8 . 9 300 ok5 continuous 42 . 70 138 9 . 0 295 ok6 continuous 43 . 30 120 8 . 9 300 ok______________________________________ foam test results are listed as ml of foam produced , by shaking 50 ml of a 1 . 0 % soap solution with 199 ml of tap water ( 120 ppm of hardness ) and 1 . 0 ml olive oil in a stoppered volumetric flask . the mixture is inverted 10 times in 25 seconds , and the foam height produced , is measured . the two - phase procedure of example i was repeated using the apparatus of fig1 and the blends reported in table b below . in every case , transparent soap bars having the improved characteristics of the present invention were produced . table b - 1______________________________________ingredients examples______________________________________phase i xv xvi xvii xviiitriethanolamine 33 . 5 33 . 8 27 38caustic soda 50 % 8 . 4 8 . 5 8 . 4 8 . 4water 4 . 1 4 . 1 4 . 1 4 . 1glycerine 10 . 2 10 . 4 17 5phase iiricinoleic acid 4 . 8 4 . 8 4 . 8 4 . 8coco fatty acid 5 . 9 6 5 . 9 5 . 9tallow fatty acid 11 . 2 11 . 3 11 11 . 2oleic acid 3 . 5 0 3 . 5 3 . 5stearic acid 17 . 9 18 . 1 17 . 1 17 . 9cdea 0 1 . 9 1 0 . 7antioxidant 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 2 0 . 5fragrance 0 . 6total 100 100 100 100phase i xix xx xxi xxiitriethanolamine 33 . 6 37 30 . 6 30caustic soda 50 % 8 . 2 9 . 4 7 . 4 8 . 2water 1 5 3 2glycerine 15 0 11 25phase iiricinoleic acid 3 . 5 6 6 4 . 4coco fatty acid 3 8 . 6 7 4 . 4tallow fatty acid 11 9 8 14oleic acid 3 . 4 5 6 4stearic acid 19 16 . 7 20 . 5 6cdea 1 . 8 1 . 8 0 2antioxidant 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0fragrancetotal 100 100 100 100phase i xxiii xxiv xxv xxvitriethanolamine 32 . 5 30 . 2 30 . 2 30 . 5caustic soda 50 % 8 . 2 9 . 1 9 . 1 8 . 1water 2 6 . 8 7 3 . 5glycerine 11 12 . 1 12 . 1 9 . 4phase iiricinoleic acid 4 . 7 0 0 4 . 6coco fatty acid 6 . 3 20 . 2 20 . 2 5 . 6tallow fatty acid 11 -- -- 10 . 5oleic acid 3 -- -- 3 . 3stearic acid 16 . 8 18 . 9 18 . 9 16 . 5cdea 4 -- -- 1 . 5citric acid 1 1gluconic acid 0 . 2 1sodium metabisulfite 1 . 5 0 . 5laneth - 10 - acetate 4nonoxynol - 14 / peg - 4 - 2octanoateantioxidant 0 . 5 0 . 5fragrancetotal 100 100 100 100phase i xxvii xxviii xxixtriethanolamine 28 . 5 30 . 5 32caustic soda 50 % 7 . 7 8 . 1 8 . 2water 3 . 1 3 . 5 3glycerine 8 9 . 5 10phase iiricinoleic acid 4 . 4 4 . 6 4 . 6coco fatty acid 5 . 4 5 . 6 6 . 1tallow fatty acid 9 . 2 10 . 5 10 . 5oleic acid 3 3 . 3 3 . 3stearic acid 14 . 7 16 . 5 17 . 5cdea 1 . 5 1 . 5 1 . 5citric acidgluconic acidsodium metabisulfitelaneth - 10 - acetatenonoxynol - 14 / peg - 4 - octanoatetea - lauryl sulfate 10acetylated lanolin alcohol 4witch hazel 3lauroyl sarcosine 2 . 5antioxidant 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 3fragrance 0 . 4 3total 100 100 100______________________________________ from the foregoing , it is apparent that there are several important features associated with the practice of the present invention . thus a process is herein described and illustrated which obtains the production of transparent soap on a continuous basis which soap has improved color , improved fragrance , stability and more uniform quality than was heretofor obtainable by existing batch procedures . in addition to the foregoing , the process of the present invention provides significant economic advantages in reduced processing time and lower labor costs while the composition / process interaction enables rapid cooling from 80 ° c . to 30 ° c . without affecting the basic characteristics of such soap , namely , hardness , solubility , clarity and foaming . it is apparent that the compositions and processes herein described and illustrated fulfill all of the foregoing objectives in a remarkably unexpected fashion . it is of course understood that such modifications , alterations and adaptations , as may readily occur to the artisan skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains as included within the spirit of this invention which is limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto .	2
in a concrete floor 1 , for example , on which a steel bar or the like is to be fixed in position , the first step is drilling an anchoring bar hole 2 which , in the working example of fig1 to be seen to be stretching in an upright direction from the lower face of the floor 1 thereinto . nextly , a side hole 3 is produced starting at a point some distance from the outer end of anchoring bar hole 2 and at an angle α thereto ( which will generally be less than 90 °) for cutting through anchoring bar hole 2 . to keep these holes true diamond tipped drill bits ( and not impact bits ) will be used . in the next stage of the process ( see fig1 c ) a sprag 4 or anchoring part is slipped into side hole 3 . sprag 4 will be seen somewhat more clearly in fig2 . the sprag 4 is in the present case a sleeve , more specially a cylindrical one , with an opening 6 running therethrough . however , for meeting special needs , the sprag may be made solid and not in the form of a hollow sleeve . using a keeper tool 7 , the sprag 4 or sleeve is pushed from the outside into and along the side hole till the opening 6 is trued up with the anchoring bar hole 2 . the sleeve 4 has a hole 9 with a female - thread in its one end 8 for taking up keeper tool 7 . the female screw - thread of sleeve 4 will have . in each case , a certain number of turns of thread , as for example 21 / 2 . furthermore , the start of the thread in hole 9 has a certain relation to the end ( nearer to the end 8 ) of the opening 6 through the sprag so that , when the tool 7 is screwed as far as it will go into the sprag , it will always have the same position or the same angle in relation to the threaded opening 6 . if , furthermore , as is the case in fig2 a stop plate 19 is fixed at a given distance from the end of tool 7 to the same at an angle the same as the angle between the side hole and the anchoring bar hole , it will be possible for the worker to be certain of getting the sleeve 4 to the right depth in the side hole 2 by using tool 7 , that is to say so that the opening 6 is trued up with the anchoring bar hole 2 and the anchoring bar 11 itself may be screwed home without any trouble at all . in place of this design , it will be possible , however , to have an allen - key or hex socket in the end 8 of sleeve 4 , or to have a hex nut thereon for use with a matching end piece of keeper tool 7 . instead of using regular hex sockets or hex nuts , one - sided sockets or nuts may be used such that the tool 7 may only be joined up with the sprag or sleeve 4 with a certain angle between the two so that , given the right design of the tool 7 , there will be no trouble at all in putting the sprag into the side hole at such an angle that the sideways opening 6 of sleeve 4 is lined up with the anchoring bar hole 2 . after pushing the sprag or sleeve 4 in through the side hole 3 till the threaded opening 6 therein is lined up with the anchoring bar hole 2 , the anchoring bar 11 itself is slipped in and screwed home in the sprag . to make it simpler for the threaded anchoring bar 11 to be lined up with and screwed into the threaded opening in sleeve 4 , threaded anchoring bar 11 is pointed at 12 at its head end and furthermore at least one end 13 of the opening through the sleeve - like sprag 4 is made wider so that if sprag 4 does not have its opening 6 completely lined up with anchoring bar hole 2 , on pushing in the threaded bar 11 , the sprag 4 and the threaded bar 11 will be moved into a position in relation to each other . the threaded bar 11 , which for example may be a screw with a screwhead 16 ( see fig4 ), will be screwed home till a part to be fixed by it ( for example a rail 17 in fig4 ) is positioned on the concrete floor 1 . then tool 7 is undone from sprag 4 , that is to say , in the working example of fig2 the tool 7 is turned so that its threaded end 10 is unscrewed from the threaded hole 9 . it is naturally possible for tool 7 to be undone and taken out without waiting for threaded bar 11 to be screwed fully into screw - threaded opening 6 , because even after the bar has been screwed in only a bit , sprag 4 is kept in position , there being no chance of it falling out . the anchoring system of the invention may be seen from this to be made up of two anchoring parts , that is to say on the one hand the screw - threaded anchoring bar 11 , on whose tail end , sticking out out of the hole 2 , the load is fixed , and the sprag 4 , which is locked in and by the side hole 3 and has the effect of locking or anchoring anchoring bar 11 in position . as has been noted , sprag 4 is kept in the right position with the help of tool 7 while the two anchoring parts are being joined together . after the screw - threaded anchoring bar 11 has been screwed into sprag or sleeve 4 , it may furthermore be locked in place , for example by forcing adhesive or sealant through side hole 3 , threaded hole 9 in the end 8 of sleeve 4 and into the inside of the sleeve so that the threaded bar 11 is then adhesively locked in the sprag 4 . it is furthermore possible for a center - punch - like tool to be slipped in through hole 9 till it is resting against the thread of threaded bar 11 and , using one or two hammer blows on the outwardly running end of the punch - like tool , the thread of anchoring bar 11 is then dented so that it may no longer be unscrewed from sprag 4 . the screw - threaded bar 11 may furthermore be locked in sprag 4 and stopped from being unscrewed therefrom by screwing a screw into threaded hole 9 till its head end comes up against the thread of anchoring bar 11 for fixing the threaded bar 11 in position . lastly , it is possible ( see fig1 f ) for the side hole 2 to be filled up again , for example with concrete . although the process of the invention may be used with good effect with a sprag in the form of a hollow sleeve 4 as the best form of anchoring stop , the sprag may furthermore be in the form of a masonry plug , through which the screw - threaded bar 11 is screwed , the plug being for example in the form of a toggle anchor or expansion anchor , more specially a metal expansion anchor . the working example of the invention to be seen in fig3 and 4 is in connection with fixing a rail , for example for supporting a crane or the like , to which end an anchoring bar hole 2 and then the side hole 3 are produced using for example a drill press having its base - plate fixed in position . after drilling the anchoring bar hole 2 , the drill supporting arm is changed in position or turned and then placed at an angle for drilling the sloping side hole , for producing , in this way , all the fixing or anchoring points to be seen in fig3 . a rail 17 is then fixed in position using screws run into the anchoring sprags or sleeves 4 ( see fig4 ). fig5 is a view of a preferred way of fixing a threaded bar 11 in the invention , for which purpose two side holes 3 and 3 &# 39 ; are produced cutting , at different points , the anchoring bar hole , so that separate anchoring sleeves 4 and 4 &# 39 ; may be slipped into the side holes for the screw - threaded bar 11 to be screwed therethrough keeping them in position , this being a further way of anchoring a threaded bar 11 in position . fig6 is a view of an anchoring system with a better way of guiding and positioning anchoring bar 11 . the step of positioning bar 11 is undertaken in connection with one of the steps 1d and 1e or thereafter . it may be necessary to have a certain amount of play between the anchoring bar 11 and the side of the anchoring hole 2 so that the anchoring bar 11 may be put in position . such play is , however , undesired when the anchoring bar is loaded , for example not axially but sideways with a shearing effect . for cutting down this undesired play it will be seen that in the working example of fig6 a metal sleeve 21 is slipped into the anchoring bar hole at least so far that the sleeve 21 is completely within the hole and no longer running out past the outer face of concrete 1 . the sleeve 21 is best put in position after slipping in the anchoring bar and before the first and second turns on the bar 11 on screwing it into the sprag 4 . because of the presence of metal spacer guide sleeve 21 , the play between the wall of the hole 2 and the outer face of anchoring bar 11 is greatly decreased . so far the figures have been limited for cases in which the anchoring bar 11 is screwed into the anchoring sleeve or sprag 4 . although this is in fact the more specially preferred form of the invention , it would , generally speaking , be possible to have different forms of connection between the anchoring sprag and the anchoring bar , as for example using a bayonet connection or by using hooks or bolts or like stops on the anchoring bar locking into the opening in the anchoring sprag or sleeve . in fig7 a the reader will see an anchoring bar 11 &# 39 ; having a hooked head 22 . the opening 23 in sprag 4 &# 39 ; is not round but is broader in a direction running across the sprag 4 &# 39 ; than it is in a direction measured along the length of sprag 4 &# 39 ;. for slipping in anchoring bar 11 &# 39 ;, the hooked head 22 is turned so as to be across the general direction of sprag 4 &# 39 ; so that it may be pushed through opening 23 and once it is completely through it , the anchoring bar 11 &# 39 ; is turned through 90 ° so that the hooked head 22 is hooked round the wall of opening 23 of sprag 4 &# 39 ; as will be seen in fig7 a . in place of this , the anchoring bar 11 &# 34 ; of fig8 a may have a hammer head , that is to say hooks 24 on its two sides . in this case the opening 25 in the anchoring sleeve or sprag 4 &# 34 ; is placed so as to be lined up parallel with the general direction of sprag 4 &# 39 ;. anchoring bar 11 &# 34 ; with its hooks 24 is then slipped in the way to be seen in fig8 b into and through sprag 4 &# 34 ; in its opening 25 and then , again , turned through 90 ° so that hooks 24 forming a bolt are normal to the general run or direction of opening 25 and sprag 4 &# 34 ; and will be rested against the wall of opening 25 . this makes it clear that there is a further way of producing a trouble - free anchoring connection of the anchoring bar , it being possible in the two designs , that is to say in fig7 a and 8a , to have lock nuts on the anchoring bar resting against the face of the concrete . on producing the anchoring bar hole 2 and the side hole 3 , it is important to see that the two holes are produced completely true with the axis 26 of the side hole as far as possible cutting axis 27 of the anchoring bar hole 2 and meeting it at a point . to make this readily possible without any trouble , the apparatus to be seen in fig9 and 10 may be used , the same forming part of the present invention . the most important part of the apparatus for producing holes in concrete is a plate 31 which , on the one hand may be put in position with a template function for producing the holes and , on the other hand , has an opening or hole 32 , used for guiding a drill bit 33 to make certain that the hole produced thereby will in fact be cut through anchoring bar hole with axis 27 . in fig9 a drill 34 with a drill bit 35 will be seen to be supported on plate 31 in such a way that drill bit 35 and , for this reason , the axis 27 of the anchoring bar hole to be produced , is normal to the working face 36 of plate 31 , that is to say the face placed against the face of the concrete . drill 34 is joined up with plate 31 by way of a drill press 37 which , like the drill 34 itself may , generally speaking , be of normal design and for example have a support rod as part of the press for supporting the drill . however , for stopping any sideways motion , drill press 37 to be seen in fig9 has two support rods 38 and 39 lined up with drill 35 so that they may take up drilling forces in the best possible way . the use of two support rods 38 and 39 in the drill press 37 for drill 34 gives a strong structure which is better than using a single support rod . a further drill bit 33 is used with a drill 40 which may be fixed in more or less the same way as drill 34 on support plate 31 so that no details are given in this respect to make fig9 and 10 clearer . plate 31 may be fixed to the concrete wall 1 by vacuum suckers , by wall anchors or may have parts locking in holes in the concrete . the template system for producing the holes , see fig9 makes certain that the anchoring bar hole and the side hole are produced truly with their axes 26 , 27 cutting and meeting at a single point so that a strong anchoring system may be produced . on using the apparatus of fig9 for producing holes , it may be that one hole or the other comes up against a reinforcement in the concrete . in order to better take into account such reinforcements while at the same time making quite certain that the anchoring hole and the side hole are truly lined up , the further working example of the invention of fig1 for producing holes 42 makes do with one drill 40 with a drill bit 33 , which , once again , is guided by a sleeve 32 through the plate . drill 40 may be fixed to plate 41 in the way to be seen in fig9 . in place of drill 34 the plate 41 only has one opening 42 which is normal to the working face 36 resting on the concrete 1 , of the plate . a screw 43 is slipped in through opening 42 and into an expansion anchor 44 , with which the plate 41 is fixed using a hole 2 in the concrete . for producing the holes , the first step is producing the anchoring hole 2 , which is normal to the face of the concrete wall 1 . then plate 41 is fixed in position using screws and the expansion sleeve on concrete wall 1 and after this , using drill 34 and drill bit 33 , the side hole is produced having an axis 26 , drilling bit 33 being guided through the opening 32 in plate 41 . on the drill bit running against reinforcements in the concrete , screw 43 may be undone somewhat and plate 41 turned round screw 43 , that is to say the axis 27 of the anchoring hole 2 so that the worker may have another go at producing the side hole using drill bit 33 so as to keep clear of reinforcements . this part of the invention is in fact a simple way of producing holes without damaging the reinforcements .	5
fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional view of a tft anode / cold cathode field emission display ( fed ) element 100 in accordance with the principles of the present invention . in this exemplary embodiment , the display element 100 is composed of cathode 104 that acts as a low - voltage source of electrons , anode 106 that employs tft technology to control the attraction of electrons 140 to corresponding pixel elements on the surface 160 , and grid 150 between anode 106 and cathode 104 that serves to accelerate electrons to the anode 106 . cathode 104 is fabricated by progressively depositing onto substrate 110 , conventionally a glass , an insulating material 115 , a conductive material 117 , an emitter material 120 operable to emit electrons , a second insulating layer 125 , such as sio 2 , and a second conductive material 130 . emitter material 120 is selected from known materials that have a low work function for emitting electrons 140 . alpha - carbon is a well - known material for emitting electrons 140 . the conductive material 117 beneath the emitter material 120 serves to reduce the resistance of the emitting layer and thus bring the emitter voltage to the edge 135 of emitter material 120 . wells 136 are then etched through the deposited second conductive layer 130 , insulating layer 125 , emitter layer 120 , conductive layer 117 and insulating layer 115 using well - known photoetching methods . in this case , edges 135 of the emitter material 120 are exposed for the generation of electrons 140 . second conductive material 130 operates as a gate to draw electrons 140 from the edges 135 of emitter material 120 when a sufficient potential difference , i . e ., electron extraction voltage or threshold voltage , exists between conductive material 130 and conductive layer 117 . anode 106 is composed of a plurality of conductive pads 170 fabricated in a matrix of substantially parallel rows and columns on surface 160 using known fabrication methods . in this illustrated embodiment material 160 is a transparent material such as glass . conductive pads 170 are also composed of a transparent material , such as ito ( indium titanium oxide ). a matrix organization , as will be shown in fig2 , of conductive pads 170 and phosphor layers 175 allows for known x - y addressing of each of the conductive pads 170 . in this case , conductive pad 170 may be representative of individual pixel element in the display . deposited on each conductive pad 170 is phosphor layer 175 . phosphor layer 175 , in one aspect of the invention , may be selected from materials that emit photons 195 of a specific color for a monochrome display . in a conventional rgb display , phosphor layer 175 may be selected from materials that produce red light , green light or blue light 195 when struck by electrons 140 . as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art , the terms “ light ” and “ photon ” are synonymous and are used interchangeably herein . associated with each conductive pad 170 / phosphor layer 175 pixel element is a tft circuit 180 that is operable to apply a known voltage to an associated conductive pad 170 / phosphor layer 175 pixel element . tft circuit 180 operates to apply either a first voltage to bias an associated pixel element to maintain it in an “ off ” state or a second voltage to bias an associated pixel element to maintain it in an “ on ” state , i . e ., activate . in one embodiment , tft circuit 180 may apply a zero voltage , va = 0 , to bias conductive pad 170 into an “ off ” state , or apply a higher positive bias voltage , in the order of va = 25 - 30 volts , to bias conductive pad 170 into an “ on ” state . in this illustrated case , conductive pad 170 is inhibited from attracting electrons 140 emitted by cathode 104 when in an “ off ” state , and attracts electrons 140 when in an “ on ” state . the use of tft circuitry 180 for biasing conductive pad 170 provides for the dual function of addressing pixel elements and maintaining the pixel element in a condition to attract electrons for a desired time period , i . e . time - frame or sub - periods of time - frame , as will be explained more fully with regard to fig2 and 3 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , grid 150 is interposed , relatively equidistant , between cathode 104 and anode 106 . grid 150 , having a plurality of grid holes 152 , smaller than the cathode - to - anode distance 190 , unifies the electron distribution in front of the anode plane . in one aspect , electrons 140 emitted by cathode 104 pass through grid 150 and impinge upon phosphor pad 175 when a corresponding conductive pad 170 is biased to an “ on ” state . similarly , electrons are not attracted to the conductive pad 170 when a corresponding conductive pad 170 is biased to an “ off ” state . it would be recognized by those skilled in the art that the role of a positively biased grid 150 is advantageous as it serves to unify the electron distribution in front of the phosphor pads . this operation is applicable when the electron energies are small and can be controlled by the potentials applied to the tft circuitry . for example , when gate voltage for extracting electrons is less than the tft control voltage , i . e ., anode voltage , grid 150 may not be necessary . however , in another aspect , when the gate voltage for electron extraction from emitter edge 135 is higher than voltage applied to the anode , i . e ., phosphor pads 170 , via the tft circuitry , the energies of electron 140 may be too high and not manageable by the relatively low tft voltages . in this case , grid 150 may be used to decelerate the electrons approaching the phosphor pads by lowering the voltage applied to grid 150 . although grid 150 is shown in this exemplary embodiment and has been discussed with regard to controlling emitted electrons , it would be recognized that the operation of display 100 is not dependent upon the presence of grid 150 and the embodiment shown in fig1 represents an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the tft fed 100 shown allows for a low voltage addressing on the anode and the use of inexpensive lcd drivers . furthermore , the addressing circuit ( not shown ) on anode 106 eliminates the need for electron beam focusing methods necessary in conventional fed structures . the use of low voltage further eliminates problems of gas ionization and chamber breakdown characteristically associated with the use of high voltage feds . furthermore , cathode 104 serves as a uniform electron source and provides for high screen brightness and uniformity . the separation of pixel control circuitry from cathode 104 is further advantageous as it makes the fabrication of the device simpler and increases the fabrication yield . fig2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary tft - based anode . in this illustrated example , anode 200 is organized in a matrix of electrically conductive rows , referred to as 210 , and electrically conductive columns , referred to as 220 , electrically insulated from each other . associated with each row / column is an electrically conductive pad or area 170 and phosphor pad 175 that defines a pixel element . as would be appreciated , phosphor pad 175 predominately covers the conductive area 170 and tft 180 is thus shown using dashed lines to indicate that it is located beneath phosphor pad 175 . associated with each conductive pad 170 / phosphor pad 175 and accessed by a row / column designation is tft circuit 180 . tft circuit 180 operates to electrically disconnect an associated conductive pad 170 / phosphor pad 175 when the associated pixel is intended to be in an “ off ” state and connect an associated conductive pad 170 / phosphor pad 175 when it is intended to be in an “ on ” state . a known voltage , referred to as v dd , is applied to each tft circuit 180 . fig3 illustrates a circuit diagram of 1 tft circuit 180 associated with a single element in the matrix shown in fig2 . in this illustrated embodiment , phosphor pad 1754 is shown cut - away to reveal the details of tft circuit 180 . tft circuit 180 is composed of two transistor devices 182 , 186 , electrically cascaded , and capacitor 190 connected between the output of first device 182 and the output of second device 186 . in the illustrated embodiment , devices 182 , 186 are fets ( field effect transistors ). fets are known in the art to possess a high input impendence . in the illustrated embodiment , gate node 183 of fet 182 is electrically connected to and associated with row line 210 , and node 184 of fet 182 is associated with column line 220 . the output node 185 of fet 182 is electrically cascaded to gate electrode 187 of fet 186 , and to capacitor 190 . electrode 188 of fet 186 is electrically connected to constant voltage source , typically v dd , and output electrode 189 is electrically connected to electrically conductive pad 170 . capacitor 190 is also further connected between the gate and the source node of fet 186 . in operation , when fet 182 is in an “ on ” state , by the application of a voltage on row line 210 , a voltage applied to column line 220 is passed through fet 182 and concurrently present at , or applied to , gate node 187 of fet 186 and capacitor 190 . capacitor 190 is charged to substantially the same voltage value as applied to column 220 . when voltage on row line 210 is removed , capacitor 190 operates to substantially maintain the same potential as is on column line 220 to gate electrode 187 . this voltage is maintained for a known period of time , which is based on the value of capacitor 190 and an impedance of fet 182 . capacitor 190 thus operates to substantially “ hold ” the voltage even after the voltage or potential to selected row 210 is removed . as voltage or potential is applied to gate terminal 187 of fet 186 , fet 186 is in an “ on ” state and the constant , fixed voltage or potential , v dd , applied to node 188 , which is also referred to as an anode voltage ( v a ), is passed through fet 186 to node 189 and associated pad 170 . pad 170 then is operable to attract electrons 140 ( not shown ) drawn from cathode 104 . when the gate electrode 187 voltage is removed , the corresponding pixel is switched to an “ off ” state as the potential at electrode 189 is relatively low , i . e ., near zero volts . in one aspect of the invention , the anode voltage may be in the range of about 20 - 30 volts . thus , tft circuit 180 provides for both “ pixel selection ” and “ pixel hold ” functions . accordingly , electrons 140 may continue to be attracted to the corresponding phosphor layer 175 for a desired time frame without the concurrent application of a voltage on a corresponding row line . capacitor 190 is sized to be commensurate with the desired frame time and the input impedance of the second active device 186 . the value of capacitor 190 may be selected such that the decay of the stored charge through the impedance of first device 182 is in the order of or larger than the desired frame time . returning to fig2 , although the exemplary display matrix has been described as a monochromatic display having six pixel elements , those skilled in the art should readily recognize that fig2 may also represent a color display having three color pixels with each color pixel having associated red , green and blue phosphor layers . while the present color display is described with the use of conventional rgb ( red , green , blue ) technology , the use of phosphor layers that emit light of alternate colors , visible and non - visible , is considered within the scope of the inventions fig4 illustrates a second embodiment of the display . in this embodiment , the tft anode structure shown in fig2 is deposited on substrate 110 . in this case , a material such as poly - silicon or amorphone silicon , may be deposited on substrate 110 , that allows for the fabrication of row lines 210 ( not shown ), column lines 220 ( not shown ), conductive pad 170 and tft circuit 180 onto substrate 110 in row / column matrix as shown in fig2 . phosphor layer 175 may then be deposited on corresponding conductive pads 170 . in one aspect a silicon ( si ) single crystal wafer may be used for the active matrix circuitry , wherein the si wafer is attached to a glass substrate . in this case , the phosphor pads are also made on the si wafer . cathode 104 is fabricated on viewing surface 160 and emitter layer 120 and conductive layer 130 operate to draw electrons from edges 135 of emitter layer 120 . emitter layer 120 and conductive layer 130 occupy a significantly small portion of the viewing glass area to allow for photons to be viewed through cathode 104 and transparent viewing glass 160 . as would be appreciated , elements of cathode 104 may be composed of optically transparent materials . as in the embodiment shown in fig1 , grid 150 may have a dual function in both unifying the electron distribution approaching the phosphor pads and decelerating the electron . this latter function may be needed when the threshold voltage for electron extraction from the emitter edge is too high to be controlled by the voltages on the tft circuit . fig5 illustrates a top view of an exemplary cathode 104 in accordance with the principles of the invention . it is desired that cathode 104 serves as a uniform electron source when the voltage applied to conductive layer 130 is sufficiently positive relative to emitter layer 120 . in this exemplary embodiment , wells 136 are formed within the conductive layer 130 as elongated slots 510 , which increase the length of emitter edges 135 ( not shown ). increased emitter edge 135 length provides for an increased edge area for the emission of electrons 140 . in this exemplary view , wells 136 are etched through conductive layer 130 to expose the emitter layer edges . edges 135 ( not shown ) of emitter layer 120 are formed beneath edges 137 of conductive layer 130 . fig6 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a tft based display 600 wherein cathode 104 a is composed of a plurality of carbon nanotubes 610 placed on conductive material 615 located within well 136 . in this case , conductive layer 130 , electrically isolated from material 615 , operates as a gate that may be used to draw electrons 140 from nanotubes 610 , when the potential difference between gate 130 and nanotube 610 exceeds a threshold for electron extraction . nanotubes 610 are known to possess extremely low threshold voltages in the order of 1 - 3 v / micron for electron emission . cataphoretic deposition or printing of nanotubes 610 , as well as nanotube growth on a metal surface are known in the art . similar to the design shown in fig1 , grid 150 is also shown in this exemplary embodiment to control and decelerate , if necessary , the flow of electrons 140 directed toward phosphor layer 175 . anode 106 is similar to that described with regard to fig1 and its description need not be repeated . fig7 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a tft - cold cathode based display 700 , wherein cathode 104 c is composed of a plurality of carbon nanotubes 610 that are uniformly distributed on a conductive layer 710 on substrate 110 . grid 150 is also shown in this embodiment and is used for extracting electrons 140 emitted by nanotubes 610 and directed toward phosphor layer 175 . in this embodiment , second grid 155 is included to decelerate electrons so that they are controllable by the tft circuitry . anode 106 is similar to that described with regard to fig1 and its description need not be repeated . fig8 illustrates an embodiment of a tft - cold cathode based display 800 constructed similar to the display shown in fig1 , i . e ., anode on viewing surface . in this embodiment , cathode 104 d is composed of nanotubes 610 deposited on cathode filament 805 . in this case , electrons 140 are emitted from nanotubes 610 when a voltage difference between grid 150 and cathode filament 805 is sufficient to extract electrons 140 . grid 150 is located in the range of 100 - 200 microns above substrate 110 . second grid 810 , which is used to decelerate electrons 140 , is located between grid 150 and anode 106 . anode 106 is similar to that described with regard to fig1 and its description need not be repeated . fig9 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a tft - cold cathode based display 900 constructed similar to the display shown in fig4 , i . e ., anode on back surface . in this embodiment , cathode 104 is composed of nanotubes 610 on cathode filament 805 as previously described , and grids 150 and 810 are installed between nanotubes 610 and anode 106 , to control and decelerate the flow of electrons to anode 106 . anode 106 is similar to that described with regard to fig4 and its description need not be repeated . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a tft - cold cathode based display 1000 constructed similar to the display shown in fig4 , i . e ., anode on back surface . in this case , cathode 104 f is composed of nanotubes 610 on narrow stripes of conductive layer 1010 . the area occupied by these stripes is small and does not affect the image quality . grids 150 and 810 are installed between cathode 104 f and anode 106 to extract and control the flow of electrons 140 to anode 106 . grid 810 is used to decelerate the flow of electrons when the electron energies are too high to be controlled by the low anode voltage of the tft circuit 180 . anode 106 is similar to that described with regard to fig4 and its description need not be repeated . although not shown or discussed in detail , it would be understood by those skilled in the art that insulating spacers may be distributed throughout the display to electrically isolate the electrical potential applied to the elements disclosed , to separate two plates from each other and to sustain the evacuated pressure . it should be further understood that the spacers may be used to reduce glass plate thickness and thus decrease both weight and thickness of the display . it should also be understood that the edges of the overall display may be sealed and that the space between the cathode and the anode may be evacuated to a level of at least 10 − 5 tor . while there has been shown , described , and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the apparatus described , in the form and details of the devices disclosed , and in their operation , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention . it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention . substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated .	7
the structural features of a capacitor of this invention are shown in cross section in fig1 . a rectangular porous tantalum body 10 has a tantalum riser wire 11 partially embedded therein . the tantalum body 10 serves as the anode of the capacitor . more generally , the capacitors of this invention employ porous valve - metal bodies , which valve - metals include tantalum , aluminum , titanium and niobium . a tantalum oxide dielectric film 12 is grown over the surfaces of the body including surfaces within the pores . the oxide 12 is simple represented in fig1 as lying over the outer surface portions of the body 10 . a coating 13 of manganese dioxide lies over and adjacent to the oxide film 12 . this coating is formed by first applying a dilute solution of manganous nitrate in the pores and over the oxide film that conforms to all body surfaces . by subjecting the body to about 300 ° in steam , the manganous salt is pyrolytically converted to a solid semiconducting manganese dioxide ( mno 2 ). pyrolysis may also be accomplished by heating in a dry atmosphere at about 400 ° c . a second application of the manganous salt is again pyrolyzed as before , and yet a third and so on until a sufficiently thick coating 13 of manganese dioxide is formed over the body . up to this point the manufacturing steps are all conventional . a layer of graphite 14 is then applied over the mno 2 coating 13 . another coating of mno 2 15 is then applied over the graphite layer 14 and yet another layer of graphite 16 is formed over the outer mno 2 coating 15 . thus the outer coating 15 of mno 2 is seen as being sandwiched between the two graphite layers 14 and 16 ; however , these two graphite layers are not entirely separate as is shown in the detail of fig2 and as will be explained . over the outer layer 16 of graphite there is a relatively heavy coat 19 of a metal bearing material that serves as the counterelectrode of the capacitor . a metal cathode lead 23 is electrically and physically attached to the counterelectrode 19 by means of a conductive material 22 being bonded therebetween . the anode riser wire 11 is welded or otherwise attached to a metal anode lead 24 . a silicone resin or other suitable organic material serves as the housing encapsulant 20 encompassing the body and a portion of the leads 23 and 24 . thus a basic capacitor section of this invention consists of elements designated 10 through 19 . the section is shown in fig1 encapsulated in housing 20 and having package leads 23 and 24 . the preferred steps for making the capacitor of this invention are as follows : a porous tantalum body is anodized in a conventional manner to form the oxide . this is then coated with mno 2 by pyrolytic decomposition of manganous nitrate using the conventional technique of first applying dilute solutions to penetrate and coat the whole surface of the body followed by more concentrated solutions to achieve the required build up of mno 2 on the outside of the body . in a conventional construction , from 5 to 10 dips in a concentrated solution such as 1 . 78 specific gravity manganous nitrate is typically required to achieve the required build up . in the construction of this invention , a similar , or greater number of top coats is employed . starting with about the fourth or fifth top coat , however , the capacitor of this embodiment is coated with aquadag which is a colloidal graphite suspension . the aquadag is then dried at any suitable temperature , such as 150 ° c for ten minutes . the aquadag is applied an an aqueous solution of about 2 to 4 % solids concentration . after forming this first graphite layer , one or more further coats of mno 2 are pyrolytically deposited . next , another layer of graphite is formed . at this point the capacitor section may be completed by applying a metallic coating to form the counter - electrode and cathode connection . such a unit in the near presence of organic material will show greater impedance stability during 360 ° c exposure than will a prior art unit in which graphite is applied only after completion of pyrolysis . moreover , even greater stability can be achieved by applying further alternating coats of mno 2 and graphite . the number of such coats which may be applied is limited only by the dimension to which the final capacitor has to conform . thus , a to be buried graphite layer is formed , such as layer 14 shown in fig1 . from one to four applications of aquadag are preferably employed to form each such buried layer . it has been observed that the last of a series of pyrolyzed mno 2 layers is porous and friable compared to the relatively dense and nonporous underlying layers of mno 2 . it is postulated that such a porous layer is permeated by a subsequently applied manganous nitrate solution as well as covered by a layer of this solution , such that upon a subsequent pyrolysis step a new porous mno 2 layer is formed over said last layer and said last layer is filled and no longer porous . microscopic views of cross sections of typical mno 2 layers of partially completed capacitors support this hypothesis . in a capacitor of this invention including a layer of mno 2 being sandwiched between two graphite layers , the intervening or sandwiched layer of mno 2 contains enough graphite particles to effectively short circuit this sandwiched mno 2 layer . thus the metal counterelectrode that overlies and electrically contacts the outer graphite layer is always in direct electrical contact with the buried graphite layer without depending upon the intervening mno 2 for this purpose . therefore , when or if the intervening mno 2 is reduced and made highly resistive as by hot organic vapors , the electrical connection , existing between the metal bearing counter - electrode and the dense mno 2 coating that underlies the buried graphite layer , is not lost or substantially degraded . the exact processing point at which the first coat of graphite may be applied is determined by the desirability of keeping the highly conductive carbon from contacting the tantalum oxide surface or from penetrating the mno 2 structure to any point at which it might cause an increase in leakage current . the graphite may be deposited following the first top coat of mno 2 and following each subsequent top coat . however , unless this coat is adequately thick , such a procedure leads to loss of many units due to excessive leakage current . it is therefore desirable that sufficient mno 2 be applied before depositing the graphite to prevent losses due to high leakage current . the number of mno 2 layers required prior to the application of the first graphite layer will depend on the method used to deposit them . thus , in the method described by fournier et al in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 950 , 842 issued apr . 20 , 1976 which deposits heavy layers of mno 2 particles and manganous nitrate , only one such layer might be required . other methods of forming a thick layer of mno 2 are described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 481 , 029 , issued dec . 2 , 1969 , and 3 , 241 , 008 , issued mar . 15 , 1966 . using a method in which mno 2 is built up by dipping in a concentrated manganous nitrate solution having a specific gravity of about 1 . 78 g / cc . three to five layers would give a suitable build up before the introduction of the first layer of graphite . this foundation layer of mno 2 is thus preferably thicker than about 0 . 002 inch regardless of how obtained . following pyrolysis of the last mno 2 coat , a final outer layer of graphite is applied which may be formed by applying one or more coats of the graphite suspension . typically the oxide film is reformed after pyrolysis , and good results have been obtained by depositing the graphite either immediately prior to and immediately after this reformation . alternately , only one coat need be applied which may be done either before or after reformation . the capacitor is coated with a conducting layer such as a silver paint or a sprayed metal . it may then be attached by a conducting medium to a solderable metal lead . many such methods of terminating may be used provided they will withstand exposure to 360 ° c . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , the unit is coated with a conducting paint such as eccobond 59c , made by emerson and cumming inc ., canton , mass ., which is a silicone resin containing silver particles that is cured for 30 minutes at 200 ° c . another coat of the 59c is then applied to an area of the capacitor section and is used to cement a suitable termination in place . such termination may typically be a metal can in which the capacitor is contained or a metal lead frame strip or a wire . after thoroughly baking at about 250 ° c to cure and to remove the most volatile organic vapors from the conducting compounds , the capacitor may be hermetically sealed in a metal can , or may be encapsulated in a resin . to illustrate the beneficial effects which may be obtained from the practice of the invention , table i presents impedance values of experimental solid electrolyte tantalum capacitors having various numbers of buried graphite layers . the impedance of each is given for before and after heating at 360 ° c for 3 minutes and again after 6 minutes . the capacitors are 22μf , 10v tantalum capacitors having a counterelectrode of eccobond 59c silver paint and being molded in a silicone resin , namely resin part number 306 made by dow corning corp ., midland , mi . table i______________________________________ impedance ( ohms ) no . of mno . sub . 2 totallayers prior no . of after afterto first graphite 360 ° c / 360 ° c / graphite layers initial 3 min . 6 min . ______________________________________1 . 5 3 0 . 14 0 . 24 0 . 442 . 5 4 0 . 14 0 . 22 0 . 343 . 5 5 0 . 14 0 . 23 0 . 324 . 6 2 0 . 14 0 . 28 0 . 605 . 6 3 0 . 15 0 . 23 0 . 356 . 6 4 0 . 15 0 . 23 0 . 327 . 6 1 0 . 15 4 . 2 -- 8 . 6 1 0 . 15 20 . 4 -- ______________________________________ the experimental capacitors of examples 1 through 6 fall within the scope of this invention . by contrast , data from a capacitor which was constructed in exactly the same manner except that only one layer of graphite was applied , namely after completion of pyrolysis , is exhibited as example 7 . by further way of contrast , data from an experimental capacitor , example 8 , constructed with only a single conventional layer of graphite after completion of pyrolysis and with an epoxy case , gave the results shown . it is concluded that a silicone resin encapsulation is preferred over an epoxy material and that generally only one buried graphite layer is required for a silicone resin encapsulated capacitor . although in making the preferred embodiment of this invention as described , graphite particles are introduced into the sandwiched mno 2 coating by applying aquadag over the porous mno 2 that overlies a buried graphite layer , a variety of other methods may be used to accomplish the same purpose , and are understood to fall within the scope of this invention . for example , the manganous nitrate , that is applied over a to be buried graphite layer , may itself contain graphite particles . as a further example , instead of introducing the graphite by means of a suspension as has previously been described it may be introduced as a dry powder . the units may be coated with a liquid to which the graphite will adhere when it is either sprayed at the units or they are immersed in the powder as for example in a fluidized bed .	7
referring now to fig1 , the mixing syringe is a regular syringe with the addition of a mixing disc . a syringe 1 includes a plunger 2 and a seal 3 in order to eject the liquid 6 via tube 4 . a piston - like mixing disc 5 a is added into the syringe . the initial position of disc 5 a is shown as 5 a ′, with plunger seal 3 touching disc 5 a . as liquid and particles are sucked into syringe 1 , seal 3 moves farther from disc 5 a to create a vacuum . disc 5 a moves as well , until stopped by slight ridge 8 . the size of the ridge is exaggerated in fig1 for clarity . it only needs to reduce the inside diameter by about 0 . 2 - 0 . 3 mm . flexible seal 3 easily passes over such a ridge . the particles 7 are sucked into the syringe via tube 4 and quickly settle as shown in fig1 . the particles do not accumulate in the section between plunger seal 3 and disc 5 a as disc 5 a includes a filter with pore sizes smaller than the particles . this is shown in fig2 a and 2b . disc 5 a has one or more holes 9 covered by filter mesh 10 . it is desired to chamfer hole 9 under screen 10 to increase the effective area of the screen . the screen can also be mounted as a flexible flap , being pushed out of the way during ejection of the fluid . the conical shape of disc 5 a is matched to the shape of the conical seal 3 and the conical tip of the syringe . this eliminates trapped fluid between the seal 3 and the syringe outlet at the end of the stroke . the conical shape of disc 5 a also aids the removal of any trapped air bubbles , as they float to the top of disc 5 a and escape when syringe is held vertically . as plunger 3 is moved towards disc 5 a the liquid 6 is ejected via hole 9 at a high velocity , mixing up particles 7 and liquid 6 . this is shown in fig3 . from the moment seal 3 touches disc 8 the disc is pushed forward towards the tube 4 until the syringe is empty and disc 5 a is in position 5 a ′. the operation can now be repeated , if desired . it is desirable to make hole 9 at an angle to the axis of the syringe in order to create a vortex 111 . an even more effective vortex 111 can be created if hole 9 is molded as a curved arc , both in the plane of the drawing and also in the plane perpendicular to the drawing . disc 5 a can be molded in one piece , including screen 10 . alternatively , screen 10 can be bonded to molded disc 5 a . the fit between disc 5 a and bore of syringe 1 is not critical as the particles are relatively large . it was found out that for best results the diameter of disc 5 a should be 0 . 1 - 0 . 2 mm smaller than the inside diameter of syringe 1 . while the example given is for embolization , the invention can be used to mix and two components , including two liquids . the disc 5 can also be made out of pressed sheet metal 11 . this is shown as disc 5 b in fig4 a and 4b . in this case hole 9 and screen 10 are replaced by miniature stamped louvers 12 ( similar to a miniature venetian blind ) acting both as a screen and as a flow director . recommended material is type 316l stainless steel or aluminum , with thickness between 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 mm . the thin wall allows seal 3 to enter into the hollow disc and squeeze out all the liquid . in order to eliminate the need of molding custom syringes it was found out that the slight ridge 8 can be formed in existing syringes by briefly heating up the area of ridge 8 and pressing the walls in slightly , using a split ring slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the syringe . other ways of creating a ridge without molding is pressing into the syringe a thin walled ring , held by friction . if desired the invention can be manufactured out of a standard disposable syringe , without any modifications . the movable disc 5 a is attached to the outlet side of the syringe with a short string that only allows it to move a limited distance . the string 13 is bonded by heat to the syringe or uses an anchor 14 . this is shown in fig5 . in operation tube 4 is first inserted into a mixing bowl where the ingredients are mixed together . the mixture is sucked into the syringe . after filling the syringe is held vertically to help trapped air escape and plunger moved to expel all air . afterwards tube 4 is moved to the catheter or needle used for the procedure and mixture is injected . an additional improvement in mixing is to adjust the density of particles 7 to match the density of liquid 6 , typically a saline solution with a density around 1 . since the materials used to make particles 7 ( plastic , glass or ceramic ) have a density greater than 1 , they have to be made hollow . the technology of manufacturing small hollow spheres , known as micro - balloons , is well known and many polymers as well as glasses are commercially available in micro - balloon form . one supplier is henkel ( http :// www . henkelna . com / cps / rde / xchg / henkel_us / hs . xsl / brands - 1556 . htm ? iname = dualite % 25c2 % 25ae & amp ; countrycode = us & amp ; bu = industrial & amp ; parentreddotuid = 0000000gfr & amp ; reddotuid = 0000000gfr & amp ; brand = 000000qtqe both ideas can be combined : micro - balloon shaped polymer or glass spheres with a density around 1 can be dispensed from a syringe with a mixing disc .	0
with initial reference to fig1 - 3 , a dishwasher constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated at 2 . as shown , dishwasher 2 is arranged below a kitchen countertop 6 . also below kitchen countertop 6 is shown cabinetry 8 including a plurality of drawers 9 - 12 , as well as a cabinet door 13 . although the actual dishwasher into which the present invention may be incorporated can vary , the invention is shown in connection with dishwasher 2 depicted as a dual cavity dishwasher 2 having an upper basin or drawer 16 and a lower basin or drawer 18 . in accordance with the embodiment shown , upper drawer 16 includes a front wall 20 , a rear wall 21 , a bottom wall 22 and opposing side walls 23 and 24 that collectively define an upper wash chamber or tub 28 . in a manner known in the art , upper drawer 16 is provided with a handle 29 for accessing an interior of tub 28 . in a manner also known in the art , tub 28 includes a dish rack 30 for supporting various objects , such as glassware , utensils and the like , to be exposed to a washing operation . upper drawer 16 is slidably mounted within a frame 40 through a pair of extendible drawer support glides or rails , one of which is indicated at 41 . the details of frame 40 do not constitute part of the present invention and therefore will not be discussed further here other than to note that frame 40 preferably constitutes an open latticework . in addition , upper drawer 16 is provided with a vertically shiftable lid member 44 that is adapted to selectively seal against an upper portion ( not separately labeled ) of tub 28 . that is , when upper drawer 16 is inserted into frame 40 , lid member 44 is lowered to seal about tub 28 and , when drawer 16 is withdrawn from frame 40 , lid member 44 is caused to be raised so as to enable drawer 16 to be withdrawn from frame 40 and provide access to tub 28 . as the particular manner in which lid member 44 is raised or lowered is not part of the present invention , this aspect of dishwasher 2 will not be detailed further here . in a similar manner , lower drawer 18 includes a front wall 50 , a rear wall ( not shown ), a bottom wall 52 and opposing side walls 53 and 54 that collectively define a lower wash chamber or tub 58 . lower drawer 18 is provided with a handle 59 that enables a consumer to readily access tub 58 , with lower drawer 18 being slidably mounted within frame 40 through a pair of extensible drawer glides or rails ( not shown ). in addition , lower drawer 18 is provided with a shiftable lid member 64 which lowers to selectively seal lower drawer 18 when lower drawer 18 is inserted into frame 40 , and is raised when lower drawer 18 is to be withdrawn from frame 40 . each drawer 16 and 18 includes an associated pump system ( not shown ) that delivers washing fluid to wash arms supported in wash chambers 28 and 58 . actually , the pump systems create a recirculating flow of washing fluid that is directed upon dishware and the like arranged in tub 28 and / or 58 during a washing operation . the entire pump and filtration system is not part of the present invention and therefore will not be discussed further . however , additional details of the pump and filtration system can be found in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 785 , 027 , entitled “ dishwasher pump and filtration system ” filed on feb . 25 , 2004 which is incorporated herein by reference . in general , the above description is provided for the sake of completeness as the present invention is particularly directed to a utility link 70 that connects , for example , wash chamber or tub 28 with a household drain line and / or electrical mains . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention illustrated in fig4 , utility link 70 is constituted by an electrical cable 74 having a first end 80 that extends to a second end 82 through an intermediate portion 84 . in accordance with a preferred form of the invention , intermediate portion 84 includes a first flexible loop section 88 and a second flexible loop section 90 that are joined through a trough section 92 . first and second flexible loop sections 88 and 90 enable , for example , drawer 16 to be fully withdrawn from frame 40 . that is , as drawer 16 is withdrawn from frame 40 , first and second flexible loop portions 88 and 90 begin to straighten . as flexible loop portions 88 and 90 straighten , utility link 70 allows drawer 16 to extend from frame 40 to facilitate loading and unloading of dishware while , at the same time , maintaining a viable utility connection . electrical cable 74 is also shown to include a connector member 94 provided at second end 82 . as will also be discussed more fully below , connector 94 is adapted to interconnect with and provide electrical power to the pump system ( not shown ) for a respective tub 28 , 58 . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig5 , a utility link 70 ′ is constituted by a drain hose 104 . drain hose 104 includes a first end 110 adapted to extend through frame 40 and connect to a household drain . first end 110 leads to a second end 112 through an intermediate portion 114 . in further accordance with the invention , intermediate portion 114 includes a first section 117 which leads to a first curved portion 119 . leading from first curved portion 119 is a second substantially straight section 121 which terminates in a second curved portion 122 . at this point , second curved portion 122 leads to a third , substantially straight section 123 which terminates at a first flexible loop section 130 . drain hose 104 is also provided with a second flexible loop section 134 which is joined to first flexible loop section 130 through a trough section 136 . in a manner similar to that described above with respect to utility link 70 , first and second flexible loop sections 130 and 134 , as well as trough section 136 , enable drawer 16 to be fully withdrawn from outer housing 70 . as best shown in fig6 , utility link 70 and / or 70 ′ is supported by a utility link carrier 144 . utility link carrier 144 provides support for first and second flexible loops 88 and 90 of cable 74 and / or first and second flexible loops 130 and 134 of drain hose 104 . that is , utility link carrier 144 is designed to support electrical cable 74 or drain hose 104 individually , or both electrical cable 74 and drain hose 104 together . in the embodiment shown in fig6 , utility link carrier 144 includes a first , substantially rigid portion 146 which is mounted to or supported by frame 40 . as shown , first portion 146 includes a first end 147 that leads to a second end 148 through an intermediate portion 149 which , in the embodiment shown , is curvilinear in shape . provided at second end 148 is a flexible joint 154 , formed from plastic spring steel or the like , which serves to interconnect first portion 146 with a semi - rigid support 161 . semi - rigid support 161 is formed from a resilient or elastomeric material that allows utility link carrier 144 to move with utility link 70 and / or 70 ′ yet return to a bowed or curvilinear shape to provide support for flexible loop section 90 and / or 134 . in accordance with the invention , semi - rigid support 161 includes a first end 163 fixedly secured to flexible joint 154 and extending to a second end 164 through an intermediate or support section 166 . intermediate or support section 166 is secured to second loop section 90 and / or 134 of electrical cable 74 and drain hose 104 through the use of , for example , cable ties , clamps or the like . in this manner , when drawer 16 is in a retracted position as shown in fig2 , utility link 70 , 70 ′ is not caused to sag or fall into other portions of dishwasher 2 creating a snag hazard . when drawer 16 is withdrawn from frame 40 , utility link carrier 144 fully supports utility link 70 , 70 ′ while allowing loops 90 and / or 134 to extend . as described above , utility link carrier 144 is formed from resilient or elastomeric material so that , when drawer 16 is shifted between open and closed positions , utility link carrier 144 moves with drawer 16 and , most importantly , returns to an original , at rest state . more specifically , as drawer 16 shifts out from frame 40 , semi - rigid support 161 shifts with drawer 16 . once drawer 16 nears a fully open position , flexible joint 154 stretches as a strain relief , while rigid portion 146 remains fixed relative to frame 40 . also shown in fig6 , second end 164 is provided with a mounting flange 174 that is adapted to interconnect with electrical cable 74 and / or drain hose 104 . mounting flange 174 is fixedly secured to a rear portion of drawer 16 adjacent a utility connection point 175 . in order to properly receive electrical cable 74 and / or drain hose 104 , mounting flange 174 is provided with first and second plate portions 179 and 180 which , in the embodiment shown , are off - set one from the other . first plate portion 179 is provided with a cable receiving section or opening 184 adapted to receive connector member 94 of electrical cable 74 . in this manner , electrical cable 74 can be supported and the connection to drawer 16 maintained while avoiding undo stress on the connection . in a similar manner , second plate 180 is provided with a drain hose receiving tubular section 186 . drain hose receiving tubular section 186 interconnects second end 112 of a drain hose 104 to a hose receiving portion of a drain pump ( not shown ) carried by drawer 16 . based on the above , it should be readily understood that the utility link 70 of the present invention provides a viable and flexible connection between a wash chamber of a drawer - type dishwasher and household utilities , for example , electrical and drain connections . furthermore , utility link 70 , 70 ′ and utility link carrier 144 enable drawer 16 of the wash chamber to be fully withdrawn from frame 40 such that rear wall 21 can extend well beyond countertop 6 so as to enable a consumer to easily insert large kitchenware , such as baking pans and the like , while still maintaining the necessary utility connections . although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention , it should be readily understood that various changes and / or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof . for instance , while described in connection with upper drawer 16 , a corresponding utility link arrangement is also employed in connection with lower drawer 18 . in general , the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims .	0

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